Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

6:04 A.M.

Kris listened to the steady heartbeat of the clock, ticking away toward an unknown future. They stood staring absentmindedly out the window at their backyard. The sun poked its head above the horizon, causing the birds to rejoice at its arrival. The warm glow outside was only contrasted by how dark the inside of their house was.

They took a sip from their coffee mug. They had to go to school in a couple of hours. If it were up to them, they would rather stay standing there for another seven. Twirling the spoon inside their coffee cup around, they leaned forward and rested their arms against the kitchen counter.

The one benefit of solitude was predictability. They didn’t have to worry about ruining anything if they were alone. There was some comfort in that.

It was a calm morning.

Kris took another sip of coffee. They watched a bird perch on a nearby tree branch. It bobbed its head curiously around, probably looking for another branch to perch on. Rustling its wings a little, it took off, soaring overhead and disappearing out of view.

The shadows from the leaves of the trees cast a faint pattern along Kris’s sweater. Every small gust of wind that came through made the pattern come to life, gently swaying it around like a swingset. Kris set their coffee down and held their hands out, letting the shadows run along them. This was somehow more entertaining than getting ready for school.

Kris raised their hands slightly, watching how the shadows twisted around their arms. They felt like a shapeshifter, morphing their body into something more…

They heard a faint gasp come from behind them. Kris quickly lowered their hands and looked over their shoulder.

“Ah… sorry, dear. You frightened me a little.” Toriel laughed to herself.

“Sorry…” Kris took another sip of coffee and faced toward the window again.

She flipped the light switch on. Kris winced at the sudden stream of brightness, shielding their eyes. Toriel yawned and began rummaging through one of the cabinets.

“Do you want something to eat?”

Kris nodded. 

“I’ll make some pancakes then.”

Kris’s eyes lit up. They could already taste the pancakes before even seeing them. Looking back up at the clock, their eyes lit up even more.

6:47 A.M.

Had they really stood there for nearly an hour?

Kris shook their head, moving away from the counter and setting their coffee down at the dinner table. They moved over to their backpack, opening it and peering inside. Toriel softly hummed to herself while stacking the pancakes on top of one another. She opened the microwave and set the pancakes inside.

“Hey, Kris?”

They raised their head.

“Did you want the chocolate pancakes or the regular? Because we ran out of the chocolate ones…”

“Regular is okay.”

She nodded, moving over to the sink to wash her hands. Kris overheard her talking to herself.

“I thought we had more chocolate… someone must have eaten them all… oh well.”

Toriel resumed her humming. Kris went back to getting their bag ready. They took out various assortments of school supplies, making sure they were all in place. Opening one of the pockets of the bag, Kris pawed through the various erasers, pencils, and candy wrappers they had buried within. 

They uncovered a pencil with a candy cane pattern. Kris quickly zipped the backpack up.

After a minute, the microwave started to beep. Toriel moved away from the sink and took the pancakes out. The smell coming from the kitchen was heavenly. Kris nearly sprinted over to the kitchen and took their seat. She laughed, setting the pancakes down in front of them. Before Toriel could even sit down, Kris was already halfway through the first pancake.

“Slow down, dear! The pancakes aren’t going anywhere!” Toriel held a hand up to her mouth and giggled.

Kris seemed to only speed up in response.

“Well…” She yawned. “I’m glad you like it.”

Toriel rested her chin against her palm and warmly smiled at them. Kris started on their second pancake. They loved the way their mother fixed them. The ones at the diner didn’t taste as good as hers. Even the ones at the fancy restaurant they had visited a while ago weren’t as good as hers, though they were still pretty tasty.

Kris’s mind became so preoccupied with pancakes that they hadn’t realized they had eaten them all. They jabbed at their plate, looking for any stray crumbs that they had left behind. 

Suddenly, Kris heard what sounded like… snoring? They looked up at Toriel.

She had fallen asleep while holding her head up with her hand. Toriel’s head began to fall to the side slightly, and she quickly woke up. Blinking, she looked over at Kris’s confused face and laughed.

“I wasn’t out for long, was I?”

“No.” Kris said. “Only a few hours.”

“A few-?!” She looked up at the clock. “Oh..! Hahaha… very funny.”

Kris took their fork and plate, bringing them over to the sink. They turned the faucet on and began scrubbing the plate. 

“Are you teaching today?” Kris asked.

“No…” Toriel yawned. “Oh..! That means I can drive you to school!”

Kris held the fork under the tap, letting the water run over it. 

“Do you want me to?” She asked. “I won’t walk you in this time, I promise.”

Kris paused for a moment, remembering yesterday when half the school watched Toriel take them by the hand and lead them to their classroom. They shuddered at the thought.

“Sure.”

But they couldn’t refuse.

“Alright! I’ll go and get dressed then.” Toriel got up from her seat and went upstairs.

Kris turned the faucet off. They set the plate and the fork in the drying rack. Looking back up at the clock, they read the time.

7:18 A.M.

They made their way to the living room. Kris went back over to their bag, picking it up and setting it against Chairiel. They looked on at the huge chair in wonder. It had certainly earned its name, since it was probably one of the largest objects they had in the house. 

A thought began creeping up in the back of Kris’s mind, one that they couldn’t ignore.

They took a seat on Chairiel and immediately sank backward. They tried to lean forward, but Chairiel kept pulling them back in. Kris struggled, flopping around in the seat in an attempt to sit up straight. Chairiel kept them sunk in place, no matter how many times Kris tossed and turned. They didn’t give up, though, continuing the stupidest fight of all time with the giant chair.

“Wha-” Toriel, of course, walked in right on cue. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Trying to… sit…” Kris strained against the mighty foe, pushing their body forward.

Toriel couldn’t help herself, breaking out into laughter. They felt their face heat up with embarrassment. Kris slid off and ran over to the couch, sitting down defeatedly. Another win for Chairiel.

“Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure you’ll be able to sit there one day.” Toriel giggled, sitting down on Chairiel herself. “It just takes a little practice, that’s all.”

She looked over at Kris who had their eyes fixated on the front door. 

“Would you like to leave now, dear?”

“I would love to.”

“Alright!”

Toriel walked over and handed them their bag. They slipped it over their shoulders and headed out the front door.

Chapter Text

“Have a great day at school, honey!”

Toriel waved goodbye to Kris, blowing a kiss in their direction while she drove off. She had left them standing out in front of the entrance of the school, where, of course, everyone was gathered around.

“Look, look!”

“It’s them.”

“How embarrassing…”

They didn’t need to hear much else to know they weren’t wanted there. Kris quickly made their way to the side of the school, moving out of view from the rest of the students who seemed to be admiring the spectacle. 

They slid their bag off their shoulder, sitting down and leaning against the wall. One minute into stepping onto school grounds and they were already exhausted. At least their mother couldn’t see them like this.

Kris sighed, pressing the back of their head against the stone brick wall. Taking out their phone, they checked the time.

8:19 A.M.

Almost time for class. They swiped open their phone and looked around for something to do. Their gallery was empty, so they couldn’t stare at pictures of food, their weather app was somehow broken, and their contact list was so barren it may as well have been empty. They opened their contacts anyway.

Surveying the list of phone numbers, some obvious ones came up. Their mother, of course. Catti’s, from the time the two of them had tried summoning a demon with a chicken egg. Temmie’s, from the time they had asked her for a chicken egg to summon a demon with. And finally, the pizza place’s number.

One name did catch their eye. They thought they had removed it a long time ago.

noelle

For some reason, her name was in all lowercase. They figured they didn’t know how to capitalize letters on a phone back then. With slight hesitation, they tapped on her name and opened their text messages.

noelle

rjiogkmdfsxcmvoimijjjjjjjjjjj

Kris

wat

noelle

hiiiiiiii kriiiiissss

Kris

hi

noelle

w+sdaecfxzDFLpplfd549vcplpl[l[gfbv;;

And that was their entire messaging history. Kris was surprised at how intelligent their conversations were back in the day. They exited out and opened up another one of their text messages, mentally preparing themselves for the stupidity they were about to see.

Catti

kris.

Kris

catti.

Catti

you spoke to temmie, correct?

Kris

yes

Catti

did she give it to you?

Kris

give me what

Catti

the summoning device.

Kris

oh i forgot to ask her

oops

Catti

idiot.

Kris

sorry

They thought back on the whole occult incident, remembering how Catti thought she was about to make a breakthrough. She had wholeheartedly believed that the magical spells she had been practicing were actually going to work on the chicken egg, and that a demon would reveal itself. The egg began to crack, and Catti assured Kris that it was about to happen. She had cast the final spell, raising her hands in the air with mystical power.

And then yolk came out. 

Kris laughed a little too hard at it, got kicked out of her house, and the two of them stopped talking to one another.

What a fun memory. Kris exited their text conversation with Catti and tried to open Temmie’s, but remembered that she had always preferred to voice call. They contemplated reading through their messages with their mom when they overheard a conversation from the other side of the wall.

“... you know about that abandoned church in the…”

They perked their head up. The word “abandoned” was enough to seize their attention.

“... was told it’s haunted… not allowed inside…”

Kris knew exactly what they were talking about. Past the graveyard and deep into the forest there was a church that had been constructed probably a hundred years ago. It hadn’t been in operation in decades, so naturally it had begun to fall apart. No one was allowed inside since it was too dangerous to walk around in. Any stray wooden plank or chandelier could fall on someone’s head and instantly kill them.

As children, Noelle used to dare them to go inside. Kris never did, always being too afraid.

“... should see what happens if we…”

They couldn’t make out what the person was saying. However, it sounded eerily close to “lock inside.”

They heard the bell begin to ring. Kris put their phone away, picked up their bag, and began walking to class.

* * *

Kris watched the rest of the students pour into their classes. They hung back a little, not wanting to get caught in the crowd. Swiping open their phone, they quickly checked the time.

8:28 A.M.

They made their move, going in the direction of the class marked “MS. ALPHYS” in bright, colorful letters. Brushing past a few daydreaming students, they made their way into the classroom.

Awkwardly enough, they had somehow gotten there before everyone else. The only other person in the class was Ms. Alphys herself, who was writing the date on the chalkboard. 

“Oh! G-Good morning, Kris!”

“... good morning.”

Their voice came out more monotone than they had wanted. Alphys glanced over her shoulder at them and gave them a slight smile in response. Kris made their way over to the table in the corner of the room, sitting down and slumping over on their desk.

They could hear Alphys muttering various things to herself, deciphering words such as “homework,” “attendance,” and something called “Mew Mew.” She went over to her computer and typed a few things before moving back to the chalkboard to finish writing the lesson plan.

Kris’s favorite thing about her was how she always left them alone. She never called on them to answer a question unless their hand was raised, and she never picked on them for popcorn reading. The two mostly interacted in private. That made her one of their favorite teachers.

Suddenly, the rest of the class started to come in. Kris recognized notable faces like Jockington and Monster Kid, along with a handful of others who they hadn’t learned the names of. Alphys tried her best to greet as many of them as she could, though the greetings were rarely reciprocated.

“H-Hello Berdly! Good morning, Catti! Salutations, S-Snowy!” Alphys sounded like an auctioneer.

“Good morning, Miss Alphys!” A familiar voice chimed.

“Ah, good m-morning to y-you too, Noelle!”

She took her seat near the front of the class and began taking out her school supplies, arranging them in a neat order. Kris looked around at the other tables in the room. Every table in each row had a student placed at one of them. Kris sat alone in the back of the room, but there were a few other tables near them that were unoccupied. They would usually be taken over for poster projects.

There was one other student who sat across from them in the back of the class. Kris didn’t know her name.

“A-Alright class! I do have an important announcement to make, so p-please take your seats!” Ms. Alphys took control of the room, the talking coming to a stop.

“Now, we all remember the books we have been reading for our outside reading assignment, correct?”

The class responded in bored agreement. Kris hadn’t even chosen a book yet.

“G-Good! Because… you’ll be doing a project about it!”

Everybody groaned in response.

“Don’t get upset yet! B-Because… I’m making it easier for you…” Ms. Alphys began writing something on the chalkboard.

It was a date. One placed exactly a week from now.

“You will all be working with a partner!” Ms. Alphys said excitedly.

The class seemed slightly more interested now. Kris put their head down on their desk.

“I-It’s due in exactly a week… I’m expecting all of you to create posters of the outside reading books you’ve been… well, reading… and I w-want a review of their plots!” She wrote out the words “plot review” and underlined them twice.

Kris pretended to fall asleep, hoping that they would actually pass out for real.

“Are there any questions?”

Nobody raised their hand.

“T-Then you may find a partner-”

She was abruptly cut off as people began flocking to the front of the room. Kris raised their head up.

“Guys, guys!! I can only have one partner!” Noelle laughed, holding her hands up.

“Come on, please Noelle!!” A needy student begged.

“I’ll do actual work this time, I promise!” A lazy student proclaimed.

Kris watched Noelle while she tried her best to calm the crowd.

“Haha!! I promise I’ll work with you on the next project, okay?! Oh jeez..!”

Noelle nervously glanced around the room. Kris nervously glanced over at her. Their gazes met for a split second, and Kris immediately looked away.

“Uhh..! Haha… um… Okay! I pick Berdly!!” She decided.

“What?!” One of them cried out.

“Berdly!?” Another pouted.

“Yes, Berdly!” She looked over at him. “Berdly, is that okay?”

He mumbled a response that Kris couldn’t hear.

“Great!” Noelle cheered.

The crowd of Noelle’s superfans dispersed, picking partners among one another. Kris got up, realizing that there was no way of getting out of this mess. They would have to just find someone themselves. 

Walking over to Catti, they cleared their throat. “Hey, Catti. Do you want to-”

“Taken.”

She raised her hand at them as if she was casting a forcefield around herself, blocking them from interacting with her.

“Oh. Okay.”

Catti went back to ignoring them, typing away at her phone. Kris sat back down at their desk. They were going to have to ask their mother again for help-

“O-Oh! Nice to see you, Susie!”

The student who sat in the back of the class appeared in the doorway. Her name was Susie. Alphys quickly greeted her.

“W-We’re doing group projects this week and, um…” Ms. Alphys nervously glanced around, surveying the class on her tippy-toes. “Class!?”

Everyone went quiet.

“D-Does anyone not have a partner?”

Nobody raised their hand. Reluctantly, Kris raised theirs.

“Ah! K-Kris! You can be Susie’s partner for the group project!”

Kris nodded and lowered their hand back down. Ms. Alphys flashed them a thumbs up and went back to her desk. Susie shambled across the room, taking her seat across from them and staring at the wall.

Out of the corner of their eye, Kris thought they saw Noelle looking regretfully at them from across the room.

* * *

The final bell sounded throughout the school. Kris quickly packed their things and left, not wanting to linger around longer than they needed to. The rest of the school day had gone fine, but one thing was bothering them. They were slightly nervous about the group project. Kris hadn't even picked a book yet. In fact, they had forgotten about the project’s existence entirely. Hopefully Susie had better ideas.

They looked around for her, wondering if they should wait around and talk to her about it. Kris decided against it, seeing a crowd of students begin to walk in their direction. They headed out of the entrance of the school.

“... there they are.”

Kris overheard a familiar voice. They stopped dead in their tracks. A group of students who were in a higher grade stepped out in front of them. These were the same group of kids who had been giving Kris trouble for weeks. A tall, lanky kid with a rat shaped face and a black varsity jacket called out to them. 

“Hey, kid!” He curled his finger toward them. “C’mere.”

They backed away, looking for a way around them. The group of kids stood directly in front of the school. 

“Didn’t you hear me?” He was growing agitated. “I said come here.”

Kris shook their head.

He chuckled. “Okay.”

Suddenly, the group moved in on them. Seizing their arms, the pack pulled them away from the school. Kris struggled against them, trying to tear themselves away. The mob only jerked their body around harder.

They tried to cry out for help, but nothing came out. Kris tried to scream, but one of them clasped a hand over their mouth. They had no control. It was no use. There were too many of them. All they could do was listen to the sounds of their maniacal laughter while they were being dragged away from town.

They were being pulled deeper into the forest, heading in the direction of the abandoned church. Kris panicked even more, flailing around and pulling away from the hands that were gripping their arms. The group just kept laughing, their grasp on their clothes tightening even more.

They had reached the entrance to the abandoned church. The group threw Kris to the ground, backing away from them. The leader of the group, whose face was definitely a rat’s, stepped out in front of them.

“Soo… Kris. I’m gonna present you with two choices, okay, pal?”

He took out a flashlight and held it out in front of them.

“Option one. You can go inside there with this flashlight.”

He raised the flashlight over his head, as if to strike them.

“Option two. You can get hit over the head with it and go in there without one.”

The rest of the group broke out into hysterical laughter. Kris was shaking.

“So what’s it going to be, huh?

They raised a weak hand out, accepting the flashlight.

“Good answer!! Very good answer!” The rest of the group cheered. “Now… go inside.”

Kris stood up, turning toward the church.

“DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!” The mob chanted.

It was getting dark out.

Kris slowly walked forward, approaching the front door. They reached a trembling hand out and turned the door knob. Pushing open the door, they flicked their flashlight on, trying to make out anything in the darkness.

!

They were suddenly shoved inside. Kris fell forward, dropping their flashlight and landing on their stomach. By raw instinct, they immediately turned around, rushing toward the front door.

“HAVE A NICE STAY!” The leader slammed the door shut in their face.

Kris pounded their fists against the door. They cried out for them to stop, their voice suddenly returning to them at the worst possible time. What sounded like a chain being wrapped around the entrance could be heard, along with frantic laughter.

They fought back tears, pushing their hands against the door as hard as they could.

It wouldn’t budge.

The sound of crunching leaves began to fade in the distance.

Chapter Text

Their hands were beginning to ache. They felt like they had been slamming their fists against the door for hours. They had tried everything. They tried kicking the door. It wouldn’t budge. They rammed their shoulder into it repeatedly. It wouldn’t budge. They dug their nails into whatever crevice they could find, desperately trying to pry the door open. It wouldn’t budge.

It was pitch black. It was cold. The air was suffocating. Their heart was pounding. Kris didn’t know what would get to them first, starvation or hypothermia. They collapsed in front of the door, gasping for air. 

…

They were going to die.

…

No.

Calm down.

Kris sat against the door and reached into their pocket, pulling out their phone. They opened their homescreen and navigated to their contacts. They called their mother.

…

No signal.

They turned their phone off and put it away. Kris tried to look around in the darkness. They couldn’t see two feet in front of them.

The flashlight. They dropped it when they were shoved inside.

They began dragging their hands along the cold stone floor, feeling around for what may be their last hope of escaping. Kris flinched, feeling their thumb brush against something. They picked up the foreign object and felt it, realizing it was some kind of wooden chip. Useless. They tossed it away, searching more.

Their breathing was frantic. There was a possibility that it had rolled away from them when they fell over. Kris prayed it hadn't. They kept searching. It was all they could do at this point. The floor was covered in dust and debris of all shapes and sizes. They reached out, grabbing something in the darkness that felt metallic.

Suddenly, Kris felt something crawl up their hand.

They panicked, getting up and shaking their hand violently. Kris backed away, bumping into a table. They didn’t feel anything on their hand anymore, but they noticed something. While they were backing up, their foot had brushed against something on the ground.

Their eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see the outline of the object beneath them. Kris reached down and picked it up.

It was the flashlight. Kris tried turning it on.

Nothing.

They shook it and tried again.

Nothing.

Kris hit it a few times. 

Still. Nothing.

It was hopeless. The flashlight that they had been given was dead. Why offer them a flashlight that works? So they could find a way out?

They had gotten so disoriented that they didn’t know where the front door was anymore.

Kris sat down on the floor. They were beginning to shiver. They held their sides, trying to keep themselves warm.

It was so quiet. So dark. So cold.

And then something moved.

It was subtle, but Kris noticed it. Something in front of them. They backed away. The ground began to creak. They were walking on wooden floorboards now.

Kris kept their eyes trained in front of them. They weren’t seeing things. Something was there.

It moved again.

Kris took another step backward. The floorboards beneath them felt like they were shaking.

It knocked something over.

They flinched. They couldn’t keep this up forever. They were going to hit the wall behind them at any moment.

It moved once more.

Kris took a step back,

and felt their foot sink beneath the floor.

They nearly fell over from the sudden shift in balance. Kris was held in place, their foot being caught. Kris tried to twist their foot but immediately stopped, feeling splinters dig into their shin. They reached down and tried pulling their leg up, but it wouldn’t move.

Suddenly, the floor around them began to shake violently.

Kris pulled their leg free, but they were too late. The ground beneath them suddenly gave out. They began to fall.

Their body wouldn’t let them scream before they hit the floor.

* * *

They stirred. 

Pain shot through their entire body. Their ears were ringing so badly that the world around them sounded muffled. They had the wind knocked out of them, but they were so disoriented that they couldn’t tell they weren’t breathing right.

So they lay there.

Eventually, their hearing came back to them. What sounded like the fading echo of a tower collapsing could be heard in the distance. It must have come from their hard fall.

Kris tried to raise their head. They winced, sitting up slowly. Their head was pounding. Adjusting their eyes, they looked around. Somehow, they had managed to fall into a basement full of trees. Trees with scarlet red leaves.

They must have died and gone to hell, they thought. Nothing about this felt right.

The pain was starting to leave them. Kris began to get up, until they got a good look at their hands.

They held their hands out in front of them in awe. Somehow, they were suddenly made out of steel. Looking down at their arms proved the same thing. Their legs, their chest, every inch of their body was covered in armor. A magenta cloth had been wrapped around their neck. Kris tugged at it curiously, noticing blue streaks had been woven neatly into the pattern.

Looking down at their right arm, they noticed something strange. Some kind of mechanism was attached to their outer forearm. It was metallic, sharp, and looked like a hook of some sort. Kris had no idea what they were looking at.

There was something else, however. Kris felt an odd feeling, like someone tugging at their face. They reached up, pressing their hand against their cheek, and felt cold steel touch back.

They were wearing a helmet.

Kris used their newfound steel gauntlets to push themselves onto their feet. For some reason, they felt strangely energized, like a supernatural sugar rush. They looked up, trying to see if there was any way they could climb back up. Nothing but a dark sky looked back at them. Looking down at their feet, they noticed that they had landed somewhere odd. 

Amongst the scarlet trees that surrounded them, there was a clearing that broke the repetition of dirt and gravel with stone brick tiles. The stone was shaped circularly, as if it were meant to match the hole they had just fallen out of.

Kris kept this area in mind. It might just be their only way of getting out of wherever they were and returning home. And with that, they made their way into the forest.

It seemed to stretch out for miles. Kris carefully traversed around dangerous structures like big rocks and small ponds, staying on guard in case an actual danger presented itself. It was unusually quiet. Kris expected to hear at least an occasional bird in the far distance, but there was nothing.

There had to be something here. They didn’t just stumble upon a world under a world only for it to be nothing but trees.

They wondered what their mother was thinking. By now, she probably had half the police department looking for them at the very least. She was always calm and rational like that.

The more important topic was eluding their mind. How did a place like this even exist at all? It didn’t seem real, but Kris had to believe it simply because it felt real. If this wasn’t reality, then what was it? Kris didn’t want to think about the alternative. If they were dead, they would look like a ghost, not a knight.

They looked back down at their right arm, trying to figure out what exactly the hook thing was. Kris tapped it with their pointer finger, expecting it to come to life and start talking to them. It remained quiet instead. They shook it a little, hearing a tiny rattle come out of it. Grabbing onto the hook part, they stretched it out, noticing a thin cable on the end of the hook.

Kris was about to try wrapping it around themselves when they came to a stop.

They noticed a string of web connected by a pair of trees dangling right in front of their eyes. Kris looked past it and noticed even more. They were connected all along the trees, spiraling out into various intricately made patterns.

Kris ducked under the web and continued walking, seeing even more in the distance. They seemed to only increase in both size and amount. Whatever was creating them was no ordinary spider.

Looking back down at their special arm, they went back to trying to figure out what the device was. Maybe the hook was for fishing? Or for scratching your back? Or for climb-

!!!

They heard a loud string snap. Kris was suddenly taken upside down into the air, getting snatched up by a thick layer of webbing and encased in a cocoon. They squirmed around, trying to break free, but the webbing was tight. They could barely move.

The sound of approaching footsteps made their blood run cold. They couldn’t even face the noise, listening to it grow louder from behind them. The closer it got, the less it sounded like footsteps and more like skittering.

“Hello..?” A high-pitched voice made itself known.

Kris didn’t answer.

“Oh dear… I do apologize. Are you alright..?”

They stepped out in front of Kris, causing them to flinch. Eight dark pairs of eyes stared back at them. The spider’s jaws clittered together as they inspected Kris like fresh prey.

“Can you… talk..?”

The voice was very misleading. Did it belong to the spider?

“I-I’m sorry if my appearance frightens you.”

It belonged to the spider.

“I’ll get you down. I apologize, again…”

Kris was gently brought down from their cocoon. The spider, which appeared to be standing on two legs, raised its hand. A flame appeared to spark out of its fingertips. Kris began to squirm around in fear.

“Don’t be afraid! This is for the cocoon.”  The spider tapped the webbing with its finger, setting it aflame. “See… it doesn’t hurt.”

The webs slowly turned from white silk to charcoal black, burning away and allowing Kris to use their limbs again. They slowly sat up, facing the talking, bipedal spider.

“Ah, I got so caught up in the moment I forgot to introduce myself!” It took off the green hat it was wearing. “My name is Ralsei. I am… well, I was known as the prince of the dark.”

Kris only noticed now that he was wearing a pair of glasses with eight different lenses. He had on a green cloak with the symbol of a heart, along with a pink scarf that drooped down to his legs.

“Um… do you have a name..?” He asked.

They hesitated.

“... Kris.”

Ralsei appeared to smile. “What a nice name!”

“Thanks.” Kris stood up, brushing off any remaining cobwebs that clung to their suit.

Despite the rough introduction, Ralsei seemed like an alright guy. He could have kept Kris strung up to eat for dinner later, but instead, he chose to release them. Though if he was setting up traps, that meant he wasn’t the only one around.

“Um, excuse me..? Kris?”

Kris tilted their head.

“I… oh, how do I say this…” Ralsei fiddled with his thumbs for a moment, fumbling over his words. “You’re stationed somewhere close by, right..?”

Kris had no idea what he was talking about.

“I mean somewhere in the city?”

They shook their head. “... no, I’m not from around here.”

“Not from..?” Ralsei’s eyes widened. “Then how did you get here?”

“I, uh…” Kris rubbed the back of their helmet. “I fell out of a hole in the sky."

He looked at Kris in what looked like complete horror for a moment.

“No… you can’t be..?” Ralsei began pacing around. “No… no way…”

He started mumbling unintelligible things to himself. Kris didn’t know what to say to calm him down.

“Can you show me where you landed?” Ralsei asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Kris turned around. “Over here.”

They followed the straight path that they had paved through the forest. Ralsei was quick to follow.

* * *

The two reached the stone circle where Kris had landed. Ralsei ran out in front of Kris and began to inspect the floor.

“This is the spot, correct?”

“Yeah.” Kris looked up, trying to see if they could make out anything in the sky.

They noticed that there was something there. Something circular as well. It was hard to see, but it looked like something that was physical and could be grabbed onto. Maybe if they climbed up one of the trees?

“Kris… I don’t mean any offense to you, but… are you a lightner?” He walked over to them.

They didn’t know what he was talking about again.

“In simpler terms, do you come from a world basked in light?”

Kris paused for a moment before nodding.

Ralsei had a shocked expression again. He looked up into the sky. “So that means… we’re standing under…”

He suddenly turned toward them. “Kris! You should return home immediately!”

They were taken aback at the sudden change in attitude.

“It’s not safe for you here! Please, you must go!”

“But how?” Kris looked up. “I can’t get back up there.”

“Use that!” He pointed at the mechanism on Kris’s right arm.

They raised it up, examining it. “I don’t know how.”

"Here..!"

Ralsei moved over to Kris and took their arm, bending it so it pointed toward the sky.

“Press down here! Keep the rest of your hand straight!” Ralsei tapped the side of Kris’s knuckle, between their thumb and pointer finger.

Kris pushed their thumb down where Ralsei instructed. The hook came to life, shooting into the sky. It tightened, latching onto something in the darkness.

“Keep your thumb there! The grappling hook works based on hand motion. If you make a fist, it will send you into the air!” Ralsei started to back away. “Remember to keep your thumb down!”

Kris readied themselves. They didn’t believe what was happening.

“Okay! On three, ready?”

Kris nodded.

“One… two… three!”

They made a fist and got launched into the air. Butterflies danced around in their stomach. Kris looked down and watched the trees begin to grow small. Ralsei’s figure disappeared the higher they went. Kris looked back up and saw an outline of a dark room. It had to be the church.

In one swift motion, Kris pulled themselves up, unlatching the hook and landing on their side. Their armor scraped against the wooden floorboards. Screeching to a halt, Kris rolled onto their back, catching their breath. They made it back.

Back to reality.

Chapter Text

It was still.

Kris could hear rain pouring outside. They were lying on their back, catching their breath. The feeling of soaring through the air with the grappling hook was still messing with their head. Reaching their hands up to touch their face, they paused.

They were still wearing the suit.

Sitting up immediately, Kris looked down at their body. It was still covered in the armor. Off to their side was the hole they had fallen into. It was hard to see into, but Kris could barely make out the outlines of some of the trees. They looked down at their right arm. Sure enough, the grappling hook was still there.

There was too much to process at once. Kris needed to get back home.

They stood up, noticing that the darkness inside the church was a lot easier to see through. Something about the helmet made the world appear brighter. Or so they thought. Kris looked around, noticing that they were standing in the ruins of a chapel. The rows of pews were now in decay. Kris could see moss growing along the floorboards. The main altar was all torn apart, like someone had taken a sledgehammer and swung at whatever they could see.

Kris turned around, facing a pair of double doors. They didn’t remember opening any doors while they were fumbling in the dark. Grabbing onto the doorknob, they turned it and-

!

Accidentally ripped the doorknob off. They held it up in disbelief. Either the church had decayed to the point of delicacy, or they had just ripped a doorknob off with ease. The first option made more sense. Kris pushed the broken door open and continued through it.

The entrance doors to the church were right there. They had been beating against them for what felt like ages. Maybe with the suit, they could get it open. Kris walked over and pressed their hands against the cold metallic doors that kept them imprisoned. They began to push, and the chains that kept the entrance sealed started to crack.

Kris pushed harder, and the doors came free. They stumbled out onto the damp, wet grass. Rain hit their metallic skin almost immediately. They could somehow feel every drop.

They were outside.

It was dark out. Kris hadn’t seen rain this heavy in months. They turned back toward the church, looking at the entrance they had just broken out of. A steel chain with a metal padlock lay broken on the ground. One of the doors to the church had nearly fallen off its hinges.

Their phone started going off all of a sudden. Kris took their phone out, noticing the armor came with convenient pockets. They knew exactly what they were about to see.

Forty-eight missed calls, all from their mother. Somehow, that was less than they had expected. Kris opened their text messages.

Mom

Honey it’s getting late please return home.

I’ll make you some butterscotch pie <3

Mom

All done!

It’s getting cold dear! Please hurry back home <3

Mom

Are you there sweetie?

Mom

Kris?

Mom

Where are you?

Mom

Kris please answer the phone

I’m starting to get worried

Mom

Kris

Mom

Please answer me

Mom

Please

Kris immediately tried to call her. Their signal wasn’t strong enough, and the phone call didn’t go through. They tried sending her a text saying they were okay, but their phone didn’t allow that either. 

They put their phone away and began making their way back home.

* * *

This was going to be a lot harder than they thought.

Kris knew that they couldn’t let anybody see them, not with the armor they were wearing. They didn’t want to take it off since it was the only thing that kept them from getting soaked. They had already ducked into several alleyways trying to hide from oncoming cars.

They tried texting their mother again, but it still wouldn’t go through. Kris wanted to speak to her so badly.

They were almost home. Just a few more blocks to go.

“No! STOP! Leave me alone!”

They overheard someone crying out in the distance.

“Stay back! Please! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

Kris didn’t think. They broke out into a sprint.

“Just hand over the wallet, buddy. You’re making this a lot harder than it needs to be.”

The masked burglar waved the knife around in front of the helpless victim. He was cornered in an alleyway by two thugs.

“I told you! I don’t have anything!”

“Right. You walked out of that diner orderin’ absolutely nothing.” The thief held his hand out. “Wallet. Now.”

“N-No! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The second thief let out an impatient sigh. “Do you REALLY want us to pay a visit to your daughter?”

“What..?”

“That’s right. We saw you walk out with her.” The other thief chuckled. “So what’s it going to be? Your daughter or your money?”

They began to close in on him. The armed thief twirled the knife around in his fingers, laughing maniacally.

“NO! STOP! GET AWAY!”

“Last chance.”

Lunging forward, he grabbed the man by the collar and held the knife up to his throat.

“WALLET!”

“GET… OFF!!”

“Stop.” 

The two thieves froze up, slowly turning around.

“What the..?”

“Who the hell are you?” The thief with the knife said.

The man suddenly broke free from the grapple, sprinting off down the adjacent alleyway.

“Wha-!? HEY! GET BACK HERE!” The armed thief yelled, missing the man with his blade.

He had gotten away. Kris stood their ground. The two thieves turned their attention to them.

“This little bastard just cost us our paycheck.” The unarmed one brandished his own blade.

“And look at what it's wearing! Some cheap Halloween costume!” They took steps in their direction. “Why don’t we teach it a lesson?”

“Good idea.”

The thieves closed in on them.

They shielded their face. The tip of the blade slashed against their arm. It merely bounced off.

“The hell-!?”

They shoved the thief back, banging his head against a dumpster. Kris turned their attention to the other one.

He pulled out a pistol. “YOU WANNA DIE?!”

Kris gasped, staring down the barrel of the gun. 

He fired three shots.

…

“Wha-!? HOW?!”

Kris lunged at him, swinging wildly. They missed, taking a chunk out of the brick wall.

“WE GOTTA GO!!”

The two robbers scrambled to their feet. Kris heard a police siren approaching. A car screeched to a halt near the entrance of the alleyway, and the thieves took off on foot.

“STOP!! POLICE, PUNK!!”

A cop stepped out of the vehicle with a gun drawn at Kris. They panicked, looking up at the apartment building next to them. Without thinking, they shot a grappling hook to the roof and soared into the air.

“HEY!! FREEZE!”

Kris slammed into the side of the building. They kicked off the wall, grabbing onto the ledge and pulling themselves onto the roof. 

They got their feet under them and ran like hell.

* * *

They had run for what felt like miles. Their hands stung, their chest ached, and their heart pounded. The encounter was still fresh in their mind. They still remembered the deafening sound of the gun going off right in their face.

Rounding a corner, they stopped and caught their breath. Their house was there. All the lights inside were on. Kris thought their heart was going to explode. They could hear it beating in their ears. They sucked in air through their gritted teeth and dashed toward their front door.

Seeing Toriel’s silhouette through the window, they ducked behind a bush. She must have heard the rapid footsteps approaching her house. With a phone held up to her ear, Kris watched her move the curtains aside and look out. They noticed something about her.

She was crying.

Pulling the curtains back, she moved away from the window. Kris peeked out from the bush. They weren’t sure how they were going to get back inside. They couldn’t let her see them with the armor on. Maybe they could go in through the upstairs window?

Kris quietly moved over to the side of the house. They raised their hand and shot a hook onto the roof. Reeling themselves up, they reached over to their bedroom window and opened it. Carefully, they stepped inside.

Rainwater dripped off their armor. Taking off their helmet, they exhaled. The cold air against their face felt refreshing. Kris took off the rest of their armor, stuffing it under their bed. They didn’t want to waste another second. Their mother was waiting.

Kris climbed out of their window and lowered themselves down. Landing on the ground, they walked up to the entrance of their house and knocked.

She opened the door.

“Hello? Did you find-”

Toriel looked down at Kris. She broke into tears and warmly embraced them.

* * *

“Yes, I’m fine.” Toriel laughed. “I’m just relieved. I thought I had…”

She covered her mouth, composing herself.

“Never mind. Everything is alright now, I found them. Thank you for helping.”

Hanging up the phone, she moved over to Kris. They were sitting on the couch, sipping on hot chocolate with a blanket wrapped around them. The pie Toriel had baked was next to them, already half-eaten. They were watching some sort of cooking show on TV.

Toriel sat down and put an arm around them, running her hand through their hair.

“Oh, Kris…” She sighed, her voice still shaky. “I was so worried…”

“At first, I thought you were staying after school for something… but I called Alphys, and she said you had already left. I drove to the library, but you weren’t there, so then I drove to the diner and asked around.” She choked back tears. “Nobody knew where you were.”

“I knocked on so many doors… I even checked the hospital. You had somehow... vanished..? And then that loud popping sound just now… “ Toriel put her head in her hands.

“I didn’t know what to do…” She looked at them and weakly smiled. “But you’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

They felt terrible.

“... I’m so sorry.” Kris leaned over and hugged her.

“No… it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.” She hugged them back. “But… where were you this whole time?”

They opened their mouth to say something. The first thing that came to mind was the dark world. But there was no way they could tell her something like that. Either she wouldn’t believe it and think they were crazy, or she would believe it and go crazy herself.

They thought of an alternative answer.

But they had to lie.

“I was…” Kris murmured. “... with Noelle.”

Toriel’s eyes lit up. “Noelle..? Really!?”

She was a lot more ecstatic than they expected. That only made Kris feel even worse.

“Ah, I should have known! Her house was the one place I didn’t check…” Toriel said. “So, you two are talking again?”

They nodded.

“That’s great, dear! Oh, how I missed seeing the two of you play together…” She hummed.

Toriel gently caressed their back. “You should invite her over sometime. I would love to see her again.”

“I’ll see.” They said.

She warmly smiled at them, ruffling their hair. “I’ll be right back, dear.” Toriel got up and walked upstairs.

Kris leaned against the couch. 

They were exhausted.

Their eyes started to shut on their own. 

Kris fought it for a little, but eventually succumbed, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

“Kris, honey? Do you want more…”

Toriel peered around the end of the staircase. Kris was sound asleep, resting their head on the arm of the couch. She quickly covered her mouth, not wanting to wake them.

