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The door to the Dreemurr house slams shut, muffled laughter ringing from within. Susie can hear it clear as day through the wall. Her feet stay rooted in place, holding out for the door to open back up, for Kris to invite her back in, to say Toriel will turn off the music, Sans will leave, and she and Kris can have the long, deep sleep she knows they both need.
It leaves a sour taste in her mouth, the way her night has to end. At least Toriel wasn’t caught up in a second Dark World, she thinks, the silver lining. She wants to be with Kris so bad it pains her to take that first step off the doorstep. But they probably don’t want her around right now; she saw how they turned away from her, face wound in a grimace and pink with embarrassment. She didn’t blame them; she never invited them to her apartment for a reason.
As she stands in the Dreemurr’s front yard, rain soaking through her jacket, she thinks about what she should do now. She could go home, dry off, and crawl into bed, but she still feels restless. Her mom probably just got off work, too, she realizes belatedly. The last thing she wants to do is ruin her sleep by barging in. So it comes down to standing in the rain or finding someplace to try to hunker down in for a while. The latter seems the most appealing, so she starts walking down the driveway.
She only gets about 10 feet before she hears a thud come from the house. She turns around, expecting to see a lanky figure shadowing the warm light from the doorway. Instead, she sees a flash of a green sweater as Kris jumps from the roof, landing on their hands and knees in the wet grass. She balks at the insanity of their decision and, when they do not start moving immediately, rushes back to their side.
“Kris!” She yell-whispers, afraid Toriel will hear her, “Are you okay? What the fuck, dude!”
They don’t say anything, breathing heavily, eyes wide and unfocused. Eventually, they calm down enough to give a shaky thumbs up and stagger to their feet. Susie hovers around them, not quite sure what to do without her healing magic.
Kris looks… different isn’t the right word, because it’s not 100% true, but something is definitely off about them. Their posture is less tense, shoulders slumped, head loose, and heavy bags under their eyes that make Susie wince inside.
She opens her mouth to comment, but she doesn’t really know what to say. She knows she’s been staring for a moment too long, and Kris knows too, because they hunch in over themself, bringing a hand up to their elbow, unsure.
She sighs, turning back around and running a hand through her hair. “Whatever,” she says, “I hope you know someplace dry we can go. This rain is gonna get me sick.”
Straightening up, Kris starts to walk ahead of her. Susie worries they’re going to leave her behind until they look back over at her and jerk their head as if to say, You coming or what?
She grins and rolls her eyes, picking up the pace. “Right behind you, dumbass.”
*****
Kris takes her to the lake, leading her past the picnic benches and into the woods. They walk a little farther until they get to a large tree, its canopy creating an umbrella. It’s perfectly dry if they stay underneath, the occasional drop falling through. Beyond that, the ground gives way to a small, rocky shore, the waves lapping over the pebbles.
“Not bad,” Susie comments, plopping down against the trunk. They sniff, looking proud at her approval, and sit down next to her.
They sit in silence for a long time, Kris never really one to speak without being spoken to, and Susie not knowing quite what to say. She leans back against the tree trunk and closes her eyes, listening to the world around her. It’s a sound Susie’s never considered before, the way the water slides through the gaps of the rocks, creating music. Mixed with the rain pattering on the leaves, she feels more at ease than she has in days. She opens one eye to peek at Kris, who’s sitting a couple feet away, their bangs creating a shield over their face.
They’re also panting really hard, like they’re trying to catch their breath, but in a way that they’re trying not to make it obvious. Maroon eyes slide over to meet hers, gaze steeled. Please don’t. They look forward and go completely still.
Okay. Sure. That’s normal. Certainly not something to bring up–obviously they don’t want that, so she won’t–but it’s definitely concerning. Maybe they’re insecure about it? She can understand; she would always be out of breath when she used to live in a fourth floor apartment with no elevator, and her mom would always have some snide comment to make about getting into shape. So maybe it’s like that. She looks away and she hears them exhale quietly, and a tension lifts from her shoulders she didn’t know she was holding.
She wants to distract them, pull their thoughts away from whatever is freaking them out. She hates seeing Kris like this, afraid and unwilling to spill. The last time she saw them anywhere close to this was in the S-rank room in Tenna’s world, staring at a video game in horror. How they grabbed her by the lapels and pulled her in close, eyes flicking wildly around in search of a danger that she couldn’t see.
At least she was able to calm them down some, bring the spark back into their eyes with a stupid comment. How they laughed into her hair and called her weird. How she had to leave after that, to hide the flush in her cheeks, but Kris was smiling.
And realizes she wants to feel that again, to know she made them happy.
