CH 7 | The Clock Is Ticking
Chara was playing on the stairs with some old toys that Sans found for her to play with. Frisk was sitting trying to take a nap on the couch, and Sans was at his station. It had been two days since Frisk and Chara had fallen. They practically moved in with Sans at this point.
"You know Chara," Frisk said "It was really nice of Sans to let us stay here. Since it's dangerous outside."
Frisk, too tired to answer replied "Yeah it was. And also cares about us you know?" Frisk had his eyes closed not watching Chara.
Chara continued to play with her toys and Frisk had nodded off to sleep. Frisk woke up rubbing his eyes and look at the toys on the ground. He looked around for Chara but when he felt a cold chill, he turned his head around to see that the door was wide open, blowing all the cold air and snow in. Frisk got up quickly and rushed to the door. He was about to leave when a small 'surprise' was waiting for him. The small flower was at the base of the doorway with a huge sinister grin on it's face.
"What do you want?" Frisk asked angrily
"It's payment time Frisk!"
"Sorry 'weed', but I'm not hurting Chara."
"No huh...thought so...that's why I took it upon myself to dispose of her myself!"
"Where's Chara?" Frisk said with an angry look on his face.
Chara looked at the flower whose grin was wider. "Where. Is. Chara."
"Hehehe! She's, taking a nice, cold dip!"
Frisk looked in shock
"The clock is ticking…tick tock Frisk…we wouldn't want anyone to drown would we~?" the flower laughed manically and popped back underground.
Frisk looked confused. Then suddenly. It hit him. The river! Frisk ran outside and around the corner to where the river was. He didn't see Chara. Oh no! No no no! Frisk ran back around to the other side of Sans's house to see Chara floating down on a piece of small ice.
"CHARA!" Frisk called out
"Frisk! Help!"
Frisk, without thinking, jumped into the freezing cold river and swam out to Chara.
"Chara, give me your hand!"
Chara stretched out her hand. It wasn't long enough.
"I-I can't!" Chara looked very upset. She was crying.
"Hold on! I'll get closer!" Frisk swam closer.
The water was cold as ice. Frisk had on a short sleeve shirt and long pants, while Chara had on a long sweater and shorts. Both were not well suited for cold water. It was hard to get there. The water was surprisingly rapid. Frisk almost got to the ice but missed. Frisk heard Chara yelling for him and Frisk tried harder to get to her. He had to stay determined. Frisk swam as hard as he could.
By now the two were already in Waterfall. Frisk saw a giant waterfall coming closer. Frisk swam harder trying to reach Chara. Chara had her eyes closed and was too scared to to try and swim against the current. Which probably wouldn't have helped anyways. With one final push Frisk was close enough to the ice once again.
"Take my hand! Frisk stretched his hand out again.
Chara opened her eyes and stretched her hand out as well. This time Chara was able to grab ahold. Frisk pulled Chara close. The two were then floating in the water going down the river to the waterfall fast. Frisk swam to the shore that was closest. He reached land and put Chara up first since she was drowning. He then got up himself and stood up. Chara was still on the ground most likely trying to process what just happened. Frisk knelt down beside her.
"Chara? Are you alright?" He said out of breath.
Chara just sat there breathing in and out with some stutter to it. She hugged him and started crying onto his shoulder.
Frisk put his arms around her. He stroked her head trying to calm her down. Frisk himself needed to take a breather but first he knew he needed to tend to Chara. Frisk and Chara pulled out of the hug and Frisk got up. He held out his hand to Chara.
The two headed back towards the place that was their house. When they got there, Frisk got Chara a towel to dry her off. Frisk and Chara were both still freezing cold and soaking wet. He sat Chara down on the couch after she was mostly dry and gave her a blanket to replace the wet towel.
Frisk made some hot chocolate and gave it to Chara. That whole time, not one of them said anything to each other. Frisk sat down next to Chara.
"Chara? Are you alright now?" Frisk asked not sounding mad or upset, but kind.
"Y-yeah." Chara replied. Being cold was affecting her speech a little.
Chara still had some tears in her eyes. Frisk guessed that she was expecting him to be angry at her. Frisk put his arm around Chara to comfort her.
"Chara...I'm not angry."
Chara looked up in surprise.
"Y-you're n-not?"
Frisk smiled lightly and gently.
"No. I'm a little upset maybe, but not angry."
