We All Support the Team

by asgorudy

Summary:

This is a revamped and (hopefully) continued version of a work I orphaned a while back with the same name.

"It's a small town, son, and the news travels quicker than wheels."

Noelle Holiday has been grieving her missing sister for two years. Suddenly, she’s grieving another disappearance that happened under eerily similar circumstances.

Meanwhile, Kris Dreemurr finds themselves in an unfamiliar darkness, and becomes allies with December Holiday in a search for the way out.

Playlist: Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube

Chapter 1

Noelle knew there was no Hometown baseball team anymore, yet she was still drawn to the abandoned field that used to hold games that the whole town would go to. Despite the size of the field, it stood untouched, weeds growing everywhere. Untouched by everyone but Noelle, she supposed. 

She liked to imagine that maybe, just maybe, she’d run into Dess in the field, practicing her swinging like nothing ever happened. But she knew that would never happen. Dess had gone missing years ago, and there was no trace of her ever since.

Something strange that Noelle noticed before Dess disappeared was that she didn’t act like herself in the days before. She said things she’d never say, did things she’d never done before, and was just… distant. It confused Noelle. It’s like Dess was a shell of who she really was, being controlled by some other force. 

As she sat on the empty bleachers, she found herself staring into the distance, tears forming in her eyes. Dess would be in college now. Noelle remembered her telling her that she had been wanting to play baseball professionally, maybe start a rap career, and get famous. She played back the memory, smiling bittersweetly.

 

“Hey, Elly,” said Dess, striding into Noelle’s room. The then twelve-year-old Noelle Holiday clutched her tablet to her chest protectively. She’d been drawing, but she didn’t want anyone to judge her.

“Relax,” Dess said, noticing Noelle’s tenseness. “I ain’t gonna bite. Whatcha doin’?”

“Drawing,” Noelle said shyly.

“Can I see?” she asked. Noelle nodded and turned her tablet around. 

“It’s my favorite ship. From Dragon Blazers…” Noelle said, averting her gaze. The art was of two strong-looking, blushing women holding hands.

“Oh, type shit? That’s my favorite ship too!” Dess said excitedly. “You know, you’ve got an excellent taste in ladies. Strong and protective, but big ol’ softies on the inside. Gotta respect that, Ells.” 

Noelle met her eyes and laughed, blushing slightly. “Y-yeah….”

“You’ve got a future in art, I tell ya. I couldn’t draw for shit at your age, still can’t. But ya know… college is comin’ up real soon for me. I mean, junior year, that’s when shit gets serious. You wanna know what I’m planning?”

“What, Dess?” Noelle asked.

“I’m gonna be famous,” Dess boasted. “I’ma play baseball, like, in the big leagues. And if I can, I’ll be a rapper too. I can see it already. Wanna hear my rapper name?”

Noelle giggled and nodded.

“Alright. Lemme know what you think…” She drummed her hands on the bedframe. “D-E-Double-Dollar! Y’know, spelled like Dess, but with dollar signs instead of the S. That sound cool?”

Noelle laughed. “Yeah! It really gives off your personality.”

“Ha! Yes! I knew you’d like it,” said Dess. “Well, Azzy’s been dying to hop on Minecrap with me, and I’d best not keep him waiting. See ya, bud.”

“See you.”

 

Noelle wished she could have those times back. She just wanted to see Dess again. She wanted to see her become successful, but it seemed like that would never be.

After crying for a while, Noelle stood up and brushed the leaves off her shirt. She sighed. Better get going before Mom freaks out, she thought. She walked over to the gate, pushed it open, and headed towards the town hall.

 

***

It’s dark. I can feel the presence of someone. Someone familiar. Yet, I have no control. I’m being dragged further and further away from them and there’s nothing I can do.

Chapter 2

Notes:

This chapter is VERY short. It also has another flashback. I'm not gonna put one in every chapter, but I add them when I feel like it. Enjoy!

When Noelle arrived at her mother’s office in the Town Hall, Carol didn’t look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the screen of her laptop, and she was holding her phone against her ear with her shoulder. Noelle knew what that meant: it’s serious, don’t interrupt.

