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Kris stared deep into their own eyes as they stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Two crimson dots walled off by dark eyeliner, a sea of eyeshadow, and a touch of mascara. They'd never worn makeup before, uncertainty tugging at the back of their mind as they tried to figure out how to style their hair.
Typically, they wouldn't give this much thought to their face. The majority of it was hidden by their heavy bangs anyway. Tonight was different, and their outfit alone could attest to that. Rather than their signature sweater, lovingly worn for many years, they donned a suit jacket and button-up (although they opted for a black choker instead of any kind of tie) and, much to their mother's surprise, chose a mid-length skirt with a pair of leggings underneath.
True, they felt most comfortable in their androgynous look, but tonight was made for stepping out of comfort zones. The local Sadie Hawkmans Dance was tonight, and all the kids in town would be there.
They smiled as they relished in their attire once more, before returning to their current dilemma. Sighing, they swept aside their fringe and held it in place with a couple hairclips. They removed their hands and inspected their own handiwork, a satisfied smirk spread across their face. They thought back to a certain purple-scaled friend of theirs mentioning that she thought dark gothic makeup like that was cool, a lump suddenly making it's way to their throat.
Right, Susie. All this prettying up was for her, after all. That uncertainty returns. Maybe she'd make fun of them. Maybe it would make her feel awkward. What if she doesn't notice at all? Knowing Susie, that might be the most likely case. Kris took a deep breath and exhaled.
Get real, they thought to themself, It's not like she'd actually hate you for dressing yourself up.
Butterflies threw a dance of their own in Kris' stomach, but they excitedly anticipated their fun and innocent non-date with Susie. They could do this. Everything would be fine.
"Kris!" Toriel knocked on the bathroom door, "Hurry up in there! Susie's here waiting for you." Oh, they couldn't do this.
A few seconds passed in silence, Toriel almost knocked again before the door swung open. Kris walked out of the bathroom, only now their hair was sufficiently clip-less, bangs falling in front of their eyes like they usually did.
"Oh good, you're ready." Their mother sighed in relief, "Come along, my child, we are going to be late!" She grabbed her purse and hurried to the door, the young human trailing close behind.
Outside, Susie paced up and down the driveway to the Dreemurr household. She had arrived just a minute before and was already feeling anxious. Fight or flight senses kicked in and for once she felt like running away. She glanced at a side mirror on Miss Dreemurr's car, checking herself for any glaring imperfections.
Her hair was tied into a low tail, but it still retained it's unkempt wildness, just as she liked it. She wore a white button-up, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a plain black necktie loosely wrapped underneath her collar, both of which she had taken out of her dad's closet. Her pants and shoes were as she usually wore them, since she had nothing else available.
Prom dances--or Sadie Something-or-Other dances, whatever--weren't typically something she would feel particularly up to do. Kris promised it'd be a lot more fun than it sounds and there would be free food. Unfortunately, It was only after she agreed to go that she realized she got asked on a date. At least, that's what she thought.
For the twentieth time tonight, she glanced down the driveway, expecting her legs to run back home all on their own. She sighed and knocked her knuckles against her forehead, psyching herself up.
If you ran away now, Kris would be devastated. Do it for Kris!
She exhaled deeply and calmed herself. "For Kris..." She muttered.
The door suddenly opened, making her jump slightly.
"I am so terribly sorry we took so long, Susie!" Toriel apologized profusely, speedily making her way to her SUV.
Turning back to the door, Susie watched Kris close and lock it. They waved as they walked towards her. Susie waved back, clearing her throat.
"Uh, hey." She began, warily, "You look nice." She bares her teeth in an uncharacteristically nervous smile.
Kris grinned and turned away, Did they just blush? Returning a quick sign, 'You too.'
They both jumped as the horn on Toriel's van honked a couple quick times, she hurriedly waved them over in the driver's seat, a frantic reminder that they're running late.
Piling into the backseat, they're barely given time to buckle-up as Kris' usually collected mother pulled out of the driveway and took off down the street like a madwoman.
"What's the time?" She asked the kids in the backseat. Kris pulled their phone out of their jacket pocket and flipped it open to show to Susie.
"6:56." She answered, Toriel responding with a frustrated swear through gritted teeth, as if arriving late would mean the end of the world.
Kris, on the other hand, rested their head on the window, appreciating the late sundown. Susie lightly punched them on the shoulder to get their attention, now that she'd regained her ability to speak.
"You look like an anime protagonist," Was all she whispered to them, but it still caused them to quietly snicker.
'You look like...' They began to sign, before realizing she probably wouldn't understand the rest. They whispered back, "You look like the drummer in a ska band." She shook her head, chuckling softly.
