Chapter Text
On the pillow by the ridiculously low table, inside the little café tucked away within his father's Dark World, sat an interesting sight – a Lightner, a human to be exact, with blue skin. Kris didn't even notice their gaze drifting down toward what was, relatively speaking, the most normal thing in the entire place. It certainly beat staring at the vaguely eastern dining floor table thingy or the purplish walls overgrown with vegetation (not moss, unfortunately…). So here Kris was, idly fiddling with their costume's gauntlets, and they couldn't help but wonder what sort of crimes they had committed, in this life or even a previous one, to end up here.
Five days of being more or less possessed by some extraterrestrial abomination from outside of this reality, having to deploy each and every method to keep leading it around by the nose while simultaneously, their personal life kept falling apart all around them at a steady pace. Mom getting blackout drunk after partying with that weirdo (Kris didn't care that he cleaned the entire house after said party or how he tucked Mom into bed – he was still getting shanked with a rusty spoon once prophecy blows over), Dad once again going down that dark and painful path while also getting chummy with that flower of all the things (they know that they won’t cry over “accidentally” kicking it over once this adventure is wrapped up), and the less said about Kris’ and Susie’s bromance as of today, the better.
Though as much Kris hated to admit it, they couldn’t even blame the state of it all on that parasite lodged inside their chest. Frankly, once it somehow caught onto Kris’s true thoughts and opinions (and the human still had not a single clue how in the heck it managed that), it did everything in its power to help Kris gain Susie’s attention. Every dialogue option carefully handpicked to make Susie notice them. Any and every potential gift handed her way. Even throwing Kris into any bullets’ path before they could reach her. Not that any of those decisions were things Kris wouldn’t have made in a heartbeat by themselves… if they had the freedom to do as they wished.
…And yet, in spite of the parasite’s best attempts, Susie somehow remained completely (and almost offensively) oblivious. Not that Kris expected her to reciprocate those feelings, mind you. They weren’t nearly delusional enough yet to expect Susie to just, fall for them after barely five days of actually talking to one another. But it was a nice fantasy to indulge in, something to warm their barely beating heart (and unlike Dark Worlds, will not decide to bite them in the backside). Especially with the potential end of the world looming closer and closer with each day, courtesy of their insane blackmailer partner.
So it really did come as a surprise, when Susie all of the sudden just threw herself straight into Noelle’s arms by the end of the Festival and they both started dating. To say that it was a very jarring discovery after accidentally falling asleep, when you intended to eavesdrop on someone would be as if saying that Old Man Gerson was only a mildly successful writer.
It actually was a surprise to both of them actually.
Kris could still feel “their” Soul pinging at somewhat consistent rate with…something. They would’ve called it self-righteous rage – and wasn’t that a novel concept? The parasite feeling so strongly about this great injustice, that Kris could feel it reverberating in their own mind and skull whenever Susie so much as opened her mouth and spoke about Noelle at them.
Honestly, Kris had half a mind to rip the annoying little buzzer out of their chest until it stopped with the fit it kept throwing. But then on the other hand…they were just too damn tired to bother. Besides, despite all those emotions bubbling just barely beneath the surface, it still managed to keep up the appearances. Smiling when expected, Picking the “funny” dialogue choices to setup the next gag. Going along with the punches and acting like an extroverted golden retriever on a sugar rush…
It made staying mad at the parasite surprisingly difficult.
(And they would never willingly admit it, even under the threat of torture, but… it felt good to have someone in their corner for once. Someone who got angry on their behalf, and vaguely tried helping out–
…Oh dear Angel above, were they actually developing some sort of camaraderie with that Sentient(?), bargain-bin Valentine’s box of chocolates?)
Still, moving on from that trainwreck of a thought, Kris couldn’t help but notice something else.
Unless the Soul experienced emotions in fundamentally different way compared to dustbags and meatbags alike, it also felt worry for Kris?
Which was ridiculous.
Kris had never done anything that would justify this concern– and that’s what it was, concern. And despite that, the Soul seemed almost obsessively focused on looking after them, distracting them whenever their thoughts drifted back toward Susie, and generally steer them away from quietly spiralling.
Though if Kris had their voice back right about now…
“HEY! BLUE IDIOT!”
…They would’ve absolutely loved to file a complaint to the upper management.
Because for some Angel-forsaken reason, the Soul seemed utterly convinced that setting them up on a date with Mew Mew – Pink, her name was Pink – was the greatest idea ever.
'I mean…'
Kris continued staring blankly at their „date” from beneath their bangs, face as unreadable as ever while their thoughts quietly ran in circles.
'It's not… the worst idea, objectively speaking.'
Normal teenagers probably did deal with heartbreak by throwing themselves back into the dating scene. Or at least that's what every TV show insisted that it happened. Maybe the parasite didn’t understand enough about teenager interactions and had simply picked up on the pattern and decided to imitate it.
