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Susie sat quietly at the pond, Kris beside her as they relaxed after a long day at the library. Successfully having saved Noelle and Berdly from Queen, closed the Dark Fountain, and with at least a few hours left in the day, the two were tired, but still running high from the adventure they’d just had. Just winding down, Kris had thrown their shoes into the sand beside the water, resting with their feet submerged, while Susie sat a foot back from them, picking grass and twisting it around her finger, then picking a bit more, weaving it into a braid as she sat there, looking out at the water. Both of their energy levels were still up, the thrill of fighting in that giant mech fresh on their minds. Casting a long shadow back on the path as the sun went down over the trees on the opposite shore, Susie looked down at Kris, who was focused on the way the water was rippling as the leaves fell on its surface.
A breeze caused the mirror-like reflection to break, turning into an opaque, shimmering floor of water, causing them to come back to reality. The smell of decaying leaves filling the air, and the very slight scent of Susie’s old hooded sweatshirt she was so fond of could be caught, too. Turning their head, they glanced back and up at her, red eye on hers, the subtlest of smiles on their face. It’d been a good day. Even if it had been busy… and harrowing, with Noelle having been captured and Berdly nearly hurt quite badly, it had turned out in the end.
Something else was on Susie’s mind though, as she locked eyes with Kris, then moved back to the braid of grass she had woven around her thick reptilian finger. The tip of her claw was actually rather deft at being used like a knitting needle, guiding the grass braid around itself. Usually Kris didn’t see Susie so thoughtful, or quiet, causing the human to tilt their head, hair shifting in the breeze, the sound of leaves rustling across the path behind them filling the air. Kris didn’t need to speak to ask what was on her mind, as she let out a long, deep breath, biting the inside of her cheek for a second.
“Y’know like, when there was all those mushy books Alphys made us read a few years ago?”
Kris did their best to remember… drumming a finger on the side of their jaw for a second, then shaking their head.
“You know, the crummy romantic ones! Don’t play dumb.”
Kris just smiled the tiniest bit more, the upturn at the edges of their mouth actually noticeable now. Susie just smiled in return and rolled her eyes.
“Quit messin’ around, I’m trying to tell you something serious.” She said, letting out a breath. “I actually… kinda liked those books. If ya tell anybody I’ll turn your spine into a jump-rope.”
The human just nodded, understanding, though Susie knew already that Kris barely communicated with anybody outside of their closest friends, so the threat was more just to reinforce the fact that she was safe confiding that in them, to herself.
“Anyway… when they got to the part that wasn’t in the version of the book we read, and I went online and looked it up… and yeah don’t pretend like you didn’t!” She saw Kris grin a tiny bit, knowing the part she was talking about. The part that wasn’t in the ‘Student Edition’. “So, when I looked that up… I dunno, it just kind of… was okay, I guess.”
Confused, Kris stood up, taking their feet out of the water and stepping to sit beside her, leaning in to look her in the face. Red eyes gleaming, curiosity-filled. Asking her what she meant, just without having to say or sign a word. Hanging on each bit of what she was telling them.
“I dunno, when the two just did all that stuff on the bed, just didn’t do anything. I dunno if I’m reading it wrong or whatever, I just didn’t feel like I missed anything, if I didn’t read it, I guess? Cool they did that stuff, just… I dunno if you’re getting me, so maybe I’ll just shut u-”
Kris shook their head, interrupting her with a firm pat on the shoulder, the tap of their palm on her audible from some distance, and enough to jostle her just very slightly. Since she stood a full head and a bit of shoulder taller than Kris, it took some effort, but the forceful sensation carried a supportive feeling behind it, telling her that they were listening. To carry on.
“Uh… well, you get what I mean, then? Like it doesn’t make me feel anything?”
She looked away, then back to find Kris nodding. Her long muzzle split into a smile, reaching up to rub her thick, muscled neck.
