Living in a world that hates you

by ItsHat36

Summary:

It's no secret the world of monsters doesn't exactly like humans, I mean who can blame them considering the long history of violence between the two people

Unfortunately kris is human and is the target of the monsters fear especially now that they don't have their brother

Fortunately, it seems there is at least one monster who doesn't hate kris...or so it seems

Notes:

This is another work I partnered with BonsaiBruh so if you enjoyed two dates tons of fluff you will love this one as well

Chapter 1

“That new one scares me.”

“New one?”

“Relatively new. The Dreemurr child. The human.”

“Ah, yes… Kris, was it?”

“Yes. The Dreemurrs really have fallen far, haven’t they?”

“I’d say so. Attempting to coexist with humans is one thing, but calling one part of your family?”

“Disgusting. Not only that, dangerous. It is unwise to keep a human in our territory. It is like allowing a wolf to sleep inside a chicken coop.”

“Indeed… but why bring it up?”

“We should eliminate the threat.”

“Eliminate!? The human is but a child!”

“A child who may grow to be our undoing. Do you not remember the 201X event?”

“…well, you may be correct about that… but how would we go about this? The Dreemurrs know us far better than either of us are comfortable with. They will be on the lookout for us.”

“Hm… they may not know all of us. What about your son?”

“My… son?”

“Yes, your son. He’s never visited them, has he? Hometown is on the other side of the territory, and I don’t believe he’s ever left our district.”

“But-”

“And he looks like them. He may be able to gain the human’s trust quickly.”

“I’ll… I’ll need you to clarify what exactly you’re asking…”

“So be it. Listen well. Our survival may hinge on his success. He is the future of all monsters.”

Chapter 2: The walk home

Kris hated the walk home from school.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they lived in a more tolerant world. What did humans and monsters have against each other, anyway? They’d asked Toriel that question frequently in their younger years, and after she repeatedly dodged the question, they’d concluded that either she didn’t want them to know, or she genuinely didn’t know either. Kris knew it wasn’t practical to believe any dispute could be solved with a snap of their fingers, but hey, a kid could dream.

But in the real world, the two factions were split down the middle for reasons unknown to Kris. A thick forest formed a natural, impenetrable barrier between the designated monster territory – which included Hometown – and the rest of the world. From what they’d heard, the world was mostly run by humans like them. Well, “humans like them” probably wasn’t the correct term for those humans. Kris, in fact, was probably quite unlike any other human. As far as they knew, they were the only one who lived on the inside of the natural barrier.

Toriel’s house was on the edge of town, directly bordering the forest. It stood so close to the barrier, in fact, that it almost gave off a final-stop-before-the-highway feeling. Like a cabin in an adventure novel, in which the protagonist would rest before venturing into the beyond. Except, in this case, the “beyond” was several kilometers of trees, followed by civilization that wouldn’t hesitate to turn away anyone who managed to make it through.

And that was the problem with the walk home. Because the school was placed close to the center of the town, and Kris would have to traverse the the town’s radius to get their house. The walk itself was difficult, especially in Kris’s current physiological shape (they assumed they had some sort of divine spinal structure, as they’d managed to avoid scoliosis even with their terrible sitting posture), but the real issue was that they’d have to pass a lot of houses whose residents had very definitive views regarding humans.

This usually included the Holidays’.

Kris had somewhat of a history with them. In fact, they’d been best friends with the youngest at one point. But Kris hadn’t seen Noelle since she was pulled out of public school. Nowadays, they’d been seeing a lot more of her sister-

“Hope you brought kneepads this time, you bastard!”

They’d know that voice anywhere, but before they could react to it, a sharp pain exploded in their shoulder, sending a pulse of agony through their body.

Speak of the devil.

Kris had been distracted while walking, and must’ve forgotten to pay attention to where they were in reference to the Holiday residence. The impact jolted them to their senses, startling them, but they suppressed a yelp of pain. They’d learned that reacting to injury wouldn’t do them any good, and they weren’t going to give December the satisfaction.

Instead, they glanced in the direction the blow must’ve come from. A baseball lazily rolled to a stop on the concrete at their feet, but there wasn’t anyone standing outside the mansion.

Where the hell did she-

Before Kris could prepare for it, something slammed into their ribcage. The force knocked them forward, and they just barely managed to catch themselves as they fell to the pavement.

“Pathetic,” they heard their assailant scoff, and Kris could hear her dragging her wooden bat across the concrete. “You made humans sound so much cooler in those stories you used to scare Elle with.”

Oh, so this is about Noelle now?

Kris knew Dess well. She definitely didn’t have murder in mind. Humans were exempt from nearly every protection clause in Hometown’s laws, so if she really wanted to, there wasn’t anyone stopping her. But that wasn’t her goal. For whatever reason, ever since she’d decided she didn’t approve of Kris, they’d become somewhat of an outlet for… whatever the hell was wrong with her.

She wasn’t efficient. She was playing with her prey. Her next attack would come soon, and Kris would have to counter it.

Kris rolled out of the way. A second later, the bat slammed into the ground, narrowly missing them. Seizing the opportunity, Kris grabbed the end of it and pulled as hard as they could. Dess was yanked off balance and fell to the ground, releasing her grip on the bat to catch herself.

It wouldn’t be a good idea to try to fight back. The mayor barely tolerated their existence as it was. If Kris ended up injuring Dess, it would just bring them and their family trouble down the line.

Instead, Kris swung their body around and released the bat, flinging it into the street behind them, before breaking into a sprint and dashing in what they were pretty sure was the general direction of their house.

This was immediately followed by the clicking sound of hooves on the pavement. Kris was at a disadvantage here. December was better-equipped for both short- and long-distance running. Her base speed and stamina almost guaranteed that she’d catch up to Kris eventually; and judging by the obscenities she was throwing at them, she seemed pretty determined to do so.

Well, crap. Kris knew they didn’t have a chance at getting home before Dess caught them. They knew it wouldn’t end well for them, but they were probably going to have to fight their way out of this one.

Kris glanced back at their pursuer. Sure enough, she was gaining on them, charging with her head lowered and her antlers exposed. Kris once again remembered asking their mom when their horns would grow in.

Shaking off the memory, they reached into their pocket, being careful not to touch the blade of the knife they typically carried around for self-defense…

But before they had a chance to draw it, there was a comical screeching noise as a tall, lizard-esque monster skidded to a stop between them and December.

“Dess, what the hell are you on this time!?” she shouted.

There was a second, quieter screech, and the hoofsteps abruptly stopped. “Oh, goddammit,” Dess said, sounding exasperated. “Susie, you couldn’t have picked a worse time. Let me have five minutes of fun with… that thing.”

She peered around Susie’s chest and gestured to Kris with an expression of disgust. Kris didn’t react, but internally, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Susie took a step closer and folded her arms. “Go home already,” she snarled, bite evident in her voice.

Dess sighed. “Fine,” she grumbled, not appearing intimidated in the slightest.

With that, she turned around and walked away, mumbling under her breath.

Once December was a sufficiently far distance away, Susie turned to Kris and tilted her head, looking slightly concerned. “Hey,” she asked, “you okay?”

Kris nodded, taking a deep breath to quiet their pounding heart.

That was a lot closer than I would’ve liked it to be…

Susie nodded. Suddenly, she broke into a toothy grin. “Good. By the way, you owe me a pie for this one.”

Kris couldn’t help but smile. She’s getting predictable.

Chapter 3: A lonely mothers house party

Notes:

Going to be honest might have to workshop that name a bit

Susie spent the first part of the walk home making sure Kris was okay. Once it was apparent that they had no serious injuries (though their ribcage would be sore for the rest of the day), she tried to figure out “what stick Dess had up her ass this time,” as she so eloquently put it.

She did this whenever Kris had a run-in with Dess. She didn’t know what the dangerous doe had against them. As she usually did, she went through a list of things Dess probably hated about Kris (removing items from and adding items to the list, depending on what’d been going on recently) and then asked them directly if they knew what the issue was.

The truth was, Kris had a pretty good idea. But they didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with Susie, so when she asked them, they responded with a shrug. As they always did.

Kris was very good at deflecting conversation. A little less than ten seconds after the shrug, Susie switched the topic to Toriel’s famous butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

The one-sided banter dissipated, however, when Toriel’s house came into view.

A long line of cars stretched from the driveway into the street.

Kris glanced over at Susie, who stared at the cars for a moment before taking a step back.

“Oh, uh… I see,” she said, putting her hands in her pockets and staring at the ground. “I… think I’ll leave you alone for now, then.”

Kris had no idea who any of these people were, but they did know Susie had built up something of a reputation with a lot of Hometown’s residents. Putting her in a room full of adults would be like trying to mix oil and water, especially if any of these people knew her.

Kris gave a small nod, then began the walk up the driveway. As they took in the line of cars a second time, they threw up their hands and sighed. At this point, these house parties were practically a monthly occurrence. They could understand Toriel’s loneliness – they missed their father and their brother as much as she did – but they weren’t the kind of person who enjoyed social gatherings. Kris just didn’t understand extroverts.

Once they reached the front door, they slowly turned the knob and opened it, then resisted the urge to slam it shut when they heard the cacophony pouring out from inside. They stepped through and closed the door behind them, trying as hard as they could to tune out the overwhelming voices and unfamiliar faces. The atmosphere was pervasive and insistent, demanding their attention in a hundred places at once, when they’d much rather pretend this wasn’t happening at all.

Toriel, who must’ve been talking to a group of guests near the door a moment ago, stood in front of them, arms spread open welcomingly.

“My child!” she announced, and Kris winced as at least five heads turned in their direction. “I wondered when you would arrive! I must confess that I got a little lonely, all cooped up by myself… so I invited a few people over. I hope you don’t mind.”

 

A few? Kris briefly glanced around the space. Between the kitchen and the living room, there had to be at least twenty people in here. The sound of chatter and laughter surrounded them.

They desperately hoped none of the gossip was about them. They didn’t know very many people, and those who did know them were usually busy, so they didn’t have any reliable sources of social news. A human in Hometown was probably old news at this point, but if Dess’s hostility and the Mayor’s cold attitude toward them were anything to go off of, Kris was far from being universally accepted.

Kris flashed Toriel a small smile, hoping it would be enough to get her to leave them alone, then covered their ears and made for the stairs. It took them about ten seconds to squeeze their way through the partygoers, but once they reached the other side, they rushed up the staircase in a matter of moments.

The noise was significantly reduced up here. Kris breathed a sigh of relief before walking down the hall to their room and placing a hand on the doorknob. The next few hours were probably going to be boring, but it would be better than trying to navigate the physical and social obstacles presented by the crowd downstairs.

Kris opened the door, saw what was inside, and stopped mid-motion.

A teenager whom Kris judged to be about their age sat on the floor of the room, on the carpet in the center, with a book in their lap.

Chapter 4: The strange monster with pink horns

Their body was covered in fluffy white fur, and two small pink horns poked out the top of their head. They wore green-rimmed glasses, a fuzzy green turtleneck sweater, and new-looking pair of skinny jeans.

Their appearance reminded Kris of something they’d heard about as a child: a race of monsters called “boss monsters,” who only aged as their children aged. They remembered Asgore telling them that he and Toriel were such creatures; though they honestly hadn’t seen either of them get visibly older as Asriel grew up. Some monsters were known to live for more than a century, so they figured the aging process must take a while. Is this person a boss monster, too?

The newcomer, not noticing Kris, shifted their hands. Their left forefinger rested against their chin in a thoughtful-looking pose, while their right gently traced the contents of the book they were holding.

Kris recognized the tome immediately.

It was a book of family photos they usually kept in their dresser’s drawer.

The teenager’s finger stopped on one photo in particular. They tilted their head, then gave a wistful, almost dreamy-sounding sigh.

Something in Kris’s chest fluttered. Probably residual overstimulation from the rabble downstairs.

Kris took a deep, quiet breath and rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things. After all, it seemed pretty weird for a teenager to be here when a mostly-adult party had commandeered the house. But when they reopened their eyelids, the newbie was still there.

Kris swallowed and scrounged up the courage to speak. “What are you doing here?” they asked in what they hoped was a stern tone.

The mystery kid snapped their head in Kris’s direction. Bright, pink eyes met the shadow that normally obscured their red irises. The teenager leaped to their feet and hastily extended a hand.

“A-ah, hello!” they shouted, voice wobbling as they shifted backward. “I’m so sorry. I… didn’t think anyone was going to be coming in here. My name is Ralsei.”

Kris stepped forward and extended their own arm, raising an eyebrow as they grasped Ralsei’s hand and shook it cautiously.

“I’m Kris,” they responded, choosing their words carefully. They weren’t sure what to think of this person. “And this is my room.”

“Oh, it’s wonderful to meet you!” Ralsei replied, pulling their hand back and smiling politely. “I assume you are the human who lives here?”

Geez, what gave it away? My entire appearance? Kris thought, but managed to contain their sarcasm. “Yes, I am,” they said. “What are you doing here?”

Ralsei turned their head to the floor bashfully and folded their hands behind their back. “Well, my father brought me here, but it got a little loud downstairs, so… I came in here to hide,” they said, then giggled quietly. “I imagine you’re here for a similar reason.”

Even though Kris didn’t know this person, they felt a pang of sympathy. Their room, while not quite soundproof, was still a great place to hide when things got unbearable outside. Whenever Toriel got lonely enough to throw one of these parties, they ended up sitting here for hours, sometimes using the computer, sometimes just staring at the ceiling and dissociating. Kris nodded, bowing their head as well.

“Ah… well, um, do you want me to find a different hiding place? Or is this fine?” Ralsei asked. They glanced upward, and Kris caught a glimpse of their nervous expression in the corner of their eye.

Kris looked up at them and shook their head. “You can stay,” they said, stepping to the side and sitting down on their bed. “I don’t mind.”

Ralsei smiled at them “Oh, thank you!” they exclaimed, before folding their hands behind their back and bowing.

Something about Ralsei’s mannerisms felt almost regal. Their movements, their speech patterns… Kris thought they detected a hint of an accent they couldn’t quite place, but dismissed the thought. It wasn’t anything important, and Ralsei’s politeness was refreshing after the day they’d just had.

“It’s no trouble,” Kris responded, awkwardly mimicking the bow. The giggle they received in response didn’t sound mean-spirited. It sounded full-bodied, joyful. Genuine.

…Maybe it couldn’t hurt to get to know this person a little more.

“So, uh,” Kris asked, reached into their pillowcase and rummaging around, “you mentioned your father. Is he here?”

Something flashed across Ralsei’s face for a split second, but then their smile returned “Oh, he isn’t,” they replied. “He… dropped me off here so I could meet some of the people from around Hometown. I’m kind of the new boy in town.”
Oh, so he’s male. Kris made a note of this as they pulled what they’d been looking for out of their pillowcase: a golden, heart-shaped locket. It was clenched tightly in their fist, concealed from the goat standing in their room.

This wasn’t a situation they were used to. Maybe if they had something familiar in their hand, they’d be able to collect themselves a little better.

Ralsei spoke again a few seconds later. “Hey, Kris, would it bother you if I asked you something?”

“I don’t mind,” they said, slipping the locket into their pocket. They traced its heart outline with their thumb, and a sense of calm settled over them as they felt its familiar weight.

“Well, then, I was wondering… who does this other bed belong to? Is it another human?”

Kris was slightly taken aback by the sudden clarity of Ralsei’s voice. The accent they thought they’d heard earlier was very apparent now. It tugged at their eardrums in a way that felt like both a warning and an invitation at the same time.

He must really not be from around here if he doesn’t even know Azzy, they thought. Without fully realizing it, they pulled the locket out of their pocket and held it to their chest. “It was my brother’s. He’s not human.”

“Oh, so you’re the only human here? That’s…” Ralsei trailed off, turning his head to the side.

Oh, he’s one of those people, Kris thought. They braced themselves.

“…that must be lonely, not having anyone like you around,” Ralsei finished. His accent was significantly less noticeable, almost like he was making an effort to cover it up.

Wait, seriously?

Kris blinked, having not expected him to say that. A moment later, they managed to respond. “Oh… yeah. Sometimes, it…it is.”

Their face fell, and they opened their hand slightly, glancing down at the locket in their palm.

Ralsei’s voice prompted them to look up again. “I kind of… know what that’s like,” he said. A shadow crossed his face, and he stared into Kris’s eyes, frowning slightly and shuffling his feet. “Being alone, I mean.”

Kris, not knowing what else to do, held eye contact. “It’s not fun,” they blankly mumbled.

“Well… as I mentioned, I’m new to this town,” Ralsei said, his expression brightening, “and… I’m looking for friends.”

He… changed his tune pretty quickly…

Wait a minute… is he-

“So, um… would you like to be my first friend?”

