Archive of Our Own

The Dragon of Hometown… That was her new, cooler moniker. The violet face bared a grin with all of her white teeth showing. She looked at the photo she had, scanning it left to right, catching each and every detail. Unable to stop a squeal from escaping her maw, she set it back on the table, face down.

She sighed, her smile diminishing somewhat . The birds outside chirped alongside the crickets. Her tail was thumping with excitement but she did not care. She flipped her phone open to check the calendar.

Only a few more minutes until tomorrow. A fact that made her tail thump harder, banging against the wall with great vigour. The whelp sighed once again, picking up the photo once again. A yellow-skinned young man stood with his torso bare. She traced over each muscle, each ab, each bicep alongside a tricep. She sighed in delish, imagining his apple scent. The story of how she got the photo wasn’t one she would say out loud, because of the pretty silly circumstances.

While she was walking around one day, just killing time, she had the genius idea of visiting the local police station and saying hi to the police chief and her transparent partner. She hadn’t planned on talking to or thinking about the young boy, so she seized up in surprise when she opened the door and saw Kris’s mom massaging his shoulders. While she didn’t know at the time, it turned out the fish mother was relaxing the boy’s muscles after a workout. Apparently, that was the Undying family’s quirk, the more she learned - the more she knew what to expect.

Though, perhaps that was too generous of a saying. Nevertheless, it was good to know.

She made a quick escape but was caught and brought back by the fish, who asked what her deal was). Some time later she was sent a photo taken at a similar moment from their usual mom and son bonding. It was something soothing for Kris, the massages, and that’s how Undyne got her son to talk about things around him.

So after a few warnings and a lengthy lecture about knocking first, the whelp understood everything, getting the aforementioned picture as a gift. Undyne, being a policewoman, was very perceptive, so she must have seen something back then when even Susie didn’t really understand the point of the gift, seeing it only as something to tease Kris for.

And of course, the short powerhouse of the human in the photo was Kris, bare.

And tomorrow was the day when the two would meet for a hangout. One of many, honest, hang outs right after their multiple journeys into darkness together. The dark world was exciting to visit for the young purple teen, since she got to be a real, honest to Angel, samurai. One that bowed before battle, and that used her agility and tail to advantage. Her black suit, leather and steel, went well together. The outfit was light too, making sure she could stay agile, while she swung her cyber-katana that glowed cyan. She sketched countless Samurai Susie in her sketchbooks for a long time after the whole experience, trying to use pictures she’d take of herself as poses she could draw her alter-ego in. She thought she was doing great with her arts, with each new drawing feeling more dynamic than the last one.

But she wasn’t the show stealer, since there was Kris. His alter ego was something like a paladin, with a huge breastplate and a big helmet that obstructed most of his face, only having some hair peek-out from under his headgear. Visor on the helmet showed his red eyes and nothing else. The greaves he sported made him feel taller in the dark world, levelling him with Susie. Each time he’d take a step it’d be met with a loud, metallic twing, boosted by various surfaces he’d be inhabiting at that moment. The big gauntlets that were on his arms and hands, made him able to grip at his mace with relative ease, boosting the gripping power on the handle. Handle wasn’t easy to grab, since it was three chains intertwined together, creating some sort of a weird symbol that looked close to DNA, yet more verbose. He also had a blue cape that always looked heroic with his own posing. The mace however, wasn’t usually used, since his fists were enough to do talking with.

She also remembered catching him in his room, with his armour standing on its own near to his bed, while he sat there, resting. She remembered how the armour from inside seemed to have different materials. Cotton, leather - something of that sort she could see, yet she was no expert. Kris didn’t really know it all that well too, at least, that’s what he claimed… she didn’t really believe him that much in regards to that. She remembered him stretching out on the bed, exercising his muscles and cracking his bones. The human had a thick leather jacket on him, seemingly it was quilted? It looked pretty comfy and free, covering all of his skin with ease. Must’ve been something that protected him from the rough surfaces of his heavy attire. Padded too, perhaps with cotton? He really looked like, as if he was in a typical winter jacket, surrounding himself from the cold that she felt goosebumps from. She wasn’t surprised to see his window being open back then, and had to cover herself in her own blanket that so generously gave her.

With a sigh that seemed more like a squeal, showing enjoyment of being on such a vivid memory train before sleep broke out. She remembered the sheer strength of the human, that was currently her mind intruder. Since, he went through every obstacle with ease. Such ease, that it was enough to just stomp once to have seen the spade prince spooked and watch him sparkle with his heels caught in a sprint… She chuckled, since even the Spade King meant nothing. He took all of his attacks like a champ, making the round large buffoon cry while he was brought into jail. And the Queen? Kris just smiled at the large battle mech before him, and couldn’t even blink before she watched the huge robot thrown into a wall, thrashed in a second. The whole experience was vastly comical, and the Dragon couldn’t help but imagine Kris, like he was some main character in her usually viewed anime…

With sparkles flashing in her eyes… She remembered yet another thing. One of his greatest deeds was that he defended the Dragon of Hometown… He made sure that no hit, through their entire journey, would’ve scratched the surface of Susie’s epic armour. The more she thought of his postures, his flexing, his charges and his rare, yet overly cheesy flirt lines - the more she felt herself clutching at the photo.

She shut off the bedside light and fell head first into her pillow. Pulling her blanket closer and clutching her plushie in a lazy hug, she closed her eyes and smiled brightly, tail slowly becoming less and less excited. Tomorrow would have been the day for her confession, and she had to get plenty of sleep. At least her mom said so.

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With a drawn-out yawn, she opened her eyes. Lazily sitting up, she stretched her arms above, spreading them while she yawned out all her sleepiness. Then, she shuddered, feeling the cold air brought to her scales by the wind. Sleeping in just her sports bra didn't help and she had to act quick. Standing up like a soldier, she put on her shorts and a tee-shirt with her favourite character printed on it. Not wasting time, she ran up to the door, opened it and immediately descended the stairs.

The old goat glanced towards her and the dragon waved at her, before shutting herself in the bathroom. The woman softly giggled, as she flipped through her newspaper. She knew why her daughter was excited, and that all of her advice wouldn’t go to waste.

With a happy sigh, Toriel remembered how excited the young whelp was on the prospect of that one human boy. How she bombarded her mother with tons of questions, as if her mom knew everything about the boy. But, she knew some things about love, and the advice about keeping it all to truth - wasn’t sold for nothing.

Glancing towards the door, she saw her excited whelp exit, sprinting towards her. Normally, she’d tell her not to run indoors… and yet, the infectious sight of a very wide smile on the young girl’s face stopped her from doing so.

“Mornin’ mom!” - Susie greeted, taking a seat on the family table. - “Eggs with some charred bacon? Awesome!”

Toriel laughed, seeing the purple excitement tear through the eggs with bacon like it was nothing. It was no secret that, while the goat liked her bacon way less burnt, her daughter insisted on eating her food that way. She watched her long tail wiggle left and right, serving as a loud announcement that the food was more than enjoyable.

The goat made her way behind Susie as she hummed contentedly. Hairbrush in hand, she reached out to her hair and started working on the terrific bedhead sported atop the purple head. Swallowing the food, the dragon thanked her mother, continuing to chew through the sizable portion that laid on the plate, only stopping to gulp down orange juice.

Once she was finished, she slid herself (and her chair) out of the table, standing up to wash the dishes. Toriel remained behind her, keeping her work on the mess of hair.

Scrubbing off all the remains of yolk with soap, she placed it to dry on the counter, fork placed on the plate.

