Chapter 37: Dare to Damage
James's eye barely cracked open when remembering how he had gotten here in the first place. 'Did I really just fall asleep?' He kept asking himself. That was when he felt the resting monster right next to him. Asriel was still sound asleep next to him, being half covered by a cloak.
Internally laughing about how cute this was, James lightly nudged Asriel, trying to see if he'd wake up. The monster stirred slightly, but didn't exactly wake up. Sighing, James decided to let him sleep. He had been through a lot. Although, if he had to guess, Toriel was probably worried sick about him.
Allowing Asriel to sleep, James carefully hoisted him off of the ground. Thank goodness monsters were extremely light being that they were mainly made of magic. Asriel adjusted himself a bit, but still didn't wake up. 'This is so cute.' James thought to himself as he began walking down the mountain.
The grass beneath his uncovered feet was still wet from the day before. That was one thing he absolutely hated about not wearing any shoes. Your feet get wet and dirty while outside. Although, it was better than cramming them into shoes.
His right ear perked up at the sound of voices in the distance. While he did have goat monster ears, he still had incredible hearing from his wolf side. Both of the voices sounded quite familiar. In a few seconds, he identified them as Toriel and Sans. This would be difficult to explain.
Walking towards the sound of their voices, James prepared for the worst. If he knew anything about the two of them, it's that they'd be pissed. Just to avoid any questions he couldn't answer, he finally decided to wake Asriel up. "Hey… it's time to get up Asriel…"
When hearing his name, the boss monster began finally opening his eyes. He struggled to keep them open because of the morning sunlight in his eyes. "W-Wha… where am I?"
"You're at the base of Mt. Ebott… Remember?" James asked, keeping a sharp eye out for Sans and Toriel.
Asriel lowered his head in shame. "Y-Yes…" He seemed to be able to hear the two of them as well. "P-Please don't tell them about w-what I did…"
He shook his head in response. "I can't do that Asriel." The monster he was carrying looked up in confusion. "I can't always be keeping an eye on you. You were lucky I was there when it happened…"
"But… mom will… I don't want to see the look on her face when she realizes what I did… I can't do that." Tears began welling in his eyes. "Just please don't tell them…"
"Asriel…" James growled. "I understand you're scared, but I'm not gonna let you try to do that again."
"But-"
"My child?" Toriel had found the two. As soon as she set eyes on James carrying Asriel, flames ignited from her fists. "What are you doing with my SON?"
"Woah woah woah calm down." James safely lowered Asriel to the ground to avoid enraging the already livid Toriel. "I found him out here and decided to bring him back…"
"That's not what happened…" Sans walked out from behind Toriel, his eye blazing blue. "Who are you, and where the hell did you come from?"
"Well…" James shrugged. "I would answer you, but you're being a bit rude for someone who saved your son's life…" Asriel visibly flinched. However, James didn't go any further on the subject. "So I won't answer ya… I like being edgy." James gave a wave. "See ya Asriel."
Sans attempted to grab James's soul with blue magic, but was stopped short when the world around him stopped moving. He had seen this happen many times in the past few days. Time would suddenly freeze, even once moving backwards. It was then when he realized who the culprit of the time shenanigans was. The monster before him casually began walking off, unaffected by the flow of time.
He tried to move, but like all of the other times, couldn't muster the strength to move one bit. He seemed to be the only one other than Frisk who actually noticed this stopping. Unless, of course, Asriel could tell when it was happening as well. In a few seconds, everything reverted to normal, the monster gone.
"Asriel Dreemurr!" Toriel gave her signature glare. "You have some explaining to do!"
"That… was a bit too close…" James muttered under his breath. Barely managing to get away from Sans was a feat that most never would be able to pull off in a thousand lifetimes. While he had acted very casual about his encounter, he knew fully well Sans could have trapped him right there.
The fact that Sans now knew it was him altering time would be an issue. Getting the shard from both Papyrus and Sans would be harder than he thought. Pausing time would ensure Sans coming after him as soon as the effect wore off. And it wasn't like he could have time frozen forever, using that kind of magic wore him out.
James's foot splashed into a puddle, earning a groan from the monster. The small bit of water began to catch his attention. He took a moment to look at his own reflection.
*Despite everything… is this really you?
He stared at the reflection that was his, but wasn't at the same time. Kicking away the puddle, James turned away from the true yet false reflection. He didn't have time for pondering on that anymore. All he needed to do was get the last of these shards, then everything in his life would go back to normal.
But… his partner said some weren't even in his world. If that was the case, he'd be unable to return to his normal life. He was having an internal war with himself. Only time would tell at this rate. He'd stick around. If he could, maybe he could convince Sans to allow him to have the shard.
But even that wouldn't work. Sans knew about Gaster. He probably knew he had a shard in him. Sans wouldn't agree to that under any circumstances. There was no viable option. Only one person would know how to perfectly execute this, Gaster. James wasn't exactly sure how to get into the void, but there was one place he could think of where Gaster could be…
Snapping his fingers, James disappeared into Waterfall. Sure enough, the gray door was waiting for him. "Hopefully he is here…" James muttered, pushing open the door. All that awaited him was darkness. "Hello? Gaster?" He called out into the dark abyss.
