Frisk lay in bed with their hands behind their head. It was eleven PM, one hour before midnight and the beginning of the new year. Chara was sitting in front of their laptop, browsing websites. The birds had been let out and were hanging around the desk, chirping every once in a while. Asriel appeared to be sleeping, or in whatever state of mind he entered when there was no face on the flower.

At a glance out the window, Frisk saw the crowds that were gathering out on the streets to celebrate the new year. Seeing so many people made themselves feel restless. They could go out, and join them, but Chara probably wouldn't be up for it. They were worried, too, that Killer was aware of the coming new year in this timeline, and would take this opportunity to strike. The fear of that happening kept them from falling asleep. Tonight, they had decided that they would stay up past midnight.

For Chara, that was no problem.

"...What are you looking at?" Frisk spoke up.

"Nothing," Chara replied.

Frisk leaned their head over to be at an angle where they could glance past Chara to see what was on their monitor screen. Chara quickly moved themselves to block Frisk's view.

"What's 'nothing'?"

"You aren't normally so nosy," Chara said, turning around. "Are you bored?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you go read your books?"

Frisk picked up the books that they had lying around their bed and shuffled through them one by one. None caught their interest. They put all of them away and shook their head. "I don't feel like it right now."

Chara didn't reply. They seemed to be reading something on their screen with avid interest.

"...Talk to me," Frisk said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

Closing their laptop screen, Chara spun around in their chair and gazed at Frisk with a large smile. "Awww. You want my attention, don't you?"

Frisk rolled their eyes. "Yes, to be honest..."

"Cute!"

"Let's talk about something."

"What'd you like to talk about?"

"I was hoping that you'd have something in mind," Frisk said, shrugging. They really weren't in the mood to come up with any topics for conversation right now.

Chara's smile diminished. "Usually, you're the one with stuff to discuss."

"Want to talk about our feelings?"

"Our...feelings?" A bewildered expression came onto Chara's face. "What about them?"

Frisk giggled. "You know. How we feel about each other."

"Oh...well, ummm..."

Frisk sat up and swung their legs over the edge of their bed. They placed their hands on their lap and smiled at Chara. "We haven't done this in a while, have we?"

"It's not something we normally do..."

"Let's start with some compliments!"

There was an awkward silence between the two, which was broken up by Frisk clearing their throat.

"Chara...I like your eyes," Frisk began. "They're so round and beautiful."

"This is just an opportunity for you to flirt," Chara replied, placing their hands on their hips. However, Frisk could see that they were beginning to enjoy it.

"They're such a nice, luscious shade of red, too," Frisk continued. "It makes me want to stare into them and be hypnotized by your gaze forever."

The omnipresent blush on Chara's face deepened.

"Well, umm...I like your eyes, too!" Chara said.

"What about my eyes?"

Chara's eyes darted away. "Ummm...I think they're slender...and cute..."

"Why, thank you," Frisk said, making an overly exaggerated face of appreciation.

"And I like your lips, too..."

"My lips?"

"Ummm!" Chara's voice was cracking with nervousness. "Your lips are very smooth and delicate. I love kissing them!"

Frisk giggled. "I can say the same about yours, too."

"But I'm not as good of a kisser as you!"

"You are, once you get into it," Frisk said, leaning towards Chara and winking.

"Ummm...Frisk!"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to kiss me right now?"

Frisk sat back onto the bed and flipped their hair. "I suppose, if you really want to..."

Chara walked towards and sat down on the bed beside them.

"Wait," Chara said suddenly. "Asriel told us to move him out of the room if we're going to make out..."

"Was he serious about that?"

Both of their eyes turned to the flower pot, but, strangely, there was no response from Asriel.

"Well. If he isn't going to say anything, then we might as well go ahead," Chara said.

"Hold on," Frisk said, grabbing Chara's hands. This made Chara stiffen up momentarily in surprise, but they relaxed themselves. Frisk stared into Chara's eyes. "Let's talk about why we like each other as people."

"...As people?"

Nodding, Frisk moved their hands up Chara's arms until they were holding them. "We were only talking about why we liked each other physically. But there's so much more to it than that, isn't there?"

