Once they were home, Toriel laid her boys down on Chara's bed, watching as they cuddled close to each other. As the boys found their comfortable spots, Chara took hold of the golden necklace around his neck. He gave it a little squeeze before letting his eyes close to sleep off the remaining serums in his body.
Frisk was holding Chara's hand as he slowly fell asleep. Like Chara, Frisk held his hand close to his heart as if something special was closed inside. Seeing the boys like this made Toriel very happy as she went to fetch the camera, wanting to capture the adorable moment before it's gone.
As she left the room, Flowey looked down at his friends, taking in Chara's condition before looking over at Frisk. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them, after all, it wasn't everyday that he saw his best friend and scariest person he knew get injured this badly. He couldn't believe that Chara would ever let himself get this bad again, not after how hurt he was when he first fell. It was almost impossible to believe that someone like him who was strong enough to kill everyone with no compassion to be so defeated. It was almost like looking back at the past, the Chara who knew nothing of love but would smile anyways, but so desperately needing it to the point where he cried at the new experience.
As he studied the sleeping boys carefully, Flowey could see the dry black substance under his eyes and on the corner of his mouth. Chara's skin was covered in bruises from everywhere he could see. Some had to have been from needles while the others could be from something else. Even Chara's eyes looked drained as if he had no energy to move. The bags under his eyes made it look like he hasn't slept in months. Looking over at the boy next to him, Frisk was simply bruised in several places but overall was just as bad as Chara.
"Guys? What happened? Someone wake up and tell me!" he cried out, hoping to wake one of them. He did have questions for them, but since Toriel left, he didnt want to wait until they woke up on their own. Who knows how long that would be. If there was anything he hated more than sticking around in a stupid flower pot all day, it was the fact that he could no longer go anywhere on his own. In other words, he tends to be the last to know things because Frisk and Toriel don't always tell him everything. "Frisk, Chara! What did they do to you guys?"
Frisk was the one who opened his eyes a bit, turning to the flower by his bedside. If he tried to ignore him, Flowey just might wake up Chara, then who knows what would happen. Chara needed the rest more than he did, so Frisk decided to talk with the flower. With a yawn, Frisk sat up on the bed, making sure Chara was covered with the blanket before asking, "what? I'm sorry for not listening. I'm still kind of tired..."
"What happened to Chara? Why does he look like someone tried to drain the life out of him?" Flowey asked, his eyes meeting the exhausted boy's. "What exactly did they do to him?"
Frisk looked down as a frown took over his face. "They didn't mean to hurt him. I'm sure they had a reason for this, but I can't say for sure. Alpyhs, Sans, and Mettaton were testing stuff on him, and found this weird thing inside him. There's a monster inside Chara, Flowey. One i havent seen before."
"I already knew that. I could see it in his eyes," Flowey stated, making it sound as if it were obvious. "Didn't you notice it? You're with him all the time."
Shaking his head no, Frisk asked, "how could you see it in his eyes?"
"His eyes seem different from the last time I've seen him. I'm not sure how to describe it, but they're different now. It's like it's him, but not him at the same time. You know what I mean?"
Frisk shook his head no, not understanding what Flowey meant by that. How could someone be themselves but not themselves at the same time?
Flowey sighed before saying, "I mean it's like..." Looking around the room, Flowey noticed one of the stuffed animals lying around in the corner before saying, "That! You see that doll? He's like that. Whenever Chara wants to do something or has a bad thought, his eyes change."
"Chara's eyes are like a doll's? You mean like they're empty?" Frisk asked, feeling more awake now. There was no way he could make himself fall asleep anymore, knowing this. It made him curious if that was true. Unlike the others, Frisk didn't know Chara back then and had nothing to compare to. Sure, he's seen some old pictures of Chara on his journey around the underground, but had never actually connected it to anything. Maybe now he can, if he manages to find another picture somewhere. "The castle... Didn't the castle have a painting of you guys somewhere?"
Flowey nodded, "yeah, I think so. That was back when I still went by Asriel... I hate being a stupid flower. I miss all the fun since i cant go anywhere." With a sigh, Flowey couldnt help but ask. "Do you think there is a way I can get a different body again? I mean like if Alpyhs can make me one like she did Mettaton?"
