Nearly six months have passed since Asriel was reunited with his family and everyone began their new lives on the surface.
While it'd be nice to say that everything was all hunky dory right from the start, unfortunately life just doesn't work that way most of the time. There were some tough first days for the family, not financially, but mostly a byproduct of human animosity towards monsters as they had just begun to reintegrate with life on the surface, and the rest just a consequence of their guilt over the past.
Their first and only stop was the village at the base of Mount Ebott, known as Ebott Village, obviously named after the mountain that shadowed it. Apparently the humans were no better at naming things than Asgore, and Frisk suddenly knew where Asriel got his general lack of creativity from (she would never tell him that though). Initially the inhabitants here were apprehensive and even hostile to a certain extent, even in the presence of a human child (despite Frisk portraying monsters, and especially her friends, in a positive light), which frightened Asriel terribly (he had been to this village once before, when he carried Chara's body across the barrier), and Toriel had considered simply moving on somewhere else. None of the humans seemed to recognize Frisk either, so it was a safe bet that Frisk was a stranger to this village and had never been here before.
Frisk insisted on giving the humans a fair chance though, as she had given the monsters theirs, and not wanting to stray too far from their old home, they decided to stay. It was Charas home town, and it was close to the mountain, so they could return to the Underground if necessary, and that was good enough for them. There was a vacant house for sale in the outskirts of the village, away from the residents, and the money that Asgore left them with was indeed worth much more on the surface.
They bought the house with over 9,000g to spare, a little of which was used to buy furnishings and everyday necessities. Some of it was exchanged for surface currency (paper money) most of it was saved and stored away for the future, and Frisk shared her leftover money with Asriel (about 50g), having little to spend it on other than insubstantial trinkets for herself. Asriel knew exactly what he was going to put this towards, however.
Things started out sour with the local residents once they had moved in. A few monsters had already settled in town, having migrated from the Underground before the Dreemurrs left so they weren't the only monsters in the vicinity, which helped ease the tension a little bit. Though there was no apprehension among the inhabitants towards Frisk herself, the residents tended to ignore the other two, and they weren't allowed in any of the town stores, meaning Frisk had to take care of most of the family errands herself. Toriel was ever watchful during the first nights, making sure nobody came to harm them, but thankfully the tension between races never turned into outright hostility. It might have been a different story if the Dreemurrs were the only ones in the village
Six weeks had passed, and, with Asgores talk of peace between races spreading fast (and a personal trip to the village himself, wanting to make good on his promise to visit and spend time with the kids) and more and more monsters taking up residence in and around the village, most of the human residents eventually saw that the monsters meant no ill will towards them, and soon took a more positive outlook on them. Before long, they were treated better. Within about three months, even Asriel and Toriel were able to fraternize with the human locals, though they mostly stuck to their own kind.
Asriel had problems of his own at the time though. He was initially uncomfortable being so close to the very place that he had died once before, but thankfully none of the village residents seemed to recognize him or react with any hostility to him. Not that he could really blame them at the time, seeing as he was carrying the corpse of a child in the heart of their village. It was easy to see why the people reacted in a hostile manner back then and he held no grudge against anyone.
His guilt was a bigger hurdle to overcome, and many of his nights were sleepless and often fraught with nightmares about his past. Nightmares about the horrible things his alter-ego Flowey committed. Nightmares about being left behind by his friends, forever trapped in that empty shell. Sometimes he would wake up screaming in the wee hours of the morning...
"NOOOOOOO! DON'T GO! PLEASE!"
His piercing cry jolted Frisk out of her sleep. She jumped out of bed immediately and ran over to help her thrashing brother.
"ASRIEL, IT'S JUST A BAD DREAM! COME ON, WAKE UP!"
Frisk stood there shaking her friend violently, trying to snap him out of his fugue. Finally he came to his senses and opened his eyes, realizing where he was. He stared directly into Frisks eyes.
"Frisk! I-I...I was Flowey again, and you were gonna...I thought you would..."
He threw his arms around her and pulled her closer, sobbing as he did.
"Shhhhhh, it's okay Azzy. It's okay. I'd never leave you behind. Never. You know that."
She gently rubbed his back in a desperate attempt to comfort him. Toriel barged in seconds later, clearly worried about her son.
"What happened!? Are you okay children?"
Frisk nodded, still trying to console a nearly catatonic Asriel.
"He's okay, it was just a bad dream."
Toriel sighed with relief, kneeling by her sons bedside to help comfort him. His fur was matted and clumped and his sheets were nearly soaked with tears and sweat.
"I'm scared...I don't want to go to sleep again."
Frisk sat on the bed and took his hand.
"It's okay. I'll stay up with you, Azzy. I'm not going anywhere."
He nodded, trying to wipe away his tears, his other hand still in Frisks.
"T-thank you, Frisk."
...
...and other nights he just wouldn't sleep at all, terrified of having another nightmare. Frisk caught him on one such night, sitting up in his bed, staring out the window.
...
"Are you okay, Azzy?"
He looked over at her from the other side of the room. He was clearly bothered by something.
"Frisk...can I ask you something?"
She cocked her head in bewilderment.
"What is it?"
"...did it...when I...when you..."
He wasn't making much sense.
"Did it what? What's wrong?"
He was trying to fight back the tears, but it was a hard thing to do. He felt so ashamed. She walked over and sat with him on his bed.
"Did it...hurt? When I took your..."
She interrupted his thoughts, grabbing his hands and shaking them. Now she realized why he was struggling so much with his inquiry, but her answer gave him at least some comfort.
