Fried Snow - Pyromanic8 - Deltarune (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1: Kris' Room

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The heatwave that had hit Hometown was even worse than Kris had expected. The thermometer in their room climbed higher and higher each day, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to protect the earth from the sun’s scorching rays. Not that many of Hometown’s residents had minded, or even noticed. For the vast majority of them, they had some way of surviving the inferno – both of Kris’ parents were covered in fur, a fairly common trait amongst Hometown residents, which shielded them from the worst of the heat enveloping the town. For the few that didn’t have such a defence mechanism, they all knew someone who would be able to help them, such as Monster Kid sticking close to Snowy, who was able to cool his friend down with magic.

Kris, unfortunately, did not enjoy such luxuries. As a human, they had no special adaptions to survive such extreme temperatures. Not only that, but the clothes they wore regularly only worsened their situation – their favourite green sweater was a major problem on a day like this, due to how thick and stuffy it was. It was such a problem, in fact, that after days of desperately trying to justify keeping it on to themselves, Kris forwent wearing it for the first time in recent memory, keeping on just the featureless white shirt they always had underneath, invisible to the world. They also took off their socks, and put on shorts instead of trousers, but these measures barely helped.

Recently, the heatwave had gotten so bad that they were virtually confined to their room, outside of going to the bathroom or getting more water. Air conditioning would have helped, but as Kris’ house was designed and built for monsters, this was never given thought during its construction. Therefore, they had to do whatever else they could to survive. They opened the windows as far as they could go, in vain hope that some cool breeze could enter through them, but kept the curtains draped over the window, to block out the blinding light. As this was not enough, Kris also buried themselves under their covers to further protect themselves. Only in this makeshift bunker could they avoid boiling to death.

Their only interactions on any given day were with Toriel, who, to her credit, was well aware of how much Kris was affected by temperatures like these, and did all she could to lessen their misery, including bringing meals upstairs to Fort Bedcovers, and giving them far more ice cream than she would normally. Additionally, Asgore had tried to visit Kris once, much to Toriel’s chagrin. He was almost never allowed into the house nowadays, today included. However, he did bring Kris’ favourite flavour of ice cream (albeit a budget version to reflect his budget lifestyle), which Toriel brought to them. When she did, Kris noticed that Toriel’s tone towards Asgore was far less pointed at that time than on most other occasions, making them smile.

Despite their mother’s kindness, the days were utter hell for the human. They obviously didn’t see any of their friends, who were no doubt capitalising on the great weather to spend their time outside. Before the wave struck, Kris and their friends had discussed going to the nearby beach together that weekend, spending the days there. Toriel had initially planned on taking Kris there with them, but quickly reconsidered after realising that temperatures this high would result in her having to pour Kris out of the car once they had arrived. As a result, Kris spent the days sleeping for far longer than usual, eating whatever their mother gave them, and thinking about the fun times their friends were having. Without them. The one good thing about such high temperatures was that their tears dried quickly, quickly enough so Toriel wouldn’t see.

After nearly a week of constant heat, constant boredom, and constant thinking about how much fun their friends were certainly having without them, Kris finally succumbed to boredom and took out of a book from a shelf outside their room. They needed a distraction now more than ever - due to Kris eating ice cream like, well, Kris, their mother informed them that they were all out, to the human’s despair. As it was a weekend, all local stores that could stock it were closed for the day, meaning Kris needed to keep their mind off how much a scoop or twenty would improve their mood and condition right now. After picking out a book based on its weird title and nothing else (Glubbslyme), Kris retreated to Fort Covers, more beads of sweat than usual already forming all over their body. Before managing to get more than a few pages deep, however, they heard the downstairs door opening. Kris put the book down, and listened intently, trying to guess who was at the door.

As far as they knew, all their friends were at the beach, as they said they would be, and their dad wouldn’t want to come back after last time. However, Kris still held onto the hope that he might have some ice cream to deliver to them. This hopeful idea went out the window when they realised that whoever was at the door was no longer there, and in fact, coming up the stairs. Knowing for sure it wasn’t their dad coming to save them, Kris sunk a little into their mattress. Still, they couldn’t help but be a little intrigued at who the guest could be, presuming they were coming to visit them. They were right.

As the door handle twisted and opened, Kris saw a brown hand on the side. Noelle’s. As she came in, Kris noticed she was wearing her usual attire – red/green jumper, and black skirt. Momentarily surprised, Kris remembered – “oh right, she has fur”. They felt a pang of jealousy go through them, eyes stinging slightly. Once the door was fully opened, Noelle stepped in.

“Hi Kris, what’ve you – oh my goodness, Krismas, you look terrible! Are you ok?” she rushed to Kris’ side at blazing speed. Despite eating and drinking more than usual, sleeping like a koala and taking incredibly frequent showers, none of that helped mask the fact that the heatwave had really been taking a toll on the human. Sweat still covered their face, which was now much paler than it had been just a few days ago. Their eyes looked tired and bloodshot, sleep not being able to hide the effects of sobbing. The hand holding the book was bony and dry, any attempts at rehydration foiled by Kris’ near constant sweating.

After falsely assuring Noelle that they were alright, and that Toriel was aware of how bad they had looked and felt all this time, a sceptical Noelle seemed to calm down. Before she could say anything, though, Kris noticed the air had gotten colder around them, ever so slightly. Looking to the cause of this blissful feeling, they noticed a box of some sort Noelle had put down on their bedside tablebefore fawning over them. They couldn’t believe it. It was a tub of premium chocolate ice cream. Noelle must have noticed them staring in awe, because she responded with a laugh.

“Fahahaha, took you long enough to notice! I noticed we had a big tub of ice cream in the freezer, so I figured we could share it together when I came to visit!” Noelle beamed as she said this, well aware of how much this gesture meant to the human, even without their current captivated stares in the tub’s direction. Luckily, there was still a scoop and clean bowl left over from the last time Kris had had ice cream, so they could get to eating it right away – though Kris knew very well they would make do without if they had to. Suffering from ice cream withdrawal though they were, they remembered enough manners to not suck up the entire tub in a matter of moments, leaving some for Noelle to enjoy, as well. Kris didn’t remember Noelle being particularly fond of chocolate ice cream, but they were too busy indulging in the heavenly treat to give it much thought.

“So, Kris.” Noelle punctuated the comfortable silence that had developed during and after the ice cream eating. “How are you feeling now? Did the ice cream help?” Kris nodded and said that it had, as they would to their mother, but this was the first time eating ice cream where it wasn’t quite a lie. Ice cream eating had been a sort of diversion, to distract them from the heat, and little more. As soon as it was eaten, the pain caused by the scorching temperature had returned. This time, though they still felt exhausted and their eyes were still aching, Kris had felt better than any time since the beginning of the heatwave. After affirming their answer several more times as much to an insistent Noelle (“Are you suuuuuuure?”) as to themselves, she finally seemed to believe them, and relaxed a little.

“I’m really happy to hear it” She sounded genuine, though a frown began growing at the corners of her face. “I came here to ask if you wanted to come outside for a little bit, enjoy the weather, y’know? But… we can stay inside if you’re not up for that.” Noelle’s voice was full of concern. As much as the human hated to disappoint her, they knew full well that they were physically incapable of going outside of their room for long, let alone the house. And yet… over the course of her very short visit, Kris had recovered much of their strength, as if by magic. Their arms and legs felt lighter to move, their head far clearer. As they touched their forehead, they couldn’t find a single bead of sweat on it. That ice cream they shared between them must have been really expensive, working so well where the store bought brands their parents bought had failed.

“Kris? Helloooooo?” Kris snapped back to reality to see Noelle waving a hand over their face, worry growing on her own. They must have spaced out while they were thinking things through. As they started blushing in shame, Noelle seemed to lose confidence in her words. “D-don’t worry if you’re not ready to go outside. I’m sure we can find something to do in here! Maybe we can go downstairs and play on your–“

“No, I can go. I…want to go.” Kris said, as if without thinking. It WAS a shame they had no chance to experience the outdoors in such unusually good weather this past week, and they had never felt better than now. Still, they felt sure this good fortune wouldn’t last if they went outside for long. But they could always back out if things got bad. Noelle would understand, and they’d just go back home to play Super Smashing Fighters or something. Maybe if they were lucky, Noelle would treat them to some more of this magical ice cream if they went outside. It was worth the risk.

“Are you sure? You look… actually, you look much better than before. That’s great! Still… we should ask your mum first, just to be safe, alright?” Noelle had noticed what they had, too, and was beaming with joy. They really were looking better, then. Kris nodded, and they proceeded to get off the bed and leave the room, side by side, ice cream tub, bowl and book left forgotten on the bed.

Chapter 2: Kris' House

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Closing the door behind them, the pair walked down the corridor, side by side. The joy Kris felt at seeing a friend, at long last, after days of torturous isolation, was quickly waning. A cynical thought crept into their head. They knew better than to bring it up right now, the rush of emotions minutes prior still clouding their judgement. Despite this, their unhappy thoughts manifested on their face. Noelle looked over to them more than once, mouth open as if to start up a conversation, but every time, she hesitated on seeing the darkness in Kris’ crimson eyes.

As a result, the trip down the corridor and stairs was almost totally silent between the two, minus the sound of Noelle’s hooves on the floor. This gave Kris some time to admire and contemplated how well they continued to feel, though the ice cream was a world away now. This helped distract them from the issue on their mind, fantasizing about eating more of that blessed ice cream and how well one more tub could make them feel. They did not have to do this for long, as upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, their mother broke the spell.

“Are you leaving already, Noelle? Was Kris angry at you?” she said without turning around. Noelle flushed slightly at that remark, turning away slightly. If she wasn’t already thinking of the same thing as they were before, she was now. Noelle motioned to Kris that she would speak, which was fine by them. They didn’t want to shock their mother with their voice, after all.

“No, Miss Toriel. Kris wasn’t angry at all. They’re here with me, actually.” Toriel clearly didn’t expect this, and Kris heard a clatter of dishes behind the wall separating the stairs and kitchen, followed closely by a towering goat-like figure appearing in front of them. Clearly, their plan didn’t work. Kris braced themselves, knowing and dreading what was about to come.

“Oh, Angel, Kris! What are you doing down here? What’s the matter, are you feeling quite alright? ‘Why did Noelle drag you down here? Do you need some…” Kris felt themselves glowing once again, but this time, from the shame that came from a mother fussing over them quite so vigorously and unabashedly. Looking behind the hulking goat monster in front of them whenever they could, Kris could see a very amused Noelle standing well away, who was, to her credit, doing her best to hide her schadenfreude so as to minimise their suffering.

“Mum, stop it, I’m fine! Really! Let me go!” Kris’ pleas fell on deaf ears. Toriel insisted on dragging them over to their fridge and freezer, putting cheap ice packs (that had never done much for them before now, having leaked out most of the gel within them years ago) and anything else cold that she could find in there all over them. This proved futile, as Kris was actually getting warmed up by the proximity to their furry mother and being moved around the kitchen so quickly against their will. “Nonsense, my child! You’ll get sick if you stay down here for any longer! I cannot…let that…”

“But-” Toriel realised the gravity of her words before Kris could finish their rebuttal, and audibly gasped. She lifted Kris and slung them over her shoulder effortlessly, like she did when they were a child, redding their face into the colour of a ripe tomato. She had almost made it to the stairs when until Noelle stood in her way.

“Ms Toriel, please let Kris go. They really are feeling better!” Toriel was momentarily shocked by Noelle’s actions, which allowed Kris to give her a thumbs up before wriggling out of their mother’s grasp to stand beside their friend. They were incredibly thankful to see her having more backbone these days. Toriel recovered from her shock and tried to counter, but Kris cut her off.

“It’s true, mum. The ice cream we had made me feel a lot better, and now we’re going to get some more. Right, Noelle?” Luckily for them, Noelle seemed on be immediately on board with the plan to get more of the precious ice cream for them, playing along by nodding enthusiastically. “Look at me. Don’t you think I look better?” Kris wasn’t normally this talkative when it came to arguing with their mother, having learned long ago that going along with her wishes was more convenient, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Toriel looked over Kris once more, but slower, and more deliberately this time. Even after blushing up a storm as a result of her actions, Kris did still look far better than before, and even Toriel couldn’t deny that – there were no beads of sweat to be found on their body, no patches of boiling skin – even their eyes had regained some of their prior colour and vibrance. Although they still felt embarrassed by this examination, Kris was certain Toriel would be satisfied afterwards. However, to their horror, she did not seem convinced.

“Thank you very much for the ice cream, Noelle. It was truly very kind of you. Thank you and the Angel that Kris is feeling better now. But its far hotter outside than in here, Kris just can’t take that kind of heat. Come, you can spend some time upstairs.” She took Kris’s hand and once again made for the stairs. They forgot to take her motherly nature into account, and the plans they were making for the rest of the day, not to mention the ice cream, already seemed a distant memory. They submitted to being dragged up by their mother, no strength or will left to fight her.

“Ms Toriel, let them go! Kris is clearly fine, and wants to go, so let them go!” This time, Toriel stood in total awe, as if she couldn’t comprehend what just happened. While Kris knew how confident Noelle could now be, few others did, especially adults. Plus, the Noelle their mother knew would never have raised her voice at her like this in a million years. Kris felt a sense of immense pride, knowing they were the one who helped Noelle gain this kind of confidence. Regardless of her boldness seconds ago, this outburst seemed to stun Noelle herself. She froze like a statue, moments away from furiously apologising, bursting into tears of shame, or both. Kris knew they had to do something, or Noelle’s bravery would be for naught.

“Come on!” Kris shouted, grabbing her by her arm and breaking into a sprint, their will reborn. She was just aware enough of what they were doing to run in tandem with them. Toriel tried to grab her other arm, but she wasn’t the female lead of the Hometown Track Team for nothing, and was long gone by the time she had recovered enough to try to stop them. Kris quickly opened the front door and the duo burst out into the outside world.

Chapter 3: Road into Hometown

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Kris and Noelle did not stop running until they were clear of Kris’ house, and could no longer see or hear Toriel shouting after them. They slowed to a crawl, and after they found a suitable tree to collapse under, began to break into laughter at what they just did. Kris knew they would no doubt face consequences after they returned, but they decided they didn’t care about that now. After the laughter subsided, they, the lesser sprinter of the two by a mile, were left catching their breath. Noelle, while much better off, was still recovering from the emotional high of their escape, so they took advantage of this quiet moment to think.

As their eyes closed from exhaustion, an image painted itself in their head: themselves and Noelle, much younger, sitting under one of Hometown’s many trees, as they did now. The Kris in their memory was tearing up after once again being verbally assaulted by Noelle’s mother. Remembering this hurt, an old wound reopening long after it had healed and been forgotten about. Just like now, they were sitting close to Noelle, who was comforting them, holding them, telling them her mother didn’t really mean what she said, despite Kris’ prior experiences with her telling them otherwise. They were on the verge of tears remembering this scene, about to match the memory in yet another way, before Noelle snapped them out of it.

“Kris, are you feeling alright now?” It was lucky they had long hair, as it covered their eyes quite well. They grunted noncommittally in response, in case their voice revealed their feelings. Enough time had passed that they had regained their breath, at least. Their eyes were clearly still clouded with tears, however, as they could have sworn that in that moment, Noelle was…blushing? “Well, that’s great to hear! Um, do you think you could…?”

She motioned sheepishly to her right arm, which Kris was still clutching with their left, even tighter than when they first grabbed it. And it looked to them that their grip slid down her arm somewhat, now dangerously close to her open hand. Upon noticing, they instinctively pulled away their arm, though it took them a split second to actually open their hand and release it. It felt like their hand got subtly warmer as they were letting go, just like their face. After they did, they were sure her arm jerked towards Kris, slightly, just enough that they were unsure if it was their imagination playing up or not. They were too preoccupied with trying to pass off the blush that was rising on their cheeks once more. Luckily, Noelle seemed to do the same, their earlier observation being proven accurate.

“T-took you long enough to notice, haha.” This wasn’t Kris’ smoothest “prank”, but they had failed to come up with anything better in the moment, so this would have to do. Noelle didn’t respond, head still turned from them. Kris took this opportunity to think some more to calm themselves down, now about the present rather than their past.

No matter how much thought they gave it, they struggled to believe how much their life had changed recently, more so since it was almost all for the better. They had long since resigned themselves to their friendless, bully filled existence. Having Susie go from said bully to their friend was unbelievable enough already, but finally, finally, after years of distance, they managed to reconnect with Noelle. It didn’t happen immediately, of course. During their adventure together in Cyber City, Kris felt side-lined for Noelle’s attention and friendship in favour of Susie, even during the time they spent alone, separated from everyone else. But after Susie caught on to Noelle’s affections and turned her down, she and Kris started spending some quality time together, just talking and hanging out, like they used to. Now, things were well on their way to being how they used to be, years and years ago, between the two childhood friends.

These developments meant Kris now had the time and will to catch up after all these years of distance. While Kris still spent a lot of their free time with Susie, with or without Ralsei, they increasingly spent their evenings, and even some afternoons, with Noelle, regardless of their need for her help with school work. On days they did need her help, Noelle made quick work of both of their projects, leaving plenty of time for whatever they felt like doing that day. Oftentimes, that meant visiting Rudy, who always perked up at the sight of two of them together, consistently managing to embarrass them in a way only a father with a single daughter could.

