You roll over and curl into a ball, refusing to get up from the bed. Then you lie there, completely immobile. If this is your idea of sulking, it would be more convincing if I was trying to get you to do something. But I'm not. Stay here forever, for all I care.

Seconds turn to minutes; minutes turn to hours. Just kidding. Your resilience barely lasts a few minutes. When the door opens, you immediately sit up. It's your favorite greasy-fingered skeleton.

"hey..." He's never lost his grin, even after leaving you with Gaster. "i just came to see how you were holding up. and maybe talk about a few things." He says it while not looking directly at you, which probably means he's there more to talk about 'things' more than see how you're doing.

He pulls up a chair to your bedside. Might be a long talk.

You never let him start. Your eyes mist over before he's even properly sat down. Something about his presence just sets you off. Tears roll down your cheeks, a garbled noise escaping your throat. Your tiny little fists clasp onto the hem of his jacket, as you pull yourself closer, burying your head into his chest.

You want to forget that I'm here. You want to pretend that only what you touch is real. You want to pretend you never killed him, that you never saw him die, and that all your time-traveling foolishness was nothing more than a bad dream.

Honestly, I'm surprised you can even cry. Never knew you could mimic humanity's defects. Your reaction to grab him is innate; instinctual, really. Like any creature, you don't want to feel pain. You just want to be comforted, so you grab onto him with the intention of never letting go.

He doesn't know what to do, clearly. There's a haunted look beneath those eye sockets, something equal between fear and guilt. You're an artificial human crying into his chest, after all. He probably never knew you could cry, either. Even so, he wraps his arms around you, holding you close as the noise in your mouth becomes full-on yowling. Snot runs down your nose, but he presses you into him anyway, and you're ruining his jacket.

The best part is that he probably thinks it's all his fault. He failed in his promise to protect you. You volunteered yourself to Gaster, and Sans could only offer a pitiful apology. Then you wake up, crying. It'd be only natural for him to blame himself.

You could tell him otherwise. You could tell him about your imaginary friend, who keeps telling you to pick up the knife. That you've already seen and felt his dust, in another timeline. What happens then, huh? You're still his creation. He'll put you down like a rabid dog.

"uh, we can talk some other time," he tells you.

You decide not to tell him anything either.

Finally your tears start to slow down. You pull back, because you're ruining his jacket. Sans still looks concerned. He hands you a crumpled-up napkin. You stare at it without expression or understanding. After a few seconds tick by, he wipes your face clean.

His pocket glows. He flips out his phone quickly, eyes scanning the screen. "i have to do something," he growls, and seems almost angry.

Your hand grips the clothe of his jacket even tighter. You don't want to be stuck here with just me.

He flinches. "you can, uh, come too."

You've managed to calm yourself enough that it looks like you never cried at all, and it helps that Sans holds onto your hand. He leads you to a vaguely familiar science-y room, one that you had previously stumbled upon in your earlier time-traveling adventures.

Alphys waits there. A potted plant sits upon the counter. There's a strange golden flower, like the ones from the surface world. Like the ones from my village. It seems oddly out of place in this lab of test tubes and tiles. The whole thing is encased carefully behind walls of glass.

Alphys is absolutely beaming as the two of you enter. "I-I told you I'd do it. A vessel that can harness soul energy – one step closer to breaking the barrier that traps us... a-and so you don't have to get hurt anymore."

She's a bit late on that and sounds oddly proud about it. You already gave up and went with Noir skeleton's tests.

You stare curiously at the flower. The petals are much more vibrant than that fake plant in your cell. But outside of that, it's just a normal flower. Beneath that glass, it doesn't even give off any scent.

"alphs..." Sans rubs his head, his smile noticeably forced. "we... really gotta talk."

"A-about this flower?" Alphys blinks.

"no. well, kind of..."

"Wh-what about, then?"

Sans's gaze falls critically on you. Innocently you match his gaze. Gently he pushes you forward towards the flower. "hey, keep an eye on this, would you? we're gonna step outside and chat for a bit."

"Wh-what? S-sounds s-s-serious..." Any of Alphys's previous joy has already evaporated. The two leave together to have a private conversation, leaving you with your nose very close to the glass box. When the door closes, you can still hear faint sounds of their voices, so they haven't gone very far for their private chat.

You know, when they act like that. They're definitely talking about you. It's the only reason why they wouldn't want to talk in front of you. Sans still thinks you're at a level that you'll do whatever he'll tell you. But that's not really true anymore, is it. You've had quite the little journey through time that he doesn't know about, and you've become a rebellious little thing, haven't you.

You leave the golden flower and carefully creep towards the lab door. Silently you press your ear against the metal. Actually, it'd probably be better to cup your hand so that it amplifies the sound. You try it out and are surprised that it works; you can hear their voices much better. Well, why wouldn't I want to know what they're saying about us?

"...h-has to be a mistake." You can hear Alphys. "Or, m-maybe Gaster's exaggerating."

"nope. i saw the readings, too. everything down to the soul's core is completely inverted."

"I-I mean... what does that mean?"

He chuckles. "dunno. if a monster's soul composition defines its love, mercy, and compassion, then the opposite of that would be...?"

"It's a human soul. It might work differently," she sounds unusually sure of her defense in you. "It could just mean that the soul is in pain, not that they're incapable of feeling anything good."

"ok. maybe. but their determination levels are still wild, and it sure looks like something's not right in the time continuum. tif they've been time traveling, it's not like anyone told them too, right? so they're making decisions based on something."

"Th-they're becoming more than just automated... I understand, it's like they're becoming a person..."

"no, you don't get it, cuz if you did... you'd be a whole lot of worried about your potted plant."

"There's no soul part of th-that equation, it's c-completely different."

...You hear a strange sound behind you. Like something tapping on glass. But... no one else was in the room. Slowly you turn around.

"Mom? Dad?" A muffled voice cries out. "Somebody... help!"

The voice is way too familiar, even when distorted. One that I would never forget. That honey-petaled flower...

You turn and rush back to the flower. It's not the same as when you left it. Somehow it's grown a face. More than a face... liquid gushes from its eyes. Even in this form, he's still a crybaby. You lift the glass casing around the sobbing flower. He makes a sniffling noise, although he has no nose. He meets your gaze hopefully.

"You... Do I know you?" The flower wonders between tears.

Your body isn't mine. But somehow, he still is on the verge of recognizing me. Perhaps it's the same reason I was so sure the voice could only belong to him.

The last time were together, we were...

Your hands clench, the glass crackling uncertainly beneath your fingers. Your face breaks into a smile, showcasing all your teeth.

"Hello, Asriel. It's me, Chara."