Second Chance

10 - Feelings

CW / mentions of child abuse

"Just go in, I can't do it myself!", Chara grumbled.

"No." Asriel's response was firm and assertive. "I'm not getting you that stuff. You'll screw up your health all over again."

They groaned, leaning back on the park bench they were seated on. "You're such a crybaby."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you yourself think now is a good chance to quit that stuff?"

"... No."

"Why did I even bother asking?"

"Come on, Azzy, don't you want me to be able to relax?"

Asriel glared at Chara. "Not with cigarettes. You died when you were like eleven. How are you even addicted to begin with?"

Chara stared up at the trees. The park was crowded, humans and monsters roaming about. The sound of laughter and children playing drowned out the chirping of birds on a bright spring afternoon.

"What, you want me to pull the abuse card?"

"Chara..."

"I'm genuinely serious." They zipped open Asriel's backpack, grabbing the bottle of water that was inside. "I told you about my bio family before. I started smoking when I was like, nine years old."

"Seriously?"

Chara nodded, drinking the water. "I needed something to help me cope. And no way I was going to be touching alcohol."

"How did you even get your hands on them?"

"I..." They flinched. They bit their inner cheek, contemplating over and over the type of response they should offer their brother. "I had an older brother." Chara's eyes remained fixated on their wrists.

The weather was warm, forcing them to leave the house in a T-shirt. It made them feel naked, like their soul and past were on full display. They half expected random strangers to point out the scars.

"He was a dickhead. All I'm gonna say on the matter."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Asriel paused, sighing. He grabbed his wallet from the backpack. "I'll get you a pack. But only if you tell me what on earth I walked in on this morning."

"... Fine."

Asriel stood up, entering the small newspaper shop.

Chara looked out at the ponds of the park. They couldn't even remember the last time they had been at a park. It had only ever been reserved whenever their father had one of his flashy interviews, or was overseas for stuff regarding his line of work. Their gaze fell on a mother with her two children.

The woman was seated on a picnic blanket, her youngest son asleep in her lap. The older son was playing with a remote-controlled toy car, getting angry over it constantly getting stuck on the uneven ground. They were laughing.

Chara snapped back to reality, wiping away a tear they felt run down their cheek. A short sniffle cleared the air around them.

They grabbed their phone, seeing it was almost 4PM. Still no texts from Frisk, though. They decided to shoot them a message themselves.

They typed a message, but after contemplating, they deleted it. Again. And again. And again.

They quit when they saw a small box enter their line of sight.

As if they were a small child on Christmas day, Chara gasped in excitement. They took the box from Asriel, thanking him profusely.

"Did you happen to get a lighter?"