"Ummm...I suppose..."

"To start, I think you're the most loyal friend I've ever had," Frisk said, smiling. "I love how you're so brave and strong-willed."

Chara was blushing so much that they almost looked like they were cringing. "Frisk..."

"Now it's your turn!"

Chara turned away. "Well...I like you because you're kind to me, Frisk..."

"Thank you."

"And...I think you're really thoughtful of others...and gentle...and, ummm, affectionate!"

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome?"

"Let me show you my appreciation..."

Slowly, Frisk leaned closer towards Chara. They placed their fingers on Chara's shirt, near to their chest, and gripped them lightly. They put their other hand on Chara's shoulder. Chara put their arms around Frisk's waist, holding them tightly. Closing their eyes, Frisk started giving Chara a soft kiss on the lips.

The tenderness and warmth of Chara's lips brought out a familiar feeling of love, affection, and desire. Chara kissed back passionately, and their lips quickly became wet. Frisk pushed against Chara with the hand gripping their shirt and brought up their tongue-

"Oh my GOD, if I have to take this ANY longer, I'm seriously going to puke!" Asriel yelled.

"Asriel!" Frisk shouted, letting go of Chara and turning around. "Why didn't you say something? I thought you weren't paying attention."

"I was, well, curious about how the two of you make out," Asriel replied. "But, now that I've seen it, I think it's just GROSS!"

"You were spying on us?" Chara asked.

Asriel groaned. "Okay, okay, I admit – I was being a little sneaky. But, if you want to move me to the bathroom now, you can do it."

Chara made a cringing face. "You just ruined the mood, Asriel."

"Did I?"

"I don't even feel like kissing anymore, knowing you were just watching us..."

Frisk turned away, feeling themselves blushing as well.

The two birds in their cage started chirping, as if in agreement.

"Oh, great," Chara said. "Even the birds were watching us."

"Chara..." Frisk spoke up. "Let's take a break and come back to this later."

"Yeah, let's."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking...can you take me outside?" Asriel asked, his face lighting up with interest. "I think it's almost the new year. I heard the humans light up beautiful fireworks to celebrate it! And there's going to be a countdown, too, isn't there?"

Frisk nodded. "Yes."

"I want to see it!"

Frisk gave Chara a questioning look. "Shall we?"

"Okay, I guess," Chara replied. "As long as I'm with you, I don't mind being in a big crowd. And I guess Asriel deserves to see it."

"All right. Let's hurry to it."

They were dressed and out on the city streets about two minutes before the countdown was starting. The night air was cold, and there were light flakes of snow. They had walked to a crowded street junction, carrying Asriel and his pot in their hands. Here, they could see a large digital sign board on a tall building that displayed the amount of time remaining until the new year.

"Where are the fireworks?" Asriel asked.

"It's not even the new year yet!" Chara responded. They were keeping their head low to avoid being noticeable in the crowd. "It'll start when the countdown ends."

Frisk checked their phone. "One minute and thirty seconds."

They were feeling a bit anxious still. The possibility that Killer could attack the city to mark the beginning of the new year couldn't be disregarded. It would be a good terror tactic to scare everyone, and – as a result – lure them and Chara into a confrontation. However, they could always reset out of it, even if they couldn't go very far back in time. Terror wouldn't work unless Killer could stop them from resetting.

If Killer were to attack, they would probably strike at the heart of the city in the downtown square. That was where the largest crowd would gather. They would rack up the highest kill count if they struck there (Frisk didn't like the thought of that at all). But, alternatively, Killer had already found them, and was hiding in their crowd right now. Perhaps they would attack and catch them and Chara by surprise. Even so, they would still be able to reset out of it.

Frisk tried to clear all these horrible scenarios from their thoughts. As long as they had the upper hand on resets, Killer couldn't possibly defeat them. They didn't need to feel so scared about where or when Killer would attack.

"It's almost time," Chara said. "Thirty seconds."

"Hey, just wondering," Asriel said, their face reappearing on the flower. "Do you think any humans would be surprised if they saw me? I mean, the fact that I'm a flower with a face?"

Chara glanced around. "No one's really looking at us right now. They're all watching the clock."