Frisk shrugged, unsure about what to say to him. He knew better than anyone how upset Flowey felt for being a delicate little yellow flower. Not only did it remind him of the body he lost, but it was the same flower that had killed Chara several years before.
"If she could, that would be great. Then I could hang out with you and Chara." Flowey looked away silently as thoughts filled his mind. Based on how injured the two boys were, he had also figured he should let his friends rest now. After all, he didn't want to risk waking Chara up, remembering how grumpy that kid could be when he doesn't get enough sleep. "Then maybe I wouldn't be so out of the loop."
When Chara moved a bit, Frisk looked over to make sure that their talking didn't wake him. Luckily Chara was still sound asleep, but instead, Frisk noticed that his locket opened up in his hand. Exchanging looks with Flowey, Frisk carefully pulled the locket out of Chara's hands and took a look. Flowey couldn't help but do the same from where he was, feeling just as curious as to what his best friend kept inside that locket.
"Wow." Frisk couldn't believe what he was seeing. Inside the golden pendant was a family picture of Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, and Chara. In the picture, Chara looked happy to be with his family. To be with monsters. What changed him? Looking back at Flowey, he couldn't help but ask, "he really loved monsters, huh?"
Just as Toriel walked back in with a camera in one hand and a wet rag in the other, she took notice of what Frisk was doing. "Frisk, child, aren't youstill tired? What are you doing with Chara's locket?"
"I was just looking at it." Frisk put it back in Chara's hand, careful not to wake him. "I want to know more about Chara, and how he was before. He looks really happy in the picture."
Toriel nodded as she put down the camera, before taking a seat beside her boys. With the wet rag in hand, she slowly and carefully began to clean his face. She didn't want to wake him, so she decided to be stay silent for now. As soon as Chara's face was clean, she took her now dirty rag and camera in hand before gesturing for Frisk to join her in the other room. Taking Flowey with him, Frisk followed her, leaving Chara to sleep in peace.
After closing the door behind them, Toriel walked over to the kitchen, dropping the rag inside the sink for now before heading back to the living room where Frisk and Flowey were waiting. As she took her seat in her chair, she looked over at Frisk and started her story with how she met Chara, occasionally with Flowey jumping in. She explained to him everything she could remember about that day, especially about Chara and his condition.
Before they knew it, Chara had silently walked into the room, listening to their story for a bit. The more he heard the sympathy in her voice, the more annoyed he got before he decided to speak up. "I'm not that kid anymore! I don't care what happens to the monsters. I just want to kill them for everything they've done to me."
"Chara, why would you say something like that?" Toriel asked, standing up to hug her child. No, she wasn't happy with what he said, but at the same time, she knew why he was saying that. He definitely wasn't the same kid she had raised so long ago. "Why are you up? Aren't you still tired?"
To Frisk's surprise, Chara hugged her before saying, "I'm not tired anymore. That stuff finally wore off. Thanks for saving me, Mom. I wouldn't have been able to get out of there alone without you."
"I'll always come to save you, child. That's why I told you to stay good, so I don't want to hear another word about killing other monsters in this house." Toriel smiled down at her son before saying, "now why don't I get you children some breakfast?"
Frisk looked over at Flowey, exchanging looks before shrugging. "Okay, can we make pie later today?" Toriel nodded before walking over to the kitchen as Chara took a seat by the others. "Wow Chara. I never thought I would see you being nice to mom like that."
"I owe it to her. Without you guys, I would still be tied to that bed, having Alphys hit me with who knows what." Chara looked away from them before saying, "just don't expect this all the time. Being nice is hard for someone like me, and feels weird."
Frisk smiled at the fact that Chara was going to try for them. The way it was heading, he didn't think it would be possible anytime soon to get him to behave. Sure, he knew when something affected the kid, but this was new. After settling down for a nice, warm breakfast, the four of them exchanged friendly conversation for what seemed like a long time. Frisk could see the smile on Toriel's face as she joked around with them, and could tell just how happy she really was. His mom finally had her family back together.
"Hey mom, we're going to go play outside now," Frisk said after Toriel had collected their plates to wash. Toriel gave them a nod before taking the plates back into the kitchen. "Flowey, do you want to come?"
