"____, wake up already!" Asriel was shaking you awake, nearly shouting at you.

You slowly opened your eyes, looking at Asriel with a drowsy expression.

"What?" Your voice sounded everything but happy.

"Morning." Asriel chirped, shooting a wide smile at you.

"Seriously? That's why you woke me up? Just to say morning?" You expression turned into a frown, causing Asriel to back away immediately.

"I simply thought that, know that you're my boyfriend, we should spend some time together." Asriel looked past you, awkwardly shuffling in place as he twiddled his thumbs.

"I am NOT your boyfriend." You heavily emphasized the not, ears flickering.

"Not yet." Asriel whispered, hoping you wouldn't hear him.

"Come again?" Your eyes narrowed down and you almost hissed at him.

"N- nothing, I didn't say anything." Panic was slowly sinking into Asriel's heart.

You sighed and crawled out from underneath the covers, disappearing in the bathroom soon after. Today would be a long, long day and you weren't really looking forward to it. Out of all the things that could happen in college, having to pretend to be in a relationship with someone you'd consider acquaintance at best was definitely not one of them.

And of course you agreed, you just had to even though you really didn't want to. It was either that or dealing with a bunch of imbeciles. After finishing up you left the bath again and were immediately met with Asriel gaze.

"Want do you want to do today?" Asriel asked, looking at you with a hopeful expression.

"Don't know." You shrugged, looking at Asriel with an indifferent expression.

"How does breakfast sound?" He chirped.

"Sounds good." You replied. If there was one thing he could bait you with, it's food.

Once in front of your dorm, Asriel immediately locked arms with you. With hearts for eyes he walked by your side in hopes that, soon, everyone would think you're actually dating. As per usual you passed numerous students on your way to the cafeteria. They were still gossiping about you but it seemed as if Decora kept his word.

The vast majority of rumors died down and those few rumors that did persist were nothing to worry about. Halfway to the cafeteria however, you were approached by someone, whose face you involuntarily remembered. It was the guy that broke up with his girlfriend because he hoped to get a chance with Asriel.

"OH. MY. GOSH. WHY are you, you out of all the people, dating the prince?" He looked at you with a hateful expression.

"I mean, seriously. Why would the prince, or anyone for that matter, even think about dating you? You're scum, nothing more and nothing less." His continuous rambling slowly began to irritate you.

"Do you know each other?" Asriel asked, visibly confused.

"Nope, all I know is that he broke up with his girlfriend in hopes of getting the chance to date you." You replied in a mocking tune, shooting the guy a scornful look.

"Wait, he did what?" Asriel seemed bewildered. Why would anyone break up with their partner because of him.

The guy simply scoffed. "You know what, keep dating that douchebag but don't come crying once he dumps you. Whatever he does to you, you deserve it for dating him." Whoever this guy was, he sounded livid.

You responded with a death glare that would incite fear in even the bravest of hearts but remained quite otherwise.

"How about you leave before things get ugly. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure things can't get any uglier than your face." Asriel tried his best to respond with a good comeback.

"Ugh, seriously? Look at what the prince has become because of you. He was so sweet and innocent before he met you. Even his body suffered because of you. He was one of the sexiest monsters alive and now he's a two out of ten at best." Now he was simply getting ridiculous, accusing you of somehow affecting Asriel's body.

"I'm getting the feeling that someone's a little jealous." You spoke down to him in a mocking manner.

In return he shot you a spiteful look, hand balling into fists. You noticed and looked at him as if you were asking him to throw the first punch.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you. Not only are you going to leave college in an ambulance, you'll also never be allowed to return again." You have him exactly where you want him, cornered like the rat that he turned out to be.

Whatever he's going to do now, he can only lose.

He whispered numerous curses and left, probably to call his ex.

"Did he seriously broke up with his girlfriend because of me?" Asriel asked. He was at utter disbelief why someone would do something this stupid.

"Don't worry about him. Idiots tend to remove themself from the gene pool. It's called darwinism." You joked.

A few minutes later and you arrived at the cafeteria. Once you picked your preferred breakfast and sat down at your usual spot.

"I know this might not be a good time but, what was your life like until now?" Asriel asked, clearly interested in your past.

"I'd rather not talk about that in public." You dismissed him instantly. "Besides, why would I tell you. You haven't told me about your life in the underground either."

Asriel's expression dropped, almost as if a flood of disturbing memories crashed down on him. Whatever happened in the underground must have be bothering him immensely.

"I'm sorry. I was just curious about this entire neko experimentation program. Information is both, scarce and inaccurate and the government never really issued a public statement." Asriel avoided looking at you, sounding like something was bothering him greatly.

He wanted to know more about the program and how it affected you, if it affected you at all. For whatever reason it bothered him more than it should have and it left an indescribable in your stomach. The expression on Asriel's face, his expression of care and worry, it gave you a certain sense of familiarity.

