Sans' heart raced as he blinked out of the airship. He had to act fast. Very fast.
So he didn't die again. Sans had no idea what happened. He felt himself die. He was sure he died. Yet, he still woke upon the airship, exactly the same time that he woke up from his dream.
The only thing Sans knew is that it had something to do with Frisk. He had been studying the nature of human souls since he was six, and Sans knew that Frisk had a very unique soul. It carried the same substance that made Chara nearly invincible.
Determination. Sans didn't know as much as Alphys on the substance, but he knew enough of it gave a human the ability to reset anything. Sans had a suspicion that Frisk had reset everything.
He landed in the dining room of the lab, the room he had the strongest connection to. Frisk and Alphys were embracing each other tightly as they sobbed quietly into Alphys' shoulder. Sans cleared his throat awkwardly.
Frisk looked up, wiping away their tears. "Sans?" they asked. "How are you alive?"
The room fell silent. Alphys looked confused. Frisk was shocked. Sans didn't know what to say.
"What do ya mean, kiddo? I may be a skeleton, but I'm pretty sure I'm alive," Sans feigned innocence. Frisk didn't buy it.
"Hey, so," Sans started, rubbing his fingers on cervical vertebrae (It's the part of the spine where the neck is) "I changed my mind about the whole thing. You should come, y' know, like for experience."
"Uhhh, okay?" Frisk said, phrasing is more like a question. "Alphys, are you coming?"
"O-Oh, no! I'll stay," Alphys said. "Someone needs to stay to survey the footage."
Sans shrugged. "Suit yourself. C'mon Frisk, I know a shortcut."
Frisk reluctantly took Sans' hand and felt the world disappear around them. They were vaguely aware of Alphys stuttering a goodbye, but Frisk was gone before they could reply.
"What did I do, Sans?" Frisk asked, looking up at the skeleton.
"I don't know, Frisk. What did you do?" Sans replied.
"I- I don't know. It was night, and you died. I panicked, and suddenly I was back to a few hours before," Frisk admitted.
Sans didn't say anything for a few seconds. "The others don't know," he eventually blurted. "They have no idea that they died."
"So you really did die? Mettaton and Undyne, too?" Frisk asked.
"Yeah," Sans choked out. "We did."
Frisk felt their feet touch solid ground as the world reanimated around them. They clenched and unclenched their fists, letting hot, wet tears fall to the ground.
"You won't die again," Frisk whispered.
"What did you say, punk?" Frisk's head snapped up when they heard Undyne's voice.
"N-Nothing!" Frisk yelped, quickly wiping away their tears.
Undyne frowned. "What are you even doing here? I thought I said it was too dangerous."
Sans sighed. "I figured they could get some field experience. It's no big deal, really."
Undyne cocked an eyebrow. "Whatever you say."
They spent the remainder of the time planning the attack. "Instead of defending ourselves, we should take the ball into their court," Undyne said.
"Yeah," Sans agreed. "When they attack, we need to be prepared as possible. Undyne and I will go on the front lines. Mettaton, you'll need to preserve your battery. Refrain from combat unless it's an emergency. You too, Frisk. Stay away from the worst of the fight."
"Sure," Frisk shrugged.
"And another thing," Sans said. "I've done, um, 'research' on our target, and they have an accomplice."
"An accomplice?" Mettaton asked.
"Yeah," Sans said. "Whatever you do, don't let them catch you."
"Umm, okay?" Undyne responded. She looked out the window. "We'll be landing soon."
"Hey, guys?" Frisk asked. Everyone turned to look at them. "I just wanna say: thanks. I know I can be inconvenient, but thank you for giving me a family."
Frisk shared a look with Sans. He knew it, too. That they were going to die.
At least they would die together.
Frisk's little heart pounded as they stepped out of the ship. Chara was watching them already. They could feel the bloodlust radiating. Chara wanted their soul.
"Sans," Frisk whispered. "I'm staying away from the destruction path."
"Good idea," Sans said back. Frisk scrambled off to hide in the shadows.
Sans felt himself tense, knowing what was lurking. Every step he took sounded too loud, he cringed as his foot hit a metal can, which popped loudly.
The trio prowled through the twilight, glancing around in every direction. Sans knew Flowey was periodically checking on them, but he didn't ever look back. Sans didn't want Chara to know that he remembered.
"Stop," Sans whispered, coming to a halt in the same clearing.
"What for?" Undyne asked.
