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*So, uh. . . do you mind if I. . .
*(Um. . . Kris?)
It was Kris's drunken mom and that store clerk guy dancing... together. Happily.
*Haha, I have not danced the "jitter bug" like this in ages!
*well, you aren't bugging me, so jitter away.
*Ahahahaha!! Why. . . why didn't the skeleton. . .
*Have anybody to dance with?
*Because. . . he. . . had no "body" to dance with! Hahahah!!
*hahahahahah. good one.
*not only did you totally botch that joke, but,
*i'm dancin' with ya, so it doesn't make any sense.
*Ahhhahahaha!!
They felt completely disconnected from everything. They tried to convince themself that what they were seeing wasn't real. That it couldn't be.
*Are. . . we, uh. . . interrupting? Something?
Susie spoke up, looking very surprised and...almost...uncomfortable?
*Oh!! Kris!! Snoozie!!
Toriel quickly walked to the phonograph and turned the music off.
*No, no, you are not interrupting anything!!
*We were looking for you at church, and. . .
Toriel returned to her position.
*Sorry, sorry, I cancelled choir practice today due to the rain.
*The weather was so bad, and. . .
She looked at the shorter... skeleton.
*Err, Kris, Susie, have you met Mr. Sans?
*heya.
Susie turned to look at Kris, trying to figure out their facial expression, their reaction....to no avail.
*Umm. . .
*Oh! Susie, did you. . . want to stay over again. . . ?
*You could just sleep in, uhh, Asriel's bed! Haha!
Susie looked down at the floor and backed away slightly, toward the door.
*I think I. . .
Kris walked further into the house before turning to Susie.
*Gotta be going, actually. . .
*Oh. . . alright.
*See you later, honey!!
Susie's head immediately snapped back up as her eyes widened.
*Err, I mean Susie!! Haha!!
She looked back down.
*. . . later.
She backed out of the house, leaving Kris behind. They looked down at the floor as soon as Susie shut the door. The floor, because it felt like it would crumble at any second. Because it felt so wobbly and unstable and so....unreal.
*Kris, is. . . Susie OK?
Toriel asked, surprised by how she shut the door.
*hey, she'll be fine.
*i'm sure she'll figure it all out.
*meanwhile, let's get back to business.
Sans walked over to the phonograph and turned it back on.
*kris, what about you? you wanna party?
*Kris!! Party!! Party!! Board games!!
Their mom exclaimed excitedly.
*and hey, we don't gotta just do disco dancin', kid.
*we can play some brand-new music too.
*how 'bout we pump up the tunes?
*Pump the tunes! Pump the tunes!! Pump the tunes!!
*Hahaha!!
Toriel fell over on the ground, laughing. Kris backed away until they hit the door.
...
They walked around her and started going to their room.
*Kris? Where are you going? You're going to bed already?
*There are pancakes in the fridge if you want them, dear. . .
*Goodnight, honey!
They made their way to the kitchen before they gave out. The soul took control. Kris could only hope it'd just bring them to their room. Maybe it would sympathize with them?
But...no, of course not. It only saw this as a 'humorous scene' that's just 'played out.'
...of course.
They were first led to the fridge, where a bottle of ketchup stood defiantly inside. Completely in contrast with everything around it.
They were then led to the sink. Someone had cleared the white fur out of the drain. Maybe it was gross, but... never mind. It's really stupid to get sentimental over fur stuck in the drain, isn’t it? It's just...always been there.
Then, the trash can. Well-watered flowers are blooming inside.
…is there still hope for things to be what they were before?
Kris felt themself being led back to the common area. They tried resisting, but...
*Sorry I wasn't here, honey, it started pouring so suddenly. . .
*So I just had to duck into the convenience store, and. . .
*Well, Mr. Sans was just so much fun, that. . .
*Who. . . who gives a damn about choir practice! Haha!
*Kris, let's siiiiiing right now! Sans, can you beatbox?
*been doing it the whole time. . .
*rum a tum tum. rum a tum tum.
*Kris, feel free to harmonize with Sans on the rum-a-tum-tums.
Kris DESPERATELY did NOT want to do that. Not at all.
They mumbled under their breath that they were tired.
*What? You want to go to bed? Oh, pooh. . .
Finally, the soul had had enough tormenting for today and led them back to their room.
__
As soon as they got into bed, they figured they wouldn't be able to sleep. Not even after a long and tiring day like that. Not even after fighting that terrifying...abomination called a 'titan.' A whole titan.
They could hear that horrific music from their room. They tossed and turned as they heard their mom speak with..."Mr. Sans," barely making out the words. Too tired to comprehend anything at all. They tried covering their ears with their hands to muffle their voices more. They pulled on their hair. They pulled on it a bit too hard, ripping some strands out. They grabbed their pillow. Maybe that'd work...better?
But no. Their voices only seemed to get louder.
And louder.
And louder.
And—
Susie?
