"When I say we," Chara flusters, "I actually mean Frisk and you, Aofil. I've been," they look down and run Frisk's hands over the striped clothing, "keeping their body away from them for far too long now. Pretty sure they're eager to get it back."

Chara makes their way around to another stall. From the gap between the wooden wall and the tiled floor Aofil sees Chara go down on Frisk's knees just in front of the toilet. They tilt Frisk's head down underneath the gap, "Could you come over here, Aofil? I don't know how bad Frisk is gonna feel when they return, so if you could keep an eye on them while we switch places, please."

"I haven't even agreed to the whole memory box thing, you know?"

Chara shrugs, "It was Frisk's idea to give me a shot and talk to you, but if it doesn't work, then I'd rather they have their body back as quickly as possible. You and Frisk can argue about the memory box, I'm not needed for that. I know you're not in the best and most generous mood right now, Aofil, but Frisk doesn't have to hurt, right? They're still just a kid. Like me, I guess..."

Rub that onion in, why don't you, Chara? But they're right, if they're speaking the truth, that is. Aofil's not feeling sick thinking about it, so either their stomach is completely empty to the point of death, or Chara is telling the truth.

The slow yet steady pulsating aching coming in from everywhere inside Aofil's body is evidence enough that they're alive, so guess it's option two. With a heavy grunt Aofil reaches for the toilet lid and puts it down. It helps them to stand up, and they don't have to look at their innards floating gently inside the bowl, which is always a plus.

Aofil's vision blurs a bit when they stand up, but blood soon reaches up to their head, and their vision comes back. They flush the toilet while wiping their mouth. The water Chara fetched didn't help as much as Aofil wanted to, and they rinse out their mouth after washing their hands. In the mirror above the sink they meet a pale face with eyelids hanging heavy over a pair of tired eyes.

"You," Aofil sees Chara turning Frisk's head around in the reflection, "you coming?" Chara asks during this awkward angle between them and Aofil.

Aofil meets Frisk's eyes in the mirror, "Yeah," and walks over to the hunched over human, "I'm here. Go ahead."

"We've already done something that shouldn't be done, with me taking over, so I haven't the foggiest what will happen when Frisk comes back. Just be ready in case Frisk's body reacts violently, alright?"

Aofil nods.

Chara nods as well, and turns Frisk's head back over the porcelain bowl. They collect a careful breath, "Alright. It was nice talking to you, Aofil," and scoff lightly, "Despite everything. Too bad we didn't have time to talk about us and our...family. I want to say that I never forgot about you, but you know, then I'd be lying again."

Aofil can't muster up another nod to agree.

"That's fair," Chara sighs, "that's fair… Can't have everything in the world. I mean, a hug would be nice, but it would just be awkward for the two of us if I asked, right?"

Frisk's head is gently tilted, but is quickly returned back to the bowl, "I'll spare you, Aofil. By the way, don't cry for me, please, not that I think that you would to begin with. As you've probably noticed, I'm not so good with being the face for Frisk and I. Don't think I'll ever be, I've kinda gotten used to just spectating. It might go without saying, but please don't say anything to anyone else, Aofil. If it's revealed that Frisk is housing me as well."

Chara shakes Frisk's head, "We got lucky that the Above Lab just came and went, so to speak. Who knows what can of worms that would've been opened if it kept on?"

"I'd rather not think about it," sighs Aofil.

"Probably for the best, what with it all coming out of left field and almost ending it right there. You'll keep quiet though? About me? Sorry for insulting you by asking, but I just want to hear it."

"Chara..." Aofil reminds.

"Yeah, sorry. It feels a bit weird, all of this. Thinking about taking control was a whole other story back when-"

"Chara," Aofil reminds again.

"It's hard, sorry. Giving Frisk back their body, it's what I should do, it's what I want to. I won't die, and I'll be with Frisk as long as they allow me to. I don't want to die, but I also don't want to be a burden on Frisk. By the way, if you decide to stay, could you keep an eye on them for me, Aofil? A favor between siblings?"

Aofil doesn't move an inch of their face.