Putting her hands behind her head, she talks.
“I, uh, was talking to Noelle earlier, about Dragon Blazers 2 . When we were at her house. I played it when I was younger, and I told her how the first time I played it, I didn’t know you could… be? nice? To the enemies? Which, like, heh, totally makes sense for me.”
She dares to steal another glance at Kris. The corner of their mouth quirks up; something soars in her chest. She grins. “And then she told me that the whole route was supposed to be a secret! Which is totally crazy! ‘Cause the whole point of games is to fight, yeah? At least, all the games I heard people talk about when I was a kid.
So I told her I would play it again but right, if I ever found another copy, but it got me thinking, like, what’s so different about the game if I basically played it wrong? What do I get out of it, y’know? I had fun as is. What would be the point of changing it?” She’s rambling now, hands gesturing as she talks. Her mouth is moving faster than her mind is, and she feels slightly hysterical. “So now I’m thinking about the Old Man, and how when I was fighting him for the Hammer, he was telling me about his writing. And his books are what they made Dragon Blazers about, so he kept talking about the heroes, and their journeys, and then I asked him which hero he thought I was, and he… he said I was the dragon .”
She stops for a moment, furrowing her brow. Her knees come up to her chest. Conflicting emotions run through her now, as some of the pieces slot together. “The dragon. Not any of the heroes.” She’s not really talking for Kris, anymore.
“I was proud at first, y’know? Dragon Blazers is like, my favorite game. Pretty much the only game I ever owned. Technically it wasn’t mine, but whatever. And the dragon was so cool , so terrifying, and I busted my ass trying to beat it. And I was so happy when that happened. It felt like I had done something right for once.” She grips her right hand, running her fingers over rough, scarred knuckles. “But now? Knowing there was an entirely different path to go down?”
The sound of glass shattering rings in her ears. Ralsei’s broken sobs as he clutched her arm and cried apologies in a futile plea to forget what she saw. What he already knew.
Anger starts to boil inside her. She digs a claw into the newly scabbed skin. “I said I wouldn’t let the prophecy happen. I won’t. We won’t let it. But it’s like– I can’t stop thinking about it. I thought I was finally going somewhere. That I get to be good.”
“You are.”
Susie looks up at that. It’s the first thing Kris has said all night, quiet but without hesitation. They look at her, their brows slightly crinkled in disbelief. Something about their expression, the way they seem so steadfast in their words despite their lack of energy all night, makes the anger drop to her gut. Their confidence only makes her feel guilt for knowing what’s to come. She draws her legs to her chest, burying her face in her knees.
When she doesn’t respond, Kris rests a hand on her shoulder. She swallows hard, emotions bubbling up from her gut, choking her. She can’t speak; she’s afraid if she does, she might vomit. Why did it have to come down to that? Why couldn’t she be allowed to live happily– hell, she’d keep her shitty-but-kinda-fun life forever if it was up to her. But the second she opened up, started making friends… it was going to be taken away from her. Maybe it would be better if she quit now, maybe that’s the change needed for the prophecy not to come true, but she can’t imagine leaving Kris and Ralsei now.
She pictures her empty room, her lone movie poster with the corner ripped off. She pictures her pillow, her old comforter. Clothes on the floor. Kitchen sink full of dishes. Garbage piled up. Going to school, going anywhere but home.
Her brow creases. It’s scary, she thinks, to not want to go back to the way things used to be. To actually want to change.
Kris would never let her leave, even if she tried. She’s also their friend, so they don’t want to be alone either, right? They both promised Ralsei they’d seal the fountains. They’re in this together. Until the end.
And it hits her, right then and there, that she doesn’t know what she’d be without Kris. She doesn’t want to know what she’d be without them. They’ve given her the confidence to be herself, comforted her in their own weird way, stood by her even when she was an asshole. And immediately after that, she realizes that she had been their bully for the past few months up until only three days ago.
She barks out a laugh, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth to muffle it. Kris shifts next to her, pulling their hand back to their lap. The ridiculousness of the situation can only be amusing because otherwise, it’s horrifying. How had she switched so quickly? Was she really that desperate for connection, for friendship, that the second someone wasn’t negative towards her, she jumped at the chance to be closer? Not to mention they were Toriel’s kid, and oh, Angel, she might’ve saved her life that day. Maybe somewhere in her subconscious she craved to be loved, and she couldn't face the truth until something worse came up.
“Do you… remember…” Kris says, looking back out over the lake, “...what you said to me?”
Susie huffs. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that, dude. I’ve said a lot of shit to you.”
The corner of their mouth quirks up. “After you moved here. After class. That day.”