“No, Toriel, I haven’t seen your child. Yes, I’m looking into it,” Carol said through gritted teeth, her voice strained with stress. “Are you sure they aren’t at a friend’s house?”

Noelle peered at her curiously. “What’s h-”

Carol stuck a finger up, silently saying “stop talking!” as she listened intently on the phone. “Okay. You’ll need to talk to the police, not me. You already did? Well, give them a minute. They’ll have it under control. You’re welcome. Bye.” She hung up.

“Noelle, could you step out for a moment? I’m trying to handle serious business here,” Carol said.

Noelle nodded and left the room, wanting to protest but knowing better than to do so. Her words on the phone left a pit in her stomach, and she suddenly felt nauseous. Was Kris… missing?

Now that she thought about it, Kris had been acting very strange lately… almost the way Dess had acted before she went missing. No, no, it had to be a coincidence. Maybe they were just out late with Susie and forgot to tell Toriel and she freaked out. She decided to call Kris, hoping to clear up any misjudgment she may have had. She held her breath as the ringback tone went on and on for what felt like an eternity, then switched to voicemail. They hadn’t changed the recording in years, so she was met with a younger Kris saying, “Hey. Kris Dreemurr here, leave a message, and if you don’t, well, just don’t look under your bed tonight!” That used to scare her when she was a kid, but it was nothing compared to the fear she felt now. She remembered her last day with Dess, how… forced it felt, and how similar she realized her last day with Kris was, too.

 

Noelle was seated at the kitchen table, eating dinner with her family as she did every day. But something was different this evening: instead of the usual lively family chatter, everyone was silent, the only sounds being the quiet ticking of a clock and the scrape of a fork against a plate. Noelle looked over at Dess. She looked tired, and she was pushing a carrot around her plate. Her gaze flickered up to Noelle, then came back down. Noelle swallowed hard; despite her closeness to her sister, she found herself being too shy to say anything.

Her father, Rudy, broke the silence. “Dess, bud, I thought you liked carrots. What’s got you looking so disgusted?”

Dess looked up at him. “Oh, I’m not disgusted,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Just… tired. Don’t worry.”

Noelle thought this was strange. Dess never talked like that, and her smile was unnerving. She knew her sister’s smile-- an infectious, playful grin that could make someone laugh just by seeing it. This was… a grimace. Someone else’s face. They stayed silent for the rest of the meal, and Dess excused herself to her room, saying she wanted to go to sleep early.

Noelle never saw her again after that.

***

It’s been dark for so long. I’m losing my concept of time. But I know there’s someone else here, a new face. Suddenly, there’s a bright light, and I see a figure, desperately searching for something.

Chapter 3

Notes:

Hello!!! This chapter is focused on Kris. The story will switch POVs every once in a while between Noelle and Kris.

Two chapters in one day is crazy, so don’t expect this to happen all the time. I’m lowkey hyperfixated on writing this right now, but my ADHD brain will probably slow down in a few days. Enjoy!

Kris was finally themselves again.

But at what cost? They thought as they stumbled through the darkness. It was a darkness even they couldn’t see through, and they could really use a flashlight or something.

Suddenly, a bright light emanated from their chest. This had happened before— but never when they could control it. They took advantage of this light, not stopping to question it, and began to search for someone, anyone who could tell them where they were.

After looking for a while, they turned a corner and heard a gasp of pain and surprise. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw an antlered silhouette. “Noelle?” They called out, surprised by their own voice. They had almost forgotten what it was like to speak.

The figure whipped around towards them. “Wh… where? Where’s Noelle?” its raspy and tired, yet hopeful, voice said. Kris recognized it; it was a voice they hadn’t heard in years, but they knew who it was.

Dess.

“Wait… who the… who the fuck are you?” Dess asked. “How’d you get here?”

Kris stepped forward. The last time Dess had seen them, they were still a confused twelve year old boy with an unfortunate haircut and a squeaky, cracking voice.

“I’m Kris,” they said. “Kris Dreemurr, I mean. Your neighbor.”

Dess shook her head in disbelief. “No way! You’re Azzy’s weird little brother? You’re so… grown up!”

