You opened your eyes.

Within the first second, you heard a familiar voice. A thought crossed your mind: did you end up in the Underground?

Silence.

There’s silence in your head. You no longer hear Chara’s voice.

It then clicked that you’re in Alphys’ Lab. On the Surface.

You pushed yourself off the cold, steel table.

To your amazement, you saw… two talking flowers.

Two.

Talking.

Flowers.

Flowey. He’s dancing in front of the other golden flower, the one with a rosy blush.

Wait. A blush?

Chara?!

You heard Flowey finish his speech with these words: “In ‘this’ world, it’s live and let live.”

That’s a thousand percent better than his usual ‘kill or be killed’ line.

Your sister ‘aunt’ noticed that you’re awake.

“Frisky!” Cenna ran straight up to you for the most vigorous hair rub you’ve ever experienced thus far.

By the time she’s done, your head became a messy mat of fluff. Then she hugged you tight.

It’s a huge change compared to her exhausted self in the doomed timelines.

Relief and joy was the theme of the atmosphere now. Except for Chara, who’s still in a sulking mood. Flowey invited them to join the welcoming session, but they rather stay away.

Well, you did spite them with some forced memories. It’s going to take a while for them to get over it.

Gaster picked up Chara’s pot so no one would accidentally kick them over. He gave you a warm smile as he watched from a far corner. You could tell that he’s glad, even though he’s just an acquaintance for now.

The rest of your monster family crowded around you. Flowey included.

Undyne’s wide grin, how you missed that. “Yooooo squirt, you’re free now! For real!”

That’s going to take some time to adjust.

Then, there’s Dad’s soft voice and his cuddly self. “My child, are you fine?”

Tired, but fine. A warm shower and bedtime sounds great right now.

“We were so worried about you,” said Alphys.

Sorry for making everyone worry.

If Mettaton wasn’t in his box form, he would have showered you with kisses. “Oh darling, I’m so happy that you’re your own person now~”

Looks like everyone knows about your Chara problem. You chuckled at maximum awkward levels.

“Congrats,” Flowey chirped, “You didn’t die!”

Such a typical Flowey statement. You patted him on the head and said it’s great to see him again. You missed him.

Here comes the hero with the iconic red scarf in all his tall, goofy glory; “FRISK, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SAVED YOU. JUST AS PROMISED.”

Upon witnessing your recovery, his awesome glow faded away. He’s normal bones now.

You thanked Papyrus with maximum gratitude. You knew that you wouldn’t be here without his efforts.

“YOU SHOULD THANK MISTER MAGUS TOO! HE’S THE ONE WHO GAVE ME THE CHANCE TO HELP.”

Mister Magus?

Flowey pointed a leaf towards the grey-haired man in a tailcoat. “Mezil Thyme. He’s a Magus. Personally, I thought the term ‘warlock’ is way cooler.”

His black ebony cane tapped on the ground as he walked right up to you. A beautiful red butterfly brooch was pinned onto his… folded cloth tie thing? You need to ask Mettaton for the proper fashion term later.

Something about its elegance caught your attention.

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“Well,” said Mezil. “We meet at last, Frisk. You’re quite a difficult person to catch.”

The way he carried himself reminded you of a principal. A stern principal. Heck, you felt like you’re called to his office to talk over a major issue.

“Bring out your SOUL. I’d like to inspect it.”

You weren’t sure at first, but Papyrus encouraged it. So you pushed your SOUL out to let him check.

The cuts Cenna made were still there. You had joined the cool-partition club.

Mezil tapped the surface, spun it around, pulled the segmented partitions and watched how they locked back…

His methods reminded you of a clinical examination. You feel a little uncomfortable from the thoroughness.

“Hmm. Excellent colour. Brilliant shine. It’s already healing from the infection. I can say with certainty that you’re clean.”

He then sent the SOUL back into your body. Oh, perhaps he’s not so scary after all.

“Since I’ve verified your condition, I’ll take the two flower DEMONs back to the institute. They’ll live in the greenhouse until further notice.”

Papyrus frowned. “SO SOON? BUT FLOWEY JUST REUNITED WITH US.”

“It’s for their safety, as you should realise.”

“The old man’s right,” said Flowey. “It’s okay, Papyrus! We got these ‘video call’ stuffs nowadays. We’ll keep in touch.”

“OKAY…”

Aww, poor Papyrus. He’s so disappointed. You let him know that if he really wanted to, he can pay his planty friend a visit during the weekends.

Flowey waved goodbye one last time before the old Magus picked him up, then he went over to Doctor Gaster to get Chara.

Since everything’s settled, it’s time to get your hair straightened out.

You asked Mettaton if he had a comb.

That.

Just.

Made.

Papyrus shriek at the top of his ribs. Mittens to the cheeks, eyes bugged out, volume maximum.

