The darkness that would ordinarily petrify you into doing anything to avoid it now instead seemed comforting and safe. Relatively speaking, of course. You were lucky in two regards. Firstly, the space under the bed was not jammed dense with things that would require moving. Secondly, there was just the right amount of objects spattered here and there to construct a makeshift defensive wall once you had backed yourself up against the corner. It went without saying that these meager efforts were for your own psychological benefit. The people you were hiding from were not only literally magic but had already shown themselves capable of violence. It hadn't started out this way, and perhaps for a brief moment you were foolish enough to trust that little voice inside that said things were going to be different. But that was a mistake you can admit to now, and it made little difference anyway. There was only one method of communication the people around you used or understood and that was physical violence. There was only one reason anyone would take someone like you in and show them kindness or affection, and that was because you had something they wanted. And it mattered not whether you were willing to give it up - they had means and motive to simply take it. You just didn't think the coveted item in question would be your literal soul.
You told yourself you weren't scared. It was a lie, but if you didn't continue to tell yourself that you'd really crack. You weren't sure when exactly the tears had begun to fall, but you paid them no mind anyway. Wetness tracked down your face, but the hitching in your breath wasn't even noticeable with all of the shaking. The whimpering noises you were making were just as unintentional, but you paid no mind to that either. You were in mortal danger.
Heavy footfalls neared closer down the hallway. You could tell they were incoming because they caused that same floorboard to squeak that had almost given you away hours earlier as you snuck out of the house. Your trembling worsened as you realized your little makeshift defense shelter was about to be put to the ultimate test. You knew it was insufficient, but now you were going to get visual confirmation by way of it being ripped apart like tissue paper with magic you couldn't even pretend to understand. Sure enough, the footsteps stopped at the door to the room you were in, and you pressed yourself harder up against the wall. They stopped at the doorway and you could feel whomever it was peering into the room, searching for you. If you had any sense, you would have tried to keep your whimpering to a minimum to at least buy yourself another few minutes. But of course you didn't. You were the one who thought these people would be nice and treat you like an equal, with kindness and compassion and…love? How many times do you have to learn this lesson?
"…my child?"
You let out what could only be described as a desperate squeak at her words, pressing yourself against the wall with all your might. Here it comes - you're really in for it now. You knew how large she was compared to you, you knew how much stronger she must be, you knew she had literal fucking magic, and she was honest-to-god the QUEEN. How much more fucked could a person be? Just one of those things was enough, but she had all of them at the same time. And you had been bad. You had done something you were not supposed to do. You had first hand experience with what normal humans do to children who are bad…it simply must pale in comparison with what a magic-wielding monster could do.
Without your consent, your lips started forming a running mantra of words that commingled with the hitching and frailty of your voice. You probably wouldn't have said anything intentionally; after all, what was there to say? Regardless, a flurry of utterances like "please don't hurt me" and "I'll be good" reverberated in the small space you had shoved yourself into. The monster's voice was briefly silent, and when it sounded again there was a twinge of something to it. Emotions like heartbreak and pity and guilt clung to her words like static.
"Oh, Angel. Little one, it is okay. It is okay, my child, we are not going to hurt you."
Well, that was a lie. They already had. Why would she say something like that if not just to lure you into a false sense of security? It was indisputably untrue. If it weren't, she would have no reason to repeat it in the first place. It was still the case that you didn't stand a chance and were probably living your final few moments, but her words were obviously nothing more than a ploy to make it easier for herself.
At this, your brain settled for stuttering out the phrase "I'll be good" like the dits and dashes of Morse Code. It was the only thing left, really. They had already hurt you; asking them not to was moot. They could, so why would they hesitate to do so again? Thus, all that you could possibly offer was that you would be a good human, or a good child, or a good pet, or whatever they might want from you aside from your SOUL or your life. It was all you could offer. You'll be good, you'll do what they want, you'll behave how they want, you won't disobey them or try to escape again. Your subconscious deemed it worthy of a shot, apparently. You were used to that lifestyle, and although it involved pain no matter if you did what was demanded of you or not, you preferred it to having your SOUL ripped from your still-living body.
The monster's voice got closer as she neared the bed you were hiding under, causing your breathing to quicken and your string of "I'llbegoodI'llbegoodI'llbegood" to lose volume but gain intensity. She must have noticed, you supposed, because she took a step back before she spoke again.
