Chapter Text
“God I hate my mom so much; always bickering and bitching, it makes me wonder if she even loves me.” groaned Dess as she lay in bed, holding her phone up over her face. The lifeless screen made her face seem dead. “Hey now, everyone has their ways of communicating their feelings, right? I’m sure that’s just how she is; Carol has to be all tough and can’t properly express care.” said Asriel, attempting to defuse what could become an atomic bomb of rage. “Oh, okay, yeah, just tell me you love me by locking me up and yelling your lungs out at me, real sweet. You know, I’m starting to think she has some serious trauma.” snarked Dess. Asriel turned over to his side, laying out the phone on his pillow. He stared at it as though Dess was the one in that phone’s spot. “So, what, you’re gonna run far, far away?” he huffed. Dess snickered to herself, “Not a half bad idea, Azzy!”. Asriel clutched the device and sat up, holding it close to his face, “Wait wait wait… what?!” he panicked. “Dess, tell me you’re kidding.” Asriel said sternly. Dess sighed, unamused by his overdramatic reflex, “Not forever, obviously, maybe for a day or two, hopefully spending that short time with you…?” Dess queried, unsure what the boy’s response would be. “Well.. I…” Asriel stammered, “It’s scary, is it not?” he said lightly; his nervous laugh gave away that he was a little reluctant.
Dess scratched the back of her head, she had not taken even a moment to think of fear or consequences. Usually, if she got hurt, she would walk it off; if she got in trouble with the police or her mom, she just daydreamed while they scolded her. “Nah, worst that could happen is me getting grounded for a month…” she trailed off, “...just to only sneak out again and again, stockpiling the infinite grounding.” she said cheekily, twirling her hair around her finger. Asriel scratched his chin with his fingertips, “Not much she can do, huh? Always busy.” he stated. Asriel came to the realization that he had no reason not to go, which meant he had to survive another of Dess’s “one of the more ‘chill’ nights” (she promised that every time). Despite everything, he becomes ecstatic every time Dess has as much fun as she does. Asriel groaned, “You know I can’t refuse your shenanigans when you’re involved.” Dess giggled like an idiot while she rolled around in her blanket, wrapping herself into a coccoon, though maybe it was more like a burrito… Damn, that sounds really good right about now, I love burritos, maybe birria would be better… GOD I could go down to QC’s with Elly to get their conchas… fuck, I’m always hungry… “Great! Let’s talk more tomorrow, ‘kay?” Dess promptly proclaimed. “Alright alright, I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight, angel, I love you.” Asriel whispered tenderly, he had gotten used to calling and being called pet names, it made him overjoyed how far they’ve come in such a limited time. Just about a year ago, they were sworn rivals until the bitter end since they were little children. Now that Asriel had become a man and Dess a woman, they’ve soothed into a relationship so sweet, it would give young kids heart attacks. Kris had often been disgusted by their affection whenever it was displayed publicly, contrastingly, Dess was always the first to give them a smack. “Love you too, Azzy! G’night!” Dess cheered before tapping the red ‘end call’ button on her phone.
She ensnared herself in her blanket and stuffed her face into the fluffy pillow; her short fur was abrasive against it, causing her coat to be brushed the wrong way. Dess dreaded getting up from her exact position, the only possible scenario in which she arises is when there’s only an hour left before their meeting time; she didn’t care if her mom nagged her for receiving a healthy amount of sleep (ridiculous). All that mattered to her: she would make the time of her life with Asriel all in one day, and everything would be perfect for them, no bumps in the road and no thorns on the rose. Dess had only ever wanted a getaway from hell, and while Asriel eases the desire effectively, the need for something anew welled up in her. Perhaps that need wasn’t for something new, that could’ve been a longing for something from their past which had not been touched in ages.
As she shut her dry eyes, thoughts stockpiled in the crevices of her mind. Dess often did this, laying in bed and simply thinking of anything; perfect fantasy, her troubles from the real world, predicting and planning for her near future, and anything in between. Tonight, her notions were rather intrusive, as if they were bugs crawling through the cracks of a stone wall. She focused to imagine what the two couldn’t do together. Ordinarily, her abrash, overconfident demeanor would order her to reprimand herself: There’s nothing the coolest couple in the whole world can’t do! Not even the bitch will stop you! Dess wanted to do anything and everything with Asriel, spend time at the fair a couple towns away, drive really fast on a lonely road, hold his trembly (but cute) hands, and watch as the sun set over the horizon; sitting atop their truck, and talking about their future. Now she felt the insomnia kick in, there was no way she would idly stand by for tomorrow. So, her caveman brain activated, and demanded happiness good, want now. Dess sprang out of her bed, landing her hooves into the carpet with controlled force, like some sort of stealth force, and changed her clothing to the outfit she already picked out for tomorrow. She wore a white crop-top and her dad’s old brown cargo pants, along with her usual silver earrings and necklace.