“My, aren’t you excited today?” - Toriel commented. - “When are you two supposed to meet?”

“Uh… in like… an hour?” - Susie replied, taking out her phone. - “...No, actually. In two hours.”

“You have quite a bit of time before then, my dear! What do you suppose you two shall do?”

“I… don’t know, mom. Maybe I’ll clean up my room?”

Toriel laughed. - “Ha-ha! You did not forget about me leaving the house today, hm, young lady?” - Susie just grinned, which spoke for itself.

“Well! You know the rules, my child.” - Toriel spoke, brushing under Susie’s ears which were hidden by her long mane. - “You will not break them, will you?”

Susie shook her head vigorously . - “I won’t! Pinky promise!”

The goat chuckled, patting her head. - "Thank you. There'll be a pie waiting for you both shall you come together."

She beamed. The dragon loved her pies with cinnamon and butterscotch, and the prospect of sharing one with Kris made her cheeks flare up.

"There are also some chocolate drops too, to go with a cake you could bake." - The mother continued. - "After all, there were quite a lot of leftovers! You should have enough for a cake!"

Susie's eyes smiled generously, a sight that made the goat smile just as hard.

In a voice full of energy, the whelp thanked her mother with a hug and sprinted up towards her room, making some fur on the mother’s face flutter. When the teen was excited, she was able to bend wind to suit her needs. With an amused chuckle, the goat sat in her favourite chair, and relaxed, flipping through the same newspaper.

She busied herself with cleaning her room. A chore that most would consider boring, but one that she found therapeutic and relaxing. The reason being that it provided an excuse for her to let her touch all her treasures.
Her treasure hoard was kept on her bookshelf, consisting of various books and mangas she liked, as well as various items like the bottle caps from exotic drinks, or pieces of candy she tried and loved, a few plushies, and a collection of various papers with sentimental value.

Some of them were her first serious exams passed with A’s, some were drawings done by herself or by her friend, Noelle. It was funny, since she recalled that there would have been some more drawings… not to mention that there weren’t her own drawings. But from one more person that was important to her, there really could have been more drawings. Problem was - she just ate his art. Why was the bolder question, truly, but it had a good explanation to it. Thing is, Kris draws well. He’s just, really really good at art, which was a given when you draw from nature as much as he did.

So, that naturally made his art be realistic, and he aimed to be an ace at it, which was why he drew very detailed things, including anatomy. While the younger Dreemurr didn’t mind it, she knew that her mother very well could have, and she didn’t want to get grounded or anything - so she did the slightly logical thing of enjoying his art as her meal… It was not ideal, truly, yet it did what it should’ve done - getting her out of a potential feud with her mom.

Wiping the tear from her eye at the proud-ish memory, she took the cloth in her hand. Starting off with her cleaning, she wiped off the thin surface of dust. She cheerfully whistled, working on getting every bit of dust onto the floor. After all, the less you bent your back, the better it was for you.

She first tended to her own treasure pile, before she moved on Asriel’s (way less cool, but somewhat flashier) bookshelf. She loved her brother, despite him being a little dorky… then again, Kris called HER a dork too. Maybe being a dork wasn’t so bad? At least, Asriel being such showed her that she didn’t have to be all glum and gloomy, and later extended such support towards her aforementioned doe buddy.

If you looked at the antlered girl now, you’d have a hard time thinking she was ever gloomy towards everyone… Asking others residing in Hometown however, you’d find out stories, some tragic, some silly.

When your closest friend was a goth cat notorious for her nihilism, some of it tended to rub off on you. Such was Noelle’s case, and she still hasn't recovered completely… It was a work in progress.

The whelp chuckled heartily, sneezing afterwards from the inhaled dust. The memory of Noelle dressed up like a goth resurfaced and was just too much for her to handle with a straight face. It was a fun sight – herself, carelessly dressed, with the fairly nicely dressed Noelle as two walked the town. Both were polar opposites both in style and care for their clothes, creating a fun picture for the townsfolk.

With her whistling replaced by humming, she was done with above-floor surfaces. She took her broom and started nestling all the dust together.

That was Toriel’s Pro-Tip Advice #43 - Waste less electricity by using your vacuum cleaner less, by bundling up dust together. And Susie’s mom gave good advice. Once bundled, she plugged in the vacuum cleaner that the goat prepared for the young one to use. With the loud whistling of the device, she sucked all the dust in a few moments. Satisfied with her work, she turned it off.

All that was left was to change her sheets, and wash herself. She considered whether Kris would appreciate smelling some of her natural scents (since she could sniff and enjoy his scents very easily) or if she should sport the usual cherry shampoo. After all, cherries (and all fruit) smelled very nicely, Kris being the first example, second was Noelle with her minty scents… even if mint was an herb, not a fruit.

She shrugged,picking cherries like usual. Her tail slightly twirled from the sheer SIZE of her own genius. The Dragon of Hometown took the dirtier sheets and put them under her arm. With her free hand, she opened the door and walked out of her cleaner room. As she walked, she couldn’t help but think: what could she and Kris do together today?

She had a whole plastic bag’s worth of chocolate kisses (that she worked overtime at sans’ for), and she had a few places to visit with Kris… What else would she do before she spilled her spaghetti out to him?

Like in one of her favourite anime - Wired-up Kokoro - She would come close to his ears and whisper all he needed to know, making the reveal be sudden, while they stood at that one specific spot in the forest. She loved that particular spot there and looked forward to getting there in Spring.

She threw her bedding into the laundry bin, not forgetting to close the lid after. She sighed, it was most likely her turn to go and do laundry, and that wasn’t the most enjoyable thing for her.

But then, she remembered that they’d get their own washing machine soon, and that made the whelp be excited, stars flashing in her eyes. She forgot about the predicament completely, thinking about something else.

Her own, brand new washing machine… Would she be able to sit on it, immersing herself into an imaginative bumpy ride? She chuckled, thinking of her favourite uneven roads into the deeper woods, which she frequented with her dad for fishing and chilling purposes. She was really good at fishing too, her dad said so! She could reel plenty of fish out of the water, making for very good meals. Then, a realisation creeped to her mind, bringing her to a halt.
“...Would I offend Kris with that?” - She wondered out-loud.

She calmed down when she remembered seeing officer Undyne eating sushi, so maybe it’d be okay. If Kris’s mom ate sushi, that probably meant that Kris had (and possibly liked) sushi too. Maybe she was worried over nothing indeed… Susie sighed, once again feeling the idea in her head. Would it not be fun to catch some fish and grill them later? She wondered if Kris would like her cooking skills (she swore that she practised, Toriel said she's an excellent little cook!)

Then as she smiled and leaned onto the shower’s rack… then, her eyes got wide, and her smile was gone.

She realised that she forgot clothes to change into. With a slight sigh, she went out of the door to grab them.

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Having zipped up her purple jacket, her long hair tied into the usual pony-tail, she stepped out of the house. Feeling her keys in one pocket, and then patting down the other one in her jeans for phone and wallet. Happy she didn’t forget anything, she started walking towards their meeting spot. Her shoelaces were, of course, untied. She liked the look, even if she tripped at least three times per month.

She giggled. Kris would catch her if she were to fall, he always did when they walked together. It’s why it was three times, and not ten! She smiled, looking forward to seeing the shortie of her dreams.

Their usual spot” was in the centre of the town, next to the diner. There wasn’t a specific reason that spot in particular was chosen, they just felt it was a good spot to meet since you had access to whatever you wanted with ease. The entrance to Hometown’s forest was close by, too. While walking she spotted an empty can of coke, and playfully kicked at the can. She gave it nice kicks while she walked, making it clatter on the hard concrete, spinning and turning. With her progressively stronger kicks, the can became more and more bent, it’s tumbling growing more and more chaotic.

