"SWEET PEA?" Sans questioned from the bathroom.
You paused in your work, hauling Chara's dresser through the portal into the house. "No, Sans. Sweet pea is not my favorite." You informed him with a smile.
"BUT YOU HAVE NINE OF THEM IN THAT SCENT!" He protested. You peeked down the hallway at him, giggling a little as his brow clenched in concentration. Shaking your head a little, you reentered your guest room, soon to house a teenager full time. The west wall housed a wide portal to Chara's old room to make the move simple.
It hadn't taken long for you to get permission to make one after the debacle on national television.
"No! TeMmIe ReFuSeS tO sTaY iF cHaRa Is LeAvInG!" a nasally voice protested as the small creature wrested itself away from Asgore's hold to dash through the portal into Chara's new room.
You sent a stern look to the Temmie. "No attacking me this time then." You ordered. "If you do, you can't stay."
A strange glimmer entered the monster's eyes as it regarded you. "ArE yOu ThReAtEnInG tEm?"
You squatted down, evening your gaze with the proud creature. "Yes." You replied in a low tone.
The small monster scoffed and looked away, so you stood again. He trotted over to the door and, after shooting a glare at you, went to explore the house. 'He isn't bad.' Chara informed you as you finished pulling their dresser into its new place.
'I know.' You replied just as silently. 'Very few people truly are.'
Undyne slipped through the portal holding a small box. "S-some more t-toiletries for Sans to a-arrange." She explained as she sidled by to get to the hallway.
You opened your mouth to respond when bright light flared behind your eyes, momentarily blinding you. The wards you had placed around the house, which had yet to do their job, screeched a warning at you as they flared to life.
You blinked away the dark spots in your vision as you stumbled toward the main room, wondering who had tried to get in. Papyrus, who'd been lounging on the couch as you all had worked, stood by your front window, gazing out expressionlessly. The crystal that hung by the door was actively glowing, as it was the magic source for the now-active protections, illuminating the symbols etched into its surface.
"Who's here?" You questioned, hand resting on the corner of the wall to steady yourself as your vision righted itself.
"chara's parents." He answered, just as blank as before.
You reacted quickly. "You guys go back to Asgore's, have Chara close the portal momentarily. I suppose I am about to entertain guests."
Papyrus's gaze shot to you, his expression something you'd never seen cross his face. He glanced behind you at the gathered monsters and teenager before nodding. "yeah, sure."
You ruffled Chara's hair. "I'll call when it's time to get back to work, 'kay? Enjoy your break. Have some pie and tea with Asgore."
'Are you sure? I…' They hesitated, magic causing static as they tried to lie.
'You're not fine. Trust me. This is part of my responsibility as your guardian. I can handle this.' They turned, allowing Undyne to lead them back down the hallway. They grabbed Sans's hand on the way, not allowing him to stay behind either.
'Tell me later?' They asked, pausing outside of the portal as you approached your front door.
'I promise.' You waited until you felt the magic cut off before you opened the door, standing face to face with two adults that looked remarkably like your newest family member.
The woman was very pregnant. And very angry.
"You Bit-." You cut off the expletive by slamming the door in her face. It took a minute for the swearing to cut off, and when it did you opened the door again.
"Are we capable of speaking like adults now?" You questioned, still aware of the glass-like surface of the wards in between you and them. They weren't mages, judging by the way they kept focusing on it instead of you.
Like your parents.
The woman was still seething, but held her tongue. The man nodded, speaking an apology for his wife's behavior. With a nod, you reached up to the crystal, fingers sending magic into it as they brushed its smooth surface and turning it off.
The protective bubble surrounding your house disappeared. "Please come in." You invited, moving aside so that the pair could enter. You shut the door behind them, motioning to the living room furniture as you dipped into the kitchen to grab everyone a bottle of water from the table. "I'd ask your business, but I'm pretty sure I know it already. They aren't here." You informed them as they glanced around. "It's moving day. Chara's still at Asgore's place."
"We can speak freely then." The man spoke. "You are the mage that has gained custody of our child."
"Irrevocably so." You confirmed, taking a seat in the recliner across from the couch where they had found their own seats.
"Why did you have to interfere?" The woman growled.
You almost sighed. Thankfully, you managed to hold it back. "I interfered because Chara asked me to. They didn't want to leave, even temporarily, and I had the ability to help them. It's best if we're close anyway, as I do still have the responsibility of teaching them. If they were going to leave Ebott, I wouldn't have had a choice anyway."
"We just wanted our family back."
"So you could raise the new kid with a sibling, I assume?" you inquired, already knowing the answer. It was actually a good reason, even if the execution was poor. "That's all well and good, but did you even think to ask Chara about it? As far as I know, they hadn't heard a word about it before two days ago."
"Because the child won't speak with us! We've left several messages asking for a call back, and never got one! Even so, children's opinions can't legally be taken into account. It would have to be settled between us and them anyway." The woman screamed at you before her husband calmed her down yet again.
And that didn't give you a clue? You wondered. "It may be unnecessary for the courts to take a child's opinion into account, but that doesn't mean that they don't. And Asgore and Toriel? I have a hard time believing either of them would screen your calls. Actually, they should be the first people you would contact, as you were trying to take custody from them."
Guilt crossed their faces for an instant before the woman opened her mouth again. "Of course we called! We couldn't get an answer…" Her voice faded from your mind as one loud word repeated itself to you.
Lie.
Lie.
Lie.
You didn't even know what you were doing as you swiftly stood. When you regained control of yourself, you noticed that you had emptied your entire bottle of water over her head, shocking her into silence. Well, that wasn't where you'd expected this conversation to go.
