Contractual Obligation

[Chara bullying Frisk]

"Greetings."

Frisk's eyes snapped open, the sickly-sweet voice bringing chills down their spine. Clarity was one panic-ridden second away, as they snapped awake. Darkness surrounded them, oozing in from every possible direction, though they did feel some kind of loose shred of cloth around their eyes, which contributed to the loss of vision. Instinct kicked in mere moments later and they tried scrambling to their feet, only to find the attempt made impossible.

They were bound.

Where, how, or why didn't matter at all. What mattered significantly more were the giggles, strangely coming from every direction at the same time. Frisk struggled against whatever bound them in place, but despite all the force and exertion the bindings did not loosen. They could find no release.

The human continued trashing to absolutely no avail. There was no running away. The voice, the laughter, the darkness and the mere fact that they couldn't move all contributed to the mewl of anguish that left their throat.

"What's the matter, partner?" the voice came from behind them. "I thought you'd be glad to see me."

Frisk turned their head as much as possible, only for a pair of hands to grab onto their cheek. Thin, unnaturally cold fingers, dry skin and an uncomfortable willingness to touch them sent bright flashes of urgency down into Frisk's very core. Their SOUL reacted accordingly and even through the blindfold, Frisk could see traces of red illuminating their surroundings.

"I'll be taking that, thank you very much."

Frisk drew a sharp breath and managed to push back the waves of panic. The name burned at the edge of their tongue.

"Chara, stop!"

And with that, they stopped. The hands never fully left their cheek.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't speak to me anymore." Chara's voice was sweet and unnaturally soft as usual, though it was hard to hide the wave of hurt under it.

"I-I'm sorry..." Frisk whimpered. They trembled from head to toe, SOUL flashing in bright red to accompany.

"Really? Are you?"

The fingers started tapping on their cheeks, curling just a couple degrees by the knucles. Not enough to ball into fists, but definitely enough to show the human or demon, had nails. Potentially painful ones. Another involuntary whimper left their throat, barely escaping through the returning lump of fear in their throat.

"W-where are we?"

"I asked first." Chara warned, nails sinking into their cheek. They weren't about to do any damage, but did come as a reminder that they could easily do it. "Wouldn't want to be rude now, would we?"

"N-n-no." Frisk mumbled, their stuttering quickly sinking to levels beyond Alphys' even. The human took a deep break and tried to ignore the playful lines being drawn on their cheek. "I'm really-really s-sorry."

"Hm. I know you're lying, but it's the thought that counts." Chara giggled, driving the nails a little deeper this time, stopping just before they could draw blood. "Too bad I see your thoughts too, right?"

Frisk didn't dare speak, for no answer could possibly satisfy the Fallen Human.

"Alright, I'll be a gracious host and accept your pathetic apology this time." they said, the fingers once again just lightly tapping at their cheeks. "But I might not be so kind a second time, so bear that in mind."

The human yelped as all support suddenly vanished from behind. Still bound and sightless, gravity took control of their body. Rather than on the ground though, they landed on something decidedly soft and hard at the same time. The veil was also lifted from their eyes, and for a moment, all Frisk could see was the bright red glow of their SOUL pulsing above them. A figure loomed over the light, blocking it out just enough for Frisk to get used to it quicker. The fact that the figure turned out of to be a familiar face, with eyes glowing in a red only their SOUL could match, was decidedly less relaxing though.

"Peekaboo!"

They gasped at the sight of the First Fallen, and even more so upon the realization that the support they fell into, was actually Chara's lap. Frisk wasn't exactly averse to touches; they very much liked being hugged by Toriel and Asgore, even some of Papyrus' and Undyne's roughhousing they were more than ready to deal with. Chara, however, was on a different level. Fun was usually missing from their touches, or at least for Frisk. Chara enjoyed it immensely, they knew that much.

"Wh-what do you--"

"Ruuude." Chara groaned, booping Frisk's nose. "Don't just get to the point like that, it's very rude not to engage in some small-talk at least."

Frisk sucked their lips in, their level of discomfort rising by the second.

"But I guess we can get right to it. You impatient little scamp." they sighed and raised a hand, just under Frisk's SOUL.

The glow around the SOUL seemed to morph into a fine, powdery mist, gently descending onto Chara's hand. This 'soul dust' solidified further and in just a few seconds, a very familiar instrument lay in Chara's grasp: a knife. Blade blood-red with strange, ethereal swirls coursing around it, the fallen human let it spin around in their hand, savoring the how light and well-balanced it was. Frisk whimpered even louder than before at the sight of the weapon, cold sweat forming on their forehead.

"I thought we had an agreement." Chara sighed. They brought the blade down, but rather than stab or cut Frisk, they merely let the dull edge and the blade dance along their arm. It took every little ounce of willpower to keep themselves from trembling and trashing wildly, just from the mere sight and cold touch of the knife. "I let you have your happy ending without interfering, but once we're on the surface, your nights belong to me."

Frisk blushed and looked away for a moment. The truce signified a chance for them to get all the monsters out safely, but also subjected them to the constant temptation of Chara's more direct and vicious methods. And yet their 'partner' always made it sound so much more wrong and depraved, than the situation really was.

"And yet you keep trying." Chara continued, turning the knife a little. They drew a line down Frisk's arm, slicing the sleeve clean open, but stopping short at touching their skin. "Staving off sleep, watching TV late into the night, even ordering some caffeine shots online?" they chuckled over that last bit.