Asriel nodded. "I suppose it's okay if I show my face?"

"Can you see without it?" Frisk asked out of curiosity.

"With magic, yeah. But when I show my face – specifically my eyes – I can see naturally."

"All right."

Fifteen seconds to the new year. All eyes were turned to the clock. When it struck ten, the crowd started chanting.

"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

Frisk braced themselves.

The clock struck zero, and a wild cheer erupted from the crowd. Fireworks shot up into the air, bursting and illuminating the night sky with brilliant light. There was a flash of red, then blue, then green, then orange, then purple, and then a countless multitude of other colours. For a moment, it seemed as if the whole sky was glowing.

Asriel and Chara watched with wonder. Even Frisk was momentarily captivated by the sight. They had never been to a new years' countdown before, especially not one in a large city like this. There was a sensation, even if it lasted for only an instant, that everyone was watching the same thing and feeling the same emotions. Emotions like hope, and astonishment, and reverence – reverence for the new year, where the past could be left behind, and there were boundless new and exciting things to look forward to. They could forget their burdens and their worries and concentrate only on the joy of the present moment. It was an exhilarating feeling. Seeing this sight filled Frisk with determination.

"It's so beautiful," Asriel whispered.

Chara nodded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree."

"You told me about it before," Asriel said. "You said that, in the village where you came from, people made fireworks and celebrated the new year with them."

The mention of their old village made Chara tense, but a smile began to spread across their lips. "Yeah. Even in that crappy old place, the new year was something that I always looked forward to."

"I'm glad I could see this," Asriel said. "I think I felt...happiness for a second!"

"Awww," Chara said, giving Asriel a rub on a petal. "I'm happy for you."

Asriel grinned. "You're awfully nice right now, Chara."

"What can I say? I'm feeling pretty happy, too!"

Frisk smiled as well. "That was a great new years' countdown."

"You liked it, too, Frisk?" Asriel said.

"I loved it!"

They continued watching the fireworks for a while, captivated by the sight of so many pretty lights bursting in the sky at once.

It was when that Frisk noticed that someone was heading towards them. A person dressed entirely in black, with a hood covering their head.

Instinctively, their hands reached for the worn dagger that they kept hidden inside their pocket. They wondered if it was Killer. The person was tall, and they were stumbled clumsily as they pushed their way through the crowd. It didn't seem exactly like what Killer would do. Killer would probably make their appearance with a huge shadow, and a lot of...killing.

"Look," Frisk said, pointing at them. "Someone's coming."

Both Asriel's and Chara's eyes fell upon the hooded figure.

When at last the person arrived, they stopped a fair distance in front of Frisk and waited, as if to let them observe first. Frisk thought that they looked quite familiar, even though they didn't lower their hood. It came to them seconds later, and they let down their guard.

"Are you...the riverman?" Frisk asked. "Or the riverwoman? From the underground?"

The hooded figure nodded. "Yes, you are correct. For the sake of convenience, you may just call me the River Person."

"Who is this person?" Chara asked Frisk.

"I met them when I was going through the underground," Frisk replied. "They helped ferry me back and forth between Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland."

"Well, thank you," the River Person replied.

Frisk noticed that, no matter how much they stared, they just couldn't look through what was under the River Person's hood. It seemed as if they had nothing but a black void for a face.

"Anyway, I had received a tip from...an acquaintance, I should say...that I should be looking out for you two," the River Person continued. "I presume your names are Frisk and Chara?"

"Who's that acquaintance?" Chara asked.

"I...cannot say," they responded. "However, as mysterious as I look, I do not mean you any harm. I am aware of what the two of you are dealing with, and let me assure you – I am not on their side."

"So...you know?" Frisk asked. "You know about them?"

"Yes. The other you. The Killer. They may appear in this timeline at any time, and I am tasked with protecting you from them. I realize, of course, the gravity of this situation, and the seriousness of this task."

"How can we trust you?" Chara asked. "Especially if you're not even going to tell us who sent you?"

"You do not need to trust me," the River Person said. "I am simply here to make an introduction."

"They were pretty nice and helpful to me," Frisk said to Chara. "I think we can trust them."

