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On weekends, children either went outside with their friends or family, or stayed inside with or without them. On a weekend, schools were closed, so that teachers could prepare for the next week and work through the one that just went by. And even though it was a weekend, one person did go to the school. Not because they wanted to learn anything in their free time, but rather because they wanted to go somewhere else. A whole different world, to be precise. That was exactly where Kris was headed. Under normal circumstances, Susie would have accompanied him, but she accidentally broke her arm when smashing into the vending machine, so she'd have to stay home for a few weeks.
Kris wasn't the most socialising kid. He had…three friends. Only one of which lived in the same town as him. He could have stayed in town today and kept the purple monster company, though it probably would have upset her. Susie hated others showing pity for her, as she was very able to stand in for herself. And she would have been able to thrash Kris with only one arm, that he was sure of. Instead of going to Susie, however, Kris went to the school. He felt drawn to the world he and Susie were able to access. To the creatures that lived there? To some extent, yes. Lancer, the chaotic and spontaneous new king of Card Castle, was always there to mix things up, even if he had to almost run someone over with his burning bicycle. And then there was Ralsei…the dark, fluffy prince of Castle Town…a prince without subjects.
“Wouldn't you like to come with me to Card Castle? We could settle you in nicely,” Lancer had offered him shortly after the king had been overthrown.
“I would like to spend time with you, Lancer, but my home is Castle Town. In it are memories that I hold dear, and I don´t want to leave them behind. Besides, it would be a shame if the castle were to be abandoned like that,” Ralsei had politely replied, though there seemed to be a slight alteration in his voice as he had said it.
Why did that memory jump to Kris' mind right now? He shook his head, trying to clear it. It was sad that Ralsei was living alone, but that was his decision alone. And yet it caused a pain inside of Kris that he couldn't describe. One that he couldn't explain. Strangely enough, he had felt this sort of pain before. Back when his first training session with Ralsei ended. When he had to say goodbye to him. Whenever he left the Dark World to return to his “normal” life again. There was always that pain inside of his chest, a fire burning until he made his way to the Dark World again.
Thanks to his mother being a teacher at the school, he had easy access to it. He “borrowed” the key each weekend, returning it to where he took it from before Toriel would need it again. After taking a look around the area, Kris walked towards the entrance of the school, unlocking it. He quickly pushed the door open and entered, closing and locking the door behind him again to cover his tracks. He crept through the deserted hallway, making his way to the supply closet…the entrance to a better place, in his book at least.
With a creek, the door to the supply closet opened to his pushing, allowing him to see what was inside: nothing. With a sensation of excitement, Kris stepped inside the closet, walking in deeper and deeper. He soon heard the sound of the door shutting by itself, prompting him to stop and wait for his journey to truly begin.
“My place is in Castle Town. I am its caretaker, since I am the prince of it…even though I don't have any subjects. But who knows? Maybe, one day there will be people inside of my town again…people I can take care of. People who can count on me,” Ralsei had added to his neglecting of Lancer´s offer. Kris wasn't too sure of it, but he could have sworn that while Ralsei glanced at him during his explanation, there had been a faint smile on his face. As well as what seemed to be a tear forming in one of his eyes, but before anyone could take a closer look, Ralsei was already back to offering them all kinds of treats…how strange it seemed now to Kris.
While Kris kept wondering about both Ralsei's behaviour and why it kept coming up in his head, the ground beneath him gave in, resulting in him starting to fall. Where he was going, he couldn't see, too dark was the area around him. As his fall progressed, he eventually closed his eyes, ready to wake up in a world that was better than the one above…
The feeling of ground beneath him. The smell of a totally different area. Kris was…awake. Opening his eyes, he saw all the alterations he was used to. His blue skin. Him wearing armour. A sword and shield next to him. Without a doubt, he had arrived where he wanted to be. That was…he had almost arrived exactly where he wanted to be. He stood up and dusted himself off, taking his sword and shield with him as he started walking east.
Projectiles shooting at him left and right. Were those spades? No time to think, just dodge at all costs…
A memory from the first time he and Susie had come down here…why was it now that he kept getting reminders of previous times he had visited the Dark World? The first time he and Susie had been here, Lancer was their enemy for a certain amount of time, before becoming a friend of Susie. He afterwards quickly befriended Kris and Ralsei as well, and managed to rally the population up against the cruel and oppressive king. Lancer had been crowned as king instead, and from what people were saying, he was doing a great job so far. Rouxls Kaard was acting as his advisor, though not in the regards of puzzles, and the two of them had managed to improve the living conditions of everyone.
