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voids-colourful-creations · 2 years

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Inosculation - A Chara and Frisk Fic

This is a Podfic Collab! I wrote a fic and someone else turned it into a podfic!

[Read on Ao3!] [LISTEN on Ao3!]

Rated N/A Undertale Chara and Frisk 5k Words

Summary: You wake up. In a bed of flowers, in a land of monsters. You walk. Through a confusing world, through adversity and forward. You hear it. Whispers in the back of your mind that grow stronger and stronger. Again. You wake up.

Notes: This is part of the very cool PodTogether Collab!I wrote this fic specifically to be listened to aloud, and it's been turned into a podfic! It's a really good listen and I highly recommend you hear the fic before reading or while reading by following the link above! Alright, enjoy the fic! For formatting purposes, I recommend reading on Ao3!

It’s not until you wander back down the corridor that you notice them.

An odd scent fills your nose, you feel an odd pressure on your shoulders. You stare at the flower pile, overgrown yet contained in its isolated patch. As if taunting fate to answer, you point the stick still clutched in your grip towards it.

A monotone voice, fading out of one reality and into the next, answers you.

“Golden flowers. They must’ve broken your fall.”

You startle slightly, the low, shady voice in the back of your mind unexpected. But… well… you’ve already encountered a talking flower. This is probably the least of your problems.

You make an odd face, but there’s no one there to see it.

You’re a pretty rebellious child, going against Toriel’s wishes like that. It’s dangerous for a kid like you out in a place like this, in the ruins. Silly, stupid little you, stepping out into the corridor all on your own.

You immediately make a beeline for the leaf pile; crisp, red leaves all brushed together. They’re old, brittle, and dried out by the air. You hesitate on the edge of it for a moment, then poke the tip of it with your toe. With a breath, you step forward, and the leaves crackle and crunch under your feet.

Your smile is wide and toothy, and soon you’re jumping and bouncing about like there’s no tomorrow.

How it didn’t catch your eye before, you’re not sure, but as you spin about, kicking out an array of crimson as you go, a glint of gold catches your eye. Hovering in place is a tiny, glowing star, golden and vibrant.

Your face is bathed in its light as you reach towards it,

“Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination.”

It’s the first time, really, you hear any excitement out of that voice, just for a flash of a second.

“Look at all these cool toys!”

The voice echoes, formless, shapeless.

“They don’t interest you at all.”

You make no move to comment on your lack of interest, instead turning your attention to an old chest.

“A box of kids shoes in a disparity of sizes.”

You eye the box curiously.

…

What a shame! None of them fit you. You leave the box be, and keep exploring the tiny, dusty room.

Soon, you’re satisfied. You flick the light switch off, plunging the room into darkness. With tired, heavy steps, you walk over to the bed and wrap yourself under the covers. Screwing your eyes shut, you pretend to sleep.

You stare down a monster who tries to protect you, defiant among flames. Eventually, you sway her.

You hug your arms as you trudge through the snow, kicking up flakes and leaving footsteps in your wake. There’s no breeze wherever you are, but the chill seems to whip about you anyway.

The higher the paths seem to wind, the colder it seems to get. Soon, you can see the tops of trees, snow-capped and evergreen, off the edges of the cliffside. They’re just barely taller than the cliffs, to the point where they look like they could be bushes among the paths.

You’re so preoccupied with your thoughts that you’re not looking where you’re going, and face plant into a large pile of snow.

You jolt up, spluttering, snow clinging onto your striped sweater.

You point wildly to the pile you landed in.

“It’s a snowpoff.”

The voice in the back of your head answers, and you can hear the laughter that follows.

Looking up now, similar objects are scattered all across this field. You point to another one.

“And this… is a snowpoff.”

You begin to grin, pointing to another.

“This, however, is a snowpoff.”

And sure enough, you point to every snowpoff in the field, giggling more and more as the voice in your head grows more and more annoyed.

The field of echo flowers stretches and stretches out into the darkness, growing despite the lack of light. You remember the flowers that grew on the surface around the paths you walked, their heads twisting and turning all to bask in the sun's light as long as they could. There’s no sunlight here for these flowers to turn to, their faces all drawing in every which way.

The only pattern you can really notice is the frequency of pairs facing each other. The soft glow they emit bouncing off one another. It’s odd, isn’t it?

“Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you?”

“Are you okay?”

You awaken with a gasp, staring up at the dark stone above you. The sound of rushing water fills your ears, washing away the scenes you’ve seen. You stand quickly, the scent of flowers unbearable any longer. You’d be happy to forget what you just saw. They weren’t your memories, after all. It’d be rude to pry. But you know this already, so you’ve already forgotten everything you’ve seen.

The heat is weighing down on you as you trudge forward. Alphys' words still ring in your ears, but there’s no use in calling her now.

You look out over the platforms, spewing steam in bursts. You’ll have to face this challenge without her.

You step out onto the first platform and feel yourself get thrown across to the next.

You shudder, looking down at your feet, at the options ahead of you, unsure what to choose.

It takes you an agonisingly long time to stumble your way through, mixing yourself up and hopping back and forth between pillars. Steam sprays you so often that droplets of water collect in your hair.

Eventually, by some miracle, you make your way across.

Thank goodness.

Everything in front of you is soaked in grey.

You stumble through the city, scared as you think about what you must do next. Attempt to do.

Your feelings—the nervous anticipation that fuels them—swirl about the city, through everyone you meet. You’ve been through a long and difficult journey.

They have, too.

You keep bumping into monsters, chattering, excited.

They can’t help it. You can’t fault them for it.

They’re reciting their stories. Again, and again, like they have for years.

“Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The underground was full of hope.”

Even now, they still cling to hope.

Hope you will grant them.

Hope you will tear from them.

The time to make your final choice is nigh.

And now, you’ve done it. Everything you could’ve hoped for, has been achieved. It’s time to go home. You-

You wander back down the corridor again, back to where you fell, mere moments ago.

The semi familiar smell, like the fancy glass bottles on your mother’s vanity mixed with the bandage around your wrist, washes over you. You cover your nose with your hand, fingers spilling out of your oversized sleeve.

“Golden flowers. They must’ve broken your fall.”

You stare at the patch of flowers. It doesn’t return the favour.

You’re concerned, walking out in search of Toriel after her phone was stolen. You certainly weren’t in a rush, beforehand. “It’s dangerous, my child, for you out in a place like this, in the ruins,” she’d say if she knew what you were doing. She doesn’t, though, and your rebellion begins in secret. You head left first, turning into a tiny room with a single pedestal and the bowl that sits atop it. In it, a sparkling collection of Monster Candy. It's drawing you in. Your fingers creep into the bowl and you take a piece of candy.

After a moment's hesitation, you grab more candy. How disgusting… You’ve gotten a taste for it, theoretically speaking, since you haven’t even unwrapped the first candy yet. Nevertheless, you grab a third piece. You feel like the scum of the earth. You’re a maniac, you can’t be stopped. You reach for a fourth piece of candy and send the whole bowl toppling to the ground. Look at what you’ve done….

You hold a piece of candy towards the pedestal. There’s no one there to take it.

“Look at all these cool toys!”

The silhouette of an idea, a transparent hand pointing to a box of old plushies.

“They don’t interest you at all.”

You instead wander over to an old photo frame. There’s no picture inside it, only the backing is visible through the glass.

“It’s really dusty…”

You’ve poked around this room enough. You flick the light switch off, plunging the room into darkness. With tired, heavy steps, you walk over to the bed and tuck yourself under the covers. Fitfully, you try to sleep.

You look up towards a creature who has been nothing but kind to you, narrowly dodging spheres of fire. Eventually, you convince her.

Your breath is visible in front of you as you trudge through the snow, kicking up flakes and leaving footsteps in your wake. There’s no breeze in Snowdin, but the chill seems to swirl around you anyway.

The higher you seem to climb, the colder it seems to get. Soon, you can see the tops of trees, their needles brushed with snow, off the edges of the cliffside. They’re not much taller than the cliffs, where from a distance they look like they could be bushes among the paths.

You skid to a stop directly in front of a pile of snow.

You point at it, asking for an explanation.

“It’s a snowpoff.”

The response sounds tired, so you don’t question anymore until the poff in front of you blocks the path, and you’re whisked into battle once more.

The field of echo flowers stretches and stretches out into the darkness, growing regardless. You remember the surface; the flowers that grew in gardens, their heads twisting and turning all to bask in the sunshine as long as they could. There’s no sunlight here for these flowers to turn to, their faces looking towards the glow of fake stars instead.

Pairs of flowers face each other, trying to delude one another into believing that this light is true. That this is freedom.

“Here, get up…”

“...Chara, huh.”