Ralsei spread his arms invitingly and gave Kris a smile that almost took them aback.

They’d had no idea it was possible to condense so much positivity into a facial expression.

Kris blinked twice, trying to make sure this still wasn’t a dream. Sure, they had a couple of friends, but they had never been flat-out approached like this. Normally, it was a friendship out of circumstance. Like Susie, who’d ended up allying with them out of a mutual hatred of Dess.

Kris internally sighed as they recalled that old saying: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” They knew this wasn’t always the case, but it seemed good enough for Susie, at least. There probably wasn’t any other reason for her to hang out with Kris. Well, she did love Toriel’s pies, but that wasn’t-

Ralsei dropped his hands, and the edges of his smile turned downward as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Y-you can say no if you want. I just-”

“Wait!” Kris shouted, raising a hand.

Ralsei jumped backward, concern flitting across his face. Kris slowly lowered their hand.

Why did I… do that?

Kris wasn’t sure why, but when Ralsei brought up the possibility of Kris rejecting his offer, a flash of anxiety had run through them.

It was like Kris couldn’t imagine turning him away.

And who would they be to turn him down, anyway? Ralsei was polite, didn’t seem to have any friends, and seemed to dislike crowds as much as they did. Besides, he was new here, and Kris knew a pretty good amount about this side of Hometown.

“Yes, I’ll be your friend,” they said, smiling softly. “I don’t see why not.”

Ralsei returned the smile. “O-oh, wonderful! It’s lovely to be your new friend, Kris.” He spoke in a charming, formal manner.

“Yeah same,” Kris mumbled, slipping their locket back into their Spacious Pants Hole. “So, what exactly should we do now? I doubt you’d want to keep looking through those baby pictures…”

Ralsei glanced at the photo album on the floor. His gaze, already warm and kind, somehow softened further as he stared at it.

“Well… I’m not sure. What do you normally do?” Ralsei asked, not taking his eyes off the album.

A devilish grin that was somewhat covered up by Kris’s long bangs spread across their face.

“I normally explore the forest,” they said, standing up and pointing out their bedroom window.

Ralsei’s eyes followed the direction indicated by their finger. Kris’s bedroom faced the forest outside. It was too thick to see very far into, and struck a curious cord somewhere between “peaceful” and “menacing.”

For a moment, Kris was suddenly worried that they’d blown it already. For most people, going into the forest sounded like a sure way to get lost; or, worse, captured or exiled, if they ended up venturing all the way through to the human-occupied side.

But when Ralsei looked back at them, he was absolutely beaming. “Oh, that sounds like fun!” he said, far more enthusiastically than Kris had expected.

They remained silent for a moment. They’d been in the forest a few times before, but they’d mostly suggested this as a joke. Still, exploring the forest had to be more fun then sitting in this room.

So Kris walked over to the window and slid it open, then motioned to the outside with their head. “The gutter’s a little slippery, but it’s pretty easy to climb down once you’re used to it.”

They swung their leg up onto the windowsill and reached for the-

“Wait.”

Something tugged at their sweater.

Kris turned their head to find Ralsei holding their sleeve. His head tilted, and something Kris couldn’t quite understand shone in his eyes.

“Shouldn’t you say goodbye to your mom first?” he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Kris raised an eyebrow behind their hair. Is he okay? The forest isn’t THAT dangerous…

He makes it sound like I’m not coming back.

Kris shook their head. “Nah, it’s not necessary. She’ll be too distracted to notice,” they said, using their free hand to grab hold of the gutter next to their window on the other side.

Ralsei released their sweater, a strange, steely expression befalling him.

“If you’re sure…”

Notes:

Ok so the first few chapters are done

Past this point there will be only the next chapter or two will be my work the rest will have been done by BonsaiBruh

Also special thanks to BonsaiBruh you have been a big help and I very much appreciate that

Chapter 5: The Eclair family

I have my orders. I need to snap out of it.

Ralsei rubbed his face, trying to clear his head. Now wasn’t the time to be wondering how Kris managed to pull off that mysterious kid-next-door look. He was here for a reason.

He watched as Kris swung themselves out the window, firmly holding onto the gutter downspout. There was a slick-sounding noise. Ralsei leaned his head out the window in curiosity and saw Kris standing at the bottom of the downspout, gesturing to the aluminum spout next to the window.

“Just hold on tightly and climb out,” they called. “It’s kind of like a fire pole.”

“Ah, one second…” Ralsei responded, and ducked his head back inside.

Okay. Deep breath. He could do this. He had to do this. His family was depending on him.

He adjusted the position of the dagger in his sweater. Actually, maybe it was a bit of a stretch to call it a dagger; it fit the technical definition, sure, but it was more of a large pocketknife, tucked away in a compartment between the layers of his turtleneck. Still, it was long enough for the job, and could be easily drawn at a moment’s notice.

He closed his eyes for a moment and remembered the conversation he’d had with his father.

 

“…are you absolutely certain about this? The human hasn’t done anything wrong yet.”

“I understand your concern, my son. It’s not about what the human has done. It’s about what they’re capable of. We need to ensure that the human can’t cause future harm. They are a dangerous race.”

“…”

“You’re doing us a great service.”

“I’m sorry, but… this is just so sudden. Is this what the self-defense training was for?”

“It was. I’m sorry that I kept its true purpose from you. But in a way, this is self-defense. It’s just… pre-emptive. All you have to do is target their heart.”

“Oh… okay…”

“If it’s possible, try to see if they’re the only human the Dreemurrs are harboring. When it comes time to eliminate the human, try to do it in a secluded area.”

“…I won’t let you down. For the Esclair family?”

“For the Esclair family.”

 

“Are you coming?”

Ralsei was jolted to his senses by Kris’s call. He shook his head rapidly and reached out the window, grabbing the downspout.

Now wasn’t the time to get distracted. Kris was practically doing everything for him. The forest was about as secluded as it got. Usually, nobody went in there unless it was an emergency. All he had to do was remember the way out, and he’d be fine. Maybe Kris would even find some solace in dying in a familiar setting.

Ralsei swung his body out the window, keeping a firm grip on the downspout, and yelped as he slid down its length. His landing was far from graceful. He stumbled backward as his legs touched the ground, arms reeling.

Something wrapped itself around his wrist, steadying him. Ralsei turned his head to find Kris, who had grabbed his arm. He could see the curious red hue behind their bangs much more clearly.

The feeling that shot through Ralsei’s stomach was a strange combination of shame and warmth.

“You alright?” Kris asked, staring into Ralsei’s eyes with that unique crimson glow.

“Yeah, I'm okay!” Ralsei announced, a lot louder than he’d hoped to. He yanked his hand back suddenly, and it easily fell out of Kris’s grasp.

Kris nodded “Good. The landing’s a little tricky the first few times. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

They took a step toward the forest, motioning for Ralsei to follow. He nodded quickly and followed, increasing his speed until he and Kris were side-by-side.

Why do they have to be so nice? Ralsei thought. I know it’s probably a good thing that they trust me, but…

He didn’t bother to finish the thought. He had an assignment, and he was going to follow it.

Chapter 6: A lovely little spot in the woods

Through the line of trees up ahead was a cozy, picturesque clearing. A couple patches of late-year flowers dotted the vibrant green grass, and the sunlight almost made the green blades seem to shimmer when Ralsei moved his head. There wasn’t a woodland creature in sight, even though the clearing looked far more hospitable than the forest surrounding it. It was almost like a section of springtime had been isolated from the cool, autumn surroundings.

Ralsei was almost dumbstruck by the splendor of it, but he managed to collect his voice after a few seconds. “Is… is this it?”

Kris nodded and took a step forward. “We found this on our second excursion. We’d return to it sometimes to rest, after spending the day exploring the other parts of the forest.”

It took Ralsei a moment to recognize that he should probably start moving as well. He hastily dashed in front of Kris and ran into the clearing, wincing as the sun shone into his eyes.

Kris stepped in afterward. They walked past Ralsei to the center of the clearing, then stared down at the grass, seemingly lost in thought.

How can a place like this exist in such an unforgiving environment? Ralsei thought. And they’ve known about this for years?

If only I’d known about this. We live on the other side of the territory, but… it would’ve been nice to have a peaceful, secluded area to disappear to whenever-

No, what am I thinking!? I’m an Esclair. Esclairs don’t hide.

That snapped him out of his daze. Ralsei realized that Kris hadn’t moved during the entire minute or so he’d spent enjoying the sunshine on his fur.

Ralsei took a step forward. Kris was still staring at the ground, and their head snapped in Ralsei’s direction as he approached, startling him.

“Sorry,” they mumbled. “Just thinking.”

“Do you mind if I ask you something?”

The question came out of nowhere, and Ralsei wasn’t sure why he was asking it. But from what Ralsei knew about Kris’s brother so far, he sounded like an adventurous person. Something about him intrigued Ralsei.

He sounds like the kind of person who’d be popular with Hometown’s residents, so… why haven’t I heard of him?

Kris shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“Well, I've heard a lot about your brother, but I haven't seen him at all-” Ralsei began.

“He’s at college right now.”

Kris’s response was cold and clipped, which took Ralsei aback. Their mood seemed to have changed in an instant. Moreover, all semblance of an expression drained right off their face.

“Oh, uh…” Ralsei stepped back, feeling awkward. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s fine. I get it,” Kris said. They turned their head, but it didn’t hide their frown. “Azzy’s… the kind of person people want to hear more about.”

Ralsei arched an eyebrow. “Azzy?”

Kris flinched. “Forget I said that. His name’s Asriel.”

A few seconds later, they muttered something that Ralsei almost didn’t catch. “I shouldn’t have brought us here.”

Ralsei wondered if he was imagining it, but Kris’s voice was starting to sound choked.

He was hesitant about pushing further, but he figured it might be worthwhile to get some more information about the Dreemurr family. “Do you… miss him?”

There was a short pause. Then Kris responded, “A little.”

Ralsei took another step.

“I can tell it’s more than a little.”

Chapter 7: Pure affection

I’m doing this for the information, Ralsei reminded himself. That’s the only reason. Even though Kris deserves to die in comfort and I don’t know if I can bear to see them stare at the ground with that blank expression for another second, I’m not trying to console them. This is all for the intel.

It was hard to tell, but Ralsei thought Kris’s crimson eyes were starting to glisten underneath their bangs.

“Yeah,” they whispered. “Kinda just... left me here, alone…”

Kris’s tone of voice instilled a sudden sense of urgency in Ralsei’s mind.

Without thinking, he moved forward, put a hand on Kris's shoulder, and looked them in the eyes.

Kris blinked in surprise, spilling a single tear out of their left eye. “Ralsei?”

“I'm sorry for asking,” Ralsei said quietly, and he was almost shocked that he meant it. “Your brother sounds like a wonderful person, and I'm sure he loves you a lot. Sometimes, life just gets in the way of these things…”

He offered the warmest smile he could.

Kris looked at him for a second, eyes wide, before pulling him into an unexpected hug.

In the Esclair family, physical contact wasn’t just a privilege; it was a reward. Ralsei had spent most of his life without the embrace of a family member. Hugs were only given when he passed certain milestones, such as completing a year of schooling or finishing the rite of passage he’d taken to retain his place in the family at the age of thirteen. Affection wasn’t something to be squandered. It was to be stored and used carefully, methodically, in order to leave him desperate for more. That was how the world supposedly worked, after all. You kept your eyes on the prize and did whatever it took to obtain it.

So when Ralsei was suddenly enveloped in a warm, soothing embrace that, unlike the hugs he was used to, felt natural, unscripted, pure, he blushed uncontrollably.

A bright red flush that he figured was probably showing right through his white fur, for the whole world to see, spread across his face. He mentally thanked the Angel no one else was around.

I know I’m a disgrace for this, but…

After a few seconds, Kris pulled away from him. A slight red tinged their cheeks. “S-sorry,” they mumbled, rubbing the back of their neck. “That's, um... most of the people in Hometown are too scared to talk to me about him, and... I think that's the nicest thing anyone, other than him, has really said to me.”

Kris’s mouth turned up in a smile.

They had a wonderful face for a smile. It was almost refreshing after seeing them wear that stoic mask for the rest of the day. It was the same smile Ralsei had seen in the photo albums: small, but genuine, and complimented by their slight blush.

Ralsei instinctively raised his hands to cover his face.

I’m not going to let myself get attached. I CAN’T. Don’t think about their smile. Steer the conversation in a different direction.

Ralsei shook his head. “A-ah, don't worry about it. Sometimes you just need something to hug,” he said, trying his best to fake a smile.

Kris seemed to buy it. Their blush dissipated, and they smiled a little wider.

Ralsei turned in the opposite direction. “Um, shall we head back?” he asked. “You… said something about how we shouldn’t have come here…”

Kris shook their head and looked up at the sky. “I think… I want to stay here for a bit. If that’s okay with you.”

“Oh, of course!” Ralsei responded. He shuffled back a bit, now standing next to Kris.

They’re right here. They won’t suspect a thing. We’re at least a kilometer away from any sort of civilization. I think I can make it back on my own from here.

I know what I have to do… and yet…

Wait a minute.

Maybe he didn’t have to do it.

It wasn’t what he’d originally had in mind, and he wasn’t sure how his family would react. But if there was an alternative to getting rid of Kris, he was going to take it.

Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know his friend-

Enemy of the family.

It wouldn’t hurt to get to know the enemy of the family a little better.

Notes:

Ok past this point is the end of the manuscript I wrote for BonsaiBruh so from here is all their stuff

That being said I hope you enjoyed more chapters that are coming relatively soon so stay tuned

Chapter 8: Heading home and encouragement

Notes:

Still bad at coming up with chapter titles

Kris had missed this.

A few years ago, before Asriel left, they’d sit side-by-side in this clearing with him for an hour or more at a time, watching the clouds lazily drift by overhead. It was tranquil beyond compare. With no one else around to disturb them, talk to them, or heckle Kris about their entire existence in general, it was about as close to nirvana as it got. They felt safer around Asriel.

When he’d left for college, Kris had tried coming back here in an attempt to relive the experience, but ended up getting depressed instead. They hadn’t come back since. Until now, at least.

And as they sat back on the soft grass, watching the sun slowly sink into the distance and the clouds shift to a beautiful orangeish-red, with a fluffy friend by their side… they could almost pretend nothing had ever changed.

It wasn’t the same, of course. While it wasn’t any less peaceful, it was peaceful in a different way. But that was fine.

They looked over at Ralsei, who had closed his eyes and was idly running his fingers through a patch of flowers at his side. The edges of his mouth were curved upward in a faint smile. Framed in the evening glow, his expression and movements combined with his sweater made him look comfortable and casual. He almost looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep.

Wait, that reminds me. It’s getting kind of late. We need to go home soon or else Mom will get worried.

Kris slowly stood up, wincing at the popping in their knees. “Um, we probably don’t have long until sunset…” they said. “Should we head back?”

Ralsei blinked a few times, then pulled himself to his feet as well, stretching. “I suppose so,” he mumbled, “if you’re ready to.”

Kris turned in in the direction of their house. They knew this section of the forest inside and out, having traversed it several times with Azzy. Getting back wouldn’t be nearly as much of a problem as it was back then, when they needed the hand of their brother to guide them…

They took a step forward, and Ralsei stepped with them. Together, they left the oasis of the clearing and walked into the forest. The trees overhead obscured the sun, and Kris felt the temperature difference immediately. Their sweater helped, but they still had to suppress a shiver.

The walk back wouldn’t take very long. After all, it had only taken them about fifteen minutes to get here in the first place. A walk through the forest normally wouldn’t have been all that interesting. When they were younger, they’d sometimes point out cool-looking rocks or bugs to Asriel, but since then, they’d grown a bit jaded.

But this time, with a second pair of footsteps crunching in the leaves beside them, it felt just a little bit special.

Ralsei walked with a bit more of a spring in his step than he’d had before. He didn’t quite look carefree, but he looked like he was enjoying himself. I guess he just likes nature walks…

A second later, though, Ralsei’s pace slowed. Kris reduced their speed to match his, glancing at him curiously.

“Sorry,” Ralsei said. “It’s just… I’ve realized that, um, I think I know more about your brother than I do about you. And that’s kind of weird, considering I’d never heard about either of you until today, and I haven’t met him in person.”

Kris chuckled. “Yeah, well, that’s actually kind of typical. He’s the one people hear about the most. I’m sure you would’ve learned even more about him if you’d talked to some of the people at the party.”

The self-depreciating humor didn’t have the intended effect. Instead of laughing, Ralsei furrowed his brow.

“Oh, well,” he said, “I think… I want to know a little more about you, if that’s okay. I mean, if I’m going to be your friend, I’d like to know what your hobbies and interests are. Maybe that’ll help me connect with you a little better.”

Kris felt a twinge of surprise. “You want to know what I’m into?”