"It didn't hurt at all, Azzy. Honestly, it was quicker than falling asleep. I was afraid up until that moment, thinking it would be painful, terrified of what would be waiting for me on the other side, but when it actually happened and our SOULs combined, it was so peaceful. And after it happened and you regained consciousness, I saw through your eyes. I felt your joy when you got to see Chara again. I was so... happy. Happy that I was finally able to make a difference."
He smiled a little at hearing that.
"But now...seeing you like this...seeing how hard this whole ordeal has been on you..."
Now he was the one staring in confusion.
"Frisk...?"
Frisk looked away in regret.
"I...I'm sorry Azzy. I feel like it's all my fault, everything you're going through. I feel like all I've done is caused you and Chara and everyone else more pain in the end, and I..."
Asriel suddenly grabbed her hands mid-sentence to stop her.
"NO! That's not true, Frisk! Don't you EVER tell yourself that! You were there for us when we needed you the most! It's because of you and Chara that I'm here, right now, living on the surface with you and everyone else! It...it is hard sometimes, I admit it, facing up to what I did, trying to put it behind me, but...but I'm glad that I have that chance. I'm glad that I am here, with you and everyone else. I'm glad that I'm alive, I'm glad that Chara is at peace, I'm glad that my friends are happy, and..."
Without warning, he leapt out of bed and cannonballed into Frisk, nearly sending her to the floor. Her pajamas were soon to be the next victim of Asriels claws and his spine-gouging hugs.
"...and I'm glad that I have a friend like you, Frisk."
"Azzy..."
Now Frisk was the one crying. She hesitantly put her arms around Asriel to return the hug.
"...me too. We'll get through it together, Azzy. We'll make it up to everyone. I promise."
It was a difficult thing to put behind him and he seriously questioned if he was capable of returning to a normal, happy life at times, if he could really put the past behind him. And he was still worried that he would wake up one day and he would be a flower again. That everything would be taken from him again. That this was all just a torturous window to the good life. Some days he just sat on his bed, waiting for the inevitable to happen, terrified, certain that this was all just a cruel charade. He waited. And he waited. And he waited.
But it never happened.
Frisk never gave up on him. She was at his side during every moment to reassure and comfort him, staying up with him, consoling him and even reading to him until he fell asleep again, even if it meant a sleepless night for her. It was a rough time for both of them, but Frisks love and faith in Asriel inspired him and gave him DETERMINATION, even in the darkest moments. And even though he knew his body wasn't real (to be fair, this was technically true of ALL monsters, being that they were made almost entirely of magic), his SOUL was. And he knew that what he felt on the inside, his memories, his love for his family and friends, Charas presence giving him support...that WAS real. And that helped him to move forward.
Thankfully, as time passed, he got better. The nightmares decreased in frequency until they were only periodic. He swore an oath to Frisk to always talk about his feelings if something was bothering him, and so far he has made good on that promise. Things have gotten much better for him since, and at least by all outward appearances, he's a happy monster child now. He may still struggle with his past from time to time, but he's open about now it and not afraid to face the day anymore.
It was around this time that Asriel attempted to make good on his earlier promise to try and teach Frisk how to use magic, now that things had settled down in their lives. Unfortunately it was evident after only a few lessons that there was far more to magic than knowledge alone could account for, and despite her efforts and her enthusiasm, Frisk demonstrated no potential in the art. She never successfully cast any sort of spell. She wasn't too disappointed by her failure though, she didn't really have any practical use for such a thing, and it made Asriel and Toriels abilities that much more special to her, so much so that Asriel was always flattered by her admiration. They rarely used it in any form after leaving the mountain, but Asriel occasionally put on a magical display of stars and colors just to entertain his sister, who always sat and watched with glee.
As for Toriel, she made good on her desire to pursue her lifelong dream, and after talks with the mayor, two months and 2,000g later, opened up a school in the outskirts of Ebott Village, close to home. The school was open to both humans and monsters alike, though it was almost exclusively attended by monsters (Monster Kid himself being the first student), most humans not wanting their children to mingle with members of the other race. Some animosity and tension between the races was inevitable, but for the most part things were civil. The school ended up being successful, nevertheless, and the money Toriel brought home was more than enough to support the family comfortably.
Frisk was one of the few humans to attend Toriels school (by choice), sharing mostly the same classes with Asriel, though different extracurricular activities (Soccer for Asriel, Dodgeball for Frisk), and Toriel served as both a teacher (Literature) and the Principle. They both loved school and got high grades in their classes consistently, tutoring each other in their weakest subjects (Math for Asriel, History for Frisk). They've been attending for nearly three months now, and they spent every lunch and recess together, and though they made friends, lots of them in fact, they still preferred each others company most of the time. The two became practically inseparable. One might even think they had a crush on one another or something, but in fact there were no romantic feelings between the two of them whatsoever. Their relationship was completely platonic, a love born of friendship and a familial bond.
Each day Frisk and Asriel walked home from school they passed by the bed of golden flowers near the center of the village, even though it was quite out of the way. Asriel felt a twinge of calming peace whenever his eyes fell on the village flowers, and he knew it was Charas happiness that he was feeling, remembering that it was her last request in the days long ago. Asriel took a few seeds from these flowers and started a new garden of his own at home, in honor of his friends memory, and the family had a picnic once a week in this spot.
Funny enough, it wasn't long before Papyrus came around to visit, having seen a lot of the surface in his travels (and fed up with his red convertable always losing a race to San's tricycle) and now wanting to settle down. Unbeknowest to him, Sans had already purchased a new house in town, close to where the Dreemurrs lived. Toriel found out about this long before he did and soon offered him a job to cement his new community ties as part of the surprise, as the head chef of the school. He was ecstatic about the news and accepted the job with glee.
