Work Text:
The book closes with a snap, and Kris throws their head back against the headboard of their bed. Susie, leaning on their mattress from the floor, jumps at the noise. She blinks hard as she squints up at them.
“Di’ja finish?” she asks around a yawn.
“You fell asleep again,” they frown as they sign.
“Shit. Sorry, dude. I tried to stay awake.” She reaches for the book — a thick, heavy hardcover novel with blue binding. The title is written in gold script that messes with her eyes when she tries to read it. She runs a thumb over the name at the bottom; it's in that same script, but she knows who it is.
“Sorry to you, too, old man.”
She wants to read the book, she does. She’s the one that requested they read one of Gerson's for their school project. But her and reading have never gotten along. Letters swim across the page, or jump out of place, or just disappear altogether. Throw in some really old, really big words and she gets a headache.
Kris sets a foot on her shoulder and shakes it. “Try walking while I read?” they sign when she looks at them.
“Nah,” Susie says. “You're tired of talking.”
They purse their lips.
“Tell me what it's about. We can go from there.”
A minute passes. Kris stares at the book, brows furrowed. Their hands are slow and hesitant as they rise into the air, fumbling through a few letters before forming coherent sentences.
“It’s about a love between a human mage and a monster warrior,” they sign. Susie's eyes widen — she chose the book at random when another group decided to use Lord of the Hammer for their project.
“It was a forbidden love,” Kris continues. “Monsters and humans were at war for years when they met. They–” their hands stop as they look Susie in the eye.
One movement of Kris' hands shifts quickly into another. Susie is pretty sure they were going to sign ‘fight’ instead of, “They tried to kill each other.”
“Why didn’t they?” Susie asks.
“The monster was already injured. The human refused to fight him when they found out.” A small, almost nostalgic smile quirks their lips. “They helped him. And their friendship grew, until…”
Their pause is not lost on Susie. She tries to hide her blush behind her hair.
“What happened to them?” she whispers, caught up in the whirlwind of the story.
(And of Kris, says an unbidden part of her.)
Their gaze falls to their hands. They are slow to answer, with even slower motions. “All of monsterkind was driven underground. Humans created a barrier to keep them from escaping.”
“What?!” Susie cries, “But what about the monster and the human?”
Their hands form into fists before they do words.
“The human was one of the mages that sealed the barrier. The monster's last thought was how beautiful they were.”
Silence fills the room as Kris lowers their hands and stares at them. Susie crosses her arms on the mattress, head resting on them as she stares at the wall. She can’t think of what to say. What could she say?
The way they described the book, the look in their eyes as they did, the solemn quiet that fell when they were finished.
They know the book well. How often must they have read it?
She opens her mouth to ask.
“Let’s act it out,” Kris whispers before she can. “For our project.”
Her head snaps to theirs. They’re watching her now, eyes red and pleading.
“Act it out?” she whispers.
They swing their legs over the side of the bed and move to Asriel’s side of the room. Kneeling on the floor, they reach under his bed and search through the dark until they pull out a large cardboard box. Inside is a mix of different fabrics and clothing. Kris shifts them around until they find two different ones — both of which are floor-length cloaks.
One is a rich amber in color, embroidered with stars sparkling around the shoulders and leaves curling around the hems. Kris swings it over their own shoulders and fastens it, then gestures for Susie to stand.
The other cloak is velvety black, soft on her arms as Kris ties it below her chin. They lift the hood over her head, fingers lingering near her bangs, sweeping them to the side, running along her jaw.
“A monster warrior,” they whisper into the space between them. Their gaze flickers to her lips before they step back to raise their own hood. “A human mage.”
“Kind of unfair,” Susie whispers, but another glance to her lips silences her thoughts. “Should we practice?” she asks, her own eyes flickering to their mouth.
Kris gulps.
Then they nod.