Work Text:
There was a congregation in the prince's courtyard. Normally a hangout spot for many Darkners, the place has gone through significant expansion in response to the influx of new residents of Castle Town. Today, rows of tables were placed down in front of a large whiteboard. The board reads:
Flirting for dumbasses for dummies 101
Sitting front and center, the fluffiest boy, Ralsei, Susie, uncomfortable sitting so near the front but bearing to be near her friends, the holiday girl, Noelle, and nugget boy, Berdly. Seated around them, all kinds of Darkners, from Harties to Werewerewires, from Pippins to Cuptains. Farthest back, hiding behind a book, it's Rouxls Kaard, pretending they're not really listening.
The book is upside down
Out of sight was the human, Kris, looking on the gathered crowd, and they could only think to themselves:
*(Well... Shit)
Going back an indeterminate amount of time, while they were hiding in a closet swatting an annoying heart-shaped bug with a hockey stick, Susie and Noelle were enjoying some (wholesome) alone time, shooting the shit and whatever.
"So I don't know if you noticed, but isn't Kris like, crazy good at flirting?" Susie asked.
That brought the whole thing to a stop. Even the annoying bug had to stop and listen. Suddenly, Kris wished the earth would open up and swallow them.
"Wh- with WHO???" Noelle sputtered, baffled.
"Dunno, just, in general???"
They're going to kill the damn soul, swear to the Angel.
"Hey, do you think they'd give me lessons? We could go together. " Susie asked, excitedly.
*(I'm sorry, what?)
'(Am I THAT bad????) Noelle thought. (She is.)
Afterwards, Shenanigans that bear no relation to the current subject--
---
A fountain opened inside a church.
A titan Banished, a calamity delayed.
A broken glass, a bleeding hand.
---
... Happened.
Susie, however, didn't forget about the conversation, days later. In fact, she brought it up again rather insistently, a slight blush on her face. Maybe there was someone she wanted to woo.
Kris had perfectly normal feelings about that, shut up.
Finally, they gave in. They thought it’d be just Susie, themselves and Ralsei, cuz it'd be funny to see the prince all flushed with embarrassment.
(Yeah, sure, “funny”) says the interdimensional leech carpooling in their SOUL.
*(Shut. Up.)
But Susie got Noelle to participate, somehow. And Berdley overheard so he invited himself in. Which, cool, whatever. He's cool now, kinda.
(He's like, the opposite of cool.)
*(One more word and you're going in the cage)
And then, somehow it became an open class in Castle Town. Which brings us to this exact moment. With Kris, hiding behind the whiteboard, with a crowd waiting for him. Expecting them to talk.
In public.
They're honestly considering dying.
Yeah, no, they'd rather die instead.
(Come on, it can't be that bad.)
*(iT cAn'T bE tHaT bAd)
*(Fuck you)
*(Before we begin, I want you to know that I blame you for this)
(You stubbed your toe yesterday, after you ripped me out might I add, and then blamed me, what else is new.)
(Literally why, how is this my fault?)
*(You're the one who made me flirt every encounter you could!)
(I only hit the act button! It's not my fault you're so good at it)
"Yo, Kris, we can see your legs under the whiteboard. We're going to start or what?"
*(Fuck)
Time to face the music.
Stepping around, they put on their strongest poker face and grab a marker. Thankfully, Susie’s been discouraged from eating those
In the board, they write:
Lesson 1: why you disaster gayass got no game.
In front of them is a podium. Pluey is napping under it, one of his Mike hands fit through a hole so they can use it.
"Welcome to Flirting 101. Lettuce begin"
They begin pacing side to side as they extend a metal pointer. Dramatically, they flick it against the screen with a satisfying Thwack
"Have you ever been called maidenless? Want your special Senpai to notice you? Then this is the class for you'"
Everyone's attention is on him. Not even a Maus would dare squeak.
"What you gotta learn first: It's really not that complicated. Rather, most people tend to overcomplicate it. As soon as you start to overthink it, you're most likely to put your foot in your mouth, instead of, you know, their lips."
Their little joke got the easily flustered members of their audience blushing. So far, so good.
"Let me do a demonstration," they crouch down, and a Rabbick hops up to their hand. Lifting the bunny up to his eyes, they say: "Have you rolled in glitter lately? Because you look dazzling."
The dust bunny is surprised, before their whole body turns pink and then they cover their eyes with their floppy ears. Kris lets them down so they can roll away.