Their grip slowly softened on the pillow. Softened until they hesitantly let go of it. They could make out what she said, but it was what they focused on. Drowning out all the other sounds for Kris, perhaps? Or maybe she came back in and told those two to pipe down.
Kris got out of bed and quickly walked (limped?) towards the window. They could finally make out her words.
*. . .
*. . . We. . . aren't gonna let that happen. . .
*. . . right?
It started raining again, with a heavy breeze too. The weather can be so unpredictable sometimes...
They heard her steps fade away as she presumably walked back to her home or...anywhere else she could stay.
They started to climb out of their window before they got a call.
. . .
Kris. . .
. . .
don't
forget,
Kris. . .
. . .
you promised.
They thought about those words for a few moments. God... They never saw the last bit of the prophecy before Susie broke it, but it can't possibly be good based on her and Ralsei's reactions.
They overthought it. What if they were all doomed to die? At this age...? What if only one of them dies or remains? Then what? They figure that'd be worse. But then...what about that phone call, and... and everything that’s...
Their mind was going haywire with every possibility.
They're at home. And they know it's always been available to them. It's their house, it's where they grew up, and yet....it doesn’t...feel like home right now.
They looked back at their bed, and then to their phone one last time before sliding out the window and almost closing it, leaving a small sliver open in case they changed their mind.
—
With their mom's copied key to the school, they opened the doors and locked them once they were inside.
Kris made their way to the supply closet before jumping inside.
—
The comforting music of castle town was one of the first things they noticed. The next thing they noticed was the apparent lack of fluffy boys.
Kris looked around. Maybe Ralsei would be in his...
They opened the door. Ralsei, sitting in his almost empty room, looking at the ceiling. Well, he was. His head immediately snapped towards Kris, and he got up, dusting himself off.
*K-Kris! I wasn't err,
*Sorry‐
*I wasn't-
*I uhm. . .
Kris stared at him. Blankly. Waiting for him to finish his sentence.
*Ahem. . . It's a pleasure to have you here, Kris! I uhm. . . just,
*Wasn't prepared for it, is all. . .
He looked down and fiddled with his fingers. Kris moved about a centimeter before Ralsei immediately looked up at them.
*B-But that doesn't mean I don't want you here! I'm happy that you're here, Kris.
*. . .
*Uhm. . .
*Are. . .
*Are you planning to stay the night? I can get you some more blankets, o-or maybe some tea. . .
They nodded and then mumbled under their breath.
*. . . that would be nice.
Silence for a few seconds. Just for Ralsei to see if Kris would say anything else.
*Alright! I'll get started on that. You can wait in your room if you feel comfortable doing so.
They nodded and started to leave.
*Ahem. . . uhm, Kris?
They looked up at Ralsei, waiting for him to continue.
He paused.
. . .
*Never mind, it can wait. Just. . . relax for now.
Ralsei walked over to his cauldron and stopped in front of it for a while.
*(I forgot to ask which tea Kris would like best. . .)
*(. . .)
*(Well, I can't just ask them right now. . .)
*(Maybe I should just wing it and make a pie as well to make up for it. . .)
Meanwhile, Kris made their way to their room and flopped onto the bed.
They hadn't actually ever... lain down on it?
It was very comfortable. More comfortable than their own bed. Maybe not as homey or nostalgic, but comforting. It was like a giant marshmallow cloud, or... something else soft?
...
Ahem.
They looked at their empty shell of a soul. Why did it need to be them? Couldn't it be anyone else? Out of the whole population...? They shoved the vacant husk back into their chest. It was getting easier and easier not to scream.
It was quiet here (of course, other than the music), and Kris found it much more comforting than whatever was going on at home. Even if they were to quiet down at some point, it still felt... wrong to be there.
—
Ralsei lightly knocked on the door.
*Uhm. . . I'm coming in. . .?
. . .
He opened the door. They were sitting Kris-moss applesauce on the bed (hehe).
*Sorry, I. . . Didn't know what kind of tea you liked and. . . and it completely slipped my mind.
He handed them a teacup sitting a top a small plate. There was a blue flowery print, and Kris wondered if Ralsei had colored teacups for everyone.
...and then how he'd even obtain that.
*I am making a pie to make up for it, though! I figure you'd like that. . .
Kris smiled slightly, and at the sight of that, Ralsei swooned.
*So. . . what brought you here? And. . . without your–
*Err. . . the soul?
*. . . you can tell?
*Well. . . yes, Kris, I can.
Ralsei stated very matter-of-factly. As if it were obvious.
Kris just... looked at him.
*If you don't want to talk about it, that's perfectly fine, I just. . .
*Figured that maybe you didn't like me, rather, the soul did.
Kris opened their mouth to speak before Ralsei cut them off.
*Well, but, I mean. . .
Ralsei fiddled with his hands and blushed, looking everywhere but at Kris.
*Based on what happened most recently. . . I had more hope that maybe you. . .
He snapped back to reality.
*Hope that you really do appreciate me as a friend.
They both sat in silence for a few seconds, but it might as well have been a few hours.
*Do you appreciate me as a friend? Kris. . . ?
