Chapter Text
It had been so long since she had been in the Light World, she couldn't quite recount for how long she had been it, though by her best estimates it had been at least over 3 years since she had went "missing". though more accurately it had been when she had reached her limit, with Asriel soon leaving Hometown to go to College. and Rudy's mysterious illness sending him to the Hospital again, she had simply one day ran away from the Manor after a bad fight with Carol and had entered the Shelter. though what, or rather Who she met down there had been the direct progenitor of all of this madness.
The Man with no eyes had promised her what she had so desperately craved for, control, over her own fate and life. to mould the future she wanted for the world and herself, she had become something powerful, formidable, more than just a rowdy doe what the world had hated. And with the power he had given her, she intended to seek oh-so dreamt of revenge on the people who wronged her, Catty and Bratty, Carol, and to create a perfect utopia in the dark for the ones she loved dearly.
Yet naturally, he wanted something off of her. what he called "Quid Pro Quo", because he had given her such power and needed assurement off of her, that or she'd remain in his debt for a time he'd see fit. And so naturally she had decided to pick the former, and he had taken both parts of her body. And of her SOUL.
For awhile, she didn't see what was wrong, and had begun her plan of revenge and vindication in the Dark Worlds. opening Dark Fountains to spur on an event from the "Prophecy", known as the "Roaring", and by the end of October. she had reached the final stages of it. But she hardly expected Kris and their ragtag groups of friends simply being in the right place at the wrong time to be her downfall.
She had repressed most of her memories of the events, any recollection was hazy at best. but eventually she had come to realise that the Man with no eyes had merely given her the immense power she had once held because she had been no more than a pawn on a great chessboard in which he had been playing both sides. and soon after he and the Angel had been defeated, she had found herself to be the same pathetic doe without power nor bravery that she had been before all of this. And it didn't help that practically everyone in Hometown hated her after learning of what she done.
The only people who didn't hate her, or at least not as much as the others. had been Toriel, Rudy, and Noelle, and the other Monsters had been graceful enough to let her to stay in an old Cabin on the shores of the Lake. and Rudy had helped him, bless his heart, to repair the old and barren structure into a home.
And for the past few weeks, Dess had been living there alone. in the snow covered forest around the Lake, and the only real contact with the outside world she had was the occasional visit off Toriel or Rudy, bringing the Weekly supply of food. water, and clothing. and for a couple times, Noelle had been visited her once or twice. They chatted over hot chocolate and Noelle informed her about Kris and the others, and about how they were breathlessly helping the other Monsters rebuild Hometown, from the damage she caused.
Despite everything she did with the Cabin, it didn't feel like a home, even though Rudy had been kind enough to collect the items she wanted from her room in the Manor. Though due to the large holes in the palms of her hands, she could no longer play the Guitar she loved so badly, and had resigned to giving the Guitar to Noelle.
And in recent times. she had learnt that Asriel had made an unexpected trip from College back to Hometown for the Week, mostly to see what had happened and to check on Toriel and Kris. though she had hoped that he had been unaware of her existence, because she knew that he'd probably seek her out. And considering how she hurt Kris, Elly, and practically anyone close to her. She didn't want to risk the same to happen with him.
11/1/201X
3 WEEKS AFTER THE ROARING
Snow fell slowly and calmly outside of the window of the bedroom, it had been a dark and starless night, yet a largely silent and calm one compared to the last few Days. and Dess had been trying to avoid looking out the window as she tossed and turned on the small single bed within the bedroom of the Cabin, because this starless night had been reminding her of the Roaring, how the sky was simply a single shade of unyielding black. And that reminded her of what she had done these past few years, especially how she hurt Kris.
Given, to the doe. She had already paid the price of her sins in both flesh and reputation, her frame reduced to an extremely thin and almost frail one. Her previously dull blue coloured antlers being reduced to a charcoal black, the large holes in the palms of her hands. And her once steel blue coloured irises being reduced to a single tone of grey.