"To be honest, that line was kinda corny, but what matters most is how you say it, rather than what you're saying.
"You are trying to communicate your feelings, so try using short, easy to understand phrases, and have confidence in your words. Not on yourself, that's for losers, but at the very least, you gotta show you believe the words that come out of your mouth, or your crush won't either."
Then, Kris gets a, no good, very awful idea. Something they imagine late at night, a fantasy to entertain for a little while before chucking it to the deepest recesses of their mind. And now they have the perfect excuse to play it out. But no, they're a brave enby, but not brave enough for this.
(♥️ do it)
They freeze, limbs suddenly unresponsive.
The leech and them had come to an... Understanding, of sorts. Kris would get more autonomy, and in exchange Kris would try to be more outgoing to satisfy the thing's curiosity.
But it doesn't really change the nature of their relationship.
*(No.)
(♥️ dew it)
*(No!)
(♥️ do it please. Pretty please.)
*(No way!)
(♥️ it'll be fun! You have the perfect excuse! You can't waste it.)
*(...)
(♥️ it's like a harmless prank)
*(... Fine.)
The control returns, and they breathe a little easier.
"I'll demonstrate some more examples."
Kris stands in front of Ralsei, maintaining careful eye contact.
"Uh, Kris? What's--"
"Your fluff is lovely. It's one of the things I adore most about you."
Ralsei blushes, mouth agape. Sideways, the other lighters' jaws have also fallen to the floor.
Inspired, Kris sticks their hands into Ralsei's scarf, feeling his throat swallow, before they push up his fur up to his cheeks, squishing them. "And your heart is as soft as your fur."
SWOON
Ralsei: -999/300
They take their hands away. Ralsei slumps down on his seat, unresponsive. "Pointing out physical aspects it's fine, just don’t be gross about them." Kris continues the lecture, as if they hadn't done anything weird.
One step right, and they're in front of Susie, who snaps her mouth shut with a clack. Her scales are pink, and she's looking at them with, "Gorgeous amber eyes, so pretty I get lost in their shine."
Susie, out of embarrassment, tries to turn away, but Kris half sits on her desk so they can reach and delicately grab her chin, turning her back to face them. "Don't look away. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and I can see the kindest girl in the whole world in yours."
SWOON
Susie: -999/450
Kris feels high, like they're on a DDR machine and are hitting all the notes perfectly and effortlessly. Caught in the rhythm, they continue.
"Some physical contact is nice, but depends on the level of trust between you. As a hand rule, the less you know a person, the further away from their torso you should be. Limbs are a safer bet."
Immediately, Kris reaches and pokes Nolle under her ribs, where she knows she's ticklish, getting a surprised laugh out of her. "Kris!"
"Your partner should be at ease, don't be afraid of teasing them a little to get them to relax.
"It's been a long time since I've touched you like this, I wonder what other sensitive spots I've haven't discovered yet." They touch another spot, but this time they get a hitched breath out of her. Noelle bites her lip.
"If you have a really good feeling with your partner, you can try turning the heat up.
Kris looks into her eyes, smiling in a way she recognizes it’s unique for her, teasing and genuine in equal parts. "All I want for Christmas is you, baby, and I better see you in nothing but your gift wrapping."
She froze, instant blue screened. It took 10 whole seconds before she finally processed the words. "WH-WHAT!?" Noelle's blush is so fierce she might've overheated.
SWOON
Noelle: -999/300
Finally, Berdly. "If you have common interests, you can use that to make little inside jokes. For example: Wanna play Minecraft? You'll be Mine, and I'll craft the love between us. We can push our Minecraft beds together."
His beak is still hanging open, so Kris gently closes it for him, holding their finger under it so they can tip his face up to them. "If our lives are a VN, then my harem route is not complete without you." They lean in to whisper, “and I’m a completionist.”
SWOON
Berdly: -999/400
They go back to the whiteboard, satisfied. But when they turn around, they finally realize there's not only their friends (crushes) there, but the rest of the Darkners, who are also speechless.
Rouxls is taking notes furiously.
(Kris, holy shit)
The weight of what they've done comes crashing down them. Embarrassment crawls up their spine.
A Ruddin had brought the Ralsei Dummy closer. Thankfully, it's been de-Spamton-fied.
"For now, you can practice with Ralsei Dummy. That should do for now," they grit out. "If you have any questions, don't." Kris turns and absconds before anyone can stop them.
(That wasn't so bad, was it?)