Kris’s face flushed. “Um… yeah… but, I’m, uh, not his… brother,” Kris mumbled. “I’m non-binary.”

“Oh! My bad, gang. It’s been a while, I didn’t know you came out,” Dess said, rubbing the back of her neck apologetically. “But, um… how long has it been? Being here’s messed with my grasp of time.”

“Two years,” said Kris. Dess gasped audibly. 

“Two years? I-I thought… I thought it was just, like, a month!” she said, her voice breaking. “Damn it, I’m boutta cry, man! H-how… how’s Noelle? And Dad?”

Kris swallowed a lump in their throat. “Noelle’s… okay, I guess. She’s doing better than she was a couple years ago, but she has her moments. She really misses you. A-and, your dad…” their voice trailed off.

Dess’s face dropped. “What? My dad what?”

“He’s really sick. The doctors say he’s… not gonna live for a lot longer.”

Dess froze. “He’s dying…?”

Kris nodded sadly. 

“No! Oh, fuck, no!” Dess shouted, breaking down into sobs. “And let me guess, Mom’s perfectly fine, being her normal bitch self?! And you’re telling me I’ll have to get home to her and not Dad?”

Kris nodded. They had never seen Dess this upset or angry before.

“I’m so sorry, Kris, I don’t want to cry like this,” Dess sobbed. “I’ve been holding it in for so long.”

“Dess, it’s okay to cry,” said Kris. “And… your mother really misses you. I know it’s hard to believe, but she’s just as upset as Noelle. She just shows it differently. Susie tried to play your guitar, and she got upset at her.”

Dess paused, her expression softening. “Susie? Who’s that?”

“Oh, right,” Kris said. “She’s my best friend. She moved here really recently. Noelle really likes her, you know.”

Dess looked at Kris. “What’s she like?”

Kris chuckled. “Well, she’s really strong. She’s not afraid to beat somebody up if she feels like they need it, especially if that person was being mean to her friends. She’s a big old softie on the inside, I have to say. She hates when I say that, but it’s true,” they said.

Dess laughed tearfully. “Oh, Noelle,” she said wistfully. “That’s always been her type.”

Kris smiled, a genuine smile that reached their eyes, crinkling their face. It surprised them. They had forgotten what it was like to smile.

The two were silent for a moment, then Dess spoke up.

“How’d you get here?” She asked. “I haven’t found an entrance or exit. I’ve just… given up, I guess.”

Kris sighed. “I don’t know if you’re gonna believe me on this, but something was controlling me,” they said. “Then, it led me here. It was that old bunker, but when I went inside, I fell through the ground.”

Dess nodded. “I believe you. Something controlled me too, I think. I felt almost dead, and it was like I was some sorta puppet. I couldn’t control what I said or did at all.”

Kris listened intently, feeling a kinship begin to form with Dess. “Do you think… we can find a way out? Together?”

Chapter 4

Notes:

WARNING: This chapter has a brief scene depicting child abuse.

I swear I'm gonna focus on the baseball part next chapter!! Just wanted to set up some things :]

A couple days passed, and there was no sign of Kris. It saddened Noelle, but she knew it affected Susie the most. Noelle felt awful for her, so she decided to visit her apartment.

She rang the doorbell, and instead of Susie, a large, blue reptilian man with large wings tucked behind his back appeared at the door. He had a gruesome looking scar-- claw marks-- across his snout.

“What do you want, Holiday?” he asked, his voice gruff. 

Noelle’s eyes widened at the mention of her name, but quickly remembered her family’s good reputation in the town and relation to the mayor. “Um, hello. My name is Noelle. I-Is Susie home?”

“Yeah, and what gives?” the man asked rudely. “Scram, before I kick your ass!”

Noelle’s nose twitched in fear and she backed away, apologizing profusely. Suddenly, she heard Susie’s voice, raspy and heavy with tears, yet defensive: “Dad, let her in!”

The man, Susie’s father, whipped around towards her, his dragon-like wings flaring out. “You can’t tell me what to do, brat,” he growled. “Go back to your room and cry like the baby you are before I give you something real to cry about.”