The kids were terrified of this idea at first, in particular Frisk, recalling how awful Papyrus's spaghetti was before, but Undynes online cooking lessons over the long weeks had apparently paid off in spades, and his standard of food was much higher than before (in actuality, Undyne really WAS a good cook, even if her aggressive behavior made her a liability in the kitchen). He made spaghetti the Friday special, mixing up the menu on a regular basis throughout the week, and almost everything he made for the school was a treat, although Frisk still wanted nothing to do with snails.
Soon he became celebrated by the students for his quality of food, and it was clear from his aggressive passion (shades of Undyne there) and his confidence, Papyrus had found his calling. He was destined for great things in his field now, and his days of yearning to join the Royal Guard were behind him. The thought never again crossed his mind.
Speaking of Undyne, her relationship with Alphys bloomed during their travels with Asgore. They were polar opposites, with Alphys being a huge nerd and Undyne always having a constant can-do attitude, and this difference in personality often had them clashing with one another.
But over time their difference in personalities blended them into a compatible couple, with Alphys becoming much more confident in herself, and Undyne becoming passionate about her endeavors. She always had a strong drive for her job as a Royal Guard but didn't really appreciate other things as much, with the exception of cooking. That changed after spending so much time with Alphys. When they were together, they both really blossomed.
Alphys even got Asgore interested in anime during their time together, although it's really a matter of perspective between 'interested' and 'forced', though she at least got him to watch the new Mew Mew Kissy Kitty 3. Not surprisingly, it wasn't his cup of tea (Frisk would probably sneer at a pun like that), but he still kept an open mind.
Asgore spent much of his free time writing though, mostly treaties and writs to further his diplomatic goals, and he went well beyond what was needed. He took his responsibilities seriously and spared no effort. Unfortunately, even now the tense coexistence between humans and monsters was anything but peaceful, and Asgores efforts, though respectable, had barely put a dent in the strained relations between them. But he was trying. It was a long, uphill battle, and it would still probably be that way many years later.
When he wasn't focused on diplomacy, he wrote letters of well wishes containing gifts to his family, especially for the longer excursions. He communicated via phone and internet every day so they would have a face and a voice to remember, but at heart he still preferred doing things the old fashioned way. Toriel kept him busy with school gardening whenever he was in town, her "honey-do" list, if you will.
As far as his actual relationship with Toriel, they grew a little closer in the months since getting their son back, but they're still not anything close to romantically involved, even now. Honestly, it was unlikely that would ever happen again, because even though she forgave him, he was never really able to forgive himself. The weight of his past still haunted him, and he could feel his sins crawling on his back every single day. There were days when he contemplated suicide, thought about ending it all, because he wasn't sure if he could take it anymore, having to live with himself another day.
But he never did. He knew he did a terrible thing, even if his wrongdoings had been righted in the end, but he knew the only way he could ever find redemption was to keep going. He hated himself, and nobody could blame him for that, but he couldn't take his own life. His family loved him. His family needed him. The WORLD needed him, because slowly but surely he was making it a better place. Even if he had done so much wrong in the past, he was a positive force in the world, and although it took much sacrifice to get to this point, to throw his life away would mean that it was all for nothing.
He still thought about what he saw that day. The empty coffins. He still wasn't sure if it meant what he thought it did, that the fallen children somehow came back to life through Asriel and Frisks efforts, but given everything else that had happened, it wasn't such a farfetched conclusion to reach. The human SOUL was still an enigma, the unfathomable power it contained, and Asgore was willing to entertain just about any possibility at this point. And even if what he assumed was not the case, he knew in his heart, without a doubt, that those children had at least found peace now, and he could live with that. It may have been nothing but wishful thinking to some, but it was one of the few things that kept him going to this day.
Toriel and Asgore never really got back together, but their relationship had improved over the months. They were both content with the way things were now, and maybe one day there would be room to re-explore their romance, but for now they were just friends, and that was enough for both of them. And Toriel stuck by her promise to help Asgore sort through his feelings. As long as he kept moving forward and trying to do the right thing, she would be there to support him. And she was. The visits were few and far between because of the nature of his work, but when he did come home to visit, seeing his former wife, his children...it was of great comfort to him, and he looked forward to each and every visit.
To Asriels lament, Toriel started spending a lot of time with Sans. Not that he held any sort of grudge against the pudgy skeleton (nor did Sans hold anything against Asriel, at least not anymore), he was just hopeful that Toriel and Asgore would eventually get back together, which was really nothing more than wishful thinking at best. Even Frisk knew that.
He was relieved to discover, however, that their relationship never went beyond anything more than a close friendship. However, Sans taste for bad puns and jokes had rubbed off quite a bit on Toriel and she began cracking her own attempts at humor regularly, which both Asriel and Frisk found intolerable, though they would never outright tell her that.
Eventually Sans took up a faculty position at Toriels school, becoming the Science teacher. As Frisk had suspected, he had a colorful background of education in the field, especially in Quantum Physics, and he was well suited to his job, making the subject easy to understand, but at the same time fun and exciting.
Unfortunately, his habit of bad jokes and puns wore even harder on Asriel and Frisk, and his standard of discipline for misbehaving was harsh, especially if it involved cheating (read, instant weekend detention, denoted with the phrase 'prepare to have a bad time'), but the other students loved him, the ones who behaved anyway, and the homework was usually very light, no doubt in part due to Sans laziness. Toriel even kept Alphys on long distance call as a substitute whenever he was out so there was never a missed class.