"What about your hopes and dreams? Like, what do you want to do for a living?" Asriel changed the subject, looking at you with great interest in his eyes.

You however, didn't share his enthusiasm and looked away with an almost sad expression.

"What about your childhood?" He brought up yet another topic in hopes of making things less awkward.

Your mood dropped even further, your expression telling of tales you wish you had forgotten long ago.

Asriel didn't say another word, too afraid to make things even worse than they already are.

Breakfast passed with an unpleasant silence between you. The muttering of students around you didn't help the situation either.

People were still talking about you but nowhere near as hateful as before. Some even started to show sympathy towards you, curious as to why you are the way you are now. The majority was talking about why Asriel would choose exactly you, though. Honestly, you didn't know either.

"So, is there anything you want to do today?" Asriel smiled again, looking at you as if he was eager to do something.

"Not really." You response was as neutral as always.

Asriel placed his head on his hands, sinking deep into thought. A few minutes later, he perked up again.

"How about we just go somewhere and make the best out of it?" He suggested, sounding like he found the solution to all problems.

You simply shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

Without further ado you left the cafeteria, of course not without placing the plates where they belong. Once you stood outside the cafeteria, you walked down the next best hallway you could find in hopes it would lead you to your destiny. In only lead to the restrooms.

"If you'd excuse me for a moment." Asriel excused himself and entered the men's restroom.

While you were waiting outside for Asriel, yet another familiar face approached you. It's was the girl you met on your first day, the one that, like many others, was completely obsessed with Asriel.

"Why did he chose you?" She half shouted at you, pointing a finger in your face.

"I'm sorry but... what?" You looked at her, confused by her accusations.

"What did you do to him that he'd date you?" She spoke in an accusatory tune.

"Stop playing the pronoun game and give me a name for crying out loud." You acted liked you had no idea what she's talking about, doing so quite convincingly. You knew exactly who she's referring to, you simply enjoyed messing with her.

"Asriel, of course. What do you have that makes you so appealing to him? What do you have that I don't?" She desperately tried to draw out your secrets. Joke's on her. You don't have a secret, expect that you're not dating Asriel.

"Personality, I'd say." You responded with a smug grin on your face.

The girl looked at you like you just spat on her mother's grave.

"Oh, and a penis." You added, downright mocking her.

She looked almost disgusted. "W- why would Asriel. Does he even know about the consequences of dating another guy?"

"Really now? You're really going down that road? That's plain rude." You knew exactly what she was referring to but she just made it to easy to twist the words in her mouth.

She began to panic. "WHAT? NO! I did not meant it that way. He can go and date as many guys as he wants, it just..."

"Cut it out. We both know you're lying." You simply cut her off, further rubbing salt in her wound by turning the tables.

"I'm just... I... ARGH!" She ran off, frustrated.

"I didn't know you could be like that." Asriel said in amusement, as he stepped out of the restroom.

"Seriously though. Personality, a penis? Do you really think these are the reasons I'm so interested in you? I mean, you're not wrong but there's a little more to it." He continued, looking at you with a playful grin.

"I'm all ears." You responded, genuinely interested as to what he sees in you.

"You're a neko." He said, gently poking your nose.

You looked at him with a deadpan expression. "And you're an idiot."

"And that's exactly why you love me, right?" He looked at you, hoping for a response.

You remained silent.

"Right?" He repeated his question, hoping you'd answer this time.

You didn't.

"Anyway, let's go." Asriel grabbed your hand and dragged you off. You wanted to protest but beating up the prince where everyone could see you would make things a lot worse for you than they already were. In addition to that, you'd probably be expelled.

While you were walking down the numerous hallways, looking for something to do, Asriel made sure to let everyone know you were dating, even though you really weren't.

After some walking you reached the college's garden, with numerous benches placed between colorful flowers and skillfully cut hedges. Bird baths were placed around the areas and trellises, overgrown with all sorts of plants and flowers, added to the already green scenery. You even spotted a small pond.

While you were busy taking in the gardens scenery, your phone began buzzing. Your social worker was calling. You quickly excused yourself and picked up.

"Hey ____, I'm just calling to check up on you. Is everything alright? Is everyone still alive?" He joked at he last part.

"Yeah, everything's good over here. I did have a few problems at first but nothing I couldn't take care off myself." You responded in a rather casual voice.

"I don't like the sound off that." He sounded like he was suspicious of you.

"Don't worry, I haven't hurt anyone. At least not in a physical way. Things around here are actually improving." You reassured.

"What exactly happened?" Your social worker further asked.

"Well, to give you a quick recap. I've met a few of Asriel's crazed fans on numerous occasions, had some girl try to recruit me for the drama club and had to deal with someone spreading nasty rumors about me. Oh, and I also share a room with Asriel." You gave a quick run down on what happened over the past days.

