Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale, but all original characters are mine

A/N: Okay. A Week and two days late! This…well, yeah! Okay! I got no excuse for this one, not really. XD All I can say is that I appreciate the wait for those who still look forward to reading this, and for you to enjoy the chapter! It was meant to be bigger, but…well, I couldn't find a better place to end things at. Changes are sudden after all!

Chapter 4: Minute Differences

"Frisk, what are you doing?" Rolling the sleeves inside bit by bit, Chara bit back the occasional twitch.

Frisk was too preoccupied to notice, running their fingers through Chara's hair as they adjusted their new sweater. The cool air brushing against their toes, and occasional jingle told them they were almost done. "Why is your hair so soft when mine is fluffy?"

Their brow raised a fraction of an inch, and a hint of…something, flickered in Chara's eyes. "Is that really important to know right now?" They paused for a moment, turning over Frisk's hand in thought, closing their fingers into a fist. It was still a bit damp, but not enough for them to worry, so they let it go. "We've been here for a while after all."

"Fluffy is best and bouncy…but," as they curled a stray bang over one palm, Flick pulled at the one floating in between their eyes with their free one. It bounced back when they let it go, but Chara's seem to slide in between their fingers. "I like your hair too! It's so soft and smooth! Like water!"

Giving them a non-committable grunt as their response, Chara took this chance to work on the other sleeve. "First my cheeks, then my hands, and now you're playing with my hair," They muttered, casting a small glare their way. "Have you not the concept of personal space?"

Tilting their head down, Frisk acted as if it was something to think about before nodding. "Yep!" They said, popping the 'p'. "But as my friend, what's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. So your Personal Space is my Personal Space! It's called Mutual Co-ha-bi-ta-tion."

Chara's glare turned flat. "That's…not quite how friendship works Frisk."

"It's not?"

"Nope," They replied, mimicking Frisk's earlier action. "Friends are supposed to respect, and not invade each other's Personal Boundaries." Contrary to their words though, Chara slipped an arm into the sleeves they were rolling in, straightening what they could so Frisk wouldn't have to feel stuffy with their arms. "Especially when one of the two doesn't want to be played around with like a doll."

Frisk held back a snicker, wanting to point out that it was them treating their friend like a doll. Stripping them like it was an everyday thing, putting Frisk in a different outfit, and now fixing it up so they wouldn't have to worry about tripping over themselves. Only reason why they didn't is because it felt nice to be fussed over for once.

Even if Chara did their best to avoid touching them, the way they went about rolling over the sleeves, adjusting the sweaters length and shoulder width…it was gentle, despite the look of disinterest in their eyes. But, there was nothing holding them back from saying something else. So with a mischievous grin, Frisk waited until they were done with the last sleeve before wrapping their arms around Chara's neck.

They could feel them stiffen under their hold, but Frisk didn't back off. "…What did I say about respecting Personal Space?" Chara asked, voice tight with the occasional shoulder twitch.

"You called me friend!" Frisk grinned, snuggling further into Chara's neck much to their discomfort.

Chara twitched, hands stiffly curling in and out of a fist by Frisk's sides. "No. No I did not," They stressed through gritted teeth. "At best, I'm merely you're guide in the Underground, if only to make sure you don't trip over yourself and break your neck." The resulting image thinned their lips, skin paling a couple shades lighter.

The latter of which, Frisk noticed as they stared at the back of Chara's neck. Despite Chara finding them unreliable though, they couldn't help the giddy bubbles rising up from their stomach at their worry. "So…" Trailing off, they pulled away with a pout, arms now hanging over Chara's shoulders. "…does that mean, if we're not friends, that I don't have to worry about invading your personal space?"

The glare they got in response almost made them giggle. "…so, common decency is also a concept that escapes you," They muttered with a sigh, mumbling a quiet "but then, what can I expect from a Human."

Frisk's fingers curled a bit at that, lightly digging into their palms. "What does me being Human have to do with that?" They asked bluntly.