Ralsei smiled demurely, and Kris swore the forest around them brightened. “I don’t see why not.”

Kris took a deep breath to quell the sudden burst of butterflies in their stomach. They weren’t ready for this. Susie’d been the first friend they’d had in years, and she wasn’t the type of person who typically swapped interests with people. She preferred to keep that to herself, and Kris did the same. The last time someone had asked them what they liked was when they first met Noelle.

“Well,” Kris said, “at the moment, I actually… don’t have any real areas of interest. I sometimes do a bit of baking with my mom. I know a few recipes, but we specialize in pie…”

“That sounds wonderful!” Ralsei exclaimed, beaming. “I’m also quite good at baking. I’ve created and decorated quite a few cakes in my time!”

How does he manage to make baking a cake sound that interesting? He didn’t even embellish the statement…

“Besides that,” Kris continued, “I… used to play the piano. We don’t have a piano at our house, so I used the one at the Holidays’, but…”

Kris paused. Ralsei didn’t need to know why they’d stopped going there.

“…I grew out of that hobby,” they mumbled. “It just wasn’t for me.”

Ralsei’s smile fell. “Oh,” he said quietly, “that’s a shame. If you didn’t like it, then I’m glad you stepped away from it.”

“No, I…” Kris drew a breath. “I did like it. But after a few visits, the Holidays wouldn’t let me use the piano anymore, and by then, I kind of realized I was just wasting my time.”

That, at least, was mostly true. They felt a little better.

Ralsei stopped walking. Without fully realizing it, Kris stopped as well, and almost fell forward.

“Kris.” Ralsei’s voice was laced with what sounded like concern. “If you enjoyed it, why do you consider it wasted time?”

Kris flinched. “What?”

“If you liked what you were doing, and it was fulfilling, I wouldn’t consider that time wasted,” Ralsei said, pink eyes wide and inviting behind his glasses. “It was spent. If it really wasn’t for you, I respect that, but it’s okay to pursue your hobbies.”

It took Kris a few seconds to fully understand what Ralsei was saying. When they did, a jolt of sadness ran through them.

They didn’t want to tell him why they’d really stopped. They didn’t need to burden him with that information. If they did, Ralsei might feel obligated to try to help somehow, and Kris didn’t want him to cross the Mayor.

“Thanks, but… it really wasn’t very fulfilling-” Another lie. They tried not to let their guilt show on their face. “-and I realized I wouldn’t be able to make a career out of it, so… I decided to change my focus.”

Carol’s words echoed in their head as they spoke.

”Do you consider this an overreaction? I think I’m reacting appropriately. Noelle is far too young to be listening to something of this topic. Honestly, if you’d put half the amount of effort it must’ve taken you to memorize that piece into something more productive, you could’ve passed as a child prodigy. Do you want to know what percentage of aspiring musicians actually achieve their career goals? I can look it up for you if you’d like…”

A sweet, melodic voice, with a hint of an accent, sliced through the noise like a dagger through pie.

“I’m sure you could’ve done something to improve your chances,” he said. “You still can! Maybe you could start out small, maybe play for a local event, and if the attendees like you, they might recommend you for something bigger!”

Kris blinked. Their inner optimist and their inner realist were having a screaming match at the top of their lungs right now.

“Tell me about you.”

Ralsei withdrew in surprise. “A-ah!?”

“You wanted to know about my hobbies and interests, right?” They tilted their head. “It’s only fair that I get to know you a little better as well. Could you tell me what you’re interested in? You said you also liked baking, right?”

It was a cheap move, sure, but Kris couldn’t let the conversation proceed in the direction they’d accidentally steered it. They didn’t want Ralsei giving them any semblance of home for that career path.

They knew where they stood in this world. As much as they wanted to be accepted, there were some options that were simply sealed off to them.

“Well, u-uh…” Ralsei paused for a few seconds. When he began talking again, he spoke slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully. “I… enjoy reading in my spare time, I suppose. And I enjoy singing. I don’t take lessons or aspire to do it professionally, but sometimes it’s nice to use my voice to create something beautiful.”

Kris gave a small smirk. “That’s kind of poetic, actually.”

Ralsei giggled. “Not really, but thank you. Actually, before I hid from the party, your mother told me I was an eloquent individual, but this is just how my family taught me to speak.”

“Your family must be English majors or something,” Kris commented, smile widening. “You definitely speak it a lot better than I do.”

Ralsei held a hand to his cheek and looked away nervously. “Ahaha, um… they aren’t,” he said. “I just come from a family who…”

He suddenly stopped talking, dropped his hand, and stared at the ground.

Kris thought they saw him fidgeting with something in his sweater.

They held out a hand. “Hey, is everything-”

Ralsei recoiled, waving his hands in front of his face. “Yes! Yes, I-I’m fine! Um… we should start heading back again. I wouldn’t want us to get caught in the dark.”

Kris started at his sudden reaction. They stood in place for about two seconds, then began walking again.

Why did he react like that? Did I strike a nerve somehow?

Kris heard Ralsei’s footsteps again, except he was now walking behind them instead of beside them.

It felt unnatural, somehow. It confused them that Ralsei was following them when he’d been perfectly fine with walking side-by-side with them just a few minutes ago.

Chapter 9: Plans for tomorrow and online piano

It wasn’t long before they reached Kris’s home. As they exited the treeline and approached the house, Kris heard the rumble of a car pulling out of the driveway in the front.

“Oh, the party’s ending,” they said. “I don’t think Mom will worry that we left the house. She doesn’t know about the downspout escape, but I sometimes leave to go for a walk.”

“Ah, okay…” Ralsei said, casting his gaze to the ground. “I guess my father will be here to pick me up soon.”

“Well, we all have to go home eventually…” Kris said, looking off to the side.

I’m really not a social person, so I can’t believe I’m about to say this…

“…but thanks for taking that walk with me,” they said, feeling a hint of warmth rising in their face. “I really enjoyed spending some time with you. I don’t really have many friends…”

“Oh, really, I should be thanking you,” Ralsei responded, shifting to one side. “Actually, I wanted to ask… would it be okay if I came over again tomorrow afternoon?”

…what!?

Okay, this was starting to get kind of weird. Ralsei was unusually sweet, especially compared to what they usually got from classmates and December. He was attentive, he’d rushed to comfort Kris when they’d started breaking down in that clearing earlier, and he’d expressed encouragement for their piano hobby. All of that was strange. Kris was supposed to be the weird human on the outskirts of town who never seemed to fit in anywhere, and yet here Ralsei was, treating them with a kindness they’d only expect from Toriel.

And now he actually wanted to come back!?

Before the rest of Kris’s mind could catch up with that line of thinking, they found themselves nodding.

The answer was obviously yes. Kris did, in fact, want to see Ralsei again tomorrow. But they couldn’t help but wonder why Ralsei was acting this way toward them.

The goat boy’s face lit up with excitement. “Excellent,” he said. “Should I aim to be here at around four o’clock?”

Kris shrugged. “I’ll be home by then.”

Ralsei nodded. “Wonderful. I suppose I should see if my father is here…”

Kris took a step backward. “I won’t hold you up any longer, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kris thought they saw the edges of Ralsei’s mouth turn downward, but before they could see his expression, he was already turned the opposite way, walking toward the front of the house.

Once he had reached the corner of the house, he looked back and waved at Kris.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

*-*

That night, Kris was unable to sleep.

This was somewhat of a common issue. At least twice a week, they’d lie awake for hours, thinking about Azzy, worrying about whatever was bothering them at the moment, or wondering if they could’ve done something to change their current situation a few years ago.

Tonight, though, they couldn’t stop thinking about a conversation they’d had with a certain boy with pink horns.

“If you liked what you were doing, and it was fulfilling, I wouldn’t consider that time wasted. It wasspent.”

That sentence played over and over in their mind.

Eventually, they couldn’t stand it anymore.

They rolled out of bed, slowly walked over to the computer on Azzy’s side of the room, and booted it up.

Normally, when they used the computer this late at night, it was to talk to Azzy in a chatroom. This time, however, they opened the search engine.

They clicked the search bar, grimacing at the history entry “video game piano tutorial,” and searched for “online virtual piano.”

They found one at the top of the page. An online website containing a simulated piano. All Kris had to do was press the corresponding keys on their keyboard, and the website would play the notes they wanted to hear.

They tapped out a short four-note sequence, tensing up as the gentle melody washed over them.

I know it’s not practical, but…

I think I really missed this.

Chapter 10: A risk worth taking

“Welcome back, my son. I trust you have carried out your assignment?”

“…no, father. The human lives.”

“The human lives!? My son, have I heard you correctly!?”

“You have. I did not remove them.”

“But… why not!? What am I to tell the head of the family!?”

“I have a proposal. Spending the day with the human allowed me to reap valuable information. For example, I now know that they have a sibling, though he is not a human. The human also seems to have ties to the Holiday family.”

“They do?”

“They do. The security around the Holiday residence is airtight, which, as I’ve heard, is the reason our scouts cannot get close enough to provide an accurate report. We’ve also been limited in our reconnaissance of the Dreemurr family. That’s why we didn’t know Kris had a sibling.”

“I cannot tell where this is going…”

“Now that I have a social history with Kris, they trust me. This could be an opportunity to gather information about both families. If I present myself as a friend of the human, their family will feel more comfortable sharing information about them. And I’m sure it couldn’t hurt to know a bit more about the mayor of Hometown.”

“…I will talk to the head about this. You have to understand that you are taking a serious risk, socializing with a human.”

“I believe it’s a risk worth taking…”

Chapter 11: Baking with the human

Notes:

Sorry for the wait on this one, sometimes BonsaiBruh takes a while, you can’t deny they make good work though, not sure about you but I think it was worth the wait

Chapters should start coming out at a faster pace now, the full story has been mapped out or at least most of it

Four days, Ralsei thought as he walked along the cold concrete sidewalk, hands clasped to his chest in anticipation.

I’ve been given four days to gather intel about them.

And after that…

Ralsei shut down his thought process as quickly as he could. He didn’t want to think about what would happen to Kris once the time window concluded.

He distracted himself by going over what he was supposed to be doing.

Go to the Dreemurr residence. Meet up with Kris. I hope to make it at exactly four o’clock. Hang out with them, ask them a few questions about their family and the Holidays.

And it’s not one of my objectives, but… maybe I could try sharing in one of their hobbies. Just to get them to trust me a little more.

His father had been able to drive him to the house yesterday because the line of cars from the party guests drew attention away from the family vehicle. Today, though, the head of the family had ordered Ralsei’s father to drop him off near the school and have Ralsei walk the rest of the way, to reduce the chance that Toriel would notice the vehicle and realize that Ralsei was a member of the family.

That wasn’t a problem for him. He remembered the route there. His father probably would’ve provided directions if he’d needed them, but Ralsei had a good navigational memory, and he’d been paying attention on the drive back from the house yesterday.

In fact, right about now, he should be passing… yup, there it was. He looked up and saw the manor on the right. Painted white, with wrought-iron gates in front of it. It was impressive, certainly, though not as boastful as he’d initially expected when his father told him it was the Holiday residence. That wasn’t to say it was modest, of course; it was definitely befitting of a mayor. Two stories and ornately decorated with evergreens lining the walkway, strings of Christmas lights wound around them, even though Christmas was still a couple months away. A warm yellow light shone through the front windows.

As Ralsei gazed upon the mansion, he noticed movement in one of the front windows. He squinted against the late-afternoon sunlight and tried his best to see inside from his position on the sidewalk.

There was someone staring back at him. They appeared to be some kind of deer, judging by the antlers poking through their golden locks. They wore a green-and-red checkered shirt. Actually, maybe it was a sweater… Ralsei wouldn’t be able to tell without getting closer, and he didn’t want to risk trespassing.

The moment the person in the house noticed Ralsei, they darted out of sight like a frightened lizard.

One of the Holidays, I suppose, Ralsei mused. After all, from what he’d overheard from the conversations between his father and the head of the family, he knew they were a family of reindeer. I’ll have to ask Kris about that person.

With that thought, he resumed walking, taking in the suburban landscape around him. The population density in Hometown was much higher than in Mauvefield, and the neighborhood felt alien to him. It was strange to see so many houses clustered together, each one cared for and lived in. Ralsei didn’t see a single “For Sale” sign on the lawns he walked past.

I guess not many of these people are Kris’s age, he thought. They mentioned that Asriel left them ‘alone,’ so I guess they don’t have many friends. Perhaps there just aren’t enough people in their social niche living here.

That was the best explanation he could think of. For a brief instant, a second possibility crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If Hometown allowed a human to live here, its residents were probably more accommodating of humans.

That reminded Ralsei of his mission. He was here to bring salvation on behalf of his family. Humans were dangerous creatures. Hometown wasn’t a location that was frequently talked about in his house, but he knew that its residents held certain practices that would be considered backward in Mauvefield. In addition, the Esclairs’ relations with the Dreemurrs had long gone sour. It wasn’t a surprise that they’d be sheltering a human.

Ralsei almost forgot where he was as he mentally battled with himself.

Why do I feel like my mind’s been split in two?

I shouldn’t pity them this much. I negotiated to allow them to live for another few days while I gather information. That’s more than enough. I should be ashamed of myself for not having the courage to fulfill my original goal.

And yet… at the same time-

Ralsei’s thought process ground to a halt as his mind caught up with his eyes.

I’m here.

The Dreemurr residence stood before him, humble and strangely charming. Its proximity to the woods made it feel isolated from the other houses on this street.

Drawing a breath, Ralsei slowly made his way up the driveway leading to the front of the house, positioned himself in front of the door, and knocked.

A few seconds of silence followed. Then the door creaked open, revealing a gentle, motherly face.

“Oh, good evening, Ralsei!” Ms. Toriel said warmly, spreading her arms in an inviting gesture. “I believe you are just in time. Kris said you’d be here sometime around four o’clock.”

Ralsei bowed his head formally. “Indeed. What time is it?”

Ms. Toriel ducked her head inside for a moment, then looked back at Ralsei. “Four-oh-two,” she responded, and Ralsei suppressed a flinch. “You’re quite the punctual young man.”

“A-ah, thank you, but I really could’ve arrived a bit sooner…” Ralsei had no idea how Toriel was so comfortable with this. A two-minute delay would’ve been inexcusable in his household. Granted, it didn’t take long to get from one part of the house to another, but an Esclair never arrived late to a meeting. His family had a reputation to uphold.

“Oh, there’s no use crying over spilled cinnamon,” Toriel replied, stepping to the side to allow Ralsei in. “It’s only two minutes. I’ll tell Kris you’re here. Please, come in.”

Ralsei cautiously stepped into the house, shivering as he crossed the doorway. Yesterday, he’d had no trouble entering, but today, he felt like a vampire; only able to enter unless welcomed in, but unworthy of such welcome.

Toriel closed the door behind him, then walked over to the stairs and cupped a hand to the side of her mouth. “Kris! Your friend has arrived!”

Ralsei heard a door click open. Then, “I’ll be down in a minute.”

Toriel looked back toward the living room, where Ralsei stood, and approached him. “They’ve been busy with something all day. I am not sure what they are working on, but I’m sure it is important.”

“Ah, yes, um… I’m sure it is.” Ralsei glanced around furtively, unsure of what to say.

Calm down. Practice what you’ve been taught.

Ralsei took a deep breath. This wouldn’t be hard. All he had to do was what he’d done when speaking to Toriel yesterday: follow the social directions his family had taught him.

Straighten your posture.

He did as he’d commanded himself to, standing with his shoulders squared and neck straight. Toriel didn’t seem to notice the adjustment.

“So, I believe I learned a bit about you yesterday,” she said, softening her gaze. “Since you’re new here, I wish to answer any questions you may have about Hometown.”

Speak only when spoken to. Don’t forget your place in the conversation.

“Well, I don’t really have any questions…” he responded, trying his best to sound confident and collected. It seemed to be working. “I appreciate your hospitality, though.”

Toriel waved a hand and giggled. “It’s really not much.”

Maintain eye contact. Show that the other party has your full attention.

Ralsei looked Toriel directly in the eyes and smiled warmly. “I’m still grateful, Ma’am,” he said.”

Toriel shook her head. “Oh, please. You can just call me Toriel.”

“Ah, okay,” Ralsei said, stepping to the side-

Don’t adjust your position unless necessary.

Ralsei gasped internally and quickly resumed standing upright. Oh, no. Now he’d done it. He’d broken the social code that he’d been taught. If Toriel noticed, it might ruin the conversation…

Except she didn’t seem to notice. Or if she did notice, she didn’t care. Instead, she beamed at Ralsei. “Would you like me to bring you anything?”

Ralsei shook his head. “N-no thank you, Ma’a- Toriel.”

