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There were many things Chara hated, mostly things about themself: their wrinkled body, their aching joints, their weak, almost skeletal hands. But above all, they hated Clover.
They hated them so much and tried to remind them of it every day. They told them in the morning to wake them up, repeated it at midday while they made lunch, and told them again at bedtime.
But they never responded in kind, which only made Chara hate them more. When they told them, "I hate you," Clover would just flash a smile as bright as the sun itself and reply, "I love you."
And that only made Chara hate them more, hate them for making their heart race and their blood pressure rise. They was too old for that to happen; it could be dangerous for someone like them.
But the moment Chara hated them most was when they arrived one day with a letter in their hands, a letter with "The Grillby's" written on the front and one of those damned smiles Chara loved so much.
They leaned forward in their seat, and their eyes, yellow and as bright as they had been so many years ago, met theirs, red eyes that Chara now insisted looked far too tired.
“Buttercup… I ran into Mr. Grillby’s grandson today. He told me he opened a new restaurant a while ago. He gave me this letter, which… counts as a reservation for a table for two… I was wondering if… you know?”
Chara glanced at the letter for a moment, then looked back at Clover. they tried to hide the small smile that was forming on their face, but it was an impossible mission, and had been for a long time.
They considered the proposal for a moment. Seeing the cowpoke they both loved and hated did nothing to make them want to refuse, especially with those bright eyes looking at them. It wasn't more than a minute before they opened their mouth again and blurted out their answer.
"Let me get ready. You should take a bath too... I don't think you've had one since last year." The instant those words left Chara's mouth and reached Clover's ears, their smile widened even further, and they rested their head on Chara's knee.
“Thank you, my love… just tell me when we’re going out and I’ll have everything ready.” It wasn’t long before Clover got up again and ran to the bathroom with the haste of a lovestruck teenager rushing to get ready for their first date.
Chara laughed at the scene. At one point, They had envied Clover’s vitality, another reason to hate them. That envy still stung from time to time, mostly when their knees complained, but it wasn’t as frequent anymore.
Then they grabbed their cane, which was leaning against the side of the armchair where they was resting, and used it to help themself up. Yes, those were the moments when they envied their partner’s vitality.
It took them a while to get up and walk to their room. Upon entering, They saw their partner's clothes scattered on their bed and a more formal outfit neatly folded to one side. On top of this, the cowpoke's worn hat lay. They glanced at the outfit for a moment and then slowly approached them own drawer.
They also took out something formal: a white shirt, black pants, and, most notably, a green sweater with a yellow stripe down the middle. They looked at their own outfit for a few moments and then went to their own bathroom.
Even though Chara didn't want to, upon entering the bathroom, their gaze fell upon the mirror. They saw their face, wrinkled by the passage of time, their eyes, tired but still alert, and their lips, as wrinkled as raisins. Even though they looked at themself in the mirror every day, they still couldn't get used to their new appearance; in fact, they hated it too.
But it wasn't the time to sabotage themself in front of a mirror. Something inside them, almost as old as their own existence, told them had to be ready to go to dinner with their partner.
The minutes ticked by again, minutes that felt like an eternity to Chara because of how slowly they moved. When they finished their shower, they went back to their room and there they found them. Clover was standing in front of their bed, looking at the green sweater lying on it. their gaze seemed nostalgic, almost sad, but when Clover noticed them, they quickly smiled again.
“Partner! Excuse me, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll wait for you outside, don’t be long!” They said, their voice cheerful but one that Chara could tell was masking something deeper, and they left the room again.
They tried to put that aside for the moment and began the Herculean task of getting dressed. Normally, they would have asked Clover for help, but they didn’t want to. They wanted to do it themself, to prove to that they still could.
A long time passed before Chara left the room. The first thing they saw was Clover sitting in one of the living room armchairs. Their gaze shifted from being focused on nothing to focusing on them in an instant.
“You look beautiful, partner!”
Chara could feel their heart race a little again, even though they knew it was a lie. No one could look beautiful at 85, well, no one except their own partner.
“Stop with the niceties, cowpoke… have you started the car yet?”
