The Mountain East (An Undertale Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

This hadn't been the first time Asriel had seen these walls, and he hoped it would not be the last. On his left, a tall, eccentric skeleton that never failed to amuse him offered some inedible spaghetti, whilst wearing a white apron. To his right, a ketchup bottle was placed haphazardly on the railing whilst the consumer napped on the sofa.

Sans and Papyrus had always been an enigmatic duo. Now, they were an inspiration. An inspiration of what he... and Chara... could be. Inseparable. Dynamic.

As the sunsets (or whatever you call sunsets in the underground) came and went, Asriel's view on Chara shifted dramatically. First, he saw them as an example of injustice molded by humans, a closed door with kindness behind it. On that fateful night... he, too, began to realize how much of a closed door he was as well. He found her to be understanding, relatable.

But, unbeknownst to her, he was not completely ignorant. He saw black tendrils of past experiences she could not forget. Strands and stripes of neglect, layers upon layers of feeling. Implemented, inhumane artificial streaks that siphoned all compassion and trust from her eyes. From then on, he had one goal.

To be the blade to cut those tendrils.

To show her how he cared. As a best friend.

But it was not as easy as folding a piece of paper. It was like creating a sculpture, having to chisel away each and every bit, slowly revealing and refining the final masterpiece. Though she had slowly allowed herself to be worked on, there were still miles of obstacles to climb.

Papyrus had been lost track of during Asriel's daydreaming, but his distinct chatter could be heard conversing with Chara in the kitchen. Asriel glanced back at Sans, who was still fast asleep despite the ruckus, his left slipper disobeying all laws of gravity and hovering slightly above his ulna. How it got there, he would rather not question. Here, ignorance is bliss.

As he entered the small kitchen, he could see two distinct shadows. A tall one with large, outstretched hands, and a shorter one with a knife.

A ... knife?

Asriel rushed over to find Papyrus wearing pink mittens tending to his spaghetti, and Chara examining a knife opposite to him. On sight of Asriel, Chara's eyes lit up and strolled over to him. However, the goat reached her first, seizing the blade from her hands to her utter confusion.

"... Asriel?"

"Chara! Don't touch that! You might get sliced, or, or cut, or... what if you get hurt?" He reprimanded; his expression full of worry. He was still wearing Chara's shirt, even when she herself was not. It felt strange seeing her clothes on him, and strange seeing her not wearing it even when he was.

Chara chuckled and put up both of her hands in a surrender-like pose. "It's alright, Azzy. I know what knives are. More than I would like."

Before Asriel could respond, Papyrus twisted his head 180 degrees, dropping some spaghetti in the process. "The prince is right, human! You are too small to handle such masterful weapons of culinary. Watch in awe as I, the great Papyrus, prepare an outstanding meal!"

He grabbed the knife and punctured a nearby tomato sauce can. It exploded, covering the three in the sauce.

Chara cautiously backed up against a wall, and Asriel tried to slowly lick his way to freedom. He failed, but at least Chara got a front-row seat to his adorableness. He silently mourned the loss of the shirt before remembering that literal magic exists, and washing red liquid off clothing could probably be solved by mom in an instant. Papyrus' expression was still frozen in that of glee.

"uh, what the hell happened here?"

Sans' head was peeking through the kitchen door. Papyrus slowly turned his head to face his brother.