Flowey shook his head no as he pointed back to the kitchen with a leaf, "someone needs to stay to keep her company before another kid becomes your next brother or sister. You guys go on ahead."
With that, the boys were off, deciding to go explore the castle. Hand in hand, they walked, monsters questioning them with every glance as they took in the sight. One friendly soul and one empty vessel. Frisk was walking with a monster that no one has ever seen before. Whenever they overheard someone talking about them, Chara would shoot them a glare to shut them up.
As they got to waterfall, Chara couldn't help but stop in place to stare into a puddle on the floor. Frisk was holding the umbrella over them, but it seemed that the other boy had no interest to get away from the rain pouring down on them. Chara didn't seem bothered by the fact that his hair and green sweater was getting wet.
"I don't get it. Out of everyone here, why would it be me? What makes me so special?" Chara asked, not bothering to look over at Frisk. "Why does it have to be me? What's the point, Frisk? Why haven't you given up on me like everyone else? Why do you believe you can fix me so much?"
Standing beside him now, Frisk held the umbrella over his friend's head, ignoring the water falling on his neck. "Because you deserve to be happy too. No one wants to be alone."
"I deserve it, though. I'm not worth saving," Chara pushed the umbrella away, keeping his eyes on the puddle on the floor. "I've killed so many monsters. I tried to destroy everyone's futures in the name of revenge. I need to kill monsters and humans to be happy, Frisk. I need them to feel the same pain I felt when I lived among them."
Looking down at the puddle now, Frisk frowned as he pictured Chara living alone. If he did kill everyone, would Chara truly be happy? No, like anyone, he'd get lonely over time. Still as he stared into the water, he saw it all play out. The blood on Chara's knife, stained clothes, and hellish smile turning into a constant frown, just unsure of what to do anymore.
"No, you don't. Chara, killing everyone won't make you happy. It would take away everything from you, a home, a family, friends. You really don't want that? Do you really want to be alone for the rest of your life?"
With those words, Chara looked over at him. "I don't want that. In my time, I'm considered a devil child, evil incarnate. I killed Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Alphys, Flowey, you name it! I stole their futures, and I enjoyed it. When they took their last breath, you know what I did? I smiled and walked away. And you know what else? I look forward to doing it all over again." Chara couldn't help but sigh before saying, "as long as I keep resetting, I'll never be alone."
Frisk shook his head no, wishing for his friend to stop. "Chara, please don't say that," he begged, hoping his friend would take his words seriously. Sure, Chara promised no killing in front of him, but he didn't know how long his friend would keep that promise. "You said you wouldn't hurt them."
"Oh, I never promised that. I said no killing in front of you, but I never said I wouldn't hurt them." Chara met his eyes as he said, "they hurt me, Frisk. They drugged me, and did who knows what to me. Do you know why? Because of you. They wanted to try to break this bond between us so they could kill me, because of you. I just want to return everything they did to me. I want to be the one testing stuff on them."
"But tha-" Frisk started.
"What, mean? Bad? Cruel?" Chara interrupted. He crossed his arms across his chest as he glared at his friend. He couldn't help but feel angry that Frisk was being biased towards his friends. Why was it only cruel if he did something in return? "They did it to me! I thought you were my friend, Frisk. Why are you defending them after what they did?"
Frisk looked down for a bit, trying his best to calm the boy down. "I am your friend, Chara. It's just that... I'm sure they had a reason."
"They want to kill me! Look at all the bruises on your arms! They were trying to hurt me, hurt us!" Chara shouted, ignoring the fact that he was getting wet. "I was nothing but a rat to them. I don't want you to end up the same way, Frisk. You know what we have to do, don't you?"
Frisk shook his head no, not wanting to listen anymore.He covered his ears in hopes that Chara wouldn't say it but Chara insisted he needed to hear it. Chara pulled his hands away from his ears before meeting his eyes with a serious face.
"Frisk, we need to get rid of them. I'll leave Toriel and Flowey alive for now, but the others have to go." Chara whispered now, knowing the other was listening. "Please, as my friend, will you help me?"
"Chara..."