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After the calamity of darkness looming over the world was defeated and the kids of Hometown were able to return to their normal lives, things were better than they had ever been for Kris Dreemurr.
With newfound friendships and a sense of peace they hadn't ever experienced, for the first time in their life, Kris was content.
And yet…some things remained the same as they always were.
Despite the joy that the kids of Hometown found themselves surrounded by, they still had a lot on their crowded plates. Issues in their home lives, conflicts with their parents, grieving absent loved ones, the pressures of society…these familiar problems remained ever-present in each of the children's lives.
Perhaps, these things are just a part of life, is what Kris eventually thought. They tried their best to accept that fact and move on. They were sure it would all be okay, so they no longer concerned themself with worrying too much about all of it, focusing on the joys of life instead.
Until today.
—
It was just any other ordinary weekend for Kris Dreemurr. They had finished having breakfast at home, now ready for their weekly rock-skipping day with their best friend, Susie.
Taking their time and breathing in the morning air, they slowly made their way to the lakeside surrounded by forests near the eastern end of Hometown. This little spot was the duo’s favorite meeting place to spend time together.
To Kris' surprise, however, as soon as they reached the area, things felt different from usual…
…Susie was already there, sitting on the lakeshore, back turned away from where Kris was standing now, silently staring at its endless horizon, her posture somewhat tired and slouched…
…Something was off.
That's not right. She's supposed to be waiting for Kris standing up against a tree, greeting them with a smile, complaining about them being late, giving them a noogie, joking around, laughing…
…And yet, it seemed like she was lost in her own world.
With bated breath, Kris slowly made their way to where Susie was sitting, as to not startle her, then, in a soft voice, called out her name.
“...Huh? Oh. Hey, Kris.”
Something was definitely, definitely off.
Kris returned her greeting with confusion and concern lacing their voice.
Still facing away from Kris, Susie responds, “heheh…the hell's with that pathetic sounding ‘hello’? Not used to seeing me a little tired yet?”
Kris' eyebrows furrow. They know she's not supposed to be tired right now. They answer Susie with a question of their own, asking her what's up with her just sitting there all quiet.
“...”
Kris stays silent as well.
Susie sighs and slowly shifts, standing up. Then, she finally turns to Kris.
In an instant, Kris' feelings go from shocked, to worried, to almost heartbroken as they stare at Susie with wide eyes.
“...Why are you looking at me like that? Don't make a big deal out of this, alright?” Susie tries her best to keep her composure.
Kris shakes their head in disagreement. They worriedly ask Susie what happened to her.
“...I just fell and hit my face weird. I said don't worry about it too much. I'll feel better in a sec if we just go and eat something, I'm really hungr—”
Kris interrupts Susie, telling her that they know she's too sturdy for a fall to bruise her like that.
“Look, I said don't worry about it! It isn't that big of a deal. It'll get better in no time. You know I've been through worse.” She puts on a pitiful smile, trying her best to seem okay.
Kris frowns, staying silent, staring intently at Susie. Then, they shake their head in disagreement again before quickly approaching Susie and holding onto her left arm.
“H-hey, what the hell, Kris—”
They interrupt her again, calling her name with a serious, firm voice. They ask her, one more time, to please tell them what happened, reminding her to trust them.
In response, Susie's fake smile fades entirely and she lets her body language finally show her true feelings. She looks at Kris with furrowed eyebrows, her tired eyes suddenly a little misty.
“I…got hit. Last night.” She looks away, ashamed.
Kris asks them who it was.
“My…my mom.” Her voice is unusually quiet.
Kris’ heart aches at her answer. They then ask Susie, with as gentle of a tone as they can, for her to try and tell them all of what happened. They tell her that they're here for her, and that they'll listen without judgement.
Susie feels her faith in Kris return to her. She takes a deep breath, preparing herself to recall the events of last night.
“Y’know I was home kinda late last night? Well, I ended up getting caught up in one of her…drinking nights when I got back. When I walked in, she…”
Susie tries her best to keep herself composed.
“...She kept asking me to get her more booze. Which, y'know, I obviously can't for a bunch of reasons. And I wouldn't even if I could anyways. So that's what I said. I told her there's no way in hell I'm gonna get her any more booze.”
Kris nods at Susie, their pained eyes lovingly fixated on her, their expression mirroring Susie’s frown but contrasting her averted gaze. They gently squeeze her arm.
“And then she tells me to shut the door and step inside. I did, since it was late and I didn't want anybody to hear her screaming…but I wish I would’a just ran away like my guts were telling me to do. ‘Cause as soon as I shut the door, she…”
Kris feels their heart beating in their throat, the teen almost nauseous.
“...got up off her chair and hit my face with one of her damn bottles. As hard as she could. It broke into sharp little bits all over my face.”
Susie's voice sounded pained in a way Kris wasn't used to hearing, and they found themself holding back tears. Susie continued to stare off into the distance as she spoke, her facial wound glistening in the sunlight. Kris felt their blood boil.
“And then, with the broken bottle, she…k-kept hittin’ me. Over and over again. And…telling me…telling me I'm just a waste of space and I never do anything for her and I shouldn't come back home if I don't know how to treat her right and then she said SHE WISHED SHE KILLED ME WHILE SHE COULD WHEN I WAS SMALL AND WEAK AND…and…”
Susie interrupts herself, catching herself getting panicked and loud, her teeth baring themselves and her chest feeling tight.
With a shaky voice, Kris tells Susie that she's safe right now, and that she doesn't have to yell for them to listen.
