Chapter Text
There was… so much going on with Kris’ current predicament.
Their hair was tied up out of their face, they had their sunflower facemask on, and a new color of polish was settling on their nails. It was purple. Purple like Susie’s scales, and her jacket, but with a slight tone of pink just like in the Dark World.
For some reason, when Kris thought about this, it made their heart skip a beat. Their literal one – not the one that had been forcing whatever agenda this was onto them.
—
Susie and Noelle had decided to have a “girl’s night out,” and that was something that did not include Kris. After everything the Soul had been trying to do, they were kind of glad that they weren’t invited out. That, and they didn’t wanna steal the spotlight from Noelle… She had been wanting to hang out alone with Susie for so long. And after what happened in Castle Town…
Regardless, they had some time to themself. With the Soul successfully locked up in the cage, and Noelle thinking the whole game show thing was another dream, they took to doing what they did best when they ripped their soul out of their chest.
Eat all of the pie, drink chocolate milk, and doomscroll. Basically, spend their time alone the best way they could. And though they’d rather hang out with Susie, it was still nice.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
…
Kris dragged themself out of bed, just about ready to jump out the window. Before they could go downstairs to see who was knocking at the door – it was only around 6pm – they heard Toriel shout.
“Kris! Your friend’s here! He says he wants to see his, uhm, ‘Player Two!’”
Kris hurled themself out the window.
Running through the forest, they didn’t even have a set destination in place. Everything in their body ached after their tumble, but it really wasn’t that far of a fall, and they had dealt with worse. Though, everything did feel a bit more numbed without the Soul inside of them.
Where could they even go, they wondered? Would Susie and Noelle let Kris stay with them? Or would they kick them out of the girl’s night activities? They could stay in the basement…
All of a sudden, they were at the Holiday residence. The house was large and overbearing and the air made them chilled to the bone, but to Kris, it was welcoming. They knocked once, twice, before Noelle answered.
“Oh… Kris. Hi,” Noelle said.
Kris bored holes into the ground.
“Escaping Berdly?” She laughed.
Kris nodded pathetically.
Kris was let in after that. They were led up to Noelle’s bedroom where Susie was sitting on the floor, splayed out on her back like a starfish. They took this chance to walk in like they owned the place and collapse on top of her.
A small Oof! sound was all Kris heard before Susie’s arms closed them off from getting up. Noelle snickered as she sat beside the two of them, and Kris could hear rustling and the crinkling of a package. Only once Susie loosened her grip could they look off to see Noelle. She was taking a facemask out of its package.
The facemask was yellow and had brown seed(?) looking things on it. Kris must’ve been staring a bit too hard, because Noelle noticed and said, “Hehe, it’s for you, silly! It’s the sunflower infused one. I thought it fit.”
“Sun… Sunflowers?” Kris said.
“Sunflowers,” Noelle repeated. “The yellow reminded me of you.”
Kris stared even harder. They had never used something like that before. Susie sat up with them still in her lap, causing them to fall forward a bit. Their hair fell into their face and their bangs were so long by now that it fell into their eyes.
“Oh, damn, should we tie all this up?” Susie asked, sliding her hand over Kris’ forehead and bunching their hair up.
Noelle smiled. “Yep! Here, take this and put it up like a, uhm… Like a unicorn horn!”
Susie did just that. Taking the hair tie that Noelle was shoving in her direction, she held up Kris’ mangy bangs and tied it up like Noelle had instructed. Kris only fought her a little bit (a lie. They fought her a lot, which ended with them facing her instead of Noelle). Once their hair was up and out of their face, Noelle turned them around and stuck the mask on.
Kris cringed a bit at how cold it was. And how wet, too. It was nothing like regular facewash and just a tad uncomfortable. They’d power through, though – they were used to being uncomfortable, and it wasn’t that bad. At least they didn’t have fur.
Just when they thought it was over, Susie was thrusting some small bottles in their direction. There were a bunch of pastels and… Christmas colors. Right, this was Noelle Holiday’s collection. Kris looked through the choices and saw a few that stood out. Pastel’s really weren’t for them, and they primarily used black polish, but the ones they saw now seemed perfect.
One in particular seemed perfect, anyway.
It was purple. Purple like Susie’s scales, and her jacket, but with a slight tone of pink just like in the Dark World. It might’ve just been their favorite color.
For some reason, when Kris thought about this, it made their heart skip a beat. Their literal one – not the one that had been forcing whatever agenda this was onto them.
Kris smiled at their hand while they applied it, a real, genuine smile. Susie hugged them from behind as they were still sitting in her lap, and they leaned back into her. Humming, they held out their hands with the color now on. Susie nodded approvingly against their shoulder.
“I like it. Looks like me,” She said.
“I know. That’s why I like it too.”
…
Well. They didn’t mean to say that. Was that the Soul? Or was that them? They couldn’t tell. For the time being, they’d blame that little red parasite. Kris’ eyes opened wide and they glanced at Noelle, who was awkwardly organizing the pastel bottles of nail polish in rainbow order.
Kris once again had embarrassed themself and made Noelle feel like a third wheel in the process. What a great friend they were.
“Noelle, are you done with your nails?” Susie said.
“Oh! Uhm, yeah. Why?”
“C’mere!”
Susie reached forward and pulled Noelle into her lap as well. Her legs were going over Kris’ now, and they were all tangled in a mass of limbs and smiles. Noelle’s face was bright red and it was like every hair on her body was standing on edge. Kris laughed at the sight. Susie sighed contently and Kris felt her entire body release the tension.
There was definitely something that the Soul was trying to prove here. Maybe it was that Kris loved Susie, maybe it was that Susie loved them… maybe it was some secret third thing.
They just had to wait and see, Kris supposed.