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Frisk smiles and thinks more about potential costumes they can wear, excited just about the prospect. They almost let their cereal get soggy in the meantime, but they don't mind too much.

"Sounds like a plan. I don't think I've ever eaten so much candy I've puked before." But they have a sneaking suspicion that Chara absolutely does. Maybe too much knowledge.

"I'm excited to celebrate all these things with you now. I wanna do so many things with you and show you so much! Just let me know if it ever gets too overwhelming-- you know how excitable I can get."

“Noelle is a lot of fun. She is easy to tease.”

That’s probably a little mean to say. But Chara does like her, and that’s enough. The little Dreemurr grabs a handful of cereal — they eat theirs dry, not able to tolerate the texture that milk adds to it — and shoved the Cocoa Puffs into their mouth.

“Well. I will definitely be able to do that, probably.” Though, they might let Frisk take the lead there; that’s a lot of humans they’re going to have to be asking for candy, and it makes them more than a little nervous, “you can pick whatever costumes you like. I am not picky. Then we can eat all our treats until we puke. It’ll be fun.”

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"I haven't met Noelle, but I've heard of her before. I'd like to meet her one day, though." When Chara is done pouring their cereal, Frisk gets the milk and pours it in after. Even now, they both work in tandem, not really having to ask each other much of anything.

"Aaah, there's so many we can do... Of course there's game ones and movie ones, but we can also be like... ketchup and mustard!" Frisk laughs, putting the milk away. Just the thought of Chara in a big mustard bottle... it's amazing.

"It's real easy and fun! All you do is go up to decorated houses and knock, and say 'trick or treat'! And then they put candy in your candy bag!" Frisk goes to the kitchen island and sits on one of the stools. "Some lame houses give you like, toothbrushes. Or apples. Well apples are pretty good but, the whole point is candy." Frisk shakes their head.

"My mom wanted to give out those little hotel-sized toothpastes. I managed to stop her before she brought shame upon the house." Frisk shakes their head before taking a bite of cereal.

“Well, I missed gyftmas with you last year. And your birthday. Though I would not have been able to get you presents, since i was in your head. . . but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Chara makes the effort. They pull two bowls from the shelf they can reach and set them down, moving to work on pouring the cereal.

“I don’t know anything about Halloween, so I’ll be following your lead,” they comment, “what kind of costume do you want to wear? Kris said they and Susie and Miss Noelle — have you met Miss Noelle? — that they would all take us. It was very nice of them to offer.”

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Frisk smiles, but it hurts a little to think about Papyrus. Papyrus and them got along incredibly well, and he helped Frisk push through the tougher days. But thinking of that, and then Sans, and then... No, they really don't want to think about that.

"Chawa you don't have to get me anything, you know that, right?" They laugh softly, getting out a bowl and a spoon, sliding it over to their partner. "Of course in complete hypocrisy, I will also be getting you super amazing surprise gifts on Gyftmas. Duh."

When Chara brings up Halloween, though, Frisk's eyes widen and sparkle in delight.

"Yesss!! Halloween!! Oh man I haven't done that since I was super little-- my mom made me stop 'cause she didn't like all the candy I ate. Something about being too old too, which is laaaaame. But now I can go with YOU! We can do matching costumes!!" Frisk hops a little in place, flapping their hands excitedly.

“Hah! That sounds like a Papyrus joke. I bet you guys had a lot of fun making wordplay like that.”

They wonder if Frisk misses Papyrus. And their version of Sans who is their best friend. And Toriel. And. . .

“I will have to find some really good surprise gifts to give you for gyftmas,” they add as the two wander into the kitchen. Chara checks the fridge — no whipped cream or chocolate syrup — before moving to grab the cereal boxes. “It is still a while away. We have to get past September and October first. Oh! Have you done Halloween? Kris says we should do the tricks and treats together.”

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"Well, we'll see." They pause and grin. "Get it? We'll see? Man, I am funny." Frisk sighs and pats themself on the shoulder before laughing. They take the stuff thats been put on the ground and neatly (or as neatly as they can) put it back into the closet.

"Thank you for all the gifts, even if they're early. I love them all." Frisk smiles, and takes Chara's hand to go downstairs.

"Chara that sounds... won't that give you a tummy ache?" They ask, just the thought of that much sugar piling up hurting their teeth. But! It's what Chara loves, and Frisk is loathe to say no to them.

