A few weeks passed after Asriel's little outburst and ever since then things felt even more different from when they felt after your little trip to the city's more lively district. You didn't know why, but for some reason you wanted to help Asriel even though you had no idea how. Despite Asriel's best efforts to share his understanding of resets with you, you still failed to grasp the concept. All you understood was that it worked similar to save files in video games. Right now however, you had greater worries than wrapping your head around something you wouldn't be able to understand anyway. Midterm exams were coming up, and you spent most of your time studying. Seriously, why does the topic of SOULs have to be so overly complicated?
You groaned in annoyance and kicked your feet off the ground, hoping your chair would roll backwards. Unfortunately you only had a simple chair instead of an office chair. As a result the chair, in which you were still sitting, toppled over and hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Are you alright?" Asriel immediately rushed over to you, bending down to you with a concerned expression on his face. "You're not hurt, are you?"
You simply rubbed the back of your head as you looked around the room with a stunned expression. Did that seriously just happen?
"Yeah, I think I'm OK," despite your initially dazed state, you found your way back on your feet.
"You know, if you have any question regarding SOULs let me know. I'll try my best to explain it to you," the prince offered his help like he has done many times before.
"I think I pretty much got the hang of it by now. What you told me a few months ago helped immensely," you spoke with confidence as you placed your chair back where it belonged.
"Then tell me what you've learned," your caprine friend insisted.
"A SOUL's color is determined by how strongly each of the seven primal traits are present. A SOUL's composition also determines it's compound traits. Black and white souls have all seven traits in balance though they vary in how strong they're present. If all traits are equally strong it's white, if they're equally weak the souls tends to appear gray or even black. Then there's the case of negative SOULs, who invert the color of surrounding light but seem to have no effect otherwise. A SOUL can be turned negative when events 'traumatize' a person. The effect can be reversed if the person overcomes their trauma," you confidently gave him a quick rundown of your knowledge.
Asriel raised his hand to his chin, sinking deep into thought as he determined just how far off you were. His emerald green eyes began to dart back and forth like he was reading a text printed across a way too large paper, while the gears in head began running red hot. If he was thinking this hard you should probably just give up and accept that F.
"Got nothing to add to that. Pair that with what I told you a few weeks back and you should have no troubles with the exam," Asriel happily announced, easing the worries that were on your mind.
"I just hope you're right," you sighed, feeling a little more convinced that you could actually pass the upcoming exams.
"Can you believe it's already been half a year since we joined college? Feels like summer was just yesterday and now we're already busy with midterms," Asriel sighed as he began to reminisce of the first few days of college.
"Yeah, time really flies by when you're not paying attention," you reply sounded almost absentmindedly as you were focused on your studies.
It was obvious that Asriel was looking for a way to strike up a conversation but right now you had other priorities. Even though Asriel offered you numerous times to just live a life of luxury with him, you still wanted to get your degree so you could be independent, or rather get the chance to become independent. Finding a job without a having a home was impossible. Ditching your studies and living with Asriel would mean that you'd be dependent on him, and you didn't want that either. You wanted to have the freedom of shaping your own life.
Time passed and you must have been studying until the late evening. In fact, you were so engrossed in your studies you didn't even notice how Asriel turned on the TV. It was only when a very certain name fell, while Asriel was zapping through the various channels, that you snapped out of your trance.
"Hold on, go back a few channels," you requested, causing Asriel to flinch in surprise. He did not expect you to speak up all of a sudden, but complied with your request.
"... has been confirmed dead on the scene by authorities. The three hour long chase ended in a fatal crash off the roads near the base of Mt. Ebott. No other people were harmed during the chase," the news anchor read off their teleprompter. "A police raid earlier today revealed that von Kaiser planned an attack on the H&D college, a college that made the news earlier this year for being the first college to allow Nekos to enroll. The documentary 'The emperor of madness' will show further details of the life of Johannes von Kaiser. And now, Becky with the weather."
You couldn't believe what you just heard. Von Kaiser has officially been confirmed dead. A wide smile began to spread across your face, as morbid as it may sound. You felt as if you've been liberated from a burden that held you back from unleashing your true potential. Finally you could roam free without being afraid. No longer would you have to jump at the smallest move within the shadows of you peripheral vision.
Asriel simply looked at you with mixed feelings. "I know that guy was supposed to be a terrible person but does that justify celebrating his death? I mean..." he was cut off by you when pulled him into a sudden hug only to release him seconds later and back off with an awkward expression.
"He, he," you chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a little emotional there."
Asriel couldn't response, despite his best efforts. All that passed his lips were mumbling sounds, a salad of chopped words and the occasional bleat. In addition to that it also looked like someone dumped a bucket of crimson red paint over his head. You feared that he might pass out from all that blood rushing to his face.
