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“So, what do you want? A cone or a cup?” said the Nice Cream Guy, who, since Frisk broke through the barrier, had started selling ice cream to both humans and monsters.
“A cone this way!” replied a human dressed straight out of a Western movie, wearing a worn hat. They then turned to their companion, another human, this one wearing a green sweater with yellow stripes running down the front. “What would you like, Buttercup?”
“A cup, please.” The Nice Cream Guy gave a thumbs-up and started preparing two ice creams, one for each of his customers.
The cowpoke turned to their partner, a small smile forming on their lips.
"Do you eat your ice cream in a cup, Chara?"
Chara also turned at the question, one eyebrow rising in curiosity.
"Uh... yeah? Why do you ask?"
Clover shrugged, a giggle escaping their lips.
“Well, I read that people who eat ice cream in a cup have a high probability of being psychopaths.”
Chara rolled their eyes, trying to hide the small smile that was forming on their face. They'd been expecting something like this from their partner, but they wasn't going to let it go.
“Oh yeah? Well, I read in a scientific journal that people who eat ice cream in a cone are completely dumb.”
Clover swallowed the laughter that threatened to escape their lips, and the small smile on their face widened. They remained silent for a moment, trying to think of a good response.
“Well… besides that, Alphys told me at one of our science meetings that her studies claimed that people who eat ice cream from a cup are super dumb.”
Chara was the first to give in, putting a hand over their mouth and laughing silently at the cowpoke’s remarks.
“You don’t have science meetings with Alphys, you dumb.”
“Of course I do! I actually canceled one of those meetings today; we were going to talk about string theory and black holes” the cowpoke replied with a smug look.
In response, Chara shook their head, the little smile on their face becoming more mischievous.
"Really? So who proposed string theory, and in what year?"
And with all the certainty in the world, Clover snapped their fingers.
"Alphys, obviously... and she did it a few days ago... I actually helped."
That comment was enough to make Chara's laughter burst forth, no longer stifled by one hand.
“You’re a dumb, you know that?”
Clover raised an eyebrow, returning to the initial point of their argument.
“Well, you’re much more of a dumb.”
However, before the argument could even begin, Nice Cream Guy placed a cup of ice cream on his cart and extended his hand with an ice cream cone.
“Your ice creams are ready, friends! I hope you enjoy them.”
Clover quickly turned to Nice Cream Guy and took some coins from their pockets, exchanging them for the ice cream cone. Then they grabbed the cup and handed it to their partner.
“Thanks, buddy!”
The Nice Cream Guy smiled brightly and counted the coins they handed him.
"Thank you! I hope you have a lovely afternoon with your partner!"
Chara turned to look at the Nice Cream Guy when they heard him call them that. They felt their heart race a little. They still wasn't used to other people calling them a couple, but that didn't mean they didn't like the term.
Clover glanced sideways at the other human, noticing how their cheeks were gradually turning redder. The sight evoked a mixture of tenderness and amusement, yet they wasn't going to say anything out of respect for their own life.
"Do you want to go to the park to eat our ice cream?" they asked innocently, extending their free hand. Chara looked at them for a moment and then hooked their own hand, grateful that Clover hadn't said anything about their slight blush.
"Sounds perfect to me."
Together they walked to the park, Clover chatting about various topics and Chara chiming in whenever the cowpoke said something wrong, which was most of the time. Neither of them touched their ice cream until they reached a bench, Chara because one of their hands was occupied with Clover's, and Clover because Chara wasn't touching theirs.
They both sat down and their hands separated. Chara grabbed the spoon that came with their cup and put some ice cream in their mouth. Seeing that their partner started eating, Clover started too, carelessly licking theirs.
In the middle of their feast, a question arose in Clover's mind. The question in their mind was no longer intended to annoy, but fueled by pure curiosity.
"Chara... so why do you like ice cream in a cup? I think you're the only person I know who likes it that way."
Chara looked at their partner with feigned annoyance, but the look in the cowpoke's eyes told them the question was now serious. They looked back at their ice cream and asked themself the question.
They searched in their mind, trying to find an answer. Recalling their time as a soul would be a waste of time trying to find the answer to such a simple question, so they delved deeper into their memories of living with the Dreemurrs. Back then, they often went to eat ice cream with Asriel, but they still ordered it in a cup. Although Asriel also found it strange, he never questioned it. However, something about those memories caught their attention.
Their hands.
They hadn't considered that detail. They hands were soft, as soft as silk if you asked the cowpoke beside them, but back in the day, Asriel had thought otherwise. They remembered him saying their hands were rough and calloused.
And in that very instant, Chara realized they'd opened a door they shouldn't have, over such a simple question.
They hands were calloused from their time on the surface. They could still remember it as if those memories had been seared into their mind.
The sun burning their body, the dirt digging into their fingernails, and the screams of the one who gave their life all surfaced in their mind. They had hated every moment of their existence, but their body forced them to keep living, even with the misery it offered.
They remembered the taste of dust in their mouth, how they had to work day and night just to eat, and all the shouting they had to endure, hoping for better days.
“Chara?”
And as quickly as it came, it was gone. That voice was like a rope that pulled them back, and they closed that door again before any more unpleasant memories could surface.
“Hey, Buttercup, you seem a little lost, don’t you?”
They turned to theirside, seeing the yellow eyes that were looking at them with something very close to concern. They blinked a few times and took in their surroundings.
The sun wasn't burning their skin, and even if it were, they had no doubt Clover would lend their hat to cover themself. There was no dirt under their nails either; they were well-groomed, some painted red and yellow. No one was yelling at them, only Clover's voice, soft and calm.
They wasn't in that horrible place; they was with their partner, eating ice cream in the park.
And they couldn't be happier about it. They took a breath and opened the mouth again.
"Oh... it seems so. Excuse me, were you telling me something?"
Clover looked at them, confused and still with a hint of worry.
"Well, I was asking you about your ice cream preference... it's okay if you don't want to answer."
Chara nodded, catching up with the conversation, thought of a simple answer that wouldn't involve delving into unexplored areas of their mind, and replied
"I don't like getting my hands dirty, you know... and why do you prefer the cone?"
Clover looked at their cone for a moment, a small smile forming on their face.
"Well, I like the taste of the cone."
Chara looked at them for a moment; the simplicity of their answer caused a giggle to escape their lips.
“What? That’s a valid reason.”
“It would be if you were more hygienic when you eat.”
Clover looked at themself and instantly realized why they had been talking about their hygiene. The hand they used to eat had a few drops of melted ice cream dripping down to their pants.
They glanced at Chara, who had a small, mischievous smile on their face.
“Do you have… a napkin, Buttercup?”
Without saying a word, Chara took several napkins from their pocket and handed them to Clover. Just as silently, Clover wiped their hands and the stains on her pants. When they finished, turned back to their partner and tried to change the subject.
"So, did you like your ice cream?" Chara giggled again and nodded. Clover looked at what was left of theirs, which was just the cone, and offered it to their partner.
"Would you like to try it?"
In response, Chara looked at the cone, which had some melted ice cream on its sides, and against their better judgment, grabbed it and took a bite.
"Well... it doesn't taste that bad, but... I guess it's the cone that's making you dumb, so I'll leave the rest to you."
Clover let out a dramatic sigh and fixed their eyes on Chara with a small smile.
"Well, maybe it's the absence of the cone that's making you dumb."
And the same argument started again. Chara still had doors to open, but that would have to wait until they determined who was the dumber of the two.