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Kris stood expectantly on their porch. They had been standing there for the past 10 minutes, scrolling on their phone. They weren’t really sure why they stood out there for so long. They could’ve just waited inside, but something in their heart told them to.
Toriel had been baking a pie for when Berdly finally arrived, and sternly told the human to NOT eat it because it was for them both to share.
Kris shifted on their feet, staring down at their phone still. That’s when they got a text from the blue bird himself. They opened it up, only to be met with the sight of a photo of them from down the driveway. They looked up, spotting Berdly with his backpack approaching. They gave a small smile.
•••
Berdly was wearing his usual button up with his bird-shaped pin polished and perfectly placed upon his chest. After all, a sleepover was no excuse to not look presentable! Especially since it was going to be the bird’s first ever sleepover! Honestly he was really surprised Kris had agreed to it, but he would take the chance!
“Kris!” Berdly greeted enthusiastically. He quickly schooled his expression into a more nonchalant one. “Uh, I mean—heh, it’s nice to see you Kris. Are you ready for our exhilarating sleepover?” The bird grinned, giving the human a small bow. He wobbled forward slightly as he did, as his backpack was heavier than usual—he had definitely overpacked.
•••
The human’s gaze flicked to the birds backpack as he stepped forward, and they nodded. “I’m not sure if it will be as exhilarating as you’d expect it to be, but I am ready.” They answered before shifting to stand behind Berdly.
Kris took the backpack off of his back, their arms briefly weighed down briefly by it. They didn’t expect the weight, but they easily lifted it back up. Carrying around a sword and shield in the dark world nearly everyday was probably building some muscle for them.
They slipped it onto their own back, then opened the door up for Berdly, holding it open for him. Once the blue bird stepped inside, he’d be greeted with the pleasant aroma of butterscotch cinnamon pie, and the sight of Toriel humming to herself as she worked in the kitchen.
•••
Berdly grinned and chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thank you, Kris! How chivalrous,” the blue bird drawled as he stepped inside. The Dreemurr house was warm and cozy, and the sweet smell of pie wafted through the air. He spotted Toriel baking and awkwardly stood in the front room for a few moments before clearing his throat to greet her.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Dreemurr!” Berdly announced his presence with a small wave of his wing. “I am so grateful you have allowed me into your abode for the evening! I promise I shall not make a mess of your lovely home,” the bird added.
•••
Toriel let out a soft bleat of surprise when she heard Berdly step in. She turned, ears flicking as she smiled. “Ah! Hello, Berdly. I uh.. do trust you. I’m glad you’ve decided to come over and spend time with Kris.” She replied, going back to washing the dishes. “There’s pie as well, if you’d like some. Don’t be shy to ask me for anything.” She called.
Kris grabbed Berdly by the hand, quickly leading him upstairs to their room. There were two beds on either side of the room. Above the one farthest from the wall was shelves full of awards and trophies. The other bed had little to nothing adorning its walls.
“I can take Asriel’s bed tonight so you don’t have to sleep there.” They suggested.
•••
“That’s quite alright Kris! I want you to be comfortable after all!” Berdly said and set his bag down on Asriel’s bed. His feathers puffed out from beneath his shirt collar, and he quickly smoothed them down.
“You and your brother’s room is…quite cozy, if I may say! Your brother has quite the decor,” Berdly observed, looking up at the goat’s various trophies.
He turned back to Kris with his hands behind his back. “So, uh… What should we do first?”
•••
The human shrugged. “Whatever you want, man. We could watch movies, play video games, go through my brother’s stuff, eat the pie my mom baked..” They listed off on their fingers, sitting down on their bed.
“Yknow, we could sleep.” Kris shrugged. “Like people usually do in a sleepover.” They added, brushing a few crumbs and pieces of lint from their sheets. They then laid down on their back.
•••
Berdly faltered and cleared his throat. “Well uh, don’t people usually sleep at the end of the sleepover? Let’s enjoy our evening first!” The bird said. He thought back over the options Kris listed earlier. “Well, erm—I’d rather not go through your brother’s belongings…I, uh, don’t want him to be upset with me when he returns,” Berdly murmured.
He perked up when he remembered video games. Now that was an idea he could get behind! A chance to show off his true gaming prowess!
“I would not turn down a riveting gaming session! What games do you have?” he asked, walking over to stand over Kris as they laid down.