Then, coming close to a nearby waste bin, she picked it up and threw it inside, dusting her hands off. She had her own way with it but she wouldn’t want to disappoint Kris with her crimes and pranks… There could be a chance he’d not appreciate it at all, after all. Maybe later she’d expose him into the world of pranks, carefully crafted by herself and her brother.

But that could wait. She’d play along with his goody-two-shoes persona for now. She gulped slightly, wincing at the sudden memory of him being bullied by the students.

Her trekking became slower since she had to process and fight the intrusive thoughts. It wasn’t her fault, it doesn’t happen anymore, Kris doesn’t get bullied and he’s okay. She repeated the same thoughts in her head a few times, before exhaling, content.

She just hoped she’d been less of a coward back then. She’s not the last person in school in terms of ‘hierarchy’, so she could’ve done something if she tried. With her crush, no less, she could’ve protected him… If she wasn’t such a coward.

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. Heaving one and then some, she slowly felt herself calming down. She was okay, she was getting better at standing her ground. Nothing was going poorly, nowadays. Thoughts circled in her head as she thought more and more about the things that happened. Kris was doing better, she couldn’t have known the details of what happened (nobody really knew besides himself and his mom), but she knew he was doing better and recovered quickly from whatever happened.

All she knew was that he had two weeks in a hospital to recover. There were also rumours that he very well had a chance to not survive whatever happened, which at the time made her grip anything with more force than usual. She was worried, then to be fair - who couldn’t be worried for their friend, especially if that friend was your childhood one?

The human friend of hers was safe. His mom was recovering from her own problems too. Susie too, got better, and school students stopped being disgusting.

With those thoughts realised, she kept walking, thinking about something else…

What would Kris say about throwing flat stones into a river together, competing on who lands more ripples? Would she win with her slick throws that she practised for? Would Kris’s throws be stronger, getting more skips? Would it be some sort of a competition? Would that be the right moment for a reveal??

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Kris walked out of the hospital, glancing both sides before he walked out, immediately dashing behind a nearby tree. Seeing that the coast was clear, he ran out and appeared near the diner, hugging the wall with his back. The wind plucked at his scarf, while he groaned in slight annoyance. Placing both hands on the blue cloth, he slowly pinched together at the knot, making sure it was firm and nice, so that his additional warmth wouldn’t escape him.

It wasn’t just for the warmth, though… it had a different purpose, one he just finished visiting the hospital for regarding his check-up. He was pleased to hear they were healing and were healing rather nicely. The wind blew once again, reminding him once more of his green sweater being good protection against the Autumn’s chill. He smiled, looking at the skies floating above, trying to cover one another as if it was a friendly race. Then, he sighed for a different reason - check-ups. Sadly, the problem nagged at his neck, proving sensitive to any kind of outside force, be it wind or be it touch. When it rained - it sucked the most but he was able to power through it.

He, really, wasn’t enjoying the fact that it’s been months since the whole ordeal… with him not fully recovered. He was looking forward to them being healed, and he knew by now that it wouldn’t mean that he’d stop wearing his scarf.

Even if it was chosen for one reason, it didn’t mean he didn’t like wearing it now.

The problem still occupied his mind often, but with distractions in the face of the person he was now waiting for - it was more than bearable. He also really liked seeing his mother come together, and shatter the unhealthy tendencies she’d gotten through the whole thing.

The last few months really were a big learning experience for both. Both were more outgoing and less closed, with the boy enjoying company of more people and with Undyne slowly becoming more and more interested in the old goat that sold flowers. Kris didn’t mind, too, he thought it’d be cool (even if odd for some time) to see Asgore be closer with his mom.

Checking the rising sun, he had a few questions in his mind… he glanced around, trying to see if his friend had arrived yet or not. Having scanned the surroundings, he brushed his hair. Must’ve come early today, he thought. He thought of his options. One was to sprint home as fast as he could to grab the locky sticks he forgot, as his own gift to the dragon. The other was to go inside the diner and see if he can reserve the table for now or later. The third option was to just stand around, and that was making his patience feel thinner by the second. Fourth option was to sprint to see mom at work, and see the faces of criminals who got what was coming to them.

The first option is what he chose. It was right to give something back, since she gave so much to him already. He had to work it back up, and he knew the Quapanese snacks were something right up her alley. So, facing the direction of his house, he sent himself off with a comical whistle blaring the soundscape.

Then, with a hop off the ground and placing his feet after him, he landed on them. The wave that was created shook the ground, with small pebbles flying upwards from the cracks on the asphalt. With the slow and calm walking, he gently opened the door with his keys and stepped inside, locking the door behind. Taking off his shoes as he stepped in, he walked up to his room.

The humble abode of the town’s silent strong man contained a nice bed, a small work-out set for him to burn carbs and calories with ease, a laptop on a table made of some sort of bright wood and more. Susie had been here twice, and she nerded out about his plushies collection each time, since… Well, how couldn’t she really? It was something that the human took pride in, various plushies from all over the world. Sharks, mice, hamsters, some were even popular anime characters… He really loved his mother, since she got him those gifts.

He picked up the orange hamster, cupping the fake creature in both his hands. The smooth cotton surrounding the white, soft insides, was very pleasing to the touch. He kept his plushies in mint condition, taking care to wipe dust or wash them when he could. They usually sat on the drawer next to his bed, as if they were a gang. It was intentional, too, since the boy used them as if they were his guards. If not against monsters breaking in - then against sleep paralysis demons that would’ve tried to claim his sleep.

He placed the hamster right in the middle of the formation. With a quiet ‘oh!’, he picked up the sunglasses that laid next to the plush squad. Then, he flicked them open and got the accessory to rest on the hamster’s big head, making sure his eyes were lined up with the lenses.

The rad leader stood there, and Kris couldn’t help but flash finger-guns right back at the plush, for whom that was a typical pose. With a chuckle, he sat on his bed, clutching at the box of desert that was a gift. He started to reminisce.

When he’d be busy watching Hamrato, he could cuddle up to the familiar hamster, who served well to protect his head from overthinking or nightmares. That wasn’t just some kid-fact that Kris made himself believe in, no, that was practical. The plush monster really did make him sleep better, since hugging something made him feel better about his gentle physique. Made him feel better, since he could control his squeezing, to not make the monster explode, covering the floor with its white insides…

It was a gruesome thought for sure, and he shuddered. He’d never forgive himself if that were to happen. Standing up from his bed, he looked at the product in hand. It wasn’t easy to order things from a different country, especially when you reside somewhere where flies seemingly go to take a dump at… He did think what he got was cool, since chocolate covered by crispy dough - it was as if they were cookies filled with chocolate. Just that, the format was simpler to share and enjoy.

…Even if that sacrificed the amount of chocolate that could have been used.

In any case, he figured that it should be pretty good for the draconian tongue, at least that’s what he believed in. He loved chocolate, and while the girl was just okay with the delight of the gods, it didn’t stop her from enjoying it. She’d come around, he genuinely believed that.

He chuckled at the memory of them eating nerds candy together. She told him that the name reminded her of him, and he then chuckled. He remembered her looking so happy while he chewed at the sugary pebbles, making his work-out sessions longer with each second spent savouring the sweetness.

Not wanting to stall any further, he turned around and stepped out, closing the door. Then he quickly got his shoes on, laces still tied, and stepped out, closing and locking the front door. Taking steps outside their front porch, he prepared himself, before going into a dash, breaking light once again.