Susie sighs, finally looking down at Kris again with fearful yet trusting eyes. Then, with her right paw, she engulfes Kris' free hand to try and regulate herself. Kris responds by telling her that they'll be on her side no matter what. The words seem to calm Susie down enough for her to regain the ability to continue.
“Then, I started getting really mad. So I stopped being all stuck standing there and shoved her away. Even though she's way bigger than me, I was able to knock her back into her chair. I ran into my room, shut the door tight, and just. Sat there. On the floor. Getting the glass outta my face and…crying. All night.”
While a wave of relief seems to rush over Susie as she finishes her explanation, Kris, on the contrary, felt their face heat up as tears swelled at the corners of their eyes.
“...!? Kris!? I’m sorry, dude, was that too much-”
Kris firmly replies with a no, telling Susie not to apologize. They then let their tears start to fall as they remove their hands from where they were, only to dive back in closer to Susie, tightly wrapping her in a hug, crying onto her chest.
Susie's pain fades into the background from sheer surprise. She has never seen Kris respond to anything like this. It flusters her, and for a moment, she just awkwardly stands there, silently listening to Kris cry. Then, she very gently hugs them back, engulfing their smaller form in her warmth.
“Why…are you crying so much, Kris?” Susie's voice is somber.
Kris allows a few more sobs to escape their lips before gathering themself to reply. With a trembling voice, they tell Susie that it's because they're really worried about her, that they're in pain because she's in pain, that she didn't deserve any of that, and that they wish they were there to protect her last night.
Kris pauses for a while to catch their breath, hiccups escaping their throat as they feel Susie's embrace slowly tighten around them. They then tell Susie that this all hurts so much. It hurts too much to see her going through this. They remind her that this is a big deal, even if she's used to it happening since her childhood.
Susie stays silent.
Kris, expecting a response from Susie, pulls their face away from her chest and looks up at her, inquisitively calling her name to elicit a response.
But as soon as Susie hears Kris say her name in such a caring voice, she looks down at them, unable to hold back her own pain anymore. Tears start streaming down the side of her face, her facial injury stinging from the warm and salty fluid. Her snout scrunches as she sniffles, her cries much louder than her stifled sobs from last night.
Kris resumes crying as well upon seeing their best friend in such a state. They can't bear to keep eye-contact, so they nest their face onto Susie's chest again, crying alongside her.
Both kids continue to let their feelings flow, their wails a cacophony of agony and love. The friends tightly cling onto each other, as if letting go would mean losing the other. For a moment, their hearts and souls ache as one.
A long interval passes before the two eventually feel their tears run dry. Still, Kris refuses to let go for just a bit longer, the hug lingering as Susie begins to speak again.
“Kris. You…you're a real friend, y'know? Thanks…thank you for being so damn…kind to me. And taking all this care of me.”
Kris feels themself soothed by Susie's low voice reverberating through her warm chest. They tell her that it's no problem at all, and that they know she'd do the same — no — that she's done the same for them already. Kris tells Susie that it's natural for them to want to help her, too.
Susie finally flashes a genuine smile which Kris can hear in her voice as she speaks. “Heheheh. You're a real sap, you know that? Loser.”
Kris finally smiles, too, and feels relieved enough to loosen the hug. They look up at her with a warm expression, their cheeks somewhat flushed. Then, with sheer joy, Kris tells Susie that yes, they're a loser, but they're her loser.
“...! Wh-huh…?” That response immediately causes Susie to blush, her eyes wide in surprise. Then, with an embarrassed expression, she shoves Kris away. “DON'T GET SO WEIRD ABOUT IT!”
Stumbling back from being shoved, Kris suddenly bursts out laughing at her response. Wheezing, they hug their own stomach as they lose their composure, this time from endearment. They tell her she's the weird one for making it weird.
“AM NOT!” She responds, and as much as Susie would like to keep up the banter, she can't, as a distracting jolt of pain radiates from her wound. “O-ow…”
Kris mellows as soon as they notice her reaction, then, they take her hand and tell her that she's being taken to the hospital right now, whether she likes it or not.
Kris' resolve makes Susie's heart beat a bit faster. “...Fine. If you're so serious about it, then you should pay for it, too.” Her purple cheeks continue to redden.
Though Susie was only being playfully demanding, it suddenly dawns on Kris why she wasn't at the hospital already. She was worried about paying. This realization only causes Kris' heart to ache a bit more for the kindest person they've ever met. It's not fair at all.
They sigh. With a sincere gaze and voice, Kris tells Susie that they would be glad to pay for it.
Kris' response makes Susie flustered. “Why'd you say it so seriously like that…? I was just kidding-”
Kris shakes their head at Susie. They remind her that it's okay to ask for help, that she was the one who taught Kris that it was okay to ask for help. They tell her again that they really mean it when they say they can pay, and will happily do more for her, if she needs it.
Susie's expression greatly softens at Kris’ sincerity. “A-alright, you're…right.” She sighs. “I trust you to help me out with this. Let's…go to the hospital.” She gently smiles at Kris.
Kris returns that smile, and with a nod from them, the duo start walking hand in hand, making conversation as they make their way to Hometown's only hospital.
And, just for a fleeting moment, as Susie looks down at the little human walking in front of her, guiding her by their small hand, eager to ensure her safety…
…All her worries seem to suddenly fade away, replaced by warmth spreading in her heart. The girl begins to believe, at least for now, that she is genuinely, truly loved.