December 21st

Frisk's POV

Frisk sat alone at the table, eating a bag of fruit snacks as they looked through the stack of invitations. They flipped through them, scanning through the names.

"Sans… Papyrus… Kat… Undyne… Alphys... Teri… Mettaton… Ray… Clover… Napstablook… Poppy… Asgore… MK... I think that's everyone." A knock pounded on the door. Frisk stood up, pulling the door open to reveal Kat.

"Oh, hey Kat," Frisk greeted with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Asgore invited me over for tea…" Kat replied, gesturing to them with her gloved hand. "Do you want to come with?"

"Uh… Sure." Frisk pushed the door further closed as they glanced into the living room. "I'll go get Ace-"

"No…" Frisk looked back at Kat, raising an eyebrow. "Just you… I, um, figured it would be fun for just the three of us… Besides, Ace doesn't really like tea."

"Yes, he does-"

"Come on!" Kat grabbed Frisk's hands, pulling them forward. They staggered in place. Frisk glanced back into the house, grabbing the doorknob with their bare hand.

"At least let me tell Mom where I'm going," they replied, stepping back into the house. "And get my jacket…"

"Okay," Kat replied, taking a step back. Frisk grabbed their gloves, hat, and jacket, bid farewell to Toriel, and grabbed Kat and Asgore's invitations before setting off with Kat. They made their way down the sidewalk. The snow had been mostly cleared, though patches of crunchy snow and slush still littered the path here and there.

"It's been a while since we've hung out, huh?" Kat asked, gazing at Frisk with a smile. "Just the two of us I mean… You know, outside of ambassador work and school!"

"I suppose it has been a while," Frisk answered, shoving their hands in their pockets. "But it won't be just us… You said so yourself."

"True," Kat replied with a shrug.

"How has Asgore been?" Frisk asked, meeting Kat's gaze. "I haven't seen him since he moved into his new house."

"He's been pretty good," Kat answered, turning down one of the sidewalks. "He's happy about not being king anymore and grows all his own food… Well," Kat paused to chuckle. "Mostly tea leaves, actually." Frisk cracked a smile. "Me and Teri go see him all the time but she's busy with show stuff today."

"I thought she was on break?"

"They're supposed to be… Teri told me they just have one more episode to film and air before she gets a break from it for the holidays."

"Not that she'd mind not getting a break," Chara grunted. Frisk swatted at them, only for their hand to pass right through them. Chara smirked. "Come on, it's true. Teri loves doing that show, and not just because it makes her and her Dad a ton of money." Chara winked. Frisk rolled their eyes Kat and Frisk continued down the sidewalk, eventually turning into the snow-covered forest just past the last house. The two of them crunched through the snow, leaving deep footholes. Chara floated after them. Finally, the pair stopped in front of a small log cabin. Kat knocked on the door.

"Kat…" A soft voice replied. "Frisk… Is that you?"

"Yes!" The door was pushed open, revealing Asgore. His hair and beard were actually groomed, looking much neater and cleaner, though he still wore that same purple cloak.

"Hello, you two." Asgore's upper lip twitched up. "Ice of you to come by in this weather." Kat snickered. Frisk covered their face, groaning through their laughter.

"Oh god," Chara grunted.

Asgore was still smiling warmly. "Come on, you two must be freezing." He gestured them inside with his paw. "Come in, come in." Frisk and Kat made their way inside, immediately being confronted by a burst of warmth. The fireplace crackled softly in the living room. A kettle whirred from the kitchen counter, steam flowing from it.

"I have already got the tea going," Asgore informed, pointing at the kettle. "Frisk, I didn't know what you like so I just made green tea. I hope that is alright."

"Green tea is fine," Frisk replied with a shrug. "But for future reference, I like chamomile." Asgore smiled. The three sat at the table, Frisk and Kat side by side on one end and Asgore on the other end. Chara floated beside Frisk. They tried to rest their elbow on the table, only for it to faze through. Grunting, Chara crossed their arms.

"So… how have you both been?" Asgore asked, tapping his claws on the table. "I heard you're off from school for two weeks."

Kat nodded. "Yeah, for the holidays."

Frisk perked up. "Oh, that reminds me." Frisk pulled the invitations out of their pocket, sliding one toward Kat and the other toward Asgore. They held them up.

"Holiday party…" Asgore mumbled to himself. "Eight-five two Highland avenue… Twenty-Fifth of December… Bring food and friends."

"Sounds fun, who else is invited?" Kat asked, looking up from her invitation.

"Teri, Mettaton… Sans, Papyrus, Ray… Clover… Poppy, Napstablook… Undyne, Alphys and… MK! And you two, of course."

