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‘Kris! Kris, please. You cannot make it back by yourself like this!’
‘I-I’m fine.’
Susie dragged open her eyes, fatigue still heavy in her body. She turned her head towards the whispered voices.
‘Kris, let me … let me call Susie, please.’
Kris and Ralsei. Kneeling together on the floor of her room in the Castle.
‘C-cannot. Cannot tell Susie.’
‘Tell me what?’
Ralsei jumped at her voice. ‘Susie! You're awake!’ His bright pink eyes were clouded with worry and apprehension. He seemed to be supporting most of Kris’ weight, his arms holding them protectively.
Kris’ face was hidden, half-buried in Ralsei’s scarf, head resting on his shoulder. Their fist tightened on Ralsei’s robes when she spoke.
Susie sat up. ‘Tell me what? What's going on?’ she asked again.
‘Um. I … I …’ Ralsei stammered nervously, his gaze shifting between her and Kris.
Kris raised their head, bangs covering their eyes. ‘Nothing.’ Their voice sounded surprisingly weak. A barely there whisper through laboured breathing.
She stood up, narrowing her eyes at the two. ‘You cannot seriously expect me to believe that, dude.’ Anger and hurt and concern were buzzing under her skin.
‘It’s nothing.’ Kris said again, getting up on their knees. Ralsei tried to help but they gently pushed him away, attempting to stand up by themself.
Susie’s body knew what was happening before her mind did.
Kris dropped. Susie caught them before they could hit the ground. She cradled their limp body in her arms, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. She was, strangely, reminded of the way Spamton had fallen when he’d lost his puppet strings.
‘Kris!’ Ralsei shrieked. On instinct, both of them cast their healing spells on Kris.
Even through the double shower of green sparkles, Kris looked grey. Nothing happened.
Susie’s mind was still playing catch-up. She stared blankly at Kris’ face.
‘Susie!’ Ralsei was shaking her, voice frantic. ‘Susie, you have to take Kris back home! Right away!’
Susie looked at Ralsei. His eyes were tearing up again, looking almost as shattered as before. ‘You have to take Kris back to the Soul!’
‘Their soul? The hell are you talking about?’
‘There's no time to explain, Susie! You have to go, now!’
Ralsei put a hand on her arm, blowing open the doors with a gesture from the other. He flew them out and through the streets, back to the pillar of light at the entrance.
‘The Soul is in Kris’ room. In a cage, I think they said.’ Ralsei was practically pushing Susie towards the light. ‘Go! They need the Soul, Susie. They've been too long without it.’
Susie was still reeling from how fast they had travelled through Castle Town. She stumbled into the circle of light and began her ascent, Kris still unconscious in her arms. Ralsei stood at the bottom, worry etched across his features, hands clasped as if in prayer.
And then, Susie was in the light world. She looked down at Kris’ face. They were barely breathing.
Nothing made any fucking sense.
She decided to switch off her brain for now and do what Ralsei had told her. She adjusted Kris until she was carrying them on her back and set off.
At least it had stopped raining.
.
.
.
Oh. It was the red heart thing. That was the soul apparently.
Pulsing slow and steady, floating in the cage, just like Ralsei had said.
Why the hell was it here? When Kris had been in Castle Town?
Susie had sprinted across town as fast as she could, Kris getting heavier and colder on her back. The house was silent and dark now. Toriel and the grocery store dude must have finally partied themselves out. The window to Kris’ room had been open, so Susie had climbed in from there and laid Kris down carefully on their bed.
What the fuck was she supposed to do now?
Susie approached the cage cautiously. The soul did not react to her presence.
She picked the cage up, unlatching it. The soul continued glowing, impassive. She reached in and gingerly grasped hold of it.
Her hand encompassed it almost fully. Red light spilled through the cracks between her fingers. For a second, she saw herself standing in front of the shattered prophecy again, hand shot through with shards of glass and bleeding.
Susie was holding Kris’ soul in her hand. Their life in her hand. Literally.
And it felt like nothing.
She could see that she was holding it, but she couldn't feel it at all. It was like trying to hold light.
Susie took the soul out of the cage and brought it to Kris’ lifeless form. Guided by a vague tugging sensation, the only sensation she could feel from the soul, she placed her hand on their chest and pressed down. The soul phased through their clothes and skin.
