I See Two Lovers

by papercutcasualty

After being stranded on a mysterious island, Chara is forced to work with a cruel, bitter magician who only keeps them around because he is too weak to survive alone. Hey, at least he's honest. One day, Chara gets curious about who he really is. Like they say, 'curiosity killed the cat'. But in the end, they may realize that the two of them aren't so different after all.

ONESHOT TIME!

There is little to no context for this, I was just like "hey what if Chara was in Don't Starve".

Also, the title is referring to Maxwell and Charlie as the lovers. Knowing how many people ship children and adults these days, I feel like I need to say this.

Massive spoilers for Undertale and Don't Starve, so beware.

Trigger Warnings:

Minor swearing (99% sure this isn't an actual trigger but I wrote it down because I want people to be safe.)

Gore, not a lot but some

Psychological manipulation/torture

Implied child abuse (I don't know how clear it is but should probably be here)

Insanity/hallucinations

Many references to the No Mercy/Genocide run (sensitivity to murder I guess?)

A few references to the Nightmare Throne (torture, can't think of any references off the top of my head but it's in there)

Character death/animal death

Depressive thoughts

PTSD/Panic attacks

I think that's it. Well, enjoy this little bundle of sunshine!

Maxwell lay by the fire pit, a trail of smoke coming out of it, the fire long extinguished. The poor man was exhausted from the last hound attack, and after Chara had bandaged his wounds, he had immediately passed out. Now, he lay on a straw roll, snoring a little. They giggled softly. He had said earlier that he wasn't human, so he couldn't sleep. Well, here he was, fast asleep, and snoring. They wished they had a video camera so they could record it and show it to him later.

It popped into their head suddenly that they had work to do. The two of them needed gold, and they always needed food. They shouldn't just be sitting idle like this. With that, they stood up, brushing dirt off of their shorts. They dug in a chest for a pickaxe and some flint, then grabbed a few meatballs wrapped in leaves for the road. Just as they were about to leave, they grew nervous. What if some predator came while they were gone? He pretended that he was superior most of the time, but the cold, hard truth was that he was weak. In this state, he wouldn't be able to fight off a butterfly.

… Well, it wasn't that bad, but still. Perhaps they should stay until he woke up.

Plopping back down next to him, they set down the pick. They put a hand to his head. It didn't seem clammy. Good, that was a solid indicator his injuries weren't infected. They looked out towards the trees, bored.

*Hmm…

A thought crawled into their mind. That book… the one he always kept close. He had verbally threatened their life when they had almost touched it once. But they had seen what it could do, and they were curious, so very curious. What was inside? How did it work?

And why was he so unwilling to part with it?

They turned to look over at him. He was dead to the world, with the book in his bag nearby. *Heh, a bookbag. Anyways, they could just have a look! Just a quick peek. He would never know.

A mischievous chuckle escaped them as they fished it out, magical energy buzzing through their fingers when they touched it. It had a worn, dirty black cover with a crimson M in the middle. It had been glossy and surely quite fancy-looking, but time had worn it down. They rubbed a hand over it, feeling the rough edges under their palm. Smiling and peeking over to make sure he was still asleep, they slowly cracked it open.

The pages were crinkly and yellowed with age. Notes in a fancy, yet hasty font were scribbled in English all over the place, but most of the book was in a strange language they couldn't understand. They read a few of the notes…

This is amazing! I've translated a few sections of this book, and I think I may have come across something extraordinary. When I say the incantation labeled, I sometimes see strange creatures appear. They look rather creepy, but they don't seem hostile. In fact, they seem rather friendly…

I cannot believe my luck. If I had never found this book, I would be dead. But the beings inside have changed my life. Now, I have money, a job, and a beautiful girl- I MEAN ASSISTANT. They laughed at that. But… if this book was such a gold mine, why would he hide it like he did? They could understand why he'd keep it to himself, but he almost never used it. Whenever his gaze fell on it, they swore he would look sad before reverting back to his usual scowl. Once he had even looked kind of… frightened. They flipped through the pages, searching for an answer. Near the back of it, the writing started to look different, more stressed. They stopped skimming and looked deeply at the words.

They grew more and more unsettled as they read. The tone had changed from excited to rather fearful and anxious.

They almost attacked someone today.

It was a competitor. A horrible man, the kind of person who kicks small animals. And he was flirting with Charlie. But I would never wish for this magic to hurt someone.

