"Just relax. If it works, you won't even know anything happened. If it doesn't, well…nothing will have happened." You assured.
Chara looked bored at this point. You couldn't blame them. There was literally nothing else you could say to assure him, and you'd been repeating the same sentiment for nearly thirty minutes with different wording. Sadly, Temmie tended to get out of the house whenever you and Chara practiced, so they didn't even have him to talk to while they waited. Still, he had volunteered to help you and Chara with practice, so…
"you keep telling me that, but i don't have the best memories of time magic." Papyrus protested.
Why did you volunteer for this then? You only just stopped yourself from yelling it at him, but he flinched anyway. Right. Projecting. Sorry.
He started. "you know about that?" He questioned, shooting a quick glance at your pupil. Chara nodded.
"Not that it really changes anything." You shook your head. "So, can we do this or no? I can always go ask Alphys or Undyne."
Papyrus paused for a few seconds before nodding. "yeah. we can do this."
"Good. Just so you know, it might take a few tries before it works." You warned him as Chara stood from their chair, muttering a magical 'Finally,' to you.
"you say that like you're absolutely sure it's g-." Papyrus suddenly stopped talking. Even the waving motion he was making with his hand stopped.
Huh. Look at that. You turned to view your student, who was wearing a mischievous grin. "First try's the charm?" You asked incredulously. "Somehow I doubt that."
'I might have practiced a bit while he was complaining.' They admitted sheepishly. 'It's different than objects. It's almost like locking him in time instead of…it is a lock.' Chara interrupted themself. 'It's a lock _! If I get this, I might be that much closer to erasing my temporal lock! Lemme try!'
You smiled. It was much faster progress than you had initially expected. "So, with living beings it's like locking? Does that mean you can't rewind, slow, or fast-forward living beings?" You did a quick lap around Papyrus for inspection, but he was totally stopped.
'I'm pretty sure I can't. I think it's because he's fighting me.' You nodded, contemplating.
"-oing to work." Papyrus finished as Chara released him. He paused to view the two of you, knowing that you had moved from his perception of just an instant ago.
"It's probably a natural defense mechanism. After all, if you used anything but a time stop on anything with organs, it could prove harmful." You explained, ignoring Papyrus's growing indignation. "And since everything living has some magic, it'll always fight you."
'Could it be harmful to people then?'
"I don't think a stop would be. After all, nothing is happening during one of your time stops. No blood flow, no heartbeat, no air intake, no energy consumption. And all bodily functions would resume as soon as time was restored, so in theory, no. There would be no negative effects."
"are we not going to address the fact the kid just froze me in the middle of a sentence?" Papyrus demanded, interrupting.
You shot him a surprised look. "But I already did address it. I don't know why you're upset, since…" Something in the room shifted, but you weren't sure entirely what it was. Nothing had moved, and the energy fluctuations were the same. You glanced around before finishing your sentence. "it's exactly what you volunteered for."
He opened his jaw to speak, but apparently thought better of whatever it was he had planned to say. You thought it would be something along the lines of "volunteering is one thing, but being flat out rude is another." Something odd tingled at the edge of your senses as Papyrus turned to regard Chara. Almost like…
"Have we had this conversation before?" You asked, somewhat dumbfounded. You were certain you hadn't, but... Both Chara and Papyrus turned to you with flummoxed expressions.
Still confused, and not sure why you were doing it, you pulled out your phone from you pocket. Just in time, apparently, since you caught it right before it buzzed. Chara moved to sign something to Papyrus as you flipped the device open. Before you could pull up the text, a knock sounded at the door.
You moved the few feet required to open it, but found yourself hesitating, hand hovering over the doorknob. Flashes of something ran through your thoughts, but you couldn't focus enough to pin down what any of them were.
What?
What was going on?
The knock came again, more insistent this time. You still couldn't bring yourself to open the door though. Instead you just stood there, staring at your unmoving hand awkwardly, confused. Chara's fingers brushed yours as they grabbed the open phone from your other hand, opening the message displayed on the screen.
You found yourself almost expecting the violet light it was suddenly enshrouded by. Why were Damien, Eve, and Liam coming?