Despite Kris liking Rudy, his constant comments on theirs and Noelle’s “friendship” made them feel lucky that they had excuses not to visit him as of late – first school being out, meaning a lot of free time that could be (and was) spent in the Dark World, partly at Susie’s insistence, and now the heatwave confining them to their room. Well, until now. Kris gave themselves a patting down, to make sure they were still alright – nothing had changed. Tired from running as they were, everything else about them felt like it did before the heatwave, all thanks to Noelle.

Looking over at her, Noelle looked deep in thought, just like them, albeit still facing away from them. After their adventures in the Dark World, she seemed to finally gain some well needed boldness towards people; even most adults, Kris remembering Toriel’s mortified expression with a smile. But despite Kris being one of few people she could stand up to before they managed to reconnect, it seemed to them that, recently, Noelle had become somewhat more timid in their presence. Their walk from Kris’ room came to mind – past Noelle would have told them what was on her mind, whatever it was, directly or not. Especially so if it troubled her. They decided to bring it up when they resumed their walk. The walk they decided to get on with, having caught their breath and stopped blushing long ago.

“K-Kris. Can you sit back down, please?” They were almost fully stood up before she spoke, but shrugged their shoulders slightly and slid back down beside her, to the base of the tree. They were glad Noelle decided to speak up on her own. “Thank you. I…I wanted to ask you about… before. What’s wrong?” Despite her vagueness, Kris knew exactly what she meant. This was what Noelle had on her mind – asking about them and their feelings. Very much like her to do this, they thought. Kris figured they were both past it at this point, but felt that Noelle deserved an explanation, especially after going to the effort to check on them today.

“Well… I was just… thinking about why you never visited me before today. You, or anyone else.” They tried to say it as plainly and coolly as possible, but there was an audible hint of venom in their voice as the words came out. They were imagining how much more bearable the heatwave would have been had they spent some of it with a friend, any friend, and even for a short time. Their mother did her best, but she couldn’t make up for the lost company. They imagined a day as fun as today, every day this past week. When they compared such wonders to what had actually taken place, they grew hateful.

“I’m so sorry, Kris! I thought you didn’t want to go with us at first. M-my mother told me so! And then…” She trailed off, looking at them. Kris couldn’t hide their anger upon hearing that, their face burning up. They were well aware of how little she thought of them, since their yearly ears, but this was completely unexpected. They forced themselves to remain calm, not wanting to shout at her. She wasn’t to blame in this. Maybe. They decided to clear everything up, making sure there were no misconceptions about what had happened, giving them enough time to settle down.

“Fine. Tell me what happened, then. From the beginning.” Despite their strained manner of speech, Noelle agreed to this.

“Well… our friend group planned on going to that beach not so far from here, until my mother told us she would be willing to take us to Sandland instead, that tourist town, way to the east. I think we talked about it before, right? Everyone was super happy, and quickly went off to tell their families, but I noticed you weren’t with us, and went to go get you. She reassured me that she had already checked with Toriel, and you didn’t want to go, and needed some time to yourself, after everything –”

“And you believed her?” Kris interrupted without thinking, trying and failing to control their volume. They thought bitterly to themselves about how naïve she still was, despite everything.

“Why wouldn’t I? Sh-she’s my mother, for Angel’s sake! I-I di-didn’t think she would do something like this!” Kris tried to think of a response, but couldn’t, especially hearing Noelle speak like she did, and so stayed silent. They knew they would certainly believe Toriel if she told them Noelle didn’t want to go. After a period of silence, and with eyes looking away from her, Kris continued.

“So…how was it? Did you enjoy yourself, at least?”

As she began to speak, she stole a longing look at Kris, and a hint of a frown flashed on her face, her voice losing some of its energy. “Well, er, yeah, I had fun, for sure! Um… the beach nearby doesn’t even compare, fahaha. There was so, so much to do and see, everywhere, and everyone was so excited to be there. Berdly and Susie…ha, ha. Next time, I’m definitely not going without you, you have to see it all!”

Kris frowned in annoyance at her vagueness, anxious to know more out of morbid curiosity. However, they faltered when they considered how Noelle was talking, realising she was being evasive for their sake. Their voice softened in gratitude to match hers.

“Well, then…why did you come back?”

“Well, I noticed on the very first day that I only saw monsters outside, even though I heard Sandland had a large human population. I didn’t think anything of it for a while, since we all had so much to do, until a day later, when I saw a pair of humans on the beach in the morning. They had a water cooler full of ice cream, almost frozen drinks, stuff like that. They were sitting in the shade of their parasol, both looking redder than ripe tomatoes, so I excused myself and checked on them to ask if they were alright. The woman told me that they were managing, just about, trying to take advantage of the nice weather in spite of the heatwave.”

“That’s when I remembered that the local news reported on it. As you know, monsters aren’t really affected by it as much as humans are, so it completely slipped my mind until then. As soon as she told me, I realised you must be suffering just like them. I knew the next bus home wouldn’t arrive for a few more days, so I ran to my mother to ask if she could give me money for a taxi, and to ask about you, if you were feeling well, make sure you were… you were…”

“Noelle, I’m sorry for bringing it up. You don’t have to tell me any more, its fine, I promise.” Now it was Noelle’s turn to be audibly angry and visibly losing control, clearly in anticipation of fully recalling what it was that her mother said. Kris knew it was in vain, but they felt a duty to try and spare her the burden anyway.

“No, Kris, I want to - no, NEED to tell you. When I got to her, she just…she just, laughed it off. I had to ask her again. Sh-she said…” Noelle had to steady herself with a quick breath before continuing, as Kris anticipated the worst.

“She said, “Absolutely not! Why do you care about them, anyway? They wouldn’t give a damn about you if they were here instead of you! You deserve some time away from that freak, and you know it! Angel, you should be thanking me!””

Noelle shouted the last few words, then stopped her story to take in deep breaths and swallowing her spit, fighting for control of herself. Kris could see her shivering and desperately holding back tears, like they had done minutes prior. In that moment, all of their prior grievances or complaints lost their meaning, and their mind thought only of comforting Noelle as they pulled her into a tight hug.

Noelle yelped at the sudden contact, but voiced no further objections, gratefully wrapping her arms around her friend in turn, quietly crying into their back. Kris was almost too focused on their crying friend they held to notice their skin growing colder all of a sudden, like they were hugging a block of ice. Less than an hour ago, this miracle would have been all they had on their mind – now, they had far more important things to deal with, and this observation vanished from their head almost immediately. They waited until she had composed herself somewhat, her flood of tears stopping, before reassuring her further.

“I appreciate what you’ve done for me, Noelle, I really do. Thank you so much. Getting back here must have been a real pain, considering your mother. I’m really sorry for being so harsh on you.” Noelle tightened her grip around Kris and shook her head in denial, hitting them in the neck with her hair.

“No, Krismas, you did nothing wrong. I’m sorry for being so gullible as to believe her, I should’ve known she could do something like this. This is all my fault and I know it…” It was Kris’ time to be outraged by what Noelle said. They knew vaguely how long the trip to and from Sandland was, and how long a bus would take, and so they knew equally well how much Noelle must have cared to come back to them.

“How about we both agree to be angry at each other, eh?” Noelle chortled lightly in agreement, to Kris’ relief, and the pair reluctantly unwrapped themselves from each other to stand up, bodies moments away from cramping. They equally as reluctantly stepped away from each other’s personal spaces, making Kris feel slightly ill. However, as they did, Kris’ mind pulled a complete blank as to where they were supposed to be going now, their mind completely focused on figuring out how to comfort the crying doe until just moments ago. Vague thoughts of their dad’s flower shop or the park drifted into their head, until Noelle reminded them.

“Fahaha, did you forget, Kris? I promised you more of that ice cream!” With all that had happened since she mentioned that to Toriel, they really had forgotten, but Kris wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to eat some more of that Angel’s delight; not to mention sticking it to the woman they hated at the same time. They nodded in thanks, as the two rounded the corner to the gate of the Holiday Estate.

Chapter 4: Holiday Estate Grounds

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Although the outside gate opened easily enough due to its age and simple lock, the inner gate, the one actually connected to the walls of the Holiday Estate was something else entirely. Kris had seen and entered through this gate multiple times before now, but it never failed to impose. Ornate, burgundy and tall, almost as old as the prior gate and slightly rusty in places, but was otherwise in immaculate condition. It was locked by a number of different mechanisms, further deterring potential break ins. This wasn’t enough to stop Kris, however.

As Noelle searched for the keys to open the gate in her pockets, Kris looked to a distant portion of wall on their left, and smiled. They began to walk towards it while Noelle looked up, keys in hand.

“Kris? Where are you going?” Kris gave her a thumbs up to reassure her, as they reached their destination. There was a large, weathered boulder by the side of the wall, as well as two small bricks that jutted out of it – enough so that a skilled climber could scale the wall by using them. Kris was just such a climber, having found themselves on the tops of half of Hometown’s trees at some point in their life.

They remembered discovering this secret entrance to Noelle’s home after once again being refused entry by her mother; something to do with Noelle needing to get homework done, in peace (even though she had always been able to get it done on time, even when Kris came over to visit). While the first gate was easy enough for anyone to walk around, the second proved a challenge even for a professional climber like Kris. As such, it kept them away from their best friend a lot of the time they wanted to hang out with her – until they discovered this weakness in the defences.

Despite the fact that the first time Kris went in through Noelle’s window was less than successful (as she screamed so loudly that Kris was grounded for a week after everything was sorted out between their parents), she was always happy to see them, and they her. Despite not having to go through this mini obstacle course in years, Noelle finally getting her own keys somewhat recently, they still remembered it fondly. Especially so since, despite Noelle’s mother finding Kris after they broke in a lot of the time, she never managed to find out exactly how they managed to get in and out of the grounds.

After a bit of nimble footwork, Kris vaulted over the wall and landed on a soft flowerbed, trampling the plants underneath. They knew they weren’t the climber they used to be, from a lack of practise, but they didn’t expect the climb and leap to take so much out of them. They resigned to leaning back against the wall, waiting for Noelle to join them. This wait felt longer than it was in reality, punctuated by the distinctive sound of the main gate creaking open. Noelle entered through it and then walked towards them, her expression an equal share amused and horrified.

“My mother won’t appreciate her flowers being ruined like that.”

“Just tell her I did it. Actually, please do, I want her to know.” Kris couldn’t help but smile evilly as they said it, with Noelle failing to hide her smirk at the idea.

“Fahaha, you know I can’t do that! You’ll get in so much trouble with your mum! AND your dad! Come on, let’s go!” Kris rolled their eyes in the most exaggerated way they could (forgetting Noelle would struggle to notice under their mop of hair), before getting up off the golden flowerbed, sticking close to Noelle, closer than they usually would. They had no idea why, but they seemed to feel…better, around her, their strength recovered after their bout of exercise just now. Noelle didn’t seem to notice or mind, however, as they walked on to the mansion-esque structure in the distance.

Kris knew that a regular Hometown resident entering the Holiday Estate would be dumbfounded by all the pleasures and luxuries located outside the building, let alone what was inside, but as Kris had been a frequent visitor, both in the past and recently, they seemed almost par for the course. The currently dried up yet pretty pond and marble fountain. The dilapidated swing set - cheap yet lovingly made, with some benches nearby, overgrown with wild but tempting moss. The small but extravagant golf course in the distance that hasn’t seen use in recent times, and plenty more. Kris hardly paid them more than a glance as they came into view, as usual.

They were far more preoccupied with gawking at the copious amounts of flowers around them, every new patch earning a fresh stare. Of course, the Estate had grown flowers for as long as Kris could remember, but they didn’t expect to see them now, in this weather. Kris was never much of a botanist, despite Noelle, Asgore and Toriel’s best efforts, but even they could notice the vibrance, colour and smells of them all, which in such a heatwave were unthinkable. They knew from their many talks with their mother that most of her plants had perished in the heat, and it was only her skills and knowledge as a gardener preventing the rest from meeting the same fate.

Confused as to why this was happening, they looked around a little more and found the source of the garden’s salvation – the sprinkler system. They had seen them before, of course. A family as rich as Noelle’s could certainly afford to install these, so this was never very noteworthy. But the fact that they were still operating, as usual, or perhaps more so than usual, was quite shocking. They suspected Toriel’s plants wilted for this very reason – a lack of water, not a lack of awareness from her.

“Don’t we have a water shortage now?” Noelle was lost in thought, and was caught off guard by the question. It didn’t help that Kris was rather blunt in asking. Once she had processed it, a shameful grimace grew on her face.

“We do, yeah, but… my mother insisted on keeping them on, to protect her garden…” Kris’ blood was once again boiling, this time for non-environmental reasons. If asked this morning, Kris would struggle to imagine they could like Noelle’s mother less than they did at that time, considering all she had done to them in the past, but was being consistently proven wrong. They silently pledged to help themselves to as much of the ice cream as Noelle allowed them.

“Don’t blame yourself. She wouldn’t have listened to you anyway.” Kris could see Noelle’s face sinking in shame after she confessed, and after seeing Kris’ expression. To the human’s relief, this reassurance seemed to snap her out of her slump, and she thanked them for their kind words, as they continued along in a more comfortable silence, side by side, until they reached the front door.

Unlike the gate, this was almost brand new, installed last winter. The varnish finish was still clear to see, the mahogany colour was very eye catching, and the whole thing was immaculate. This door, too, required a number of keys to open. While Kris couldn’t climb over it like they could the wall, they remembered the way to get into Noelle’s room from here. Noelle seemed well aware of this fact as well, as she seemed to be one step ahead of them.

“Kris, I know what you’re thinking, and I can’t let you do that. I’m not going to lose track of you and be scared half to death when you show up in the bathroom in half an hour!”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it, but now that you’ve put the idea in my head…” Kris almost immediately regretted their tease, as Noelle grabbed their right hand with her left, grip like a vice.

“No chance! Besides, I don’t want you somewhere I can’t see you. I-in case you get hurt from the heat. Your mum would kill me for that, fahaha!” Kris was caught completely off guard by Noelle’s initiative, not to mention the fact that they were now holding hands. So much so that, minus a few final quips (“Oh, come on, you’ll like it!” and “Stop it, I’ll be fine!”), they gave in fairly easily and quickly stopped trying to squirm out of her grasp.

Despite their earlier fear of it, holding Noelle’s hand didn’t feel too awkward, at all. Kris remembered that this is how they went everywhere together, hand in hand, to the delight of both of their families. Well, most of them. They hadn’t done so in many years, since they were children, but there was no reason for it to become weird now, all of a sudden. After all, there were many things they did together as children that they were finally getting back to, like spending most of the day together and going for walks around town. This was just another necessary step towards truly rekindling their friendship from years ago, and that’s it. At least, that’s what they told themselves.

What wasn’t familiar to the human was the feeling of freezing on their skin, mainly where Noelle held their hand. After days of pure solar hellfire, and even after feeling like their old self today, this feeling was nothing short of heavenly. They had no idea why they were feeling this way, or what was causing it. The most obvious answer was that Noelle was causing it, but any kind of ice she might have brought with her to Kris’ house would have long since melted in this heat. They spent a few more moments trying to wrap their head around this, coming up with nothing.

“Alright, door’s open now. Let’s go in.” Kris nodded mindlessly, deciding to think more about the coldness they felt later. Noelle twisted the doorknob and pushed in the door.

Chapter 5: Inside the Holiday Estate

Chapter Text

The door opened almost silently, and Kris was greeted warmly by a familiar sight. A snow-white foyer area, decked out into a second living room of sorts, with shiny leather couches and cushions huddled around a TV bigger than any Kris had seen elsewhere. Immediately to their left was a bowl full almost to the brim with peppermint sweets. Since the Holidays had the money to shell out for the good stuff, Kris usually grabbed a handful if Noelle’s mother wasn’t looking, but wary of the feast that was to come, they took just one.

Still to their left, but further ahead, a worn set of stairs lead to the upper floors, permanently clothed in tinsel and fairy lights. Kris knew these stairs well, as they were where they were almost immediately shooed onto every time they had visited the Holiday Estate. Since reconnecting with Noelle, her mother categorically forbade them from spending any more time downstairs than was absolutely necessary. However, she wasn’t there to stop them this time.

Behind the TV was a passageway that Kris remembered led to a garage of sorts, among other rooms. They had fond memories of messing around in there with Rudy and oftentimes Dess on the rare days his wife wasn’t in the house. They saddened slightly at the thought of such a room going into disrepair in recent times, since Noelle’s mother kept her car outside, using it very infrequently.

Noelle led them to the right, into what became a wide corridor laden with a crimson red rug and paintings on the wall, giving Kris the impression that she was giving them a tour through a museum or a castle. Kris never saw anything quite this fancy or regal-looking upstairs, which they reasoned meant visitors very rarely left this floor. They could hardly believe Noelle’s room was in the same neighbourhood as this corridor, let alone the same house. While it was a shame they couldn’t visit it today, they knew the frozen treat in the kitchen would more than make up for it. While Kris wasn’t usually one for admiring art, they decided to do so now, knowing it could be their only chance to do so.

While most of the paintings on the walls came from humans and monsters Kris had never heard of before, such as Gough Van and Salivatin’ Dial, one name stuck out to them. They recognised it as that of Snowy’s father, who they were vaguely aware of being an artist on the side after being informed by his son. It looked like some kind of family portrait, albeit in a very unorthodox style. While it was far from bad, it clashed heavily and noticeably with most of the other, more “artsy” works on display, leading Kris to believe Noelle and Rudy might have put and kept it there against the mayor’s wishes. They smiled, feeling an inexplicable, warm sense of kindship with the painting.

