MurderVictim

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In the silence that stretched before them, Frisk had accepted that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep. After such a horrible nightmare, one so vivid with Chara's voice and face, perhaps it was for the best that Frisk didn't fall back unconscious. The brothers deserved their rest.

Her breathing had evened out considerably, interrupted from time to time by her soft sniffles. Everything would be okay. She just had to keep telling herself that.

She looked up at Papyrus as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Her blank expression broke into a soft smile at the suggestion of hot chocolate. She didn't hesitate to nod, though she did pause before getting up.

Silently, Frisk set her gaze on Sans. It was hard to see him in the dark room, but she could see his outline just fine. She didn't want to leave him alone, but he needed his sleep. Without a word, she tucked the blankets further over him, then looked back up at Papyrus with her same smile.

Frisk didn't let go of Sans' jacket. It grounded her like even the Great Papyrus couldn't. It left her with a feeling of protection. If she failed in keeping Chara away, Sans would handle her. He'd stop her, she knew he would. Even if it took a hundred reloads and resets.

Rather than carry it, Frisk wore the the jacket. She hugged herself to pull it closer as she headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry I woke you guys up," she said with a sigh as she sat at the table. She rubbed at her eyes, which had dark rings under them from lack of sleep.

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For a long while, Frisk was somewhere else. She was lost in a sea of terror and memories, swept further and further away by every horrible thing she had done in past timelines. Unlike her usual nightmares, Frisk recalled everything that had to do with that one entity in particular. The girl whose hate was so powerful, it easily corrupted Frisk's friendly nature time and time again.

She had been absent throughout this entire timeline. Of course, that wasn't too unusual. Sometimes she stayed away, leaving Frisk and the entirety of the Underground alone. Considering that, Frisk wasn't sure if everything had only been a hallucination put on by her guilty mind. Dear god, did she hope it was.

Either way, Frisk couldn't tell where she was at first. Her mind began to shift back to reality, where her heart was hammering and there were arms holding her. It was like she was finally waking up. There were tears on her face, and her throat was a little raw from screaming. But she was warm, and the soft whispers in her ears made her feel secure.

Was it Sans? No...No, it had been Sans. Now it was Papyrus comforting her. She eased her tense body, melting against the brothers. She was still a little lost, but at least she was safe. if she had truly returned, Chara couldn't get her.

But Chara could get anyone else.

At that thought, Frisk held on to Papyrus with one arm, while the other clutched at the jacket that was still in her hold. She wanted to say something to comfort the brothers, to say that she was all right, but couldn't find her voice.

There was no way she was going to be going back to sleep that night.

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Again, Frisk found herself in a field of flowers. Their golden hue was all she could see in every direction. The stretch of darkness that existed beyond the pedals was hardly noticeable, and only if she looked up.

This was definitely a dream. Frisk could feel it deep within her soul from the very beginning. Strangely enough, she felt calm. Rather than feel anxious and scared, wondering when she'd pop into the judgement hall for Sans' final words, she instead felt at peace. Everything was quiet and tranquil.

Frisk smiled and reached her hand out, catching pollen and stray pedals in her palm. She exhaled softly and drew her fingers in, closing them around the pedals.

"Don't get too comfortable."

Frisk froze. Her fingers went numb, her palm burned. Her very being suddenly felt heavy, and all she could do was grunt in pain. She forced her head up.

The floating pollen and pedals froze, suspended in mid-air for a split second before slowly beginning to move again. As they started back on their perspective paths, the flowers wilted and turned black. Everything else went up like wisps of smoke. The golden glow was cut like a flame, leaving Frisk in total darkness.

Just as,l she found herself able to move again, a red glow faded in at a distance in front of her. It pulsed softly at first, but quickly became a harsh beacon of dark red light. Frisk grit her teeth, recognizing the light as coming from a soul.

A human soul.

She knew this soul well, but still couldn't tell if it was her own or hers.

"Don't you miss the fun?"

Frisk clenched her fists at her sides. The voice boomed overhead, yet it pounded in her very mind. The words surrounded her brain like fingers, reaching and prodding for a grasp on it.

"I miss you, partner."

