Splash!

Chara started, sent hurtling violently out of the manga they were reading by the sound of Undyne cannonballing into the lake. It was an admittedly extremely impressive splash; like a meteor she'd sent up a tidal wave around her that sprayed not only the other swimmers but the few people lounging around on the shore.

Except Sans, who was within the splash radius but somehow still bone dry despite being fast asleep in his lawn chair. Chara sighed, doing the best they could to dry off the stray water drops on their book. Everyone in the lake was still cheering Undyne; they let out a half-hearted cheer themself before dropping their voice, feeling awkward.

Everyone really was having fun in the water... but as for Chara, they'd stay right here.

That would be the end of it if they didn't have a voice in their head who was very invested in their happiness.

"What's the matter?" Frisk asked, sounding confused. "You're usually way more excited when Undyne's Undyne-ing."

"I am excited," they replied internally. "I cheered."

"Barely. C'mon, tell me what's wrooooong," Frisk insisted stubbornly. "Why aren't you swimming? You love being in the water."

Before. That was on days when Frisk was controlling their shared body—they'd make for the lake, make a splash, and start paddling around enjoying the feel of the cool water against their skin. Back then they hadn't been taking it in turns—Chara had always been a tag-along commentator in the back of Frisk's head. Frisk was still right. They had enjoyed it.

"I just decided to read instead today," they said evasively, watching their friends splash around from a distance. Even Alphys was having a good time. The warm sun seemed to have gotten her more active than normal, and she was swimming around Undyne full of zeal, often with only the top of her scaly head crest poking above the surface. It was a bit like Jaws but with a nerd.

"No, you want to swim," Frisk said. "I can see you watching all of them. AND I can feel that you're unhappy. You're jealous. You want to be down there joking and playing! You want to be in the water!"

Ugh. They hated it when Frisk knew what was going on in their head. Which was all the time, since they shared one. They glowered at nobody and opened their manga again. It sucked, but it was something to do.

"Why aren't we in the water?" Frisks asked again, insistent. "We're wearing our swimsuit and everything. We just have to walk over there and hop in!"

"Because I am reading."

"You don't like that manga. You said the main character was a dumb wish fulfillment fantasy and that the story didn't have any good conflict."

Chara paused, before slowly lowering the book again. "I... didn't think you actually paid attention to me when I complained about that," they admitted.

"I always pay attention to you!" Frisk radiated bright, affectionate cheer. "I pay enough attention to know that you REALLY want to be swimming right now! C'mon! In the water! Let's go!"

"I thought I was allowed to do whatever I wanted on my days," Chara said half accusingly. Frisk was unfazed.

"You totally are. If I thought you really wanted to sit here and read, I wouldn't bother you at all." They remained aggressively insistent. "But you don't want to sit here! You want to swim! You want to be part of the fun! You just won't admit it!"

More loud laughter could be heard; more splashes could be felt. It appeared Undyne and Papyrus had started tossing a ball back and forth. Simple, almost childish fun, but so appealing. They were both loud and exuberant, and as much as being around them tired them out, it was also nice to be a part of that exuberance from time to time.

Chara buried their face in their hands."Alright, fine. I admit it. I kind of want to get in the water with them. I just... can't."

"I knew it!" Frisk's victorious tone was short-lived. "So c'mon, Chara... tell me what's the matter."

"It's difficult for me to say..."

"Are they being too loud?" Frisk asked. "I know that can stress you out."

"I can handle them in short doses. That's not the problem."

"Is it body dys... whatever?" Frisk was starting to sound anxious. "Where you feel like your body's wrong? I know I'm different than you were, but our swimsuit's not exactly revealing, and-"

"You are talking about dysmorphia, or something like it, and no. I don't have it. Your body stopped feeling 'wrong' to me a long time ago."

"Then what IS wrong? Are you thinking bad thoughts about yourself?"

"No-" Chara started to say, but Frisk kept on going.

"Are you feeling guilty about stuff you've done? Are you thinking that you don't deserve to be happy and to be a part of all of them having fun down there?"

"Wha—no!" Chara sputtered. "Holy crap. Am I that broody on a day-to-day basis?"