She carefully walked over and picked them up, carrying them upstairs to their bedroom. Carefully setting them down on their bed, she pulled the covers over them.

“Goodnight, dear.” 

Toriel gently kissed their forehead. She exited their room, slowly closing the door behind her.

Chapter Text

They gazed into the bathroom mirror.

A cold reflection stared back at them.

The helmet they were wearing looked almost alien to them. The bathroom light’s reflection split the mask in half, gleaming only one side of it. The other was covered in darkness. Two dark slits in the helmet where their eyes should be concealed their true appearance.

Kris reached a hand out toward the mirror, pressing against its surface. They almost expected the reflection to move on its own and back away. Whatever was in the mirror wasn’t them. It couldn’t be.

But it reached out and touched their hand.

When they awoke in their bed, they were relieved. Everything made sense at that moment. The dark world beneath them, the bulletproof armor, the encounter with the two robbers, everything. Even the little moments, like when they had made eye contact with Noelle.

All of it was a dream.

Then they saw wet footprints on their carpet. Kris had felt their stomach sink. Reaching under their bed, they flinched upon touching something cold and metallic. They quickly got out and pulled the pieces of the armor out.

It wasn’t a dream. It was very real.

Kris had saved that person’s life. They may have even saved his daughter. An innocent person who, if they hadn’t showed up at that moment, may have had their throat slit over nothing.

They had done something good for once.

For all their life they had felt like a spectator. They rarely had control over anything, and when they did they felt they always ruined everything. But with the armor, they didn’t have to be Kris Dreemurr.

They could be something else. Something more. They could make a difference.

Kris looked down at their hands. Metallic gauntlets glistened under the fluorescent light. They had a new goal.

“Kris, dear! Are you almost done in there?” Toriel’s voice echoed from downstairs. “You have to go to school soon!”

They stepped away from the mirror. The reflection followed them out the door.

* * *

Returning to class didn’t feel right. Everyone was carrying on with their lives like normal despite the fact there existed an entire civilization beneath their feet.

Kris walked into Ms. Alphys’s class and took their seat in the back. They thought back on Ralsei’s words, remembering he had mentioned something about being stationed in a city.

A city. There was more to explore.

They had to return to the church as soon as possible. Ralsei wasn’t telling them everything. Lightners, that’s what they were, for some reason were not allowed. They had to find out why.

The classroom was erupting with conversation. Ms. Alphys was letting people get to work on their project as soon as they stepped foot into class. People had already gotten out their supplies and were resuming production on their posters. Noelle and Berdly seemed to be getting along just fine, the two of them quietly working together and occasionally asking one another questions.

Looking over to their right, they didn’t expect to see their partner sitting there, but she was. Susie rarely showed up to school, and when she did Kris could hear the others bickering about her and her supposed behavior. They called her nasty things, making her out to be an aggressive and heartless monster who would lash out at anyone near her.

Kris wasn’t one to judge. They knew what it was like to be talked about behind their back.

They got up and moved a chair over to her desk. Kris sat down next to her, noticing that she was a lot taller than they had expected.

“Hey.” Kris said.

She didn’t answer, continuing to stare at the wall.

This wasn’t going to be easy. She wouldn’t even look at them, let alone talk to them. They couldn’t blame her. She probably thought they were going to make fun of her. Kris decided not to bother her as much as they already had, staring along with her at the wall she found so interesting.

Their mind drifted off and they began thinking about the fight they had gotten into the night before. They had been both shot and stabbed. They had felt it. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as they thought it would have. That had to be because of the armor. Whatever it was made of was unbreakable.

It had made them stronger, too. When they had swung at the thief with the gun, they had missed, leaving a hole in the brick wall. If that hit had connected, they might have killed the guy. Kris needed to temper their swings. They didn’t want to kill anyone.

What bothered them was the fact that they had let the two criminals get away. Sure, they had saved the person being robbed, but the perpetrators were still at large. They only hoped that they could still catch them at it again tonight.

Susie snapped her fingers. “Go on.”

Kris’s train of thought was broken. “Hm?”

“Go and get our shit.”

“Oh, right.” Kris got up. “Sorry.”

“... unbelievable.” They overheard her mumble.

They walked over to Ms. Alphys’s desk. Picking up some pencils and a poster, they returned to their seat.

“Do you want to work on the review first?” Kris asked.

She looked disgusted. “What?”

“Or we could focus on drawing pictures?”

Susie’s lip began to twitch.

“Let’s get one thing straight.” She leaned toward them. “YOU’RE the one who’s gonna do all the work here. Not me.”

“But, Ms. Alphys said-”

She slammed her fist on the table.

“Look at me.” She snarled.

Kris looked up at her.

“If you don’t get this project done by next week, I’m gonna carve out your goddamn eyes and wear ‘em like a necklace.”

She moved closer.

“Oh, and if you decide to go and tell Alphys that I didn’t do any work? I think I might just… I don’t know? Break each and every one of your fingers?”

She snapped a colored pencil in half with her thumb.

“You understand?”

They hesitated before slowly nodding.

“Then say it.”

They froze up. She gritted her teeth, placing a hand on the back of their chair and leaning closer. Kris could feel her breathing against their face.

“Say. It.”

Susie sunk her claws into the table, screeching them against the wood.

“... I understand.”

She moved away, throwing the broken colored pencil at them. “Then get started.”

Kris picked it up, watching her go back to staring at the wall like nothing had happened.

* * *

“Are you sure you wanna do this again so soon?”

“I already told you, none of that was real.”

“I’m not so sure, Marty… it FELT real.”

“So!? It was some kinda… hallucination or somethin’. I mean, I shot at it like ten times and it didn’t even flinch! It doesn’t work like that!”

“Shhh!! We’re almost there! Get your mask on!”

They were watching the pair from a rooftop closeby, listening in on the conversation. The trigger-happy one was known as Marty. They were approaching some kind of convenience store. Kris knew exactly what they were about to do. The thieves stepped inside.

“hey fellas.”

“Howdy.”

The two of them waved at the cashier.

“nice masks.”

“Heh, thanks. They’re for our costume party comin’ up soon.”

“yeah, i bet.”

The thieves started inspecting the various goods inside the store, pretending they were interested. One of them picked up an apple and began closely examining it.

“you, uh, seem really interested in that apple.”

“You could say that.”

“what, never seen one before?”

The thief chuckled. “You’re very funny.”

He put the apple down. The other thief came up to the register with a chocolate bar and placed it on the counter. The cashier scanned it without breaking eye contact and handed it back to him.

”will that be all?”

 “Hm. How about…” His hands went into his pockets. “Everything in the register?”

The cashier stood there for a moment not saying anything.

”uh. what?”

 “He said hand over everything in the register, bonehead.” The apple-eying thief approached the counter.

”i don’t think that’s how that works.”

“Okay, smartass.” He drew a handgun. “Does it work like that now?”

The cashier looked at the gun and shrugged.

”nah, still don’t think so.”

“Listen to me, you sweatshirt-wearin’ piece of-”

”are they with you?”

He pointed behind the two robbers.

“What?” The gunman turned around. “WHAT!?”

“THEM AGAIN?!”

They turned their attention toward Kris, who was standing near the front door. He turned his gun onto them, his hand noticeably shaking.

“YOU… YOU WANT TO GET RIDDLED WITH LEAD AGAIN, HUH?!”

Kris raised their arm, shooting the grappler and hooking the front of the pistol.

“WHA-!?” The gun flew out of his hands, landing on the other side of the store.

They lunged forward, bashing his nose in and sending him to the floor.

“HOLY-!!” The other one took off on foot toward the front door.

Kris shot a grappling hook and latched onto his back. Pulling down, the robber fell backward and slammed his head on the ground. The two of them were out of commission. They reeled the fallen robber in, putting the two of them against the wall.

”wow. thanks a bunch, pal. that was pretty cool.”

They nodded, turning toward the door. The police that they had called beforehand were getting close, Kris hearing the sirens in the distance. They exited, leaving the two robbers groaning in both pain and embarrassment.

Shooting a grappling hook, they pulled themselves up to a nearby roof. Watching the streets below, the robbers were escorted out by the same cop who had shown up yesterday. They were thrown into the back of the police cruiser. She waved goodbye to the cashier who was watching from the entrance, taking the two off to jail.

They moved away from the edge of the roof, taking out their phone and checking the time.

10:02 P.M.

Time to head home.

Chapter Text

7:55 A.M.

Kris had walked to school earlier than usual. They were having trouble sleeping that night. The adrenaline rush from their new night shift job never seemed to wear off. Even now, they were slightly jumpy.

They moved around to the side of the school. They needed more time to plan things out, such as when to return to the church and what times they should be active at night, among other things. Kris rounded the corner of the building.

That was when they saw her.

Leaning against a wall, chewing on a chunk of white chalk. Her head hung low, her bangs blocking out the upper part of her face.

“Kris.” She turned her head in their direction. “You make good progress yet?”

They didn’t say anything.

“I’ll take that as a no.” She spat the piece of chalk out onto the grass and crushed it beneath her heel. “Guess I’ll just have to create more incentive then.”

Susie stormed over to Kris, grabbing them by the collar of their sweater and slamming them against the wall.

“Aww… what’s the matter? Got nothin’ to say?” She grinned. “Like I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“You think I’m just playing around, don’t you? All bark and no bite, huh?”

She waited for them to respond. Their lips stayed sealed out of fear.

“Well then... I'll just have to demonstrate.”

Susie grabbed a fistful of their hair and began to pull. They panicked, squirming around in her grasp.

“Come on, Kris… DO SOMETHING. ANYTHING.” Her sadistic smile widened. “Look at you… the big bad human, and all you can do is wriggle around like a LITTLE WORM.”

She yanked harder. They felt something tear and cried out in pain. Kris desperately tried to push her away.

“Aw, is that all you got?” She started laughing, pulling even harder. “You miserable piece of shit. You make me SICK.”

She stopped.

Susie let go of Kris, letting them fall to the ground.

“No wonder your real parents walked out on you.” Susie scoffed. “You’re so pathetic.”

She kneeled, leaning in close.

“I better see some fine work on that poster by tomorrow.” Susie spat. “Or else… I’ll stop being so goddamn kind."

Susie walked away. Kris winced, holding the side of their head.

They couldn’t stop shaking.

* * *

The rest of the school day felt torturous. They had avoided their partner in class and worked on the project alone, occasionally catching her glancing over at them. Kris began to notice her in the distance whenever they walked on campus. They could never tell if she had seen them or not.

It was lunchtime. Kris sat in their usual spot, alone in the very back where nobody had to look at them. They were paranoid, though. If she had found the spot they stayed at near the side of the school, what stopped her from finding them now?

They looked around for her. They didn’t see her anywhere.

Kris did see someone, however.

Noelle. She was sitting with a big group of her friends. She was always popular in school for being the mayor’s daughter. She was nice and outgoing, making it easy for her to befriend people. She always made time for others, even when others didn’t make time for her, and she always made everyone around her smile.

They couldn’t make out the conversation she was having from where they sat. There was a lot of laughing, though. 

They thought about talking to her. What would they even say? How do you even start a conversation after not speaking to someone for so long? Do you reintroduce yourself, or do you pick up where you left off?

Would she be the same person after all this time, or would Kris not even recognize her? Would she even recognize them?

They paused. Susie was looking at them from across the cafeteria.

She looked away, disappearing around a corner. Kris went into panic. They had to get out of there, but they couldn’t leave. The crowd would be safer, but it would still be a crowd. If they decided to go and sit down next to a stranger, it would probably be just as bad as getting their hair pulled again.

An opportunity presented itself. An empty seat next to her. Without thinking, they began to move over.

“Listen, I promise you the next time we go there, I’m gonna make you ride that wave!” Her friend giggled.

“No way, that water is freezing cold!” Noelle laughed, shaking her head.

“Come on! It’ll be fun, trust me! Once you get out there, you’ll… see...” Her friend’s voice began to trail off.

Kris sat down next to Noelle. All of her friends began to stare.

Noelle adamantly refused. “Still nope! I don’t wanna… what? Is something wrong-” 

She looked over to her side and saw them.

This was a mistake.

Kris got up and left.

“W-wait!” Noelle reached her hand out toward them. “Kris!”

She followed after them.

* * *

“Kris, wait!”

They kept going, speeding up their pace

“I just want to talk, please!”

They didn’t stop.

They overstepped her boundaries. They got too close. They should have just left her alone.

Noelle reached her hand out and grabbed theirs.

“Wait! Please, just listen to me!”

They nearly pulled their hand away. Kris remained still.

“Okay… if you want me to go away and never talk to you ever again, I will. But, please. Say something.”

There was a beat of silence.

“... no.”

She perked up. “No..? As in… leave me alone no? Or-?”

“No! I mean… stay.” Kris said.

“Okay.” She smiled. “I’ll stay.”

Noelle, seemingly without knowing, squeezed their hand slightly. After all that had happened these past few days, it felt like in that moment, even if it was just for a moment,  everything would be alright.

“Do you wanna… go sit down?” She asked.

“Okay.”

The two of them sat down on the grass. In front of them was a dense forest that stretched out for miles. It was an appropriate backdrop for the moment.

“It’s so nice speaking to you again… it feels like it’s been forever.” She started.

“Yeah...”

“So, how have you been?”

“Okay, I guess.”

“Anything interesting happen recently?”

They could think of a million responses to that question.

“No, not really. Just the usual school stuff.”

“Ah, yeah… I know how that is.” Noelle quietly laughed. 

“How about you? Are you still on that cross-country team?”

“Yes, actually! Wait, how do you know about that?”

They awkwardly looked away. “I don’t know.”

“Toriel told you to go to one of the races, didn’t she?”

Kris scoffed. “Maybe.”

She cackled. “HA! I knew that was you!”

They leaned back, planting their hands on the ground behind them. “You were pretty good out there.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Other than the part when you fell on your face.”

Noelle looked shocked. “Hey! That never happened! … or maybe it happened once… but that doesn’t matter!!”

“It happened once?”

“You didn’t hear that!!!”

She laughed, playfully shaking them. Kris couldn’t help but smile.

“Ooh! Did you see that new Dragon Blazers game that came out?”

“I had a feeling you would mention that.”

“What? It’s a good game series!”

They could tell she had been waiting to talk about this with someone for a very long time.

“Whatever, I was gonna ask… if you maybe… kinda… wanna… play it sometime?” She asked.

Kris hesitated, acting like they were about to refuse.

“Come oooonnn!! Remember that time we stayed up all night at your house trying to beat the final boss?”

“Yeah..?”

“And when we finally did, we screamed so loud that we woke up your entire family?”

“Mhmm..?”

“Sooooo…. we have to recreate that! Come on!!”

They playfully rolled their eyes. “Fiiiine.”

“Yaaayyy!!” Noelle cheered, pumping her fists into the air.

“When do you want to come over?” Kris asked.

“Hm… no better time than the present, right? Why not today?”

They ran a hand through their hair. “I don’t know… I have, um… stuff to do.”

“Awww….”

“But, my mom did say she wanted to see you again, so…”

“Really..?”

Kris nodded.

“I missed her a lot, too! Pretty please, Krismas..?”

They stifled a laugh. “Just for calling me that, I’m scheduling it tomorrow.”

“Come oooonnn!!!”

“What? It’s the weekend, anyway. Plus, I have things to do.”

Noelle curiously tilted her head. “Like what?”

“Um… work.”

“Work?!”

She looked appalled. Kris didn’t understand why.

“What?”

“You’re working..?! My little Krismas is all grown up now…”

“I’m gonna cancel it.”

“Nooooo!!! Okay, okay! I’ll call you Kris Cross Applesauce!”

“That’s even worse!”

The two of them laughed uncontrollably. They heard the bell beginning to ring in the distance.

“Aw, man. Well… guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She stood up, picking up her bag.

“Yeah.” They nodded. “You still have the same phone number, right?”

“Mhm!”

“Then I’ll text you on Saturday. I promise.”

She smiled. “OK! Don’t forget!”

“I won’t.”

“See ya!!”

She began walking to class. Kris did the same, picking up their bag and moving in the other direction to the other side of the school.

Noelle hadn't changed a bit.

Chapter Text

Their heart was racing. Kris was making their way back over to the church. It was dark outside, and Kris had convinced their mother that they were going to bed early. Their yearn for more information about the world below was becoming overwhelming. They had to know what else was out there. Was there a city of people like Ralsei? Would they all be spider-people?

That might actually be a little bit creepy. They needed to see it.

Kris shot a grappling hook onto the bark of a tree, shooting themselves up and over the mass of foliage above. They soared into the air before falling back down, breaking through several branches before crashing into a pile of leaves. Quickly rebounding, they continued zipping through the air, having a little more fun with it than they were anticipating.

They had a lot going on. Keeping Hometown in check, exploring an underworld, and reconnecting with their old best friend. Kris was surprised at how fast the two of them had just, clicked. They had expected a lot of awkward silences and painful questions, but Noelle was still just as easy to talk to as she was a few years ago.

If they could tell anyone about their secret identity, it would have to be her.

Kris soared through the air one final time before landing in front of the church. Something about the structure still felt off to them. They had seen something in there, no, someone . Whoever they were, they had disappeared, so maybe it didn’t matter anymore.

They took a deep breath in before pressing their hands against the metal entrance and pushing the doors open, stepping inside. The air inside the church was familiarly cool. The armor was good at keeping their body temperature warm, something Kris had noticed when they were standing out in the pouring rain a couple of days before.

They made their way over to the hole they had fallen through, peering over the edge. They could still make out the faint outlines of the scarlet trees below. Kris didn’t want to waste any more time. They shot a grappling hook at their feet and jumped.

Reeling themselves down, they landed on a familiar circular stone tile next to a million familiar red trees. They had to talk to Ralsei again. He would know more about this place, though the only problem was if he was willing to share or not.

…

There was another problem.

Kris had no idea where Ralsei was.

They looked around, trying to figure out where they had come from. Everything looked the same. The one thing they did remember was the webs. Kris chose a random direction and followed through with it, walking into the forest and praying they wouldn’t get lost.

* * *

…

This was a dumb idea.

The forest seemed to stretch out for miles. They couldn’t find webs anywhere this time. Them stumbling upon Ralsei was blind luck. Kris almost decided to turn around and head back, but something out of the corner of their eye drew their attention.

There was a clearing in the trees. Kris stepped out and noticed another stone tile, but this time it was shaped more like a path. It stretched out farther than they could see. With nothing else to go off of, they decided to follow it.

They would be walking for a while. Kris decided to let their mind wander, thinking about their hangout with Noelle. What would be the best time to text her? Right after school? She would probably be busy then. What if she called it off? Would that mean she didn’t want to talk to Kris anymore?

They felt a pit in their stomach begin to form. Maybe they should think about something else.

Susie.

No. Something else.

The group project.

Okay, definitely something else.

How about…

Before Kris could think of anything, they noticed something in the distance. Something huge. What looked like tall buildings being guarded by a large metal gate poked out of the dark fog. This had to be the city that Ralsei mentioned. They increased their walking pace, making their way over.

Something about this was off. It was too quiet. Maybe the spider-people were a silent species. Ralsei was fairly soft-spoken, so Kris thought it might be possible. They pulled the metal gate open and stepped inside.

Cracks were strewn all along the sides of the buildings and along the streets. Dust and debris caked the sidewalks. Kris noticed they had stepped over a sign on the ground. It was hard to read, but Kris could make out the word “card,” followed up by something illegible.

The city looked abandoned. They walked around the buildings, noticing a sign dangling by a wire that plainly read “SEAM’S SHOP.” The inside of the store looked like it had caved in a long time ago. The entire place was in disarray. It was clear nobody had stepped inside the city in a long time.

They weren’t supposed to be here, but for some reason Kris felt strangely drawn to the place. It was surprisingly peaceful. They never liked the large crowds that cities forced people to push through anyway.

Kris noticed subtle skid marks along the road, like someone was drifting a car around the city.

!

They heard something. In the distance. A faint squealing sound. Kris went on guard. Somebody else was here.

They looked around the empty streets. Kris spotted something far out. The outline of a child sitting on what looked like a bicycle. It waved at them, then disappeared around a corner.

Kris heard the sound again. It was behind them now. And it was getting louder.

!!!

They dove to the floor, the roaring of a motorcycle narrowly missing them. It screeched to a halt in front of them.

“Ho ho ho! And what do we have here?”

???

The child with the bike appeared before them. At least it wasn’t a spider-child.

“If it isn’t one of the big guy’s guards!” He cackled. “Hohoho!! Today’s your unlucky day, pal.”

Kris was somehow even more confused than before.

“You better turn back while you still can, or else I, LANCER, will be forced to…” He somehow revved the engine on his bicycle. “... crash you till I thrash you!”

He stuck his tongue out at them. Kris didn’t know how to react, let alone respond. This seemed like an elaborate joke, but without knowing anything else, they played along.

“One!”

Uh oh.

“Two!!”

They readied themselves.

“THREE!!!”

Lancer charged forward. Kris stepped out of the way, watching him nearly crash into the building behind them.

“Woah!” He cheered. “I didn’t expect you to move!”

Flames sputtered out of the back of his bicycle. He roared the engine again, turning it toward them. Lancer snapped his fingers.

Out of the corner of their eye, Kris saw something heading in their direction. They dodged, a projectile shaped like a spade whistling by their head. They were caught off guard. Lancer drove forward, slamming into Kris and knocking them down.

“Hoho!! That had to hurt!” He laughed, revving the bike engine.

Kris winced. It did hurt. They propped themselves up, watching Lancer carefully. He was about to charge forward again. They had an idea.

!!

They rolled out of the way. Lancer missed. Kris shot a grappling hook onto the back of his bike, stopping it in its place,

and sending Lancer flying.

“AaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

He landed in a dumpster nearby. Kris caught their breath, letting go of the bicycle. They didn’t mean to do that. Getting their feet under them, they rushed over to check on Lancer.

“Ow…” He pouted.

“... are you okay..?” Kris found their voice finally.

They carefully reached in, picking up Lancer by his spherical stomach and setting him gently down on the ground.

“Yeah…” Lancer rubbed the back of his head. “Wait, why are you helping me? You’re a bad guy!”

“No?” Kris shook their head.

“Yes you are! You’re working for the guys who kidnapped my dad!”

They didn’t even know how to respond to that. Kris just shook their head again, more confusedly this time.

“Oh… maybe you forgot! I did hit you pretty hard.” Lancer said. “You know the big guy, right?”

“No.”

“You know, the big boss guy!” Lancer said matter-of-factly. “The one who goes ‘YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE BIKES INDOORS. IT RUINS THE CARPET TILES.’ Ring any bells?”

“No..?”

Lancer stared at them blankly for a moment. 

“Wow. I must have hit you pretty hard then.” He chuckled. “Sorry about that!”

They sighed. “My memory is fine. I’m not working with anyone. I came here alone.”

Lancer looked up at them. “Really..?"

“Really.”

“Well, in that case, see ya!”

They watched Lancer as he began to walk back over to his bike.

“What?”

“You put up a good fight, by the way! Way to go, shiny person whose name I don’t know!”

“Wait, hold on-” They quickly walked over and placed a hand on Lancer’s bicycle. “Where are you going?”

“I gotta go find my dad!” Lancer explained. “If you’re not working with the big guy, then you don’t know where my dad is, right?”

“Um… no, sorry.”

“Then I gotta get going! Let go of my bike!” He shooed Kris away.

 “Oh no, you are not getting back on this thing.” They picked up his bike and raised it above their head.

“Wha- Hey!! Give it back!!” Lancer jumped up and down, reaching out at his bike.

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

“Yes!!”

Kris sighed with annoyance. “Lancer.”

“What??”

“You said you’re looking for your dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Is there any way I can help find him?”

“Ummmmm…. no. Now give me back my bike!”

They sighed with even more annoyance. “Fine. Just don’t try to kill me with it.”

“OK!” He revved the bike engine. “I’ll see you later!”

He prepared to drift it down the street.

“Wait!” They shouted over the engine.

“What?”

“Where do I find ‘the big guy?’ Is he nearby?”

“Check the CYBER CITY! I’m sure he’s bossing people around there!” Lancer waved at them. “Bye bye!”

He sped off, leaving a trail of smoke as he drifted around the corner. It screeched before disappearing into the distance, increasing Kris’s million questions to a billion.

They did have a lead now, though. There was somebody kidnapping people, and there was a city.

“CYBER CITY…” Kris repeated to themselves. 

They had spent enough time fooling around. It was time to head home. Kris stepped out of the city, heading back into the forest.

Chapter Text

“I’ll be right back, Mom!” Noelle waved.

“Alright. Just don’t get your antlers stuck on the monkey bars again.”

She sprinted off toward the playground where the rest of the children were playing. Noelle had been waiting all day for this. She had begged her mom to go, but she was too busy doing whatever a mayor does.

Her sister, Dess, had been the one to convince Mom to go. She was somewhere nearby. Noelle decided to try to find her.

Not before taking a stop at the swingset, though. She jumped on, radiating with excitement. Noelle kicked her hooves off the ground and cheered, swinging into the air.

Looking around, Noelle was amazed at the number of kids there were. She recognized some of them from school. Noelle saw Catti and Jockington playing around in a sandbox nearby. Berdly was here also, sitting on a bench by himself, playing a game on his phone.

There was a family of goat-like monsters having a picnic under a tree off to the side of the park. Noelle thought she recognized one of them from school. She might have been one of the teachers.

Her eyes trailed off, noticing another thing. There was a little kid underneath the slide. They looked like they were hiding from everyone else.

What really got her attention was their appearance. They didn’t look like a monster. Noelle’s curiosity got the better of her. She leapt off the swingset and ran over to the slide.

“Hey!” She called out. “Whatcha doing under there?”

The person hiding flinched and covered their face. They were crying.

Noelle noticed they were human.

“Are you okay?”

She ducked her head, careful not to bang her antlers against the slide’s platform. Noelle sat down next to them, causing them to back away more.

“I’m not gonna hurt you…”

They raised their head. For a brief moment, Noelle could see their eyes. They looked red.

“Woah! Your eyes look cool!” She crawled over. “Can I see?”

“... no.” They buried their head in their arms.

Noelle noticed that they had a cut on the side of their face.

“Did you get hurt on the slide? I can go call my mom-”

“... don’t!”

She was surprised at their shift in tone. “Okay…”

There was a bit of silence. Noelle moved closer to them. They didn’t move away this time.

“Well… I can’t just leave you here. You’re hurt.”

“... why..?”

“Why what?”

“... why are you helping me..?”

They raised their head, looking at her. She tilted her head, confused.

"Cause I wanna. Besides, why not?”

“... you shouldn’t be near me.”

“What? Why?”

They didn’t answer. Noelle wanted to reach out and pat their head, like her sister did when she was sad.

“Um… do you have a name? Mine’s Noelle.”

She waited for a moment, the human not answering. They glanced over at her, eying her for a moment.

“Kris…”

“Cool..! See, we’re friends now!”

They gave her a confused look.

“Now, come on..! Let’s go out there and play!”

“I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fine! I’ll show you how to swing upside down!”

Kris raised their head, wiping their face with their sleeve.

“Kris?! Where are you!?”

Somebody was calling from outside. Noelle noticed one of the goat monsters she had seen earlier. A boy, probably around the same age as her sister. He ran up to the slide and looked underneath.

“Ah! There you are! I got worried for a sec.” He reached his hand out before noticing Noelle. “Oh..! Hello there.”

“Hi!” Noelle waved.

“Is this a friend of yours?” He asked them.

Kris nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Noelle! What about you?”

“Asriel. I’m Kris’s brother. Nice to meet you!”

“You too!”

Kris took their brother’s hand and stepped out from underneath the slide. Noelle followed, crawling out from the hiding place.

“Elly!” Noelle recognized her sister’s voice.

“Dess!!” She jumped up and hugged her sister. “Look! I made new friends!”

“Oh, is that so?” Dess looked over at Asriel.

“Howdy! I’m Asriel, this is Kris.”

Kris had their face hidden against Asriel's shirt.

“Hey. I’m December, but just call me Dess. I’m sure you’ve met her.” Dess shook Noelle, causing her to giggle.

“Yeah! We were just about to leave.” Asriel said.

“Oh, cool. Well, nice meetin’ you two.” Dess waved.

“Likewise! See you later!” Asriel nodded, putting an arm around Kris and leading them back to their family.

Noelle waved, still hugging Dess. Kris and Asriel went back over to their family and began helping them fold the picnic blanket up. Asriel brought Kris over to their mother, who began inspecting the side of their face.

“Hey.” Dess booped Noelle’s nose. “Wanna go on the merry-go-round?”

“Yes!!” Noelle beamed.

The two of them ran over, Noelle grabbing on and Dess spinning her around. She laughed uncontrollably, nearly flying off.

Kris. Asriel. Noelle kept those names in mind. She would meet them again sometime.

* * *

Kris sat down, watching from a rooftop. The thief they had caught trying to break into a car was being carried out in handcuffs. They recognized the same cop from last time. She had a fairly good response time, so they were glad she kept showing up. She made their life a lot easier.

Looking down at the street below still made them feel slightly woozy. Kris had to find a way to get over their fear of heights. Maybe something in the dark world would help, like a giant tower they could stand on top of.

The guy they had caught was pushed into the back of the vehicle before the red-haired cop slammed the door on him and got in, driving off back to the jailhouse.

Kris moved away from the edge, standing up and taking out their phone. They checked the time.

7:02 P.M.

Not too late.

They opened up their contacts and pressed on Noelle’s name, moving the screen over to their text messages.

This was it.

The familiar sinking feeling in their stomach made itself known again.

Somehow, having a gun pointed at you was less intimidating than sending a single text message.

They sighed, thinking of something to say.

hey, you busy?

Too short.

hey, I’m available now. do you wanna hangout?

Too desperate. Kris groaned, internally punching themselves.

noelle, this is kris. i can hangouttttKO0WFFESDAVCX

They began mashing the keys out of frustration. This was going to take forever. They had to settle on something. Why was this so stressful? They shouldn’t be worrying this much. Everything was going to be fine. Kris typed something, looked away from the screen, and pressed the send button.

Kris

hey, do you want to come over now?

Their phone vibrated. Kris’s heart jumped. 

noelle

sure!! ill be over in a bit, just gimme a sec

They felt a weight get lifted off their chest. Kris shot a message back at her.

Kris

cool, i’ll see you soon then

The weight returned immediately. Kris began to panic. Had they sent the message too fast? Would she think that’s weird? They hadn’t spoken in so long, why were they being so eager and-

Their phone vibrated.

Kris checked the message.

noelle

cant wait to show you this new game. ur gona love it, i swear!!!!

Kris scoffed. They were such a mess.

They put their phone away. Kris shot a grappling hook onto the adjacent building and began swinging back home.

* * *

“Welcome back, dear!” Toriel wrapped her arms around them, gently patting their head.

“Hey, mom.”

“How was your bike ride?”

“Good. It works as well as I remember.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” She hummed.

“By the way, Noelle’s coming over in a bit.” Kris remembered.

“Oh, really? You should have told me sooner, I would have prepared dinner for you two!”

They shrugged. “It was kind of a last-minute thing, sorry.”

“That’s alright, dear. How long until she-” Toriel was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. “Oh, there she is!”

She walked over to the front door and opened it.

“Greetings, dear!”

“Toriiiii!!” Noelle jumped into her arms.

Kris stood awkwardly in the back while the two reconciled.

“How have you been?” Toriel asked, patting her back.

“Good, but even better now!! I missed you soo much!”

“Haha… I missed you too, dear.”

Noelle looked behind Toriel and noticed Kris. They waved at her, not expecting her to come running at them.

“Kriiiiissss!!!!”

She wrapped them up in a hug. Kris nearly fell backward, patting her on the back.

“Hey..!”

“Oops!!” She dropped the game cartridge she was holding.

Noelle dove onto the ground, catching it before it hit the floor. Toriel held a hand up to her mouth and laughed.

“How much soda did you drink before coming here?” Kris asked.

“Uhh!! Only like three cans! Or four??” Noelle shrugged.

“Oh boy…” They shook their head.

Their mother yawned, sleepily patting them both on the head and walking over to the staircase.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I'll be upstairs, let me know if either of you want anything!"

“Okay!! Thanks, Toriel!”

She warmly smiled at the two of them before heading upstairs, letting out another loud yawn. Kris watched Noelle excitedly toss the cartridge into the air. They turned the TV on, flipping to the news channel.

“I can’t wait to play this for the first time!!” She cheered, tossing it up again.

“You haven’t played it yet?”

“Nope! I’ve been, uh… a little busy with a bunch of stuff. But this is the perfect time to do it!”

She moved over to the front of the TV and started looking for the gaming console. Kris had set it up beforehand, but wasn’t sure if it turned on or not. It felt like it had been decades since they had last touched a video game.

They moved over to the kitchen to get the pair some water. Kris opened the fridge, taking out two bottles.

“Hey, Kris! Have you seen this yet?” Noelle said, sitting in front of the TV.

“Hm?” They looked over.

On the TV was what appeared to be surveillance camera footage from outside of a convenience store. A silver, humanoid figure stood in front of the store. It suddenly flashed across the screen, turning into a blur and disappearing into the air. The camera cut back and slowed down, showing the figure more clearly.

It was them.

“...what appears to be an unidentified figure wearing what looks like a set of armor has been seen gliding across rooftops.” The news broadcaster declared. “Some reports say that the unidentified individual uses ‘hooks’ to traverse around buildings.”

“This happened here, in Hometown! People can’t figure out what it is!” Noelle said.

Kris continued watching. The news cut to a view from inside the store. It showed the two robbers confronting the cashier, then being attacked by something behind them.

“... seen stopping a robbery at a grocery store. More information on this individual, who people are dubbing ‘The Knight,’ is yet to be uncovered.”

“The Knight…” Noelle repeated, her eyes glued to the screen.

It cut to what appeared to be an interview. The officer who had responded to all of their calls was on screen. The interviewer was nearby with a microphone.

“We got an interview with the police chief, Officer Undyne, who claims to have encountered the individual. Tell me, what exactly happened when you saw this person?”

“Well, I was out on patrol when I heard loud gunshots go off nearby. I immediately sped over and saw this suit of armor standing in an alleyway wrestling with two other punks!”

Undyne stuck her tongue out and made a gun with her hand, pointing it off to the side.

“So I drew my service pistol and told them to freeze! But suddenly, they shot a rope out of their arm and ziplined up onto a roof!”

She was very animated, recreating the scene with her body by jumping around and making noises with her mouth.

“What do you think are the intentions of this person, whoever they may be?” The interviewer asked.

“Well… whatever they are, they aren’t bad.” Undyne stated. “They’ve been rounding up some thugs for me to arrest lately. Like those punks at the grocery store! I’ve been trying to nail those two dirtbags for months!!”

The reporter asked another question. “Do you think this individual could be something… extraterrestrial?”

The officer was baffled. “Extra-what now? You mean that they’re from outer space? Gimme a break! They’re probably just one of us!”

She laughed for a bit before continuing. “I don’t really give a damn who they are. As long as they don’t do nothin’ illegal or interfere with police work, they can round up criminals all they want.”

“Alright, that’s all the time we have. Thanks, Officer Undyne.”

“My pleasure!”

The news moved on to another topic. Kris stared absentmindedly at it. They didn’t know what to think. Part of them felt relieved, another part of them felt anxious. They were entering the public eye a lot quicker than they had expected.

“...do you think, Kris?”

Noelle broke them out of their daydreaming. She had been talking for quite a while, but Kris hadn’t noticed it.

“… um, yeah. Weird.”

“We should go try and find them!! Maybe tomorrow! Let’s go out at night and-”

Kris nervously laughed. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…”

“Whaaatt?! Why not?”

“Well… wherever they are, there’s also going to be criminals nearby, right?” They said. “It’s not worth putting ourselves in danger.”

Noelle pouted. “Yeahh… I guess so. It would be cool to see them up close, though.”

Kris shrugged. “Maybe one day we’ll get a better look at them.”

They handed her a water bottle. She thanked them and went back to figuring out how to turn the game console on. Kris sat down on the couch.

The Knight. So that’s what they were being called.

They could work with that.

Kris heard Noelle mumbling to herself. The console suddenly beeped and sprang to life.

“Yes! It works!!” She cheered, sprinting over to the couch and leaping onto it.

Kris again nearly fell over from her burst of excitement, holding onto the couch for dear life.

“This is about to be the greatest night of our lives… are you ready!?!?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on! More enthusiasm!!”

“Yeahhh.”

Noelle laughed. “That’s what I’m talking about!!”

* * *

“Ughhhh… this is too hard!!” Noelle grumbled.

It was twelve in the morning. They had been stuck on a boss called “Silver Drake” for two hours. It was Noelle’s turn to fight, since Kris had just gotten annihilated in less than four moves. 

“Kris, should I do Fireshock or Snownado?”

“Um… Fireshock, I guess.”

“Okay! Take THAT!!!”

Silver Drake deflected the attack and sent it straight back in her face, taking out her mage.

“WHAAAAT!?!?” Noelle flew back on the couch, acting like she had gotten hit by the attack herself.

“Woah. Don’t ask me for advice, I guess.” Kris said.

“No, that wasn’t your fault! The game is just cheating!!”

She leaned forward, pressing down on the controller buttons even harder. Kris yawned. They had been fighting to keep their eyes open for hours. Something about the game’s soundtrack made them feel very tired.

“Aaaaaand my entire team died.” Noelle sighed. “This is way too difficult.”

Kris nodded, covering their mouth while they yawned.

“Lemme give it one more shot…” She pressed retry and got sent straight back into the battle.

Noelle narrowed her eyes and repeated the cycle, casting a poison spell and attacking with her melee character, something she called a “glass cannon.”

“Come on…”

She successfully blocked Silver Drake’s strikes. It gave her an opening, allowing her to buff her mage and allocate all of her team’s HP into a hard-hitting attack.

“Yes! Kris, he’s low! Look! Look!”

Noelle took a hit, but it wasn’t enough to take her out. Silver Drake let out one last roar before she dealt the finishing blow. 

“YES!! We did it, Kris! We-”

She felt something slump against her.

Kris had fallen asleep on her shoulder. 