They rounded the next corner, Officer Undyne cheering them on as they passed her (happily ignoring traffic laws, as per usual). It only took them thirty seconds or so before they were parked in front of the school.
Toriel rushed through the school doors, past the small pairs of parents socializing at the steps. Kris wondered if she knew she was on time.
They shrugged as they waited for Susie outside the van. As she walked around to Kris' side, she clapped her hands together.
"Right, so what's the plan? Or are we just here to be normal people?" She grinned at them. Kris returned the look.
"As if we could be normal." They joke, comfortably speaking now that it's just her around, "But yeah, I don't really have a plan, just thought it might be fun. At least after convincing my mom to change some of the rules."
They thought back to the last dance a few years prior. Formal attire required and you weren't even allowed to go near other people, not that there were many in attendance. Of course, Kris had to go since their mom had hosted it. This year, it took a lot of begging and sweet-talking her to ensure a little bit of a looser setting.
For one, the dress code became more casual, hence their outfits. Additionally, Kris had been able to persuade Toriel into dropping the contact rule entirely (a welcome change by everyone, especially since their mother no longer has to screech at people while wearing a bird mask). They patted themself on the back, a proud smirk developing across their face.
"Well, better not keep everyone waiting." Susie smiled and started off toward the school doors, beckoning Kris to follow her.
Inside, there stood a few townies chatting to each other in the halls, which were lined with multicolored streamers hanging from the ceiling with bits of matching confetti littering the floor. As the two of them stepped closer to the gym, they heard smooth and somewhat jazzy music coming from the double doors.
Pushing them open, the pair walked into the biggest gathering in town in years. Everyone under the age of 25 was packed into the gym, and then some. Everyone seemed ready for the party to start. Berdly and Noelle chatted excitedly near the dance floor, that Pizzapants guy and his coworkers passed out food and drinks courtesy of Ice-E's P"e"zza, and that ghost from the police station sat in the DJ booth.
Susie made a beeline for the food, hungrily grabbing two slices of pizza with ice cube toppings and a cup for the punch bowl, which was about 70% ice. Kris took some punch and exasperatedly deflected any questions Pizzapants had about their brother. After they picked up their snacks, the two of them waved to Berdly and Noelle as they approached.
"Ah, Kris and Susan! We were beginning to think you wouldn't make it." Berdly said in his usual snarky tone, though it was clear he was happy to see them.
"Uh, hi Susie..." Is all Noelle manages to say, her nose gaining a slight red glow.
Susie attempted to start a conversation with her mouth full of moderately wet pizzas, but the music picked up before she could. The lights dimmed and the room filled with noise and bodies piling onto the dance floor.
Thank god there's no more hawk masks. Kris thought to themself as they were pressed into the middle of the gym, I hope everything goes as planned-
Their thoughts are interrupted by someone bumping into them, knocking them aside into Susie's chest. Her hands shoot to their shoulders to steady them, plastic cup still in one of her hands. They stared at each other for a second before Kris smiled and sheepishly stepped away, signing an apology. They both laughed it off and got into the music, dancing with the rest of the crowd.
Nevermind, Kris mused, Tonight is already perfect.
Music swelled, bodies swayed, and good times were had by all. Susie wasn't expecting to have this much fun. She had always pictured dances like this with stuffy suits and dresses, slow dancing, and some popular kids getting crowned king and queen. She loved the way the rhythm flowed through her body. That ghost DJ knew exactly which songs would fire up a crowd like this one, outlandish as their music was. She wouldn't consider herself a good dancer in the slightest, but neither was anyone else. That's where her fun came from, making a fool of herself with her friends.
Dancing, eating crappy pizza, and posing for pictures were things she wouldn't typically enjoy (though she would tolerate the pizza), but being in this big room, surrounded by her close friends, she happily spent the next couple of hours at the dance.
During one of the lulls in the music, Susie made her way back to the punch bowl when she noticed a monster in the corner setting up a camera for portraits. Feeling adventurous, she doubled back around to find her friends, only to find Noelle and Berdly on the dance floor. Peeking over the crowd and scanning the room, she just managed to catch sight of Kris' skirt as they ducked out of the gym. Excusing herself from the others, she squeezed past enthusiastic dancers and exited the gym. Her gaze peered left and right, keeping an eye out for them.
Strolling through the barren hallways, she turned the corner to the open doors of the school, the human sitting at the steps. As Susie approached, she cleared her throat to let them know she was there. They sat with their head held high, taking in the peace and quiet after the long hours of noise and energy. They exhaled deeply, their expression inscrutable. She sat down on the stairs next to them.
