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“So, where’s the punch bowl?”
Susie wields a handful of ketchup packets, and Kris a can of silly string. They gawk at Noelle like she’s the one offering dubious objects, and Susie continues. “We were gonna party, right? Since school’s off n’ your mom’s at work?”
Noelle’s teeth stay clasped together in an unsure smile before finally opening. “Ummm.. I don’t think homework is that fun. Also, could you make sure Kris, uh…” A nervous chuckle escapes her throat as she desperately motions for Susie to retrieve the silly string from their hand. The Holiday Manor keeps score of many, many hours of silly string cleanup. Noelle still dreams of rainbowy, noodly mopstains littering the rug.
“Homework? On our day off? Say what?” Susie tilts her head.
“Um… yes, I said that.. I think?”
“Well, I thought– see,” Susie pantomimes as she goes, “The ‘writing’ was like, whackin’ around knives. And the ‘homework’ was a bounty on Kris’ head, and silly string for… actually I dunno, Kris just brought it.” Susie shrugs, and Kris presents the can to Noelle like it’s a specimen. “Do we even have homework?”
Noelle waves the can out of her face, paying no mind to Kris’ stupid pouty lips. “No, it's actual homework. Maybe I forgot to say that.”
“...Awwwww man. Does Alphys have a death wish or something? Assigning us work on our long weekend?” The purple girl, disgruntled, starts kicking at the rug. “Now it’s a long weekend and I got kicked outta QC’s for stealing ketchup packets! This blows!”
Susie’s lucky that Noelle’s infatuation knows no limits, because if it didn’t, she might’ve gotten under Noelle’s fur the way Kris does. But, oh Susie, she’s got such a way about it, always so, so cute in her social blunders and hankering for mischief. Noelle feels a little nostalgic sting at the tip of her tongue when the two of them shake things up in the Holiday home, it’s a breath of fresh air wondering what they’ll get up to next. Today, it was ketchup and silly string.
“I have ketchup here, Susie, you didn’t even have to do that!” The deer snorts grossly, clasping the folder in her hooves quite awkwardly now that she’s the only one in the room with any ounce of school spirit.
“Okay, flex rich girl,” Susie flips her hair as if to mock Noelle’s rich girlness, which prompts red to spread across her furry little cheeks. They aren’t that rich, are they? “Well, I’m off to put ketchup in the toilet so it looks like Kris came over and shitted blood.”
Ew, Noelle scrunches her snout, decidedly not addressing that. “Well, I have my folder n’ pencil out, so… I’m gonna… work on the essay.”
“C’mon, play with us, we’re already here. Let loose a lil.” Susie slaps Noelle’s shoulder with an adorable toothy grin, which Noelle only squeaks at.
“I….” Noelle would love to, but… “I really need to, start it. I… wanted to work with you, so I never started it… and it’s due on Monday, so…” she drops her head, disappointed by the outcome of this arrangement. “Yeah, I’m just gonna write it. A-and, if you want, you can still work with me! But you could also just… go hang with Kris, I guess!” Sure, Susie hangs out with Kris while Noelle holes up in her room doing homework. Any bullying that follows might be warranted and encouraged.
Sadly, Susie lets her off easy like usual. She just pats her shoulder gently, save for the force and mockery. “Sure… wouldn’t wanna toss a wrench in your perfect record, I get it. But like, you’re smart, you probably shouldn’t take too long, yeah?”
“....” Noelle shuffles awkwardly, admittedly embarrassed. “...Yeah, um, yeah. I shouldn’t be too long. I’ll just…” Turning around, she inches onto the bottom step. “I’ll be in my room. A-again, please don’t let Kris.. y’know,” Kris catches wind of the request, simply holding a thumbs-up and giving Susie some sort of look, shrouded in mystery. Noelle narrows her eyes at them, but continues to her room, ignoring that she essentially set a pack of dogs loose into her home.
. . . .
Within fifteen minutes of her departure, Susie has already appeared at Noelle’s doorway.
“There was no meat in the fridge, so I licked all the ketchup off Kris, just so you know.” Susie gestures to Kris’ presence downstairs.
“Faha! We’re vegetarian, sorry.” Noelle pointedly ignores the ketchup comment – maybe out of jealousy. She’s made of meat too, you know! Not just Kris! “The… silly string is still in the can, right?”
“Hey, I ain’t no snitch.” Susie waves her hands innocently, and Noelle lets a sharp breath out through her nose. “Uh, anyways, uh. S’weird hanging in your house without you, so… hey.”
Is that a proposition?