The king had been imprisoned in the meantime, and the only company he had were the guards guarding the only populated cell, and Lancer, who would visit his father every so often…though the king didn't like having his son who overthrew him standing in front of him, outside of a cell he was locked into. The king's mind hadn't changed since he was overthrown, and gotten reports from Lancer of people being better now thanks to the Lightners. He still hated them and wished upon their destruction.
The unsolved mystery remained a certain jester who had been freed by Kris, Susie and Ralsei. Since their battle and with him fleeing, Jevil had been seen nowhere, much to Ralsei's worries. He feared that the clown could reappear one day and cause chaos, as nobody except for him and his friends were strong enough to restrain him.
“What if he comes back? You know how strong he is! What if we aren't able to pacify him quick enough, or worse, if he strikes when you and Susie aren't here?” Ralsei had one day said to Kris with a shaky voice. They had never seen Ralsei so worked up before, but it seemed as if he felt terror towards Jevil. Then again, Jevil did target most of his attacks at Ralsei in their battle.
After considering what to do, Kris had eventually taken Ralsei into his arms. The quivering goat eventually calmed down, breathing calmly against Kris' shoulder he was leaning on. Kris had felt the sensation of how fluffy and soft Ralsei was, a fluffiness every pillow or blanket in the entire world would be jealous of. “Don't worry about it,” Kris then told him. “We will be there, and we will stop him if he decided to cause chaos.”
Ralsei had remained silent so Kris kept on hugging the dark prince, while also enjoying his presence and softness. How could any being be so enjoyable to feel the touch of? Kris didn't know, and he didn't understand; what he did know was that he didn't want to let go.
“Uhm…Kris?” Ralsei's voice ripped him out of his trance. “Thanks for being there for me, I feel a lot better now,” Ralsei had happily told him. Kris knew that this meant that he had to let go of Ralsei again, and did so reluctantly. Was that a blush on Ralsei's face? He still felt amazingly good after comforting Ralsei, more than he expected. Had he ever helped anyone else in that regard aside from Asriel when they were younger? Kris couldn't tell.
Kris finally reached his true destination. An empty town, houses left long ago. A shop, an inn, and some more, they were all lifeless. The only source of warmth came from the castle towering above the town, where the only inhabitant resided. Kris walked towards the castle, but stopped in front of it, hoping for something to happen again. Surely enough, after he waited for a few minutes, he was able to hear a beautiful sound. A voice capable of soothing the deepest of pains, beginning to sing a melody. Kris sat down, letting the effect of the music sink in. He felt a calmness that he could only possess while listening to this lullaby, or being with the one who sang it; he let his mind drift away to pleasant memories, vivid dreams, unexplored ideas. Every time he came to visit the Dark World, he would be greeted by this beautiful song, no matter when he arrived. It was as if it was his very own song for arriving in this place.
A smile crossed the face of the human as the lullaby echoed through the town, while it also filled Kris with excitement. Every time he went here, he felt excited to meet the dark prince of this town again, for a reason still unknown to him. What he did know was that the song would soon come to an end, and then…
“Kris? You are back again!” he could hear a voice above him exclaim in happiness shortly after the singing did stop. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a dark figure in green clothing looking down at him from a tower of the castle. “Wait there, I'll be with you in no time,” it said, and disappeared out of Kris' sight.
A minute or so later, Kris was able to see Ralsei walking out of the castle towards him…though notably quicker than the last times. Kris slowly got up and started walking into the direction of Ralsei, still smiling…when was the last time they genuinely smiled because of someone? A memory too far gone to recall… Once the two were close enough, Ralsei suddenly stretched out his arms and ran into Kris, embracing him with a sincerity that stunned the human and sent a shockwave of emotions through him. He was confused, he was excited, he was happy, he was…what was that last feeling? Something he hadn't felt before…
“Pardon my manners, Kris. I really missed you,” Ralsei said with a blush while smiling once he had backed his head off again and looked at Kris.
“Eh…ehehe, don't worry about it,” Kris managed to reply. “So fluffy…so nice…” Why did his face feel so hot all of a sudden?
“Kris? Are you alright? I've never seen you blush before,” Ralsei asked with concern and confusion. “Are you getting sick?”
“N-no, I have never felt better, thank you,” Kris answered with a sly grin. “Ah…so that is why…” What he said wasn't a lie; he never had felt any better than now that Ralsei was hugging him. Ralsei eventually disengaged from the hug, leaving a slight pain inside of Kris' chest…but it wasn't severe, as Kris saw the fluffy prince standing in front of him, still with a slight blush on his face.