Was I wrong about Them?

Next page.

I've made a horrible mistake… Oh lord what have I DONE?!

Next page…

nonononononononoNO! LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE HER ALONE! STOP, STOP, I WANT THIS TO STOP please. please, please just go away, leave us be. we didn't do anything wrong, whAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, MONSTERS?!

someone help me… please i just want to be happy with her, i didn't ask for this

Next… page…

One more time. One more time, and I'll destroy this book. No one will ever be hurt by it again. It will do a vanishing act. Heh...

If it all goes wrong, just let me say that…

… I'm so sorry Charlie.

Their hands began to shake as they dropped the book. It landed on the very first page. Bold, black writing was etched into the paper. They didn't really want to read it, but they picked up the book and did anyway. They were too determined to refuse.

As they read, a nasty feeling grew in their chest.

If by any chance an unfortunate soul comes across this book, DO NOT READ IT. It will destroy you. They will tell you beautiful, horrible things, taunt you with promises of a better life. But it's all an elaborate scam. They will take everything you have and rip it apart in front of you. Please, do not suffer my fate.

*What… what happened to him?

Would you like to know? A voice rang out. They suppressed a scream and whipped around, looking for the source. "H-hello?" they said.

Right here. It said. Something touched their face. They turned back to the book in their lap to see a hand of shadows incarnate reaching out, caressing their cheek. It felt like… fur. White goat's fur, the fur of caring parents from long ago. It also smelled of sickly sweet golden flowers. They shivered, their grip on the book tightening.

You are curious, are you not? The voice whispered. They shook their head obediently. They were starting to become uneasy, but they were curious. Besides, it wasn't like whatever was in this book could actually harm them.

*Right?

Without warning, the hand gripped their whole head. They almost shrieked at the horrific sensation of dust covering their face. Then, their vision went dark…

A man in a suit holding a woman's hands in a dark part of a stage. They were both blushing, staring into each other's eyes. She made the first move, leaning forwards to press her lips against his. He shivered, bringing her in closer. They stood like that for a while, relishing in the sensation of closeness, before parting, goofy grins on their faces.

The man was rocking back and forth, back and forth, gripping his hair so hard it looked like he might tear it out. The walls were covered in the scratchings of a madman. He was crying, begging for the demons to leave her be. Shadows giggled at his sorrow, taunting him.

He yelled an incantation from inside a large portrait. A bright flash of light drove back grinning shadows on the walls. The woman, frightened, rushed out, leaving a note on the dresser before slamming the door. He groaned, collapsing inside the picture from exhaustion.

The Amazing Maxwell

San Francisco

April 17, 1906

The curtains opened, revealing the couple standing on a stage, her in a beautiful cream gown and satin gloves, him in a pinstripe suit. She was grinning widely, and he had a rather smug look on his face. As the crowd cheered, she gestured towards him and clapped, whilst he bowed to the admiring audience. "Thank you very much. You are too kind." he said. The audience clapped in response. After he made many bizarre hand gestures, a book appeared in a poof of smoke. He handed it to the lady, who showed it off to the crowd so they could see the lack of strings or other cheap tricks. More crazy gestures, only this time wisps of shadow trailed behind his arm. "And now, I will pull shadows incarnate from this mysterious tome." he said amidst cheers and applause. He fixed his sleeve, then reached into the book, attempting to grab something. His cocky grin faded as something hung onto his arm. The woman, as well as a few audience members, screeched as a demonic claw grabbed him and tried to pull him in. Moving from his arm to his head, he struggled before bursting free, the hand dissipating instantly. The woman moved over to him, concern written all over her face in a grim sort of way. Their attention was drawn to the book, which had began flipping its pages all by itself. It stopped. Then, two of the claws zoomed out, grabbing one each. The audience screamed with them as they were sucked into the tome…

"AHHH!" Chara cried, falling onto the dirt. Sweat beads adorned their face, and they panted. In the background, they could hear dark chuckling. *What the hell..?

Are you happy now? The voice asked. You see, we live to serve. People ask for things. We give them. Doesn't matter the price, because you humans will take even the worst possible deals in exchange for something you want. Pathetic. It said. More laughter.

