Chapter IV - A Fairy Tail
A few lessons later, and Frisk was beginning to swim pretty well. Around the third lesson, you thought it was time for them to move up with the other eleven-and-twelve-year olds. You were curious to see how they would do swimming with the other kids, and it definitely helped that Monster Kid was in the same lane as them. The second meet of the season is coming up next Monday, so you're trying your best to get the swimmers ready. Frisk is eager to learn more, and always listens to you when you give them instructions and tips on how to improve their technique.
"Try to get on your side more when you reach out," you say, lifting your hand to demonstrate, "reach out as far as you can, close your fingers together, cup your hands, and then pull," you pull your arm down while bringing the other one up, "and rotate onto your other side. Keep your head down so that you're looking at the bottom of the pool, and keep it still. Does that make sense?" When Frisk nods, you say, "okay. Just start with the rotation and get that under control first, then we'll go from there. One thing at a time." You cough, making the other eleven-and-twelve-year olds turn to look at you. "Okay, guys, next thing we're going to do...four fifties drill-swim, freestyle. Odds are six kicks, one stroke, and evens will be..." You smile a little bit. All of the kids have been swimming pretty well today, so you decide to so something a little bit more fun. "How about...dolphin dives?"
There are a mix of cheers and groans, which makes you chuckle. "Remember to do your flip turns! I know they suck, but the only way you get better at them is to do them! Alright, first group, ready...go!" The first swimmer pushes off of the wall and goes into streamline. You wait until she's past the flags to start the next swimmer. You keep doing this until it's Frisk's turn to push off.
"Okay...ready, go!" Frisk pushes off, into...ooh, okay, you'll need to work with them on that streamline. Their hands are apart, head looking up. When they come up, they start their drill. You squint to see what they're doing incorrectly when they come back from swimming; it looks to you like they're using their shoulders to rotate rather than their hips. Hmm...and they're kicking with their knees, rather than using their whole legs. They're cupping their hands, at least, and they look a little better in form than they did the other day. It's okay; this is progress. You can work with this.
The first swimmer returns. You tell her that she did a good job and she thanks you. You admonish the second swimmer for not doing his flip turn. Frisk comes in after MK. You go ahead and start the next fifty, then stop Frisk.
"Okay, I see what you're doing now. You're using your shoulders to rotate, so that sort of makes it feel like your entire body is rotating, but it's not. So..." You stand, lifting your arm above your head. "When you rotate, go like this," You pull your left arm down slowly, while gradually turning your body and raising your right arm. "watch my hips. See how they turned when I pulled down?"
They nod, so, you continue. "That's the kind of motion you want to get. And take your time on the drill and swim, it's not a race." They nod, then go into their dolphin dives. You chuckle. You'll start correcting their kick later. Frisk does better on the swim part this time, making you cheer silently. They're using their hips more. Good, good. They're getting so much better. You glance at your phone to check the time. There's going to be a good ten minutes of practice left after your group finishes their set. You cock your head a little. You count the number of swimmers in your lane. There's six, including Frisk and MK.
You decide to let the kids move to the deep end and do running dives for the rest of practice. You always enjoyed diving, but were never really good at it. The swimmers in your lane are more than happy to finish the set and move into the deep end. Frisk and MK go a little further down from the crowd to dive. You chuckle at them.
Soon, you find yourself being challenged to a diving competition. You shrug and accept. The swimmers cheer, then line up behind the diving board. Dustin has been declared the judge. First up, it's you versus MK.
You don't really do anything that amazing. MK jumps pretty high, then dives, making his tail go in first. You do a regular block-start dive. Dustin shakes his head at you in disapproval, while you splash him for the second time this week. He shrieks, then sticks his tongue out at you. He declares MK as the winner.
Okay, Dustin. Challenge accepted.
A few other swimmers go against each other, and eventually it comes down to you and Frisk. Frisk goes first, doing a squirrel dive that make you snicker a little bit. Dustin looks fairly impressed.
You hop onto the diving board, then you turn to face the other end, your heels on the edge of the board. You take a deep breath, then you jump backwards and do a backflip. You land feet first in the water, then sink underwater, the cries of the delighted swimmers cut off by your splash.
When you come up, everyone is cheering for you, making you laugh. You hop out of the pool and take a dramatic bow.
