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Kris couldn’t sleep, but not because of any outside influence this time. They had been rid of the soul for a while now, maybe a couple of months or so, but unfortunately insomnia and thoughts kept Kris up all the same. They didn't spend long staring at their ceiling before their mind drifted to other places, eventually landing on the image of their partner’s figures in their mind. Kris had always been bored at night and since Noelle and Susie had started dating them they had hoped that that would change a bit, unfortunately, their two lovers had far better sleep schedules than Kris did.
Fuckin… Noelle and Susie with their ability to sleep ever… They thought, grumpy and restless as they tossed and turned in their sheets. Until eventually, an idea that spread a small smile across their face and made a sharp exhale leave their nose came to mind. Kris swung their arm out of their covers like a zombie rising from its shallow grave, slapping their hand down on the back of their phone on their bedside table. Slowly they dragged it off the table and into their bed, re-adjusting it in their hands until it was properly holdable. Kris’s eyes closed tightly shut as the device powered on and a seemingly blinding light enveloped Kris’s face, they slowly opened them as their vision adjusted to their bright mobile, in the process rendering the rest of the room a completely black void.
Their fingers moved quickly and skillfully across the screen, getting to the contacts in no time,
Who should I call first…? Kris pondered, letting the scroll function bounce between Noelle and Susie’s names. They decided not to pick which one they liked over the other, after all, that would leave them being here all night, and picked Noelle, solely on the basis that her name was first alphabetically. They tapped the call button and the soft humming of their phone filled their ears as Kris slid it closer to their face.
“Kris…?” Noelle softly groaned into her phone, wiping her eyes as their call woke her from her slumber. They could almost feel her soft whisper on their cheek as she spoke gently into the receiver, “w-why are you calling me at three in the morning…? Is something wrong?”
“babe I have an incredibly important question to ask you, actually I need to ask Susie this question too but I'm asking you first,” Kris spoke with the straightest voice they could muster. Deadpan deliveries were nothing they weren't accustomed to, but their tiredness hindered their abilities making them actually have to try to keep the smile off their face.
“Oh-, okay…” Noelle responded. She paused for a moment, making a small little noise as she readjusted in bed, “you sound way too awake for 3 am… oh no, Kris have you lost sleep over this?” The soft yet concerned edge in Noelle’s voice made Kris’s heart melt, but they tried their best to keep themselves together and their face straight.
“I just might have…” Kris responded in a slightly over melon choly voice, as if to hint that they weren't as genuine as they seemed, however, it was impossible to tell through the receiver if Noelle picked up on this hint. “Noelle…” Kris asked slowly, steadying their breath as they readied the question in their mind, “Would you still love me if I was a worm?”
Silence hung in the air for a few seconds and Kris tried to stifle the snicker building in their throat as they imagined the befuddled look on their partner’s face before a small giggle escaped through their phone speakers and into their ears, Noelle had always had an adorable giggle.
“H-, how… would I? You’re a worm?”
“Wha-! What do you mean!” Kris responded to Noelle’s light-hearted answer, while audibly upset, the smile wouldn't budge from their face, “I would still be me though!”
“Can I turn you… not into a worm? Can I change you back?” Noelle questioned, prodding Kris’s hypothetical farther than they expected it to be prodded,
“Uuhh…” They pondered, only now that they had to put any actual thought into something did they realize how tired they were, “Naw, I’m a worm now forever.”
“Well…” Noelle responded slowly, letting the gears turn in her sleepy brain as she stretched out on her bed, “Then I would get a terrarium just for you and keep you in my house. That way, even as a worm, you would never get lonely.”
“Aww,” Kris responded, their smile seeping into their voice, “thank you, babe.”
“You’re welcome.” Noelle whispered her response with a smile of her own, “now you get some sleep okay? It's three in the morning.”
“No, I have to call Susie first.” Kris snickered, whipping up their phone contacts once more. Noelle’s eyes widened a bit once the words emanating from Kris’s mouth were finally processed in her mind.
“K-kris…? A-are you sure??? You know she doesn't like being woken up!”
“That’ll make it funnier.” Kris replied confidently, their grin growing more devious by the moment. Noelle let an amused exhale leave her nose,
“Alright, well if she beats you up tomorrow I told you so.”
“We can only hope… goodnight Noelle.” there was a soft sigh from the speaker that carried Noelle’s voice,
“Goodnight Kris.” And for a minute Kris sat there, staring at the ceiling with a smile on their face. It was always nice to hear Noelle’s voice but hearing it late at night instilled a sense of comfort in Kris they couldn't exactly describe. Susie’s voice had the same effect, but Susie’s gruff mannered vocals inspired an emotion that was a bit different than Noelle’s soft and caring one. But Kris’s moment for silent simping introspection was over as fast as it had begun and they flipped open Susie’s contact, tapping the call button with their finger and sinking into their bed in wait.
After around 30 seconds of the gentle humming of the phone, the call connected, and Kris’s ears were greeted with a wonderful meural of tired grunting sounds as if Susie was actively lifting herself from whatever she was sleeping on,
“Kris…?” She grumbled, “What do you want man it’s three in the fucking morning…” Kris took a quick deep breath before launching into their bit once more,
“Susie, there is a very important question I have to ask you.” Susie grumbled as she readjusted herself,
“Alright but it better be important…” Kris took one more long deep breath, concentrating all of their strength into remaining composed,
“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”
there was a long, long pause through the receiver as Susie let a sigh leave her throat,
“I’d eat you. Goodnight.”
Susie proceeded to hang up.