Chara Chapter 5

As time went on, and Chara thought more and more about the cryptic message he'd been left by Sans, the more it frightened him. If his dreams were not just dreams, what were they? Could they be things that might happen? How?? Feeling as if it might be connected to Sans and Gaster, and that those damned shortcuts might really be dangerous somehow, Chara decided not to use them anymore.

 

But Asriel would not relent. He was a courageous and imaginative boy that wanted no barriers to stand between him and his wanton adventuring through the entire world. While there was a single magical one that he (as of yet!) could not breach, he wouldn't allow any others to exist. Having to walk across the entire Underground to get to its fun places was just dumb, and he told Chara so. Chara told him to go eat shit, but Asriel didn't know what that WAS, which frustrated him so much his fur stood on end.

 

After a long argument, Chara took Asriel's backpack (that contained his camera, his favorite stick, and some other essential adventuring gear) and threw it back into the tree where it had ended up before, and refused to get it. He was really only trying to prevent Asriel from wandering off on his own, but getting back at his little brother for being a jerk was part of it. Asriel tried to climb the tree on his own, but only succeeded at scuffing his shirt and scraping his hands for the trouble of getting barely a foot off the ground. He was trying to hug around the whole tree and shimmy up it instead of looking for strong branches to hold and little gaps in the bark to get his feet in, Chara noted. He felt he could maybe score some points by helping Asriel understand what he was doing wrong, but was too scared that the goat boy might retrieve the backpack and run off into the shortcuts anyway. So he said nothing.

 

In the end, Asriel went and got Asgore to get the backpack down, and so tall was the King of Monsters compared to the children, that he merely had to reach up and pluck it off the branch. Of course, by then it was too late to go anywhere; dusk was falling, it was time for dinner, and there was school tomorrow as it was Monday. Chara hoped that Asriel would listen to reason by the time the weekend rolled around again.  

 

That night, the two of them played in silence to finish off the evening, in opposite corners of the room, hardly looking at each other. When it came time for bed, they said their goodnights tersely to each other when Toriel told them to, and then lights went out. Chara waited a few minutes as usual, and then padded over to Asriel's bed and prepared to jump in. He was surprised that Asriel wasn't already asleep, and even more surprised when a furry paw held him back.

 

"Go away!" said Asriel.

 

"Huh...?" Chara was taken aback. They'd been sleeping together for months. "B-but I..."

 

"I said go 'way. You're not nice!"

 

In his heart, Chara knew that his little brother was just being stubborn and mean and would be back to normal by morning, but he was still very upset. He marched over to retrieve his pillow, marched back to Asriel's bed, and whacked the goat Prince soundly on the face with it. Chara heard a bleat of shock (but not much pain) for his efforts, and he stormed to his own cold, lonely bed and lied down on the uncomfortable sheets.

 

"I hate you," Asriel said.

 

Chara tried to respond, "...I love you," but it was probably too quiet to hear. He cried himself to sleep.

 

                                                                             * * *

 

They didn't see each other in school, and afterwards Chara tried to make peace, but Asriel was still fuming. Attacking a defenseless prince with a deadly pillow-attack was "the work of an evil, slippery villain!" Asriel had said, which Chara thought was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

 

"Maybe you can find some OTHER friends to play with!" Chara yelled at him, knowing full well that Asriel didn't have any.

 

"Maybe I will!" Asriel yelled back indignantly.

 

They stuck out their tongues at each other, and that was that. Their footprints went off in opposite directions. Chara didn't see Asriel for the rest of the day. As night fell, he became horrified that Asriel might attempt to find Gaster in the void of nothingness he'd evidently disappeared to, as Gaster had been his only "friend" before Chara. But his brother came back home all the same. Chara didn't think their parents noticed, but Asriel didn't eat as much as usual, and when he looked over, the other boy stared down at his food with an expression as if he were about to cry.

 

After dinner, Chara followed Asriel into their room and sat down next to him.