•••
“We have Dragon Blazer II, Call of Action III, Scarlet Redemption II, but that one isn’t two player.. Uhmm.. Road Buster..” They listed off, staring up at the ceiling. Their gaze drifted to Berdly as he stepped closer. “That's all we have.” Kris shrugged before sitting up, their face inches away from the blue bird’s.
“Pick your poison.” They shrugged, their dark red eyes boring into Berdly’s. They then adjusted his glasses a bit, making sure they weren’t crooked. After, they quickly retracted their hand, not wanting the touch to linger too long.
•••
Berdly’s eyes widened at the mention of Dragon Blazers II. His favorite game! He was ecstatic!!
“OH MY-! YOU HAVE DRAGON BLAZERS II?!” Berdly exclaimed, his tail feathers ruffling excitedly behind him. He then cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed. “Er—I mean, uh.. Dragon Blazers II! That sounds like fun,” he murmured. His face was a bit flushed from Kris adjusting his glasses.
“Yeah I- uh.. let’s play that!”
•••
Kris quickly nodded, then got off their bed. They took Berdly’s hand in theirs, remembering how Berdly led them everywhere like this. They wondered if Berdly made the connection as well. The human led the bird downstairs, past the pie in the kitchen, and into the living room. Toriel was likely either going to the store, or was in her room.
Kris let go of Berdly, then traversed over to the TV. Their mom had gotten a new flatscreen since they had finally gotten rid of Tenna. They turned on their console, grabbing two controllers and the disc to Dragon Blazers II. They inserted the disc, the memory of the neo disc popping into their head for a brief moment. They stood there for a few moments longer than needed, and when the game finally started to boot up, they sped over to the couch, offering a controller to Berdly.
•••
Berdly blushed as Kris took his hand. He squeezed their’s for a moment before following them out to the living room. The TV was new—the last time Berdly had been here, they had an older CRT. This one would probably be better to play on!
The blue bird sat beside Kris on the couch, crossing his legs. “Kris, get ready to be bested by a true gaming alpha!” Berdly proudly exclaimed with a grin. The game switched on and Berdly looked over the controls. “I am quite the Dragon Blazers expert, heh.”
•••
Kris furrowed their brows slightly and cringed when Berdly called himself an alpha without a hint of irony in his tone. “..Right. Uh, do you wanna be player one or player two?” They asked, looking down at Berdly’s controller.
Their eyes roamed over the blue bird for a moment before landing on his face, recognizing the slight arrogance in his eyes, but also the excitement. They then settled back against the couch with a sigh.
•••
Berdly grinned again. “Well Kris, since you are the host, I’ll give you the honor of being player one! A they-er one, you could call it,” Berdly said as if it was funny. He sat back against the cushions and waited for the character select screen to pop up.
The bird quickly made his character, choosing for it to look like him, though more heroic. Perhaps he unconsciously modeled it after his costume in the dark world.
“Your turn, Kris,” he said.
•••
Kris’s own hero wasn’t very special. It had the same hairstyle as them, but besides from that, they were a regular fighter with a higher defense than offense, trying to balance out the options Berdly chose for his hero.
They tried to ignore the blue bird’s joke about being a “they-er two”, starting the game. Once they came in contact with their first enemy, Kris made sure to try and block a lot of the heavier attacks, leaving the enemy open for Berdly to hit it back.
•••
The bird stuck his tongue out in concentration as he guided his character through the obstacles that laid before the enemy. As Kris blocked the stronger attacks, Berdly’s character swooped in to land a blow to its head. It worked slightly, but he was a bit off.
“Damn,” Berdly muttered, his brows furrowing in concentration. He jerked his character around the screen to dodge more of its attacks, though he was still getting hit occasionally.
Berdly chuckled nervously and tugged at his shirt collar. “Er—I’m just getting warmed up, fear not Kris! I’m uh, just not used to this controller,” he mumbled.
•••
Kris didn’t say anything, mostly focused on the game. It was the first boss, so they were hoping to make it past, even with some slight difficulty. They could also understand the learning curve with Berdly, so they weren’t going to trash talk just yet.
They hit the boss a few times, dashing in front of Berdly’s character (or at least trying to) to block again. Their shoulders tensed and they clenched their jaw as their focus grew.
•••
Berdly grumbled to himself. How was Kris so good at this?! He was supposed to be the pro gamer here, not them! Oh, this was so embarrassing…Berdly had to redeem himself!