Sans began to sweat. "I thought I heard-"
Snap. Dense, smoky fog filled the chilly air. Sans had no arm hair, but he thought he felt goosebumps rise up on his bones.
Chara had found them.
Meanwhile, Frisk watched from a distance, just within earshot. Their blood turned cold when the list crept in, obscuring their view.
"Impressive," they heard Chara say. "It seems someone managed to reset. It was a sloppy job, really. But, I will still have to kill you again."
"Chara, you idiot!" Flowey hissed. "Don't you see? Whoever reset has enough determination to finish our job! Prioritize them, not these morsels."
"Don't tell me things I already know, Flowey," Chara returned. "I'll find the human that reset after I deal with these 'morsels', as you call them. Got it?"
"You're outnumbered!" Mettaton spat. "You'd be wise to surrender."
"Oh?" Chara thought. "Let's see about that."
Chara slid towards Mettaton, knowing that, with a low battery, he was an easy target. But Mettaton lept into the shadows to begin circling the fight.
Undyne stepped in, parrying a blow from Chara while Sans took care of Flowey. Chara glanced at the skeleton, hoping to overwhelm him, until Undyne left-hooked them.
"You're dealing with me!" Undyne snapped.
"I guess I am," Chara grinned, wiping blood from their nose. They charged at Undyne, who sidestepped and threw her knee into Chara's back. They tumbled forward, but caught themselves and swiped at Undyne, leaving a shallow cut in her scales.
While Chara was distracted with Undyne, Mettaton pulled off his gloves, revealing his rather sharp nails. He darted in and ripped at Chara's back, only to jump out of the battlefield before they even turned around.
"Dammit!" Chara yelled. They turned and landed a roundhouse kick to Undyne's gut, reopening her wound. Undyne yelped and staggered. Chara licked their lips and drove the shocked Undyne to the ground.
"You. Can't. Beat. ME!" Chara yelled, pushing their knife towards Undyne's chest, despite the fish monster grappling their wrist. Eventually Undyne's grip loosened as she wore out, panting.
"See," Chara mused. "No matter how many times you try, you'll-"
Their words were cut short when Frisk barreled into Chara, knocking them off Undyne.
"I won't let you kill my friends again!" Frisk hissed.
Chara wriggled free and stood, laughing maniacally. "So. You're the one."
Frisk's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Chara's laugh subsided, replaced with a much more serious expression. "You're the one standing in the way between me and my brother!" Chara screamed, lunging Frisk. They hacked and slashed like a madman, and Frisk's muscles screamed as they dodged. They blocked Chara's knife with their own dagger.
Chara stopped when they saw the dagger. Their eyes filled with hot tears. "That's… not yours…" they whispered.
Chara went rigid. Their big, round eyes narrowing into slits. "I'll kill you!" they threw their knife at Frisk, eyes full of desperation and bloodlust.
"I'm coming, Asriel!" they cried, advancing towards Frisk with their blade hand outstretched.
Chara swung at Frisk's chest, giving them no time to dodge. The knife sliced through Frisk's cowl, ripping their skin. Frisk cried out and fell to their knees.
"You're all beneath me! I will destroy every single one of you!" Chara shouted, their crazed eyes twitching.
Frisk looked up. They rose to their feet, drops of blood spilling to the ground. They gazed into Chara's jaded eyes. Behind the madness and desperation, Frisk saw something.
They saw innocence. Underneath Chara's bloodthirsty shell was a sad and scared child. All they wanted was their brother. Beneath that soulless exterior, the real Chara hid, isolated and alone.
Frisk did the last thing anyone would have expected. They dropped their dagger. "You're wrong," Frisk said firmly. "Beneath all those layers of anger and spite, you're still human. You still have a life. And you can do whatever you want with that life. It's your call."
Frisk outstretched their hand. "But hurting yourself and countless innocent people won't bring Asriel back. And that's okay. After all, you spent so much time together. Just remember him like that."
Frisk fell to their knees and embraced a silent Chara in their arms. "Despite everything, it's still you."
Chara was stunned. Why weren't they fighting? Didn't they know that Chara planned to kill them no matter what?
Chara raised their knife. "Frisk, no!" they heard Sans shout. Chara tried not to care.
But they couldn't. They could feel the wall they spent seventy years building around themselves begin to fall. Everything hurt so bad. Chara felt something heavy and thick cloud their chest. They had forgotten what it was called.