Chara lowered their gaze. "Hmmm. Maybe."

"Well, if you have no further questions from me, then that is all I need to say," the River Person said. "I shall be taking my leave."

"Wait!" Frisk said. "How did you find us?"

There came a sound like a low chuckle from the River Person.

"I guessed you were going to be here," they answered. "To watch the New Year's fireworks."

"...Good guess, I suppose," Chara said.

"Well, then. That is it for now. Farewell, and do stay safe."

The River Person turned around and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

"Can we really trust them?" Chara whispered to Frisk.

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know. But I don't think they mean us any harm."

"How can you tell?"

"I have a feeling," Frisk said, "that this 'acquaintance' of theirs that sent them to watch over us – it's Sans."

Frisk felt exhausted when they arrived back home. They rarely stayed up past midnight, and now it was twelve thirty. After taking off their jacket, they collapsed onto the bed and closed their eyes.

A minute later, they realized that they weren't hearing Chara or Asriel saying anything. They reopened their eyes and found Chara standing beside them.

"Chara?"

"Hey, Frisk," Chara began, already blushing, "do you think we c-could...still kiss around here?"

Frisk stared back for a few seconds.

"Is Asriel around?"

"I already put him in the bathroom."

"Oh. Sure!"

Chara scratched their head. "If you're feeling sleepy, then I guess I could let you sleep..."

"No, it's fine!" Frisk tried to smile.

Chara sat down beside Frisk and leaned towards them. "So, kissing?"

"Yeah."

A deeper blush came over Chara's face, but they giggled. As they leaned towards Frisk to kiss them, they nervously motioned for them to sit on the bed together. In response, Frisk laid themselves down and embraced Chara in a hug. Their lips met.

Their lips became wet and soft as they started kissing again. Frisk felt their inhibitions melting away. They wrapped their hands tightly around Chara's back while Chara's gripped their shoulders. They breathed in the delightful scent of Chara's hair, filling them with growing passion. Chara's lips felt so good to kiss.

While kissing, Frisk caressed Chara's back gently. Chara gripped Frisk tighter than before, and Frisk couldn't get enough of Chara's warmth. They pressed themselves against Chara's body, pushing against them. They gently squeezed Chara's side with their fingers, and Chara laughed. In response, they felt Chara clutching their shoulders, and they winced at the brief feeling of pressure.

Frisk moved their hands up Chara's back, up to their neck. Chara put a hand around Frisk's own neck and gently stroked them. Frisk winced again at the feeling of being touched so intimately. They felt Chara's tongue brush against their own lips in a slow and deliberate manner. Frisk licked back, tasting Chara's lips, which were so tender. Chara pulled away for a moment, giggling uncontrollably. Then, they kissed again.

Chara hugged them, tight enough that they lost their breath for a moment. They pushed against Chara, not to throw them off but to squeeze out a bit more space for themselves. They took in a deep breath again. The smell of Chara – everything about them – filled them with an overwhelming desire. They kissed, tongue against tongue, hands gripping each other, the warmth of Chara's body making them feel so snug and comfortable.

Chara stroked their neck, then their shoulders, then their back. The touch of their hands and their soft fingers made Frisk shiver. It was so intimate.

They kissed until both of them were exhausted, and then descended into light but affectionate smooching. They let go of their lips, and Frisk turned their head to let Chara leave a trail of kisses on their cheek. Then, they kissed back, first on the nose, then on both cheeks, and finally on the lips again. They made the last kiss long and slow and gentle, breathing in deeply all the while, and they didn't let go until they saw Chara open up their eyes.

Those red eyes were so beautiful.

"Frisk," Chara said, lying down to whisper into Frisk's ear, "that was so wonderful."

"That was."

"I love you."

Frisk turned towards Chara and placed a hand on Chara's back again.

"I love you too."

They sighed, feeling contented with how this kissing session had turned out. Chara was still so warm. They moved up closer to Chara and leaned their head against Chara's shoulder. Chara embraced them again.

"Stay with me," Frisk whispered.

"I will."

They felt their weary eyes closing, and smiled.

Nothing was better than falling asleep in Chara's arms.