“Heh, er… almost done warming up, Kris! Keep doing that, uh—keeping the boss at bay in the meantime! Then I can swoop in with my attacking expertise!” Berdly boasted, his cheek feathers puffing up. “Just, uh, give me a moment…” he mumbled, moving his character around.
•••
“Berdly, DO SOMETHING!” Kris shouted, starting to get physically worked up. Their palms were growing sweaty as they kept their eyes locked onto the TV screen, and they were starting to run low on health from all the hits.
They grinded their teeth, their leg bouncing as they tried to land a few more hits on the boss, occasionally moving to deflect attacks away from Berdly’s character.
•••
Berdly frowned. He probably couldn’t pretend he was just warming up anymore. “Okay, okay! Worry not, Kris!” Berdly huffed and moved his character towards the boss. He managed to land a few decent hits on it, but nearly died at one of its attacks.
“Damnit!” Berdly exclaimed and sighed, his feathers ruffling. He drank one of his health potions and passed on to Kris’ character. He jerked the joystick back forward quickly, having his character run back towards the enemy.
•••
The human’s character inevitably died, and Kris sighed heavily, leaning back against the couch. “You better use a revive min— a revive potion on me.” They grumbled, leaning their head down on Berdly’s shoulder, hoping that the blue bird didn’t notice their verbal screw up.
They watched Berdly continue to play, yawning. “Man, you suck at this game.” They huffed, though they didn’t really seem that mad.
•••
Berdly’s character died shortly before he could revive Kris and he sighed, his head falling back against the couch. His feathers puffed up again at Kris’ tease. “I do not!” he whined, setting the controller down on the floor. “I’m just… rusty,” the bird excused, crossing his arms over his chest.
His cheeks heated up at the way Kris was leaning on him, but he said nothing. “Well, what do you want to do now?” he asked, his tail feathers fluttering.
•••
The human shrugged, staring at the GAME OVER screen. “I mean, we have movies.. there’s.. always the pie my mom made, we can uhh… take a walk.” They listed, glancing around the living room.
When then remembered all the other times they had “taken walks” with Susie, or even just hung outside, it always led to them finding a dark world. Kris knew Berdly believed that when they were in Cyber City, he just thought it was a dream. They didn’t want to bring the blue bird to another dark world. They felt a heavy thump in their chest, and it caused them to take in a sharp inhale. Their hand shot up to their chest, and they sat up straight.
When Kris saw Berdly’s look of concern, they bit the inside of their cheek. “My uh, heart did a funny little jump.” They excused swiftly, running a hand through their hair.
•••
“Oh dear… Well, uh, if you are having chest issues perhaps it would be best to refrain from taking a walk.” The bird tapped his chin, thinking about the other options. “Hmm, pie sounds nice! All that pro gaming on my end worked up quite the appetite,” Berdly said as he stood up. He offered his hand to Kris and helped them up, leading them to the kitchen.
Toriel was cleaning up the aftermath of the pie, scrubbing some dishes in the sink. She lifted her head when she heard the two teenagers, rubbing his forehead and giving them a warm smile. “Oh, hello you two! Are you ready for pie? It’s still warm,” the goat said kindly. Berdly rubbed his hands nervously. “Er, yes Mrs. Dreemurr, if that is not a problem!” the bird chirped.
Toriel led them to the dining table and began slicing the pie up for them, humming softly to herself. Berdly sat at the end of the table, next to Kris.
•••
Kris felt like elbowing Berdly for claiming he was pro gaming. They didn’t though. When they both sat down, Kris stared at the pie as the blue bird cut a slice for himself. They then glanced at their mom, who was giving them a look that said Be patient and don’t hog it all. They’d probably eat most of it anyway.
Once Berdly had made his plate, Kris carefully grabbed a slice for themselves, then grabbed their fork and quickly began to dig in. Toriel watched the two for a few moments, then picked up her keys from the counter. “I trust you both won’t do anything bad. I need to go run some errands. Kris..” she waited until her child looked at her, “behave. Make sure to make Berdly feel welcome.”
Kris watched her leave, licking some whipped cream from their lips before looking back at Berdly. “Dont worry, Burghley. You’re in safe hands.” They smirked slyly, tilting their head.
•••
Berdly chuckled as he swallowed a bite of pie. “Well, I wasn’t worried,” he replied. He wiped some whipped cream off of his beak and hummed. “Kris, your mom makes exquisite pie! Perhaps I should come over more often,” he joked as he took another bite. Mrs. Dreemurr had always been so nice to him, so nice to everyone. Berdly sometimes felt envious of Kris, who was fortunate to have a mother like her.