 

"I'm sorry I left you by yourself," he said. He felt terrible because he knew Asriel hated being alone. "I didn't mean what I said."

 

"No," Asriel said. "It's okay, I found... something... to do."

 

Chara sensed there was more. He opened his mouth, but Asriel was already crying. Before he could say anything, Asriel blubbered out a string of confessions about talking with that strange skeleton Chara told him to avoid, making friends with the skeleton's brother because "he liked puzzles just like Mister Gaster did" and talking about lots of things together.

 

"A— and th-that's not even the wu-wu-worst part!" Asriel cried.

 

"What?" Chara asked. "You're okay, so it can't be anything bad."

 

"I— I t-told them y-...your secret..."

 

Chara went as white as a ghost. He shook his head. "No. You didn't. You couldn't!"

 

Asriel hid his head under his paws as if anticipating being hit. Chara had confided in him months ago about being a human after Asriel asked too many questions regarding Chara's "magic" and why it was so different.  He hadn't even intended to say anything about it, but the guy named Papyrus was asking about humans for some reason, and Asriel just blurted out without thinking that he knew one personally. It took only a second of being stared at by Sans' left eye to make Asriel confess everything. He cried harder, flinching when he felt Chara touch him.

 

"It's okay," Chara said, though his voice and his whole body was shaking as he hugged Asriel. "I'm sure they w-won't tell anyone. Right?"

 

"Yeah," Asriel said, and he hugged Chara back. "They won't."

 

                                                                             * * *

 

It took only a few days before the entire Underground was abuzz with strange rumors. Nobody had any solid information about the specifics, but everyone had heard the news:

 

A real, actual human was among them.

 

None of the monsters really knew what to do about this.  Besides Asgore, Toriel, and Gerson (who were for the time being brushing off the rumors as fallacy) nobody was old enough to know what a human really even looked or acted like. Many of them thought humans were just a myth or fairy tale, and the barrier wasn't really a wall between them and humans, but just the Edge of The World. The story of the Surface and the significance of the Delta Rune had fallen from an accepted religion into a grudging acknowledgement. Few of the monsters had any sort of remaining attachment to it. The children even tended to ignore it.

 

But still, the gossip abounded. Accusations began to surface. As if to belie the possibility that they they had originated the rumor, fingers started to point at Sans and Papyrus, because they were the newest citizens of Snowdin and quite peculiar. When the royal family found that time did not cause the talk of humans to fade away, but rather to increase into intensity, they knew that action had to be taken. Asgore and Toriel discussed it at length, and after a day of spirited debate (and spirited nose-nuzzling to make up after arguments) decided to hold a Grand Meeting. It hadn't been done in decades, whereas it was once tradition to hold one annually to discuss important matters to the Underground; Toriel thought it was high-time that some traditions be revisited.

 

The day of the meeting was like a county fair held at the city of New Home. All the shops were open and food was everywhere. Monsters from all over the Underground came to see exhibits of rare artifacts preserved by Gerson, exciting magic performances, several new pie recipes invented by Toriel and other monster mothers, a litany of interesting books from Snowdin, demonstrations of combat prowess by the Royal Guard, and seven new flavors of snail bred by Blook Acres. When dusk fell, all the monsters gathered in and around the castle courtyard to hear the King give his address.

 

Asgore stood at a podium in his finest royal garb, sweating like a murderer in church, holding a stack of papers that contained his speech (which was mostly written by Toriel). He cleared his throat, and then took the very first piece of paper and slid it to the bottom of the pile. He couldn't bear to begin with such things, so he started by thanking the caterers and performers for their hard work. Then he talked about how things were going in the kingdom, about the new areas being dug for the expanding monster population, about the plans for renovating the Core to put out more energy for all, about the groundbreaking of the Hotland Resort, and other such matters. While he went on, the crowd of monsters continued to let out a low buzz of anticipation. King Asgore seemed to be dodging around the issue everyone came to hear about. At last, he reached the final sheet of paper, and could avoid it no longer.