"Dear one, it is okay. I promise you are safe; nobody will hurt you."
Her voice then took on a stern sort of motherly tone, the kind of tone your mother uses when she discusses how much trouble your sibling is in, not you.
"I apologize for how you were treated; what was done to you was wrong. You will get an apology, that much is certain. I…on behalf of all of us, I apologize. I hope you understand, my child, the ones who have hurt you were acting on their own misguided volition. They…they were not acting on official orders."
By now, the overriding emotion in her voice was sadness. The guilt, the pity, and all the others took a backseat to it.
"We had and have no intention of doing you harm. I…I failed to protect you, my child, and for that I apologize. I made to you a promise of safety that I did not uphold. I understand if you do not trust me in the face of what has happened, but I need you to know that you are safe in this house. None of us will hurt you. And I will never let any other monster bring harm to you from now on, either."
Your words had stilled as she spoke. It wasn't as if you hadn't heard this all before. You'd heard practically this exact speech when you'd first gotten here. What did words like these mean said twice, with the promise not being kept? It's hard to hang too much trust on a promise that you won't get hurt…this time. It's true that she at least acknowledged that was the case. To be honest, that was already an improvement from what you were used to. The "guardians" you had on the Surface would make promises they didn't keep too, but they'd blame you for it. Or just choose to forget a promise had been made in the first place. Thus, a part of your heart did stir slightly. It's crazy how low our standards can get. So used to abuse, you were half ready to cling to the every word of someone who at least admitted that they abused you. Still, the fact remained. A broken promise couldn't be mended by a repeat of the same promise. That is like patching a levee breach with more waterlogged soil. It was true that your makeshift little shelter hadn't yet been torn apart, and you along with it, but you still didn't really know where you stood with this creature or any of the creatures that surrounded you. It was just as possible that this too was a ploy to make you easier to handle. What if that's what she wanted? Your head poking timidly out from under the bed, eyes full of fear but an eagerness to forgive because forgiveness might mean something worth forgiving for. Comfort or safety or even…love? Yeah…there was no way she was being sincere. You were staying right where you were for as long as you could.
And then what? You were in their house. You were in their territory. There was nowhere to go. All of that might not even matter, though - who knew how much longer you would even be alive? Right now, you were simply focused on convincing this massive magical goat lady (and her family) that you were not a threat worth wasting energy on killing. You had fallen silent as far as words go, but your breathing was still far too fast and audible and you remained pressed desperately up against the wall. There was a pause that felt as if it stretched on into a new year, but in reality was probably only a few moments. Each tick of the clock in the room presented another chance for the monster to deem you worthy of the effort of ripping apart your little shelter and devouring you alive. There were clocks all over the place down here, in almost every room it seemed. It was no wonder, given the lack of access to the day/night cycle.
Eventually, the monster let out a sigh full of sadness and a bitter flavor of defeat.
"You are welcome to come out whenever you are ready, my child. But please believe that you have nothing to fear from us. I promise you we are not worth hiding from. But you are welcome to join us at any time. You are safe in this house, little one. And, as soon as I have a few choice words with my Royal Guard, indeed you will be safe in the entire Underground."
She paused, as if giving you the chance to respond, but you were in no position to even decide what you would say.
"I shall leave you be, then."
The creek of footsteps again sounded, and your heart just about jumped into your throat. But, thankfully, they were indeed moving away from you and soon you heard the door swing on its hinges before clicking closed into the latch. For a few seconds more, every muscle in your body remained tense as if ready to fend off a rabid attacker. Only after many ticks from the wall clock did you collapse into a heap of a human, nerves completely shot and brain nearly fried from everything that had happened to you in a single day. The sobs and trembling that your body did not have the time for while confronted with such a direct threat suddenly found their way to the surface again in the wave of emotion. Curled up in a ball, you held yourself as you shook violently and sobs wracked your chest and throat. A part of your brain issued a warning that they might hear the noise you were making, and you knew exactly what happened when you attracted that kind of attention. Considering she had deemed you unworthy of death at least for the moment, that opinion could change rather quickly if she caught wind of your poorly muffled cries and whimpers. Such sounds were deemed annoying by many, you were well aware. At least a few times, they had inadvertently prolonged or reprised a session of punishment that you thought was over. If that happened, after such a miraculous stroke of luck, wouldn't that just be the cherry on the sundae?