*(I'm going to stick you in a box and shake you like it's Christmas morning)
---
Romance is in the air.
Following their one (and only) public humiliation of a class, the number of relationships has skyrocketed. At least amongst the Darkners. The bad news, Darkners are really mushy, and very unrestrained with their pda. On the flipside, Kris gets to beat them up in the Love Dojo.
Their friends remain useless disasters, considering they're all still single. Kris sometimes catches them practicing with the dummy, which is glowing with the excessive adoration it's receiving.
It's fine, they're not jealous of the sack of stuffing getting all those compliments and attention, absolutely not.
(Cope)
*(I will find a way to murder you, one day)
They get a table at Swatch Cafe, idly tapping their fingers at the live music while they enjoys a brief moment of solace in solitude. Or, they try to. Being alone has become less comforting of late, thinking what their friends might be doing now. There's an emptiness inside, sitting on their belly, and pulls them over the people they lo-
They sigh, dispelling dangerous thoughts. They're aware of what building inside them, but facing it might just unmake them completely.
They take a sip of their ButJuice--
"Kris?"
--and they choke on it, liquid escaping through their nose. There's a hand patting their back as they cough out their drink.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Kris." Ralsei rubs slow circles on their back. "I wanted to leave you breathless, but not like this!"
(I'm sorry, what!?)
"It's fine, you didn't--" once the words register, Kris' brain freezes. "Ralsei...?"
"Kris, have I said you give amazing hugs? When you embrace me, my pulse speeds up, and you leave me gasping for breath." The fluffy boy's voice is tender and warm, but there's something about his tone that's making Kris lightheaded.
(AAAAAAHHHHHHH--) the soul's screeching cuts off.
Ralsei grasps Kris' hand, rubbing one finger over their knuckles as he leans close to their ear. "I want you to hold me as tight as you can, next time." His fur brushes against their skin, sending shivers down their spine, and just as suddenly, Ralsei straightens up.
"See you later, Kris!" he says cheerfully as he leaves, as if he didn't just upend Kris' whole reality.
(OH MY FUCKING GOD!)
The Soul's scream snaps them back to reality. Kris scrambles outside, but Ralsei is nowhere to be seen.
Their heartbeat is running like a racing monster horse girl on the last lap of the track.
"What the fuck just happened?"
---
Ralsei has proven to be exemplary at making himself scarce. Kris has searched every nook and cranny for him, but has yet to find even a single hair ball of him.
Exhausted, they park their butt on a bench and essentially melt down over it like a candy left out in the sun.
"Oh, hello there, Kri-- I mean, Kitten "
Record scratch.
(And now there's THIS ASSHOLE)
Slowly, their head cranks to look at the damn bird. Berdly has a rose in his beak. A goddamn rose.
*(I'm going to have an aneurysm)
"Such a lovely day, is it not? I could ride a breeze to the sky, but I would fall down without you being the wind under my wings." He struts (fucking struts ) over them and plants his foot on the bench, caging them with the opposite hand.
Kris just got kabedon'd.
By Berdly .
(Oh my GOD! The cojones on this bird!)
"Every day is brighter when I get to see you. If you were a game, I'd play until I get your platinum trophy." Berdly takes the de-thorned rose in his wing and tucks it into Kris' ear. "Meet me on LAN later, because I want zero latency between you and I."
And then, he steps away. "Ta ta, Kris, see you later!" Like a whirlwind, he soars up to the sky, leaving as suddenly as he arrived.
*(... )
*(God, I want that stupid nerd so bad)
(What?)
*(What?)
---
Kris sits down on the lake's beach. They just... need a moment alone to think. Except they can't, cuz their thoughts right now are an incoherent mess.
For once, the SOUL is content in letting them stew in silence.
Onion-san is not here today, so it's just them, the breeze and their thoughts.
*(Do they like me?
No way, I'm missing something.
This has to be a prank.
Fucking Berdly.
Maybe they're secretly canadians?
Hello??? Ralsei!!!???
But what if though?
Who taught them to flirt like that???
On my life I got kabedon'd what the actual fuck.
No, there's no way.
And the back rubs???
He whispered in my ear I want to die.
BUT WHAT IF THO???)
"KRIS!"
They startle, heart jumping up to their mouth.
"Woah, hey Apples, 's just me." Susie grabs them by the shoulders. Her gentle grip and warming smile grounds them. "I tried calling you, like, three times, what's got you so inside your head?"