"Thank you, my good people." You decide to end practice a little early. "Good practice, everyone. Now go. Be free." You shoo them off dramatically.
Dustin comes up beside you. "I bet I can top that."
You smirk. "Oh, really?"
"I bet he can, too." You turn to see Frisk.
You can't help but feel betrayed.
"What?! Whose side are you on?!" You ask, baffled.
"Mine, obviously." Dustin smirks, folding his arms across his chest.
"Nuh-uh. I'm neutral." Frisk responds. You shake your head at them, and they just shrug apologetically.
"Betrayed by an eleven-year-old. What the heck?" You laugh a little, putting your hands on your hips.
"I can be persuaded to take your side...for a price..." They begin, waggling their eyebrows. Dustin just laughs.
"Oh, man, (L/N). Why?" He laughs again, shaking his head. You smack him in the arm, satisfied when lets out a little "Ow!"
"What's going on here?" You turn to see the head coach coming up behind you. It appears that he's ended his lane's practice early as well.
"I was betray-" You're cut off mid-sentence when head coach suddenly stoops without warning and grabs your feet, yanking them out from under you. You shriek, but you're caught by Dustin, who wraps his arms underneath yours. You yell again.
"WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!" You demand. The two coaches just chuckle.
"Okay. We got the camera rollin'?" Dustin asks. You look to your right to see that there's a swimmer holding a video camera in her hands. She gives him a thumbs-up. You begin to squirm, but their holds only tighten on you.
"NO, NO, NO, NO!" You yell. "I REFUSE-" You try to struggle, but they have too good a hold on you.
"Okay. Three...two...one..." They start swinging your body back and forth a few times, then they throw you into the pool. You manage to grab Dustin's arm midair somehow, and you take him down with you. The both of you go crashing down into the water, and the two of you come up sputtering and coughing.
"Okay, I guess I deserved that." Dustin spits out. You splash him.
"'Course you did, jackass!" You hush your voice a bit. He only snickers. You hear laughing from all around you. Of course, the entire swim team is huddled around the pool. You groan, tilting your head back in the water.
"Damn you," you whisper. The other assistant coach only laughs, and you shove him under the water a little bit. He retaliates by dunking your head under the water. You two wrestle a little more before you spot Frisk.
You climb out of the pool and see that Frisk is standing with someone you can't quite see from your spot. You inch closer to see...oh god no.
Yep, it's Sans. His laughter is loud and obnoxious, like it was back at Grillby's. Frisk is right there beside him, laughing their head off too. You groan again. That video is definitely going to end up in the end-of-season slideshow.
"Stop it. Both of you. That was not funny!" You growl, your hands coming to fold across your chest.
"i can't. that was priceless! ugh, you shoulda seen your face!" His skull has a slight dusting of blue on it.
Frisk is no better. "Ha, jeez. The way you were flailing...oh my gosh. That was great."
You sigh, unfolding your hands, then you smile evilly.
"You'd better hope that tomorrow is a breaststroke day." You smirk, looking down at Frisk, whose eyes go wide in shock.
"Oh no," they whisper, "you're in control of the sets we swim..."
You laugh. "Yep!" You pop the p to emphasize your point.
"heh. didn't think you'd be a swim coach." Sans says. You mentally thank him for changing the subject.
"Yeah, I know I don't look like much, but..." You shrug. "I've been swimming for a while now. Just started coaching recently."
He snorts. "that's pretty cool. welp, anyway, undyne and alphys wanted me to give you this." He hands you an envelope that is sealed with a panda sticker. "i think it's about an anime night, but, 'm not sure, so..." You take it, then gaze at the blue envelope a minute longer. You think it's funny that they sent an envelope rather than shot you a text. Eh, whatever, it's something different for once. Something other than more words on your phone's screen. Honestly, you're kind of grateful for the change.
"Okay. Thanks." You respond, dropping your arm to your side.
"'s no problem." He looks down at Frisk, who has skittered away to talk to MK.
"So...water you doing today?" You ask with a smirk. He directs his attention back to you, his permanent smile growing a bit.
"nothin' currently." He replies, shoving his bony hands into his jacket pockets.
You pause for a second. Damn, he's quick. You momentarily wonder how long he's had practice for. "I'm just out here having a splash."
You can tell he's hiding his laughter. He says: "i have a sinking feeling you know a descent amount of water puns."
"Ah-huh. A skele-ton."