Nothing you did to try and stop it worked, however. You did your best trying to cover your mouth and hope that the very fact that you were under the bed in the first place stifled the wheezing gasp of your sharp inhale after every sob. It seemed like the next eternity was simply spent wishing as hard as you could that your outpouring of emotion would soon cease. Mercifully, exhaustion soon won out over everything else and you found yourself face down and completely silent. You didn't sleep. Exhaustion may overpower emotion, but survival instinct can overpower even that. So, you lied there on the floor under the bed. Everything that had happened to you in such a short amount of time was so overwhelming, you found that you didn't think about anything in particular. You were on borrowed time no matter what, so every second you've had since she had come to speak with you was a bonus as far as you were concerned. You were like a ghost. You were like a demon.
Time passed. You had no conception of how much, but when something new happened it was somehow clear that a chapter of time had passed. You were in a different 'now'. A gentle pitter patter of pawpads against the wooden floor that anchored the entire house was easy to miss, but you were used to being perceptive. There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in the footfalls, but they were not nearly as heavy as earlier. It couldn't be one of the big monsters. Just that subconscious thought was enough to make your exhaustion riddled brain perk up slightly. Regardless, you braced yourself, ready for another confrontation. You had caused all this trouble. You had left when you shouldn't have, you'd put him in danger by going out and looking for you, and then you had ruined his reputation in front of everyone. And not just everyone, but a very violent everyone! They had physically hurt you, sure, but did they now question his allegiance? Did they group him with you, the evil human, now? You were hopeful, but there still was no guarantee of your safety.
The door creaked as it opened, and your breath caught in your throat. No matter what, you were vulnerable in this moment. There was a pause as he presumably searched for you, maybe even wondering if you had gotten out again, before an aura of recognition flooded the room and you felt a million times more vulnerable. He approached the bed, much closer and far less gently than his mother had earlier.
"Chara?"
A part of you screamed to simply rush out and embrace him. He was the only safety you knew, had ever known…he hadn't betrayed you with his words or actions. He hadn't even made false promises like his parents had. But something held you back.
"Are you okay? O-oh, Chara, it's okay. You don't have to be scared. We're not gonna hurt you."
Well, he didn't sound angry with you but he sure was filled with more false promises. That, you just couldn't trust. His voice gave away how close he was; he had probably sat down on the floor next to the bed, not far from where you were hiding.
"You don't have to hide. U-unless you want to! That's okay too. I just, y'know… I don't want you to be scared of us. Mom and Dad are real angry at the Royal Guard for how they treated you. Most monsters are nice, really! I think they…thought you were hurting me or something, which you weren't! And…and that still doesn't make up for it, but…"
He paused, but didn't get any closer. He didn't try to grab at you, and he didn't use any kind of whatever magic powers these beings were capable of.
"I'm real sorry, Chara. Don't worry! I'll stay here with you if you're scared. You…you don't have to be scared of ME or anything. We're friends!"
Friends? You were "friends?" You had literally just met. That's not to say you had any experience with making friends. But still, you'd only known him for about 20 hours or so and at least a large portion of that time had been spent looking for you and almost getting hurt trying to help you. In your mind, those types of things didn't endear you to people. Honestly, nothing about you seemed to endear you to people. But there was simply no way Asriel even wanted to be around you, let alone be your "friend" right? …he sure sounded genuine, though. It didn't sound like he was putting on an act to lower your defenses. That, you had a lot of experience with. You were good at reading people. You wish you weren't. You had grown accustomed to the sound of someone trying to convince you they meant no harm. You knew when words had double meanings and tones of voice were holding back rage that would merely come out once you had made yourself vulnerable. You couldn't detect a hint of that in Asriel. Not in the whole time you'd known him.
"My Mom or Dad always stay with me whenever I'm scared, so I'll do the same thing for you!"
He was being so…honest and earnest. It was foreign to you; it felt like there was something wonderful just pouring off of him whenever he was around. It filled the room and made you feel things you didn't really understand. You had never met anyone like that before. His parents were so large and powerful and frightening. If you thought the adults on the surface were threatening, these goat monsters were all of that multiplied. They were so tall, so large. Either of them could probably immobilize you with one hand. Add in the fact that they were both magical and also royalty and you couldn't even begin to craft an apology if either of them were cross at you. The only other monsters you had met had been physically violent towards you. That, at least you were used to. But still, it didn't exactly endear you to them. That was the word - endearing. There was something so endearing about Asriel. He made you feel better just by being there. You didn't even know people like that existed. You had certainly never met one before, and it seemed like maybe Asriel was the only one like that even down here. Your fried and sleep deprived brain latched onto his every word. You were so overwhelmed, so desperate for something safe to cling to…and everything other than your always-alert survival instinct was screaming that Asriel was it. At the very least, you were becoming more and more willing to take the risk and just fling yourself into his arms so you could finally power down at least a fragment of your brain.