That, and the entirety of Hometown had utterly hated her. Maybe not to the level of wanting her dead, but they'd avoid her in the few times she entered the Town. And Kris, they probably did want her dead for what she did to them and their friends. and she didn't blame them at all for wanting that, because she felt as if any love people had for her before all of this was no longer deserved.
Dess grumbled while adjusting how she laid under the covers of the bed, flipping over so that she had her front facing the wall. but it didn't matter how much she adjusted how she laid or the covers that sat above her, it had been abundantly clear that she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.
And after laying there for several more Minutes, she had pulled the covers off of her body and rose up to sat on the edge of the bed. scanning the interior of the bedroom in the darkness, the only source of light had been the blue glow-in-the-dark star stickers what had been haphazardly placed on the wall the single bed had been pressed against, Rudy had been kind enough to take them down from her old room in the Manor and bring them here. and some of her other possessions from her old room sat near the bed in a cardboard box.
She hadn't been bothered to try and decorate the room beyond placing the glow-in-the-dark stickers on the wall near her bed, because she simply didn't exactly have any idea of what she was going to do in the near or far future and had simply been existing for the past 3 weeks, but.
Noelle had told her the Day before that Asriel had returned from College after hearing about the Roaring and the damage done to Hometown, and she had a conversation with him before she had went up to the Cabin and that. According to him, he had the intent of finding her.
The fact Asriel had returned and had been searching for her had plagued Dess's mind since the day before, and naturally she didn't want him to find her. And Noelle had respected her standpoint by simply telling him that she was "around, but she didn't know where" because she didn't want her former best friend and closest confidant to see what she's become.
But as Dess sat on the edge of her bed in the unwelcoming and unfriendly Cabin, a gnawing desperation began to eat at the back of her mind. an acutely strong feeling what betrayed the numbness and apathy she had been feeling since she first step foot back into the Light World. And the mere fact she felt this over Asriel had scared her, and had driven her to avoid all mention and even thoughts of the nerdy goat boy.
She missed him, badly, that was the feeling what had taken dominion in the doe's mind for the past day. And in this present moment on a cold starless Night, she was going to listen to this gnawing feeling and act upon it.
Now with a renewed purpose, Dess stood from her bed and moved towards the wardrobe within her bedroom. her first action was to open it and grab a pair of jeans as she had only been clad in her underwear and a black tank top, sliding on and fastening the jeans before she closed the wardrobe and had exited the bedroom into the primary living space of the Cabin.
The doe didn't bother to observe the sparse furniture within the living space, rather she had moved towards the coat rack what sat near the door of the Cabin, sliding on her ever-so-trusty red plaid jacket over her thin frame. despite how much weight she had lost, the jacket still fit her. though it was loosely clinging to her frail frame.
After sliding on her jacket, she had initiated a silent struggle to slip on a pair of boots over her hooves, specifically ones what Rudy had given her for her 17th birthday, they were Military boots from when Rudy had served in the United States Army, during the Gulf War in the '90s. She recounted how as a young fawn she'd beg her father to tell her about his experiences during the conflict.
After slipping the boots on and lacing them, she took a final look at the living space before opening the door and exiting the Cabin. and the frigid chill of the cold and bitter night hitting her and causing her breath to briefly hitch, before taking a deep breath of the frigid air and moving forwards through the snow.
Dess had decided to take an alternate route. this route would entirely circumvent having to go into Hometown entirely, because she assumed that her presence would've been seen as unwelcome and she'd probably get confronted by some random Monster she's never met in her entire life. So she had went through the thick forest between the old Cabin at the Lake she was living at, and the Dreemurr Household.
She let out a quiet huff while trudging through the thick snow what blanketed the forest floor, and she had found herself looking behind her back several points during her journey. Being in the forest around the Lake had made her recall memories she had long since repressed, about the past and how she even met the Man with no eyes. That thing, his loyal servant.