“Ah…” She quietly laughed. “... guess my gameplay was that entertaining, huh..?”

Noelle saved her game and returned to the main menu, exiting out. She powered the game console off and set the controller aside. The room became dark. Only then, she realized that she was tired too.

Resting her head against theirs, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

It was warm. Kris stirred, a golden light flowing through their eyelids. Along with the warmth came comfort. The position they were in was so comfortable that they couldn’t open their eyes. Kris hadn’t felt this relaxed in a while.

Whatever they were leaning on was rising and falling. Like it was breathing. It felt strangely fluffy, too. Kris heard their mother humming to herself while she fixed food in the kitchen. The smell of bacon and eggs was beginning to be overwhelming.

They would get up soon.

Kris shifted underneath the blanket, adjusting their head to the right position against the pillow they were leaning on. Peeping their eyes open, they sleepily observed their surroundings.

What they were resting on wasn’t a pillow at all. It was Noelle. They had their head relaxed against her shoulder. She had her head resting on top of theirs.

Their movement had awoken her. She blinked her eyes open, letting out a yawn.

“Kris..?”

“... sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“... no, no, it’s okay…”

They awkwardly shrank away from her. They didn’t mean to wake her. Noelle luckily didn’t seem bothered.

“... did you beat that boss?” They asked.

“... ohhh yeah..!” Noelle sat up. “I hope I saved my game…”

Kris stretched their arms. Someone, probably Toriel, had wrapped the two of them up in a blanket.

“Are you two awake?” Their mother called from the kitchen.

“Kind of…” Noelle yawned.

“Well… breakfast is ready. You can come and eat whenever you want.”

Kris let their head fall against Noelle’s shoulder again and immediately sat back up. She started giggling.

“Here, you can lie down, Kris. I’m gonna go eat.” 

“... ok.”

She took the covers off of her and put them around Kris. Noelle got off the couch, and Kris collapsed onto it, going limp. Their body was in a state of not wanting to get up but not wanting to go to sleep either.

“Bacon AND eggs!!”

“Yes! I remembered how much you liked them…”

“Thank you, Tori!”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

They overheard Noelle and Toriel talking from the kitchen.

“This is soooo goood….”

Toriel laughed. “You and Kris… some of the fastest eaters I’ve ever seen.”

“Well… you can’t blame us..!” She said between bites. “Your food is just… that good!”

“Hahaha, I guess so.”

There was a beat of silence.

“So… how is Dess doing? I heard she went to college?”

“Oh, yeah! She’s coming to visit in a few months, I think?” Noelle said. “She’s doing good, though!”

“And how about your mother?” Toriel asked.

“Ah, she’s alone on vacation. I’ve got the house to myself for the next few weeks.” She shrugged. “Kinda lonely, but, y’know.”

“Oh… you can always stop by here whenever you feel like, honey.”

“Yeah… I’ll definitely be around here more often!” Noelle cheered.

Toriel smiled. “How’s Rudy doing?”

Noelle went noticeably quiet for a moment. “Oh, he’s on vacation too, with her. I forgot to mention that, fahaha!”

“Wow. And they didn’t think to invite you?”

“Eh, it’s fine. I got a lot of things going on here, so… they thought it was best for me to just stay.”

“Still… I think they should have brought you along with them.” Toriel sighed. “Sometimes I never understand those two…”

“Hey! Is that corn over there?” Noelle pointed out.

Kris felt a sudden surge of energy upon the mention of their favorite food.

“Oh! Yes, I forgot to bring that out!” Toriel said. “Kris, dear? Are you awake?”

They sat up, facing the two of them. “... yeah.”

“Here…” 

Toriel brought a plate with corn on the cob, setting it down next to Kris. They pounced on it, quickly gnawing away.

“Hey, um… Ms. Dreemurr?”

“Yes, dear?”

“I gotta get going, I’m really sorry.”

“Oh? No worries, Noelle.”

Noelle put her plate away in the sink and went over to the front of the TV, getting her game cartridge. Kris handed her the controller she had brought, still chewing on the corn.

“Thanks for breakfast! And for letting me stay the night!”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Toriel patted her on the head. “You’re always welcome here.”

Noelle smiled. “Bye, Toriel! See ya later, Kris!”

They waved at her. She waved back with a grin and stepped out the front door.

 “She’s grown so much…” Their mother sighed, a nostalgic smile on her face. “Invite her over more, would you, Kris?”

Kris nodded. “I’ll call her right now.”

“No, no, no!!” She laughed. “Later! Later!!”

They stifled a laugh, taking another huge bite.

“Hey, make sure you don’t make a big mess on the couch!”

They gave Toriel a thumbs up, then immediately went back to devouring what little was left of the corn.

She went upstairs, letting Kris feast alone. They thought about what they should do later today, knowing they had the day off.

They could call Noelle again. Maybe they could take her out to the diner? Or ICE-E’s? No, she would probably be too busy. Kris noticed that she had a slightly worried look on her face as she was hurrying out the door.

Maybe she had forgotten to do something back at home? Either way, she was off limits.

…

!

An idea popped up in their mind.

They knew exactly what they were going to do later.

* * *

“Hmm… more cuprite, perhaps…?”

Ralsei was deep in concentration, mixing various chemicals around in a cauldron. He dropped a mineral into the mix, which caused the pot to spark with life. Looking back at the open book next to him, he thumbed through the pages.

“... mix the chemical compound and examine the… aqua…” He mumbled.

“... hello?” Kris called out.

“WAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

The chemical vat suddenly erupted along with Ralsei’s vocal cords.

“Who’s-!?” He turned around. “KRIS?!”

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Ralsei hurried over to them, wiping chemical substances off his cloak.

“How did you find me?” He asked.

“I followed the webs and found a trapdoor in the ground.”

“Ah…” He rubbed the back of his head. “I should make that less apparent, haha…”

Kris flinched, watching a small spider crawl around on the floor. They weren’t lying. Somehow, they had gotten back on track and found the webs stuck to the scarlet trees. Kris followed them, being careful not to step in any traps Ralsei had laid out, and eventually found a wooden trapdoor carved in the ground.

They had opened it and stepped inside. It was a bunker of sorts, constructed out of stone. Cobwebs and spiders were all over the place, making Kris’s skin crawl. They pushed through and eventually found Ralsei.

“Anyway, what are you doing here? It’s still not safe for you, you know.” Ralsei continued.

Kris was too focused on dodging spiders crawling all over the floor to answer.

Ralsei quickly took notice. “Ah! Sorry about that! One moment…”

He clasped his hands together and cast some kind of spell. A light illuminated the two of them and drove the spiders away.

Kris began to relax. “Sorry… what was your question?”

“Why did you come back?”

“Oh.” They crossed their arms. “I, uh… I wanted to see more spiders.”

Ralsei gave them a confused look.

“Just kidding.” Kris said. “I’m looking for a place called ‘THE CYBER CITY.’ Do you know anything about that?”

He quickly nodded. “Yes! That’s past the forest and next to the Card… wait, why do you want to go there? How do you even know about that place?”

“Um… it’s a long story. I ran into someone named Lancer. He told me his dad was kidnapped by someone. I asked where I could find the kidnapper, and he told me to check a place called ‘THE CYBER CITY.’ So now I'm here.” Kris explained.

Ralsei’s spider mandibles twitched. “Lancer… that’s the son of the previous king.”

“Previous king?”

“Yes. It’s a lot to explain, but…”

Kris leaned against the wall behind them. “I have time.”

Ralsei pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “No, there are more important matters… follow me.”

He suddenly dropped onto all eight legs and skittered away, disappearing into the darkness. Kris felt their body internally squirm. They reluctantly got up and followed after him.

“If I’m going to point you in the direction of the city, then I want you to at least be prepared.” Ralsei explained, casting flames in bottles overheard, illuminating the room.

Kris looked around. The room was fairly big. There were what looked like training dummies lined up against a wall. Various platforms had been constructed near the center of the room. Strewn up on the wall and encased in glass was an iron sword and shield.

“In the case that you are recognized as a lightner, I don’t want you to be defenseless.” Ralsei continued.

He opened up the glass cabinet and took out the shield and sword. Ralsei walked over to Kris and held them out.

“Here.”

They took the shield, slipping it around their left arm. It fit well enough. They tried placing it on their back, and to their surprise, it stayed in place.

“And your blade.” Ralsei held the sword out.

Kris hesitated. They reached their hand out to take it, but then pulled away.

“No, that’s okay.” They shook their head. “Not my style.” 

“Are you sure?” Ralsei requested one final time.

They nodded.

He turned away, sealing the sword away in the glass cabinet.

“Now… there’s one final thing.” Ralsei said.

He began wringing his hands together. Sparks of some kind of flame began appearing around his fingertips.

“What is it?” Kris asked.

He didn’t reply.

“Ralsei?” They tried again. “Is something-”

!

He suddenly turned around, facing them. Ralsei held his hand out and cast a fireball in their direction. Kris ducked under it.

“Ralsei!?”

“Your suit. It heightens all five of your senses.” He whirled his hands around. “It makes you more durable and more swift.”

Ralsei cast more flames, sending them in Kris’s direction.

“What… are you… doing?!” They evaded each one.

“Focus! Don’t get hit!”

Ralsei continued casting fireballs at them. They rappelled on top of one of the platforms, narrowly missing one of the flames.

“Prove to me that you’re ready!”

This was a test, not a betrayal. He was trying to see if they were worthy of adventuring outside. Kris concentrated, watching his hand movements. A flame came flying directly at their head. They ducked, leaping off the platform and grappling onto the ceiling.

“You’re doing well!”

Kris swung around, kicking their legs up to gain momentum. They blocked some of the flames with their shield, evading most.

Ralsei clutched his palms together and switched the rhythm of his attacks. Six balls of fire shot out all at once, catching them off guard. Kris released their hook, a flame grazing their shoulder. They landed on the ground.

“This is it!”

He cast one final fireball out at Kris. They sidestepped it, confused. The attack was simple.

!

They felt something hot on their back. Kris dove out of the way, a series of fireballs narrowly missing them.

Kris caught their breath, and Ralsei placed his hands back at his sides.

“Good job!” He clapped, smoke arising out of his fingertips. “Your performance was excellent!” 

They had landed on their stomach. Kris got up, dusting their armor off.

“Was it?”

“I would give it an A+! Though, try to do less diving. It places you in a vulnerable position.” Ralsei said. “I like what you did with the grappling hook! Do more of that!”

Kris nodded. They realized only now that their heart was racing. It was slightly scary. They hadn’t expected Ralsei to attack them so suddenly. Although they would be lying if they said they didn’t have a little bit of fun with it.

“Also, don’t worry. Your armor is resistant to fire, so there wasn’t any risk of you getting burned.” He explained. “Though I wanted you to think there was, so you would treat it like it was the real deal. I apologize if I scared you!”

They shook their head. “It’s okay.”

“Moving on, here’s what you need.” He handed Kris a map. “I marked where the city is.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, if you do get into any kind of altercation, you need to run. Don’t let anyone figure out that you’re a lightner, and do not try to fight anyone.”

“Got it.”

“Okay…” Ralsei took a deep breath. He was still unsure of this. “Be careful, Kris.”

They nodded. Kris placed the map in their pocket and made their way out of Ralsei’s hideout.

* * *

They grappled on top of one of the abandoned buildings. Looking ahead, they spotted what they were looking for instantly. Kris wondered how they had never noticed it in the first place.

The CYBER CITY. Spotlights pierced above the sea of shiny buildings. Cars bustled around the colorful streets. Kris could barely make out the outlines of people roaming the sidewalks. This was definitely the place. They shot a hook over to the building in front of them and began making their way over.

As they approached, the sounds from the city grew louder. It was an amalgamation of laughter, cheering, and honking. Kris didn’t know whether they wanted to stick to the vibrant rooftops or risk moving with the crowds below.

They got close enough to enter, shooting a grappling hook onto the side of one of the buildings. A big advertisement that displayed the city in its fullest was playing on loop. They slowly reeled themselves down into an alleyway.

Stepping out, they were placed into a trance. It was so animated and radiant that it was addictive to look at. Kris couldn’t put into words how the city made them feel. A different kind of excitement, one that felt unreal.

The rest of the population didn’t seem responsive to their surroundings. They all looked like they had a set goal in mind, keeping their eyes to the floor and brushing past one another. 

Kris decided to walk with the crowd, hoping that their silver armor didn’t stand out too much. The city’s citizens didn’t seem to take much notice. Only a few glances were occasionally thrown their way, followed up by a couple of amused looks.

It was surreal. Like walking around a living painting. Nothing they would ever see from now on would top what they were looking at right now.

Noelle would love it here. They could already see her face, looking up at the flashing lights in awe. The two of them could relax at one of the restaurants nearby, and…

No. Ralsei said that it wasn’t safe for lightners. Kris hadn’t yet figured out why. They had a goal in mind: to find whoever Lancer was talking about.

This was all good to be true. At the end of the day, Kris didn’t belong here.

They continued searching amongst the blur of cars, darkners, and colorful advertisements.

Kris’s eyes honed in on something in the distance. They recognized someone. Lancer. He was talking to someone.

“... want to see him! Only for five minutes!”

“No. This area is off limits.”

The two of them were standing outside of what looked like a giant stone prison. It stood out amongst the rest of the colorful city with its dark, drab colors. What looked like armored guards wearing steel helmets stood posted outside.

“Please! I haven’t seen him in so long!”

“I. Don’t. Care. Get lost.”

Lancer was becoming frustrated. “N-No! I won’t back down this time!”

He tried pushing past the guard and was shoved to the ground. The sentinel brandished a stunstick, igniting the tip with electricity. 

“You’re coming with us.”

“W-What?! HEY! Get your hands off of me!!”

Lancer began crying out for help. Kris panicked. Without thinking, they began pushing past the crowd of people watching.

“... the king’s son, proceeding with lockup.”

“Stop!” Kris cried out.

They made their way to the front of the prison. More guards had gathered near the entrance.

“He’s just a kid, don't do this!”

“Who are you?” The guard began questioning them. “Move back right now!”

Lancer continued crying out for help as he was carried away. They were going to throw him in jail.

“Get back, NOW!”

The guards drew their stunsticks.

He was seconds from being sealed away.

Kris raised their arm.

“HELP!! SOMEBODY-” Lancer yelped.

They attached a hook to his back. Kris pulled, sending him flying backward. Reaching out, Kris caught Lancer out of the air.

“HEY!!”

“GET THEM!”

The guards began chasing the two. Kris broke through the crowd, holding Lancer under their arm. People gasped, moving out of the way.

They raised their arm and shot a grappling hook toward a building. They kicked off the ground, dodging one of the guard’s swings.

Holding Lancer close, they swung away. An alarm began sounding off. Kris couldn’t look down. Their heart pounded.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET ME GO!!” Lancer tried to break away from them.

“Stop!”

“I SAID LET ME GO!”

The two of them struggled. Lancer began kicking at their side. Kris latched onto an abandoned building outside of the city, and lowered the two of them down to the ground.

“LET ME-!!”

“Alright!”

They set him down. He angrily moved away from them, crossing his arms.

“What’s wrong?” They asked.

“I had it under control!” Lancer pouted. “I was going to get arrested so I could be with my dad again, but you came along and messed everything up!”

Kris didn’t believe what they were hearing.

“Just LEAVE ME ALONE! I don’t need your help!”

“Lancer…” They sighed.

It was silent for a moment. Lancer didn’t look in their direction. Kris was unsure of what to say.

“Why was your dad arrested?” They asked.

He didn’t respond.

“Lancer?”

“I don’t know. The Overseer never told me.”

A new name came up. The Overseer. Ralsei never mentioned them.

“The Overseer?” Kris asked.

Lancer huffed, looking away out of frustration. “I’m gonna go. Don’t follow me.”

He stood up and began walking away. Kris didn’t have the heart to follow him. Ralsei was right. They should have stayed away from this place.

Kris turned around and began making their way back home.

Chapter Text

A few days had passed. Kris had been maintaining their Knight persona, with their recent actions garnering more headline attention. People at school were beginning to talk about them. They even heard Ms. Alphys bring them up at one point.

It was beginning to feel a little overwhelming, and they had only been active for around a week. Kris had no idea how long they would be able to keep this up. Somebody was bound to find out who they really were.

Kris walked into class. They immediately heard someone next to them mention “The Knight.” The unofficial name was beginning to stick. It didn’t sound too bad. Ms. Alphys was writing something on the chalkboard. Noelle was talking with Berdly, the two of them pointing out various things on their poster. She raised her head and waved at Kris with a smile. They waved back and made their way over to their seat.

Susie wasn’t there yet. Kris didn’t want to face her right now. They hadn’t made any progress on the group project.

“A-Alright, class! Quiet down, quiet down!” Ms. Alphys began waving her hands.

The class became still. Kris slumped over, sprawling their arms out on the desk. They weren’t getting enough sleep. Toriel had to drag them out of bed this morning.

“So… as you all know… ah, g-good morning, Susie…” Alphys continued.

Susie walked over to her seat.

“The g-group projects are due today! M-Make a pile here at my desk!”

Kris looked up. The rest of their classmates were getting out of their seats and placing their posters on Alphys’s desk. They stayed chained to their seat. 

They could see Susie glaring at them.

“S-Susie? Do you have your poster?” Ms. Alphys called from across the classroom.

“Ask them.” She pointed a finger at Kris.

“Kris?”

They hesitated before shaking their head.

“Ah! That’s alright! I-I can give you an extension on it!”

Susie’s gaze stayed pinned on them. Ms. Alphys appeared to take notice of it. She made her way over to Susie’s desk.

“... do any work?” Alphys mumbled something Kris could barely hear. “... they are doing everything.”

Susie had her arms crossed. She didn’t look at Alphys for a second, staring back at the wall off to her side.

“... stay at school on…” Alphys said. “... getting expelled…”

Suddenly, Susie’s eyes lit up. She looked at Alphys and began shaking her head.

“I-I’m serious. Help them with the project, okay?”

Ms. Alphys returned to her desk. Susie mumbled something under her breath and groaned, putting her head down.

“Alright! N-Now, with today’s lesson…”

* * *

School was finally coming to a close. Kris nearly slept through the remainder of their classes. They had spent lunchtime with Noelle again. Her group of friends didn’t seem to like the fact that the two were hanging out together again, but Noelle insisted that Kris ignore them.

The group project. Kris felt like a fool. They had completely forgotten about it, their secondary lifestyle taking priority over their own. 

That meant Susie was going to be on them again.

Kris shuddered. Stepping out into the hallway of the school, Kris moved toward the entrance to leave. They saw Noelle with a group of her friends standing around nearby. She immediately saw them and began running over.

“Kris!!!”

“Hey.”

“... been looking for an excuse to get out of here..!” Noelle mumbled excitedly.

“Hm..?” Kris didn’t understand for a moment, then looked over at her friend group. “Oh…”

“So, you wanna walk home together?” She asked.

“Sure.”

“Noelle, are you coming?” One of her friends asked.

“Nah, not today! I gotta catch up more with my best friend!” She flashed her friend group a thumbs-up.

“Uh… alright then. Have fun.” Her friend dryly replied.

The two of them left together, Noelle skipping through the entrance while Kris followed cautiously from behind. They could feel the eyes coming from her friend group on their back as they were leaving.

“What’s got you so excited?” They asked.

“Aren’t we gonna play some more Dragon Blazers?”

“Oh… right.” They nodded. “Sure, why not?”

“Yesss!!! I’ve been waiting all week for this!”

They stifled a laugh. “Can’t wait to get demolished by another boss.”

“Oh no, trust me! We got it this time!”

They continued walking together. Noelle was laying out an entire plan for the two of them to follow through with. Keep the mage alive while protecting the glass cannon, save up enough mana potions so they can farm experience points, et cetera. 

Kris barely understood the language she was speaking, but it didn’t matter. They were happy to be included and were open to learning.

“Glass cannon… that’s, uh… what again?” They asked.

“A character that does a lot of damage but is really weak!”

“Ohh…”

They rounded a corner on the sidewalk. Kris saw someone in the corner of their eye.

Susie. She was leaning against a building nearby. Her eyes met theirs, and Kris quickly looked away.

“If we do manage to get that far, we should try completing the armor set for…”

“Hey, Noelle?”

She stopped in the middle of her sentence. “Yeah?”

“I, uh… I’m really sorry, but… I just remembered I have to do something.” Kris ran a hand through their hair.

“Oh?”

“So, do you think we can hang out tomorrow?”

“Um, yeah! Sure! That’s fine!” She smiled. “After school?”

“Yeah, we can walk to my house together, too. I promise.” They forced a smile on their face.

“Okay! Um… I guess I’ll see you then!”

“Yeah, see you.” They waved her goodbye.

She nodded, waving back. Noelle turned around and began walking back to her house, putting the game cartridge back in her pocket.

Kris steadied their breathing. They looked back over.

Susie was gone.

They felt some relief knowing that Noelle wasn’t going to get involved in what was about to happen.

They went to continue walking back home.

But the bushes around them began to rustle.

And she stepped out.

The two of them didn’t say a word for a moment. She just stood there, in front of them, on the sidewalk. Kris didn’t know what to do.

“Kris.”

They didn’t respond.

“You know what has to happen now, don’t you?”

She curled her finger, grinning. “Come here.”

They didn’t move.

“COME. HERE.”

Susie took a step in their direction. Kris began to back away.

“KRIS!”

They turned around to run. She grabbed their sleeve and yanked them toward her. Kris struggled against her, pushing her away.

“Stop…” Susie growled.

She had a tight grip on them. Kris pulled as hard as they could. They nearly slipped away.

“I SAID STOP!!” She cried out, swiping her hand at them.

They yelped, feeling something sharp against their skin. They fell to the floor. Susie had let go of them. Her face looked horrified.

“... no… I didn’t mean to…” She backed away.

Kris felt their face. Blood stained their hand. 

Susie suddenly turned around and ran, disappearing around a corner.

* * *

“Welcome back, dear!”

Their mother greeted them at the front door. Kris had their head turned away, not responding to her.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

Kris tried to move past her to go to the bathroom. They kept their hand cupped over their face. Toriel didn’t let up.

“Kris? What happened to your face?”

She followed them to the bathroom door and pressed her hand against it, preventing them from opening it. Kris looked down, not wanting to face her.

“Kris.” Her tone changed. “Show me.”

Toriel kept her hand against the door. There was no getting out of this.

Kris lowered their hand.

She gasped. Without another word, Toriel immediately went over to the phone and began calling someone.

They locked the bathroom door behind them.

Chapter Text

This was a mess.

Kris had to stop Toriel from calling the police four different times. She had called the school principal and had arranged a meeting. They had insisted it was no big deal and that they had just tripped a million times, but she knew better. The cut under their eye took a while to stop bleeding. But that’s all it was, a cut. Although it was probably going to scar.

A day had passed. Their mother had put a bandage over the wound that had a bunch of bright pink hearts on it, because of course it did. They walked into class and tried their best to avoid talking to anyone.

“Hi Kris!!” Noelle waved, smiling.

They could make time for one person, though.

“Hey.”

“What happened to your face?”

“Tripped.”

“Ouch!” Noelle cocked an eyebrow. “Well, the bandage is cute, at least.”

Kris rolled their eyes, going over to their seat. This was going to be a long day. Toriel had walked them to school this time and had gone straight to the principal’s office. Any minute now, they would be called out of class.

They noticed Susie was already here. She had her head down at her desk. Kris couldn’t tell if she was sleeping or not.

Ms. Alphys clapped her hands. “A-Alright, class!! Let’s get started! Turn your books to page…”

Time to tune out.

Kris slumped over on their desk, mimicking Susie. Maybe she knew she was bound to get called in, too.

They didn’t want this, all of this attention. Their mother storming into the school with half of the students watching. A meeting with the principal. Another risk of homeschooling. They just wanted to be left alone.

Kris didn’t care if people ignored them. In fact, they preferred it that way. But somehow, attention always found a way to creep up on them when they least wanted it.

Was it so hard to just be left alone?

Ms. Alphys’s phone started ringing. She answered it, holding it up to her ear.

“Um… excuse me! Kris! A-And Susie?” Alphys called out.

The two of them looked up.

“You’re both needed… i-in the principal’s office.”

Kris begrudgingly got up, following Susie out of the classroom. They approached his door in silence, neither of them looking at one another. Kris could already hear their mother causing a ruckus in the office before even opening the door.

“... told you a thousand times that if you don’t-!”

“Alright, alright, Ms Dreemurr. I understand that you’re upset.” The principal tried calming her down.

Toriel looked over at Susie.

“Huh..? Susie?” Their mother mumbled.

Kris was confused. Somehow, Toriel recognized her.

“Why did you call her in?” She asked.

“We are nearly certain that Susie was the one Kris ran into the day before.” The principal readjusted his bowtie.

Susie kept her head down. Kris didn’t understand how their mother knew her.

“Now, Ms. Dreemurr, would you be so kind and step outside for a moment?”

Toriel reluctantly nodded, exiting the room. The principal turned his attention toward Kris.

“Kris, you can have a seat right over here. Susie, you may as well if you like.”

They took their seat. Susie didn’t move from the corner of the room. The principal sat down at his desk in front of Kris.

“Alright…” He brushed various documents aside. “How are we today, Kris?’

Kris shrugged. They held themselves back from blowing a raspberry at him.

“I apologize for bringing you in so suddenly. I know you have more important things to do right now, so I’ll try and keep this brief.”

He neatly folded his hands together, straightening his posture. Everything about him felt so disingenuous. It was almost amusing.

“Your mother called us last night in a panic. She claims that someone had attacked you yesterday while you were on your way back home from school.”

Kris glanced over at Susie. Her head remained permanently down.

“Now, we take these things very seriously. Regardless, whether or not you were on schoolgrounds or not, you were still injured by another student.” He continued.

They couldn’t bring themselves to look him in the eye.

“Now, trust me, Kris. There is no reason for you to be afraid. I want you tell me the truth and nothing less.”

The principal leaned toward them. He raised a bony finger in Susie’s direction.

“Was she the one who hurt you yesterday?”

There was a beat of silence.

Kris looked over at her for a final time. They watched her slowly raise her head, her hair parting enough so that they could see one of her eyes. Their gazes met, and Susie looked back down again.

“No.”

The principal looked at them, confused. “Are you absolutely certain?”

They nodded.

“Then what happened?”

Susie raised her head all the way for the first time. Kris saw how scared she looked.

“I tripped on my way home, hitting my face on the edge of the curb.” Kris said.

The principal sighed. He rubbed his eyelids with the tips of his fingers.

“Kris, I don’t mean to sound impolite, but I don’t exactly believe that story. The kind of cut that you have, it’s only something a claw could make.”

They faced him, looking at the principal dead in the eye.

“I’m telling you the truth. She had nothing to do with it.”

“Has she ever hurt you before?”

“Never.”

The principal looked defeated. He kept glancing at the door, probably expecting Toriel to come bursting in again. Kris leaned back in their chair.

“Kris.” He tried one final time. “Promise me you’re telling the truth.”

“Promise.”

“Alright.” He looked over at Susie. “You’re excused.”

She anxiously nodded, stepping out of the room. Kris could hear Toriel say something to her as she was leaving, but couldn’t make out what.

Their mother suddenly stepped into the room uninvited.

“So?”

“So…” The principal sighed. “Kris is claiming that they tripped on the sidewalk, and that’s how they got the injury. Susie had nothing to do with it.”

Toriel nodded. “I don’t know why you think she would. I know her, she’s a sweet girl.”

“Ms. Dreemurr, you are aware of the reputation she has, correct? She is on the brink of expulsion.”

Their mother sighed. “I don’t know what problem the schoolboard has with her. She has always been kind to me.”

Toriel patted Kris gently on the head. The principal brushed a speck of dust off of his suit and cleared his throat.

“That would conclude this meeting, then. Kris, you may go back to class.”

They nodded. Toriel warmly smiled at them as they left the office.

Kris stepped back into class. It was quiet, apart from Noelle who was standing up and reading a passage aloud from out of a book. They noticed Susie look up at them from across the room. She opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something to them.

But she didn’t.

They returned to their seat.

Chapter Text

A day had passed. Things were finally starting to calm down. Ms. Alphys had arranged a session between Kris and Susie next week so the two of them could work on the group project. To their surprise, Susie didn’t seem too annoyed by it. She simply nodded, exchanged phone numbers with Kris, and returned to her seat. They had expected at least a mumbled insult out of her.

They had gotten back to work at their part-time job, leaping across rooftops to make sure no one was being robbed. Newspaper headlines continued to boast their name in big letters. “THE KNIGHT stops this, THE KNIGHT stops that.” Kris wondered if the Knight would ever start starting things for a change.

For now, Kris was taking a break. Noelle had called them up and asked if the two of them could hang out after school. The two had spent the day before playing more Dragon Blazers, which was a lot of fun. They also didn’t have school the next day, so they could go back to work later than usual. Therefore, Kris decided to agree. 

“Soooooo… where do you wanna go?” Noelle asked.

Kris looked around. “The diner sounds nice.”

“Alright! I am kinda hungry…”

The two of them began making their way over. Noelle had a slight skip to her step, while Kris probably looked like a zombie with the way they were walking. Their sleep schedule was still beyond repair. That was one of the many negatives with their little side gig.

“Hey, Kris?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you say you got that cut again?”

Kris looked at her for a moment, slightly confused. This question felt a little random, even for Noelle. They had taken the bandage off by now, revealing a large cut under their right eye.

“I, uh… I tripped.”

“And?”

“And fell.”

“I mean, like… what did you land on?”

“The ground..?”

She playfully nudged their shoulder. “You know what I mean!!”

“Not really. What do you mean?”

“I mean… that cut… it looks like, I don’t know, someone slashed you with a knife or something?”

Kris’s eyes widened.

“Soo… I don’t mean to like… put you on the spot, or anything, but… I know you.” Noelle said.

Now they were really confused. “What are you talking about?”

“It was Susie, wasn’t it?”

“What?”

“The one who did that to you.” She pointed at their face.

Kris shied away, looking down and holding their shoulder.

“It’s okay, Kris, I’m not gonna confront her or anything.”

“... you promise?”

“Promise.”

They sighed. “... okay, it was her.”

Noelle’s eyes narrowed. She nodded, appearing to keep a mental note of what they had just said.

“Has she done anything else?” Noelle asked.

“Well… not really. She was mad at me because I didn't work on the group project.”

“That doesn’t give her the right to hurt you."

Kris could hear the shift in Noelle’s tone. She was always like this, even when they were kids. Noelle used to do a lot of the protecting when it came to bullies at school back in the day. Their other protector was Dess.

“So you reported her to the principal, right?”

“What? No.” Kris shook their head.

“Why?”

They didn’t have an answer. “I… I don’t know.”

There was something about her. Kris could relate to her in a way. Sure, they weren’t as tough or as tall as her, but they were just as secluded. They had seen her in the past around town. She was always alone. People at school were quick to stir up nasty rumors about her. In a strange way, they knew exactly what she was going through.

They had an opportunity to expel her, but Kris didn’t have the heart to do it. Not after what they’ve seen her go through.

They wanted to get to know her better. Maybe working on the group project with her could help with that.

Noelle let out an annoyed sigh. “Kris, just… be careful around her, okay?”

They nodded.

The two of them approached the entrance to QC’s Diner. Noelle’s demeanor appeared to change upon opening the front door.

“Come on, Kris! Dinner’s on me!”

* * *

“Well, I’ll be! Noelle Holiday and Kris Dreemurr!” QC welcomed the duo into the diner.

“Hey, QC!” Noelle waved, putting five dollars down on the front counter. “The usual special?”

“Of course, hon. Sit wherever you like, it’ll be right out in a minute!”

QC stepped out back while Noelle led Kris to a booth near the window. They were thankful that Noelle always did the talking in these sorts of scenarios. The pair sat down across from one another.

“Woooooooww….” Noelle’s eyes were beaming. “... this place never gets old!”

Kris leaned forward, propping their head up with their hand. It had been a while since they had gone in here. They thought it would look weird if they were to go alone.

“Ooh! Hey Kris!” Noelle perked up.

“Hm?”

“I almost forgot to mention this, but there’s a festival that’s comin’ up in a few weeks!”

“Really?”

“Mhmm! And I want YOU to go with me!” She enthusiastically pointed at them.

Kris scoffed. “What an honor.”

“So? You wanna?”

“Duh, of course.”

“Yeahh!!! Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve gone!”

“Same here. Still haven’t fully recovered from that Ferris wheel incident.”

Noelle gave them a confused look. “What Ferris wheel incident?”

“Remember? When you started shaking our cart at the very top?”

“OH!” Noelle started laughing. “That won’t happen again! Probably!”

Kris couldn’t help but laugh a little.

QC walked over holding plates in each of her hands. She set them down in front of Noelle and Kris, respectively.

“And a little extra for you two, just to celebrate the reunion.”

She set down an ice cream sundae. Kris and Noelle’s eyes both lit up in unison.

“Seeing the two of you together again is so heartwarming.” QC smiled. “Reminds me of when you two brought both of your families down here a few years back.”

“Oh gosh, we had to take up like, five different tables, right?” Noelle said.

“Yes! That was one of the busiest days we’ve had ever. How’s your sister doing, by the way?”

“Oh, she’s doing good! Went off to college, but she’ll be back soon!”

“Ah, that’s good to hear.”

QC turned to Kris.

“How’s Asriel doing, hon?”

Noelle’s face suddenly turned sour.

“Ah-! QC, he’s…”

Her voice became distant.

“You should bring him by sometime. I’d love to see the two of you together again.”

Noelle said something they couldn’t hear.

“Oh! I’m sorry, hon… I forgot that he passed.”

So did they.

How selfish of them.

“I sincerely apologize, I should’ve remembered.” QC looked over her shoulder. “Coming!”

She moved over to another customer.

“Kris? Are you okay?”

They felt sick.

“I’m sorry about that, I should have changed the subject. Do you still wanna…”

They stared at the floor.

How selfish.

* * *

It was getting late.

The two of them were walking around town. Toriel had texted them a few minutes ago asking where they were, so Kris let her know.

Noelle yawned. “Jeez, it got dark kinda fast…”

The pair were near the edge of town. Noelle appeared to be eying something in the distance. Kris walked over, trying to see what she was looking at.

“Oh my gosh… look!” She pointed toward the bundle of trees in front of them. “It’s that lake!”

Past the row of trees was a clearing with a small lake. Kris and Noelle used to hang out there as kids.

“I’m sorry, I just… I gotta see it!”

She broke off into a sprint, disappearing past a group of bushes.

Kris wasn’t going to just stand there. They followed after her.

“Look at this!!” Noelle was in awe again.

The lake hadn’t changed at all. The water was as clear as they remembered it being. The sun was set in the perfect spot over the horizon, casting a luminous reflection against the surface of the water.

Kris could see her reflection in the water. They stood too far back to see theirs.

“Awww!! Someone got rid of the diving board!” Noelle pouted.

Dess had made a makeshift diving board for Noelle to jump off of whenever she got too excited. Kris was always too afraid to walk on it, unsure if it would split in half under their weight.

“Oh well!” Noelle began backing up.

“Noelle? You’re not actually going to-”

“WOOHOO!!!” Kris was cut off by Noelle running forward and leaping into the lake.

Water erupted into the air. They backed up, shielding their face. Noelle’s head peeped above the surface.

“IT’S SO COLD!!”

“Why did you do that?! Your clothes are gonna be soaked!” Kris laughed in disbelief.

“I-IT’S FINE!! PLUS, NOW I CAN DO THIS!”

She disappeared under the water. Kris started to get nervous.

“Noelle?”

They were afraid she was going to pull out some kind of bug and start chasing them with it again.

“Noelle? You better not-”

Water was suddenly hurled at them. Kris jumped back, getting splashed in the face.

“Got you!!” She laughed hysterically. “Now get in here!”

“No way!”

“Yes way! It’s not even that cold, come on!”

Kris stood their ground, shaking their head.

“Okay, have it your way then!” She started splashing water at them again.

They backed away, laughing with her.

“HEY! Get back here!!”

“You’re crazy!”

She suddenly climbed out of the water, sprinting in Kris’s direction. Startled, they began running away.

“I wanna hug you, come here!!”

“Noooo!!!!”

The two began running circles around the lake. They would reach a standstill where Kris would be on one end of the lake while Noelle would be on the other. She would suddenly break out into a sprint, and the chase would resume.

Kris eventually panicked, losing their footing mid-chase. Noelle playfully tackled them, getting their clothes wet.

“Fahaha!! I got you!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Kris caught their breath.

Noelle sat down next to them, acting like she hadn’t been running for the last five minutes. Kris was on their back, completely exhausted.

“So…” They panted. “... that cross-country paid off, huh?”

“Mhm! You should try it!”

“Pass…” They sat up.

Kris brushed their sweater down, their heart still racing. Noelle giggled, scratching the back of her head.

“Starting to regret this now…” She shook her head, water flying out of her hair.

“I told you.” Kris scoffed.

“Oh well!”

Noelle stood up, stretching her arms in the air. Kris felt their phone buzz. Taking it out, they noticed a text from Toriel asking if they could come home soon.

“Hey Noelle, I gotta get going.” They waved the phone in front of them for emphasis. “Mom wants me back.”

“Oh, alright!” She held a hand out. “Want me to walk you back?”

They shook their head, laughing. “A wet doe as my escort. Wonderful.”

Kris took her hand, letting her pull them up.

“Come on then, slightly drenched human!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The two began to head back home. Noelle was smiling.

And so were they.

Chapter Text

doelle

kris

kris

kris hey

krs

ks

kriiiiiiiiiiiiis

oh merry kriiiiismaaaaaaaaassss

She had nearly given them a heart attack. Noelle had sent so many messages Kris thought that it was their mother who was texting them during class.

Kris

what

doelle

u wanna walk home together?

That’s what she was spamming them for? They held back a laugh, not wanting to interrupt Ms. Alphys’s lesson.

Kris

ok

doelle

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

u da Best

Kris

👍

doelle

:D

The class was a minute away from finishing. Ms. Alphys was cutting it down to the wire again. Susie sat opposite to them, as usual. She seemed invested in whatever she was writing on a sheet of paper, her body hunched over on the desk and the tip of her snout nearly pressing up against the surface of the page.