Noelle swears she could start singing if she weren’t trying to avoid Kris’ keen ear!
“Coming back for more?” Noelle folds a hand over the other with the candy cane pencil clasped, smiling and doing a dorky little shimmy with her head. “I just started my essay, here. You can come write with me!”
“....” Susie sits next to the much smaller girl, claws bolting for the keyboard. The screen is locked, all she can do is fail at password attempts… “YooouuuuTubeeeee…. nowwwwww….. let’s go on YouTubeeeee….” her voice wavers to produce a hypnosis effect.
“Heyyy, don’t lock me outtt!” Noelle smirks, yanking Susie’s hands from the keyboard to a pencil. “You have to write about Humans vs. Monsterkind!” She giggles.
“Oh.” Susie’s eyes glaze over.. “I wasn’t there, man. How am I supposed to write about that?”
“We had a reading? Remember?” Noelle tests her. How much does she pay attention in class..? Maybe she does have a secret passion for a school subject, oh, maybe math? Art? The blonde murmurs delightfully at the thought of Susie with a quill and pen.
Susie blinks, then whistles. “Didn’t read it. Oh well.”
Noelle bounces excitedly, taking this convenient opportunity. “Well, I have it right here! You can just read it right now!”
“....Eh. I got better things to be doing,” Susie cracks her knuckles, “Wanna write that for me while I watch your TV?”
“O-oh.. sure!” Noelle retorts without thinking. “....Er, actually, it’s an opinion essay, and uhm.. I don’t think I could ghostwrite for you, faha.” She bows apologetically. “Like, I dot my ‘I’s’ with hearts, and I might have, like, a different history with humans than you..? Different opinions, and anecdotes, and stuff..”
“Just make up some stuff, I’unno, we’re both Kris experts. Or just sum it up for me real quick and I could BS it.”
“...You have to.. address each paragraph kinda, so…” Truthfully, Miss Alphys already started catching onto Berdly copying her notes. She’s already in hot water on the cheater-enabling front. Helpfully, Noelle tosses the packet before Susie. “...Just– you can just read it real quick! It’s only three pages, and it’s due when we get back..”
Susie whips her head away like an unruly child who won’t eat broccoli. Frustrated, she locks a heel to the edge of the desk and leans back in her chair. “Fine! I’ll just read it!” Noelle receives one last death glare which sends a chill through her body, though she quietly thanks the Angel that Susie finally wants to work with her. Susie, in her bedroom, doing an essay with her! What an epic twist, how unexpected! Noelle has opened up a side of Susie she’s had yet to see! Maybe they can even pull up YouTube and watch Petscop when they’re finished!
Delighted, Noelle begins humming and tapping the curve of the candy cane against her buck teeth. She’s got that persuasive argument DOWN, but the analysis awaits… who is the worthiest hook, and its three nuggets of evidence to follow? Noelle audibly sucks her lips when the perfect hook to kick off all possible arguments hits her, and her pen comes in contact with the paper…
Centuries ago, Monsters couldn’t fathom the idea of Humans having souls. This lack of understanding was rooted in fear, where most prejudice grows in the first place. Interestingly, in the modern world, Monsters want nothing but to understand the value and peculiarity of the Human soul.
How does that happen?
Noelle hums fondly at the thought of her human friend, who she silently hopes isn’t tracking mud through the manor. She works effortlessly towards the minimum word count despite all of Susie’s… complaining. Within minutes, the lizard girl is already groaning, grinding her teeth, and slamming her knees against the desk impatiently. A bead of sweat rolls down Noelle’s neck as she takes attention to the crumpling of Susie’s claws against her.. single copy of the reading. The Monster War is the least of her concerns here, now her academic integrity is at stake.
One of Noelle’s haplessly discreet glances lock with Susie’s, whose expression is unreadable. Embarrassed, if anything. “So, it’s about like…” she points to a random picture on the first page, “This.. guy, with the funny hat? He fought in the war?”
….Noelle looks to the picture, then Susie, trying to parse out the tone of the joke. “...Ummm, yes, he’s just some random soldier. A human advocate, actually.” Susie’s face doesn’t move an inch, so Noelle gambles at a risky joke. Sure, a prank, Noelle’s adept at responding to those. “Maybe Miss Alphys can give us a picture book next time, skipping straight to the pictures is easier!”
Cue an awkward, gutwrenching silence. “Man, you can’t take a joke, can you?” Susie scoffs, burying her head in the packet. “Talkin’ to me like I’m stupid.”
“Sorry…” Noelle… doesn’t know what else to say to that. Was she joking, or not? She just keeps writing, not eager to find out.
