Work Text:
They were back in the castle, in the room Ralsei had carefully created for them.
He really, really hoped Kris liked the room. Gleaming trophies adorned the shelves, pristine striped sheets lay on a soft fluffy bed for them to rest on, and besides that was a sturdy chest of drawers for anything they wanted to use it for.
As for the other empty side of the room that faded into darkness, well, that was currently being filled by the, um, interesting ICE-E statue that the two of them were now heaving into place. Ralsei had to admit, Kris sure had a unique sense of decor! And a rather unconventional way of obtaining said furniture too. He supposed Noelle wouldn’t be missing the statue anytime soon, considering it was constructed from a random search result, but still.
After pushing it into place, they both stood back to admire it. The fuzzy cuboid statue with its grinning stare sat there in all its bizarre blocky glory.
“It…really goes nicely with the rest of the room, Kris!” Ralsei said. Well, maybe the rest of the room wasn’t quite as strange, but as long as Kris was happy about it, that was the most important part.
Kris turned around and sat down on the bed with a satisfied look, while glancing around the room, as if in agreement.
“Hey, um, speaking of room decor…" he ventured. "Do you remember the swan boat ride we had on that battery acid river?” Ralsei gave a sheepish smile, suddenly nervous. “I really enjoyed spending that time with you, and everything you said really meant a lot to me. And when you h-hugged me for that photo…” He fidgeted, remembering the pleasant surprise he had felt and the warm comforting feeling of the hug. Being around Kris never failed to make him feel better.
“A-Anyway, I happened to ask Swatch about the camera, and they very kindly gave me the photo that was taken during our ride! If you’d like, I could give you a copy? And m-maybe add a photo frame to the bedside stand for it? B-But only if you want to, of course.”
He looked at Kris keenly. They considered the question for a brief moment, and seemed almost...embarrassed? But their only reaction was to lightly shrug while avoiding his gaze.
Oh.
Oh no. Was it not them who…
“…Did you not like the boat ride, Kris? Or the photo?”
Silence.
“Does- Does that mean…when I hugged you after...the basement…”
A suffocating stillness filled the room. Ralsei felt an indescribable rush of sharp anxiety creep up on him. He’d somewhat known, of course, about the choices of certain circumstances, but he’d thought…
“I-It’s okay! I completely understand, everyone has boundaries and that’s perfectly fine!” Ralsei agitatedly squeezed his hands into fists, unconsciously bunching up the fabric of his robe, then released them. “I…I’m sorry, Kris. Everything’s so new to me. I’ve been alone for so long, and finally getting to meet you after all this time…I should've known it was a little too intense."
This felt…This felt all wrong, a sour twisted sensation of guilt and worry engulfing his mind. Here he was, a formerly lonesome prince awaiting in the dark, who had finally gained so many friends and companions through their adventures together. Kris was important to him, and he wanted so dearly to be supportive and for them to be happy. Ralsei greatly cherished their time together, limited as it was to Kris’ visits to the Dark World. Whatever this bond was between them, he wanted to hold on to it. To lose them now would be unbearable. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
Still that silence hung in the air. Suddenly, in one swift motion, Kris reached out and pulled him over to sit on the bed beside them. The bed squeaked a little in protest as he sat down with a thump.
“…K-Kris?”
“Ralsei…just has to keep on being Ralsei.”
They were sitting so close, Ralsei could feel his face heat up and he didn’t quite know where to look. It took everything he had to gather up his nerves, and focus on Kris’ voice and what they said.
To hear those words repeated once more made his spirits soar with unimaginable relief. When Kris had first told him that, he had felt beyond delighted that someone like him could be wanted and accepted for being himself. To care for someone and be cared for in return, Ralsei couldn’t ask for more. Himself was all he could ever be. For plain and simple ‘Ralsei’ to already be good enough, and to have Kris say so, well, that was all that mattered.
“Ah, um, I-I still don’t really know what it means to be ‘Ralsei-like’, b-but I’ll definitely do my best!”
In response, Kris let out a rare smile that sent Ralsei's feelings all aflutter. They casually glanced at the bedside table, and said, "Having that photo here would be nice."
Then, they laid a hand on his and gave a gentle squeeze. Ralsei squeezed back, and he could feel all his worries instantly ease away.