You awaken bolting upright, staring out at the sea of trash around you. The sound of rushing water fills your ears, much more pleasant than the semi-familiar voices that echoed in your skull moments prior. You stand, still shaking. You wish you could forget what you just saw. They aren’t your memories. Those are not yours. But you know this already, so you keep on walking towards an old beaten dummy.

The heat envelopes you, squishes itself against you.

You look out to the precarious walkways, arrows flashing brightly on the floor.

You can do this.

You step out onto the first platform and feel yourself get tossed across to the next.

You breathe deep, looking down at your feet, at the options ahead of you, trying to remember what to choose.

Hesitant, but moving forward, you cross the gaps.

Good work, I guess.

Everything in front of you is doused in grey.

You trod through the city, anxious as you think about what you must do next.

Your feelings—the nervous anticipation that fuels them—swirl about the city, through everyone you meet. You’ve been through a long and difficult journey.

They have too.

You keep bumping into monsters, talkative, nervous.

They can’t help it. You can’t blame them.

They’re reciting their stories. Again, and again, like they have for years.

“Asriel had the power to destroy them all. But... Asriel did not fight back.”

And now you have that power. To destroy, or grant mercy.

Your choice. Your power.

You must move forward.

The time to make your final choice is nigh.

You’ve really done it. Everything you could’ve hoped for has been achieved. There’s nothing else here to do. It’s time to move on, to set everyone free. You-

You’re pulled towards the patch of flowers. A faint scent of buttercups mingles with iron, the chill presence hovering over your shoulder. You toy with the edge of your sleeve, staring out at nothing. You motion towards the flower pile, inviting commentary.

“Golden flowers. They must’ve broken your fall.”

You stare at the patch of flowers. They stare right back at you.

You don’t hesitate, walking after Toriel, but it doesn’t matter. She is much faster than you, and she’s already disappeared before you even enter the next room. You should be a bit more careful, you know? It’s still dangerous out in the ruins, broken puzzles, monsters lurking in the corners. Yeah, yeah, I’m one to talk, don’t give me that look. You wander to your right, finding a Froggit. It smiles at you, as best as a Froggit can, and asks you, so nicely it asks you, to be kind to monsters, to spare them if they don’t wish to fight. But you already know that, don’t you? Yes, certainly, someone like you would never harm an innocent monster, would you….

You just stare blankly at the Froggit, and then walk away.

“Look at all these cool toys!”

You crouch over the box, feeling a shoulder brush against yours, feeling the cool sensation of nothingness.

“They don’t interest you at all.”

You don’t play with them, don’t make any move to, but you observe, quietly and carefully committing each feature of each toy to memory. A strange little kid you are.

Must be tiring though, considering how quickly you climb into bed, and flicker off to sleep.

You stand in front of Toriel, who knows what's best for you, holding out your stick like it will protect you from the blaze. Eventually, you prove yourself.

Your breath is visible in front of you as you trudge through the snow, kicking up flakes and leaving footsteps in your wake. The closer to the heart of town you travel, the colder it seems to get. There’s a chill in Snowdin, despite the lack of a breeze, but you’re too excited to care.

You run up to the first mound of snow, waving a hand at it.

“It’s a snowpoff.”

You spin yourself over to the next one.

“And this... Is a snow poff.”

Snow gets all over your pants as you run over to the next one.

“This however, is a snowpoff.”

You’re clearly delighted.

“Surprisingly, it’s a snowpoff.”

You run over to one and kick it, sending snow flying in every direction.

“Snowpoff…”

You continue, playing and messing about with all the snowpoffs in the field.

…Looks fun.

The field of echo flowers stretches and stretches out into the darkness, growing in the lack of light. On the surface, you remember the flowers that grew near your home, their heads all twisting and turning to bask in the sunshine as long as they could. There’s no sunlight here for these flowers to turn to; their faces looking towards the glow of each other instead.

The pairs face one another; the glow they emit is the only comfort they can hold in lack of sunlight.

The rain splatters down, droplet by droplet, hitting the top of your umbrella as you navigate the narrow passages. Everything in Waterfall is damp, the residual moisture clinging to the cave walls, pooling at your feet as your socks get soaked. In the dim light of the crystals embedded in the ceiling, everything in front of you appears to shimmer.

The faux starlight illuminates the large room, guiding your eye toward the castle in the distance. Its soft blue roof beckons you closer. You only gaze upon it for a moment, grip on your umbrella tightening. You can’t avoid him forever, so you continue forward.

That’s a nice name.

My name is…

You awaken choking on the damp stench of rotting garbage, the moisture that clings to flower petals licking your exposed skin. It’s a clammy uncomfortable feeling, like how the memories that don’t belong to you must feel when they’re trapped inside your brain. They flickered on, playing back where they shouldn’t have. Those memories aren’t yours to watch. Please… forget them.

Brushing the water droplets out of your hair, you keep moving forward as always.

The heat is clinging to you, its grip ironclad. You look out over the platforms, spewing steam in bursts.

You know just how to solve this.

You step out onto the first platform and feel yourself get sent flying across to the next.

Before you’ve even caught your footing, you’re already flinging yourself forward again, sure on your feet. Again, and again, you move like lightning.

Pretty impatient, aren’t you?

Everything in front of you is stained in grey.

You’re stumbling through the city, tripping under your own feet in your rush.

Your feelings—the way your heart pounds in your chest—they’re the same throughout the city. Through everyone you meet. You’ve been through a long and difficult journey.

They have too.

You keep bumping into monsters, anticipation reaching a boiling point.

They can’t help it. You can’t either.

They’re reciting their stories. Again, and again, like they have for years.

“The king decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever.”

But you won’t shatter the barrier, will you? You won’t allow for that to happen.

You won’t die.

The suffering continues.

You delay your final choice, but the time it confronts you draws ever closer.

You cower under the writhing creature that makes up this new world. Distorted screams that shift to laughter and back again ring out in the area. The air is made of TV static. Vines and thorns weave around reality, and you are caught in the crossfires, dodging their ire.

But you have to stand up tall.

You have to keep going.

There are people counting on you.

You grit your teeth and keep going.

They’re trying to help you too, can’t you see?

Clovers, Eggs, Bandages, Kind Words, Thumbs Ups, Music Notes.

The things that brought them strength. The strength they imbue you with.

Again, and again, dodging and striking and staying determined until finally, finally-

Everything implodes in an array of colours.

Really, you’ve done it all, Frisk. Everyone you could save, everyone worth saving, they’re all waiting for you. You’ve done all you could, it’s time to move forward. Frisk, you-

Yet again, you wander back down the corridor. You smell flowers, blood, and regret in the air, feel the presence that lingers behind you, stronger here. You stare at the flower pile, overgrown yet contained in its isolated patch. As if taunting me to answer, you point the stick still clutched in your grip towards it.

A monotone voice answers the same, worn with repetition.

“Golden flowers. They must’ve broken your fall.”

You nod, unsurprised. It's the same thing you always hear. And yet… for some reason… you keep coming back here.

You’re an interesting kid, certainly, and you stride out into the ruins following Toriel’s lead, even if she doesn’t know it. It’s dangerous here, you’ve heard, you’ve seen. You don’t look nervous at all, each of your steps rehearsed. With practiced steps, you walk over towards the leaf pile yet again. The smile sparkles in your eyes, like the glowing light ahead of you, even if your mouth doesn’t quite show it.

Without waiting, you wade into the leaves. They brush up against your calves. It tickles, doesn’t it?

Crunch! Crack! Snap!

You jump around joyfully at each noise. For a moment, you hesitate, and then reach your hand out towards the outer edge of the pile.

The… creature… you reach toward has no legs to jump about with. I flicker in and out of reality, hover above the ground on half decomposing legs.

You frown. Your hands grab out at me, though they’re not holding onto anything solid.

Big kids shouldn’t be doing silly things like this. Certainly, I’d look stupid, bobbing about, pretending like I was anything more than a lingering regret.

Pouting isn’t a good look on you, by the way.

“Huahhh….”

Playfully, you continue to crinkle through the leaves. If more and more leaves appear to swirl about in the opposite direction, whipped up and around invisibly, well, that’s no one’s business.

You’re filled with determination.

“Look at all these cool toys!”

You’re already reaching into the box, a second translucent hand following yours quickly behind. Your fingers curl around a deer shaped plush adorned with ribbons and holly. Fingertips woven with vines, edging on reality, brush against a small bird-like plush, hesitant before snatching it up.

“They don’t interest you at all.”

Entranced by the toys, you play with your imaginary friend. A game of humans and monsters. You pinch the paw of a furry creature against the palm of a human shaped doll, holding them together, and smile.

You’re still tired though, still young. The plushies are carried with you into the bed once you’ve flicked the light off, and you tuck them against your chest as you sleep.

You stand in front of a mother who has lost everything, eyes flickering like the fire light. Eventually, you hug her goodbye.