Kris smiles as their heart slows down from a sprint to a jog. Susie still hasn't removed her hands. "Just thinking."
"Sounds dangerous."
"What, thinking?"
"No, YOU thinking. Means you're scheming something nasty."
"Yeah, cuz Angel forbid enbys plan anything ever without being considered a nefarious plot."
They hold the stare for a solid 5 seconds before they break down laughing.
Finally, Susie sits down from where she's kneeling in front of them, looking out to the lake. Except that she's close, like reaaaally close. So close Kris would only need to lean slightly to their side to touch her. Even so, she says nothing, so Kris doesn't either.
The silence between them grows comfortable, lulled by the sound of the waves. Their thoughts quiet down in turn.
Susie coughs. "Soooo, you, uh, come here often?" her voice has a little tremble.
Kris raises an eyebrow, but doesn't think the question is that odd. "Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?"
"Ye-yeah..."
Silence.
"But like," Susie begins again, "er, stars, you know...?"
?
"What stars?" Kris asks, confused.
"Do you like them?"
"Yah, they're cool."
"So, like, point me your favorite one."
???
Kris looks at the midday sun.
"Susie, it's the middle of the fucking day," they say, deadpan.
"Shut up! I know that!" she snarls, scales slightly pink. "I mean like... Ugh, you stupid nerd!" she gets up to her knees again and shoves them, but Kris reacts and pulls at her. Susie, off-balance, ends up on top of them.
They both freeze, face close and yet unable to look away from each other. Somehow, they're holding hands.
Ah, their heart is now doing the Olympic 100 meters and going for gold.
Susie’s snout twitches, and she leans forward to take a deep sniff of their hair. She hums with satisfaction
!!!???
Her pupils are dilated, so round and clear Kris can see their ruby eyes reflected on them.
"Apples, what did I tell you about wearing that shampoo near me?" she chuckles, a confident tone in her voice far removed from her previous awkwardness. "I'm preeetty sure I told you I would eat your face."
Her smile is all teeth, sharp enough to tear flesh from bone. Her breath is heavy; she huffs like she's got her prey, and she's about to feast on it.
Kris has never felt hotter.
Susie drags her tongue slowly across their cheek, flicking it at their ear, and Kris can't repress the filthy sound that comes from them.
Susie smirks. "Tasty. You must be an apple, because you're really sweet, so hurry up and fall for me, yeah?" she gets up and leaves, fingers locked behind her head. "See ya later, Apples"
(Wait, what the hell? I leave for like ten minutes and this is what I miss?? God dammit!)
For once, Kris can't hear anything the soul said. The only thing they can hear is their heart pounding out of their ribcage.
---
Kris falls down on their bed. The softness of familiar sheets is the only thing that feels real now.
*(It must be a prolonged hallucination. Or I'm losing my damn mind)
(Nope, all those things did happen. Unfortunately, either we're both crazy, or we're both sane.)
*(Then we're both crazy)
(Nah, that's only what a sane person would say. Only crazy people think they're sane.)
Kris doesn't bother gracing that with an answer. They groan, sound muffled by their pillow.
*(What even was all that...)
(Kris, Are you deadass?)
*(Yeah?)
(Obviously, they were flirting with you)
*(Sounds fake. Why would they?)
(Oh I don't know, they must find you attractive, maybe? Ever thought about that?)
*(Sounds even faker. All of them?)
(Well, Noelle didn't.)
Finally, they agree on something. There's no way Noelle would--
Thwack
Their train of thought is interrupted by the sound of something tapping their window. Once, then twice. From the sound of it, someone's throwing pebbles at it.
Dragging themselves out of bed, they open the window and they get nailed in the forehead before they can say anything.
"Oh jeez, sorry!" Noelle whisper-shouts.
"Noelle?" Kris asks, nursing the spot.
"Hey there, Merry Krissmaaaasss!" the deer giggles. “Come on down!”
They pick up their phone to look at the hour. It's half before midnight. Kris is surprised that model-student Noelle is breaking curfew. Without them dragging her out for a midnight adventure that is.
"Sure." Kris vaults over their window, then drops down from the second floor. They hear a gasp, and instead falling to the ground for a sick roll, they're instead caught, suddenly finding themselves in a princess carry.
They look up to Noelle, finding her suddenly too close. "Kris! Don't scare me like that!" She admonishes them, yet she's chuckling. "Oh, I guess I get to make a wish?"