As they continued through the corridor, Kris noticed that Noelle’s hold on their hand hadn’t loosened whatsoever, and neither had the odd, cold feeling that came with it. Whether it was out of fear of their pranks or fear of their condition suddenly deteriorating or both, Kris was happy to oblige her. They noticed that there was yet another silence between the two, but Kris was unwilling to break it just yet.

Kris was far from talkative, and usually enjoyed quieter moments by themselves or with strangers, but not so with friends. When with people they felt at ease with, they liked to chat about whatever came to mind (in their own, reserved way), pull a prank to lighten the mood, or just do something stupid to create general havoc. Noelle was different. Of course, they both enjoyed a good conversation or prank (despite Noelle’s weakly trying to deny liking those), but neither minded some time spent in silence. Kris could easily imagine, even remember, hours, almost entire days, when they and Noelle sat or lay besides each other in the past, hardly speaking a word to each other, simply enjoying each other’s company while playing videogames or watching a movie or doing nothing much at all. Perhaps, as childhood friends, they simply understood the other instinctively, and knew the other well enough to not experience those awkward moments created by a period of quiet. Perhaps that was why today has gone so well, they thought to themselves.

To their right, still coming into view as they walked, Kris and Noelle passed by the main living room. It was as well-kept as the rest of the house, but somewhat more modestly furnished, especially when compared to the royal corridor it was attached to. A bookcase full of hardly used books, some small but robust plants, old-fashioned but clean wallpaper, a coffee table permanently relocated to a faraway corner, a TV barely better kept than Kris and Toriel’s – really, nothing like the rest of the Holiday household. In the middle of it sat the room’s main attraction - an ancient sofa, well past its throw-out-by date. Still, the Holidays always found some excuse to keep it around whenever it was under threat. Kris was very glad, as they had some very fond memories on this battered, senior sofa, like coming over with Azzy to watch Capsule Creatures with Dess and Noelle every Saturday morning, or hosting a friendly Super Smashing Fighters competition with the neighbourhood kids. But before they had time to finish reminiscing, Noelle had dragged them further along towards their destination, leaving the room behind.

As Noelle opened the door to the kitchen, Kris was flabbergasted by it all. Despite years of not entering this sacred place, Kris couldn’t believe they had let themselves forget such wonders. The floor was shinier than a mirror, the walls painted a delicious minty green and the ceiling littered with all kinds of different lights, many Christmas themed. This room alone was large enough to comfortably fit in half of theirs and Toriel’s house, and it made full use of the space, being chock full of all kinds of cooking utensils, appliances and shelves. As the Holidays didn’t cook nearly as much or as well as their mother did, Kris felt true pain at seeing all of them so underutilised, their inner chef begging to be let loose. Due to its size, it had plenty of room for decorations, such as a Christmas tree on the counter Kris would have bet their life on being there all year, some festive wreathes and ribbons, and a cinnamon apple candle that Kris barely stopped themselves from lunging towards and biting, the smell being so overpowering.

Of course, the main attraction, the reason they were here, lay in the freezer. It was at the bottom of the large fridge in a corner of the massive room, yet still the centre of attention of all who entered. It was new, as told to them by Noelle a month or so ago, so Kris had never seen it nor its contents before, but based on its sheer size, Kris expected a pirate’s hoard’s worth of treasures inside. Despite its youth, magnets and pictures of the Holidays, Dreemurrs and other families they remembered from their childhoods were hung up, which made Kris grin from the sheer nostalgia of it all.

“Here we are! Now I just have to…hrng…” Kris figured the Holidays hadn’t broken fridge in yet, meaning it was still difficult to open. Any ice build up around the freezer wouldn’t help matters, either. Kris noticed Noelle was trying to open it one handed, since she was still busy holding Kris with the other. With some apprehension, Kris decided to finally inform her of this fact.

“It might be easier if we try and open it together. You know, with all four of our hands?” As they spoke, they lifted their arm up, showing Noelle the hand she held Kris’ in. So tightly, in fact, that it looked as though she wanted nothing less than to let go.

“Hm? Oh, oh! W-why didn’t you say anything before?” Noelle quickly removed her hand from Kris’, to which the human felt a great sense of loss. They recovered by thinking about the possibility of being able to hold it again in the near future. The line had been crossed, after all. It would be easier and less awkward next time. Still, they weren’t totally satisfied, but the work of opening the freezer with Noelle, and the thought of what it would accomplish, helped push the issue to the back of their mind.

After a valiant attempt to resist them, the duo wrenched the freezer open, and Kris marvelled at what they could already see at the front of each shelf – candy canes, pastries, eggnog ice lollies, cakes, poppy seed buns; anything Kris could reasonably associate with Christmas treats was here. Only the bottom shelf was immune to this festivisation, as it contained more normal products, including a multitude of ice cream flavours. Kris’ eyes rested on a tub that was apple flavoured, and seized on the opportunity.

“Susie doesn’t really like ice cream, you know?” Snickering as they said this, they got the expected reaction from Noelle – her own adorable brand of anger, with a healthy dose of embarrassment, shock and panic.

“Shush, Krismas! I-I didn’t know that at the time! Besides, you promised not to tease me about that anymore!” Indeed, Kris had, but they couldn’t help but read Noelle’s mind as to the reason this tub was at the very front of the shelf.

“Fine, fine, my bad. I was just surprised. I thought you liked mint flavoured ice cream more, that’s all.”

“I do, yeah, but, you know, I thought Susie…wait a minute. You remembered that?” Kris had recalled Noelle’s favourite flavour of ice cream instantly, without putting any thought into it. They remembered it from their frequent trips together with Asriel and Dess to the ice cream truck, whenever it was in town. Kris almost always got the chocolate, and Noelle almost always got the mint. Even after years apart, and despite never having ice cream together since they reconnected, that memory never really went away. Regardless, Kris felt their face reddening at this sudden inquisition.

“I…uh…well, mint is a very Christmassy flavour, so I just sort of assumed. Candy canes are usually minty, so… er, looks like I was right, hahaha!” Say, how did you remember what MY favourite flavour was? And…why do you have so many tubs of it?” Behind the apple ice cream tub, were a number of other tubs, including more than a half dozen chocolate flavoured ones – not the kind their mother bought for them, but a premium brand that never seemed to be in stock at Sans’. The exact same kind she had bought for Kris that very morning, in fact. Noelle, seemingly unaware of how many there were before now, turned even redder than Kris.

“Uh…hahahaha… Whoops, I kept buying more and more, thinking I could share them with you, but my mother never let me. As for the flavour – well, uh, I could never forget the chocolate cake you and your mother always baked for us, it was so good!” As soon as they were old enough to, Toriel taught Kris how to cook and bake all sorts of things. The chocolate cake wasn’t particularly notable in Kris’ mind, but they could see how Noelle could remember it, over everything else. That didn’t explain Noelle still refusing to look them in the eye, however.

“So…are we eating these, or are we gonna keep embarrassing each other?” This was enough to cut through the tension, as Noelle thankfully giggled at their joke. They took out a chocolate tub, while Noelle grabbed one of the few mint tubs, near the front. They decided to bring them to the living room to eat, just like they always wished they could. The walk back felt agonising, both due to the anticipation of the ice cream, and partly due to the loss of Noelle’s hand on theirs. Thinking about the ice cream tided them over, however.

As soon as they got to the living room, they jumped on the old couch, to Noelle’s horror. It had always survived Kris’ body slams, and despite their increased weight, it still held strong.

“Kris! You shouldn’t do that! My mother would kill you if heard you destroyed the sofa! Scratch that, I think I would!” Noelle’s threat was undercut by her failing to hide her smirk, especially once it was clear the sofa would persist. She sat down right besides Kris, even though there was enough space on it to fit three Asgores, and they were both sitting in a spot where the sun almost shone in their eyes, through the tattered curtains. Not that Kris would ever ask her to move. They cracked open the tubs, and clinked their spoons together in a faux toast, and began to dig in.

Their first spoonful was as delicious and mind numbing what they ate at home. However, the subsequent ones felt less and less like a release from the heatwave, and more like regular, albeit tasty, ice cream. Still, after the effort Noelle went through to get these for them, they didn’t want to seem unappreciative. Despite this, their stomach was feeling fuller and fuller, the ice cream they ate at home taking up more space than they initially thought. As they ate in silence, like before, Kris’ mind began to wander, and soon landed on the intended recipient of the apple ice cream. They didn’t want to hear bad news, but now knew better than to hide their worries from Noelle.

“Noelle? Why didn’t Susie come home with you?” Their voice was far smaller and meeker than they meant for it to be, despite their best effort to seem aloof. While they genuinely loved being around Noelle, and knew they would remember today for the rest of their lives, they couldn’t help but feel somewhat betrayed by Susie’s absence, considering how close they were now. To their surprise, Noelle seemed ready with an answer for this question.

“You know how hard Susie’s situation is, Kris. She doesn’t get to go on these kinds of trips very often. You wouldn’t want her to miss out on this, would you?” She was right. They knew how excited and energetic Susie got whenever they went to the Dark World together, even if only to say hi to Ralsei. A trip to a resort city like Sandland wouldn’t be something they would expect, or even want, her to miss. They felt a little stupid for voicing this concern in the first place.

“Besides… she told me that she wouldn’t worry about you, since she knew I was going to take good care of you.” Kris’ face instinctively grew a grin. Susie had a lot of problems trusting others in the past, and this was a very meaningful gesture from her. Especially towards someone she didn’t get to know well until somewhat recently. Kris was glad the two stayed good friends, despite not becoming romantically involved.

“She was right to do that. I’m really grateful you’re here, Noelle. I can’t imagine the hell I’d be going through without you.” Kris spoke from the heart, meaning every word of it.

Even if their days were identical to the ones they had experienced prior to today, Kris being in constant, melting agony from the heat, having Noelle nearby during them, just to talk, play videogames, or simply be around, would have made them so much more bearable. But now? They had defied both of their mothers, and have had a blast doing it. And that’s to say nothing of how much better Kris was feeling physically, the few remaining wounds the heatwave inflicted on them quickly fading. The possibilities for the rest of the day seemed endless.

“Aww, Krismas… I’m glad to be here. Sandland wasn’t the same without you.” She opened her arms, and Kris immediately reciprocated with a hug. This one felt just as emotional as the last, but far more comfortable without the doe crying into their shoulder and back. The more Kris thought about it, the less they could imagine spending this day with anyone else. Even Susie wouldn’t make them want to go outside, enjoy what the day had to offer – they knew perfectly well they would either spend the day indoors playing videogames together, or go to the Dark World to visit Ralsei for the millionth time. It’d be fun, for sure, but quite standard. With Noelle, they couldn’t even imagine what could be waiting for them to do outside. Together.

“Hey, Noelle. Let’s go back outdoors. This ice cream is nice, wonderful, but it’d be a shame to waste this kind of weather, you know?” Noelle broke the hug to look them over.

“Are you sure? You’ve already spent so much time outside, Krismas. Please, don’t be silly. I don’t want you suffering for my sake.” They still looked and felt fine, but Noelle’s concern was clear in her voice. “We could just spend the rest of the day here, you know? You can have all the ice cream you want while you’re here.”

“No, we have to go. I don’t want to squander the day sitting inside, especially after the ridiculous effort you put yourself through to get here.” They pushed their hair to the side and looked at her, to make sure their sincerity shone through. Besides, the thought of eating even a spoonful more ice cream felt as daunting as climbing a mountain.

“I’m fine, Noelle. Trust me. I don’t need the ice cream to keep myself alive, you’ve seen that for yourself.” True enough – they spent a considerable amount of time outside, between leaving their house and entering Noelle’s. If the heatwave was going to start affecting them again, it would surely have done so by now. Whatever changed about it must have done so permanently.

“Mhm…fine. But you have to promise to stick close to me, alright?” Kris was more than happy to oblige. The thought of leaving her side hadn’t even crossed their mind.

“Of course.” They decided to offer Noelle their hand as they stood up. Noelle hesitated for a moment, but took it in hers, and they helped her up. They walked out of the room, smiling, hand in hand, even closer than before, as the half-finished tubs of ice cream sat on the couch, melting together in the sun.

Chapter 6: Leaving the Holiday Estate

Chapter Text

Upon exiting the massive house, Kris found the sun was shining just as harshly as ever, yet could have sworn it was the opposite – they had been feeling better and better with each passing hour, since Noelle’s visit that morning. Part of it must be to do with having a friend to spend the day with, they reasoned, but that couldn’t explain this massive shift in feeling. This was at the back of their mind, however, as more pressing issues had come to the forefront.

Holding Noelle’s hand felt completely natural by now, just as it did when they were children. In fact, Kris retroactively felt as though they were missing out on something by not doing so before now. It just felt right. They would hardly be thinking about it anymore, if not for a certain problem. While they and Noelle knew that they were holding each other’s hands as mere friends, they secretly worried that the rest of Hometown would not see it that way.

Recently, Kris had heard second hand gossip from classmates, arguing about which girl they were dating, between Susie or Noelle, due to the copious amounts of time they spent alone with both of them. Kris always denied those theories, but their denials seemed to fall on deafer and deafer ears each time the theories sprang up again. Seeing them holding hands openly in Hometown would no doubt drive the rumour mill into overdrive. They were well aware that they could simply explain this to Noelle, as she would no doubt understand and be happy to let go of their hand for a while, they didn’t feel like taking such drastic measures until they had exhausted all other options.

“Hey, Noelle?” She turned her head slightly and let out a murmur to show she was listening.

“Do you think there’s a lot of people out in town today?”

“Nope, I don’t think so. I said hi to Catti before I came to see you, and she told me that everyone’s either working, at the beach or staying inside. The only place you’re likely to find someone here is at the park, she said something’s going on there - though she wasn’t sure what. Why do you ask?” Kris was counting that Noelle wouldn’t ask such a thing, and had to think of a good excuse so as to not embarrass both of them by telling her the truth.

“Well, I was… I was just hoping it wouldn’t be too noisy outside. It’ll be nicer to have a quiet wander around today, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I think so. I was hoping for a day like this, too, after how crowded and busy Sandland was. But I bet you and your pranks won’t keep it that way, fahaha!” She knew them too well.

“I make no promises either way.” They put on a mischievous grin to mask their intentions further. While they didn’t have any pranks in mind quite yet, those they came up with on the spot always turned out better than those they put work into planning, so they weren’t worried.

“Oh, Angel, Kris, why are you like this?” Her façade of desperation fell through almost immediately, as she returned their smile with one of her own. They were slowly approaching the gate, once again.

“You know, its nice to leave your house through the normal way, not running away from your mother like a prisoner on the loose.” It took Noelle a split second to remember what they were talking about, but when she did, she came to a sudden stop, which in turn halted Kris.

“Oh my goodness, Kris, you shouldn’t joke about that! I was always so worried she would throw you in jail, or something even worse, if she ever managed to catch you! I remember crying when I was watching you, screaming at you to get away!” Kris was caught completely off guard. They remembered Noelle chastising them the next time she saw them, usually in school, but figured she would look back on those escapades more fondly, like they did.

“But she never did, did she? If I made it out the window, I was home free. She was too slow to catch me most of the time, and I managed to squirm out of her grasp the rest. It’s not like she could ever prove it was me, heheh. Besides, you always got mad at me for it the next day, but you never actually told me to stop coming over, did you?” Kris knew they hit the nail on the head - Noelle tried to keep up her stern face, but her mood seemed to improve rapidly as she supressed a guilty smirk.

“True… you still should have been more careful, though. I could have sworn you were getting found on purpose some days, with how obvious you were about it.”

“Who said I didn’t?” Before Noelle had time to process what they said, Kris pulled her along to the gate. Part of the fun of the chase, for them, was having a chase in the first place, especially considering who it was against. It wasn’t their fault that Noelle’s mother was grossly inattentive, and Rudy never seemed willing to go after them.

As they reached the gate, Noelle let go of Kris’ hand and started to unlock it. As their preferred escape route was near the golf course, they decided not to leave Noelle’s side this time. Besides, they didn’t feel like doing so anymore.

“Hey, Kris? Do you have anywhere you want to go? I’ve a few places in mind, but I wanted to ask and see if you have any better ideas.” Upon being asked, the first thing that came to Kris’ mind was the park, their mind intrigued by Catti’s words. Perhaps they could even visit and say hi to her. But some part of them objected, wanting to stay alone with Noelle for a little bit longer. She could spend some time with other people later. They figured their next idea was far better, anyway.

“Well… would you mind if we visited my dad first? I still feel bad over not thanking him for the ice cream he gave me a few days ago. I won’t take long, promise.”

“Aww, Krismas, that’s so sweet of you! Of course we can go, that’s no problem. He’s such a good gardener, I’d love to have a chat with him.” Kris breathed a sigh of relief, as they worried she might not want to bother. After Noelle was done unlocking and re-locking the gate behind them, they reconnected their hands and set off to his flower shop.

Chapter 7: Northern Hometown

Chapter Text

As they exited the second gate and left the Holiday Estate behind them, Kris looked out onto the street they were now on. While this street wasn’t Hometown’s liveliest, there was usually someone on it, typically the Cat or Brat families. But like Catti had said, it was indeed deserted. Kris thought they could hear something at the end of it, coming from the park, but they figured they would think about that later. For now, they resolved to enjoy the peace and quiet until they and Noelle reached Asgore’s store.

After a short while, however, they heard a pleasant tune, somewhere to their left. Kris looked over, and saw the Cat house, the same as usual. They knew she played an instrument, some weird guitar, but this noise sounded unusual.

“Do you like it?” Noelle responded to the look on their face.

“Y-yeah, actually. Is Bratty playing with someone else?”