Toriel opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of shuffling near the stairs. Ralsei turned his head toward the other end of the house to see what it was.

Kris stood at the entrance to the kitchen, hands in their pockets, wearing the same green sweater with the yellow stripe they’d been wearing yesterday. Between their unkempt hair and slouching posture, they looked disheveled, but they tilted their head up at the sight of Ralsei and offered a small wave. “Hey. You… actually came.”

“Of course I did!” Ralsei responded. He stepped into the kitchen and began walking toward Kris. “I told you I wouldn’t miss it for the world, didn’t I?”

Kris began moving forward as well. This prompted Ralsei to stop about halfway inside the kitchen. Kris stopped walking once they were about half a meter apart from each other. “You did say that, I guess,” they mumbled.

“Well, I try very hard not to go back on my promises,” Ralsei said, offering a flash of a smile. Kris quickly folded their hands behind their back and looked down at the floor. Ralsei wondered if he’d done something wrong.

“That’s, uh, respectable of you,” Kris said flatly. They didn’t adjust their position in any way.

The awkwardness of the situation was starting to sink in. Ralsei knew he had to do something to rekindle the conversation, and fast.

“You said you like baking?” he hurriedly said in a tone that sounded more like an announcement than a question.

Kris looked up, not moving their hands, and offered an uncomfortable smile. “Yeah. I sometimes… bake pies with my mom. You said you like baking cakes, right?”

“Yes,” Ralsei said, and his mind drifted for a moment. He remembered the hours he spent in the kitchen a few days every month, poring over cookbooks with his mother. Mixing ingredients, carrying trays, pulling sweet-smelling confections out of the oven. As his Life Skills instructor, she was in charge of making sure he’d be able to take care of the family if it came down to it, but every lesson seemed to involve baking a cake at some point. Ralsei wasn’t sure if that was necessary, but he figured his mother knew what she was doing. Besides, the cake was usually served as dessert at the family table that night, and it was always a treat to see the expression on his father’s face as he savored the spongy delicacy, even if he never said anything about it.

The lessons couldn’t quite be described as “bonding experiences,” but Ralsei felt like his mother enjoyed them as much as he did. Affection was sparse in the household, but whenever a cake came out looking appetizing, she’d flash him a quick wink, and if he’d made a mistake, she’d gently recommend a course of action he could take next time to avoid it.

Ralsei blinked suddenly, and Kris was standing in front of him once again, expression completely neutral. The fluffy boy tried as hard as he could to clear his head and get the conversation back on track. “Have you ever baked a cake before?”

Kris shrugged. “Can’t say I have…”

All of a sudden, a hypothetical lightbulb went off inside Ralsei’s mind. “Wait,” he said. “Could you tell me how a pie is usually baked?”

Kris placed an index finger on their chin. “Let’s see… we bake this one a lot, and I think I have the recipe memorized,” they said. “Butterscotch-cinnamon pie. One cup butterscotch chips, melted. One cup heavy whipping cream. One-and-a-half teaspoons ground cinnamon…”

Kris’s voice started out monotone and clipped, but as they rambled on about the ingredients and procedure for the pie, their tone softened and their words flowed smoothly. A tiny smile formed on their face as they described the dough-cutting process.

It suddenly struck Ralsei that the temperature in this room was slightly uncomfortable. His face felt warm, as if the house’s heating unit had been working overtime, but Kris didn’t seem to be experiencing anything out of the ordinary.

Unless it’s not the heating unit…

Am I coming down with an illness?

Ralsei didn’t have long to pursue that line of thought before Kris gave him the information he’d been listening for. “…bake the crust for thirty-five minutes at three-hundred-fifty degrees…”

Ralsei raised a hand. “I’d like to share an idea, if I may.”

Kris removed their hand from their chin. “Yeah?”

“I think I know a cake recipe that also bakes for thirty-five minutes at three-hundred-fifty degrees,” Ralsei said, glancing over at the oven.

Kris followed his movements. “Oh, are you suggesting we bake a cake and the pie crust at the same time?”

Ralsei shrugged. “Perhaps… but I was thinking of something more along the lines of a combination of the two. Maybe a pastry that’s half-cake, half-pie, or a pie with a cake-like layer on the bottom and filling on top…”

Kris tilted their head for a moment, then nodded. “I think that might be interesting to try,” they said, then leaned to the side and craned their neck toward the living room behind Ralsei. “Mom? Mind if Ralsei and I try baking something?”

A soft voice spoke up from the living room. “Of course, as long as it does not clog the sink drain.”

Kris turned around and opened the refrigerator behind them. “What cake did you have in mind?” they asked.

“There’s a devil’s food cake with fudge frosting I’d like to recreate,” Ralsei answered, stepping forward to view the contents of the refrigerator. “Perhaps you’d have ingredients for that?”

Kris chuckled. “Sorry, but no,” they said, flashing a mischievous grin that made Ralsei’s stomach jump. “Mom always hides the chocolate whenever she buys any. It wouldn’t last a day if I knew where it was.”

“Ah, I see…” Ralsei said, not knowing what else to say. He thought for a moment. “I do know a recipe for butterscotch cake. I understand that butterscotch cake with butterscotch pie filling might be a bit generic, though.”

“I don’t mind, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Kris said, pulling a carton of heavy cream out of the fridge. “What do you need for it?”

“Well, since we’re going to be filling half the crust with cake batter and the other half with filling, we’ll probably need to halve the quantities of ingredients for the batter and filling…” Ralsei replied. He took a step toward the fridge and reached for a carton of eggs, but stopped. “Er, may I?”

“Yeah, sure.” Kris smiled softly. “You don’t have to ask.”

“Ah, okay,” Ralsei said. He carefully lifted the carton out of the fridge and set it down on the kitchen counter beside the oven. Kris had opened the pantry and was already gathering ingredients for the pie filling.

The next few minutes passed without much event. Kris and Ralsei gathered ingredients for their respective contributions and began mixing batter and crust dough in separate bowls.

Ralsei fully understood how awkward the situation was. After all, here he was, supposedly baking something with Kris, yet they weren’t exchanging any sort of conversation. The two of them just went about their business as if the other weren’t there. The silence was uncomfortable, but Ralsei didn’t know how to break it.

That is, until he reached for the butterscotch chips at the same time Kris did, and accidentally brushed his hand against Kris’s.

A jolt ran through him, and he yelped in surprise, pulling his hand back. Kris pulled back as well, raising an eyebrow.

Ralsei calmed down a few seconds later. “S-sorry…” he mumbled. “I guess my fur tends to conduct static electricity sometimes…”

Kris looked like they were trying to hide their face for a reason Ralsei wasn’t sure of. “It’s fine. Do… do you need to use the chips?”

Ralsei nodded wordlessly and picked the chips up, pouring them into a ramequin and placing the container in the microwave.

As the metal box hummed, Ralsei stared at his fur. It wasn’t standing on end the way it usually did after being discharged suddenly.

So if that wasn’t static, then… what was it?

Chapter 12: An interrogation and a ruined cake pie

Notes:

Hey! This story isn’t dead, it was simply on hold sorry about that hopefully the story will be finished within the next month or so

The next few minutes passed without conversation, but the silence was less awkward than before. Ralsei worked efficiently with his focus narrowed and his head down, and Kris seemed inclined to do the same. Throughout the process, Ralsei felt a strange sense that he and Kris were working together, even though they were technically both mixing different types of filling.

Ralsei finished his batter far more quickly than expected, and looked up at his partner-in-pastry. Kris was still laying out the dough for their pie crust. The butterscotch-cinnamon filling sat in a saucepan on the stove, cooling.

They moved with the precision of someone who’d done this many times before. They had mentioned baking pies in the past, so that was to be expected. Ralsei watched as Kris crimped the edge of the crust around the tin, evenly and carefully. He contemplated offering to help, but Kris seemed to have it under control. Besides, Ralsei’s fur would probably get stuck in the dough if he touched it, and that would sour the dessert rather quickly.

Once Kris had finished laying out the crust, they stepped back to allow Ralsei to pour in the cake batter he’d mixed. There was a minute where they moved almost seamlessly in unison with each other: Ralsei providing the batter, then Kris swooping in to pour their pie filling overtop the batter, then swiftly covering it with a circle of dough and pinching it closed with the rest of the crust.

In one fluid motion, Kris opened the oven and slid the pie into the top rack, then closed the door. Setting the timer for thirty-five minutes, they leaned against the oven and crossed their arms. “I’m honestly kind of surprised you wanted to come back so soon.”

Ralsei kept his eyes trained on Kris as he walked to the sink to rinse out the bowl he’d used to mix the cake batter. “How come? Isn’t it natural to want to get to know the first friend you’ve made in the place you just moved to?”

Kris chuckled. “I guess. I’ll back up a bit: I’m kind of surprised you chose me as your first friend.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Ralsei asked, setting the bowl in the sink. “You’re an interesting person with good intentions. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a friend group of your own.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Ralsei knew he’d touched on a sensitive topic.

Kris tensed up, then relaxed almost immediately after, like they’d realized they were showing discomfort and were trying to act natural. There was an uncomfortable silence; then they said, “No. Maybe. I used to. Kind of. But not right now.”

Ralsei’s face fell. “You… don’t have any other friends?”

“One,” Kris answered. “I have… a friend. Other than you, I mean. Susie. I don’t think you’ve heard of her.”

“I haven’t,” Ralsei said. “Could you tell me a bit about her? Maybe I could meet with her sometime.”

This feels like an intrusion, but if it’ll help us learn about the Dreemurrs… after all, you can usually tell a lot about a person from their social life.

Kris drew a breath and turned their head down toward the floor. “She’s loud. Kind of rude, too. But she’s a great person deep down. She’s pretty good at getting into trouble, and at getting other people out of trouble.”

Ralsei rubbed his chin. “Forgive me, but you don’t seem like the kind of person to be close to someone like that. You were bothered by the commotion yesterday, weren’t you?”

Kris shrugged. “Is it weird to say Susie’s a different kind of loud?”

It does sound kind of unusual, Ralsei thought, but didn’t voice what was on his mind. “I don’t quite understand…”

“She’s loud, sure, but not overwhelming,” Kris said. “She doesn’t try to shove anything in my face or demand my attention when I want some time to think. She rambles sometimes, I guess, but she doesn’t get mad if I don’t pay attention. I think she sometimes just kind of talks for the sake of talking. To get out whatever’s on her mind so she doesn’t have to think about it.”

For a split second, Ralsei felt a twinge of envy. To have someone you could ramble on to about nothing in particular, to have someone listen to what was running though your head so you didn’t have to hold everything in… that sounded like a luxury he’d hardly even considered. Back home, everyone had a schedule to keep, and nobody liked being interrupted. Of course, everything got a little more exciting whenever the Spade family visited, but Lancer always seemed more interested in cartoon splat noises than conversation.

“That must be lovely,” he whispered wistfully.

Kris raised their head. “Huh?”

Ralsei blinked a few times. “I-I mean… it must be lovely for her to have a friend like you. Not everyone has the patience to listen to someone for extended periods of time, I bet.”

“But I’m not really that patient.” Kris dropped their gaze again. “I tend to tune out about half of what she’s saying. As I said before, she doesn’t mind, but sometimes I feel like I should pay more attention, you know? As far as I know, she’s the only person she tells this stuff to.”

“She doesn’t talk to anyone else?” Ralsei inquired.

“I don’t know. But I’ve never seen her with anyone else, and I haven’t met her parents, so…”

Ralsei’s shoulders sagged. “So you’re telling me the only other friend you have is her, and the only friend she has is you.”

“Maybe,” Kris said. For a moment, they looked uncomfortable, like they were trying to decide whether to keep their mouth shut. Then they stood up straighter. “It wasn’t always like that, though. I used to be friends with the Holidays.”

Inside Ralsei’s mind, two alarms went off.

The first was a signal of celebration. This was what he’d been looking for, and it was only his second day with Kris. If he got them to open up now, gathering information about the Holidays would practically be a formality throughout the rest of his time here. All he had to do was watch his step and ask questions in moderation so Kris wouldn’t feel like they were being grilled.

The second was a blaring warning. This was shaping up to become an interrogation disguised as a conversation. Ralsei was fully aware of how intrusive he was being, and even though he knew there wasn’t any other option, he wished he could’ve let Kris keep a few secrets. The Holiday family seemed like an uncomfortable topic for them.

With heavy effort, Ralsei suppressed the nagging doubt. “The Holidays?”

“Yeah. The mayor’s family,” Kris responded, shuffling in place. “I’m not surprised you don’t know much about them. They’re usually not very social these days.”

“But you were once their friend, correct?” Ralsei was vaguely aware that the accent he’d been working to conceal was slipping back into his voice, but he was caught up in Kris’s retelling.

“I was friends with one of the kids. Noelle. Antlers, yellowish hair, probably has around a hundred Christmas sweaters. She’s like me, in some ways. She’s scared of all the wrong things. Loves horror movies, but runs from mice…”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Ralsei supplied, “Do you mean to tell me that you’re also afraid of mice?”

Kris chuckled bitterly. “No. And I rubbed that in her face a few times. I also knew her sister, I guess. Her name’s December, but we didn’t hang out often. She seemed more interested in Asriel until…”

When Kris said “December,” their voice trembled slightly. Clearly, there was something about this character that unsettled them, but-

That’s enough, Ralsei resolved. He had enough info for today. He’d confirmed a link between the Dreemurrs and the Holidays. He could ask for more tomorrow, but for now, Kris deserved a break.

So instead of asking ”Until what?”, he interrupted them. “Her parents named their children Noelle and December? They must love the winter months.”

“It’s in their last name,” Kris said, lifting their head. “Y’know, Holiday. I guess it’s tradition in their family to like Christmas.”

Ralsei knew all too well about family tradition. “Do you also enjoy Christmastime?”

Kris seemed to relax a bit. “I guess… I do,” they replied. “Mom has a great casserole recipe she bakes whenever there’s an event like that coming up…”

*-*

 

And so the conversation went. As Ralsei steered the conversation further from the subject of the Holidays, Kris visibly relaxed, and after about five minutes, it was like the topic had never been raised in the first place.

The tense situation dissolved into a relaxed back-and-forth that seemed to never linger on a single topic for more than a few minutes. Just this morning, Ralsei’d thought that letting all his thoughts out would involve wasting someone’s time, but Kris looked like they were enjoying his company. A couple of times, Ralsei wondered if this was how Susie felt whenever Kris let her express her train of thought. It brought him a sense of comfort, though it wasn’t a kind he was used to. Like yesterday’s hug, it felt more natural.

Before either of them had realized how much time had passed, the oven’s timer went off. Kris and Ralsei moved to open the oven at the exact same time, but Ralsei withdrew to let Kris do the honors, worrying about getting in the way.

After Kris had determined that the pie-cake had been fully baked, the pastry was set aside for another fifteen minutes to cool, during which the conversation died down somewhat. Ralsei didn’t try to raise a new topic for fear of giving Kris information about his own family, so he just ended up listening to Kris detail how to make hot chocolate (a process that he already understood, but somehow felt different coming from Kris) before the oven beeped again, signaling that the fifteen minutes had passed.

Kris stopped in the middle of their sentence and turned to Ralsei with a small grin. Sliding open the silverware drawer below the counter and motioning to it, they asked, “Want to do the honors?”

Ralsei nodded, carefully pulling a fork out of the silverware drawer. He was briefly aware that this wouldn’t be the last time he’d have to brandish a sharp object in front of Kris. He didn’t let himself dwell on that. Instead, he leaned around Kris and scooped a bite of the confection into his mouth.

His eyes widened in horror.

The combination of the two fillings didn’t go together nearly as well as Ralsei thought they would. The pie filling had flowed into the air pockets in the spongy cake mixture at some point, creating an unpleasant texture. The flavor was spread unevenly throughout the dessert; the pie filling was far more cinnamon-heavy than the cake, and the erratic placement of the filling, due to the air pockets, made the bite feel lopsided.

Ralsei swallowed the morsel and leaned over the sink, trying as hard as he could to compose himself. He’d ruined the pastry. There had to be some way to fix this. Some way he could make up for it-

“Are you okay?”

Ralsei’s head snapped around, and he was met with the sight of Kris, who flinched slightly in surprise. “It wasn’t that bad, right?”

Ralsei took a deep breath. “Kris, I understand how much effort you put into this. I want you to know this was entirely my fault-“

Before he could finish, he noticed something sparkle in Kris’s eye, before they reached forward and pulled a fork out of the still-open silverware drawer. He raised a hand to stop them, but wasn’t fast enough; he watched as Kris, as if in slow motion, stabbed a bite of the pie-cake and raised it to their lips.

As they chewed it, Ralsei clasped his hands together and exhaled, dreading their reaction. They weren’t going to like it, he knew. I shouldn’t have suggested this in the first place.