Berdly finished his slice and turned to Kris. “What movies do you have? Maybe we could watch something once we’re done eating,” the blue bird suggested. He slid another slice over to himself, his mouth already watering all over again.
•••
Kris hummed, soon finishing their slice. They began to scrape their plate free of extra frosting, making sure to eat that as well before grabbing a second slice. They kicked their feet a bit. “I dunno. I don’t watch movies a lot. I think one time, Susie found some kaiju movies. I know we have some Christmas ones too from when.. uhm, Noelle and I’s families were close. My father also left some of his cowboy flicks here.” They answered, staring down at their plate.
Kris felt a sudden sense of dread remembering their father. The way the Knight had snatched him up, and they were powerless to stop it. Powerless to stop Undyne from being taken. Powerless to stop themselves from being controlled. Powerless to keep their own autonomy, even without that infernal, heart shaped beast.
They felt the pulse of it stirring in their chest again, and they stabbed their fork into their slice of pie with a huff.
•••
Berdly snorted. “Ah, Susan and her… strange taste in media,” he replied as he took a bite from his second slice. Berdly himself usually watched scientific documentaries or math videos, but he figured Kris would…not like that. And he didn’t want them to fall asleep this early!
The bird noticed Kris’ changing demeanor as they grew tense. Berdly’s brows furrowed and he tilted his head.
“Kris? Are you alright?” he asked with worry.
•••
“Peachy!” Kris replied before they could stop themself. “Why? What’s up?” They asked back, their eyelids relaxing a bit. They continued to eat their pie, and eventually when they were done, they stood up, walking with their plate before setting it in the sink.
The human stretched with a yawn, then adjusted their sweater. They then cracked their knuckles and walked back to the table to sit down. Their gaze turned to Berdly.
•••
Berdly blinked in confusion, though quickly shook his head. “Er, nothing,” he replied and took another bite. He knew getting Kris to open up was quite difficult, so he just decided not to pry.
He finished his slice and went over to the sink to put his plate away. He sat back down and watched Kris do the same. He smiled nervously as Kris gazed at him, and he tilted his head.
“Maybe we could just go back to your room instead?” he suggested. “I brought a lot of comics with me! Perhaps you’d like to borrow a few? I have some superhero ones I think you would like,” he said as he stood up.
•••
The human nodded, then stood up once more. “I probably wouldn’t read them at all if you lent them to me.” They said truthfully. “Though, I wouldn’t mind reading them with you now.” Kris offered their hand to Berdly.
Once he took it, they then led him back upstairs, closing the bedroom door behind them both. They let go of the blue bird’s hand, smoothing over the feathers of his wing for a moment. They slowly blinked, then padded to their bed and sat down.
•••
Berdly walked over to Asriel’s bed where his bag was, and began rummaging through it. He had definitely packed too many comics, so he took a while to sift through them all. He pulled out an issue of Deadlake and The Wolf, and walked back over to Kris with the superhero comic.
“This is one of my favorites,” the bird said excitedly as he opened it up. The comic was in quite good condition—Berdly took very good care of all of them.
•••
Kris looked over the comic, then gently took it from Berdly. They flipped through some of the pages, then looked up at their nerdy companion. They handed the comic back, beginning to itch the side of their face. “Tell me about them.” They nodded towards the comic, then looked over at the rest of their bed.
They quickly rearranged the pillows and blankets, making it more comfortable to sit on. They scooted, making room for Berdly. They patted the spot next to them, gesturing for him to sit.
•••
Berdly grinned and plopped down next to Kris, leaning back against the pillows they had set up. He opened the comic back up and cleared his throat. “Well, in this issue, Deadlake and The Wolf have to fight these giant robots set on killing the mutant race! But then!” the bird paused for dramatic effect, wiggling his fingers in front of Kris. “They find out they actually have to fight a powerful werewolf and vampire duo! They’re completely outmatched!” Berdly explained excitedly.
He flipped the pages to show Kris good shots of the main characters. “I prefer The Wolf. He’s so mysterious! Effortlessly exudes such a powerful aura,” Berdly gushed. “He and Deadlake often get into fights and arguments. It gets really messy sometimes, but they can both withstand a lot!”