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The pink dragon stood at their usual meet-up spot and blinked. Did she really get here before the human, this time? She checked the diner, and found no trace of the human. She looked around and used her nose, and found no trail of the familiar apple scent. She looked back and forth, looked behind the diner - and still there was no result.

She frowned. She couldn’t believe her thoughts about him ditching her. It wouldn’t be possible, no, he’s too cool for that she told herself. She leaned against the wall and opened her flip phone. Her finger hovered over the contacts button, she pondered on whether or not she should message the human or not. Then, a different batch of thoughts came in.

…What if he didn’t want to or just… Couldn’t hang out today? Maybe something happened, maybe he had another accident, was he at the hospital already? Was he still home?

She could call and find out. She was sure that Kris or anyone close to him, would have taken the phone… Her finger almost smashed at the activation, she felt wind get… Stronger. Pulling her naturally long face from the phone’s screen, she faced right and saw… Her human.

Her tail slightly wagged left and right, prompted upwards. She loved seeing his display of strength and cardio, and his speed had saved her and him from being late to school numerous times. Just remembering how he effortlessly carried her on his shoulders while he ran, how her head was getting dizzy, how she held up frantically to his shoulders, afraid to become one with asphalt if she fell.

But his grip always assured her. So, seeing his grip on a box of something, right before her eyes, she had to take a few steps back to understand the offer.

…Locky! The candy from the country of the rising moon! She licked her chops, and the human could’ve swore he saw her eyes become stars for a second. She grabbed the box, and the human fingers let go, making the box’s new owner become her.

“Y-you shouldn’t have, K-Kris! Or what… You wanted to, uh, best my awesome gifting skills or something?”

“With a teacher like you, sensei, I think I still have more presents to get you.” - The human said with a smirk, hiding arms behind his back. - “Also, hello.”

“Y-yeah, hey!” - She pouted, hiding the cherished box in her pocket. - “Hey now… Gifts aren’t some obligations, dummy! Don’t worry about giving back, okay?!”

Kris nodded. She supposed he agreed, then he looked at her brushing his hair. - “Shall we get going?”

The dragon grinned, her white sparkling teeth pulled into a goofy grin, making him smile as well. “Yeah!”

The two faced the diner, then they faced the forest. The two nodded and started slowly walking towards the old forest, as it looked golden due to the time of the year. Kris chuckled, prompting Susie’s entire attention to be directed at the human.

“Hm? What’s funny?” - She asked.

“Nothing, really. You just smell like cherries.” - He said, with a small smirk that you’d only notice if your head was filled with the human.

“Ah-ahah-- Well, y-y’know! Uh… Fruits are, like, awesome!” - she defended herself.

“No need to defend yourself over it. I'm the apple incarnate, remember?” - He replied, clapping her on the back with a chuckle. The ‘tap’ in Kris’s mind made the dragon wince all-the-less.

“Y-Yo! Careful!” - She said. - “I may be taller and bigger than you, shortie… but you’re, like, ten gyms in one person here!”

At that, the human beamed, sharing a laugh between one another as they kept their pace. Both didn’t say where they went, yet both knew the destination. It was a nice day for their spot after all, sitting on the rock nearby a small stone beach was perfect. And the lake was always so welcoming and calming for the whelp. Kris found it more therapeutic, yet he was unaware of what was to come, since The Dragon of Hometown had her plan in action.

She noted that Kris didn’t ask for anything back, nor has he seemed like he expected anything. She got some sweat drops on her forehead, suddenly…

Did he already know her plan? That was her question. And she wasn’t sure if it was her getting cold feet or just the fact that Kris might’ve known.

Despite their chat back to back, she found herself mentally cringing as they kept approaching the place of her confession. She gulped and breathed, making a joke that made the human laugh to the point of swirling around.

She sighed, no, this wasn’t going to be put off for long. She’d get there, she’d say what she thinks of Kris and today it’d be done. No matter if today could be a bad day for it, or their fears could be true. Today was the day, and that was final.

“So… Have you thought about the festival?” - Kris asked the dragon, stepping over a branch in the process.

“H-huh? The festival? Y-y’mean the dance?”

“Yes. Mom wants me to go, it’d be… cool, if you were there.” - The human replied, with some odd hesitation from his side, voice a little strained. - “Mom taught me how to dance, so it would be a good chance to fit in. What do you think?”

Susie blushed, face of hers away from Kris as she ran the information through her flesh-circuits. Kris… he asked her out on a dance. He honestly did so, did he not? She smiled, and stopped in place, making the human look at her more closely…

The dragon shook in place and the boy tilted his head, confused over the predicament… Did he say something wrong? Was there something else instead?

“K-Kuh-Kris..?” - She asked, tail of hers wagging. - “You want me to go on a dance with you?”

Kris nodded, confirming his request by voice as well. Susie, as a result, jumped in the air with great joy!

“I… Yes! I’ll go! We’ll slay them all, as if we wear skirts with daggers underneath! With our spins putting everyone to the floor, like we’re the greatest dancers eveerrrr!~” - She squealed, grabbing Kris’s shoulders and jumping all around the forest, with her tail going up and down, like it was a whip for the ground. The leaves around were truly rustled, as they flew around the duo.

…Then, the sound of something falling made him and her look at the object. She shuddered, seeing what it was… Kris, on the other hand, smiled bright.

A plastic bag filled with something dark, and the only guess that made sense for Susie, is that it was chocolate, most likely for him too. - “Susie… is that another gift for me? You really shouldn’t have!”

Susie put him on the ground, and stood still, beckoning with her head for him to go and take the prize. He kicked it up into the air and grabbed it while it flew. It had… chocolate kisses inside. Like, most likely the entire heart too.

“...Wow!” - He commented. - “Hearts of chocolate… You’ve truly understood my addiction, haven't you?”

She saw him unwrap the transparent knot, and reach his fingers inside, clasping around one heart. Then, she watched him bring the delight to his nose, seeing his nostrils flare up.

“That does smell nice… seems like great chocolate!” - He praised, bringing the piece to his mouth, taking a small bite.

“Mmm… that’s good. Rich, good chocolate. Thank you so much, Susie! This is a wonderful gift.” - He munched on the chocolate, all while he smiled at her, making the toothy girl share her own smile.

Then, he slowly took steps toward Susie. One after another. - “There’s one thing I want to… know.” - He said slowly, making the sweat buried by the long draconic head be revealed, slowly.

“The hearts.” - He took a step. - “How you’re eager to see me.” - And then another one. - “Your excitement…” - He was reaching closer. - “And your honesty to me.” - One final step was made.

They stood close in proximity, distance between them could have been measured by one finger from Susie. She looked down, he looked up. He reached his hand out to her face, while the dragon’s subconsciousness screamed in excitement. Then, the yellow fingers slowly brushed her hair, with his fingers lazily twirling around her close, soft mane.

He smiled, she smiled toothily at him, leaning into his touch. He cleared his throat, ready to say what he thought… all she looked forward to, all she would need to do is just confirm it!

“You really see me as your best friend, don’t you?” - Kris said, with a chuckle, as he kept brushing her hair.

The dragon however, didn’t hear much, and just shouted at the top of her lungs. - “HECK YEAH I’LL BE YOUR VALENTINE AND GIRLFRIEND KRIS!”

The human froze, she looked at him while her tail wagged left to right, like a speedy metronome but without sound. He brought his freed hand to his face, looking away from the girl before him. She could see him blush, his cheeks flaring up some nice, pink heat. His hands lightly trembled, the wind blew to him and her, making her and his hair shake, yet not as much as it shook his scarf.