The house was eerily silent when she cracked open her door; dad was upstairs, snoring like he worked a nine-hour blue-collar job shift, Elly was hopefully sleeping peacefully; like the angel she was, and mom was out working late. Though she had no idea when the grinch would come home, Dess hoped she wouldn’t see her sneaking out. Dess traversed throughout the home at a painfully slow pace. A while back, she made overly-padded socks that would prevent her hooves from tapping against the floor, though it was uncomfortable to wear normally; she brought an extra pair of socks whenever she used this escape route. Assuring her grand escape, she weaved around all creaky spots on the floor. Descending the stairs was the tricky part, she was afraid that the cargo pants shifting would create too much noise. Dess made her way to the front door from the bottom of the stairs with ease. As she extended her arm to clutch the doorknob, her entire body felt uncomfortably hot, as if she were on stage in front of thousands of people. You’ve never snuck out to go somewhere this far, what if something goes wrong, or worse; what if you do something stupid and have to endure an excruciating awkwardness? Dess choked down those intrusions, she couldn’t afford to lose confidence now that she has committed. Those damn trembles came back, but ignoring that, she grasped the knob and slowly opened the door, finally leaving the damned place behind. Dess sighed to herself, stepped outside to a windy night, and closed the door to hell behind her. The pace she moved at hastened as she sped down the pathway to the gates of hell. Many years ago, the first time she snuck out, she nearly impaled herself on those spear-like spikes atop the gate. Thank the angel she’s athletic…
Dess slipped her hand into her back pocket to pull out her phone. She dialed and called Asriel once again as she trotted down the lifeless roads of hometown. Although it was in the dead of night, the gleam of the moon lit her surroundings with a cool hue. She reminisced about places that she held so many memories of; the diner, which recently she and Azzy had been going to more and more-waitresses learning their usuals. For a relationship like theirs, they got unusually sappy at that place; one time, a family strolled in with two babies and one little toddler. Those babies wailed the entire time while Dess and Asriel were on their romantic and serious date. At one point, Asriel gave her a little kiss on her cheek, but that damn kid saw and said something like: “Ewwww, mom, dad, that guy just kissed her!” Mind you, he said this with no hesitation or discretion, ‘wanted to fuckin’ hit him over the head for that, but he wasn’t even half of Kris’ age, I could never. The parents were so obviously embarrassed. Nevertheless, she did get some sort of glimpse into her future..? Another memory she cherished was when Azzy, Kris, her, and Elly went to the lake not far from the town for a day. They’d skip stones for hours, mostly because she was the best at doing it and made them all compete with her to bloat her ego. Now, Azzy was decent too, but could never beat her. Every time she won a stone skipping challenge, she laughed in his face and Asriel would have to hand over a dollar. He was always so confident that he would win.
After zoning out, Dess looked up from her phone to see where she was. Coming back to reality felt like leaving your warm bed to get up for school, though now that she gave it some time, her reality isn’t all that bad. Though, it’s getting worse with each passing day. She found herself at the intersection just down from that front gate. To her dread, she spotted a horned figure down the street, talking to another co-worker. Unfortunately, that devil was what she was afraid of. Her heartbeat quickened as she bolted behind a tree. The landing she made wasn’t perfect; she hit her shoulder not too hard against the bark of the tree, but it wasn’t worth noticing at this moment. The colleagues waved farewell to one another, and the figure made its hellish traversal toward hell… which unfortunately meant having to pass by her hiding spot . Dess held her breath as it passed her to unlock the gate. The metal creaked as it opened, letting in that vile woman. When it closed the gates and made its way inside the manor, Dess, making sure its back was turned toward her, stuck up the middle finger at where her mom once was. Hurriedly, she revealed herself and continued up toward the Dreemurr residence. Dess took her phone back out and dialed Azzy’s number. The device was clung close and dear to her head, her heart raced as each buzz went off, she thought to herself; Would he even still be up? What if his phone is silenced? Suddenly, scrambling and shuffling emitted from the other end, followed by a croaky voice “Y-Yeah… Hello?”