“Guess that’s a relief… glad that I could get that off my chest a bit, but… that was really just a lead-up to something I need your advice on.”
Taking a deep breath, Susie looked out at the water, then looked down at her hands, gripping the grass braid tight in her thick, calloused palms, then rolling it between her fingers. Kris could see, where her sleeves were rolled up, the muscles in her forearms ripple with these movements, and as she squeezed the woven blades tight.
“I probably should tell Noelle that. How… do I do that?”
Kris was silent for a long second, then lifted their hands up, signing to ask her if she felt like she needed to tell Noelle so soon? Noelle had only just confessed to her today. Susie saw that and was quick to reply.
“In her room, there were moments where I think she totally was going in for a kiss” She tilted her head back, as she saw the last of the rays of the sun start to sweep over the water, approaching. Then, the shadows passed the tip of her muzzle, the sky turning brilliant red and orange. “I kind of felt like, maybe… I wanted to. But I don’t want to give her the wrong idea.”
Kris blinked slowly, then signed it out to ask what she meant by that.
“I mean she thought it was a dream. Lotta people dream some messy stuff, Kris. Y’know? Like, I had a dream about throwing one of those chess piece idiots off the top of the card castle, last night. So from all the stuff I read online, she could’ve started to… y’know what? You get it, you’re smart.”
Kris slowly nodded, looking from Susie out at the water. So Susie didn’t want to feel like she was leading the situation into something that might disappoint Noelle. She felt like, she should tell her sooner rather than later about how she felt, about these things. But… why ask Kris for advice? They turned, a questioning expression written on their face.
Sighing, Susie figured she should just be honest.
“You’re the first person that I’ve told.”
Kris made an ‘oh’ motion, resting a palm under their chin, as they looked out at the water, the surface calming as the breeze subsided. That was a conundrum. Nobody knew, yet. Maybe it would come as a shock to Noelle? Would it change her mind about wanting to date her? Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t… it was hard to tell. Kris obviously couldn’t just read Noelle’s mind, but somewhere deep down, the human knew that Susie was probably in the clear to tell her. Noelle had never been one to react negatively if her expectations and reality weren’t the same. Especially for friends.
Kris quietly signed to her that it would be okay, Noelle was a kind person. Susie relaxed slightly, a bit more tension leaving her shoulders, before mumbling.
“I just don’t want to disappoint her, Kris…”
A thump was heard as Kris punched her shoulder with some force, then shoving their forehead against the spot they punched, shaking their head. The message was clear, that they didn’t much like the way Susie was thinking about this. Susie should be to the point about her feelings, the way that Noelle would want her to be. Acting the way she would before she was even aware Noelle was crushing on her.
“… yeah, you’re probably right.” She sighed, then wrapped an arm around their head, before falling backwards onto the grass, staring up at the sky.
Resting their head on her bicep, Kris looked up as the stars began to come out, as the sun began to fully fade behind the horizon.
“… there’s probably some fancy word for what I’m dealing with, right?”
Kris paused, then looked to Susie, before reaching into their pocket and getting out a pen and a sticky note. Scribbling the word down, they tore it off and stuck it to Susie’s nose, causing her to snort with amusement, before pulling it off and holding it in front of her eyes.
“… yeah, I guess that’d be it huh. Ace… honestly cooler sounding than I expected.”
Kris smirked a bit, then signed out asking if she’d kiss Noelle once she told her.
Susie just rolled her eyes a bit, smiling back, but nodded. She still liked Noelle… in that sort of way. The way with holding her hand whenever she asked, and being her pillow, or hugging real close. That sounded great.
“Okay, the sun’s going down nerd.” Susie grunted, sitting up and getting to her feet. “Get your shoes, I’m starting to crash… would Toriel be cool if I slept on your couch or something?”
As they walked away, Kris had the idea that maybe they would text Noelle that they gave Susie the chalk yesterday, just to make sure she knew, and tell her that Susie had really appreciated it.