Everyone had moved on from their former lives in the Underground. They've all dealt with the past in their own way and each of them found their own path in life, and for the most part, everyone was happy.
Except...
The only one who still didn't feel like she had any closure was Frisk herself. Though she had indeed succeeded in her ultimate goal, to SAVE Asriel and give him a chance at a happy life, there was another problem for Frisk to deal with, one that she had not given much thought to until now. Her amnesia had not gone away in the six months since she left the mountain, and her inability to remember anything before her adventure in the Underground really bothered her. She had a new family, a new brother, and she even took to calling Asgore 'dad', something he found very surprising but wholly welcome, even if he felt he didn't deserve it at times. But her thoughts often drifted on what her life was like before her adventure beneath the mountain, what kind of people her birth parents were, if she had any siblings or relatives out there, where they were, what had become of them, and many other things. Her memory was a scrambled mess, and nothing made sense to Frisk anymore.
An even worse possibility crept into Frisks thoughts at the time. What if she didn't have any family out there anymore? What if they had abandoned her because they didn't want her anymore. What if she was forcibly taken up the mountain and thrown into the hole so her parents could be rid of her? She just couldn't remember anything, and because of this, she couldn't shake that horrible idea, and about a dozen others like it, all of them equally as horrific as the last. They were terrifying thoughts and even though Frisk knew that the possibility of any of them being true was highly unlikely, it caused her great concern, enough to seriously doubt herself at times, and Asriel was observant enough to notice it immediately.
Although Frisk was always at Asriels side to console him whenever he was upset or struggling to cope with something, when it came to her own bouts of depression, she never really talked about the things that bothered her. There were days where Frisk would just sit at the desk in their room, staring out the window, not wanting to do anything, and at first Asriel thought she was feeling guilty again, over what she did for him and Chara. He was going to talk to her about it, reminding her not to blame herself for his struggles...
...until he caught her talking to herself one day, unaware that he was standing just outside the door to their room. And he realized the REAL reason why Frisk was so distant.
"...what's wrong with me? Why can't I remember anything, even now? My parents, do they still miss me? Do I even HAVE any parents out there? Or was I really...? The Dreemurrs, they took me in as one of their own. Gave me a home. Asriel even calls me his sister. I love them so much, I really do, but...am I really a part of their family? What if...what if they abandon me one day too? I...I just don't know. I've never doubted myself this much before, but now I just feel so...alone."
And Asriel felt horrible for Frisk after he heard this, not knowing how to comfort her in her time of need. All he wanted to do was barge in, give her the biggest hug that he could, and tell her that everything was going to be alright, that such a thing would never happen. Not knowing who your parents are, who you are or where you come from, he couldn't even begin to imagine what that must feel like.
Well, that wasn't completely true. He DID know what it was like to feel alone, having been on the receiving end of that emotion for so long. But he didn't know how to approach her about it. He gladly would have listened if she were willing to talk about it, but she refused to burden anyone with her problems, especially Asriel, knowing how much he had already suffered in the past. When he walked in and asked if she was alright, she simply played it off as if nothing was wrong, feigning her usual, cheery self. She was very much like Chara in that regard, preferring not to say anything when she was upset, and she did a good job of hiding it for the most part, but Asriel always saw it for what it was. He recognized all the signs, and it broke his heart to see his friend in such bad spirits, all the more because he knew why she was feeling this way and didn't know what to do about it.
The truth, as much as it pained her to admit it, was that Frisk didn't feel like she was a true member of their family. Though she would never say as much to them, she had always felt like a tag-along, a third wheel, that she might be abandoned and forgotten at some point, and she would be alone again. After all, if it really did happen once before, couldn't it happen again? Especially now that Toriel and Asgore had their real child back? Even though she knew how much the Dreemurrs loved her, even though she knew in her heart that such a thing would probably never happen, it was harder to convince her rational mind of that notion. You wouldn't think it considering how many friends she had made, but in truth, Frisk was really quite lonely, feeling like she had nobody to truly call her kin.
Not that Frisk would ever be a replacement for Chara in Asriels eyes, nor would Frisk ever WANT that to be the case, knowing how much those two meant to each other, but Asriel loved Frisk just as much as he did Chara. She was his adoptive sister, just like Chara, and Frisk meant the world to him. And even though she was gone physically, Chara was still with them in spirit. Chara was a part of Asriel now, a kind of second consciousness that gave him support and guidance when he needed it, even to this day.
And he needed it now, more than ever.
"Chara..."
And so here he was. Asriel stood in the living room, alone, staring at Charas portrait among various family photos. Her heart locket was leaned in front of it, inside its original box, right next to Asriels. They were both old and well worn, faded, scratched and tarnished from age and wear. Carefully he took Chara's red locket out of its box and sat on the couch, clutching it with both hands. He flicked it open with a thumbclaw, staring at the photo of them inside, and the engraving with it.
Best Friends Forever: A + C
Now and always.
"Chara...can you hear me?"
He reached out to her, not at all sure what he was doing.
"Chara...I know you're there. I can still feel you. I...well, I THINK I can still feel you. I don't know anymore. Are you really here with me? Or are you..."
The worst crossed his mind, but he quashed it immediately.
"No...you ARE here. I KNOW it. But even so, I miss you. I miss you so much, Chara. It's not the same without you, and I know Mom and Dad miss you too. I'm happy, and they're happy, but still...I wish you were 'here.'"
And then his thoughts turned to the other 'her.'