It had been at the Shelter that day, when she went to it with Kris to prove that there had been nothing scary about that old and rusted structure. When she opened the door to the Shelter, she remembered how it dragged her in with it's pointed and segmented tail, dragged her down the steps into the Depths it had emerged from.
Given, the Thing never actually hurt her. but it's pink and gold eyes, it's horrible, terrible smile. every detail on it's void black body had been simply wrong, like it had been specially made to unnerve her specifically. But those times were long past behind her, but even now, she feared that the Thing lived. That it's out there in the Light World somewhere, without it's master, free to do anything it wants.
But, Dess had set aside these thoughts while moving through the snow, she couldn't stay out too long because the clothing she wore had done little to insulate her from the bitter cold around her. But eventually after moving through the trees and half-buried shrubs in the snow for Angel knows how long, she had eventually reached the side of a road.
She had recognised this road all too well, it had been the one which connected up to the driveway of the Dreemurr Household. and she had walked out of the edge of the forest onto the road, continuing up until she had eventually reached the Household proper, instantly noticing that no lights had been on within the House.
Though, she had realised that there had been no easy way in, as she had now searched the pockets of her jeans. seeing if she had anything on her what could help her gain access into the interior before eventually she had withdrawn 2 bobby pins from within the pocket of her jeans. a small smirk formed on her gaunt face while she had approached the front door of the House.
Dess kneeled down, bending the bobby pins into a specific shape. she had done this many times before, lockpicking the old and worn lock of the front door. though she'd typically use the dedicated lockpicking kit in her possession, though presently she had left it at the Cabin and had to settle for the bobby pins she had conveniently found within her jeans. and eventually she heard a distinct click from the door, now withdrawing the bobby pins and slowly opening the door.
She had entered the House's living room and had silently closed the door, making sure that it wouldn't slam and awake Toriel or Asriel himself, she had knowledge from Noelle that Kris had been staying over at the Manor for the Night. and she would much avoid a confrontation with them, even though their anger against her had been rightfully justified, after everything she's done.
The distinct smell of the Dreemurr Household had hit her like a freight train, the slight hint of cinnamon in the air. mixed with the warm smell of pumpkin and butterscotch coming from the kitchen had all mixed into a cacophony of familiarity and nostalgia what had cooed the weary doe's apprehension and her restless mind for a few fleeting moments.
But Dess wasn't here to lull over moments she'd never get experience again, and so she pressed onwards through the living room and into the kitchen. and quickly after that had begun to slowly ascend the stairs, the tap of her hooves against wood being muffled by the combat boots she wore over them. before she had eventually ascended up onto the second floor of the Dreemurr Household, now slowly moving forwards to Kris and Asriel's room, halting as she reached the door.
She took a deep inhale and exhale, the space around her had felt unnaturally cold. to the point that she had begun to involuntarily shiver, setting aside this oddity she had gently pushed open the door, looking into the darkened room and as she suspected, Kris's bed had been unoccupied for the night.
Now moving into the room fully, she slowly and carefully closed the door behind her. Approaching Asriel's side of the room to see the nerdy goat boy she had come all this way for, she had noticed that he'd set down his glasses on the dresser what had sat beside his single bed, before silently approaching the edge, kneeling down to observe his features.
Asriel was larger, in both width and height. and the fur on his arms seemed to be longer and fluffier, his horns were also larger and he hard grown a scruffy blonde beard on his previously clean face, and there had been blonde highlights on the edges of his ears, he seemed at peace. Fast asleep under his thick bed covers.
Dess had stood up and backed away from his bed, her expression shifting to one of apprehension and indecisiveness, why am i doing this?, what if he wakes up?, i can't just waltz back into his life and ruin it like i did with Kris.
But the bitter and hateful cold what she felt seemed double in intensity as she stood in front of the sleeping Asriel, and her thoughts had quickly shifted from being stuck between continuing onwards to the cold around her. And her mind had raised a valid concern of hypothermia, because she couldn't make the journey back to the Cabin at this rate, not if she wanted to risk getting frostbite or worse. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, risk ruining Asriel's life again for warmth or risk possibly dying alone in the cold and desolate forest between the Dreemurr Household and the old Cabin.