You’re already running before you’ve even made it up to the field proper, as soon as you can see them in the distance.

The footsteps you leave in the snow are smeared by your haste, and the snow that’s kicked up by your shoes splatters back down to the ground, leaving scattered imprints around your footprints.

You leap at the snowpoff excitedly, like it was a pile of leaves.

Your head pokes up out of the pile, along with your hand, beckoning.

The leaves were one thing, but this is another. I refuse. Don’t give me that look.

You spring out of the pile again, only to leap into another. And another.

“Is it really a snow poff?”

You fall back into the snowpoff, leaving a human shaped pattern in your wake.

“Behold! A snow poff.”

You behold the splendour of the snowpoff.

You lean down to better behold its splendour. You’re grabbing at the snowpoff to-

“Hey!”

You throw a snowball across the field. Part of the air it travels through appears to ripple, bend uncomfortably, before it continues soaring, then splatters to the ground.

“That was cold!”

This only motivates you further, lobbing balls of snow this way and that, slowly decimating the wondrous snowpoff to a misshapen pile of snow.

The pile across from you begins to bend a bit, and a chunk of it dislodges itself, soaring across the way and splattering you across the face.

You grin.

The pile shifts again, but instead a glint of gold catches your eye.

“Eh? There’s 30g inside this… what is this?”

And you laugh so loudly, the snow shakes off the trees.

The field of echo flowers stretches and stretches out into the darkness, growing in the lack of light. On the surface, you remember the flowers that grew near your home, their heads all twisting and turning to bask in the sunshine as long as they could. There’s no sunlight here for these flowers to turn to, their faces becoming the light for one another, creating pairs and loops and rings, all sorts of clusters of refuge.

The flowers face each other, like partners, friends, or lovers.

The rain bounces about, hitting the top of your umbrella as you follow the monster in front of you. Everything in Waterfall is damp, the residual moisture clinging to the cavern walls, creating puddles you splash through. In the dim light of the crystals embedded in the ceiling, everything in front of you appears to sparkle.

The faux starlight illuminates the large room, guiding your eye toward the castle in the distance. Its soft blue roof beckons you home.

Your shoes grind against the stone when you stop, standing stock still. Your gaze is transfixed on the building in the distance, the dripping, dropping, rainy day sound filling your ears.

You can’t avoid it forever.

Everything comes to an end, eventually.

Gripping your umbrella tighter, you continue forward.

You’ve woken up here again, caught by a bed of cursed flowers, haunted by the memories of a dead kid. I hate it as much as you do, if not more. The smell of the trash rots the air, but at least it masks the overpowering air of the flowers. Tiny drops of water collect like mist, getting caught in your hair. What little light there is down here refracts in them, sparkling. Before you continue forward, you hesitate for a moment. You kneel down in front of the flower patch, soaking your pants in trash water. Your mouth moves, but any sound that might have come out of it goes unheard. Your fingers wrap around a flower, and with a moment's hesitation, you pluck it, tucking it into your pocket.

With that, you continue.

The heat is merging with you, boiling your blood as it sits in your veins.

The launching platforms spray steam out, only adding to the compounding heat. You won’t let it faze you.

You’ve got this. You always do.

You step out onto the first platform and feel yourself soar across to the next.

There’s no need to look where you’re stepping anymore, so instead you look about. Your vision blurs as you’re sent spinning, the lights and colours becoming a glowing red-orange blur that splays out in front of you.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Everything in front of you is washed in grey.

You’re walking through the city, listening carefully to each passerby,

Your feelings—the fear, excitement, anticipation—they’re resounding, compounded by everyone crowded together under here. Everyone you have met feels the same way.

You’ve been through a long journey.

They have too.

You stop to listen to everyone as you make your way up to Asgore.

You’ve heard these stories before, as have they.

They can’t help it. You can’t either.

They’re reciting them again, and again, like they have for years.

“You should be smiling, too. Aren’t you excited? Aren’t you happy?”

Are you? Are you truly excited by this anymore?

Are you? Does this bring you some sort of joy?

“You’re going to be free.”

Tell me, Frisk.

Are you?

You kneel on the tiled floor, the cool sensation against your knees sending shivers up and down your arms. Hesitation washes over you as you consider each tape, uncertain of whether to proceed. Each time, you push forward, each tape in its numbered order awaiting you. You drag your fingers against the hard plastic ridges of each tape before cautiously slotting it into the player.

You look up to the large screen, though no images ever display.

The crackling sound of each aged tape accompanies the recorded words.

The hushed message is almost inaudible, the audio deterioration not helping in the slightest.

“Psst… Chara….

Please… wake up…

I don’t like this plan anymore.”

Your breath hitches, but you can’t tear your eyes away from the screen.

“I said I’d never doubt you.”

The voice in the tape is so young. It trembles slightly, under his fear. Under the pressure of what he knows he must do.

“And we’ll do it together, right?”

The tape winds to an end, and you stare at the screen unblinkingly.

Are you disappointed the fairy tales aren’t true? Are you angry?

As always, your face betrays nothing.

You stand slowly, brushing the dust off your pants.

As always, we’re continuing forward.

You stand looking onward to an angel, a demon's hand resting on your shoulder, the weight of the world on both. Neon rainbows and crashing stars fall around you, his world is crashing down around you. The pounding feeling in your heart won’t cease, not yet, not until this is finished.

His sword flails at you wildly, he wails, cries, begs you to let him win.

There’s still someone left to be saved.

If anyone can do it, I know that it's you.

You’re here again. Everything worth saving is saved, I promise you that. There’s no one worth saving here anymore. There’s no point in- in- stop that. Quit- Quit it! Fine, fine-

You poke… your finger outwards. To nothing.

…

To the shape of a dead child. To the floating creature that lingers over your shoulder and breathes down your neck, their nerves replaced by vines, their neck wreathed in flowers, yellow and gold. You jab your stubby little finger at me and my dirt stained arms point right back at you.

What do you want, Frisk? I can’t give you anything more than what I have. He wasn’t lying, this is best for everyone. Are you really so desperate for things to continue like this? Are you that afraid of the surface? Surely, like me, you haven’t had the best life up there. I understand, I swear! But things are different now. You’ll have them with you, they’ll keep you safe.

Quit pointing at me!

I get it okay? You’re not like me. You’re much better than I ever was. You saved them, not me, all I did was make everything worse, all I did was ruin their lives, I get it. Are you just here to rub it in? To hold it over my head that you’re this close to achieving everything I never could and now you’re holding it over them?

…

I’m sorry.

…

You stare at me. Your eyes well up with tears.

…

I’m sorry.

…

You shake your head. You point at me. You… nod along to my words? You open your mouth, then close it. Then open again.

“Couldn’t… without you. N-need you. Come.”

Your voice is dry and cracking, under-used and quiet.

You stick your tongue out at me.

That’s fair.

You face the darkness…

You face me. Reaching a hand forward, t-towards mine. The bandage on your wrist brushes against the flowers crawling up my own. Our fingers lace together, and step by step you lead me forward. Lead me towards the light.

…

I stand on the precipice. I’m not sure about this, I’m not sure I can go up there, let alone if I should.

You squeeze my hand.

…

Yeah.

Alright.

Your foot steps forward, mine beside you. No more hesitation. No more waiting.

…

Together we are soaked in a golden, sunset light.

[End!]

#undertale #chara #undertale chara #chara undertale #frisk undertale #frisk ut #ut #undertale frisk #safeutdr #fanfic #undertale fic #podfic

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jmbringitonworld · 2 years

Text

Good Girl Needs Kiss (3)

AO3 link for those who prefer to read fics there.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

This chapter took longer than it should've, but some of the responses to the last chapter, particularly regarding me saying that there would be some minor Frans in the fic, were incredibly disheartening. And off-putting, honestly. I completely lost all interest in this fic for a few days, until I had a few really nice chats with the one who inspired this fic in the first place. Her encouragement really helped return my motivation for writing this last chapter out. So I'm very grateful to her. Thank you so much to @a-snowpoff for lifting my spirits enough for this final chapter to come out as soon as it did.

But seriously, guys. Literally every single one of my other works has Frans as a main pairing, and I specifically mention it on my blog page, so no one should be surprised about my shipping preferences. And when I said that these elements would be minor, I meant it. I've been very careful (not that I should be, frankly) to make sure that Sans and Frisk's (who is an ADULT!) relationship is left ambiguous. If you want to interpret their interactions as purely platonic, then that's perfectly fine. They can be nothing more than close friends, if you want them to be. My Frisk is naturally flirty (but playfully so, she's not actually serious), and has taken every opportunity to flirt during her journey in the Underground (yes, even with Toriel; no, she didn't call her "mom", that would've been weird, even for Frisk).