"And Frisk...I'm so worried about her, Chara. She's hurting so much, and I know why, but I can't do anything about it. She has done so much for me, more than I deserve, more than I could ever ask for. She means the world to me, but I can't even help her when she needs it the most. I feel like I'm letting her down. I..."
He was beside himself.
"I...I don't know what to do, Chara."
He felt a bit silly, even now, talking to himself like this, even though nobody could hear him. He was really beginning to wonder if it was really Charas presence that felt all this time, if she was truly still with him even now. With Frisks help, Asriel had finally overcome his own guilt and his own sins, but now, when his best friend was struggling to cope with the reality of her situation and her own fears, he couldn't even return the favor. He couldn't even offer her comfort when she needed it more than ever. He sighed and began sobbing, not at all sure what he was going to do, what he COULD do.
But somebody came
"I'm here, Azzy."
"WHA...?"
Just like before, a gentle scarlet light softly pulsed from his chest.
"C-CHARA!?"
It was HER.
"I'm here, but I don't have much time, Azzy. The link won't last long."
He didn't care.
"Oh, Chara. It's so good to hear your voice again."
"Same here, Azzy."
Knowing her window was limited, she immediately got to the matter at hand.
"Frisk...I know what she's going through. I felt the way she did too, when I fell down that hole. Feeling like you're all alone, unsure about your past, afraid of what your future holds."
"Yeah..."
But she reassured him.
"But you haven't let her down, Azzy. You two have been there for each other when things were at their worst, and that makes me so happy. And this is no different."
"R-really?"
"Really. You just need to show her how much she truly means to you, how much you love her. You need to show her that she's NOT alone, that she DOES have someone who cares about her. You're her best friend now, Azzy. If anyone can help her get through this, it's you."
He was confused.
"But...how?"
"You'll figure it out, Azzy. You've already done it once before, for me."
"Chara...?"
The light began to fade.
"The link is fading. I have to go again."
Despair washed over Asriel in that moment.
"NO, CHARA! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN! PLEASE!"
He cried out, feeling like he was losing his best friend all over again. That wasn't the case though.
"I'm not leaving you, Azzy. I never left. I've been with you all along."
"But...!"
"I miss you too, Azzy. I miss you all so much. And I know it's hard sometimes, but please, don't cry for me. I don't regret what I did. I get to spend every day with you all now. I get to share in everything you do. I've been with you all along, Azzy, and as long as YOU'RE happy, I'M happy!"
"Oh, Chara..."
He started crying again, but he quickly got himself under control. After all, if they were able to connect with each other like this once, maybe they could do it again.
And she confirmed it.
"I just need a little time to recover, then we can talk again! And if you ever need me for anything, just call out to me, and I'll be there for you!"
"Y-you promise?"
"I promise, Azzy."
Hearing that, he felt better. There were so many things he wanted to say in that moment, but he settled for what mattered the most.
"I love you, Chara."
"I love you too, Azzy. I'll talk to you soon!"
And the link faded.
He clutched at his heart, feeling a wave of reassurance and comfort from her intervention.
Thank you, Chara...
But he still wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Asriel sat there, Charas open locket still clutched tightly in his furry hands, and his thoughts turned to Frisk now, pondering Chara's cryptic message.
You'll figure it out...you've already done it once, for me.
Wondering what she meant.
You're her best friend now, Azzy.
And then it dawned on him. It was an idea he had already thought of, one he had shared with Toriel, but also one that he had been unable to put into action until now. At the time, human and monster relations in Ebott Village were so bad that monsters were not allowed to fraternize with the locals or shop in any of the town stores. But there was a new store open now, run by a long time friend of the Dreemurr family. A monster, and not just any monster, but the very person who had made 'them' so long ago.
His attention was immediately taken by the locket still in his hand.
Best Friends Forever
T-THAT'S IT!
He knew exactly what to do now. Without a moments hesitation, he stood and grabbed the other heart locket, the one belonging to him, and the boxes they came with. He put them both in his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and made for the door.
"Mom, I'm going out! Be back in a little while!"
...
Two weeks later
...
"Oh, welcome home, my child."
Toriel announced from the kitchen as an excited Asriel walked through the front door. Toriel was still wearing her traditional robes, with an apron draped over them. She had a couple of different outfits for her administrative and teaching posts at the school, but the family robes were still her preferred attire most of the time, for both sentimental and practical reasons. She didn't look the same to the kids without them, and she took pride in wearing them since they were emblazoned with the family crest, even though there was no longer any kind of implied royalty to the bloodline or claim to the throne. For all intents and purposes, Asgore was no longer a king, and Asriel was no longer a prince, and they could care less. Asriel was happy just being a normal kid. He was never fond of the idea of being a prince to begin with.
Asriels physical appearance had matured slightly in the months since leaving the Underground as well. He was a good two or three inches taller now and was even beginning to grow a very small pair of horns on his head. He was wearing a soccer uniform, a blue and white jersey and matching shorts, having had practice earlier. His frosty fur and uniform were caked with grass and mud stains, and Toriel couldn't help being the chiding mother in that moment.
"I hope you wiped your feet before you came inside, young man."
Asriel nodded, checking the bottoms of his paws to make sure they were clean, satisfied that they were.
"Good, but you WILL be taking a bath later tonight, mister."
Ugh...
He groaned in his folly. It was going to be a long evening.
He was looking around to make sure Frisk wasn't in sight. Toriel took notice immediately.
"She's up in her room, probably doing homework. She's pretty bruised up from dodgeball practice so don't be too surprised if she looks a little weary."
He looked at the clock.
