Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“...”

“...what…happened…?”

Noelle’s eyes blinked open to...well...there was blood on one of her hands, was the first thing she noticed, as her eyes bored into the ground. That was the ring Kris had given her though, wasn’t it? Among the...the fog that she had been feeling since they had gotten the first ring...since she had gotten the first ring...that was something they’d fished from a dumpster. She thought. Or well...more like gotten from. There was someone talking. A mechanical voice, like some sort of salesman gone wrong.

Not the voice that she heard. The one that, she had realized from Kris’s reactions, that only she could hear.

Breathe in, breathe out. What...what happened just now, though..?

“There was so much snow, I couldn’t see anything…” Snow. Snowgrave. Right, that was...that was what the voice had asked her to do. Wasn’t it? Even though she herself didn’t know the spell. But she had cast it, hadn’t she?

Huh. Getting stronger had seemed to help her quite a bit, hadn’t it? She let out a nervous laugh, still staring down at the ground. Getting stronger. That...that was what everything here was for, wasn’t it?

The faces of the darkners flashed around her for a moment as she recalled freezing them all. Getting stronger. Hm...she...what had she done? What had she done since meeting Kris again..?

“I…” She looked to her side as her breath caught in her throat.

A large, frozen crystal next to her. Right...right where Berdly had-

Her friend. One of her only friends. She couldn’t deny that he had certainly taken advantage of her friendship, something she, in all honesty, didn’t like very much, but...but it wasn’t something that he deserved to this level! Not in the slightest!

Seems that she had more than blood on one hand, in the end. Every part of her wanted to run to the crystal, to see if he was ok. 

But...she couldn’t. She stood up, mechanically, feeling every muscle in her body ache and move as if wanting to reject the movement. She stared forward, away from the crystal in one corner of her eye and Kris in the other corner.

“I don’t feel so good.” She spoke.

“...”

“I think. I’m going to head home.”

Her footsteps echoed behind her as she left, no longer caring if Kris followed her or not.

They didn’t.

Chapter Text

The rest of her dream she...couldn’t recall. If it was a dream. She recalled briefly seeing Queen, a conversation she didn’t recall, and then next thing she knew, she was here. In a random room, in bed, under the sheets. She rested, zoned out and feeling nothing but guilt.

She couldn’t go home. Not yet, apparently. The dream was far from over, no matter how much she tried to open her eyes, how much she pinched herself to wake up. She just laid in bed, not recognizing anything else. Not who was talking to her, not who was in the room, she...how did she get here anyways? Did Queen bring her here? She didn’t know. She just wanted this all to end. She didn’t care anymore. Susie could come in for all she cared. This was just a horrible nightmare, after all. None of it was real.

...right?

A voice interrupted her thoughts. A voice that she barely caught onto, was barely catching her attention above the sheer nothingness she felt, the complete and utter numbness that surrounded her.

“...elle? Are you there?” The voice rang in, a familiar, usually harsh but surprisingly concerned voice as the covers were pulled from off her head. The purple lizard blinked at her as Noelle stared back, taking a couple moments to recognize Susie.

Blink blink. Noelle stared back, her usual reaction of blushing and stuttering gone. There were no words. There was no reaction. She looked around for a moment to see no one else. Kris wasn’t with Susie. Susie had...just checked in on her on her own. Huh. If this were normal, she’d probably be freaking out more, but for now she just...was she zoning again?

At least she hadn’t heard that voice again. The one that Kris...was it Kris’s voice? She didn’t know.

She came back to present when she noticed a hand waving in front of her face. 

“Hellooo? Noelle?” Susie asked again as Noelle blinked up at her, not really sure how to respond. “...uh...I guess I should…” Susie took a couple steps back towards the door. “...I should probably go. I uh...hope you feel better.” Before Noelle could respond or process her words, Susie was gone.

...well, maybe she could go rest again now..? Noelle pulled the covers back over her head once more, shutting her eyes and willing herself to go back to sleep.

...how much time had passed? Noelle’s eyes shot open as she looked around.

“H-huh…?” There was a beeping noise as she looked around, her eyes resting on Berdly, still asleep next to her. “...Berdly’s...alarm?” Blink blink. She processed her surroundings for a moment.

“...a dream..? It was really just a…” But it felt so real. Thank god it was all just a nightmare.

She froze, turning forward for a moment as two more figures caught her eye. Susie and Kris.

“Susie!?” She called out for a second, pausing. “Susie! What are you doing here?”

“Uh...you invited us to study.” The lizard raised an eyebrow at Noelle, crossing her arms. “Remember?”

Blink blink. “...Oh, right! I did, didn’t I!” Noelle gave a nervous laugh.

“...uh. You’re in a good mood.” Susie asked. “Did you, uh, have a good dream?”

“It was a nightmare.” Noelle responded, her voice blunt.

“Oh.” 

“I’m...just happy I woke up.” Noelle looked to the side at Berdly, who still seemed to be asleep. Huh. It didn’t seem like him to sleep through his alarm.

Susie shifted in her stance, putting her hands in her pockets with a frown.

“Uh...the end was um...nice though.” Noelle said, pausing after she said it. That was a lie, and she knew it. Hopefully it’d make Susie a bit happier, though..? She seemed worried.

“Oh? What happened?” Susie tilted her head as she asked.

Ah crap. She didn’t think this far. “Haha, well, um…” A pause as she tried to think, though the brain fog or...or whatever it was tried to settle in again. Noelle shook her head.

“HAHA, HEY, Berdly, time to get up and go!” She looked over to the bird boy, who remained silent.

“...Berdly?” No response. She reached a hand over to shake him, pausing as she touched him.

...Why was his body cold as ice?

“Gosh, you’ve been studying too much, Berdly!” Her voice quick, she quickly picked up her own stuff and his as well. She could always drop it off at his parent’s house. “I think you deserve a little rest, y’know? Sweet dreams!” She quickly moved around the table, pausing at the door. She turned around at Susie and Kris, tilting her head.

“...wh...what are you doing?” Susie asked.

“...you don’t have a tail, do you, Susie?” It was an odd question, but it was one she had for a little while. Better to distract herself with something else for right now. 

“H-huh!? N-no way, of course not!” Susie immediately went on the defence, glaring at Noelle.

“Really? That’s great!” Her thoughts still lingered with the thought of Berdly’s cold body. Huh. That didn’t work in terms of trying to distract herself.

With that, out she went. Time to drop off Berdly’s stuff and head on to meet her dad as usual.

...as usual as could be, anyway.