Noelle’s ears flattened, and she slunk lower. She thought her mother was strict, but this was different. There was no “tough love” in his voice, no protectiveness, just mocking.

“No,” Susie stated firmly. “ Let me talk to her .”

Susie’s father let out a frustrated roar and swung his arm at Susie, who maintained her firmness even so. “You don’t scare me. Let her in.”

“Fine,” he said. “But any funny business, any at all, you’ll be sorry you ever even looked at her.”

Shaking, Noelle walked through the doorway. Susie motioned for her to follow into her room, which she did. 

“Sit,” said Susie quietly, flopping onto her bed. Noelle sat down next to her. She was shocked at the bareness of the room; there was almost nothing in there.

“How’ve you been holding up?” Noelle asked, her voice gentle.

Susie sighed. “Not good.”

“I’m sorry,” said Noelle. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Susie fidgeted with her hands, her large claws tapping against one another. “Yeah. I guess. It’s… it’s just so weird. I don’t know what could have even happened to them,” Susie said, her voice cracking. “They wouldn’t leave like this, not without telling anyone.”

Noelle nodded. “W-when my sister went missing, I thought the same thing. And… I think there’s a connection,” she said.

Susie looked up. “What do you mean?”
Noelle explained her suspicions on the similarity of Dess and Kris’s disappearances. Susie listened intently, her eyes widening.

“Holy shit,” Susie said. “I-I knew something was off with them, but like, I didn’t wanna believe it.”

“I know. And I’m thinking that whatever happened to Dess happened to Kris too. We just have to figure out one of the disappearances and then we’ll know the other.”

“We?” asked Susie.
Noelle blushed. “Um, yeah, if you want… I mean, I know Kris’s your friend…”

Susie nodded, her expression turning confident. “Yeah. I’ll help.”

“Okay. First, let's ask around and see if anybody saw where Kris went before they disappeared,” Noelle said steadily. “We might be able to get some valuable information.”

The two headed out, with, surprisingly, no interference from Susie’s father. Susie chuckled and told Noelle, “I’ve got experience with sneaking out.”

They decided that their first stop would be the hospital. When they arrived, they were greeted by the doctor, Big Red Mouth.

“Hello, Noelle,” they said. “Are you here to see your father?”
“Um, not yet,” said Noelle. “We wanted to ask you about Kris.”

“Kris?” Big Red Mouth said, their mouth-- or rather, entire being-- pressing into a line. “I haven’t seen them in a few days. They did come here regularly for a couple days before they stopped. What happened?”
Susie looked down at the floor. “They’re missing.”

“Oh, no! I knew something was off. I have to tell you, they seemed really sick when they came in those last few days. They couldn’t even play the piano right, which was pretty shocking. Something was really wrong with them, but I couldn’t tell what,” Big Red Mouth explained.

Susie and Noelle absorbed the information carefully.

“So, you’re a doctor… and you still couldn’t tell what was wrong?” Susie asked.

“Correct,” they said. “I hope you find some answers soon. I don’t have much else to tell you.”
“Okay. Thank you,” said Noelle. She began to head for her father’s hospital room. 

She knocked on the door to the room, and Rudy’s weak voice said, “Come in!”-- surprisingly cheery despite all else going on.

Noelle came in, followed by Susie.

“Oh, look at you,” Rudy said, laughing softly. “You brought your girlfriend?”
Noelle’s face flushed. “Dad! She’s not--”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m just teasing,” he said. “Hey, you know what? Asgore’s brought me more flowers! The old ones didn’t even have time to even think of dying!”

Susie glanced at Noelle, then Rudy, her face suspicious. Noelle hid her face in her hands, horrified that her crush had been revealed. She let out a sigh of relief when Susie said: “And they’re… roses? What, does he like you or something?”

Rudy laughed. “Oh, Susie, you have no idea.”

Susie snorted, a sound of surprise and amusement. “Wow. I was just joking, damn.”
Noelle giggled. “It’s complicated. Um… anyway, I came to ask you about something.”

“And what’s that?” Rudy asked. “I’m all ears.”
“I-It’s about Kris, and…” she paused. “And Dess.” She said this last part quietly, nervous to bring her up.