Every muscle in Dess’ body tightened and clenched that very moment like a vice, “Oh, hey!” she said. “What…What are you calling me for? It’s super late y’know…” Asriel mustered lethargically. “Get dressed, grab your keys, and come outside. Couldn’t wait, so I came over just now.” Shuffling sounds emitted from her phone, “What..?” Asriel said after sitting back up. “Listen, just trust me.” Dess said heartwarmingly. “Fine… Give me five minutes.” Asriel said, sighing and ending the call. Asriel had developed a way to sneak around the house without alerting his parents, and especially Kris. Knowing them, they would immediately snitch the moment Asriel left the house. Just for good measure, he took a moment to scan Kris, eyeing any discrepancy between being asleep and being awake; there was none, perfect. Dess took a short breath as it condensed in the air and pepped her walking pace into a desperate girl’s love trance. He always made her smile, even in the worst possible conditions. To be fair, he was one of the few things that did make her smile (besides hitting Kris over the head, reading a story to Elly, listening to a new album or single from Blood Crushers, etc...) She faced up toward heaven to see that the glittery dots above were shining brighter than ever. Maybe tonight was the night she’d say it to him... to further their relationship. No, wait, the guy is supposed to say it, not the girl... Regardless of if she did it or not, Dess was ready for the next step.
The antlers on her head ceaselessly itched; she felt a hot flash across her body. This always happened when things were tense for her, it’s been happening a lot recently as well, especially with all the drama she’s had to put up with. The sensation from this wasn’t pleasant, so she simply gripped her antler, so horribly wanting to rip them out at that very moment. As unbearable as it was, her composure is vital; anything that hinted at her uneasy self would lead to interrogations and questioning from Asriel. December Holiday - a disappointment to her family name, when truly she knew there was potential within her. Perhaps she could grow up to be a doctor, maybe a lawyer, or something else... There was something she had that no one else could have, knowledge and experience of the dark world. Maybe her discovery would change the world, or she could do something else, something more for herself. That’s crazy, but at this point, anything goes. There was no reason to get so down all of a sudden. After all, she is the rowdy, fun, energetic girl Asriel loves! Nevertheless, he came.
When the brown antique door of the Dreemurr home swung open, the innards of the house gave view of a dim interior. A male goat around six feet tall stood exhausted, dressed casually, and expecting the worst at the front doorway of the Dreemurr residence. Though not much preparation could have been done anyway, he wore his usual varsity track team jacket and jeans. Asriel shut the door behind him and waved solemnly toward her, she shot one back. He softly talked as he approached, “Alright, so what is it going to be tonight?” To believe he would do anything she asked of him, adorable. “We’re driving to the town over. Let’s grab your dad’s truck at the shop.” Dess slyly preached, storing her excitement. Asriel slumped over and dragged his feet as he forwarded himself toward his dad’s flower shop. “I’m not gonna be able to leave the house for months after this…” he groaned. Dess chuckled and shoved him off to the side as she sprinted past.
He struggled to compose himself after nearly face-planting. The shock really woke him up and he readied himself for an all-out sprint. Asriel wasted no time in catching up to Dess; he zoomed past her in record time, leaving her in the dust. “Wow, track does a lot for you, huh?!” Dess discreetly shouted as she panted for whatever air was provided. Asriel stops to look back at her with a stupid smug-bitch face “Yeah, really gets people like you back into shape!” Asriel bantered. “You can’t say that to your girlfriend, dude!” Dess spat her words like she was placing a curse. Though Asriel meant something a little more light-hearted, Dess thought he implied another thing. “Dreemurr, you are so dead.” Dess scorned, all the while Asriel was clueless as to what he said or did wrong this time. The navy skies shimmered like glowing snow down onto the town, but Dess and Asriel were the only two that witnessed its enchantress. Distance between lovers waned and grew every so often, which is natural, and Dess wanted this to last forever. What wasn’t natural was that she could in fact do exactly that. Would I really force this onto anyone; my lover, no less? The first time a dark fountain was made, it had been an accidental discovery that shifted the course of their lives. Dess and Asriel feared for their survival at the time… but to think that now something so powerful was their plaything, a place of paradise for their leisure, it made her feel like a god with unlimited power. Naturally, Dess used the dark worlds often for her own pleasure, but quickly that maybe there were more layers to how they working, and a better understanding would improve its usage. She studied dark worlds and how exactly they function, if no one else knew about this, she could possibly exist as the most powerful being on earth. A horrifying thought, but in contrast, it felt so damn good.
