"Why, why are you here? To talk?"

Frisk's smile fades from their lips as their eyes break from Aofil's. They look ashamed, and Aofil quickly remembers why.

"Sorry. Still not, even after all these years?"

Frisk shakes their head with their eyes down on the desk. They run their finger around on it, drawing figures.

"Everyone else, but not me?"

Weak nod.

"And you won't tell me why?"

Weaker shake.

"Just like before?"

Nod.

Aofil taps on the apple, "Just like before. You doing fine in school, by the way?"

Proud nod.

"Good grades, good friends?"

Reserved nod.

"Friends?"

Relaxed nod.

"Grades?"

Another reserved nod.

"I see. Good, very good."

Aofil leans back in their chair and exhales a tired and a bit annoyed sigh. First Sans, now Frisk? Very suspicious. Did he shortcut Frisk here, or were they already here earlier? Strange, and again, very suspicious.

Aofil rolls their thumbs together, not caring that one of their arm is supposed to be broken. It's only Frisk here, and they already know everything.

Or do they?

Aofil's eyes shoot wide open. No, they don't. Frisk doesn't know about the fur! Oh no, did they mess up? What if they tell the others? Sans is enough of a risk, and with Frisk to testify with him...

As Aofil is screaming inside their head, Frisk lifts theirs, and tilts it towards the plastic case around Aofil's arm. Aofil sighs with relief. Is it really relief though? Relief from that they didn't mess up, sure, but shouldn't Frisk knowing about it be worse for them? When did Frisk learn about the fur?

The curtains over the open window at the end of the classroom flutters as winds flows in pass it. Aofil scoffs, should've guessed as much. They unholster the band around their neck and place their arm down on the desk, "Sans told you?" they ask Frisk while unhooking the straps around their arm.

Frisk nods, and Aofil detects eager anticipation on Frisk's face.

More and more fur is exposed as Aofil rolls up their arm. They keep an eye on the door, just in case, "How much did he tell you?"

The look on Frisk's face contains a strong undertone of disappointment as Aofil stops at the bend of their arm. The anticipation on Frisk's face doesn't explode into glee, instead it peters out like a sigh not unlike the one Frisk exhales.

Aofil can't help but chuckle a bit at Frisk's reaction, "That much? Well, should've expected him to blow it a bit out of proportion. How much did he say it was, exactly?"

Frisk holds up their hand, points to the edge of their fingers with one on their other hand, and then runs that finger up their arm and over their shoulder, stopping, and then expanding their fist into an explosion covering their entire chest.

Aofil shakes their head at the imagery, "Did he say something about horns as well?"

Hard shake.

"I see."

Frisk reaches for the fur with their hand, but Aofil stops them gently, but firmly, with their other hand, "You already know what it's going to feel like, Frisk."

A couple of second passes before Frisk gives up, and returns their hand willingly. Aofil nods in thanks, and rolls back their sleeve. They return their eyes to Frisk's. Wait a minute...

Frisk's eyes, they're there!

Frisk smiles at Aofil's very loud reaction, "What?" and nods while blinking.

It takes a while for Aofil to collect themselves, "Contacts?"

Frisk nods and blinks at the same time.

"They're very nice, Frisk. Same as Tori..." Aofil catches their tongue, and averts their head. Frisk readjusts themselves at the same time, and the air between the two turns very uncomfortable.

Aofil forces themselves to collect their thoughts, and push away whatever memories that came surging back. They clear their throat, "Same as hers, I guess?"

Weak nod.

"Good choice. Listen, I never really got the chance to ask, did I hurt you before when I?"

Frisk interrupts with a very aggressive shake of their head. They regret their decision pretty quickly, and is forced to sit down on a nearby chair. They clutch their head. If it's from the question, or the memory?

Aofil can't tell.

"Frisk, I'm sorry."

Weak nod, coupled with a faint snivel. Aofil feels their shoulders getting heavier looking at Frisk. They take strain by leaning on their arms with their hands closed together on the desk. The weight is under control, but that doesn't mean it's not hurting like hell.

"You've grown a lot," Aofil comments after a couple of minutes of silence, "You're not the kid I saw through the taxi window. You're big now, these years have been very kind to you."

Aofil notices the smallest of smiles underneath Frisk's curtain of hair obscuring their face.

"Though, I guess you had grown up enough for a lifetime during your," Aofil searches carefully for their next word, "adventure. For better, and for worse."

Frisk's arm finds its way up their other, comforting as much as it can, even if it's futile. They squeeze their own shoulder, hard.

"I guess the same can be said for your, um, brother?"

Very weak nod.

"You two doing fine now?"

Weak nod.

"Good parents?"

Nod.

"Figured as much. You saved them, Frisk. You've earned your good life."

The grip on Frisk's shoulder loosens, and eventually they let go of it. They brush their hair away, and look up towards Aofil. Their gaze is stern, but caring. They don't speak a word, but Aofil hears clearly what they want to say.