Rudy’s face turned solemn. “I know. It’s all so similar, isn’t it?”

“You know?” Susie asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Rudy confirmed. “I noticed that they kept visiting me, which was strange, considering they rarely ever come unless Toriel tells them to. And as far as I know, Toriel hasn’t said anything about me. And they looked… off, and kept asking me random questions that they normally wouldn’t be so curious about. Some of them, I knew they already knew the answer to. It was weird, and now that they’re missing, I can’t help but think of Dess…”

 

I’ve found an ally. I hope we can find our way out.

Chapter 5

Notes:

I haven't been writing as frequently for the past few days because I've been at school. In fact, I was actually sick last week, which is why I was writing so much--there's pretty much nothing else to do when you have COVID, lol. Here's what I've written for the last couple days, which is NOT a lot!! It's kinda nothing burger when it comes to the main plot but it's got some backstory snippets and Dess & Kris interactions. Here's to hoping AO3 doesn't get blocked on school Wi-Fi so I can post more!

Kris and Dess had been walking for some time, and it was clear there was no obvious way out. Dess, feeling exhausted from walking for so long, decided to stop and chat with Kris.

“How’s the team been doing without me? You know, the Heroes?” Dess asked.

Kris sighed. They hated to be the bearer of so much bad news, but she deserved to know. “They disbanded. There’s no baseball anymore.”

Dess rolled her eyes. “Of course. Nothing’s happened in my favor, huh?”
Kris shook their head. 

Dess sat down. “Damn.” She thought for a moment, then spoke. “You know, being here for two years… it really gives a girl some perspective on things. And now, all I want is to say goodbye to Dad. He deserves to see me one last time.”

Kris nodded slowly. “Yeah. Don’t worry-- I’m sure you’ll be able to,” they said, trying to sound like they had confidence, which they didn’t really have. “We just have to figure out where to go.”

Dess smiled slightly. “I hope you’re right, man.”

Kris decided to change the subject. “I’ve never been to one of your games before,” they said. “What was it like?”
“It was super cool. To me, it sorta felt like the only time the town felt like… a community, or whatever,” Dess explained. “Pretty much all the townspeople would come watch. It was a lot of fun just to see everybody with that Hometown Heroes spirit.”

“I wish I could’ve gone to one. I would always just stay at home as a kid. No matter how much Mom or Azzy tried to convince me, I’d just laze around on my phone.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Dess teased. “But seriously, you’ve grown a lot, I can tell.”

“Thanks,” Kris said sheepishly. Dess grinned.

“You know, you’d think being alone in the dark for two years would drive me crazy. I mean, I guess it did a little, but… I’m still Dess. I’ve still got dreams, feelings, my irresistible wit and charm, all that. I’m still--” she chuckled--”D-E-Double-Dollar.”

Kris laughed. “Good to hear. I think everyone will be thrilled to see you again once we get out of here.”

“Yeah. I miss everybody,” said Dess. “Speaking of, since it’s been two years, Azzy’s in college, right?”

Kris nodded.

“What’s he gonna major in? Probably something nerdy, I know that for sure.”

“He’s not actually sure. He has a lot of ideas, but he can’t stick with one,” Kris said. 

“Damn. It’s weird how the world just expects you to know what you wanna do with your life, huh, Kris?” Dess said. “I mean, I know I wanna play baseball, and I know I wanna rap, but, like, maybe I won’t hit it big, you know?”

“Well, your mom’s already rich. You have an advantage,” said Kris. Dess’s eyes narrowed at the mention of her mother.

“She won’t give me money,” Dess stated stubbornly. “She fuckin’ hates me. She thinks I’m gonna spend it on weed or something.”

Kris tried to come up with something to say, but they realized they didn’t know enough about Carol to speak for her. “Do you?” They ended up asking.

“Sometimes,” Dess grumbled. “But even if I didn’t, I’m an adult now. She doesn’t need to boss me around.”

“That’s because you weren’t an adult the last time she saw you,” Kris said matter-of-factly. “She’ll understand when you get back.”

“I bet she will,” Dess said sarcastically.