You paused in your thoughts again. Why did you think it was all three of them? Eve rarely transported anyone but herself this way. It ran several risks.
Your gaze found Chara's, who happened to be watching you closely. "What?" You managed to squeak out, still unsure of what was happening.
"i was just as confused the first time the kid turned time back." Papyrus informed you carefully. "nobody else was though, which only made it worse. don't worry. it'll pass."
Turned time back? Yeah, Chara had just said they were going to try erasing their first lock again, but…even if time moved, you shouldn't have been aware of it. You didn't have time magic. And according to Papyrus, it had happened before several times before the monsters had emerged and you had never noticed then.
You weren't quite sure what the expression on your face was when Eve's magic began to form into three different people in the center of the room. You had guessed right. Or had you already known it? Papyrus wasn't lying, so apparently this had already happened. Were you remembering it? Why?
"Thank goodness. I thought you weren't going to answer for a minute there, _" Eve's voice filled the room. No flashes this time. Did that mean this didn't happen the first time around?
"Sorry." You managed to say without your voice wavering. "There was a knock at the door." As if your words had summoned it, the knock came again, even more annoyed than before.
"We know." Damien stated, moving to open it for you. Knowingly, and gently, he moved your hand out of the way as it was still hovering there.
Did he know, or did he know? You never thought you would be asking yourself that question pertaining to Damien. After all, practically since you were born, he'd always known everything.
"Damien? What are you doing here?" Your mother's voice caught your attention. There was a pause before she continued, voice much darker, "What's that on your neck?"
His mage-mark. A quick look at Eve told you that hers was exposed as well. You were barefoot in shorts, so it went without saying that yours would be visible. Eve's fiancé was dressed in a similarly revealing fashion, the green twin moons easily visible on his shoulder since he was wearing a tank top.
Involuntarily you reached forward to tug Damien back as images of your mother slapping you flashed through your mind. Just in time too, as she had raised her hand to do just that. The wards around the house flared to life as you tugged Damien behind them.
Your mother and father gazed at the bubble with grim acceptance. Papyrus whispered something to the teenager before disappearing.
Liam rested a hand on your arm. A sense of overwhelming calm washed through you, wiping away the leftover confusion. You sent him a grateful look as you released the back of Damien's shirt and turned to look outside.
What an odd standoff this had turned into, with all of the mages in the family staring out of a door at your non-magical parents. "Drop the wards for now, _." Eve ordered. "Let's talk."
"What? You're some sort of barrier-mage, _?" You mother demanded as you reached up to brush your fingers against the sequencing crystal. You paused to meet her furious gaze.
"No. I'm not." You answered as the wards fell back into dormancy. "And I certainly don't think our specialties are the right place to start this conversation."
There was silence as your parents entered. Immediately, their gazes turned to Chara in disgust. You felt your magic flare in your fury as you stepped to put yourself in front of your charge. "Kitchen table?" Liam suggested, dampening the growing negativity in the room with his own magic. It wasn't nearly as strong as if he'd had physical contact, but his magic worked much like your own in that way.
'It's okay.' Chara assured you, resting their hand on your arm as everyone began to move. 'I knew it was coming.'
'That doesn't make it any less wrong.' You argued immediately.
'People without magic fear us. That isn't going to change.'
'They think we cheat.' You responded. 'That somehow, life is easier for us just because we're born with an ability that not everyone has.' Your fingers curled into fists before releasing again to get rid of some of your tension as you moved to the table with everyone else.
As soon as you remembered they were there, you scooped up the many papers lying on the surface. "What's all that, _?"
You flinched at your father's voice. Old habits die hard, you supposed. "Lesson plans." You replied simply. He wouldn't understand them anyway.
"It's all true then? You having magic? Stealing away good peoples' child to teach them the devil's arts? Living with yourself as a heretic for all these years?" He accused.
"What a way to put it." You stated monotonously. You knew they could bend anything to make it seem good or bad to fit their own beliefs. Seeing them do it to other people was different than having them use it on you though.
It hurt.
Even though you knew better. Even though you knew it was coming. Even as much as you told yourself that it didn't matter. That their opinions wouldn't change just because their children were mages.
It hurt.