Kris gasped, their eyes fluttering open. They took great, gulping breaths, as if they'd forgotten how to use their lungs and were learning to do so again.
‘Kris, hey, you okay?’ Susie kept her hand on Kris’ chest as they came to and tried to calm down. She could feel their heart beat, fast and panicked, in their chest. ‘You kinda scared me there.’
Kris raised a shaking hand and grasped hold of Susie’s. They stared at her in the golden light of the bedside lamp. A tense silence descended over the two of them, broken only by Kris’ still erratic breaths and the sound of the rain that had started up again outside.
‘Kris.’ Susie spoke again when she could no longer bear the tension. She knelt down next to the bed, to be level with Kris, her hand still in theirs. ‘What’s going on with you, man?’
Kris squeezed her hand. ‘Susie. I'm sorry.’
‘Don’t give me that. You nearly died in my arms, dude. What's up with your soul? The red heart thing? Ralsei knows about it. You left it behind and he knew that. Why couldn't you …’ Susie’s voice broke slightly. ‘Why couldn't you tell me?’
‘Susie, I -’ Kris’ breath hitched in their throat. ‘I can't.’
Susie’s eyes pricked with hot tears suddenly, anger rearing its ugly head again. She stubbornly tamped it down. She had learned that that would get her nowhere. ‘Kris, aren't we … friends?’
Kris didn't respond, just kept looking at her, grey eyes full of an emotion she couldn't place.
‘Heh, I - I'm not trying to force anything out of you, dude, just -’ Susie looked away, unable to keep up eye contact. ‘For once, I’d like to be in the loop, y’know? I'm always … the last person to find shit out. And this seems important.’
‘Susie,’ Kris whispered, voice like the shattered prophecy, like Ralsei’s frantic apologies. ‘I - I want to. I want to tell you. But I can’t .’
Susie reached out with her free hand and placed it gently on their head. ‘Why not?’
Kris drew a shuddering breath, closing their eyes. A tear trickled down the side of their face. ‘It’s not me.’
‘What do you mean?’
Lightning flashed outside. Thunder followed soon after.
‘The prophecy … called me a cage.’ Kris looked at Susie and smiled, a twisted, painful thing. She never wanted to see that smile on Kris’ face again. ‘Didn’t you wonder why?’
Susie nodded. She had been curious - but Kris’ expression back then had stopped her from asking about it. She'd tried to make them feel better by saying they should have been called ‘the cool.’
Kris sat up, one hand still holding Susie’s. The room lit up in another flash of lightning.
Susie watched, with mounting horror, as Kris violently slapped themself, then shoved their whole fist into their chest. She instinctually tried to stop them but they had a vice grip on her arm, holding her back. Kris panted heavily, yanking the glowing red soul out of themself again.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Susie hissed, fear and horror twisting up her throat at the visceral sight, making her nauseous. There was no blood. There should have been.
Why was there no blood?
Why could Kris … do this?
Breath rattling in their chest, sweat dripping down their disgusted and pained face, they held the red heart out in their hand, like they wanted to strangle it. Kris threw it back in the cage with a practiced motion, the latch automatically redoing itself from the force of their hatred. They turned to look at Susie again, eyes glowing red for a few moments before fading back to their usual grey.
Susie must have looked as terrified as she felt because Kris’ face immediately softened, letting go of her hand and placing their palm against her cheek. ‘Susie. It's okay. I'm okay.’
‘Don’t fucking lie to me, Kris,’ Susie gritted out through her teeth. ‘That was the most not-okay thing I have ever seen.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Shut the hell up and give me a proper explanation already!’
Kris shook their head. ‘Can’t talk here. They may hear.’
‘Who the fuck …’ Before Susie could voice her confusion, Kris had already gotten off the bed and begun climbing through the window. They paused for a second, perched on the windowsill, looking back at Susie before jumping out. Susie scrambled to follow them.
Kris had landed on their knees, with none of their usual grace. Susie landed on her feet beside them and helped them up. The rain was steadily pouring, drenching the two of them all over again.
Kris took Susie’s hand and dragged her through the woods behind the house, making their way through the trees, just until the house was out of sight. Not too far, thankfully. They were already wobbly on their feet and Susie was afraid they'd faint again. The canopy here gave them some protection from the weather. But it was dark as hell.