"Looks like I'm finally free now. I can't believe von Kaiser is actually dead. If I had the money I'd probably invite you to celebrate with me," you joked but fell quite again when your phone began buzzing. Leo was calling.
"Hey ____, have you heard the news?" Leo sounded quite excited.
"Yeah, I did. Parts of it at least," you replied, unable to hide your own excitement.
"Best news I heard in a long time. Seriously, we can finally go out without being paranoid someone might jump us," Leo sounded ecstatic, "Anyways, I'd love to chat a little more but midterms are starting tomorrow. So, guess I'll talk to you some other day," Leo hung up on you, making you wonder why he called in the first place. But he had a point. Midterms were right around the corner and you should probably get some sleep.
You woke up early the next day and freshened up in the bathroom. This was the week that would decide if your weeks and months of diligent studying paid off or if they were nothing more than a huge waste of time. After strengthening yourself with breakfast, you and Asriel moved on to your classroom where you took your seat. The exams were handed out and with the time limit set, the excruciating process began.
As you were filling out the various answers, you noticed just how quickly the answers came to you. You breezed through the various questions with ease, only struggling at a few questions that proved to be a lot trickier than expected. Even then, you managed to finish in time, handing in your papers with a feeling of confidence. The days that followed felt quite similar. Even if your results were only half as good as you expected them to be, you'd pass with good grades.
With exams out of the way, you'd only have one more thing to take care of before winter break. The great performance of the play you practiced so hard for. While the play was still a week ahead, you could feel a sense of anxiousness built up inside you. For half a year you practiced and recited and soon enough you'd see if it was worth it.
"You're feeling nervous about everything too, don't you?" Asriel approached you from behind, sounding as if you were just about to go out and save the world from some evil force.
"Kinda. I'm fairly confident about my exams. It's the play that worries me," you sighed in response as you began to feel the weight that the play put on you.
"If it helps, my role is minuscule compared to yours and I already feel like freaking out just by thinking about it," Asriel tried to sound reassuring, but instead of easing your worries his words only added to them.
You were playing a leading role, no, THE leading role. You'd be in the limelight for the majority of time. In case you mess up, you can't just bail out or shrug it off because you part in the play is already over. No, you'd have to go out there again and again, finishing the job you started. There was no room for mistakes and even though you knew the script by heart, you still feared that your mind just goes blank and flushes out every line you spent hour learning. Is this what they call stage fright? Maybe it would be a good idea to go to bed. The stressful days aren't over yet and not getting enough sleep was the last thing you needed right now.
The days that followed were mostly spend with preparations for the play. Existing props were improved, damaged ones repaired or replaced. The entire team practiced how to quickly set up for the next scene and certain acts were further refined. With every day the great performance drew closer, the drama club members became more and more anxious and before you knew it, the day of performance would be only one day away. On that night, you went to bed with a feeling of anxiety stronger that anything you ever felt before.
The dawn of the next day rolled over the horizon and with it came not only the great day you were preparing for, it was also the day you'd find out whether you passed your exams or not. Asriel was already up and about, scurrying through the room like a ferret. He stopped when he saw you were awake.
"Hey, you're finally up," he sounded nervous as he spoke in a hurried tone.
"Yeah, more or less," you answered tiredly. Despite your best efforts, you couldn't really get some restful sleep. "So, today's the day. How're you feeling?"
"I feel like running. I joined the drama club so I could learn how to feel more comfortable when speaking to crowds. But right now, I want to ditch everything, run away and hide until it's over," Asriel replied nervously, the expression on his face showing that he felt almost ashamed for what he said.
"Really? You made it this far and now you're just going to tug tail? I get it, your anxious, I feel the same. But you can't just run away now. We spend months practicing and everyone is relying on us. This isn't the time to give up. This is the time where we go out and show them what we can do. Show everyone what you can really do. Believe in yourself as much as I believe in you," you gave your best motivational speech you could come up with in your tired state, and it seemed to be working. Asriel's expression eased visibly.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," he was smiling again, which was a good sign.
"They posted the exam results today, didn't they? Why don't we go check them out?" you proposed, causing Asriel to simply nod in response. That settled it. Once you were freshened up, you'd check how badly you failed at your exams.
After finishing your morning routine, you went downstairs and checked the blackboard where the various exam results were posted. Countless other students were already present, checking their results. Most of them had tears in their eyes, some were tears of joy, others were tears of misery. Once the crowd began to clear, you finally managed to get a look at your results and they surprised you. Either your classes are filled to the brim with idiots, or your studies actually payed off. Somehow, you ended up top of the class, paired with Asriel. Both of you got 100%.
"Well, this is a surprise," you sounded baffled by your own accomplishments.
"What do you mean? You studied harder than anyone else. This isn't some twist of fate, that's the result of hard work," Asriel sounded much less surprised.