"Don't, Father." Damien cut in. It was rare for him to do so, and the shock showed on your parents' faces. "Even by your own admission, mages being with other mages is best for everyone all around. Or did you forget you told us that?"
"If you aren't here to hear us out, then why did you come?" Eve added.
"It's all of you then?" Your mother demanded. "Every single one of our children are God-cursed mages? How in the world did we never know? How did you manage to hide it for so long?"
"You did know." You answered quietly. "How could you not? We were born with the marks, just like everyone else. And as far as hiding it from you, it was as easy as covering our marks up."
"There's no way we wouldn't have noticed." She argued. Damien never wore high-collared shirts when he was younger. I distinctly remember there being no mark there."
"There always was. Your disapproval caused the academy to step in and-." You tried to explain as neutrally as possible, but you got cut off.
"Liar." Your mother hissed. Your ears roared, drowning out whatever she said next.
Liar?
You?
A liar?
Who did this woman think she was? You could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks, flushing them in fury as your eyes burned. Your face felt like it was on fire as you forced your chair back so you could stand. It squealed its protest against the linoleum flooring as you moved. "What the hell would you know about the truth?" You demanded loudly, overpowering her speech.
"_!" Both Damien and Eve called your name simultaneously. Liam reached out, hands glowing in hopes of calming you down.
Were you anyone else, and not so royally insulted, it would have worked. As it was, your magic, already flaring in response to your emotional state, rose up to block the effects of his holy magic. Liam wasn't a pushover, but he had nowhere near your raw magical potential.
Nothing could stop the outpouring from your mouth at this point. "You were such bad parents while we were young that the academy got permission to come in and wipe your memory and house us full time! Of course you remember us having no marks. You got granted the sweet bliss of ignorance for most of our lives!"
"Yelling isn't going to help-." Damien tried to argue with you, clearly seeing that Liam couldn't keep you calm.
You lowered your volume. Everyone in the room shivered at the dangerous tone in your voice when you spoke again. "Don't you dare come here tossing insults at me like I owe you something. You don't even know me." You paused for half a second, voice getting even colder, "And don't you ever call me a liar. I haven't ever lied to anyone, and I certainly wouldn't waste it on you."
"That is no way to talk to your mother!" you father protested. He flinched as you shifted your gaze on to him. "We just came for the truth."
"Oh really? Are you sure you can even handle that?" You demanded. "Alright. Truth is, we got raised in the academy and turned out to be wonderful mages. All while you sat at home, not quite sure who your kids even were. Do you even remember the names you gave us? Because we don't! You never used them, after all."
Silence reigned at the table, their lack of a response allowing you time to calm down. The exact moment where you became calm enough for Liam's magic to finally take hold, you collapsed back into your chair.
You had a serious temper problem.
You mother finally spoke up in a choked voice. "Your birth certificates…"
"Falsified." Eve spoke up. "Mages' paperwork is different from non-mages after all. We never needed your version of birth certificates. The academy used the names we chose on them."
Eve, Damien, and Liam took over the conversation then. You listened quietly and inserted information when it was needed from you. Nothing more.
Chara wasn't sure what to do. This time seemed to be going much better than the first, despite your outburst, so they wouldn't load again unless something went horribly wrong.
They never knew you could be so terrifying.
Your immediate defense of them made them feel rather warm though. They'd rarely been anyone's first priority, and having you view them as so important was like having a family.
Nothing like the chills Chara was getting as your eyes glowed with magic in your fury. Even so, it was comforting, as they could feel the protectiveness in it. Protectiveness of your brother and sister. Protectiveness of your way of life. Protectiveness of Chara.
Like you didn't have your own problems to deal with. Why were you worrying about them right now?
It wasn't until late, well after everyone had left and you had retreated to your room, that they heard you. It was a muffled sound, and Chara wasn't sure whether to just ignore it or not until they felt for you through their bond.
It was nothing like how you felt after Sans. Then, you had been sad and hurt, but it was nothing compared to now. Chara couldn't get up the stairs fast enough, pausing at the top when they saw you in bed sobbing into a pillow.
Chara waved Temmie away, who'd followed them in their mad dash before moving to hug you. You needed the comfort, and they were more than happy to provide it.
There was no way Chara was losing you again.