There was silence. Chara drank some of her hot chocolate. Chara calmed down but she was still shivering. Frisk put his hand on Chara's forehead. It was warm.
"Chara, you have a fever."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. I'm taking you to bed." Frisk picked Chara up.
"I-I'm n-not t-tired!"
"No, but you need some rest." Frisk brought Chara up to their room. Chara sneezed a few times on the way up. Yep. Fever.
Frisk laid Chara down on her sleeping bag and pulled the blankets over her. He gave Chara one of her new stuffed toys and left her to rest.
He went back downstairs and sat on the couch. What the hell am I going to tell Sans? He gave a big sigh and wondered what time it was. Luckily there was a clock nearby on the wall. Frisk looked at and saw that it was a quarter past three. All he could think of when he saw the clock was that flower taunting him.
"Tick tock Frisk…"
Frisk shook it from his head. Sans is getting off work soon. The afternoon was a disaster. Frisk sat there and thought of how the hell he was going to tell Sans. Then the door opened and Sans came in.
"Hey Frisk." He said taking off his jacket and scarf.
Frisk waved as Sans put his jacket and scarf on the hanger.
"Frisk? Are you okay?" he asked
"Hm? Oh yeah."
"Frisk?" he asked again in a more concerned tone
"Y-yeah?"
"Are you sure you're okay? Is something wrong?"
"Oh um..yeah it's-nothing's wrong." He lied.
"Well okay...where's Chara?" Sans questioned the young boy sitting on the couch seeming offaly suspicious.
Frisk really wasn't sure how to tell Sans. What was he going to say? Would he lie again. No. He couldn't. Sans deserved to know. Besides, there was no hiding it.
"She uh...oh boy. How do I explain this?" Frisk looked nervous.
"Frisk...what happened?" Sans said in a serious voice.
Frisk had never heard this side of Sans before. He sounded as concerned as he should be.
"Well?" he asked again.
"She...fell into the river? And now she has a fever?" Frisk said trying to sound innocent but he looked away from from Sans once he gave an angry look. He wasn't impressed.
"You went outside? And disobeyed me?"
"Yes?" Frisk was really nervous now.
He's going to kick my ass so hard...
"And so where IS Chara?" Sans was standing with his arms crossed.
"Upstairs taking a nap."
Sans was still not happy. Frisk and Chara had both gone outside when he told them not to. That was one of the rules if they wanted to stay with him. It was also the most important.
Frisk watched as Sans come out of their room and back down the stairs. Frisk felt horrible. He never wanted to disobey him but he had too. Frisk was in trouble. Sans sat down next to Frisk and looked at him with a sincere face. Frisk was a little confused. Why isn't he angry?
"Why did you break the rules?" he asked very nicely and not angrily.
"I needed to save Chara from drowning in the river." Frisk said. That wasn't a lie.
"Okay. But why was Chara in the river?"
"Um…" Frisk was at a loss for words.
He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell Sans that a demonic flower was trying to kill Chara and take her soul because then he would have to say everything else. And the flower would just come after Chara again. How could he lie out of this?
"She" Frisk sighed "It's my fault. I was taking a nap and I wasn't watching I guess she decided play outside and I guess she went to the river and fell in." He didn't want to blame it on Chara.
"I see." Sans looked away from Frisk for a few moments
"I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Please don't punish Chara! It's all my fault! When I realized that she wasn't there, I went out to get her back in and-"
"I understand, Frisk."
Sans got up. He looked upset. But not in the crying way. He was upset that Frisk wasn't more responsible. The truth was, Frisk wasn't reasonable. He didn't notice that Chara snuck out in the first place. He just had to take a nap! Sans should punish me. I am so stupid!
"I'm disappointed Frisk."
"I know."
"I should punish both of you." Sans looked back at Frisk. He had his head down.
"I know…" Frisk said almost so that Sans couldn't hear.
"But I won't. Chara has cold and that wouldn't be fair to her." Sans paused before continuing "you however, will be."
Oh great. Yep. knew it. Frisk thought. He knew he wasn't going to get away with what happened.
"You, will do everything Chara asks. Since she'll be in bed for a few days, you will get whatever she needs, whenever she needs it. And you can clean the house too. Agreed?"
"Yes." Frisk said with his head down still.
Frisk was in trouble and he had no one to blame but himself. It was all his fault.