He firmly and quickly grabbed hold of his blue fibre, keeping it in place before he looked at Susie. He looked her right in the eyes, in her expectant, loving, amber glowing eyes. He parted his lips from one another, and with a sigh he knew not that he was holding, he announced. - “I… W-wow, I didn’t expect it to be m-mutual…”

With a draconic smirk, she leaped into Kris, making the human fall from the sudden and quick weight that fell atop him, as the duo fell onto the leaves beneath them. She giggled, wrapping her arms around, now, her human. Her tail shook, no, trembled left and right, all while she herself giggled and shook from those emotions, ugly tears of joy breaking out and staining Kris’s scarf. He slowly, very slowly, returned the embrace, brushing against her back with his smaller hands. Feeling her jacket and barely feeling her weight, he just kept laying, uncaring for laying on the golden crunchy leaves.

“Of course it’s mutual, you dummy!” - She announced. - “H-how could it not be? You’re my best friend, you’ve looked past my dweeby little attitude, past my awkwardness - past everything… You’ve given me a chance, when people would rather dodge it!” - She held him way closer and tighter, though Kris still didn’t feel much. - “I… I wanna be with you, Kris… you’re my little apple basket! You’re my hero, you’re my protector, you’re my fellow anime enjoyer, you’re… You’re mine!”

He hugged the tall dragoness a little tighter too, and the dragon felt that, desperate to hold him even tighter as reply. The two giggled, slowly laughing from their shared dorkiness… because, who confesses like that?

“Mom would be proud of me.” - Kris announced, imagining how she’d probably punch a hole in the wall upon hearing the news from the human, said specifically at a time to catch the fish mom off-guard.

It was too funny not to destroy the house, and it made sure he and mom spent time fixing the dents together. Kris smiled just like his mom, teeth fully on display, yet not his eyes. Slowly, turned her around in his grasp to hold her in bridal-style. Then, with a prompt ‘ngaah!’ breaking out of his mouth, he jumped upwards, landing on his feet. She laid in his arms, and could only look in awe at the human who was way smaller than her.

Susie's brain just fried itself, making the human look at her expectantly. She, not seeing anything better, held his head from behind with her tail and reached her mouth out to plant a smooch on the yellow cheek. Both didn't really know what to think, nor did they care on whether it was too far too sudden, it's something that Kris wanted and suppressed emotions for… it's something that she wanted and waited for.

Parting her small lips from his cheek, she looked at him with an adorkable smile, brushing his head with her tail's end. - "So… guess this turned into a date, huh..?" - She asked, tone or her voice clean and soft.

Kris nodded with a smile, turning her in her arms yet again, to successfully place her on the ground. After all, he thought that she should’ve stood next to him. She loved being manhandled by that human, so when she was softly placed on the ground she couldn't help but pout a little bit. It was quickly replaced by the usual grin of the day.

"So uh… I think we should get going, hm?" - She asked, tail wagging as she reached down to the ground to pick up the dropped bag of kisses.

Kris nodded with a grin. Susie grinned back, as they continued their travel.

Since Kris got the candy bag back, he started throwing them in his mouth, one by one. That made the dragon look in his direction and ask: - "Will you share kisses with me? I'll share sticks with you too."

"Sure!” - He enthusiastically replied. - “I've never had Locky before. Been curious to try if it’s good as you praised them."

The dragon rolled her eyes. This little nerd was doubting her tastes or something? She’d show him, she’d make him be the first to try the new pack too… as a way of putting her trust up-front. Kris chuckled, devouring the last (for now) kiss.

-+-+-+-+-

They sat on the hard surface of the grey stone, butts comfortably sat atop the smoother roof of the large rock that stood there, not naturally. After all, it was Kris who got this particular rock here. The perfect spot to use some height, since there was the lake, with the flowing water escaping through various little streams facing downward. The sound that was created was phenomenal, and the two nerds sitting on the artificial bump, had thrown yet another small stone into the lake. Two splashes followed after, with the pebble hopping once before it was submerged by the crystal-clear liquid.

“Dang it! It’s hard throwing them pebbles from a height!” - Susie pouted, leaning back, using her hands holding the hard surface behind her as support. She looked at the human who stood up, pebble in hand, as he brought his arm lower, at the level of his waist. Then, he reached his hand behind his front, about at the level of his side, turning himself to the left in the process. Then, with a very immense and sudden throw, the pebble flew out of his arm, with a sharp whistle trailing the object. There was one splash, then another, and then five more, before the stone submerged into water with steam coming out.

The Dragon of Hometown’s jaw fell, if she was old, that jaw probably would’ve fallen out… not figuratively. She gasped, swallowing her pride, seeing the human stare back at her with expectation.

“Your posture is all wrong if you want to win. We can keep throwing rocks for fun but this can be good exercise too.” - He commented, grabbing a flat stone and holding it out to her.

She grinned, grabbing the piece of nature swiftly, standing up and balancing on the rock that she now stood on. After all, if you’re not careful - you can just fall, and Susie’s track record wasn’t good to say the least. She stood, breathed out the uncondensed smoke, and prepared herself mentally. Mimicking the human’s posture, she stood, clutching the stone hard in her hand, repeating all of the steps that the human took. Sticking her tongue out and having one eye closed, as if she was aiming, she prepared herself for a throw. Positioning a free hand in her front, as if looking through the slight opening between her thumb and palm, she breathed in some air. Then, trying to be as swift and sudden as Kris was, she threw the rock and watched it go.

One, two… five, six, seven and eight! She won by the margin of one and the human tried to put but really couldn’t. He found it to be cute, seeing her mimic him… and that chuckle that went out from him, just couldn’t be stopped. - “W-wow! I, phaha, did not expect you to pick up on how I did it so quickly!”

“I-I guess I’m just awesome, especially a great learner!”

“You’re a good student, indeed… hm. Susie, do you want to keep competing?”

“Honestly? Not really. I feel like it’d be cool to just, chill, y’know?” - She sat. - “Like, we can compete any other day, heck maybe even later today s-since, um, you-- we could chill at my house!”

“Huh. Watch anime, right?”

“W-well not exclusively! I was thinking of d-drawing together…” - She blushed like a beetroot, her tail thumped against the rocky surface. - “Like, I kinda ate your old drawings, so it’d be cool to draw again!”

“You want to see my style clash with your anime one?” - He asked, with an unnoticed eyebrow raised behind his bangs.

“Yes! I think it would look cool, you could like…” - The dragon hummed, thinking with her pointing finger brushing at her chin. - “Li-i-i-ike… oh! Draw backgrounds?”

“Hmm.” - Kris thought. He was good at backgrounds, and it was escapism for him to draw big and detailed ones. - “Sure.”

“We’re going to draw something very cool, Kris.” - She beamed. - “But for now, let’s just keep filling up the lake so it’ll eventually flood the forest!”

Kris chuckled, throwing one of his stones into the lake, lazily. A splash was heard, and then afterward there was another. Susie grinned at the human, since that was hers that just landed there, close to his.

“Good throw.”

-+-+-+-+-

The duo walked back through the same path that they got there. The chocolate was unharmed, since when Kris’s now-girlfriend brought up the prospect of hitting her house for the time, both agreed it’d be better to eat it from a bowl. Because that bowl would mean their hands could touch, and both thought it’d be nice to start their romantic journey small. And together.