He emphasized their name.
A mischievous grin found its way on Kris's face.
*. . . I guess you're tolerable sometimes.
Ralsei's face dropped, but before he could say anything, Kris spoke up.
*im joking. . . Ralsei.
Ralsei processed it for a little bit before giggling.
He lost himself in laughter (and relief), not noticing Kris getting slightly closer. And closer. And closer.
At this point, Kris was just testing how close they could get to the easily flustered prince before he noticed and freaked out.
It wasn't until he really opened his eyes and looked at Kris that he realized their face was in his. His laughter died down almost instantly, and his face turned pink.
*. . . you uhm,
*You still haven't answered my question, Kris. . .
*. . .
Well, that wasn't fully expected.
They backed up a bit.
*. . .it's just a home thing.
Ralsei waited to see if they'd say anything else.
. . .
Apparently, they wouldn't.
*Look, Kris, if you don't feel comfortable talking about it, then that's perfectly okay,
*You just look. . . really bothered by it.
*. . .
*I just. . .
They tensed up, much to Ralsei's attention.
He hesitantly put his hands on their shoulders, aware that they weren't always the biggest fan of physical touch.
They slowly tensed. . . down? Err, relaxed.
Then again, Kris had hugged Ralsei on their own after Susie saw the ending of the prophecy, just before they sealed the fountain with her.
*do you think. . . my family would be better off if I never. . .
Ralsei's eyes widened.
*I mean. . .
They fiddled with their hands.
*they're all. . . apart now. And it's worse than. . . worse than before.
*Kris. . .
*i mean. . . it can't possibly be too long until I'm completely alone,
*Asriel left for college, mom and dad seperated, I only live with mom. and now she's. . . with some other guy.
*. . .
*with the store clerk.
*I'm not sure that she cares for me at all anymore.
*K-Kris. I. . . I don't think I could ever understand just how you feel but. . .
Ralsei struggled to find the words.
*W-Well. . . maybe it's not all so bad? Y-Your brother will surely come back and. . . your mom is happy at least?
Kris turned their head.
*N-No wait that. . . came out wrong, I'm sorry, Kris.
*I just. . .
*. . . it's not just that.
*Azzy's going to come back and see what a mess our family's become.
*and then he'll just leave forever.
*Kris. . . I don't know what kind of person your brother was or is, but I do know that anyone would be lucky to have you in their life.
*I'll be honest, I don’t know what to say, but. . .
*. . .
*Do you remember what I said? Before you and Susie closed the fountain?
They nodded.
*That doesn't just apply to our time in dark worlds. Maybe it's improbable that your family will be back exactly how it was before, but you can still have hope that it'll all be okay.
. . .
*And Kris, you and Susie taught me that it's okay to be scared. If I have any right to be scared, then you most certainly do as well.
Kris slumped onto Ralsei.
*K-Kris. . . ?
They wrapped their arms around him and cried.
It most certainly wasn't pretty, nor was it quiet at all.
They felt nauseous. They couldn't fully tell what they were saying and what they were thinking.
The whole world around them seemed to become a dizzying blur. Except for Ralsei.
Except for him.
*Kris. . . It's okay. Just let it all out.
*There, there. . . I'm sure it'll turn out okay, let's just hope for the best for now.
*Kris, it's okay. You've been through a lot.
*Whatever happens, you'll be able to get through this.
*Kris.
*You're always safe here.
—
They faintly remember getting too tired to cry any longer and falling asleep in Ralsei's hands. His soft, fluffy hands.
They half-expected to wake up cuddled next to him, and they more-than-half wish they did. They wondered if it really happened at all. If Ralsei even said anything, they thought he did.
They looked at the floor. There sat an absolutely delectable-looking pie.
They considered jumping on it and shoving it in their mouth, but Ralsei came in with a fork, so doing that now would just be. . .
*Oh, Kris, you're awake!
Ralsei noticed their eyeing of the pie.
*Here's a. . . fork?
They snatched it from him and ate the pie about as fast as you could say primary amebic meningoencephalitis if you knew how to say it perfectly, prior to me mentioning it.
Ralsei stared somewhat in awe.
*Ahem. . . Kris, I think you should get back to the light world. If it's morning already, like I suspect it might be, someone may be worried about you.
They looked at their empty plate and then at Ralsei.
*Kris. . . do you have school? What about that project? I don't want to bug you, but. . . I don't want anyone to get you in trouble because of me.
*. . .
*I'll save the pie and keep it hot in the cauldron just for you?
Kris sighed and got out of bed, stretched, and walked towards Ralsei.
*. . . thanks.
*Anytime, Kr—
They hugged him one last time before leaving his room.
*—is. Anytime. . .
*Ahem. . . I'll see you later!
They simply waved before making their way out of the castle and back to the light world.
. . .
It was still a bit hard to believe in Ralsei, what with his lack of autonomy and beliefs that his sole purpose was to just make lightners happy. But he's been getting better. So it's a bit easier to not doubt if he's telling the truth.