"Toriel invited me?" Asgore asked, perking up.

"Um…" Frisk thought back to how they and Ace had argued that Asgore should come and how Toriel had only begrudgingly agreed. "Yes, we did."

"Well… I'll certainly come," Asgore replied with a nod. "I could bring some teabags and leaves." The kettle began to play the song of its people to signify that the tea was done. Asgore glanced at the steaming kettle. "I'll get that…" Asgore stood up and ambled toward the kettle. Frisk leaned toward Kat.

"I see why you and Teri come here so often now," they whispered. "It's so quiet… and lonely."

"He does get a bit lonely," Kat replied with a nod. "But he likes the quiet." Surely he misses his family, though?

"I'm sure he misses Mom and Asriel, Frisk," Chara grunted, floating beside them.

And I'm sure they miss you too.

"I guess," Chara sighed. Asgore poured the tea into three tea cups, one red, one green, and one purple. It was clear who was whose…

"Would either of you like some cinnamon or honey?" he asked, turning to them.

"Do you have marshmallows?"

"Those are for hot chocolate, Frisk," Kat replied, beaming as she nudged their shoulder. Frisk smiled as well.

"I'll have honey then," Frisk replied.

"I'll have that as well," Kat added with a nod. Asgore poured some honey into two of the cups, then put chunks of the cinnamon in the third one. He carried the two honey cups to the table first. Frisk took the red one and Kat took the green one, blowing on them to cool them down. Asgore took his, sitting down across from them.

"It might take a minute for it to cool down," Asgore murmured, putting his cup of tea down. Frisk put theirs down as well. Steam was still floating from the three cups, filling the air with a warm, almost floral scent. Frisk's arms and legs seem to cool as they went numb. They glanced around the house. The only sound in the air was the soft crackling of the fireplace. Everything else was still. The cabin seemed to consist of only three rooms, a living room with a chair and a lamp, a small kitchen with a sink, cabinets and a fridge, and another door that presumably lead to a bedroom. There were no stairs leading to a possible second floor. It seemed… empty. Frisk met Asgore's gaze, who had just taken a sip of his still steaming tea.

"This is good," Kat commented beside Frisk, sipping her own tea. "Still, I like chai with cinnamon the best."

"I'll keep that in mind," Asgore replied with a nod. He took another sip of tea. The room fell silent.

"Um…" Asgore met Frisk's gaze as they spoke up. "Asgore, do you ever miss Asriel and Chara?"

Asgore stiffened. "Why… Yes I do. I miss them everyday." He paused to let out a sigh. "How do you know about them?"

Frisk glanced at Chara, who was looking away, their hair covering their face. "Mom- or, Toriel told me about them…"

"They both miss me, huh?" Frisk raised an eyebrow at Chara. Of course they miss you! You were their child! Chara let out a sigh, their hair covering their eyes as they gazed at the ground.

Is something wrong?

"Wrong?" Chara met Frisk's gaze, pushing a piece of their hair out of their face. "No, nothing's wrong…" Frisk raised an eyebrow.

"What are you staring at?" Asgore asked, gazing at Frisk with a look of concern.

"Probably Char-" Frisk glared at Kat, giving her the 'cut it out' hand signal. "-omile! Chamomile! Those flowers-" Kat pointed at a pot of white flowers. "Those are chamomile, right? Frisk and I were wondering."

"Indeed, they are chamomile. I like putting them near crops to keep the bugs away in the warmer seasons. Plus, I like using the leaves and petals for tea." Frisk and Kat nodded along, exchanging gazes of relief as Asgore spoke. "So anyway, I'm sure you two are excited about the holidays?"

"Yeah," Kat replied, nodding. "I can't wait to see everyone at Toriel's party… and then Kwanzaa."

"Kwanzaa…" Asgore repeated, sipping some tea. "I do not believe I have heard of that one."

"It's more of a cultural holiday," Kat replied with a shrug. "Papa says it was a bigger deal when he was my age. We celebrate it for a week after Christmas."

"Interesting," Asgore replied with a nod.

Poppy's POV

"Are you excited to see me and Mettaton perform?" Teri asked, staring at Poppy in the seat beside her as she fluffed out her skirt.

"I see you guys perform all the time, what's so special about this time?" Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because... this time you'll be watching us live! And even make a cameo appearance!" Teri leaned closer to Poppy. "Pluuuus... it'll be our holiday special!" Teri's dad chuckled from the front seat, though he kept his eyes fixed on the road.

��When is this going to air?" he asked.