"Wish?"
"Yeah, because you're a star, and it seems you've fallen for me."
Blushing, Kris wiggles like a cat that doesn't want to be held. Noelle is forced to drop them, and they splat to the ground.
"Fhahahah, jeez!" Noelle giggles, "relax, Kris. Come with me." she bends down, extending her hand to them.
Their face still red when they get up. "Where to?" they ask as they dust off the dirt.
In lieu of an answer, Noelle goes to the woods, carefully stepping over overgrown roots.
They walk in idle chatter, ignoring any heavy topics and accompanied only by the whispers of the night. Kris reminiscences over the times where they would run around these woods as children. Kris sees their shades, running and playing without a care in the world.
And then, the forest opens up. There's a clearing, where they and their siblings would sit around and play.
It's been...
"It's been such a long time since we've been here, isn't it?" Noelle stops. In the middle of the clearing, there's two tree stumps, cut down long before they were even born and left as a testament of what it used to be. It’d been the stage for many childish adventures.
Kris doesn't answer, but it seems she's not done. "Back then, you were my only friend my age. We were inseparable."
She turns to them. "And then, we were not. We drifted apart, and we were only shadows of who we used to be."
Kris breath hitches. They try to say something, anything, but Noelle gently stops them, holding their cheek.
"But now, now you're back. Now I feel closer to you than ever! I missed you, so much so that I had to convince myself that I didn't so it'd hurt less." Now she's cradling their face with both hands, slowly drawing them in. Gently, she presses her lips to their nose.
She steps away. "See you tomorrow, Kris. We'll be in the Castle after class, so don't leave us waiting, okay?" And with a wink and wave, she left.
(... Holy shit, didn't know she had it in her. I'm so proud of that disaster lesbian)
Kris didn't answer.
(Kris?)
Their knees gave out.
(KRIS!?)
The impact of their body hitting the ground dislodged the SOUL like a badly placed picture frame on the wall.
Mouth agape, face burning red, and tears unshed in their eyes, Kris' SOUL literally left their body.
(KRIIIIIIIIIIS!!!)
---
"Kris!"
The teen startles awake. Warm sunlight filters through the classroom's windows. Everyone's already left, even Alphys. The only one remaining is MK, who shook them awake with his leg.
Kris was not able to get even a wink of sleep yesterday. So, naturally, the moment they got to their desk, they slammed their head against it and lost consciousness.
"Noelle said she'd be waiting," the lizard boy says as he leaves. Before he closes the door, he turns to look at Kris. "You guys are weird, you know?"
"Us?"
"Yeah, you, Noelle, Berdly, even Susie!"
"Is that so bad?"
MK huffs. "Who said anything about bad?" He blows a raspberry before running out.
There's no one left.
*(... It's time.)
Lancer is there to receive them when Kris enters the Dark World. "Blueberry! I'll be your personal chauffeur for tonight. Hop on!" Lancer pats his tricycle.
Kris smiles, searching their pockets. "Here, as thanks."
"Wow, a handsome LancerCookie! You kept it, and it came back to me, the world really goes round!"
(Say that again.)
On the way, they see Rouxls Kaard, gagged with duct tape and collared, walking hand in hand in between a happy weather couple. Or, throuple, once again.
*(... Good for them.)
Lancer drops them off at the gates of the castle. "Here's your stop, Chief"
There's a crude arrow drawn in chalk, and after that, another. Following the signs leads them to the recently opened grand hall. Butterflies fluttering in their stomach and heart beating with anticipation, they push open the double doors.
As the name implies, the hall is big enough to host all the Darkners that have come to live in Castle Town. It remains mostly in darkness, all but the candles near the entrance remain unlit
There's no fanfare, thankfully, nor surprises or grand displays.
There's just four of them, looking as nervous and flustered as Kris feels.
"Kris!" Noelle calls them.
There's a nervous tension building up in the room. Nobody moves an inch.
Finally, Susie loses it. "Gah, I'll start this off.
"Kris!" she shouts, and Kris can't help but fix their slouch. Imaginary dog ears stand up to attention (the tail wags). "I, uh, want! That is... " Susie loses steam midway. She looking anywhere but them, foot tapping unceasingly.
She tries again. "You are..." she sighs. Her expression turns tender, a soft smile that vanishes the darkest night. "You're my first best friend. You know? With you, I can just be myself, and not be scared that someone is going to punish me for it. I don't have to keep up a strong front all the time with you. It's like I had been standing my whole life and I just sat down.