•••
The human nodded, brushing their bangs out of their eyes to see the comic panels as they leaned closer. “What are their superpowers?” They asked, scooting closer to see the comic even better. They then pointed to a panel where Deadlake was seemingly being mauled by the werewolf. “Is he dead or do they find a dumb way to bring him back?”
“Also, why do they fight? Why would they work together if they don’t like each other?” Kris kept asking questions. There was probably one of two reasons they did this. The first could be to annoy the blue bird. The second was that they could be trying to show interest in the topic, and wanted to give Berdly the room to talk more about what he liked.
•••
“Well, they’re both very strong. Deadlake can regenerate,” Berdly explained. He chuckled at Kris’ observation. “Not to worry! Deadlake can come back from such an attack. In fact they, er, attack each other quite frequently,” Berdly said.
Berdly turned to face Kris as they kept asking questions. He was so excited to get the chance to talk about his comic! He loved comics, maybe even more than gaming! Though, that was a tough decision.
“Well, their rivalry goes back many many years! In one issue, Deadlake attempted killing The Wolf’s son, so The Wolf killed his fiancée. In another, Deadlake made fun of his girlfriend so The Wolf bisected him!” The bird adjusted his glasses. “You know, despite their apparent hatred for each other they are quite—er, homoerotic at times.”
•••
The human frowned. “Homoerotic yet they harm each others loved ones and try to kill each other?” Kris raised a brow. “What other comics did you bring?” They asked with a sigh, glancing over at their window. The sky was turning orange, the sun starting to set.
Kris grabbed their blanket, pulling it over their lap. They left enough of it open for Berdly to also get under if he was cold.
•••
Berdly grinned and rushed back over to his bag. He decided to just bring it over to Kris’ bed. He sat back down and dug through it, pulling out issues of “Bat-boy” and “Arachnid-man.”
“I really like these too! They’re some of my favorite superheroes,” the bird said excitedly. He went on to explain the plot of these issues as well, beginning to ramble on about the characters.
•••
When the blue bird began to explain the comics and the characters, Kris tried to follow along the best they could. They could remember Asriel being into some super hero stuff when they were both younger, but they never really held onto any of it.
Kris wasn’t really interested in much of anything now that they thought about it. They had grown out of a lot of their interests, and now they sort of followed the crowd. They enjoyed and were sort of good at Dragon Blazers, but it wasn’t enough for them to play it often. They liked cowboys enough to sit through a movie, but also they wouldn’t choose to watch it. Their entire life now sort of centered around the dark world, and also finding out how to keep the world from ending.
•••
Berdly continued to ramble, but soon grew a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and set the comic down on his lap. “Ah—sorry, I’m rambling,” he murmured and scratched the feathers on his cheek. “I don’t want to bore you or anything.”
He shifted to lay down on Kris’ bed, pushing his bag to the side to make room. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, his hands splayed across his stomach.
“I like spending time with you, Kris…” the bird mumbled, his face feathers puffing up slightly. He turned his face towards them. “I really enjoyed it when we went to the festival.”
•••
Kris shook their head. “You’ve never made me bored…. Minus the times you over-explained basic academic concepts to me.” They chuckled. They watched Berdly lie down, but when they heard his mumbles, they felt their face blush. Their cheeks turned a rosy red, and they turned their head away.
“I, uhm.. I liked it too. I appreciate you, Berdly.” The human murmured, tugging lightly on their sleeves. They stared at Asriel’s wall, the shelves with awards and trophies on it. Their eyes briefly flicked down at Berdly, but once they made eye contact, they looked away again.
•••
Berdly blushed as well. He coughed and looked away from the human to hide his profusely red cheeks. For a while now, he’d been thinking of how he should finally confess to Kris. He couldn’t deny his feelings to himself any longer, but he was also scared. Aside from Kris, he honestly…didn’t have many friends. Even Noelle, he could realize, was just a people pleaser and probably didn’t truly like studying with him. He didn’t want to ruin this friendship he had managed to build with Kris.
Berdly sat up and twiddled his thumbs in his lap. He huffed and rubbed the back of his neck, deciding to turn his attention to the setting sun. The sleepover, yes… If Berdly confessed now and it went wrong, he would still have to spend the night with Kris which would be incredibly awkward. His mom had planned a get-together while he was away, so she wouldn’t pick him up or let him in the house either.
•••
Kris didn’t know how they felt. They were quite liked by their peers, they had friends, including Berdly. Though, whenever they hung out with the blue bird, they felt.. different. The boy was nerdy and arrogant, but they could also recognize that over time, Berdly had grown almost… softer. More aware, when around them. It made them wonder.