"I'm dragging this out..." Chara narrows Frisk's eyes, "I mean, can you blame me? It's been a while since I actually spoke to someone and-"

"Chara," Aofil reminds, again.

They close Frisk's eyes, "Yeah, sorry," and breathe out slowly, "Take care, Aofil."

"You too," Aofil knows they're being too generous, but if they've already agreed to not let it hurt for Frisk, then extending the offer to Chara isn't the biggest stretch.

It's quiet. Apart from some light breathing from both Aofil and Frisk, it is dead silent, but only for a short moment. Just a few seconds pass before Frisk's body flies up on its feet. Aofil takes a step back, but steps forward with their hands at the ready to catch Frisk should they fall. Frisk stares at their own hands, clutching them slowly. They turn slowly around, staring through Aofil.

Aofil takes a step to the side, and Frisk meets their own reflection.

"No!" Frisk clutches their head, "Where are you?"

Aofil stares at the panicked human clutching its head, "Is Chara gone?"

"No!"

"How're you feeling, Frisk?"

"Frisk is gone!"

Frisk is-

"What!" Aofil coughs out violently.

"Frisk is gone!" Chara pats Frisk's body, "I can't give them their body back! Why are they silent?"

Aofil grabs Frisk's shoulder, "Where's Frisk?"

"I don't know!" Chara snaps Frisk's head up to Aofil, "They're gone! I can't hear them. I can't feel them! No. No! Why did I agree to this? What have I done?"

Chara rushes over to the nearest sink and grabs hold of the mirror, "Where are you, Frisk? Talk to me! Where are you?" they search the reflection for any indication of Frisk, the smallest hint of something they can't control, "Talk to me! Please! It's your body! Take it back!"

But nobody came.

Chara digs Frisk's hands deep into the sharp sides of the mirror, "Frisk!" Chara yells into the mirror, "Come back! It's your body! It's your life! Come back, please!"

But nobody came.

"Frisk you can't be doing this! Don't hide from me!" with a vicious tug Chara rips off the mirror from the flimsy plastic clamps holding it in place, "I need you! Everyone needs you! Where are you?"

The reflection stays angry. It stays confused. It stays on the brink of tears. It shakes just like the hands holding it does. Violently. There is no one else, there is only Chara.

So nobody comes.

"No..."

It's silent.

"No!"

The mirror slides out of the quivering hands.

"No! No! No!"

And smashes against the solid tile floor. The shards crunch underneath Frisk's knees as Chara falls down on them again. They clutch Frisk's chest with one hand, "I know you're in here, Frisk!" and follows it up with Frisk's other hand, "Come back!"

A crimson light, a more distinct red than Aofil has ever seen, floods the white bathroom, turning it a hue that's like hellfire. Chara stares at the hovering heart that Frisk's hands are caressing. Their breathing increases, causing the heart to beat faster and faster.

"Frisk!" Chara screams into the heart, "Talk to me! I know you're in there! Come back!"

But nobody ca-

"Come back to me!"

With a pained howl Chara crushes the heart, but it only causes their howl to shriek louder. They immediately release it as they fall over in tormenting agony. Chara falls down on the tiled floor with a heavy thud. The sound barely has time to echo once in the hollow room before it's drowned out by pained sobs, interrupted by wails of dread.

"Where are you?"

No answer.

Chara's tears flood the crevices between the tiles. Like blood it almost runs like an orthogonal river. Long slick shadows dance around the walls as Frisk's fingers shudder with every sharp gasp that Chara takes to replenish Frisk's burning lungs.

"Where have you gone?"

No answer.

"What have I done?"

Chara clutches the red soul again, but it only causes them to convulse violently.

"Why?"

They grasp the soul again, and again they roar in pain.

"Why!"

"Chara!" Aofil can't just stand by and watch, "You're hurting Frisk! Their body!"

"I'm…?"

The red fades from the room, and Frisk's body collapses on the floor. Aofil bends over quickly to help, if they even can. The soul is no longer out, and Frisk's chest is expanding and contracting, albeit very reservedly. Aofil turns them around so that they're laying on their side.

"Frisk..." Chara whispers.