Susie blinks. It’s a crazy coincidence they had been thinking the same thing. Strange, in the way Kris tends to be. She shuts her eyes and thinks. A few scenes flash through her head. She recalls that day, mostly in colors and feelings. Hunger. Curiosity. Rage. Shame. She said something to them, something happened, but the fact that she has no idea what it even was makes her stomach churn.
“Fuck, Kris, I’m sorry for all that.” She rubs her hands over her face. “I know you don’t care anymore. I know you never did. The worst part is, I don’t even remember what I said. I know I was awful to you. You never said anything. It was easy, and I was… scared.”
Her cheeks are wet. “I’m scared, Kris.”
They tilt their head, listening patiently. They’re so good at that.
She continues, voice breaking, “I was brave in front of Ralsei. He can’t… he can’t take anymore sadness. He’s got enough of it inside him already. So I was brave for him. I said we were going to change the prophecy. But I can’t stop thinking about it. We’re not gonna let it happen, right? What if nothing works? What if we fulfill it by trying to stop it? I don’t know how much longer…” She trails off, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. “Sorry. I’m really sorry. For being so mean, for crying and ruining your night, for dragging you to the lake in the rain, for– What are you doing?”
Kris stands up suddenly, perusing the ground with interest. Eventually, they lean down and pick up a small, smooth rock. They hold it out between their face and Susie’s, eyes squinted to study the shape. Susie stares, dumbfounded.
“Dude, are you even listening? I’m pouring my heart out here, asshole!”
They tilt their head again. “What about what I said to you?”
“Wh- huh? What the hell are you talking about, again?”
“That day.” They turn their back towards Susie, tossing the rock in their hand, testing the weight. They look at her over their shoulder. “Do you remember?”
Susie looks down, trying to bring any solid memories back up. Apples. Shame. Something pings in her brain. A park bench. Hot chocolate in a diner. “You said…”
Kris adjusts the rock in their hand, winding their forearm back in a practiced motion, and skips the rock across the lake, one, two, three, four times, before it sinks unceremoniously back into the water.
“It’ll all work out.”
It’s quiet for a moment, the rain finally winding down to a sprinkle. The waves of the shore have calmed to almost nothing.
Surprisingly, Kris is the one who breaks the silence.
“You didn’t drag me to the lake, by the way.” They open their mouth, close it, fighting some internal battle that Susie knows she might never get to know about. She frowns, wants to be able to reach out and comfort them, to make Kris feel cared for enough to spill all their troubles so she can chase them away. She pushes it down.
“I chose to come here,” they say, placing a hand on their chest, “I wanted to be here. With you."
Susie sighs. “Yeah, yeah, I was wrong about that. Couldn’t help but try to make myself feel worse, y’know? Me and my stupid pity party.”
She stands up slowly, stretching her back, feeling pins and needles from being so curled up for so long. She suddenly feels exhausted, the crying and late night catching up to her. Kris is looking at her, wearing the same stupid smile they did at the diner.
Finally letting herself be curious, she asks, “Dude, are you alright? You’ve shown, like, three whole emotions tonight. That’s more than I’ve ever seen you do.”
In lieu of answering, Kris crouches and scoops up another rock, this time, holding it out for Susie to take. She takes it gingerly from their hand, running her claws over the smooth surface, perfectly round and flat. Winding her arm back, she thinks about the final lines of the prophecy, imagines carving the words into the soft stone, and lobs it far into the water. It lands with a small splash, ripples slowly making their way out. Behind her, Kris whines, “That was literally the best skipping stone I’ve ever found.”
She laughs, loud and unabashed. She turns back around, gaze locked onto Kris’, and sticks her pinky out.
“We’re gonna beat the prophecy’s ass, dude.”
Kris smiles, wider than she’s ever seen, and leans over and bites the end of her finger. Not enough to hurt, but enough to startle. She yelps and tries to draw her hand away. “Ow, what the fuck?? No, Kris!! Bad!!”
They stay attached to her as she waves her arm around, eventually letting go once she gives them a light shove. She laughs again and goes to wipe her hand on their sweater. “You’re so weird.” She flings her arm around their shoulder, and starts to walk. “C’mon, dumbass, let’s get you home. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”
Kris nods, smiling to themself, head bobbing heavily. Susie briefly lets her chest swell, and finally lets herself feel only love and admiration. She’s sure about this, she knows. She will make it through to the other side, to find peace and happiness and stability with her friends, and she will fight tooth and nail to make it happen.
She gives Kris a squeeze and doesn’t think about how they didn’t complete the pinky promise. But when they press harder into her side and lean on her all the way back to their house, she thinks that’s pretty goddamn close.