---

Frisk jolted awake. Her eyes snapped open, wide and unfocused. She couldn't breathe. Her skin was pale and cold, her body shivering every so often. After an antagonizing moment, she finally sucked in a breath.

No. No, no, no. Not now. Never again!

In a flurry of motion, Frisk scampered off the couch and up the stairs. Sans' jacket was clutched in her hand, though she hardly noticed it at all. Rather than rush to Sans like one would expect, she instead dashed into the bathroom.

She just had to make sure.

Frisk threw herself against the counter, breathless despite her run being so short. With her chest heaving, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. To her relief, it was her own. Just her own.

Then it twisted to someone else. Something else. The face that stared back at her was but a mere child's, yet the red eyes bore into her very soul. The child smiled so sweetly and confidently, and seeing it made Frisk feel physically ill.

Frisk screamed. She cried so loudly, it startled even her. She stepped back with her hands over her mouth, and when her back hit the wall she slid down it. She sat in a crumpled heap on the floor, whimpering and hugging Sans' jacket to her chest like it could ward off that evil entity all on its own. She curled in on herself, blubbering softly to herself.

"No, no...Oh god, no."

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Frisk laughed and turned her attention back to eating her meal properly. She twirled her fork through the spaghetti for a moment, thinking of miniscule and unimportant things as she brought up the food to her mouth. The vibe in the room had loosened considerably, allowing her to relax. The monster in front of her was Sans, not some stranger. She had known him for so long, across bad and good timelines. There was no reason to be nervous. She just had to tell herself that.

She glanced up as she grabbed her soda. Sans sure was eating a lot. Sometimes, Frisk feared the skeleton used food as a way to swallow away his nervousness and fears. She had no way to prove this, however. And she wasn't going to pry by asking Sans himself.

Still, she worried.

Putting her soda down, Frisk pushed her empty plate away from her and wiped her mouth. She had only had one helping, but was already feeling full. There was no way she could eat another bite...

Oh, wait. There was pie! Smiling, Frisk reached for the other dessert and cut into it. The sweet, warm smell of butterscotch flooded her nostrils, and her mouth watered. She quickly set a slice on another plate and wasted no time in digging in.

While there was no way she'd be able to eat as much as Sans, Frisk ate until she really couldn't eat another bite. She set her pie plate atop her dinner plate and sighed in content. She nodded at Sans' suggestion. Settling down on the couch sounded nice. A nap sounded better. She gave a glance at the leftover food and dirtied dishes. She'd clean up after her nap, she mentally promised.

With that, Frisk joined Sans on the couch. Typically, she would take the middle cushion or the opposite end. But with a surge of confidence, she instead settled right next to Sans. She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. It was not unlike what she would do as a child, but now it felt...Different. But it was a good different.

She didn't even bother to watch whatever was on TV. Rather, she cuddled closer against him, exhaled a soft breath, and closed her eyes. It didn't take long for her to doze off, and while she did, she murmured soft words...

"I love you, Sans..."

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Frisk snorted and leaned back in her chair with a grin. As Sans continued to eat, she grabbed her soda and took a couple gulps of it. In the middle of that, she heard Sans' loud slurping sounds and tilted the bottle down. She raised an eyebrow curiously. Was that supposed to be a challenge?

She smirked. Challenge accepted!

After setting her soda back down, Frisk picked her fork up and prepared another bite of spaghetti. She looked Sans in the eye as she slurped up the noodles, louder than he had before. Her inner, well-mannered adult told her to stop. She knew better than this!

But she couldn't keep herself from smiling and giggling. Who cared if anyone would find offense in their little challenge? It was fun!

Determined to win, especially since she was the only one with actual lips there, Frisk took another bite. She slurped the noodles up as loud as she could. While she achieved her desired effect, she ended up being cut off by a sudden cough. She laughed through it as she grabbed her napkin and covered her mouth.

"Okay...Okay, you win," she said, continuing to laugh.

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Frisk wanted to thank Papyrus for all the trouble he went through, but he hurried out the door before she could open her mouth. That was okay. She'd just tell him her gratitude later, when he got home. Now, she wanted to focus on the delicious meal set before her and Sans.

Walking to and from Toriel's house had really awoken her appetite. She picked up her fork and looked up at Sans. She smiled and raised an eyebrow at his question. She fondly remembered the last time she wanted to give his ketchup-drinking habit a shot. It was definitely not for her. "Soda please!"