To his surprise, instead of appearing disgusted, Kris began laughing, nearly choking on their morsel in the process.

Ralsei pulled back in confusion as Kris managed to swallow the treat and inhaled to still themselves. “Aha, wow. I really shouldn’t have put the cake layer on the bottom…”

“Don’t blame yourself for that!” Ralsei said, almost reflexively. “It wouldn’t have worked to have the batter on top anyway. It would’ve fallen through the liquid pie filling.”

“Well,” Kris responded, placing their fork in the sink, “I guess we’ve learned that we can’t bake the filling and the cake together. Maybe if we try this again, we’ll bake the layers separately, and put them together inside the crust afterward.”

It took Ralsei a moment to process that.

“You mean… we can do this again?”

“Why not?” Kris shrugged. “It didn’t work the first time, so now we know how to improve it.”

Ralsei was fully prepared to object. He understood what Kris meant, but the thought of doing it all again, with the taste of failure still fresh in his mouth…

He’d thought he’d let his friend down. He hated letting people down. The disappointment he received from his father and the head of the family was punishment enough for him whenever he failed to complete a task he’d been assigned. Returning home yesterday, having to admit that he hadn’t neutralized Kris, had filled him with anxiety, even though he’d already had an alternate plan in mind.

Kris should’ve been upset, but they were acting like it was nothing at all.

Ralsei nodded. “Yes,” he said, “another time, I suppose…”

Kris smiled a little, then turned to the piles of dishes on the counter. “We should probably get to work cleaning this up.”

Ralsei wordlessly picked up a mixing bowl and ran it under the sink, his thoughts churning like the flow from the faucet.

He knew the mannerisms of the Dreemurr household were different than those he was used to. From the way his family spoke about them, he’d expected them to be backward, uncivilized… but they weren’t.

They were more relaxed, less formal. Was that a good thing? Wasn’t it dangerous to let one’s guard down for an extended period of time? Did Kris and Toriel work together as well as Ralsei did with his family?

I think I need some time to think about this.

Chapter 13: Online chatting,

Notes:

Guess who's back, back again, this story back, tell a friend

Cleaning took a little time; between the near-compulsive need Ralsei had to ensure he didn't make a mess while making it and the very few dishes the pair needed to clean, it took barely ten minutes.

Ralsei didn't talk much while they cleaned, which made Kris slightly concerned. Kris wondered if Ralsei was still upset about the odd hybrid they made being ruined. Kris mused as to why he was so bothered by it. He seemed wound up very tightly. Kris's mind went to what it could be; Ralsei didn't seem like the type to be this way because Kris was human He wouldn't be here if he were scared of me Kris thought to themself. Kris remembered yesterday in the forest when Ralsei shut down when he began to talk about his family. If he is thinking about that, he might prefer a distraction Kris concluded, taking a breath before doing something they rarely did, starting small talk.

"Hey…you seemed like you're pretty good at making cakes…" Kris said suddenly and a bit awkwardly. Kris's small talk usually entailed asking questions and tuning everything out as the other person used the human as a wall to throw words at. Rarely, like earlier today, Kris would give short answers to the other person's questions. This time, Kris said something with the intent of actually having an entire conversation.

"Hmm?" Ralsei seemed to snap out of his train of thought. "oh, well, I cook cake a lot with my mother; I'm not that good at it," Ralsei said, self-doubt lingering
"I mean, if the mixing were not weird, it would have been amazing," Kris encouraged, feeling weird about being on this side of the encounter.

" Oh my child, the pie is fine; it was your first attempt without me to help; no one is perfect on the first try." Toriels soft voice filled the human memories.
"That is true…perhaps we could try again tomorrow?" Ralsei asked as they finished cleaning. His eyes went to the clock on the wall.

Kris felt conflicted. After two days, they enjoyed the boss monster's presence, but their social battery was already in shambles. A third would probably burn them out.
"I've got plans for tomorrow," Kris lied. "How about Friday?" Kris asked, wondering if they could introduce Susie. "A friend of mine might be able to help; I'm not sure about that yet."

Ralsei frowned. "Yeah, that's fine…" Ralsei said, his brow furrowing. "Um…I should probably get going," Ralsei said, evident disappointment in his voice.

“Alright…well uh…” Kris stood awkwardly in the middle of the newly cleaned kitchen. "cya then…it was nice having you over," Kris said with a slightly awkward smirk. "Let my mom know you are leaving. She might panic if you disappear." With a small, genuine laugh, Kris said, "She almost filed a missing persons report when my brother's girlfriend left without letting her know."

Ralsei smirked. "I'll let her know, don't worry," Ralsei looked like he was about to ask something, likely about Asriel, but held off before hesitantly leaving.

--

"You know my feelings on this; it is too dangerous to be around a human, and you'll be there for days."

"The risk is worth it, Father; just two days in, I'm learning much about the holidays and Kris."
”Kris?”

"Yes, that is the human name; they are-"
" Enough about the human; what about the holidays?"

" Right, sorry, father, from what I've learned about three of note, Noelle, she was friends with Kris; December, she was pretty hostile toward Kris."
" are those the heads of the household?
" No, they are both the human age, simply teenagers, and their parents are the heads of the household, with the mother seeming to be the head of the household. Unfortunately, Kris is uncomfortable speaking of the holidays, so there are not many opportunities to get information,"

" Alright…its still beneficial information, anything else?"

" Yes, I am not entirely confident yet, but I believe that the dreamer's son, Asriel, may have dated one of the holidays, likely December. Kris spoke of a girlfriend that their brother had, and they implied December had feelings for Asriel"

" That is… is precisely what we were looking for! You have done very well, my son"

" T-thank you, father, I hope to receive more information; I was able to arrange another meeting with Kris on the thirteenth,"

"Good, I will inform the head of the household…You are quickly proving to be a worthy member of the family, my son."

–

Kris turned on the computer again. Tonight was the night. Kris leaned back in their chair nervously. Kris was almost always nervous before this; it was just an online chat, not a phone call or a Facetime. Maybe it was because Kris had gone an exceptionally long time before being able to talk to him; maybe it was recent events, perhaps it...
I hope he hasn't forgotten about me
Kris shivered at the thought; the idea that their beloved brother would forget about them made their skin crawl.
GOIHD_7472 is online
Kris jumped in their seat a little as the sound of the notification filled the room.

GOIHD_7472: Yo Kris, ya miss me
Kris's fingers hit the keys with surprising speed.
Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Hey
They regretted such a short message and quickly wrote a new one.

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Missed you
Kris regretted that as well; this was their brother, not a boyfriend they hadn't seen in a while

GOIHD_7472:Missed you tooWhats new?

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Not much, there is a new person in town who is my friend now, I guess; how's Collage?

GOIHD_7472: *college :3
Kris was about to type something before Asriel sent a second message.

GOIHD_7472: Wait wait...You have a new freind? (Opens notebook) Tell me EVERYTHING
Kris giggled. This was expected

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: first, You can't call me out for spelling; you've misspelled here more than me. Second, he is a little odd, super formal, and polite, but overall, I like him

GOIHD_7472: Oh, its a him huh :3 is he handsooome???

Kris felt their cheeks burn red.

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Oh hush, you said the same thing about Susie

GOIHD_7472: Yeah, im respecting you

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Respecting me?

GOIHD_7472: Yeah, you said you were bi, so I have to tease you if you have friends of either gender

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: You could also not tease for either

GOIHD_7472: Yeah but whats the fun in that!???

Why does he use so many question marks

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Fair...soooo you never answered me, how collage

The conversation went on for a while, mostly just Asriel musing about college life and how easy classes were
Kris was smiling the entire time, happy to talk to their brother.

Suddenly, Kris hears tapping on their window.

Notes:

…so uh…its been a…year…

I've been scared to touch this, out of fear I'd ruin it, but frankly, I'd rather do it a bit worse than never have a good idea see the light of day

I hope you all enjoy it, I'm not going to make a promise about when this will be done, because...well last time I did that this story was left to dry for a year

Hope you all enjoy, if you do please let me know:3

Also, I have a discord now, if your interested here is an invite: https://discord.gg/Txh2mK9s

Chapter 14: “Are you okay?”

Sneaking out is forbidden; you know this! Answers are not worth it

Ralsei thought to himself, unable to shake his thoughts about how the Dreemurrs were acting; with the humans, Ralsei could justify it; maybe that's just how humans were. After all, they are lesser than monsters. Toriel threw a wrench in that; she was a monster, a boss monster, the matriarch of a noble family, a disgrace of one, yes, but to be so utterly different from the eclairs? Ralsei needed answers.

So Ralsei snuck out. He would go to the house on the forest's edge and question Kris; once he got his answers, he would return home like nothing happened.
Ralsei strolled. He didn't know if some curfew was in place, so he would do his best not to draw attention to himself. Ending up in trouble with the local law would reveal who he was, and he would need to keep that a secret at all costs lest he jeopardize his entire mission here.

Ralsei was startled by a voice. "Yo," A tall purple lizard girl said, an awful-smelling smoke surrounding her.
"Oh...uh...hello?" Ralsei said, waving, slightly confused "Who are you?"

"The name," she put a looking cigarette to her mouth, taking a long drag of it before bringing it away from her lips and exhaling, spewing the skunk-like smell, "Is Susie."

Suddenly, Ralsei's training kicked in like a bus, striking him. The fact that this was Kris's friend jolted his tired brain into action; his posture straightened, his eyes locked onto her own, and he gave a little bow. "M-my name is Ralsei." Ralsei said, his voice full of evident worry.

"...uh... what's got you wound so tight?" Susie asks, a bit confused, before looking at the fowl-smelling cigarette. "You might need this more than me, honestly," Susie said with a chuckle, holding it out for the goat.
"...What is it?" Ralsei asked, a little perplexed, moving his hand slowly to take it.

"It's blunt; put it to your lips, then take a long, deep breath," Susie said, releasing it to him. "It will wash away all your worries.

"A..blunt?" Ralsei said, confused, looking at it. Eventually, Ralsei shrugged and put it to his lips before taking a deep breath.
—— Why are random teenagers handing out weed?

Ralsei was screaming at himself internally as he stumbled to the Dreamurr's house. He cursed his upbringing. Why did no one tell him what a blunt was? It's an important thing to know!

Usually, Ralsei wouldn't dare question what he was taught, but he was frustrated and under the influence, so the thoughts flowed freely in his head.

Making his way to Kris's house didn't take a little bit of time, but he stopped before knocking on the door.
It's late, and my eyes are probably red
Ralsei decided to walk around the building and find the window to Kris's room. It was on the second floor, and he needed more confidence to climb to the second floor. Instead, he grabbed a small stick and tapped on the window very carefully so as not to break the window.
Ralsei spotted someone moving behind the window, so he put the stick down and waited.
Kris walked over to their window and opened it. "Hello?" Kris called for someone unable to see the familiar white fur of the goat in the dark.

"Hey, it's me; sorry for the odd visit," Ralsei said, composing himself remarkably well considering his current status.

"Ralsei?" Kris said, confused. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night?" Kris questioned, musing as to why he was there.

"Y-yeah, I know, I know, I just uh…" Ralsei took a moment, somewhat forgetting why he was here. "I just came here to ask you something…"

"..." Kris's mind went to Asriel's teasing from earlier; they decided to emulate it, putting their arm on the window sill and placing their head onto their hand. "Well, to answer it, yes, I will take this dance, Beast," Kris said, having recently seen some Disney movies. "Well…actually, I suppose you'd be a bell in this situation." Kris laughed at their dumb joke.

"..." Ralsei thought about it momentarily and then laughed; he knew what they were referring to even if he hadn't seen the movie. "Well, it's a monster that is a beast and a human that is beautiful, so…" Ralsei suddenly stopped talking; even his intoxicated brain could see he was accidentally flirting with the human.
"...A-anyways," Kris coughed awkwardly to change the topic, "I doubt you here to make beauty and the beast references so…" Kris stopped and hoped he would continue.

Thankfully, he did. "Yeah…" Ralsei took a moment to collect his thoughts, jumbled in his weed-filled head. "So…My family is…Rather formal, you’re supposed to act a certain way speak with a certain cadence, and I thought that was just the norm. Still, you and your mother…some of the things I did would have resulted in me being punished, but you nor your mother ever even commented on it," Ralsei explained slowly, forcing himself to focus.
"Uh…" kris scratched the back of their neck. "There is not much to say, really…most people are just like us…maybe even a bit more casual; my mom's pretty strict," Kris shrugged. "Your parents are just kinda…different, I guess?"

"..." Ralsei stared at the human in the window; Kris said it so casually, but his mind was confused; he knew his family was different from most, but…Toriel was far more congenial to him than any of his family, even his mother and father. "Well…Thank you, I…S-sorry for showing up in the middle of the night. uh… I've never met anyone's family before, so I was just…I was confused," Ralsei said, barely hiding his conflicted mind.

"Don't worry about it…Are you alright?" Kris asked
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just uh…Just…” Ralsei couldn't find the words. Maybe he could have if he was sober, but right now, he could barely manage a coherent conversation. "I should...get back...my father might get worried," Ralsei said, taking a step back.

"Alright..." Kris thought for a moment. "Hey...if you uh," Kris scratched the back of their head, "If you want to get away from your family for a bit...you can come over here...my mom doesn't really care, and we've got an extra bed here, so uh..." Kris collected themself for a moment. They were not used to long sentences like this, nor had they ever given out this impromptu offer: "What I'm trying to get at is you can come over here no matter what is happening back home."

Hopefully, he doesn't think I'm weird for that

Ralsei stands there completely still "I...that is a very kind offer." Kris noticed his voice was full of pain. "...I...I'll cya later, Kris..." Ralsei said before quickly running off, his mind being pulled in hundreds of different directions.
"Alright...bye then," Kris said, slipping back into the 'Strange human that never spoke' persona.
Both of them were unaware of the fact that during the entire conversation, a future interloper spied on the pair.

Chapter 15: The morning after

Notes:

I have a discord now (seems everyone does lol)

https://discord.gg/mDvtN9Ef

Copy that link and paste it into a search bar and voila you are now in my discord, you can talk to me, hang out with other like-minded deltarune fans, suggest new story ideas to me, probably get stories a little early, and probably get some good art if Jackie is up for it

Hope to see you there, its pretty chill

Kris awoke, eyes flashing open before closing to the bright light from the computer at which they had fallen asleep. They barely remembered the last few hours before they fell asleep. Kris looked over the previous few messages.

GOIHD_7472: Okay, so goat monster, White hair, and red horns?

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Yeah, Why?

Kris noticed the timestamp on the following message. It was several minutes after the previous message.

GOIHD_7472: Okay, so my collage is kind of this weird joint project by the Main Monster and the human government

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: Yeah, basically try to get people not to hate each other

GOIHD_7472: That's the short answer. Yeah, a lot of people want to burn down the school, lol

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: It Makes sense survivors on both sides don't appreciate monsters and humans mingling

GOIHD_7472: Kinda? It's more the grandchildren of those people, too much hatred spread over generations, plus a total lack of contact. Don't mix very well for either side; I mean, the only people who harass you or hate you just for being human are people you don't know at all.

Kris thought about that before moving on to the following message. December hated them, but she had a messy breakup with Asriel before she started tormenting them, well, tormenting them as harshly as possible. Asriel was cocorrect for the most part; people who got to know them very rarely, if ever, showed hostility; it was mainly the average person in their hometown, the people who stared out their windows with suspicion, the people who would not attend a school sing if "the human" was in it. The only real exception was the mayor, but she was a bit of a cold person anyway.

Red_eye_weirdo_ChArA: I guess you're right, anyways, what's this got to do with Ralsei?

GOIHD_7472: Well, there is this old guy with white fur and red horns named Viel Eclair. He was a headmaster at the school, and, after the first year I was there, he got kicked out for failing a bunch of humans who had the best grades in the school under "Suspicious activity" AKA: I don't like you, so I'm kicking you out for bogus reasons.

Sounds like a jerk; what does that have to do with Ralsei, though?

Before Kris could speculate, their eyes went to another message. They passed out last night before reading it.

GOIHD_7472: I bring it up because Red Horns are super Ducking rare, like, one in a million; it's like…Idk is hard to find similes when you are tired. Anyways, it's rare and usually passed down through children, and this guy had a lot of kids, like, six, I think, and each of them had two or three kids. There have been rumors that some of his grandkids end up "Befriending" certain monsters. Usually, I wouldn't trust rumors, but yesterday, a girl showed up around with red horns and white fur around my age, and she has been friendly to me; it is kinda creepy. I am not saying that's what your friend is doing. It could just be another red-horned monster. I'll research the family members more and get back to you. Just be cautious for now.

Ten minutes after that, one more message was sent.