“Yup, she is! MK told me a few days ago that the two of them finally started playing their instruments together. Of course, they’re only doing it to one up the other, or something silly like that. Still, that’s not a bad thing. I think its only a matter of time before they admit they just wanted an excuse to be around each other, don’t you?”

“Heh, yeah. You can only be oblivious for so long.” As they said this, Kris felt a certain feeling in their gut that they couldn’t quite describe. All they could say was that it made them feel a little ill.

After they passed the silent Brat household, Noelle suddenly changed her hold on Kris’ hand, her fingers weaving through theirs, and speed walked them past the Ghost house. Kris, while caught somewhat off guard, didn’t find this bothersome at all. On the contrary, they quite enjoyed the feeling of Noelle’s fingers intertwined in theirs. While this wasn’t how they used to hold hands in the past, Kris was in no mood to complain. Once they reached Flower King, Noelle’s loosened her hand from theirs somewhat, but she did not move her hand from its new position, to Kris’ relief.

“Sorry, Krismas. One of Napstablook’s cousins is in a foul mood today, and I didn’t want to get shouted at twice in one day, fahaha.” Kris knew that one of the inhabitants of the house had a temper, but they didn’t usually verbally assault people unprovoked. Kris considered the possibility of ghosts being weak to strong heat, just like they were, but put that thought aside, as the door in front of them beckoned.

“Don’t worry about it, you’re good. Come on in.”

Kris had visited enough times to feel comfortable coming in without knocking. While Noelle seemed hesitant, well-mannered as she was, and not knowing Asgore too well, she quickly followed their lead and entered. A bell above the door broadcasted their presence to Asgore, who soon entered the store from the back room.

“Hello, and good afternoon! What can I… Kris? Kris!” Asgore nearly ran towards them the moment he noticed their presence, as if to hug them, but stopped a foot or so away, arms raised slightly.

“Oh, Noelle, hello to you too! Make yourself at home!” After shaking Noelle’s hand and greeting her, he turned back to Kris.

“Sorry, Kris, I keep forgetting you’re not a fan of my hugs.” While this was true, they have been getting a lot of them recently, due to their visits, leading to them getting used to the feeling. Besides, they figured this was as good a way to show their gratitude as any.

“It’s fine, dad. Go ahead.” Kris let go of Noelle’s hand, which took some serious mental bargaining, and stretched out their arms for the impending hug.

But it did not come instantly, as Asgore was focused solely on the hands that were held between Kris and Noelle. This didn’t happen for long, as the moment Kris let go of their companion’s hand, he turned back to Kris, smile wide, and pulled them into a titanic hug. The air in their lungs was squeezed out of them as easily as if it were in a plastic bottle. Their feet left the ground with no effort at all – if Toriel made them feel as heavy as a pillow, Asgore in turn made them feel as light as a feather. As he shook them around in joy and excitement, their mind blurred, any embarrassed thoughts they may have had about the situation vanishing into the ether.

After what felt like less time than usual for his hugs - as Kris didn’t feel like the contents of their stomach were planning an escape - Asgore put them down, smile even wider than before. As Kris returned to reality, they could see and hear Noelle giggling at their plight. Asgore and Kris looked at each other, and the same thought went through their heads.

“Oh? I didn’t know you enjoyed hugs so much, Noelle! If you want, you can have one, too!” Now it was Kris’ turn to chortle as their companion’s demeanour changed completely, politely yet desperately declining his offer in every way she knew how to.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry, I don’t hug just anybody like that! Besides, your mother would have my head if she found out, ha, ha…” Kris expected Asgore to show some kind of fear, or at least discomfort at the mention of Noelle’s mother, but to their surprise, his features shone with gratitude, with a hint of shame among them.

“That reminds me. Could you do me a favour and thank your mother when you next see her? She’s been really very kind and lenient towards me, probably more than she should have been, considering…” Kris had a feeling they knew what he was talking about. They had no idea the witch Noelle had as her mother was capable of anything resembling mercy, and that how she was treating their father even qualified as that.

“Of course, Mr Asgore, that’s no problem. Speaking of my mother…” Noelle looked quickly towards Kris, worried. Kris had a feeling they knew what she was about to ask, and decided to gamble on it.

“Hey, dad. Is your money situation better now?” Noelle gave them a grateful look for broaching the topic in her stead, and they flashed her a confident smile. They wondered to themselves if Noelle was just awfully predictable, or if they knew her well enough after so many years to effectively read her mind. It was good of Kris to ask Asgore about this, anyway. They were convinced they couldn’t offend their father if they tried. At least in this case, they were proven right, as Asgore didn’t bat an eye at their question.

“Why, yes, actually. I couldn’t tell you why, but Sans bought out almost my entire greenhouse the other day! Sure, I’ll feel a bit lonelier until I grow some more, but at least money won’t be an issue, hahaha!” Kris and Noelle looked at each other, questioning if the other had any idea what the skeleton was thinking. Naturally, as this was Sans, they both drew a blank, since the possibilities were nigh endless. Kris and Noelle refocused their attention on Asgore, who was musing on something after he finished his hearty laugh.

“Hm…if you don’t mind me asking, why are you both here? This store isn’t exactly a prime hang out spot, you know!”

“Well, dad, I just wanted to thank you for the ice cream the other day. It was really kind of you, and it helped make me feel better for a bit. Even mum was happy with you for it.” It was true – Toriel had mentioned that he was the one who gave the ice cream without so much as a swipe at her ex-husband. Kris knew it was a one-off gesture on her part, but was still glad to see it, fleeting as it was, and felt obligated to let Asgore know about it.

“Really? Tori, happy with me? She seemed her usual self when I saw her at the door... I’m glad to hear it, though! Still, I was just doing my duty as a parent - “He froze after those words, something unsettling clearly going through his head at that moment, judging by his pained, guilty expression.

“Kris. Why aren’t you at home? Don’t tell me you braved the hellfire going on outside just to thank your old man…” Kris smiled faintly. Despite not living with them anymore, he was far from a neglectful father figure, despite what Toriel would say to the contrary. Still, Kris felt a sense of déjà vu unfolding with their third explanation of their surprising good health today.

“Don’t worry, Mr Asgore. Ms Toriel saw that Kris was doing better since yesterday, and she let them go outside.” While Asgore listened to her in silence, his face lit up at the mention of his ex-wife. Noelle raised her eyebrow slightly at Kris, which they took as a sign to act.

“Yeah, dad. You know how she is; she’d never let me go outside if she saw I was in anything but perfect health.” Helped by the fact that their statement was true, to an extent, and by Asgore’s general calmer temperament, he was quickly satisfied. As he looked away to think it through, Kris flipped Noelle a subtle thumbs up, which was reciprocated.

“True, true. Tori is a bit overprotective at times, but you know its because she loves you, right? Still, if she says you’re alright, then that’s good enough for me. Hmmm… hey, here’s an idea. I have another tub of chocolate ice cream in the freezer. You should have that while you’re here. My treat!” Kris’s face dropped. They knew they couldn’t eat much more ice cream today – they could barely finish half of the premium tub Noelle gave them back at her house, and they knew this one would be far from that kind of quality.

“How did you get that tub, dad? Mum told me Sans’ has been out for a few days now.” They decided to stall for time, to think of an idea of disposing of the ice cream that wouldn’t hurt Asgore’s feelings.

“You know, it’s weird. When he bought all those flowers for Angel knows what reason, he said he didn’t have quite enough money for them all, and brought over a tub of ice cream to exchange for the last few blooms. He had done me such a massive favour that I couldn’t refuse him. He mentioned something about saving this one for me anyway, since he thought it was my favourite flavour. Maybe he got the wrong impression after I bought that first tub for you? Either way, it’s all yours!”

Something about Sans’ actions didn’t sit well with them, but they could no longer delay the inevitable. They left Noelle’s side and prepared to leave the room.

“Kris? I can get the ice cream for you. You probably have things you’d want to talk about with your dad, right?” She wasn’t wrong – Kris could definitely talk to their father about pretty much anything for an hour or three, on a boring day. But despite her growth since their time in the Dark World together, Kris knew Noelle still didn’t have the slyness to come up with a good excuse for the two of them to not have to eat the ice cream.

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s my ice cream, after all. Didn’t you say you wanted to talk to dad about gardening while we were coming here?” Kris knew they hit bullseye the moment “gardening” left their lips. Asgore’s ears perked up, and his face shone like the sun outside. While Kris indulged in botany for Asgore and Toriel’s sakes, they were never truly passionate or knowledgeable about it. Noelle, on the other hand, would make for a fine conversation partner for either of them – she just rarely had the opportunity for such conversation with them, until today. With a quick goodbye to the both of them, before Noelle could voice an objection, Kris dashed towards and quickly disappeared into Asgore’s multi-purpose back room.

Chapter 8: Flower King

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Upon entering the room, Kris could tell it had gotten a subtle make-over, reflecting their father’s better financial situation. The worn mattress had a pump beside it, and was fully filled with air, the holes filled with some thin tape. The letters threatening about eviction were now in a neat pile in a dark corner, making the floor look much cleaner (though the specs of dirt on it previously were still there). The leaking and holey watering can was replaced by a faux-gold model Kris recognised from the discount bin at Sans’. There were now also plenty more bags of soil, where the letters used to be, further concealing them. The comics on the TV had grown into a sizable stack, with a bigger compilation book joining them. Finally, the fridge and sink were noticeably cleaner, the former still smelling of whatever Asgore used to wipe it clean, and the latter having no fur stuck in it anymore.

It was still a very humble dwelling, especially compared to the house he used to share with his family, but Kris was glad their father was able to take better care of himself now. They could even hear the dusty AC running above their head, which they couldn’t remember ever hearing before.

Kris knew that their father was never a fan of particularly hot weather, getting horribly sweaty on days much milder than this one. Thus, he always preferred colder days, especially ones with snow. This was likely down to his love of Christmas and friendship with Rudy, they reasoned. Now, they couldn’t help but wonder if that’s why he had his AC on – to recapture some of that magic in the middle of a scorching summer. Kris chuckled to themselves, knowing that’s exactly what Rudy would presume if he were here.

Either way, Kris, not being covered in fur, greatly appreciated both the AC being on, as well as the coolness of the room resulting from the lack of light. Despite this, they didn’t feel colder than when they were outside, in the crosshairs of the scorching sun. In fact, this feeling of coldness was distinctly different to what they experienced since the morning – less protective, less friendly. This made no sense, temperature having feelings or emotions, and so Kris dismissed these thoughts – they knew they were hoping to waste time, their appetite for ice cream as minute as it was minutes ago, but this felt like a stretch, even for them.

They finally approached the refrigerator. Out of curiosity, they opened the fridge before the freezer. Inside was a nearly full jar of pickles, next to two now empty ones. Alongside it was a small container of “ICE-E SuperHot Deeping Sauce (Dip Flavoured)”, a really small milk carton and a few eggs. Amused as they were by these, they knew they could not keep dodging the issue forever. Closing the door and opening up the freezer, they were confronted by an equally amusing sight. A few jars of frozen pickles took up most of the available space. What little they did not was taken up by some marinating pickles in jars and two tubs of ice cream – one mostly empty butterscotch-cinnamon double tub, and the unopened chocolate flavoured one that they came here for. A day ago, even early on this morning, they would have traded an arm for even a spoonful of this ice cream, as cheap and tasteless as it was. Now? They almost felt like they would rather eat the soil on the floor. Rather eat the...

Suddenly, an idea shot through their head, making the human shiver with excitement. Not only was this a way to get out of eating the ice cream, this would also ensure it would be used for a worthy purpose. Kris toned down the quantity of their pranks since they reconnected with Noelle – nothing they did now could ever rival what they got up to in their childhood, so they rarely tried, and even more rarely was the resulting prank any good, demoralising them further. They tended to stick to bath bombs. Until now. As the feeling of pure mischief from years past returned to them, their mind quickly formulated a plan.

Using the scoop that was in the freezer beside the tubs, they transferred a sizable chunk of the chocolate ice cream into the butterscotch-cinnamon tub. Kris figured that this was better than throwing it away. Next, they mashed the rest of the ice cream into a less rigid form (as well as they could with just a scoop) and poured soil on top of it, mixing them together. Too little, and it wouldn’t have the desired effect on the taste buds. Too much, and Noelle might notice something off and catch on before trying it. They then cleaned the scoop to make sure no incriminating dirt was stuck to it. After adding some of the removed ice cream back in, Kris hit a good ratio of dirt to ice cream for the job. A quick glance couldn’t tell that there was dirt in the ice cream (which is all they hoped they would need), but they were sure it would still pack the desired punch. Sealing the tub back up, they opened the door back to the store proper.

Asgore and Noelle were engaged in a conversation, and they seemed to have been at it for quite a while. The only people Kris remembered Asgore talking to for so long at once were themself, Toriel and Rudy. Kris smiled, glad he made a new friend, and made a mental note to inform Rudy about the good news the next time they visited. In the meantime, they felt no need to break up their conversation quite yet, mentally preparing themself.

“Really? My goodness, I had no idea THAT was the problem! All those commercials on TV really made it seem like the best thing ever, fahaha!”

“Nothing to be ashamed of, really. People don’t really know fertilisers like they used to, not that I really blame them, so finding out about them on TV… oh, Kris! What took you so long?” Noelle gave a small wave and mouthed “Hi!” at them. Kris had had years to develop their poker face, and even without much practise recently, they were sure they hadn’t forgotten how to maintain it under pressure, which was now building.

“Just took some time to admire those special flowers of yours, dad. They really look much better than they used to.”

“Well, since I can afford to properly care for them, they’re really starting to show what they can do. Ah, I see you found the ice cream, good, good! How is it? Did you eat it all already? Hah, that must be what took you so long, you greedy devil!” On any other day, he would have been right to suspect that. But Kris had far greater plans in mind for that ice cream today. Kris’ expression was their usual neutral one, working its magic so far. However, they felt it falter slightly as they resisted the urge to smile or chuckle at Asgore’s words, coupled with the pleasant coldness from before returning, both catching them off guard. They really had no idea what was going on. Perhaps their father’s bedroom had some evil aura around it? Maybe the remnants of the mayor’s influence there? Kris shook their head ever so slightly to clear their mind of these silly ideas, refocusing on the task at hand, their face returning to its blank state.

“Well, I’ve had some of it, but I figured I’d leave some for the two of you, too.” Kris couldn’t completely recover from before, ironically feeling their body beginning to sweat. Noelle must suspect something, they reasoned – she knew as well as they did how full they both still were after eating the ice cream at their houses. Her stare felt like it hid a thousand secrets.

“Oh, really? Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so well mannered, hahaha! I’m so happy you’re more thoughtful, now. Remember how your mother had to lock up the ice cream with one of those special locks, so Noelle would have something left to eat whenever she came over? Ho ho ho!” Noelle didn’t stop staring at Kris or even join in the jolly laugh, unnerving Kris further. They were feeling their grip on the situation slip, and imagined that they would burst into laughter from the pressure any minute now.

“Well, Noelle, how about you try it first? It’s probably not quite as good as the kind you usually buy, but I bet it’s still yummy!” Noelle’s face reddened before she could turn away to hide it, breaking eye contact and giving Kris room to breathe, as well as snicker. While Kris suspected as much, this confirmed their suspicion as to the reason that particular brand was never in stock. They knew they would “remind” Noelle about this fact for a long time to come.

“Y-yeah, I bet it is. Alright, let me just…” As she opened the tub, Kris handed her the scoop they had used for the prank. For a split second, they thought the spoon had dirt on it, which they forgot to clean, until they saw Noelle’s calm expression and took a closer look – it was just ice cream. If anything, this was good, making Noelle believe nothing was out of the ordinary.

“You forgot to clean off the scoop, Krismas. Sigh, it’s fine, I can just do it myself.” After she brought the scoop to her lips, Kris could have sworn she took just a little too long licking it clean. It wasn’t a big scoop, as Asgore was no millionaire, despite Sans’ investment. Kris knew she liked chocolate ice cream well enough, but the look on her face implied she was enjoying the ice cream far more than even Kris had. Besides, this wasn’t even the premium brand they were eating back at her house, leaving Kris utterly bewildered by her reaction. Asgore, meanwhile, seemed oblivious, merely pleased his newfound friend was enjoying the ice cream. Whatever she was doing, Kris allowed themself a sigh of relief as a result, their plan secure.

“Oh my goodness, that was delicious! You don’t mind if I have some more, right?” Before Kris could even shake their head all the way, Noelle had already attacked the now open tub of ice cream without even paying them a glance. To Kris’ utter delight, she packed far more than Kris assumed reasonably possible on such a small scoop before shovelling it into her open mouth. For a split second, her face was brimming with joy, as if she were eating the world’s finest meal. Right after, a look of pure horror swept over it, getting more and more pained until she couldn’t take it anymore, and spit out the contents of her mouth onto the floor besides her.

Asgore directed her to the sink in the back room, trying to raise his voice above Kris’ uncontrollable laughter. This was far from the worst thing they tricked Noelle into eating – a very colourful bug they once told her was candy immediately came to mind – but they hadn’t seen a reaction this extreme for a long time. As Noelle left the room while thanking Asgore wordlessly, the towering goat monster turned to Kris, cloth in hand.

“Well, Kris. I thought the old Dreemur spark died out in you long ago. I’m very glad to be proven wrong.” Asgore kneeled and began cleaning the floor, as if this was something that normally happened in his shop.

“Heh, I can recite the bath bomb recipe off by heart now, I use it so much.” These words caused Asgore to turn and look at Kris, pride evident in both face and voice.