"You alright?" Susie asked. They seemed fine, but she wanted to make sure.
They nodded their head silently, gaze fixed forward. Susie liked this angle. Anytime they were together, at the perfect angle where Kris would look straight ahead, Susie might have caught a glimpse of their eyes behind their bangs. Tonight, with the streetlights illuminating them, she could see slight a vague black ring around their eye. She squinted curiously.
"Hey." She tried getting their attention. As they swiveled their head to face her, she gingerly raised her hand, making sure they knew she was reaching out for their face. They made no effort to stop her, but their mouth opened faintly and a pinkish flush hit their cheeks. Susie's hand gently reached their forehead, a tiny jolt from the human at the contact. When she moved her thumb to push aside their bangs, realization hit them, and they turned their face downward in embarrassment.
"Uh, right, I was, uh, earlier I wanted to try out some makeup, but it got late, and I didn't have time to clean it up..." They stammered, nervously chuckling, "I look like a clown, right?"
"No!" Susie answered, a little bit too fast. "Well, I mean, heh, unless you wanted to look like a clown. Er, it looks really good on you, is what I meant."
Their lips thinned into a bashful smile and they leaned into her touch. Susie suddenly became very aware of how close she was to their face. They looked up to her like they're...waiting for something? A knot tightened in her stomach, her lips parted as her instincts urged her forward. Kris' eyes softened, their lips parted with hers.
She bit her lip, pulling her hand away from their face. She couldn't do it.
"Sorry," She muttered, averting her eyes, "I just thought your makeup was really cool." She tried not to notice the pained expression on Kris' face out of the corner of her vision. She tried to ignore how dejected they sound when they speak.
"Thanks." They turned around, this time their gaze was fully away from Susie.
She swore under her breath. She'd wanted to do that for so long, so why did she push them away like that? She took a deep breath, considering what to say to them.
After a minute of silence, she cleared her throat.
"So, what were you doing out here anyway?" She asked, leaning away from them, uncertain of what they were thinking right now.
They shrug, briefly shooting their hands up to sign 'It's quiet.'
All Susie could focus on was how quiet they were, a far cry from the usual chattiness they had when it was just the two of them. She hung her head, shame weighing down on her neck. Why did it affect them so much? She had hesitated, afraid of how they'd react, afraid of the possibility of them refusing the kiss first. Her heart ached like it never had before. She wasn't sure how to react to it, this feeling that made her double over where she sat. Her heart felt like it might burst from her chest.
Kris shifted out of the corner of her eye, Susie turned to watch them stand, looking down at her with a blank expression they typically saved for the average townie. It was a harshness that wasn't noticeable to anyone besides the two of them. She swallowed the lump in her throat as Kris raised their hands.
'Gonna take a walk.' They signed, walking down the steps.
"Dammit." Susie sighed as they moved out of earshot. She stood, circling around to return to the dance, when Kris' steps echoing off the sidewalk stopped.
"Susie?" They called out to her.
She swiveled around, locking eyes with them from the top of the stairs.
They opened their mouth to speak, but only silence filled the air. They fidgeted for a few seconds, unable to say anything. Their head shot back up to Susie, and they tilted it to the direction they're heading, inviting Susie along with them.
Susie's mouth stretched to a thankful smile as she quickly descended the steps, two at a time.
The next few minutes passed in silence, but wasn't like before. It was comfortable, the only sound was the autumn breeze brushing fallen leaves across their path.
Kris walked with their friend, guiding her through the darkened streets. The town was almost completely barren, though whether that was because of how late it was getting or the dance at the edge of town was unclear. Crossing the street, Susie finally spoke up.
"Alright, where are we going?" She asked, a playful grin tugging at her expression.
They shrug exaggeratedly, signing 'Just checking in on something.'
She snickered, shaking her head. Kris was relieved that she felt comfortable enough to smile at them again. It hurt to have her so close, only for her to back away at the last second. It hurt even more thinking of how long they had wanted to get close to her, only to risk losing her entirely. Seeing her smile now made the tension in their shoulders fade. However they felt about her, it wasn't worth losing her friendship if they pushed it too far.
Kris stopped in their tracks, arriving at their destination. They pointed at the building, "QC's Diner" written in huge letters on the roof. Peering inside, they could see that the restaurant was mostly empty, with just the barista lazily waiting for customers. She noticed Kris and waved them inside.
"Well hello there, hun! Good to see you. Oh, and you brought a friend? How nice!" She greeted them both warmly, taking them to the corner booth next to the window. "Nobody else is here, so I can take your order myself. Two of the usual?"