But desperation had forced the doe's hand, because she had now reached down to unlace her combat boots and quietly slide them off, removing her plaid jacket and jeans to dress down into the clothing she had been wearing while in bed at the Cabin. If she was going to go through with this, she'd at least want to be comfortable while doing so.
She had set her boots and discarded articles of clothing into a neat pile next to his dresser. Before taking a deep breath in and slowly lifting the covers what were blanketed over Asriel so that she could silently slide under them. her thin and frail frame allowed her to fit in the single bed with the goat boy, and the immense warmth trapped under his covers had soon eradicated most of the cold she had felt on her grey fur, but it wasn't enough. nd her aching SOUL had pressed her on.
Dess shifted in the bed so that she was facing Asriel, who had his front facing the wall and had made it so she couldn't see his face. But that didn't matter, as she extended out her arms and cautiously coiled them around his warm frame, she had been aware of the fact that he was a heavy sleeper. And it took a lot for him to be awoken, but she still expressed caution in her movements to not risk waking him.
He had been so warm, it felt as if she had been clenching a hot water bottle covered in a soft, plush, and fluffy blanket. And that had motivated her to further snuggle into his frame, digging her snout into the nape of the neck, smelling the faint smell of cinnamon mixed with the vanilla scent of the shampoo he used to wash his fur with.
Soon, she clenched her eyes shut. She could stay here for a few Hours until the rising sun had heralded the Day, and it had been warm enough for her to make the journey back to the Cabin. And hopefully she'd be able to skulk away from the Dreemurr Household unnoticed by Toriel or the fluffy goat boy she had been snuggling into in the present moment.
But Dess's stomach dropped as she felt him shift, it wasn't the type of movement someone would make while asleep. because he had shifted his entire body so that he was now facing the doe caught in headlights, but her expectation had been defied when she felt a surge of warmth, he had pulled her into a tight embrace, similar to the way she had been previously clenching him, and she felt him place his snout in the sensitive spot between both of her crooked antlers.
Eventually, she had stopped clenching her eyes shut, and her grey irises locked with his green irises, looking at her through small slits with a sleepy expression. a small dopey smile on his face as they had maintained eye contact in the utter silence of the room.
"....I didn't expect this, i thought I'd be the one to find you...not the other way round..", He muttered quietly, borderline inaudible as his tone was casual, almost lazy. Like she hadn't just trespassed into the Household to see him, and she had tried to formulate a response. But she had ended up making a few incomprehensible mumbles as the words she tried to speak got caught in her throat.
"......I'm sorry....", Dess had managed to finally formulate a sentence, a quiet muttering of words what had almost become a whimper. she felt ashamed, it was a mistake coming here, it was a mistake getting into his bed and disturbing his once peaceful sleep, she had been regretting every choice she made until this very moment.
Asriel's expression turned into a frown while he had embraced her, now withdrawing his snout from between her antlers and his arms around her torso. now gently clenching both of her cheeks so that he could look at her face, observing her imperfections, her sunken cheeks and her grey irises, but he didn't look at her with disgust. his eyes were kind, loving, something she had been denied for the time she had spent in the Light World, after all she had done. It was an utter shock to Dess that anyone could look at her with reverence.
"...You're so beautiful..", His gentle voice had been quivering. it had been clear he'd been fighting tears while looking at her, and his eyes had begun to become watery after he finished his sentence. Before he pulled her back in to his warm embrace while Dess had remained silent, trying to keep the dam she had constructed intact. But seeing him begin to tear up had utterly destroyed that dam, and what it had been holding back had rushed to the forefront of the doe's mind.
