Chapter Text
Susie went into Kris' house ravenously hungry. Since she'd stayed later than usual by walking Noelle to the intersection, it was no wonder her stomach grew a hole.
The door was unlocked, and when she came in, she was greeted by a deadpan, uninterested Kris, munching on a slice of pie. "You sucked face with Noelle, didn't you."
"Ew, what the hell. I didn't suck any faces, dude."
Kris stared blankly. Susie plopped onto the couch, shaking the whole thing; their pie hovered in the air for a solid sec, together with them, only to land entirely within the plate with a squelch.
"Nah," she shook her head, "But I guess... things are fine between us, now."
"Fine, like you?"
"Dude, no. You couldn't sound more bored if you tried. Man, speaking of which, guess I gotta start flirtin' 'n stuff too, huh?"
Kris stopped chewing, speaking in a complete monotone with a fragment of pie still in their mouth. "Yo, what."
"Yeah, you heard me right, dumbass. Now gimme some of that pie."
"You were late. Pie's over."
"What do you mean?? Hand it over." Before she could turn it into a full-on brawl, Toriel walked into the living room.
"Oh, Susie! You're finally here! Kris told me you would be coming a bit earlier, but it's good you've arrived. The pie's just cooled down."
"Yeah, sorry about that, tutoring ran late."
"Tutoring? Right, Ms. Alphys did mention something about Noelle beginning to tutor you. You must've been working hard lately, hm?" she laughed.
"Working hard," Kris added blankly. Susie glared daggers at them.
"You deserve some pie for your work!" Toriel smiled, returning with a half-eaten pie after a brief moment.
The food did not stand a chance; the pie despawned on the spot. Neither of the observers commented, but Toriel was looking a little unsettled while Kris was giving Susie the biggest side eye the world had ever seen.
Toriel attempted to lighten the mood. "Hahah, if you and Kris were to compete in a pie-eating contest, I'm not sure who would win! Your love for pie is immeasurable. Anyhow, have fun, you two! I will be around if you need me." She retreated upstairs.
Kris jumped in her snout. "What do you mean, flirting. Explain. Immediately."
"What do you mean? Isn't this, like, what you told me to do? I told her how I felt."
"Holy shit." Their tone became quieter. "No way."
"Yes, way. What, you thought I was too wuss to do it? Nah," she grinned, sinking her back further into the couch. "Nah, I told her straight up."
"You?" They snickered.
"Yeah, got a problem with that??"
"No, no way. You're omitting facts."
"Nope, I literally told her: I like you, let's go out... dumbass."
"You did not call her a dumbass." They spoke in a deadpan voice, wearing a smile.
"Alright, what's it to ya? Who cares?? I didn't call her a dumbass- Stop laughing! I'll kick your ass."
"Like you kicked Noelle's?"
"Dude, I didn't kick her fucking ass!"
"I'm pretty sure you knocked her down if you said that to her."
"No, I did not??? She was perfectly standing- in her chair 'n stuff. God dammit, stop asking me about it!"
"Wow." They sat there, staring into the distance, holding the last bite of their pie. "Didn't expect it. At all. So, you made out or not?"
"Ew, no. I'm not gonna make out with her in an empty classroom, man."
"Sounds like the perfect place to me."
"Ain't no way. It's weird as hell. Y'know what, screw you, we're gonna make out on your desk. That'll teach you."
"I'll prepare rose petals and scented candles. Let me know when."
Susie's face scrunched up. "Uh, don't. I'm not gonna tell you when I'm making out. That's gross."
"More gross than smacking lips on my desk?"
"No one's smacking lips! Stop bringing it up!!!"
Susie crossed her legs, resting her arms on the couch. Kris quietly finished chewing the last of their pie, staring longingly at the empty plate. Susie shrugged. But then, they seemed to erase any trace of emotion from their body as they spoke, "Whatever, 'grats. Try not to destroy my desk while swapping spit."
"What the hell, man, where'd you learn to say all these?" She grabbed the remote, which was lodged within the couch, and turned on the TV, not willing to discuss any gross stuff like that with Kris, of all people. She switched to the Susiezilla channel and enjoyed watching the exaggerated, over-the-top destruction brought by her imaginary counterpart. An in-universe news segment began airing and showed a bunch of random numbers to call if the characters needed emergency evacuation. Susie was instantly taken out of it. "Damn, did you study for that test tomorrow?"
"I don't study for tests. I leave it to the demon inside of me."
"Yeah, yeah, like you aren't the demon." She reached out towards her bag, pulling out the material she'd been going through with Noelle. She stared at the papers, not really knowing where to begin.
"I'm not the demon."
"Got a pencil, pen? Whatever?"
"In my room. Give me a sec. Are you serious."
"What, can't I study for some test I got? Like, isn't that what people usually do?"
