Since we're having a request party, could you write something with story shift Chara? I don't really know WHAT exactly, but honestly, anything you write would be awesome!

Story shift Chara, why not?









Chara fidgeted, reorganizing the stock under the counter of their chocolate stand yet again. Work wasn’t busy enough to distract them from the many preoccupations the new human’s arrival had introduced.





Lucky number seven.





As Chara should have been, and almost was. If Mom had shown up just a minute later, it would have been all over.





On the one hand, the monsters would have been free. A little twist of guilt started in Chara’s stomach to think they were part of the reason the barrier was still in place. On the other, Chara was happier as a part of Captain Toriel and Dr. Asgore’s family than they’d ever been, or could have ever hoped to be. Life was good, and they’d like to keep theirs.





Still, that left the new kid in a pretty rotten predicament. So far, they’d been nothing but chill, and Chara knew the look of someone who was dealing with some heavy stuff. Were they a magician, too? Chara doubted it, but had never found a natural time to ask. Either way, the kid hadn’t hurt anyone, and took Chara’s admonishments to be careful around the monsters to heart. Most importantly, they were nice to Asriel.





Their hand found its way to the pendant around their neck.





Sighing, Chara locked up the stand. Maybe a walk would settle their nerves.





With a few muttered syllables, they appeared in the Snowdin forest. The bracing chill woke them up after the heat of Hotland. They shivered once, hard, teeth chattering. Once the shudder passed, they were left feeling a little more clear-headed, as if they’d shaken off some of their anxiety. Savoring the crunch of snow underfoot, Chara walked, thinking of nothing in particular. After a while, they realized which direction they were heading in. Sighing, they spun on their heel.





That guy seemed pretty glum, lately. Chara didn’t want to add to that, which they would if they stopped to talk today. They muttered a few words, and reappeared in Waterfall. The old stomping grounds.





Maybe Mom was home. And if Mom was home, maybe Asriel was with her.





…Nah. Chara didn’t want to worry them with this weird mood, either. For a moment, they considered texting Dad, but decided against it on the same grounds. Chara wasn’t sure what their vague unease was, precisely. All they were sure about was that it wasn’t something to burden their family with. They’d untangle it on their own.





A few more words, and they appeared in a hall of cool marble. They weren’t sure what impulse brought them here on these rare explorations. Some latent death wish, maybe. Or a kind of fellow-feeling with the monster that haunted this place. Chara had never run into the king during their clandestine walks through the palace, which was undoubtedly a good thing. They couldn’t expect Mom to ride to the rescue a second time.





As if all that built up karma were cashing itself in at once, King Sans stepped into view around a massive pillar, moving silently.





Chara bit down a startled gasp, but the king was facing away from them and didn’t seem to notice their presence. The skeleton walked, and Chara found themself trailing behind, far enough back to go unheard.





The king passed into a courtyard dominated by an intricate gauntlet of puzzles, all deactivated and dilapidated. A simple, homey entryway stood at the far side of the space. Chara lingered in the shadows of the archway. The courtyard was open, with no cover save for the rusted spikes and rotted timbers rising from the floor. It had the feel of an arena, and it would be beyond foolish to follow any farther.





Sans halted in the courtyard’s center. Without turning, he said, “Was this wise?”





Words leapt to Chara’s lips too late. Their soul was grabbed, pulling their body along like a toy on a string as Sans reeled it in closer.





“Mom will know what you did!” Chara yelped, fumbling for a spell to defend themself with.





This had been a real dumb move. The realization that the new kid would be safe after all was cold comfort.





“Heh.” With a flick of his wrist, Sans let Chara go. “Kid, you’ve given me plenty of chances to take that soul of yours. I’ve honored my agreement with the captain more times than you know.”





Chara shuffled, ready to flee. Despite the king’s words, they knew better than to assume they were safe.





“And what brings you to my humble home, human?” Sans asked, still facing away as though Chara were no threat despite their species. Well, between a boss monster and a kid, even a magician, Chara supposed it wasn’t much of a contest. “If not to tempt fate and my patience?”





The answer to that question still eluded Chara. There was nothing good inside the palace. Just the king, and the clutter and mess of long, lonely years. “Mom’s right, you know,” they said, even as their better judgment urged them to be quiet. “There’s got to be some other way to bring down the barrier.”





If any statement could be better calculated to piss off the king, Chara couldn’t think of one. They waited, mouth dry, as Sans finally turned to face them.





The king’s face was the same bland mask Chara still saw in the occasional nightmare. The same easy smile that didn’t reach his eyes, that held no warmth. Not for Chara, anyway, or any other human. Sans shook his head, an abortive chuckle breaking the silence.





“So, where is it, then? This other way?” He gestured at the thousands of tons of rock far above. “If there were another option, brighter minds than yours or your mother’s, for that matter, would have found it before now. I didn’t start that collection for my health, buddy. It ain’t fun.”





“I know,” Chara said. They found themself gripping Rei’s pendent. Feeling stupid even as they said it, they added, “Thanks for not killing me.”





For an instant, the king’s left eye flashed, a bi-color swirl of magic. Half-remembered cautions against the eye of Balor, the evil eye, rose in Chara’s mind. “Sure, human,” Sans said, mild as ever. “No sweat.”





Chara sighed in unexpected relief, but the king went on.





“These last couple years have been unbearable with you living down here, you know that? With you just swanning around the Underground like you think you’re a monster yourself.” The light guttered, leaving the king’s face as empty as dead bone. “Letting my people love you like you have a right to it. And yet, every day you stay alive is another day of freedom you’ve kept from them. If you really cared about that cozy little family of yours, you’d know what to do about it. You’d bite the bullet.”





The words plucked at a deep, forgotten wound. Chara edged back a step, dropping their gaze. “They don’t want that.” The faceted glass of the pendent cut into their hand as they squeezed it.





“Oh, of course they don’t,” Sans said, the light rekindling in his eyes. “They’re good folks. They’d rather have it both ways. Freedom at no cost.” He shrugged. “But that’s not how it works, is it? Sometimes you gotta deal with reality even when it’s lousy.” Bitterness laced his words, and then faded away again.





“Lucky for you,” the king continued, “you may just get to have it both ways, after all. The way I hear it, you’re not the only game in town anymore.”





Chara stiffened. “You don’t have to.” They wondered briefly how far off the new kid was from New Home, if there was still time to change their mind.





“Heh.” Sans smirked, the expression hanging oddly melancholy on his features. “That’s where you’re dead wrong, kid.”





“They’re not hurting anybody. They just want to go back home.” Chara could see their words having no effect, adding, “They have a family,” with no idea whether that were even true. At the very least, the new kid had friends down here now. Asriel would be so crushed– how would Chara even begin to explain it to him?





Sans scoffed, weary but unmoved. “So do I,” he said. “A family and a kingdom, both of which I’m betraying every day I let you keep this.” He gave Chara’s soul a cursory tug, and let it go again. He turned and resumed his path to the door at the far side of the courtyard. “This will play out soon, one way or the other. It’s too late for anything else. Go home, kid.”





A sudden flare of anger seized Chara at the king’s dismissal. “You’re doing this for your family, then?”





The king paused. He stood for a moment, as though considering his answer. At last, he simply said, “Yes. I am.”





“Then why are you here all alone?”





The king cringed.





Yep, somewhere under the happiness and love, a death wish had to be lurking even now. Chara saw the terrible skull take shape in the air, saw the glow building as they finished the words that took them safely away.