"Thanks," she said with that same smile as she reached for her soda. The bow on it was a sweet touch, and she felt her heart warm upon noticing that Sans' bottle of ketchup had the same treatment. Paps really hadn't missed a thing! This whole set up was so detailed, Frisk had a feeling he must have gotten help. But from who?

"Yeah, this is really good! Papyrus was really sweet to do this all for us." To keep herself from blushing again, Frisk took a bite of food. Unlike Sans, she tried to be polite. But the short skeleton must have been rubbing off on her, because she slurped up a good chunk of noodles. While she grabbed her napkin, she glanced up to see the noodle stuck to the side of Sans' mouth.

After quickly wiping a smudge of sauce from her face, Frisk giggled and gestured with her finger to her mouth. She quickly gave up, however, and instead leaned over with her arm outstretched. She swiftly peeled the noodle from Sans' face and flicked it away, still smiling widely. "The food's missing your mouth, dude," she said as she returned to her seat.

She giggled again and took several more bites. Rather than use her napkin again, Frisk opted to just use the back of her hand. Her mother would probably be appalled, but it was habit.

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The wonderful armomas that greeted Frisk caught her off guard. Normally, she expected to be assaulted by different scents when Papyrus cooked. She loved his cooking, she really did, but even she couldn't stomach half of his favorite cooking techniques. Coming home to a dinner that smelled warm and delicious was a beautiful thing to Frisk.

She smiled up at the taller skeleton, remaining quiet as the brothers talked. She blushed when Papyrus caught sight of her new haircut. It wasn't that much of a change, was it? Toriel hardly took an inch off. Yet it seemed to have done wonders! It was also nice to not have her bangs blocking her eyes as much.

Wait...What was that about Papyrus not joining them? Frisk's heart raced a little at hearing that. Of course, this wasn't the first time Paps had left the two alone, either for late training sessions or quality time with Mettaton. But normally he left plenty of leftovers available for his brother and Frisk. He didn't usually go through so much trouble for a meal.

And...He was even making something besides spaghetti! Since when did that happen? Frisk silently, frantically searched for a possible reason for all of this.

Oh. Oh no. Was this the surprise Sans mentioned? If Paps was leaving the two alone together, then this could only be a date! He was trying to set them up!

Frisk's blush deepened, the heat spreading along her cheeks and down her neck. This wasn't happening...This wasn't happening! She was thrilled, yet at the same time hopelessly lost and scared.

She looked up in time to see Papyrus rush back into the kitchen, then stole a glance at Sans as he took a seat. She hesitated, and soon figured that there was no point in just standing there. Forcing herself forward, Frisk took the seat across from him. Her hands shook, which she tried to hide by putting them in her lap.

Almost instantly, she was reminded of her date with Papyrus all those years ago. Back then, it was just for fun. Frisk hardly had any idea what she was doing, but had enjoyed the time spent with one of her favorite skeletons. She couldn't even remember if it was a real date, or an in-battle joke gone too far. Either way, it was a nice memory. It was in every peaceful timeline.

At that train of thought, Frisk calmed down a little. She took in a deep breath, exhaled softly, and opened her mouth to say something. When she saw Sans' eyes closed, however, she stopped and smiled.

She wasn't going to disturb him. Rather, she sat back in her chair and relaxed. Everything was going to be fine.

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Frisk nodded, trying to hide her disappointment in hearing about the barrier. It had been so long since the last she had thought of it. She had hoped there would have been some progress made. Of course, breaking that barrier wasn't going to be easy by any means. Frisk tried to tell herself that there wasn't anything she could do.

Except there was.

When she was still a child, Frisk would sometimes feel guilty. Her soul would be the final one needed. She was there, in plain view and easy grasp for everyone to catch. It was like she was dangling a key in front of a caged animal, then swiping it away the moment it reached out. It would have been so easy for everyone to overpower her together and take her straight to Asgore. Yet, once she befriended everyone, they didn't even attempt to touch her.

It wasn't fair. Even as an adult, Frisk would consider it from time to time. It would be so simple. All they needed was one more soul; her soul. If they got that, maybe everyone would be safe. Safe from her and her resets. After everything she put them through, they deserved at least that.

