The snow creaks in rhythm as someone in a hurry rushes through it. Large footprints are left behind, the space between them telling of long strides.
The monster runs, driven by regret and driven by worry. She just hopes she's not too late.
"Hang on, my child," she speaks under her breath.
.
The human paces and fidgets, still in Sans' workshop. They tug through their sleeves again, then stop in the middle of the room and drop into a sitting position. They cross their legs, pull at their hair slightly and groan.
"What do we do, Chara...?" they ask, making themselves out to be smaller than they are. Chara is buzzing with unspoken thoughts, Frisk can tell.
We're not going to stop.
The human frowns and shifts their position so they're hugging their knees.
"I know you're lonely, but I don't know, Chara. Maybe you should let it go," Frisk speaks quietly and lulls their head to the side. The buzzing stills. "Maybe we should stop. I...
"I want to free everyone. I want to make them happy. I want to live with Toriel on the surface and I want to grow up. Why won't you let me do that?"
There's a beat of silence, and then...
Doing this is more fun.
Frisk bites their lip and sinks their face into their knees. They shake their head, feeling defeated.
"No, it's not... It's not more fun. It's not fun for me, it's not fun for Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, Mettaton or–or any of the monsters. Not even Flo–...Not even Asriel, in the end. It's not fun, it's not!"
Their voice fills with desperation, and Frisk raises their head, eyes glossy once more.
"The only one who finds it fun is you," they argue, weak and distinctly undetermined. "You, Chara. This is all just a show for you. Because you can't let go. But you keep hurting everyone, all of our friends."
They're not my friends.
"Chara!" Frisk shouts, angry and frustrated with the voice in their head, "They are your friends! Or, they want to be!"
They rise to their feet and sigh, tears blinked out of their eyes as they run a hand through their messy, brown hair.
"I want to help them. I want to end the Resets," they breathe quietly.
Surprisingly, they find the other's mood fill with mirth.
It's sweet how you honestly think you're the one in control.
Frisk's stance falters, and they gulp. Terror washes over their skin in the form of shivers. Then, only moments later, the emotion is replaced with sadness. It takes the remaining strenght right out of them.
"Chara..." they all but whisper, teeth clenched. Chara doesn't respond.
They stand there for a while, swaying from side to side a couple times before they manage to start walking. There's a black opening by the shelves in the lab, and they head through it, instantly landing right outside the skeleton brothers' front door.
The cold air enters their lungs and they take a moment to just breathe it in. It's never been quite like the surface air, more stuffy and kind of smelling of rock on occasion, but it's good enough. Good enough to help calm them.
Once they feel steadier, they hug their arms gently around themselves. Their thoughts wander away from Chara and the predicament they're in. Since all they can do right now is... Well, in fact...
What can they do now? They have their answers about Gaster and they've made friends with everyone except for Asgore. But going to see Asgore would mean Flowey murdering him, or capturing all of their friends, and absorbing the six human souls.
They could always warn them about Flowey. If they got one of their friends to go with them to Asgore, they're sure that friend could mediate the encounter. However...
Well, their first option falls to Sans, which is a problem in itself. How well does Asgore even know Sans? They've been wondering about that ever since the short skeleton first showed up in that golden hall.
That's something they realize they could pry about. But definitely not yet. After their conversation, Sans had seemed so... Unlike himself. The depression the human has noticed before has been pulled to the forefront along with everything else. It's strange to see him so emotional.
Resetting for answers with Sans is no longer an option. Not unless they destroy everything he's built to keep track on the anomaly with. And, well, they're not sure they can get into that room again. Besides, he's smart–he'd figure out what they've done and why.
Frisk feels their back connect with the door as they slump back. Again, they fall to their original question. What now?
They glance over their shoulder at the door, then furrow their brows. They could always start with seeing how Papyrus is doing now, if he's still home.
They pull away enough to turn around and then knock on the door a couple times. They don't wait for an answer before stepping inside. They spot their friend hunched over on the couch, which, for a reason they're not sure they can place yet, alarms them.