 

He cleared his throat, and then did it again. He coughed, adjusted his microphone, and then let out a muffled yelp when Toriel kicked his shin.

 

"Finally," he said, "we come to the topic of humans."

 

The crowd hushed.

 

"Humans. Long ago, it is said, monsters and humans fought a great war, and the monsters were vanquished. We were sealed up inside a forbidden mountain, enclosed by a barrier of immense power by human magicians, and told we would never leave it.

 

"Much time has passed since then. Generations have come and gone. Some of us still remember the stories told us by our fathers and grandfathers, but many do not. The history became legend, and legend became myth, and the truth of it all became unclear.

 

"I remember something my father once told to me when I was a small child. He told me that the human wizards did not intend for the barrier to last forever. It was not meant as a punishment or an exile for the monsters; it was meant to keep the two sides apart so that time may heal their wounds after the war would end. Their prophecy said that their children, or children's children, or so on... would one day find their way into the Underground. That one day, someone with a powerful enough SOUL could come and break the barrier. The Angel from the prophecy will leave the Underground empty!"

 

A cheer rose from the crowd of monsters.

 

"Now," he continued. "Some of you may have heard that there is a human that has already come to us. We, the Dreemurr Family, cannot allow rumors to persist unaddressed. I have come today to tell you that these rumors... are true."

 

Whispers and murmurs whirled through the crowd, but Asgore silenced them by raising his hand.

 

"This human... who has come to us from the Surface... is my beloved son, Chara." Asgore put the piece of paper down and turned to Chara, who was behind him along with Asriel and Toriel. "Come here, my child," he said with a patient smile.

 

Chara took a tentative step forward, and was swept up into an embrace.  Asgore hoisted the boy onto his shoulder, and the crowd cheered again. Toriel appeared next to them, Asriel on her shoulder, and the monsters cheered louder still.

 

"My sons," said Asgore. "One of them human, one of them monster, are the hopes and dreams of all of us! One day, I know, they will find a way to break the barrier as the prophecy says, and free us. Asriel will make a fine King, and Chara will be the ambassador to the humans for us all. These children are our future!"

 

Chara had been shaking with fear, his face glowing red with embarrassment, but as he looked down at all the monsters, cheering and applauding, he couldn't help but smile. They didn't seem to be bullies; it didn't seem like any of them would ever hurt him or Asriel. Maybe his power didn't have to be used. Maybe monsters really were different from humans. Forget the barrier — Chara wanted to stay down there forever.

 

He looked over at Asriel, and reached over for his hand. Asriel took it and he could feel the goat boy's warmth and love, and Chara felt as if everything would be okay.

 

The meeting ended shortly thereafter, and the monsters all left to go home. Everyone had something to talk about, and the Underground was full of hope.

 

                                                                             * * *

 

Chara was so overjoyed that he couldn't wait to get home. He wanted to get alone with Asriel so he could hug him and tell him that everything was perfect and that they would be a family forever. They all sat down and had pie, and then it was time to sleep. The lights went out, the door closed, and true to form Chara went to climb into bed with Asriel. It was dark, but his young eyes adjusted quickly. He smiled at Asriel, and Asriel smiled back.

 

Then, as the feelings continued to swell in Chara's heart, an uncontrollable urge overcame him. He loved Asriel so much that it almost hurt, and without even thinking lest he become afraid to do what he wanted, he leaned down and kissed Asriel right on the muzzle. He pulled back, eyes half-closed, head swimming with happiness.

 

Asriel just looked confused. "What was that for?" he said.

 

"Because I love you," Chara said, plain as day.

 

"Well... I love you, too!"

 

He didn't understand, Chara realized with shock. How could he not? Panic exploded in his mind and fear prickled up his back. Did monsters kiss? Didn't their parents kiss?! Chara had no idea how to express his feelings for Asriel in any other way. It was more than just being brothers, it was... it was...