Tears threatened to well in your eyes at the very thought of it. Slowly, ever so slowly, you found your body moving on its own accord, closer and closer to the edge of the mattress. You tried moving the items that composed your makeshift barrier (read: a bunch of stuff shoved under the bed that you fashioned into a line) slowly and carefully so as to not make your moves audible and obvious but in reality you were probably sliding and banging things around loud enough for everyone in the house to hear. At the very least, the other person in the room noticed.
"...Chara?"
You flinched at the sound, stopping your progress momentarily, but if anything it just strengthened your resolve. He still sounded so damn friendly and… Eventually, you had cleared the way and inched carefully to the edge of the bed. You paused briefly but Asriel remained silent. You held your breath subconsciously as you steeled every bit of hope that remained in your body. Shaking slightly, you peeked your head out from under the bed just enough that only one eye and a few locks of your auburn hair showed. It took a second to adjust to the light and focus, and you couldn't help but flinch again at what you saw once it had.
Asriel was looking back at you with an expression of surprise mixed with something else you couldn't place. It resembled the look one might possess while holding out a treat to a nervous kitten that was slowly making its way towards you. If he was hiding feelings of anger or aggression behind that look, he truly was a master of deception. It really was the last straw. Before you could even register what you were doing, you made the rest of your way out from under the bed. On its own accord, your body flung itself at the shocked mini goat monster, causing him to let out an 'oof' when you made contact. Instantly, you were happy you had - he was so warm. Just as instantly, you felt soft and fuzzy arms wrap around you and you would recognize them as his even if they hadn't already held you before, as you were making your way back to this place injured. He held you confidently as all of the emotions you had held in found the path of least resistance and started flowing out of you all over again. How did he know to do this? He was around your age, wasn't he? How did he know how to be comforting and exactly what someone like you needed at this moment? Where did he learn that?
A part of you still knew that there was definitely a debt to pay later for any kind of comfort now. It still knew that you had caused an awful lot of trouble in your short time here, and that was not going to simply vanish because you were sorry about it. You had likely embarrassed the goat monster holding you, in front of other monsters like him. He was probably embarrassed at this very moment, having to hold and comfort you as if you were an infant or something. He probably didn't want to touch a human like you any more than he had to. You knew all that, but still…
You clung to him like dew on a humid day. To your utter shock, he did not just toss you off of him or even crack you across the face for good measure. It was almost too much to bare.
"I'm s-sorry…I…I-I'm sorry…"
Great, you were blubbering again. You must have the best luck in the world that all of this was being tolerated so far but that luck was probably about to run out. Asriel started rubbing soothing circles on your back as your breathing hitched and tears formed in abundance. He didn't pull away or look at you like the freak you were being or insult you or yell at you to suck it up and stop crying. Speaking of which, you couldn't stop the little whimpering sounds you had gotten so good at hiding. You'd managed at least partially to hide them from the goat's mother, but not from the goat himself. Not Asriel. He was being way too nice, and all you wanted was a little bit of nice. For a few moments, the two of you sat there together on the floor. You, bawling pathetically as the tears seemed to have no stockpile that diminished; he, calmly rubbing your back and being the rock of peace and kindness you needed.
"It's okay, Chara. You're safe here."
You flinched at the sound of his voice, so sure that he was about to scream at you to get your act together and be thankful that you don't have to stay outside. When he merely offered you gentle words of comfort, a fresh wave of sobs wracked your body. You caught yourself afterwards - you had been making an awful lot of noise compared to before, and compared to the silence of the house. Oh no - if his parents found you like this, there's no way they'd be as understanding as Asriel was being right now. Adults weren't like that. In that moment, you almost felt more scared for Asriel having to watch as you got the tears beaten out of you. Your head snapped up to meet his, causing his expression to go from something soft and full of pity to a concerned shock. The words spilled out of you.
"..y-you…you can t-tell them right?"