Kris and Susie were meant to work on the project tomorrow. They hadn’t dared text her phone number yet, fearing she would block their number immediately. There would come a time where they would be forced to message her, though.

“A-And the bell’s about to ring, so-”

The bell rang. Every student in the class awoke from their dormant states and began rushing out the door. 

“See you all t-tomorrow! And finish the rest of chapter twelve!!” Ms. Alphys spoke to an ignoring audience.

Susie sat up, crumpling up the piece of paper she was scribbling on and tossing it in the trash. Jamming her hands in her pockets, she walked out of the classroom.

“Kris Cross!”

Noelle stood in the doorway, waving them down. They quickly got out of their seat and followed after her.

“Hey.” Kris waved.

“Hey!!” Noelle jumped up and down.

She looked like she was practically beaming.

“What’s got you so excited?”

“We’re gonna beat Dragon Blazers today, right?!”

“Ohh…” They remembered how Noelle had saved right before the final boss. “Yeah, sure. We can.”

“Awesome!!”

The pair exited the school, turning a corner and heading in the direction of Kris’s house. They never gave it much thought, but Kris realized how easy it was to talk to Noelle. They could say literally anything on their mind and she would have an adequate response to it.

“Hey, Noelle.”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t we ever go to your house?”

“Well, we can! If you want! I just… I dunno, like seeing Toriel more, I guess.”

“Oh no, it’s okay. I was just wondering if there was a reason.”

“What, you think I have a dead body locked up in my basement or something?” She raised an eyebrow teasingly.

“Uhh… knowing you, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Noelle blew a raspberry at them, making Kris giggle.

They crossed the street, Kris noticing a strewn newspaper on a bench that featured a picture of them. The headline read, “THE KNIGHT SAVES A CAT FROM A TREE.” The fact that it made the front page proved how interesting the town really was.

“Ooh, look! The Knight! And they saved a cat this time, wooww!!” Noelle’s eyes glowed.

“Wow.” They feigned enthusiasm.

“I got a question!”

“Hm?”

“If you ever saw the Knight up close, what would you say to them?”

Kris pondered for a moment. “I would say… cool outfit.”

Noelle looked at them in disbelief. “That’s it?!”

They shrugged.

“I would be like, hey! Where’d you get that grappling hook?! And that shield!!” Noelle simulated the grappling hook with her hand, making fitting noises to accompany it.

Kris laughed, shaking their head.

It would be hilarious if they were to confess the truth right now. Drop the mask entirely and tell her that they were the Knight all along. But Kris realized recently that they could never do that.

They had made up a rule for themselves. Don’t get anyone you know involved. Noelle could never know, for her own safety. Knowing her, she would probably ask to be their sidekick, or something along those lines.

The only issue was that it was so hard not to tell her the truth. Kris desperately wanted someone to talk to about it. She was that someone. It hurt keeping so many secrets from everyone else, but it was something they would have to do for now.

“... anyway! Let’s keep going, we gotta get this game done!” She said.

The two of them continued their path back home, with Noelle skipping in the front and Kris walking at a normal pace in the back.

“... coming in soon, get ready…”

They heard someone talking from around the corner. It was a voice they recognized.

“Noelle.”

“Hm?”

They grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

“What is it, Kris?”

“... let’s go another way. I think there's-”

“Ah, ah, ah! No need for that, Kris.”

The rat-faced lowlife from a couple weeks ago rounded the corner. Him and his lackeys began to emerge. Noelle instinctively got in front of Kris.

“Who are you?” She called out.

“No need to worry, miss goody two shoes. You should run along now.” He chuckled. “We just want to talk to our friend.”

Kris and Noelle began backing away. The mob followed.

“Kris, you get ready to run with me.” She mumbled. “On three. You ready?”

They nodded.

“One, two-”

Someone grabbed the back of Kris’s hair, yanking them away from Noelle. She screamed, reaching out for them, but she was seized as well. The mob dragged the two of them into a secluded alleyway.

Kris was shoved to the floor, their back hitting the wall. A girl with pigtails kept her hands gripped around Noelle’s, restraining them behind her.

“STOP!! LET THEM GO!”

Noelle twisted and turned, trying to break free. Kris could see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

“Can you shut her up?” The rat said.

The girl with pigtails clasped a hand around Noelle’s mouth, but instantly shrieked.

“She bit me!”

The rat smirked, brandishing a pair of scissors out of his pocket. He held it up to Noelle’s hair.

“Stop. Screaming.”

She glared at him.

There were five of them in total. Three of them were blocking the alley. There wasn’t any way of getting out of this. Kris didn’t know what to do. The rat kneeled down in front of them.

“Sorry about that.” He smirked. “Let’s cut to the chase.”

Everything about him made Kris sick. His voice, his appearance, the disgusting smell radiating off of him. He snipped the scissors in front of their eyes.

“You ready?”

He grabbed a fistful of their hair. Kris flinched, pulling away from him.

“STOP!!!” Noelle screamed.

A sadistic grin spread across his face.

“Juuust a little…”

The blades of the scissors began to close in. Kris gritted their teeth.

!

A loud slam was heard on the other end of the alleyway, like someone kicking a trash can. He pulled the pair of scissors away.

Someone was standing there. Kris couldn’t see who.

“The hell?!” The rat-faced kid stood up, facing the figure. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

“Let them go.” They heard the figure speak.

Kris knew that voice.

Susie.

“GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!”

“YEAH, YOU BIG FREAK!”

The mob began yelling in her direction. She didn’t move an inch.

“GO BACK TO SLEEPING ON THE SIDEWALK, YOU-”

Susie suddenly slammed her fist into the wall. The pigtails girl shrieked, releasing Noelle. She ran over to Kris, shielding them with her body.

“Let. Them. Go.”

The three bullies blocking the alleyway broke off into an all-out sprint, running by Susie and disappearing around the corner.

“WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, HUH?!”

She took a step in his direction. He nearly dropped the pair of scissors out of fear. The girl with pigtails shrieked again and took off running, leaving only one left.

“YOU… YOU GAVE THEM THAT CUT ON THEIR FACE! WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING THEM!?” His voice was shaking. “A HUMAN?! WHY!?”

Susie loomed over him. She snarled, brandishing her teeth.

“S-STAY BACK!!”

She began unhinging her jaw. Susie took another step toward him, and he lost it. His wit, along with his nerve, disappeared as he ran for his life. He tripped over a stray soda can on his way out.

They were gone.

Susie faced Kris and Noelle.

“There. Now we’re even.”

She turned around and walked away.

Chapter Text

Kris

hey, this is kris 

do you want to work on the project later today at the library?

They had sent that message over an hour ago. Susie had yet to answer. Kris had been waiting at the library ever since.

With nothing better to do, they decided to message somebody they knew would respond.

Kris

hey

doelle

heyyyyyyyyy!!!

whatchu up to?

Kris

i sent susie a message

doelle

OOH what did she say

Kris

still hasn’t answered me

doelle

oh

well, give her time i guess

Kris

it’s been an hour

doelle

OH

well dang

maybe her phone is ded or smth??

Kris

or she’s just ignoring me

They scanned the library once again. Berdly seemed to be the only other person in the room with them. He was standing behind the reception desk, staring at something on his phone. Kris didn’t want to bother him since he was at work, so they had simply waved at him when they walked in.

doelle

eh maybe

what exactly did u say to her

Kris

hey this is kris 

do you want to work on the project later today at the library

doelle

lol

reaaaaal smooooth

Kris

shut up

doelle

XDDDD

Kris

is it really that bad

doelle

no not really

maybe u should just call her?

For some reason, Kris had never thought of that.

Kris

ok

doelle

goood luuck!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 :D :D :D

Kris

thanks

They dialed her number.

…

…

…

Sent to a generic voicemail.

Well, they couldn’t say they didn’t try.

Kris

guess what

doelle

voicemail?

Kris

yep

i give up

Kris got up to leave, picking up their bag and slinging it over their shoulder.

They felt their phone vibrate.

Susie

yeah

Well, better late than never. They quickly left a reply.

Kris

i’m there right now

Susie

sick

omw

Kris

cool

They swapped over to Noelle’s messages.

Kris

she answered me

doelle

REALLY

way to go!

Kris

woohoo

doelle

where r u rn?

Kris

at the librarby

she said she’s coming over soon

doelle

i can come over too if u want

for emotional support :P

They thought about it for a moment.

Kris

nah i’ll be okay

doelle 

alright!

lemme know if u need me!!

Kris

will do

They put their phone away, taking the blank poster out of their bag along with colored pencils. Kris had picked a random comic book to do their review on. It had a cool-looking cover of some sort of chainsaw shark hybrid thing, something that Ms. Alphys would probably find interesting. They could draw the character on the poster later, and maybe Susie could color it in.

Kris heard the front door to the library open.

“Sup.” She called out to Berdly.

“Hm? Oh, hello.” He waved at her, looking up from his phone.

“You know where’s…” She looked over at Kris. “... oh.”

Susie walked over to them, taking her seat on the other end of the table.

“Hey.” She greeted.

“Hey.”

…

“Cool comic book.” She pointed out.

“Thanks.”

“Is that what we’re using?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.”

She held it up, reading the cover. 

“Didn’t take you for an anime fan.”

“Hm?” Kris looked up. “Oh, I haven’t read it. I just thought the cover looked cool.”

“... oh.” Susie put the comic down.

Kris had no idea what an “anime” was. They might’ve heard Noelle mention it once before, though.

“So..?” She picked up one of the colored pencils. “What are you a fan of, anyway?”

“Uh…” They pondered. “Video games, I guess.”

“Really?” Susie leaned forward.

“Yeah. I’ve been playing that new Dragon Blazers game.”

“What level you at?”

“Uh…” They had no idea. Kris had been watching Noelle play for the most part. “The one with the, um… shadow deer thingy?”

“Ohhh! The final boss?”

“Yeah. I’m kind of… stuck on it.” Kris hoped she wasn’t going to go into specifics.

“Dude, I’ve already beaten that thing like, ten times. You should try doin' the other route around the main castle.”

“Uh-huh…” They needed to change this subject fast. “... so, um… the project.”

“Oh, right.”

Susie played video games, apparently. They would’ve never guessed that by looking at her.

“Should I just start drawing the cover here in the middle?” Kris pointed at the comic.

“You wanna draw it?” She asked.

“Sure.” They shrugged.

“Alright. Then what should I do?”

“Um…” They tapped the colored pencil they were holding against their chin. “... wanna color it after I’m done?”

“Okay.” She leaned back. “I see what you’re doin’.”

That last statement caught them off guard. “What?”

“You wanna do all the hard work for me, huh?” Susie picked the comic book up. “Well, guess what? I’ll just draw this, uh… devil cat girl thing.”

She rotated the poster around and picked up a pencil. Susie started outlining the devil girl thing she had mentioned. It was another character that was posed next to the chainsaw shark.

Kris realized they hadn’t checked the age rating on this thing before picking it up.

“Um… okay.” They moved over next to Susie, picking up their own pencil.

Looking over at her, Kris was fairly surprised. She seemed to know what she was doing, sketching the hair around the cat’s head. They started on the chainsaw shark’s face.

“... hey, Kris.”

“Hm?”

“You said you didn’t even read this thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Then how are we gonna present it in front of the class?”

“I’ll just read it later tonight.”

“Uh?” She lifted the comic book cover up, letting the pages flap. “It’s like, five hundred pages.”

“That’s okay.”

“Well, what if she asks me a question?!”

“I’ll answer it for you.”

Susie rolled her eyes. “See, you’re doing it again.”

“What?”

“Look, forget the shit I said about doing all the work yourself. Lemme help you.”

Kris looked up at her. Something about what she said meant a lot to them.

“Okay, you don’t have to stare at me like that.” Susie scoffed.

“Sorry.”

“Just draw.”

They nodded, going back to sketching the blade of the chainsaw shark’s face. Kris looked over at her drawing.

“Wow.”

“Huh?” She looked at them out of the corner of her eye.

“That’s really good, Susie.”

“What?”

“Your drawing.”

Susie averted her gaze. “You don’t have to lie.”

“No, I’m serious. You have talent.”

She put a paw over her drawing of the devil girl’s face, hiding it. “Whatever.”

They stifled a laugh.

Susie looked away, keeping an arm wrapped around her drawing so Kris couldn’t see it. The two of them went back to silently drawing. All things considered, this was going fairly well. 

Kris had meant what they said. Her drawing looked even better than the original. Despite her efforts, they could make out Susie sketching the girl’s blue sweater.

“... so…” They mumbled. “... what other video games do you play?”

“... hm? Oh, uh… you ever heard of that one game, Super Smashing Fighters?”

“Yeah. I used to play that game when I was a kid.” They said.

“Same here! Dude, we gotta play a match sometime!” She held the comic book up, getting a better look at it.

“Okay.”

“Don’t worry, once I kick your ass on that game I’ll show you how to beat the final boss on Dragon Blazers.”

They scoffed. “Sure.”

* * *

“Phew… god DAMN that was tiring.” Susie set her pencil down. “Forgot how hard doing work is.”

Kris blew on the poster, getting the eraser marks off. They had finished coloring their drawings after an hour. Susie looked genuinely exhausted.

“Let’s call it a day.” They said.

“Agreed.” She stretched her arms out, yawning.

Susie got out of her chair and began heading outside. Kris put their supplies away, stuffing the poster in their bag before following her out of the library.

It was dark outside. They checked their phone.

8:02 P.M.

They still had time to clock in for another shift.

“Hey, Susie.”

“Hm?”

“I gotta go. I have work soon.”

“Work? This late? Holy shit.” She laughed. “No wonder you’ve been sleeping through class every day.”

They scoffed. “Same time tomorrow?”

Susie nodded. “Sure.”

Kris slipped their bag over their shoulder. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

She waved, heading in the opposite direction from them. Kris waved back.

They got a text on their phone.

doelle

kriiissss

krispy kreme

howd it go

Kris

good

she's surpisingly chill

and she’s a really good artist

doelle

really??? just like you!!

thats sweet

Kris

i think we’re

well

kind of friends now

doelle

awesome!! 

u gonna hang with her tmrw?

Kris

yeah, but don’t worry

i’ll still walk you home

doelle

ok!

just dont forget to msg me l8er

when u 2 are done

Kris

oh and guess what

she’s a fan of dragon blazers

doelle

WHAT

OMG

Kris

and super smashing fighters

doelle

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT

NAHHHH WE GOTTA PLAY WITH HER SOMETIME

Kris

i agree

i’ll try to set up something soon

doelle

I am 100% there!!

Kris

i’ll text you later

going to work

doelle

alr!!!

see ya! 👋

Kris

👋

They could already imagine the video game discussions Noelle and Susie were going to have. Those two would get along just fine.

They had time to think about that later. For now, they had a job to do. The tools they needed to punch in had been laid out haphazardly under their bed. Kris started back home. 

* * *

They sat on the rooftop, letting their legs dangle over the edge. In their hands was the comic book they had drawn the main character from earlier. Kris meant it when they said they would try to get through the entire thing in a single day.

The story was fairly interesting. Something about a love-starved shark monster seeking approval from a not-so-interested crow monster by fighting alongside his best friend, a cross between a demon and a cat monster. The art for the fight scenes were very well done, and the character dialogue was kinda funny. Although, some of the pages were a bit unsavory.

Despite Kris accidentally reading it backward at first, it was a good way to pass the time. But that time was about to come to a close.

They could hear what sounded like tires screeching in the distance. Kris put their helmet on and readied their grappling hook.

The car slammed on the brakes, drifting around a corner. A gang of hooligans cheered and yipped from inside the car, sticking their arms out like they were on a rollercoaster.

“WOOOOO!!! COME AND GET US, COPS!!”

Several police cars were hot on their trail. They screeched around a corner, slamming into various trash cans and street signs.

“STOP YOUR VEHICLE NOW!” A cop spoke over a loudspeaker.

“STOP IT FOR US, PIGS!! HAHAHA!!!”

Kris kept a close eye. They zipped between rooftops, watching the car very closely. An opening would present itself at any moment, and they would have only a second to capitalize on it.

“PULL OVER!”

The manic car slammed into the side of an apartment building, the passenger door nearly breaking off its hinge. The men inside seemed to find it exhilarating.

“HAHA!! SOMEONE CHUCK A DONUT OUT THE WINDOW!”

The car screeched to a halt. Several of the police cars had cut a corner and were now positioned in front of them.

“COME ON, DRIVE!!”

“HOLD ON… THEY’RE ALL AROUND US!”

“GO TO THE LEFT!!”

Kris made their move.

“WHAT THE HELL IS-?!”

They landed on top of the car. Kris reached inside, grabbing the driver and throwing him out of the car window.

“AAAHHH!!”

“MAX!! GUYS, WE GOTTA SPLIT!”

“IT’S THE KNIGHT!!”

The three other passengers quickly disbanded. Kris was on them in an instant. Hooking onto one, pouncing on another. The cops took care of the third, pointing guns at him until he surrendered.

The police exited their vehicles, putting the civic-minded car enthusiasts in handcuffs. Kris noticed a group of what looked like news reporters was making their way toward them.

“... there they are now! Let’s go, keep the camera rolling! Come on!”

They had to get out of there.

“Excuse me! Knight! A word, please!”

“Knight! Over here!”

“Is the camera on?!”

Kris began walking away. The reporters started shoving dozens of high-tech cameras in their face and shouting various things at them. Amidst the babble, they could make out one question.

“Can you give us a date and time for an interview? We’ll compensate you accordingly!”

They looked over their shoulder, deciding to answer.

“No.”

Kris shot a grappling hook onto a rooftop and disappeared into the night sky.

“Knight, wait!!”

“Ahh, they’re gone. We blew it.”

“We’ve been waiting ALL week for this!”

“Whatever, just head back to the studio, we've got enough footage for our next broadcast.”

Chapter Text

Susie

yo

u down to head to the library now?

Kris looked down at their phone. School had ended an hour ago. They had walked Noelle home like they had promised. To their surprise, Susie was the one who was messaging first.

Kris

sure

give me a few min

Susie

sounds good

They began making their way over, slipping their bag over their shoulder.

This felt strange. A week ago, she wouldn’t have hesitated to slam them into a concrete wall. Now the two were talking casually over the phone like nothing had ever happened.

They felt their phone buzz.

Susie

btw i read some of the manga

you picked a realy weird one dude

Kris

what do you mean?

Susie

did u get to the part with the string cheese

Kris

no

She had somehow read further than they had. Kris had been sitting on that rooftop reading it for hours, getting to around the halfway point.

  Susie

ill let u enjoy that then

Kris

thanks?

“The part with the string cheese.” Now that sounded ominous. Kris had to read more later. For now, they had a meeting to attend to. They rounded the corner, approaching the entrance to the library and stepping inside.

“Hey, Berdly.” 

“Hello.”

The two waved at one another. Kris scanned the library, noticing Susie. She had already gotten a whole table to herself. They could see her fiddling with something on her phone from across the room.

“There you are.” She said, putting her phone away.

“Sorry if I took a while.” They took the poster out of their bag and laid it out on the table.

“Don’t sweat it.”

Kris took the colored pencils out along with the comic book, or as Susie put it, “manga.”

“I’ll get started on the review part. You can finish coloring in my drawing if you want.” They said.

“Sure.”

They thought about what to say about the comic. It had an interesting story with interesting characters. Kris wasn’t really sure how to put that into words, though. The action scenes were fun to look at. But all that sounded so plain. 

They couldn’t convey their feelings well through words.

“Hey, Susie.”

“Hm?”

“How would you describe this comic?”

She pondered for a moment. “Uhh… I dunno, idiotic?”

Kris scoffed. 

“What, you can’t think of anything?” Susie asked.

“No. Not anything that sounds smart, anyway.”

Noelle would be much better at this. Her creative writing always stood out whenever she read it aloud in class. Despite nobody else paying attention, Kris would always be listening whenever she stood up to speak, only to slump their head back down when she was done.

…

Why were they thinking about Noelle right now, anyway?

Kris shook their head.

“Uh… maybe… it has very cool… linguistics?” Susie channeled all of her intelligence into a single sentence.

Kris quickly wrote that down.

“Very cool linguistics, and… really dope…” She suddenly snapped out of her trance. “Hey, wait a minute! This is your job!”

“Yeah, and I suck at it. You seemed like you were onto something.”

“Did you actually write that down!?” She looked at the poster. “You dumbass! I was just sayin’ shit!”

“It sounded smart to me.”

The two of them seemed to share a single brain cell.

“You try saying something.” Susie gestured below what Kris had written.

“Um… the action is very… rambunctious.” They thought of a random word.

“Rambunctious?”

“Yeah.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“No idea.”

Susie laughed, taking the pencil out of their hand. “Gimme that.”

She wrote out what they had just said, signing their name in big letters right under it.

“Wha-? Hey!” Kris quickly reached for the eraser.

“Nope! That’s stayin’ there!”

“No way!”

“Yes way! Linguistics and ram… bun..? Whatever!”

Kris stifled a laugh, reaching out for the eraser. Susie had it held high over her head.

“Come on! Just let me remove my name!” Kris jumped up and down pathetically. 

“Uh, dude. Someone’s gotta get credit for the smarty-pants talk.”

They rolled their eyes. “Fine. I’m gonna put your name next to your drawing, then.”

“What? WAIT!!” Susie panicked.

She dropped the eraser, scrambling for the pencil that Kris was going for. They faked her out, taking the eraser and getting rid of their name.

“You better not!!” Susie blocked her cat girl drawing with her hand.

“What? I told you, it’s a good drawing.”

“LIAR! It looks like shit!! Your drawing is better!” 

Kris perked their head up. “Oh? So you like my drawing?”

“NO!” Susie groaned. “Just shut up and do your stupid review!”

They laughed, sitting back down. Susie huffed, picking up a colored pencil and shading in the head of the chainsaw shark. The two went back to silently working, Kris struggling to think of words to describe the comic book intelligently.

“... are you serious, dude..?” Susie grumbled.

“What?”

“Okay, I admit it. Your drawing is actually pretty good.” She said. “Which is a problem! Because mine looks like ass in comparison!”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Yes, it does! The eyes aren’t even lined up correctly!”

“They literally are.”

Kris laid a pencil out for proof, showing that the eyes she had drawn were, in fact, aligned properly.

Susie looked appalled.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your drawing is fine.” Kris patted her on the back.

They knew where she was coming from.

“You want to see something that’s actually bad?” They pointed to their unfinished review.

“HA! Let me see this…” Susie leaned forward, reading their writing out loud. “... this comic is very intriguing and has a… compelling storyline with complex characters… DUDE THIS IS GOOD?!?”

Kris looked away, bashfully.

“You’re talking about being hard on yourself? C’mon.” She playfully tapped their shoulder. “Let’s both take it easy on ourselves.”

They looked up at her and nodded.

“‘Kay, no more sappy shit! Let’s get this project done!”

* * *

Susie loudly yawned, slumping over on the desk. The two of them were practically asleep. They had been working on the project for what felt like hours, but the review was taking them forever to think out.

“Hey, Kris…”

“Hm..?”

She suddenly looked revitalized. “I got an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Whaddya say we do something interesting?”

“Like what?”

Susie cracked a smile. “Remember those dumbasses who jumped you and what’s her face in the alleyway?”

“Yeah..?” Kris didn’t like where this was going.

“Let’s get some payback.”

They tilted their head, confused. “How?”

“I’ll show you. C’mon!”

Susie got out of her seat, grabbed Kris’s hand, and began running out of the library.

“Wait! Our stuff!”

“Forget it! We can grab it later!”

After nearly knocking the library doors off their hinges and scaring the daylights out of Berdly, the pair made their way over to the convenience store.

“What’s the plan..?” They asked, out of breath from sprinting.

“Think I saw them walkin’ around nearby…” Susie felt around in her pockets. “Hey, you got any money?”

“Um… yes?”

“Go buy us some paint.” She pushed them inside the convenience store. “I’ll pay you back later!”

“... ok???”

Kris awkwardly stood near the front door. They turned and faced the cashier, recognizing him from an earlier encounter. One where they looked slightly different.

“hey kid.”

“... hi.”

“lookin’ for some paint to dump on people?” He pulled out a can of red paint from underneath the counter.

“... sure..?”

“that’ll be a thousand bucks.”

There was a beat of awkward silence.

“just kiddin’. first time paint dumpers get to dump paint for free.”

“... thanks.” They took the can of paint from his hands.

“happy dumping.” He waved at them.

Kris waved back, quickly making their way out of the store. Susie was waiting for them outside.

“Sick! Now…” She looked around.

Kris followed her gaze. They noticed a group of kids walking down the sidewalk in front of them. It was the psychos from before. Susie must have noticed them walking by the library.

“There they are! C’mon!”

She grabbed their hand and began sprinting again. Kris nearly dropped the can of paint as they were running.

The pair approached an abandoned flower shop.

“Here, climb on top of this roof! I’ll distract them! Once you’re in position, BOOM!” Susie recreated an explosion with her hands.

“How do I get this open?” They tried prying the paint can’s lid with their hands, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, here!” She dug her claws into the top, peeling it open. “There! Now go!”

Kris nodded, reluctantly going around the back of the abandoned flower store and climbing up a ladder. Setting the paint can up on the roof, they hoisted themselves up. Climbing things without the suit was a lot harder than they realized.

Susie was hiding around the corner. Kris looked over the edge and gave her an uncertain look.

“It’ll be fine!! These jackasses deserve this, anyway!”

“... never wanna mess with that again…” The bullies’ voices were becoming audible.

“Here they come!! Get ready, dork!” Susie shooed them away.

Kris moved over to the front of the flower shop. They got the paint can ready.

“... I think we can take her.”

“Are you crazy!? She’s like… twelve feet tall!”

“Dude. There’s five of us. We could easily-”

“Could easily do what?” Susie stepped out in front of them.

“Oh-!”

“H-Hey!! Susie! Haha!!”

She scoffed. “Go on. Finish what you were gonna say.”

“Huh!? I wasn’t saying anything?” The rat nervously laughed, looking like a pathetic idiot.

“You were talking about me, weren’t you?”

“No!! Never!”

“Yes, you were.” Susie snickered.

The group of bullies began to back away. They were all nervously laughing like a desperate audience in a failing comedy club.

“Come on. You wanna hit me, don’t ya? So go on.” She leaned forward, exposing her face. “Do it.”

“Susie, please! Haha! I would never-”

“Shut up.” She tightened her fist. “And don’t mention my name. Ever again.”

Susie took a step forward. “Because you never know when I’m watching. Whether I’m behind you… below you…  or ABOVE YOU!!”

Kris let the paint fly.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!”

“WHAT THE-!?! KRIS!?”

“IS THIS BLOOD!?”

She began laughing hysterically. Kris quickly made their way off the roof, lowering themselves to the ground. Susie grabbed their hand, the pair taking off running into the forest, leaving the paint-covered bullies to freak out on the sidewalk.

“HAHAHAAA!! SAYONARA, SUCKAS!!!” She called out, flipping the bird at them.

The two ran for a minute, eventually diving behind a big tree and catching their breath. Susie couldn’t stop laughing.

“That… WAS AWESOME!!” She jostled Kris excitedly. “WE GOT THEM SO GOOD!!”

Kris sat down against a tree, their heart racing.

"They ain’t messing with us anymore! I can guarantee you…” She noticed Kris was quiet. “... you alright, dude?”

They put their head in their hands. “... what if they come after me?”

She waved her hand and rolled her eyes. “Psh! Come on! They’re not gonna try anything. Trust me!”

Kris nervously looked around. “I don’t know, Susie…”

Susie sighed. She sat down next to them.

“Hey.” She put a hand on their shoulder. “If they ever try anything, you let me know, okay? I got your back.”

They looked up at her. She gave them a reassuring grin.

“...okay.” Kris nodded. A slight smile appeared on their face.

“Now..." Susie stood up. "... wanna go get our shit at the library and go home?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go then.”

She held out her hand out for them.

They took it, letting her pull them onto their feet, the pair making their way out of the woods and back toward the library.

Chapter Text

Susie

yoyoyoyyoyoyoyoyooyoyoooooo

kris dreamer

u there loser

Kris scoffed. They were waiting for Susie to message them after class. Staying planted on the couch for so long was starting to take a toll on them. But everything was alright now.

Kris

hey

librarby?

Susie

you know it

see u in a few

They started packing their things. The colored pencils, the poster itself, and a soda, so they would retain enough energy to get this thing done finally. Their mother took notice.

“Honey? Where are you going?” Toriel softly spoke from the kitchen.

“To the library. I’m meeting up with a friend.”

“Noelle?”

“Oh no, someone else.”

Their mother looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh? Who is it?”

“You know Susie, right?”

“Susie?” Toriel’s eyes widened. “That’s wonderful, dear!”

“Yeah. We’re working on the project Ms. Alphys assigned us.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you then! Go on.” She waved at them.

They waved back, opening the front door and stepping outside. On their way to the library, they continued messaging Susie.

Kris

susie

Susie

sup

Kris

are you already at the library

Susie

yup

wya?

Kris

almost there

Susie

cool

only othr person here is bird brian

Kris

berdly?

Susie

ohh thats his name

Kris

this is why i’m writing the review part

Susie

mhm u got that

you and your rambunjalucks

whatevr its caled

Kris

nice linguistics

Susie

thanks nerd

Kris

don’t mention it

Susie

Midlefinger emoji

wtf

it didnt work

Kris

👍

Susie

midddlefine

Fyoufinger

this sucks

They looked like a psycho walking alone on the sidewalk laughing to themselves. Kris rounded a corner, the library coming into view.

Kris

hey

i’m gonna have to cancel

Susie

WHY

Kris

have to walk my fish

Susie

WTF?!?!?!

OK I GUESS

WANA DO IT TOMOROW

Kris stepped inside the library.

“OHHH MY GOD!!” They heard her from the back of the room. “YOU FRIGGIN’ IDIOT!! YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!”

They stifled another laugh, walking over to her. “Sorry about that. Just couldn’t resist it.”

“I’m gettin’ you back for that one! You just wait!!” Susie playfully pushed them.

“I’ll be waiting.” Kris smiled.

“Anyway, get the stuff out! I wanna get this shit over with.”

They nodded, plopping their bag on the table and taking the poster out. Kris let Susie pick her colored pencils while they started on the review portion.

“Oh boy.” Kris rolled their eyes. “I don’t want to read my own writing.”

“And I don’t wanna look at my own drawing. Guess we’re in the same boat.” Susie chuckled.

“Guess so.”

“Better get to it then…” Susie stretched, letting out a loud yawn. “... loooooserrrr…”

Kris slumped over on the table and began writing away. Susie, on the other hand, looked like she was on the verge of drifting to sleep.

They worked in silence for a little while, Kris making a good amount of progress. Susie finished coloring in the rest of the drawings, so she began working on the title of the poster.

“This is gonna take forever…” She whined.

“Tell me about it.” Kris pressed the eraser part of the pencil against their forehead, trying to make the proper words for their review appear in their mind.

“Let’s talk about somethin’ fun.”

“Like what?”

“I dunno. Taxes.” Susie snorted.

Kris scoffed. “I’d rather dive out of that window.”

“Ooh! That sounds like fun!! Let’s-”

“No.”

“Awww…”

“Bird brain doesn’t get paid enough to deal with us.” Kris nodded in Berdly’s direction.

He was usually on his phone. Berdly had always been the quiet type. Somehow, he was even quieter than they were. The few interactions Kris had with him were all positive, however. He was a friendly guy, just not outgoing whatsoever. They knew he just wanted to be left alone, so they never bothered him.

“Hey! It’s not MY fault he didn’t say anything when we were introducin’ ourselves on the first day of school!” Susie elbowed their shoulder.

“Neither did you.” Kris said.

“And you didn’t either!!”

“Guess we’re all losers then.” They laughed, writing out a sentence for the review.

“Whatever!” Susie finished drawing one of the letters of the title.

Out of the corner of their eye, Kris could make out Berdly making quick glances over in their direction. They couldn’t tell if he could hear what they were saying or not. Kris decided to change the subject.

“So. Nice weather outside.” They said.

It was dark and cloudy.

“Uh, yeah… I guess.” Susie looked out the window.

“We should probably start meeting up earlier in the day.”

“What? Like before school?”

Kris shrugged. “Why not? We could walk to school together. I can meet you at your house.”

“Uhh…” Susie gave them a concerned look. “... nah, I’d rather go to your house.”

“Okay. Is it alright if Noelle comes too?”

“Noelle?” Susie scratched her head. “Who’s that?”

“The deer.”

“Ohh!! The deer! Yeah- I mean… would SHE be fine with it? That's the real question.”

“Oh, definitely.”

“She’s a popular girl, though…” Susie gritted her teeth. “... wouldn’t want to maim her reputation by being around her.”

“Hey, I’m a loser too, and she doesn’t mind hanging out with me. You’ll be fine.”

“I’M NOT A LOSER!!” She playfully ruffled their hair, pretending she was mad.

“Whatever you say.”

The two of them both looked back at the poster and realized how little progress they had made. Susie rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair and groaning.

“God, I don’t wanna do this…” She pouted. 

Susie threw herself forward onto the desk. She put her head down in her arms.

“... ‘yer the only thing that’s makin’ this bearable…” Susie mumbled.

Kris’s head perked up. “Hm?”

“... nothin’. Just do yer… review…” She yawned.

She rolled her head onto the table, slowly drawing the rest of the letters of the title. She was making them as intense and cartoony as possible. Kris liked what she was going for. They went back to their “review,” their mind continuing to suffer a horrible case of writer’s block.

Kris put their fist against their forehead, thinking for a moment. They thought of a few sentences and began writing them down. They were nearing the end of the review at this point, so they could start writing less intelligent-sounding words without risking any points getting docked.

Susie’s body suddenly slumped forward. She had her head buried beneath her arms. Kris could hear her beginning to snore.

“... got to be kidding me…” Kris stifled a laugh.

They would let her sleep. Kris could get the poster done alone by this point. Maybe that would surprise her upon her reawakening.

Whenever that would be.

* * *

Kris felt their hand beginning to cramp. They had wrapped up the rest of the review, painfully reading it over a few times and changing a couple of sentences while rearranging some other ones. They had also finished the rest of the letters Susie had been drawing, copying her art style to the best of their ability.

Once they were done coloring the letters in, they put the pencil down and stretched. 

The poster was done.

And Susie was still snoring.

As much as they didn’t want to wake her up, they wanted to see her reaction. Kris hoped it wouldn’t be a negative one.

“Hey, Susie…” They gently shook her.

She kept snoring.

“Susie..!” Kris tapped her shoulder.

“... hm..? oh… mornin’...” Susie, with her eyes closed, raised her head.

“Good morning, Snoozie.” Kris giggled. It was still dark outside.

“Huh..? HUH!?” She looked down at the poster with widened eyes.

“We finished the poster.” Kris “enthusiastically’’ celebrated. “Hooray.”

“WE-!? I WAS KNOCKED OUT FOR HALF OF THIS!! YOU DID THE REST OF THE LETTERS?!”

“Yeah. Do you like it?”

“LIKE IT?! IT LOOKS SICK!!” She patted them on the back. “GOOD JOB, NERD!!”

“Thanks.” Kris smiled.

“MAN!! You’re a lifesaver, dude!” Susie stretched her arms out. “Thanks for takin’ care of that boring shit!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I owe you dinner, man. Let’s get out of here.”

They nodded.

The two of them got up. Susie was exiting the library while Kris packed up their stuff.

“Thanks for holdin’ down the fort, Bird… ly?” She said on her way out.

Berdly seemed to laugh at Susie’s comment, waving her goodbye. Kris followed after her, waving at Berdly as well, who reciprocated the gesture.

“QC’s?” Susie asked.

“QC’s.” Kris nodded.

“QC’S!!!” She grabbed their hand, leading them in the direction of the diner.

Their phone started going off. Kris took it out of their pocket, checking their text messages. They had a few that they had missed from Noelle. The project must have sapped all of their attention.

doelle

krissss

u still w/ susie????

did she kill you

helloooooo

Kris

hey sorry

we got the project done

doelle

awesome sauce!!!!

also dw!!! just wanted to check in

Kris

we’re going to the diner now

she wants to celebrate

doelle

ooOoOOH

the diner, huh?

interesting…………

Kris

sorry again for not responding

i should have

my bad

doelle

its ok merry krismas

we still besties!!!!! <3<3

Kris

taking back that apology

doelle

xDDDDDDD

ADMIT IT u like that name >:)

Kris

haha no

anyway i’ll talk to you later

we’re almost there

doelle

have fun kris kross apple smoothie!!!

:3

Kris

thanks noelle holiday

Susie led them into the diner, keeping her hand clamped around theirs all the way to the front counter.

“Table for two.” She began rummaging around in her pocket.

“Oh, I got it.” They took out some money they had lying in their pocket.

“No, no, no, no. This is for the paint you bought.” Susie nudged them aside.

“The cashier gave the paint to me for free. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Come on! You just did me a solid! Let me pay you back!!”

QC watched the two bicker over who would be polite first with an amused look on her face. She crossed her arms, shaking her head.

“Listen, hon. You two can just split the bill.” QC laughed to herself.

“Nahh! Take my money!” Susie slammed her five-dollar bill on the counter, albeit a little too aggressively.

“Sorry, dear. Looks like she beat you to it.” QC patted Kris on the head.

“Eh, it’s fine. I’ll pay her back later.” They admitted defeat.

QC laughed again and led the two to their booth by the window. They sat across from one another.

“Kris, I’m guessing you’re wanting the usual special again?” QC asked.

“Actually, I’ll just take corn this time.” They said.

“Ah, I forgot that was your favorite! And you, hon?”

“Uhh…” Susie spent a total of two seconds looking at the menu before ordering. “... corn too, I guess.”

“Comin’ right up! Won’t be but just a minute.” 

QC disappeared around back. Susie floofed her hair a little, patting it down.

“Corn? That your favorite food?” She asked.

“... yeah...” They felt slightly embarrassed about it.

“That’s cool. I like corn too. You eat it off the cob, right?”

“Yes.” Kris nodded.

“Duuuuuuude… I LOVE corn on the cob.”