They lay on the ground, staring at Maxwell. He was still asleep, despite everything. "I… I see two lovers… staring over the cauldron of hell. D-do they both wish for death? That means their love will end in hell." they whispered. Why that quote had come to them now, they had no idea. Meanwhile, the demons were still laughing themselves silly. They sat up and glared.

"But it's not funny." they said sharply. "It's not funny."

Oh, but it is, child. The demon said. You understand that, don't you?

"W-what?"

Beings like us… we find this game called life amusing, because we know how to really play. We eradicate the enemy and become strong. Then, we crush the weak.

"No… I am nothing like you!"

Aren't you, though? It said. The hand came up again, this time to lift their chin up towards a tall creature with squiggly hair-like tentacles and small voids to indicate eyes. The human that wiped out the Underground. The human that wanted everything and everyone dead~ It chimed musically. They whimpered, a tear dripping down their cheek.

"I-I am not that person anymore… that wasn't me, that was…" they whispered.

The hand wiped the tear away. No use blaming The Player, even if they did force you into it. You enjoyed doing those things, did you not? Killing all those innocent monsters… Your mother, your father, your brother, your partner… We do those things too. It's fun, isn't it? To see them beg for mercy. It's best when they fight back, though. It said, nodding at Maxwell. Yes, it's the best when they fight back. He tried, I'll give him that. But most humans are incredibly weak. He became a demon, like us. Like you. Because you are a demon, a spawn of Satan. There is no changing who you really are.

"Stop… shut up!" they cried, wiggling away from the hand. They pulled out their dagger and pointed the blade at the creature, shaking like a leaf in a bitter wind. Suddenly, two hand came from the shadows and gripped their arms. They struggled, but neither would let go.

Become your true self, Chara. It said, nodding towards the small, orange and fuzzy chest dog, napping in the corner. Chester, the cutie Chara had insisted on keeping in the camp. Kill it. End its miserable, pathetic excuse of a life.

"N-no! Go away! Leave me alone! Maxwell! HELP ME!" they screamed, struggling as the shadows forced them up.

… But nobody came~ Don't bother calling to him. He's having a well deserved rest. It didn't have a mouth, but if it did, it would be grinning maliciously. Such convenient timing. Now… do it, child. Go on. The hands dragged them forwards, ignoring their kicking and screaming. Soon, they were right in front of the unsuspecting creature. It was snoozing in the sunlight, completely unaware. Tears were pouring down their face now.

Kill it.

"NO! BURN IN HELL!"

Do it, child. You do not want to make us angry, do you?

"NO!"

DO IT!

"No… please…"

Do it… or else we will hurt you in ways you can't even imagine.

"..."

Fine. We'll make this a bit easier.

They no longer saw Chester and the sunny landscape. Instead, darkness. A battle screen, with Flowey in the center. He was wearing Asriel's face...

"After all, it's me, your best friend! I'm helpful, I can be useful! I promise I won't get in your way. I can be helpful… I can… I can… Please don't kill me." he stuttered, crying.

"Azzy…" they whispered. "No… don't make me do this, please!" they sobbed.

Hmm? I thought this wouldn't be as difficult, since you've already done it once. And you enjoyed it, right? It's funny, right? Now… get rid of it.

*Azzy…

"I… I…" they whispered. The knife handle felt so… right in their hands. They shivered in fear, but… this was their purpose, right? That was what they had been told, time and time again. They weren't worth anything to anyone unless they killed. Killed and killed and killed again… It was their purpose. It was why they were alive.

It was who they were.

"Azzy… I'M SO SORRY!" they screeched, swinging the knife, cutting his little face in half. Shock adorned him as the last little bit of life in his eyes begged for mercy. They began to sob, tears streaming down their face, but they knew what to do. They screamed and brought the knife down again, and again, and again. Every time, his corpse was cut into more and more pieces, until all that was left was a pile of useless shrubbery. They sobbed in agony, but… it also felt good. They began to laugh. Just a chuckle at first, until they were howling with laughter. It was just so funny!

Yes… The demon that comes when people call its name… it doesn't matter when, it doesn't matter where. Time and time again, you will appear.

CHARA.

Now, you have reached the absolute. There is nothing left for you here. Join us, and become stronger than you could ever imagine. Join us, and be free.

A hand stretched towards them, offering. Still laughing, they reached for it...