Chara flicked them in the nose, their smile dead and cold. "Just about everything." Then it vanished as quickly as it'd come, and they stood straight, gently removing Frisk's arms from their shoulders. "So let me make things clear. I am your guide, not friend. And I'm only here to make sure you don't end up killing yourself, or anything else down here."

Quite blunt, aren't they? "…you sound more like a Parole Officer than a guide." Frisk deadpanned.

"…I'm worried about why you know what that is, but that is neither the here nor now." Turning their attention to the next doorway, Chara took a quick glance around the room, frown deepening just a smidgen. "Let's move. We've been lucky to not run into any Monsters, but who knows when that might change. The sooner we get you to Home, the less I have to worry."

"I thought you said Monsters weren't dangerous." Frisk stated, fingering the locket hanging around their chest. "And…Home?"

"The King is really bad at naming things," They snorted, eyeing the pillar for a couple seconds. "And you're right. Monsters aren't dangerous." Chara didn't so much as glance in their direction before continuing on to the next room, Frisk watching their back vanish through the doorway in silence.

…They traced their fingers across the lockets indention's, picking at the rusted bits here and there. "…hmm…does this count as two steps forward, or one?" Tilting their head from side to side, Frisk turned to the ceiling and watched the stones sparkle from above. 'Chara's not ignoring me now…no…' Despite the coldness in Chara's eyes, it wasn't as harsh as their words sounded…but a bit glazed. '…hmm…well…this'll be interesting.'

They were learning so much about their new friend today.

The switch between purple to a colorful hue came as a surprise to them. Not a bad one, it was too sudden to be, but as Frisk dived chest first into the ground, that opinion slowly changed. Nothing solid came, only the crinkling sound of paper that tickled their skin, and the feeling of their body sinking into the grou—no, leaves, an array of reds, browns and oranges piled together around and under.

Burying their face into the leaves, a giggle bubbled up in their chest, and Frisk pressed their left cheek against such bright colors. Limbs spread wide, gaze lingering, Frisk sat up with a contented sigh, hugging one knee close while letting the other lie across the foliage. Resting one in the palm of their hand, Frisk traced a thumb over it, idly casting a glance over their shoulder. They found the room had similar piles lined up against the walls, not a stray leaf out of place

Unlike the previous rooms though, this one seemed to match its namesake, holes littering the walls and pieces of brick lined up against them. Frisk noticed they were kept well away from the leaf piles, but that made them wonder why this room was like this, while the others weren't.

Pulling in their other leg, Frisk rolled around on their butt, stopping to gaze at Chara who seemed to be staring off into more specifically, the doorway to Frisk's right, which had a whole lot of nothing near it, unless you counted the darkness. Because for some reason, despite there being glowing rocks in the bedrock above, there was a lot of darkness going through the doorways. It just was for some reason, as if its sole purpose was to mock Frisk.

Frisk blew a raspberry at it, turning back to Chara with a huff, who was now staring at them with an odd expression. Their gaze didn't hold, and they cast a wary glance at the leaves that surrounded them, lingering for a couple moments before returning to stare at the door.

Must have been an interesting door. "…" Frisk stared at it as well, before turning to gaze at the southeastern part of the room. Aside from the crinkling leaves, it was quiet here as well. Chara just stood there staring, and it made them wonder why…considering they seemed to be in a hurry in the last room. "So…" Trailing off, Frisk picked themselves up and trotted towards Chara, fingers playing with their locket. "Which door do we go through?"

Giving Frisk a quick glance, Chara took a step to the left. "…The one to the Southeast leads deeper into the Ruins, and this one leads to a dead-end." Frisk followed their example and took a small step left, expression flat as Chara took in a deep breath.

Frisk shrugged, believing that Chara should've known full well they'd follow through with their little promise in the room before. "…can I go in?"