Kris grinned and nodded, the barista immediately getting to work on their drinks. Susie leaned in conspiratorially.
"Wait, what's the usual?" She asked, glancing behind the counter.
'You will like it.' They smirk.
She shrugged, muttering, "I won't pass up a free drink, anyway." The barista returned with two mugs of hot chocolate, setting them down on the table.
"On the house as usual, hun. Say hi to your mother for me." She returned to the counter with a small wave. Kris looked back to watch Susie take a swig from her mug, recoiling from the heat.
"Ow, ow! Dammit that's so good, ow!" She exclaimed, hissing. Kris tried to hide their chortle, turning to look out the window. They blow on their drink and take a sip, watching as a leaf fluttered down to the earth from a nearby tree. They closed their eyes, drawing in a breath.
"Okay." They whispered to themself, though it was loud enough to grab Susie's attention. They continued, "Susie...we haven't been friends long, have we?"
She pursed her lips, shaking her head. Kris nodded in thought. "But we have known each other for a while, right?" They ask.
Susie thought for a second, her brows furrow. She looked guilty of some long past sin. A sin the human across from them was well aware of.
They reminisced to many months ago, back when the only words exchanged between the two were her threats. She was quieter back then. They both were. Back when she'd spend her time trying to get under Kris' skin. They could never understand why she'd target them, but they had their theories. Especially whenever she'd bring up their mother...
That was a different time. They thought, She was a different person. They try not to think about how recent her change was, how they could think back to just a handful of weeks to when she slammed them against a locker, her jaw unhinging like she was about to tear their head off.
"Why do you ask?" She murmured, blowing on her hot chocolate. She was slumped down on the table now.
They hesitated. The words caught in their throat. Why did they ask? They wanted to tell her exactly how they felt, even though it might drive her away. Why else would she refuse the kiss? She might hate them if they said it. She might be disgusted at the idea. And still, Kris urged themself to speak, their grip on the mug tightening.
"Earlier tonight," They began, "We almost, ah..." They trailed off, uncertain of how to continue, or if they should. "Well, I just wanted to get something off my chest." Their voice is barely audible, Susie's expression unreadable.
Kris inhaled, steeling their nerves. "I've wanted to do that...for a long time." They fidgeted in their seat, turning back to the window. "I'm sorry."
They closed their eyes, waiting for her to leave, to blow up at them. They listened to her finish her drink, setting the mug down on the table. She exhaled softly, her words sending a shiver down their spine.
"Don't be."
They opened their eyes, Susie's face turned to the window. She looked like she was scowling, but there was a deep flush against her cheeks. Her eyes dart nervously to theirs.
"I was worried that you would hate it if I..." Her mouth twisting into a sneer, as if she had a personal vendetta towards her next words, "...kissed you."
Kris looked away and took a long sip of their hot chocolate, hiding their beet red face behind the mug. They swallowed hard, the rich taste of the drink not enough to distract them from the butterflies in their stomach. They tried to speak, but their voice caught in their throat. They set down their mug and ran their fingers over their knuckles.
"What do you mean?" They ask her, their voice almost fearful.
"God dammit, do I gotta spell it out for you?" She snapped, blushing profusely, "I meant that I wanted to kiss you, dumbass!" She sunk back into the booth, slumping her shoulders. "I just didn't know how to, I guess."
Kris tilted their head down, hair spilling in front of their face. They shuddered, a choked sound escaping their throat.
"Kris? Are you..? Crap, I'm sorry, I don't know why I said all that-" Susie was cut off by a different noise from them as they began laughing. They raised their head, wiping tears from their eyes, smudging their makeup.
"I..." They stammer, trying to get the words out. "I'm so happy." Susie's shocked face turns into a relieved grin. Kris looked down at their hands, black smudges from where they rubbed their eyes. "Aw crap, forgot I had this on." They laughed even more.
"Y'know, it's funny. I put this on thinking you'd like it, but I kinda got too scared to show you." They let out a shaky breath. "I didn't think you'd almost kiss me over it!"
Susie's blush came back, an embarrassed smile plastered on her face. "Well I wasn't gonna go for it until you got all, I dunno, romantic and shit." She sneered playfully at them, "You totally wanted me to go for it."
"That's not how I remember it!" They fired back, "You totally went flirty first."
They both laughed and bantered with each other, only this time they couldn't stop staring into each other's eyes. It felt hazier, almost dreamlike. All their doubts and worries had washed away like they were never there in the first place. It was just the two of them, and it was wonderful.