They also always felt a bit fuzzy inside when they held hands, and during the festival when they went on the Ferris wheel, the human had felt something in the air. A sort of tension that neither wanted to address. They could feel that now as well.
Kris looked back down at Berdly, their eyes roaming over him. “Is something on your mind, Burghley?” They teased, running their hand over his wing to flatten the ruffled feathers.
•••
Berdly’s breath hitched as Kris stroked his wing. He swallowed thickly and stammered. “Uh, I…” he trailed off, feeling his mouth become dry. What was he meant to do?! Should he bluff his way through this? Probably not, Kris would definitely see through it.
“I.. I guess, yeah I’ve been… thinking about things,” Berdly admitted quietly. He sat up beside Kris again and kicked his feet off the edge of the bed. “About… I dunno, you..”
•••
The human raised their brows in surprise, then pointed at themselves. “M—? Ok. Uh.. what is up?” They asked, folding their hands in their lap. Kris watched Berdly carefully, studying his body language and expression.
Had Kris said something to upset Berdly..? No. Berdly would’ve spoken up way sooner if that was the case. Maybe Berdly wants to go home. Perhaps he misses his mom. Kris couldn’t blame the bird if that was the reason. Though, the real anxiety came when they wondered if Berdly was going to ask about the dark world, if it had really been all a dream…
•••
Berdly gulped. He took a deep breath and turned to face Kris properly. He smoothed down the feathers on his head and tried to speak in a more confident tone. “Kris, uh—do you uhm… Are you seeing anybody..? O-or like—are you interested in anybody? Er—romantically, I mean. But uh you—you probably could’ve gathered that… I mean, that’s what people usually…usually ask about.”
Berdly realized he was rambling and probably making a fool of himself. He quickly shut up and just…let whatever he had said sink in. He was sure he was doomed! Kris would of course know he had a big fat crush on them now! Their friendship was ruined!
•••
Kris tilted their head. “Do I look like I’m—“ they started to retort, then paused, their expression softening. They remembered the date with him at the festival, then swallowed thickly. They wondered if Berdly would even count that as a date, or if Berdly even thought of Kris in that sense.
They itched their jaw, then twiddled their thumbs. “No. I’m not seeing anyone. There’s not many people I see that way.” They answered. “Are you seeing anyone?” The human asked in return. “Is there a reason we’re on the topic?” They added.
•••
Berdly shook his head and chuckled. “No, I uh—definitely not,” he mumbled. “But uhm, I… I think I would—I would like to. With you, Kris.” Berdly’s eyes widened as that left his mouth, and he stuttered. “Uh I—what I’m trying to say is, uh… I like you Kris. Uhm, romantically.”
Berdly exhaled heavily once his secret he’d been keeping for probably months at this point was finally out—but he was also bracing himself. He was definitely expecting Kris to turn him down immediately, but a small part of him was hoping…
•••
They stared at Berdly for a few moments, taking in what he said. Then, they chuckled. It was more disbelieving than mocking. They couldn’t really bring themselves to imagine that Berdly wasnt joking. I mean, nobody expects their friends to have crushes on them. Nobody expects someone to feel all giddy and nervous when around them, or for their hearts to beat faster.
Kris put their hand over their mouth to stifle further chuckles. “Uhm.. ok.” They said, then stiffened as they felt another heavy THUMP in their chest. They had to make a decision. If they didn’t make it fast enough, it would.
Kris wet their lips, then looked down at their hands. “I, uhm..” they could feel it wracking through the options, what might be funniest, what would be cruel, what would be nice, what would be sad. Kris closed their eyes and took a deep breath. “I might have to think about it.” They uttered.
They were nervous. What if this was a good thing for them? They could be in a relationship, have a close connection for once that didn’t rely on control or saving the world. That didn’t rely on a damn prophecy for once! But.. What if something bad happened to Berdly because of the soul? What if it let them get close, only to yank it away from them? What if the Knight got to Berdly somehow, and took him away too?
•••
Berdly felt his heart thumping wildly. He deflated a bit at their response, but reasoned with himself. It’s not a no. They just need time to think about it. And why wouldn’t they? Berdly just dropped a bomb of a confession onto them—the least he could do was allow them time to process it.