…And moments pass. And Susie is still on the first page, eyes unmoving. Which Noelle can’t stop noticing, conspicuously at that.
Susie’s breaths progressively sound more irritated, and the doe knows the sound of a ticking time bomb.
Noelle straightens her back, chair creaking slowly as she tries to get a better look at Susie’s paper… and face. Surely, she must be angry, if not at the passage, but with Noelle, for making her do this. This must’ve been their plan all along, right? For Susie to catch Noelle bumming around her room, wasting days away with work, so she won’t bother to come over the next time Kris does? Noelle perks an ear carefully, hoping to catch Kris from the creak of a floorboard, hopefully before they hit her with a ‘gotcha’ and a trail of silly string.
The crinkling of a paper catches her attention instead, and Noelle watches in horror as Susie begins to crumple the packet, the whole thing nearly engulfed in Susie’s scary, scaly hands.
“H-hey, that’s my–” Noelle rudely reaches over the desk, forcing an easygoing chuckle, “Here, lemme just–”
“Yo Bambi, first bet on me making this shot,” Susie dangles the crumpled ball over Noelle’s head.
“No.. g-give it back first!” The doe yanks the paper ball away with an anxious huff, and force she was unaware she possessed.
“Gah lee, Goldie, didn’t remember you being such a stick in the mud.”
“Wh-what?” Noelle hugs herself, shrinking away. “I… I just wanted to hang out! Did I do something?”
“Seriously?”
“I – what? I’m just confused. Wh-why did you just sit there not reading it? I f-feel like you’re making fun of me. I know you can read it!”
“Oh, I remember this one!” Susie snarls, teeth peeking through her lips, and Noelle feels her fur raise, “Next you’re gonna ask if I’m actually retarded.”
“N-no…? Just tell me to do it if you can’t! J-just hit me or something, and tell me you can’t do it!”
“And then, you start crying, and doing the scared girl who didn’t mean it thing. Fuck off!” With some shred of luck, Noelle tracked down the ‘berserk’ button, and in a matter of seconds the reading was littered in pieces. On Noelle’s rug. Her attempts to grab it out of Susie’s hands first reigned unsuccessful.
“Ah! Th-that was my only copy! S-seriously!” Desperate to extinguish the flames, the girl takes a jab at a joke. “It’s okay! I’ll just, I’ll tell Miss Alphys Susie ate my homework! Hah!”
Surely, Noelle’s done something gravely wrong, because the joke doesn’t land – it bounces, and launches straight out the window into a car. Noelle braces herself for impact when Susie finally exposes her wild eyes. “Don’t tell her that!” She growls.
Successfully tamed and silenced, labored breaths lurch in Noelle’s chest at a similar meter to Susie’s. She opens her mouth in preparation of a downpour of apologies, every one she can think of, but the thud of Susie’s head on the desk startles her.
Her shaking body proves to be less threatening as her growling wavers.
A low, low whimper, a sound Noelle’s had yet to hear from Susie. Noelle’s reality collapses around her, and all of a sudden everything she thought she knew is no longer true. Did she just make Susie cry?
Guilt begins boiling over in her gut. Frantically, Noelle scans her brain for a solution, but all that remains is panic guilt pain panic. Surely, Kris would know what to do, right? — but, dammit, Kris has already HAD their turn at kissing Susie’s wounds! It’s Noelle’s turn! Now Noelle gets to mend Susie’s damaged heart!
Noelle stays unmoving in her whirlwind of emotions, a truly ironic display of the fight vs. flight response at work. That is, until Susie’s claws thread through her hair and towards her scalp, something Kris would sometimes do before they’re suddenly trying to rip their hair out. Noelle’s hands are grasping Susie’s before she even notices she moved.
“Oh Angel!” She doesn’t have the words, only tears that are more visible now. “Susie – oh my gosh – please stop, I’m sorry, I’m sorry I hurt you–! Don’t hurt yourself–!”
With a violent flinch, Susie jolts her hand away from Noelle’s. “Ugh, leave me alone!” Her voice shakes, juxtaposed beautifully with her bared teeth and flared nostrils. This must be how aquanauts feel – when the shark they’ve spent their whole lives studying finally unhinges its jaw, letting Mother Nature take her course, even if it leads to their eventual demise.
Noelle feels like she’s running on a motor, spitting smoke and debris in every direction. “Oh my God, oh my God, I’m…” Noelle takes a deep breath, and goes for the angry girl’s hands again. “Just – just hit me, here! I’ll be okay, just–”
“I said, get your damn hands off of me!” The girl’s loud voice booms through the room, and Noelle slams back against her chair so hard she sees stars. A brief glimpse of Susie’s face follows, the softest she’s ever looked, so wonderfully tragic that a layer of paralyzing fear melts off of Noelle’s fur. Susie tries to hide it, but Noelle can see the broken soul that lurks beneath those teary eyes.
