Work Text:
"If a happy ending does exist somehow… It's with you, Kris."
A mess, a whirlwind, a catastrophe, all could describe the thoughts passing through Kris' mind after the festival. They lay on their bed, unable to sleep. Nothing unusual. The day had taken its tole on them, as they replayed every little interaction they had. They saw Susie's face, shining brighter than they ever saw. They saw Noelle, the way she held on to Susie so tight, the way her heart beat out of its cage. Their face resembled one of embarrassment, of anger, of jealousy, of.. everything combined. 'Why not me?' they thought, the silence of the night a soundtrack to their inner turmoil. 'I shouldn't think that', 'that's so selfish', 'it's better this way', 'why can't it be me', 'focus on what's important',-
Suddenly, as if pulling them out of their overthinking, Ralsei's face flashed in front of them.
…And it wouldn't leave. His face, the way he looked at Kris, the blush that defied embarrassment, the words uttered by him.. It cut through the noise inside Kris' mind. Their face went from one of pure despair, to one of.. slight embarrassment. A blush, unusual and out of place, found its way to the tip of Kris' ears. Their mind raced, with Ralsei's voice echoing from ear to ear, replacing the ambient silence of the room. Ralsei had been more.. themselves lately. Is this their way of simply proving it? Is this just him trying to be like Susie? Kris was unable to understand why Ralsei would do such a thing. 'Why me?' They thought over and over. Ralsei couldn't really mean it like that. He would never!
…Right?
In Castle Town, Ralsei had placed a piece of cake next to Susie's bed, leaving the room silently with a warm smile on his face. They had carried out an entire construction job basically, with Susie wanting to make a beautiful entrance for Noelle once she enters the dark world again, something that Ralsei respected. With a small huff, Ralsei started walking towards his chambers, his footsteps echoing silently in the quiet of the castle. Suddenly, the quiet footsteps were overridden by the frantic and hurried stomps of someone. Ralsei, intrigued by the noise, looks back, to see that the source of the chaotic noises was coming closer and closer: none other than Kris themselves. Ralsei's mind immediately jumps to conclusions. Did something bad happen? Are they hurt? Did Susie do something? Was Susie in danger?
However, Kris' motives were far from senseless: They came here for themselves. To make sure they don't go crazy, lost in thought all through the night. Kris' boots screech against the glossy tiles of the castle, coming to a stop in front of Ralsei.
"Kris! Is everything okay?! You seem so anxious.. d-did something happen?" Ralsei's voice carried a hint of worry, looking over the human to check for any injuries.
Kris waved off Ralsei's concern, as they put their arms on Ralsei's shoulders, a move they did to calm their worries down. "..i wanted to talk.." Kris said in a low tone of voice, their anxious eyes covered up by their hair.
The both of them had settled on Ralsei's bed, sitting down on the edge, with both looking down on the ground, unsure of what to say to the other. Ralsei was, to say the very least, frightened. The look on Kris' face wasn't reassuring, and having no idea what Kris wanted to talk about either.
"K-Kris.. did I.. do something wrong..?" Ralsei says in a hushed tone, afraid of Kris' response.
"no." the answer was definitive, leaving no room for doubt in Ralsei's mind.
"That's.. that's good. Well, uhm.. can I know what you want to talk about, Kris..?"
"..it's.. about you.. Ralsei."
Ralsei's face blushed, his expression a little surprised. "A-About me?"
"…yeah. I.. wanted to say.. I like Ralsei when they.. when they do what they want."
"Oh! That's.. really nice to hear from you, Kris.." They look up at Kris, a wide smile plastering on their face.
"You know, I've been.. really scared.." Their voice becomes softer than it usually is, taking a more serious tone.
"I've been hiding all my life, that.. I forgot what it even meant to be… 'Ralsei'. I know it may sound silly, but.. Ever since meeting you and Susie, I.. Started to remember what being 'Ralsei' was like.. I tried my best to be everything you wanted of me, to be the best friend i could ever be..! I.. I baked cakes, I supported you, I.. I did everything I could to make you like me, but.. I simply didn't know what you wanted of me was to be me, and.. that idea scared me.. that if Ralsei was Ralsei, you two wouldn't wanna see me anymore, that you would.. want the old 'Prince' back.. But today, I felt so.. so alive! I felt like, being Ralsei was much easier than i thought it would be, and.." Their thoughts derail, looking up at Kris' face, glowing softly with the dark fountain that gave life to Ralsei's entire world, finding the contrast of light and dark beautiful in a way.
"Kris.. Thank you. You.. always know what to say whenever I needed someone to say something, and.. I really, really thank you for that." Ralsei gave a wide, genuine smile. He felt as if the entire world was just taken off their body, their chest allowing air to flow more freely, something that he didn't even notice before.
Kris looked at Ralsei, the words they wanted to say too scared to come out. They bit their lip, a bad habit whenever they couldn't say something. An internal conflict arose inside the human. What would they even say back? They wouldn't know a thing about being themselves.
Ralsei picked up on Kris' hesitation. They saw their eyes going back and forth, the small bite of their lip. With a gentle huff, Ralsei took Kris' hand in his, rubbing the top of it gently.
"..I-It's okay, Kris. You don't need to say anything.." Ralsei spoke gently.
"Today was.. a lot, to say the least. You don't need to speak Kris, we can just.. stay like this, close our eyes.. and be with each other for a little bit."
Kris' eyes slowly drifted shut, their hand resting between Ralsei's paws.
They both stay quiet for a little while. There wasn't much to be said, Ralsei was enjoying the company in his usually empty room. Kris… was right where they wanted to be.
"..Ralsei, what you said today.. that.. if a happy ending does exist, it's.. with me.." Kris spoke, their eyes closed, but their attention focused entirely on Ralsei, who's ears were perked up when they heard what Kris said.
"..I don't care. I don't care what kind of ending is in store for me. As long as you're next to me.. No matter the ending, I would be happy i go to it with you by my side."
Ralsei let Kris' words settle, their expression one of pure shock to what they just heard. Yet.. Not even a moment later, Ralsei had pulled Kris into a tight, inescapable hug, making the both of them lie down on the bed. Kris, who would've tried to tease Ralsei in this situation, simply let out a small sigh. They wrapped their arms around the only thing that made them feel wanted. They felt selfish, like they had just stolen the most prized piece of jewelry, and they were happy about it. There was no big declaration, no big stunt, nothing. Both of them knew it already, and they were fine with keeping it a secret from everyone, even the lonely room they laid in didn't earn the privilege of knowing. Their hearts beat in sink, with Ralsei laying on top of Kris, with their hearts saying one single thing in rhythm with each other:
I love you.