So, they didn’t particularly chat about anything on the way back. It was just them, well, throwing ideas out. Susie spoke about what anime they could watch, while Kris offered to cook something for them two. With the pie info, he got really eager about wanting to bake it with her. And the chocolate drops were too good to just be wasted on a cake, he thought. Despite the stashed chocolate they already had, he still couldn’t help but drool a little… After all, most chocolate was good in his eyes, aside from the cocoa-less types.

Kris asked if Susie had pencils for him to use, she nodded with great vigour in reply, making him smile. She assured him that her stash of art supplies was pretty good, maybe not as refined as the calligraphy tools that Kris used, yet it was hers to use and share as she saw fit. She enjoyed the fact, too, and it was a while since the human drew with plebeian supplies. He cracked his knuckles for good measure, sifting through ideas that were on his mind for art-related things.

Then the two thought about whether or not they should go to the diner to have proper food. Both had good money after all. Kris helped out his mother when he could’ve, so he earned his allowance by just doing work for mom, be it sorting through various police papers, or using his force to threaten criminals into admitting their faults. Susie on the other hand worked at sans’, which topped the allowance her mother gave her each week. Yes, Toriel gave her daughter money, despite that daughter trying to refuse and prove that she’s old enough to support herself. Each time the old goat just chuckled, giving the sweet bills for the dragon’s later uses.

Usually those were related to gifting Kris things, or buying art supplies. Pranks were a relic of the past (until she got Kris to help her prank the whole town, of course) so it wasn’t a sinkhole for her money. Kris just bought chocolate in secret, as well as sometimes buying things to decorate his room with. One couldn’t have too many plushies after all.

With words thrown both ways, they didn’t notice as they arrived at the front door of her house. Susie stood right before she’d hit the door with her nose. It was a human hand that stopped her, of course, since he always had an eye for such things.

“Once again you’d harm yourself due to you not looking where you’re going…” - He said, disapprovingly, letting go of her jacket.

“Ehe-hehehe~ Sorry, I just don’t know how it happens!” - She replied, fetching her keys out of the pocket.

Sliding the key through the hole, she turned it a few times, finding that it was locked. Locked not in the way of “someone’s home”, but exactly the way that was “home’s free, go nuts!”. Bringing the door’s handle downward, she freed the space, going through first. She never was a good guest-keeper in terms of manners, despite being taught by Toriel.

Kris stepped in, uncaring for not being let in first. He slipped out of his shoes and stood, watching as his now-girlfriend kicked her sneakers off, carelessly.

With a short sigh, he grabbed her white sneakers and placed them next to his shoes, glaring towards her. She tilted her head, not knowing why he cared, he cleared his throat to make it known.

“You shouldn’t be careless with your clothes, Susie.” - He shook his head. - “Now that we’re a pair, I’d want you to be careful and, well…” - He stomped to make the dragon let out a small ‘eep!’ and jump in the air. - “You should tie your dang shoes too. If we go out to have dinner today, I’d even tie them myself.”

“N-no! That’s not necessary!” - She protested, standing with her arms crossed and tail tensed up.

“It absolutely is and I will not argue with you over this.”

“But… My style, man! My style, dude it’s like… My style!” - She argued, pointing at her jacket, jeans and feet that had big, white socks on them. It was a wonder how her claws didn’t tear through them, then again, Kris knew that monster clothing was just more resistant to ‘natural’ offenders.

“...yes, but styles can be changed in good ways.” - He argued back, crossing legs while he leaned his back into a wall. -”Having shoelaces tied won’t mess with your style.”

“D-dude… M-muh style!” - She pouted, flailing her arms around for the sake of being more colourful in her expression.

“D-dude! Y-your s-safety!” - He mocked. Smirking after, knowing that she couldn’t win this. This was important to him. - “Come on. It’s important to me that you wouldn’t fall and, I’unno, split open your snout or something.”

He shrugged after, approaching the soft couch that he wanted to sit on. Susie just stood there, dumbfounded, most likely imagining the gruesome image that she just got.

“...Not really something I’d like to picture, to be fair.” - She commented, brushing her hair, shuddering at the mental image. - “Like uh… that’s kinda dark. Even by your standards, Kris!”

“It’s something that could happen, y’know.” - Kris said with a serious tone of voice, getting comfy on the couch that stood in the living room. He could note that it smelled like cherries in the house, mixed with some sort of vanilla aroma that he knew Toriel had.

She rolled her eyes, now believing Kris more in regards to safety. Maybe it truly wasn’t as bad as she was thinking it to be, so she sat next to Kris.

Both didn’t really know where to go from there. They looked at the old TV that stood there, semi-neglected by Toriel. Susie rummaged in-between the couch pillows, and eventually - she found the remote. Turning the TV on, they saw their favourite movie channel playing an old movie. That movie was about a gruff wolf driver, who didn’t really talk much.

“Damn. Didn’t think they’d play this today.” - Kris commented, liking the fact that his favourite movie broadcasted on the brain-fry box. - “Better than news or something, right?”

“Yeah, for sure.” - The girl replied, scooting closer to her alive treasure.

“Pie later, unwind first?”

“Exactly.”

-+-+-+-+-

“No! Kris, don’t beat the dough like that!” - Susie spoke in horror, seeing the human beat the dough as if it were a punching bag. Fists thumping harshly against the stone counter, punching holes through the white softness easily.

The human looked up at the dragon, stopping his assault mid-air. - “Why not?”

“If it’s too beaten, we’d have pizza, not pie!”

Kris smiled, raising his hand further into the air, still ready to beat on things. - “Isn’t pizza the same thing?”

“What?” - She asked in confusion, her face turning into disgust right away. - “AGH, no! Not the same thing at ALL!”

“Alright, alright.” - He shrugged, as he kneaded the dough to be one, gently. - “Just messing with you.”

“Just…” - She sighed, drawing some smoke from her flared up emotions. - ”Don’t mess with food, okay?”

“I won’t, sorry.” - He assured her, keeping on his movement to make the future pie base be all done.

Once it was done and was made into a shape that resembled a pie base, they put it in the fridge. The boy was crushing cinnamon with a spoon, while the Dragon of Cooking mixed salt with egg yolks and cornstarch. She poured milk as well, since it had to be a part of it. The filling took great effort to create, so both were focused on their things. Susie was afraid of him making a mess, since his hands weren’t as used to whisking as were hers.

Helping mom with things paid back well, after all. When she was almost done with the consistency, she looked and saw that Kris turned cinnamon into dust. It was kind of remarkable, she thought, and said as much.

With an appreciative nod of the compliment, he looked at her expectedly. She pointed at the melting butter with sugar. Kris took the spoon and got to mixing, drawing slow movements as if it were a circle. It was refreshing to be slow in his cooking, not explosive like he got to be in his own home.

Seems like they wouldn’t need to clean all that much after they were done! Susie mixed the ingredients together, and ushered for Kris to mix slightly faster, to which the human nodded. Now it was getting somewhere, the filling seemed to combine well together, becoming browner by the second.

She patted the human on the back, lightly, earning a smile from the one that was occupied. After the minutes passed, the dragoness signalled for him to stop as she turned off the heat.

The movie was still playing in the background, or rather its ending. Not that they really cared, it was playing since it was better than being in silence.

“I think we’re going to have a very delicious pie.” - he said, his hand shaky to dip and try the filling.

“That we will, Kris!” - She smiled, dipping her scaly finger into the mixture, as she brought it up to her finger. - “Remember what I said about trying it together? Let’s check it out!”

She enveloped her own finger with her long, slick, tongue of a lizard. Taking in her half of the sweetness, savouring the flavour. She licked her chops, satisfied with the result. Next was the boy’s turn, who got closer to her finger.