…Which, honestly?
Mood–
‘GAH! Kris, stop hecking agreeing with the chest invader!’
Besides, that would’ve required Kris to actually want to date somebody else now that their heart has been obliterated.
Which, frankly, sounded exhausting.
“I… I have something to tell you.”
Yeah, that was quite definitely the spirit talking right now, judging by the mad and mildly unhinged expression on her face. Frick, was her name also Pink or was it Maddie?
Honestly, knowing the pun-tiful names everyone in Hometown was blessed with, Kris wouldn’t even dismiss the latter.
“This body…” Pink’s voice came out haltingly, as if the words themselves hurt to say, almost like razor blades dragged through her throat, „…it still…feels doki’s for you”
“Look! It’s…not like I want this or anything, but…”
The expression on her face kept jumping, between embarrassment and anger and quiet acceptance. Her hands clenched and unclenched in her lap. Even her posture looked wrong, stiff and uneven, despite the body and spirit being on good terms for once, this date alone kept driving a wedge between both of them.
Another pause, only for Maddie to take a deep, calming breath, her face finally settling into a peaceful one.
“Even someone like can’t…get in the way of true love.”
“So if… it’s for my own body”
“Let's date, mew!” And the difference was instantaneous, as if someone had flipped a switch. Gone was the hesitant voice seesawing between barely contained annoyance and reluctance and instead it was overflowing with theatrical enthusiasm they only saw in cartoons. The body took over completely, as she beamed from ear to ear, even punctuating the declaration with an exaggerated wink and energetic peace sign.
And Wow…
Kris already knew, from their previous encounters with the other loonies scattered across the Dark Worlds, that they all had some… issues, to say the least. Usually something that could be vaguely connected back to their own. Something about freedom, puppet strings, destiny and Heaven, or whatever other flavours of existential crisis today’s local weirdo happened to subscribe to.
But…
‘Come on, that's a bit too heavy handed, even for me.’
If they actually had control over their own body right then, Kris was fairly certain their eyebrows would’ve been exploring this Dark World's ceiling right about now.
A Darkner and Lightner sharing the same body and arguing all the time until they sorted out their differences and learned to get along?
Kris wasn't blind, and the parallels were just a tiny bit too on the nose. And only saving grace in this whole situation was the faint sensation echoing the little „enomorph spawn wannabe of…
…well, they never imagined that “raising an unimpressed eyebrow” was an emotion, apparently. But then again, what did Kris actually know anymore? They’d lost the hecking plot days ago.
…Anyway, at least that parasite also seemed just as bewildered by the whole thing, because frick, if it ever got the bright idea to also pull some “combining into one”, „The real treasure was combining into one being along the way” nonsense, Kris would genuinely – and very accidentally, of course – trip off the highest cliff they could find.
Preferably Twice, while dragging the Soul down with them.
Mutually assured destruction was still destruction.
At least that particular nightmare scenario seemingly wasn’t on its mind (thankfully), as the Soul only replied with something of a vague…offense?
No, more so an exasperation, if Kris had to guess after a bit of thought. The sort of feeling they experience, when Berdly is starting to get a bit too much of a big head while hanging out.
And beneath that, there was a sliver of…determination? Truthfully, the human still failed to recognise what most of the emotions that parasite meant by, but if they were to take a guess, It was as if the unwanted puppet master… refused to take the more expected path and cut the date short?
Well, it would be an asshole thing to do, to dismiss Pink only after barely exchanging a handful of words with them – and their battle did NOT count. But there was a stubborn insistence to the feeling, almost naive in its optimism.
And to that, Kris' own emotions answered with the spiritual equivalent of rubbing their temples.
Because now, how were they supposed to gently let her down…? After all, no matter how much Kris wished it otherwise, they were still at the end of the day, a warm-blooded human creature and a teenager.
If they were normal (or at least less fricked in the head), they’d probably be trying their absolute hardest to impress Pink right this instant. She was nice and stuff. She even confessed to being interested in… whatever way that counted for. It was, objectively speaking, every normal teenager’s dream.
So obviously, the human found themselves mentally reevaluating the best rejection choices for the Soul to pick.
Kris were themself, their screwed up self and Pink certainly deserved much better than Kris, Soul to Soul communication in the heat of a battle be damned.
Besides…dating implied a future. And Kris wasn’t fully convinced that they had one. At least not with the aforementioned biblical apocalypse breathing down everyone’s neck.
Unfortunately, they were so taken up with constructing the best and least emotionally devastating dialogue choices for the little parasite nestled inside them (and ones that would also, hopefully, get across that they simply weren't interested in dating anybody right now), that they completely failed to notice a familiar set of heavy footsteps stomping up their way, holding their drink lazily in one hand, and staring at the pair.