Susie leaned against the wall outside of the diner. She peeked back inside, watching Kris mix their signing with their own words. The barista nodded and pantomimed zipping her lips, Kris waved goodbye as they walked away, leaving the building.
"Sorry," They said, "The last thing I need is my mom hearing about this from anyone."
"She got a problem with me or something?" Susie grinned, knowing full well how sweet their mom was to her.
"Course not! I think I'd just die of embarrassment if she found out from a rumor or something." They reached their hand out, brushing against her own. Susie smiles, clutching their hand, it was soft and so much smaller than hers.
"Come on, let's go back to the dance." She muttered, "I may have, er, left Noelle and Berdly hanging back there."
"Oh right, I forgot all about the dance. How's my makeup?" They lifted their bangs, revealing the runny dark streaks lining their cheeks, streaming down from their sanguine eyes.
"You look like an evil spirit." She ribbed, "I kinda like it."
The walk back to the school was much less quiet than before, the pair's laughter filling the empty streets as they paraded through town, hand-in-hand. Eventually, they reached the stairs leading up to the school. Kris pulled out their phone, checking the time.
"9:41. We've still got a few minutes left until it ends." They said. Even still, neither of them move from the first step.
Susie spoke up first, "I wanna try again. The kiss, I mean." She scratched her chin with her free hand. "Only if you're ready for that."
Kris looked away, hiding their goofy smile, trying to regain their composure.
"Is, uh, that a yes?" She asked, somewhat impatiently. She wasn't trying to rush them into making a decision, but she couldn't deny how much it felt like she needed this. Luckily for her, Kris turned back around, smiling.
They leaned forward steadily, placing their hand against her shoulder for leverage. She bent down, her lips pursed. The two of them close their eyes, letting the serenity of the moment sweep over them...
...Only for Susie's lips to land right between Kris' eyes.
They both fall over themselves laughing, landing on the steps trying to steady each other. Kris leaned their head against Susie's shoulder, her arm reaching around to pull them closer as they settled down from their hysterical laughing. It took a minute before they both recollected themselves, sighing into the other's embrace. Kris tilted their head up to Susie, her expression relaxed, eyes closed. They cupped their hand against her face, reaching up to kiss her before she can react.
She flinched in shock before settling into their touch, her hand rising to clutch the back of their neck, the other wrapping around their waist, pulling them closer. Their lips parted as they gasped for air, the human practically being lifted onto her lap, they didn't spend long apart. Months of longing had built up to this moment, the two of them wrapped in euphoric dazes in the other's arms.
Once more they parted from the embrace. Pulling away from her clutches, Kris smiled as they stared into Susie's eyes.
"Thank you." They whispered. She nodded, smiling back.
"Anytime." She chuckled, "Uh, so what does this make us? Like--ugh--romantically"
Kris looked at her for a moment, debating something in their head.
"Well," They smirked cheekily, "What do you want me to call you? Partner...Girlfriend...Sweetheart?"
"Absolutely not." She scoffed, smiling, "Either of the other two work. And I guess that makes you my partner." She looked away from them like she couldn't believe her own words. Kris lifted her chin, looking down into her eyes.
"I'd like that." They smiled, genuine happiness present on their face. Susie brought her hand up to her face, gently touching theirs.
"Your sappiness is rubbing off on me." She muttered sheepishly. Kris laughs, the sound like music to her ears.
"Come on, before we miss the rest of the party." They stood, lifting her to her feet. Together, they walked back into the gym, hammered with questions by the two waiting around for them. Berdly and Noelle practically dragged the two of them to the corner where the photographer waited impatiently. Apparently, they were supposed to leave 15 minutes ago, but the others had practically begged them to wait until Kris and Susie returned. Excessively apologizing, the four of them clamored to pose in front of the old camera as the flash went off.
The photographer hastily printed and passed out the polaroids, mumbling "Have a nice night," before rushing out the doors.
As the night hurried on, more and more people followed. Eventually, Noelle and Berdly had to say their goodbyes, and the only ones left on campus were Susie, Kris, and Mrs. Dreemurr.
Locking the school doors behind her, Toriel walked down the steps to her van, the kids waiting outside.
"So," She said as she hopped in the car, "How was your night?"
Susie looked over to her partner, sleep threatening to overtake them. She placed her hand down next to theirs in the backseat, their fingers brushing against each other. She exhaled deeply before flashing a big, shark-toothed grin to Toriel.
"Best party ever, ma'am!" She pumped a fist in the air, smacking it against the roof of the van and recoiling slightly.
Kris snickered next to her.
"Yeah...it was..." Is all they could say before they dozed off.