Wholehearted Half-Souls

Chapter 22: Reconciliations (Part 3)

"Susie...please...go easy on me," Asriel pleads as he works under the bench press. Two small weights are placed on either side of the bar. Sweat pours down his snout as he tries to lift the bar. Susie has her hands gently placed near the goat's head, but she's wearing a smirk. "C'mon, dude! You've only done four reps, and the weight isn't even that high! Surely you can do better."

"Ugh." Asriel grunts and attempts to lift the bar higher. After a couple more half-hearted reps, the bar falls onto his chest, bruising it. "HELP!" he yelps. Susie groans and raises the bar off of Asriel's chest. Asriel rises from the bar and breathes heavily. He looks down at the water bottle beside him, stares at it, and then kicks it a few feet away from him.

Susie shakes her head, and her hair covers her eyes. "Dude, don't wimp out on me. And don't forget what Undyne said."

Asriel rubs his somewhat bruised chest and sighs. "I already know what Undyne said. 'Hustle, hustle; build some muscle.' Yeah, sure. You could've at least let me use my hyperdeath form."

"No cheating; you know that,"  Susie scolds. 

Asriel looks down at his feet and facepalms. "How is it that I'm the older sibling, yet I can't even beat Frisk in arm wrestling?"

Susie chuckles and shrugs. "Dude, everyone can beat you in arm wrestling."

Asriel folds his arms, and his face turns red. "Hey, that's not nice!"

Susie taps her foot twice in rapid succession, leaning on the bar. "Even if you can't reach your lifting goals, you'll still be agile enough, right?"

Asriel hurls himself from the bench, turns to Susie, and clenches his fists. Voice lowering to a deafening murmur, he says, "that's...not...the point."

Susie glares at Asriel, pupils burrowing into his eyes. "Dude, what is the point then?"

Asriel shakes his head. "I may have my hyperdeath form, but I'm still weak in my regular form. That's the problem!" His face begins to turn green as he anxiously bites his lip. "I have to be consistent enough. I can't fail Frisk."

"And do ya think whining about it is gonna fix that?" the purple monster asks. 

Asriel stares at Susie. He sinks his head. "I'm sorry. I've gotten better with fighting and strength and all, but I just want to ensure I'm strong enough, and I don't want to fail Frisk." He shakes his head. "I've already failed him enough."

Susie chuckles and shrugs. "Dude, it's fine. I'm sure your bro isn't mad at you, either. And nobody's perfect, right? Just relax; you'll get there."

"But will I be strong enough in time?" Asriel asks, with his face turning a deeper shade of green. "I need to protect myself and Frisk, and I can't even do that well if I can't finish a full set!"

Susie shrugs. "Just buckle down and focus, dude. I dunno what other kind of advice you want."

Asriel hunches forward, wipes his forehead, and his body begins to feel swimmy. Susie raises an eyebrow. "Azzy? Earth to Azzy?"

Asriel walks past Susie and begins to walk up the stairs. He stops halfway up the staircase and begins to rub his stomach gently. The shadow continues to cover Asriel's eyes. "My stomach hurts. I'm gonna go get some medicine."

Susie chuckles. "What, did you eat too much of your mom's pie again? You know what they say about how poor choices for pre-workout meals can ruin ya."

"No...not that...I just feel bad," Asriel says weakly. 

Susie nods and places her muscular arms and large hands behind her head. "'Aight, dude. Take your time."

Asriel then finishes climbing up the stairs. He looks left and right and hears familiar voices in the kitchen, passing them quickly. Just up ahead, he sees Blooky. Asriel quickly pushes him and enters the bathroom. Blooky stops and stares at the bathroom door. "Oh...I missed my chance...is Asriel alright, though...I hope so."