For those of you who're still here, I hope this final chapter is to your liking. I put a lot of work into it, as I do with all of my works, and I hope it shows.

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Chapter 3 : No More Secrets

The first thing I noticed upon entering Frisk’s home were the flowerpots, seemingly filled with nothing but dirt. They were everywhere , with at least one placed on every available surface. It quickly became apparent what they were for, however, as Flowey stretched his vine-like stems out towards a nearby pot, resting on top of a high shelf, and sunk his roots into the soil, sliding off of Frisk’s arm in the same instant. The ambassador bent down, allowing me to hop out of her arms, before standing back up to address her flower friend and housemate.

“I’ll go put away the fish stuff we bought, and then I’ll order us some pizza. Are there any toppings in particular you fancy, hun?”

Flowey tapped a leaf to his ‘chin’ in thought.

“Hmm... Maybe something with mushrooms? And make sure they add extra cheese this time!”

Frisk giggled, giving him a wink as she stepped into the next room.

“Okay, bud , will do.”

Flowey shot her departing back a disgusted look.

“Wish she’d stop hanging out with that smiley trashbag. I keep telling her he’s nothing but garbage , but she refuses to listen to me. Urgh...” he grumbled to himself, folding one leaf over another as if crossing his ‘arms’. Unlike when talking to Papyrus, Flowey’s voice was filled with genuine disdain, bordering on hatred, for this other person.

I tilted my head up at him. Was he... talking about Sans ? It seemed strange to me, since Sans struck me as an easy-going joker, laidback and fun-loving. I couldn’t imagine him doing anything to make someone hate him the way Flowey clearly did. Huh ... I frowned to myself in thought. I wonder what happened between them, for Flowey to dislike him so much .

Flowey noticed my attention on him and sneered at me.

“Don’t even think about peeing on me, runt. I’m not some simple weed, and if you try anything...” his face morphed into a truly devilish expression, his voice growing oddly distorted, “I’ll show you what I can really do.”

His evil smile held the promise of pain, and something told me that it was no empty threat. Despite looking like nothing more than a common, golden flower, albeit one with a face, I could sense that Flowey was more than capable of backing up his words. I (wisely, I’d say) turned away and decided to ignore him, in favour of exploring the rest of the room. His gaze followed me the entire time.

The sweet scent of flowers filled the room, not surprising considering who lived here, but they weren’t all from Flowey, so I guessed that there must be other flowers around, perhaps in the garden I’d caught a glimpse of when I arrived? I could also detect a hint of cinnamon and butterscotch lingering in the air. Mmmm, yummy ... I really hoped that I would get to have a taste of whatever was making that smell.

The room, which I assumed to be the living room, was warm and cosy, furnished with a plush couch, a few comfy-looking armchairs, a glass coffee table, and a large television. A massive fish tank lit up most of one wall, filled with all manner of colourful fish. The only objects of real interest to me, however, were the numerous picture frames decorating the walls, and lining the shelves alongside the flowerpots. Intensely curious to know more about Frisk, both because of her achievements, and because of her friendship with Papyrus, I carefully took in each and every photo.

The vast majority of them featured Frisk (and a very clearly reluctant Flowey) with various monsters, most notably to me, Sans and Papyrus. The three of them were often pictured together, and were obviously very close. I also recognised the king and queen of the monsters, Asgore and Toriel, who both seemed to regard the human woman with a great deal of warmth and affection. I’d heard about the monster rulers being incredibly friendly, and clearly that extended to their ambassador as well. Two other monsters who appeared frequently were a tall, fierce-looking fish monster, and a plump, timid-looking lizard monster. The fish monster was also often photographed with Papyrus, the both of them seeming to get on well, so I assumed that they must be good friends.

I felt my heart grow warm as I gazed at Papyrus’s bright smile in so many of these photos. He looked so happy, surrounded by his friends. I’m glad he has so many people who care about him . He was such an out-going, gregarious guy, I couldn’t imagine him being on his own. The very thought made my heart hurt. Thankfully, he was clearly quite popular. As he should be , I nodded to myself.

Curiously, there was another human who appeared in several of the photos, though usually only with Frisk and Flowey. I couldn’t help but notice the striking resemblance this other human bore to Frisk, both in terms of physical appearance, including fashion choices funnily enough, and in their expressions. They must have been related, perhaps even siblings, given their obvious closeness. I wondered if I’d get to meet them some day.

“That’s my little brother, Kris,” a soft voice suddenly spoke up from above me, and I yelped in surprise. Frisk smiled apologetically down at me. “Sorry, baby floof, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She then bent down and stroked my back, coaxing my fur to settle back down. I could hear Flowey snicker from somewhere above me, but I resolutely ignored him, choosing to instead focus on the pleasant pampering being bestowed on me, by gentle hands. Frisk’s warm, soft flesh made an interesting contrast to Papyrus’s not-exactly-cold, not-exactly-hard bones, though I found both to be enjoyable. Frisk’s stroking soon evolved into massages, as she rubbed soothing circles along my head, and around my face and ears. I felt too blissful to even wag my tail properly, and just laid out across the floor, my legs stretched out, as I languidly basked in the comfort. I could hear Frisk cooing at me in a baby voice, but her words were lost on me, as I floated on cloud nine.

My impromptu pampering session eventually came to an end when the doorbell rang. Frisk leapt up and rushed to the door, returning swiftly, holding a large pizza box in her hands. I still felt fuzzy from the massage, but the enticing scent of hot pizza kicked the dog portion of my brain into gear, and my tiny paws automatically brought me towards the tantalising food. Frisk laid a plate with a pizza slice on it, down on the ground in front of me, and I eagerly dove in. Ooh, extra cheese! Yay! Flowey must be happy!

Once lunch had been devoured, and the plates and pizza box cleared away, Frisk brought me out into her garden, which was as much of a flower paradise as I had expected it to be. Flowey followed us, moving from flowerpot to flowerpot, before finally sinking into the soft earth outside. I took a moment to breathe in the fresh air, and feel the sun on my fur. It truly was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. On days like these, dogs like me should be smelling the roses , I thought to myself, as I trotted over to the nearest flower and stuck my nose in amongst its petals, inhaling deeply. And promptly sneezed, as the pollen flew into my nostrils. Oof... bad idea ...

Flowey cackled at my misfortune, the evil plant, but Frisk was a lot more sympathetic, using a tissue to wipe away the remaining traces of pollen from my poor nose. I gave her a miserable look, and she bent down to give me a soft kiss to the top of my head. It sadly didn’t break my spell, but it did let me know that I had a friend in her, which was just as good, honestly. I’d made two friends in two days! And all it’d taken was messing up a spell so badly, it’d left me stuck as a rat-dog! I was the greatest witch ever!

Seeing that I was once again in high spirits, Frisk decided that it was playtime, as she took out a familiar object. That’s the Cool Flame Ball Papyrus got for me! I barked excitedly. With a practised motion, Frisk tossed the ball into the distance, and some canine instinct immediately took over, compelling me to run after it. The ball flew through the air for a bit, before it fell to the ground and bounced a few times, until I eventually managed to grab it in my jaws. Pride swelled within my chest, as I strutted back to Frisk with my prize, my head held high.

When I dropped my ball in front of her, Frisk showered me in praise, crouching down to pet my head. I wagged my tail proudly, feeling like a very good dog indeed. Hey, wait a minute! I froze, my eyes wide in realisation. I’m not a DOG! I’m a human! I’ve gotta snap out of it and stop - The ball flew through the air again and my legs were moving before I knew what was happening.

At some point during this mortifying game of fetch, Frisk had passed my ball to Flowey and somehow managed to convince him to play, though not without a lot of exaggerated complaining on the flower’s part. His aim was a little off, and he’d sometimes put too much, or too little force into the throw, but my bloody dog brain couldn’t care less, and I was having the time of my life, whether I wanted to or not (and I definitely did not !). A smile eventually crept onto Flowey’s face, and Frisk couldn’t help pointing it out, her own, knowing grin on her face.

“I see someone’s enjoying himself,” she giggled, tone gently teasing. “I told you you’d have fun.”

Flowey blushed, waving his leaves wildly in the air and spluttering his denial.

“I-I’m not having fun!” he insisted stubbornly, frowning at his human friend. “This isn’t fun ! I-It’s just a silly game, that only complete idiots would enjoy! How could I ever have fun throwing a stupid ball for some dumb mutt to catch?! The only one who’s having any fun is that brainless loser of a dog!”

What the fuck?! Not only do you insult me , but you also insult my Cool Flame Ball?! I growled at him, my earlier caution melting away into righteous fury and indignation. That’s it, you little shit! Feel my wrath! Doggy Drool Attack!! I then launched myself at Flowey and started vigorously licking him all over, putting my entire heart and soul into the task of completely covering every single inch of him in as much dog slobber as I could produce (which, to my great delight, was far more than I thought my tiny dog tongue was capable of; I swear Midnight’s tongue was not that wet!).