“I know, right?” They leaned forward. “Nobody appreciates how good it is.”

QC came out with two plates in both of her hands.

“And here you two are…” She set the corn down in front of the pair. “Enjoy!”

Kris was on it in an instant. So was Susie. They matched one another's energy, chomping away at the corn and eating it all in seconds.

“YEAHHH!!!!” She pumped the eaten cob in the air.

QC laughed, looking at the two in disbelief. “I’ll bring a few more out for you two, don’t worry.”

Kris gnawed on the end, trying to get any last piece left.

“WATCH THIS, NERD!” Susie started eating the cob itself.

“Woah.” Kris watched her in awe.

Not even they could do that. She bit down on the cob like it was a breadstick, chewing the entire thing.

“HA! Beat that!” She crossed her arms, proud of herself.

“You got me there.” Kris smiled.

They had finally found someone who appreciated corn as much as they did. Kris felt a little less alone in the world.

QC brought out a few more plates of corn. Kris and Susie readied themselves. They were going to be here for a while.

* * *

“Woo!!” Susie leaned back. “I think we just ate the last corn piece on the planet.”

Kris laughed, continuing to gnaw on the end of one of the cobs. They checked the time on their phone.

10:16 P.M.

They took the cob out of their mouth. Their mother was being rather generous. Kris was surprised they hadn’t gotten a text from her yet. However, they were starting to get a little tired.

“Think we should call it?” Susie could read their expression.

They nodded. “My mom might want me back soon.”

“Alrighty then.” She got out of her side of the booth.

Kris followed after her. The two of them waved goodbye to QC. Susie led the corn duo out of the restaurant and out into the street.

“So…” Susie scratched the back of her head. “... you wanna do this again tomorrow?”

“Huh?”

“I mean... go back to the diner again?” She sounded nervous.

“Of course.” Kris nodded.

They had a great time. How could they say no?

Susie looked ecstatic. She kept the excitement bottled up and simply nodded.

“Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow!” She had a big smile on her face.

“Yeah.” They reached out for a high-five.

Susie slapped their hand. “See ya, dork!!” She waved goodbye.

Despite the stinging sensation in their palm, Kris felt something else. A warm feeling in their chest. They didn’t know what it was.

Kris waved back, turning around and heading back home.

Chapter Text

snoozie

neeerrrrddd

you ready

4 qc’s

Kris

ok

be there in a few

snoozie

sick

They were already sitting down at the diner. Kris was about to text her, but they had beaten her to it. At least they could surprise her now.

Kris

might be running a little late

my pet penguin needs a bath

snoozie

u have a pet penguin???

thats cool dude!!

take ur time man

Not the response they had expected.

snoozie

but dont take TOO long

or else…… 

ur gettin a knukle sandwich heheh….

That was more like it.

They watched Susie make her way into the diner. She began approaching QC at the front desk before making eye contact with Kris.

“YO!!” She nearly sprinted over, sliding into the booth in front of them. “HOW’D YOU BATHE IT SO FAST?!”

“I was just kidding.”

“About the bathing or the pet penguin?!”

“Both.”

“Aww man! I wanted to see that penguin!” Susie pouted.

“Sorry.”

“We should get a pet penguin.” She huffed, getting comfortable in her seat. “Would be quite an experience.”

“I’ll ask my mom for one on Christmas.” Kris scoffed.

“HA!!” Susie slapped the table, accidentally getting the attention of everyone else in the restaurant. “... woops.”

“I see you two are finally together!” QC walked over with a tray full of food in her hands.

“Woah!!” Susie looked at the plates filled with various, mostly corn-related foods with starstruck eyes. “Kris, did you..?”

“They went ahead and picked out both of your orders before you got here, hon!” QC set the plates down in front of the pair. “Already bought and paid for! Enjoy!”

She left the two to their own devices. Kris and Susie lunged at the plates like a pack of wild hyenas.

“So…” Susie talked in between bites. “... you said you wanted to meet up… with the deer girl… this coming Monday?”

“Yeah… is that okay?” Kris had already finished one of the cobs of corn.

“Sure… still kinda… iffy about it?” Susie tilted her head. “I dunno. Maybe it’s nothin’ to worry about.”

“If you don’t want to, it’s fine, Susie.”

“Nah. I’ll give it a shot. Just hope I don’t…” She took a sip of the smoothie. “... screw anything up.”

“You won’t.”

She laughed. “Don’t jinx it.”

The two ate in silence for a little while. They were able to enjoy each other’s company without a single word being exchanged. Just the mere presence of the other person was conversation enough.

Susie. Kris had gotten used to her by this point. The more they thought about how their friendship first formed, the more their head spun. From getting their hair pulled by her to working with her to dump paint on a group of idiots who were high on a power fantasy. If it were ever explained to someone in a chronological timeline, it would sound like complete nonsense. But this is how it was, and Kris couldn’t be any more content with it. 

Susie took a big sip out of her smoothie. Only a little bit remained. She set it down in front of Kris.

“Here, take it.” She tapped the rim of the glass.

“That’s okay, you can have it.” They shook their head.

“You sure? Seems like you handed most of the food off to me.”

She was right. They must have done that subconsciously.

“I’ll be fine.” They said.

“If you say so…” She began slurping the smoothie loudly. “... dork.”

The front door to the diner swung open. Someone stepped inside. They got the attention of everyone else in the restaurant.

“You wanna go somewhere after this? I know a good spot in the forest where-” Susie cut herself off. “... what the..?”

QC stepped up to the front desk. She looked nervous.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

They didn’t respond.

Kris began to hear whispers amongst the restaurant goers.

“... is that the Knight..?” Susie whispered to Kris.

They didn’t answer. Kris couldn’t move. Before them stood the armor they had donned, but someone else was wearing it. Who, they didn’t know. A doppelganger.

The fake Knight stood motionless for a moment. They scanned the room, slowly tilting their metallic head around.

“Excuse me? Can I help you?” QC asked again.

Something was attached to their hip. Kris didn’t know what it was. It was something they had never gotten from the dark world. Some kind of weapon, like a pistol, but more advanced. Their doppelganger had the rest of the armor down to a T, other than their shield.

“... what is going on..?”

“... why is the Knight here..?”

“... are we in danger..?”

Kris could hear the whispers around them. They needed to do something, but their brain screamed at them to remain still and observe. Susie was doing the same, her eyes constantly flicking between the fake Knight and Kris.

“I’m gonna have to ask you to leave if you’re not ordering anything…” QC said.

The faker suddenly brandished the weapon on their hip. They held it out in front of QC. She raised her hands up. Everyone else in the restaurant began panicking.

“Everybody settle down.” The impersonator spoke.

Their voice sounded eerily like Kris’s.

“This is a robbery. Lay your wallets out on the tabletops.” They began waving the weapon around.

The pretender began collecting money from the people in the restaurant. They moved over to QC, who poured a sum of money out on the front counter from the register.

Kris felt their stomach churn. They couldn’t do anything but watch helplessly. Susie looked just as frightened as they were.

“You. Wallet.”

The impersonator pointed the firearm at a woman’s face. She was shielding her child with her body.

“I don’t have any money…”

“I said. Wallet.” Their voice was a cold mimicry of Kris’s.

They didn’t think. Kris got out of their seat.

“... Kris!!” Susie panicked, reaching out for them.

“Please..! Don’t do this…” The woman cried.

“Stop!” They called out.

Their own suit turned toward them. Kris only now realized how intimidating they appeared in person. 

The impostor tilted their head. “And you are?”

They physically couldn’t answer. The best they could do was stand their ground. And so they did.

People around them had their cell phones out. They were recording the incident.

“Get out of my way.” Their reflection spoke.

“... no.” They choked out.

The pretender began to turn around, back toward the woman. Kris took a step forward.

They couldn’t react. The impersonator whipped its hand around and struck Kris in the face. They fell to the floor.

“NO!!” Susie cried out.

She rushed over. Their doppelganger held the gun out. Right at her head.

“Better put a leash on that puppy.” It said.

Kris clutched their face, reaching out for Susie and shaking their head. Their nose stung. Blood was already beginning to pour.

She looked at Kris with terrified eyes and gritted teeth.

“... don’t…” They weakly called out.

She reluctantly backed down, putting her hands up and moving away.

It went back to pocketing the rest of the wallets that were laid out along the tables. The customers had their heads hung low, too afraid to do anything.

Susie knelt next to them. “... you okay..?”

Kris nodded.

It wasn't their own well-being they were concerned about. They worried for Susie. They couldn’t let her get hurt.

Their head was spinning. The sudden backhand was taking its toll on them. Susie gently moved the hand that was covering their face aside and inspected them.

One brave soul had contacted the police, something that Kris should have done the second their armor had come walking in the front door. But they would have time to regret that later. Sirens began to sound off in the distance.

“That’s my cue.” It said.

The walking suit of armor pocketed the remaining wallets and made off with the cash, shooting a grappling hook onto a nearby building and disappearing out of view.

The customers inside the restaurant could breathe now. If it wasn’t chaotic enough already, everyone began scrambling around. Some went outside to go look for the “Knight.” Others began talking amongst one another.

Susie remained at Kris’s side. She helped them onto their feet. They could see the fire in her eyes. A freshly ignited rage.

They couldn’t hear what she was saying. Susie led them out of the restaurant, keeping an arm around them.

Kris tried their best to think. They couldn’t. Nothing made any sense. Did someone steal their armor? The one that they had hidden beneath their bed? That would mean someone had broken into their house. Their mother would have called them.

Unless she had gotten hurt.

They immediately pulled out their phone.

Kris

mom are you okay

please answer quickly

Mom

I’m alright, dear

What happened?

Is something wrong? Kris?

Thank god.

They still had to get back home. Kris reluctantly moved away from Susie, who was still giving them a leg up.

“... get you to the hospital, now.” Her voice returned.

“No, I’m okay.”

“NO, you’re not okay! Your goddamn nose is bleeding!”

“Susie…” They wiped their bloody face with their sleeve. “... I need to go check on something-”

“Kris.”

“It’s important.”

She looked irritated. 

“Fine. But you go to a hospital after, got it?”

“Okay.”

Susie put her arm back around them. “I’ll walk you back.”

“You don’t have to hold me, I’m alright.” They forced a weak smile.

“... fine.” She remained at their side.

The two began making their way back to Kris’s house.

They had to get back to work.

Chapter Text

A day had passed. They hadn’t slept. They hadn’t eaten. They couldn’t afford to.

Yesterday, Susie had walked them home. Kris didn’t expect her to be so protective. Their mother, luckily, wasn’t home, so they had a chance to go up to their room alone and check under their bed. Their armor was still there, and there were no signs of a break-in. 

Their nose had hurt like hell, and it wouldn’t stop gushing blood. Kris had told Susie they were going to go to the hospital, but wanted to rest at home for a little while. She had left them alone. Kris hadn’t gotten out of the armor ever since.

They had been hovering around on rooftops waiting for their copycat to rob another store. Night had passed, nothing. The sun rose over the horizon, nothing. It was the middle of the day, still nothing.

Susie hadn’t texted them at all. She looked madder than hell the last time they saw her. Kris was almost afraid to even message her, especially after they had lied to her about going to the hospital.

Their nose was still hurting. Kris tried their best to ignore it. Their own body wasn’t the priority right now.

Kris flinched. Their phone suddenly started going off like crazy.

doelle

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS HEY

R U OK

PLZ TELL ME UR OK I SAW TEH NEWS

Their panic settled, a slight smile forming underneath their mask.

doelle

KRS

KRIS

KR

SK

KSK

Kris

i’m ok

doelle

KRI

OH

They couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Kris could almost hear her voice through the letters.

Kris

thanks for checking in on me

doelle

ARE U SURE UR OK

Kris

yes

doelle

ALRIGHT

Kris

you can stop typing in caps now

doelle

OK

I MEAN ok

Kris moved over to the edge of the rooftop. They sat down, letting their legs dangle off the side.

Kris

do you want to call?

doelle

YES

Immediately their phone lit up with a call notification. They took off their helmet and pressed the phone against their ear.

“HEY!!”

Kris recoiled, holding the phone slightly away from their ear. “Hey.”

“ARE YOU OKAY?!” She calmly said.

They nodded. “Yes, I’m fine, Noelle.”

“YOU’RE A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE!?”

“A hundred percent. You don’t have to yell.”

“Okay! I’m just really freaked out right now, sorry!”

Kris sighed, looking down at the street below. “Yeah. Me too.”

“Why did the Knight even hit you?! Were they trying to rob you!?”

“They were trying to rob someone else, so I stepped in.” Kris said.

“YOU STEPPED IN!?”

Kris could hear somebody shushing Noelle in the background followed by her quickly apologizing.

“It was stupid, I know-”

“Stupid?! That was really brave!!”

Kris shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems like all I did was nearly get my nose broken.”

“But you stood up to them! No, you did one better actually! You stepped in between them and somebody else!” Noelle beamed. “You’re a hero, Kris!”

They couldn’t take this many compliments all at once. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“Is your nose okay, though?”

Kris sighed. “It’s fine.”

“Did you go to a doctor?”

“No.”

“NO!?”

She was shushed again and had to apologize once more.

“Why not?!” Noelle whisper-shouted.

“It doesn’t hurt that bad, and it stopped bleeding, so…” They lied.

“You should still go to a doctor!”

“... no, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, that’s it.” She huffed.

Kris heard the sound of a chair screeching against a floor, followed by rapid footsteps.

“Wha- hey, what are you doing?” They panicked.

“I’m gonna come get you. Where are you?”

“H-hey! Noelle, seriously, I’m alright!”

“Where. Are. You.” She sounded dead serious.

Kris looked around at the barren rooftop they were currently sitting on. It wasn’t exactly a well known location.

“Listen… I’ll go to a doctor tomorrow morning.” They said.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Kris nodded.

She paused for a moment, most likely deciding whether or not she wanted to believe them. Kris heard her let out a sigh.

“Fine… but if you feel ANY pain at all, please go to the hospital, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I just don’t want you neglecting your own injuries. Remember when you broke your arm?”

Kris scoffed. “Oh my… Noelle, that was in like, third grade.”

“Yeah! And you kept telling everyone that you were fine!! Like you wanted us to just… ignore you or something!”

They rolled their eyes. “That doesn’t matter. Listen, I will go to the hospital tomorrow morning. If I don’t, you can… I don’t know, punish me somehow.”

“Punish you..?” Noelle began to think.

Kris was already regretting even mentioning this idea.

“Hm… how about… you have to tell me who you have a crush on.” She said.

“Pfft- what?!”

“Uh-huh. Don’t think I don’t notice what’s goin’ on between you and Susie.”

Kris nearly fell backward from embarrassment. “It’s not like that! We were just working on the group project together!!”

“Mhmm.” Noelle was enjoying this.

“I’m serious!”

She paused for a moment. “How is she, anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… is she still nice, or..?”

“Oh, yeah. In fact, she’s a lot nicer now.” Kris nodded.

Noelle hummed. “That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah… we’ve been going to that diner a lot recently. I’ve gotten a lot closer to her.”

Kris expected Noelle to say something, but she was strangely silent.

“Noelle?”

“SEE!! I TOLD YOU!!” She shouted.

“Huh!?”

“You two are going on dates at the diner now!!”

“Noelle, stoooopp!!”

They could hear her laughing on the other end.

“I’m gonna hang up now.” Kris joked.

“Wait, wait, wait!!” She panicked.

“3… 2…”

“Noooo!!!”

“Fiiiiine.” They laughed, leaning forward. “Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to meet Susie?”

“Of course!” She answered instantly. “You said she plays Dragon Blazers, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I HAVE to meet her! Dragon Blazers fans are a dying species!!”

“... maybe they’re going extinct for a reason…” Kris mumbled.

“What was that!?”

“Nothing.” They scoffed. “Anyway, I’ll arrange something soon.”

“Okay!”

Kris looked out over toward the forest. They saw the abandoned church, a place they hadn’t visited in a long time.

A lightbulb went off in their head.

“Hey, Noelle?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry, but I gotta go to work soon.”

“Oh, that’s okay!”

“I’ll call you back later.”

“Sure! See ya!”

“Bye.”

They hung up the call. Kris wanted to speak to her longer, but knew there was someone else whom they needed to talk to more. Someone they hadn’t spoken to in quite a while.

Putting their helmet on, they shot a grappling hook onto the adjacent building and began swinging toward the forest.

* * *

“If I were to stir the calcite in combination with…”

There he was, chatting away to himself again. Kris would try their best not to startle him like they had before.

“... no, that may not… hm…”

“Ralsei..?”

He flinched. Ralsei was dangling from a string of web attached to the ceiling like one of his chandeliers.

“Kris?”

“Yes. I’m over-”

“KRIS?!”

“... here.”

In one fell swoop, Ralsei flipped off the ceiling and landed on all eight of his arms. He quickly crawled over to Kris, who was standing in the doorway.

“Kris! You’re alright! Oh dear… I was so worried!” He stood upright. “What happened? Why were you gone for so long?”

“I, um…” They pondered. “... stirred up a little bit of trouble.”

“In the city?”

“Yes.”

“How? What did you do?”

Kris rubbed the back of their helmet. “... you know Lancer?”

“Yes?”

“He was being detained by a bunch of these… prison guards. So I stepped in.”

“Ah… I see.” Ralsei readjusted his glasses. “They were arresting a child..?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“I don’t blame you.” He smiled at them. “So why were you gone for so long?”

“... I didn’t want to cause any more trouble.” They said. “But something’s going on. Back in my world.”

“What is it?”

They didn’t really know how to put it. It made them sound like a fool. Although, when you haven’t slept in twenty-four hours, nor have you eaten in the same amount of time, and you’ve spent an entire day looking down from rooftops searching for a cruel portrayal of your own reflection, then the only conclusion you could make at that point is that you’re an idiot.

“There’s someone going around robbing stores in my neighborhood. The only thing is, they look and sound exactly like me.” Kris went on. “Down to the grappling hook.”

They could see the shift in Ralsei’s demeanor. 

“I don’t know what to do.” They said.

Kris sat down on one of the chairs nearby. Their nose was really starting to bother them now. Ralsei paced around the room for a moment before saying something.

“... I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but… you may be dealing with the Impressionist.” Ralsei said.

“Impressionist?”

“Yes. One of the Overseer’s contractors.”

There was that name again. The Overseer.

“They can imitate whatever they come into contact with. It must have happened while you were in the city somehow.” He theorized, still pacing around the room.

“... while I pushed through the crowd…” They mumbled to themselves. “How do I beat them?”

“Hm? Oh, well… I don’t see what would stop you from just taking them head-on.”

“Aren’t they the same as me?” Kris asked. 

“In a sense. But you wanna know the one thing they can’t copy?”

They nodded.

“Your brain! Just be smarter than them in a fight! Catch them off guard, pull any tricks you can think of! That sort of thing!”

Kris put their head in their hands. “... and why are they even after me in the first place?”

Ralsei shrugged. “That I don’t know.”

They winced, their nose sending another sharp pain throughout their entire face.

“Is something wrong, Kris?”

“No, it’s nothing… just…” They shook their head. “... it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? I can cast a healing spell to soothe any pain you have.” A green orb appeared in Ralsei’s hand.

Kris looked at it in awe for a moment. It might be worth trying out.

“... okay.” They nodded.

“Would you mind if I… removed your helmet?” He asked.

They didn’t answer. Kris wasn’t sure how he would react to their face. But their nose was killing them.

“... fine.”

“Alright.” Ralsei reached forward.

Kris flinched, but forced themselves to hold still. He gently lifted their metallic helmet from their head. His eyes immediately widened.

“You’re-!!” He blinked. “A human..!”

“... mhm.”

“And your nose…” Ralsei inspected it for a moment. “... how did you break it?”

So it was broken.

“The Impressionist gave me a warm welcome.” They said.

“Ah, I'm sorry to hear that…” He tilted his head. “... I can try to readjust it back into place and heal it from there, if you would like?”

That sounded painful, but they didn’t really want to spend a weekend in the hospital. Kris reluctantly agreed, nodding their head.

“Okay… this might hurt.” Ralsei said.

He pressed his thumbs against their nose. Kris could already feel a substantial amount of pain. They sucked air through their teeth.

“I’ll try to make it quick… you ready..?”

“Mhm..!”

“3… 2… 1!”

Ralsei popped their nose back into place. Kris recoiled, holding in a scream.

“Are you..?”

“Mhm!!”

“Okay! I’ll cast the healing spell now!”

He raised his hands, clasping them together. Bright, viridescent orbs illuminated the surface of their skin. In an instant, Kris felt the sharp pain alleviate itself.

“It should realign the bone fragments better than my handiwork… and connect them better too.” He elaborated.

“Here, put the helmet back on! That should accelerate the healing process.” Ralsei handed them their mask.

“Accelerate the..?” Kris put their helmet back on.

“Yes! But not as fast as my magic.” He said. "Ooh, fun fact! Only people you trust can take off your helmet!"

They should have figured as much. They trusted him after all. And if their armor allowed them to leap across rooftops, what stopped it from fixing broken bones?

“Thanks, Ralsei.”

“You’re welcome! Would you like a slice of cake to go with that?”

“Slice of cake..?” They considered it for a moment.

But they had no time. The Impressionist was out there. They had to stop them.

“Maybe later. I gotta go.”

Kris got out of their seat and began making their way toward the exit.

“Come back anytime! Good luck, Kris!” Ralsei waved.

They nodded, opening the trapdoor and stepping back out into the scarlet forest.

* * *

The Knight emerged from the abandoned church in the forest.

She watched in silence from afar. Hidden by the bushes.

They shot a grappling hook onto one of the trees nearby, launching themselves into the air. She watched them soar around, making their way back toward town.

That bastard. They weren't going to get away with this.

The coast was clear. She stepped out from her hiding spot.

She knew there had to be a lead in there. In the abandoned church.

Making her way over, Susie pressed her hands against the metal doors and stepped inside.

Chapter Text

A few hours had passed since their meeting with Ralsei.

It was starting to rain fairly hard. Kris could hear thunder in the distance.

They remained posted on top of a rooftop searching for their other half, but to no avail. Kris had been looking for so long that the sun was beginning to tire of it, dipping below the horizon and casting a dark blanket over the sky.

Something was off. The town was too still. They shook off the feeling.

They zipped over to another rooftop, perching on the edge and staring down at the street below. 

Nothing.

This was almost becoming frustrating.

Kris zipped over to a farther building. They perched on the edge. They stared down at the street below.

There was nothing.

They reached behind them, making sure their shield was still there. It was.

They shot a grappling hook onto another building.

Kris leapt off the side, soaring through the air.

Out of the corner of their eye.

They barely saw it coming.

!!!

A flash.

It struck them out of the air.

Kris fell, landing on a rooftop. Their armor screeched against the concrete.

Slowing to a halt, they winced. The wind was knocked out of them. Their shoulder stung like hell. Whatever hit them had cut through the armor, exposing their sweater underneath.

Their heart was pounding.

They could hear something. What sounded like crunching. It was growing louder.

Something was closing in on them. From the side of the building. They sat up.

A hand emerged. No, a claw. Gripping onto the ledge of the rooftop. Then another claw. Digging its nails into the concrete, it hoisted itself up.

A giant with an axe on its back. Easily twice the size of them. Its long hair obscured the mask it had cupped around its face. 

Purple smoke radiated off its coat. Spikey gauntlets lined its wrists.

Kris could hear it breathing. It slowly raised its head, turning its attention onto them. They met its gaze.

It went for its axe.

They dove behind cover.

The same flash from before. A chunk of concrete whipped past their face.

This thing was trying to kill them. They wouldn’t let it. Kris brandished their shield.

They ducked, the blade of the axe nearly striking their head. The brute had gotten its weapon stuck. An opening.

Kris closed in. They landed a few blows. Like hitting a brick wall. It swiped at them, claws grazing against their steel skin. The giant yanked its weapon out.

It snarled, bringing the axe down on them. Their shield took the blow. Kris dropped down onto one knee. Through gritted teeth, they pushed back against the giant. The axe left their shield, and Kris threw a hook. Square on its chin. The giant staggered back.

Kris ran forward, going for another hit. The giant caught their fist and rammed its head against theirs. It hit like a truck. They stumbled away. The brute moved in. Swinging its axe wildly, they narrowly deflected its attacks. Block, dodge, repeat.

Rain beat against their armor. The monster wouldn’t let up.

Kris backed up. The monster roared, lunging forward. The blade grazed their chestplate.

They had to get that axe out of the way. Kris shot a grappling hook, latching onto the axe’s handle. It was a pointless struggle. The giant won the tug of war, reeling Kris in. Letting go, they moved away.

The monster’s heavy breathing made their skin crawl. Its axe began glowing. The giant was charging up another shot. They hid behind their shield, blocking its attack. Lowering their hand beneath the shield, they went for the giant’s leg.

Kris shot a grappling hook at its ankle and pulled. The monster yelled out, tripping forward. They let go, hooking onto its axe. It slipped out of the giant’s hands. 

Kris threw its weapon off the roof.

That just seemed to piss it off. 

The monster stamped its feet, growling. With raised fists, it taunted them, waving them on.

They accepted its challenge. Kris ran in. They shot a grappling hook out, latching onto the giant’s face. Reeling in, they kicked the giant in the stomach. It blindly swung, clocking them in the jaw.

Kris endured the pain, going in for seconds. They traded blows with the giant, blocking jabs with their shield and striking with their offhand. No matter how many times they landed a blow, the giant just didn’t seem to care.

Snarling, it lashed out. Digging its claws into their armor, the giant shoved them away. It ran forward, throwing a punch. Kris ducked, spun back, and struck the back of its head.

That somehow pissed it off even more.

The monster whipped around. Caught them off guard. It drove its fist into the side of their chest. Then another punch. And another. Followed by a front kick. Kris flew back, rolling onto their stomach.

They hissed in pain, holding their side. This wasn’t working either. They wouldn’t win this by strength alone. They had to be faster.

Whatever this thing was, another contractor from the dark world or some bloodthirsty maniac trying to kill time, they couldn’t let it go. They knew if they were to run from this fight, it would go after innocent people next. Kris had to end this.

They could hear it laughing. It began slowly walking toward them. Kris got their feet under them.

Thunder cracked in the distance.

The balance would shift here.

Kris shot a grappling hook into the air. Swooping in, they drove their foot into the brute’s shoulder. It stumbled, raising its arms. They swung in again. Kicking it from behind. As soon as they came within arm's reach, they were out of there.

The monster yelled. Kris latched onto its shoulder and reeled in. Bashing their shield against the giant’s side, they knocked it down.

Kris backed away. The giant was up again. It dug its claws into the concrete, tearing out chunks. Zipping into the air, they readied their shield. The monster began throwing bricks at them.

Just like practice. They covered up. Concrete chunks collided against their shield. Soaring through the air, they swooped around. Kris shot a grappler at the giant again.

It caught their hook out of the air.

They panicked. Kris fell to the ground. The monster began reeling them in. It wrapped the cord of the hook around its arm.

They didn’t have a choice.

Pulling them in, they threw a kick. It was blocked. They struck at its face. The giant merely scoffed.

It wrapped its arms around them. Kris struggled against it. Pushing away. The brute began to squeeze. They could feel the air leaving their lungs.

Gasping, they pressed their hands against the giant. It just squeezed even harder. Kris beat against it, trying to get it to let up.

They were seconds from being crushed to death. Kris reached up, grabbing at the monster’s face plate. It whipped its head back, snarling. They tried tearing its mask off.

It began to loosen.

Kris kept a firm grip. The monster panicked. Letting out a piercing roar, it threw them aside.

Its face plate clattered to the ground.

They landed on their side. Kris looked up. Their enemy’s mask was gone.

They could see its face.

Kris felt their heart sink.

“Susie..?!”

“HOW DO YOU-!? UGH!!”

She covered her face, growling. Susie ran for the face plate that they had torn off. Putting it back on, she immediately began charging at them again.

Kris backed away. They ducked under one of her punches.

“Why are you doing this?!” They cried out.

“SHUT UP!”

Their mind was racing. The diner. It had to be the diner. When their copycat had robbed the place.

“Listen to me! You’re being tricked! It wasn’t me who hit your friend!”

“I SAID SHUT UP!!”

They blocked her claw swipes with their shield. She was in a frenzy. Susie grabbed hold of their shield and tore it from their hands.

She threw it at them. It struck their chest. They fell backward, and she pounced on them.

Susie wrapped her hands around their throat.

“S-Stop-!!” They choked.

She lifted them into the air. 

Kris gasped. 

Letting out a yell, Susie slammed them into the ground.

* * *

She caught her breath. The rain continued beating down on the rooftop. Lightning could be heard in the distance.

They weren’t moving.

Susie let go of them.

It was still. Just her and the rain.

Her heart was still pounding.

She did it for them. For Kris. For what they did to them. They wouldn’t hurt anyone else. No more.

Curiosity got the better of her.

With shaky hands, Susie cupped the sides of the Knight’s helmet. She slowly took off their mask.

Her breath hitched.

“What..?!”

It was them.

“... no..!”

She shook their body.

“Kris… wake up..!”

They didn’t respond.

“WAKE UP!!”

Chapter Text

“Come on, Kris…”

…

“I got you... I got you…”

…

“I’m sorry... I’m so… so sorry…”

…

“You’re okay… you’re okay…”

…

“You’re gonna be okay.”

…

Their body ached.

Kris fluttered their eyes open. They were in a dark room. Whatever they were lying on was soft and comfortable. A bed. They still had the armor on, helmet and all.

Susie. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she-

They looked off to the side. There she was, sound asleep, sitting in a chair next to them. She had the armor on from their encounter, but she wasn’t wearing the face plate.

Kris sat up. “... Susie..?”

She stirred, her eyes slowly opening. “... Kris!”

Susie got up, making her way to their side. She knew who they were underneath the mask.

“Holy shit… hey, take it easy!”

They tried standing up but immediately collapsed back onto the bed.

“Where are we..?” They said.

“Uhh…” She looked around, looking like she had forgotten, too. “... you know the hole in the floor?”

“Oh…”

“Yeah. There’s this… spider-wizard guy. I brought you to him.”

“Ralsei?”

Susie nodded. She looked apprehensive. Like she was expecting them to get mad at her.

She sat down on the end of the bed. “So, how do you feel?”

“I’m okay…” They sat up again. “... how long was I out?”

“Few hours.”

That’s not what they wanted to hear. The Impressionist was still out there. Kris didn’t have any time to recover.

They tried to stand up again, and their legs gave out just like before.

“Dude..!” She grabbed them before they could fall over.

“... sorry.”

She sighed. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

Kris looked down at the floor. Despite their best efforts to the contrary, they no longer had a choice. Susie was going to have to be involved in this madness now.

“You remember the diner, right..? The robbery?”

Susie nodded.

“That person… well, you know now that that wasn’t me. It was someone pretending to be me.”

She looked away, putting a hand on her forehead.

They went on. “Its name is ‘The Impressionist.’ I don’t know what its goal is, but I have to stop it.”

Kris expected a response from Susie. She was silent.

They looked over at her. “Susie?”

“... goddamn it…” She took a deep breath. “... I’m sorry, Kris. For everything.”

Kris reached out toward her. “Susie, it’s okay-”

“NO! I’VE DONE SO MUCH HORRIBLE SHIT TO YOU!” She pulled away from them. “THE THINGS I’VE SAID TO YOU! ALL THE TIMES I'VE HURT YOU!”

Susie threw her arms into the air. “AND NOW THIS!! I NEARLY KILLED YOU, KRIS! HOW CAN YOU JUST LET ALL THAT GO!?”

There was a beat of silence.

Kris could see tears in her eyes.

She looked away from them.

“Susie… I know you don’t believe it right now… but it’s okay.”

They took off their helmet, setting it aside.

“I’ve hurt people, too. In the past.” Kris said. “I should have been there for someone. But I wasn’t. And that really hurt them.”

“What matters now is now.” They scooted closer to her. “The things you did in the past don’t have to shape who you are. You can change. And you have.”

She looked over at them. “... have I?”

“Yes. You’re a good person, Susie. I mean it.”

Kris scooted a little closer. “Everything that happened, you know, back in school. None of it matters to me. You’re my friend.”

They reached out and held her hand. She didn’t pull away.

“Susie!?” There was a voice coming from outside the door. “Are you still sleeping in there?!”

“No! What do you want?!” She called back, wiping her face.

“Did Kris wake up?!”

“Come and see for yourself!” Susie rolled her eyes.

They moved their hand away. Ralsei stepped into the room, or rather, crawled.

“Kris! You’re okay!!” He skittered over to their side. “I was starting to get worried!”

“Hey, Ralsei.” They said, slightly smiling.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“Okay enough to sit here and talk.” They shrugged. “Still can’t stand, though.”

“Ah, well, that’s good!” Ralsei smiled. “I still have some more errands to run, so I’ll make this quick...”

He held his hands out, their armor becoming encased in a warm glow. It was a strange feeling, like their organs were being given a comforting squeeze. Kris didn’t mind it, despite how weird it felt.

“Okay… that should do it! You’ll be able to walk around, now, but I would still take it easy. Your armor is still healing!”

“Healing..?” They tilted their head.

“See your shoulder?” He pointed.

The point where Susie had hit them out of the air. It had broken through the armor before. Now it looked like someone was halfway through sewing the opening shut.

“Oh.” Kris said.

“Yeah! Isn’t that cool? Your armor doesn’t need to be repaired manually; it repairs itself!” He cheerfully informed.

“What about me?” Susie asked. “I didn’t get any armor.”

“Oh, well… yours is a special case! Those spikey bracelets on your wrists should make your scales highly resistant. And make you incredibly powerful, too!”

“Huh.” She looked down at her arms. “Guess that makes sense.”

“Anyway, I have to go. Let me know if you need anything else!” He waved.

Ralsei exited the room as quickly as he had entered it. Susie and Kris sat there on the bed in awkward silence for a moment.

“So…” She scratched the back of her head. “... how long you been the Knight for?”

“Three weeks, I think.”

“Wow.” Susie said. “You ever think about tellin’ anybody?”

“That I was the Knight?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

Kris thought about it.

They wanted nothing more. It was surprisingly hard to keep all of what they were going through bottled up for so long. Kris knew that neither of their friends would judge them for it. They would be surprised, sure, but they wouldn’t stop being friends with them because of it.

But that would mean either Noelle or Susie would have to get involved. Kris didn’t want that for either of them. And look what ended up happening.

They had given themselves one rule. Don’t get anyone caught up in this mess. And they couldn’t even follow it.

“All the time. I really wanted to talk to someone about it. About this world beneath the surface. About everything.” Kris looked over at her. “I guess I can do that now.”

She scoffed. “Mhm. You can tell me all your deep dark secrets.”

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

Susie laughed. She looked down at the floor, looking like she was pondering something.

“... hey, Kris.”

“Hm?”

“Didja ever think about tellin’ me?”

They nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. Either you or Noelle.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Speaking of which…” Kris stretched their arms out. “... how did you even find the dark world in the first place?”

“Dark world? That what you call it?” She teased.

“What would you call it?”

“I dunno, I thought I had fallen into hell or somethin’.”

“That’s funny. So did I.” Kris said.

“Heh. Anyway, I was, uh… really pissed off about the diner thing. With your stupid ass doppelganger hittin’ you and shit.” Susie went on. “So I started following it. Or following you, I guess. Were you the one on the rooftops?”

“You were watching me that whole time?”

“Uh-huh. Well, not the whole time, but… most.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.” They said.

Kris had been sitting on those rooftops for what felt like years. Though it was only for a single day. Nothing too crazy.

“Whatever. Anyway, you randomly started headin’ out into the forest.” She said. “I saw you go into that big house, so I waited outside until you came out. Then I went in myself, screamed my ass off falling down that hole, and ended up here.”

“Huh.” 

“Sooooo… I wandered around in the forest with the red trees for a bit, uh… found a bunch of cobwebs… saw a dude standin’ in the distance, was like ‘hey, I wanna go fight that guy.’ So I went over and he was bein’ all friendly and shit so I was like ‘okay, Ralsei, nevermind, I won’t squash you for stalkin’ me.’ Then he showed me how to use my axe, and…” She looked up. “... then I went after you.”

Kris tilted their head. “How did you get back up? Out of the hole?”

“Climbed.” She grinned.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, quite a story, huh?” Susie clasped her hands together. “How ‘bout yours? What brought you here?”

“Um…” Kris murmured. “... you know those kids we dumped paint on?”

“Uh-huh?”

“They dragged me out into the forest and locked me in that abandoned church. That’s how I got here.”

Her expression changed from curiosity to resentment. “You’re kidding me.”

They shook their head.

“Those sons of…” She glared at the wall. “... they ever bother you recently?”

“No.”

“Good. You let me know if they try and pull anything, okay?”

Kris nodded.

“Now…” Susie sprang off the bed. “... you said they’re called the Impressomist?”

“Impressionist.”

“That’s what I said.”

They scoffed, rolling their eyes. “Sure. Anyway, we should probably come up with a plan to take them down.”

Susie nodded. “Hm… lemme think… man, I wish I had glasses for this…”

She paced around the room with her fist under her chin. Kris thought for a moment, a few ideas running through their mind. The two of them could simply wait for the Impressionist to hit up another store, stop them before they rob anyone, boom.

Although, the Impressionist might see them coming. Maybe Kris could go in without their armor while Susie waited around nearby, and-

“OH!” Susie suddenly perked up. “Kris, I got something!”

“What is it?”

She laughed to herself. “You mentioned the kids we dumped paint on?”

Kris nodded. “What about them?”

“I think we can do something similar to the Impressomizer.” Susie said. “Think about it! They’re disguised as you, right? So how am I gonna tell the difference between you two!? By color coding the fake one!!”

“So..?”

“Sooo!! I’m sayin’ you go in, sneak above them while they’re tryin’ to rob someone, drop some paint on them, BAM!! Now we know who the fake one is!”

The more Susie went on, the more her idea made sense. That was going to be a problem. The Impressionist could easily throw Susie off by simply looking identical to Kris’s armor. If they splashed them with paint, they would know who the real one was.

“That’s… actually a pretty good idea.” Kris said.

“Right!!” She grinned. “I say we go and do it right now!”