Susie took out her phone - a taped-together barely-working thing - and turned on the flashlight, illuminating the little space among the trees the two of them were standing in, wet and covered in mud.
Kris let go of her hand, turning to face her. They looked even more washed out and pale in the light.
‘So?’ Susie prompted, tapping on her leg, irritation barely veiled in her voice. ‘Why did you have to drag me out here? Who would have heard us in the house? Why did you remove your soul when you were just dying without it half an hour ago?!’
‘Susie.’ Kris wouldn't meet her eyes. ‘The Soul. It … it isn't me.’
.
.
.
Her first response, of course, was anger.
How could they? How could they hide something like this from her? How long had this been going on? Had any of it been real? How much more were they still hiding? Did Ralsei know all of it?
Ralsei.
A flash of him, crumpled on the floor, fear in his eyes. Blood and tears smeared across his fur.
Then Kris, standing in front of her, drenched in the rain. Impassive. Trembling.
They were trembling.
They were scared, too.
In a flash, she had her arms around them, lifting their shaking body off the ground.
‘S-susie?!’
‘Kris,’ she said, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘I just gotta know one thing.’ A waver crept into her tone. She couldn't help it. ‘Are we friends?’
Kris didn't respond. Not in words.
They dissolved into the most heartbreaking sobs Susie had ever heard. Rivalling Ralsei’s.
It was answer enough for Susie. Although she wished she didn't have to watch both her friends cry so much on the same day. And in some ways, be the reason for it.
She was so fucking tired. So fucking scared.
Everything she had learned today. Yesterday. The sheer weight of it all seemed to come crashing down on her.
Was this her fate? Heh, to experience genuine happiness for maybe the first time in her life, have friends and go on adventures, only to find out …
Suddenly her knees gave out and she almost collapsed to the ground, still holding Kris as they fell apart in her arms. She wanted to say something - something to comfort, something to reassure, like she'd tried for Ralsei back in the church (had it worked? she hoped it had) but the rain was too loud and she could no longer think.
.
.
.
‘Don’t push it, Kris.’
‘Just a little longer.’
‘... okay.’
The rain had stopped and so had Kris’ tears. The sky had begun gradually turning lighter.
The two of them sat together under a tree on the muddy forest floor, leaning against each other, Kris’ head on Susie’s shoulder, Susie’s head on top of theirs. They were holding hands, fingers intertwined.
‘There’s more stuff you aren't telling me, isn't there?’
Kris was silent. Tense.
Susie sighed. ‘I can't say that I fully understand, Kris. But I hope you know. I'd rip the world apart if it meant keeping you and Ralsei safe.’ She nuzzled into Kris’ hair. Apples and rain. ‘You can tell me when you're ready.’
Kris pressed themself closer to her. ‘How can you … be okay with this?’
Susie snorted. ‘I’m not fucking okay, Kris. I just found out that my … best friend is being controlled like some freaky puppet. By a being beyond any of our understanding. But …’ Susie placed a palm against Kris’ cheek and lifted it to face her. They looked like a smudged drawing in the grey dawn light. ‘You’re still you, Kris.’
‘I’m not,’ Kris whispered. ‘I don't know what I am.’
Susie shook her head. ‘You’re Kris. You're my best friend, dude. I … kind of understand now what Noelle was trying to say yesterday morning - when the Soul speaks you sound a bit different. And maybe, I hadn't gotten to know you without it. But, I can tell, y’know. I can tell that it's still you.’
Kris stared at her. Their eyes were the same colour as the morning light.
Tears began dripping down their cheeks again.
‘Hey. Enough of that.’ Susie wiped their face with her jacket sleeve. ‘You’re not alone, Kris. Neither is Ralsei or me. We're a team, right? We'll always stick together. No matter what.’
Kris wrapped their arms around her, burying their face in her neck. She held them tight.
No matter the stupid prophecy. No matter the stupid Soul. No matter whatever else decided to stand in their way. Susie would not let anything take this from her.
She refused. She refused. She refused.
Kris mumbled something into her shirt.
‘Huh? What was that?’
They lifted their head to look at her. A small, sincere smile on their face. ‘You called me your best friend.’
Susie flushed. ‘Y-yeah I did. Because you are! What of it?’
‘Nothing.’ Kris leaned back into the hug. ‘You’re mine too.’
Kris was often trying to get under people's skin and fluster them. Somehow, their sincerity this time made their words harder for Susie to handle.