“Don’t be shy, Kris. My finger doesn’t bite, unless you do!” - She giggled, tail wagging a few times, as she looked in anticipation. Kris parted his lips, got close, and gave one (1) lick that got all of the brown mix inside his mouth.

He held it in there, savouring the flavour while he found himself blushing, with the dragon standing there, eyebrow raised in sass. - “Betcha like my cooking!”

Kris nodded, mimicking a “chef’s kiss” as the dudes on TV called it. Both shared a laugh.

“Well, there’s still time before we can use the dough, really. Any suggestions?”

“...Hmm. I’d like to braid your hair.”

“That’d be cool, huh? Braiding my long hair…”

“I don’t often see you without a ponytail. I think I can ask you to have your hair untied now, right?”

She chuckled, flicking the hair tie off with one finger, bobbing her head a little to bring her hair out. - “Could’ve asked me any time, dude, I don’t really mind!”

He blushed, covering his mouth with a fist. - “G-gorgeous.”

The draconic tail flared up at the compliment, making her hug the human quick and sudden. - “But you gotta take your scarf off--”

Susie couldn’t finish her line of thought, since the human quickly broke out from her grasp, surprising her.

“N-no.” - He suddenly replied, clutching at the blue cloth that kept his neck covered. His eyes were directed to the opposite side of her, his breathing quickening slightly.

“W-why not..?” - She asked, tilting her head to the side, looking into Kris’s eyes.

“U-uh…” - He began, finding himself to be really uncomfortable. He stood there, clutching at his scarf, at his sweater, facing away from the dragon that stood there with a frown.

“Kris, you… Y’can tell me anything, y’know?” - She began, closing the distance between him and her. - “I’m your friend, and your g-girl-girlfriend since t-today, y-y-y’know?”

She clasped her hands around his shoulders, bringing her forehead with his, looking him deeply into eyes. Into his red irises.

“D-don’t be like, disturbed… I’m here to listen and kick ass if you need me to, you know?” - She said, with a slight sigh afterwards. - “Though, maybe you'd do a better job at the whole kicking thing… I don’t… really know what else I can say, Kris.”

She saw him gulp. Adam's apple gave it away, as it jumped down. He seemed to be considering something, so she squeezed at his shoulders for hopeful reassurance, smiling at him.

“You trust me, right, Kris?”

“Y-yes… I-it’s just that I’ve… I’ve n-never really h-have talked to-to an-anyone about it b-before.” - He started, speech very nervous and unsure. - “I… o-only my mom knows, y-y’know?”

“C-can I hug you, K-Kris?”

“S-sure, j-just… don’t do it suddenly...”

She slowly unclasped her hands, brushing her arms against his back, slowly crossing them around him, enveloping him in a hug. She slowly squeezed him into her, brushing hands against his sides. She didn’t even realise she was feeling his muscles through his sweater, just focused on comforting her boyfriend.

“T-thank you. I-it helps.” - He said, reaching out to hold her as well, surrounding her body with his arms. She was bigger than him, so he could only draw circles on her back, not more.

“It’s okay dude.” - She reassured him. - “It’s all going to be fine.”

Both stood like that, forgotten what prompted the whole discussion, aside from the problem that wavered on them both. Embracing one another, trying their best to hold one another in the time of need, yet without an idea on how to proceed.

Susie, however, tried to be forward. After all, she needed to be stronger, so with a gulp of preparation - she decided to take the second step.

“Why won’t we sit down, Kris? Like, you could sit on my lap, while I… Uh, h-hold you?…” - She suggested without letting go of the human, making him try and feel comfy. She was being overly physical, perhaps, and she realised that. She could very well just be doing the wrong thing, since the human might’ve wanted space.

Yet, he was clutching at her. So, while her snout rested on his crown, she smiled softly. She was doing well, wasn’t she? She felt him nod softly in her chest. Taking one step with her longer and larger legs, she watched him take one to close the distance. In this fashion, they’ve approached the couch, with Susie taking a seat on it first, making sure Kris sat on her. She held him close, clutching his frame towards her own, arms clasped around him as if he was her most prized possession.

“So… Like, don’t be afraid, o-ok?” - She chuckled in fear, trying to smile through her anxiety. - “L-like, I think I can take it. F-for you, i-i-if it helps. We can really just sit here…”

“N-no… I w-want to talk.” - He rasped, thinking on how to approach it. What could he say? How much could he say? Could he say the why of it? Should he just say what happened?

What would have been the best option? She didn’t rightly know, and that was something to think about… later. The time wasn’t for thinking, it was for helping. So, with her holding him softly, squeezing him just a tiny bit to reassure him, she waited.

The human sighed, bracing himself for anything. - “I… Well, did you e-ever ask yourself, the q-question of w-why there’s o-only o-one h… h-human?”

The dragon said no, making the human continue with his speech. - “Well… I have… A-a lot, actually. It’s b-been the q-question of when I started to grow up… E-eighth? Seventh? I don’t r-remember which grade.” - He sighed, suppressing some of the tears that were threatening to break out.

It wasn’t easy for him to say it. He felt his heart clenching, he didn’t know if what he spoke about was done well, or if he made any sense… Yet, it felt good to let it out.

Prepared to talk more, he continued. - “I was… I wasn’t s-sure as to why I was the o-only h-human in the w-w-whole t-town. Just… alone, cared for by a mother that was no human.” - He paused, feeling the draconic snout resting atop his head, slightly nuzzling into the soft human hair. - “And… I… It felt odd, it felt painful when I was m-made fun of for being a h-human. N-nobody really seemed to care who my mom was, or how I t-tried to be friends with people.”

Sniffle after sniffle, tears trailed down his cheeks. - “A-and, I… all of that was because I was a h-human. A human, that… that’s all that was w-wrong with me. And it’s still s-something that m-m-makes me… F-feel not q-quite right…”

She brushed his body with her hands, trying her hardest to comfort him, do anything - anything at all to make the human feel better. - “I think you’re cool, K-Kris… I think you being different is nothing bad…”

With a sniffle and a few ugly cries, Kris turned around to hug the dragon, burying his head into her chest. She wasn’t bothered by it at all, drawing circles on his back. With minutes taken to have the human feel comfortable speaking once again, he broke out, opting to look into the dragon’s eyes.

“A-and… o-one day I t-thought that… it would help me if I just went and…” - He breathed in, filling his lungs with air, making sure to calm himself down. - “D-did something to uh… l-lose my humanity a little. T-to make myself look more like my m-mom…”

Susie’s imagination showed her pictures of what went down… The images of what happened had been assaulting the young brain, and she didn’t realise how she held Kris tighter. - “I… I… I’ve t-taken a k-knife and, w-well, t-tired to give myself gills. I t-tried to…” - He broke down, hiding his face from everything, burying himself into the dragon.

The dragon just sat there, comforting her friend, despite the images being strong at making her feel upset, it wasn’t anything that would get her to feel down.

“Is that why you c-cover your n-neck..?” - She asked, feeling the human reply with a nod and louder cries.

Drawing air in through her nose with a loud sniff, she looked at the blue cloth wrapped around the human neck. She knew what she could do, what she might do. What might’ve worked, if she was lucky…

So, with her fingers pinching at the scarf’s knot, she slowly dragged the wrap loose, holding Kris in place. With seconds feeling like minutes, she watched the scarf fall, exposing the usually unseen neck of the boy. She looked and saw the three scars across the left side of his neck, scarf laying on the couch.