They shrugged. No better time than the present. Kris got off of the bed and stood up. Their feet didn’t immediately give out under them, but they still felt slightly achy.

“You up for it? Or you wanna rest for a little longer?” She asked.

“No.” Kris shook their head. “We get them now. I’ll just walk it off.”

“Alright.” Susie nodded. “Let’s kick this guy’s ass.”

She picked up her face plate and put her axe behind her back. Kris put their helmet on and got their shield. The two of them made their way out of the room, heading in the direction of the trapdoor that led out of Ralsei’s lair.

Chapter Text

snoozie

yo

u got the paint yet

Kris

yeah

on my way

With paint can in hand, they began swinging over to the town hall. It was late at night by this point, and Susie had spotted the Impressionist near there. She was surprisingly good at tracking people down. It hadn’t started its assault on the mayor’s office yet, so Kris was eager to get a jumpstart on the situation. They didn’t want Mrs. Holiday to come back from her vacation to a wrecked courthouse.

snoozie

not to rush u or anytyhing

but 

u might wanna hury ur ass up

shows about to start

Kris

got it

They nearly dropped the paint while trying to text and swing. Kris rappelled around an apartment building and saw Susie waiting on top of one nearby.

“There you are!!” She waved them down.

Kris landed next to her, dangling the paint can in front of her. "Got it for free."

“Niiice.” Susie grinned.

“Not very fun to get, though.” They sighed.

“What happened?”

“Had to walk into that convenience store with my suit on.” Kris said. “Very awkward.”

“Why the hell’d you do that?” She laughed, giving them a weird look.

“There’s a deal. First time paint dumpers dump paint for free… or something. The Knight hasn’t dumped paint on anyone yet. Kris Dreemurr has.” They elaborated.

“Ohhh… so you duped the guy?!”

“I… guess.” Kris shrugged. “The paint cans cost a lot of money.”

“Yo, look!” She pointed, crouching down.

Kris did the same. The two looked down from the rooftop at the street below.

There they were. The Impressionist. All suited up in their stolen valor. If the two of them hadn’t constructed such an ingenious plan, Kris would’ve pounced on their copycat right now.

“God… you have no idea how badly I wanna stomp this guy right now.” She said. Looks like Susie was thinking the same thing.

“I know that feeling.”

“Let’s go over the plan again.” She nudged their shoulder. “You remember?”

“I go up on the ceiling. Wait for the Impressionist to make a move. Splash them with paint.”

“You forgot one thing.” Susie smirked. “We beat the ever living shit out of them.”

“Mhm.” They nodded. “Just don’t hurt them too badly. We’re not trying to kill them.”

“I’ll try.” She held her axe out. “Come on.”

Tapping her metal face plate, she stood up. The Impressionist stepped inside the mayor’s building. Susie would hang around the front and wait for their signal. Kris would go in from the side. 

Ensuring their shield was still on their back, they grappled onto one of the windows on the side of the town hall. Reeling themselves in, they pushed the window open and crawled inside.

* * *

It walked into the center of the hall. In an instant, dozens of eyes were on it. Some gasped, some hid away, and some pulled out high-tech cameras and microphones.

“Knight!”

“Over here!”

“A word, please!?”

Bright camera flashes shielded its vision. It didn’t say a word. It didn’t even move.

“Why’d you rob that restaurant!?”

“Should we call the police?! Aren’t they a wanted-”

“Shut up, Kevin!! Knight, over here!”

At least their copycat was the one dealing with it. If Kris had another camera shoved in their face, they would probably punch a hole through its lens. They watched from above, clinging to the ceiling with their grappling hook.

Kris had the handle of the paint can looped around their neck, which allowed them to text Susie as soon as they possibly could. For now, they were keenly watching the Impressionist.

“Come on, Knight! At least say something!”

“Yeah! That’ll give us- woah!”

The Impressionist grabbed one of the camera being jammed in its face and chucked it across the room. The reporters started to back away. Everyone else in the room began to leave.

Kris pulled out their phone.

Kris

you ready

i’m about to go in

snoozie

just lmk

They punched a hole through the paint can. Kris grabbed the handle and took it off of their neck.

The Impressionist pushed a reporter back. It’s patience was clearly growing thin. Taking out the weapon strapped to its hip, it pointed it at one of the reporters. That was enough of a warning to get most of them to flee.

“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!!”

“RUN! THE KNIGHT’S GONE INSANE!”

“I’M NOT DYING FOR THIS!”

Kris

go

They let the paint fly.

The Impressionist flinched, being covered in a splurge of red dye. The remaining reporters gasped, pointing their cameras at the ceiling.

Kris threw the empty paint can at their doppelganger, hitting them in the shoulder. It raised its weapon at them and began firing.

“YOU GETTIN’ THIS, SEAN?!”

“YES, KAREN!!”

“JUST KEEP THE CAMERA STEADY!”

A flash of energy soared toward the Impressionist. It struck its back, sending it to the floor. Susie stepped out, axe in hand. The reporters recorded the altercation in awe. 

Kris landed on the ground and began picking darts out of their suit. The Impressionist wasn’t firing bullets. Rather, they were tiny electric bolts that clung to their armor. They were slightly painful.

“Two Knights..!?”

“No… that one’s the real Knight! They aren’t a criminal after all!”

“Who’s the purple one..?”

The Impressionist was down. 

Susie kept the axe trained in front of her. She made her way over to Kris.

“... keep your guard up.” She mumbled.

They nodded.

The irritating reporters continued to loudly chat amongst themselves off to the side.

“Should we ask the two for an interview now..?”

“Now!? Are you crazy?! Just wait a sec for-”

“No, we should do it now! We’ll be the first ones to-”

The Impressionist stirred. It grumbled something to itself, brushing its now red armor off. Susie and Kris went on guard. It slowly stood up.

“There you are… Knight.” It said.

Kris brandished their shield.

“The hell do you want?” Susie called out.

“A conversation.” It pointed at her. “Not with you. Leave.”

“Not gonna happen.” She shook her head.

The Impressionist still had a hand on its gun. Kris knew where this was going. Susie began to pace around the room.

“Everybody out.” Susie said. “Janitors stay. Cause they're gonna have to mop you off the floor.”

The room began to clear, leaving the three in the town hall.

“Lightners.” It mumbled. “Never change.”

It shot a hook out toward Kris. Their shield deflected it. Susie ran in, missed a strike with her axe. She swung wildly. The Impressionist fired multiple shots in her direction.

Kris hooked the side of its gun. They pulled, yanking the weapon of its hand. Susie brought her axe down. Grazed its neck. Shooting a hook out, their doppelganger created distance.

The town hall was fairly large. There was plenty of room to move around. Not something that benefit either them or Susie. If they wanted to win this, they would have to close the gap.

“We really don’t have to do this.” Their doppelganger said.

Kris looked over at Susie. She was hunched over, holding her side. They quickly ran over to her.

“... Susie..!”

“... don’t worry about me.” She flinched, pulling a dart out of her shoulder. “... just these… goddamn things.”

She was riddled with electric bolts. Kris began pulling some out of her arm. Susie nudged them away.

“I said don’t worry about me..!” She gritted her teeth. “Go… ngh, get them!”

“Knight.” It gestured toward Kris. “Over here.”

They reluctantly left Susie’s side. Kris stepped out in front of the Impressionist. They kept their shield out in front of them.

“What do you want from me?” Kris asked.

“Like I said. A conversation.”

It really was like talking into a mirror. The Impressionist had gotten its gun back.

“Then talk.” They were getting irritated.

“Not here. Somewhere else. Back in the CYBER CITY.”

“No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kris shook their head.

The Impressionist stared at them for a moment. “Why.”

“I don’t trust you.”

Their grip on their shield tightened. Anytime their reflection spoke it made their blood boil. How it sounded frighteningly like them, how it tried to copy their mannerisms.

The Impressionist took a deep breath.

“Fine.” It said. “The hard way then.”

It raised its gun. Kris hid beneath their shield. They could feel the darts beat against it. In an unexpected move, the Impressionist ran in. Fired shots at Kris’s legs. They blocked low. It aimed high. Caught them off guard.

They caught a right hook to the jaw. Kris staggered. The Impressionist closed in. They threw their own punches back. The two traded blows, Kris bashing with their shield, the Impressionist striking with the heel of its gun.

Kris tried shoving their copycat off. The Impressionist aimed the gun at their chest and fired. The gun clicked after a couple shots. Instant shocks of pain shot through their body. Kris fell to the floor. They gritted their teeth, weakly pulling the darts out.

Their doppelganger went for the reload.

And was knocked off its feet.

Susie was back. She hurled another blast at their attacker.

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THEM!” She yelled out.

It had dropped the gun. Susie ran over, swinging her axe wildly once more. Incapacitated, Kris continued prying the bolts off of their armor.

They had to stop attacking one at a time. The Impressionist was ducking and sidestepping all of Susie’s swings. It almost looked like it was having fun.

She caught it off guard with a punch. Their doppelganger reeled back, shooting a hook at her ankle. Susie slipped forward, and the Impressionist kicked her in the stomach. Snarling, she lunged forward, missing another swing.

Kris looked at the floor. Dark red footprints stained the sleek courthouse tiles. Mrs. Holiday was definitely not going to be happy about any of this.

They got their feet under them. Kris shot a grappling hook into the air. If Susie was attacking from below, they would attack from above.

She roared, swiping at the Impressionist’s face. It ducked, bashing its elbow against her chin. Susie staggered back. Her footing was off. Kris swung in. They threw a kick, grazing their copycat’s shoulder.

It was caught off guard. Turning its attention to Kris, it tried shooting them with its grappler. Susie grabbed its arm, digging her claws into its grappling hook.

They saw what she was trying to do. Kris let go, landing on the ground. They went for the Impressionist’s leg. Shooting a hook out, they latched onto its ankle and pulled.

It strained, trying to beat Susie off and pull away from Kris. Neither of them let up. The phony grappling hook began to tear off.

With a yell, she pulled as hard as she could. The Impressionist’s grappler ripped off. Kris reeled them in. Its armor squealed against the ground. Getting it close, they grabbed it by the phony scarf wrapped around its neck.

“Enough! It’s over!” Kris kept them pinned to the floor.

It looked up at them. Kris could almost hear it chuckle.

“No. Not yet.”

One swift motion. Kris barely saw it coming. The Impressionist sweeped their legs out from under them, wrestled them to the floor, and put them in a headlock. One they couldn’t break out of.

“NO!!” Susie cried out.

It pressed the barrel of the gun against their helmet. “Stay back.”

The Impressionist had somehow gotten the gun back. If that weapon were to go off, they would be in for one hell of a headache.

“LET THEM GO!”

“I said. Stay back.”

It pointed the gun at Susie. She froze in place.

“Now. I’ve been asked to do something. Something very simple.” It brought the gun back to their head. “I’m going to take them with me. And you’re going to lay your axe down on the floor.”

“Like hell I will.” She growled.

“I understand you’re upset. But this isn’t a permanent thing. They are wanted. They will be back in a few hours.” It said. “As I mentioned. Just a conversation.”

Kris could see Susie’s axe begin to glow. They had an idea. But they needed to wait for an opening.

“Now. Lay your axe down.”

The Impressionist moved the gun back toward Susie.

They made a move.

Kris threw their head back. Bashed its face in. They spun around. Grabbing its shoulders, they hurled their doppelganger in Susie’s direction. She leapt forward, pouncing on the Impressionist. 

Susie began wailing on its face. 

Blow after blow. 

Not letting up.

“Hey, hey!” Kris called out. “You got them! Stop!”

She froze, her fist still held high. 

Susie looked down. The Impressionist was out cold. She caught her breath.

“Did we..?” She looked up at Kris.

They nodded.

Police sirens began to sound off in the distance. Of course, the cops only showed up after the problem had been dealt with.

“Let’s get out of here.” They said.

Susie got up, the two making their way toward the front door. Kris saw a few lingering reporters near the entrance. They had been recording the whole thing. Once they had been noticed, the camera crew quickly disbanded, running in the opposite direction.

“Bunch of idiots.” Susie scoffed.

“Yep.” Kris sighed.

A dozen cop cars pulled up. Kris shot a grappling hook out, disappearing into the night sky.

“The one you’re looking for’s inside.” Susie thumbed toward the entrance. “Can’t miss them. Covered in red paint.”

She leaped into the air, sinking her claws into the side of a building and climbing up toward the rooftop. Kris was waiting for her up there.

“Woo!” Susie hoisted herself up, cheering. “We did it!”

She dusted her hands off. Kris nodded, sitting down by the edge. They had their phone out.

“Somethin’ wrong?” She looked concerned.

“I just realized something.”

“What?”

“My mom was texting me this whole time.”

Susie’s eyes widened. “Uh oh..?”

“Big uh oh.” They said.

Kris opened their text messages.

Mom

Dear it’s getting late

I’ll fix some butterscotch pie! <3

Mom

And some corn!

Or would you just like corn?

Mom

Kris?

Let me know if you’re getting this

Mom

Honey it’s getting late please

Text me when you can

Mom

Are you with Noelle?

Mom

Hello?

Mom

Please answer

Mom

I called Noelle 

She said you’re with her?

You can stay the night but please let me know next time dear! <3

And answer your texts!

“Oh…” Kris fell backward. “... Noelle just saved my life.”

“How?” Susie asked.

“She covered for me… said I was with her the whole time…”

“Ohh!! Dang, really?!”

They let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah… I’m shocked too.”

Kris had to let her know how thankful they were. Toriel probably would have grounded them for the rest of their life.

Kris

dude

thank you so much

doelle

for what???

Kris

you said i was with you right?

to my mom

doelle

OH RIGHT

fahaha dw about it!!  

i just thought u were doin somethin with susie

Kris

oh well

i’m with her right now

doelle

KNEW IT!!!

and out THAT late?!

come on kris kross…. u cant hide the truth from me.. >:)

u got a big fat crush on her huh :P

“What’s she sayin’?” Susie peered over their shoulder. “Can I see?”

“No!” Kris hid their phone.

“Woah. Okay, jeez.”

“Sorry, it’s just…” They huffed. “... nothing.”

Noelle was going to be the death of them.

Kris

STOP

doelle

XDDDDDDDDD

Kris

she almost saw

doelle

ALMOST SAW THE TRUTH!!!

U CAN DO IT SUSIE!!!!!!!!

They pondered for a moment. Kris realized this was a good opportunity to set something up between these two.

“Hey, Susie?”

“Hm?”

“Want me to set up a hangout? You, me, and Noelle?”

“Uhhh…” She scratched the back of her head. “... when?”

“How about tomorrow? After school?”

“Sure.” Susie shrugged.

Kris internally celebrated. They thanked Susie before moving back to Noelle’s messages.

Kris

hey susie’s down to hangout tomorrow

with you and me i mean

doelle

omg

FINALLY!!!!!

Kris

please behave yourself

doelle

no promises xP

Kris

i’m going to regret this

doelle

YEP 

U kNOW IT

Kris

and also

i hate to ask but

can i crash at your place tonight?

can’t exactly go home so

doelle

yES OF COURSE

you dont even have to ask!!

Kris

thanks a bunch

you’re a lifesaver

doelle

XP

dont mention it!!

“Alright… so hangout with Noelle tomorrow… after school?” They reaffirmed.

Susie nodded. Kris couldn’t see past her face plate, but they could tell she was still slightly nervous about it.

“Should I… wear anything specific..?” She asked. “Like something fancy or..?”

“Susie.” They scoffed. “Just wear whatever you want. It’s not that serious.”

“You sure? She’s the friggin’ mayor’s daughter!!”

“Trust me.”

She sighed. “Alright… but if I blow this I’m blamin’ you!!”

“Go ahead. You’re not gonna blow it.”

Kris stood up, looking off toward at Noelle’s house in the distance. It wasn’t very hard to spot.

“I’m gonna go crash at Noelle’s place. Are you okay walking home?” They asked.

“Yeah.” She flashed them a thumbs up.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Mhm. See ya.” Susie waved goodbye.

Kris waved, shooting a grappling hook and swinging toward Noelle’s.

Susie hung back. She watched them zip around for a bit. That uncertainty still lingered within her.

She shook her head. Looking back at the town hall, she watched Kris’s doppelganger get brought out in handcuffs. They had to roll them out on a stretcher. That got a chuckle out of her.

Walking over to the edge of the rooftop, she gripped the side, dragging her claws down the wall, landing back on the road, and making her way toward the forest.

Chapter Text

Their hands were shaking. They couldn’t tell if it was due to excitement or nervousness. Maybe it was a combination of both.

What they were about to do was going to have some serious consequences. Probably alter the course of their life entirely. For the better? For the worse? They didn’t know.

All they knew was they had to do it.

With a shivering press of the button…

… Kris created the group chat.

doelle

wha

WOAH

HEY

HEY SUSIUE

OH MY GOSH

SUISEI

And here we go.

Kris

noelle

Please

doelle

HI KRiS

SORRY IF I}

snoozie

wtf

doelle

IM RLALLY EXCITED FOR

OH HI SUSIE

snoozie

hey

Kris

sorry susie

should have asked you before doing this

doelle

WHATS UP SUSIEEEE

Kris

she’s a big fan of you

snoozie

lmfao i can see that

doelle

BTW SUSIE!!

snoozie

sup

doelle

thanks for protecting me and kris that one time!!

from the bullies!

snoozie

oh

yea dw about it

doelle

ur super cool for that!!!!!

like when u punched that wall?

and they all ran out screaming!!?!?

SO much coolness

snoozie

haha

thanks ig

Kris

so

what time should we come to your house noelle

doelle

oh were goin\ to MY house are we? 

>:)

Kris

well 

it’s larger

more stuff to do

doelle

uhhhhhhhhhhh

why not rn???

im not doing anything!

Kris

susie is that ok?

snoozie

sure

doelle

YAY :DDDDD

Kris

great

ill swing by in a few min

snoozie

same

doelle

WOOHOOO

i got the dragon blazers all set up!!

snoozie

really?

what level u on?

doelle

STILL STUCK ON THE SHADOW BOSS UGHHHH

shes SO annoying D:<

snoozie

i can help u with that

if u want

doelle

sure!

also i got ssf ready too!!!!

snoozie

SICK

im omw

Kris

ssf?

what that

snoozie

duh

super smashin fighters dont u know

Kris

oh

doelle

WHOS UR MAIN SUZEIE

snoozie

uh

youll see

heheh

doelle

OH UR ON

but dont underestimate kris….

theyre INSANELY good at the game

snoozie

oh is that right

Kris

nope 

i’m awful

snoozie

we’ll see about that

doelle

kris selling themselves short

as per usual….

sighs…….

Kris

sighing through text

doelle

THATS HOW SAD IT IS!!!!! ;_;

snoozie

lol

Kris was shocked. This was a lot less awkward than they had thought it would be.

Everything about what was happening recently was shocking.

The Knight’s name had been cleared. The robbery and assault charges had been dropped. Every newspaper had their win against the Impressionist on the front headlines. And to top it all off, Susie and Noelle were getting along just fine.

Life was going… well?

That felt weird to say. Weird to think.

They began making their way toward Noelle’s house.

* * *

Making their way to her front door, Kris noticed Susie had beaten them there.

“There you are, dork!” She looked relieved. “Thought you said you were gonna swing over here?!”

They scoffed. “What? Too afraid to knock on her door?”

“What?! NO!”

“Guys?!” They heard a voice from the other side of the door.

Susie tensed up. Kris giggled, stepping in front of her and taking the lead. Noelle opened the front door.

“GUYS!!” She ran forward and hugged them both at the same time.

“Hey.” Kris patted her on the back.

Susie awkwardly did the same.

Releasing the two of them, she gestured for them to follow her inside.

“We got a lot to do!! Come on!”

“... ok.” Susie mumbled.

She followed meekly behind Kris. The two stepped inside Noelle’s house, or rather, mansion.

Calling her house huge was an understatement. The walls were lined with white marble. Every cushion in the mansion was made out of leather upholstery. Kris was afraid to touch anything, not wanting to misalign any of the Christmas decorations.

It was a perfectionist’s dream, and a housekeeper’s nightmare.

Susie looked just as amazed as Kris was. They could hear her mumbling curse words to herself, her eyes trailing around the room like a puppy in a tennis ball factory.

Noelle was giggling, taking note of their reactions.

“Welcome to my ho-ho-home!” She proudly cheered.

Kris was instantly snapped out of their daydream by that sentence. Susie was still caught in hers.

“Wow.” They said. “You still greet people with that line?”

“Yeah!! What’s wrong with it?!”

“It’s ho-ho-horrible.”

“AWW!! Come on!”

Susie shook her head. “... huh? What?”

“Ooh, we gotta get Dragon Blazers set up!” Noelle ran over to her TV.

“Oh. Yeah, right, of course.” She followed Noelle.

They watched as the two began setting up the game that the three of them would be playing for the next six hours. 

No matter how hard they tried, Kris couldn’t shake the feeling of nostalgia. They could imagine themselves as a little kid again, running around the house with Noelle playing tag while Dess was it. 

She used to chase the two of them around with a wiffle bat. Dess would always tap Kris gently on the shoulder when she caught them, but would pretend beat up Noelle when she got close enough.

Dess Holiday. That’s somebody who they’d kill to speak to again.

“... you plugged in the console, right?” They overheard Susie say.

“Yeah! It was working earlier… I don’t know what happened.”

“You try turnin’ it off and on?”

“Umm… let me see…” Noelle squinted.

The two geniuses were at work. That meant they had some time to kill.

There was something else that they used to do. Kris entered the adjacent room, stepping into the kitchen. 

And there it was. The piano they used to play.

Their families used to gather around and listen to them. Kris never liked the attention. But they never forgot that look on Noelle’s face. So they endured it. For her.

Almost by instinct, Kris made their way over to the piano. It looked like it hadn’t been touched since the last time they played it.

They pressed their hand down. A short note at first. Then a chord. Kris sat down.

And they began to play.

Their timing was slightly off. But that didn’t matter.

Kris heard the door open. They kept playing.

“... no, no, no..!”

“... what?”

“... they don’t like being watched.”

“... oh.”

…

“... they’re pretty damn good.”

“... right..!? I missed hearing them play…”

They didn’t stop.

And for a minute, they were at peace.

Kris let go. The final note rang out. 

They glanced over their shoulder. The door was closed again. Getting up, they left the room.

Noelle and Susie had gotten Dragon Blazers up and running. They were on the title screen.

“Kris! There you are!” Noelle smiled, patting the seat next to her on the couch.

They sat down next to her.

Susie was sitting on the floor. She navigated through the menus, looking through Noelle’s party.

“You should level up your mage a little bit more.” Susie said. “He kinda carries the team. Keeps everybody healed, y’know?”

“And YOU should be sitting on the couch with us!” Noelle pointed at the spot next to Kris.

“Huh? Nah, it’s fine.” She shook her head.

“Why?”

“Don’t wanna dirty up your house more than I already have.” Susie scooched away.

“Huh? You’re not dirtying up my house.” Noelle tilted her head. “Come on, it’s okay!”

Susie looked down for a moment. “... alright.”

She took her spot next to Kris. Of course, they had to be right in the middle.

“There ya go!!” Noelle cheered. “See? You’re fine, Susie!”

“... heh, okay.” Susie chuckled.

Kris got comfortable in their seat, stretching their arms out and leaning back. Noelle let Susie take the wheel, handing off the controller to her and sitting back.

Susie took a deep breath. “Well… if we wanna beat this final boss, we’re gonna have to grind a lot of battles.”

“Good thing we started early then!” Noelle said. “Let’s go!”

* * *

“Alright Kris, your turn.”

Susie handed them the controller. They had been beating previous bosses for the past two hours.

“Hey, don’t hand that thing to me. I lost the last battle.” They shook their head.

“Yeah, that’s because you tried playing while balancing an apple on your head.” Susie scoffed.

Noelle was in the kitchen getting more food for the two. Kris could see her texting someone on her phone. Probably one of her pushy friends was trying to force her into another hangout, they thought.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.” Kris took the controller.

“Trust me, you’ve got this. Just spam the-”

“Fireshock, then parry the slime’s attacks, got it.”

“See? You’re a natural.” She cracked a smile.

Susie sat back and watched while Kris played. By the second hour, the game turned into clockwork. The boss’s attacks were becoming predictable, while the music was becoming unbearable. Obnoxious sounds of swords clashing, warriors grunting, and slimes bouncing played through the television speakers.

Out of the corner of their eye, Kris could see Noelle’s expression slowly becoming more and more concerned. That friend of hers must be really pushing her to go somewhere.

“After this fight, we should be liiiike… pretty much done grinding.” Susie rested her chin against her knuckle.

Kris threw a sandstorm at the enemy. “Then we can beat the shadow deer boss?”

“Yeah. Hopefully. That boss is hard as shit, I’m not gonna lie.”

“Let Noelle take that boss.” They splashed a strength potion on their allies. “She’s good at dodging the sword attack.”

“Yo, Noelle?” Susie called out to her. “You good? You look kinda worried.”

“Uhh…” She paced around the kitchen. “... this may or may not be a bad thing.”

Kris immediately paused the game. “What is it?”

“Okay, so… you know the Knight and the… other… fake Knight fought?” She said.

Susie and Kris both nodded.

“And, um… you know how they fought… in the town hall?”

Kris knew where this was going. They nodded again.

“My mom’s really mad about that. She cut her vacation short, and she said she’s gonna be home any minute.” Noelle nervously laughed.

“Your mom?!” Susie’s eyes widened. “She’s the mayor, right!?”

“Uh-huh… OH! Don’t worry, Susie! You’ll be fine! Fahaha…” Noelle moved over to them. “I think it’s just gonna be ME she’s mad at, though…”

“Why?” Kris tilted their head.

“Well… I’m not allowed to have people over without asking her… but I thought since she was on vacation…” Noelle sat down between them. “Ughh…!”

Susie looked around. “Should I just leave, then?”

“No! Sit, sit! I’ll explain it to her, don’t worry!” Noelle feigned a smile. “Everything’s going to be just fine-”

The front door’s lock clicked. The three heard it creak open. The room went dead silent.

Noelle peeped her head over the couch. “Oh..! Fahaha, hi mom!”

Kris saw her standing in the doorway. She looked pissed. But then again, she always looked pissed.

“Hey, how was your vacation by the way? Ooh, did you see the-”

“Noelle.” She raised her hand. “Save it.”

“... okay..! Fahaha, we can… talk later…”

Susie looked terrified. She was frozen in place. Mrs. Holiday made her way over to her and Kris, eying the two for a moment.

“Kris. Good to see you again.” She nodded at them.

They waved.

Her cold eyes fell on Susie. She looked her over for a moment.

“And you are?” She flatly stated.

“... Susie.”

Mrs. Holiday’s eyes were locked on Susie’s. Kris was scared for her. Noelle’s mother looked ready to pounce. Like a cat dilating its pupils before leaping on its target.

“Toriel has told me a lot about you.” She held her hand out. “Nice to meet you. Susie.”

Susie slowly reached behind the couch and shook her hand. “... you too..?”

Carol reached over and patted Kris on the head. That was a habit of hers, for some reason. Even though the two hadn’t spoken in years, she hadn’t broken the routine.

“Noelle.” Mrs. Holiday said.

“Yes, mom?”

“Kitchen.”

“Okay.”

Noelle flashed the two a thumbs-up and a smile before stepping into the other room with her mother. Kris and Susie stared at each other, unsure of what to say. Or maybe, they were too scared to say anything.

Even though Carol had never punished them directly before, she had come close once. When they were a child, Kris had accidentally knocked over a snow globe and broken it. They had gone and told Carol what had happened, saying they had done it. She was furious. The snow globe held significant value to her, and it had been reduced to glass shards on the floor because of them.

But Noelle stepped in and told her mother she had broken it. That Kris was trying to take the blame for her. So, she got a stern talking to instead, and Kris got off scot-free.

They owed her half of their cornbread during lunch for the rest of second grade for that. Plus a million thank yous and I’m sorrys, though Noelle didn’t accept that kind of payment.

“... don’t like who you’re talking to.”

“... who..?”

“... other friends. Kris and… are okay.”

“... they are..?!”

Kris could barely hear the conversation unfolding in the kitchen. They looked over at Susie, who looked like she was listening to.

“... thank you, thank you, thank you..!”

“... let me know next time.”

“... I will, sorry..!”

Carol stepped out. Kris could see Noelle behind her. She looked overjoyed. Making her way to the front door, she stopped in her tracks.

“I have to go. Be good children.”

“We will!!” Noelle waved. “Bye mom! Good luck with your interview!!”

“Goodbye.”

She slammed the door shut. Susie flinched at the noise. Noelle stamped her hooves on the ground, looking like she was containing her excitement.

“... so? I have to go now, right?” Susie asked.

“What!? No!” Noelle shook her head.

“Doesn’t she hate me?”

“No!! She said she thinks you’re fine! Cause of Toriel… or something?”

“Oh.” Susie sheepishly looked down. “... Toriel, huh.”

“And Kris! Guess what?!”

“Hm?” They perked up.

“She’s gonna try and interview the Knight!!”

Kris’s face fell.

“Or at least meet them! Isn’t that so cool!?”

Susie’s eyes widened. “... how?”

“She’s gonna send a bunch of invites through the news or something, telling them to meet her at the town hall in a few days!!”

“Wow. Wish I could hear THAT conversation.” Susie scoffed. “Wonder if the Knight will even show up.”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to be telling you guys any of this yet, but you’ll see it on the news soon anyway, so who cares?” Noelle smiled. “Just keep it a secret until then, okay you two?”

“Sure.” Susie said.

Kris nodded. They felt uneasy.

“Anyway! Kris, you can go back to fighting that boss now.” Noelle handed them the controller.

They took it from her. 

They had to clear their mind. 

Unpausing the game, they went back to fighting the giant slime.

* * *

“Really?! You picked THAT guy!?”

“What’s wrong, Susie?! Can’t take the heat, huh!”

Susie and Noelle were taunting each other. They were on the character select screen of Super Smashing Fighters. Beforehand, they had spent what felt like ages trying to defeat the final boss of Dragon Blazers.

Kris had taken a turn. They were squashed by the shadow deer’s hoof in under a minute. Susie tried her luck, but lost to the deer’s giant energy blast halfway through the battle.

When it came to Noelle, she had always gotten the farthest in the fight without dying. After a couple dozen tries, with Susie’s encouragement and Kris’s support she eventually got to the final attack…

and died.

That gave her the boost to keep trying for another hour until she finally got it.

Now, as celebration, the three would take a break beating the crap out of a fictional shadow deer and instead take turns beating the crap out of one another.

“Kris, who you gonna be, huh?” Susie nudged them.

They hovered over the random character select button.

“Oooh!! Go Kris! Go Kris!” Noelle cheered.

“Uhh… okay, if you wanna be a dumbass, go ahead.” She playfully teased. “Hit that button.”

Kris did. They landed on a short boxer with no special powers.

“HA! You’re SO screwed!!” Susie slapped the couch, laughing hysterically.

“I believe in you, Kris! That character’s not THAT bad… but it is pretty bad…”

“Doesn’t matter what character I pick.” They shrugged. “I suck at this game. I’m losing no matter what.”

“DUDE! You’re meant to trash-talk US, not yourself!” Susie rolled her eyes.

“Oh, sorry. You’re both gonna die, haha.” Kris said.

“HAHA!! There you go, doofus!”

“Susie! Kris! Are you ready?!” Noelle pointed at them on cue with their names.

They both nodded.

“THEN LET’S GO!!” She pumped her controller into the air, pressing play.

“Oh, IT’S ON, deer lady.” Susie smirked. “You’re going down.”

“We’ll see about THAT, dragon… girl.” Noelle blew a raspberry at her.

Kris was back in the middle between Susie and Noelle. That meant anytime either one of them wanted to trash-talk the other, they would have to go through them.

The three combatants landed on the battle stage. A castle in the sky. On one end stood the pathetic boxer. In the middle stood the fire-breathing dragon, Noelle’s character. And on the other stood the soldier, armed to the teeth with guns and grenades.

The fight was on. Susie and Noelle’s characters both immediately went for the other’s throats. Kris was left on the sideline, awkwardly waddling into the middle of their battle and throwing a few punches of their own.

“EAT THAT!!” Susie shouted.

“Woah!” Noelle flew back on the couch. “Your character has a ROCKET LAUNCHER!?”

“Shoulda picked it, loooseerrr!!!” She boasted.

Kris walked up to Susie’s character, who was firing a barrage of bullets at Noelle’s dragon.

“Hi Susie.” They said.

“Oh, here comes the dork!! Yeah, go punch my guy!! Do it! I wanna see you try-”

They threw a five-punch combo and sent Susie’s character flying off of the map, costing her a life. She stared at the TV screen, dumbfounded.

“See!! I told you Krismas is good at this game!” Noelle cheered. “Go Kris! Go Kris!!”

“PSH! That was a fluke. Not happenin’ again.”

Susie respawned, firing rockets at Kris. They dashed into the air, casually dodging all of them. Noelle swooped in, hitting Susie with a bunch of fireballs.

“HEY! You two are tag teaming!!”

“Oop, you’re right! Sorry, Kris, gotta kill ya now!!” Noelle turned her attention on them.

She fired some fireballs at them. Kris walked into them, letting the boxer get juggled in the air for a moment. Noelle cackled wickedly, watching her character burn Kris’s to a crisp.

“Nice one.” They complimented her.

“Thanks!”

“WHAT?! Kris, you’re meant to say SCREW YOU NOELLE!! TAKE THIS ROCKET LAUNCHER!!!”

“Aahhh!!” She screamed, laughing excitedly.

Her dragon flew out of the way of Susie’s ballistic missiles. It was eventually caught by one of them and was sent flying off the map. 

Kris and Noelle respawned at the same time. Susie tried blowing the two up with a bomb, but Noelle retaliated, flying into the air and slashing her with her claws.

“HEY! Get off me, Noelle!”

“You tried blowing me up, thouughhh!!”

“DUDE I’M GONNA DIE!!”

“Aww! That’s too bad!”

“NOOOO!!”

Slashing Susie into the air, Noelle kicked her into oblivion. The soldier disappeared into the background of the map.

“Man, screw this game!! I’m gettin’ more food.” Susie got up and left.

That left Kris and Noelle to fight to the death. She closed in on Kris, swooping above and trying to land on them.

“Hold still, Kris Kross!!” She giggled. “I’m trying to crush you!”

“No.” Kris moved out of the way.

They countered her ground pound with a combo of their own. Noelle’s dragon got launched into the air, but Kris held back the full combo, letting her character recover.

“... man, we ran out of pizza!” Susie shouted from the kitchen.

Kris heard her slam the fridge door shut. Noelle was back on the offensive, flying around them and trying to use her claws.

“Give it up, Kris… a boxer can’t beat a dragon!!”

She swooped in. Kris dodged her attack, throwing a counter-punch. It landed, nearly knocking Noelle off the stage.

“Woah! Close one, fahaha!!”

“Yooo!! What’s this?!” Susie found something in the kitchen. “No friggin’ way..!”

Noelle and Kris continued fighting. They could see Susie eying a picture on the fridge.

“Hey, Kris!” She called out them. “I didn’t know you had a brother, dude!”

They froze.

“Take THIS!!” Noelle shouted.

She hurled their character into the air with a giant fireball. Noelle launched them nearly off of the arena. They landed on the edge.

“Here I come, Kris! You can’t escape me!!”

Noelle rushed in. 

Kris’s character didn’t move. 

Whipping her tail, she smacked them off the map.

“Fahaha!! I win!” Noelle cheered. “Woohoo!”

“Noelle! Is this meant to be Kris’s brother?! Or am I crazy?”

“Huh?” She set the controller down. “Susie, what are you..?”

“I mean, look at this picture! He looks just like their mom! Is that a cousin, or a…”

Noelle got up.

“I see some similarities! Nah, that’s gotta be their brother!”

“... no, let’s go over…”

Their voices became distant.

“... somethin’ wrong..?”

“... no, it’s okay..! I want to show you…”

All they could hear was ringing.

It was hard to breathe.

“... almost won that game..!”

“... maybe next time, Elly…”

What right did they have?

“... aw, come on, Dess..!”

“... what..? Azzy, just face it…”

To do this without him?

“... Kris..?”

“... hey, Kris… snap out of it…”

No right.

No right at all.

“Kris!”

Susie stood before them.

“You alright, dude? Your face looks… kinda pale.”

“... sorry.”

Kris got up and went to the bathroom.

* * *

They felt nauseous.

No matter how much cold water hit their face, they couldn’t shake the numbness.

Kris could hear Susie and Noelle talking in the other room.

About what, they didn’t know.

They were probably talking about how much of a freak they were.

Running off like that. Not saying a word.

So pathetic.

How long had they been in here? Ten minutes? Thirty? An hour?

Kris turned off the water. It wasn’t going to do anything.

They forced themselves out.

“... oh, Kris! Are you-”

“I don’t feel good.” They said. “... gonna go.”

They didn’t give Noelle a chance to stop them. Kris moved toward the front door. They opened it, stepping outside.

“Susie, wait here.” They heard her say.

Kris kept moving. Their legs felt like they were about to give out. It was dark outside. They could barely see.

Keep going.

They tripped. Gritting their teeth, they pushed themselves up.

Keep going.

Kris heard footsteps behind them.

“KRIS!” She shouted. “Wait, don’t go!”

“... don’t!”

“Kris, please-”

“I said DON’T!”

Their throat tightened.

She moved toward them.

“Just… listen to me, okay, Kris?”

“... it’s all my fault.”

“No! Please, don’t say that!” Noelle reached out. “Remember what I told you?”

She grabbed their shoulders. They tried to pull away.

“I’m here for you, Kris.”

Noelle patted their back. They flinched.

“Even when you don’t want me to be.” 

She hugged them.

“I’m always here for you.”

“... Noelle…”

“Shhh… just focus on me. And breathe.”

Their heart ached. 

“Just breathe.”

Kris buried their face in her sweater.

“... I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. You’re okay, Kris.”

“... I ruined everything.”

“No. It wasn’t your fault.”

“... it was.”

“I was there. You couldn’t have known.”

They said no more. Noelle caressed the back of their head, running her fingers through their hair.

