There's A Lot More We've Yet To See

Corporeal

Their first night back ends with three children sharing a bed.

Or two, that they pushed together to the center of the room with the power of their combined determination.

Frisk smiles proudly at their handiwork, dusting their hands off as a sign of a job well done. Asriel selects three stuffed toys from his side of the room and carefully cradles them in his arms.

He hands one over to Frisk, who accepts it with a smile. He brightens. He did it! He did something right! He made them smile! He hops off happily towards his other sibling.

It's a little harder.

Now, there is a certain stiffness as he offers Chara Colonel Cottoneye, a certain pause as he holds it out for them, suddenly unsure and timid around the best friend he'd been missing for years. He wants them to take it, take it and smile, so he can banish the awkwardness and things can return to how they were.

They do take it, and they do smile and say, "Thank you, Asriel." But he knows Chara and they're not really smiling right now. Not the smile he knows. Right now, they're lost. They're lost and uncomfortable and unsure, as though this was the first night all over again and all they had between them was a conversation about falling.

Was something wrong? But of course he knows the answer.

Something tugs at his chest and he doesn't need to wonder what it is, because General Button is already on the floor and Chara in his arms, the stuffed toy they still clutched against his chest.

It's not fair, it's not-- because this is their Home and they don't deserve not to feel like it is. They belong here. And if not here, then with him. They always did belong together, after all; Chara and Asriel, Asriel and Chara. They fit with each other. Always. Perfectly.

Hundreds of years can't change that. Lying flowers can't either. Not even demons or ghosts.

He tries his best to put these feelings into words, but that has never been his strong suit. He tries anyway.

He can feel Frisk smiling behind him, sending quiet encouragement the way only they can. Quietly, he says, "I missed you. A lot."

"I know," Chara replies after a beat. "I heard you the first time around."

There's a resigned bitterness that shouldn't be there, and all he wants is to find it and squash it dead. "Then you know... That I love you more than anything."

He tries, he really does, but his voice still breaks and his eyes water and his hold tightens. He tries, but he can't stop the emotion rushing at him, because finally, finally, the person he's been searching for is here. Here in his arms, where he can hold them. Where he can run his fingers through their hair, where he can hold their hand, where he can feel their fingers brushing against his fur.

"I love you, Chara."

I love you more than you hate humanity.

I love you more than I hated being a flower.

I love you.

He doesn't say a thing, but he knows they'll understand. They've always understood.

Asriel feels Chara finally drop the arms crossed over their chest and wrap it around him instead. He feels them lean their face against his shoulder and sigh. He can only hope that's good.

He feels that there's something more to this conversation, but for now, this is okay. They're just kids, and they're just tired, and they have all the time in the world to put off til tomorrow. This is okay, because they're together again. The pieces are whole again, back where they belong.

And now, they have something to hold them together.

He doesn't expect Chara to do so, but they lean away slightly and smile at Frisk, unwrapping an arm from around him as an invitation for a hug.

Frisk jumps at the offer, nearly sending all three of them toppling over, but they manage. Asriel laughs as they stand together in a circle, the three Royal children. Chara has tears in their eyes, and so does he, and even Frisk's lip quivers. And he laughs a little louder at how ridiculous they must look.

"Crybabies," Chara smiles.

"Look who's talking!" Frisk giggles.

"You guys are dorks."

"And you love us," Asriel declares with finality.

"Sure thing, Goatbro."

"Bedtime!"

Asriel ends up in the middle somehow, as the two humans reason that he's the fluffiest and warmest and it's unfair to only have him on one corner. Absolutely no monopolising the fluffball whatsoever.

His siblings latch onto him on either side, Chara on his right shoulder, Frisk on his left, their arms thrown over him and held. Chara lifts up his ear and snuggles under it, prompting a round of giggles from Frisk who is then urged to do the same. Thanks, Chara, now he has two clingy humans using him as a blanket instead of one.

But it's nice.

Eventually, the children fall asleep, hopefully off to a place devoid of flowers or dust or weaponry or blame.

💐

And so ends an incredibly rushed one-shot of babies being happy-ish. (I just need them to have this, dang it, Toby.) Have some nice Dreemurr children in a state of okay-ness for your SOUL.

And Chara is still slightly hung up on the whole "You're the kind of friend I wish I had" thing.

So... vote, follow, comment? (Am I doing this right)

[Edit: Dunno, made it a little less rushed? I guess.]