Flowey screeched in disgust, spitting and sputtering, and shaking violently under the deluge of dog saliva. Ha! Serves you right for being such an asshole! My tail was a blur, as it wagged for all of the satisfaction I was feeling. I was a little surprised that Flowey didn’t try to attack me, despite the long tendrils of thorny vines erupting from the ground around us, quivering ominously in the air. Maybe it was because I was “Papyrus’s dog”, or maybe it was because of Frisk’s presence, but regardless of the reason, it seemed like the sentient flower wasn’t as willing to hurt me as he pretended. That didn’t mean I was about to show him any mercy, though. No one disrespected my Cool Flame Ball and got away with it.

Frisk was on the ground, clutching her stomach, with tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, as her laughter rang through the air like the tinkling of bells. Suddenly, a much deeper baritone joined in on her laughter. I paused my assault to look up at the unexpected newcomer. Sans was leaning against the back door to the garden, hunched over as he chuckled, loud and unrestrained. Frisk’s eyes lit up, a bright smile gracing her face, as she stood up and went to go greet her guest.

“Sansy! What a pleasant surprise! We weren’t expecting you today.”

She wrapped her arms around his stocky form, and Sans returned her hug, smiling widely at her, his eyelights brightening.

“pap told me he’d left his new dog with you, so me, bein’ the good big brother that i am, i volunteered to fetch the lil’ pooch for him. saves him havin’ to make the trip. you know what a busy monster he is, and what a stand-up guy i am.”

He winked at her, and Frisk smiled warmly back at him. I blinked. Wait, you mean SANS is the older brother? Really!?

“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest, Sugar Skull,” Frisk leaned towards Sans, her smile turning flirty, and the skeleton monster bashfully averted his eyelights, a noticeable blush tinting his cheekbones. Beside me, Flowey scoffed in disgust, as he vainly tried to shake the dog spit off his leaves and petals.

“Urgh... Just great. The last thing I needed to make this day even worse, was to see you , Smiley Trashbag,” Flowey glared at him, genuine animosity in his tone. Sans returned his glare, his expression colder than I thought him capable of. It made my fur stand on end.

“hello to you too, weed,” his voice was equally frosty, clear hostility in the sharpness of his gaze and his tight grin.

“Hmph,” Flowey turned away from Sans, and towards his human friend. “Frisk, I’m leaving. I need a bath, because of this stupid mutt. Both of these idiots better be gone by the time I’m done.”

And without waiting for a reply, he sunk into the ground, disappearing completely into the earth. With him gone, the tension in the air evaporated. I sighed with relief, glad that nothing serious had happened. I don’t know what I’d have done if they’d started fighting.

Frisk let out a soft sigh, frowning at Sans in disapproval.

“I wish you two would make some effort to get along,” she crossed her arms, her tone exasperated. “He’s my friend, as well as Pap’s. It’d mean so much to us if you two could be friends. Or at least, not enemies.”

But Sans shrugged unabashedly at her scolding.

“not happening, frisk,” his tone was firm, completely unwilling to yield to Frisk’s plea. “i may not remember what the weed did, exactly, but i can guess. i’m a pretty good judge of character, after all.”

Frisk gave him a helpless smile, lightly shaking her head in resignation.

“I know, Sans. You’re no fool, no matter what anyone says.”

Sans’s expression softened, and he shoved his hands into his pockets, looking fully at ease once more. I stared curiously at the two of them, wondering what deeper meaning hid behind their words. I was clearly missing something here, some important context, but had no idea what it could be.

Clearing his non-existent throat, Sans gazed very deliberately at the vibrant flowers blooming across the garden.

“beautiful place ya got here. i can tell you worked really hard, takin’ care of these flowers,” he remarked with forced casualness. Frisk smiled happily at his compliment.

“Thanks! You’re right, it was a lot of work, but the results are more than worth all that effort,” she looked out at her garden, looking proud and satisfied. “Though I couldn’t have done it without Gorey. His tips and advice were so helpful! The guy really is an expert when it comes to flowers.”

“yep, old king fluffybuns has goat quite the green thumb,” he joked, and his smile widened at Frisk’s responding giggle.

Once her laughter had subsided though, Frisk stared at Sans for a bit, seeming to mull something over in her mind, before she bit her lip, looking uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Sans... tell me honestly... how are you doing? Are the nightmares still troubling you?” she asked him softly, concern lacing her voice.

Nightmares? My ears perked up in interest. Does Sans suffer from nightmares? Poor guy ... My heart clenched in sympathy. Sans let out a deep sigh, and plopped himself down on the ground, leaning back on outstretched arms. Frisk joined him on the floor, sitting close to him, as she gazed at him worriedly.

“they’re... not as bad as they used to be. it’s getting a lot easier to sleep through the night,” Sans confessed, his voice low and serious, his smile flatter than I thought it could get. “i’m sure they’ll go away for good, once i finally manage to fix the machine. just wish it weren’t takin’ so long. after all these years, i’ve still barely made any progress.”

He sounded incredibly frustrated, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists into the soft earth beneath his phalanges. Frisk scooted closer to him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. My eyes were fixed on them, as I listened intently to their discussion. What machine is he talking about?

“Isn’t it about time you asked someone for help?” Frisk pleaded gently, her brow furrowed. “Alphys is the current royal scientist, after all, and she knows a great deal about machines. And Papyrus is far from stupid, you know that, and this concerns him too, I’m sure-”

“ no ,” Sans’s rebuff was firm, as he shook his skull, his expression hard and unyielding as stone. I narrowed my eyes. This concerns Papyrus? Does he know? “this is my problem to fix, and mine alone. i won’t involve anyone else. especially not papyrus. his life is finally going great. i refuse to ruin that for him, and burden him with my problems.”

Frisk’s lips thinned as she frowned at him, disapproval shining in her eyes. She clearly wanted to argue with him, but she seemingly chose to hold her tongue on the matter, as she eventually looked away and sighed in resignation. I was less willing to let it go, however, not if this concerned Papyrus. Sans was clearly hiding something from his brother, and I was determined to find out what.

Not wanting them to spot me eavesdropping, regardless of the fact that I was currently a dog, and thus would likely be above suspicion, I snuck into a nearby patch of golden flowers, as stealthily as possible. For the very first time since this entire ordeal began, I was grateful to be a chihuahua, as my diminutive size allowed me to easily hide amongst the taller flowers. I felt pretty confident that the other two wouldn’t be able to see me here. Unfortunately, I was so small that I couldn’t see them , either. At least I could still hear them just fine.

“you sure no one will be able to stumble upon the machine by accident?” Sans’s deep voice drifted into my ears, and Frisk’s reply came a moment later.

“Positive. The basement door stays locked at all times, and you have the only key. No one can go in there except you, not even me, or Flowey. Not that he wants to go down there, anyway. He wants nothing to do with that machine.”

“good. i don’t want anyone messin’ with dad’s machine, ‘specially not the weed.”

My eyes widened. Their “dad’s machine”? This involved Sans and Papyrus’s father ? How could Sans keep something like this from his brother?! My ears were fully alert, standing up straight and facing towards the two voices, as I tried to focus all of my attention on their enlightening conversation. Just then, a small, white butterfly drifted into view. Against my will, my eyes were instantly glued to the fluttering creature.

Many cultures associated butterflies with the souls of the deceased, so I always made sure to be extra respectful to any who crossed my path. Which was why, no matter how much the dog in me wanted to chase after those rapidly beating wings, I forced myself to stay still. It took every ounce of my willpower, but I refused to budge. The white butterfly flew to one of the flowers, and landed on a bright, golden petal. I heard Frisk sigh.

“It’s over, Sans. For good this time. I’m sure of it. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You don’t have to hide anymore. You don’t have to be alone anymore. What good is a happy ending, if you’re too stuck in the past to enjoy it? It’s okay to have hopes and dreams again. No one will take those away from you. I won’t let them. I promise. And I don’t make promises lightly, either.”

There was a long pause. I really wished I could tell what expression Sans was making. The white butterfly took to the air again, fluttering around for a bit, before landing on a different golden flower. I heard movement from the other two, the rustling of clothing. And then, faintly, I heard a voice, Sans’s, though I couldn’t make out what he was saying, muffled as it was. Frisk’s voice was much clearer, filled with determination and conviction.

“Whoever or whatever force had control of the timeline before... they’re gone . I can feel it. The power to Reset everything, all that we’ve done, all that we’ve achieved... it’s mine now. And you know that I’d never use it. I promise . So you don’t have to worry anymore, Sans. Trust me. It’s over . The anomalies are gone, and everybody is happy. And I’ll make sure we all stay that way. Please, believe me... We’re free .”