“I do not believe I need vision enhancement,” Chara says, more of a joke than anything as they take Frisks hand, “but I will keep it in mind when we discuss this with him. It will work out either way.”

They don’t blame Frisk for getting swept in the whirlwind here — there’s so much to do. Frisk must be having a blast with everything — and they’re glad for that. Chara keeps their world small, but Frisk deserves a big and beautiful one.

“We can put chocolate syrup on the Cocoa Puffs,” they suggest helpfully, swinging their arm a little, “and maybe whipped cream.”

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"Probably because they're a weak prescription. Maybe we should get our eyes checked together." For some reason, it keeps slipping Frisk's mind that Chara hasn't been to any doctor before... except when they were too young to know, at least. Still, a check up would be nice.

"They look nice on you too." Frisk says, adjusting the bow a little as it threatens to slide off.

"I know I know, I just keep forgetting, honest." With everything going on, meeting new people and old but different friends, getting used to Spirale and trying to decide what they want to do-- Frisk ends up forgetting about the little things.

"Want some breakfast? I'm pretty sure we still have cocoa puffs in the pantry."

“Yes, that’s fair. We can share it.”

Chara says that, but they’re probably not going to wear it again. They take the glasses off of Frisk’s face and place them atop their own nose, frowning thoughtfully.

“. . . I can see perfectly clearly in these, for some reason.”

— huh. Maybe they should get their eyes checked too.

. . . Nahhhhh.

“We can go to Mister Dadwood about your prescription later.”

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"Pffhehe, well, we can share it." Frisk smiles, and stays still while Chara puts the glasses on them. The world doesn't look much clearer, unfortunately, as the prescription is too weak.

"Hmmm, I think they're a little too weak to help, but I can still see through them." Frisk answers, adjusting the frames on their nose. "What do you think? Do I look like, super smart or something with these on?"

As for their real glasses, they haven't yet gotten the chance to ask about getting them. Frisk was in no rush, however, frankly used to going around the world half-blind anyway. They make do.

“. . . this one would look a lot cuter on you.”

Still. They won’t remove it from their hair — especially since Frisk was the one who tied it there. They instead move to select the glasses, gingerly placing the frames on Frisk’s face.

“We still need to get you glasses,” they comment offhand, “but these look nice on you. Hopefully they help a little?”

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Frisk can tell, still, that something is going on in Chara's head. They aren't sure what anymore, and can only trust that if they ask Chara will respond in turn. Long gone are the days where they could speak without uttering a word, of understanding each other without an explanation.

They let out a soft laugh, shaking their head.

"It's our belongings. We found them together, we wore them as one, so they're not just mine, Chara." Frisk smiles, picking up the red ribbon. Gently, they wrap it around Chara's messy hair and tie a bow on top. It's not enough to stay on for good, but just for the moment.

"Pretty! It suits you."

“They wouldn’t let you back on the mountain?”

That’s . . . okay, not as surprising as Chara initially thinks. Of course they wouldn’t let Frisk go back up the mountain. Frisk’s mom probably didn’t want them out of her sight for weeks. Frisk was too important to get lost like that again, and — Toriel and Sans probably, definitely worried about Frisk disappearing, it’s —

They’re getting hung up on their own thoughts. Chara shakes their head, trying to banish all those bad thoughts, before exhaling.

“. . . very well. I will do it for the matchies. But! They were meant for you. All of these. They are. . . your belongings. It is not right for me to have them all, so. . .”

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"They were but, in the sudden change, I forgot to bring anything back with me. And... very time I tried to go to the mountain after, I was stopped somehow." It's one of their biggest regrets-- the only thing in their inventory when they reached the summit was a handful of snow from a lonesome snowman.

"That's okay, you know I've got you." Frisk grins, trying not to think of the year between losing and reuniting with Chara. After all, they're all that matters to Frisk now.

"I won't let you fall, I promise. And I think it'll be really nice to matchies! Do it for the matchiieees!"

“You mean you didn’t take them with you? I thought they were still in the box when you left the mountain.”

Part of them wants to ask, what about the locket?, but they remember the empty space behind their neck and decide not to.

“. . . ! ! !

I mean — I can? But — Frisk, my balance is already crap, I can’t really dance the way you’d want me to. . . would you not want to just keep two tutus? I’ll dance if you really want, though; you always look so happy when you’re spinning around.”

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Frisk can't help but laugh when Chara starts to panic, comforting them and explaining themself. They pull back a little and pet the Dreemurr's head, a warm smile on their face as they do so.