“Huh? That reminds me…where is Susie? Didn't she come along this time?” Ralsei wondered once he looked around.
“Oh, she couldn't come, and probably won't for a few weeks. She has broken her arm while slamming into something,” Kris told him with a chuckle.
“Oh…I hope she is doing okay. B-but, we can still spend some time together, just the two of us,” Ralsei replied, looking down at the ground and tapping his feet…was he sweating? Kris didn't know for sure, but Ralsei quickly jumped up and pointed towards The Fields.
“Come, Kris. I have an idea,” he excitedly said, and since Kris didn't know what else to do, he went along. As long as he didn't make Ralsei unhappy, anything was fine for him… “Wait, since when do I care about someone that much?” Kris was confused as to what was going on with him, but he didn't care about it much…as long as Ralsei was with him, he'd have to worry about nothing. As they kept walking, Ralsei started humming again…his lullaby; and even though he wasn't singing, Kris appreciated the sound of it, calming him to a level that was incomparable with any form of meditation…
“So, what my plan was: I wanted to bake a cake, but before we can do that, we'll need a few ingredients. Are you okay with that, Kris?” Ralsei's voice suddenly ripped him out of his trance, and he almost bumped into him because Ralsei had stopped next to one of the trees.
“O-oh, uhm, if that is what you want, then I'll gladly help you,” Kris replied with a smile. “Why do I keep being entranced by him?”
“Wonderful,” Ralsei beamed. “Now, first off we'll need some Dark Candy. It'll add a sweet, sweet flavour,” Ralsei went on in a somewhat dreamy voice. “So, now that we are next to one of the trees…” he went on, and looked at it. Searching for the treats he just talked about, he inspected every branch of the tree, until he looked at the very top of it.
“Oh…the only candies on that tree are up there…” he mumbled, sounding a bit disappointed. Kris didn't know what came over him, as he never was what people would call athletic; but he had the sudden urge to climb the tree and get the candies for Ralsei.
“Just you wait here, I'll get them,” Kris offered with a grin, and looked at the tree. It didn't seem like much of a challenge, even though he preferred to avoid sports as much as possible. Perhaps the countless times he saw characters in his video games climb trees were all of the knowledge he needed…
He considered his path, and then ran at the tree, jumping at the tree trunk and then attempting his best to jump off of it at the lowest branch. Falling a tiny bit short, he did an effort in stretching out his arms, managing to hold onto it. Fuelled by an inner strength, the will to make Ralsei happy, he managed to pull himself up onto the branch.
“Whoa, nice moves, Kris. I didn't know you were that skilled,” he heard the dark prince below him say in amazement. “Me neither, Ralsei,” Kris replied as he blushed a bit again. Kris looked at the structure of the tree again. From now on, it seemed quite easy to climb upwards. Kris carefully crawled on the branch he had managed to reach, and then stood up at the trunk, stabilizing his stand.
He then jumped onto a branch near him, at a slightly higher position. As he landed, he held onto the trunk again. He was thankful that he had to battle the King and Jevil and several others while he was down here the first time. His ability to judge distances had improved drastically, as he had to dodge projectiles every time he had fought someone with the others. Kris continued his climb, jumping onto nearby branches or simply pulling himself up to higher ones. There was nothing that could stop him, not while Ralsei was waiting for him down on the ground to return with the candies…
A sweet smell caught Kris' attention, and as he looked around, he was finally able to see the promised Dark Candies, hanging down in-between the leaves. “Kris! You really reached them! Great job, toss them down!” he was able to hear Ralsei shout at him. He tried to keep his balance as good as he was able to, and slowly approached the candies. Once he was close enough, he got onto all fours and crawled to them, stretching his hands out and picking them from the branches before tossing them down, while also holding onto his branch with one hand. He was soon done, and prepared to climb down again. That was when his foot slipped and he suddenly fell down the tree. It didn't hurt as much when Kris ricocheted off a branch, given that his armour still protected him, but it pressed the air out of his lungs. And as he landed on the ground, his landing was surprisingly soft, though it was accompanied by an “Oof” once he hit it, and he was only able to see in a slight blur.
He looked around for Ralsei as he lay on the ground, but the only thing that he could see in the corner of his eye was Ralsei's hat next to him. Confused, he recalled a really soft landing…and suddenly had a terrible assumption. He looked down, and saw Ralsei's face really close to his. Some would have called it uncomfortably close, like Susie, but he instead found it to be just the right distance…until he realised that Ralsei didn't have his eyes open.