Exhaling through their nose, Chara finally turned, looking down towards them with a curious frown. "Why're you asking me?" Now it was Frisk's turn to feel confused.

"Because I promised to listen to you," Frisk replied, mirroring Chara's expression. Did they forget already? '…does this mean I'm not getting ma cuddles?'

But, after a couple moments, realization struck Chara's eyes, and their expression softened. "Frisk, when I had you promise that, it was with the intention that when I speak or offer advice, you're expected to listen." Lips thinning, they looked like they were about to say more, but didn't, preferring to keep quiet. Chara broke their self-imposed silence pretty quickly though, turning back to the doorway with a sigh. "If you want to go through one door, but I think it's the wrong way, you're expected to follow me, and that's it. Otherwise, you do you."

'…' The silence between them was unnerving, but at the same time comforting. It wouldn't make sense saying that aloud, Frisk knew, but in a way, it fit.

And they hated that it did. "…Chara, you won't leave, right?"

Their brows raised a fraction of an inch, but Frisk couldn't read the look in their eyes which resembled mist. "I would be a pretty horrible guide if I just left you on your own, now wouldn't I?" Chara was pretty bad at that as it was, but Frisk kept that to themselves, taking a quick look at the doorway before them. Chara followed their gaze, and 'ah'd in understanding. "But, if you feel like exploring the Ruins, I won't stop you. This place is pretty linear, so a couple detours here and there are fine."

Perking up, Frisk took that as permission to go ahead, passing through the doorway with a skip to their step, but a prickle in their SOUL. Not even a minute later, they came walking back out, trudging their feet across the ground while balancing a bowl on their head. "…Empty Helmet: Plus 3 Defense – Monsters will bowl over in laughter seeing this." Frisk chirped, lips curling into a smile. The flat glare they got in response only made things worse, a string of giggles and snorts erupting from their lips as the bowl fell from its place on Frisk's head and clattered on the ground.

It wasn't long after that they got control of themselves, despite the occasional giggle escaping their lips. "You done?" Chara had asked, tone dry. "Because if you are, you're going to need to put that back, otherwise it's called stealing."

Frisk blew a raspberry. "But it was empty when I found it!" They whined, snatching the bowl on the ground, before plopping it over their hooded head. Chara rolled their eyes at their so called 'helmet'. "Sides! It's dusty! If it belonged to someone it wouldn't be so dusty!" To prove that, Frisk swiped a hand over their helmet with a pout, showing Chara the thin layer of grey that dusted their palm and fingers. "…is dust s'pposed to be sticky though?"

They didn't respond though, eyes narrowing into slits as Chara zeroed in on the bowl, and for a moment, Frisk thought they say a faint flicker of red. And just like Chara's interest, it too, vanished. They looked away, content to pace through the leaves in silence. "…was that the only thing in the room Frisk?" Chara asked, picking at a stray thread of their sweater.

"…um…" Pulling the bowl off their head, Frisk stared at their hand-print, before shaking their head no. "I found the bowl surrounded by some rocks, but nothing else. Was there supposed to be?"

Their answer was a shrug. "Not a clue, but I suggest you drop it," Chara advises. "The Ruins are brittle in some parts, and from the look of this room," They gathered, waving a hand about, "the place hasn't been renovated in a while." Plucking the bowl from Frisk's hand, Chara tossed it aside, the crinkling of leaves drowning out Frisk's "Hey!". Chara shot them a look, and they crossed their arms with a pout. "I'd rather you not break a neck stumbling onto one of those spots because this thing blocked you're sight, either from trying to carry it in your arms, or as a helmet."

"…so if it's not getting in the way, I can pick up whatever I want?" The thought of free treasure fills Frisk with DETER—

"Stealing is stealing runt," Chara chimed, lip curling into a half-smile. "The Underground isn't like those Dungeons you find in Video Games where you can just find a random treasure chest lying about on the ground." Then, a slightly maniac, and bitter gleam shone in their eyes. "Whatever Dragon Quest taught you is a filthy, filthy lie and should be burned with extreme prejudice."