Clover nodded and quickly wheeled a wheelchair to their partner. Chara sat in silence and let the cowpoke take them.
When they arrived at their garage, a car was already running, a car perfectly modified to comfortably transport the wheelchair. Chara looked at the vehicle with a displeased expression. They didn't need the constant reminder that they was getting old, especially not with their car.
"Let's use the other one," Chara said, still looking annoyed. Clover turned to their partner, a confused expression appearing on their face.
"Buttercup, that one isn't adapted..."
"But I want to use that one, so..."
In response, the cowpoke chuckled and sighed, moving the wheelchair to another vehicle, this time a black Camaro.
Chara smiled with delight at the sight of the car, remembering the first time they'd ridden in it, after saving for a year and buying it with money from their old job. Clover also looked at the vehicle with pleasure; even though it wasn't modified, they could make some exceptions for their partner.
The cowpoke pulled the wheelchair to the passenger seat and opened it, lifting their partner in their arms and gently moving them from side to side. Then they put the wheelchair in the back and got into the driver's seat.
“All set, Buttercup?”
Chara nodded slowly, and the garage doors opened after they pressed a button. The car let out a roar like a lion's, and they couldn't help but smile, remembering the times they'd sped down the highway.
“All set, cowpoke.”
Then the car moved, leaving the house, and the garage door closed again. The drive to the restaurant was short, and when they arrived, three waiters were already waiting at the door.
“Welcome to The Grillby's, Dreemurrs. We hope you have a most pleasant evening,” said one of them, opening the car door.
The waiters quickly seated the couple at a table, a table in the center of the large dining room, but something seemed odd to Chara.
There was no one else in the restaurant, just them and their partner, illuminated by the dim lighting. They already suspected it was Clover's doing, but before they could comment, the cowpoke began to speak.
“Here we are… Chara… I know your mind may have deteriorated over time, but… I want you to know that today is—”
“Our diamond anniversary… yes, I know.”
Clover was silent for a moment, their eyes seeming to sparkle under the restaurant lights, and once again, a smile had formed on their face.
“You remember…”
“Cowpoke… I remember everything. I couldn’t possibly forget someone as annoying as you, especially after seeing you for over 60 years.”
A small laugh escaped the cowpoke’s lips, and they nodded.
“Sorry… I think I doubted you. Sometimes I’m afraid you might be forgetting our experiences.”
Chara looked at the cowpoke with feigned indignation.
“I’ll repeat it so you understand, little cowpoke… I remember everything, from the first moment we met when we helped Frisk cross the Underground.”
Clover tilted their head curiously and placed their hands on the table.
“And do you remember our first date?... the one at the MTT Resort?”
Chara responded with a mocking laugh and looked at their partner intently.
“The time you suggested we travel the world together? Yes, how could I forget…”
It had been over 60 years ago, but in Chara's memory, it remained as fresh as if it were yesterday. Frisk's journey had led them to the MTT Resort, and Sans had intercepted the living human and asked for a private chat, even in front of their ghostly companions.
With no other option, they and Clover went to another table.
Initially, Chara expected the evening to pass in complete silence, but that wasn't going to be possible with the cowpoke in front of them. Clover had started with simple questions, questions they answered quickly and didn't return, until, suddenly, the cowpoke threw out a more complex question.
“And… what will you do when we get out of here?” Clover asked, resting their chin on their knuckles and looking at their companion with interest.
Chara let out a small, forced laugh. The possibility of them still existing once Frisk’s journey was over was minimal; they both knew it, and the cowpoke in front of them had chosen that specific question.
“If we don’t disappear, I’d like to be able to feel the sun on my skin… Well, if ghosts can still do that.”
Clover laughed in response and silently resumed their position at the table, a silence Chara sensed would persist if they didn't return the question. It would have been beneficial for them if they hadn't been interested in the cowpoke's answer.
"And you, Clover? What will you do if we manage to get out of here?"
At that moment, Chara noticed the other human's eyes light up as if they had been waiting an eternity to answer that question; however, their voice came out calm and unhurried as they replied.