"You have already returned?" A hollow voice sounded from the darkness. "How is your progress young one?"
"Well… that's why I'm here." He fiddled with his ear in slight stress. "The next two shards are in Sans and Papyrus… I don't know how to get it from them…"
"I see…" A small hum could be heard from the darkness. "They will give it to you when they are ready…"
"Wait what?"
"Taking those shards by force will not only put you at high risk of death, but it will also defeat the purpose of this whole mission…"
James looked down in understanding. "But, they barely even know me! How am I supposed to gain their trust?"
"I think you already know the answer to that…" A chuckle came from the dark abyss ahead. "You cannot keep that secret forever. Someday, someone is going to find out…"
"I know… I'll notify the other."
"Good… Now go."
He nodded, turning to leave the void. Gaster was right. His secret could not be kept forever. Someday, someone would find out about him. As of now, he wasn't quite ready.
"Also, notify your partner that they will not find any info on getting into the other timelines… You can only get through when the time comes…"
"W-Wait… so when we get the shards from Sans and Papyrus… are we…" He trailed off, excitement seizing his soul.
"Yes… until you are able to access the other timelines… you are free to live your lives as you wish…"
James couldn't believe it. After all of this, it was finally coming to a close. If he did his job, he'd be able to finally be free. "T-Thank you Gaster…" With that, he left the room and proceeded to the end of the Underground. He would finally be free…
The front door of the Dreemurr household shot open as the trio walked through the door. Asriel was cowering in pure fear on what would take place. This would take a lot of explaining. Frisk had heard the commotion and came barreling down the stairs. At the sight of Asriel, their tension drifted away. "Asriel! You're okay!"
Toriel gave Frisk a look as if saying, 'He's in big trouble.' Motioning to the living room, Toriel told everyone to sit down. This was the first time in awhile Sans wasn't being stared down by her. As soon as everyone was settled, she began. Mother lecture time… "Asriel what were you thinking! Why did you run off so suddenly?"
"Mom…" Frisk interjected, "It was my fault Asriel ran off… I said some things I shouldn't have…"
Toriel eyed Frisk with suspicion. "Alright? But that isn't it. Who was that with you Asriel?" She said, turning back to the monster who was trying to hide in the jacket.
"I-I don't know…" He lied.
The motherly boss monster would have none of that. "Of course you know who he is! He helped you in the school the other day! What do you know about him?"
Asriel froze. In reality, he knew nearly nothing about James. He hadn't really bothered to learn anything about him yet. Although, the fact that he could pull of the feat of magic he used on that cliff was a good bit of info. "I-I don't know m-much about him." He lied once again.
This time it was Sans who saw through him. "That expression… that's the expression of someone who knows something. C'mon kid, we're just trying to figure out who he is." Sans stated, giving off a feeling he wasn't going to take another lie for an answer.
Asriel did the one thing he knew no one would be able to see through. He remained completely silent, not saying a word. For some reason, he had a strange feeling that revealing what James did on the cliff that day would be a horrible idea. Something just told him not to say anything about it.
"Asriel?" Toriel asked, raising an eyebrow. "I will not take this quiet attitude right now…" She clenched her teeth, realizing he was not going to speak. She wanted to badly to maintain herself, but it was difficult when Asriel wouldn't tell anyone anything. For all she knew, he could have been kidnapped by that monster. "Asriel… I am trying my best to help you right now, but you have to cooperate."
"Kid, I wouldn't make her mad." Sans shrugged. "It isn't that hard. Just tell us what you know and we'll handle him."
"No." Asriel made his decision with affirmity. "I don't need to tell you anything."
"Excuse me?" Toriel seemed taken aback by his sudden boldness. "And why is that?"
Scratching his ear, Asriel asked himself the same question. There was no reason why it would do harm to tell them just a little bit. But, he just felt compelled to keep his presence hidden. He couldn't describe the feeling going through him right now. "Because I trust him enough… you don't need to hunt him down for helping me…"
"Kid, I understand he helped ya… But you have to understand… That monster is dangerous." He spat, nearly losing his temper. "Look, I checked his stats out there and it's not good."
Asriel had lost it. If there was one thing Sans was good at, it was judging someone by stats. "And how does that make someone bad? Bennett had five LOVE and you didn't treat him like this!"
"I hate to break it to ya prince, but when I can't read someone's LOVE, they are cloaking it. When they are trying to hide their LOVE, they are trying to lay low. He was cloaking it… We can't trust him."
"I'm still not telling you anything!" He refused to tell them anything. Asriel fully knew what Sans's intentions would be if he figured out James could manipulate… time… Something clicked in Asriel's head. That was why Sans wanted him. There was no reason to slaughter him. Sans had to have known he could manipulate time.