Frisk could only stare, both in confusion to Chara's jumble of words, and an amusing image of a younger Chara going about the Ruins, bright eyed and with a cape looking for treasure. Such an adorable image needs to be drawn and memorialized, but before that, Frisk had a question. "What's Dragon Quest?"

Chara faced them with an expression of innocence, Frisk saw the scene of hellfire and brimstone raging behind them flashing to life. "Something that should burn and be forgotten." Rubbing their eyes with their dust free hand, the scenery was gone, and Chara was mumbling off to the unused doorway with a small frown.

Frisk followed them through the door, bowl forgotten, and determined to ask Chara how they did that so they could confuse people with pastry baking goats and purple dinosaurs. "That didn't answer my question Chara!" Frisk retorted, finding them standing by a…pausing their advance, they tip-toed to stare into the open window, and found that it leads into a smaller hallway with a staircase spiraling downwards.

Chara's head poked in besides them, brows raised. "A Chute?"

Frisk pushed down their earlier question, deciding that it was a yes. "Shoot?" Turning to Chara, they frowned. "Who's shooting who? They must not be very nice."

"No. Chute with a Ch, only silent, which makes it sound like Sh." Chara corrected, brows furrowed. "They're passages within the walls that lead to other rooms, most oftenly used in puzzles."

Nodding along, Frisk fell back with a frown, scanning the empty hallway in silence. "…but where's the puzzle?" They saw another Chute, as Chara called it at the other end of the hall, but nothing else. The floor's bare of any pressure plates like the bridge, and there aren't any switches on the walls either. Chara saw what they did as well, so Frisk asked again. "Puzzle?" They repeated, as if Chara could point it out for them.

They could not, lips twitching into a grimace. "…Frisk, a Puzzle, is something made with the intention to test the mind, and inevitably be solved," Chara started, eyes drifting to the rooms center. Nothing but dirt could be found, so they continued, "And a hint to solving it is always given, no matter how strange, otherwise it wouldn't be called one."

"…how strange?" Frisk asked.

Chara's grimace shrunk a tad, their expression softening. "For example, being given a toothbrush, and told that it was the map to a maze." They mumbled wistfully, eyes glazing over.

There was a story to that, Frisk knew. "And was it?" Chara's answer made them giggle.

"Yes, but it was the Puzzle Makers toothbrush, and I told him he had ten seconds to come get it before it makes sweet, sweet love to the business end of my mud tracked boot." Gently reaching towards their chest, Chara finally smiled. It was faint and small, but they smiled. "Only problem was that the maze kept him from me, and he had to cross it himself to give me a replacement brush. Followed him from behind and the puzzle was solved. Was bleating about it for days though." But it wasn't long-lived, for they tried grasping something that wasn't there, and it faded into a thin frown.

Frisk…left them alone with their memories, playing around with their locket with a frown. After a couple moments though, they pulled it over their head, and held it out for Chara to see, pulling them out of their glazed stupor. "…what's that for runt?"

Frisk smiled. "You can hold it if you want." They had noticed them grasping for something around their chest, and the only thing that would be there, would be a necklace or something bigger, since Chara was grasping with their entire hand, and not fingers.

Chara's answer was silence, but after a couple seconds, they pushed their hand back. "Yeah~, no." Shaking their head, Chara snorted, and glanced at the floor before turning to the chute. "For one, I've no idea where that's been, and two, the only reason I can even touch it is because it's touching you." Phasing a hand through the wall, the one that had been grasping at air Frisk noted, Chara shrugged. "The moment you let go, it'll drop right through my neck, so keep it." Meaning they would have put it on, if they could.

But Frisk let it go with a nod, putting the locket back on. "So we just keep going?" Wanted to be sure since they found Chara only steps away from the door, instead of the exit. Chara didn't answer them though, looking perfectly content (wary) walking forward and tapping the ground every few steps.