GOIHD_7472: Anyways, goodnight Kris, cya tomorrow night I'll let you know what I find, till then don't be mean to your friend or anything, just be careful

Kris sat there for a moment, processing what they had read.

It's probably just a coincidence...Ralsei couldn’t…he…

Kris's mind was in shambles.

I mean…it was weird how he just showed up in my room…

Kris closed their eyes. "No…no, no he…" Kris caught themself saying out loud

It's too early; the only evidence I have is that he has red horns. That's weird, but it's not like that guy is the only Monster who exists

Kris couldn't shake the thought. Even as they went to school, they would see Ralsei the next day anyway, so it really shouldn't matter. They would get the confirmation either way.
—— Ralsei opened his eyes, feeling a bit sick. He had a slight headache and felt a bit nauseous. Ralsei got out of his bed and checked the clock on the wall; he had some time before school. Ralsei yawned and put on his glasses.

Ralsei heard a knock on the door. "My son, I have news for you," His father's gruff voice said just past his door.

Ralsei yawned again, taking a moment to collect his foggy brain thoughts before nodding. "Come in. I am eager to hear it," He said before his father entered.

His father was a large man; his white fur had turned into a slightly darker shade of gray, with some on his muzzle being a much darker shade of grey. Other than his general size, the first that stood out were his horns; they were shockingly small for a boss monster of his size, indicating his rank within the family, barely being bigger than Ralsei's horns.

"Ralsei," His father bowed slightly and looked expectantly at Ralsei.

"Father…what have you to tell?" Ralsei asks, forgetting a crucial detail

Ralsei's father waited a bit longer before giving him a stern look. "Son, I understand it is early and that you are exhausted still, but that is no excuse for this behavior," He said sternly.

Ralsei's eyes widened, and he looked at his father with fear.

What did I do?

Thankfully, he put it together and quickly bowed. "S-sorry, father," Ralsei said, biting his lip; how could he forget such a thing? He had made a mistake, and his father would harshly correct it.

"That is better…You are forgiven. Being with a human has likely made your mind confused…Do not make that mistake again," His father said sternly, much to the young goat's surprise.

"O-Of course, Father, it will never happen again," He said, assuming his usual posture, upright and giving his father his full undivided attention.

"Good, now I have good news," Ralsei's father said with a gentle smile. "The head of the household has arrived. He is delivering some information," His father said, looking slightly worried for his son. "Currently, he is waiting for you in the meeting room."

—

" Ralsei, your father has told me quite a lot about you. It is a pleasure to speak with you."

Ralsei gave him a bow in return. He knew this man would not be nearly as forgiving as his father. "The pleasure is all mine, Sir,’

" We looked into the information you gave. One of your cousins has recently begun gaining information from the human sibling. Progress is slow, but you were correct in your assumption. The boy had a relationship with December, the eldest daughter, we believe-"

Ralsei couldn't help but smile. He was doing his duty! Perhaps he could use this to buy himself more time, to gain more information, of course," That is fortunate. Perhaps if I could be given more time, I could gather much more in"

"Ralsei D. Eclair, what has your father told you about interrupting?"

The man's voice pierced Ralsei's very soul; it terrified him. He knew that one word from this man would result in Ralsei losing his status and, more importantly, his family. "S-sorry, Sir, I am on edge about my mission. I-I wish to serve the family as best I can that lead to the interruption."

" Your father has not instilled proper edict well enough into you, as your mission is important, he will be punished as opposed to you"

Ralsei froze. What would his father be punished with? Would he be kicked out? Would his status be stripped…would he be miscommunicated? Ralsei's heart raced, but he couldn't show it.

" That can be done later. For now, I have more news"

Ralsei was relieved when the head of the family began speaking; his father shouldn't be in too much trouble if he is holding off the punishment for later.

" December, eldest daughter of the holiday family, offered us a new opportunity. We spoke to her on her way back from school. In two days, she will help you eliminate the human,"

Ralsei froze. He knew it would likely come down to the humans death, but part of him believed he could find a way to extend Kris's life. With someone there as well, he couldn't avoid it…he would have to kill the human. Despite knowing this, he tried to fight against it. "Sir, I feel that is unnecessary. Currently, I can eliminate the threat without any witnesses. No one will know I was the one who would kill them," He took a breath to maintain his composure. "If we include the Holiday, we must ensure her silence."

" Normally, I would agree. However, this mission is too important to leave to chance; I will handle the spread of information; all you need to worry about is that human…I must say I quite envy you. You've been allowed to do an excellent service for all of the monster kind, and at such a young age"

Ralsei felt something brew inside him; he knew what the man in front of him said was true; he should be proud! But he felt no pride, no fulfillment…he was planning the execution of a child, a human child, yes, but a child nonetheless, a child whose mother would miss them, whose friends would miss…Someone Ralsei would miss.

No! They are not my friend. They are a human, and they…they…

Ralsei couldn't even pretend to himself that he believed the words that came into his mind.

" Is something the matter? You don't look very happy."

Without thinking, Ralsei just said, "Sorry sir, I'm just nervous, is all," Ralsei said, faking a smile. "I appreciate the help, and I am very grateful you came by, but the time is running late, and I need to get to school, lest I make an anomaly in my pattern of behavior,"

"Of course, I have taken too much of your time as it is. We do not want you acting strangely days before that thing goes mis-"

"Kris, their name is Kris," Ralsei said, unable to hide the anger that suddenly hit him when Veil called their friend a thing. "I understand they are human, I understand they are dangerous, but the least we can show them is the common courtesy of their name," Ralsei put as politely as possible, not even caring that he had interrupted him.

"...Run along now, Ralsei,"

Ralsei did as he was told. He knew he would have to pay for so blatantly disrespecting the head of the family…but honestly? All Ralsei felt at this moment was dread for what he knew he had to do and pride in shutting that man up.

—
" I feel that your son's heart is not in this"

" He is just nervous, Sir, even if it is a human, he is still having to take a l-"

" A miserable human is not a life worth pitying. Would he care if he were to kill a fly?"

" Sir…my son is not like you or I, it is why I suggested against using h-"

" And I told you that was your own doing! If you had raised him correctly, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

”I…I am sorry sir”

”The only reason my patients is so vast, is because this is to important to jeopardize, but I assure you, even if this mission is completed flawlessly, you will be on thin ice, and if your son fails, I will have you, your wife, and your son killed, do you understand?”

”y-yes sir…I understand, you will not be disappointed further”

”Pray that I am not”

Notes:

Things will start to wrap up, expect no more than a few more chapters plus an epilog

Chapter 16: Trust

Is this stalking?

Kris thought to themself

No no of course not, I'm just…I need information on him so I'm following him home…without him knowing…

Kris was stalking yes but… considering the fact their friend was possibly in a family of human-hating extremists in a town where if a human died their family was lucky if the town even acknowledged they were there in the first place, it was safe to say no one would judge them. Besides, Kris was just going to confirm that their friend was normal, they were not planning on hurting Ralsei or anything.

Kris watched Ralsei as he walked from the school to his house, sadly the two went to different schools so Kris was not able to ask anything. The school he went to was a bit of a red flag, it was a private school, one that was put together after so many parents started complaining that their child had to share a classroom with “the human” or “that thing” as they referred to Kris constantly.

Kris noticed something off about the way Ralsei walked. Rlsei’s normal posture was straight and formal, everything seemed to be intentional and calculated, from his steps always being an exact same distance, his shoulders always up, and his head always forward. Now his stride was like anyone else's, messy and unplanned, his shoulders were slouched, his head faced the floor as he walked. Kris felt bad…they would have liked nothing more than to run over to him and ask what was wrong. Kris couldn't of course, If they ran up to him they would let Ralsei know he was being followed.

So Kris watched from a distance, watched as their friend was stuck with whatever it was that caused him his sadness. They followed him for a bit, before they felt an oddly familiar sharp pain in their shoulder, it felt like a baseball…

God Damn It!

Kris thought to themself

Now? Now of all t-

Before the thought was finished the human swung around, and barely pulled back in time to avoid the baseball bat swinging for the back of their head

“MISS ME FREAK!” December yelled a gleeful smile on her face as she tormented them

Why does she have to yell!

Kris thought flashing a look of genuine anger which took Dess slightly off guard

“What? This is a bad time Freak!” Dess said with a chuckle before thrusting the cap into the humans stomach, Kris never typically allowed her to get this close with a bat, they could avoid the swing of a bat, but this change in strategy resulted in Kris falling to their knees, gasping for air. With Kris down, and the wind knocked out of them, they were helpless before Dess

—-

“MISS ME FREAK!”

A woman's voice snapped Ralsei out of his train of thought, he turned his head in the direction of the yelling, at first assuming he was the one being spoken to. What he saw made his eyes grow wide. Ralsei saw Kris barely doge a swing from a baseball bat that was aim at the back of their head!

That could have killed them!

Ralsei thought in a panic, all thoughts about his mission, the fact he planned on ending their life anyways in two short days, it all left him..all he saw was his friend being attacked. Ralsei felt something he had only felt once when talking to the head of the family earlier rage. Raslei had been angry in his life, he was only a child after all, but this? This burning hatred he felt for the person who was harming his friend, someone who…who he cared dearly for.

Ralsei snapped when he saw the end of the back collide with Kris stomach. Ralsei burst into a sudden sprint, his training coming to the forefront of his mind.
When you are unarmed, you will likely be forced to resort to attacking with your hands

Ralsei made it to the doe in no time at all

Square your body, pull your fist back, and push off with your back leg, put as much force as you can into the strike

—-

Kris eyes widened as a fluffy white fist made contact with their attackers jaw, a distinct cracking noise could be heard right as the blow struck. Dess was sent down, right into the grass next to the sidewalk.

Kris knew who it was before they even looked to confirm it…sure enough it was him their savior in this moment.

“Kris!” Ralsei said, getting down to Kris level and looking up and down their body, probably expecting to see indications of injury.

It takes Kris a moment to remember how to breath, their lungs fill and they speak “Y-yeah” They got out through labored breath. Kris’s eyes darted over to where dess had landed…she was not moving. Kris panicked briefly, before seeing her chest rise and fall, she was knocked out cold, not dead. Dess being hurt in any way would cause problems, but Kris could deal with a simple knock out, the Human could probably get away with saying it was not them.

“Y-you sure? She hit you pretty hard” Ralsei said his voice full of concern

Kris looked back to Ralsei, who looked like he was on the verge of tears. Kris felt a wave of guilt and self hate wash over them, this, this boy who knocked out their bully, this person who clearly cared a lot about if Kris was hurt…Kris stalked this boy because they thought Ralsei would hurt them somehow “I’m okay…really” Kris gave him a smile before flinching, a hand went to their stomach “Okay it hurts a bit but…its not bad…” Kris gave him a thumbs up “Dess has beat me up much worse than this”

“...” Suddenly his entire demeanor changed “Dess…as…as in December holiday?” Fear filled his voice

“Yeah…don't worry man the mayor is much sooner to blame me than you” Kris said, assuming Ralsei was just afraid because he struck the mayors daughter.

“Yeah..yeah your right” Ralsei sighed, and seemed to at the very least quickly manage to fake that his worry was not there anymore “I’m glad your alright…are you okay to walk?” He asked standing up and holding out a paw for the human to take.

“Yeah, I’m fine thanks” Kris said taking the goats paw and pulling themself up with it

“Good…” Ralsei said still looking a bit worried “I…I’m sorry you have to deal with people like that” Ralsei said without thinking

“Yeah it…sucks…kinda balances out though” Kris said with a shrug, trying to pretend their adrenaline was not still through the roof.

Ralsei tilts his head, a bit confused “What do you mean?”

“Well…I know people like you so…” Kris scratched the back of their head, feeling slightly embarrassed for having said that

“O-oh…” Ralsei looked at the floor “W-well um…” He paused “I should get back home my father is expecting me” He said suddenly, trying to avoid what he was currently feeling.

“Yeah, yeah…already taken up enough of your time…well bye then” Kris said before turning around and resisting the urge to sprint away, the mix of the warm fuzzy feeling in their chest, the pain just below that, and the guilt from having doubted and stalked someone who in their mind had nothing but care for the human, it made a mixture of emotions the human was not fully capable of dealing with.
“Bye Kris!” Ralsei said as the human left…before turning to the knocked out december

—

“How is a doe so heavy?” Ralsei said out loud whilst dragging the unconscious December to the nearby ally, he needed to clear up what just happened, make sure Dess wouldn't report to his father that he defended the human, at least not without an explanation his father would accept. Ralsei was simply protecting the mission…Dess was sloppy, she attacked completely out in the open, a thousand possible witnesses could have seen that! Was that some attempt to start this early?

One thing was for sure, Dess was an idiot, and Ralsei would struggle if he had to rely on someone so brash.

Ralsei waited patiently, until the Deer awoke, a hand going to her head, she clearly had a bad headache “Oh my head…what…what happened?” Dess said looking around, before her eyes settled on Ralsei “Who the hell ar-”

All of Ralsei’s training regarding how to speak to other high-standing families went out the window “What were you thinking? Attacking Kris like that, the mission is not supposed to happen for another two days!” Ralsei said not even making an attempt to hide his frustration

“The…mission” Dess looked at him confused “What the hell are you on about? Who even are you?” she asked angrily, she likely would be threatening him right now if it wasn't for her horrid headache

This confused Ralsei, possibly even more than Noelle herself was confused “What…didn’t someone tell you about it? I thought y-” Suddenly it clicked “Oh…” his posture shifted to one much more like his usual “My deepest apologies madam, I seem to have confused you for someone else” he held out his paw

Dess looked at it and scoffed, slapping it away before slowly getting up “So I can go now?” she said, just wanting to get home and get some pain medication for her head

“Yes, I am sorry for keeping you, have. a wonderful evening” Ralsei said giving her a little bow before she stumbled away…

Ralsei’s mind was filled with more questions though, why was he lied to? Did they think he needed to believe someone was watching him to make sure he carried out his duty? Ralsei’s teeth clenched, he would do his duty! He said as much to the head of the household, despite his reservations, his hope he could delay it, he was going to kill Kris by the end of the week. The fact that his family felt the need to lie about it.

“How is it the oh so terrible human trusts me more than my own family!” Ralsei said feeling the same rage as before, without thinking he slammed his fist into the brick wall kf the ally, immediately pulling back, grabbing his paw “ow! That was stupid Ralsei” he said to himself “You are acting like a child” Ralsei thought out loud, imitating his father's voice while he did it, he examined his paw, he hadn't broken a knuckle, there was no blood…it would be fine but it hurt a lot.

Ralsei’s mind, however, was far from fine, it was clear to him now that his family didn't trust him to do his duty, and the only person who did was…was Kris…who would be dead in just two short days.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed, if so check out the discord

https://discord.gg/QmKa7S5S

Chapter 17: Eye of the

Kris continued pressing Keys on the virtual piano they found, just practicing a song they liked. The sound was slightly delayed from the touch of the key, making certain songs a little to difficult for the very rusty aspiring pianist. After a bit more practicing they suddenly stop mid song. “…not to late” Kris said looking out the window at the forrest, the same forest that just a few days ago they brought their second ever freind into…

Kris very quietly opened up their window and climbed outside, being very experienced in escaping, they were able to do it without any issue. Upon landing Kris immediately made their way into the familiar forest, a barrier between the worlds of humanity and monster kind, though…for whatever reason the massive imposing nearly impenetrable natural barrier seemed…thinner than usual somehow, most definitely blocking the two worlds from each other still but seeming less insurmountable than usual.

Perhaps it was being reminded of what Asriel’s school was attempting…perhaps it was just the lighting, the sun poked through small pockets as it began to set over the trees…or…maybe it was something far more personal to the Enby

Whatever the case, Kris was not here to ponder how humans and monsters were temporarily separated, for now they just wanted to reach their destination. Taking a recently traveled path, the same one they took with their new goat friend…

Kris felt a little odd about that, even days after…calling anyone a friend was something they were not really use to. Kris had Susie of course though…oddly they never had much issue calling their reptilian friend a friend, though it was somewhat of an odd friendship from an outsiders perspective. Something about their fluffy friend felt kinda odd, from the very first day that they met. Before today they could mostly push that feeling down but…between Ralsei knocking out their bully, that talk in the window and Ralsei’s encouragement to follow their passions? Kris felt odd calling him a friend…it felt like there should be a stronger word for what he is…though Kris chalked that up to being in the early stages of the friendship, they remembered very well how they constantly wanted to hang out with Susie when they first started hanging out, now they have gone several days without so much as a hello outside of school and neither really even noticed until Kris thought of her during this little escapade into the Forrest.

Speaking of which they finally made it to their destination, the perferbial eye of the storm thr rest of the forest, a cozy, picturesque clearing. A couple patches of late-year flowers dotted the vibrant green grass, and the sunlight almost made the green blades seem to shimmer when Kris moved their head, as perfect as the human re-

Their eyes locked with a deer

Panic filled their brain

Had she found it?