Aofil looks down at their arm and sighs deeply before leaning back and massaging their forehead with their healthy arm, "It's not that simple, Frisk."

Aggressive nod!

"No, it isn't."

Stern twist of the lips.

"Yes, it is, Frisk! You have a family that's yours, and that's there for you. I," Aofil's hands harden the grip on the other, "I don't," Aofil finally manages to force out of themselves, but not without it sapping a lot of their strength, "I was so close to moving on from them, I was so close to starting my own life. I was just a corner away from accepting that they were dead, and that I was left alone, but when you, them," Aofil corrects with a involuntary snarl, "came, I was reminded. I didn't realize it at the time, but I latched on to them like they were my own family. My own dead family! I couldn't move on with them around me! And no wonder, because Chara was a part of theirs! They became my substitute for a family, and I became their substitute for Chara! You, Frisk, you didn't have anything before."

The words hit Frisk like a train, and they visibly recoil in their chair.

"Don't believe for a second that saying this doesn't hurt me as well, Frisk! You were something new in their life whereas I was something that reminded them of a better time, and so were they with me. I was something new for their memories, but I wasn't new for them. Me and them, it doesn't work, not when the foundation is something else. Is someone else. We're replacements for one another, not something new in our lives. We can't and will never be able to fully replace the ones that went away before us."

Frisk flies out of their chair, with fists clenched in anger. Their mouth is quaking and exposing their teeth. Their glare could level a building, but Aofil weathers it. They feel it though.

It's piercing through their heart.

"Say it then!"

Frisk shakes their head.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Frisk! Tell me there's a way out of this!"

Frisk marches towards Aofil, still with their head jolting from side to side.

"Tell me," Aofil hears their voice waiver, "Please, Frisk. Tell me that there's a way."

Frisk stops in front of Aofil's desk. Their last hinder. Aofil's hands are quivering on the desk, but they still have enough strength to keep their face cold. Frisk looks down at the desk, and takes a step around it. They close in on Aofil, and fall into their arms. Aofil welcomes them. Embraces them.

Weeps with them.

"I miss you," Aofil whispers, felling their energy fading with every tear falling on Frisk's shoulder, and with every tear from Frisk hitting their shoulder, "I miss you all so much. Every day, every second! I try so hard, but I can't let go of you. I want to come back, there's nothing else in the world I want to do, but," Aofil pushes Frisk away gently, "I can't. It's not the right thing to do. It's not fair to them, or to me. It wasn't supposed to happen in the first place! This wasn't my story. It was yours, still is yours."

Aofil drops their hands from Frisk's shoulders, "Not mine."

Frisk tries to go in for another hug, but Aofil holds them back. Frisk tries again, but it fails.

But they refuse!

Again they fail, and again they refuse!

They're determined, but so is Aofil.

"It's no use, Frisk. Please, we both don't need for this to be harder than it is. You have your life, I have mine. This is for the best, for everyone."

But it refused!

"Frisk!" Aofil grabs Frisk's arms, "Stop it!"

But it refused.

"Listen to me, Frisk."

But it refused…

"Please."

But it…

"If you really want me to be happy."

...refused.

"Then let me live my own life."

…

Frisk's arms go limp, falling down on either side of their body. Aofil catches them though, and holds Frisk's hands in their, "I am so glad to see you, Frisk, and I'm so glad to see how much you've grown. Never forget that. But please, do forget me. Do it for me. I can't be with them. Literally as well. I'm cursed, and there's no place for a curse in your kingdom, Frisk."

Heavy sob.

"It is your kingdom, Frisk. You made it possible, you're royalty now. You're not the hope of the Underground, you're the hope of the Surface. I'm a reminder of a time before the Surface. I love everyone of those characters you brought up that day, but that's why I'm here. That's why I'm not a part of their life anymore, because I wasn't supposed to be one. I was just the first human they saw, and by far not the best one. Surely they've met hundreds if not thousands of humans by now. I want to be a face in the mass, and not even that. I don't want to be remembered, because then I will remember. I want, I need, to finally find peace about my family."

Frisk's eyes quiver with water. Aofil offers a helping arm sleeve, and dries off the tears on the brink off falling down, "Frisk, live your life. Help the monsters coexist with us humans. Do that by living your life, with your family. Not me, I'm not apart of it. I never was. I can't be, because of my curse. You're wasting your time on me. Please, Frisk, don't you have something better to do?"

Aofil welcomes Frisk into their arms again, "Thank you," because they feel it's different now. Frisk isn't trying to convince them, they're trying to cope.

"I know it's hard, Frisk, and I know that there's a chance, but I don't want to risk my life on long shots. Not again. It burned me once," Aofil brings their stained arm into Frisk's view, "and it's still hurting. It will never stop hurting, and it's because I made the choice to have them remember me. It would've been better if I just left instead of playing the hero. Maybe then I could've returned, but that's way past us now."

Frisk's grip relaxes on Aofil's shirt.

"No reset."

It hardens again.