Kris was shocked as he realized that he had landed on Ralsei, and most likely knocked him out doing so, but he also suddenly admired Ralsei's look…that white, soft fur with slight pinkish accents, those pink, small horns, and that beautiful face…
“Ooooohh…what…happened…?” the goat beneath him suddenly mumbled, and slightly opened his eyes. They quickly locked onto Kris' face, and with a smile, Ralsei quickly embraced him and pulled Kris closer towards himself. “Haha…stay with me, Kris…I don't want to get up just yet…can we go back to sleep?” Ralsei mumbled in a dreamy voice. “Is he not aware that he's awake and I landed on him?” Kris asked himself, but he couldn't complain. Ralsei had pulled him into a tight hug, but that only let Kris feel the sensation of how fluffy Ralsei really was…and now that they were both on the ground, without the prince wearing his hat…Kris' cheek was pressed against the one of Ralsei, and…”oh my…that is…soooo fluffy, so soft…” Kris couldn't fight his urge to fall asleep, not with something so fluffy next to him…he slowly closed his eyes, and drifted away…
“Kris.”
“Kris?”
A soft and sweet voice slowly took Kris away from the lands of dreams, and he slowly faded into being awake. He felt something fluffy and soft on his cheek, and subconsciously pressed himself against the fluffiness, while he also felt the most comfortable mattress he had ever slept on below him…
“Uh…Kris?” what he had assumed was a pillow suddenly said right next to his head. Kris' eyes shot open, and he saw grass under his face, and as he turned his head to the right, he saw what the fluffy thing had been: white fur. The realization hit Kris like a car a brick wall, and he quickly took his head off the ground, just to look into Ralsei's face. He could clearly see that Ralsei was confused, accompanied by a blush that almost covered his entire face.
“O-oh my…I'm so sorry, Ralsei,” Kris brought out as he was quick to roll himself off of the prince. He felt his entire face get hot as well, surely his blush was about as bad as Ralsei#s. Both of them quickly sat up, though Ralsei didn't put his hat back on.
“D-don't worry about it, Kris…I-I shouldn't have woken you up,” Ralsei said with an abashed grin, as his face turned into an even deeper shade of red. “That has got to be the most adorable thing I have ever seen,” Kris thought, as all synapses in his brain were about to short circuit.
“T-t-to be honest…I, uhm, how do I put this? I…enjoyed that?” Ralsei went on and quickly turned his face away, though Kris could sense that Ralsei's face had to be about as red as a tomato. Kris suddenly had no control over anything anymore…everything drew him towards Ralsei, and before he could think about anything, he found himself next to him again, hugging the fluffy prince from behind.
“K-K-Kris?!” a surprised Ralsei was able to say as he jerked up. He didn't resist Kris' hug at all, however, so the human put his chin onto Ralsei's shoulder and snuggled his head close to the one of the prince, who eventually rested his head against that of Kris. Kris felt a smile on his face, he really was happy with the current situation. Emotions crackled inside of him, a firework of feelings erupting inside of him, filling him with happiness beyond comparison…Ralsei proceeded to also put his hand onto Kris' that were folded in front of him, while leaning back against Kris to rest a bit more comfortably as well.
“Haha…I never expected us to end up like this when we went out to get those candies. It…does feel very nice, though. Especially because of you,” Ralsei eventually whispered. “Yeah, it does feel so very nice…but why especially because of me? But, then again…it wouldn't be the same if this wasn't Ralsei…what is going on with me?” Kris couldn't think straight anymore, it was as if his brain had disconnected from his body.
“Don't you think that it is a bit weird? That whenever you arrive here, I feel the need to sing up on my tower? That every time I stop singing I see you sitting in front of the castle? I…thought of it as coincidence at first. But now…maybe…it isn't. I feel as if there is a connection that I haven't been able to grasp yet. But now that we are here like this, it suddenly appears clear in front of me…” Ralsei went on, and slightly pressed his head more against the one of Kris. He wanted to stay like this forever, be by Ralsei's side, spend time with him, make him happy…be happy together.
It now appeared in front of Kris' eyes as well, the bond he felt towards Ralsei, the desire to create and maintain a bond that surpassed the one of family and friendship. Each time he had been in the Dark World, Ralsei was the reason for him to be happy. Each time he had to leave him behind, Kris felt as if his heart would burst. Each time Ralsei had hugged him, his heart skipped a beat…just to continue beating at an even faster pace. Ralsei was who made each day worth getting up again. He wanted to be with Ralsei more than anything, just like he wanted Ralsei to be with him, feeling the same way.