Was their secret little spot not a secret?

How? did azzy s-

Upon looking down the human noticed a lack of clothes…and it was standing on four legs…

The human let out a massive sigh of relief and a chuckle at their own panic, it was a normal non monster deer, once again their little area of paradise was theirs once again, though shared with a wild companion. They found a little log and sat on it, keeping their eye on the deer, it was mostly harmless but brought Kris some comfort to watch it do its thing.

Kris sat like this a while just…enjoying the natural beauty of the area…Not a thought behind their eyes as they just sat in complete calm…They looked down to their feet, an ant was crawling on their sho-

BANG

Suddenly their left ear was ringing, and they saw blood on their pants. Kris slowly raised a hand to their left ear, flinching a little bit as they did, there was a little pain from their nearly broken eardrum. Kris eyes went to their pants…there was…blood?

Suddenly Kris hands touched their body quickly, looking for anywhere a gunshot could be. Thankfully Kris felt nothing and their was no pain.

They looked up and around before their shocked eyes went to the deer, a bullet sized hole in its chest, it rithed around on the ground a bit, pained grownes filled the humans still functioning ear.

Kris looked at the dying deer with slight horror before looking around for who could have shot it.

A man, a human man, ran out of the forest on the side the deer was standing, he had an orange vest on, with a rifle and a backpack slung around his back. Kris saw him mouth open but only could hear noises that vaguely sounded like garbled words. A stinging pain returned to their ear as they clutched it

As they did slowly their sense of hearing returned to that ear

“H-hey! Can you hear me miss? Are you alright?” The man asked fear in his voice “you ain’t hit are ya?” He said even more scared “oh shit oh shit oh shit I just shot a damn kid” he said pacing around from side to side

“F-fine!” Kris managed to scrape out a bit louder than intended due to their hearing being temporarily impaired “not hit just ear hurts”

“Oh thank the lord” The man said with a sigh “I’m so sorry miss I didn’t know anyone was out here I was just hunting, spotted the buck, first one of the season, oh man I was so focused on making sure it weren’t none of those walking deer things that I didn’t even think to check if someone was in the line of fire” he said very apologetic

“It’s…fine” Kris said not wanting a confrontation with the man before suddenly looking up with shock in their eyes

This…was a man

A human

They double checked him, no fur, no horns, no nothing, just flesh, clothes, skin, and hair, though unlike Kris he had some hair growing on his lip.

“Um…you…alright miss?” The hunter asked taking his hat off and scratching the back of his head “you…look like you seen some kinda ghost” he chuckled

Kris went over their options

A, tell the human they had never seen one before could cause issues

B, play it off like they were just in shock

Their panicked brain decided on the third option “sorry your just handsome” Kris panic said, between the shock of seeing a human, a bullet whizzing past their ear, and seeing a dear die, Kris brain was on auto pilot and the Enby knew it

The hunter chuckled “sorry miss, I’m a taken man, and I’m thinkin I’m a little to old for ya,” he said passing off the comment from the high schooler

“Y-yeah sorry…” Kris took a moment to collect their thoughts “oh uh…I’m not a girl by the way” Kris said without thinking

“Oh uh…then your double out of luck sir, I don’t really uh…well I’m not into boys” he chuckled

“S…sorry not a uh…not a boy either…” Kris said realizing they would probably have to explain this

“…” The hunter tilted his head “oooooh, haha okay I get it sorry for the misgender, grew up down south so that whole thing ain’t something I think about when first spotting s’mbody”

Kris blinked…this…is surprisingly civil…Kris always kinda assumed most humans were not like them at all but… “eh, it’s okay I get it I kinda look like a girl” Kris said with a causualness they only really felt around their mother and lizard friend “so uh…” Kris looked over at the dead deer “why are you hunting out here?”

“Oh? Well most are to ‘fraid to hunt out here, close to the…the…” the Hunter snapped his fingers a few times thinking about it

“Monsters?” Kris interjected

“Yeah yeah; monsters, you a smart kid ain’tcha” The hunter said with a little chuckle, he knew that names were not exactly his strong suit “anywho, lotta people are mighty petravided to even go near it, so with no one else huntin’ the deer get real comfortable even mid huntin season, long as you don’t hit a monster it’s gold hunting”

Kris eyebrows narrow “and if you do?”

“Well then you get ‘fitty to life” he chuckled “long as you look first you can be pretty confident that it ain’t a monster, ‘sides they usually don’t come out here none…speaking ‘which what bring you out here?” He asked “little far from town”

Kris froze for a moment and they panicked out another awnser, one that their sane brain wouldn’t ever say with their rational Brian “Live on that side” Kris said quickly nodding in the direction of hometown

“…” Immediately the hunter looked concerned “on the monster side?”

Kris felt the urge to slap themself in the face as hard as they could “y…yeah…I got adopted by monsters when I was young…”

The hunter looked a little relieved, but very closely watched the teenagers face for any indication they were in trouble “Oh? That’s cool, comfortable with telling the story ‘hind that?” He asked sounding a lot like a cop,

“Uhh…” Kris felt like there really was no choice but to comply and tell the cop “yeah uh…so…I don’t remember most of it obviously but uh…my biological dad was…well uh…not exactly nice…my biological mother ran away into the forest to get away from him, she…she got shot on the way out..” Kris looked at the floor uncomfortable

The Hunter immediately looked like he regretted asking “oh…Oh..” The hunter got down to one knee, being nearly face to face with Kris, showing them how massive he was compared to them “I’m sorry I asked kid, didn’t mean to make you upset” he very slowly moved his hand before rubbing their shoulder…they felt oddly comfortable “thanks…anyways, yeah that’s the long and short of it, apparently I got found, and was adopted”

He nods and stands back up “makes sense, guessing sixteen years ago were not ‘xactly the times where a monster could show up with a human babe…” suddenly his phone beeped and he checked it “oh, sorry kid, wife calls, well, it was mighty nice meeting ya, now uh…I know I’m a stranger and all but if you ever need to talk to ‘nother human I’ll be hunting out here ‘bout this time, don’t worry, I’ll avoid this little clearing and be very careful with my shots now on”

Kris nodded feeling slightly saddened that the Hunter had to leave…Humans were not exactly beloved by the loner, after all the only times they heard of humans other than themself was horror stories of human racism against monsters, and of course the war nearly thirty years ago…meeting an actual human, and a really nice one at that? It was…strange…but honestly the good kind of strange

Kris left the little clearing to head back home, feeling a bit weird from the days events

Notes:

Two more chapters after this

Two days until Ralsei will have to decide

Stay tuned :3

Also join the discord for a chill community of non toxic Deltarune fans, and for updates whenever a new fic or update to an existing one comes out

Link: https://discord.gg/Q3CjqvGQ

Chapter 18: One more day

em>One more day If I was not such a complete failu- What could they want to show me
Ralsei thought to himself before smiling at Kris, "I would love to see it. What is it?" Ralsei said, happy to take his mind off of his unwanted duty.

"I'll show you…" Kris said, reaching forward suddenly and grabbing Ralsei's arm before Ralsei could protest or ask why he was grabbed. He was suddenly pulled into the house,

"Mom, I'm showing Ral something," They said quickly before pulling the confused boy up the stairs.

"Oh well, good to have you, Ralsei!" Toriel said, giggling as her child Practically dragged a boy that she felt Kris liked to some degree into their room.

Once in that room, Ralsei had a chance to breathe. "W-what was that about?" he said, slightly exasperated.

"S-sorry…" Kris said, scratching the back of their head. "Just…wanted to show you something…important," Kris said with a slight cough.

Is…wait…are they going to show me a ring or something?

Ralsei thought horrified at the idea, and then even more horrified that was the first thing he thought of.

"Oh…well, what is it?" Ralsei asked attentively, trying to forget the fantasy his mind had just conjured up.

"Well, um…remember how you told me I should try doing more stuff with the piano?" Kris asked, turning on the ancient computer. It made a small bootup noise as it turned on.

Ralsei felt a little surprised. He remembered encouraging them but was unsure it had much effect. "Oh, yeah, I do remember," Ralsei said with a smile. "Wait…oh! Do you have a song you want to show me?" Ralsei felt his tail wag slightly, an odd sensation he was not used to feeling but enjoying

"Y-yeah," Kris said, pulling up a free digitized piano site. "Been practicing for a few days…" Kris said, pressing a few keys to warm up. They had done small performances for their family before, and they had practiced in front of a friend, but never before had they put on a performance for a friend.

They began the song, pressing two keys for a long time, creating a bit of anticipation, and then their fingers moved across the keyboard, pressing various keys for a simple little melody.

As Kris played, their mind wandered a bit, thinking of the first time they tried the piano. It was the first time they ever went into someone else's house. Their father had something to report to the mayor and figured bringing the lonely human would help them make some friends. Kris was assigned to the youngest of the mayor's daughters, Noelle; she found it difficult to talk to the human at that point; the human spoke even less than they did now, so Noelle decided to show them around the massive house. Noelle brought them to a big dining room where important guests would speak to the mayor over dinner; what caught Kris's attention was the gigantic grand piano at the end of it, which a servant would play during said big meetings. Kris was allowed to play it a little, and the young human fell in love with it and often asked to go to "The big house," as the young Kris would put it…that lasted a few years before…well, the mayor did not much care for the "Waste of attention."

Kris's fingers faltered momentarily, thinking about this, before defiantly finding the correct keys again. It would be hard, much more challenging than it would be if Kris were in a human town, or better yet, if Kris was born a monster, but…From then on, they would not let something they enjoyed be destroyed simply because some miserable old woman said it was a waste.

"You're good at this," Ralsei encouraged, making Kris smile as they continued.

"I..only had a few days to practice, so I'm making some mistakes," Kris said, always ready to downplay themself regardless of whether or not it was warranted.

"Well, it is fantastic for only a few days," Ralsei said quickly, causing Kris to smile; they were not used to encouragement regarding this from anyone other than their mother or, occasionally, their brother…

"Thanks Ral…" Kris said as their slightly tired fingers pressed their final keys, ending the wonderful song suddenly.

Ralsei clapped at the song's end, "That was wonderful, Kris!" Happy with his friend's performance, he said, "Do you plan to perform that in front of more people?" He asked, hopeful Kris planned to go farther with their talent over the next few…next few…years…Suddenly, all of the energy Ralsei had disappeared

Kris, not noticing this, smiled. "Thanks, Ral…" Kris said happy anyone encouraged the hastily practiced song they drummed up in the past few days.

"..." Ralsei kept silent…he wanted very badly to leave, to get away from his friend…from his target, so he did not have to think about the future he would steal from them.

"Ral?" Kris looked back at him, concerned for the sudden loss of energy of their friend

Ralsei gave a fake little smile. "Oh, sorry Kris, just um… I've got some stuff going on, so….It um… It's nothing, don't worry about it," He said, continuing to fake happiness.

"Oh…Well…Wanna talk about it?" Kris asked, putting their hands in their pocket and giving him as much attention as possible.

"..." Ralsei wondered what to say; he could refuse, but…Kris may get suspicious of him. "It's…My grandfather…he…He made it clear to me that he did not want me to hang out with you…my father is not forcing me to listen to him, but…it doesn't feel great to have my family hating me for who I keep as a company" It was a reasonable lie, something easy to latch onto and accept, but…Ralsei felt bad about it. Beyond lying to their friend, they told them a lie that could hurt their feelings…

Why do I care about their feelings? I'm going to be killing them just tomorrow

Ralsei thought as Kris remained silent. "I…I see…If…you do not want to come over anymore, then… I'll understand," Kris sighed.

"Huh? Oh no, no, no, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that," Ralsei said. "It bothers me, but…I wouldn't leave you because of something my family…says." Ralsei said, at first truthfully, before quickly realizing that was exactly what he was doing.

Thankfully, Kris was too distracted by the encouragement to question the slight delay before the goat boy's sentence ended, "Thanks…Means a lot to hear," Kris said, remembering a very different reaction to family pressure from the previous holidays. They both sat there for a moment, unsure how to continue the conversation…at that moment, a ringing sound filled the room. Kris knew immediately who it was coming from; their phone did not have a ringtone, and the only way to tell it was ringing as if it was buzzing.

Ralsei took a moment to realize he was the one ringing. "S-sorry, Kris," He said before pulling it out of his pocket; he saw it was his father, and he grimaced. "Ah…Sorry, I have to take this… I'm likely being called to return home," He said with a little sigh, holding back his sadness…This… was the last time he would see Kris before… he would have to… he would kill them.

“Alright…well um…” Kris gets up from their chair and walks over to Ralsei. “Bye…then…” Kris said before suddenly moving forward and wrapping their arms around Ralsei; he held him very tightly.

Ralsei, while having been hugged by Kris before, is taken aback by it…though…this time, he accepts it much faster and wraps his arms around Kris, hugging them back. The ringing phone threatened to make Ralsei pull back, but…he did not for a while.

I wish….I wish I could just make this day last longer…

Ralsei thought to himself…but..after nearly thirty seconds, the phone stopped ringing…he knew he had to go; his father would be angry if he kept him waiting…

Ralsei pulled back out of the hug before smiling at Kris. "I… I'll see you tomorrow," he said, dread overtaking his mind, though he did not allow it to be shown on his face.

“Alright…B-Bye…” Kris said with a little wave and a smile on their face.

Ralsei left, feeling like his heart had been torn out.

Why do I care so much

Ralsei thought before pulling his phone out.

Chapter 19: Storm

Ralsei's mind questioned over and over…the head of the household was quite clear on his objective: kill the human living in the Dremurr residence. Ralsei understood why this human, this…thing, needed to die.

He was told it was dangerous, he was told about how evil and vile of a being it was…but…He did wonder something.

“Father..”

”Yes my son?”

" Why must this specific human die? There are millions of them on the other side of the forest, yet we go out of our way to kill one. Why?"

" That is a dangerous question to ask my son."

"S-sorry father, it's j-"

" You need not need to explain my son. It is understandable. I will answer, of course, but you are not to ask such questions to any other family member, especially the head"

" Of course, father, you are the only one I would direct such questions to"

"As you know, humans are hazardous; in every conflict between our peoples, humans have come out on top, even when outnumbered and outsmarted,"

"Of course, their non-magical bodies and their mighty souls make the average human much stronger than the average monster"

"You are correct…We are going after this human because it is in a prime position to strike one of our towns on the border, which would be the perfect way to get a foothold within our territory."

While it made sense to the young Sinclair, it still confused him. There must have been more to it than just that; the head of the house was very passionate about mentioning that this human needed to die. Ralsei felt there was a reason he was being sent beyond just the normal tactical reasonings. However, for now, he would not question it; he was given an answer his father believed to be sufficient. Therefore, he would have to accept it.

—

Ralsei used a stick to knock on the window of his friend… his target's room.

No witness if I bring them out through the window

Ralsei thought somberly, purely thinking about the most logical approach to everything, wanting to avoid the growing pit of despair and self-hatred steadily building with every moment. Part of him hoped…pleaded with himself that despite the fact he confirmed several times that Kris was in there, that his friend wo-

The glass window pulled up, and a human face poked out of it. "Ralsei?" Kris said confused

—

Why is he using the window?
Kris thought, looking at the mess of a monster…well, mess by his standards, all his hair was standing on its ends, his clothes were the same ones he wore yesterday, and he was swaying from side to side, distracted, entirely unlike his usual, completely focused deminer.

"Something…wrong?" Kris asked, concerned after the first few seconds of silence. "Are you okay-"

—

"T-take me to that spot in the forest again…p-please."

Best spot, no witnesses

Tears formed in Ralsei's eyes, and his mind was imagining his friend's horrified expression as he plunged a knife into their chest.

"Hey…your…crying?" Kris seemed confused

—

Kris hopped down from the window, meeting him on the ground.

Did someone hurt him?

Kris thought, horrified at the idea. They put their hands on his shoulders. "Hey…what is it? Whatever it is…I can he-"

—

"Fine! Im… I'm fine…I need to tell you something and…and the best place is that forest…" Ralsei blurts out, wanting nothing more than to hug his friend and leave, let them live their life, just let…just…

Ralsei's mind wouldn't even let him finish the thought. He couldn't! Thinking of a better future for the person whose life he was about to cut painfully short…his lip quivered uncontrollably.

—

"... okay…" Kris gently smiles at him, a warm gesture to make them feel better. "I'll take you out there…we can relax…watch an animal or two if one heads through there…then if you want to tell me anything, then…well, we can do it there," Kris said, feeling a little weird about being the one to comfort someone else.

