Chapter Text
“Kris!” Toriel called from outside the door. The human didn’t move. The door opened and their mother walked in.
“Kris, if you do not wake up, we will be late for school!” She opened the blinds, letting the morning sun shine into the room. Kris groaned.
“I will wait outside for you, alright?” Toriel finally left the room. Kris considered rolling over and just going back to sleep, but they knew their mother would be rather upset with them.
“‘I will make a pie tomorrow,’" they remembered her saying last night. Not worth risking it. They slowly made their way out of bed, threw on their same old striped shirt and brown jeans, and headed out the door. Out in the hall, they remembered that Toriel had bought more chocolate recently. A small smirk crossed their face, and they headed for her bedroom door. They tried the doorknob, but their mother had wisened to their antics; it was locked. As they skulked back towards the steps, they passed by the hall mirror. Kris looked at themselves in it. A slouched, tired human stared back at them.
“It’s only me,” they thought. “Don’t be afraid of what you can’t see, don’t run away, it’s only me…” Kris quietly hummed the chorus. They skipped breakfast as usual, and headed outside.
“Kris! There you are! We might still be able to make it in time!” Toriel called cheerfully. She hopped into the driver's seat of the red minivan. Kris clambered into the passenger’s seat, and they set off for the school.
“Kris… It is a beautiful day, is it not? I hope it stays this way when Asriel visits. But I wonder… After the excitement of university… Will he still enjoy coming home to this little town..?” Toriel tried to make conversation with Kris, but they merely responded with a grunt and a shrug. Despite their response, Kris actually was excited to see their big brother again. It had been more than a year since he left, and a lot had changed during that time. People waved to the pair as the car passed by. It wasn’t a long drive, and soon enough they were at school. Toriel grabbed Kris’s hand, much to their embarrassment, and led them into the building.
Toriel gave Kris a hug, and luckily for them no one was around to see. They headed towards the classroom, and opened the door to a familiar sight. Everyone was already here. Well, almost everyone. The seat behind Kris’s own remained empty. She wasn’t here.
“Oh.. K-Kris! We thought you weren’t coming in today!” their teacher rambled. Miss Alphys. Kris knew she was doing her best to fill the void left behind when Mr. Boom passed, and yet they couldn’t help but find her irritating.
“We’re doing group projects this month. Uhhh, so… Walk around and find a partner, okay?” she continued. Kris’s immediate idea was to ask Noelle, but they knew she would already be working with Berdly. Catti and Jockington would be working together as well. That left MK, Snowy, Temmie, and… Her. If she even showed up. But of course MK and Snowy were working together, those two had become good friends recently. And Temmie was working with... A hardboiled egg? And she was still absent, so a group of three it would have to be. As annoying as Berdly was, Kris knew Noelle would make this project a breeze. They walked up to her desk.
“Hey,” Kris mumbled.
“Hey, Kris! What’s up? Didja lose your pencil again? Here, you want the candy cane one or the one with lights on it?” Noelle asked.
“Group project,” they mumbled.
“Huh? You want to be partners? Ummm… Sorry… Berdly already asked me… But I could ask Miss Alphys if we could make a group of three! I’ll ask if you’re sure!” she offered. Kris liked Noelle. She was the only one who could truly keep up with their antics. And the pranks, oh the wonderful pranks. She always had the best reactions.
“Yes. Ask,” they mumbled. But recently, ever since Asriel and December left, they’d grown distant. Kris stopped going over to the Holiday’s house. The only time they would ever speak to Noelle anymore was when asking to borrow a pencil. Outside of school, all they cared to do was mope around in their room all day.
“Okay, I’ll ask! Miss Alphys!” Noelle called. “Umm, is it okay if we have a group of three?”
“Hey, what? No! I do NOT approve of this! ABORT!!” an obnoxious voice yelled. Berdly. Of course he had to say something.
“What? B-But Kris doesn’t have a…”
“Noelle? What were you saying?” Alphys asked. Somehow she’d entirely missed Noelle’s question.
“She was just saying we’re FINE being alone!” Berdly announced.
“Actually I just wanted to know if…” Noelle mumbled. She was even quieter than Kris was.
“Noelle, could you please speak up?” Alphys asked again. All of a sudden, the classroom door slammed open with a frightening bang. Everyone turned to look at the perpetrator, despite already knowing who it was.
“H… Hi, Susie,” Alphys stammered. She had arrived. The purple dragon. The mean girl. The bully.
“...Am I late?” Susie grumbled.
“Ohh, n-no! You’re fine! W-We were just, uh… ch-choosing partners for the next project, and… umm, Susie, you’re with Kris!” Alphys squeaked out. Kris could feel the yellow eyes glaring at them.
“...Great,” Susie growled.