“Dude, y’know Kris flirts with EVERY enemy, right?” Susie’s raspy voice sliced through whatever atmosphere had managed to form like a cleaver through molten butter. And like a statue, Pink completely froze.
“My…myuh?” The catgirl-turned-alive tried to say something, but only a shocked mumble came out. And that single syllable sounded so impossibly small, her eyes darting between Susie and Kris as though desperately waiting for someone to laugh and reveal this had all been some misunderstanding.
Instead, another familiar voice chimed in.
“I mean…” Ralsei began, hurrying over after Susie with a nervous smile, even rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, apparently oblivious to the damage he was currently inflicting. „We were just ACTing…to win the battle.”
“Myuh-NYUH!?!” Pink exclaimed in louder, her entire face losing any sign of colour.
“Oh, man…Kris, you really went too far this time…” Susie not so subtly leaned over to the human, loudly whispering.
“It’s okay, Kris!” Ralsei hurriedly reassured, apparently deciding that this was somehow the part that needed fixing. “No one else ever took your FLIRTs seriously…”
…
‘…Ouch.’
That was the only coherent thought that managed to break through Kris’s mind, as it was dissolved into garbage noise. They should’ve expected it. After all, practically everything they did or said was written of as a joke. Or a prank. Or just…them being weird.
Honestly, the current lack of any conscious thought inside their head was the only thing keeping the tiny parasite inside them from ripping Susie to shreds, based on the emotional soup that additionally kept their body frozen, as human’s gaze kept jumping between their two friends.
Not that the accusation itself was entirely unfounded, they and the Soul did flirt with some enemies. Sometimes only because it was the only way to get past them, or to stop them from trying to murder their friends. Sometimes because it was a much quicker way to de-escalate a fight. Sometimes because it was fricking amusing.
And the parasite had proven itself scarily good at the whole flirting thing… Almost suspiciously so.
Still, that didn’t stop it from hecking hurting. Because apparently, even if Susie and Noelle had never gotten together, if Kris did not try being courteous and kept genuinely flirting with Susie…
It would look exactly the same as all the fake ones.
But before Kris could truly sink further into that particular spiral, they heard a quiet sob, right behind them. Quickly turning around, they saw Pink still sitting where she’d been. Tears were brimming in her eyes, bravely refusing to fall just yet. Her lips quivered, as her hands curled tightly against her chest as though trying to physically hold herself together… and her face was twisted into visage of pure betrayal.
“I-I see…” Pink barely escaped her throat, before another sob wracked her entire frame. The Darkner pressed a sleeve against her face, before quickly standing up and running straight out from the cafe.
Ah. Well, frick.
Kris stared after Pink in a dumbfounded stupor, acutely aware of the Darkners from all around the café glaring daggers at the three heroes. The human… honestly, not even in their wildest dreams could they have predicted that this was how their first-ever date would go.
Apparently, the Soul hadn’t either.
Because for the first time ever, it managed to steal complete control over their entire body.
Pure, unfiltered rage flooded their system, hot enough to make their muscles tense and their empty stomach to make cartwheels. Honestly, were it not for the fear rising raising just as quickly, Kris could’ve mistaken the fury for their own. But no, this wasn’t theirs. They knew anger and resentment. They knew the slow-burning frustration going into sub-zero temperatures. But this…
Before they could even process it, the human Lightner felt their body rise from the pillowy café seat, twisting sharply towards their friends.
‘Please, Angel above… don’t let that parasite hurt them. Not now!’
Kris could only watch, even more a guest in their own body, as Susie and Ralsei stood there frozen in place, their expressions caught equally between guilt and utter shock. Neither of them spoke, as they looked back at who they thought was Kris currently.
The human felt their face twist into a look of naked disgust, eyes narrowed into furious slits, as if the Soul tried to burn holes through them with sheer hatred alone.
And somehow, that wasn’t even the worst part.
Instead of getting violent, lashing out with random items and furniture, or wildly gesticulating, as the amounts of anger would suggest, Kris’s body simply turned on their heel.
Then, without so much as a second glance, spoke over a shoulder a quick, single venom-soaked sentence: “Fuck you guys.”
And broke into a run straight after the catgirl Darkner.
The voice didn’t sound even remotely like them.
That thing lodged inside their chest hadn’t even bother trying, and now they would have to explain later to Susie and Ralsei why, they could in a different voice – a surprisingly feminine voice – and Kris already knew the sound of it would haunt them in their worst nightmares for years to come.
But right now, they had a far more immediate problem.
Like trying to regain control over their own body!
Well… it took an embarrassing amount of time to settle on something resembling a soft truce.
Apparently it’s quite rather difficult to rip something– someone – out of your chest, when said someone managed to find your hidden knife pocket and is fully capable of threatening you by pressing the blade against your own ribcage.
Who knew?
…Right, they were getting way ahead of themself.