“Really? Tori never told me about those…then again, she hardly tells me about anything nowadays. Oh!” As Noelle re-entered the room, face and tongue now free from the dirty ice cream, Asgore scooted closer to Kris, mouth right up to their ear so only they could hear him.

“As much fun as you had here, I think it’d be best to apologise to her with something nice, yeah? I’ll be happy to give you a few flowers, if you want.” Kris raised an eyebrow at this. They would make this up to Noelle, of course, but flowers seemed like an odd way to do it. Kris had never given them to her before, and, thinking about it, it seemed to them like more of a romantic gift, anyway. Before they could question Asgore’s motives, he had moved away to stand by Noelle.

“Are you quite alright now, Noelle?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think it was moreso the shock , fahaha! Still, I hope Kris doesn’t think I’ll let this prank go so easily!” Kris put on a brave face with a cheeky smile, but they were secretly worried. Noelle had been spending time with Catti in the years since they drifted apart, who may have taught her a thing or two about countering Kris’ pranks with her own. Kris knew Catti well enough to be very afraid of the things she may have shared with her.

“Wonderful, wonderful! I’m glad a prank or two isn’t enough to sabotage your relationship! It’s honestly really heart-warming to see! Why, if I did that to Tori, oh Angel, I’d be in-“

“Wait. Relationship? What relationship?” Kris, Noelle and Asgore looked at each other in a Mexican stand-off. Kris shook, involuntarily, at the thought of where this conversation could go, praying that it wouldn’t. Still, they couldn’t let this go.

“Well, the relationship you two’re in, of course! I saw you holding hands when you came in here, so I realised you had finally confessed your feelings for each other! Sorry I didn’t say so before, but I’m oh so happy for the both of you!” Kris was going deaf. They were sure of it. But it seemed that Noelle had heard the same thing they had just now, judging by her horrified expression. Maybe they should have let go of each other’s hands after all. Above all else that he said, one thing didn’t sit well with them, still ringing in their ears.

“’Finally’? What do you mean, ‘finally’? Dad, we aren’t d-d-dating.” Kris had to force that last word out of their mouth. It was absurd, of course, them in a relationship with Noelle. How could they be? They were just very good, recently reconnected childhood friends. Nothing they had done together suggested otherwise. Well, minus the handholding.

“T-that’s right. W-we aren’t t-together like that, Mr Asgore.” This confirmed to Kris that Noelle felt the same way as them. There was nothing between them. Nothing. They tried to breathe a sigh of relief, but their lungs felt stiff.

“Oh, don’t worry, I can keep a secret. Although, hah, mind you, it wasn’t much of a secret to begin with. If you act like that around everybody, it’s not going to be a secret for long, ho ho ho! Ever since the two of you first met, all four of us; me and Tori and Noelle’s parents were convinced you’d end up together when you grew up. At first, we thought we might be being a little forward with thinking that, but everything you did for the next few years really validated it for us-”

Kris wasn’t sure how Noelle was feeling about what Asgore was saying, as they had squeezed their eyes shut, but they were horribly hot and sweaty about all of it. Not because it was true, of course not. Only out of sheer embarrassment of their father doing something like this, and so erroneously, too. They had never thought of Noelle… in that way. As a child or no. They hoped Noelle wouldn’t be too weirded out by all of this, though they were still in shock, and therefore were unable to ask, beg Asgore to stop.

“Heck, do you remember what you two got up to? All the walks you went on together, sometimes even by yourselves? We never did find out what you two got up to on those, haha! Don’t worry, I won’t ask. How about that time after we all went for a family meal together in QC’s, when you put an onion ring on Noelle’s hand and asked her to marry you?”

Kris remembered that moment well. It was a silly prank they decided to pull, to see how Noelle would react – whether she’d be flustered, shocked, angry, or maybe even wouldn’t understand what “marriage” was, yet. But to their surprise at the time, she quickly agreed. Kris’ memory was blurry from then, but they clearly remembered not being able to respond in a clever way and both of their families being really pleased about something at that very moment. For a split second, Kris considered whether that meant they were now married or not, but dismissed it outright. It was just something to take their mind away from the current situation, no matter how stupid the idea was. Noelle definitely forgot about that situation anyway. Until now. Kris didn’t need to open their eyes to know she was surely a brighter red than holly berries by now.

“-Or that time Kris stayed over at your house for the whole day and night because you were ill, so ill you couldn’t go to school? I can’t imagine many friends who would do something like that for each other. Heck, I don’t think me and Rudy would have done that for each other, hahah! Oh, Kris, do you remember that toy you took from Asriel?”

Kris’ eyes shot open, in disbelief. They slowly felt their whole body being overtaken by the cold. No one should have known about that. No one COULD have known about that. Even Asriel had no idea where his doll went, so how could Asgore? Noelle looked at them, blushing up a storm, as predicted, but also confused, questioning. Kris tried their hardest to deny the reality of that toy to Noelle, but nothing came out. They instead pleaded silently to Asgore for him to stop, certain that it would spell the end for them. But they knew him well enough to know that he would not stop himself, oblivious to the suffering he was causing. If anything, he was the happiest Kris had seen him in years, reminding himself of these anecdotes from years past.

“Did Kris never tell you, Noelle?” She shook her head without breaking eye contact with Kris. Their blood was freezing now, the newformed icicles prickling harder and harder with each passing moment.

“Well, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it was probably just a prank at Asriel’s expense. They took one of his…dolls, I think they were. If memory serves, we got him a goat family and a deer family to play with, though he only ever got them out when Dess came along. That being said, a few weeks after he got it, one of the does went missing, and he never managed to find it. You can guess who was responsible for it, ho ho ho!”

Now it was Kris’ turn to have their face be set on fire, seemingly the only part of them that wasn’t turning to ice. There was one saving grace to this situation, however; Asgore was retelling this story as though it was just one of Kris’ pranks on Asriel, as any other. Kris could feel their strength returning, their body thawing, already coming up with an explanation for their actions that day. They could claim they thought it was Dess, and took it to make Asriel upset because they were in a bad mood. Yes, that worked perfectly. They were about to “clarify” the story, before Noelle spoke up.

“But what does that have to do with…us, Mr Asgore?” Noelle was shaking, but her voice was steady, as though she was determined to hear the answer. This in turn threw Kris off their balance, their plan to change the subject ruined. Though they figured it was only a matter of time until they could return it back-

“Well, I thought it just one of Kris’ pranks, like they used to do a lot back when they were little. Ha, maybe I should say like they STILL like to do? Ho ho ho! So, I thought that for a while, but one night, when I was going downstairs to get some water, I heard something from inside their shared room-”

No.

“I took a little peek inside, since the door wasn’t closed all the way. It was Kris, playing with the little doll they took from Asriel, trying to stay quiet. Come to think of it… I think Kris was grounded for a month for some OTHER prank they did back then, so they couldn’t go and see you at all around that time. Yes, of course, the swing set incident! How could I forget?”

This wasn’t happening.

“Anyways, I presume they got a little lonely during that time. I can’t blame them, I think Tori was a bit too harsh on them after that prank. She wasn’t in the greatest mood, since…well, that’s irrelevant. I heard them whispering to the doll, even hearing them call it “Noelle” at one point. It was so adorable, I could barely contain myself!”

They had to stop him.

“But then, just as I was about to move on and go downstairs for my water, I saw them bring the doll up to their mouth, lips open a little bit, going in for a-”

“SHUT UP!” Kris shouted, at full volume, without any attempt to stop themselves, their built up emotions unleashed in one piercing moment. Noelle seemed to hit the ceiling with her antlers, and Asgore looked as though he had seen a ghost and became one himself. Kris had no further plan beyond that, acting on pure willpower to stop their father at all cost. Goal achieved, they knew they couldn’t stay here any longer. Looking at the still shaken Noelle, they turned away from her and towards the door.

“I’m leaving.” Asgore didn’t offer a single word of protest, guilt strewn across his features, finally realising what it was he had done. Noelle, mortified as she was, broke out of her spell and followed them out of the door.

Chapter 9: Downtown Hometown

Chapter Text

Kris wasn’t fully aware of what they were doing, or where they were going. As they left the store, they turned right immediately and proceeded down the road, trying to keep their thoughts and emotions in check. Going to the park in this state was an obvious no go. They turned a few more times, passing by QC’s and ICE-E’s before reaching an empty plot of grass.

In the past, Kris and their friends often theorised about why such a pointless spot existed, and why it had been here for so long, since before anyone could remember. Right now, Kris couldn’t be happier it was here – since ICE-E’s was as abandoned as most businesses in town were, Kris knew they would be isolated here. They collapsed onto the dried out grass, their willpower completely drained.

Moments later, they spotted a shaken Noelle coming into view from behind the P“e”zzeria, dashing their hopes for isolation. Although she was still shaken, she moved towards them in full confidence, as if driven forward by her concerns. Despite the guilt of what had just happened at Asgore’s still bright and visible on Kris’ face, they couldn’t help but decompress at the sight of their best friend.

After clearing the remaining distance between them, she promptly sat down, cross legged, right beside them. Some part of Kris wanted to move, to remove themself from her out of shame. However, Kris refused to do so, keeping their body stuck in place. They both sat in silence, neither willing to discuss what had happened yet, content to enjoy the comfort of each other’s presence.

This was perfect for Kris, having a lot to think over. As mortifying as it was to have those memories dredged up from the back of their mind in that way, they couldn’t deny they enjoyed experiencing them again, in some small way. Especially reminiscing on how close the two of them used to be with each other, and how they might be even closer in the present day.

It was almost unthinkable now that a few short months ago, they were closer to strangers than friends. Kris recoiled at the thought of ever going back to those times. A chill went down Kris’ spine as they pondered the implications of what happened at Asgore’s. How Noelle looked after their outburst.

They were in real danger of losing her, shouting like they did and promptly abandoning her. When they were young, it took far less than that to get her to leave Kris alone, usually while crying, for the rest of the day. Not to mention that doll…

No matter what, Kris had to act. While they had no clue what to say yet, every second spent doing nothing could be the final straw, causing Noelle to leave them alone out of a misguided attempt to appease them. Kris felt no desire whatsoever to puncture the silence that had formed since Noelle arrived, but they needed to. They couldn’t risk losing her again.

“N-Noelle?” Her head dipped unconsciously at the sound of her name, before she snapped awake and sat up, fully alert, turning herself their way.

“Kris?” Her eyes held no sign of malice or even annoyance, which gave Kris some small confidence in themself and their words.

“Uh…before. I’m so sorry about that. I w-wasn’t thinking, really. Dad was just being so, so embarrassing, I had to stop him, SOMEHOW. I didn’t mean to yell like that. I’m really, really sorry.” To their relief, Noelle didn’t look angry or disappointed. Her mind was elsewhere, thinking about something else. Something Kris would really rather she forget.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. You should be apologising to your father, not to me. He looked so… so distraught, after you shouted at him.” From what little Kris had seen of him on their way out of his store, they couldn’t disagree.

“You’re absolutely right. I’ll apologise later, I don’t want to make things worse by going back now.” Noelle agreed wordlessly. They were both avoiding the elephant in the room. This suited Kris just fine – Kris was convinced Noelle wouldn’t leave them now, which was what mattered. They knew they could come up with an explanation for that doll, given just a little more time to think.

“Krissy? Do you still have that doll?” Kris froze solid at that question, cursing Noelle’s curiosity and her disarming nickname.

“N-no, I got rid of it.” A blatant lie. They knew exactly where it was, where it had been for years, buried underneath their mattress. They had wanted to remove it many times before, but never had the heart to do so.

Long ago, they convinced themself that they slept better with it there, as crazy as it sounded now. But they knew it was true – anytime they dreamed of her, they woke up far more refreshed. Kris pushed this aside, far, far to the back of their mind.

Regardless, Noelle couldn’t know, could NEVER know, about that, any of that. She no doubt already thought they were weird – no need to add fuel to that fire. Maybe they were just panicking, but Kris could have sworn Noelle wasn’t convinced by their words, her face almost resembling a smirk.

“Look, what Dad said, he was just seeing things. I-I only took that doll to annoy Azzy, I never played with it or anything, I swear!” Despite their increasingly desperate pleas, Noelle still didn’t look like she believed them, causing Kris to descend further into panic. Although, her face shifted slightly; she looked…amused?

“Kris, calm down! Please! I’m not going to judge you for what you did as a child. It’s fine, ok? I did the same thing, it’s not weird.” Kris felt a wave of relief washing over them, their terror replaced by curiosity. Kris knew she played with dolls in the past, but this implied something else. She couldn’t have mentioned that without thinking Kris would want to know more, surely? Luckily, they didn’t need to ask her to continue.

“I had a doll when I was little, too. Well, I had a few, but this one was special. Dess got it for me, because she knew my mother wouldn’t approve. He was a human I called “Kris” and I played with him like he was you, talking like you, acting like you. He was always my favourite.”

Kris felt a degree of second-hand embarrassment from that story, but that was overshadowed by the pride they felt, being important enough to her to inspire a doll she played with so much. Little by little, their anxieties were melting away in the afternoon sun.

“Hehe, maybe you could show me one day? I can’t help but wonder how it compares to the original!” Kris spoke in their patented joking tone, but Noelle seemed to take their half-serious proposal as sincere, a shadow of something akin to fright appearing on her face, before being exorcized.

“Well, I don’t know where he is now. It’s been s-so many years since I lasted played with him, so I’ll probably never be able to find him, fahaha.” Kris could tell she was lying through her teeth, just like they were regarding doll Noelle. Still, she seemed mercifully ready to move past that titanic embarrassment, so Kris was only too happy to return the favour.

“Well, I suppose I’ll live. So…are we good?” Kris asked tentatively, to which Noelle gave her trademark smile.

“Oh, Krismas, of course we are! We always were! Everyone has embarrassing stories from their childhood, don’t they?” Kris figured that was the case, but still doubted they were quite as bad as theirs were. Still, they didn’t make that apparent in their response.

“I guess you’re right. D-do you want to hug on it?” Kris felt like it was a good way to properly put the incident behind them. For the time being, at least. Besides, they missed having Noelle in their arms, after so long. A weird thought, since it really wasn’t that long since they last hugged.

As Noelle came closer, their mind wondered in a fit of madness if kissing Noelle felt as good as kissing her doll. They pushed that intrusive thought aside as they wrapped their arms around her, doing so before she could pick up on their renewed shame. At least they knew hugging the real Noelle felt much better, and that was enough for now.

The blissful cold returned in force, compelling Kris to hold Noelle tighter against themselves. Something deep inside Kris told them they were enjoying themself a little too much with this mere hug, but they disregarded this.

After they broke the lengthy hug, their hands magnetised towards the others’ as they helped each other up to their feet. Kris could have sworn they had gotten even colder since last time, though they passed it off as a metaphor their mind came up with – they may as well be freezing cold, for how stuck Kris’ hand was to hers.

“Right, Kris, where are we going now? Still to the park?” The park was the original destination, true, since Asgore was on the way there. But they were now very close to QC’s, and while Kris didn’t get on with Catti as well as they did with Susie, or Noelle, or even Berdly, she was still their friend – a friend they haven’t seen in far too long.

Kris explained all of their reasoning to Noelle. Despite the fact that she was far better friends with Catti than Kris was, she looked quite apprehensive about the idea, a grimace decorating her face.

“Mhm. Maybe. But, you know how Catti is, Kris. She made more than one comment about us being together when I came to visit before. I wasn’t even there for long at all, maybe five minutes.” Initially, Kris didn’t see what the problem was. Being referred to as one unit, “together”, sounded good to them, natural, even. Until they realised. They weren’t together. Not like that. Which wasn’t a problem, of course.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just tease her over how attached she is to Jockington, and she’ll shut right up. Remember when she growled at me when I mentioned her carrying him in her bag?” Noelle gave a chuckle at the memory.

“Oh, I remember that! She didn’t even look at us for the rest of the day! She’ll probably kick us out if you mention that again, fahaha!” They set off in step with one another, as though their minds were in perfect sync.

The walk wasn’t long at all, the only attraction the deserted P“e”zza place. It was cleaner and quieter than any time in memory, likely due to the lack of pizza debris being scattered haphazardly onto everything. But, they couldn’t help but think that added to the charm of the place. Noelle never seemed upset by the noise and lack of cleanliness whenever they went in here with her.

As they reached the front door of QC’s, Kris noticed that Noelle had been looking at them as they were off in their own head.

“What’re you thinking about, Krismas?”

“You.” Kris couldn’t stop themself. It was true, after all, but they should have known it didn’t sound right. Noelle, trying to resist the awkwardness of the situation, clearly agreed.

“…Should let go of my hand.” Despite their intention, this only made the situation worse. Now Noelle looked downright offended by their words, and Kris had to scramble to explain themself.

“R-remember what happened with Dad? I don’t want that to happen again, except with someone who’s already tried to ship us today, without me even being there!” Despite her visible attempts to think of a reasonable protest, Noelle eventually conceded, letting go of Kris’ hand as slowly as she possible could.

Kris wasn’t happy about it either, but after their outburst at Dad’s, they didn’t feel like causing anything like that again. Besides, they reasoned that they would hold hands on the way to the park, so a few minutes without their fingers in Noelle’s would be manageable. Despite knowing that this wouldn’t be the case.

As Noelle grabbed the handle, Kris considered what Asgore said about them carefully. Themself and Noelle. Together. Dating. A stupid thought, an impossibility, but they couldn’t help but be enchanted by it. They didn’t feel anything for each other, neither of them. But, could some time change that? Years in the future, could they and Noelle…?