Susie.
Susie, Susie, Susie.
What was there to be said about Susie? She was a giant lizard monster, had violent tendencies, and didn’t give a damn about school or anyone in it. And now Kris was her partner. But they weren’t afraid. Far from it. Because despite how nasty Susie was, especially to them, they knew it was a facade. After the apple incident, Kris knew Susie wasn’t heartless. There was also the fact that they found her antics and overall demeanor attractive. Messy hair, torn clothes, not caring about what anyone else thought. It was borderline CUTE to Kris. But they would never dare tell Susie that. She’d either kill them on the spot, or avoid them like the plague.
“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll write the assignment!” Alphys stuttered. She reached for the chalk, but it was gone. Again.
“Uh… H-Has anyone seen the chalk? This is the third time it’s gone missing, and… Y-You all know I can’t start class without some!” Nobody said anything. Kris knew where it was, but stayed silent all the same.
“H-How about this? If no one speaks up… E-Everyone gets in trouble!” Alphys suggested. Kris knew she was bluffing. She wouldn’t dare punish Susie.
“A… Anyone? P…Please?” Finally, Noelle spoke up.
“Hey, there might be a box in the supply closet. Miss Alphys, why don’t Susie and I…”
“G-Good idea, Noelle! Susie, s-since you came in last… Why don’t you get it for me?” Alphys interrupted. There was another moment of awkward silence.
“...Whatever,” Susie grumbled. She stomped back out the way she came and slammed the door behind her.
“And K… Kris… Can you go with her and make sure she.. Um, actually gets it? And, um, stays out of trouble..?” Kris opened their mouth to respond, but couldn’t get a sound out before Alphys spoke again.
“Thanks Kris! See you later!” Kris was already resigned to their fate, but they heard a murmur throughout the classroom.
“Don’t worry, Kris! I’ve always thought Susie can’t be so bad, you know? I’m sure everything will turn out fine,” Noelle encouraged them. Of course she thought that. Noelle had a crush on Susie, so of course she would think Susie couldn’t be that bad.
“And, if you have the time, could you say hi to her for me…?” Kris left the classroom to meet their inevitable doom.
Kris watched as Susie pulled the chalk out of her pocket. She looked at it for a moment, before tossing it into her mouth. Part of Kris envied that piece of chalk, to be devoured by the dragon without a second thought. Then Susie turned around and saw them.
“...Kris. Didn’t see you there,” she said with an uncomfortable smile. “You didn’t see anything just now, did you?” Kris didn’t respond. They knew it made no difference what their answer was. She turned away from them.
“Hmmm, you can’t even say?” Susie growled. She turned back towards them once more, now with a sinister grin on her face. She approached them slowly. Self preservation took over, and Kris backed away. They only made it a few feet before their back pressed against something cold and metallic. Now they were trapped between the lockers and the meanest, toughest, but still oddly attractive girl they ever knew. Susie reached out and grabbed their shoulder. Her hand was shockingly gentle.
“Hey,” she said. Her voice sounded like she was trying to coo a baby to sleep.
“Let me tell you a secret,” she continued. After a tense moment, she violently grabbed Kris by their shirt, lifted them off the ground, and slammed them into the lockers.
“Quiet people piss me off,” she snarled. Kris already knew that. Everyone pissed Susie off. Except for maybe Noelle.
“You think just ‘cause you don’t say anything, I can’t tell exactly what you’re thinking?” she continued. Kris knew Susie had no idea what they were thinking. Sometimes, even they didn’t know what they were thinking.
“‘It’s over! I caught Susie eating all the chalk! This was her last chance! Now she’ll finally be expelled!’” Susie mocked. Yup, she had no idea what Kris was really thinking.
“Haha, come on, Kris. Don’t act shocked. You know it’s true. Everyone’s waiting for it. Everyone wants it. So, congrats, Kris. You got me. I’m done for. Just, lemme say one little thing. Seems like a waste to get expelled just for having a little snack. So Kris, if I know you’re gonna pull the trigger…” She was monologuing. Kris thought about speaking up and telling Susie that they weren’t a snitch, but figured it probably still wouldn’t change anything anyway.
“...Heh heh heh. Why don’t I get in trouble for some real carnage? Kris, how do you feel…” Kris waited for the threat. They stared at her from behind their bangs.
“…About losing your face?” That was a spin on a classic. She had once threatened to bite their head in half, now she’d upgraded to face-eating. Susie slowly opened her mouth wider than Kris had even seen. They could see all of her jagged yellow teeth now. Their head slowly approached her maw, but Kris already knew she wouldn’t actually do it. And right on cue, she dropped them to the floor.