5:48 PM
"Golly, is it really that late? Sorry it took so long, soccer practice went an hour over. Oh, and I stopped by Mr Gersons on the way home, too."
He took three small gift boxes out of his backpack. Each one was black and each was wrapped with a ribbon of varying colors, one yellow, one red, and one blue.
"They're finished."
Mr Gerson was an elderly turtle from Waterfall, an archaeologist of sorts, and though he desired to see the world if he were to ever leave the Underground, his age unfortunately made this dream an impossible one to realize and he came to a compromise. He stayed in the Underground for a time, collecting all sort of knick knacks and trinkets, and once human and monster relations got better on the surface, he migrated and eventually settled down in Ebott Village, where the Dreemurrs were now rooted.
He opened up an exotic pawn shop in the village central market and, fascinated by human technology and history, began collecting all sorts of historical trinkets from both races en masse. His collection was so impressive from the onset that he turned his shop into a display, an exhibit of sorts, drawing tourists from all local areas to see.
He was also a well respected craftsman and, being the one who had made the heart lockets for Chara and Asriel in the first place, was easily able to accommodate Asriels mysterious request (with pay, of course).
They both closely inspected each one, satisfied that they were to specifications. Toriel was especially impressed with the last one, which was brand new. She gave her son a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"This was a wonderful idea, Asriel. She's going to love it. She has been so depressed lately, and I think I know why. This might be just what she needs."
He nodded.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see Frisks reaction when I give it to her."
Asriel could smell the telltale hints of pie crust, snails, and the sweet aroma of butterscotch and cinnamon. He was visibly excited.
"Dinner will be ready in a few moments. Dad will be joining us later tonight, he's on his way back from a long campaign. Alphys and Undyne are at something called an anime convention at the moment, whatever that is."
"AWESOME! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM!"
Toriel giggled.
"Why don't you go upstairs and show Frisk your little surprise in the mean time? I'd love to see her wearing it when she comes down. Hold on."
She opened the freezer, taking out a soft ice pack.
"Here, take this to her as well. It'll make her feel better. And try not to stare too much."
He nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay Mom!"
He took the ice pack, turned and ran up the stairs, taking them two by two. At the top, there was a fully furnished laundry room to the right, and three more rooms to the left, the first being a modest restroom, complete with bath tub and shower. Toriel's bedroom was at the end of the hall, which was the master bedroom, and there was a smaller room to the right, which was their room. There was a guest bedroom downstairs which Asgore occupied whenever he was in town to visit, and they could have had separate rooms, but both Asriel and Frisk preferred to share one instead. It was more than enough for both of them, and Asriel didn't like to sleep alone, although he would never admit such a thing.
He opened the door.
"Howdy Frisk! I'm home!"
Frisk sat at the small work desk against the back window, a textbook on math and a notebook in front of her, pencil in hand. She was wearing a pink hooded jacket over her dodgeball uniform. It was the brink of winter and Christmas was just around the corner, and the cold weather affected her far more than the Dreemurrs. Asriels otherwise pristine fur made him comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt even when it was barely above freezing outside, though he still loved his striped long sleeve for sentimental reasons. He had his own hooded jacket for the really cold days as well, this one a darker shade of purple.
The room was laid with a shiny wooden floor and there were twin sized beds on either side, against opposite walls, complete with night stands and their own bedside rugs. On both night stands sat a picture frame, one containing a group photo of all of their friends on Frisks stand, and the old picture of Chara on Asriels stand. There was a computer on the work desk which Asriel and Frisk mostly used for homework whenever it involved writing essays or doing research, but also held some video games they enjoyed playing in their free time (they both loved Minecraft), and also had Skype for staying in contact with their friends and especially Dad.
There was a large wardrobe against the front wall containing most of their clothes, and next to this was another small dresser, atop of which sat a small flat-screen television and a satellite box. Mettaton did indeed have his own show now, covering...well, everything, and it was on right now, but the volume was muted, and Frisk was focused on her studies.
"Hey, welcome back Azzy!"
Frisk turned to face him now, and he reeled back in surprise. Toriel wasn't lying when she said Frisk was bruised pretty badly.
"GOSH! Where'd you get the black eye, Frisk?"
She shook her head with a chuckle.
"Dodgeball practice. Took one right in the face. I never even saw it coming. It doesn't hurt as bad as it looks though."
Asriel could tell, Frisk was in one of those depressive moods again. She did a damn good job of hiding it, trying to maintain the facade of happiness, but Asriel saw right through it. Though he was worried about her, he didn't immediately let on that he knew how she was really feeling. He knew why she was feeling this way, and he had the 'medicine' to cure her of these doubts forever. He just had to wait for the right moment.
Mom was right...this is exactly what she needs.
She took notice of the grass stains on his uniform and his fur.
"You look like you really had it out today at Soccer practice too. Mom must have been a little worried about you tracking dirt in the house."
He giggled in response, doing his best to hide his concern.
"Yeah, it went longer than usual. I can't even count how many times I slid in the grass today. I was practically eating the turf."
He threw his backpack on the floor and fell back on his bed, stretching his limbs out, kicking his paws at the open air.
"I'm beat."
Frisk stretched her arms in response. Her arms were fairly bruised as well, a result of falling down constantly during Dodgeball practice as she struggled to evade being beaned by the ball.
"Me too. But at least you're getting good sleep every night now."
"Yeah, thanks to you, I haven't had any nightmares in two months now. I'm finally able to sleep through the night. I miss those bedtime stories though."
