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Kris probably should have said something several miles back; hell, they probably should have said something from the start, right when they felt the impact of a fireball slam right into their calve, nearly taking them to their knees. Should have stopped Susie and Ralsei right then and there and told them something was wrong, but the words simply built up in their throat and they couldn’t spit it out. Besides, they figured there would be a save point somewhere close—somewhere they could rest, recharge, and heal without wasting food or money they didn’t have enough of to start with. And they weren’t going to waste the little they had on themself when Ralsei or Susie could potentially need it worse in the future.
Despite Kris’s wishes, they were yet to come across a save point and they were beginning to feel quite… weak. Their legs were wobbly, the left one that had been hit feeling a bit too numb for comfort. They felt like they did after staying up all night playing with Asriel before he’d gone off to college, exhausted and sleepy. Kris knew they were supposed to be a leader, but they felt themself falling behind, trudging along beside Susie and Ralsei, barely aware of what the two were chatting about.
“How long have we been walking now?” Susie asked, irritation in her voice. “It feels like a good seven days at least.”
“Aw, Susie, it’s only been a couple hours at most. We’ll find a resting point soon,” Ralsei said soothingly, a furrow between his brows. “Do you wanna stop for a second and sit down a moment?”
Kris’s heart jumped with a little bit of hope. Sitting down wouldn’t heal them or magically make anything better, but it was rest. And maybe a little bit of rest was what they needed to keep them from collapsing.
Susie rolled her eyes. “Dude. If we sit down, we’re not gonna want to get up for a while and that’ll add way too much time to our journey, so let’s forget that shit before it starts.”
Kris almost whimpered, heart sinking. But Susie was right; it would add way too much time to their journey and Kris couldn’t bear forcing everyone to waste time, just for them. Their leg throbbed, almost in argument, but they ignored it, stepping forward and attempting to stay at pace with their friends in the blackness of the Dark World.
The three trudged on for a good while, entirely silent, until Kris suddenly felt a shot of pain explode through their leg and they stumbled forward. Their head felt light with adrenaline, sure they’d fall to the ground, but Susie grabbed ahold of them by their arm and drug them up, forcing everyone to come to a halt. Kris trembled with the exertion and tried their best to meet Susie’s eyes with a casualness that she might believe was authentic.
“Kris?” Susie asked; her voice was quiet, a little frustrated, but ultimately concerned.
“Tripped,” Kris said quietly.
Susie frowned; her hand was still on Kris’s arm, grounding and warm. Ralsei gazed at them with an intensely worried expression. He was vibrating just the slightest bit, hands extended forward like he had wanted to catch Kris as well.
“Uh-huh. Calling bullshit. Sit the fuck down.”
Susie guided Kris down to the ground and Kris hissed quietly in pain upon bending their leg. They were breathing shallowly as Susie crouched down beside them and Ralsei sat down, crossing his legs and still peering at Kris with that same concern.
“What’s your deal?”
“Susie!” Ralsei scolded softly. “They’re shaking.”
“I can see that,” Susie snapped. “Kris?” Her voice lowered considerably. “What’s going on? You need something? Food? Healing? A hug?”
Kris flushed and carefully fumbled with their pant leg and carefully, biting back a cry, revealed the marred bit of flesh. Ralsei looked horrified, but Susie’s face was carefully blank.
“What’s your health at?”
Kris swallowed and slowly handed over the little stat from inside their pocket.
Susie swore a string of words so colorful that Ralsei’s eyes were round as quarters.
“Three. THREE? You let your health drop to three and didn’t tell us?”
They flinched back at the look of fury on Susie’s face.
“Goddamn it, Kris.” She snatched the backpack off Kris’s back and opened it. The three pathetic, slightly squished food items Kris had managed to conserve, sat at the bottom and Susie pulled one of them out and shoved it towards Kris.
“Eat.”
Kris obeyed shakily while Susie dug around until she came across a small pouch of bandages. She poured some water on the wound and then carefully wrapped Kris’s leg. Ralsei watched on, unmoving, until he looked up and met Kris’s eyes. He sent them a reassuring smile and scooted closer to them, gently patting their shoulder. Susie’s eyes stayed on Kris’s health stats until they raised to the max level, then her shoulders seemed to drop their tension all at once.
“I’m sorry,” Kris fumbled out. They met Susie’s eyes, feeling their own growing wet with tears.
Susie let out a deep sigh. “Kris. You can’t pull this shit.”
Kris nodded, sucking in their bottom lip to keep it from trembling. Susie’s face fell into something sad.
“Why’d you not tell us, Kris?” Ralsei asked.
“I…” Kris swallowed. “We don’t have much food. Or money. I thought… we’d make it to a save point.”
“We had enough food for you,” Susie snapped. “We’ve got three items.”
“You might need them.”
“And?”
Kris’s gaze dropped to their lap. They heard Susie sigh, full and loud, before dropping down beside them. A hand landed on their back with an awkward little pat.
“Kris. You’re important too, okay? If you need healing, you need healing. The food isn’t just for if Ralsei or I get hurt. It’s for you too. You tell us, however you have to.”
“And we don’t mind,” Ralsei said. “Truly. You just let us know and we can stop. Even if there’s no food, I’ve got some magic and Susie does too and we can heal you, even a little bit.”
“You don’t have to suffer quietly,” Susie said, sounding a bit choked. “Or alone. There’s no point in that.”
“Plus, we’re your friends,” Ralsei added. “We care about you.”
Kris felt a little lump growing in their throat and their head spinning just a bit. They leaned into Susie and took a deep breath, overwhelmed. They grabbed at Ralsei’s hand and squeezed, hoping the two understood what they meant by the gestures.
“Let’s sit here a bit,” Ralsei suggested quietly. “Okay?”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Susie agreed.
Kris nodded in agreement and sat, soaking in the comfort of their friends’ presence.