“heh... i know... i know... i... i trust you, frisk... more than anyone,” Sans’s voice sounded a little wobbly, and thick with emotion. Another rustle of clothing. “... i dunno what i’d do without ya, frisk. you’re the only person i can really talk to, the only one who knows about... everything . all that time, underground, i had to keep it all to myself, all this terrible knowledge. it was unbearable , frisk. and even here on the surface, i just can’t -...” A deep sigh. More movement. “some days i feel like you’re the only thing keepin’ me sane...”

And then silence. The white butterfly took off, flying higher and higher, until it eventually vanished into the sky. I stayed still, rooted to the spot. My mind was whirring, a maelstrom of chaotic thoughts, as I tried to process everything I’d just heard. So much of it made no sense to me. I didn’t know what to think, honestly, it was all a little too much for me right then. I’d need some time to go over everything, and figure out what I was going to do about this. And I was going to do something. I refused to let this matter lie. Papyrus deserved better.

After a while, Frisk eventually spoke up, her voice reassuring and compassionate.

“You know that I’m always here for you, whenever you need me. You’re not alone, Sans. Remember that.”

“heh, i will. you’ve always been with me, even in the dark. like a light, shining in my soul. i won’t forget, frisk. i promise .”

There was an odd weight to his words, yet another hidden meaning which was lost on me. I heard more movement.

“welp, this’s been fun, but i’d better get goin’ now. pap’s waiting for us at home, anxious for his new pal to help him prepare dinner, and i don’t wanna let him down. stars know i do enough of that as it is.”

“Sans! Stop talking like that! You don’t let him down, he’s just worried about you! And for good reason, honestly. I worry about you, too.”

“i know, i know. i’m sorry, frisky. i really am. i’m gettin’ better, though. i’m really trying nowadays. and it’s all thanks to you. i owe you... so much ... too much, honestly. i dunno how i’ll ever be able to repay you for everything you’ve done.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can think of a few ways,” a giggle, flirtatious and full of innuendo. I heard Sans let out a nervous laugh. Frisk continued, voice light and airy. “Now off with you, before Papy starts calling me, asking me where you two are, and I tell him all about the unspeakable things you and I get up to when he’s not around.”

“please don’t put any weird ideas into my bro’s skull. i’m the one who lives with him, ya know,” Sans sound mildly exasperated, though I could detect a hint of amusement in his tone. Then his voice raised, as he called out, “c’mere, girl! time to go!”

With a jolt, I realised he was calling for me. I dashed out of the flower patch and towards his voice. He and Frisk were standing up, looking around, presumably for me. When Sans spotted me, he sagged a little in relief.

“there you are, buddy. i was worried i mighta lost ya. pap would never have forgiven me if i didn’t bring you home, safe and sound.”

He bent down to scoop me up into his arms, and I yipped at him in reassurance that I was fine. Frisk smiled warmly at the both of us.

“Before you go, could you wait here a second? I have a little something for you to take home.”

Without waiting for a reply, she ran off, back into her house, returning shortly with a large pie in her hands. It smelled heavenly, my tail wagging and my mouth watering, as the sweet scent of butterscotch and cinnamon wafted into my nose.

“I baked this earlier, hoping to give it to you at some point, so now’s the perfect time,” she offered it out to Sans, who shifted me to one arm, while the other took the butterscotch-cinnamon pie. “I’m quite proud of how this one turned out, if I do say so myself. Tori really is an excellent teacher.”

Sans gave her an appreciative smile.

“nah, you’re the one who’s a good student. you’ve always been a fast learner, heh.”

Frisk shook her head in denial, looking sheepish.

“Oh no, I’m really not. I just had a lot of practice.”

Sans winced, for some reason.

“uh... sorry, frisk. which i’d been more help to you, back then. i really should’ve been a better friend to you.”

Sans sounded genuinely apologetic, but Frisk merely rolled her eyes, a fond smile on her face.

“You were a great friend, Sans, and the emotional support you gave me meant more to me than I can say. Even if you did blow it in the restaurant, and in the Last Corridor.”

She stuck her tongue out at him cheekily, and Sans looked embarrassed, at a loss for what to say to that.

“eh heh heh... ahem . welp, we’re off! it was nice seein’ ya, frisky. bye!” he said hastily, before backing away.

As Frisk waved us off with a radiant smile, I noticed a butterfly with deep, crimson wings land on her shoulder, just as the entire world blinked out of existence. A moment later, it came back, but Sans and I were no longer in Frisk’s garden, but were instead standing in the middle of his living room. I knew he could teleport! I was fairly buzzing with excitement at this discovery, and Sans quickly let me down.

Just then, Papyrus poked his skull into the room, probably alerted by my high-pitched barking. His face lit up once he saw us, and with an exclamation of delight, he rushed towards us, arms outstretched for me to jump into, which I wasted no time in doing. Those familiar arms wrapped around me, along with his comforting scent, and I felt at home.

“YOU’RE FINALLY BACK!! I MISSED YOU!! SO MUCH!!”

I snuggled closer to him, woofing contentedly, feeling at peace. Papyrus let out a pleased “NYEH HEH HEH”, before turning to Sans with a deep frown.

“SANS! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?! YOU LEFT AGES AGO!!”

Sans looked entirely unapologetic as he smiled, and I sensed a bad pun coming.

“heh, sorry bro. frisk really wanted to ketchup with me,” he held up a bottle of ketchup, grin wide and mischievous, his eyelights brightening in gleeful anticipation of his brother’s reaction. And Papyrus did not disappoint him.

“NYEEEEH!!! SANS!!!”

Deep, rumbling laughter filled the room, while Papyrus fumed, the arms holding me trembling slightly, though not enough to make me feel uncomfortable. Papyrus eventually calmed down, and turned away from his brother with a huff.

“HMPH!! I’M OFF TO PREPARE DINNER NOW! WITHOUT YOU! AND YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS!!” he then glanced down at me, his expression brightening considerably. “AT LEAST YOU’RE HERE, LITTLE LADY. I’M GLAD I HAVE SUCH A GREAT HELPER WITH ME!”

I am the best helper! I agreed. Papyrus had been nothing but kind to me since the moment we met, helping me when I was at my very lowest, and I wanted to do all I could to repay his kindness, and help him in return. And I knew exactly how I would help him.

Today had been full of surprising revelations, and I’d learnt that, for all that Papyrus was the brightest ray of sunshine imaginable, he was being kept in the dark about a lot of things. His own brother was keeping secrets from him; deep, dark secrets which clearly tormented him, but which he refused to share with anyone save Frisk, despite some of them concerning his own family, namely their father (whom I’d yet to see, or even hear about).

As a witch, I knew very well the necessity of keeping some things secret, but not from one’s own family! All young witches learned their family’s craft at their mother’s knee, and I was the same. My mother had taught me everything I knew about magic, until it was time for me to set out into the world, and seek out knowledge on my own. I couldn’t imagine keeping any secrets from her, and I had complete faith that she would share with me all that she knew, when I was ready. We would never hide anything from each other. Surely all families were the same, right? I’d always thought so, at least...

Beyond that, it also greatly troubled me that I, too, was hiding something important from Papyrus, namely the fact that I wasn’t, in fact, a dog, but a human, and a witch to boot. But no matter how much I wanted to reveal this to him, I wasn’t sure how. I couldn’t talk to him in a language he could understand, and I lacked the opposable thumbs required to write out the truth. I genuinely had no clue how I could convey to him my real form. All I could do, was to break my spell as quickly as possible, and tell him everything once I was human again. Hopefully, he would understand and forgive me. Until then, I’d just have to be the very best friend I could be to him.

Also, I was pretty sure his dog was actually some manner of eldritch abomination. I had no idea why it had crossed into our world, nor why it chose to take the form of a small dog, but I assumed that, like most cosmic entities, it was out of simple curiosity. Extramundane beings tended to get bored very easily, and sought out entertainment in some pretty bizarre places, after all. This one seemed harmless enough, and Papyrus was clearly attached to it, despite how annoying it was, so I thought it best to leave things as they were, and not interfere unless necessary. It would probably be fine.