“Nah,” she growled, already walking away. “Kris. You’ve got a good mother. It’d be a shame to make her bury her child.” Susie hadn’t mentioned Toriel since the apple incident, when she’d said that Kris’s mother would eventually realize how much better her life would be without them. Now their bully was singing a completely different tune. And the way she said it. She almost sounded… remorseful.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with. We’ll get more chalk. Mosey back to class. And then, Kris, you’ll do our project. How’s that sound?” Susie asked. Kris still remained silent. They already knew Susie didn't care. Whatever they said wouldn't change her mind.
“Don’t bother answering. If you haven’t gotten it by now, your choices don’t matter,” Susie growled as she unknowingly confirmed Kris’s intuition. “Let’s go, freak.”
The walk to the closet was short and uneventful. Susie called Kris a freak again, and they didn’t respond or retaliate. They both stood in front of the school closet.
“Well, here’s the closet. Too bad. We were just starting to have fun,” Susie snarked. She pulled the closet doors open. The inside was dark. Extremely dark. Dark enough that neither of them could see more than a few feet in.
“Hey, Kris, is it me, or… Is it REALLY dark in there?” Susie asked. Kris didn’t say anything, but they definitely agreed with her.
“What’s the holdup, Kris? Are you gonna go in or what?” Susie asked with uncertainty in her voice. Despite not being afraid of the dark, Kris still wanted Susie to go in first. They took a step back.
“Fine!” she snarled. “If you’re gonna be a wimp, then I’ll…!” Her voice trailed off.
“We’ll both go in at the same time!!” she compromised. The two entered the closet side by side. Papers were scattered along the floor.
“See? Why are you so scared, ” Susie taunted. Then she walked into a shelf she couldn’t see.
“OW!!” she yelled. “Goddammit! Where’s the damn lightswitch!?” They both walked deeper into the closet. Then Kris tripped over something, and fell into Susie.
“HEY! Get off me, dumbass!” she yelled at them. With a quick shove, Kris was on the floor. They looked up and could faintly see the outline of Susie in front of them. She was still looking for the lightswitch. Kris got back to their feet and brushed themselves off.
“Well, we’ve worked hard enough,” Susie grumbled. “If Alphys wants the chalk so bad, she can get it herself.” Kris nodded in agreement.
“Let’s split.” Susie followed Kris as they led the way back towards the door. To the light. Suddenly, the door slammed shut.
“Wh-What the…!?” Susie shoved past her human classmate.
“HEY!” she shouted. “THIS ISN’T FUNNY! LET US OUT!” She jiggled the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge. They were locked in.
“Let us OUT!” Susie shouted again as she slammed a fist on the door. Kris had already accepted their fate. They were now locked in the school closet. In the dark. With Susie. They sat down against the wall as Susie kept trying the door.
“Locked,” Kris mumbled. “Wait. Someone’ll open it.” Susie swore under her breath.
“Sit ‘n’ chill,” they suggested. Begrudgingly, Susie sat down across from them. Both Kris and Susie’s eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark. They could vaguely see each other, and the shelves that lined the closet. They sat in silence for a while.
“Well? Where’s that rescue you said would come?” Susie asked sarcastically. Kris shrugged.
“I can barely see you, idiot. Just speak,” she growled.
“Dunno.” The two sat in silence again. Susie looked around the closet. Kris had an idea.
“Topic?” they asked. They could just barely see Susie turn her head to look at them.
“What?”
“Topic,” they repeated. “For project.”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. YOU are doing this, remember?” she reminded.
“At least an idea?” they asked. Susie grumbled.
“If I give you some ideas, will you shut up?” Kris was about to nod, when they remembered her earlier demand.
“Yeah.”
“Alright… Dragons. Y'happy?”
“Yeah.” She huffed at their response.
“This is all your fault,” Susie blamed. “Maybe if you weren't such a chicken and just got the chalk yourself, then I wouldn't be stuck in here with you.”
“I know.” Susie flinched. All she could think of now was the apathetic look on Kris’s face from that day. The two of them returned to silence. Kris wouldn’t dare admit it to her, but it was nice just chilling in here with Susie.
Susie wished she could breathe fire. Then she’d light one of these useless papers on fire as a torch, find the lightswitch, and maybe they could escape the damn closet. But she couldn’t. So she was stuck there with Kris of all people. Susie didn’t like Kris, and she made damn sure they knew it. They had everything she could ever dream of. A loving family, a nice home, three meals a day, but they still always seemed so aloof. Like they didn’t care about anything or anyone. It pissed Susie off. She’d do ANYTHING to live a life like that. Despite her bias, she still found herself relating to them. Never caring. Always unhappy. Constantly tired. She couldn't help but be somewhat curious about the human that sat before her in the dark closet. In addition to their aloofness, it didn’t seem like they would hang out with anyone, even Noelle. And the way Noelle would talk to Kris made it seem like they were friends, but they never seemed to do anything together. Noelle herself was an entirely different matter. Susie would occasionally catch the deer girl staring, only for her to quickly look away. She was the only one to ever look at her without fear, except for… Kris. Kris wasn’t very expressive to begin with, but even still they didn’t look at Susie like they were afraid. She didn’t know how to feel about that. Angry? Annoyed? …Flattered?