"And I appreciate it! It's really nice to see all of these again, it's been so long." Frisk looks down, parting from the hug just to pick up the frying pan. The weight and feel is so familiar, but it feels smaller than they remember. Maybe they're just bigger now.

"Oooh! Wait, now that we have two tutu's... you can dance with me!" Frisk looks excitedly at Chara. "Oh-- if you want, but, you would look sooooo pretty with it on!"

“Wh — hold on!”

Hold on!!!!! Frisk isn’t supposed to feel bad!!! Chara stands there, a little shocked, before patting their partner on the back — rubbing circles there, trying to soothe them.

“No! You didn’t! Ruin anything!! These are — they’re for you! Think of them as makeups from the gyftmas I missed!!!! And!!! Your birthday!!!! They’re meant for you, anyway, I don’t know why we were able to find them. . .”

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Frisk nods in understanding, not wanting to overwhelm Chara with even more questions. Instead they wait, watching as their partner goes deep into the closet and starts pulling out a variety of things... very familiar things.

They're speechless as all of the old equipment comes out-- the frying pan, the ribbon, the cowboy hat-- everything. Even the tutu and shoes, the same exact ones that Frisk found in the museum, lay on the floor of their bedroom like a replica laid outside in the backyard.

"Oh-- oh, Chara I'm so sorry-- I had no idea..." Frisk's brow pinches, and they give Chara a hug.

"I don't know how it happened, me finding the tutu and shoes when they were also here... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your surprise...!"

“Yes, I am — I just woke up, Frisk, you know my brain doesn’t like booting up until like twenty minutes after I open my eyes.”

They’re so vulnerable while sleeping. It’s Chara’s good fortune that Frisk doesn’t take advantage. They squeeze their partners hand as they wander inside, and then move to the closet in the hallway, and open it up to find —

A tutu. A pair of ballet shoes. A red ribbon. A plastic toy knife. A pair of glasses. A notebook. A stained apron. A frying pan. A cowboy hat. An empty gun.

Chara scratches at a scab on their wrist.

“. . . I found these. I kept them because — they’re yours. But when you came, I decided to hide them to give to you later. I just . . . did not know you found yourself a tutu and shoes already”

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Frisk tilts their head, unsure why Chara seems so frazzled all of a sudden. They wait patiently for the other to explain, mentioning the marketplace Queen had gone with them too. Right-- she mentioned that when first meeting Frisk. They got Frisk something then? But, they didn't even arrive in Spirale that long ago?

The questions in their head stall as Chara takes Frisk's hand and pull them back inside.

"Okay, okay! Are you okay?" They ask, concerned with how stressed Chara seems to be. They give Chara's hand a reassuring squeeze, following them back up to their shared room.

“The museum in Black Fens — ??”

They didn’t know anything about a museum. They don’t even know where Black Fens is. Goes to show how isolated Chara made themself at the start of all of this.

“no, I — uhm — before you got here, the Festival started, and — I was too nervous to go in, because of the crowds, but Miss Queen took me in and we went to a booth and there was some weird human Gerson clone and—”

They huff, pulling at their hair a little — impatient as always — before taking Frisk’s hand.

“Come on. I’ll show you what I found.”

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Frisk was much more used to waking up early, and whenever Chara decided to sleep in, they'd let them. The other didn't often manage to, and usually Frisk would stay with them until they woke up. This morning, they just had a restless feeling in their body, and wanted to move around.

They look up and smile, standing straight as Chara comes outside looking like they just rolled out of bed. They look cute, still in pajamas and clutching their plushie.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head." They say, gently running their fingers through Chara's hair to fix their bedhead. When they mention the tutu and shoes, Frisk's eyebrows raise. "Huh? What do you mean? I found these in the lost things museum in the Black Fens."

Chara doesn’t normally sleep late. Chara normally barely sleeps at all. But Frisk has been coaxing them into a routine with bedtime, and sometimes. . .

well, sometimes Chara doesn’t wake up with the alarm; no one gets angry at them, even when they sleep until noon, and it’s. . .

It’s nice.

They’re padding into the backyard, barefoot and still in pajamas, their little boss monster clutched in one hand, rubbing the sleep from their eyes when they spot Frisk. Their eyes go wide, and —

“Oh! Shoot, did you find those already? I was planning on those being gyftmas presents for you—”

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Once Frisk realized that they were out of practice, and upon getting the tutu and shoes from the museum, they focused a lot more on practicing ballet and gymnastics again. They'd usually go to the studio, but on days that it was closed, they would try to practice at home.