Oh, no here come the skeleton puns. "tibia honest i didn't take you for the skele-pun type."
You laugh. "You think I'd patella you a fibula?"
He snickers. "if you are then i'll de-capitate you."
You fake a wince. "Ouch. You're harsh."
"heh. i don't sugar-coat the facts." He gives his jacket a tug.
You throw your hands up in the air in defeat. "How do you know so many puns?"
"practice." He shrugs, then grins. "you're okay. that wasn't too bad."
You smirk. "Thanks for the almost-compliment. Means a lot coming from the Pun Lord."
He snorts. "what can i say? you've almost deemed yourself worthy."
"Are you guys punning again?" Frisk walks up to the two of you.
Sans winks at them. "she's a bone-ified punner, kiddo."
Frisk giggles. "Wow. You've used that one way too many times."
Sans only shrugs. "eh. i recycle."
What the hell? You laugh anyway.
"Well, as much fun as it was seeing you get tossed in the pool," Frisk moves next to the shorter skeleton, "we gotta go. Undyne and Alphys are gonna have our heads if we're not back home soon! We have to get ready for the Anime Night!"
"'m kay. welp, see ya later." He gives you a quick wink and wave before turning with Frisk.
"Bye!" You respond. Frisk turns to give you a smile before looking ahead again.
You giggle. That is a pretty punny skeleton. You shake your head, then turn around and go to the table where you had plopped your stuff earlier. You pack up all of your belongings, then you zip your swim bag up after you throw on a coverup. You heave your bag onto the back and wave the other coaches goodbye.
When you get outside, you hear a musical, high-pitched song playing to your left. You turn to see an ice cream truck.
Or, you should say a Nice Cream truck. You see a few kids lined up in front of the window, and next to that has a sign that reads: "Free Nice Cream!" Inside the truck you can make out a familiar blue rabbit wearing a yellow shirt with a single red stripe down the middle and red pants to match. He hands out Nice Creams with a happy smile. You remember your promise to Burgerpants.
And, you remember how it slipped your mind to go talk to Quinn a few days ago. Shit. Well, now's your chance. Dammit, you have a job to do. You march up to the truck, standing behind the last kid in line. Quinn hasn't noticed you yet, and doesn't until you're next in line.
"Hey, Quinn!" You greet.
"Oh! Fancy seeing you here, (Y/N)!" He grins, gesturing to the menu beside the window. "What'll you have?"
You turn around to check and make sure the line behind you is empty. Sure enough, it is. You turn back to the blue bunny in front of you.
"Oh...um, could I have the (f/f) please?" You ask.
"Coming right up!" He turns away to the freezers and opens one up. "So, how's your week been so far?"
You shrug, then remember he can't see you. "It's been okay. Y'know, work, swimming, the usual, Burgerpants yelling at me..." You sigh, then see if he bought it.
Quinn turns back to you, your Nice Cream in hand. He narrows his eyes.
"...You know BP?" He asks, handing you your cone, then setting his hands down on the windowsill.
"Oh yeah, he's my neighbor. You know him?" You lick your Nice Cream, savor the cold, delicious treat, then check the wrapper. It reads: "Is this as sweet as you?" It brings a tiny smile to your face. You look back up to gauge Quinn's reaction.
He's studying you with a curious expression. "Yeah, he came to get some Nice Cream the other day near your apartment building." He takes a step back, then he places a hand on the back of his neck. "Um...do you know if...he's...oh stars, this is awkward..."
"I'm listening." You encourage.
He sighs. "Do you know if he's...single?"
You mentally fist pump. Okay, onto step two. "He is, actually. And, you know..." Hm, this might be a bad idea, but...you go with it anyway. "You know, Quinn," you prop your elbows onto the windowsill, "he asked the same question about you the other day..."
Aw, is he blushing? Yep. "R-really?!" He stutters. You nod.
"I can give you his email if you want." You offer.
"Are you sure? Wouldn't that seem a bit creepy on his end?" He questions. You shake your head.
"Just tell him I gave it to you and he'll be fine." You assure him. He nods.
"Um, but...(Y/N), I get so nervous around him!" He replies, his fingers tapping repeatedly on the windowsill. "I don't know if I can...I don't think I can."
You bite your lip. So, they both have a similar situation. They both get too nervous around each other. Hm, maybe a private date wouldn't go so well...but...
