#digital are

Chara was attentive. They had to be. If a child ignored an adult, then there was trouble. Monsters were much nicer about this principle, but had not broken it as a rule of the world, as they had broken other rules the human had made before falling. So as Gaster was explaining what would be needed from them next, Chara listened. There was nothing else- no one else to pay mind to anyways; Plus, Chara had volunteered for this.

Gaster respected them. Gaster let them have input, and was honest. There wasn’t much they were needed for, however, for this next step. The connection was working, and the stage was set. On occasion, Chara noted the gooey skeletal scientist was impossible to find, but then again, the Void was just weird like that. Right?

Chara was listening; and that’s when Chara heard something unexpected. Their concentration broke, and the scientist’s tendency to pace as he talked or thought made a distance grow as they froze, looking for the sound that had been heard.

Turning to face the sound revealed an unexpected but familiar flower, and all need to focus on their superior evaporated, as Chara was distracted. They stepped closer, not that there was any ground to walk on, shock and uncertainty drawing them towards the golden Flower.

Flowey, on the other hand, was confused. this was unfamiliar to him, which at first glance would be good; everything in the world was overtly familiar. but then, there was nothing but him to be seen, to be heard. It was dark, and silent, and alone.

Even with his darkest adventures, he was never alone. Not like this. But... it was just dark. Maybe there was someone out there.

There was still a gap between them, and Chara didn’t know what to do. After all, weren’t they to blame for his current state? They may even be to blame for him being here; once again, they had led the charge. Once again, they’d done more harm than good to those that were important to them... and as is the case with the void, if you are not intentionally getting closer, you are always drifting further apart.

Those fearful pathetic please; those fearful bleats moved the deceased human, however, and they couldn’t stand aside.

Gaster noticed his assistant getting further; this was a crucial point in making this plan work, he needed their Strength help. No time to let them be distracted... and seeing the cause of the distraction, no chance at letting the human’s determination waver. It wouldn’t do for them to know of some unfortunate side-effects, and back out completely. Not now. Not when He was- They Were so close.

So, he reached out, with the same hand he had previously been gesturing with while talking. It was just meant to guide them back to him, he can easily claim to not see Flowey; There was enough void between them it would be believable. He didn’t want to be separated; it was easy to be lost in nothing. He reached with disguised intent, the first fallen to distracted to even see his hand.

Then Gaster grabbed Chara’s arm, and they froze, stiff, naturally expecting the next blow that never came. The first tug back was followed out of habit, out of fear, out of knowing the danger adults were. Then Flowey’s pleas were shrinking, he was losing hope...

Chara was filled with determination. They took another step back, as the hand guided, then with no warning, tugged their arm out of the grip and ran. Not that running alone was what made one move in nothingness, but they’d been a resident of the void well enough they did know how to get through the vacuum when need be. Still, the adrenaline of disobedience had their heart shaking, and the human had to catch their nonexistant breath.

In that time, Flowey gave up hope,

and Chara realized they had no plan.

As the silence that is so typical of the void surrounded all, Chara stood there, not knowing what to do. Not knowing how to comfort Flowey. Not knowing how to comfort Asriel. That task had never been easy before. The silence stretched on, as unseen tears began to fall from the flower’s face.

Only one thing came to mind, but it’d been so long. The one song, from that one decent foster, that had helped when they were too young to know the world wasn’t all cruel, that the life they faced wasn’t meant to be normal. It had been the one thing they’d known how to help a truly upset Asriel before, when they gotten past the thinking big kids weren’t allowed to express themselves, or have emotions. The Dreemurrs had done well in breaking the toxic teachings of all the ‘parents’ Chara had had before, with time.

...They couldn’t keep standing here, in silence, doing nothing. They just had to say SOMETHING. Those lyrics would work. So, Chara began to sing the one fond surface memory they had, the one lullaby they cared about.

“When the Light is running Low, and the shadows...” Chara trailed off, doubting themself. Doubting the lyrics, doubting how this would even help. They cut themself off, swallowing, looking away in shame.

But Flowey heard. He looked up ahead of him in shock, surprise: he knew that voice; He knew those Lyrics. The tears stopped flowing, though they stayed stuck to his face. Looking up so, in shock, those petals still obscured any vision he could have.

“Chara?”

Chara’s breath hitched, hearing  their name, and they looked at the flower in similar shock, swallowing. They... they couldn’t answer. Instead, Chara picked up the song again. “When the light is running low, and the shadows start to grow...” There was a tapering off of their voice again, nerves making a bubble in their throat.

“And the places that you know...” Flowey picked up, softly, the next lines, giving courage to the human unwittingly. “Seem like Fantasy.”

“There’s a light inside your soul, that’s still shining in the cold,” Chara was able to pick it back up with confidence as Flowey turned around, petals slowly perking up. “With the truth,”

“The Promise in our hearts,” Flowey filled in the next line when the eye contact had Chara freeze, taking another ‘step’ closer, before lowering themself to their knees, to his level.

“Don’t Forget, I’m with you in the dark”

Silence snuck back for a moment, as they finished the song together, just staring. Then, with an amount of gusto that shocked the flower, Chara hugged him, and he felt them shaking. He heard an apology, and it dawned on him.

He could feel the sincerity.

“That last line’s true beyond our expectations now, isn’t it?”