But as for the rest, I vowed that once I was human again, I would make it up to Papyrus for deceiving him like I was, despite having no other alternative. And I would find a way to convince Sans to tell his brother all of the truths that he’d been hiding for so long. Even if that meant resorting to witchcraft. No matter what it took, I would make sure that there were no more secrets.

~~~

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and I must have been having an incredible amount of it, given how quickly the following days passed by. I wasn’t sure how long I spent, exactly, as a dog, living with the skeleton brothers, but it felt like a lifetime. Every day was an adventure, and there was never a dull moment with those two, and all of their friends. And, speaking of, I soon got to meet all of them. And what an interesting bunch they were.

Frisk came by to hang out several times (and she even brought back my Cool Flame Ball, which I’d forgotten that first time! What an angel!), and had cemented her position as a true friend, one whom I was very grateful to have in my life. She really was a good person, who deserved nothing but good things. Flowey less so. I could’ve done without him joining Frisk everywhere she went, but the woman was adamant on not leaving Flowey alone, all by himself. In my opinion, he didn’t seem like the type to get lonely, but I guess appearances can be deceiving. Regardless, any friend of Papyrus and Frisk’s was a friend of mine. Even if Flowey was creepy at times.

One of Papyrus’s best friends, Undyne, was another frequent visitor, with her girlfriend, Alphys, tagging along with her on occasion. I was wary of the former, given how she’d tried to suplex me upon our first meeting, though, thankfully, Papyrus had intervened and rugby tackled her to the floor before I could get hurt. She’d retaliated by raining spears down upon him, all of which he’d managed to dodge or deflect with his own bone attacks. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. From then on, I made sure to keep a safe distance from the scary fish monster at all times. Her girlfriend was much safer to be around, and Alphys had also introduced me to the wonders of anime! Papyrus didn’t seem too fond of them, much as he tried to fake interest in the subject, but I was utterly entranced by the amazing imagination and imagery on display. Many shows felt out of this world and more into, well, mine . It made me a little homesick at times, honestly.

King Asgore and Queen Toriel were as friendly and welcoming as I’d heard, although the queen could be quite intimidating at times. She had the kind of glare that would make even unruly little children sit quietly and obey, which was perfect for a teacher. By contrast, Asgore Dreemurr was never without a jovial smile, and was always ready with an offer of tea. His golden flower tea had instantly become my new favourite drink, and I couldn’t wait to start growing some golden flowers in my garden, to brew the tea for myself, whenever I had to spend long hours concocting complex elixirs, or poring over ancient, musty tomes. One thing I'd noticed, was how nurturing and protective the two boss monsters were towards children. It made me wonder why the two of them never had any kids of their own. They seemed like they would make good parents, but I guess they thought differently.

Papyrus had snuck me into his workplace one time, when nobody else had been able to look after me. He’d introduced me to his fellow chefs, who’d all chipped in to keep me hidden from their boss. I had a sneaking suspicion that the head chef was fully aware of what was going on, the whole time, but chose to turn a blind eye to my presence, probably out of fondness for Papyrus, given how popular he was amongst all of his coworkers. Everyone kept sneaking me scraps from all of their dishes, whenever they thought no one was looking, and by the end of Papyrus’s shift, I was full to bursting from all of the scrumptious food I’d been given. That was a good day.

Moreover, from what I gathered from passing conversations, and a few comments here and there, it seemed like Papyrus hadn’t always been the culinary expert he was today. Quite the opposite, in fact (which had apparently been as much of a shock to Papyrus to learn, as it was to me). But the head chef had been so impressed by his enthusiasm and dedication, that he’d hired Papyrus as a simple kitchen porter, thus allowing him to learn the ropes from the other chefs, and Papyrus had worked exceptionally hard, quickly proving himself and rising through the ranks, eventually becoming the restaurant’s sous chef, and second-in-command in the kitchen. Papyrus never ceased to amaze and inspire me. It made me more determined than ever to hone my own skills and master my magic, and one day become the kind of talented witch I’d always dreamed of being.

And then of course, there was Sans. Despite living with the guy, he still remained mostly a mystery to me. One moment he seemed, for all the world, like little more than a prankster and comedian, with his clever wit and his fondness for bad jokes and worse puns, and even a dog like me hadn’t been safe from the dreaded whoopee cushion prank. But then another, he’d be empty eye sockets, and emptier smiles, too little said in too many words, and I’d realise that I really knew very little about him. Did anyone know the real him? Did Papyrus? Did Frisk?...

But no matter how much I’d come to care for and appreciate all of these wonderful new friends I’d made, no one could hold a candle to Papyrus.

~~~

The Great Papyrus had come into my life at one of its lowest points, when I was at my most desperate, and had given me hope and friendship and spaghetti. He’d been my hero when I’d needed one the most, and I would forever be grateful to him for all that he’d done for me. I’d never met anyone as kind or as brave as him, and I doubted I ever would. He was special, one-of-a-kind, and truly unforgettable. With bright smiles, encouraging words, gentle hands, and warm hugs, his presence had steadily grown in my heart, until he’d taken over completely and claimed it as his own.

And as I lay on his sternum, the both of us relaxing on his bed, while his skeletal hands trailed over my head and down my back, I thought to myself that I really loved this man. And that thought did not surprise me in the slightest. When had my feelings for him grown this strong? When did I realise their existence? Was there a point in time, or had they been there since that first, fateful meeting? Had I always known? I had no answers. All I knew was that I loved Papyrus, with all my heart and soul.

And so, with that knowledge in mind, I leaned forward, towards that brilliant smile I loved so much, and pressed my soft, fluffy lips to his left zygomatic bone. I had just enough time to feel cool, hard bone beneath my lips, before-

* poof *

I was engulfed in smoke. Once my vision cleared, I felt... different. I saw out of the corner of my eyes, human hands. Very familiar human hands. Those are MY hands! I realised with a start. And those are my arms! I noticed, looking further down. I brought my hands up to feel my face. Soft, smooth skin over warm flesh greeted my searching fingers.

I was human again.

A strangled noise from in front of me caught my attention, and I looked up. Papyrus’s shocked face was staring at me, his eyes seeming to bulge out of his sockets. Oh, right. Shit.

“Uh... I can explain...?” my voice came out hesitantly, and my heart skipped a beat as I heard my own voice again, for the first time in what felt like forever .

Papyrus stared at me, stunned, for a few more, tense seconds, before his gaze drifted lower. His eye sockets widened even further (which I honestly hadn’t thought was possible), and colour bloomed all across his skull. With a strangled yelp, he turned his skull away from me, removing his hands from my back to cover his eye sockets.

“W-WOWIE...” his normally loud voice was barely above a whisper.

Huh? I looked down. Oh. Oh fuck .

Given how long it’d been since I’d botched my spell, I’d completely forgotten that my clothes hadn’t transformed along with my body. I was currently laying on top of Papyrus, stark naked, and I’d just given the man I loved an eyeful of my very bare tits. Fuck.

With a scream, I drew back, and away from Papyrus, towards the edge of his bed, as I hastily covered my breasts with my arms, bringing my knees up to hide my nether region as best as I could. I was beyond mortified. I’d had more than my fair share of embarrassing moments throughout my life, given how often I’d screwed up a spell, but this... this topped them all. Easily. This was the worst moment of my entire life.

My vision began to swim, as tears gathered in my eyes. I squeezed them shut, wishing to block out the world, wishing desperately that none of this was real, that it would all fade away when I opened my eyes again. I felt a tear start to fall down my face, when a familiar phalange wiped it away. A bony hand cradled my cheek.

“PLEASE... DON’T CRY... WHATEVER IS MAKING YOU SAD... WOULD YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT? SO THAT I CAN TELL IT TO STOP MAKING YOU SAD?”

I opened my eyes, and was greeted by Papyrus’s concerned expression. I sniffed, and clumsily wiped my teary eyes with my shoulder, taking care to keep my chest covered. With halting words, I finally told Papyrus the truth of my situation, which I’d been longing to reveal to him all this time. Throughout my explanation, Papyrus didn’t interrupt me once, except to make sympathetic or surprised noises at several points in my tale. When I was done, I gave him a pleading look.

“Papyrus, I know that this all sounds crazy, and you probably don’t believe me-”

“OF COURSE I BELIEVE YOU!!” he interrupted me, and I sucked in a surprised breath. He gave me a wide, toothy smile, with not even a hint of doubt in his gaze. “WHY SHOULD I NOT? YOU ARE MY FRIEND! WHETHER YOU’RE A DOG, OR A HUMAN, YOU ARE STILL YOU! AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY VERY GOOD FRIEND! AND A VERY GREAT PERSON!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”

I beamed at him, feeling my eyes tear up again, though for a completely different reason this time. Papyrus then looked directly into my eyes, looking faintly bashful, for some reason. He was blushing again, though nowhere near as brightly as before.

“BESIDES... YOU HAVE THE SAME BEAUTIFUL EYES AS WHEN YOU WERE A DOG.”

Oh. Oh my. My face felt hot, as I looked away, though I couldn’t contain my happy smile. My chest felt warm, my heart beating hard, as my stomach fluttered. A genuine compliment! How was I supposed to react to that?!

“Th-thank you, Pap...” I mumbled. His smile brightened.

I tried to pull myself together enough to have a proper conversation with him, something I’d been dying to do since we’d met. I was finally human again and could actually talk to him! I couldn’t mess this up, just because of a little (well, okay, a lot of) embarrassment!