Asriel's look communicated his confusion wordlessly.
"…th-that I'll be good. I'll b-be good! A-and I won't try to run away again, so…"
Asriel's expression returned to pity and a specific type of sadness. You couldn't look into his eyes any longer, burying your head in his chest as you blubbered on. Your words muffled into his sweater.
"I-I'll be good…I s-swear…please…p-p-please don't take my soul…"
That was all you could say as the emotions again overwhelmed you and you resumed your pathetic weeping. Asriel just continued rubbing circles on your back.
"It's okay, Chara. We're not going to hurt you."
At this point, you didn't even have the energy to put up a fight and not believe it. You were done; whatever they were going to do to you, it wasn't like you could escape it. You might as well enjoy this morsel of comfort while it lasted. Your energy flowed out of you with your tears, and you felt yourself drifting off in exhaustion with your face pressed up against a warm green sweater and an even warmer goat monster wearing it. In what was probably a very small amount of time, you were no longer conscious.
What neither of you noticed was the tall figure behind both of you gently closing the door and making her way back down the hallway towards the living room.
Toriel hadn't meant to bother you so quickly after telling you she'd let you have your space. She had tried staying away, really she had, but her guilt and maternal instincts (which were intertwined when it came to you) had been far too powerful to ignore. True, the situation really was unprecedented. Even the crown was unaware of the gaping hole exposed by rumbling Earth in who-knows-what cave in some mountain in the middle of nowhere. The Monsters didn't even know if the mountain had a name. If it did before they'd been sealed under it, no one remembered it. Still, she had failed you. Nobody understood that better than her. The shock of your being a human was absolutely no excuse. You were a child and your species was irrelevant. And she had let you come to harm. That was simply unacceptable, no matter how you sliced it. You hadn't gotten out, she had LET you get out. She'd let the shock render her complacent. Of course, her husband shared in this responsibility and maybe she'd thought that having Asriel stay close-by would have kept things safer but at the end of the day she had promised you safety and hadn't delivered. She wanted so badly to just engulf you in the tightest hug and never let you out of her sight again and make pie after pie for you until you forgave her. Just a peak, she had promised herself. By the time she had made it to the hallway, she'd already forgotten the excuse she'd concocted to be there in the first place. Ever simpatico, her husband rounded the corner of the study just in time for them to nearly bump into each other. They didn't even bother trying to lie to each other; they were both going to check on the human.
She had opened the door quietly so as to not disturb you, but the sight that greeted her made her breath catch in her throat. Thankfully, any noise either she or Asgore could have made was choked silent by the sight. Not only were you out from under the bed, a victory in itself, but you were not alone. The son they had told repeatedly not to enter the bedroom you were staying in without one of them accompanying him had you wrapped up tightly in his arms while you sobbed. Your stuttered words brought Toriel's paw to her chest as a pang of emotional pain reverberated through it. Even after all of her careful reassurances, you were still so terrified. You still thought she and her family intended to hurt you, either as a given or as punishment for something. As much as it pained her to know you thought her capable of such a thing, it would be foolish to be surprised. It isn't as if that expectation were not deserved. The two figures stood there in the doorway, silently observing the unfolding scene. Even without a look between them, they had come to the same conclusion that interrupting this display in any way (even to reassure and comfort) would simply result in you being more terrified than ever and probably skittering back under the bed, never to come out again. Asriel was obviously bringing you a lot of comfort. As much as she wanted to comfort you herself and show you she meant you no harm, her son was doing a much better job than she could do at the moment if your sobs ebbing and your breathing evening out were any indication. Slowly and silently, she closed the door again and willed herself to hold in every single emotion that demanded to be released until they were at a safe distance where she would not be heard. Both figures turned and silently made their way down the hallway at a pace clipped somewhat by held-in emotion.
When she'd gotten to the living room, those emotions came out like the bang of a pierced balloon. Some sort of noise found its way out of her, like a rough inhale mixed with a sigh. Her volume was kept down, at least - even subconsciously, she wished to avoid provoking more fear out of you via angry words from an adjacent room.
"Damn that Royal Guard. I would not be surprised if they have scarred that poor child for life."
Asgore merely sighed deeply while crossing his arms to rest his head on an open palm, a gesture reserved for when the big guy had an awful lot on his mind.
"Honestly, how can one do such a thing to a defenseless child? Let alone one as vulnerable as this one!"