The next sentence came with a much deeper and menacing voice though.

"It would be so much more amusing, if you didn't do this only to back out of our deal."

"Wait, please Chara, I--"

The blade flew past their eyes at a speed Frisk couldn't even properly register. If they tried sticking their head a bit more, it might have cut off a little of their nose. This way, the only lost a tiny lock of hair instead.

"I have a sense of humor Frisk, but business is business." they stated, sharp glare digging into Frisk's skull. They saw their own frightened expression in Chara's bright red eyes, only to once again see that the time they've spent together has not passed without lasting effects. It was like looking into a mirror, in a sense.

Frisk's eyes used to be brown.

"Let me show you something interesting." they said, raising the knife to Frisk's SOUL.

"STOP!" Frisk screamed. "Chara, please, I swear I'll sleep on time, I'll do whatever you want, just ple--"

"Shh..." Chara placed a finger on Frisk's lips, reluctantly silencing them. "Partners shouldn't scream at each other like that."

Once the knife was just a few inches from the SOUL, they left that hand suspended in the air, while raising the other. This released Frisk's mouth, but they dared not speak, fearing immediate and painful retribution. They didn't think Chara would actually harm their SOUL, and yet it was not a risk they were willing to take. Chara raised their hand and in an unexpected development, merely flicked their finger against the blade.

Frisk stared at the scene with confusion, the sound of the metallic ring filling their ears. Chara smiled and repeated the motion, flicking hard enough that it seemed like the bright red blade was vibrating. While they were still focused on the knife itself, Frisk also noticed their SOUL reacting to the noise. Every time Chara flicked the blade, the ringing and the vibration echoed in their SOUL as well.

Chara's hellish weapon and their SOUL were of the same kind, spawned from and reacting to each other. Much like their own symbiotic-parasitic relationship. It was a sign of ties that bind, with strings so powerful no blade could have cut through them.

A cold feeling exploded in Frisk's chest, making them whine and whimper louder than ever. Chara let the dull edge run along their naked SOUL, the two meeting in tiny sparks of soul-glow. Frisk trashed in Chara's lap, an unfamiliar and thoroughly wrong sensation spreading from their chest and into every inch of body. The fallen human's free hand touched their cheek once again, burning red with an unwanted heat.

Frisk turned left and right, unable to escape from Chara's hold, as they just calmly kept sliding the blade across the SOUL. It might not have done any damage, but they were certainly feeling some odd effects from it. Chara just continued to grin and let their hand slowly travel down their partner's neck. Once in the middle, they slowly applied some pressure, immediately ending most of the trashing. Frisk gasped, lungs signaling the lack of adequate airflow. Their eyes grew cloudy, vision blurring and hazy, unable to make out much beyond the pair of red eyes beaming at them.

As the last inch of the blade passed by, Chara pulled it from Frisk's SOUL, that final motion starting a shockwave-like tremble across their body. Their partner opened their mouth, desperately trying to grab onto some air before consciousness would leave them. The first fallen waited just a few more seconds before releasing their hold, relishing in the obscenely loud gasps they immediately broke into.

"Fascinating, wasn't it?" they asked, not really expecting much of an answer. It was a miracle they were even conscious after all this. "I trust you will remember this in the future."

Frisk nodded weakly, still blushing fiercely. Placing the knife aside, Chara once again caressed their cheeks, fingers also running along the messy hair. They could swear Chara was cooing to them softly, though the world still seemed to be spinning around a bit too much to really make sure.

"And with that, I shall release you for now." they said, leaning forward to the point where their eyes were just inches away. "Have a nice and splendid day, partner. I will be waiting for you here, as always."

The young partner was still gasping for air, the red in their cheeks an unending constant by now. This just made Chara smirk even more, in that very insufferable way Frisk hated, and yet knew they couldn't wipe off in any way.

"Just remember one thing," they added in a sing-song voice. Their eyes suddenly turned violently pitch-black and their grin dark and jagged.

"Don't be late."

-     -     -

Frisk rose from their bundle of blankets with a muffled cry. The panting returned with full force, though more because of the sudden shock, than anything else. A quick glance confirmed to they were no longer confined to Chara's dark realm, nor were they bound. Examining their wrists, Frisk found no sign of ropes or anything, indicating the whole escapade was little more than a powerful nightmare.

They slumped back into the bed, feeling a bit disgusted by the fact that they've sweated straight through their pajamas. Nonetheless, the free movement, the bright colors of their room, the familiar furniture and knick-knacks were infinitely preferable to the solo audience that was the Fallen Human.

A tired sigh left their throat, head still spinning from the vivid images. They blushed deeply, hoping to quickly forget everything that has happened, even though attempting to do so was futile at best. After all, a repeat performance was likely to await them soon enough. Glancing aside, however, they noticed something that still left icy chills in their veins.

The Worn Dagger, the weapon that most assuredly belonged to Chara when they were still alive, was on the nightstand.

Every day, they would hide the dagger somewhere safe. A box under the bed, a parcel under the floorboards, suspended in the shed along with the other gardening tools, just about every spot they would never be able to reach easily in the depth of the night. And yet, it didn't matter at all. Every night, Chara would return and every morning, the dagger was back on the nightstand, blade glinting menacingly, yet at the same time with deep softness at Frisk.

A sign of partnership and the seal of an inescapable contract.