“I’m here.”

They stayed like that for a while. Kris kept their arms around her. She kept hers around them.

Their breathing slowly began to steady. They could hear their heartbeat less and less.

“... better?” She asked.

They nodded.

“You want to come back inside? I can fix you something.”

“... no.” Kris shook their head. “I’ll just go home.”

“Let me walk you.”

“No,” They wiped their face. “I’ll be okay.”

Kris weakly smiled at her.

Noelle looked down.

“Okay.” She reluctantly nodded.

She helped them onto their feet.

Noelle smiled at them. She was crying too. 

But she kept smiling.

Without another word, the two waved and turned their backs on one another. Kris began making their way back home.

Chapter Text

It was getting dark out.

Kris hadn’t shown up at school today. They had barely gotten out of bed.

They had a few unread text messages from Noelle.

That nauseous feeling still lingered within them.

They tried their best to ignore it.

Instead of sleeping through Ms. Alphys’s class, they had spent their time swinging around town, keeping a close eye on the streets below. The day was rather calm. It helped keep their mind off things.

Carol Holiday had kept her word. She had sent out an announcement through the TV news station that she wanted to meet with the Knight the next day and discuss “policies.” Whatever that meant.

They were very nervous about that inevitable meeting. Kris had no idea how it would go. Whether Mrs. Holiday would have them arrested or try to stop their vigilante practices altogether, they knew nothing good would come out of it. Just keep your mouth shut and listen to whatever she tells you; that’s what they kept telling themselves.

With the sun slowly dipping below the horizon, Kris was about done zipping across rooftops. They were about ten seconds from going back home and throwing the Knight armor back under their bed.

That was when they heard a succession of loud popping sounds. Down the street, on the other end of town. Kris began making their way over.

The pops continued. Like a gallery of fireworks being set off, except there was nothing to celebrate. Nothing at all.

Grappling onto an apartment building, they swung around a corner and got a clear view of the scene.

Five assailants lay out on the ground like a bulldozer had come and run them all over. They tossed and turned, groaning in agony. Kris landed in the middle of them, startling the disarmed gunmen. They were too weak to run, so they instead began pathetically crawling away.

Somebody had gotten here before they did. Somebody dangerous. They brandished their shield, readying themselves for whatever was out there.

!

Something sank its claws into the edge of the roof. Kris whipped around, facing the target.

“KNIGHT! There you are!”

Susie hoisted herself up, keeping her axe on her back. Kris stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Running a little late, huh?” She snickered. “Don’t worry, cops are already on their way. These muggers ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

They were too confused to respond. 

She took note of their silence, turning around and leaping onto an adjacent building. Kris put their shield away and followed after her, the two getting to higher ground where they could talk in private.

“So..?” She started.

“So…” They stepped out in front of her. “... what are you up to?”

“What’s it look like? Stopping crimes!”

“Really?”

“Really!” Susie took off her face plate, exposing her toothy grin. “You cool with that?”

“Um… sure.” They shrugged.

In reality, it slightly worried them. It’s not like they didn’t trust her to stop crimes on her own; they were just afraid of her getting hurt.

They took off their helmet. The cool air against their skin felt nice.

“Anyway, uh…” Susie floofed her hair. “... why weren’t you at school today? Noelle was looking everywhere for you.”

“Oh.” They acted like they didn’t know she would do that. “I don’t know. Didn’t feel like going, I guess.”

“Yeah, I getcha.” She nodded. “You didn’t miss anything important anyway. Just more boring ass reading.”

Susie put her hands behind her head. “You, uh, don’t wanna talk about anything?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, like… I don’t know. Anything worrying you?” She sighed. “I’m bad at this, I know.”

“No, no, it’s okay. There is one thing.” They said.

“What’s up?”

“The meeting with Noelle’s mom.”

“Ohhhh…” She looked surprised. “... yeah, that might be bad.”

“I’m not looking forward to it.”

“Don’t blame ya.”

“Like… what if she wants me gone completely? Or, I don’t know… wants me to reveal who I am?”

“Never do that.”

“I know, but…” They sighed.

“Look, if I were you, I’d listen to what she has to say, but I wouldn’t take any shit from her either.” She said. “If she calls you a criminal or somethin’, shut that down immediately.”

Kris listened.

“Or if she tries getting rid of you entirely. That’s not gonna happen, either. You’re the reason crime is so rare nowadays.”

They needed to hear that. Lately, they weren’t sure if they were really making an impact at all. It felt like they were only making things worse. The Impressionist was a good example.

“Oh, by the way,” Susie said. “Did you see the news about the Impressionizer?”

“No.”

“They escaped jail.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Earlier this morning. Cops found a big ass hole in their cell. Like a bomb went off. No noise though.”

“You’re kidding me.” Kris couldn’t believe it.

“Wish I was. Saw it myself. The bastard’s gone.”

The Impressionist was gone, and they were about to be exiled by the mayor. Another fine example of vigilantism from them.

“I wouldn’t sweat it, though. We kicked their ass before, we can do it again.” Susie grinned.

Kris wished they shared her optimism. “... I guess so.”

“I’ll keep a lookout and let you know if I see anything.”

“Thanks.” They nodded.

Susie fist bumped Kris.

They felt their phone vibrate again. Kris took it out.

“Who’s that?”

“Noelle.” That feeling came back again. 

“Oh. You should probably let her know you’re doing okay.”

They opened up their text messages.

doelle

hey, just checking in on you

noticed you weren’t in class

you doing okay?

doelle

we don’t have to talk about last night

i just wanna make sure you’re okay

lmk when you get this

doelle

checking in one last time

i’m here for you

“Hey, by the way… there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

They looked up.

“About yesterday. I’m sorry for… bringing that up. Noelle told me. I didn’t know that…” She trailed off. “... anyway, it was stupid of me, and I’m sorry.”

“... no, it’s okay.”

“... it’s just…” She sighed. “... I’m sorry for your loss, man. If you ever wanna talk about it, I’m here.”

Kris swallowed. “... thank you, Susie.”

They didn’t deserve her. Or Noelle. Kris owed a response to her. Through blurred vision, they began to type.

Kris

hey

doelle

hey!

you feeling ok?

Kris

yeah

im fine

doelle

thats good!

Kris

i’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday

and not responding sooner

doelle

aw dw about it!!

u dont have to apologize!

They looked over at Susie. She was staring off into the distance. Kris couldn’t figure out what her expression meant. She looked solemn.

Kris

and also

thanks for being there for me

it means a lot

doelle

ofc!! :)

“Hey, Kris.”

“Hm?”

“I got an idea.”

“What is it?”

“You wanna train together?” Susie said. “Like, uh, fight each other, but not literally?”

Kris shrugged. “Sure.”

It was a way to take their mind off things. And they might learn a thing or two.

“Alright then. Let’s go.” Grabbing her face plate, she hopped off the side of the building.

They grabbed their own mask and followed after her.

* * *

Kris threw a punch. They tapped Susie’s open palm.

“Not bad.” She smirked. “Turn with your hips more.”

The two had moved toward the forest, going near the abandoned church. They had been playfighting for around an hour. Her powers made her surprisingly strong. Susie had lifted Kris into the air a dozen times at this point.

They lifted their back foot, turned with their hips, and threw another punch. Susie’s raised hand moved back more this time.

“There! See, I told ya. There’s more power in it.”

“Right. Not sure if I want that.” Kris scoffed.

“Why not?”

“Well, I don’t want to hit anyone too hard.”

“Why not!?”

“I don’t want to break anybody's bones. Or kill anyone." They said.

“HA! Like you’re THAT strong!”

Kris playfully nudged her. “Don’t make me kick your butt again.”

“Oh? Is that a threat?”

“Mhm.”

She lunged at them. Kris ducked under her attempt to bear hug them. They zipped away on their grappling hook.

“Too slow!”

“HEY! That’s cheating!”

They giggled, blowing a raspberry at her. She pretended to be annoyed, stamping her foot on the ground.

“GET DOWN HERE, LOSER! OR ELSE I’LL HAVE TO ASK YOU AGAIN!!”

“Okay, okay.” They rappelled down to her level. “That better?”

“Yeah. As a matter of fact, IT IS!”

She got them in a headlock and began playfully ruffling their helmet.

“Susieee!!!”

“That’s what you get!” She evilly laughed. “Now you gotta show me how you’re so damn good at dodging!”

Susie let go of them, still chuckling to herself. Catching their breath, they did their best to explain.

“Okay, so… it’s all about telegraphing.”

“Tele-what now?” She tilted her head.

“You have to see where your opponent’s trying to hit you before they actually do.” Kris said. “For example, if I swing like this…”

They slowly moved their clenched fist toward her snout.

“... you can obviously tell I’m trying to punch you in the face.”

“Okay..?” She was still confused. “So I just…”

Susie ducked under their punch and pretended to counterattack them with a jab.

“Exactly. Now, if I start from back here.” They moved their fist back to their side. “You can tell I’m aiming my punch a little bit higher, so you should get ready to move your head out of the way.”

“Ahhh, I gotcha!” She snickered. “Alright, throw a couple at me!”

“Okay.”

Kris threw a basic three-hit combo. Albeit a little slower than they normally would. Susie did her best, awkwardly moving out of the way of the three punches in her own unique way.

“That was…”

“Pretty awesome, huh?” Susie put her hands on her hips.

“Sure.” They shook their head, laughing. “Remember to counterattack after a dodge.”

“Alright!” She nodded.

Kris looked up at the sky. It was pitch black by this point. If they knew any better, they would have headed home already.

“You wanna head back?” Susie read their mind.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay. I can walk you back to your place.”

“Sure.”

The two turned back toward town, crunching through the leaves as they made their way back home.

“You ready for your interview with Noelle’s mom tomorrow?”

“Oh, don’t remind me…”

“Heh.”

Chapter Text

They had barely slept.

Again, they confused excitement for nervousness. Their four o’clock showcase was today. The mayor had sent another announcement out through the television requesting the Knight to meet her at the town hall. Their gut told them not to go, but logic told them they had to.

Some kind of event was being prepared outside. Some people outside were rolling a gigantic Ferris wheel toward the edge of town along with dozens of food carts. Kris assumed it was the festival Noelle had mentioned before.

They could barely look forward to it, their upset stomach keeping them confined to the classroom chair. Kris slumped over in their seat, arriving at Ms. Alphys’s class earlier than everybody.

Everybody but Berdly. He sat near the front of the class, next to where Noelle should have been.

Kris hid their face in their sleeves. Why were they so petrified of this? Part of them thought Carol somehow knew their secret identity all along, but even if she didn’t, what were they meant to do if she ordered them to unmask? If they refused, what then? Be taken into custody? Stage a jailbreak with Susie afterward? Have a townwide manhunt for the two?

See, that’s how easy their mind spiraled. Like a downward staircase straight into lunacy. Their brain was restless, creating a million scenarios in their head, each portraying a different way their meeting could go horribly wrong.

“Excuse me? Um… Kris?”

That nasally voice. It must have belonged to Alphys.

“... hm..?” They lifted their head.

It was… Berdly?

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine.” Kris sat up.

“You look exhausted.” He straightened his posture. “Not to be rude!”

“No, you’re right.” They rubbed their eyes. “Didn’t get enough sleep, I guess.”

“Ah, I understand.” Berdly was holding something behind his back. “Well, I wanted to give you something.”

“Oh?” Kris tilted their head. “What is it?”

“Here.”

He looked slightly embarrassed. Berdly plopped a plastic bag on their desk. Kris looked inside.

“Is this… cornbread?”

“Yes! I, uh… well, Noelle said that your favorite food is corn, so I thought…” He looked away. “You’re a friend of hers, so… I wanted to…”

“That’s nice of you. Thanks, Berdly.”

“Of course!” He smiled. “Would you like to… become friends?”

“Sure.”

“Excellent!” Berdly adjusted his glasses.

Kris took a bite. It was really good.

“Did you make this?” They asked.

“I did, as a matter of fact. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. This is great.”

“I’m happy to hear it!”

Somebody entered the classroom. Berdly glanced over his shoulder and went into a small panic.

“I must go now… sorry!” He returned to his desk.

Berdly went back to rummaging through his backpack and scanning through his textbooks. Kris continued eating the cornbread he had made for them.

This was going to be a strange day.

* * *

They entered the town hall, suit and all. It was barred off by yellow police tape. Obnoxious reporters flashing bright lights in their face greeted them on their way in.

The main lobby looked exactly as they had left it. Signs of a struggle were written all over the room, along with mysterious splatters of red residue caking the marble tiles. Wonder how those got there.

A few dozen police officers stood inside. One in particular stood out to Kris. She began to approach them.

“HEY! KNIGHT!”

They faced her. She held her hand out, and Kris took it.

“Officer Undyne at your service! And might I say, I’m a HUGE fan of your work!”

Undyne began violently shaking their hand.

“Like that one time you saved that cat out of that tree? OOH! Or that one time when you landed on top of that car!?” She shook their hand even harder. “SO! DAMN! COOL!!!!”

Kris didn’t know what to say.

“I really appreciate all that you do, cuz y’know, bein’ the new police chief is REALLY tough! Not many people take me as seriously as the last guy! But you’re a BIG help! The crime rate’s never been lower since you started showin’ up!!”

They lost feeling in their hand.

“ANYWAY! The mayor’s waitin’ for ya in that door right there!! She’s not that big of a fan of you, BUT I think she’s willing to give you a chance!” Officer Undyne let go of them. “Good luck, Knight! Just know I’m rootin’ for ya!!”

Kris nodded. “... thank you, officer.”

They made their way over to the door she had pointed at. Kris could still hear her fangirling behind them, talking amongst her coworkers in a braggish manner.

Two strange encounters down. One to go.

They made their way inside the mayor’s office.

She was waiting for them, reclined back in her comfy office chair with a stern look on her face. One they were all too familiar with.

They closed the door. Carol didn’t even say anything to them. It felt strange seeing her acting so hostile. Though she always acted irritated, they knew Mrs. Holiday had a softer side. One they wouldn’t be seeing anytime soon.

They sat down in front of her. She kept her eyes honed in on them, like a hawk watching a mouse crawl out of its hole.

“Knight. Tell me.” She spoke up. “Why do you think you’re here?”

It was their turn to talk. Kris hoped their voice wouldn’t give out on them.

“... to talk.” They said.

“Talk.” Carol leaned forward. “What else?”

“... talk policies..?”

That almost made her laugh. “Right.”

It was like listening to the principal scold you after you were caught putting bath bombs in the school toilets.

“You want to talk policies? Let’s talk policies.”

Kris wasn’t sure if she had even blinked yet.

“I want you gone.”

The cold statement they were hoping she wouldn’t lead with. Carol seemed to look beyond their mask into the window of their very soul.

“Out of my town. Permanently.”

They were frozen in place.

“You think you’re above the law. You think you’re a hero. But that’s not the truth.” Her lip curled into a scowl. “The truth is, you’re worthless. You don’t save anyone. All you do is put people in danger.”

She curled her fist into a ball. “You disgust me. You and your friend. Running in here, destroying my town hall. Destroying government property.”

Kris wanted to speak. They wanted to say something. Anything. But their body failed them.

“And now there’s a second you out there. You failed to take care of them.”

Say something. Say something, you idiot.

She’s wrong.

There’s more to you.

“But that’s the one thing you’re good at. Isn’t it?”

No.

She’s wrong.

She has to be.

“Failure.”

…

“You don’t even have the integrity to give us your name. Let alone your loyalty. How can we trust you?”

…

“How long until people start dying? Being hospitalized? All because you want to play the hero.” Carol said. “You’re selfish. All you care about is yourself.”

…

She’s right.

“Do you have anything to say? Anything at all?”

They didn’t know what to say. Carol’s gaze didn’t falter. Her eyes never left them. The silence was deafening.

“That’s what I thought.”

She took a deep breath.

“Unfortunately. I know I can’t make you leave. I can’t even hold your doppelganger in a prison cell.” Carol said. “So I am willing to negotiate.”

They listened.

“If anything else happens. Another incident. I want you on top of it.” She put her hands together. “If you allow any one of my citizens to be hurt, you are gone. Permanently.”

Mrs. Holiday was offering them a deal. Be perfect or be banished.

“Prove to me that you are capable of protecting this town. Properly. And I am willing to tolerate you. Do you understand?”

Kris nodded.

“Good. Now get out of my office.”

They got up and left.

The game was on. 

Kris was going all in. The Knight needed to become more than just an alternate persona. They had to become the Knight. They had to never let their guard down. 

They had to find the Impressionist.

Officer Undyne was waiting for them outside.

“KNIGHT! How’d it go!? Did she give you a hard time?”

“... officer.” They said.

“Yeah!”

“... thank you for your service.”

“Of course!! And thank you for yours!”

Kris looked away.

“... thank me later.”

They made their way toward the entrance of the town hall, diving headfirst into the sea of reporters waiting for them outside. 

With a raised arm, they shot a grappling hook and got away from it all.

* * *

doelle

GUYS!!!!

BIG announcemtnt!!!!!!

snoozie

wha

doelle

susie!!!

u know about the festival right??

snoozie

uh

yeah

what about it

doelle

ITS HAPPENING TOMORROW

snoozie

oh shit?

this early??

i thought it was next week

doelle

THEYRE DOING IT EARLY FOR SOME REASON

IDK

BUT WE HAVE TO GO

ALL THREE OF US!!! ;DD

snoozie

im down

doelle

WOOHOOOO

krismas?

pretty please ;-;

snoozie

yo kris

u there dumbass

doelle

oh kriiiiiissssss~

i know ur reading this!! XD

Kris sat on the edge of the rooftop.

snoozie

kris

yo

dweeb

dork

Dumb dumb

losr

doelle

fahahaha!!

susie ur not helping!!! X3

snoozie

woops

uh

kris buddy

pal

friendo

IDIOT ANSWER UR DAMN PHONE

Carol’s words resonated through their head on repeat like a broken record.

doelle

did kris lose their phone again??

oh my gosh XDDD

snoozie

KRIS PLZ

I WANNA SEE U SCREAM UR ASS OFF ON THE ROLLERCOASTER

doelle

yeah kris come on!!!

plzzz!! 

Carol was right. She was right about everything.

Their phone buzzed.

Noelle began messaging them privately.

doelle

hey, kris?

are you doing ok?

sorry if we’re blowing ur phone up fahaha!!

lmk if ur available to talk <3

That feeling again.

What were they doing? Why did they always feel the need to resort to this? Kris unlocked their phone.

Kris

sorry

i’m here

doelle

hiii!!

u ok?

Kris

yeah

doelle

do u wanna come to the festival w/ me & susie?

i can pay for ur ticket if u want :3

There it was again. That hesitation. Kris forced themselves to respond.

Kris

sure

and no need to pay for me

doelle

yay!!!

Kris

but

i don’t know

doelle

?

something wrong?

Kris

it’s just

i don’t know

They wanted to describe this feeling. This strange, strange feeling. Kris couldn’t put it into words.

doelle

did something happen?

if u can’t make it, it’s ok

Kris

no

i’ll still go

but

are you sure you want me there though?

i think you two would be better off without me

There was a visible pause. Noelle didn’t send another message for a second.

doelle

kris dreemurr.

i don’t want to hear you say that ever again.

i want you there with us, okay? i mean it

don’t think like that

Kris

ok

i’m sorry

doelle

i don’t mean to sound rude but

it’s not healthy thinking like that

we are better off with you

you matter to us

That last message. Kris needed to read it.

Kris

thank you

that means a lot

i’ll let susie know

before she breaks the group chat

doelle

oh

yeah u should probably let her know XDDDDD

Susie had been spamming Kris's name the entire time the two were talking.

snoozie

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

Kris

SUSIE

SUSIE

SUSIE

SUSIE

SUSIE

snoozie

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

KRIS

OH

HEY DWEEB

WANNA GO TO FESTIVAL TMRW

Kris

YES

snoozie

SICK

SEE HOW EASY THAT WAS

They laughed.

The festival. Kris hadn’t gone in a while. They wondered how their body would react to the rides there now.

Putting their phone away, they began swinging back home.

Chapter Text

Kris

hey

you there

snoozie

yo

Kris

can you do me a huge favor

snoozie

what is it

Kris

come to my house

i’ll explain there

snoozie

ok?

Kris

oh and bring your spike bracelets

and mask

snoozie

ok?????

She was a lifesaver. Noelle was too busy helping her mom prepare for the festival to come over. It was early in the morning, and they weren’t expecting Susie to be up at all. Luckily for them, she was.

Kris waited patiently outside. They had gotten all dressed up, sporting an oversized green hoodie, dark baggy pants, and black winter gloves. But they had forgotten one crucial detail. Without it, their special outfit would be all for nothing.

Part of them contemplated letting Susie in on their plan, but another part of them wanted to surprise her instead. They could already picture the look on her face. Either she would be horrified or excited.

A few minutes passed. They could hear footsteps heading in their direction.

“Yo.” Susie stood before them.

She had the items Kris had requested. To a stranger, the two must have looked suspicious. Susie handed her face plate and gauntlets to Kris.

“So whaddya need me to do now?” She asked.

“Distract my mom for a few minutes.” Kris said. “I gotta go grab something in my room.”

Susie gave them a concerned look. “What the hell are you grabbing?”

“You’ll see. It’s nothing weird.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Go get her out here.”

Kris nodded. They turned around, opening their front door and peering inside. Their mother was still in the kitchen fixing more butterscotch pie. She was preparing to go to the festival, too.

“Hey, Mom?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Can you come out here for a second? There’s someone who wants to speak to you.”

“Oh? Tell them I’ll be right there!”

They looked over their shoulder and flashed Susie a thumbs-up. She crossed her arms in response. Toriel made her way toward the front door, and Kris made their way around her.

“Oh! Susie, it’s you!” Their mother lit up.

“Yep…” She huffed.

“How are you? It’s been so long since we’ve spoken.”

“Fine, I guess. Been doin’ a lot better since you last saw me.”

“That’s good! Do you need any…”

Their voices drifted off. Kris made their way toward the staircase. They had never tried anything like this before, so there was a feeling of uncertainty lingering in the air. Their plan could go horribly wrong, but only if they were careless. It was a huge risk, but one they were willing to take to keep the town protected while they were in Kris mode.

Making their way to their room, they could distantly hear Susie and Toriel’s conversation through the cracked open window.

“... are you and Kris getting along?”

“... yeah.”

“... how so?”

“... well, I’d say we’re good friends.”

“... that’s good!”

“... it’s just…”

Susie’s voice faded. Part of them felt like they shouldn’t be listening in on this conversation. They took what Susie had given them and stuffed it in their backpack. Reaching underneath their bed, they took out their helmet and crammed it next to her stuff.

“... I feel like we could have been friends way earlier…”

Kris paused what they were doing. They perked their head up.

“... oh, don’t worry about that…”

“... nah, I’m glad we got there eventually, but, man…” 

Their eyes drifted to the floor.

“... it’s okay, Susie. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

Kris zipped their backpack up and took off their hoodie.

“... if you ever need a place to stay…”

“... nah, that won’t be necessary.”

“... are you sure..?”

“... I’ll be fine.”

“... alright, but if ever, these doors will always be open to you.”

They got what they needed. Putting their hoodie back on, they slipped their backpack around their shoulder and left their room.

“Oh, would you like any butterscotch pie?” Toriel held some out.

Susie instinctively snatched it out of her hand and swallowed it whole. She looked up at Toriel with a bug-eyed expression.

“... woops.” She chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry, ma’am.”

Toriel held a hand up to her mouth and giggled. “That’s alright, dear! I’m glad you still enjoy my cooking. Have another!”

Kris poked their head out through the front door. Susie was chewing on another slice of pie. Her smile widened upon seeing them standing there.

Toriel turned around. “There you are, Kris! Would you like some-”

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before Kris had lunged at the slice of pie in her hand. That earned another laugh out of her.

“You two are so adorable!” Toriel pat them both on the head. “You’re both going to the festival, correct?”

“Yeah. Noelle’s gonna pick us up.” Susie said.

“Alright. Don’t let me keep you then.” She smiled warmly at them. “Have a good time!”

Kris and Susie nodded. Toriel waved goodbye as the two began making their way over to Noelle’s house.

“So… you gonna tell me what you grabbed exactly?” She nudged their shoulder.

“Later.”

“Aw, come on!!”

* * *

The three of them had made it to the festival. Colorful lights and energetic music added a sense of exhilaration to the occasion. They hadn’t even stepped in yet and Noelle was already bouncing off the walls.

“Oh my gosh!! Look at the rollercoaster!” Her nose looked like it was glowing.

“Yeah, y’all can go do that. I’ma sit that one out.” Susie shook her head.

“Aw... give it a try at least?”

“Nahh…”

“Please..?”

“... fine. If Kris does it.”

“Kris?”

They absentmindedly nodded. Kris knew they were going to do it anyway, whether they refused or not. Noelle always had a way of getting them on the front seat of that death machine.

“Yay!!” She cheered.

“Oh god.” Susie’s demeanor shifted. “Can we at least do a couple rides first for warmup?”

“Sure!”

The three stepped into the festival. It was off over on the side of town. Anytime it was in session, the streets of Hometown would always clear out, every resident taking part in the fun. It went on for a week once a year, and it was really the only time Hometown ever became interesting. 

Kris hadn’t been here in a while. They had forgotten how much they enjoyed the atmosphere. It was so easy to get lost in. Your mind could drift away just by staring off at the towering Ferris wheel in the distance.

“Susie, we’re not doing the carousel first!!”

“What’s wrong with the carousel!? It’s nice, relaxing… y’know?”

“And super boring!” Noelle laughed. “Come on, let’s go on Revolution!”

Revolution. The ride that took you fifty feet in the air and hung you upside down. Every time you went up, the seat jolted forward, giving you the illusion that you were about to fall out. Noelle, for some reason, loved the hell out of this ride. Kris absolutely despised it.

“Kris, convince her! Tell her how much fun it is!”

They looked up at the ride. A dozen kids were dangling in the air, screaming their heads off.

Kris had never seen Susie look so terrified.

“It’s a lot of fun.” They said.

“See!”

“If your idea of fun is falling to your death.” Kris snickered.

“Yeah, I told ya! Kris is on my side!” Susie fist-bumped them. “We’re NOT getting on that thing.”

“No, I think we should.” They moved toward the line.

“WHAT?!”

“This is scarier than the rollercoaster, so if you can do this, you can do any ride here.” Kris tried to persuade her with logic.

Susie looked down at the ground. Noelle was giving her puppy eyes. Kris got in the nonexistent line. Nobody else at the festival wanted to go on Revolution either. The hordes would be at either the Ferris wheel or the rollercoaster.

“If I die on this thing, dude… I’m haunting the hell outta both of you.” Susie got in line behind Kris.

“Yay!!” Noelle jumped up and down. “Go Susie! Go Susie!”

Revolution revolved its way back down to the ground. Half of the kids inside looked like they enjoyed it, the other half looked like they wanted to go home. They got off the ride, the now empty seats beckoning the trio on.

Kris was indifferent. Susie was horrified. Noelle had never looked more excited in her life, and she wasn’t even in line for the rollercoaster yet. She ran up and jumped into her seat, locking the safety bar around her.

“Susie, go in the middle! We'll hold your hand while we’re up in the air!” Noelle suggested.

“Uh… ha… I think I’d feel even worse if ya did that…” Susie muttered curse words under her breath as she took her seat.

Kris sat down on Susie’s left. Noelle was on her right. The operator of the ride came over and strapped the three of them in, checked if their straps were strapped, and went over to the controls.

They looked over at Susie. Kris almost felt bad. She looked like she was about to pass out.

“You okay?” Noelle tilted her head.

“Yeah… terrific.” She sounded out of breath. “Oh god… oh god…”

“You’ll be fine. Probably.” They said.

“PROBABLY?!”

“Meh. You never know. There was this one kid who fell out of the-”

“SHUT UP!!” Susie cut them off.

Kris giggled.

They would be lying if they said they weren’t a little scared right now. The last time they got on this ride, their seat jostled forward and a screw fell out. A slideshow of their entire life played before their eyes at that moment.

“Hey, Kris!” Noelle called out. “You wanna go to the haunted house next?!”

“Sure.” Kris answered. “Susie has to go first, though.”

“WHY?!”

“Somebody’s gotta fend off the giant spider.” They scoffed.

“GIANT SPIDER?!” Susie swayed her legs back and forth. “HOW DO YOU GUYS FIND THESE THINGS FUN?!” 

The ride was taking a long time to start for some reason. Kris looked over at the ride operator. He was pressing a million different buttons on his control panel. They would’ve assumed the ride worked off of just two, a start and a stop button. Apparently it was more complicated than that.

“When’s this thing start!?” Susie dug her claws into the safety bars. “It’s been like five minutes and we- OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT-!!”

Revolution began. It slowly moved forward, and the three of them started spinning. They weren’t even a foot off the ground and Susie was having a panic attack.

“SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!! NOELLE! OH MY GOD!!”

Noelle cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

“Woohoo!!”

“AHHHHH!!!”

The three of them were perpendicular to the ground now. Susie’s seat was already starting to move forward.

“HOLD ME!! GRAB MY HAND- OH SHIT!”

“I got you, Susie!!” Noelle laughed hysterically, holding her hand.

Susie pawed at Kris’s hand. They grabbed on, the ride beginning to turn upside down. Kris held their breath, their seat shifting forward with a resounding thunk.

“KRIS!! HOW YOU HANGIN’ IN THERE, DUDE!?” Susie called out to them.

“... help.” They said.

“YEAH!! THAT ABOUT SUMS IT UP- AHH!!”

“Fahaha!! You’re doing great, Susie!”

“AM I!?”

“Yeah! I’m so proud of you!”

The three spun around upside down for a moment. Kris’s gloved hand was being crushed by Susie’s, which was strangely comforting. Revolution began to revolve back down to the ground.

“OH THANK GOD… PHEW!” Susie huffed.

The ride stopped spinning, and the seats unlatched. Susie nearly tore the safety straps off of her, getting a laugh out of Noelle.

“So how was it?” She asked.

“Never again.” Susie vigorously shook her head.

“Fahaha! Kris, how about you?”

“That was so much fun.” They said.

Noelle giggled. She elbowed Susie’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

“You ready for the haunted house..?” She asked.

“Oh GOD…” Susie put her head in her hands. “... the carousel is right there guys, come on!!”

“I don’t think we even fit on the carousel anymore, Susie.” Kris patted her on the back. “You don’t have to go first in the haunted house if you’re that scared.”

“Nah, you know what? Screw both of you. I’m goin’ first on that thing.”

“Yeah!!” Noelle smiled. “Let’s go, guys! Before the line fills up!”

Noelle suddenly broke into an all-out sprint. Susie and Kris both looked at each other before following after her. The three ran around the festival, earning a look from the rest of the fairgoers. Making their way toward the dark part of the carnival, the trio emerged in front of the ominous haunted house.

Or, as it was known, the “House of Horrors.” A slightly generic name for a slightly generic attraction. Kris was never too phased by it. They found the jump scares to be way too predictable, and even when they occurred, they were quite laughable. 

And there was no giant spider; they had just made that up to scare Susie.

The haunted house had a giant skeleton head sitting atop it. It shifted its gaze around robotically, like a puppet barely clinging to its strings. The head looked ready to fall off at a moment’s notice.

Noelle seemed distracted by something. She was giving an oblivious stare off to the side. Her face suddenly lit up.

“Berdly!!” She left Susie and Kris momentarily.

Running over to his side, the two began exchanging greetings. Berdly looked preoccupied with something, constantly glancing over his shoulder. And occasionally shooting a glance over at Kris. One that lasted about half a second, but it was long enough for them to take notice.

“... wonder if he has any more cornbread…” They mumbled.

“Huh?” Susie raised an eyebrow.

Kris began walking over to Berdly.

“Uh..? Okay then.” Susie followed after them.

“... did you go with anyone?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Then you can come with us!” Noelle suggested.

“Oh, no that’s alright. There’s no need for that.” Berdly shook his head.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I was about to depart anyway, and I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

Kris and Susie made their way over.

“Sup, Berdly.”

“Ah… hello.”

Berdly adjusted his glasses, looking over at Kris. They waved at one another.

“You tryna come with? We were lookin’ for somebody to go first in that mansion over there.” Susie pointed, pretending the haunted house was some sort of luxurious abode.

“Sorry, but no. Nothing against any of you! I just…” He laid a feathered arm against the back of his neck. “... have other things to attend to.”

“Are you actually working at the ticket booth over there?” Noelle pointed.

“Sort of. I may be ousted at any minute, however.” Berdly said. “I’m not meeting the proficient sales quota.”

“Aww… that’s too bad.” Noelle frowned. “Is there anything we can do?”

Kris looked over their shoulder. The line to the haunted house was beginning to fill up.

“No, no, no! Don’t worry about me. You three wanted to enter the haunted house, correct?”

“You know it.” Susie grinned.

“Here are some line cutters! Hand them to the ticket taker at the front.” He handed them each a “line cutter.”

“Oh, sick!!” Susie held the line cutter up as if it were a hundred-dollar bill.

“Oh, thank you so much!” Noelle smiled. “You’re a lifesaver, Berdly.”

“They should have unlimited uses if memory serves me correctly… anyway, hurry off, you three! Enjoy your time!”

“See ya, dude!” Susie waved, hurrying off.

Noelle and Kris waved, the trio making their way over to the haunted mansion. Susie’s previous pent-up excitement suddenly turned into dread.

“Do you still want to go first, Susie?” Noelle asked.

“... Kris, you’ve been in this thing.” Susie looked over at them. “Is it bad?”

“The worst.” They said.

“Ughh… FINE. But I’m punching the first guy that jumps out at me.”

The scariest part of the House of Horrors was how boring it was. And maybe the giant skeleton head looming above them. Susie looked up at it with a determined expression, pursing her lips.

“Let’s go.” Susie said.

“Let’s goooo!!” Noelle cheered.

The three made their way over to the ticket taker. Holding up their line cutters, the tall inspector inspected all three of them very closely, then gave them the all clear. Susie swallowed her pride and stepped inside first.

They were in. It was very dark. Susie had her arms tucked in front of her. She looked and walked like a scared penguin in front of a starving seal. Noelle’s eyes had that familiar glow in them, gazing in awe at all the cheap Halloween decorations and fake blood splatters.

Susie rounded a corner. A skeleton lunged at her.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

The skeleton’s head flew off its shoulders.

“Pffft-!!” Noelle covered her mouth, breaking out into a laughing fit.

“NAH, SCREW THIS! KRIS! GET YOUR ASS IN FRONT!!”

“But you’re doing so well?” They laughed.

Noelle was too busy laughing at Susie’s reaction to speak.

“Please, man!! I can’t do this shit!”

“Okay, fine.” Kris moved to her side. “Let’s both go first.”

Susie instinctively clung to their arm, while Kris clung to hers. The two began to slowly waddle forward, while Noelle was still trying to collect herself.

They rounded another corner. A knife-wielding killer in a gas mask threw itself at the two. Kris was pulled backward by a shrieking Susie. She bumped into Noelle, who nearly tripped.

“AAAHH!! SHIT-! Sorry, Noelle!!”

“It’s okay!!” She couldn’t stop laughing. “You’re doing great!”

Kris did their best not to break their poker face, keeping Susie in one piece by leading her forward. Noelle got her own taste of horror, a giant rat dangling from the ceiling in front of her. She was too busy giggling to be terrified by it.

“Do you know when the friggin’ scares happen!?” Susie tugged their sleeve.

“Forgot.”

“HOW COULD YOU FORGET?!”

A stock sound effect of an evil man laughing resounded through the dark hall. Kris could feel Susie shivering against them. They were starting to feel bad.

“Should we take the emergency exit?” They asked.

“NO!! I got this!” Susie straightened her hunched-over posture.

“Aaahh!!” Noelle squealed at the killer clown sneaking up behind her. “Hi there, mister clown!”

The clown waved at her before disappearing behind a curtain. Susie shot Noelle an annoyed look.

“WHY’S THE CLOWN BEING ALL FRIENDLY WITH YOU!?” She groaned.

“Susie, look out!!” Noelle pointed.

“For wha- AAAAHHHHH!!”

She backed up into a mannequin with a white blanket thrown over it, and immediately sent it to the floor. Noelle broke out into another fit of laughter, and this time Kris couldn’t help it.

“S-Shut up!!” Susie carefully set the mannequin back up.

Amid their laughing, Kris noticed another group of younger kids walking through the maze behind them. They kept their distance, acting like the three of them were scare actors.

“We’re almost there, Susie! You can do it!” Noelle patted Susie on the back.

Kris practically dragged Susie to the exit, the trio having to pass by a twenty foot tall skeleton on their way out. Susie was afraid it was going to lunge at her. Luckily for her, it was a stationary prop.

They barely made it out alive. Susie was a mess. She had her hands on her knees, hunched over, gasping for air. Noelle was at her side.

“You okay, Susie?” She asked.

“Mhmm… just gimme a… sec…” Susie suddenly pumped her fists into the air. “WOOOO!!!! HELL YEAH!”

Her sudden outburst startled a group of fairgoers next to her.

“THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!” She jostled Noelle. “LET’S NEVER DO IT AGAIN!!”

“Fahaha!! I can’t tell if you liked it or not?” Noelle tilted her head.

“Nope! Hated every second of it!” Susie grinned. “Seriously, though. That was the worst thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”

“Was it at least a little fun..?” She asked.

“I guess.”

The rollercoaster could be heard in the distance, along with the people on it who were screaming their heads off.

“Do you want to take a break, Susie?” Noelle suggested. “Ooh! We can go play some of the games!”

“Sure.” She turned toward Kris. “How you feelin’?’

“Whatever you two want to do.” They shrugged.

“Okay. Let’s do that hammer one!!”

Susie pointed at the hammer minigame. An attraction where you and your friends found out who was the strongest by bringing a rubber hammer down on a button. Back in the day, Noelle and Kris used to burn through tickets trying to hit the bell at the top for the ultimate prize. Dess always had to come in and do it for them.

For some reason, the game was empty. No host standing nearby, and no prize to win. There was a wooden chair nearby, accompanied by a ketchup bottle sitting on top of it.

All that mattered to Susie was the hammer and the bell.