He probably wants to make sure no one can hear what he is going to tell me

Was the only thing Kris could consider about why he wanted them alone

—
"F-father," Ralsei said, nervous as he spoke, not exactly typical for when he was about to ask his father something. Usually, if the young Sinclair wanted to ask his father something risky, he would swallow his curiosity and never ask it. This time, however, after meeting the matriarch of the Dremurr household, he was confident that the original reason he was given for why the human must die was false.

”Yes son?”

"I…Over the past two days, some doubts have crept into my mind about why this human must die," Ralsei admitted, fearing reprisal.

”Son, you-”

Ralsei flinched as his father met his curiosity with anger before his father stopped.

" Where does this doubt come from?

Ralsei felt relief wash over him. "W-well, I understand the worry of the human acting as an agent for the human government, or rather could act as an agent," Ralsei said before pausing, wanting his father to confirm this was correct before trying to counter it.

" That is correct. What is your point?"
"Well…I believe this fear was based on a lack of knowledge about the human in question; they seem extremely loyal to their f- sorry, to the Dremurr family; they think of the head of the house as their mother and the family's son as a brother. Given this information, I do not believe there is any situation where they would betray monster kind in favor of their people." Ralsei responded, carefully thinking through every single word, knowing that if there were a single bit of faulty logic, then his father would destroy his argument without giving him any true answer

" Humans have been trusted before, and betrayal has usually followed…and, more importantly, this human represents a threat to us beyond just the risk of an incursion"

"O-oh? Please explain; I seem to have misunderstood the deeper reasoning," Ralsei said, curious and confused; why had this not been explained to him in the first place?

" Whether this specific human is a threat is…in truth, irrelevant to us. The problem is that humans are being trusted, taken into monster homes, allowed to live as equals in our society…One human is nothing, but if this continues, humans and monsters may be allowed to live side by side, which cannot happen. The threat to monsterkind is far too great!"

Ralsei imminently felt conflicted…Was that such a bad thing? No, he was overthinking it; it was terrible; his father said it was evil, and he would do his duty regardless of his traitorous feelings.

–

"That's why… okay?" Kris said, standing near a tree and looking at the goat, confused.

"O-oh, sorry Kris, I was lost in thought for a moment," Ralsei said, momentarily forgetting why he was out there when he spoke, "H-how far are we from the clearing?" Ralsei asked, Imagining the human lying dead in the center of the dreamlike little clearing, forever ruining the small paradise.

"Right over here," Kris said, walking into the little clearing past several trees. The clearing was just as great as Ralsei remembered. It was warm and inviting compared to the forest's darkness caused by the massive trees. The sun sat right above the little clearing, watching the little bit of Eden, making sure any sins committed in it would have at least one witness.

Religion was not crucial to the Sinclair family; after all, killing and the other underhanded tactics the family was quick to resort to wouldn't be accepted by any divine being. Even with this, however, the sun in the sky made Ralsei feel like something far more powerful than he or any other monster was watching him.

Ralsei reached his hand into the left pocket of his jeans. His hand grasped the handle of a dagger. The dagger was small; the blade was just eight inches long, designed to be hidden well even in the tight pants covering his lower half.

"Ral? You there?" Kris asked a bit louder than their voice was used to, and it cracked halfway through the sentence."

"Y-yeah, sorry Kris, just um…have a lot on my mind." Ralsei stared at their friend, "I've got…something for you." His heart rate increased, his eyes shot to Kris's face, curiosity on their face

I…I can do it…just…thrust it into their heart…This is your duty; don't think about them as a person

He slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket, dragging the dagger up, careful not to show the blade. Ralsei's hand wavered a bit. He let go of the danger.

N-no I cant…I won’t…

Ralsei took a breath…and then he closed his eyes.

No…don’t think, don’t look at them…just attack

Ralsei confirmed where his target was in his mind and closed his eyes.

Ralsei remembered what his father taught him in his self-defense classes: square your feet, attack quickly. Ralsei quickly pulled the blade out of their pocket and thrust it forward where he thought Kris's chest was. The blade was thrust into the air, cutting through it before meeting some resistance. He felt the blade imbed itself in bone, "I-I'm sorry," He said, tears streaming down his face.

Notes:

I’m going to take a short break after this, probably work on some more Armored core stuff or maybe an original work, those sadly don’t get as much attention but hey I enjoy the change of pace…plus they tend to be better to show to my friends, family, and future employers

Just a short break, final chapter will probably come out within the next couple of weeks, at most I’ll make you guys wait a month (that’s the reason I posted two on the same day) planning on the final chapter being close to three thousand words, and it will wrap things up, will Kris die? Will Ralsei die? Will they fall in love or will Kris hate him for stabbing them? you guys are going to have to find out with me (I tend to write by the seat of my pants, so what will ultimately happen is still up in the air)

Anyways, as usual if you enjoyed consider joining the discord, you will get updates on when I release these, probably get to see them early, and at minimum you will be joining a pretty chill little community

If interested, please join: https://discord.gg/s3n2Achb

Anyways, regardless of if you join or not, it was lovely having you, I hope you will check out some of my other works but well …I’m not your mom so I won’t force ya

Chapter 20: a world that has some light

Notes:

Yeah yeah I know I know I said this would take longer, I just couldn't bring myself to write anything else with the cliffhanger lol

Kris's body wouldn't listen to them; an overwhelming pain penetrated their flesh and bore itself into the bone of the human's left shoulder. The blade likely was aimed at their chest; however, due to him closing his eyes, the blade missed its intended target, instead thankfully striking an area that was not vital. Kris's mind took a moment to observe the situation before suddenly the pain kicked in; their attacker was crying; he did not want to attack, and that gave them a moment to react.

Without thinking, they grabbed his arm, the main one holding the blade, while the human's other arm went behind their back, grabbing a familiar object they had confided in many times.

Ralsei looked confused. He was stunned for just long enough. Kris pulled out a knife of their own and sent it into the boy's stomach.

Ralsei cried out in pain before Kris kicked the blade, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground; Ralsei pulled out the dagger in their shoulder on the way down.

Both lay on the ground, blood leaking out into the ground; both teenagers were in the worst pain they had ever felt, and both had tears in their eyes.

“W…Why did…” Kris asked their thought to be friend while covering the wound, tears flowing out of their eyes from both the pain and the betrayal. "Why…what did I do?" They asked quickly to blame themselves for anything that went wrong

Ralsei lay on the ground, breathing heavily as the shorter but still deadly knife sat in his guts, stabbing through some intestines. Ralsei tried for only a moment to get up before the pain once again overwhelmed him, and he stayed on the ground.

Ralsei knew not to pull out the blade; it was probably the only thing keeping the majority of the blood in his body. “I…I…” Ralsei realized how stupid this all was; he just tried and failed to kill a friend, someone he cared about…and for what? "I-I'm sorry" Was all he could get out

Kris sat up, covering the wound in their shoulder with a now blood-covered hand. "Your…sorry?" Kris gritted their teeth. "YOU STABBED ME! TRIED TO KILL ME, AND YOU CAN’T EVEN GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION!" Kris screamed at the dying goat, probably screaming at someone for the first time in their entire life.

Ralsei lay on the floor panting, face covered in tears from what he had done. "M….My family wants you dead…T-they sent me to do it…" Ralsei panted out, feeling an odd sense of relief. "T…I was supposed to kill you when we first met."

Kris's eyes widen; this…is what Asriel meant…it just took him too long to get a confirmation from their sibling…Kris fell into despair, of course..why would anyone want to be their friend?

"K-Kris, you…s-should g-get to town a-and go to a hospital," Ralsei panted. "You should…should…" He groaned as some blood trickled through his fingers

Kris hears a few twigs snapping; the interloper has arrived.

”Ralsei…You have failed”

Ralsei's eyes widened. "W-wait." He tried to get up but failed; the pain in his guts was too much for him to move at all.

" Ever since you went to see the human in the middle of the night, you tried my patience, constantly questioning why. Why you can't just do as your family tells you? Another useless trait of your father"

Kris pulled back a bit. "Who…Who the hell are you!" Kris demanded of the interloper. From Ralsei's fear of the man, it's clear that he is one to be treated as an enemy.

”I am Viel…The head of the Sinclair family”

Kris's eyes narrowed; the big goat was old enough and shared enough resemblance to Ralsei that Kris's only real conclusion was that this was his grandfather; perhaps the grandfather Ralsei mentioned did not like humans…Ralsei did say that his family was the ones that sent him to murder Kris…though some issues did exist with that, the assumption relied on Ralsei being honest when he said that…still there was enough evidence from the man himself to come to that conclusion.

Kris had an idea; Kris would have to pray he was paying enough attention. Kris bit their lip and stood straight, ignoring the pain in their shoulder. "Ah yes, Viel, grandfather of the Sinclair family!" Kris chuckled, desperately trying not to flinch as they spread their arms. "Every human should know of you, far and wide. You are known as the man who makes humans disappear; you're a bit of a boogie man," Kris said, speaking much louder than they would be comfortable with under most circumstances.

Viel pulled out a dagger identical to the one Ralsei had shoved into Kris shoulder.

" Does this have a point? As far as final words go, this is far less glamorous than most would hope for"

"You must have countless murders under your belt, but even then, stabbing your own grandson? Trying to murder him for the simple act of having compassion for a child you wanted him to kill, that is truly pathetic", Kris said, increasing in volume, pleading internally that their plan was working.

" Enough, I do not know what you're getting at, but this ends now, accept your fate, you mear th-"

A loud defining noise that, thankfully, Kris was somewhat adjusted to rang out; Kris closed their eyes to avoid seeing what was likely a gruesome scene.

Ralsei's eyes went wide in shock as blood splattered behind the head of the household. Someone Ralsei considered to be all-powerful, someone elite in status and power, fell to the ground dead.

"W…what?" Ralsei tried to sit up, ignoring the ringing in his ears to see where the deafening sound he just heard came from. He fought through the pain, causing some blood to spill out onto the ground; he groaned as he looked at the forest; a single human was running out of it, a smoking gun in his hand; he looked worried.

Before Ralsei could wonder anything, he passed out from the pain.

Ralsei's eyes shot awake. He was lying in a white bed, in a hospital somewhere…he tried to sit up, but a sharp pain caused him to end the attempt quickly.

"Lay still." Ralsei heard his father say, causing his blood to go cold

"F-father?" Ralsei looked left; he had failed, and the head of the household was dead! Kris was still alive; everything had gone so wrong. His father sat next to him in a more casual attire than usual, perhaps in an attempt to blend in. He knew he was going to be harshly punished for this absolute failure. "I-I'm sorry, Father, I f-failed…the head is dead and e-everything."

"You are not in trouble, son…" Ralsei's father quickly assured, "How is your wound?" He asked, concern in his voice

I am not in trouble?

Ralsei tilted his head. "M-my wound hurts, but I think I will be alright…I feel as though I am missing some information, however."

Ralsei's father nodded, his right-clawed hand going through the slightly darkened fur on his chin. "Things went very badly…but…this presents us a good opportunity," He said, stern as usual, but…there was relief and a bit of happiness under the layer of authority his father always carried. "The head died to a human hunter…the Hunter is currently being charged with murder. However, there is not even a shred of evidence connecting us to his death."

"That…is good…but still, the Human is alive, and It was that failed operation that the head was killed in," Ralsei said, worried.

"We are no longer part of the Sinclair family…in fact, no one is anymore," Ralsei's father explained. "The family was disbanded."

Ralsei's eyes widened; a thousand conflicting emotions filled their head, and a mix of relief and sadness was the most apparent. "W-why?" It was all he could get out through it all

"...The…The family was only held together by the head; now that it is cut…it collapsed under its own weight, and those who wanted to kill humans went their own way, deep into human territory, to do as much damage as they could…They won't last very long without the rest keeping them focused on specific targets…The rest went their own way, staying with their wives and children, trying to live a more normal life… that's what we will do…It will just be you, your mother, and I from now on; no more of the other family making demands of us," Ralsei's father said, happy with the outcome.

Despite that, Ralsei still felt himself tearing up. "I…I see…" Truth be told…he would not miss his extended family; they were always more of a hindrance, simply people who demanded things of him and each other while not giving anything in return. What really bothered him was "I… I'm sorry I was the one to break it… I-I'm sorry I-m such a bad s-" He started before his father interrupted

"No!" His father said firmly, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, "No, none of this is your fault…the entire family was walking on eggshells; it was going to fall anyways when the head died naturally…And… I'm the one who should be apologizing to you…You…” He took a breath. "Too many times I acquiesce to what the head said… too many times I…" He took another breath. "I let my fear of my own father dictate how I raised you…The fact you turned out so well is a testament to your wonderful nature…I wish I had helped you develop that rather than try and force you to be more like the others in the family…I know that it…it is a bit late, but…from now on, I will be a far better father to you."

Ralsei stared at his father, confused by the declaration. His fathers face shaped into a somewhat worried one; his eyes debated something...Suddenly, Ralsei felt his father slowly wrap his arms around his son, pulling him into a little awkward hug.

Ralsei froze…he…he had only been hugged by his father on rare occasions, usually after a significant milestone. Ralsei felt his body slowly begin responding to him again; his arms slowly hugged back; this felt far different than the hugs he usually received…this felt more like one Kris would give him, one that existed to show affection and love, rather than one that was being used to manipulate and control.

This was pure affection.

"...Bad time?" Kris asked, standing in the doorway, bandages covering their shoulder. They were not blood-stained, so it was likely they had been changed recently unless he had been out so long that the blood stopped…which was likely considering that his family collapsed while he slept.

Ralsei's father kept the hug going for a few seconds before pulling back. Ralsei expected him to say something, but instead, he looked at Ralsei exspectedly.

"U-um…n-no, this is not a bad time," Ralsei said awkwardly, unable to bring himself to look at Kris.

"...I will…let you two speak," Ralsei's father said, feeling awkward about letting his son speak to a human. While he had no real personal reason to hate humans, it was always a general rule not to speak to them…though they had a lot to talk about, he walked past Kris and left the two alone.

"...How is your arm?" Ralsei asked after a bit of silence

“Fine…how is your stomach…” Kris asked as well

“Fine…fine…I…I’m sorry…” Ralsei said

"He threatened you…right?" Kris said, "Forced you…"

"Y…" Ralsei stopped…was he forced? Of course, he was, but did Ralsei know that he was? "I…I was told to do so by my family…I…I was not able to go against them…" Ralsei said, tearing up

"... well…least you're not lying anymore," Kris said with a sigh. "...So…You are done trying to kill me?" Kris asked, staring into his soul. "Still got my knife," They warned

"Y…yeah, I'm done…I don't care what anyone tells me now…I…I hated every second of that mission…having to kill a friend is…" He wiped his eyes with his hospital gown's sleeve. "I hated it…I know you'll never forgive me; I would never expect you to either."

"...I shouldn't…" Kris said, looking at the goat holding back tears; they sighed…" I'm not going to forgive and forget…but I can't exactly put all the blame on you…your family seems like a bunch of maniacs…you seem reasonable, at least… I'm going to keep an eye on you constantly, but…I think I can remain friends… for now… I'm never taking you to an isolated place…and you are not coming to my house for a while…but…I think…we can move past this."

Ralsei stared at them with wide eyes. "R-really!" The statement broke Ralsei; tears started flowing. "E-even after what just happened….I…"

"...You seem like a good person…overall, I think" Kris, while naive in still calling Ralsei a friend after nearly losing their life to him, did not want to lose one of the few friends they had to the fact they were born in a world that hated them…to many were already lost to that "Also…' Kris debated for a moment "...I did some research while I was waiting for you to wake…there is a… restaurant that wants someone to play music for a night, in about two weeks…to play a piano…You…wanna watch?" Kris asked, rubbing the back of their neck with their uninjured arm.

"Y-yes… I-I'd love to come…though I will probably be moving a bit slower," Ralsei said with a broader smile than before.

With those plans made, they kept talking, random small talk, mainly with Kris starting the conversation and with Ralsei speaking much more than the envy. The pair had a long way to go before returning to where they were the day before Ralsei attempted Kris's life, but…well, eventually, hopefully, Kris had found someone who made a living in a world that hated them just a bit easier.

Notes:

OKAY ITS FINALLY DONE CHEERS LADS

How long has it been? Close to two years? Well I am very proud of the fact this finally has an ending

This story has been…well its certainly one I will never forget the process of making

Losing Bonni halfway through suuuucked, I had zero confidence I would ever finish it, but here we are! Done with this story

I do hope you enjoyed, its been quite interesting, this started as a Romeo and Juliet-inspired thing but with deltarune as a backdrop, but has evolved to be its own thing.

As always if you enjoyed, please consider joining the discord if you have not already

https://discord.gg/pxqpuDxP

Well, this has been a long time coming, and I'll miss the world but…its finally time to close the book on this project

Hope to see you guys on the server, or in the comments, Blue/621 signing off for now