"You-." The man began, furious, but you cut him off.
"I hate liars." You informed them. "Try acting like proper adults next time. Get out of my house or I will throw you out." Well, you would try. Your self defense lessons were moving along, but you had no clue how to properly throw someone.
It turned out to be unnecessary, as they left of their own accord.
"I tHiNk I lIkE yOu HuMaN." A high pitched, nasally voice stated from behind you. "nEvEr KnEw YoU hAd It In YoU tO dO sOmEtHiNg LiKe ThAt."
You turned to regard the Temmie. "It isn't like you even know me at all," you responded simply. "Maybe that'll change though." You told him as you lifted your phone from your pocket.
"Careful Fuku. Couch is wet." You called from your place in the kitchen over the stove when you heard the front door open. You were frying some seasoned potatoes while the chicken baked in the oven. You usually didn't bother with the extensive meals, but you had quite a crowd for dinner tonight.
"Why?" She asked, poking her head through the archway into the dining room where she could view you.
"I threw water on Chara's mother." You replied simply as Alphys snickered. She had found the whole situation, as you had explained it in detail for the monarchs, extremely hilarious. Even Chara, serious as they found the whole situation, couldn't stop the smile that crossed their lips. "It isn't that funny, guys. She lied. To my face."
Now even Fuku was smiling. "Not everyone is so acutely aware of truth and lies as you are, _. She probably thought she would get away with it, since it's actually pretty normal."
Asgore turned to you then. "How did you know it was a lie? I can confirm that Toriel and I never received a call, but you didn't know that, to the extent of my knowledge."
You were silent for a moment, trying to find your words as you stirred the potatoes again. "I'm not really sure how it works." You finally settled on. "Ever since I was little, sometimes I would get this weird feeling when people talked. It's cold and tingly, like the feeling you get before a jump-scare in a horror movie. It was a long time before I knew what it meant though."
'Magic?' Chara asked, making sure to sign so the rest of the room knew they had asked you something.
"No. It isn't the same as magic. Even with the most instinctual magic, in order to use it, it has a purpose. A purpose the user knows. I didn't know what it was. I felt it randomly, when my father said he was working late, when the neighbor kid boasted about making it all the way to the top of the tree without falling, or when my sister told me she hated me. I never knew what it was then. Magic doesn't work that way."
"It m-means a l-lie?" Undyne concluded.
You nodded, taking the potatoes off the heat. "It took until I was nine to finally figure it out. As I said before, I still don't know how it works."
"I DO." Sans inserted. "IT'S YOUR SOUL TRAIT. SINCE YOU EMBODY YOUR TRAIT SO WELL, AND SINCE YOUR SOUL IS INTEGRITY, YOU'VE DEVELOPED AN ABILITY WITH IT THAT LETS YOU KNOW WHEN PEOPLE ARE LYING."
"Sans!" Asgore admonished immediately. You cut in quickly, hoping to keep your boyfriend out of trouble.
"I already know about Souls, Your Majesty. At least on a rudimentary level." At his darkly confused expression you continued, "Some of it I figured out on my own. Then Chara sat me down for an explanation so I didn't misconstrue anything."
"Really?" Fuku inquired, shocked. "You didn't tell me?"
"Chara said it was an uncomfortable topic for monsters, so I didn't want to bring it up." You replied honestly.
"Th-that's right. T-there's still a l-lot we have t-to t-talk about." Undyne stuttered, remembering the conversation you promised her. "I'm pretty s-sure Sans i-is correct about th-the ability th-though." The room fell into a silence after her confirmation.
Fuku waited until the guests had left before asking you.
"If you know about Souls, do you mind if I look?" Fuku asked suddenly. "There's something I've been curious about since your bond with Chara."
"Sure. Go ahead." You replied instantly.
Did you really know? Were you truly aware of the implications of what she was asking you, or did you just trust her that much? Fuku couldn't bring herself to be surprised if that was the case. The two of you were close enough to practically be sisters after all.
Fuku was still careful not to jar you as she brought you into the encounter. The superficial colors around the two of you faded as the vibrancy of your glowing Soul overtook them. You eyed it in interest, but not surprise, leading her to believe Chara had told you what to expect.
That kid was smart.
Your soul was larger than Chara's, if Fuku remembered correctly. That was probably because you were a fully-grown adult though. Unlike theirs, which put off a very steady light, yours seemed to cycle between super bright and comfortingly soft.
It was probably an indication of your hesitance with people warring with your need to be honest and heard.
You reached out so it floated above your outstretched palm. With a level of control Fuku never expected from a human, you retracted it, bringing the Soul with you to float in front of your face where you could inspect it more thoroughly.
Yet you waited. For what, Fuku wasn't sure until you moved to stand next to her.
So close.
So, so close.
You pulled her hand up to rest next to yours, as if she was holding it too, and sent her a smile. You both looked then.
Underneath all the blue light, Fuku could make out scars on the surface of your Soul. Knowing you had tried to commit suicide before, their presence didn't surprise her, though it was still Soul-wrenching knowing they would be there forever. You traced the lines with a finger, careful not to touch your Soul.
There were more than Fuku had expected, she was forced to admit as you moved to trace ones she hadn't even seen before. How many times…?
Your somber expression gained a childlike joy as you found what she'd been looking for all along. Underneath the surface, well hidden, was a network of vein-like red, almost making your Soul look purple in places, though the glow was unaffected.
That red was Chara. It was so much easier to spot in human Souls that had different colors than it was in monster ones.
Your bond ran as deeply as it could possibly go.