 

"You know, Chara," Asriel said, sitting up in bed. "I've been thinking. Now that we're so important and everyone knows it, we should act more like big boys."

 

Tears started to gather in Chara's eyes. What was happening? Why was this happening? He knew what Asriel was going to say, somehow, before he even said it.

 

"Daddy always said that big boys should sleep alone 'cause they're not scared of the dark."

 

Chara grabbed Asriel's shoulders firmly. "I'm not going. I'm sleeping with you until you understand."

 

"Understand??"

 

"How I f— I mean, that I love... that...," he couldn't seem to find the words.

 

Asriel smiled, with that same patient smile as his father, and for a moment Chara swore he looked just like him, patronizing him like a stupid child. "Oh, Chara, don't be silly. Daddy said boys aren't s'posed to feel that way for other boys. It's not right! You're just confused."

 

Chara was thunderstruck. The words echoed in his head painfully.

 

'Not right.'

 

'Not right.'

 

'Boys feeling that way is not right.'

 

'Boys liking flowers is not right.'

 

'You're not right, Chara.'

 

'CHARA!'

 

Tears ran down his cheeks, not in sadness, but in rage. Everything was going wrong. Monsters weren't any different at all! He couldn't help the way he felt. He pushed Asriel all the way down and tried to lay on top of him to keep him still. He had to make him understand.

 

Asriel pushed back, "Nnn-no! Let me go!" He was stronger than Chara expected.

 

"Urg! Hold still!" Chara shouted.

 

The two of them struggled, then rolled over on the bed, kicking the blankets into a mess, grabbing at each other's pajamas and cursing. Asriel finally managed to wriggle free and retreated to the other end of the bed. Chara realized that he was getting nowhere, that he didn't have the strength to overpower his brother completely. He was angry enough. If he just used a LITTLE Determination, Asriel wouldn't be hurt. Then he could talk some sense into him! He gathered some of it into one fist; it was easier since he'd been practicing.

 

"Chara... please don't do this," Asriel said. "Please don't..."

 

Chara let out a yell and jumped at Asriel, and at the last moment Asriel put out his own hand to defend himself with a burst of fire magic. The two energies collided with a roar, and then combined into a shiny, dazzling star of rainbow light. For a moment, it hung in the air, and then it destabilized and promptly burst with a loud WHUMP! Asriel fell back into his pillow and Chara tumbled off the bed and onto the floor.

 

Their parents came into the room to see what the commotion was about, but neither of the boys were willing to tell them what they had been fighting over. They were put back to bed (separately of course), kissed goodnight, and told not to wrestle anymore.

 

Toriel turned out the light, saying: "Be good, my children." The door closed.

 

Chara was still in a silent rage. He gritted his teeth and gripped the blankets in his angry little fists. It was all their father's fault. Telling Asriel that boys weren't supposed to feel that way. What did he know?! The stupid old man! Chara knew he had to get back at him, had to punish him for messing up everything, but hadn't the faintest idea how. He couldn't just hit him with a Determination-punch; that wouldn't solve anything. He had to make him understand WHY he had to sleep with Asriel, and why his feelings were real and not just a mistake. Nothing was going to get between him and Asriel.

 

He drifted off to sleep, and fell into broken, unsettled dreams. The last one seemed especially vivid. Chara dreamed that he was back at his old home, and he was with Asriel, but for some reason he couldn't move even though he desperately wanted to. The other kids were there, and they were singing an old nursery rhyme he'd heard a million times.

 

Chara woke up to light streaming into the window, and he could hear birds singing. Birds... That's what the rhyme was about. Birds. He could just remember what they had been singing in the dream. He whispered it to himself.

 

"Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye.

Four-and-twenty blackbirds,

Baked in a pie."

 

"When the pie was opened,

The birds began to sing.

Wasn't that a tasty dish to set before..."

 

 

"...the King..."