Kris knew full well these weren’t serious thoughts, but allowed them to fester in their head for just a little while while nothing else could occupy it. The door to the latter was now fully open, and Noelle beckoned Kris inside. It took all of their strength to resist grabbing her hand once again on the way in.

Chapter 10: QC's Diner

Chapter Text

As the pair of friends and nothing more entered their mutual memory den, a distinctive bell rang just above their heads. Kris felt a pull back to simpler times, noticing the ever-present scent of cinnamon, chocolate and baked goods in the air. They savoured the many happy times they had here, with both their family and Noelle’s. It took some time for Kris to realise that Noelle was gawking at them.

“H-hey, don’t judge me, I haven’t been here in forever!” Kris hadn’t had a reason to come here in ages. Susie flat out refused to go in here with them. Since they were afraid to alienate her, they didn’t enter alone, either. Before then, they had little reason to go back there without a friend accompanying them,

“Hee hee, I’m not judging you, Kris. Catti mentioned how awed I looked, too. Don’t worry.” Kris felt a flit of jealousy flow through their body, followed by guilt. It was unfair of them to feel this way. Noelle had just spent most of the day with them, and mere minutes with Catti. Taking in a quick breathe to settle themself, Kris nodded in thanks, and led Noelle towards the counter.

Settling down on one of the worn, yet comfortable seats right beside their friend, Kris took a look around. The whole restaurant looked as good as it ever did – ripped fabric, indents in furniture and slightly discoloured walls aside. The windows were spotless, the stains on the counter were gone, somehow, and even the chewing gum behind the counter had been scraped off.

In spite of this, QC’s didn’t feel nearly as inviting as it did in the past. Kris couldn’t remember a time when it wasn’t at least half full of patrons. Of course, few monsters would want to be inside a diner serving hot food and drinks at present, but Kris couldn’t help but be disappointed at the lack of company. At least Noelle was here. She was enough, more than enough.

They fondly recalled a birthday spent here with their whole family, as well as the Holidays. Everyone in the diner at the time joined in on the celebrations, even pooling their money together to buy more cake for Kris, Asriel and Noelle. Their parents thanked everyone profusely for their kindness. Afterwards, Noelle leaned over…

Kris stopped, a little worried. Noelle wasn’t there that day – she was on vacation with her mother and Dess, something at infuriated Kris at that time. Why had they remembered otherwise? Kris was so visibly shaken by the false memories that Noelle couldn’t help but notice.

“Krismas? What’s wrong?” In their anxious state, the urge to grab hold of her hand and never let go felt overwhelming for a moment, before Kris got it under control. Not now. They had no good answer for her question, and now looked even more unusual.

“I-um, you know...look, she’s coming!” Kris blurted this out, their hand pointing at the newly formed shadow behind the door to deflect her attention further.

The kitchen door swung open, and Catti exited slowly. No part of her reflected the immaculate appearance of QC’s – her apron was creased and stained (coffee, most likely), and her clothes barely less so. Her fur and hair were unkempt and frizzled in places, as though she hadn’t washed in weeks.

She idly made her way towards them, more focused on whatever was on her phone than arriving in a timely manner. It took her a few steps to even notice anyone was inside QC’s with her, and a few more to realise who they were. She made no attempt to speed up her tapping. Once she was finished, she looked Kris and Noelle over.

“Hello, lovebirds. What can I get you?” she said in a neutral, slightly bitter tone. Kris felt their heart leaping out of their chest at her voice, but managed to maintain their composure.

“A double hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream.” Kris rattled off their usual order without thinking. Catti looked at them as though they had gone mad, but after a quick glance at Noelle, her expression straightened out.

“A mint chocolate with reindeer sticks, please.” Noelle gave her order almost as quickly, just as Kris finished theirs. The human couldn’t recall her ever ordering anything else.

“Another one? Eh, sure thing. Just give me a sec.” Catti turned and moved towards the multi-purpose machine near the entrance to the kitchen. Kris had seen a wide array of drinks being dispensed from it since their first visit, never quite figuring out how it managed to do all of them.

As they waited for their order, Kris felt Noelle tapping them on their shoulder, then pointing downwards once she got their attention. Kris’ hand had grabbed Noelle’s without them thinking about it or noticing it.

“U-um, Kris? We shouldn’t be holding them now, should we? What do we do if she notices?” Noelle whispered in their ear, as if asking for a solution rather than for them to let go. Or so it seemed to Kris.

“It’ll be fine, she can’t see our hands behind the counter. If you’re so paranoid, you could always let go.” Kris knew Noelle wouldn’t budge before the words even left their mouth. She proved predictable, instead choosing to keep looking at Kris, a sort of wistfulness in her expression.

Her staring didn’t really serve to calm Kris’ feelings towards recent events involving her. Kris tried to break eye contact, but felt they wouldn’t allow themself to. And why should they? They found her charcoal coloured eyes and her straw blond hair mesmerising. They were shocked it took them this long to notice.

“Alright, here’s your drinks.” Kris and Noelle snapped forward in unison, the enchantment broken. Luckily, Catti was still putting the drinks on a tray, and so hadn’t noticed them. Kris prayed she wouldn’t be able to spot the massive blush still on their face, or at least dismiss it as a side effect of the weather.

Noelle thanked Catti verbally, albeit with a noticeable stutter, while Kris just gave a thumbs up. She responded with a grunt, and took payment for the drinks from Noelle.

Kris, caught completely off guard by how the day unfolded, had no money on them. What little change they may have had was in their regular trousers, instead of the shorts they were currently wearing. Besides, Noelle never let Kris pay for anything whenever they went out together - as friends.

She gave them a small smile as if to apologise, which Kris responded to with one of their own, looking into her eyes for a little longer than they meant to. They couldn’t help it – her smile was intoxicating. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw that Catti hadn’t grabbed her phone yet, and broke eye contact to avoid giving her the wrong idea. Or themself.

Kris picked up the drink with their free hand, and savoured it slowly. QC taught Catti well - it was just as good as those from their childhood. Noelle seemed to agree, her face quivering from delight.

Quite unlike her, Catti still hadn’t taken her phone out from her apron pocket. She stood with her back against the drinks machine, staring at them. It wasn’t a particularly cold look, more so one of intrigue, but Kris couldn’t help but feel intimidated by it nonetheless.

“Hey, uh, Catti. Where’s QC?” Kris didn’t know how best to start a conversation with her, but figured this was a good a start as any. Besides, it might get her to focus on something other than themself and Noelle for a moment.

“Where do you think? She’s off, relaxing at the beach with her family, while I’m stuck here, by myself. Only good thing about this week is it’s been quiet, though even that’s starting to get on my nerves.” Catti didn’t bother hiding her contempt, and Kris couldn’t blame her, the situation painfully familiar.

“How many people have you served today, Catti?” Noelle inquired further.

“Today? Try this week. No one’s crazy enough to come in here to drink coffee or eat pancakes when it’s murder outside. Well, no one except a pair of starstruck romantics…”

Catti now bore a self-satisfied smirk, which Kris saw made Noelle uncomfortable. She was always far worse with their shippers than they were. A definite note of malice in their heart, Kris knew just how to respond. The beginnings of an evil grin already began to form at the corners of their mouth.

“Say, Catti. How’re things between you and Jocky?” That simple question was always enough to get Catti angry, and more importantly, flustered. Kris was prepared to deal with the consequences, so long as they included Noelle cheering up, laughing at their bravado and quick thinking.

To Kris’ bemusem*nt, and slight concern, Catti barely reacted – her expression didn’t change, except perhaps to relax into a more genuine smile and to redden her cheeks.

“I wasn’t gonna tell anyone until we got back to class, but then again, I didn’t think I’d see any of you until then. Jocky finally asked me out, and, well, I didn’t have any reason to say no. Though, he’s on holiday, in some forest somewhere, and I’m stuck in here, so I can’t enjoy myself with him. I’m honestly pretty jealous, looking at the two of you.”

Kris wasn’t sure what she meant at first. Kris and Noelle weren’t together like she and Jockington were. A thought which was more unpleasant than Kris had imagined it would be. In the midst of their confusion, Noelle found her voice first.

“L-Listen, I t-told you before, there’s nothing between me and Kris. N-not in that way!” Catti gave her a confused look.

“Yeah, you did, but that was before. Something’s clearly changed, hasn’t it? Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?” Her tone wasn’t teasing, like Kris had expected, but puzzled. Noelle seemed to struggle with an answer, and so Kris decided to chime in to save her.

“It’s true, there’s – there’s nothing between us, at all.” Kris fought through the sudden lump in their throat.

“What’re you playing at, Kris?” A sliver of smugness returned to her lips, alongside contemplation. “Sigh. Do you really want me to spell it out to you? Oh, Angel, you freaks’re made for each other.” Kris had a bad feeling about what she would say next. Noelle remained silent, yet restless.

“Let’s see... how do you explain the constant red on your faces since you’ve come in?”

“It’s the heat. Maybe you haven’t noticed it? I’m not covered in fur like you two are.” While they felt quite satisfied by their quick, natural response, Catti looked even more confident.

“If the heat was affecting you as it should, you’d be in hospital right now, not here, with only some blush to show for it. Hell, it looks like Noelle’s the one suffering from heatstroke.”

On mention of her name, Noelle turned away, but Kris had already seen enough. She was sweating all over, with the occasional shiver. Her nose looked like Rudolf’s, not to mention the rest of her face. Kris couldn’t help finding her blushing this heavily quite cute.

“That’s another thing. The way you look at each other, it’s like you’ve fallen in love at first sight – all the damn time.” That wasn’t a bad way to describe Kris’ feelings towards Noelle. Today’s events really made them appreciate just how much she means to them. They should really make it clear to her, once this misunderstanding is cleared up.

“T-that’s just h-how old f-f-friends look at each o-other, right, K-Kris?” She looked vainly to the human for affirmation, to placate both Catti and herself.

“Yeah, we’re just...just…” Kris didn’t have the heart to finish the sentence, as if it were some grave sin. It was now their turn to turn away from Noelle. There some something seriously wrong with them, and their feelings, now. Catti either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“Doe got your tongue? Hmpf. Let’s see… oh, right. How do you think people will look at you two when they see you holding hands?” Kris hadn’t expected to see many people outside today, and so didn’t think much about that. Their train of thought crashed when the reality of her words hit them square on the head.

“W-w-what?? H-how-how did -?” Noelle was now shaking, barely sputtering out the words. Kris didn’t speak, too dumbstruck to form anything coherent.

“I had a suspicion. One you just confirmed for me.” Kris swore at themself for ever introducing Catti to those Brilliant Barrister games.

“I noticed you were holding your drinks weirdly. You’re left handed, and Kris is probably right handed. So why aren’t you using those hands? Are they busy with something, someone else?”

In tune with each other, Kris and Noelle tried to separate themselves, and yank their arms back to try and salvage the situation. This failed as neither was willing to actually let go, pulling them together.

For a short while, their faces were so close that Kris could see Noelle in exquisite, intricate detail. She seemed to be admiring them in much the same way. Among shock, fear and embarrassment caused by the chaos, Kris felt something else. Something more...primal.

Oh no.

Following this, the two friends were finally able to let go of each other, primarily to cover their faces from the others’ gaze. Kris’ heart felt close to shattering. They were barely in control of themself now, hardly able to contain their feelings.

Catti watched the spectacle unfold with a stunned look in her eyes, which Kris managed to glimpse through a gap in their fingers. Instead of relishing in her victory over them, her boldness from before began to quickly fade, as realisation finally began dawning upon her.

She gave out the deepest sigh Kris had ever heard, resembling a kind of groan. She put her face in both her hands as well, seemingly just as ashamed. As she was recovering, she shook herself, donned a stern expression, and advanced towards the pair.

“I cannot believe this. I knew you were both completely useless romantically, but even I couldn’t expect THIS. For Angel’s sake, Kris, SHUT UP! I’m not leaving this up to you two bozos any more. Noelle, we need to talk, girl to girl. Right now. That means you need to leave, Kris.”

Kris felt powerless to stop her. They had no idea what Catti was going to tell her, only that it would have to do with romance, though they felt it wouldn’t be delivered at all gracefully. Considering how they knew Noelle thought of them, they couldn’t imagine her taking such a lecture very well.

Although, this was a way to clear their head a little. Clear their head from these horrible intrusive thoughts showing them a fantasy that would never be anything more, robbing them of the happiness they have worked so hard for, both of them. Just a little time away from her couldn’t hurt.

“F-f-fine. W-where? Sh-should I meet you?” Kris could barely manage to speaking to her any more. All the more reason for some alone time. Noelle wasn’t responding, however – she seemed almost catatonic, holding herself as if to substitute for Kris, clothes coated in sweat and trembling like an earthquake was rolling through.

“Th-the l-lot, ok?” Kris couldn’t tell if she had heard them, but reasoned that Catti would remind her later. Given the state she was in, Kris felt a duty to stay with her friend, to comfort her, hold her close, and help her through whatever was wrong with her, but they needed to trust Catti with that responsibility now. They were far from capable of any of that by now.

Catti, somehow, looked even more rigid than before. If looks could kill, there would have been nothing left of Kris. They got the message, and slit off the stool, turning to leave.

Suddenly, they felt something grasp at their arm, sending a powerful chill up their spine. Noelle had broken out of her suspended state, to try and keep them here. With her. Kris felt guilty for ever choosing to leave her.

“Out!” The single piercing word caused Kris to leap out of Noelle’s grasp. Catti was no longer behind the counter, and was closing the distance quickly. Resolving not to further anger her, as well as to finally make good on their promise to themself, Kris rushed to the door, guilty about leaving Noelle to her fate.

Chapter 11: Empty Lot

Chapter Text

Kris continued in haste out of QC’s, in part to keep their head empty, to repel any urges they would have to return to the diner to save Noelle, her knight in shining armour.

Once they reached the empty lot once again, they sat down, then laid down on the crisp grass, willpower fully sapped. With nothing else to do, expect wait for her, Kris got to thinking. In particular, about a special someone.

They already missed her. It’s been far too long since they last saw each other, Kris concluded. Still, they didn’t want Catti to murder them over...whatever she needed Noelle for, so they stayed put. Besides, they’ve lasted far longer without Noelle’s presence than they have right now.

But how did they? They spent almost a whole week without her, in this heatwave, at home. Kris can’t imagine how they did it. Thinking back to it now was utter torture. The heat suddenly didn’t seem so bad in comparison – if they had only had Noelle with them to talk to, to hang out with, it would have been so much more bearable.

Not seeing their friends in Hometown and the Dark World wasn’t ideal for them, but Noelle… As long as they had her in their life, they would manage. She knew them better than anyone, probably even their own mother.

They had nothing to worry over, nothing to hide around her. No expectations to live up to, no fear of disappointment. When either of them needed help, they went to each other immediately. She really was their best friend, still, after all this time. Kris couldn’t be happier.

Well… that wasn’t true. Not at all. Kris was still resisting thinking about one way their relationship could go further. Asking her out on a date. That seemed a bit redundant, though – they’ve been going on dates for months now. The Dark World, by themselves in her room or the Librarby, and now, all of today. It wasn’t official, to be -

Why not?

Because… she didn’t feel about them that way. Kris had heard her say so multiple times today. Their spirits dampened, until they considered that she could have been lying, for Asgore and Catti’s sakes, like they were. Maybe she wasn’t aware of her feelings, like they weren’t until today. There was hope.

Kris decided not to press the issue with her. They couldn’t be sure this was how they truly felt, after all, that their feelings now weren’t crazy impulses, or a side effect of the heat. Until Asgore mentioned in full confidence their apparent love, the thought of being with the person who meant everything to them never even entered their mind. There would be plenty of time to discuss this with her in the future, perhaps to ease both of them into...whatever was happening.

Kris noticed a hollow feeling in their chest – Noelle still wasn’t with them, likely still talking to Catti. They didn’t want to speculate on the topic, worrying about coming to the incorrect conclusion. Getting their hopes up for something neither of them truly wanted.

Maybe a nap would help pass the time. They got quite good at falling asleep quickly over the course of their week confined to their bed. Noelle would wake them up whenever she got back, they figured. Maybe if they fell asleep thinking about her, she’d appear in their dreams...

When Kris began to shift their body to a more comfortable position, they noticed something moist on their back. The grass was weirdly humid, despite the heatwave. In fact, the human realised the area under and around their body was dripping wet. Even parts of their body that weren’t touching the grass.

Nearly immediately, the drops of water on their skin and clothes began to vanish. Evaporating. The heatwave was finally getting to them. Heatstroke symptoms that had healed over throughout day began to re-emerge, far more painful than they remembered. They struggled to keep their eyes open.

The human understood the danger of the situation, and what needed to be done. Catti could be harsh towards others, them included, but even she couldn’t be reasonably upset with them for seeking her and Noelle’s help in the state they were in.

But their legs couldn’t move. Worse, they couldn’t even sit back up. They were barely able to lift their hands. Despite being at the right angle, they couldn’t see into the diner very well, through the dirty windows of the P”e”zzeria. They could just about make out a hazy outline of...something, or someone.

Desperate, Kris tried shouting for help. All that came out was a coarse gurgling noise that made them feel sick, filling them with despair. What was likely their last hope for rescue, gone. They couldn’t keep their eyes open any more. As they began to close, they wondered if it would be the last time they ever saw sunlight.

Kris wasn’t very religious – all they did was attend church weekly at their mother’s insistence, so they took little comfort in the Angel sparing them, or even taking them to a better place at the end of the struggle.