As the distance between the two and the truck closed, Dess stopped and crouched to her knees, panting heavily. Asriel glanced back and covered his mouth before his laughs would reach her. Dess took a deep breath before responding, “Hey… idiot… I know you’re laughing at me over there.” Asriel swiped the hand off of his mouth and gave a glinted smile towards Dess, “Sorry! Can’t help but imagine you in track with me now.” Knowing Azzy, he definitely wasn’t thinking about her in a track uniform, but them jogging side by side. Sometimes his way of thinking made it difficult for her to flirt with him, but it was cute nonetheless. She pushed herself back up from her knees and locked eyes with Asriel, “Yeah, not happening.” Asriel's mouth gaped for a moment before speaking, “Huh? Why?! Wouldn’t it be so cool?!” Dess strided past Asriel to the hood of the truck, “Eh, if there’s any sport I’d play, it’s baseball.” she prompted confidently. “Oh, I love baseball! ‘Was never good at it, but I love to watch!” Azzy said. They stood there silently, not because it was an awkward topic, but Dess, for once, stopped talking. If she did play, would she be a failure at that too? “You alright?” Asriel asked. To be honest, I’ve been feeling like I’m going insane, Azzy, this is was so little sleep does to ya’. I’ve been in there too long, it’s messing with me... Images flashed her mind of a baseball field with a beautiful sunset, an older Kris playing baseball with an even older Azzy, along with Noelle. But, she was nowhere to be found. It made her wonder if life would really be that easy if she were out of the picture. “So… uh… let’s get in, I guess.” Asriel said, snapping Dess back into reality. Right, it wasn’t real, anyway. Dess put a smile back on for her boyfriend, “Yeah, you know how to get to the town over, right?” she said as they got inside the truck. “Yeah, I’m not allowed to go, but I researched our general area, so we’re good.” Azzy responded. Dess and Asriel buckled themselves in, they were galvanized to finally be free and make their own choices. The engine of the car rumbled and roared when Asriel rotated the key in its slot, Dess longed dreamily out the window, admiring how surreal her life was right now.
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The girl’s eyes were closed, dreaming – swept off into her own paradise palace. Dess’ idea of a dream come true would be a night out with Asriel, going exactly how she wants it to. In complete honesty, if she could control every little aspect of her life; every person, every day, every little thing, her life would be complete, no need for stress or anything. That wasn’t the world she lived in though... at least not now. Slowly, she regained her consciousness through the shakes and bumps of rough terrain the truck drove on. She woke her eyes to see that they had just parked in the lot outside a bright and lively fair. Dess shot up from her slumped slumber with such vivacity at the mesmerizing glow of fireworks shot far above the fair. Asriel seeing her smile again was such an honor, especially since he was the one who gave it to her. She clenched Azzy by the jacket with immense pressure which might have torn his jacket. “Oh my god, Azzy, we’re here!! We’re actually here, together! Let’s go let’s go!!!” Dess yelped, pushing him away and flying out the car door, slamming it on the way out. Asriel tripped over himself trying to exit the vehicle; he had to make sure Dess didn’t get herself lost in the world of amusement ahead of them (which happens more often than you think).
“Aren’t you gonna wait for me at least?!” he hollered at Dess, who was already embracing the wonderland. She seemed so marveled just by its entrance. Asriel locked the doors hurriedly and chased her down like an owner catching their dog off the leash. Dess came to a skidding stop, digging her shoes into the grass, and looked up at the monumental ferris wheel that towered above everything and everyone. Asriel slowed to a halt as he reached Dess, sharing the view with her. “Azzy?” Dess asked, still in awe of the ferris wheel. “Yeah?” he said, also appreciating the fair’s most romantic attraction. Dess inhaled the crisp autumn air that hinted a little warmth, “That’s gonna be saved for last, right?” “Of course, we both know why, anyway.” Asriel remarked with a smug tone. Dess turned her head to see if he was in punching range (which he was), and hit him playfully on the shoulder, giggling.
“I wanna find one of those cheesy carnival games, then… you can win me the grand prize!!” Dess preached her ideal to her boyfriend. Asriel contorted his face into a mix of a wince and a nervous smile, “Grand prize…? I could definitely try, but-” Dess stole his hand and brought him along as she walked to find a fun carnival game “But I would probably be the one winning it for you, you’re right!” She looks back to stick her tongue out at him friskily, but he plainly rolls his eyes and heartily scoffs. The stars above smiled upon them, gracing the night sky with beauty that would only last as long as the night itself.