“I’ve been wanting to meet you properly this whole time, actually. There’s so much I want to tell you! So much I want to do with you! Oh, I can hardly wait! I, uh... just need to find some clothes, first...” I trailed off, feeling shy once more.

“OH! RIGHT! CLOTHES!” Papyrus exclaimed, as if he’d forgotten that I was completely naked. I wasn’t sure how I should feel about that... “PLEASE, FRIEND! TAKE MY SHIRT!! I’LL GET YOU SOMETHING BETTER LATER!”

Before I could protest, he lifted the t-shirt he was currently wearing up, and over his skull, and then handed it out to me. His skull was facing purposely away from me, his other hand covering his eye sockets for good measure. My heart warmed at his consideration. My face burned at the sight of his bare torso, however, his rib cage on full display. I’d never found bones attractive before, but I found his oddly alluring. Must be because they were his body, and everything about him was irresistible to me.

With no small amount of effort, I tore my eyes away from his ribs, and the teasing glimpse of his iliac crest, peaking out of the top of his long shorts. I quickly donned his shirt, feeling much better now that I had some actual clothing on, even if it was just a t-shirt. Since Papyrus was so tall, with such broad shoulders, his shirt fell to the middle of my thighs, covering up all of my private parts, although it was so wide, it left one of my shoulders bare, and dipped dangerously low. I cleared my throat.

“I’m done. You can look now, Pap,” I called to him. He lifted his hand slightly, peaking at me to make sure that I was decent, before fully uncovering his eye sockets and turning to face me properly. I gave him my brightest smile, “And thank you, Papyrus. Not just for the shirt, but for, well, everything . I... I can’t tell you how much it means to me. You really are my hero, you know? You saved me, took me in, cared for me, introduced me to all of your friends and family, did your very best to make sure that I was always happy, and now... You broke my spell. Gave me my true form back. I couldn’t have done it without you. So, thank you .”

Papyrus gave me an oddly intense, thoughtful look.

“I BROKE YOUR SPELL? THE ONE WHICH NEEDED TRUE LOVE’S KISS TO BREAK?? DOES THAT MEAN THAT... I AM YOUR TRUE LOVE?!?”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart pounding in my chest, and my face heating up again. I gripped the edges of his shirt tightly.

“W-Well, m-maybe? I-I mean, it was just a hypothesis, really, I wasn’t sure how exactly the spell worked, given how badly I’d messed it up, so who knows what kind of love was required to break it...”

As I babbled to him, Papyrus’s face slowly fell, noticeable disappointment in his expression the more I seemed to refute his last statement. I bit my lip. He was right. He was my true love. And I shouldn’t deny it, not to him. He was always brave, always confident. I wanted to be more like him. Which meant that I needed to put all of my heart and soul into my words, and confess my true feelings to him, regardless of the consequences! I sucked in a deep breath, and steeled my nerves.

“No, you’re right, Papyrus. You are my true love. I’m sure of it. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I... I love you. Romantically. In case that wasn’t clear.”

I held my breath, as I awaited his response. Papyrus gazed at me with wide eye sockets. Little flecks of light shimmered in their depths, growing brighter and brighter the longer I looked. A blush soon spread across his cheek bones, as his smile widened.

“WOWIE... YOU LOVE ME... YOU HAVE FEELINGS FOR ME...! ROMANTIC FEELINGS! FOR ME!! WOWIE!!!” his voice got louder and more excited as he spoke. He looked downright giddy. Hope blossomed in my chest. “I-I’M STILL NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT MY FEELINGS FOR YOU ARE, SINCE I’VE ONLY KNOWN YOU AS MY VERY COOL DOG UP TIL NOW... BUT! THE MORE I TALK WITH YOU! AND THE MORE I LOOK INTO YOUR VERY PRETTY EYES! THE MORE MY SOUL FEELS... WARM. YOU MAKE MY SOUL GLOW. IF I SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU... WILL THOSE FEELINGS GROW?? I WANT TO FIND OUT.”

I gulped, feeling a little light-headed from Papyrus’s own confession. That was... better than I’d dared hope for. It wasn’t a rejection, and he seemed to feel something for me. Something that made his soul glow . And from the spark of white I could faintly see, shining within his rib cage, that wasn’t merely an expression. His soul appeared to be literally glowing. Oh wow. That was... Wow...

Papyrus leaned in towards me. There was something a little... seductive in his expression. Which wasn’t good for my poor heart.

“AND THE BEST WAY TO FIND OUT... IS WITH A KISS... RIGHT?” my heart skipped a beat. Yep, really not good for my heart. “IF I KISS YOU... I’M SURE I’LL FIND OUT JUST HOW... ROMANTIC MY FEELINGS FOR YOU ARE. YOU KISSED ME, AND YOUR SPELL BROKE. SO THAT MEANS THAT I’M YOUR... TRUE LOVE ... IF I KISS YOU, THEN I’LL BE ABLE TO FIND OUT IF YOU’RE MY TRUE LOVE AS WELL. RIGHT? RIGHT! NYEH HEH HEH... I’M A GENIUS.”

I could barely hear him over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. All I could do was nod, my breathing getting heavier. He leaned forward a little more, and I unconsciously leaned back.

“AND BESIDES... YOU ONLY KISSED MY CHEEK BONE! AS A DOG! THAT WASN’T A PROPER KISS! AND YOU DESERVE A PROPER KISS! DON’T YOU? MY GOOD GIRL...”

Ah fuck. I would never be able to resist this guy, would I? His dating power was just too strong for me.

“SO... WILL YOU LET ME KISS YOU? PLEASE??”

I nodded breathlessly, feeling hot all over. But Papyrus waited, not seeming satisfied with just a nod. Did he want to hear me say it? Oh boy... I wet my suddenly dry lips, taking note of how his gaze followed the movement, brightly burning eyelights shooting to my tongue, and then staying fixed on my lips. I gulped.

“O-Okay... Sure. I... I want to k-kiss you, as well. That last one... really didn’t count as a proper kiss. True love’s kiss should be more... well, more . So... please, kiss me properly, Papyrus.”

His gaze grew heated at my whispered words. He looked feverishly into my eyes, desire sparking in his eye sockets, specks of light burning fiercely within their depths, like miniature stars. He leaned further towards me, and I leaned further back in response. Until my back hit the mattress. Papyrus loomed above me, his arms coming up to the sides of my head. I could see his soul glowing brighter, now fully visible as an upside-down white heart, pulsing slightly. His skull came closer and closer, and I closed my eyes, eagerly anticipating my long-awaited kiss.

It was at that moment, that the door swung open and Sans walked in.

“hey bro, you seen my-”

The shorter skeleton came to an abrupt halt, as he took in the scene of a shirtless Papyrus leaning over me, as I’m wearing nothing but his brother’s shirt (and a dog collar, couldn’t forget that ), the both of us laying on his bed. Sans’s eye sockets went black, sweat beading on his brow as a bright blush lit up his entire skull.

“woops, sorry for bargin’ in, i see you’re busy there, don’t mind me.”

He quickly back-pedalled, slamming the door behind him. As my mind descended into chaos, only one coherent thought managed to drift to the surface.

I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer for that kiss.

___________________________________________

This has been one heck of a wild ride. I've had so much fun writing this, and I've grown really attached to all these characters (or rather, my interpretations of them). I might return to this world in the future, and write a bit more about Witch Reader and Paps, but for now, I'm really satisfied with things as they are. Besides, the backlash to my Frans shipping has reignited my passion for Frans, so I want to go back to writing for my OTP for a bit, and bask in the warm fuzzies I get from them. The best way to combat hate is with love! And I have a lot of love in my heart for these two. They make me happy and I deserve to be happy, same as everyone else.

This is the second multi-chaptered fic I've ever completed (the rest are still WIPs atm), so I'm super proud of this achievement. Whatever anyone else thinks about it, I'm happy with it. It turned out way longer than I could ever have anticipated, but that's just how the story went. The scenes ended when they needed to, not when I wanted them to, and that happened to be later than I expected. It really shows how little control I (and most writers, apparently) have over my own works. I decide what happens to these characters, so you'd think I'd be their god, but in reality, I'm actually their bitch.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my entire fic. I hope you enjoyed it at least half as much as I did. Now, I'm off to take my long-awaited break from writing, and catch up on all the things I've had to put off to focus on my WIPs. Au revoir!

#JMB writes #papyrus x reader #papyrus #witch reader #papyrus my beloved #minor frans #minor sans x frisk #flowey #he's an asshole and I love him #less papyrus in this last part #but what papyrus you do get is... a little spicy #nothing too serious though #sorry?#this version of sans is the most canon compliant one I've written yet #meaning he doesn't remember resets #but he still angsty sad boi

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