Luckily, their body had shut down to such an extent that Kris no longer felt their skin burning, or their lungs aching. It helped keep them from thinking more about the inevitable. Perhaps the Angel was looking out for them after all, in some small way.

In the darkness, Kris did the only thing they could. They thought of their mother, who had been so vehemently against them leaving the relative safety of the house. How cruel they were, leaving without her blessing, now lying in a field, alone. Kris couldn’t bear to imagine how she would react on hearing the news.

They thought of their dad, who had only tried to share his joy of his stories with Kris, before they screamed at him like they did. He would think that, in their last moments in this world, their child still hated him.

They thought of Catti, who would no doubt blame herself for her harsh tone in sending Kris away, leading to them being set out into the sun like this. What would she think of herself for the rest of her life?

They thought of all their friends, of Ralsei, Susie, Berdly, everyone else that knew and cared for them. All of them, mourning for them, likely also blaming themselves for the tragedy, when there was only one person to blame.

Kris wished, more than anything, to see them all again. To apologise to them, to tell them it was their fault, in the end. They wanted to go outside, despite the cataclysmic weather, not listening to anyone’s advice. They were so sorry. Especially to Noelle…

Noelle.

How pathetic they were, to hide their feelings from themself in this way. What did they gain from trying to suppress their love? A love they’ve felt but kept hidden from themself for years. A love they would never be able to express to the person who meant everything to them.

As a friend, their best friend, who they’ve known for as long as they could remember. As a soulmate, who understood them on a level no one else did, or could. As someone who pulled them from the brink of darkness.

They would die, without her knowing how they felt. Without feeling her lips on theirs. Worse, she would take all the blame for their idiocy. They knew she would. It was utterly unfair of them.

Despite the heat, Kris felt a tear on their face. They felt themself fading, and prepared for the end as best they could. They held a thought, just one, to try to comfort themselves in some small way, and waited. All they thought of now, all they could think of now…

Noelle.

“Y-you...I n-never got t-t-to t-tell you, Kris-s. P-please, please…” Whatever tricks their mind was conjuring up, Kris couldn’t deny appreciating them. Facing their end would be much more pleasant while hearing this holy voice along the way – though it hurt Kris how sad it sounded, almost drowned out by sobbing.

“I c-c-can’t lose you too...w-wake up...pl-l-please…” Each slurred word that came out pierced their soul, stab after stab. Soon, it became far more unbearable than the firestorm raging above them. Kris tried to open their eyes again, to see what exactly was going on.

Slowly, a picture begun to form. An angel stood above them, with a brown halo on top of a yellow head of hair, wearing a colourful outfit. Regardless of their weakened eyes, Kris was sure they had never seen a prettier being in their life. Kris felt compelled upwards by a force they felt was somewhat familiar.

The angel was weeping. Kris wasn’t sure over what, or whom, but they knew in that moment that they had to help. An idea came, from somewhere in their mind. It was still something of a blur. They kept rising, and the angel’s face became visible. All it’s features, absolutely divine. Their face was inches away. Kris pursed their lips in anticipation.

Suddenly, Noelle opened an eye, then the other, pure relief gushing through her face. She moved her head to Kris’ side, and collapsed on top of them in a hug.

“Kris! Kris, oh, Kris, I...I…” Kris held her tightly, shushing her. Calming her down was the only thing that mattered to Kris right now, not a missed opportunity. They knew there would be more.

Their brush with death, cleared the doubt from Kris’ heart, stopped them resisting the obvious truth. They would tell Noelle how they felt about her. Tell her how much she meant to them, and how much they loved her. No matter the expected outcome, it would be done.

After an eternity spent blissfully in each other’s arms, they sat down besides each other, both hands clinging onto their respective pair. Noelle’s face was still wet, and lingering despair was still visible under her relieved smile.

“I’m so, so sorry Krismas. I never should have let you go. When Catti got so mad with the both of us, the heatwave completely left my mind. She trailed off, and looked away, realisation joining the sea of emotions on her face.

“I’m fine, honestly. I guess I looked worse than I actually felt.” Noelle seemed to believe them, since their heatstroke was already vanishing, which was good enough for Kris. She could never know how dire things truly were. At least not right now.

“Say, uh...what did you and Catti talk about?” Kris asked before they could stop themself. They were very much intrigued by their discussion, especially why it took so long, but they also dreaded exactly what Noelle might reveal.

“We! We...it w-wasn’t a-anything important, fa-fahaha!” Noelle began to panic once again, before leaping onto her feet, taking Kris with her. They could have sworn they heard her heart pounding.

“Listen! T-that’s not important! R-right now, you need t-to go home! I-I’m not… I’m not going to risk something like this happening a-again!” Noelle began weeping, no doubt replaying what she just saw in her head.

Kris knew they wouldn’t react any better if they were in her shoes, seeing her lying on the ground like that. Right now, they wanted nothing more than to hug her tightly, to comfort her, to wipe away her tears, but they had to push back against this. They couldn’t waste today.

“Noelle, my mother won’t let me leave the house until university if you tell her what happened. Would you want that? You’ve been keeping me alive through this hell! S-stop blushing, I’m being serious! You must have been using magic without knowing it!”

While initially a bluff, the first thing that came to mind before they thought of something better, they stopped, and considered. That would explain a lot, actually. Noelle didn’t say anything, closing her eyes to think. They pressed further.

“Whenever we were separated, I started sweating. On your mother’s flowers, remember? Here, before, when I ran from Dad’s store. I looked, felt terrible at home, until you came. It wasn’t the ice cream that helped me, it was you. You made me feel… wonderful. Y-you understand, right?”

Kris hoped they wouldn’t be asked to elaborate further. Now wasn’t the right time for a confession. Not in the state they were both in. Luckily, Noelle, just as flustered by the comment, seemed willing to leave it there.

“Kris...I want to stay with you out here. I want nothing more, I really do, but…” She seemed out of objections, prompting Kris to deliver the killing blow.

“How about this? I swear I won’t leave your side until I go home. Literally.” Kris let go of her hands, and moved to her side. They wrapped their left arm around her back, and took her hand again, any distance between them gone.

Noelle quickly went along with this arrangement and responded in kind. Kris felt like they were embracing a freezer, which more than suited them. They couldn’t remembering holding her, or being held by her like this before, which was a shame. It felt right, as if doing anything else was a mistake. Noelle seemed to agree, her embrace chilly yet comforting and warm at the same time.

“Fahaha, you’ve always got a joke ready, don’t you, Krismas?” Just...promise me. Promise me, that if you ever start feeling ill again -”

“I promise you’ll be the first to know, and then you can carry me all the way to the hospital.” While Noelle giggled adorably at the quip, a tiny part of Kris did wish that could happen. They considered pranking her by faking being ill again, but her mournful face flashed into their mind, and Kris chastised themself for ever considering it.

“Heehee! It’s a deal!” They began to walk, in unison, movement unhindered by their new arrangement. In fact, Kris felt perfectly comfortable with it. They wondered how Catti might react when she saw them like this, before concluding that they didn’t really care. Noelle’s smile was all that mattered to Kris.

Quite unlike her, Catti wasn’t interested in her phone. Jocky could wait a few more minutes as she patiently awaited something far more important. It look longer than she expected – did Noelle get cold feet? Was she scared? Maybe they were still talking with each other. She grew a little anxious.

While it took longer than she expected, the duo did come into view at last, grasping each other tightly, and walking like they were conjoined. Noelle turned her head towards Catti, and nodded with her biggest smile.

From where she was, Catti could barely make out a tear lingering in her eye, and a warm glow on her nose. This was all she needed to know. She smiled back, a rare, genuine one, as they carried on their trek. Once they were out of view, Catti finally pounced back onto her mobile device, and began tapping furiously.

“Jocky, they’ve finally done it.”

Chapter 12: Park

Chapter Text

As the pair retracted their steps from earlier, Kris’ mind was laser focused on their goal. Having been spared an early demise, they couldn’t let their good fortune go to waste, couldn’t let their biggest regret remain any longer. Noelle needed to know.

Naturally, Kris worried about how she would react. As before, her constant denials of any feelings for the human plagued their mind. They calmed themself by remembering all the times they said the exact same things about her, too.

Going further, even if she didn’t feel the same way, she would certainly remain their friend, as Susie did. The girls were now friendlier with each other than before the confession, despite how embarrassed Susie was at the time. If that didn’t sabotage their friendship, nothing Kris could do would. Kris’ confession would be far better, anyway. With a much better plan. She deserved nothing less.

Kris glanced to their left to admire her, just for a moment. Noelle was already staring at them – whipping her head away with a yelp once their head began to turn. Surprised, both friends almost fell over each other, but kept themselves standing by tightening their grips on each other.

“Sorry, Krismas! A-are you alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, it was kind of my fault.”

They refused to look at each other while speaking, focusing on the road ahead and trying to hide their faces. Kris felt they knew why she was looking at them – what else could the reason be? - but didn’t dare entertain the hope, not yet. Though, it would explain what she talked about with Catti…

They resolved to tell Noelle as soon as a good time and place presented itself. This stream of consciousness and the anxiety over what could or could not happen was unbearable. Telling her now, in the middle of nowhere, out of nowhere, wouldn’t do. The only place they though appropriate was the park, with a lot of people present. Kris would have preferred a more secluded location, nothing else came to mind. Besides, they still had time to think it over.

Almost at the park, Kris and Noelle passed by Flower King. Considering Noelle was in their way, Kris knew they wouldn’t see anything in there, even someone as big as their dad.

“Hmm. It doesn’t look like your father’s inside, Kris.” They smiled. She remembered.

“Thanks, Noelle. I’ll just apologise to him later.” Frankly, this was ideal. If Asgore saw them as they were right now, he’d get even more confused. They could save their explanation and apology for after they began actually dating. That would help explain and justify today’s events to him. Unfortunately, this line of thinking only put Kris under more pressure. Cursing silently, they slowed down, and Noelle mirrored them.

They had just passed Asgore’s driveway, and the group of monsters in the park had come into view. They were too far away for any of them to notice the new arrivals, let alone recognise them. For now. Aside from housing noticably more monsters than usual, the only other change in the park was what looked to be a wooden sign sticking out of a tall cardboard box. Kris couldn’t make out the symbols on it.

Kris and Noelle had now stopped moving entirely. They both knew what had to be done, but they had no intention of going through with it. Looking to Noelle for guidance, she gave them a warm, reassuring smile. Only now, seeing it so radiant and detailed, did Kris realise how close their faces were to each other, unnerving them slightly. They felt her eyes drawing them in, and had to keep themself away.

“K-Kris… I don’t care if people see us like...this. Let them think what they want, alright? Besides...fa-faha, it’s not like we’d be able to keep ourselves separated for long anyways…” Noelle spoke with a remarkable composure, considering her shining face betrayed her true feelings.

No matter the embarrassment it could save them both, Kris knew full well the futility of trying to stay separated by this point. Not to mention the fact that Noelle could probably convince them to jump off a bridge with a big enough smile. Lacking her confidence, Kris merely hummed in response.

Satisfied, Noelle started walking, with Kris following. Even despite their agreement, they knew this wasn’t going to end well. The town has been flooded with theories and shipping since they began to hang out with Susie, and especially once they began mending their friendship with Noelle and spent more and more of their time with her.

Seeing them like THIS? It would feed the rumour mill for months, Kris dreaded. Especially painful and embarrassing if they really did just stay as best friends, and didn’t become romantically involved. Kris tried shifting their mind away from thinking about that, focusing on the path ahead. A path now teeming with townsfolk.

One by one, the people in the park noticed them. Monsters of all shapes and sizes were here, most of whom Kris recognised but knew little about personally. They were spread out in smaller groups, chatting with each other, keeping to themselves. Until they spotted Kris and Noelle, holding each other like newly-weds.

The groups began to merge, as the monsters were whispering to whoever was willing to listen - which was everyone. Hometown, being a relatively quiet place, didn’t often have big news to share around from person to person. The mayor’s daughter and the weird human living on the hill doing anything together, let alone this close to each other, was more than gossip worthy.

Kris heard few clear words, but got the gist of the conversations perfectly well. About those two hanging out again. Not knowing Noelle was back from Sandland already. How they were practically glued to each other. Some even thinking they were dating already, and what a cute pair they made.

Kris was determined to get them and Noelle out of this situation as quickly as possible. The park wasn’t necessarily a no go, despite the crowd – the lake was where Kris and their friends hung out whenever they went to the park. It had an entrance to the old forest Kris and Noelle used to roam around as children, and it was always quiet and secluded. A perfect spot.

Today, it housed a few monsters who hadn’t joined the crowd. Maybe the monsters were trying to cool down by the lake, with nowhere else to go in town? Maybe they just didn’t care for socialising with everyone else? Kris didn’t know for sure, and they didn’t care.

Dejected, Kris made to tell Noelle they should leave through the way they came, back to town. There were other places they could go to, they were sure. Before they could open their mouth to speak, they heard a voice clearly in their ears, rising above the cacophony of whispers -

“hey. to the left. I can take you somewhere less crowded.” Kris recognised the voice immediately. They couldn’t see him anywhere, nor did they see anything notable to their left, except a terrified deer and some trees. Settling on the second, they were desperate enough to hear him out.

“Noelle? Can we go to the left, here? Um, into the trees?” It sounded silly, but Noelle was in no position to disagree. She now seemed to regret her earlier confidence regarding their position, though her grip around Kris hadn’t loosened. She looked redder than Kris had ever seen her, and so she bolted off into the woods without hesitation, dragging Kris along.

The trees weren’t very dense, and so they didn’t have to avoid many while they were running. Luckily for them, as Noelle wasn’t slowing down, Kris just barely able to keep up with her.

“turn right.” Kris was about to repeat the order to Noelle, but she seemed to hear this one too, and so changed direction without letting Kris know, causing them to nearly let go of her. Quickly, a light began to emerge from the woods, growing brighter, and brighter, until -

“hey there, kiddo. and other kiddo.” They suddenly appeared besides Sans, who, in defiance of the sun, wore a thick, woollen jumper Kris saw him wearing last Christmas, a bobble hat and his brother’s scarf. Kris wanted to comment on the absurdity, but was still catching their breath from their sprint moments prior.

“i don’t blame you, I’d be at a loss for words, too. i made this stall myself, took me all night.” He pointed to the box, which Kris hadn’t even noticed until now. There weren’t any shelves cut into it, or even a place to store cash. The only give away might have been the sign, which they still couldn’t read, due to being on the wrong side to do so. Kris couldn’t care less - they had plenty of breathing room now, away from the crowd.

“Hello, Mister Sans. Thank you very much for helping us.” Noelle looked to him in gratitude, the sight of a familiar face, one who wasn’t blabbing about the two of them, visibly calming her nerves. Kris felt equally grateful, but was also still equally winded.

“please, I’ve known you since you were an infant, no need for formalities. Call me mr. if you wanna thank anyone, thank toriel. she pretty much begged me to keep an eye on you two when you left, and you know I can’t say no to her.” Well, that explained it. Kris figured their mother let them go a bit too easily earlier today. Though, if he’s been looking after them, then that meant…

“ahh, you think I was stalking you, am I right? don’t worry, kid. you know how lazy I am. I just popped in once or twice to check in on you guys were doing.” Kris wondered if their face was particularly readable today, or if he could just read minds. If Sans had made this promise to anyone else, Kris wouldn’t have reason to question his words. But this was Toriel…

“So you didn’t see us…doing anything?” To be fair, THEY hadn’t seen Sans, either. But then again, he had always had a knack for appearing and disappearing around at will. Kris noticed Noelle looked embarrassed once again. They wondered if she regretted taking them both here after all.

“not a thing, especially nothing private. I’ve been here at my stand pretty much all day. hey, if you don’t believe me, feel free to ask someone about it.”

“I-I believe him, Kris. Don’t you?” Noelle chimed in very quickly. Her eyes were practically begging them not to argue, her arms grasping their body more tightly. Kris felt calmed by her touch, her further intimacy with them, their will to fight back waning. While they were sure he was bluffing, Kris had no intention of bringing back the mob’s attention onto them, and so decided to change the subject.

“So, what’s going on? Why’re so many people here?” They were too busy thinking about a certain fair maiden to ask Catti about it before. Nothing here seemed to warrant staying here for long, as far as Kris could see. If anything, the groups of monsters would make themselves even hotter, from sheer proximity.

“well, the trees’re good for a bit of shade, and the pond’s slightly less sweltering than everywhere else. just hope you don’t mind making friends with the octopus in there. oh yeah, some guy told everyone there’d be an ice cream stall here.”

“And who said that?”

“me.” Kris rolled their eyes, already anticipating where this was going to go.

“Do you have any mint or chocolate, Sans?” Noelle asked. Its been a while since they’ve had any ice cream, so Kris didn’t mind the idea of getting some more. Perhaps they could share one with Noelle, to save money.

“i insist, just call me Mr. sorry, Mrs, but we’re all out of those.” Not surprising at all.

“Um, what about some other flavours?”

“hmm, I dunno. my brother’s supposed to be selling them, but he’s still at home. he hasn’t been able to figure out a way to get them over here without them melting. also, we don’t have a freezer.” Kris would facepalm if they had free hands. They needed to teach her about how Sans operated. They’ve spent far too much time around him for their own good, so they could at least spare her some suffering.

“So, what? Has everyone just been standing around here all day?” Kris decided to get the conversation back on track.

“yup. If they had anywhere better to be, they wouldn’t have come here in the first place. might as well have a chat here, maybe a picnic.” Kris couldn’t really argue with that. Compared to the size of Hometown, this place wasn’t TOO crowded.