Bitter and salty tears poured down her face, she had been sick of pretending that she didn't love him so much, and she didn't want to deny herself this any longer, and in her mind. all of what he had been presently doing, the mere fact he had looked upon her the same way he did before all of this, that was confirmation that he felt the same.
And so, Dess had moved her arms from being coiled around him to clench both sides of his face, pulling him into a needy and desperate kiss what Asriel had quickly leaned into. They had both waited for so long, and their fears and solemn regrets had simply melted away in the heat of the moment.
Asriel had eventually pulled away from the kiss, seeing the doe reduced to ugly crying and sobbing. his heart broke for her a million times over, he didn't now the extent of what she had been through, and practically the entirety of Hometown had hated her. Including his younger sibling, and he wanted to ensure that she'd never have to go through what she has ever again.
He had sat up in bed with her in his arms, pulling her close to his bare chest and letting her cry into his fluff. He too had been crying, though it had only been a few silent tears compared to the distressed state Dess had been in, as he simply sat there. Gently rubbing circles into her back as she wept.
Soon after, she had calmed enough to the point that she could form coherent words again. "I-I.....Az-...Asriel....i-i've m-missed you, so b-badly..."
he had kept rubbing her back while holding her in his arms, sniffling up before responding to her. "I-I...did too, so much....and when i got the news at College that you were alive, I-I cancelled all of my classes and got a Bus ticket to come down here, and now that you're here..."
Dess had stopped burying her face in his chest fur, leaving a distinct damp spot from where she had been crying into it, now looking up at his gentle and kind eyes through teary slits. "B-But....I-I'm just-....going to ruin your life, a second time...A-Azzy, I-I love you, I really do...b-but, how would this e-even work..?"
She had a valid concern, Asriel would eventually have to return to College and she'd remain in the old Cabin by the Lake. A long-distance relationship would normally work, but the extraordinary circumstances around her very nature had made this extremely unlikely to work. especially that she lived in a Town what no longer welcomed her.
Asriel had remained silent for several Seconds before he had stopped embracing her and gently rubbing her back so that he could grab one of her hands. Looking down at the large hole in the palm of it before clasping both of his hands around hers. looking back up at her. "...I know, trust m-me, i do Dess, and i love you. and c-can do this."
"B-But...-how..?", She titled her head in confusion, with the immense guilt and sadness she felt had been replaced by an immediate confusion. How could they do this?, how?
"....Because, when i return to College im going to take you with me.", A kind smile had appeared on his face while he had still clenched her hands.
Dess's breath hitched for a brief moment as she sputtered for a few Seconds. "Wh-What..?"
"...I'm not leaving you here Dess, not in a Town where everybody hates you. and I-I quite frankly don't know what you've done, but i can't just let you suffer here. while I'm 100s of miles away at College and I 'm u-utterly powerless to do anything about it, so you're coming with me.", Asriel's tone quivered again. And he had begun to interlace the fingers of his hands with her fingers, which he had still been firmly clasping.
"...", She remained silent while slowly processing what this all meant. Looking up at him with her teary eyes now wide open, before slamming her face his and locking lips, pulling him into another kiss. Though this one had been far more passionate than the previous one, and Asriel had quickly leaned into the kiss after taking a few Seconds to process what had just happened.
The kiss overtime had grew far more needy, with Dess escalating by toppling Asriel back onto the bed and begun to battle her tongue with his. eliciting a stifled quiet whimper off the goat boy as she wrapped her arms around his neck while continuing to passionately make out with him.
Eventually, Asriel had broken away from the kiss and took several deep inhales of the cold air inside of the room while looking at Dess, they had both been considerably warm and flustered and had simply laid there letting out quiet pants while looking into each other's eyes.
Soon he had wrapped her arms around Dess again, pressing her flat against his stomach and briefly withdrawing one of his arms from being coiled around her so that he could pull the covers back over them. And he had been rewarded by a low purring sound what emanated from the doe. She was at peace, that the regret and sorrow she felt for everything what had happened before, during, and after the Roaring could melt away.