Instead of killing Frisk like they had intended, Chara squeezed Frisk back. Fat, hot tears slid down their face. "I miss him so much," Chara whispered. "Every day that passes without Asriel feels so empty. Ever since the day those humans shot him down, I hated them. I hated my own species. They took everything I had. So I stayed. I watched the village crumble and die, keeping vigil over those flowers that had become so sacred to me." Chara sobbed into Frisk's shoulder. "Buttercups were his favorite. He said that even the most tainted flower could be beautiful if it wanted to be. That's where he dusted, in a field of buttercups. God, it was so awfully fitting."
"Shh," Frisk comforted, rubbing circles on Chara's back. "Everything's okay."
Chara broke the hug, rubbing their eyes. "I want him back. I'll do anything to bring him back."
Frisk met Chara's round, red eyes. "I know."
"Anything, huh?" a raspy voice chirped from behind Chara. Frisk looked up just in time to see a forest green vine aimed at Chara.
"Chara!" Frisk cried, attempting to shove their new ally out of the way. They were too late. The vine pierced Chara's chest like nothing, splattering Frisk in their blood. "NO!" they cried.
Chara looked down at their bleeding chest. The vine had just barely missed their heart. Chara fell to the ground, the hole in their chest gory and gaping. Frisk could see their torn muscle, their throbbing veins, spurting blood and a broken rib dangling out of their chest. Blood dripped from Chara's mouth as they coughed.
"Go ahead," Flowey sneered. "I dare you to reset. To stop being a coward! To realize I betrayed you and kill me!"
Chara's dull yet leveled gaze met Flowey's. To the flower's shock, they smiled. "I'm done… cheating death…" they murmured, gazing into the sky.
"Coward!" Flowey hissed.
"Really…? I thought… that feigning immortality was cowardly…."
A small, red glow emanated from Chara's chest. If Frisk squinted hard enough,they could see a small love heart.
Saliva dripped from Flowey's mouth as the bright, red soul rose from Chara's chest.
"Promise me something," Chara whispered, their voice weak.
"What now?" Flowey muttered.
"Please… give this to Azzy, and tell him that I love him so much…" Chara smiled.
"I promise," Flowey returned stoically.
"You hear that, Asriel? We're almost there," Chara sighed, gazing up into the soft dusk's glow.
Chara went still.
Flowey began to chuckle, which turned into howling laughter. "I have them!" he squealed. "I have all seven!"
The air around Flowey began to vibrate as the seven souls shuddered. Flowey cackled as the winds whipped around him, obeying his every whim.
"Frisk! Let's go!" Frisk turned to see Sans, Undyne and Mettaton already ten feet away, panic lighting their eyes.
Frisk grabbed their dagger and sprinted after them, flinching every time a branch or vine shot up from the ground in an attempt to capture them.
"Go! Go! Go!" Undyne screamed, the airship coming into view a hundred yards away.
Frisk threw themselves into the cockpit and rushed into the pilot's seat. They flipped random switches and buttons until the vehicle started up.
"Select Auto-Pilot!" they screamed into the speakers.
"Auto-Pilot selected. Please hold as I refresh the safety proto-"
"Skip! Skip! Get us the hell out of here!" Frisk shouted back.
"Safety protocol skipped. Preparing for takeoff in ten.."
A vine whomped on the side of the ship, making it rock side to side.
"Nine…"
Flowey's enraged scream got closer, now only fifty yards away.
"Eight…"
The ground shook beneath them.
"Seven,"
More vines knocked the ship around, nearly tipping it over.
"Six…"
"Come on!" Frisk urged, slamming the dash in frustration.
"Five…"
The oxygen masks fell from overhead.
"Four…"
Flowey was twenty yards away.
"Three…"
Ten yards.
"Two…"
Five yards.
"One."
Flowey could easily be seen through the window, a murderous grin on his face.
"Idiots," he hissed. "Did you really think you could escape the god of your new world?"
Just as he was about to lunge for the ship, it skyrocketed into the air, blowing dust into the flower's face.
"We did," Frisk returned quietly, their heart racing and their body shaking. Tears threatened to fall from their eyes.
Frisk took a deep breath. They put on a smile and walked into the main cabin.
Everyone looked up when Frisk walked in. "You're hurt," Sans noted. Frisk looked down at their chest, where Chara had left that deep gash.
Chara. It pained Frisk to think about them too much. How, their newfound peace had been cut so short. How Frisk had let them die.