“Well… I think I’d like to see the world, travel and discover new places. I’m sure there must be some place like the Wild East.”
The conversation would have ended there if it weren’t for a spark of interest ignited within Chara. Seeing the world had never appealed to them; they always preferred to stay in one place, and if possible, in solitude. But when the cowpoke suggested the idea of traveling, something else stirred inside them.
“So… what place would you like to see first? Well, if we don’t disappear when we leave here.”
“Without a doubt, one of the wonders of the world, maybe Chichen Itza or Christ the Redeemer…” The cowpoke’s gaze drifted for a moment, as did their thoughts, but a few seconds later it realigned with Chara’s.
“Do you have any place you’d like to see on the surface, partner?”
Chara paused for a moment, lost in thought. All their experiences on the surface were confined to a single village. They had never ventured beyond this, and during their time underground, they hadn't received any information about the surface world either. Although they was somewhat embarrassed by their lack of knowledge in this area, they wasn't about to hide it.
"To be honest, I don't know the surface beyond the village where I lived, and I hated that place..." As they finished speaking, the table fell silent once more, a silence that now felt oppressive and unwelcome to everyone present. But no one had anything to say to fill it, or so it seemed until Clover snapped their fingers, and their eyes shone like two stars once more.
“How about you come with me?! I… could show you the wonders of the surface… I don’t know many places either, but I’ve read about them… we could travel the world together!”
The proposal caught Chara off guard. They had begun to doubt the cowpoke’s sanity, but instead of going against their delusions, for the first time they felt the desire to accept them and the invitation. Something inside them also wanted to travel the world, but above all, they wanted to do it with Clover.
“Clover… if we ever manage to get out of here, which I still think is unlikely… I… Yes… I’d love to travel the world with you.”
Clover chuckled. Even though it had happened so many years ago, Chara could tell the story perfectly.
“To be honest… I think I knew I loved you even before that moment…”
Chara rolled their eyes at the cowpoke’s comment. They wasn’t in the mood for sentimentality, but they’d at least try for them.
“Well… I think I realized it then, seeing your silly face annoyed me, but it suddenly made my heart beat faster… it still does, you know?”
Clover looked away, feeling their face heat up. Chara rarely complimented them, but every time they did, they had the same effect.
“And our first date on the surface? When we went to get ice cream… do you still remember that?”
Chara put a finger to their lips and nodded.
“Obviously… you’re still the dumber one of us.”
Clover chuckled and asked about another occasion, then another, and another. Dinner passed with stories of the past and constant laughter. It wasn't until they had both finished eating that Clover asked about a particular occasion.
"So tell me, partner... do you still remember our wedding?"
Chara looked curiously at the cowpoke. They knew that obviously remembered that day; it must have been the most important day of their life.
"Of course, Cowdumb, although the ceremony was boring me, to be honest... I think it was the most important moment of my life."
"And do you remember the song that played for our dance?" Clover said, wiping their mouth with a napkin and getting up from their seat.
Chara raised an eyebrow in response and thought for a moment about what their partner was planning.
"A Night To Remember... by Laufey and beabadoobee."
“Exactly!” Clover snapped their fingers, and instantly blue lights illuminated the floor, transforming the space into something more like a dance floor than a restaurant.
“Partner… would you grant me this dance?” they said, and the same song that had played on their wedding day filled the speakers.
Chara gazed at their partner for a few moments, their eyes shifting between their and the hand held out in front of them. Then a small smile spread across their face, and they took Clover’s hand.
“Of course, Cowpoke.”
And they danced, a dance they had both longed for for a long time. Chara forgot the pain in their joints, and in that moment, they realized something.
They didn't hate Clover; they hated the idea of leaving them alone. They hated having to leave this world before them and leaving their beloved cowpoke in complete solitude. They hated the fact that they wouldn't look for anyone else after their death.
Because they knew it: Clover would spend all eternity alone if they left. They didn't want that to happen; They didn't want that for Clover.
But while they was with them, They could afford to forget that detail and make enough memories so that the cowpoke wouldn't feel alone.