"What? You're sharing a room with the prince?!" He sounded like he was at utter disbelief.

"Yeah, I am." You confirmed.

"Well, please make sure you don't kill him o.k? Anyway, I'm on a tight schedule so I have to hang up now. Behave yourself and don't do anything rash." He sounded like he was in a rush.

"Got it, bye." You hung up and turned towards Asriel, who was looking at with a big question mark across his face.

"Who was that?" He asked confused.

"Just my social worker." You responded like having a social worker was the most normal thing in the world.

"Why do you have a social worker?" Asriel looked like he had even more questions now.

"I'll tell you some other time." You were once again dismissive about his questions.

Instead of standing there, doing nothing you decided to sit down on a nearby bench and continue doing nothing there. Once seated, Asriel rested his head on your shoulder. He was trying really hard to convince everyone that looked at you that you're dating. And it seemed to be working.

People started talking about you and Asriel, that you were dating and all the other stuff that comes along with it. While you didn't really approved of that, it was better than having a bunch of idiots follow you around, desperate for your attention.

You and Asriel were simply sitting there, oblivious to the huge shadow that loomed over you. By the time Asriel noticed, it was already too late.

"Asriel, what are you doing here?" A voice boomed from above you like thunder.

"Dad?" Asriel straightened up instantly, nearly jumping off the bench.

"I swear, I can explain." He began stringing words together, in hopes they would create a comprehensive explanation. They didn't.

You simply sighed and looked at the monster in front of you. "Asriel didn't seem to feel all that well, so I took him outside to get some fresh air. I don't think it's anything serious though, he simply looked like he's a little tired out."

"And who are you?" The man asked.

"I'm ____, your son's roommate." You introduced yourself.

"Ah, yes. Toriel told me about you. You are one of the s..." The shift in your expression caused him to choke on his words. "I think it's about time for me to get back to work. Hedges won't cut themself." A nervous chuckle escaped his throat as he returned to work.

"So that was your father." You asked in a curious tune as you turned towards Asriel.

"Yes, and I KNOW that I'm a dwarf compared to him." Asriel groaned in annoyance.

A moment of silence past until Asriel spoke up again.

"Thanks for jumping in for me. I didn't know how to explain everything to my father." He smiled at you, sounding grateful.

"Why? Would your parents take issue if you were dating another guy?" You sounded conflicted. You remember Toriel talking about how she and the faculty encouraged all relationships between students.

"Well, not exactly. It's not about dating another guy, they're already overjoyed when I'm actually talking to someone. It's more about the consequences of dating another guy. You see, for a monster to age they must either have their parents or be a parent themself. Mom and dad are simply afraid that I'll spend the rest of eternity all alone." Asriel sounded almost sad, looking at you with a gloomy expression.

You turned your head away, hoping it would hide your almost depressed expression.

"At least you can be a parent." You whisper was nearly inaudible.

"Did you say something?" Asriel asked, looking at you with a worried expression.

You shook your head, returning to your neutral gaze. "No, nothing."

"If you say so." Asriel knew something was up but decided to drop it. If you wanted to talk, you would talk. At least that's what he hoped.

"Is there anything you want to do?" He looked at you, hoping you'd come up with something.

"To be honest, I don't really feel like doing anything right now." You sounded like something was on your mind and from what little Asriel could read in your expression, it was bothering you immensely.

"If you'd excuse me. I just need a minute for myself." You left, returning to your room.

As always, you passed countless, identical hallways. Students were chatting the day away, while teachers were preparing everything for when classes begin. It seemed as if luck wasn't on your side, again, and you were approach by the same guy from earlier in the cafeteria, again.

"Will you look at that, did he dump already?" He sounded gleeful, in the worst way possible.

You showed no hesitation and immediately placed a hand on his throat, claws pushing against his skin.

"I am in NO mood for you and your bullshit. So, unless you have a death wish, you better get lost." Audible hisses escaped your throat as you stared at him with fury in your eyes.

"Seriously? That's the best threat you can muster..." He continued to mock you but fell silent once he felt your claws pushing harder against him, the fear of death clear in his eyes.

Seconds later you let off him, sending him tumbling backwards and wheezing for air. You didn't say another word and left, leaving behind a terrified mess of a student.

Back in your room, you laid down on your bed seeking comfort in between the sheets. You've never been one prone to crying but right now, your world was collapsing. No, it wasn't collapsing because it was never fixed in the first place.

Asriel mentioning topics like your past or family was simply the trigger that caused everything to catch up with you. You tried to forget, to leave everything behind. You hoped by making yourself believe everything's fine, you could move on without incident. But in the end, no matter how fast you run, you can't escape yourself.

And so you sat there as the world rushed past you, wanting to cry but finding yourself unable to do so. Robbed of your future before you were born, you felt as if you were frozen in time.