The Soul had spent a good few minutes piloting their body without Kris’s innate control to rein it in. Thankfully for the both of them, the tiny buzzer was far too focused on finding Pink to realise just how much control it had at that exact moment. So instead of abusing it to go on a murderous rampage or setting things on fire, it simply broke the previous “barriers” that kept it on the beaten paths, and sprinting through half the dark world after a crying catgirl.
And during all of that…
Well, Kris was, quite frankly, one verge of tears. They clawed at every tiny crack they could find in the parasite's grip, desperately searching for some weakness, some loose thread in the strings wrapped around their limbs so tightly they could practically feel them digging into their bones.
And yet, no dice.
The Soul was too furious, too… determined. It was as if it didn’t even notice Kris’s attempts, and every attempt ended with failure after failure, before the human could seize it, pushing them closer to a breakdown. And only after that white-hot anger finally began to cool, did those invisible strings loosen.
And the plan was simple, take full advantage of that slip-up, rip the little hecker out of their chest, and throw it around around the place and pummel it with a metal pipe until it learns its place.
What Kris never expected…
…was for their arm to halt mid-swing. Or for their other arm to suddenly jerk upward and to feel their own knife clenched tightly in its grip, the tip hovering mere centimetres from their chest, against a weak point in their armour that would be the most unobstructed path to puncture their lungs.
‘Well then, Message received.’
The human’s shoulders sagged reluctantly, and dropped their arm in defeat. In response, they could feel the Soul-controlled arm to slightly loosen, but not drop entirely, after making its point.
And so somehow, they both talked. Or at least, a close approximation of it. Between lacking a convenient brain-radio for the Soul and Soul being unable to hear them, they settled on the other best thing – scratching out short messages in dirt.
It was… oddly civil, in spite of what one would assume.
Turns out, that dealing with Maddie and Mew Mew had prepared both of them better than either would've liked to admit. And since neither Kris nor the Soul seemed particularly interested in making the other’s existence even more miserable, their main gripes and points came out to into the light.
For example, the Soul genuinely sympathised with Kris’s plight and wanted wished to ‘giv s1 a btr ndig’, starting with getting them with, or at least on better terms with their crush.
It didn't even seem to care that Kris was technically working alongside the Roaring Knight. As far as the little parasite was concerned, everyone deserved a happy ending. Ideally one that didn't involve the world ending somewhere along the way.
Meanwhile Kris…
They were tired. So, so unbelievably tired.
“Keep codes away from the Soul, Kris”,
“Make sure that the Soul won’t interact too much with Ralsei one on one, Kris”,
“Cover for me as I find the most obvious hiding spot under the Sun, Kris”,
„Keep Noelle safe, Kris!”
Every single day, it was just another secret, another lie, another impossible responsibility put on their shoulders without a second care. And always accompanied by vague promises that everything would make sense eventually. That things will somehow improve.
Frankly, it was impossible for Kris to find a reason to care about the plan. They didn’t any more of that hecking conspiracy stuff, they wanted their life back. Their family back. To stop waking up every morning wondering whether looking away for five minutes would somehow result in another catastrophe.
To stop wondering whether another would inevitably end with another catastrophe.
And so…they spoke. And after what felt like hours – but was in reality, only few minutes, thank you so much Dark Worlds and your wacky relationship with the flow of time – managed to hammer out something resembling an agreement. Or more specifically, they were going to shamelessly steal Pink’s idea and just take turns!
Whoever was better suited for the situation got the wheel and alongside general scheduling details to be figured out later, preferably when they aren’t dealing with this Dark World’s…interesting feel.
Now they only had to do was find the one they had to thank for, as well as apologise–
And once again, Kris could feel a slight pull on their colon, before looking down and seeing their foot scribble a new message in dirt.
“Rd: grovl @ hr feet & bg for forgiv.”
Kris just barely resisted the overwhelming urge to walk directly into the nearest wall.
Mew Mew hid behind a strange, photonegative-looking tree, hugging her knees tightly against her chest.
In a different time, she might’ve thought this place to be hauntingly beautiful. So blissfully quiet, the endless darkness surrounding her like a comforting blanket. And the stillness broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves that somehow looked even more wrong, than anything a Dark World could produce.
Now, it only made her feel small.
This time, she didn't even bother trying to stop the tears. They streamed freely down her face, soaking into the soft pink fabric of her dress while quiet sniffles shook her entire body. She had tried so hard to be brave in front of them, but now, thankfully there was no audience left to impress.
Inside her head however, Maddie was anything but quiet.
“I told you! I told you that blue baka wasn't worthy of you!” the spirit fumed in Mew Mew’s head , pacing a furious chasm-deep circles around the tree, inside her mind’s eye, “I knew they were bad news! I knew it, I should've blown them up the moment their idiot friends opened their mouths!”