“Each time you came down here…I felt it. I went onto my tower and sang, knowing that you were listening. And I was right every time, I looked down and saw you…I could feel the happiness and calmness radiating from your body. I had never seen you smile like you did today, but it made me incredibly happy, to know that you were smiling because of me. Kris…” Ralsei whispered. Kris had his head pressed against the one of the prince, and he could both feel and hear the fast pace Ralsei's heart was beating at.
“I…what I want to say…” he wanted to go on and turned his head towards Kris, but he cut him short. As Ralsei turned his head to look at Kris, he also turned his head to face the one he was still hugging. Ralsei was about to speak more, but at that time Kris had already heard enough…and what he felt was the equivalent of what Ralsei was feeling. He could only see one way to continue, one way their tale could go from now on. Kris closed his eyes and moved his head forward, his lips quickly meeting the ones of Ralsei, and proceeded to channel everything he felt towards him into kissing the fluffy, dark prince.
He could feel how Ralsei slightly jumped in surprise, but how he also quickly relaxed and started to kiss Kris back, an equal amount of passion against his own. In Kris' head, solely Ralsei existed, the desire to make him the happiest little goat on the face of this planet. Words weren't able to describe how much happiness he felt right now, or the amounts of pure love that he was filled with. Kris broke the kiss after what seemed like eternity, and opened his eyes again. He could see the ones of Ralsei, a warm and gentle light shining within them.
“Wow…” the prince was able to say, a new tone in his voice…the tone of love. “I…I was hoping that what I felt towards you was mutual, Kris…but I couldn't have imagined how it would feel to experience such a moment. That moment when two people share their strongest emotions with each other…”
“Never could I grasp what it was that I have been feeling since the first time I had come down here…only vaguely, it slowly started becoming more clear. It explains all the pain I had felt when I couldn't be with you…why it felt different, now that we are alone. It all was leading up to this, Ralsei…to the moment where I realized what I had been feeling, and to confess it to you…I love you, Ralsei,” Kris was finally able to form his emotions into words. Ralsei's smile wasn't like any other he had worn to date…the smile he gave Kris said it all.
“Oh, Kris…just knowing this makes me so much happier. I had feared that my love was one-sided, but now I see that I had nothing to fear…” Ralsei happily said while blushing again. Kris took his arms away from Ralsei, just to get up and sit down in front of him, facing the fluffy prince. He then gently took both of Ralsei's hands, and before either of them could think, Ralsei leaned forward and kissed Kris again, with the human quickly returning the kiss, an even greater amount of passion and love meeting each other at their lips. Nothing mattered anymore, as long as they could be together. Time passed and eventually they stopped kissing, just to look each other in the eyes, completely love-struck. “I'd like to stay like this forever…” Ralsei whispered.
“Perhaps I can arrange that…if I only have to be in my world to go to school, then maybe…I could live down here, together with you,” Kris proposed. It wouldn't make Toriel happy, but she would understand if he explained that he had found true love in his life, and wanted to be with the one he loved as much as he could…there had to be a way, and Kris was determined to find it.
“But…wouldn't that make your family sad if you were to leave them like that?” Ralsei asked with concern.
“They will understand if I explain to them what has moved me to make such a decision…and I will visit them every so often, don't worry about that. We can make this work…I WANT to make it work,” Kris explained to him. It was what he truly wanted, now that he had found a purpose in life.
“Then…will you live in my castle with me?” the prince asked with happiness.
“Yes, Ralsei. I will be with you until the very end of time. This decision…it has to be the most important one in my life,” Kris replied with a smile. He could see a tear appearing in Ralsei's right eye. The dark prince didn't have to be alone anymore, he was able to live with Kris as a happier person.
“Oh, now I remember something…we wanted to bake a cake, right?” Ralsei remembered. Kris recalled that that was what had been the cause for him falling onto Ralsei…and for him as well. “You're right. Well, we do have candies, what else do we need?” Kris asked him back.
“Oh, just a few things we can get from Seam's shop. Come, Kris,” Ralsei excitedly said, and stood up, putting on his hat again and shrouding himself in shadows. Kris stood up again, and held out his hand towards Ralsei. He blushed at first, but then gently took it, and together they started walking towards Seam's shop. Today marked the best day of Kris' life, and he was for once happy to have been alone…when he came into the Dark World today. And now he wouldn't have to be alone anymore, because he finally had someone who cared for him more than anyone else did.
Kris and Ralsei continued walking, holding hands, into a now brighter future…one that could illuminate the Dark World.