“You get me, Kris. It's like we play ping pong with the last remaining braincell between us. If there's hell to be raised, I know you'll be right there with me.”
Something feels full and heavy in Kris' heart. But Susie isn't done. "I want to keep doing all that. And I'd also like to kiss faces with you, too! And, uh, stuff."
And there it is, the culmination of everything that led to this moment. "Susie, I--"
"Wait!" the lizard girl interrupts them, "I'm not the only one who has something to say. Can you, uh, hold your answer till then?" she gives a furtive glance to the others.
(Holy shit, chat, this is really happening. Chat clip this.)
[The player is just like that, none of this is being streamed.]
Kris agrees. Emboldened, Berdly takes a step forward.
__
AN: I give up. Sorry, Berdly fans. I like him, really, he's that fucking bird that i hate (affectionate), but he would just not cooperate after a whole month. So I'm just skipping his confession. You're welcome to post you own version in the comments.
[How dissapointing]
--
Noelle is next.
“Kris, after Dess… Left, we lost one another. You pulled away, when both needed each other the most. I'm not reproaching you, I'm not. I could have at least tried to reach out. But I didn't, and in our hurt, the distance between us grew so, so large.
“And yet! It took one afternoon in a strange world, and suddenly it was like none of it happened. You were still the person closest to my heart. And I never want to have that distance between us again.
“And if you'd like, I'd also want to kiss your face,” she stammers the last part, blushing hard. “And Susie's too.” she whispers.
“I'm sorry, what was that?” the lizard girl asks.
“Nothing!”
“She's saying she has a big fat crush on you too, Susie.” Kris decides to put a stop to this madness.
Noelle gasps. Susie's jaw falls to the floor. Berdly turns to stone.
“Kris!” she ineffectively hammers down her fists upon them. “You can't just say that!”
Susie snaps out of it with a shake of her head. “Yeah, Kris, come on, this isn't the time for pranks.”
Noelle freezes. Literally, snow falls around her like a snowglobe, icicles forming in her antlers. “Yeeeahhhh, a prank.”
Berdly… it's best not to guess what he's thinking.
Ralsei looks tizzy at this blatant disaster gay behavior.
Guess the madness will continue for now then.
(Ah, yeah, no don’t mind me, I’m going to be over here having a heart attack, talk to you later.) The SOUL went quiet, and Kris took its advice and ignored whatever deranged muttering they heard coming from it.
Last, but never least, Ralsei.
The boy had his hands behind his back as he is known to do, and his face had a perfectly serene smile. But something in the way of how he sways from one foot to another betrays his nerves.
He takes a deep breath. “Susie, would you mind standing besides Kris for this?”
“Dude?”
“Please.”
“... ok, sure,” Susie shrugs, and comes to stand besides Kris.
Satisfied, he begins. "Kris, Susie, neither of you are what I expected. You were supposed to be my purpose, my destiny. But you became my friend. You and Susie, you gave me Dreams and Hopes for a better future. For a future not written in stone. Just that would have been enough. It should have been enough. But I felt my heart become greedy, too.
"I want you both, Kris, Susie!"
Susie's mouth falls open yet again. At this point, they're going to have to fix her jaw shut.
"Closer than I should, closer than what is acceptable, closer than what you may tolerate. I tried to suppress it, lock it down, push it away. But these feelings would always come back.
"I would love nothing more that you may return even a fraction of these feelings. A-and if you don't, then please ignore them! I would hate for you to feel burdened by them and--"
"Ralsei!" Susie cuts him off.
"I would never disregard your feelings like that, and they could never be a burden to me."
"O-oh..." he looks happy.
Susie elbows Kris. "Hope I didn't steal your thunder."
They elbow back, smiling. "I'll just have to get it back from you later."
“And, Berdly, Noelle? I want to get to know you too. I'd like to be friends, and discover if deeper feelings could grow.”
The bird and the deer smiled in response. If anything could bloom there, time will tell. But that the fluffy boy was so cute was already a big plus.
Susie goes back to stand besides the others, but Kris holds her back. “Kris?”
They don’t answer immediately, simply holding her gaze. Words were sometimes hard for Kris, sometimes simply too much.
Not these words. These are words they’ve been holding onto for too long.
“I never once thought you were bad.” They claim.
“Wh- huh? The hell? Are you delusional or something now?” she asks, incredulous.