Mew Mew didn’t respond, as her own thoughts felt strangely blank. As if someone had reached into her head and scooped them all out like a tub of ice cream, leaving only a dull ache behind. And Maddie’s ranting filled the silence well enough to keep the not-nice thoughts from creeping in.
“We can't just hide here crying!” Maddie continued, throwing both hands dramatically into the air. “Come on, let's go back and teach that blue freak what happens when they break a magical girl’s heart! I swear, I will absolutely–”
“You will not do anything like that, Maddie.” The words escaped Mew Mew just before she had any time to reconsider them. They also came out much firmer than she'd intended, despite the tremble in her voice and the way her stuffed-up nose made every syllable wobble.
Oh well, too late to take them back.
Maddie’s metaphorical pacing stopped dead in its track, so abruptly as if she just run into an invisible wall. The spirit gave off a feeling of shock, before exiting Mew Mew’s body altogether, hanging in the air with a gobsmacked expression.
“W… why not?” She asked her other half, the shocked and confusion quickly giving way once more to anger. “They hurt you! Made a mockery of your feelings and your confession! We should be making them grovel at your feet until they beg for forgiveness! That's how these stories are supposed to go!”
“…Because…” Mew Mew interrupted herself, swallowing hard and wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, before another wave of tears immediately replaced the previous ones, “…Because Kris didn’t have to return my feelings… mew.”
“B-but they led you on!!” Maddie protested, throwing both hands in the air. “They smiled at you! They flirted with you! They went on a date with you! That's textbook romance anime progression!!”
“They didn’t, Maddie.” Mew Mew’s voice was barely a whisper, yet it stopped Maddie dead in her tracks.
“I…” This time, Mew Mew took a calming breath, eyes gaze moving to the spirit’s own face, “I was the one who misunderstood, mew.”
Maddie opened her mouth, another angry rant right on the tip of her tongue…
…But nothing came out.
“They only knew me for…” Mew Mew sniffled. “…What? F-five minutes? Maybe a little longer if we’re generous…”
She let out a tiny, watery laugh that sounded more miserable than amused, as another tear rolled down her cheek.
“I should've known better, love doesn’t grow that quickly, mew…”
“No, no!” Maddie instantly switched gears, anger vanished from her face almost instantly, replaced by pure, aching concern, like she wanted to cry herself. The spirit then floated closer and wrapped both of her arms around Mew Mew tightly. “Don’t say that.”
Mew Mew instinctively leaned into the embrace.
“Your feelings are real and valid, they’re not stupid! O-or silly!”
Maddie rested her chin atop Mew Mew's head, gently rubbing circles against her back, as she continued: “They aren't cringe, they aren't embarrassing, and they definitely aren't something you should apologize for just because somebody couldn't return them.”
Mew Mew and Maddie spent some time in this position. Neither of them spoke, just letting the silence do what the words no longer could. Slowly letting emotions slowly settle down, in this space between spaces, the tears to gradually slow.
Until eventually–
A certain human Lightner managed to find exactly the hidden passage she'd disappeared into, and popped inside.
Maddie’s reaction was instantaneous. Though thankfully, considerably less violent than Mew Mew had feared.
The spirit's eyes burned with the wrath of a thousand suns, and every bit of affection she'd previously been pouring into comforting the body vanished, making way for the tidal wave of protective fury.
Had she not still been wrapped around the catgirl, Mew Mew was fairly certain Kris would've been bombarded (Hah.) with enough explosives to the entire Dark World into a very convincing setting of a nuclear wasteland story.
“YOU! You! You!” Maddie practically barked, pointing and jabbing an accusing finger so hard it almost seemed to vibrate. “What are you even doing here?! Haven't had your fix of emotional damage for one day?!”
Kris froze a few paces away, their shoulders instinctively drawing inward. For their part, the human looked… guilty. Quite painfully so. But they didn’t respond to the jab.
“Oh, what's the matter now?” Maddie continued viciously, “Cat got your tongue? Or are you trying to think of another way to toy with my body’s feelings?”
She floated protectively in front of Mew Mew, arms spread just enough to make it abundantly clear that if Kris made a single wrong move, it would be their life on the line. “Seriously, explain yourself! You flirt with her, make her smile, ask her out, hold her hand…" Maddie counted each offense dramatically on her fingers. "…then your party suddenly drops the bombshell that you've apparently been collecting girlfriends like Pokémon this entire time? Sugoi strategy there!”
Her glare sharpened even more, and with the way Kris grimaced, it seemed as if she was actually dealing some damage.
“Were you planning on telling her eventually, or was the punchline supposed to come later, after the dessert?”
“…”
Nothing.
Not that Mew Mew expected otherwise, as once Maddie got herself going, trying to interrupt her was roughly equivalent to attempting to stop an avalanche.