Asgore found an endless supply of sighs. Toriel had entered her outraged mode, and would therefore say enough for both of them by the end of the evening. He was content merely to shake his head remorsefully.
"How could they be so cruel? It matters not that this child is a human. What in the world kind of example are we setting? There is no excuse for it at all. And I shall have none of this nonsense of the war and the barrier and the cruelty of humans. Odds are most of those simpletons don't even remember what a human looks like. And besides, what has this poor child done to them that justifies such treatment? Frankly, they do I and all monsters a great deal of shame."
When Asgore talked, it came out as more of a muddled mutter. The exact words didn't matter. The sentiment came through regardless.
"There is no excuse. We can only hope to undo the damage."
"No excuse indeed. I shall not tolerate any mistreatment of this child any more than I shall tolerate mistreatment of Asriel. What kind of foul mind would claim there is a difference between them? The poor child is frightened nearly to death; what sort of royal guard is intimidated by a mere child, alone and confused?"
"They were already so frightened."
Toriel's expression crumbled slightly at the statement of fact. You were already alone in a totally alien world. And she was no fool; your behavior signaled an awful lot of things about your upbringing and life on the Surface. What addition to the situation could possibly be worse than what had ended up happening? As much as her maternal side ached greatly to see a child so mistreated and fearful, she almost reveled in the opportunity to show you love and compassion, to try and undo at least some of the maltreatment you surely suffered. And then… Tears threatened to form in her eyes the more she thought about it. She took a deep, shaky breath.
"I do not see how we can ever get them to trust us again."
Asgore regarded his wife with a look possessing both the strength of solid steel and the softness and compassion of a partner with whom she had shared her deepest and most intimate feelings.
"If anyone can, it's you, Tori."
With that, tears brimmed at the bottoms of her eyes. How was it that her husband always knew exactly what to say exactly when she needed it? She had often joked that he was a mind-reader, but it was times like these that made her fail to see the comedy in such an accusation. It was obviously simple truth. Despite everything, a smile formed on her face. For a moment, the two shared that warm connection, in the face of such a complete upheaval, staring down such a daunting task head-on. They both felt it was their responsibility, no doubt. Even if fixing you hadn't been their plan from the beginning (even calling it a "plan" in the first place grants it too much credit), it certainly was now. They owed it to you; it was their responsibility. They had started on such an awful foot, it would be criminal to not set things right. It would simply take extra effort and time now. But in this moment, gazing into each other's eyes with everything they had been through together weighing on their SOULs…she knew he was right. She knew she could do it.
Just on time, the soft sounds of a door shutting and padded feet making their way down the hallway echoed throughout the entire house. Asriel was a lot of things, but quiet was not one of them. Even, perhaps especially, when he was trying to be sneaky and silent the excitable little goat made quite a racket no matter what he was doing. At the moment, though, his mind seemed somewhere else. Soon enough, the young goat monster appeared around the corner, deep in thought and obviously replaying something in his mind over and over again. Thus preoccupied, he didn't even notice his mother and father standing there staring at him until he had almost bumped right into them. Snapping out of his trance, he looked up at them with a choked noise of surprise. Their expressions were hard to gauge, though it was obvious his mother had been crying. It was understandable, given the circumstances, but it still was a huge neon sign that flashed "something is amiss." He didn't say anything at first, his mind elsewhere, but it didn't matter as Toriel beat him to it.
"Asriel, dear. Your father and I told you not to visit Chara alone, did we not?"
A bolt of something went through Asriel. In his state of mind, he had totally forgotten that bit of disobedience. He of course ordinarily stuck to his parents' rules, but…having a real life human in the house was far too much for him to bare. But even disregarding that, leaving you alone in that room after what had happened seemed cruel. He couldn't just leave you in there all alone and scared. Surely, his parents would understand, right…?
"I-I'm sorry, Mom."
Asriel started a proper apology, but again his mother cut him off at the pass.
"It is all right, my child. You did disobey us, however…"
She drew a breath in sharply, as if contemplating the right thing to say before saying it.
"You did a very caring thing, Asriel. I am proud of you."
Asgore nodded solemnly.
"As am I, son."
Asriel looked between them with a positive kind of confusion, like when you realize you hadn't lost something you'd thought gone for good, even if you had no idea how it ended up where you'd found it. His parents…weren't mad? Even though they knew he hadn't listened to them?