"Kid I'm trying to help you all!" Sans's eye began igniting in fury. "You probably understand why I'm doing this as well!
Toriel stepped in to avoid conflict between the two. "Listen, there is no need to raise voices anymore. Let's sit down and have a nice talk…"
"No mom!" Asriel slammed his hand down on the table. His Asgore initiative side was coming to him. "I don't want to talk about it. Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I care about you Asriel!" Toriel's eyes sparked with rage. "I have had it. I have tried so hard to help you move on ever since a month ago, but you haven't opened up ONCE!" Asriel flinched at her tone. He felt smaller and smaller the more she talked. "We have been trying to help you but you refuse to allow anyone in. I'd wish you'd understand that instead of crying over someone who can't come back! Asriel he is GONE!"
Instantly, Toriel wished she could have taken that back. She kept asking herself in despair why she had to snap like that. The look on Asriel's face was one of pure betrayal. "You… you really think that about me?"
"Asriel I didn't mean-"
"Of course you meant that… Is that what he is to you now? A bad memory?" The hurt in his voice was evident. It even shook the grin off of Sans's face. "He… he was your own child… and then you just forget him?"
Toriel tried to form words to repair what she had just said. However, the damage was already done. Even Sans had been shaken up from that display. Asriel's right eye began glowing as he whirled around from the spot, heading up to his room to be alone. Not his room, his room. The room of the one Toriel had decided to forget…
His mind and heart were both racing. How? How could Toriel just expect him to completely forget? How could anyone expect him to forget the one who brought him back to life in the first place? It was… torture. It felt like a whole part of him had just disappeared. He had talked to Sans about that once, and it was apparently normal. Asriel literally had lost a piece of himself.
Their souls were the same, but completely different as well. From what Sans had told him, their souls were made up of the same components, but distributed in different ways. Now… Asriel had essentially lost half of himself. It… felt so empty. He couldn't move on after he had to watch Bennett's death replay over and over again in his head.
His ear perked up when he heard feet coming up the stairs. There was no doubt it was Frisk. When would they understand that he didn't want to talk? Asriel stood up from his position and slammed the door of the room shut in Frisk's face as they tried to walk in. Not a moment later, knocking came from the other side. "Asriel? Are you in there?"
He didn't want to answer. Asriel sunk down beside the bed that was still there for guest room purposes. That was what this room had reverted back to. Everyone felt it when they entered this room. The feeling of regret and emptiness was prominent, blocking out all positive thoughts. Deciding not to answer, Asriel buried his head in his knees, trying to block out the sounds.
It proved effective. "Asriel… I understand if you don't want to talk but… if you ever need to… I'm still here." Frisk begged for him to talk. They just wanted to know he was alright. "Alright, I'll leave you alone now." They said defeated, walking slowly away from the door.
Before he could sink back into his thoughts, a text came in from Sans. He considered putting his phone on silent, but this text proved there was a God.
"Hey kid, you seem too down to go to the PTA tonight… Toriel and I will be gone for a bit, Frisk is with you…" -DunkleSans
That was more time to gather his thoughts. Any moment now they'd be heading off. The feeling of being alone… it had suddenly gone away. He wasn't alone in the room, was he? Turning his head around, Asriel noticed the familiar face staring at him. James was propped against the bed, giving him a questioning look. "You alright there buddy?"
Without thinking, Asriel threw himself at the older monster, wrapping his arms around him. He couldn't help but sob into James's cloak. James himself was stunned that Asriel had acted so quickly upon seeing someone randomly appearing in the same room as you with no explanation.
The hitches coming from Asriel told James that he needed comfort. While he wasn't too good at this whole depression management thing, he decided to lightly stroke the smaller monster, trying to get him to calm down. "Hey, Asriel… are you alright?" He only received Asriel's shaking head in response. "Okay then…" He muttered, trying to get through. "Would you mind telling me what's wrong?"
Finally, Asriel began talking. "R-Remember who I-I talked to y-you about yesterday?" His eyes were brimmed with tears.
It didn't take much for James to realize what was going on. Although, he questioned anyways, "What about him?"
"M-Mom said some things… I-I don't know what to d-do…" He whimpered, not paying attention to the footsteps sounding through the hallway.
"Asriel," James looked down at the crying monster. Making sure Asriel was taking him seriously, James grabbed his face and stared at him, eye to eye. That was the first time Asriel actually paid attention to their color. "Do you think he would have wanted you to stay like this? No, he wouldn't have. Do you think he'd want you to shut everyone out? No… He'd want you to live your life Asriel."
There was no response. Asriel's mouth was hanging open at what he just saw. His tears ceased to exist when the door of the bedroom flew open. Frisk stepped in, seeming more aggressive than normal. "Who are you? And what are you doing near my brother?"
Next chapter will be PTA and a heart to heart with Asriel
What could our little goat boy have seen? Eee hee hee
All of this depressing stuff is killing me... I need to fit some fluff in soon 0-0
BadDRUMMERboy15 hates school!