“That's what I thought.” Maddie crossed her arms with a triumphant sneer. “You know, I was actually ready to give you the benefit of the doubt! That maybe, just maybe, if that date went well, I’d promote you from ‘Blue Idiot’ to something less insulting!”
“But nope,” A sigh worthy of a stage actress – or really, an idol – came out from spirit’s mouth, as she dramatically looked solemn. “Turns out I should've gone with 'Blue Moron' instead. It certainly fits you way better.”
“Maddie…” Mew Mew quietly mumbled from behind the spirit, causing her to visibly flinch. Then she turned around, surprise replacing her fury for just a mere moment. “…Let’s hear them out now , mew.”
“B-but…!”
“Please…” Mew Mew interrupted, not even forcefully, and finally looking up to meet Maddie’s gaze, with a tiny, tired smile tugging at her lips. “…Besides, if they say anything bad, you can always beat them up, mew.”
Maddie looked between Mew Mew…
…and Kris…
“…”
…She could see how much of a hard time she was having, making this decision.
“…Tch!” Eventually, Maddie looked away first, cheeks puffing into a stubborn pout, “Fiiine.”
She shot Kris one final venomous glare – a glare that promised deeply not kawaii amounts of violence in the future should they even so much as breathe incorrectly – before retreating back inside Mew Mew’s body.
A complete silence settled over the little clearing once more. And believe it or not, awkward didn’t even begin to cover it. The two of them continued to stare at each other, and it was obvious that they were both waiting for the other to speak first.
Neither having the faintest clue what those first words were supposed to be.
Finally, Mew Mew gave the patch of grass beside her a gentle pat, and Kris didn’t hesitate. Quietly lowering themself onto the ground beside her, careful to leave just enough space between them that it didn't feel presumptuous.
Once more, they were both quiet, only the distant rustling of those strange, photonegative leaves overhead. Eventually Mew Mew stole a cautious glance toward the Lightner sitting beside her.
Kris was quite unusually absorbed in absent-mindedly scratching in the dirt with their finger, before removing them moments later. Then…
…They stopped and turned towards her.
And as they shifted onto both of their knees, into a position perfect for kowtow, the Darkner catgirl started to get an idea what was about to come.
Because suddenly, and with a sincerity that caught her by complete surprise, they said: “I’m sorry.”
…Mew Mew was admittedly caught thoroughly off guard by that, even blinking a few times. By how earnest they sounded, and for just a heartbeat she even forgot she’d had been preparing herself to politely listen to some half-baked excuses Kris had come to offer instead.
But still…
…She needed to make sure. “For what?”
“For everything.” Kris continued, their gaze lowered, as though looking at her directly would've somehow made the apology less genuine. “For the catastrophic date, for what my friends said…” Here, the human froze temporarily, before continuing onward, their voice a little quieter. “…for flirting with you and hurting your feelings.”
Silence lingered between them once again.
Mew Mew found herself staring at the ground, gently combing her fingertips through the grass, watching the black and pink blades bend beneath them.
“You were my first crush, you know.” Her voice came out so softly, that her words could’ve easily disappeared in any other place.
She looked up at the falling unnatural leaves, the catgirl ignored the faintest of hisses next to her. “I won’t pretend to have some deep history or connections, mew.” Mew Mew smiled faintly to herself, the irony of it all not escaping her. “Unlike how some certain Darkners would or even actively do.”
But feeling Maddie’s rant incoming, she quickly course-corrected, steering the conversation elsewhere.
“That isn’t to say that I don’t know how the world works. Or that I am somehow too naive to not understand life,” She shook her head gently, as the faintest of garbage noise played once more.
“I know some people just because it's fun. I've seen and met others say sweet things because they wanted or needed something. Sometimes they're trying to cheer someone up. Sometimes they're simply being kind.”
Another tiny laugh escaped through her voicebox, though Mew Mew didn’t even bother trying to piece what was funny.
“And honestly, I wouldn’t even have to look particularly far for examples. After all, your friends were flirting with…me and Maddie back there, during our fight too.”
“But… when it was you…”
Here, the body took a deep, saddened breath. Before looking back towards Kris, and deep crimson eyes met hers once again, shining beneath the dark canopy like polished rubies. “It felt different.”
She laughed once under her breath, embarrassed by how impossible the words sounded.
“Unreasonably so. It felt as if…” Here, Mew Mew tried reaching and searching for the right words. “…It felt as if we'd known each other for much longer than we actually had.”
“And every word, every compliment you gave me… somehow reached places I didn't even know needed reaching.” Here, the catgirl’s smile lingered only a moment before becoming bittersweet.
“So… what I'm really trying to say is, I’m sorry…”
A faint hiss of fury once more echoed somewhere inside her mind.
“Not for my own feelings, mind you. Those are still here.”
A louder grumble, and Mew Mew had to look away again, grimace on her face.