"That's really advanced on the nerd disorder scale, Susie. Just how in love are you?"
"It's got nothing to do with that, I just wanna show people I'm not shit, I'm shit and brains."
"Awful. Terrible. Horrid. Please don't eat my pencils, I don't want Noelle's drool on my stuff."
Susie got up suddenly, shaking the whole couch in her wake and ready to grab Kris by the scruff of their neck, before they scurried off upstairs, that is. Once they came back with their pencil case, she'd all but forgotten what she wanted to do, hyper-focused on picking what to write with, instead. She chose the candy cane pencil.
"Can't believe you're actually going to study in front of me. How offensive."
"Just ignore me or whatever. Talk with the friend inside you, stuff like that."
Susie checked out of the conversation, dedicating her full attention to going over what she'd studied. With the background noise of people screaming cartoonishly, she tried giving herself exercises. Yet, she had no idea how to begin. When Noelle did it, it seemed so easy, but as she tried to rack her brain, the numbers just ran away from her. She also couldn't find a comfortable position to write in; no matter what she did, the paper cracked under the tiniest pressure.
"Use the table. It's right over there."
"Sure. Thanks." She got up, barely sparing another glance towards Kris; she'd been completely taken over by the need to study, or rather, to do so well on the test that Noelle would've smiled. Not one of those pitiful, forced smiles, or the one that she showed whenever there was a pause. No, Susie wanted to make her smile from the bottom of her heart and wanted to enjoy the sight. She wouldn't have settled for anything else, even if she had to fight those damn numbers to achieve it.
She tapped the pencil against the table, already regretting it 0.2 seconds after starting. She already wanted five times five out of her mind and sliced in half. 'So, five times five is twenty five. Six times five... thirty.' She went further and further, until she just slapped numbers together and used her calculator to check whether her attempts were correct or not. She was steadily making her way towards the more complicated exercises that she and Noelle had left off on. The calculator didn't help much, since she didn't have access to the solving method; she had no idea how to apply it consistently. Noelle made it look easy with the examples she'd shown her, but other than that, it was a black void. Trying to solve them was like jumping into a pit and never coming back.
Susie ruffled her hair, glaring at the equations. 'Solve yourselves. Now.'
'Alright but what if the numbers were fries and you ate them, look, they're curly fries. Onion rings. Eat them, now.'
No fries nor onion rings in sight. Just the paper, filling up with more and more scribbles. Five times five was twenty eight again. What kind of obsession did she have with that eight?? It looked like a damn pretzel, that was for sure. Five looked like an angry doctor. Four looked like Kris the more she stared. Noelle was definitely ten, even if the other antler was missing; it just turned round 'cause she was so nice.
She got it! Eight looked like Ralsei. Round, fluffy head, and round body...? No, that was Lancer. What number would have been Ralsei, anyway?
She groaned, resting her head on the table, refusing to look at her notes, despite lying on them. Nothing she tried seemed to be working, and she was quickly getting overwhelmed with the desire to stop immediately. Her head began to hurt...
Toriel came into her line of sight, wearing pajamas. Susie scrambled to her notes, writing down some extra numbers. Toriel stood there at a comfortable distance, but Susie felt her stare, scrutinizing her every movement. "Uh, is there anything wrong?"
"No, no! I'm just pleasantly surprised. I do not think I've seen you study here before."
"Yeah, got a test tomorrow. Algebra. I wanna prepare for it."
"You have a... test?" Her gaze panned towards the Kris sprawled on the couch, their eyes glued to the phone as the TV roared in the background. "Either way, how is the studying going?"
Susie looked at her notes like they'd thoroughly defeated her. "Well, I'm kinda havin' trouble. Guess I'm not that smart and... it's catching up to me."
"Oh, Susie... It is admirable that you are trying to keep up. It must be difficult."
'Difficult? This is torture. Man, could Toriel even help me?'
She soon got her answer, and it seemed like a 'yes' at first. Toriel seemed familiar with the material, because it was basic math; however, for the way she presented it... Susie kept getting lost in her explanations, but Toriel dropped eye-opening remarks now and then, especially when Susie didn't get something simple.
"This is a predicament." "This...? But, did you not learn this years earlier?" "How were you able to pass the grade?"
And so on, things which Toriel waved off the instant they were uttered. She only wanted to help, and Susie felt terrible for not being able to get it. Why did she ever think she could do it, anyway? Just because Noelle got to tutor her for what, two days? She had years of slacking off and not paying attention in class, so ever hoping to catch up with anyone was a stupid idea.
"Oh, look at the time... Susie, have you considered taking a break? It seems to me you are getting too tired and cannot focus as well."
"Dunno, I don't feel prepared. And I need all the time I can get."
"Studious, but resting is also very important when working hard. I would say it is as much a part of the learning process as studying! Since it is getting quite late, how about you stay here for the night?"