The weather was nice, so putting on some leggings and a shirt, Frisk takes their tutu and shoes to the backyard. They can't do too much, but at least stretching and maintaining flexibility would be useful.

"Whew, okay, one, two--" Frisk leans down and touches their toes, counting to ten under their breath.

@charadrxxmxrr

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"Huh, I wonder how old they think you are then..." Chara was a bit short and skinny for their age, but weren't they technically 112...? Or did only the years they were alive and/or conscious count? Frisk tries to add that math up, but quickly gives up with a shrug.

The pie is finally out of the oven and cooling on the stove top. The crust looks perfectly golden brown on the edges, and the filling steams and spreads a sugary-fruity smell throughout the kitchen.

"Woooow, it turned out better than I thought!" They grin, bouncing excitedly on their heels a little.

"You're right-- they definitely can't be upset at this. Thank you for helping me Chawa!" Frisk excitedly hugs their partner, finally feeling hopeful that they've found a way to show their appreciation to the adults that took the two of them in.

“. . .you know, now that I think about it, I do not think I have told Mister Wolfwood and Mister Vashdad about my age. When I look at you and then look at myself, I feel like people often assume I am significantly younger. . .”

That explains some things. Oh well.

“Well, regardless, better to ask forgiveness than permission, and all,” they add, moving to grab some oven mitts to take out the pie — humming a song Toriel used to sing when she was finished baking as they do, “the worst comes to worst, we just apologize and promise to be more careful.”

Carefully, the little Dreemurr pulls the pie out, setting it atop the oven to cool. They hit the ‘OFF’ button for the stove as well.

“Though I am sure they will not mind it, because of the pie.”

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"Very true." Frisk grins, and starts cleaning the last large bowl, the one they mixed the filling in.

"Oooh, a no bake recipe... maybe like, a cheesecake! Though I don't think they'll be too mad about us using the oven. We're 12, not 5." Frisk giggles, rinsing the bowl and handing it to Chara.

"Pluuuus we didn't make a mess, and nothing burned down! We're very responsible. Very capable and competent." Frisk nods firmly, washing the sink basin before rinsing it, and sets the sponge aside. They take the gloves off and drape them over the side of the sink to dry. Just as they do, the timer for the pie goes off.

"Oh..! That felt so fast."

Chara wiggles their fingers, daring Frisk to try it. Of course, they know Frisk won't actually bite to me — they’re too much of a softie for that.

“Well, of course it was easier with me. We are two halves of one whole. Our strengths cover each others weaknesses.

. . . though perhaps next time we should try a no-bake recipe, or inviting over Mister Tenna for assistance. I am not sure they will be thrilled with us using the oven unsupervised.”

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Frisk grins when Chara voices their affection, pretending to bite their finger as they pull away. Soon enough, the two are in a consistent rhythm of washing and drying, piling the now-clean dishes and utensils to be put away after.

"I hope so. It does smell good, and the filling was good, I just hope nobody secretly hates strawberries or something."

"But if they like it, maybe we can do this again? Maybe once every few weeks or something. You're a very good helper, so this was honestly a lot easier than doing it myself!"

Chara laughs a little, holding their arms up as if to defend themself. It’s a little silly, but…

“You are lucky I love you, Fwisk.”

Chara gently bops Frisk on the cheek with a finger, before grabbing a towel and pushing the stool over so they can dry the dishes. They’re pretty good at this, too — it was always their job to dry dishes after every meal.

“It already smells good. I bet they’re going to love it.”

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Frisk think that, sometimes, things take twice as long because they're both trying to account for each others needs and wants. It's funny, kind of charming too, how much Frisk and Chara care for each other.

"Deeenied. I do have to get used to heat again, y'know! Plus, it's just warm water, and I have the gloves." They put their gloved hand under the warm water, and then flick droplets at Chara.

"Towel! Towel now, my peon!"

“— okay, okay, fine. I promise that I will let you know whenever something feels fishy in my body. You’re so stubborn about the weirdest things, Frisk.”

Though with Charas track record, they can’t blame their partner for that. . .

“Measuring is the most important part, you know,” Chara leans over to set a timer. “I was offering to wash so you didn’t have to deal with the hot water and all of that. I know you don’t like it.”