grief and growth live hand-in-hand.

[misheard]

Title: grief and growth live hand-in-hand.
Fandom: Undertale
Character(s): Asriel, Frisk
Pairing(s): Asriel/Frisk
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Word Count: 1,200
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Frisk and Asriel, missing Chara over the seasons.
Notes:

---

On a warm spring afternoon in a flowery meadow, Frisk asks Asriel about the tapes.

“The videos I took with Chara?” Asriel asks, pausing in his flower crown making for the moment. It’s too delicate work to do while distracted. “You saw those?”

They nod. ‘In Alphys’ lab,’ they sign. Alphys’ name sign is ‘science lizard’.

“I dunno why they’d be in Alphys’ lab, but I guess they had to go somewhere… Dad wouldn’t just throw them out.” Asriel scratches the back of one floppy ear. “I got a video camera for my birthday, and I used to take videos of Chara all the time. And other people too, but mostly them.”

‘You seemed happy,’ they say. ‘Sometimes.’

“I was super happy around them. We were best friends. Before everything happened…” Asriel trails off. “I know they did some bad things, but… is it okay to still like them?”

Frisk hesitates, and then their hands are a flurry of motion. ‘I heard them talking to me while I was in the underground. They kept me company when I was scared and they helped me. They wanted to save you. I don’t think they’re a bad person.’ After another moment, they add, ‘I’ve done bad things too.’

“…yeah, I know.” Of course Asriel is aware of their saving and loading, and the number one reason they went back: because they’d lashed out in their fear and killed a monster. “But I don’t think you’re a bad person! You were just scared.”

‘So were they.’ Frisk pauses. ‘How do I sign their name?’

Oh, he remembers this. He doesn’t know why he remembers this, but it must have come up somehow. He signs it for Frisk, ‘knife’ in reverse, and they repeat the motion.

‘It’s a cool name,’ they add.

“It is,” he says. “They picked it themself.” One of the things they and Frisk do have in common about their names, even if they’re much more different than Asriel first thought.

He finishes the flower crown he’d been working on, and sets it on top of Frisk’s head. They smile.

---

On a hot summer afternoon, Frisk and Asriel buy Nice Cream.

Halfway through their scoop of chocolate ice cream, Frisk says, ‘Chara liked vanilla flavor best.’

“I don’t know why! Vanilla’s so boring.” It doesn’t hurt so much to talk about Chara now, the little things of his life with them, but it still twinges his heart a little. Maybe it’ll always hurt a little bit. “Strawberry’s obviously way better.”

‘They liked subtle flavors. Like golden flower tea. They told me to ask for that from Undyne.’ Undyne’s name sign is ‘hero’ with the swimming motion of ‘fish’.

“…They really liked flowers.” Asriel’s remaining strawberry ice cream is melting all over his paws, but he suddenly doesn’t feel very hungry.

Hesitantly, Frisk wraps an arm over Asriel’s shoulder, just narrowly keeping their sticky hand away from Asriel’s fur. ‘I miss them,’ they say with their free hand. ‘I wish we could have saved them.’

“Me too.” He sniffles, but he’s older now and big boys don’t cry-

Frisk sniffles too, and that’s all the permission he needs to burst into tears. He cries long and hard on them until his ice cream is gone and his head hurts from dehydration, and Frisk does the same.

Somehow, he thinks he still feels better at the end of it than when he began. Sometimes crying is just like that, and Asriel doesn’t know why.

---

On a crisp autumn afternoon, Frisk and Asriel go to school.

Other students have mixed reactions. Some think Asriel is weird because he’s a monster and Frisk is weird because they talk with their hands. Some think they’re cool for the same reasons. Some treat them exactly the way they would treat any other kids, or any other kids whose mom taught at the school and embarrassed them on the regular.

“Chara used to stand up for me if I got picked on,” Asriel says, after one too many of the first type of classmate tosses spitballs at the back of his head. It’s easier to think of that than it is to think of what Flowey did if he was picked on.

Frisk squeezes his hand. ‘I’ll stand up for you now,’ they sign. ‘Nobody can bully you if I’m here.’

Asriel appreciates it, but it leaves a sour feeling in his chest too. Frisk can’t replace Chara in his life. They’ve already been through this once before, so why…

‘Because I like you,’ they add.

Oh. Of course it’s just that simple. Asriel’s cheeks burn inn embarrassment. “I, I’ll stand up for you too! Because we’re friends!”

Frisk must have sensed some of the pattern of Asriel’s thoughts. They think for a long moment before starting to sign again. ‘Nobody can replace Chara. But I think we can still be friends without trying to replace them. Okay?’

“Okay,” he says, and sticks out a paw. “Pinky promise.” That’s something he learned from Chara, too; monsters don’t always have pinkies to use for it.

They hook their pinky with Asriel’s paw, with the solemn expression that suits a Very Important Promise.

“If you break a pinky promise, you have to eat a bug.” Chara was very clear on this point when they taught him how pinky promises work. Asriel’s sure they would have followed through on this if they ever broke any of their promises.

Frisk screws up their face in disgust.

---

On a snowy winter afternoon, Frisk kisses Asriel.

There’s no build up beforehand, no dramatic love confession. No eternal promises, pinky or otherwise. They’re building a snowman together, and having some silly argument over whether their snowman should be a snow adventurer or a snow prince, and while Asriel is saying “Maybe they’re a snow adventurer prince, or a snow prince adventurer,” Frisk interrupts Asriel with a kiss.

Just a quick, chaste kiss, but it’s enough to stun Asriel nonetheless. His face goes bright red, and he flounders for words for a second. “I, uh,” he says after Frisk pulls away, “what? Frisk?” This is not the most dignified or coherent of responses, but he’s too flustered for anything else.

‘I like you.’ Frisk is pink too from something besides the cold, but they resolutely keep their gaze locked with Asriel’s. “Go out with me?”

At least this is something he doesn’t have to think about. “Yes! I-I’ll be your boyfriend!” He signs ‘I like you’ back for good measure, mimicking Frisk’s motions with his own gloved paws.

Frisk smiles, and for a while they lapse into companionable quiet, only disturbed by the sound of falling snow and their work on the snow adventurer prince.

“Do you think they’d be happy with us dating?” Asriel asks, softly.

‘They would.’ Frisk doesn’t even hesitate to answer. ‘Because they wanted us to be happy, so they’d be happy with us being happy together.’

“Oh, you’re right.” It sounds so simple when Frisk puts it like that. Of course Chara would support them being happy, especially if that happiness was found in each other.

It feels like having their blessing, even though they aren’t around to give it anymore.