"ODLAZI, DEMONE!" Suddenly, light spilled into their vision, blinding them. It blotted out everything, their senses, their thoughts, all of it. They barely felt the pain of hitting the ground.

…

…

…

"-a, are you awake? Ch-what were you-ra?" a voice echoed. They slowly opened their eyes.

Sunlight streamed down, partially concealing the boy. White fur, reddish eyes… a kind smile. "Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you… Are you okay?" he murmured. "Here, get up…" he said, lifting them up into a sitting position. "... Chara, huh? That's a nice name." he chuckled. Out of nowhere, the world started to fade to white. No, they couldn't lose him again! But they were so sleepy. "Azzy…" they whispered, reaching out to him…

"My name is A…"

"Chara? Chara, can you hear me?"

They blinked. Sunlight, but a different type. And the person holding them upright was not their brother. It was Maxwell. He glared at them with such intensity that they had to avert their eyes.

"Chara? Are you listening?"

They nodded, biting their lip.

"Never touch anything of mine ever again."

"Y-yes…"

"You are very, very lucky that I managed to break Their sleeping spell at that precise moment." he scoffed, setting them down on a stump. He groaned and basically collapsed near the firepit. Oh right, he was still injured.

Wait…

"Maxwell?"

"WHAT!?" he snapped. "Make it quick, I've had it to here with you, little, er, child."

"You said you didn't care about anyone or anything… but you do, don't you?" they said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Pal, I'm not human, remember? I don't feel emotions like you do. And I don't care about anyone or anything. Nothing is worth my precious time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some rest. I was almost torn in half the other day, y'know." he finished with a scowl.

"Well, pal, not being human is actually better, if you haven't noticed. Furthermore, I don't believe you." they stated firmly.

"Don't test me, brat. I can still kill you." he threatened.

"Who's the woman with the rose?" they said boldly. Halfway through their sentence, they realized that saying that might have not been a good idea in hindsight. His face twisted, from surprise to anger to sadness before settling on a dark glare.

"What did you say?" he said slowly. They shrunk in fear as he stood. They couldn't help it, despite the fact that he didn't look scary at all. The ugly suit, his extreme skinniness to the point of looking starved, and lips that looked like they'd been applied with Botox didn't add up to 'scary' in their book, but the look on his twisted, elderly face was one of pure hatred and malevolence. He drew closer, that expression never changing. Soon he was upon them, and they squeaked when he grabbed their collar. "How do you know about that?" he undertoned.

"T-they showed me things. Horrible, beautiful things. I… I'm sorry, Maxwell." they whispered.

He seemed to deflate before their eyes. Where there was once a madman looming over them looking for weak spots, suddenly there stood a tired, weary old man. His wrinkles pinched in internal despair. "How much did you see?" he said surprisingly calmly.

"I saw… how you two were brought here. The book?" they said. His head went in his hands. They tucked their knees to their chest. "But… that means that she must be here, too! We can find her! It's not too late!" they said hopefully. He didn't react, just kept his face buried. But why would he- oh. *Oh dear...

"... Maxwell? Did she… fall down?" they whispered.

"... What?"

"Did she die?"

"... No. She's still alive."

"What?! If she's still alive, then why are you just sitting here? If you love her, you should be looking for her!"

"She… she isn't… human anymore, okay? Leave me alone, brat!'

He turned away from them, sitting on the ground, wincing. They could have sworn they heard him sniffle on the way down.

Not human anymore… did that mean…

Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower.

A lesser duplicate of the weight on Maxwell's shoulders settled on theirs. Even though he was a, blech, a human, they couldn't help but feel bad for him. Just imagining themselves in that position was sickening…

But they didn't have to really imagine it, they realized. Because almost the same thing had happened to and because of them. They had just wanted monsters to go free, but Asriel had ended up as a soulless flower, they had died, and the Underground had been thrown into chaos. That feeling of everything being your fault… it wasn't imaginary, it was not only relatable, but real.

*Perhaps we are not as different as I believed, Maxwell.

Slowly, they gathered the courage to speak up. "Maxwell?" they said. They expected him to snap at them, but he didn't even move. "Er… Maxwell… are you okay?" they said, getting off the stump and coming over to him. He was curled in on himself, head in his calves, arms around his head. A traditional grieving position. Wait… was he crying? They leaned in a little, turning their ear towards him. Yes, he was crying. Subtly so, so subtly that one might have thought he was asleep from a distance, but he still was crying. They recognized the sights and sounds.

