Dreams Come True

Things Are Gonna Get Wild...

The next morning, I trudged out of the bedroom I was sharing with all the guys. Gladius was still asleep, so I stuck him in his scabbard, strapped it to my back, and quietly walked into the central room.

Surprisingly, when I climbed up the stairs to the main platform, I was greeted with the sight of Star and Flowey chatting quietly. The princess was leaning against the railing as Flowey, still in his pot, balanced on it perfectly.

I walked up to them, giving them a tired wave. "Hey guys..." I kept my voice down for Gladius' sake.

"Hey Caleb Cat!"  Star whispered back cheerily.

Flowey smirked. "Ralph's snoring finally got to you?"

I shook my head. "If anything, it helps me sleep. I've always needed a constant source of noise when I sleep, otherwise I'm gonna stay awake all night."

"Yeah, I remember when we were back at Marco's place", Star said, a nostalgic smile on her face. "There were a lot of mornings where we'd catch you snuggled up to Ralph, usually when he was snoring louder than normal."

"I'll remember to get you a jackhammer for your birthday then", Flowey joked with a goofy smile, shooting me a wink.

I snorted out a quiet laugh. "Alright, I'll make sure to remind you next year."

That made Star shoot me a curious look. "When is your birthday, Caleb?"

"September 8th", I said with a wistful smile. "It was always my day, even when my parents were at their worst."

Star gave me a sad smile, giving me a side hug. "Well, I know I'm gonna make your next birthday one to remember!"

"Thanks, sis." I smiled and blushed, Star's own smile growing as she went to noogie me. I whined and giggled simultaneously, Flowey watching the whole ordeal with a somewhat mischievous grin.

When I was finally freed, the flower cleared his throat. "So, how about we head out. I don't want to get cabin fever waiting in here till we head on out, so I say we check out that Mystery Shack you've told us about. I wanna rip into all the phoney stuff they have on display."

"Ooooo, yeah, good idea Flowey!" Star picked him up and began to skip towards the front door. "You coming Caleb?"

I didn't realise I froze, but the princess' innocent question snapped me out of my trance, and I nodded. "Coming!" I dashed after her as she stepped outside. Both princess and flower took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the unfamiliar wilderness.

"Ahhhhhhh..." Star slighted out as she exhaled. "This reminds me of when my dad would take me camping."

"Mmmmhmmm", Flowey said, giving her a glance. "I've heard about the time your dad crashed at Marco's place, and based on what I've heard... He's like Undyne. Wild, chaotic, and kind of a meathead."

Star glared at him for a moment, before her expression softened. "Yeah... I love him, but he's not the most obvious..."

I gave her a sad look as we left the alley. "His heart's in the right place. My guess is that it's hard for him to break the warrior side of him when your mom isn't there. Like when we came over, it was like letting a bird out of its cage. Free to fly around without a care in the world."

"Exactly what he said", Flowey said. "That's why I compared him to Undyne. The Underground's captain of the guards is a bit stir crazy, always there to find the next human that falls so she can turn them in to the all mighty king, Asgore."

"Mmmmmmmm..." Gladius mumbled as he stirred. "It must be hard..."

"It is... for everyone else. No one but that anime-loving scientist knew of my existence, so I just watched from the sidelines as the newest human, Frisk, would do whatever they wanted."