“What color?” Kris asked, breaking the silence.
“Wha- What does that matter!?” Susie spazzed. She heard Kris giggling. And they weren't trying to hide it. She’d never heard them do that before. And why did she find it CUTE?
“Whatever… Dumbass.” The two went back to their silence for a moment.
“Purple?” Kris suggested. Susie grabbed their lips and pinched them shut.
“Not another peep outta you.” She was lucky it was dark in here, or they’d see her blushing.
Kris could feel the urge to fall asleep. Help hadn’t come yet, and who knows when it would. They shifted around, and Susie stared at them.
“The hell are you doing?” she asked.
“Nap,” they murmured. “Was gonna sleep through class anyway.” Kris positioned themselves as comfortably as they could on the messy floor.
“Whatever. If help comes and you’re still asleep, I’m leaving you,” Susie grumbled.
“Mkay.” Susie watched as Kris slowly fell asleep. She considered punching or kicking them awake, but the quiet sound of their breathing was rather calming for some reason. Plus, sleep didn’t sound like a terrible idea right now. After a few minutes of deliberation, she shifted herself around as well, trying to find a comfortable pose to fall asleep. Eventually she did, and soon enough she was snoring too.
Kris awoke to the sound of an engine behind their head. They tried to sit up, but something was holding them down. Something warm. They reached for this mystery object, and their hands touched a certain jacket. Susie’s jacket. With Susie in it. For some reason, Susie’s arm was wrapped around Kris, hugging them tightly. Kris heard her snore. She sounded like Dess’s car. Somehow, after they both fell asleep, she had unknowingly cuddled up to them. This was hilarious. The class bully. Snuggled up in the closet with them. Probably wouldn’t be wise to wake the sleeping beast. Kris laid their head back down, and immediately fell back asleep. Another few hours later, Susie woke up, and immediately noticed the tiny human in her grasp. Her initial reaction was to shove them into the wall, but then she noticed they were still asleep. They had no idea she had been cuddling with them, why bother. Only she knew. She delicately moved herself away from Kris, trying her damndest not to wake them. Once she was finally free, she sat up. They were still in the school closet. She reached up for the doorknob. It turned and opened. Into one of the old, unused classrooms. Susie blinked in disbelief as she crawled into the light.
“Was this here… THE WHOLE GODDAMN TIME!?” She thought about yelling in frustration, but didn’t want to wake Kris. For some reason. Wait, why the hell was she suddenly being nice to that stupid little human? Nah, screw that. Time for a wake-up call. Susie went back into the closet and roughly shook them.
“Mmmr…” Kris mumbled.
“Wake up, dumbass. We’re free,” Susie growled at them. Kris sat up. Light was shining into the closet. Susie was right.
The two of them stood in front of the closet doors. Neither said anything for a while.
“Man, the sun’s already setting… Felt like today was the most productive day I’ve ever had,” Susie joked. Kris looked over at her. Her hair was out of her face for once, and they could see her yellow eyes.
“Pretty.” She turned to look back at them, and Kris quickly looked away. They were trying to hide the fact they were blushing. Susie wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the right words. She didn’t want to even hint at the possibility she was snuggling with Kris.
“See ya later, I guess,” she mumbled. Kris nodded. She started down the hallway towards the entrance. Kris was about to follow when their phone rang, so they pulled it out of their pocket. It was their mom. Susie could vaguely hear what Kris was saying.
“Sorry, spending time with a friend,” they said into the phone. Susie didn’t dare turn around, despite what she heard.
Friend.
Kris had called her a friend. Why? What could she have POSSIBLY done to warrant being called a friend by Kris? Realistically, it was just a lie. Easier to say they were hanging with a friend rather than their bully. But the way Kris said it with such sincerity, like they actually meant it… Did they actually think of her as a friend? She didn’t know. What Susie did know was that it made her feel giddy inside. Regardless, it was time to go home. But Susie didn’t really want to go ‘home.’ Her house wasn’t a home. And her ‘guardian’ was more like a warden. She considered going back into the closet to go to sleep. It was more comfortable than her bed anyway. But there wouldn’t be any warm, pleasant-smelling human to cuddle up with. What the hell was she even thinking!? That wasn’t a conscious choice, it was just an awkward situation she had found herself in!
But it was still nice, and Susie wished she could experience it again.