‘Alright, dude, get off me.’ Susie pushed them off, carefully looking anywhere but at their face. ‘We should head back before you pass the hell out again.’
Kris took a deep breath and nodded. Susie stood up and stretched, brushing some leaves off of her pants. Her clothes were a lost cause - completely drenched through and absolutely caked in mud. Kris was faring no better.
Oh well. Time to do laundry, she supposed.
She started giggling at the thought. She had just learned about the world ending and five other horrifying things and now she had to do laundry.
Kris tilted their head at her, confused and mildly concerned.
‘Laundry,’ she wheezed out, laughing harder at their face. ‘We gotta do laundry.’
Kris looked at her and then down at themself. A grin split across their face.
Yeah. They got it. They always got her, with or without words.
If she'd just stopped being an ass for five minutes back when she'd first met them, the two of them could have become friends far, far sooner.
Wouldn't that have been something?
Kris slipped their hand into hers, still grinning. Together, they made their way back to the house. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.
‘You … don't mind if I stay, right?’
‘I want you to.’ Kris looked up at the open window to their room, sober again.
Susie squeezed their hand. ‘Come on, then.’
She had to help Kris climb up, before making her own way in. The Soul was exactly as it had been left, but it looked far more sinister to Susie now.
Kris pulled out a towel and some old pajamas from Asriel’s dresser and handed it to Susie. Quickly, the two of them dried themselves off and changed. Susie gathered up all the dirty clothes and dropped them into a basket that Kris indicated.
‘We can deal with that later.’ Kris sat down on the bed. ‘We should get some sleep while we still can.’
Susie nodded, sitting down on the floor.
‘What are you doing?’ Kris seemed surprised.
Susie frowned. ‘I’m not sleeping in your brother’s bed, dude. That's weird.’
‘Well, you're not sleeping on the floor either, dumbass. Get up.’
‘Where the hell am I supposed to sleep then? I don't want Toriel to wake up and find me on the couch.’
‘No, I meant,’ Kris pinched the bridge of their nose. ‘Just get up and help me.’
Kris got off the bed and began dragging their mattress down to the floor. Susie, still confused, gave them a hand. Then they turned and started dragging the mattress from Asriel’s bed down too.
‘What are you doing?!’
‘We’re having a sleepover, dammit. I want us to be comfortable.’ Kris paused their efforts, panting.
Susie pulled the mattress the rest of the way down, sliding it to be next to the other one. ‘You sure this is okay?’
‘I no longer care about what is okay. Mom clearly doesn't.’
Susie smothered an awkward laugh. ‘Fair enough.’ She sat down on one of the mattresses, arranging the pillows that had fallen with them.
Kris went over to the cage, standing there and contemplating the Soul for a few seconds. Susie could see them tense up before retrieving the Soul from the cage and shoving it back into their chest. They stood there for a few more seconds, head down.
‘Kris?’
‘Yeah.’ Kris came and sat down next to Susie. They smiled, a slightly bitter undercurrent to it. ‘It’s dormant yet.’
‘You mean, they're not here?’
‘Probably not. Can't be sure though.’ Kris stretched out and laid down, turning on their side to still be facing Susie. She followed suit.
‘You said it can't hear you speak, right?’
‘Yeah. They can hear everyone else.’
‘But you can speak without it telling you to?’
‘Sometimes.’
Susie reached out and grasped hold of Kris’ hand. ‘We should come up with a code or somethin. For when you wanna talk to us without them knowing.’
Kris looked intrigued. ‘What kind of code do you suggest?’
Susie yawned and closed her eyes. ‘Dunno, man. That's your job to figure out. You're the nerd.’
Kris chuckled softly. ‘Alright. I'll let you know when I come up with something.’ They squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. ‘Goodnight, Susie.’
‘Night, Kris.’
Susie didn't know what the future held in store. Or rather, she knew exactly what the future held in store. But that was stupid and she was not going to let that happen.
For now, she’d sleep here, in Kris’ room. When they woke up, they'd get ready together and go to the Festival. Noelle would be there. They'd all have fun together. Then they'd go to Castle Town and have another nice tea party with Ralsei.
… Maybe she'd visit him once in the morning too. Just to tell him that Kris was okay. He'd been so worried for them.
Yes. That's the plan. That's all that would happen.