Aofil sits down on the closest toilet. They run their hands over their face.

Quiet and exhausted sobs echo throughout the stalls. Chara tucks Frisk's arms and legs together, balling up into a bundle of trembling limbs and soft weeping.

"I've killed them..."

Aofil lifts their eyes up from the ground to the lamenting human sobbing with every sharp breath. Did they?

"Frisk…where are you?"

"You sure they're gone?" Aofil asks carefully.

Chara's glare is vicious, hateful, and filled with sorrow, "Of course I know! I've been with them for as long as I can remember, Aofil! It's quiet! It's so," Chara can barely finish their sentence as the words lodge inside their throat, "quiet. They're not here."

With a pained cough Chara returns to squeezing Frisk's arms and legs together.

"I'm a parasite without a host."

"Chara-"

"I am!" Chara yells, breaking Frisk's voice in the process, "I've killed the one that kept me alive!" they continue to yell despite the words barely escaping. They dry heave from the pain, and immediately return to sobbing.

"Chara," Aofil tries again, "you need to calm down. You're not gonna bring back Frisk by puking their guts out in grief."

"B-but."

"You squeezed your own soul, Chara. If that didn't bring Frisk back then no pain will," Aofil takes a knee next to Chara, being careful not to hit any glass, "calm down, get some air in Frisk's lungs so that you can think clearly. Here," Aofil puts their arms under Frisk's, "stand up."

Frisk is heavy, and Aofil almost strains their back getting Chara up on Frisk's feet. Carefully, Aofil brushes off Frisk's back. Small shards of glass hit the tile floor like wind chimes.

"Drink some water," Aofil suggests, and Chara obeys with no objection. They drink, and drink, and drink. Chara only stops to gasp for air. After what seems like a solid minute they stop the faucet and catch their breath completely.

"All your emotions, Frisk," Chara meets Frisk's face in the mirror, "Please, take them back," they beg.

But nobody came.

Chara sighs deeply, "Fuck."

Trying to ignore hearing Frisk swear, Aofil locks eye contact with Chara through the mirror, "Let's see if we can figure this out."

"I..." Chara clutches the sink with Frisk's hands.

"Being angry won't bring Frisk back, Chara."

"It brought me back down in the Underground!" Chara turns with a stare that as sharp as a knife, "So why shouldn't it work with Frisk now? What do you know about any of this, anyway! You've everything in your power not to learn anything about magic!"

"Don't put this on me, alright?" Aofil puts their foot down almost literally, "Don't do something stupid now. You're filled with emotions you yourself say you can't control, Chara, don't lash out on me just because I'm the only one that's with you. You'll do something you'll regret," Aofil tucks at their shirt over their fur, "and you won't bring Frisk back that way."

"Ha!" Chara massages Frisk's throat after almost scoffing their innards out, "So pray tell, how do you know that?"

Aofil hardens their eyes, "And how do you know it will?"

Chara returns an even harder stare, "I know it worked with me! Maybe if I," they keep it while hovering their hand over Frisk's chest, "maybe if I get us some more determination? Maybe Frisk needs it to wake up, just like I did?"

"Chara," Aofil moves themselves carefully around to block the front door, "calm down. Sit yourself down for a minute or so."

"We can do this again," Chara bends down, and picks up a large shard of glass, "and we'll do it better."

Chara digs Frisk's other hand deep into their chest, "I just have to bring you back, Frisk. Bring you back so that we can become we again."

Aofil's eyes burst wide open as they see Chara steadily clench the glass shard, "Chara! Don't!"

"Bring you back, by going back."

No. Aofil won't manage another reset. Won't manage going through everything again! No! Not again!

"Chara!" they plead, "Chara, please don't! Frisk wouldn't want you to do this."

"And how," Chara snaps Frisk's head towards Aofil, "would you know?"

"Chara, you're drowning in Frisk's emotions right now. Hell, not even Frisk's, they're yours now. You don't want to reset, that much I know. Just please, calm down for just a moment so that you can think through your emotions."

"I'm..." Chara releases the grip they forced on Frisk's chest, "I..."