"I guess I am," Frisk finally said.
Sans nodded. "Undyne's hurt too. Her stomach reopened.
"Damn," Undyne winced. "I thought that was mostly healed."
"Is there a first-aid kit in here?" Sans asked Mettaton.
"There is, actually. I can go get it," Mettaton said, slinking off to the med bay. He returned shortly with a white case in hand.
Sans stood up. "I take Undyne, you take Frisk?"
"Sounds good, darling," Mettaton replied. He kneeled down next to Frisk.
"I didn't know you had medical knowledge," Undyne called.
Mettaton pulled out a case of stitches. "Alphys taught me when I was seventeen," he said. "She said it was important to know monster and human first-aid if I wanted to fight. I haven't actually had to use it until now."
"Huh," Undyne shrugged.
"Please sit still," Sans said.
"Hey, Mettaton?" Frisk asked. "How did you meet Alphys?"
"It's a pretty long story," Mettaton chuckled. "Blooky and I grew up in some sweatshop orphanage living in the city. We never knew our parents, but we knew that we were cousins. All we had were each other. The sweatshop owner was a human who thought monsters were soulless or something, so she forced monster children to work while human kids played. Eventually Ibroke us out of there and we spent the rest of our lives on the streets until Alphys took us in. The rest is just a bunch of boring exposition and character development that no one wants to hear."
"Oh," Frisk replied.
"Darling? I know this is going to sound terrible, but can you take off your shirt?"
"Seriously?" Frisk muttered, tossing their cowl to the side and pulling their tunic off, revealing a bloody camisole and a worn binder.
"I'm gonna do it," Undyne whispered to Sans, who's eyes widened.
"Undyne, wai-" he tried to stop her, but to no avail. Undyne let out the loudest and most obnoxious wolf whistle she could muster.
Mettaton turned to look at her with a sweet grin, yet his eyes held murder. "Darling," he said through clenched teeth. "You do know that I am twenty-two years old and gay, right?"
"Same," Undyne said, slumping against the wall to let Sans continue stitching. Mettaton huffed and dabbed rubbing alcohol into Frisk's wound. They hissed at the burn.
"Hey, can I borrow that?" Sans asked, pointing to the bottle.
Mettaton shrugged. "Sure," he said. "All yours, darling."
Sans took the bottle and chugged nearly half of it.
"You're going to die," Undyne said bluntly.
"Skeletons don't have livers."
She shrugged. "Fair point."
Mettaton sighed and picked up his needle. "I should warn you. This is going to hurt. If you need to squeeze something, just ask."
"No, no! I'll be fine!" Frisk said.
"If you say so," Mettaton poked the needle into Frisk's skin, and they had to bite their lip so they didn't scream. Their skin felt like fire as Mettaton laced the needle back and forth through their flesh. They cringed and flinched and the blood welled up from the tiny pinpricks.
After what felt like an eternity, Mettaton reached the end of the wound, pulling the stitches tight. He tied a knot and stood up to go make a coffee.
Sans too stood up. "Stay out of trouble, you two. Seriously. Undyne, we don't need your cut opening up a third time."
"Whatever," Undyne grumbled. "Hey, Metta! You better bring me a coffee!"
"Get your own damn coffee!" Mettaton's metallic voice shouted back.
Frisk stood up and made their way to Sans, who sat by the window, staring into the night with tired eyes.
"You okay?" Frisk asked with concern.
"You saved us," Sans whispered. "If you hadn't intervened, we would have died. Again. Thanks."
Frisk frowned. "But someone didn't make it out."
"You feel bad about Chara, don't you?" Sans asked, turning to face Frisk.
"It's my fault they're dead, Sans," Frisk wept.
"Kid," Sans said, placing a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "Some things just can't be helped. It's not your fault. If they wanted to live, they would have reset."
Frisk said nothing. "...Flowey's still out there. He can still hurt people. I have to stop him."
"And we will. In time. Right now, let's just celebrate the fact that we're all alive, okay?"
Frisk sniffled. "Yeah, okay. I can do that." they whispered.
"That's what I'm talking about," Sans chuckled. Just out of curiosity, he allowed himself to peer deeper than Frisk's exterior. He gazed into their soul.
Sans almost had to cover his eyes. Frisk's soul was brighter than the sunlight itself. It created flares in Sans' vision. The closer he looked, the more something seemed wrong with it.
There was a tiny shard of red next to Frisk's soul.