"Cool. Yeah, sure."
"Still, you have to promise me: no more studying for tonight, alright? You need to let it sit with you for a while."
"Yes..." she side-eyed her notes, clinging to them with half a claw.
"Then, I hope you don't mind if I take these for the night?" She reached out to grab the papers. "I will give them right back to you tomorrow. Sleep well, Susie."
"Yeah, g'night, Toriel."
The lady giggled under her breath, heading upstairs and out of view.
Once Susie found herself rid of her notes, she inadvertently breathed out a sigh of relief. She looked towards the couch, Kris taking very little space since they had fallen asleep sitting up. Their bangs covered their face entirely, and Susie could barely hear them breathe.
She plopped down onto the couch, watching as they slightly bounced, their position changing into one half lying down. 'Yep, definitely asleep. Guess seeing me nerd out like that must've been pretty boring.' She didn't feel too bad about that. They deserved it for dropping the kissing thesaurus on her the instant she came in.
Susie made herself comfortable, fully expecting to enter a dreamless, deep sleep. 'Meh, it's just a test. Ain't no way I'm gonna start caring now.'
*
The next day, she woke up with her back hurting and her eyes bloodshot. She'd been unable to fall asleep for what seemed like forever, racking her brain on what could've possibly been on the test. It got so bad that she woke Kris up, and they went to their room to escape her night demons. In the morning, she hovered like a zombie over her toast.
Toriel offered to drop them both off at school, wishing them good luck on the test. But any luck would not have been enough in Susie's case, because her jaw dropped the moment she laid eyes on the test subjects. She could actually read some of the stuff on there, but for each symbol she was able to understand, there was another subject out of her reach. There was no way in hell she could've ever solved that sheet.
She scribbled in a hurry, writing clearly wrong answers on the exercises she had no chance at; she hoped what she'd practiced came in handy, at least. If not, then she was stupid for real. She handed in the test at the end despite feeling resigned to her fate.
Susie slept through the rest of the classes. Noelle was the only thing on her mind and also in her short, phasing in and out of consciousness dreams; her face would appear, sometimes just her smile- and Susie would jolt awake at the sound of the bell. That made the day pass faster, and it was finally time to see Noelle... not.
"Susie, since I have practice today... You don't have to come if you don't want to! It's just that w-watching me run, it could be boring..."
"Nah, it'd be fun. Watching you run, I mean. Wonder who'd win in a race," she grinned.
"S-Susie?? I- I'll do my best!"
"Don't sweat it. 'M not chasing you yet, so."
"Chase me????" She seemed baffled, if not offended. Did Susie say something wrong? "Gosh, my gosh, I- I'm going to g-get changed... See you, at track???"
"See ya." 'Man, she's so fast. No wonder she's like, doing running 'n stuff.'
After an awkward encounter with the coach, she ended up sitting on a bench at a sizeable distance from any action. When she felt them staring, she sprawled over the bench, asserting her dominance over it. Soon enough, Susie found out that watching something happen was far more boring than doing it yourself: warm-ups, laps, circles around each other, while Susie was stuck somewhere on the outside, forbidden from acting.
She was used to it, though. Not like anyone would've wanted her on a track team, or tolerated her in a simple ball game. Meanwhile, Noelle fit like a glove. She was a naturally good runner, if not the best on the team, and everyone gravitated towards her. During practice, there was always someone next to her, chatting her up or keeping her company. Susie watched from afar.
All of a sudden, Noelle's gaze locked with hers; her smile widened, and she waved excitedly, to which Susie felt she needed to wave back a little. 'Why look at me? I'm so out of the way. Focus on your running, dude, you're gonna trip.' Noelle proceeded to trip over her feet, but quickly regained balance. Susie laughed, but the coach was stern, scolding her for barely paying attention to her surroundings.
"Heh." She let out and watched for a bit more before she found herself staring into the distance, bored out of her mind. She pulled out her phone, searching for quick gratification, but she had no clue what to do. With her mind still filled with Noelle, she opened up a search engine.
'how 2 flirt'
And was greeted promptly by the 'no internet' warning. It seemed that 'how 2 flirt' was still not attainable. She had to learn somehow, didn't she? Isn't that what couples did?
'Are we a couple? Damn. God damn, I gotta get my game up.' A simple solution would've been to ask Kris, but she definitely didn't want to have that conversation. Not when they were so obsessed with the action of making out. 'Don't wanna get into that right now. I'd scare off Noelle. What can I even tell her that's like, a bit more? You look fine? You a ten? How would Kris flirt with a Noelle-shaped enemy?'
She quickly discarded that train of thought, getting a nasty shiver down her spine. Instead, she went back to watching Noelle pass every teammate in her vicinity. Hooves clopped against the track, breezing across it.
'Meh, I guess I'll figure it out later. This is cool as shit.'