Papyrus jumps up when he hears the door crack open, filled to the brim with nerves. He meets eyes with the human, who looks to be taking in his disheveled disposition. He finds himself with his jaw dropped open, gaze shifting from side to side.
"Ah... HUMAN, YOU'RE BACK!" he greets them with quickly acquired vigor, forcing himself into a cheery facade, "I WAS JUST ABOUT TO START WATCHING MTTV! THERE'S A SHOW I'M EXCITED ABOUT! STARTING! IN A MINUTE!"
When the human only stares, their gaze perplexed for one reason or another, Papyrus continues his stammering.
"S-SORRY ABOUT YOUR COAT! I KNOW I'M NOT WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW, BUT I'LL GET TO IT EVENTUALLY! YOU KNOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS LEAVES NO TASK UNFINISHED!" he exclaims and spins around, finding the remote to turn on whatever show of Mettaton's would be on right now. He finds he struggles to press the button at first, but doesn't notice it's because his hand is still shaking.
The door closes and it becomes quiet in the room except for the sounds of the entertainment. Papyrus stands still, his back turned to the child. He's momentarily forgotten how to exist in his skeletal body.
"Papyrus, are you okay?"
The question makes him remember to breathe, and finally, he turns to face the human again.
"OF COURSE! NEVER BETTERER THAN THE BEST!" he informs quickly, making sure to smile as he does. The human stares at him, still looking so confused. He doesn't know what to make of that.
They must know now, right? And they must hate him.
His shoulders sink. He's about to force himself into another word vomit when he nearly drops the remote, juggles with it for a moment, and then catches it oh-so-clumsily. What is he even doing, at this point?
He holds the device tightly in his two hands, a little tighter than is really necessary. Then, he takes a breath, but it comes out more like a whine. Upon realizing that, his composure drops.
"Y...You must've heard, right?" he speaks, and the way he does makes Frisk's eyes widen in shock. It's so... Uneager. Unexcitable. Normal. "Sans told you everything. I-I said it's okay..."
The human swallows.
"Y-yeah, I heard. He told me," they confirm, gazing at the floor before looking back up at Papyrus, apologetic. They feel as if they're breaching his privacy. "You guys are from the past. Hah, who knew?"
Their attempt to lighten the atmosphere turns out to be quite poor.
Papyrus wrings his hands around the remote, unable to face the human.
"That's all he told you...?" he asks, his disbelief evident. He holds his breath as he waits for an answer. He's terrified, and they hesitate.
"No," they admit, and Papyrus is already mortified, "that's not all. He... Told me how it happened."
When the human takes a few steps closer, the skeleton backs away. A choked noise escapes him, leaving the child standing still and unsure how to proceed.
They didn't think he would be so strongly affected. He's always been so bright and happy and optimistic, no matter what. Even when they...
Frisk's shoulders sink and they close their eyes, pushing away the memory. Then, they take another small step toward Papyrus, slow in their movements. They approach him like they would a scared animal.
It seems to work, as he isn't backing away now.
"It's okay, Papyrus," they say softly, trying to smile in a reassuring way. They don't know what else to say, so they end up repeating themselves. "It's okay."
Finally, he lowers the remote and places it on the table holding the TV. A dark air still surrounds him, one of uncertainty and fear. The human slowly steps closer until they can put their hand on Papyrus' forearm as a comforting gesture.
"I didn't mean to–" he starts, but his voice cracks and he takes a moment to gather himself, "I didn't mean to hurt him–"
So that is the part that has him upset. The human feels his tone tugging at their soul, and they can't help it. They reach around him and hug his waist, silent as they do, face buried into his chest armor. They can only hope this is what their friend needs right now.
It takes a long time for Papyrus to bend down and put his arms around the human's shoulders.
When he speaks next, his voice is a broken whisper:
"I didn't mean to kill him."