‘Or else, Maddie would try to strangle you right about now.’
“But… I'm sorry if I made you feel like you had to invite me on a date.”
An embarrassed blush quickly spread across her cheeks. And almost on instinct, she buried the lower half of her face behind her knees, not even caring about how her ears drooped a bit too, causing the bells to jingle.
“…also for kissing you. That wasn't okay for me to do, mew.”
‘FRICKFRICKFRICKHECKINGFRICKITYFRICKHECKHECKFRICK–’
‘FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU–’
Well…
…That was one way to unite the Cage and Soul.
For one blissful, horrifying moment, Kris and the tiny parasite occupying their chest were in complete, unquestionable harmony as they screamed into the deepest recesses of their shared consciousness with enough existential anguish to qualify as an entirely new genre of music.
Or at least the human assumed that the Soul was screaming, as it was honestly difficult to differentiate where one’s guilt, embarrassment and second-hand emotional devastation ended and the other started when every emotion they shared came crashing together into one spectacular train wreck somewhere behind their ribs that hurt worse than a SWOON.
They both expected, for that apology to be a very emotionally painful and taxing experience, in the back of their minds. After all, Mew Mew part of Pink had not behaved like a normal Darkner would, Maddie inside her or not.
But still. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu–
–udge, fudge. Is totally the word Kris thought of right now (remember the time Mom caught you swearing in front of Asriel when you were eight and spending the next twelve hours tasting lavender every time you breathed, Kris). Nothing – and they truly mean, nothing – could’ve prepared either of them for Mew Mew to say that.
Every word from catgirl’s mouth replayed themselves over and over inside Lightner's head like some a broken vinyl player. And repetition only served to now somehow burn an even worse hole in their stomach. Or maybe it was Soul’s own guilt?
They both clearly mistook Pink to be nothing more but one-note joke. The overly affectionate magical girl brought to life. A walking, talking romance trope wrapped in ribbons and sparkles.
The sort of Darkner who blushed dramatically enough to summon cherry blossom petals out of nowhere, struck impossibly theatrical poses, and somehow always had the perfect shoujo manga reaction prepared for every conceivable situation. Someone who would, by all means, fit perfectly among the dozens of other simplistic Darkners who ARE the joke personified and nothing more, nothing less. And that smooch back in her room had only reinforced that assumption…
Neither of them had stopped to ask the obvious question, of ‘What if she actually meant it?’
And here they were, seeing the aftermath of toying with a girl’s heart whether either of them meant to or not. Kris lowered their eyes to the grass between their knees, unable to look at the effects of it.
‘Oh dear Angel, how am I even supposed to make it better?’
Silence began stretching into something uncomfortable, and the human hadn’t even realised it. The atmosphere could be cut with a knife, and should there have been a man here, Kris could easily imagine him shrivelling up due to awkwardness. And really, they knew they should say something, anything at all. Continue apologising, give some reassurance, offer undying loyalty (no matter how much it would taste like bile on their tongue), or crack a stupid joke.
Anything at all. But every sentence they tried to assemble immediately collapsed like a house of cards, before ever reaching their tongue. Nothing sounded right, and the catgirl was still waiting.
Ironic, barely a few minutes into their freshly negotiated, half-baked truce, and Kris was already silently begging for the Soul to take over the steering wheel.
‘Come on you knock-off lollipop, we both know you are better at this than I am.’
There was a faint tug somewhere beneath their ribs, almost unnoticeable. A certain far cry from the last time, as this time it was more… tentative. As if it was asking for permission. Kris answered with the smallest nod imaginable, and just as quickly, the Soul answered. Warmth had spread through their chest and then outward, and the invisible strings once more tightened, but not so painfully.
It was… well, not comforting still, but it was bound to be considering how much time they’ve spent feeling said strings tugging them about. It would take far more than that to make it not be panic inducing.
Their fingers flexed once against the grass, and before Mew Mew's hopeful little smile had the chance to disappear completely, “Kris” looked up, with a solemn expression.
“I will admit…” The Soul spoke quietly, sounding remarkably similar to Kris’s own voice, despite never actually having heard it before. If the Lightner currently sitting in the back of their own mind had to admit, it was even more freaky to listen to than just having what they say chosen for them. The Soul's naturally feminine tone barely peeked through beneath the imitation. It was just noticeably softer around the edges, which could easily be attributed with… something.
‘We will have to workshop something, won’t we?’
“…I was not thinking things through very well when I invited you out for that date.” There wasn’t any trace of hesitation in the voice, and the human had to applaud it, it was a (potentially) better liar than a good amount of people they’ve met in their town. “I could try to lie and back track, I could pretend that's not what happened, but frankly I would be doing you disservice.”
“So what I can offer instead is simple truth.” It continued, staring deeply into Mew Mew’s eyes. “Your own spirit will be the first to point it all out. But it is true. You are a beautiful woman, Mew Mew.”