"Okay, how about this?" You start, "I'll find a day both you and BP are free, and the three of us will go somewhere public as a...platonic hangout. That way, I can help you if you get too nervous, and, if you two really hit it off, then I can skedaddle somewhere else." You smile.
He still looks unsure, but now his expression is a little hopeful. "Are you sure he...likes me back?"
Stars, you want to scream. These two are perfect for each other! "I'm positive of my positivity!" You frown. "Hey, what days are you free next week?"
"Um...Tuesdays and Thursdays."
You nod. "I'll be back." You walk over to the table you were at during practice, then you pull out your phone and call Burgerpants.
"(L/N), what's up?" He asks.
"Hey, BP!" You greet. "Guess who I just ran into!"
You can feel him tense from the other end. "...Quinn?"
"Oh yeah. As it turns out, he likes you, too!" You nearly squeal.
"W-what?! Really?!" He asks.
"Yeah! I just talked to him! He asked me if you were single!" You nearly sing.
"Oh, shit..." He sighs, "so what's the big idea?"
"Are you free on next Tuesday or Thursday?" You ask.
He pauses for a second. "I think I have Thursday off."
"Perfect. I'll call you back."
You end the call, giggling at his protests. You stand up and walk over to Quinn, who looks nerve-racked. He straightens upright when he sees you.
"Okay, BP said he's free on Thursday, but nothing's been confirmed yet. I just wanted to double-check with you. Are you up for this?" You ask.
He blinks a few times. "I...yeah. I think I am."
Another smile shoots across your face. "Perfect!"
"Um...but what exactly are we going to do?" He asks.
You shrug. "See a movie, walk around the park, go out for lunch, go to an anti-Mettaton club, hell, you could even come to one of my swim meets. You've got a ton of options here."
He tilts his head. "What do you think? I'm not really sure what he's up for..."
"Hmm...how about...lunch at Grillby's?" You suggest. You think it'd be the perfect place for them, since you felt so...comfortable there. At ease. It was hard not to, due to the warmth and the generally friendly atmosphere.
"That sounds good. Um...should we exchange numbers to stay in contact?" He asks, a bit awkwardly.
"Oh, yeah! Here," you open up the contacts app in your phone, then hand it to him. He copies you and you both trade phones. When you get yours back, he's typed his number under "Quinn the Nice Cream Guy :-)".
"Okay. I'll keep you updated!" You promise. It's nearing lunch time, and you're getting hungry, despite having finished your Nice Cream already. "It was good to see you, Quinn! Have a good day!" You wave.
"Catch you later, (Y/N)! And thank you for all of your help!" You flash him a thumbs-up, then scurry to your Jeep. When you get inside, you toss your bag in the back, then pull out the blue envelope. You tear it open, then take out the piece of paper inside. It reads-
Dear (Y/N),
You are FANCILY invited to an EPIC Anime Night. It's to be on Wednesday night at 6:00 PM sharp! Bring your nighttime shit, cause we don't know when it's gonna end (LOL). Dinner will consist of pizza and spaghetti (BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS! ((NYEH HEH HEH~)) SPAGHETTI EXTRAORDENAIRE! ; ) NYEH.) （＊＾Ｕ＾）人（≧Ｖ≦＊）/ We hope you can make it! (Punk u better make it or im gunna kick ur ass myself : ( -Undyne)
~Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Frisk ヽ(ﾟｰﾟ*ヽ)ヽ(*ﾟｰﾟ*)ﾉ(ﾉ*ﾟｰﾟ)ﾉ
There's an address listed below the note. You laugh at both the Kawaii Faces and the mixture of monsters and humans who wrote this. Even better, the anime night is tonight. You fist pump; this is going to be epic. You check the time. It's currently eleven o' clock. You make a game plan: you're going to go home and eat, write your article and submit it early, and then you're going to pack up and head out. Sounds good. You start the Jeep, then roll out.
…
Hm. What to write about for your article? Your boss hasn't commented on your pro-monster article yet, and you're not sure whether that's a good or bad sign. You tap your fingers on the desk impatiently. Well, sitting here beating yourself up about it won't help. You stand, shutting your laptop.
It's only been an hour or so since you've ate lunch, and you've been wracking your brain for an idea for a while now. You decide to watch some of the news; maybe there'll be a report that will give you a good idea. Clicking the TV on, you begin watching.