"Well, yeah. I did study day and night but still. I did not expect this," you remained almost cautious, as if this was all just a big misunderstanding.
"Anyway, why don't you keep this for some other day. Our performance is later today and we should be in peak condition for that," Asriel reminded, trying to mask his nervousness with a more happy tone. You nodded and moved on to breakfast.
The entire college was filled with an aura of commotion. Students were talking about their grades, their plans for winter break and of course the upcoming play, the latter making you feel more and more anxious. It was as if all those recitals didn't help at all. By now, you knew everything by heart but actually performing on stage, where everyone could see, students and professors alike, made you fear for the worse. But there was no point in it. With all this time spent practicing you couldn't just jump ship now, especially after what you told Asriel yesterday. So you simply retreated to your dorm after breakfast and mentally prepared yourself for what's to come.
The evening quickly approached and all students were called into the college's biggest auditorium. The room was packed full with students, though not all of them would be there for the play. Many would leave after Toriel finishes her speech. At least that's what you hoped for. So Toriel began her speech, talking about how successful the year was for the college and it's students and how well the integration of Nekos proceeded despite numerous minor setbacks. As her speech drew to an end, she concluded by wishing everyone happy holidays and a successful new year. She then announced that everyone was free to leave if they weren't interested in the play before passing the stage to the drama club.
This is it, the moment you dreaded. You appearance was still a little ahead, which, for better or worse, gave you a little more time to think about what's about to happen. If you pull this off without failing miserably you might be able to improve your reputation, which was quite necessary. This was an opportunity, an opportunity to either give your reputation an enormous boost or become a laughing stock. But you were out of time. The opening act concluded, and it was your time to take the stage by storm.
So you entered the stage and the first thing you noticed was how little the number of students decreased. Word must have gotten around that Asriel would be on stage too. Nearly everyone was present. You were pretty sure the numbers increased over all. Sure, some students left, but every single professor was seated among the crowd of people. But this was no longer the time to worry yourself. This was the moment where you forget yourself and become the character you're supposed to play.
The scenes played out, one after another, and not once did you notice any signs of anxiety. You were no longer you and the world was no longer the world it was. The world become one of fiction, and you were no longer you but the character you were supposed to be. It was as if there was no crowd. For the entire play you managed to stay in character, playing you role as if you've never been someone else, captivating every single soul that was out there. The play almost flew by, and the final act approached before you even realized it. It was only the tiny break to seat up the new scenery, that made you realize just how close to the end the play was, and how close the kissing scene with Asriel was.
You were called back on stage, and the final act began. The annihilation of the city of stars, the controversial climax of the play. But beforehand came the short moment of respite, at least story wise. You could feel how desperately your heart wanted to quit it's job, pack up and jump out of your chest to pursue it's dreams. Every second brought the moment closer where you and Asriel were supposed to 'kiss' and even though you practiced the scene numerous times, nearly perfecting the art of kissing without actual contact, you still felt nervous without knowing why. Then the moment came, the moment you dreaded most of all, and Asriel actually did it. He kissed you, straight on the lips. You wanted to scold him, you wanted to give him hell in front of all those people that were watching but you swallowed down your initial anger. This was not the time to loose your cool. The show must go on.
The play ended with standing ovations. Everyone seemed to have loved it and the entire cast stood on the stage, basking in the cheers and applause they were showered with. The play was a huge success, but you couldn't really enjoy all the admiration you got. There was something different that burned on your mind, searing away every other thought that could intrude. Asriel kissed you and it made you realize something. This strange, indescribable feeling you developed, it was love. Somehow, at some point in time, Asriel managed to captivate your heart. The wish to see him happy, to help him out of his misery, it was because you fell for him and you until now, you never realized it. Speaking of Asriel, where was he? He wasn't with you and the others on stage.
The evening finally concluded, and you returned to your dorm for the night. Asriel was already there, sitting on his bed with an expression that made him look like his mind was trying to divide by zero.
"Hey Azzy," you spoke softly as you sat down next to him. His gaze instantly snapped towards you when you called him.
"Looks like the play was a success," Asriel replied hesitantly, fearful almost.
"Yeah, it was," you replied equally hesitant. This was probably the most awkward things have ever been between you and Asriel.
"I'm sorry I kissed you," after a long, awkward, pause Asriel finally spoke up again.
"It's alright. You actually made me realize something," you replied, causing Asriel's expression to freeze. He simply stared at you in bewilderment. "It made me realize that this feeling I had for you was something I didn't really expect."
Asriel began to tear up slightly while he slowly began to put one and one together while you sat there in silence, looking for the words you were trying to say. But no matter how hard you looked, you simply couldn't find them. No matter where you looked, you simply could not find the words you wanted to say. So you did the next best thing that came to mind, and hugged Asriel. You threw your arms around him and pulled him close to you.