"…you are?"
At once, the somber looks on his parents' faces faded into that familiar smile of pride, pride in their offspring. That look was reserved for when he had done something really good, maybe "reserved' being the wrong word for it since his mother found many an occasion to wear the expression and his father was no more discerning.
"Of course we are, dear. If it were not for you, I am not certain what we would do. Poor Chara has been through so much, and you have brought great comfort to them, child. You are a natural born caretaker."
Asriel blushed; well, this was surprising. His head had been so full after you finally calmed enough to fall asleep in his arms. He had thought he wouldn't be strong enough to lift you, but as it turned out you were incredibly light. If anything, he almost over compensated and flung you across the room. But, as it was, he'd gently placed you on the bed and pulled a spare blanket over you. You hadn't reacted, probably in a very deep sleep, but he'd watched you for a few seconds more before padding out of the bedroom. He wasn't sure what he'd been waiting for…for you to wake back up, maybe? Because you'd be scared waking up in such a foreign place? Or maybe his head was just far too full of thoughts and questions, and answers that were obvious but unpleasant. There were too many things wrong with this picture, and just by looking at you, it became obvious how wrong those things were. The marks and bruises dotting your body, the ones that barely faded or didn't go away at all with his Mom's healing magic. Your new ones hadn't even gotten the chance to be healed yet - your wrists still burned bright red from the rope biting into them, the bruises from where you fell trying to get away. You were as thin as a rail, like you hadn't had a square meal in…well, ever. It was barely noticeable, but your arm had obviously broken and had never set correctly. Your clothes were tattered and threadbare in plenty of places, as if whoever was in charge of taking care of you didn't value your warmth or comfort that much. And forgetting your physical appearance, your behavior was a goldmine of evidence for awful things in itself. You stuttered, you apologized constantly and for things you had nothing to do with, you flinched from every noise and touch and raised hand. Even Asriel had spooked you accidentally a few times (even before you had gotten out and everything had gone so wrong). All of these things, what could have lead to you being and acting this way, were swimming around in Asriel's head so feverishly that he had forgotten he'd even disobeyed a rule in the first place. Now, here he was getting praised for it. He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.
"Oh, uh….thanks."
Toriel's smile deepened. Asgore leaned down to ruffle his son's head fluff.
"Son, you have done a wonderful job, better than your mother or I could have done. I'm sure Chara feels the same. It will be very difficult for them, but with you here to look after them I'm certain they will be happy here."
The pitch of Asriel's excitement increased, displaying itself through little tremors of excitement.
"You mean Chara can stay with us?"
That proud look drifted slightly to a different emotion, before settling on a weaker imitation, not as joyful.
"As you know, Chara is unable to leave the Underground. And your father and I feel it would be best if we took them in and cared for them while they are down here. I believe they are yet unaware of their inability to leave, but we shall inform them when the time is right. If they accept our offer, they indeed will be staying with us. And I am certain you will continue to provide them with a great deal of comfort, my child."
Asriel's excitement nearly collapsed into a singularity and swallowed up everything in the room before it was tempered somewhat by the weight of those words and that expectation. Bring Chara comfort…because you needed it, a lot of it. Not just because you were a stranger in a strange place but because your welcome had been unfriendly and violent. You needed him now more than ever, and he vowed to rise to that challenge. He made a promise to himself in that moment to be the anchor you needed while in the Underground. It probably wouldn't be easy, not in the way one usually meant that word. Mom's vocabulary worksheets were easy, the kind of easy where one does not even need to think about which answer goes where. Comforting you had been easy in the sense that it was automatic, what made perfect sense in that moment. But, with everything swimming around in his head at the moment as proof, it came with emotions that were not so easy to process. Instead of how Asriel would normally react, which is to say squealing loudly and racing around the room jubilantly like he'd had a sugar overdose, he simply nodded resolutely. He was the only one aware of the promise he had made to himself but that didn't matter. It didn't even matter if you never knew it. He knew it, and that's all that mattered.
"I'm…I'm glad. We can…keep them safe, right?"
His mother's smile glowed once more with that all too familiar emotion.
"Of course, dear. We shall take good care of them."