No sound came despite Chara hitting resistance, just like when they were walking through the leaves. It wasn't until they tried at the rooms center did their foot slip through…followed by the rest as they sank into the earth like a rock would a lake.

It must've been a very deep lake, since Chara showed no signs of swimming back out. "…Chara?" They called, carefully toeing the ground in front of them. It didn't eat their toes, so Frisk took a step forward. "…you okay?" They're a ghost after all, and no one could hurt a Ghost…but then they recalled Ghost Busters, and decided not to call. 'Did the Monsters have a Ghost Buster?' It was a stray thought Frisk had as they continued testing the ground. 'Or would it be Human Buster?' The train of thought continued until Frisk stopped inches away from where Chara was swallowed by the earth.

Tilting their head in consideration, they slowly picked up one foot…and crouched on the ground, reaching forward to poke it with their finger. They weren't an idiot after all. But, just as their finger was about to touch ground, a sneeze jolted them back. "…why do I feel as if I've just been insulted."

Head snapping around, Frisk watched as Chara's head poked through the chute, with the rest of them phasing through brick. They gave them the stink eye, as if they were to blame for their runny nose.

Frisk only had one thing to say to that. "Chara!" They cheered in surprise, before frowning with a confused tilt. "You weren't eaten by Barnie?"

Chara stared at them, expression scrunched up in confusion, and brows twitching. They opened their mouth to speak once, but no words came, and they closed it, eyes tightly following suit. Frisk simply hummed a soft, homely tune until Chara opened their mouth once more, left hand raised, opening and closing it into a fist. "…I…know I shouldn't be asking…but what?"

Frisk answered with hidden, sadistic glee. "The train took so many loops and turns that I lost count," They admitted, playing with their locket. "It ended up crashing into a lake made of skittles." The skittles had it coming.

Chara sighed, expression slack in clear regret. "And me getting eating came up…how?"

"Barnie made the train crash because it had chalk in it," Frisk replied, returning to their previous endeavor of poking the ground. It did not shatter under their strength. "She likes to eat chalk, and destroyed the tracks with her battle ax."

"…I'm suddenly feeling a bit less disgusted about this Barney of yours, but that's that, and just like us, this topic needs to go. Forever." Chara stressed, swishing their hands back and forth, as if to say 'shoo, shoo'. Then, as an afterthought, "Also, don't take a step further. I don't know who's idea of a prank this was, but the spot right in front of you is viable to break. Someone filled in the cracks, but that's it. Stepping on it would result in a fall."

It sounded like a very important afterthought, but, that made them curious as to what Frisk would have fallen into. A room connected to those chutes, since Chara climbed back up to one…but did this count as a puzzle, or just something to bug people with?

Chara must have saw the confusion on their face, cause they answered quickly after. "Must be as an introduction?" Chara suggested. "Chances are, there'll be puzzles further down the line that utilizes the Ruins fragile state, so this one was placed here to reassure people that there's nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the cracks on the floor."

Frisk gave them a dry stare, idly wondering if they listen to themselves when they talk. "What's…not dangerous about falling through cracks in Ruins?" They couldn't keep the skepticism out of their tone. "And why fill in the cracks?"

"…For the latter, I…don't know," Chara admitted. "But for the first question, when I fell, there were leaves piled up together like in the previous room, so as to prevent physical harm." Even as they said that, their expression remained pensive, as if Chara was trying to remember something.

Frisk didn't know what, but they turned to stare at the ground anyway, slowly pressing a hand against the cool dirt. It didn't give, not even an inch, and despite Chara's earlier words, Frisk couldn't feel any cracks or uneven portions anywhere. '…seems solid…' Trailing off, they applied a bit more pressure, pressing the balls of their feet into the dirt just in case they needed to leap away.

The ground continued to defy them however, so Frisk raised a hand with a determined scowl (pout), balling it up into a fist, and slamming it into the dirt with a thunderous bang, eliciting a startled "WHAT?!" from Chara in response to their might power!