Countless minutes passed in silence, countless minutes until you finally found the words you wanted to say. So you pulled back, holding Asriel by his shoulder and looking him straight in the eyes with a smile. "I love you."
The caprine took several moments but the second Asriel realized what you just said, he began to break into a mess of tears. Once more did the threw his arms around you, hugging you as tightly as his overwhelmed stated allowed. And he cried, he cried tears of joy while you held him in your arms.
Even more time passed, night has long befallen the world, and Asriel finally managed to compose himself again. He looked at you, beaming with joy. "I guess this makes it official. It's no longer play pretend and make believe."
"Yeah, I guess so," you replied, yawning from exhaustion soon afterward. "Geez, I'm beat. Guess it's about time for us to go to bed."
"Hey, uhm. Before you go to bed, could we push the beds together?" Asriel spoke in a sheepish tone, a red tint shimmering from underneath his fur. "I mean, we're officially a couple now and the beds were designed so couples could push them together if they wanted to."
"Fine by me," you agreed, and so you began to push your beds towards each other.
That night felt different from any other night before. You finally found your place in the world and it was right by Asriel's side.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you. Could we go see my parents tomorrow? You don't have a place to stay for winter break and I thought that, maybe we can arrange something," Asriel spoke tiredly, some parts of what he said nearly inaudible. You replied with a simply hum, agreeing to Asriel's little wish.
Morning rolled over the horizon one more time and you felt refreshed in a way you haven't felt before. It really is true, sleeping next to someone you love really improves sleep. Asriel was already up and by the looks of it he already took a shower. You followed suit and took a shower yourself before you and Asriel departed for Toriel's office. He already let his mother know that he wanted to talk to her about something and he also asked his father to come.
As you arrived at Toriel's office door, you felt an entirely new kind of anxiety. It hasn't been a single day and you were already going to meet your boyfriends' parents as his parents. You already met his parents before, but you only met them as a student and not as Asriel's boyfriend. But there was no way around it. You were already there and, without even noticing, seated in one of the chairs in front of Toriel's desk. Both of Asriel's parents were there and they both looked equally confused.
"Why did you want to talk to us so suddenly? Is ____ giving you troubles?" Toriel asked with concern.
Asriel sighed and whispered something about how he wanted to make this as quick as possible. "Mom, Dad. ____ and I, we're dating. More than that. ____'s my boyfriend."
Asriel's parents looked surprised at first. Sure, both heard the rumors, but neither of them was giving them too much thought. Asgore was the first to recover, and he quickly shot you a smile. He seemed genuinely happy that Asriel found his special someone. Toriel on the other hand, was much less impressed.
"Asriel, do you know what that means?" she spoke ominously, though you could already guess what she meant.
"Yes, and it doesn't matter. ____ and all the other Nekos, were engineered to stop aging completely once they reach adulthood. ____, won't die of old age. We will be together until either of us dies of other causes," Asriel showed a completely different side of him. You've never seen him this confident, this determined. Just thinking that his mother would even consider thinking about changing Asriel's mind made him madder than anything.
Toriel simply sighed in response. "If that's the case," she turned towards you, her sour expression changed to a warm and welcoming smile. "I'm sorry if I appeared a little hostile but Asriel has been through enough. I simply don't want him to watch as time tears apart the few bonds he made," she cleared her throat and shook her head. "But enough about that. Welcome to the Dreemurr family ____. You can stay with us during winter break, and well past that," Toriel officially welcomed you to the family and much quicker than you expected. It seems as if you were worried over nothing, again.
And so you packed what little you had and departed to your new home with your new family and your boyfriend. Sure, things might get a little tense given that Frisk seems to be terrified of you, and the fact that Frisk and Asriel no longer seem to get along but you'd manage. If that means you had to beat someone up, then so be it. Either way, this was the beginning of a new, better life. A life better than anything you could have ever dreamed of.
You didn't even know when or how it happened, but you somehow ended up being Asriel's boyfriend, again. But there was no way of knowing with all those resets, there was no way in telling how long your relationship would last. Sooner or later they would tear your relationship apart the same way they tore apart countless other relationships Asriel build. But there was one thing you did knew. You would try everything within in your power to make the most of what finite time you had. Making the best out of those limited days you were able to spend with Asriel was the only thing you could do, and you would do everything to make sure that those days would be the best they can be.
A/N: And that's another story Finished. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading. The next story, while still in Undertale related, will be a vastly different one. That means NO Asriel/reader. Sorry to all those that are disappointed by that. For those interested in seeing a different style of mine, check out my AO3, link in my newly added bio. Or make things overly complicated and look for it manually. See you on AO3 or my next story, maybe both, maybe neither.