"Breaking news! King Asgore has just announced that the scientists behind the CORE would like to begin construction in towns near Mount Ebott to test the CORE's compatibility with human homes. Asgore announced on last Monday's conference that the scientists have been testing and experimenting with human's electricity, and they've come to a conclusion that the CORE should be able to deliver power to towns and cities if construction goes smoothly, and begins soon."
The scene changes to a video clip of Asgore and Toriel on stage, faces serious. Asgore says: "Our best scientists have calculated that if construction of the CORE's expansion goes well, then humans may not have to pay for electricity at all. We would like to begin this test with the following towns..." He begins to list a few towns, one of which is yours. "We hope to achieve this feat within a few months' time, and, if we get the town's permission, we will begin to build right away."
The screen flickers back to the news lady. "The monsters still need the approval of the towns. There will be a vote held in a few days' time to declare which towns will be participating in this expansion. Queen Toriel also said the following-"
The screen changes back to Asgore and Toriel. Toriel steps up this time. "If, by accident, any property is damaged or people are injured, we will do our best to correct it."
The news lady appears again. "Some towns within CORE range have asked: how does the CORE work, exactly? And what will be done to their homes? Any answers for this, Danny?" The screen shifts to a middle-aged man.
"Hello, there, Michelle! Yes, I actually interviewed the King, Queen, and the Royal Scientist the other day, and, I quote: 'To put it simply, the CORE is a huge, magically and scientifically powered generator and converter. It's located in the hottest part of the Underground, Hotlands, and it takes lava as input and transforms it into various types of energy. It's similar to how humans take geothermal energy and convert it to electricity.' That was answered by Dr. Alphys, the Royal Scientist. She also answered: 'All we need to do to the townspeople's homes is alter the wiring a little bit, then connect it to the CORE, which means we'll have to build generators around the towns that make the flowing of output a lot easier. We'll have our scientists check the generators every two weeks to make sure everything's working.' Also, here's something interesting that Dr. Alphys mentioned, too.
"'If we're to build the generators and connectors around the towns, then we'll need the town's permission not only for building. The CORE is heavily dependent on magic, and we're still not sure if humans are capable of it yet, but, humans have stronger SOULs than monsters do. We would need a fair number of humans in each town to donate a bit of their magic, harnessed or unharnessed, to help keep the CORE up and running. That's why we need more than permission.'" Danny bites his lip. "Wow! That sure sounds amazing! Back to you, Michelle!"
Michelle appears on screen yet again. "The government approved this plan, as long as the towns give the monsters permission. That's all we've uncovered so far, but stay tuned for more, folks! We'll see you in a few minutes for a commercial break." The screen transitions to a commercial about one of Mettaton's performances. You shut it off.
Well, that's definitely food for thought. You frown. The CORE sounds pretty...amazing. You'll definitely vote for this expansion to happen when the time comes. You get up, then walk over to your computer. It may not sound fun, but it looks like you've got to research a little bit before you write your article.
…
Ouch. You made the mistake of checking comments on your pro-monster article on the magazine website after you finished writing. There are some nice comments, and some not nice. Most of the nice ones just tell you that your article is good, and the not-so-nice ones just yell at you in all caps. They use bad no-no words.
Oh well. You will heed them no attention, and your boss will delete them later. Besides, it is about time for you to get ready. You send your piece of work to your editor, then you head to the kitchen to grab a quick snack. It looks like the house you're going to go to is about fifteen minutes away or so. You still have about ten minutes before you need to get ready. Sitting down for so long has made you a bit antsy, and you still smell like chlorine from the pool. You don't mind the smell; in fact, it's become so familiar over the years that you've come to like it. Although, just because you like it doesn't mean other people like it. You decide to spend the ten minutes in the shower.
As the water is heating up, you catch sight of yourself in the mirror. You can't help but stare. It's still strange to see your scar on your face. You trace your fingers over it to make sure it's still there. You can feel it underneath the tips of your fingers. It's...weird.
You are jerked out of your thoughts when you catch steam rising from out of your shower. You turn away from the mirror and hop in, allowing the hot water to drip down your back. It wets your hair, and you run your fingers through it. You relax underneath the water. For some reason, the simple combination of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom has just worked for you. Gravity hates you, and the feeling is mutual between the two of you. You're pretty clumsy, tripping up the stairs, your own two feet, and on nothing at all. But, when you jumped in the water for the first time, it just felt right.