Dess and Asriel travelled the fair and bought many foods, sweets, and drinks (to Asriel’s wallet’s sadness.) They walked and talked, stopping by deep-fried grease traps, sugary confectionaries, and fountain refreshments. The surroundings were permeated with their laughter and banter, all other voices were drowned out as if they were the sole stars in all of space, which they were; Dess and Asriel always believed they were the coolest couple ever and that everyone else were nowhere near as perfect as them. Conventionally, Asriel would be worried about this high of a calorie intake, but for once, he didn’t worry, nor did he even stop to think about any of his worries or problems. Dess would be overjoyed to know this, but she can’t mind-read, or do any of that cool superhero stuff. Though I wish I did, it would’ve been nice if it was just us and the fair, no one else, so it’s all ours.
An outlandish game booth stood in the far corner of the fair, a game so simple yet it hypnotized Dess’ legs into approaching the booth. She tugged on Asriel’s hand without saying a word, leading him straight there and Asriel read her actions clearly. “Is this that ‘perfect cheesy carnival game’ you’ve been wanting to play?” Asriel had said, using his free hand to motion air quotes. Dess smirked slyly, “Ohhhhh… if only a big strong man could win a lady like me the grand prize~”. Dess pressed herself up onto his chest, fingering circles on his shirt like the average gold-digging stripper, though as cheap and petty as it was, Asriel’s mind, body, and soul gave in. “OKAY, OKAY, I’LL DO IT!” he panicked as he stomped flustered toward the game. “Hey hey! You look like a big strong man!” the host proclaimed amiably. “I betcha’ could win the grand prize! Just pay an entree fee of five dollars and it could be yours!” he said, throwing his hands into the air. Apart from the other vendors, his enthusiasm sounded genuine, clearly he wasn’t one of those snake-oil salesmen.
Asriel stuffed his hand into his pocket for change he had gotten from recent purchases, he fished out a total of twelve-one dollar bills and a quarter. He held his breath, slapping five of the bills onto the counter with a serious-furious look in his eyes. “Wise choice, my friend.” the host said, slithering his hand onto the money and dragging it into the darkness under the counter. Asriel didn’t even know what the game was until he looked up to see the basketball hoops at the back. The host handed him a small, orange ball with black stripes, likely painted himself.
There were three hoops, one stand that was in the middle of the booth, which was also the closest one. Then, there was another at the back, sitting below diagonally from the hoop above, Asriel inferred that the one at the top in the back would secure him the grand prize. His hands grasped the shoddy sphere with grit, he lined up the ball to the hoop with his eyes. The arms on his body positioned themselves for the hardest challenge in the booth and, with overpowering force, launched the ball at the hoop. The toy thumped against the backboard and bounced off the rim of the grand-prize hoop. God damnit, I knew I always trusted people too easily, this guy is a total penny-pincher. Asriel flopped his arms down in disgrace and exhaustion as he reached for another five dollars.
This time, he had to make it, a pretty girl was awaiting her present. Asriel tossed the five notes onto the counter once again, with the snake hand devouring them. The ball was handed to him, he tensed his mind to picture himself scoring. Asriel imagined his limbs flowing in the space effortlessly, even making the cheap ball seem magnificent, and smoothly swishing through the hoop’s net. Asriel cracked open his eyes, keeping a squint onto his target. The goat’s figure assembled itself as if all of Asriel’s will was put into it, he utilized the muscles in his arm precisely to get a perfect balance of power and accuracy. The ball glided through the air as it made no noise falling right into the hoop’s rim, making very little movement to the net. The battle of winning your girlfriend a cheap carnival prize has been won.
“Nice, Azzy!” Dess cheered as she rushed over to swipe her present from the boothkeeper’s arms. A huge plush bear covered her entire upper half as she cradled it in her arms, it was overstuffed with styrofoam and seemed as though it would burst any moment due to the cheap material and stitching. Dess peered her head around her new gift, looking curiously at Asriel to see what expression he would have. Just as she expected, he was relieved and satisfied with winning both the prize and Dess’s heart. Asriel noticed she was peeking at him so she put down the prize and leaped into his arms without warning. “Oh, Azzy, you’re sooooo amazing~” she teased with her chin on his pecs and her arms wrapped around his waist, staring dreamily at his cute face. Though, Asriel had grown somewhat accustomed to her playful banter, and fired back. “Happy with your prize, angel?” he said, “Wait, no, don’t answer, I know you love it. You can always count on a big man like me!” he preached as he stood with pride. Dess’s expression went bland as she pushed away, sighing. “Whatever, I can’t fluster you here, but when we get in that car, I’m pulling you into the back so you really have something to be embarrassed about.” Dess proclaimed without concern whether or not anybody else heard that. “WH-WHAT?! HUH?!” yelped Asriel. Dess gave a fox-like smile and picked up her stuffed bear, marching off to the center of the fair again. “C’mon, you idiot, let’s go to that ferris wheel!”