“NOOOOOOO! FRISK, YOU WILL NOT BORROW ANYONE’S COMB! ALL NON-FRISK COMBS ARE BANNED UNTIL YOU’RE SAFE AT HOME!”

Undyne’s night just got weirder. “Whoa Paps, it’s just a comb--”

“IT’S NOT JUST A COMB! OH MY GOD METTATON, YOU NEED TO GET RID OF THAT KNIFE RIGHT NOW, NYEH!!!”

Without any further warning, Papyrus swiped the box-shaped celebrity off his wheels: princess style.

“Oh my! I certainly didn’t expect that move, darling~”

Assorted chaos with intense rummaging followed after, accentuated by the melodies of a screaming skeleton. Past midnight.

Ah yes, the sweet sound of Papyrus brand music right there.

Mezil tried his darndest to not laugh, but you could see his lips curling at the ends.

“Poor soul,” he said, “I hope he won’t be traumatized for life. But… I trust that he’ll be fine. He’s much more resilient than he realises. Well, goodnight everyone.”

Out into the night he went. So mysterious.

Papyrus came back with a giant cocoon of tissues, secured in place with industrial duct tape. Mettaton followed right behind.

He handed the bundle over to Undyne.

“Okay,” she said, “Next, you’re gonna tell me that the stolen paring knife is wrapped up in what could be our house’s whole supply of toilet rolls.”

“THAT’S CORRECT, UNDYNE! YOU’RE VERY SMART. YES, I’VE SECURED IT WITH MUCH PADDING. NO ONE SHOULD GET HURT NOW, NYEH HEH HEH!”

Maximum. Papyrus. Logic.

Cenna howled in laughter. “Gosh, cinnamon roll! That’s hilarious yet brilliant at the same time! Oh man toilet rolls are sooooo hard to pick apart when they’re a compact ball.”

“OH, YOU KNOW THE PUZZLING DIFFICULTY OF THE DECEIVINGLY SOFT PAPER TOO?”

“Ahuh. A pain when Halloween rolls over. My colleagues would split into two camps and start a TP throwing war. Even hardboiled people need a break.”

Undyne then pouted at an irritating memory. “Sans freaking lined my house with those stuff once. They’re trippy little buggers! Like, literally!”

“Heh heh,” Alphys had that cheeky grin on her face now. “We should definitely arrange a toilet roll fight. It sounds like tons of fun!”

For the first time in forever, you could look forward to the future. Chara won’t threaten to press the RESET button anymore. Thus, you’re in control of your own actions.

You’re satisfied with this outcome of your life. You had no reason to go back Underground.

In the midst of excitement, Dad said: “Excuse me, but I think we should discuss our plans tomorrow. Frisk needs some rest from their ordeal.”

Good point. You’re starting to feel mighty drowsy. This time, it’s not from any medication.

Dad wanted to pick you up, but Papyrus offered himself.

“I PROMISED SANS THAT I’LL CARRY FRISK HOME,” he said.

You realised that it’s a code that you’re not possessed anymore. Sans did go all out against Chara’s shenanigans.

…Some of that pain may stick in your subconscious for life, but you had volunteered to go through them. There’s no blame or grudge against your special blue friend.

Instead, you’re in his eternal debt.

You let Dad know that Papyrus wanted to reassure Sans of your safety. He understood the context and stepped aside.

Your tall skeleton hero picked you right up. He’s not soft or warm like Dad, but you felt safe in his arms.

He led the way. Everyone except Gaster followed a good distance behind. For once, they’ll let him have the spotlight.

The motions tempted you to sleep. No. No sleep yet. There’s something you must do before you could call it a night.

“ARE YOU COLD, FRISK?”

He must have felt you shiver. It’s deep in winter night after all. The clothes you had were not quite enough, so you nodded.

Papyrus unwound his scarf and wrapped you up in them. They’re tattered, but still comfy.

You smiled and said thanks.

“NO PROBLEM.”

There’s a certain wise levelness to his voice now. He’s still Papyrus, but he’s no longer on a constant hyper and overenthusiastic mode.

At last, you arrived home.

Sans opened the door. His wariness gone when he witnessed the success story.

“Hey bro,” he said, “You kept your promise.”

“YES, I DID.” Papyrus answered.

They’re both happy.

You asked Papyrus to set you down. The moment he did so, you walked over to Sans: careful to not make sudden movements that might startle him.

Then you gave him a huge hug.

You cried a bit and thanked him for saving you. It must be hard for him to go through all of that.

Sans tried to play it off, as usual. “H-hey, kid. I’m the last person you should thank. Cold to the bone, you know. Not something to be proud of.”

You don’t care. No matter how much he devalued himself, you’ll still give him the credit he deserves.

“C’mon, I’m trash.”

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And he’s your treasure.

You refuse to let go.

“Determined, huh? Welp. Can’t win against that.”

In the end, he hugged you back.

Mission accomplished. You lost all your drive and fell asleep in Sans’ arms.

Thus ended the longest night.