You scrunch your face up when you allow a lot of the hot water on your face. You step back quickly. Shower time was your thinking time. The time when you came up with all kinds of ridiculous questions. You reflect on life. A lot.
And that's exactly what you do as you scrub your chlorine-infested skin, and shampoo your hair. If the CORE expansion goes through, then the future's going to be all kinds of twisted, isn't it? You have no idea what it'll bring, but it'll be all sorts of strange, won't it?
…
Undyne knows it.
You're exactly forty-three seconds late.
"Ugh, come on, we've been waiting!" She scolds. You only shake your head.
"I apologize." You say, trying to hide a smile.
"Apologizing ain't gonna do shit to rewind time. Let's go!" Undyne stomps away, leaving Alphys by her side.
"Oh d-dear. Sorry a-about her, she t-takes this pretty seriously." She gives her fiancée an affectionate glance. You only laugh, shifting your heavy as hell bag to the other shoulder.
"It's fine. It was actually kind of funny." You snort a little.
Alphys chuckles. "Well, um...c-come on in. Everyone else is here, too." You nod, then follow Alphys into the house.
"This is the h-house Undyne and I sh-share. It's not m-much, but it's home." She informs you. You glance around. It's a two-story house, to the left is a staircase, and to your right is the living room. There's a long, black, cloth couch that contains Frisk, Papyrus, and Sans. To the right of that is another couch, a loveseat that is empty. To the left of the longer couch is a recliner which Undyne is in.
"HELLO, HUMAN!" Papyrus yells, waving frantically at you.
"Hey, Papyrus!" You respond. You see a pile of shoes on a mat next to the door, so you kick yours off and set them next to the other ones.
"Hey, coach!" Frisk says. You chuckle; it's weird to have some kids call you coach out of practice. You love it, though.
"Hey!" You say.
"Okay, punk, sit over there and make yourself comfortable. We're gonna binge Fairy Tail tonight! Pizza's in a few minutes." She gestures to the loveseat, so you go over there.
"I've only watched like the first few episodes of Fairy Tail." You admit.
"It's so good!" Alphys says. "We needed something not as bloody because Frisk is here..."
For some reason, you feel some kind of...tension, maybe? You look around, sitting down on the couch, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. When you sneak a glance around, you see that Sans' eye pinpoints have vanished. Frisk is silent. But, just like that, his pinpoints return, Frisk moves on, and the tension is gone in an instant.
What was that about?
You shrug it off when Alphys curls up in Undyne's lap. Stars, can they get more adorable? Frisk puts their feet on the coffee table in front of them, and Sans curls up next to Papyrus. You pull your knees up in front of you and hug them, then Undyne sets up Fairy Tail on Netflix. Under Papyrus' protests, Frisk turns off all of the lights. There's only the first season, but it's about forty episodes long. You chuckle.
You all get through three episodes before pizza arrives. Alphys and Papyrus pass out napkins and plates while Undyne sets the pizza out on the coffee table. You all help yourselves before returning to the anime.
A few hours later, and you're about to pass out. Erza is fighting Jellal, and you know you can't fall asleep until you've finished the first season, at least. You fight your tired eyelids.
Undyne has already declared that her favorite character is Erza-"SHE'S SO STRONG AND HEROIC AND BADASS!"-and Alphys quietly mumbles her agreement. Frisk says that she likes too many to have a favorite, Sans has already fallen asleep, so has Papyrus, and you're barely awake. No, you have to see how this ends. Erza has to beat Jellal! And, stars, there are a few ships you ship so hard you feel like hitting yourself in the face with a brick.
Alphys falls asleep around midnight, Frisk is soon after her, and you're fighting to stay awake. Undyne looks like she's about to go asleep herself, but she turns to look at you.
"I'm not sleeping until this is over!" Undyne declares, her voice quiet.
"Neither am I," you respond.
So you two stay up to finish the last few episodes. You can't believe you're still kicking when the season ends.
Undyne smirks, then turns to you. "We made it."
You chuckle, then stand. You aren't quite comfortable staying the night, with you barely knowing these monsters and all, so you decide to shoot Undyne a text tomorrow. You pack up your stuff, then head out to your car. You try to be extra careful on the drive home, and when you get there, you collapse on your bed, out in seconds.