Chapter Text
A text would appear on Kris's screen. They'd open their phone, checking it.
"yo."
"kris"
"yo i know your there"
"hey"
Kris would sigh, and sit up a bit to answer.
"Yes susie"
"I am here"
Susie would type something, deleting it multiple times, before finally sending it.
"wanna go to lake and chill?"
Kris looked outside the window, at the cold, dark night. Yeah, they wanted that. They'd type back, standing up quietly to get a coat and some shoes.
"yes. meet you there in 15."
Susie sent back a 'thumbs up' emoji.
Stepping out into the chilly air, Kris instinctively shivered. It had been getting colder lately, definitely time for winter. Kris had mixed feelings about winter. They didn't always find it this way, but... Something changed after the incident.
Shutting down that train of thought, Kris would slowly make their way to the lake, where leaves had been falling into it and cascading down the stream. They hadn't seen "Asriel II" in a moment, which is what they named the creature that occasionally came up from the water and spoke to them.
They saw Susie sitting at one of the benches, shivering in her coat that she always wore. Did she not own a real jacket? Kris approached, sitting next to her.
"O-Oh. H-Hey dude, you finally made it..." She said, her teeth chattering from the cold. Kris felt pity on her. After all... being a reptilian in winter can't feel very nice. Kris would nod, stuffing their hands in their pockets. Their own hands were beginning to get a bit cold. They could see their warm breath billowing into the night sky, like a cloud of smoke that made the scene hazy and beautiful.
"I made it." Was all they said. Susie chuckled, knowing that Kris's monotone couldn't be helped. That was just the kind of person they were. They were definitely of the more weird humans she'd come into contact with in all her years of living with them. But, she liked that about them. Made them easier to talk to, because they understood her strangeness and encouraged it, rather than hiding her away behind pre-texts of obvious discrimination. Kris never saw her as monster, human, or otherwise. Just someone to talk to, to shoot the shit with, and to adventure with. That was what excited Susie the most about them; It was someone truly real, someone who saw her for every part of her and loved her anyway.
Love.
Something Susie didn't have a whole lot of experience with. Neither had Kris.
Kris always wondered what it'd be like. Going through a new adventure with someone right by their side, encouraging them, being there through it all... Sharing tender moments, stolen away when they thought no one else was looking... A kiss or two, perhaps, like they shared with Susie that day at Kris's house-
Kris felt their cheeks flush, a juxtaposition to the chill around them. No more of that, they'd decided.
Susie found herself scooting closer to Kris, probably because Kris was the warmest nearby thing.
"Soooo... Crazy year, huh?" Susie started. Kris just nodded, leaning their head against Susie. It had become a commonplace thing for the two to be physically touching when they hung out. Shoulders brushing, hair ruffling, fake punches, and sometimes people would point out that the two were holding hands. Obviously, that one was the more embarassing one of any of the contact they shared with each other, and the two would quickly retract their hands from one another. Blushing and chuckling about it, trying to save face.
"Yeah..." Kris would respond, holding out a hand to Susie, now sufficiently warmed up. She looked down at the outstretched hand, holding it. Her hands were like ice. Kris could imagine that the rest of her body was like that. "...You're very cold." Kris said, matter-of-factly. Susie chuckled, weakly. She sniffled, and shook her head.
"Nahhhh. I-I'm good. It ain't s-so bad." She said, trying to make it seem like she was tougher than the cold. Kris saw through that facade, of course. Even they were freezing in this weather. Kris brought out two things from their jacket pocket, and placed them in her hands. They kept their hands pressed firmly against Susie's, who had begun to feel a warmth from the two objects that Kris had given her.
"Hand warmers." Kris stated. Susie gave a gentle nod of understanding, feeling bad that she made Kris worry about her.
"I-It's all good man, you don't gotta... Do any of this for me..." She said, seeming like she felt a bit guilty. Kris would take the hand warmers out of Susie's hands, and pressed them to her face. With the straightest expression they could muster, they spoke.
"Warm face."
Susie looked at Kris funnily for a moment, before busting out into laughter.
"HAHAHA!! Dude, you're so WEIRD. Hehe. That's why I like you, man." She said. Even still, she didn't shy away from the warmth provided by the hand warmers. It was far too cold to squander this gift. "...G-Got anymore of those..?" She asked, seeming hopeful. Kris frowned and shook their head.
"No. Sorry, Susie." The way Susie's name came out of Kris's mouth felt almost foreign in an odd way. It was almost.. emotional? Like Kris genuinely felt terrible for not bringing any more, even though they couldn't have known Susie would need them. All the while, Kris's hands remained on Susie's face, cupping her cheeks with the warmers. Kris almost wished they could just transfer all the heat from their body to Susie so she wouldn't have to suffer in this cold weather.
"Haha... Thanks, Kris... I think I'll be alright." She muttered, feeling a bit embarassed. She averted her gaze with Kris, who was doing the same; Staring down into their lap, thinking of the next thing to say.
Eventually, they looked up and settled on, "You're welcome, Susie."
Susie let a gentle smile emerge, now looking at Kris head-on. She had taken to admiring their features more often, ever since she noticed them. They had certainly grown in this past year, Susie noticed. Kris had put on a couple of inches in height. They looked a bit awkward and gangly now, but Susie didn't mind; it added to their charm... And those ruby red eyes shone brightly through the night. Susie was convinced they were bioluminescent against the pale moonlight that shone down on them.
Kris noticed Susie staring into their eyes, and began to blush a bit. "Hey... Susie...?" They started. Susie snapped back to attention, now listening to their words.
"Wassup, man?" She said, trying to feign confidence.
"...Are we... Really friends?" They asked. Although, that was certainly not the correct way to phrase this specific question, it was all that Kris could come up with at the moment. Susie looked at Kris, incredulously, like she couldn't believe the words she was hearing.
"Dude, what?? Of course we are!" She retorted, her back straightening up. Kris shook their head. Not what they meant...
"I mean..." They froze up, their words trailing off...