The catgirl blinked a few times, surprise plain as a day on her face. Her ears twitched.
“You're kind.”
Another twitch.
“Compassionate.”
Her tail flickered faintly behind her.
“Strong and powerful to boot.”
Here Mew Mew seemed to unconsciously straighten out, as if she suddenly remembered that she had a spine – or at least, a Darkner equivalent.
“And knowing your adventures? Much braver than you seem to give yourself credit for.”
The Soul smiled with Kris’s mouth. Not flirtatiously – thank Angel for that – but warmly. And if they had to guess, their own eyes probably sparkled, instead of doing a convincing cosplay of a zombie.
“You wear your heart openly and you care about people almost immediately. I’m fairly certain Orange would happily attest that.”
Kris quietly watched from somewhere behind their own eyes as Mew Mew's expression shifted little by little. As expected, after having everything laid out like that, the embarrassment was still there. So was the lingering sadness.
But beneath both…
…Well, Kris couldn’t even begin to sparse what it was, but it seemed like it had a good effect. Validation perhaps?
“And despite everything that happened today…” The Soul continued. “…your first instinct wasn't to blame me. Hell, it was to apologise.”
A tiny laugh escaped them. Mew Mew's lips parted slightly, before closing it. She hadn't interrupted once during Soul’s whole monologue. Had barely even blinked. It was honestly beginning to look as though she'd forgotten how to breath – though then again, Kris wasn't entirely certain Darkners actually needed to breathe.
The Soul's smile became almost apologetic.
“I'm genuinely sorry I made you doubt whether any of those things mattered.”
Neither of them spoke after that. At least the silent wasn’t causing a huge chasm to open in their guts and trying to swallow them whole.
Kris cautiously allowed themself the tiniest sliver of optimism.
‘Okay, so far so good…’ Kris thought to themselves, for once glad that something went according to their own plan, ‘Angel above, I think we're actually going to make it work.’
Which was obviously the moment Soul went a bit too far.
“Besides…” It said, gently grabbing Mew Mew’s hand between Kris’s own – almost timidly, so that if the catgirl Darkner wanted, she could easily pull away (not that either of them even entertained the idea that they could physically stop her from freeing herself) – and while absentmindedly rubbing across her knuckles, the little parasite continued with a seemingly complete sincerity. “…I have no doubts in my mind that if you were to put your heart to it, you could make me feel dokis for you, too.”
…
…
‘HECK!’
‘HECKING HECK! ABORT ABORT ABORT–!!’
Kris watched in mounting horror as those innocent, catastrophically misplaced words struck Mew Mew with all the force of a direct meteor impact. The magical catgirl’s cheeks exploded into a shade of crimson that probably hadn't existed a second earlier. and with tiny sparkles in her eyes, her pupils somehow became even larger, as she sat there, as if in a trance.
“B-b-b-b-b-b-b…” She tried to speak something, but it was as if her entire brain had bluescreened or overheated.
Though, with a startling determination, the Darkner sharply shook her head left and right and full circle around, before looking back straight ahead. The blush hadn’t faded, but instead, her ears perked up proudly and on her face, she had a wide, Cheshire smile.
“Hehe…Challenge Mode: Accepted, mew!”
…
Ah, and it seems that the the Soul had finally realised what it had just done.
Just a shame that its dawning horror arrive approximately three eras too late and all dinosaurs are long dead.
‘Good job, you fricking romantic catastrophe.’
“Though…” Mew Mew spoke once more, smile still on her face.
Neither Kris nor the Soul noticed her free hand move until it was already gripping the front of their armour, and tugging them close. Too close. It felt as if they were mere inches away from her face and lips, as catgirl’s emerald green eyes filled out their whole world.
“…I will make both of you fall for me. And one day, I want to hear Kris flirt with me all on their own, mew.”
‘WHAT THE FRICK?!?!?’
“What–?!” Soul actually vocalised, before stopping itself, eyes widening immediately, as it apparently caught onto something. “Oh. Shadow Crystal…?”
“It is true that Maddie didn’t… have a use for it, considering how it showed her nothing more than Asgore’s flower shop.” Mew Mew said, her other hand absentmindedly twirling a few strands of Kris's hair between her fingers, apparently finding the steadily spreading blush across the Lightner's face endlessly entertaining. At least, until she leaned in just a fraction closer. “But you can’t spend so much time around one, or even look through it without learning a few things.”
Right, she still was a carrier of these things. The human might’ve once again overlooked Pink…
“…Besides…” Mew Mew continued, with a bashful giggle, gently letting go of Kris’s armour and letting Soul to sit down. The Darkner’s cheeks were once more flushed, as her smile turned more genuinely. “I already have Maddie by my side… and maybe one day, I can make both your hearts go doki…”
“Mew! <3”