“You are mean sometimes, and violent. But I could tell you were just lashing out, I knew you weren’t a bad person. And it didn’t take you much to prove me right.
“Fighting on top of King’s castle, my body moved before I could think, but I knew I was doing the right thing. Your hope shines brighter than the sun, and I…
“I really like you, Susie.”
*(I love you)
They pull her down by the lapels of her jacket and place their lips on hers for the briefest of moments.
“And I’d love to kiss faces with you.”
Susie’s scales flush, a stupified smile on her face. “Ye-yeah, same. I mean, uhhh…”
Letting go, they zero on their next target. “It's bird season.”
Beardly squawks.
“You’re annoying, and your rizz meter is more like a metronome, jumping from negative to positive at a 150 bpm.”
“What!? Hey!”
“But you’re also a genuine person, with a front of superiority so flimsy it resembles a wet paper bag. I know that you’re in my corner, in the good and in the bad times. I could not ask for a better player 2.”
The poor bird looks ready to cry. “W-well, I…”
“I like you, Berdly.” they claim, before giving him a kiss on the beak.
*(I love you)
Noelle waits there, looking bewildered but happy, somehow. Suddenly, Kris smiles with familiar mischief and her heartbeat speeds up with both anticipation and dread.
“Noelle, I’ve had, for years, a big fat crush on you.” Kris confesses.
“WHA??????”
“Why do you think I pranked you so much?”
“Oh my god, pranks are your love language.” Noelle realizes with mild despair.
“Well, with you specially, you always gave me the best reactions. And you always looked happier after them.”
“Some of them were kinda traumatic tho????” her eyes go big and googly, and Kris can’t help but snort.
“I also didn’t have restraint, sorreez.” Kris knocks their forehead, cutely. Noelle is about to become violent. “But, seriously. I still like you. I never did quite stop.”
“But…?”
“But I pushed you away. I left you alone when you needed someone the most, and I— “
“Kris, no, I— “
“Noelle, it did happen. And I feel so guilty about it. I’m really sorry. I was not the friend you needed then.”
“... maybe, you’re right. It was an awful thing to do. But what hurt me most was not being alone, it was you being gone. And I’m never letting you go again.”
“I really like you, Noelle.” They hold her face in their hands and turn her down to press their forehead against her. Then, gently, they kiss her.
*(I love you)
And last, was the boy.
At last, was the boy.
Ralsei was waiting, a breeze gently pushed his fur and clothes. He waited, patiently, like he’s done all his life. But now there was an undercurrent of anticipation, of expectation that his existence has meaning outside of a predetermined path.
“When I first met you, I had a hard time trusting you.” Kris confesses. “You were, quite literally, too good to be true.” They both chuckle.
“But in those quiet moments to ourselves, I learned so much about you. About how strong you are.”
“Me? Strong?” Ralsei wonders.
“Mhmm. You are so much stronger than you know, and it shone at the darkest time. You’re strong enough to be kind. Strong enough to fight for love. And strong enough to be weak with me, with us.”
“I really like you, Ralsei.” Kris nuzzled against him, leaving small little kisses that made him giggle.
Finally, Kris steps back. Their crushes are in various states of endorphin-induced meltdowns. They're barely staving off their own.
“Soooo. I hope you all know I’m poly.” They scratched their nape, suddenly bashful.
“What, like it was supposed to be a secret?” Susie snorts.
“No, just making sure we’re on the same page and don’t have misconceptions about how a relationship like this is supposed to go.” They very obviously glance at Berdly, who squawks embarrassedly.
“You’re never letting that go, aren’t you.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Well, you were giving really strong hints during your flirting lessons, fahaha!” Noelle giggles. Kris groans, dragging their hands over their eyes.
“Please don’t remind me.”
Ralsei smiles sympathetically. “We had a meeting after, and came to an agreement to ask you together.”
“After giving me heart attacks all of yesterday!?”
“Well, we had to: ‘communicate our feelings’, try to gauge if you felt the same.” Berdly brushed off his embarrassment with a flourish.
“Well, I do. I’d love to date all of you.”
Kris did not smile like the sun. They always felt that a full blown smile looked creepy on their usually deadpan face, even though it happened on its own sometimes.
No, Kris smiled like stars. So small you could miss them if you were not paying attention, but still shining brilliantly over the firmament. A kind of smile that would lead you home, no matter where you are.
Heart ablaze, Kris smiled.
In love, and in hope, this story ends.
Fin