In her efforts to suppress the sobs, Susie only produces more noise from her throat, sighing, heaving, hiccuping and all, and Noelle makes her last-ditch effort to make Susie feel better. At this point, Noelle will take anything, anything it takes to make Susie feel better, even if it’s the final straw, even if she ends up hurt. Noelle leans in, and opts for asking the hard question.. even if she ends up with a bloody nose at the end of this, she has to…
“Susie…” she whispers, “Do you want me to help you.. r-read it?”
“I’m not a goddamn toddler!” Susie carefully hides her expression as she clumsily steps out of the chair, snapping the pencil in half with only her palm.
“I’m n-n–” At a complete loss, Noelle surely just needs to start speaking her mind. She won’t just fall apart, she won’t just curl up on the floor and sob, not like she usually does. Susie needs a helping hoof, she needs to take this chance. “You– you need to tell Miss Alphys about that! I don’t think she knows..!”
“You– You can’t be–” Susie takes a deep breath, refusing eye contact with the doe. “Like I’m gonna tell Alphys I’m some kinda idiot that can barely read.”
“Yes! Because she’s a teacher, she can, she can help you!”
“She doesn’t even like me!”
Noelle selects her words carefully. “Because – because you just throw stuff and break pencils, instead of working. Wh-which I’m fine with, but Miss Alphys – I mean, she’d probably like it a lot if you could read and get work done..!”
Susie loudly sucks her teeth, interrupting. “Oh, please! What, you think people’re gonna suddenly start caring now? You think I haven’t tried that! You really think that!”
Noelle is moments away from just vomiting and bolting out of the room, horrified that she took the conversation in this direction. “Well, I d-don’t know, maybe Miss Alphys in particular could help– maybe– maybe–”
“And you’re still talking! Just be a good deer and get your work done.” The bitterness in Susie’s voice infects the air, and Noelle no longer has the guts to be offended. “And I’ll just go! Fuck! Everything! Up! Like! I! Always! Do!”
With that, she runs haplessly to the other side of the room. “Stop acting like you get shit!” She grabs a mug full of pencils and whips it at the ground, glass shattering across the room in a sea of beautiful holographic shards. “I had books once, they were all sold for DRUGS! Try finding a pencil and paper under a pile of fuckin’ used needles and beer cans, I’ll gladly take the help, rich girl!” The girl very enticingly digs her claws into the pile of glass and squeezes it more, ethereal specks of glitter and blood sprinkling from between her fingertips. “It’s just fuckin’ blood and glass. Blood, needles, mold, and glass, hah. You’re lucky I don’t bring that shit to school with me!”
Noelle only whimpers in response, and watches with horrified eyes as Susie’s energy dwindles to a zero, evocative of a child post-tantrum. Susie’s legs give out and send her to the pile of glass.
Regrettably, she cries openly.
All Noelle can imagine is if Monster Teen and Snowy ever eavesdrop on these moments in their apartment. Noelle just wishes they could try to empathize. She follows suit and collapses next to the lizard girl, cradling a caring arm around her big head. She focuses on keeping her voice steady while fishing all the broken glass out of Susie’s hair.
Finally, a moment of near silence and peace. Noelle coos the girl dotingly, listening as her breathing slows, and can just barely make out what Susie says next – “...M’sorry.. m’sorry I broke your stuff.”
“I have more.” Noelle states simply, unaffected by the property damage. Now she’s more or less petting her, Susie’s warm breaths spreading across her hands and lulling Noelle’s terrorized body. You could call her delusional, but she swears she feels Susie leaning into the touch, hair flopping around while she tries to find the most comfortable position.
Noelle wants to live in this moment forever. She wants to furnish it like a house. This is what home should feel like, a sweet, tender reconciliation where Noelle gets to see all the uglier parts of Susie and forgive her anyways. Does Susie ever get to experience that? Forgiveness?
Does she just get yelled at? Does she have to fish shards of glass out of her hair like this everyday?
Maybe someday Susie can live here too. She deserves love, and security, and air conditioning, just like every other kid in Hometown.
Noelle curls up onto the floor, returning the gentle look on Susie’s snotty, wrecked face. A pang rings through the doe girl’s heart.
She wants to ask, can we stay like this forever?
Instead, she just closes her eyes and imagines.