Especially Sans.

Frisk was jostled from her thoughts as Sans mentioned him wearing a tux. She looked at him and smirked. "Yeah, you definitely would. But you wouldn't really be Sans anymore." As they walked, she inched closer to him, enough to let their arms brush against each other.

Looking up as they came upon the house, Frisk wasn't expecting Sans to open the door for her. She stood there for a moment, surprised, but soon smiled and continued into the house. "Thanks," she said as she passed him. It wasn't really like Sans to be a gentleman of the traditional sense, but she wasn't gonna complain.

Once inside, her curiosity soared as she wondered what sort of surprise Papyrus had waiting for them.

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Frisk watched as Sans bolted, too stunned to say anything. She wanted to call out to him, shout for him to wait, but by the time she found her voice it was too late. Her arms fell to her sides, and her shoulders slumped. Did he really hate it that much? Had she somehow offended him? Frisk could see how that could be possible, but Sans was such a mystery to her that she wasn't sure what could set him off. Other than harming Papyrus, anyway.

Frisk rubbed one arm and stared at the floor. This was a bad idea. She should have just kept it all to herself. Pretending her emotions weren't there was so much easier than all...this. Whatever this was.

After a short moment, Frisk inhaled a deep breath and looked up. Toriel was so sure of everything, so wise even in this situation. Frisk would just have to trust her. She'd have to hope that this wouldn't shatter their friendship. Out of anything, that was the thing she absolutely couldn't lose. Not again.

Sighing, Frisk hurried to the stairs, hoping Sans hadn't completely left the ruins without her. She rushed down the stairs and down the hall, only stopping in her mad dash once she turned the corner and spotted the skeleton. She slowed to a nervous walk, happy to see that he hadn't gone too far, but unsure of how he would receive her presence.

She relaxed a bit when she saw his smile. Well, at least she didn't lose that. Walking with him, she didn't expect him to say anything. When he did, her first response was to look at the snow on the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't mean...I didn't think...Uh. Thanks." Frisk looked up at him with a small, shy smile. "Toriel said you might like it." Frisk brought her fingers up to her bangs, smoothing the strands down and readjusting them nervously.

"How's the uh," Frisk paused, trying to find something to inquire about just to change the subject. "How's the barrier doing?"

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Frisk stood before him, her hands fidgeting with each other as she watched his reaction. Her heart switched from its fast and pounding pace, to being so still that she was sure it had stopped. She wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Sans wasn't the type to get excited over anything, hardly having enthusiasm for anything. She tried to remember that when he didn't say much.

Was that bad? Was that good? She didn't know, and that's what made her feel even more nervous. Why was Sans always so hard to read?

Her thoughts stopped the moment his bony fingers brushed her bangs. She held her breath, listening to the single word that left his mouth. Wow? So...He liked it? Frisk began to smile, then Sans was turning away from her.

Wait, had she done something wrong? "O-Oh. Cool." Frisk tried to put a smile in her tone, but it was still too shaky. She looked down at her hands, no longer able to keep staring at the skeleton. Since he wasn't looking at her anymore, she was sure he had decided he didn't like her new appearance. Or just didn't care once he had gotten over his initial shock.

Again, this was Sans. Frisk had to remember that he really wasn't the type of guy to notice or like appearances. He seemed too laidback for that. Still, Frisk couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

"That's fine, Sans. Thank you for coming to visit." Toriel appeared behind Frisk with her usual smile. She put a paw on Frisk's shoulder, prompting her to look up at her.

When Frisk did, she saw a sly grin on Tori's face that screamed for her not to worry. The goat winked at her, then her expression was back to its normal, warm smile. The queen leaned down to place a final kiss on Frisk's head.

"See you later, Mom." Frisk matched Tori's smile, feeling a little more at ease. She'd just have to trust the old goat. "Love you!"

"Love you too, sweetheart." Toriel gently pet the human's hair, then continued on through the living room. Before she vanished into the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder at the two. Her soul couldn't contain how precious this all was! There'd be time for overprotective mama Toriel later. Right now, she was going to let kids be kids.

"So...Should we go?" Frisk gestured towards the stairs.