Frisk giggled. He turned his attention to the TV now, seeing Mettaton deliver breaking news on absolutely nothing. Frisk wasn't REALLY watching his show, she just turned it on out of morbid curiosity. She couldn't believe Mettaton actually made it happen.
"REALLY, FRISK!? You're really watching THIS!?"
She grinned.
"I am and I hate it."
Asriel teased her, bringing up something she said a while back.
"Whatever happened to 'I am NOT tuning in for that show! I've had enough brushes with death in this life time!'?"
He squinted his eyes into narrow slits as he recited Frisks own words from memory. Frisk giggled at his impersonation, wondering who the real dork was now.
"Guilty as charged. Alphys would be so disappointed in me."
Asriels hand was almost frozen now from the ice pack he was holding. He had forgotten about it in his theatrics.
"Oh, Mom asked me to give you this."
Frisk took the ice pack from his nearly frostbitten hand and gently applied it to her blackened eye, watching as he blew hot air into his fist to thaw his icy extremities.
"It's really not so bad, but thanks. I'm finished with my homework so the desk is all yours if you have homework. I'm starving, hope dinner is gonna be ready soon."
"A few more minutes, Mom said. Oh, and Dad is coming home tonight too!"
Frisk nodded.
"Yeah, Mom told me already. He was away for quite a while on this trip, I'm glad we're gonna get to see him again."
She stood up from the desk, and the difference in size between them was more apparent now. Frisk had only grown a little bit in the last six months, maybe half an inch or so, while Asriel gained at least two. He dwarfed her in size, easily four or five inches taller than her now. Frisk had to look up to meet his gaze when they were standing close. If this growth spurt kept up much longer (or lack of growth in Frisk's case), soon he would have to kneel down to be at eye-level with Frisk. That, or Frisk would need a step-ladder.
"Hey, I've got something to show you. A surprise."
He said as he turned towards his bed and knelt down, digging into his backpack. He pulled out two of the gift boxes that he came home with, the ones wrapped with yellow and red ribbons. He opened the one with the yellow ribbon first, delicately pulling out the item inside.
It was his old heart locket, restored to its original condition.
Its golden chain shined brilliantly in the fading light of the setting sun, perfectly matching the yellow ceramic of the heart itself. He carefully placed the locket around his neck, clasping the chain together, and turned back towards Frisk. She took notice immediately, placing the ice pack on the desk.
"Oh, your locket! You got it back."
"Yeah, I had it cleaned and polished by Mr Gerson. It's almost like new again. And not only that."
He turned and opened the box wrapped with the red ribbon now, taking out the red heart locket inside, carefully showing it to Frisk.
"Charas locket too!"
Frisk smiled at him.
"That's great! Let's give it to her!"
He nodded, handing the locket over to Frisk. Together they walked over to the picture on Asriels night stand, the one of Chara, and Frisk carefully placed the locket around the frame, laying out the slack of the chain and leaning the ceramic heart itself against the bottom of the portrait.
"That looks much better! It was very precious to her so I'm glad that she finally has it back."
Frisk nodded, continuing to stare at Charas portrait, lost in thought. With her attention diverted by the picture, Asriel seized the moment and backed away from her slowly, quietly digging into his backpack for the REAL surprise.
"Yeah."
She said as she turned around.
"HUH?!"
Asriel was standing in front of her now, his arm outstretched towards her. In his hand was the last gift box, this one adorned with a blue ribbon.
"W-what's this?"
He gave a shy smile, grinning like the enormous dork that he was.
"Surprise! This one is for you!"
Frisk looked at Asriel for a few seconds before hesitantly taking the box from his hand. There was a small white tag attached to it.
To: Frisk
From: The Dreemurr Family
She just stared at it, then at him, her gaze bouncing back and forth.
"Well go on, open it!"
Frisk sheepishly walked over to her own bed to sit down. Carefully she pulled on the ribbon, undoing its simple knot and setting it aside as she lifted open the lid of the box. Her reaction put an enormous grin on Asriels face once she saw what was inside the box.
There was a brand new heart locket inside.
"T-this is..."
This heart locket was a light shade of blue, the blue of the sky. It was adorned with a chain almost identical to the other two, except this one was made of white gold, which complimented the blue of the ceramic heart much better than the yellow gold that the other two chains were created from.
"F-f-for me?"
She was struggling to speak, her lips quivering from surprise and heartfelt joy. He nodded and sat on the bed beside her excitedly.
"Take a look inside!"
Frisk delicately pried open the locket with her thumbnail. It was pretty much identical to the other two, with an engraving and a photo. Except...
"Sans was a huge help here. It's photoshopped, I know, but it was the best we could do."
The photo was a modified version of the old one of Chara and Asriel, but Frisk was in the middle, standing a little lower than them so as not to block them out. All three of them were smiling. Even if it was photoshopped, it was impossible to tell just by looking at it. This was expertly done and looked authentic.
And, the engraving was different too. Or, not exactly different, but more was added to it.
Best Friends Forever: A + C + F
F. Frisk.
Asriel popped open his locket now to show her. It contained the same picture and the same engraving as hers. He pointed to Charas locket on the night stand.
"Hers too."
Frisk was overwhelmed, completely floored by her brothers heartfelt gift. She was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, but one born of joy, not sadness.
"Azzy...this is so sweet of you. You didn't have to do this for me. I-I don't know what to say. I...thank you!"
Asriel smiled, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry it took so long, it should have been finished months ago. But when you told me that you didn't feel right taking Charas locket, saying that it made you uncomfortable keeping something that didn't belong to you, the solution was obvious. Now you have one of your own."