"It's not gonna get better than this, Frisk. And you know that. If not this, then something else will be worse, far worse. You have your life now, and I have mine. It's fine now. We just have to," Aofil gives Frisk's back a couple of reassuring pats, "learn to live with it."

Aofil let's Frisk rest against them for a while, but eventually they have to pry Frisk away.

"Remember when you told me that it wouldn't get any easier knowing about the past?"

Frisk's nod stains and wrinkles Aofil's shirt.

"Well, it doesn't."

Aofil's chuckle doesn't help, quite the opposite, really.

"And the best way for you now is to pay me no mind no more. You don't need another weight on your shoulders. They're already heavier than what they should be. Don't put on them as well. I'll miss you, Frisk. I'll miss them as well, but it's time now."

Frisk gives Aofil one last hug.

"Goodbye."

A pair of heavy knocks on the door forces Aofil to quickly wrap up their arm again. They put on their wind jacket to cover up the stains on their shirt, and nods to Frisk, "Come in."

The principal enters, "Ah, they found you."

Aofil's confused at first, but they soon realize who the principal is talking about, "Hm, oh yeah," and pats Frisk on the head, "they did."

Before the principal has time to answer Aofil stands up with Frisk's hand in theirs, "But they were just about to leave, right?"

Frisk slips their hand out of Aofil's, and closes the door behind them. The principal recoils from the slam, and follows Frisk with their eyes through the window in the door. Aofil sits down again, "Anything on your mind?"

The principal answer comes in the form of a conflicted hum. They glance towards Aofil, but then quickly turn their eyes back trough the window. After a couple of seconds they glance back to Aofil, and this time their eyes linger. They clear their throat and tug at the edges of their suit to straighten it. They twist their lips in thought before smacking them together, "So, your cousin's kid?"

Aofil nods, "Yeah, been a while since I saw them last time."

Technically they're not lying.

The principal turns their head from the door to Aofil. A smile builds on their lips, and they raise an eyebrow and scoff with a chuckle, "I knew it!"

Aofil's smile turns into a worried frown, "What?"

The principal takes a seat opposite of Aofil's desk, "You," they point with a waggling finger, "You know the monster royals, don't you?"

A knowing smirk builds up on the principal's lips as Aofil freezes up in fear. They have the courtesy to wait for Aofil to thaw out a bit before continuing though, but it takes a long while of suspended silence. They nod towards the door with a wink, "That kid, that was Frisk. The adopted human child of the monster king and queen. Been on the news for like, a couple of years now. Impossible to not have noticed unless you make a distinct effort not to engage in any form of news regarding the monsters."

The principal's wink is almost audible, "They just showed up an hour or so ago, and asked for you specifically. I thought they were here to congratulate you on passing into the next step of the monster school program."

The principal scratches their chin in thought, "A bit weird sending a kid, I admit, but I thought they had some monsters accompanying them so I sent them to your classroom. Didn't see them when I went for the printer. What was it, ten minutes later or something? So I guess they must've attended your class. Did you see them?"

Aofil shakes their head, but their neck is stiff like a concrete pillar so it only barely moves. The principal crosses their arms and readjusts themselves in their chair, "So again, I guessed that they were staking you out further. For that clause in the contract, remember? Who else to send to see a teacher in their natural state, but a pupil of the same age? Color me surprised then when I came in here and saw you two holding hands!"

The principal has to quell their chortle with their hand, "My first thought was that you must've done beyond excellent to warrant that reaction. My second thought was a bit more," the principal clears their throat, "insidious, but I quickly dismissed that one. I was a bit dazed trying to figure out what I saw, but then another explanation hit me. The reason you're angry with them, the reason you're so hellbent on getting away from the monsters. Why you have to take medication. Aofil, you were at the trial, right?"

Aofil doesn't answer the question.

"You lost someone to the Underground, one of the six kids were close to you. And worse, you were close to the monsters. You only figured that out after you made friends with them!"

Aofil's can't see the principal in the eyes, and they lower their head.

"No," the principal unravels their arms. Their eyes expand until they're as big as their hanging mouth, and just as stunned. They struggle to form words, because they can't believe what they're about to say. It all fits though, it all makes sense, "You were one of them. One of the kids! Oh my god," the principal grabs their head as it turns light as air, "How long did you live down in the Underground? Did the Dreemurrs adopt you as well? Why didn't you die?"

The principal's breathing stops, "Why aren't you with them any longer?"

"I'm handing in my resignation tomorrow," comes the answer.

The words wash over the principal like a avalanche. They contemplate in silence before sighing, "You left them for a reason?"

Aofil nods.

"And now you're being forced back to them?"

Aofil nods.

"I'm," the principal runs their hand over their mouth, only know realizing what they've done, "I'm so sorry, Aofil."

Aofil gathers up their books and bag quietly, "It's not your fault," before leaving the principal alone and with a panicked expression on their mouth. They look pleadingly towards Aofil, "You couldn't have known."

The door is closed gently, but the apple on the desk still falls over.