"Three o'clock… We'll… um," Teri's cheeks reddened. "Probably just mess around in the break room for a while before our cue."

"And by mess around do you mean stare at him and daydream?" Poppy asked, nudging Teri on the shoulder. Teri pushed her away.

"No, I mean we literally mess around…" Teri giggled into her hand. "We're weird, okay?" The car pulled to a stop. Out the window, Teri spotted the bright pink building she had come to so many times.

"We're here," Teri's dad announced, parking in front of the sidewalk. Teri pushed the door open. Poppy pulled her seatbelt off, pushing herself after Teri. "Have fun!" And with that, he drove off. Poppy cast a glance at Teri, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Why am I even surprised that it's pink?" she sighed.

"What's wrong with pink?" Teri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Poppy and Teri began making their way toward the studio. "It's just so… Mettaton."

"That's a good thing to me."

"Yeah, it would be." Poppy and Teri nudged each other before pushing the glass doors open. They made their way down a hall. A few rooms down and they found Mettaton, lounging on a couch, wearing one of those ugly Christmas sweaters with a reindeer design on it.

"Hey, Mettaton!" Teri greeted, peeking into the room and waving. Mettaton shot up. He was off the couch and in front of Poppy and Teri in an instant.

"OH HELLO TERI, DARLING!" He turned to Poppy. "AND POPPY, OF COURSE, NICE SEEING YOU OUT AND ABOUT FOR ONCE."

Poppy's eyes narrowed. "I… go out! For… school…" She looked away, letting out a huff. "And stuff."

"ANYWAYS-" Mettaton looked back at Teri. "READY TO FILM THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE OF THE YEAR?"

"Penultimate?" Teri asked, tilting her to the side.

"ALPHYS TAUGHT ME THAT WORD. SECOND TO LAST. READY FOR THE SECOND TO LAST EPISODE?" Teri nodded vigorously. "NOW, WE'LL GO OVER WHAT LITTLE OF A SCRIPT WE HAVE. HONESTLY, JUST AD-LIB IF IT FEELS MORE NATURAL." The two spoke enthusiastically as they walked away, leaving Poppy to stand alone in the middle of the room. She clasped her hands together, looking around the room. A few co-stars sat around in the room, sipping from small cups and talking amongst themselves, though one particular figure stood off to the side just like Poppy. Her heart lit up!

"Hi, Napstablook!" Poppy exclaimed, dashing toward them. The ghost turned to her, eyes wide. They backed up only a bit before letting out a sigh of relief and meeting Poppy's gaze. "Uh… sorry, it's been a while, how have you been?"

"I've been okay…" Napstablook replied, nodding a little. "I help make the music for the show…"

"The background music or the songs with words?"

"Both… Well, not every lyrical track. Some of those are songs I didn't make."

"What music are they using this time?"

"Can't say… it would be a spoiler."

Poppy shrugged. "Fair enough." A whirring sound filled the room. Poppy glanced beside her to see Burgerpants, filling a cup with some sort of yellowish liquid at the dispenser.

"What's that?" Poppy asked, pointing to it.

"Oh… It's juice," Napstablook answered, gazing at the dispenser. "Did you... want some?"

"Yeah, sure," Poppy replied with a shrug. "Do you, uh… have any ghost food or drinks you can have?"

Napstablook nodded. "Mettaton brought me some ghost cookies."

"Okay." Poppy grabbed a cup and filled it with the yellowish juice, which she realized with a sip was apple juice. She glanced at her phone. The time displayed was two forty-six. Mettaton, Teri, and Shyren had left the room, probably going on stage, while Burgerpants, Napstablook, and Poppy stayed put. Poppy glanced at Napstablook.

"It's almost three do you have anything to do before the show?" Poppy asked, sipping her apple juice.

Napstablook shook their head. "No�� the fans chose the songs this time, and that's all been set up."

"Oh!" Poppy's eyes widened. "I forgot about that!" She paused to giggle. "This'll be a fun time indeed…" The two made their way out of the break room and toward the auditorium. Teri and Mettaton weren't onstage yet. However, humans and monsters alike were already filling the seats, chatting like rabbits. Among them, Poppy spotted another Ray. Her brother was sitting next to Sans and Papyrus. The tall skeleton was leaning forward in his seat, his eyes brighter than diamonds. Meanwhile, Sans was sprawled out, eyes closed. Poppy sat down far away from them, Napstablook taking a seat beside her as they gazed at the empty, unlit stage.

Teri's POV

"THREE… TWO… ONE…" Teri blinked as a bright light shined in her face, revealing her and Mettaton in their seats onstage. "AND WE'RE LIVE!" Mettaton announced, throwing his arms out overdramatically." HELLO, BEAUTIES AND GENTLE BEAUTIES!"