…okay…really, it was just a dull thump, one that barely drew Chara from whatever they were thinking about with a curious "Hmm". Point is! The ground still didn't give, so Frisk turned to Chara with a flat stare, only to be met with a hesitant shrug. "…it didn't break."

Chara eyed the spot where Frisk hit, gaze slowly shifting to the chute besides them in silence. "No…no it did not." They murmured, eyes narrowing into slits. Chara held their gaze for moments on end, before shaking their head with slumped shoulders. "…nevermind."

Frisk wrapped their knuckles across the ground a couple more times, drawing Chara's attention before they fell into a daze again. "No puzzle?"

"…no puzzle." Chara repeated, albeit reluctantly. They closed the distance between them, eyes shifting nervously across the ground. "But, what I said before still applies," They warned. "I don't know why it hasn't broken through, but if it can stand being punched by a…" Trailing off, they took a quick scan over Frisk who, for some reason, found the urge to stand up and pose, left hand placed firmly on their hip and pointing towards the sky with the right. Chara flicked their nose for their troubles and continued, even if they couldn't withhold the coming snort. "…pudgy runt like you, then I'm sure it'll hold steady long enough for one to walk across."

Rubbing their nose, Frisk huffed, "I'm not pudgy." They were fun size!

Chara didn't look like they believed them, but the amused half-smile was there, so it was a win for Frisk! "Just…" But, no soon as they thought that, did their half-smile dim, eyes shifting to the ground once more. "…watch your step." Frisk didn't miss how their fingers twitched every so often either. It made them wonder why Chara was so worried, considering all they said…but was there something else they weren't telling them?

Because Frisk took a step forward without hesitation, much to Chara's surprise. Despite this, nothing happened. Like before, despite there being weight added, the ground held. Frisk wasn't paying attention to that though. They keeping a close eye on Chara, watching as their jaw tightened when that first step was taken, body tense with their right jerked forward, fingers spread forward and stiff.

They took another step, and Chara twitched again, but less visually this time. Just a twitch, their jaw loosening, and expression softening into what Frisk could guess as relief. "…it's holding." They noted, taking another careful step forward, eliciting another subdued reaction from Chara. It almost looked like they were going to laugh, a breathless one…and, well, it was now that Frisk learned something.

Chara trusted Monsters; a lot. So what Flowey said must've gotten to them, whether they were willing to show it or not. There was something else too, but seeing the relief on their face…they felt probing for more reactions would've been too much. So with a small smile, they shrugged. "Guess you were worried for nothing, huh?"

Chara didn't respond to them, but seeing their eyes widen, red dusting their cheeks as if they were just caught with their hand in the cookie jar…well…it was answer enough for them. Especially when they tried to regain their composure by standing straight and replacing their relief with a scowl.

So continuing their homey tune from before, they spun on the balls of their feet, and took their next step forward. By that time, Frisk couldn't see Chara's shoulders jerking up in surprise, nor could they watch their expression shift from relief to shocking realization.

With their next step, all Frisk felt was the ground beneath their feet give way, amusement giving way to surprise. And then they tumbled forward, a wordless cry on their lips into the darkness, silver springing to life within.

"FRISK!"

A/N: Okay! This Chapter is the second longest! Meant to be longer, and I'm sure there are those who want my head on a pike for leaving it on a cliffhanger like that. I know I sure would, but that's besides the point! References has been made, and realizations set in.

What was in that hole that made Chara so worried? Where's Noah in all this? Why is Frisk such a weird, shmall child?! BUT MOST IMPORTANT IS~

…what'll come next chapter. As you all no doubt know from last chapter, the puzzles have been altered. Not changed, altered. Try and guess the changes. X3 But other than that, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't be afraid to give your opinion! Any criticism's you might have is a learning experience for me. So see you…whenever I post the next chapter!