Her left hand was resting on the bed. He grabbed it with both hands, squeezing it gently.
"I know things have been hard for you lately, not knowing about your past, who you are or where you come from. And I can't even begin to imagine what that feels like. But...I do know what it feels like to be alone, to feel like you have no one."
He was still smiling, but his eyes were starting to water a little bit.
"But you're not alone anymore, Frisk. You're a Dreemurr now! No matter what happens, you will always have a family who loves you. You will always have a place to belong, a place to call home. Always."
Frisk is filled with DETERMINATION
They were both crying now. Frisk, completely touched by her brothers sentiments, tackled him with a massive hug, taking him by surprise. He had to fight to keep from falling back on the bed, almost losing his balance, but he stayed upright and immediately returned the embrace with near bone-crushing force. She was getting tears on his uniform and even his fur, but he didn't care.
"T-T-THANK YOU SO MUCH AZZY! I'LL CHERISH IT FOREVER!"
It was amazing she could even get a sentence across in her hysteria, her voice somewhat muffled from her face being buried in Asriels shoulder.
"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH BRO!"
He held her even tighter now, resting his own head on her shoulder, gently rocking her back and forth.
"I love you too sis!"
Frisk had to take back a statement she made long ago, that Toriel gave the best hugs. No, Asriel DEFINITELY took first place in that category. All the doubt, the fear, the depression she felt over the last six months, all of it vanished in an instant.
"I'm so glad that I finally get to tell you this, Frisk! Welcome to the family!"
It was official now. She giggled in pure joy through her sobs, and Asriel could feel her smiling on his shoulder. She finally understood, even if she had no memory of her past, she DID have a family, a place to belong, and it was right in front of her this whole time. Frisk felt so loved in this moment, and neither of them wanted to let go. They held each other like this for several minutes, until...
"DINNER'S READY!"
Toriels voice from downstairs.
Reluctantly they pulled away from each other, both of them now standing, their tearful moment having been rudely interrupted. Asriel quickly walked over to the door and opened it, answering his mothers call.
"BE DOWN IN A MINUTE!"
Frisk carefully put her new locket around her neck, clasping the pearly chain together. It fit her perfectly and its colors complimented both itself and her outfit spectacularly. She brushed her tears away, looking back at Asriel with a smile.
"H-how do I look?"
He gave her a thumbs up.
"You look perfect! Like a true Dreemurr!"
She was blushing shyly now, her hands meekly behind her back.
"Frisk Dreemurr, it...it has a nice ring to it."
Asriel nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, it does! We've gotta calm down though, Frisk. Mom will think we've lost our minds."
She giggled.
"Heh, yeah. I can't help it though, Azzy. I've never been happier."
Asriel was smiling again, knowing he was the reason she was so happy now.
"Just...promise me one thing, Frisk."
"Anything."
Surprisingly, he swore her to the same vow she made him take several months ago.
"If you're ever feeling down, for any reason...please, come and talk to me. I don't care what time it is. You were always there for me when I struggled to sort out my problems, please, let me help you with yours. No matter what the problem is, we can figure it out together. Okay?"
She was still fighting back the tears. He had rubbed off on her quite a bit. Suddenly she wondered who the real crybaby was in this family.
"Okay! I promise, Azzy!"
"Pinky swear?"
He held out his pinky finger, or at least what passed for one since he only had four fingers on each hand. Frisk giggled as she grabbed hold of it with her own and shook gently.
"Heh, pinky swear."
They hugged each other again, officially sealing the pact they had just made. The tears finally stopped for both of them, replaced by nothing but heartfelt joy.
"Thanks Azzy. Best friends forever."
Asriel reaffirmed it. Not one, but two dear siblings to cherish now. Chara, and...
"Best friends forever, Frisk!"
They finally pulled away from each other, clutching their lockets with pure ecstasy. Finally famished and ready for pie, Asriel held the door open for her.
"After you, sis!"
Frisk smiled back with a nod, and she was halfway through the door, when...
"RACE YOU DOWN, BRO!"
She took off down the hall. He quickly closed the door and ran after her.
"HEY, NO FAIR! COME BACK HERE!"
And they both ran down the stairs to the living room, to the dinner table. Toriel was already sitting at the table on one side, an enormous smile taking form on her face when she noticed the new heart locket around Frisks neck. There was an open seat next to her designated for Asgore, and two seats waiting for Frisk and Asriel on the other side. Both pies were already on the table, with plates and utensils set for everyone.
The future was still an uncertain thing, and both Asriel and Frisk had their grim pasts to contend with occasionally, but time heals all wounds, as the saying goes. Before long, even Asriels guilt faded into nothing, his memory of Chara and the loving bond he shared with his new sibling keeping him strong, even in the darkest moments. And though Frisk still wondered about her origins at times, she knew now that even if she had no memory of her past and no knowledge of her roots, she was now a part of something that she cherished more than anything, Asriel himself having cemented that fact, and it filled her with HOPE. One was always there to support the other on even the toughest days, and as long as they had each other, everything would turn out okay in the end.
Asriel was given a second chance, one that he was eternally grateful for, and now lived a normal, happy life. Chara was with her loved ones again in spirit, having at long last made peace with herself and those closest to her. And at the end of it all, having now been officially adopted by the Dreemurrs, Frisk had finally found what she had been looking for all along, the one thing that made her truly happy.
A real family.
Let rise the dreams of your heart
That innocent youth, careless and kind
Free to roam the breeze in love
Only when two brilliantly shine as one
"Wings", Jennifer Stigile
The End
...
Undertale and all characters copyrighted Toby Fox