They shuffled around awkwardly. They knew how much they hated having people comfort them, especially people they didn't really know. But could they just leave him like this?

… No. He had saved their life today. They were in his debt. And they were going to repay that debt, whether he liked it or not.

"Maxwell?"

"..."

"I just… I wanted to thank you. For saving me. And for using my pronouns earlier. It means a lot to me."

"..."

They shrunk. They weren't very good at this whole 'comforting' thing. But why would they be? What else were they good for other than genocide?

They clenched their head. All the horrible things that They had said were flowing back. That their existence was meaningless unless they were a serial murderer. They suddenly noticed that the world looked more… gray than usual. And worse…

They squeaked as a hideous blob-like creature came out from behind a tree. It was almost see-through, but they could definitely see it. One of the creatures from the book, one of Them. Was this Hell? Were They coming for their tainted, cursed soul? Hiding behind the stump like a small child, their head began to ache. Were they seeing things, or were they actually in danger? Their logical mind said no, but the shadows… oh god, the shadows were getting larger and longer and coming closer, oh god.

"Maxwell… help. I'm seeing those things from the book, I'm seeing Them, help me." they mumbled, the headache getting worse. It was but a dull ache, but it was spreading across their whole skull and compressing it. It hurt. It hurt really bad. "They're coming for me. I'm a demon, I'm a murderer, and I'm finally getting justice for my crimes. Hahaha… isn't that funny? Hahahahaha…" they whispered. Tears wetted their eyes for the second time that day as they shivered in the dark. "Run away from me… I'm a horror… I'll hurt you, I'll kill you and spill your blood. And it will look so pretty all over the ground, haha. It's so funny, isn't it? I try and try to be good, but in the end I'm just a murderer, I'm a freak, I…"

They curled up in a ball. Whispers came from all directions, whispers of things they couldn't understand. They assaulted them with no relent, murmuring constant nonsense. Over time, some words became clear.

stupid kid

good-for-nothing

kill yourself already

we don't give food to brats like you

you WILL listen to me Charlotte

no matter what

beast

ick, a human

on days like this, kids like you… should be burning in hell.

FREAK!

d-do you really hate me… t-that much?

what kind of monster are you..? i cannot tell

Chara, what happened to you? i know it's hard with all that LOVE, but you don't really enjoy this… do you? you're starting to scare me…

do your creepy face!

please don't kill me…

*Help me…

"Chara?"

Their eyes snapped open. Maxwell sat next to them, trying to conceal the worry all over his face. It was nighttime. They must have passed out at some point... "You fell asleep… and you started thrashing around." he said. He placed something on their head - a top hat, they found by examining it - and turned towards the fire, clearly not interested in conversation. The pressure in their brain seemed to have mostly vanished. The world was in color again. Was all of that just some kind of dream?

Something told them that no, that hadn't been just a dream. Not to say it had been real. But they couldn't resist scooting closer to the fire, getting away from the darkness. The two of them stared at the flames, neither wanting to speak about their revealed weaknesses. And that was fine with them. They didn't want to think about it, much less talk about it.

But… they still wanted to do one thing.

"Maxwell?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He didn't respond, just nodded curtly. That was enough for him, they supposed.

Silence…

When the idea sprouted, they didn't stop to consider the consequences. A major flaw, but they had once again fallen into that trap, despite past experiences.

Before they could second-guess themselves, they went over to him and wrapped their arms around his chest, hugging him. He froze in place. For a second they thought they were about to be thrown into the fire. Minutes passed with this one-sided hug. Just as they were about to let go, they felt skinny arms snaking around.

He was hugging them back.

A small smile came to light, a genuine one for once. They were the same. Two lost souls with no one to turn to, their only company being the sins crawling on their backs. But maybe… there was still hope. Maybe one day, they'd find their loved ones, both of them.

Maybe one day, they could leave this pillar of strength behind, their knife. One day, they would be able to get rid of it and all it symbolized. The same for him and the book.

But today was not that day. Without those pillars, both would crumble to pieces. In the meantime, they had the patience to keep waiting. The bravery, the integrity, the perseverance, the justice, the kindness.

But most of all, they were determined…

They stayed in that embrace for a long time, until a small 'thank you' could be heard and they went to their separate straw rolls to sleep.