Berdly gulped and nodded. “Yeah, yeah of course,” he said quickly. “Take all the time you need.” He sat there awkwardly for a few moments, tapping his fingers against his thighs. “Should we uh… should we get ready for bed..?”
•••
Kris nodded. “I think it would be best to, at this point.” They said monotonously, gesturing out the window. It was getting dark. “The bathroom is down the hall.” They informed before getting up from the bed, walking to their closet.
Once their back was turned to Berdly, they felt themselves smiling a bit. They could feel the nervousness radiating off of the blue bird, which confirmed that he was serious. He meant his confession. The human’s heart started to beat a bit faster.
•••
Berdly quickly grabbed his bag and rushed down the hall to the bathroom. Once inside, he pressed his back against the door and sighed, running a hand down his face. His heart was pounding a million miles a minute—he couldn’t believe he had just confessed to Kris and not been immediately rejected! Of course it wasn’t a yes, but it also wasn’t a no…Berdly was hopeful.
He dragged himself to the mirror and splashed some water onto his face, letting out a sharp breath. He opened his bag once he composed himself, and pulled out his pajamas. He had packed a patterned sleep shirt and plaid pajama pants.
Berdly finished getting dressed and brushing his teeth, leaving the bathroom nervously. He made his way back to Kris’ room and knocked. “Kris, can I come in?” he called out.
•••
It sounded like there was a bit of a struggle happening in the human’s room. There was a strange, strained noise that sounded like Kris’s voice, and the sound of ragged panting. What was really happening was Kris standing in their closet, strangling the soul.
They hadn’t liked the stirring in their chest after Berdly left, so they ripped it out. The edges of their vision was blurry, and their knees felt like jelly. Despite that, they directed all their strength into squeezing the heart shaped object, digging their nails into its red flesh as it struggled. When they heard Berdly’s voice from outside the door, they paused, and the soul momentarily slipped from their hands.
Kris, thankfully, had already gotten dressed in their pjs. Just another green sweater and some clean sweatpants. When the soul hit the ground, they dove, grunting as their hands caught themselves, and they pinned the entity to the floor. They shoved the thing back into their chest, feeling everything grow clearer again. Kris then stood up, catching their breath. They approached the door and opened it.
•••
Berdly noticed the human looking a bit disheveled and tired, but didn’t comment on it. He figured they were just ready to sleep—he was too, after all, even if he was still nervous.
“Nice…pajamas,” Berdly remarked even though they looked nearly identical to Kris’ usual attire. The bird walked over to Asriel’s bed and set his bag on the floor before climbing in. He rolled over onto his side to face the wall.
•••
“Thank you, Burghley.” They replied, then closed the door and turned off the lights. They stood in the middle of the room for a few moments, feeling like there was an anomaly in their nightly routine. They glanced over at the bird cage at the foot of their bed. The flecks of blood on the floor.
Kris would have to try and stay awake longer than Berdly so that they could… handle business. The human soon sat down on their bed, then finally crawled beneath the sheets with a yawn. They couldn’t let themselves fall asleep. They couldn’t let the soul have reign. They stared up at the ceiling, expression stony.
•••
Berdly pulled the sheets over him with a sigh, sinking into the mattress. His heart was slowing down now, to a more lazy pace. He had to give Kris time to think instead of worrying about it. Whatever happened, Berdly was sure he and Kris would remain friends. At the very worst, they’d probably just have some awkward tension.
“Goodnight, Kris,” Berdly murmured, his eyes fluttering shut. He drifted to sleep after a few minutes, the human never leaving his mind.
•••
“Good night, Berdly.” Kris answered back. After about half an hour after the blue bird initially fell asleep, Kris finally got up. They set an alarm on their phone so that they’d wake up before sunrise to allow the soul back in before Berdly could see it in the cage.
They slid their phone beneath their pillow, then felt the thudding of the infernal thing in their chest. It knew what time it was. It despised its lack of possession over something. It just wanted entertainment. That’s all it ever wanted. All it was good for was ruining things, stripping control away from the child.
Kris plunged their hand into their chest with a sickening crunchshlch. They groaned softly, they ripped out the heart shaped object. They felt weakened again. Sluggish, sickly. The human panted, pressing their free hand to their chest as they held the thrashing soul. They slowly stumbled over to the bird cage, then shoved it inside, locking the door. They dragged themselves back to their bed, lying down on top of the blankets. It wasn’t very long before they felt their eyelids grow heavy and their body grow numb. Kris was whisked away into a realm of darkness and nightmares, like every night.