“well, kids, how about yourselves? what’re YOU doing here? hardly the most private place in town right now.” Kris knew what he meant, and froze up. Noelle closed her mouth tightly, as if she might say something by accident.

“the silent treatment. i see how it is. well, I’ll keep myself busy over here. if you need anything, some advice, just ask.” As nice as some quiet would be right now, some advice sounded wonderful. Their only plan for an adequate confession thus far had come up dead in the water, but giving up was not an option. If anyone in town could help them now, it would probably be him.

“U-um, actually-”

“woah! well, if it’s that urgent, I guess I can’t say no.” Kris was caught off balance. They always thought, deep down, that Sans must be a mind reader of some kind, this just being further evidence of that.

“I – yes, please. But...in private. Sorry, N-Noelle.” Kris began to retract their arm from around Noelle, but she kept hold of it with her left. She let go of Kris with her other arm, twirled away from them, while still clinging onto the human’s hand.

“Remember, Kris? You p-promised. I won’t listen in, ok?” She turned away once she finished speaking.

Truthfully, Kris didn’t want to leave Noelle’s side either, and so this was a good compromise, in their mind. They moved as close to Sans as their arm would allow (who, for his part, reacted perfectly nonchalantly to the dance routine he had just witnessed), and lowered their voice slightly.

“Look, Sans, I love Noelle. I want to tell her how I feel.” They stopped to give him some time to react, but nothing was said.

“why did you have that dramatic pause? come on, kid. even a guy with no eyes can see how much you’re both into each other, it’s hardly surprising.” Kris looked Sans in the face, before judging that it wasn’t worth commenting.

“Right, um...I want to do it in a quiet place, that’s away from people, but I also want it to be somewhere special, you know?”

“which is why you’re in the park, after being told how crowded it is.” They wondered how he knew about that, though they dismissed it. No distractions.

“Well, where would YOU suggest we go, instead?”

“Your house.”

“Haha, very funny.” Kris dismissed it out of hand, but if it was empty, it really wouldn’t be the worst place to go. Maybe he WOULD be able to help, after all.

“i know, that’s why I said it. you had the right idea, though. the lake’s usually perfect for what you want to do. shame the monsters there’re barely more heat resistant than humans.”

“You say that like you could get rid of them.” Kris said this more out of encouragement than doubt.

“hey, you said it, kid, not me. though, that gives me an idea… take your lady friend over, and I’ll do the rest.”

“We have names, you know.”

“i do know. so does everyone. what makes yours so special?”

“Sigh. Can you at least elaborate on the plan?”

“nope. gotta keep the sense of suspense up somehow, eh? come on, when’ve I ever let you down before? well, when’ve I ever let your mother down before?”

“She didn’t ask you to do this for me, though.”

“look kid, do you want me to help you or not?” Kris nodded with mock indignation. They couldn’t help but be charmed by Sans’ unique antics. He WAS right – he was as reliable as he was odd. At least once you actually got him to promise to do something for you.

“that’s what I thought. oh yeah, on the topic of Toriel. let’s just say she’s calmed right down since this morning, especially once I told her how well you two were getting along. you can thank me later. just, whatever she mentions I’ve done to help you, go along with it, yeah? for both our sakes.” Kris suppressed a groan. If this idea of his worked, they’d gladly deal with whatever he’s set up for them back at home.

“that’s the spirit. now hurry up, your deer friend looks like she’s about to fly away.” Noelle had her head in the clouds, seemingly deep in thought over something. Or someone.

“Hey, Noelle, we should go -” No sooner had the human uttered these words, than Noelle snapped back to reality, coiling her arm around the human once again, which sent a wonderful rush through their body.

“Faha-ha, sorry about that. I just...missed you.” Kris felt lighter on hearing those words again. If she was as attached to them as they were to her...

“I missed you more. Shall we go?” Kris felt like showing off, doing their best to lead ahead of her while being stuck to her. She let them do so, responding with an overly coy smile and a blush.

“see you later, alligators! have fun hanging out!” Sans shouted out to them, loud enough for the monsters around them to hear. Their chattering and staring began anew, just after it had begun to die down. Wonderful.

“Krismas? Where’re you leading us?” Noelle spoke louder than normal, over the monsters around them. They were half being let through, half pushing through due to Kris’ forceful movement. Still, the monsters did not even bother stopping their gossip as they passed, a golden opportunity for it if ever there was one.

“To the lake. Sans said he’d clear it out for us. I don’t quite know how, but I trust him to get it done.” That was enough for Noelle, who began sneaking glances at the human, seemingly not bothering to hide them any more. Kris figured it was only fair they do the same, both of them smiling wider and wider when they noticed each other.

They weren’t concentrating on what seemed to be their mutual flirting, however. They were rapidly approaching the end of their journey. This was the time and place to say what they should have said long, long ago. Maybe they did say it, as kids, when they didn’t know what love meant yet. Actually… maybe they did. Maybe they knew far better than they did ever since.

“K-Kris! Stop!” Without realising it, they had almost fallen into the lake. Noelle pulled back the human from the ledge at the last moment, with a heavy effort. They ended up mere centimetres away from her, so close they could see each strand of fur dressing her face.

The monsters sat at the edges of the lake finally looked up, eyes widening. It looked like they were moments away from joining in the mass hysteria surrounding them both. To say nothing of everyone else, who must think they’ve just spotted them about to go in for a kiss.

“good news folks! my brother pulled through! loads of ice cream, now on sale!” While Kris and Noelle took some time to tear themselves away from each other upon hearing his call, no one else did. Everyone they could see, especially the monsters at the pool, ran at full speed towards Sans, desperate to get some for themselves.

Kris was momentarily surprised he got it so quickly. It hadn’t been THAT long, had it? Either way, they didn’t care. Not anymore.

The rest of the park quickly became irrelevant. What was in it, what happened in it, it all faded away. The voices of the hoard of monsters dulled, and eventually silenced. Kris felt like they were in a void. Nothing else, no one else was here with them.

“Kris?”

“Noelle?”

Both of them had short names, yet they took as long as they could saying them, as if to savour every moment of them. Kris’ heart began to race.

“I...overheard you and Sans. Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You said...you said you had something to say to me, right?” Every word she said was intoxicating. Kris couldn’t get enough of her voice, now or ever.

“I wanted to...to tell you how I felt. About you. About us.” Without explanation, Noelle’s face seemed to contort rapidly. From curiosity, to clarity, to relief, to joy. She was smiling at them now, a smile wider than any she had shown the human before, though it looked like she had tears in her eyes.

“Of course, Kris. Go ahead. I’m here for you.” Maybe it was her magical aura playing tricks on their mind, but Kris began to relax. Everything would be fine. She seemed to already know what was going to happen.

“We...We’ve known each other for so long. Since we can both remember, right? I’ve always thought of you as my friend, my best friend, since forever. Except for… you know.” Kris didn’t want to dwell on that time they were apart any more than she did, but it couldn’t go without mention here. Noelle seemed to be getting closer to them, closing what little distance was between them. They could feel her chilly breath on their skin.

“But after that, we’ve grown c-closer than ever, haven’t we? There hasn’t been a day when I haven’t thought of you since we found each other again. At the time, I thought I just wanted to make up for lost time, and, to some extent, I did. But after today… I see that I’ve been denying the truth about how I feel.”

“And what would that truth be?” Noelle sounded almost seductive. Kris found themself lost in her, all of her. Her voice, her eyes, her breath, her clothes, her touch. They felt that words wouldn’t suffice any more. They hoped their lips would.

“Hey there, pals! What’re you two up to?” The almost couple shrieked in shock, falling on top of each other, barely keeping themselves dry. A massive sea creature Kris was familiar with loomed over them, a innocent, goofy smile on it’s face. But Kris had no time to contemplate the best way to mutilate it, or the suggestive position they were both in.

Everyone in the park, far and near, was looking right at them, ice cream mostly gone. They were silent, mouths almost universally agape. The only one who looked at all composed was Sans, who sported his usual grin and gave the both of them thumbs up, as best he could. While Kris was stunned, on the verge of a panic attack, Noelle took charge. She leapt off of them, and began pulling them to their feet.

“Kris, quickly! We need to leave!” As they ran, Kris put all of their effort into shooting Onionsan their foulest glare (which promptly banished it back to the lake floor), before allowing Noelle to drag them deeper and deeper into the woods, both hands firmly in hers.

Sans looked upon the pair, running into the woods, with pride. He had served all the ice cream he had to the monsters in the park, making a healthy profit doing so. With the sun setting behind them and their cravings sated, they slowly began to disperse, returning home.

Even still, they were chattering over the scene they “saw” between the two of them. Some disgusted by how explicit they were, others confidently stating they knew this would happen eventually, and most speculating on how their close families and friends would react. Sans paid them little mind.

Before heading home for the night, he decided to finish off his promise by reporting to Toriel over tea. He figured the two lovers would be in the woods for long enough for him to come and go unnoticed. He figured that would leave him enough time to figure out why it felt like he had people in his head, reading his every thought. it’s private in here, y’know?

Chapter 13: Forest

Chapter Text

Kris and Noelle ran and ran, as fast as their legs would take them. Noelle had enough sense to slow down slightly to match the pace of her companion, and to accommodate their weird postures. Kris sincerely appreciated this, as their running had not improved much at all since this morning, and their mind and heart were still on fire.
They were almost jogging sideways, both hands held in the other’s. It was awkward, yes, but not nearly awkward enough to let go of Noelle - for even a second. Right now, she was very much their lifeline, the only thing keeping them from collapsing from stress.
It was very difficult to focus on the floor ahead of them, to avoid tripping on some twig or branch, and not on the doe they had beside them. Noelle’s face, right before they kissed, didn’t help focus their attention on the path. They were so close, they swore they could feel her. That damned squid...
Their mind didn’t linger on that thought for long, anxiety still coursing through their veins, as they were rushing through the woods. Even in their current scrambled state of mind, they recognised where Noelle was taking them. Was it deliberately, or by instinct, which so often led them here in the past?
Once became old enough, their parents let them go outside without their supervision, usually alongside Asriel, Dess or both of them. They spent months simply roaming the town, exploring it top to bottom, going to places their parents would never consider letting them.
Despite seemingly the whole world open to them, they still spent a lot of their time in these very woods, going down a very specific trail, until...
Noelle finally came to a stop at a clearing, their clearing. The pair smiled, at each other, and to themselves. Despite being left to the elements, it was still as it was in Kris’ mind, all that time ago. They began walking again, and through Kris’ heavy breathing, memories came flooding back.
The dirt patch in the middle, now mostly covered in grass, was where they would have impromptu picnics, with whatever they managed to smuggle out in their pockets or clothes. It was never as much as Kris had liked, but they never minded sharing, considering their company.
A rusty, decrepit old bin was off to the side. None of them knew why it was here, but it had never quite filled up during all their time spent here. Dess once told Noelle about a colony of spiders who lived in their and ate all of their rubbish, which scared her away from it since Even now, Kris noted how she made no effort to look at it, and gave it a wide berth while walking.
The broken, now useless swing set Azzy had tried to make for them, just before he left for university. Since he couldn’t get his hands on the proper materials, it couldn’t hold all of them at once, snapping like a twig. Looking at it, what it represented, made Kris feel like crying. They looked towards Noelle, her radiant glow keeping those melancholic memories at bay.
She came to a complete stop, carefully observing the tree in front of them, searching for something. Her eyes came to rest at a slightly discoloured part of the bark.
“Krismas. can you see it?” Face beaming with sunshine, she gestured to a part of a the bark as best she could without either of her hands free. They could, but barely – it wasn’t cut very deeply, and the elements very nearly got rid of it. The heart and arrow in particular weren’t visible any more. In spite of that, Kris would always remember how it once looked.
K + N
“Do you remember how they used to tease us over this? We couldn’t ever get them to admit one of them had carved it.” Just like their families, and almost everyone else in town, Asriel and Dess were both proponents of Kris and Noelle falling in love and getting married some day. They just happened to be more subtle with their efforts.
“Oh, yeah. They said it was so obvious, the trees were trying to give us a sign, or some crap like that.” Kris neglected to mention that they at one point believed that lie. And were very pleased, then subsequently devastated, once they realised the truth.
“Well, it’s a shame we didn’t take notice sooner, hmm? Everyone in town figured it out before we did, fahaha!” Kris lamented on how long they had both denied themselves their feelings, how much time they spent not knowing. Further bittered by everyone they met shipping them for months, ironically or not. At least it was time they could, and would, make up for.
“Ha, ha. Do you remember? When we both screamed at Az and Dess about how they were wrong, and how we wanted to cover it up so people didn’t get the wrong impression?” Two more names to add to the list of apologies. Asriel in particular will lose his mind when they tell him, Kris knew.
“Oh, goodness, yes! But, we never could do it, right? Do you think it’s because we knew how we felt, back then?” Kris figured that was the case. Young Kris and Noelle knew more about their feelings than they did, right now. The memories they recalled today cemented that view for them. Still, at least present Kris and Noelle finally learned about their feelings.
Or did they? Kris never got their confession out the whole way, planning to cement it with a kiss, before the oversized seafood interrupted them. They figured it was quite clear what they intended, but to remove all doubt, they made haste to fix their mistake, blush filling their features.
“Um...Noelle. I just realised. I never finished what I was going to say, at the lake…”
“Oh, Krissy. When you mentioned your feelings, I just...knew. Catti was right about what she said. I didn’t want to believe her at first, thinking she was just seeing something that wasn’t there, but… oh, goodness, I was so ecstatic!” There was Catti’s conversation again. Curiosity finally got the better of them.
“If you don’t mind...what did you two talk about? You’ve felt like a different person since I left you at QC’s.” Noelle gave a chuckle, a co*cktail feelings audible from within.
“Ha, I could say the same to you! She...well, she was really very blunt with me. She made it clear that I loved you, and forced me to accept that. Not that I didn’t resist, fahaha, you know me. But eventually, I had to cave to the truth. Don’t get me wrong – I really appreciate what she did for me back there. It was something only she could’ve said to me, in the way she did.”
Kris instinctively got angry with Catti over her treatment of Noelle. Though, they couldn’t help but wonder – if she HADN’T been so brutally honest with her, would Noelle have taken their advances so well? They were sure they would have stopped, had she asked them to. This wasn’t something they could think through quickly, and come to any conclusion as to if it was right or not.
“Then, she told me she wanted me to confess my feelings to you. She didn’t want to hear any excuses. All she said was, if it didn’t work out, to come back to her so she could come and kill you for leading me on, faha-haha.” Kris laughed away the threat, as it was surely exaggerated. Something far more critical was on their mind.
“So, why didn’t you?” Noelle’s smile, at long last, began to fade, as her eyes began to fill with sorrow.
“I-I was going to! But then, I… I saw you, collapsed…” Kris quickly let go of Noelle, and pulled her into an embrace. They hoped it would stop her from crying, which it mercifully did.
“You saved me. It’s okay. Everything we’ve both been through today...our love, finally coming out...it’s all thanks to you.” This moment felt like a spell had been cast over it. Kris didn’t feel it was real – it was too good to be true. Noelle, in their arms, loved them, as they loved her. They felt they’d never get over how wonderful this feeling was.
Once their prolonged hugging ended, Noelle took their hands in hers, and spoke up, a sadness in her eyes.
“Krissy? We should head back. It’s getting late.” They couldn’t tell at first, still in the moment, but once they looked up, it was unquestionable. The sky was tarnished with red, signalling the coming end. Unless they left soon, nothing Sans could say to Toriel would stop her from grounding them forever.
“Yeah, you’re right, my mother won’t be happy if I stay out much longer. We need to do this again. All the time, as often as we can.” Kris could barely comprehend the amount of options they now had, and how being with their girlfriend would improve them all. They could think it over in bed, tonight.
“Well, obviously. I still haven’t had enough of you yet. That reminds me, before we go, we need to do something very important. Something we didn’t get to do at the lake, before.” Noelle’s voiced deepened, yet again, as she seemed to be moving closer towards them. Kris felt a thrill jolt through their body.
“Wh-what’s that?” A stupid question. Kris already knew the answer.
“Kiss.”

Any remaining distance between them was now gone, as Noelle planted her lips onto Kris’. They froze solid, a sublime snowstorm in their mouth. This was ecstasy. Their mind blank, filled only with pleasure. They needed more.
They pressed their head closer to Noelle’s, deepening the kiss. From how she looked, Noelle was enjoying this as much as they were. Her eyes were wide, taking in as much of her partner as she could, savouring them.
Kris was addicted to this feeling. They didn’t want to let her go, now or ever. Luckily for them, she seemed to share the sentiment. They let go of each other’s hands, and wrapped them around each other to bond them closer.
Despite the heavenly coldness on their lips and in their mouth, Kris' lungs were on fire, begging for air. Sane thoughts at last flowing into their mind, Kris pulled away from the kiss, resting their head on their lover’s shoulder.

“N-e-elle...that...ohh…” They could barely speak, mind and lungs still blown by the kiss. Everything was a passionate blur.

“E-Ellie? Kris… um…” She must’ve misheard them. Not a surprise, considering their current state. Though they did like the sound of “Ellie”. It was cute. It fit.

“H-hey. You have.. two pet names for me... you need at l-least one. Ellie.” The emphasis caused her to shake. Kris had a feeling this would stick.

“Krismas...you...w-we need to get home, ok? It’s getting so late! Your mother…” The high from their smooch was subsiding. Kris knew they had to go.

“I love you, Ellie.”

“I love you too, Krissy.”

With their vows exchanged, Kris gave in to Noelle. They held each other close once again, and began to depart.