Teri interjected as she fiddled with her headmic, "Humans and monsters alike!"

"AND WELCOME TO THE MTT SHOW'S FIRST EVER HOLIDAY SPECIAL ON THE SURFACE!" Teri and Mettaton announced in unison. Cheers echoed off the auditorium walls, though Teri couldn't see the audience through the stagelight.

"YES HOLIDAY SPECIAL," Mettaton continued once the cheering had calmed down. "AS HUMANS HAVE MULTIPLE HOLIDAYS IN THIS SNOWY MONTH. TERI, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ELABORATE ON THAT?" He gestured to her with a smile.

"I would actually." Teri paused to clear her throat. "Christmas is the most well-known holiday, of course. It's the one with all the movies and commercials, everyone's familiar with it. Then there's Kwanzaa. Me, Kat, and Frisk celebrate it for a week after Christmas to celebrate our heritage. There's also Hanukkah. My friend, Clover, celebrates it. It's a Jewish holiday lasting for eight days, starting tomorrow. And finally, New Year's. That's not for a while but everyone stays up until midnight that night to celebrate the New Year."

"THAT DOES SOUND LIKE A BLAST." Mettaton turned and pointed at the audience. "SADLY, YOU LOVELY FANS WON'T BE GETTING ANY EPISODES UNTIL OUR COUNTDOWN ON NEW YEARS, AS WE'RE TAKING A BREAK FOR THE HOLIDAYS." There were some disappointed 'awws' from the crowd.

"But don't you worry!" Teri smiled as she pointed at the audience, shrouded in light. "We've still got quite a treat planned for you today!"

Teri and Mettaton spoke together again, pointing at the audience. "ONE STRAIGHT HOUR OF HOLIDAY SONGS ALL REQUESTED BY YOU!" Even more rampant cheering exploded from the crowd. Teri and Mettaton were up in a flash, pushing their chairs behind the curtains and taking off their head mics. Shyren floated in from behind the curtains, carrying a mic in her fin. Teri pointed offstage.

"Play the music!" A cheery tune echoed off the walls. The cheering faded out to make way for the song.

"I... don't want a lot for Christmas…" Teri stiffened as Shyren's voice echoed off the walls. Well, I guess I know what Poppy's request was…

Teri, frozen in place, glanced at Mettaton. He stepped forward with a slow spin, holding his hand out to her. Smiling, Teri took his hand. It's been awhile since we've danced like this… Thought I suppose it fits. Mettaton took Teri's other hand, pulling her closer with a soft movement. Teri resisted the urge to giggle.

"I don't care about the presents…" Mettaton and Teri spun slowly around the stage, keeping a soft grip on the other's hands. Teri cast a glance at the audience. Poppy sat in the front row, her usual smirk plastered on her face. Smirking back, Teri gestured to her with a tilt of her head, to which Poppy raised an eyebrow. She mouthed the words come on stage.

"I just want you for my own… More than you could ever know." Hands shoved in her pockets, Poppy shambled onstage. Teri looked back at Mettaton. He pulled her closer, removing one of his hands to twirl her around like a dreidel. Teri blinked. Feeling her body falling back, Teri grabbed Mettaton's wrist with her free hand. Mettaton rested his fingers on her wrist. Teri loosened her grip, allowing Mettaton to take her hand again.

"Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you…" The music picked up. Poppy walked onstage, making the audience erupt with applause. Teri and Mettaton's hands parted. Stepping to the beat, Teri strutted toward Poppy, the two grabbing each other's hands.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas." Teri and Poppy moved their arms back and forth, stepping forward in tandem with the music. They stepped back, stretching back as they held each other's hands. Poppy pulled her back. Jumping up, Teri twirled Poppy around, as Mettaton had done earlier. Poppy ducked under Teri's arm. Standing back up, Poppy leaned forward and did the same to Teri. She pulled her close. They stood in place for a moment, resting their hands together to form quick circle with their arms.

"I don't need to hang my stocking… There upon the fireplace..." Teri let go of one of Poppy's hand, throwing her free arm out. Poppy mirrored the movement. Letting go of each other's hands, Teri and Poppy spun away like dreidels. Teri skidded to a halt on in left of the stage, throwing one arm in the air and the other off to the side. The crowd went wild. Poppy meanwhile twirled toward Mettaton, who had been dancing on his own the whole time, throwing his arms and legs around to the music. He pranced toward Poppy. The two made their way toward each other. Poppy stopped in front of him in the middle of the stage, flipping her hair as she turned and face the audience. Smiling, Mettaton spun past her. Poppy took one huge step to the side, and now the two had switched places. Teri went to join them, stepping and hopping to the beat.