She sighed, screaming at her own mind to keep her strong, to not break down, to not cry… to be strong for him. And she was resolved to do it, to help him. Now all that was left for her was to keep going at this pace. To keep helping.

With a soft, strained voice she whispered into his ear. - “Kris… hey. I don’t think those scars are making you be… bad.” - She cursed herself in her mind. She could do better. - “I’m sorry… but I really don’t think it’s something you should be that… ashamed of.”

She used her hand to make the human try and look at her. Amber eyes exposed to look into his rubies, she continued her speech. - “It’s a scarf… it, it wasn’t the b-best thing you could’ve done… a-at all, b-but… Does t-that mean you’re uh… l-less ‘you’ for it? N-no, not really. You’re Kris, dude… human or monster - that doesn’t matter. If people don’t believe that, then…” - She huffed. - “...then screw them all! They aren’t anything, Kris, and they’re not your concern… You got Noelle too, yeah? T-there’s Berdly too, that you played Smash with, yeah? Those care about you Kris, and it’s not because you’re a human or a monster.”

She smiled, noticing his stiffles slowing down. It was time for a finisher. - “It’s because you’re who you are, Kris… You’re who you are, and that’s good for everyone.”

Suddenly hugging the human, she felt his hands go behind her, as he tried his best to clasp them around her torso. He sniffled still, but she could hear it was easier on him. Way easier than it was before, and she was proud of herself. She helped her friend-boyfriend, she made sure he felt well and could feel better about himself.

With a happy sigh, she felt her tail thumping. She was happy that he felt happy, and he heard him chuckle.

“T-thank you, Susie.”

-+-+-+-+-

The two sat on the couch, the human still sitting in her lap, as the two watched TV. It was a show about myth busting, the two cool and different hosts working their butt off to prove things wrong or right via science. Both a human and a monster in the house loved watching the show. After all, it wasn’t just because the idea for the show was fun and felt fresh, since myths needed different approaches to be proven or broken. It was also how the hosts were working through chemistry. One of the two was very stoic, while the other was way more outgoing and more into talking. Truly a great mix that showed that despite the both hosts being wolves, they were still very, very different.

It was just the right thing for the mood that was in the room, just the right thing. Hearing a joke from the show, their lips curled up into smiles, chuckling together.

Then the alarm, set up in advance, rang up. It was time to assemble the pie, so with a shared happy look of the two house residents, they stood up and went to the kitchen. Both were eager to finish up their pie, both were eager to enjoy the result of their labour.

“Hah… Mythbreakers with a pie, what could be better?” - She asked, taking out the pie base, starting to generously put spoonfuls of filling inside it.

“Mythbreakers with pie and tea.” - He replied promptly, looking around the kitchen for free mugs.

“Oh! Yes!” - She cheered, pointing to a cupboard, making the human open and fetch two mugs. Red and yellow. - “Golden flower tea, dad gave me some the other day, did you ever drink it?”

“I… think so, I think your father gave something like that to mom as a gift.” - He commented, now filling a small pot with water.

“That’s sick… So, we’re gonna drink that then?” - She asked, prepared to offer something else.

However, his reply made her preparations useless. -“Yeah. Where would…?”

She giggled, pointing him to the same piece of furniture from before, which he looked at and got out the ziplock bag filled with a herb mix. He saw some dried up golden leaves, so it must’ve been it. Showing it to her made her nod.

The dragon whistled, keeping her job of filling up the pastry. She spread the mixture across the pie, making sure it was nicely pressed, so she could add more. Once the final spoons were remaining, Kris heard the water simmering. He took the lid(?) off a tea kettle, and sprinkled the tea mix inside. He grabbed the hot handles through tacks, since he did not want to burn his hands. Finally, he poured the steamy water inside, filling up the tea vessel.

The room immediately had its atmosphere changed. The steam made sure the scent was spread across nicely, making the two teens in the room smell the delicious nature.

Susie heard a small click of the oven, which was a signal that it was ready to use. She placed the tray with the filled up pie inside and set up a 25 minute timer. With seconds running out, she and Kris went back into the living room, occupying the couch once again.

It was the final stretch of their waiting game.

-+-+-+-+-

The dragon sat at the table, holding her hands together in a prayer. A plate with two pie slices laid before her, along a yellow mug filled with tea. The human had pretty much the same set-up, with just the plate differing in its design and his mug being red. He also had his hands together, akin to her.

It really was just a thing that the human had as a habit. His mother was (debatably) more into anime than Susie and he were. The ‘wishing ritual’ was often done in their family, as a tradition from Undyne’s ancestors.

“Itadakimasu, Kris!” - Susie cheered, picking her spoon up, winking at Kris.

With a smile, he replied, raising the drink in agreement. - “You too, dude.”

With the piece of the food melting in their mouths, both got stars in their eyes. For the Dragon of Cooking it was her best pie yet and the pride, alongside the great flavour, made her want to cry tears of joy. For the human it was the weird taste of familiarity, alongside the fact that he helped make this. He drooled slightly, as his taste buds were completely overtaken by the amazing taste. He couldn’t stop himself from taking spoonfuls, throwing them inside his mouth, chewing through it all as if he was a hungry gremlin.

Susie chuckled, seeing a good opportunity to try and one-up him. It would be easy with her large mouth, so she started eating quickly, demolishing the pieces in a few quick chews.

She was done with the food, not stopping herself from a burp. She then watched the human tear through the pie, as he looked back at her. He might’ve seen her gaze as a motivator, since she noticed him eating quicker. She sipped on her tea in reply, with a slight ‘ow!’ escaping her mouth due to her burning her tongue, slightly. Seems as if they ate their pies very fast, and the tea had no time to cool down.

It was a shame, she pouted, placing the mug back on the table. Then, Kris let out a burp of his own, making the entire room his orchestra.

Susie blinked, twice. She may’ve been a quick eater, but Kris was the louder… burpist? That wasn’t a real word… but she had no idea if there was a good word for it. - “Damn dude, you’re loud!”

He smiled. It was time for him to speak. - “That was a very good pie, Susie. Be proud.”

“Heh, yeah, I guess I did pretty good, huh?”

“Yes, I think it’s really good, really filling.” - He chuckled. - “I don’t think we’d need to visit the diner today after all.”

“Pff, nah dude, I’m not hungry anymore. Besides, we still have leftovers.”

“True.”

“...So, now what?”

“I don’t know. Let’s just rest on the couch.”

“Not going to work through your calories?” - She smiled, tongue stuck out.

“Heh. Can’t work out right away, gotta let it rest.”

“Fair.”

The duo jumped on the couch, with the furniture emitting a painful creak from the sudden weight. Susie threw her arm over Kris, bringing him close to her side. Mythbreakers kept playing, and the two suddenly found themselves feeling sleepy.

“Y-yo, Kris.” - She began. - “Is it just me, or are you feeling sleepy too?”

“Yeah… *yawn* kinda.”

“Mind sleeping li-*yawn* like this?”

“No…”

“Good…”

And in less than a minute, Susie became Snoresie, and Kris the Undying turned into Kris the Sleeping. The TV kept working, the soundscape created working well to make both teens fall asleep.

The two, subconsciously, brought one another even closer… and dumb smiles were painted on their faces.

It was a great day. The pie was worth it. The human hand was inside the dragon’s mane. It wasn’t the braid that they completely forgot about, nor was it them eating candies they brought…

Well, there was always time for when they’d wake up. Or on another walk they’d have.

Or maybe, they’d even go on dates with the same candies… and that would work very nicely.

There were thoughts to realise, once they’d have time for it. But for now…

It was time to sleep.