Chapter Text
The choir always sounded nice. Kris could appreciate how well they harmonized, and how the sounds echoed through the church’s walls and off of its tall ceiling.
Kris found themselves looking at Noelle. They could hear her voice the clearest, and it struck through everyone else’s.
…she was the group’s soprano. Her voice was the highest. Of course it was the one they heard the most clearly.
When Noelle talked, she always did it with this soft and sweet tone that could quickly turn into a murmur when she was nervous. When she sang, though, her voice was powerful. It projected throughout the building, aiming a slingshot and firing right at Kris. She always had a strong singing voice; they heard it multiple times when they were a kid, playing Christmas songs on the piano as per Carol’s requests while Noelle sang along. They always liked her accompaniment, even though they never admitted it, but it wasn’t until after they drifted apart that Kris really started to pay attention to her when she sang. The way her eyes closed, the way she swayed just slightly with the tune of the music and Kris could see the tension in her shoulders start to evaporate as she got comfortable…she was expressive, her strength shone through her fearful and nervous front, and—
The song ended, and Kris was jolted back into the real world. They focused intensely on the pew in front of them, studying every nook and cranny, to distract themselves and squash the feeling down with even more than usual..
Kris found themselves standing in front of Noelle after service. Even after the soul had learned what it wanted to, it still had Kris remain standing in front of her. Which meant that her curious and somewhat confused eyes were still piercing through them.
“Nice singing.” They had full control over how words were said, but damn it, their voice came out soft and warm and real, too close to how they actually felt, and why, WHY did the soul have to be like this—
“Oh! Thanks, Kris…” She blushed just a little, and Kris wished that they hadn’t noticed it. On top of it all, she sounded surprised. Her surprise at the compliment made them a little sad. They were never super expressive, but they didn’t think that she would be that surprised by the idea that they like her voice.
And she remained quiet, making eye contact with Kris and tilting her head to the side the way she always did when she was curious. Her expression grew a little bit unnerved, though the blush remained.
“Uh, hello? Earth to Kris?” She waved a hand in front of their face. “Did you… have something else to say, or…?”
I’m sorry. Can we just…hang out again?
You should keep being yourself.
I miss you. I loved you. I think I still do.
The soul was given no choices.
The silence was suffocating. Kris let them both drown in it.
Their own blush lingered, unacknowledged.