"Uh. Only some days. Are you sure that's not what you're doing right now?"

"Yes. I am sure!" They snapped with gritted teeth.

"Then what's wrooooong? I just want to help!"

"Frisk, I can't swim!"

There was absolute quiet in their head. Neither spoke, the only sound being the constant splashing and laughing from the lake. Chara's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, which was usually the furthest feeling from their mind when talking to Frisk.

"....what?" Frisk said finally. "What do you mean you can't swim?"

"How to define my lack of ability," Chara said dryly. "Consider this. You can go in any direction you like in the water. I can only go one direction. Down."

"You never learned at all?" They sounded completely incredulous. Chara sighed.

"The Underground had nowhere to learn but cold, damp caverns. And my life on the surface was... not precisely a summer vacation."

Frisk went quiet a moment, uncomfortable."But... you've been swimming with me before..."

"No, I haven't. I've been in your head while you swam."

"But we went swimming a lot last summer. You have to have picked something up."

"We weren't sharing our body yet," Chara said slowly. "I... didn't think I would ever control a body again. I didn't pay attention to what you were doing with your arms or your legs. I just sort of... shut down and enjoyed the feel of the water."

They were quiet again. Frisk finally spoke up again, voice as firm and insistent as before.

"Go to the water. You're gonna learn how to swim."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're gonna learn how to swim and you're gonna like it."

"But I will flounder in the water," Chara objected.

"Relax," Frisk said in assurance. "I'll take over if it looks like you're actually gonna drown."

"What if I panic and fight you for control?"

"Undyne could totally lift us out of the water with one pinkie. We'd still be fine."

"It would... ruin their day down there..." Chara mumbled. "And even if we don't drown, it will still look weird if we're suddenly a novice swimmer when we've been swimming for years..."

"Sometimes you think too much," Frisk said, slightly scolding. "Look at them! Do they look like they'll be paying attention? Or do you think they're having too much fun to even notice how we're swimming until we want them to notice?"

They were laughing down there. Papyrus had said something that everyone else found hysterical, and was looking at them with slight confusion before beaming as though it had been a joke all along.

"You always have so many reasons why you can't be happy," Frisk went on. "But they're never good reasons. It's like you're just so used to being miserable you don't even stop to think about it. All you have to do is ask for what you want, but instead, every time, you don't even try 'cause you've already decided that SOMETHING horrible will happen."

Frisk's words hung over dead air in their mind. They took some time to sink in; this time they had no immediate rebuttal for any of it.

They were used to being miserable. It had usually been the case.

They were sure something horrible would happen. It always seemed just around the bend.

Sensations of anxiety and guilt started to stir in Frisk; Chara could make them out almost as strongly as though they were the one feeling them.

"Um. Did... did I do it again?" Frisk asked meekly. "Was that awful?"

"No," Chara assured them, quick to respond. "No, you're... right. Somewhere amidst dying so much I adopted a somewhat defeatist attitude, didn't I? I am not living up to my old SOUL's color."

"Nah. I think it takes a ton of determination to keep getting up when you think the world's just gonna knock you down again."

They pondered that too before smiling warmly, the hint of a blush in their cheeks, before finally getting up and making for the lakeside.

"Very well then. We will try this. If I am going to drown it should at least be in water, not self pity."

"Ha ha, Chara. You're not gonna drown. You've practically got a lifeguard in your head!"

The water was cold at first, but felt nicer and nicer the further they got into it, tiptoeing an inch in at a time. Frisk advised them with gentle but precise encouragement, but they weren't so sure they needed it as they got further in. As it turned out they'd picked up a lot more about swimming than they'd thought just from being in Frisk's body. They moved in the water just as easily as Frisk did, despite how thoroughly they'd convinced themself to the contrary.

It felt so silly to have been so close but so far away. They didn't have to be unhappy; it wasn't natural. Life was... generally... better than they expected it to be. The world could be scary, but it could also be safe. The world wasn't trying to surprise them.

"HEYA, PUNK!!" Undyne roared in enthusiasm, startling them out of their reverie. "SEE YOU DECIDED TO JOIN US!"

Ha. Or at least, when it was trying to surprise them, it wasn't all bad.

SPLASH!