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The rain beat a steady pattern against the bedroom window, turning the lights of town into blurry streaks of amber. Inside, the room was quiet and warm, lit only by a small lamp on the nightstand.Noelle stood by her mirror, slowly brushing out her blond hair.
She was already in her pajamas, but her movements were heavy. Her mind was clearly spinning. Kris was already sitting on the edge of the mattress, leaning back against the pillows in a plain t-shirt and sweatpants, quietly watching her.
Noelle set her brush down, her reindeer ears drooping slightly. She walked over to the bed and slid beneath the heavy blankets next to Kris, pulling the quilt right up to her chin.
"You're overthinking," Kris murmured softly, their bare ruby eyes shifting to look at her.
"What is it?"
Noelle let out a quiet sigh, her cheeks turning a soft pink. "I was just thinking about the future. It scares me sometimes. Everything is changing so fast. And... sometimes I catch myself thinking really far ahead. Like... marrying you."
She paused, her fingers tightly gripping the blanket. "But then I panic. I feel like I'm moving way too fast. We've only been officially dating for seven months, Kris."
Kris didn't laugh or look surprised. Instead, a soft smile pulled at the corners of their lips. They shifted closer, sliding an arm around her waist to pull her tight against their side.
"You aren't moving too fast, Ellie," Kris said, their voice a low, straightforward rasp
Noelle blinked up at them. "I-I'm not?"
"No," Kris said, shaking their head. They looked toward the window, their eyes turning soft. "Seven months is just a number. To me, it feels like we've been doing this forever."Kris let out a quiet huff of a chuckle, tightening their grip on her waist just a fraction.
"Think about when we were kids,"
Kris said, looking back down at her. "Every time we sat near each other on the grass, or looked at the stars with Dess and Asriel. It always felt different. And when Asriel and Dess went on dates and dragged us along, we just played around and sat across from each other. Even back then, it felt like we were the ones dating. It was always more than a friendship, Els. I always knew."
Noelle’s breath hitched, a wave of pure relief washing over her chest. The heavy anxiety about the future instantly melted away against Kris's side. She let out a soft giggle, burying her face into the crook of their neck as her face turned a bright, happy pink.
"So you're saying you aren't scared of the future either?" Noelle teased softly, her ears twitching against their cheek.
"Not with you," Kris said simply. They leaned down and kissed the top of her head, completely relaxed as the rain continued to pour outside.
The room grew darker as Kris reached over and clicked off the small bedside lamp.
Now, the only light came from the faint glow of the streetlights filtering through the rain-streaked window.They stayed right there, tangled together beneath the heavy quilt.
They kept talking about old memories in the dark, their voices dropping into quiet, sleepy murmurs that matched the steady rhythm of the storm outside.
Kris brought up the time they got stuck in the old mud pit behind the diner, and Noelle reminded them of the ridiculous chalk drawings they used to leave on the sidewalk.
Listening to Kris’s low, steady voice in the shadows made a sudden realization hit Noelle right in the chest.She stared blankly at the dark ceiling. She realized how much she had been completely in love with them the entire time,
but she had never said anything back then. Why didn't I say anything? Noelle thought to herself. Deep down, she had always harbored a faint feeling that Kris liked her back then, too. She remembered how they always chose to sit next to her, and how they never pulled away.
But she had just been too scared for some reason, terrified of ruining the one friendship that kept her safe."Els?" Kris’s voice cut through her silent thoughts, a quiet rasp in the dark. They shifted slightly, their arm tightening around her waist.
"You went quiet. Still overthinking?"
Noelle smiled in the dark, turning her head to press her nose against their shoulder. "No," she whispered softly. She took a breath, holding their hand tighter under the blanket. "Kris? Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah," Kris said simply."When we were kids... when Asriel and Dess were out doing things, and it was just the two of us sitting in the diner booth... did you actually like me back then? Like, really like me?"Kris was quiet for a second. Noelle could hear the steady sound of their breathing over the rain.
"I did," Kris said, their voice direct and completely honest. "I liked you a lot. I just didn't know how to say it."
Noelle let out a soft, shaky sigh, her cheeks burning warm in the dark. "I knew it. I mean, I had a feeling deep down, but... I was just so scared. I loved you so much back then, Kris. I loved you the entire time, but I was a total coward. I don't know why I kept my mouth shut for so many years."
Kris let out a quiet huff against her hair, their thumb gently tracing the back of her hand."You weren't a coward, Els," Kris murmured, their tone soft but firm. "We were just kids. And things were heavy back then."
"I know, but still," Noelle whispered, burying her face a little deeper into their t-shirt. "We could have been doing this a long time ago."
"We're doing it now," Kris said, squeezing her hand back. "That's all that matters to me."
Noelle didn’t say anything else. The sheer warmth of Kris's words completely overwhelmed her, filling her chest with a sweet, heavy certainty that wiped away every lingering regret.She turned her body completely toward them beneath the quilt.
Noelle closed the distance in the dark, her hands reaching up to gently frame the sides of Kris’s face, and kissed them.It was a soft, incredibly tender kiss, full of all the unspoken love she had carried since they were children.
Kris didn't hesitate for a single second. They immediately kissed back, their hands sliding up her waist to hold her secure against their side.They didn't stop at just one. They kissed a few times, slow and completely relaxed, the quiet space between their lips filled with the steady hum of the rain outside.
Each time they pulled away just an inch, Noelle would lean right back in, her reindeer ears twitching happily in the dark as she felt the soft, familiar brush of Kris’s lips matching her pace. It was peaceful, straightforward, and entirely theirs.
When they finally broke apart for good, Kris kept their forehead pressed against hers, their breathing quiet and even in the shadows.
"Still feel like a coward?"
Kris murmured, a tiny, teasing tilt to their voice.
Noelle let out a soft, happy giggle, her face burning a bright pink as she wrapped her arms tightly around their neck.
"Not anymore," she whispered against their lips.Kris gave a small, satisfied nod in the dark, pulling the heavy blankets up over both of their shoulders as they finally settled down to sleep, completely anchored to each other while the storm poured outside.