She had further melted into his warm and comforting embrace, settling under his chin and letting her antlers frame the sides of his face. and finally, she had begun to feel a wave of tiredness take over her system now that she had been both warm and cozy in the arms of her partner.
"....Dess.", Asriel spoke in a low and hushed tone. Like the doe underneath his chin, he had been gradually becoming more tired as he laid there with her in his arms. and Dess had soon responded to him with a low hum of acknowledgement.
"...You're...safe now, i just want you to know that, when i-...we get back to my shitty Apartment in Albany, we'll be able to fall asleep together. and wake up together like this. and you'll be able to forget all of this, a-and...i'll make sure that you'll be able to look back on these past few Years as a mere ugly stain on a happy and fulfilled life..I-I want to give you that Dess...", His tone quivered but he had spoke far more calmer. and there had been a distinct resolve in his voice, he wanted to give her this future. One where she'd be loved and respected, not feared and hated. And he'd do anything to ensure that reality.
Dess let out a soft giggle, finding his enthusiasm and resolve to help her to both be dorky and heartwarming. she had stuffed her snout into the crook of his neck, now finding the energy to actually respond to him. Speaking in a low and sleepy tone, "..I-I want to spend however many Years I'll continue to exist with you, Azzy...-I know we both wanted this for so long. and i hate that c-circumstance has forced us apart, but we finally have each other. And i won't let fate tear us apart again, i want to grow old with you. I want to die with you by my side..."
"I love you so much Dess..", His eyelids had grown to become heavy. And he had planted a small tender kiss on the sensitive spot between her antlers, causing the soft purrs she let out to slightly increase in volume for a brief moment in time.
Dess had fully laid back into his arms, and while clenching her eyes shut. she mumbled a response. "I love you too...Azzy."
Eventually, her breathing slowed and her movements had been reduced to a calm stillness. Falling fully asleep in Asriel's arms while he too was soon to join her in slumber, he knew that she had broke into the House without Toriel's permission, but that was a calamity to deal with in the morning.
And soon after, he let the cold Night beckon him into a restful and peaceful slumber.
14/1/201X
3 DAYS LATER
The wait at the Bus Stop had been agonizingly long. despite Asriel showering her in praise and love for the past few Days, and most of those said Days had been spent packing up what little she wanted to take from the Cabin and Holiday Manor in preparation of leaving Hometown with him, and now that the time had finally come. every passing second felt like Hours to Dess.
She had intentionally wore baggier clothing what worked to hide her thin and frail frame. A black zip-up hoodie wore over one of Asriel's green and yellow striped sweaters with a pair of jeans and the same combat boots she wore when she had broken into the Dreemurr Household days prior.
Dess had also wore a black baseball cap with holes for her antlers to fit through and a pair of thick gloves. she didn't want to be confronted by the Monsters of Hometown, and hoped that what she wore was good enough to make her look like another generic deer Monster.
When Rudy heard about the fact Asriel had been planning to "take her with him" to upstate New York where he attended College. he had at first been completely against that idea, citing how she wouldn't know anybody except Asriel and it could be a far worse environment than Hometown, but he had only been convinced when she had tearfully told him that she didn't want to remain in Hometown anymore. That it wasn't the same Town she grew up in as a young fawn, and now that practically everyone hated her.
Noelle didn't take it well either, she was in tears when she told her about the fact she's leaving Hometown with Asriel. but she promised that they'd talk over the phone or computer all Day long and at any time Noelle wanted, and that she'd personally pay the bus ticket for her to come up to Albany and spend the weekend with her and the crying boy.
And as she sat there, reflecting on everything what had come up to this point, her pull-along suitcase leaning against the bench and her backpack firmly resting against her side. a small smile appeared on her gaunt face, all of the sins she had committed could finally be absolved. she could be someone new, not the rowdy doe or the "Roaring Knight". and Azzy, oh Azzy, none of this would've ever been possible without him.