With a panicked sprint Chara rushes inside a stall. The glass in their hand falls and shatters against the solid floor. Violent spewing soon fill the acoustic room, but to Aofil it's like relieving music. They lean back on the front door, and exhale loudly. They look at their hand. It's shaking. It was close, even if Chara couldn't reset, it was too close.

Aofil joins Chara in the stall after having regained some composure. They meet Chara with Frisk's arms laying heavily on the rim of the bowl, bent so that the forearms holds up the moaning head. There's no way that there's any strength left to be angry in that body. Chara spits, and it lands on something more viscous than water. If Aofil hadn't already vomited themselves dry before they'd feel sick at the sight of it all.

"Here," Aofil again lifts Chara up, and leads them over to a sink. They help Chara wash away the last spots surrounding Frisk's mouth, and fills up a cup of water for Chara to drink.

"Thanks," Chara whispers.

"You feel well enough to try and figure something out?"

"No," Chara quells a burp, "but the quicker I get Frisk back the quicker I'll stop feeling this sick."

That's one way to think of it. Aofil flushes the toilet and waits for it to refill before leaning back against the sink adjacent to Chara, "Still can't feel Frisk?"

Chara shakes Frisk's head, "Nope, it's dead quiet."

"How about we try and not use that word?"

Chara agrees with a nod.

"Can we use the soul extractor?" Aofil suggests.

"How about we try and not use that word too?"

Aofil agrees with a nod.

"Maybe we can try the memory box with you?" Aofil suggests again, "If it's enough to summon Asriel's memory from when he fused with me it should be able to summon some of Frisk's memories? Perhaps then they'll wake up?"

Chara shakes Frisk's head, "Only works on monsters."

"No?" Aofil taps their chest, "It worked with me?"

"It worked with Asriel, not you. The piece of his soul that was in you worked as an adapter, so to speak," Chara explains before taking another mouthful of water. They swallow it slowly before continuing, "Us humans need way more magic than what the memory box can produce."

Aofil's not entirely convinced, "Ok?"

"Frisk already tried before to try and extract me. Didn't work. You still have Asriel inside you, so that should work again."

Aofil's arm starts itching, "Word travels fast."

Chara retorts by shaking Frisk's head again, "No, I've known for a while. I've also been fused with Asriel, remember? I know how his magic feels."

"And me?"

"Well, you and I have the same soul, and-" Chara drops the empty cup of water, and stares through Aofil, all the way into a far away distance.

"Chara?"

"Shh!" Chara hushes Aofil. They bob Frisk's heads slowly as they think. After a minute or so, Chara meets Aofil's eyes again, "It might work!" a smile grows rapidly on Frisk's lips, "It might work! Let's go!"

Chara takes off towards the door.

"Wait!" Aofil stops Chara by grabbing Frisk's arm, "How would what work?"

"The memory box! It might work for me! The reason it doesn't work with humans is that it can't get a grip on our magic since it's too hidden away inside our souls. Monster are made out of their soul, and we're just hosts for ours. That much you know, right?"

Aofil nods reluctantly. Just because they know it doesn't mean they're eager to accept it.

Chara only sees the nod though, and Frisk's face lights up even brighter, "So if you first use the piece of Asriel you have in yours the memory box might be able to hook onto Asriel's soul again, and use it to reach your soul, just like it did before. Since our souls are the same, we might be able to then have me use it with Frisk."

In the corner of their eye, Aofil catches themselves in a mirror with a very disbelieving expression on their face, "Alright?"

"I'll explain on the way to the skeletons," Chara leans down on the door handle while beckoning for Aofil to follow, "Hopefully I can fetch it without Sans-"

A sharp pain flashes through Aofil's head, "Fuck!" they clutch it and fumble for a nearby sink to brace on so that they don't fall.

"Or that..." Chara looks to the side, away from Aofil gritting their teeth against the pain, and out towards the parking lot, "Sorry."

The pain fades away, but the shock from it still lingers, "God damn," Aofil takes some steadying breaths. Luckily it seems to help.

"And apparently you also missed your bus, Aofil."

God damn.