"Make my wish come true… all I want for Christmas is you!" Teri stopped beside Mettaton. The robot took her hand, spinning her around and placing her in-between Poppy and Mettaton. Teri took Poppy's hand, holding Mettaton's hand as well.

"What are we doing?" Poppy murmured in Teri's ear.

"Improvising," Teri replied simply. She pushed Poppy and Mettaton to the sides. They let go of her hands, sliding away in one step each. Freezing, they both struck a pose. Teri danced on her own for a while, spinning and stepping to the beat, unable to keep a smile off her face. The three danced together as well. However, none of their moves were in sync, some being entirely random.

Towards the end of the song, when the three were dancing in a line, Poppy hopped backward, sliding to Teri's other side. She nudged Teri closer to Mettaton, smirking mischievously. Teri glared at her. Mettaton just chuckled, taking Teri's hand and twirling her around. Teri smiled, grabbing his other hand. The song began to fade out as they danced, eventually stopping altogether as the audience erupted with applause. Teri and Mettaton let go of each other���s hands to turn to the audience. Teri slunk toward Poppy.

"Was that your request?" she murmured in Poppy's ear. The redhead nodded. "I really hope you realize that we're not in a relationship because I'm TEN."

"Oh, I know." Poppy smirked, nudging Teri's shoulder. "I just like messing with you." She made her way offstage, probably still smirking. Teri rolled her eyes.

Frisk's POV

"Bye Asgore!" Frisk and Kat waved at Asgore as they made their way through the snow. Chara floated beside them, like usual. However, their back was hunched and their head hung low, blocking their face with their hair.

"That was fun, huh?" Kat asked, wrapping an arm around Frisk.

"Uh yeah…" Frisk kept their gaze on Chara. "Can I just… Um… Can you give me a moment? I need to talk to Chara." Kat backed off a bit, removing her arm.

"Okay," she replied with a shrug.

"Chara seriously… What's wrong?" Frisk murmured, gazing at the ghostly figure. Shouldn't visiting Asgore have made you happy?

"It should've��" Chara let out a sigh. "I… I know it's just…" I shouldn't say this.

"Say what?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow at Chara's thoughts.

They let out a grunt. "It's… it's not you Frisk. It's my problem. I'm honestly… well… this is going to sound bad but… I'm... bored." Frisk screeched to a halt. Bored?

"I know, it's awful, but… Since you're not on a perilous adventure, I'm not really guiding you anymore. I'm just kinda… here. Stuck… Unable to talk to my family… Unable to tell them that… I'm not alive but… conscious in a way. I'm stuck here, watching you live your life."

Do you want me to reset or something?

"No! Of course not. Things are perfect… but… I don't have a place in it. There's nothing I can do but watch it happen."

"Frisk, come on!" Kat called from up ahead. She was already to the sidewalk beyond the trees, beckoning Frisk closer with her hand.

"I'm coming!" Frisk called, dashing toward her. Chara drifted after them. Skidding to a halt beside Kat, Frisk stopped to catch their breath. "Sorry… Chara and I were talking and…"

"Don't tell her!" Chara snapped, their brown eyes blazing. "My feelings are between you and me, got it?!" Frisk nodded.

"What?" Kat asked, staring intently at them.

"Nothing," Frisk replied, making their way down the sidewalk. Kat quickly caught up. "Chara doesn't want me to tell anyone."

"Okay…?" Frisk gazed at the sun, which was already sinking on the horizon. Their phone vibrated in their pocket. Frisk glanced at their notifications to see a text from Ace.

I recorded today's MTT show for us to watch when you get home. It was a really good one!

Frisk quickly sent a response: Thanks! And I'll be home soon!

Now that Teri's last episode of the break was over, Frisk figured she'd be available. They glanced at Kat.

"Hey… are you free this week?" Frisk asked, putting their phone back in their pocket.

��Yeah, I'm not busy with anything," She replied with a shrug. "Why?"

"Are Ray, Clover, Teri, and Poppy busy?"

"I think Teri's last episode aired today, I was gonna watch my recording of it. I don't know what everyone else has been up to though."

"Oh… Ace and I were gonna watch a recording of it too. Wanna join us?"

Kat's entire face lit up. "Yeah, sure! I'll ask my parents!" She pulled out her phone and immediately began typing. Frisk glanced at Chara. They were still avoiding Frisk's gaze, lost in their thoughts.