Asriel was naturally beside her, hand resting on her thigh as they sat pressed together in the cold of the morning. huddled close to share the warmth they both desperately searched for so long, and they had found it in each other. former best friends reunited and turned into something far greater, they could finally forget about all the hurt, the pain.
The pair had been sitting alone at the Bus Stop for about an hour, typically, Toriel and Kris would've waited alongside Asriel for the Bus what'd take him back to Albany. but the presence of Dess and the unresolved hatred Kris felt for her had prevented that, and most of Asriel's "friends" who remained in Hometown had also hated the doe. But he'd much rather be here with her than anything, bathed under a grey overcast sky, a betrayal of the serenity of the white snow what blanketed the grass and dead trees flanking the road.
"Hey....Dess.", Asriel spoke quietly as he had vacantly stared in the direction of the dead trees what marked the edge of the Forest. His hand still placed on her thigh and his shoulder and the side of his body still pressed against hers.
Dess's ears perked up before she looked up from her lap and at Azzy, spending a few Seconds to study his expression before speaking. "Yeah?, what's up Azzy..?"
He let out a half-scoff/half-chuckle before shaking his head. now turning his gaze towards her. "They're wrong about you, you know that right..?"
".....Wh-What do you mean..?", Dess tilted her head slightly, partially confused by what he meant though she had a good idea for what he likely was trying to say.
"You're the most kindest, fiercest and utterly beautiful person I've ever had the chance to meet. and I-I mean it, I really do.", The crying boy had awkwardly scratched at the back of his head while speaking. Trying to stave off the embarrassment what surged through his system after he finished speaking.
"Azzy...~", Dess was too flustered to form any sentences. breaking her gaze with him while her nose had glowed a dull red, far less brighter than it used to glow before the Shelter. but it was a testament to the primarily dark greys and whites what made up the colour of her fur and body.
"I-I know...A-Angel that was corny, b-but you know i mean it Dess!. I-I love-." Asriel couldn't finish his sentence before the doe had placed one of her hands onto his chin and his beard, delivering a tender kiss to the lips before quickly retreating. leaving him to sputter on his words and turn a shade of red.
Dess tried to stifle her giggles at his expression after she kissed, calming down as the crying boy had soon exited whatever love-filled trance she had put him in, he blinked a few times before looking at her. retaliating by grabbing her and pulling her into a equally short but sweet kiss and pulling out soon after. She blinked a couple times before registering what had just happened.
Though, they saw the Bus what the pair had been waiting for slowly drive down the road from the direction of Boston, and with a mechanical hiss the Bus grinded to a halt in front of the Bus Stop they'd been sitting down at. eliciting both of them to now stand up with Dess grabbing her backpack and placing it onto her back, while Asriel grabbed the pull-along suitcase and held it in one hand. Not struggling with the weight thanks to the Boss Monster genes he inherited from Asgore.
Asriel had stepped onto the Bus first, giving the Driver their tickets before nodding. Dess soon joining him as he stowed her suitcase onto the overhead storage alongside his own bag. though Dess had opted to keep her backpack on her person as they now sat down together on the right side of the Bus.
A strange feeling had overtaken the doe's system, something she couldn't entirely name, relief?, excitement?, happiness?, but she knew that it was a positive one, and as the Bus's doors closed and it begun to pull away from the Bus Stop and Hometown entirely, her head had came to rest on the crying boy's shoulder, mindful to not hit him with her antlers.
He had responded by removing her baseball cap and placing it on his lap before placing one of his hands on the sensitive spot between her antlers. Gently scratching and rubbing at it, causing her to let out a pleased sigh as they both enjoyed each other's company.
It was finally over, the sins of the past absolved for the most part, what felt to them as an unending and all-consuming nightmare could be seen as simply a bad couple Years in their long and fruitful life as a couple. Though there were still things unresolved and relationships unmended, Dess could finally breathe easy.
She hoped they could get lunch at a nice place by the time they reached Albany.