Asgore simply nodded, but Asriel could tell he was just as proud as his mother was. The goat child couldn't help but smile back at them. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. Much of it had been terrible, true, but there was an overall feeling like something amazing had just been set in motion. He couldn't exactly pin it down or define it, but after decades and centuries of the Underground feeling exactly the same, suddenly it all felt brand new. Something was changing, and this very moment was the most exciting part. A new day was just dawning, the sky barely turning grey and blue. But what a day it had the potential to be.
"Could I…sleep in Chara's room tonight?"
Chara's room. Already, you had a permanent presence in Asriel's life and home. Instantly, a portion of the house was set aside for you and marked in his mind as such. His parents' expressions began to change again, so he headed them off at the pass.
"On the floor! Next to the bed. I just…I don't want them to wake up alone after…everything that happened."
There were a few more points on the tip of his tongue, threatening to tumble out on their own like words so often did when he was trying to keep them in, but he stopped there. The thought of you waking up alone and scared was a terrible mental image, but more than that the thought of him not being there bothered him the most. His parents had said it themselves; he had been the only thing to bring you comfort down here. You were obviously afraid of the two of them, and the only other monsters you had met had hurt you. It was no surprise you would turn to him for safety and protection. That thought, of you having to face everything you feared so much completely alone and without him there to soften the impact of harmless things that nonetheless frightened you, that would be enough to make disobeying his parents' disapproval worth it. To his surprise, however, they did not simply reject his proposal as he was so sure they would. They had already told him not to visit you without them being there and you had already disobeyed it. Just because it all happened to work out for the better didn't change that.
"Of course you may, Asriel dear."
Even in acquiescence, his mother subtly informed that he had used the improper word when asking for permission like he so often did.
"But do be careful not do disturb them, my child. They need their rest."
Asgore just nodded in agreement, affixing that proud look on his face.
"Do get some rest yourself, son. We will all feel much better in the morning."
Asriel nodded, his smile growing wider. His dad always liked to say that it was good to sleep on things and let them percolate and settle and that sounded like just the thing at the moment. It helped, also, that he was particularly sleepy and just mentioning "rest" caused him to let out a long yawn that ended in a small bleat-like noise that made him duck his head in embarrassment afterwards. With a fond chuckle, Toriel leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, my child. There is an extra blanket and pillow in the linen closet."
"Goodnight, son."
After having his head-fluff tussled once or twice, Asriel padded down the short hallway to fetch a down comforter and spare pillow before making his way to the bedroom housing your sleeping form. Ordinarily, his mother would read to him and tuck him in and his father would pat him gently on the head before turning on his nightlight. Asriel often had trouble sleeping; his mind was abuzz constantly with all of the fun stuff there was to do and cool stories he invented in his mind. It was hard to shut all of it off, even temporarily. His mother's stories helped with that immensely, and he was mildly worried he wouldn't be able to sleep without one. But this was a special circumstance and it required reconfiguring normal routines.
As slowly and quietly as he could, Asriel opened the door to the bedroom. Thankfully, it was probably the least creaky door in the entire house so he managed to open it, shuffle in, and close it without causing that much noise. He did all of the aforementioned while staring at your still form in the bed in the corner of the room and you hadn't stirred even slightly. Taking care not to make the floorboards creak, he padded over to the side of the bed and set down his comforter and pillow. In no time, he had worked himself into a cocoon of fluff that defied logic and would probably take a minute and a half to get untangled from when he awoke. Before he shut his eyes and tried his best to surrender to the call of slumber, however, he spent a few moments gazing up at you sleeping on the bed that engulfed your small frame. He watched your chest rise and fall, the rest of your body completely still. You must be in a really deep sleep, he figured. You had curled up into a defensive ball facing where the door was, seemingly out of habit. He watched you for a few moments more, feeling something brand new yet familiar washing over him in waves. Some kind of…protectiveness…a desire to shield and safeguard. This feeling compelled him to watch you a bit to make sure you were okay before falling asleep himself.
Just as he was beginning to feel sleep pull him into unconsciousness, Asriel untangled himself from his blanket cocoon and made his way closer to you. Even the blanket he'd covered you with was left uncreased. Slowly, so as not to wake you, he grabbed a stuffed animal from the head of the bed and placed it gently near your arms. Now, it would be there for you if you needed it; a deputy had been knighted in his sworn duty to look after and protect you from harm. Satisfied, he re-cocooned himself in his own blankets and was quickly once again at sleep's door. Just before the peaceful feeling overtook him, he whispered out in a half-yawn-half-sigh:
"…g'night, Chara…"