“Watch and learn.” She smirked. 

Susie brandished the rubber mallet. Holding it high above her head, she brought it down onto the red button. The meter shot up, her victory being declared by a resounding ding.

“HA!! HELL YEAH!” Susie looked over her shoulder. “You see that, Kris?!”

“Mhm. Nice one.” They nodded.

“Good luck beating THAT.” She handed the hammer to Noelle.

Susie moved to Kris’s side. They both watched Noelle waddle up to the podium.

"Hiii-yah!!” She slammed the mallet down, scoring halfway. “Awww…”

“Not bad, dude!” Susie cheered. “I bet Kris can’t even get close to half.”

Kris playfully elbowed Susie, getting her to snicker. Noelle handed them the mallet.

“Don’t make me look too bad, okay?” She giggled. “Just kidding! Hit it as high as you can!”

They nodded. Kris stepped up to the podium. Raising the hammer over their head, they took a deep breath, and brought it down…

… sending the bell flying into the air.

“WOAHH!!!! HOLY-!!” Susie jumped back.

The top of the bell tower flickered with electricity. The bell itself landed somewhere nearby.

Kris looked back at Noelle and Susie. All three of them looked completely dumbfounded.

They heard someone approaching. The owner of the minigame. 

“We gotta go..!” Susie hissed. 

She took Noelle’s hand, ran over to Kris, grabbed theirs, and fled on foot.

The owner made his way over. He looked up at the destroyed machine with pocketed hands.

”huh.”

* * *

The three had been running for what felt like miles. Susie pulled them around a corndog stand, finally letting go of their wrists. Kris and Susie caught their breaths, panting like tired dogs.

“What the hell just…?” Susie looked up at them. “How did you..?!”

Kris didn’t have an answer. They didn’t mean to hit it that hard.

Noelle was the only one not exhausted. “Did the machine… glitch or something?”

“It must have, right?” Susie looked over at Kris.

They looked up. “... I guess.”

“We don’t have to pay or anything, right?” Susie nervously glanced around. “Cuz I can’t afford to…”

“No, we’re fine… besides, it wasn’t even our fault.” Noelle shook her head.

The rollercoaster squealed its tracks in the very near distance. The occasional group of guests flew by, screaming. Kris’s heart was racing. They could already feel their stomach sinking on the fifty-foot drop.

Noelle was eyeing the coaster. They knew what she was about to say.

“Want to do the coaster?” She looked at Kris and Susie. “We can skip the long line, at least.”

Susie swallowed. “... fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Kris silently agreed. They collected themselves, preparing to get planted in the front row. The bell-destroying trio made their way over to the line, held up their line cutters, and cut through the hordes of guests. That earned them a few glares.

"Woah, hold up, Kris. Look at the sign." Susie snickered. "Says, 'you must be this tall to ride.' Sorry dude, I don't make the rules."

They playfully rolled their eyes. "Very funny."

The coaster screeched to a halt. The guests onboard stepped off with frizzled hair and terrified expressions. Kris looked over at Susie. She had that terrified look on her face again.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Susie?” Noelle tugged at her sleeve. “You don’t have to if you don’t feel like it.”

“Nah, I do have to. Gotta get over this dumb fear.” She gritted her teeth.

“Okay. Just, umm… pretend you’re the Knight!”

“... what?”

“You know! Pretend you’re swinging around Hometown!”

“Uhh… I doubt that’ll help, but I’ll try?” Susie chuckled.

The gates to the coaster unlocked. The front row was vacant. To their surprise, Noelle seemed to be opting for the middle row.

Susie was the one who got in the front.

“Hey!! Get over here you wusses!” She slapped the seat next to her. “If we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna get the best view!”

“Coming!” Noelle grabbed their hand. “Come on, Kris!”

Now things were getting interesting. Kris and Noelle got on opposite sides of Susie. They would work as her emotional support squeaky toys for her to squeeze when she inevitably got too scared. Kris admired her boldness, though.

“Is it your first time riding a rollercoaster?” They asked.

“Yeah!” She tried to hide her uneasiness.

“Here’s some advice then.” Kris went on.

The seats began to lower, automatically snapping the three of them into place.

“Don’t faint.” They said.

Susie gulped. 

Noelle patted the rubber safety bar excitedly. “I haven’t ridden this coaster in ages!”

They were seconds away from takeoff. Kris looked over at their friends. One was having the time of her life, and the other looked like she was wishing she were anywhere but here.

The coaster launched. Noelle threw her hands up into the air and cheered. Susie clung to the safety bar for dear life. Her hair whipped around along with the rollercoaster. They swooped high, then dove low.

They soared off another drop, plunging back toward the ground. The coaster was going so fast they couldn’t tell if they were even screaming.

Kris noticed something about Susie. It was subtle, but enough for them to see. A smile.

“WOOOHOOOO!!!!” Noelle cheered.

They swooped around a corner, the coaster flipping upside down. It swung around another corner before going into a loop-de-loop. Susie’s smile matched Noelle’s. The two of them began cheering as the coaster began to climb up a final drop.

Kris watched. Their eyes weren’t on the coaster anymore, but on their friends. It was clear as day. They were living the best day of their lives. Together. 

And that was enough to make Kris smile.

The coaster reached the summit, tipping over the edge. Susie’s eyes looked like they were glowing. They could only imagine how she felt. That one of a kind joy that passes only once in a lifetime.

“HERE WE GO! HERE WE GO!!”

“You ready, Susie!?”

“HELL YES!!” They began to fall. “LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

One final ultimate drop to send them off. The coaster flattened out, the drop ending as soon as it came. Susie and Noelle were shouting and clapping their hands together.

“THAT WAS AWESOME!!” Susie shouted.

The ride slowed to a halt. The seats began to unlatch one by one.

“Let’s do it again!!” Noelle got out of her seat. “Where’s my..?”

“Oh shit!” Susie got out of her seat and felt around in her pockets. “I think I dropped my line skipper!”

“So did I…” Noelle pouted. “... gosh dang it.”

Kris got out of their seat and looked for theirs. They had also lost it during the ride. Luckily, their backpack had stayed on.

“You still got it, Kris?” Susie asked.

“No.”

“Welp, to hell with it.”

The three moved away from the rollercoaster and stepped back onto the fairgrounds. The sky was beginning to get dark. At most, they had one ride left in them before their mother would begin calling their phone.

“Sooo… what now?” Noelle asked.

Susie and Kris began looking around. They could see Revolution in the distance. It looked like an abandoned theme park ride. Not a soul was daring to go on that thing by this point. The only other popular ride in the park was the Ferris wheel.

“Wanna do the Ferris wheel then call it quits?” Susie suggested. “Might be a good sendoff.”

“Sure!” Noelle shrugged. “Although that line is pretty long…”

“Not if we wait in the line for couples.” Kris said. “That one’s short.”

There were two different lines for the Ferris wheel. One for a regular cart and one for a heart-shaped one. Everyone opted for the regular cart for obvious reasons. A few brave souls stood in the lovey-dovey line.

“Aaaand we’re not doing that.” Susie rolled her eyes.

“Awww… it’s heart-shaped too?” Noelle found it adorable. “We gotta do it!”

“No.” Susie was adamant.

“But it’ll be fun!”

“It’ll be embarrassing!!”

“I want to do it.” Kris flatly stated.

“What is wrong with you two!?”

Kris and Noelle started laughing. Susie crossed her arms, her face heating up.

“Fine! But only ‘cuz I wanna skip that hour long line!”

“Yaayy!!”

The newlywed triad began making their way over to the Ferris wheel. There were only a couple of people waiting in the line of love.

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.” Susie huffed.

They could hear a few people in the other line starting to talk about them.

“... is that Noelle..?”

“... is she on a date with those two..?”

“... good for her, I guess…”

They seemed supportive enough.

“Come on, lighten up, Susie! Look at that long line you just skipped!” Noelle teased.

“You know they’re all looking at us right now, right?”

“So?”

“SO!?”

There was a brief moment of silence. The couple in front of them got onto the heart-shaped Ferris wheel. Kris looked over their shoulder and saw Jockington and Catti in the opposite line. Their gazes met for a split second, which was enough for Kris to tear their eyes away.

“Ugh, I can see my friend group over there…” Noelle grumbled.

“Huh? Friend group?” Susie raised an eyebrow.

“Well, not really a ‘friend’ group. More like a bunch of people who are only friends with me because I’m the mayor’s daughter.”

“Oh.” She scratched the back of her head. “Sorry to hear that, man.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t really talk to them anymore since I’m with you guys so much.” She smiled at Susie and Kris. “That’s why I like hanging out with you two.”

“... why exactly?” Susie didn’t quite understand.

“Because I can be myself. I don’t have to wear a mask and pretend I’m soooo perfect and cool all the time.” A slight smile formed on Noelle’s lips. “I can be weird… and know you two won’t judge me for it.”

“Heh. Don’t count on that.”

Their romantic cart had arrived. The three of them climbed inside. Kris sat down next to Noelle while Susie took her seat in front of them.

They were starting to see why so many people were avoiding this cart. It was really cramped. Susie’s head was nearly touching the ceiling, while Kris and Noelle were practically smushed together.

“This sucks.” Susie said.

“Yep.” They agreed.

“Aw, come on, guys! It’s not that bad! Look at the view!” Noelle pointed toward the window.

They all looked. A vast lake stretched out for miles before them. The moon cast a beautiful reflection down on the water below. It was a pretty good view.

“Eh. Still sucks.” Susie rested her chin on her palm. “Think I felt more comfortable waiting in line.”

“Let’s change the subject then.” Kris suggested. “What did you think of the rollercoaster?”

“Ooh!! It was soooooo good! Better than I remember!” Noelle chimed in.

“Oh, definitely!! At first I was scared shitless, but then I was like what the hell, if I die on this thing I’mma just haunt the both of you for the rest of your lives.”

“Is THAT what helped you get over your fear?!” She laughed. “Well, if it helps, I guess?”

“Nah, but seriously, that coaster is life-changing. You haven’t opened your eyes until you’ve gone on that thing at least once.”

“Tell me about it! That was another thing I didn’t like about my old friend group. They never wanted to go on any of the fun rides!”

“Ohhh, seriously?”

“Yeah! Gosh, it was so annoying! At least with you, even though you were scared, you still went on them.”

“Yeah…” Susie scoffed. “I'm pretty badass, huh?”

“Let’s just not talk about the haunted house part.” Kris said.

“HEY!”

Noelle held a hand over her mouth, giggling. “That poor skeleton!”

“SCREW THAT SKELETON!! HE HAD IT COMIN’!”

The three laughed, Susie reenacting the moment she whacked the head off the prop skeleton. They were nearing the top of the Ferris wheel now. Kris looked down at the festival, getting a perfect view of all of the rides below. The rollercoaster they had gone on was still zipping around. Some of the drops were almost as high as the Ferris wheel was.

It was easy to get lost in the festival and forget how huge it was. Fairgoers were scattered along the ground like an ant colony. Despite the fact that it was getting late, there was still a good number of people around.

“We should definitely do this next year!” Noelle said.

“Oh, a hundred percent. We gotta get that line skipper again and do the rollercoaster a million times.” Susie tried leaning back in her chair.

“Gosh, wouldn’t that be so much fun!”

“Yeah…” Susie groaned, shifting around in her seat. “... stupid thing…”

“What are you doing?” Noelle giggled.

“Stupid ass seat won’t sit me right.”

Kris got so lost in the view that they didn’t realize they were daydreaming.

“Hey, Kris? Random question.” Susie started. “What the hell’s in your backpack? You’ve been carrying that thing the whole time, and you haven’t opened it once.” 

They noticed something. Something below.

“Yo? Earth to Kris?” She snapped her fingers at them.

Kris squinted. The people on the ground were no longer walking. They were running.

“Kris, are you okay? Do you see…” Noelle’s voice trailed off.

“Okay, now both of you are hypnotized? What the hell is-” Her voice hitched. “... oh shit.”

A giant. Kris could see it in the distance. About ten feet tall. In its hands was a huge sledgehammer. It was wreaking havoc on the fair below, violently swinging its weapon around at whatever it could hit.

“What is that?!” Noelle backed away from the window. “It’s coming towards the Ferris wheel!!”

The giant ran over. Lifting its mallet into the air, it bashed against one of the Ferris wheel’s legs. Noelle screamed.

Their cart rattled.

The Ferris wheel was beginning to collapse.

Chapter Text

The giant brought the hammer down on the bottom of the Ferris wheel again. And again. And again, and again, over and over, not letting up.

Their cart tilted forward. Susie lost her footing, stumbling backwards and banging the back of her head against the metal frame behind her.

“DAMN…!” Susie hissed. “WHAT DO WE DO!?”

Kris looked at Noelle. She was scared stiff, unable to move or even scream. Her face looked pale.

The giant seemed to let up, moving away from the Ferris wheel after doing enough damage to it. Another minute in that cart spelled certain death for the three. A thrill ride straight into the afterlife.

Kris had to do something.

Their options were limited. Either lie down and die, or break the one promise they made to themselves.

Without a second thought, Kris chose the latter.

“Noelle! Look at me!” They called out.

Through shaky breaths, Noelle slowly turned her head. They placed their hands on her shoulders. A pathetic attempt to console her in the middle of this disaster.

“Listen, I’m going to get you out of this.” They turned toward Susie. “Both of you.”

Their cart lurched forward with an earsplitting whine. Through gritted teeth, Kris turned back toward Noelle and continued.

“There’s something I have to tell you.”

Noelle hadn’t blinked. She focused on their words. 

They looked her dead in the eye. 

“I am the Knight.”

She gasped. “Wha… what!?”

Kris pulled their hoodie off. Concealed beneath was the silver chestplate. They began digging around in their backpack, pulling out their helmet and putting it on.

“HELL YES!!” Susie cheered. “Gimme my stuff! Come on!”

They tossed her spiked bracelets and faceplate at her. Catching them out of the air, Susie began suiting up for war. Kris slipped off their shoes and trousers, stuffing their clothes into their backpack. They had been wearing the armor underneath the entire time.

A contingency plan. Kris had a feeling something like this would happen. They weren’t expecting whatever the hell was causing mayhem down below to show up. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. It had to be taken down. Immediately.

“I… I don’t..?!” Noelle was at a loss for words.

“There’s no time.” Kris kicked the cart door open. “Come on.”

Susie cupped the faceplate around her snout. Her eyes glowed a bright purple.

“What are we-!?” Noelle began panicking.

They peered over the edge. “We have to jump.”

“What?!”

“Trust me.” Kris held their hand out.

They didn’t blame Noelle for her apprehension. The drop was easily over a hundred feet. If they were to mess this up…

… no, don’t think like that. Stay in control.

“Noelle.” Susie put a hand on her shoulder. “You got this.”

“O-Okay..!”

Their cart rattled once again. Noelle held her hands out, stabilizing her balance. She slowly made her way over to Kris, taking their hand. They put their arm around her.

“I’ll lower us slowly.” They said. “Susie, I’ll come back for you.”

“Go on! Cart’s not gonna hold much longer!” Susie shooed them away.

Kris nodded. They grappled onto the top of the cabin.

“You ready?”

“Mhm..!” Noelle nodded, closing her eyes.

“Here we go.”

Kris jumped, holding Noelle close. She buried her face into their shoulder. They slowly rappelled down, eventually meeting the floor.

“There. You okay, Elly?”

“Uh… uh-huh!” She nodded. “I’m okay! I-”

A loud crash, directly in front of them. Noelle shrieked, wrapping her arms around Kris. They turned toward the noise.

“Heh. Sorry. Had to do it.” Susie chuckled. She had leapt from the cart on her own.

Noelle sighed in relief, letting go of Kris. “Gosh!! You scared the heck out of me, Susie!”

“Guys, focus.” Kris turned their attention toward the hammer-wielding maniac.

“Right.” Susie nodded. “Call the play, Dreemurr.”

The giant had turned its attention onto the rollercoaster, smashing the tracks into chunks. Getting a better view of it, Kris started noticing details about its appearance.

It had a dome-shaped, metallic skull. They couldn’t even tell where its eyes were. Wrapped around its body was a huge, dark leather trenchcoat. All it was missing was a nice little rose and a sunflower hat to complete its inviting appearance. The thing looked and acted like wrath incarnate. A being born out of hate with a never-ending hunger for destruction.

It was about time for them to join in on the fun.

“Okay. Susie.” They looked at her. “I want you to get Noelle to safety. I’m going after the big guy, and-”

“What? No, no, no, wait.” Susie cut them off. “There’s still people up in that Ferris wheel! You gotta go after them!”

She was right. Dozens of people were left in a similar predicament to the one they were just in, stranded in the air, waiting to be dropped at a moment's notice. Kris had to get those people to safety.

“Listen, I’ll take care of our uninvited guest over there. You focus on getting everyone else out of here.” She said.

They were uncertain. “Susie, but-”

“But nothing. Trust me, I’ll knock his ass out. Just give me five minutes.” Susie chuckled.

She was treating this like one of her video games. But she left them no choice.

“... okay. You’re sure about this?”

“Positive.”

“Alright. I’ll help you as soon as I can. Go.”

Susie nodded. Turning around, she began making her way over to the giant. Kris turned their attention toward Noelle.

“Okay, listen closely. I want you to take this.” They gave her their backpack. “Help anyone who needs it, but focus on getting out of here. Don’t wait around for me or Susie.”

Her body was shaking. “O-okay…”

“Stay calm. You can do this.”

“I-I know… it’s just… I can’t believe it..! You’re… you’re the Knight..!”

They scoffed. “So I’ve been told.”

The Ferris wheel shifted its weight again. Kris could hear the people inside crying out for help.

“I gotta go. Get to safety as quickly as you can!”

“Okay! Good luck!”

They parted ways. Kris shot a hook out and reeled in toward the Ferris wheel. Noelle began running for the exit.

* * *

Susie ran in, diving headfirst into a situation that required a sturdy helmet. Granted, it was a dumb move, but maybe that would surprise her opponent. A broad, trenchcoat wearing maniac with a ceramic bowl for a head. One that she intended to crack.

Speaking of, he stood before her, swinging his hammer wildly like an out of control yo-yo. His time would come soon enough, but she had to devise some sort of battle strategy. That’s something Kris would do, right?

What would Kris do if they were fighting an opponent twice their size? Hadn’t they done that before with her? In that case, she hadn’t given them a chance to devise any sort of plan; she had been the one to catch them off guard.

Catch them off guard… no, the element of surprise was something she had long since lost. Think, Susie.

That hammer. She was unable to match it with her axe missing. If it were to come within an inch of her head, at best she would be walking away with several chipped teeth and a swollen eye socket. She had to get it out of the way, but how?

Come on, think!

…

!

Susie had an idea.

It was a bit dumb, and it required her foe to be almost as stupid as she was, but if the stars were to align, it just might work. She picked up the nearest and deadliest weapon she could find lying around, a steel pipe.

With a deep breath, she loudly whistled.

“HEY! SHIT FOR BRAINS!”

The hammer-wielding giant tensed up. He stopped what he was doing, slowly turning around and facing her.

“SHIT. FOR BRAINS?” He spoke.

“YEAH! Talkin’ to you, ugly!”

“NO. YOU CAN CALL ME… BLITZ.”

Blitz? What was that, Belgian?

“Shut up! I’ll call you whatever the hell I wanna call you! But that’s besides the point…” Susie began negotiations. “I see you’ve got a big ass hammer with you!”

“YES.”

“And do you see my weapon?” She held up the busted-up steel pipe.

“YES.”

“Not very fair, is it?”

Blitz tightened the grip he had on his mallet. He had a voice like an ox and a build like a bull. Susie knew he wasn’t going down easy.

“NO. WHERE IS THE KNIGHT?”

“The Knight?”

“YES. THEY MUST COME WITH ME.”

Here we go with this again. That was the one common trend among these lunatics; they all had weird, unrequited crushes on the Knight. Susie had to shut down their fantasies fast.

“And if the Knight doesn’t want to go with you?”

“THEN I TAKE THEM BY FORCE.”

What a freak. She gritted her teeth, hating the sound of those words.

“SO?”

“So! I’ve gotta proposition for ya!” Susie said.

Off to her side was the lake they had been overseeing before they were rudely interrupted. She held up the metal pipe.

“WHICH IS?”

“You seem like a reasonable guy! So, before we fight, why don’t we even the odds a little?”

Susie tossed the pipe, watching it disappear into the water below. Despite his lack of emotion, she could tell Blitz looked confused.

“HAND TO HAND! MANO A MANO!!” She cracked her knuckles. “NO WEAPONS ALLOWED! Whaddya say!?”

She could feel Blitz staring at her. His heavy breathing accompanied the silent pause. Raising his sledgehammer, he inspected it closely, before immediately chucking it into the water.

What a dumbass.

“MANO A MANO. HAND TO HAND.”

“That’s right.” She smirked.

Her plan had worked. The fight wasn’t won yet, but it was a lot easier now with that hammer out of the way. He began making his way toward her, his metallic boots creating miniature craters in the wooden ground.

Blitz raised his fists. Susie returned the favor. He began to close in. Feinting a jab, Susie threw a kick at his side. Caught him off guard. He reeled over, wheezing. She threw a hook, striking his face.

…

He rose back up.

Panicked, Susie struck him again. He barely moved. She struck again. And again.

!!!

He threw a punch. She fell to the floor.

Goddamn, that hurt. Bastard hit like a truck on steroids. Susie quickly got her feet under her. She cried out, throwing another punch. He stumbled back a little.

Remember what Kris taught you. She repeated it over and over in her head. Susie had to keep her cool. He was a foot taller than her and had twice her strength. She’d lose this if she fought with anger. She had to try her best to fight with strategy. 

Blitz curled his fist. Predict where he would swing. He went on the attack. Susie blocked his cross, ducked his hook, and dodged his jab. The strikes had come so fast she hadn’t even realized she had dodged them.

Susie moved away, catching her breath. He turned toward her, cracking his nonexistent neck.

“YOU READY?” He said.

It was hardly a question, Blitz not giving her a chance to answer. He flew at her, swinging wildly. She blocked a few but missed a couple. The two traded blows, Susie getting a clean shot at his chest. Blitz caught her by the collar. Raising her, he launched her into the air. She hit the wall behind her sideways.

He was five seconds from being on her again. Susie coughed, scrambling to her feet. Blitz threw a jab. She dodged it. Susie threw her own, connecting. He aimed for her chest. She blocked, stumbling back against the wall.

Blitz stepped back. He looked at an iron light pole next to him. Grabbing hold of it, Susie braced for impact.

He drove the pole into her side, sending her through the wall.

* * *

Kris soared through the air, picking a cart and latching onto it. The Ferris wheel continued to tremble back and forth, its metal rebar crying out in agony. It wouldn’t last much longer. At best, they had five minutes to get everyone out of there before the entire thing came tumbling down.

Reeling in, they landed on top of one of the carts. It was at the peak of the ride. They peered inside, finding a single kid sitting by himself, frozen with fear. Kris didn’t hesitate, grabbing onto the cart door handle and tearing it open.

He looked no older than five. Some careless parent must have thrown him on there so they could go off and do their own thing. They climbed inside and held their hand out. The boy took it. 

They reeled him down to safety. “It’s not safe here. Go, quickly.”

The kid ran off. Kris couldn’t waste any time. They launched themselves back up into the air, looking for their next target. Their eyes honed in on one of the carts. It was filled to the brim with a bunch of kids from their school. Kids that they recognized.

The bullies from before. The ones who had gotten them into this mess. The ones they had dumped paint on a lifetime ago. Apparently, they had been spending their time trying to get the world record for the highest number of people on a Ferris wheel.

Kris couldn’t go about saving them one at a time. It would take too long. They would have to devise something else.

“KNIGHT!! COME HERE!" One of them cried out. “HELP US!”

They swung over, the Ferris wheel teetering forward. Kris landed on the side of their cart.

“YOU GOTTA HELP US! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!!” The rat-faced one pleaded.

Kris discovered quickly that it was hard to think in the midst of screaming children. They inspected the cart closely, discovering the latches that kept it suspended in the air. Grabbing hold of them, they shot a grappling hook onto the top of the cart.

Through gritted teeth, they pulled as hard as they could, slowly tearing the cart free.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? STOP!!”

“YOU’RE GONNA KILL US, YOU IDIOT!! HEYY!! SOMEONE HELP-”

The cart came loose. The prodigies inside screamed. Kris kept one hand on a girder and began slowly reeling the cart down to the ground with their grappling hook. After a few seconds, the kids inside were set free. They immediately dispersed, disappearing out of view.

They unlatched their hook from the cart of screamers. They had another dozen carts to go. Kris pulled themselves up, the adrenaline keeping their fear of heights at bay.

!

The Ferris wheel violently jerked forward. One of its legs began to bend. A cart ahead of them unlatched and began plummeting to the ground.

Kris didn’t think. They leapt, shot a hook out, latched the cart, and grabbed another beam. Caught it just in time. They gently set the cart down on the ground and reeled their hook in.

Their heart was pounding. No time to rest. Focus. Kris honed in on their next target. Leaping and zipping through metal rebar, they landed on one of the heart-shaped carts. A couple was inside.

They could hear their muffled voices through the glass, begging for help. Kris tore the hot pink doorframe off its hinges and crawled inside.

“Y-You’re..! The Knight! Oh my-”

“Climb on.” There was no time for introductions.

The pair did so, one hugging their front and the other clinging to their back. Keeping a tight hold, Kris latched onto the top of the cart and reeled the couple down to safety.

“Thank you, Knight! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

“Go. It’s not safe.”

“Y-Yes! Come on!”

The couple ran off, hand in hand. Kris went back to work, zipping into the air and looking for another target.

Their eyes locked with a familiar pair. Catti and Jockington. Their cart looked ready to disconnect at any given moment. Kris shot a hook out and swung over to an adjacent cart. They quickly made their way over, hopping from cart to cart, desperately trying to remain in control of the situation.

They landed on one of the carts.

!!!

It unlatched, plummeting to the ground, taking Kris along with it.

* * *

Susie brought a wooden plank down. Aimed for his face. Blitz held an arm out, effortlessly deflecting her attack. Blindsided, he clocked her in the jaw. She stumbled. He went for another, but Susie caught his arm.

The two entered a game of reverse tug-of-war, pushing against one another. Blitz won the power struggle, breaking the clench and striking Susie in the chest. Hissing in pain, she fell back.

They had taken the fight into the inside of a shed, a gaping hole in the wall serving as a reminder that Blitz had sent her through it with a light pole just moments ago. Tools were hung up nicely along the sides of the building, ranging from deadly axes to worthless paint cans.

Susie barely had any time to breathe. Blitz was on her again, grabbing the collar of her sweater and yanking her onto her feet. He threw her against a wall and reeled back a punch.

Remember their words. Dodge. Counterattack.

She ducked, threw a jab. Blocked his right, struck his side. Susie elbowed his face and kicked his knee out. Blitz collapsed, holding himself up by a planted fist. She struck him in the face. His dome-shaped head clanged like a church bell.

She heard him laugh.

Susie threw another punch. Harder this time. Blitz caught it. Countered with an uppercut. She stumbled, her legs nearly giving out. He got up and shoved her into the shelf behind her.

Engineering books and work tools fell. Blitz grabbed hold of a stunned Susie and threw her to the floor. She coughed, the wind in her lungs being knocked out of her. He took a hung-up shovel and held it over his head.

Susie rolled. Blitz brought the shovel down and struck the ground. She pushed herself up, dodging a wild shovel swing. Quickly creating distance, she looked around for something to hit him with.

The gap she had created bought her about three seconds. Her eyes fell upon a chainsaw, but that was halfway across the room. Panicked, she desperately scanned the room. But she was too slow. Blitz was on her again.

She’d just have to take his weapon instead. Susie ducked his swing. She got in close, throwing a few blows to the body. Blitz shoved her off, opening up an opportunity. Lunging forward, she grabbed hold of his shovel and began to pull.

The two entered another match of tug-of-war. Susie had a better grip on the shovel, but Blitz had a better workout routine. She gritted her teeth, yelling out. The shovel came loose. She was the lucky winner.

Susie pushed him back. Struck him in the head with the shovel. And then she struck him again. And again. Her hits were confirmed by the satisfying dings coming from his helmet. She didn’t let up. Blitz cowered away.

The battle was tipping in her favor. She bashed the shovel against his leg and heard him grunt for the first time. Susie raised her weapon to hit him again. But something changed.

Blitz swerved out of the way, Susie missing him. She went for a follow-up attack, but he caught it before it could land. Taking the shovel, he chucked it across the room. She was empty-handed.

Before she could react, he threw a hook. Struck her in the face. She lost balance, and Blitz capitalized. Grabbing her by the collar, he lifted her into the air and brought her down onto a workbench.

Lying in the debris of a broken worktable, Susie gasped for air. Her head was spinning. She could barely see him wrap his hands around her throat.

She kicked and squirmed, choking. Blitz yanked her onto her feet, tightening his grip. Susie beat against his trenchcoat. Nothing.

Black spots began filling her vision.

Susie kneed him in the stomach. He grunted, loosening his grip. She sucked in air, kicking as hard as she could. 

Blitz was sent backward. She gasped, holding her throat and coughing.

Her vision started to come back.

Susie looked up. But couldn’t react in time.

He charged at her, throwing a front kick. Striking her in the stomach, she flew backward and broke a platform.

A platform that was holding up the ceiling.

Part of the roof caved in on her, caking the shed in dust.

* * *

Their heart leapt into their throat.

Kris blindly shot a hook out, latching onto the cart above them. The cart they had been standing on plummeted to the floor, smashing upon impact. No one was inside.

Dangling in the air like a knockoff Christmas ornament, Kris quickly snapped out of it. Sitting around would do nothing. They rappelled themselves onto a nearby cart. Catti and Jockington were right there. They were the only people left on the Ferris wheel.

“Knight! Over here!” She waved her arms out.

Kris swung in, landing on top of the cart.

“Yo! We knew you’d come and save us! Thanks a bunch, dude!” Jockington expressed his gratitude in his own unique fashion.

They pulled themselves inside their cart. The Ferris wheel ominously creaked in the background, making the three flinch.

“Cat- uh, ma’am.” Kris shook their head. “I’ll get you both out of here. Climb on my back.”

She nodded.

“Hey! What about me!”

“I’ll hold you.”

“Okay!”

Catti climbed onto their back. Kris held Jockington like he was a giant gummy worm. They could see the reflection of their helmet in his sunglasses. It almost startled them.

Holding an academic duo member in one hand and wearing the other on their back, Kris made their way to the side of the cart. Shooting a hook out, they went for another safe getaway. Before a complaint from Catti could be made, they jumped.

Reeling downward, something seemed off about the grappling hook. It acted like it was caught on something unstable. Kris looked up. The cart above them was about to give out, and Kris had been using it as a zipline.

“We’re alive!! Woohoo! Thank you-”

Jockington was cut off by the hook’s line suddenly snapping. Kris quickly shot another hook out to the side. They heard Catti gasp.

Swinging out of the way, the three narrowly missed the falling cart.

“Whoa!! That was awesome!” At least Jockington was enjoying this.

Kris quickly lowered the three of them to the floor. Catti got off their back with a petrified expression. Jockington, whose hat had somehow stayed on the entire time, was never happier.

“You’re amazing, Knight! Thanks for the rescue!” He said.

They nodded.

The Ferris wheel was clear. 

Kris shot a grappling hook out, zipping into the air. 

They had to get back to Susie.

But something caught their eye.

Off to the side, near the edge of the festival. Kris could make out Noelle in the far distance. She seemed to be helping someone.

They looked closer.

Their mother. She was caught under a pile of debris. Noelle was struggling to break her free, the wooden planks being too heavy for her to lift.

Kris didn’t have a choice. They went after her.

* * *

The smoke settled. Blitz could see clearly. His opponent had been buried underneath the rubble.

He coldly approached what could be her corpse.

Through cautious swipes, he scanned the rubble for her body. Eventually, he found her hand.

Blitz reached in, grabbing her shoulder. He held her up, raising a fist.

She was still. Out cold. Breathing, yet unconscious.

He dropped her and began making his way out.

On his way out, he kicked the side of the shed. The rest of the roof came down on top of her, burying her in an impossible amount of debris. She wasn’t getting out of that anytime soon.

Blitz stepped outside and began to wander.

The Knight. They had to show up soon. Especially with their friend defeated behind him.

Lightners cowered in fear upon seeing him. Some turned and ran while others were frozen solid in place. Like statues.

He reached for his hammer. It wasn’t there. Blitz remembered he had thrown it into the water when he had accepted her duel.

He began making his way over to the lake.

But he stopped.

Blitz heard something.

Something behind him.

Something loud.

A chainsaw revving.

“HEY!! WE AIN’T DONE YET!”

It was her.

The hammer would have to wait.

* * *

“Go on, Noelle!”

“NO! I’m not leaving you here!”

Toriel was ushering her away. Noelle didn’t let up. She pulled at the wooden plank once again. It wouldn’t budge.

“Please, dear!”

“I won’t! I… oh my gosh…” Noelle saw them. “KNIGHT!! OVER HERE!”

They swooped in, landing next to their mother. Without hesitation, they lifted the plank off her and helped her stand.

“Thank you! Oh, thank you!” Toriel expressed her gratitude.

They looked away. “Go. It isn’t safe here.”

“I… I’m sorry, but I can’t. My child, they’re…” She blinked, looking around. “... Knight, have you seen them?”

“... your child?”

“Yes! They are human. Um, they are wearing a green hoodie? Please tell me that you..?”

Kris sighed. “I haven't. But I’ll look for them. I promise.”

They knew their mother too well. She wasn’t going anywhere.

They swallowed. “Please… listen to what I’m saying.”

Noelle placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Tori, trust them. Kris is going to be fine.”

“... Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll wait nearby.”

Kris nodded. 

Noelle began leading Toriel to the exit.

The Knight’s search for their sense of self had to wait. Susie’s life was on the line. They had to get back to her. Turning around, they looked back at the Ferris wheel. It was leaning forward now, ready to tip over and crash into half of the festival.

They were so close to wrapping this ordeal up. Hundreds of rampant footsteps scrambled toward various exits. Police sirens sounded off, closing in. And in the far distance, what sounded like…

… the revving of a chainsaw.

Kris shot a grappling hook out and began making their way over to the main event.

* * *

Susie dove out of the way. Blitz was trying to play pitch and catch with a car. Getting up, she ran at him, swinging wildly. The chainsaw grazed against his trenchcoat, forming cuts. Underneath was a thick metal armor that would take months to pierce through.

She kept at it, bashing the blade of the chainsaw against his head. Susie saw nothing but her opponent. He couldn’t keep blocking forever. Something would break him; she just had to find out what.

He threw a right cross. It connected. She whipped her head back. Susie immediately refocused, bringing the active chainsaw down and grinding it against his leg. Sparks flew in the air. Blitz grunted, getting down on one knee.

She threw an uppercut, launching him back. Susie let out a yell and lunged at him. She drove the chainsaw into his stomach.

He wasn’t bleeding, but she knew he was hurting like hell. Blitz stumbled, desperately trying to get the blade away from him. Susie fought like a rabid animal, yelling out profanities while swinging a saw around like some notorious serial killer.

Blitz had really pissed her off. Nobody gets away with collapsing a house on top of her, let alone throwing a car at her.

He was starting to get pissed, too. Susie could hear his grunts becoming more frustrated. He tried grabbing the end of the chainsaw and flinched, the spinning blade digging into his fingertips. Susie kicked, creating distance. One of her arms flailed the chainsaw around, the other threw haymakers.

Her battle technique was uncoordinated and careless. That’s why it worked so well. Blitz had no idea what was even hitting him.

He backed up. Susie brought the chainsaw down. Aimed for his face. 

Blitz caught the blade.

The two entered a struggle. She tried pulling away, but he kept a firm grip. The saw dug into the palms of his hands. He endured the pain.

Susie gritted her teeth. She growled, yanking harder this time. Blitz groaned, his grasp on the blade tightening. Before suddenly…

He broke it in two.

Blitz threw the busted chainsaw aside. He began throwing an endless series of punches. Susie covered up, but his strikes were breaking through. She backed away, a never-ending flurry of bruises coming her way.

In a split second, Blitz had turned the tables on her. Now she was the helpless one. Susie ducked under one of his hooks, but he caught her by the collar and threw her back into the fray. He didn’t let up for even a second.

She had to act. Now.

They were nearing the edge of the festival. Below was the water the two had sold their weapons away to. Susie had an idea.

She dodged. Blitz missed. Moving to his flank, Susie charged, tackling him. The two fell twenty feet into the lake below.

Crashing into the water, Susie hissed. The lake was surprisingly shallow. Her arms had taken the majority of the fall, since she had idiotically held them out in an attempt to soften her landing. Wheezing, she sat up.

The adrenaline settled a little. Pain returned back to her. Her chest and face ached. Her knuckles were on fire. Looking down at herself, she got a better idea of how screwed up she was. Cuts and lacerations added up along her body, blood oozing out of some of her wounds.

She looked and felt like a million bucks. Susie couldn’t wait for Kris to see-

!!!

She cried out. Something grabbed the back of her hair. Blitz violently pulled, yanking her head. He threw her aside.

Susie saw what he was going after. The hammer he had thrown. She had landed right next to it, but was too caught up in a daydream to realize.

Blitz stumbled, going for his weapon. Susie got her feet under her. The water went up to her ankles. She tackled him again. Created distance between him and the hammer. Blitz drove his elbow into the side of her face. Susie yelled, holding her snout.

He limped toward his mallet. She reached out, pulling his leg out from under him. Landing on his side, Blitz began kicking her off of him. Susie let him go, the pain being too much. 

Susie groaned, holding her stomach. The pain was agonizing. Adrenaline would only take her so far. She tried to get up, but physically couldn’t. Her limit had been reached. And Blitz knew.

He picked up the hammer. Blitz drew heavy, shaky breaths.

He stood before her. And raised the mallet.

Susie looked up.

He brought the hammer down. 

She shut her eyes.

…

It connected.

…

But not against her.

Kris had dove in. They kept the mallet from hitting her, blocking the attack using a trash can lid as a makeshift shield. Straining, they pushed against Blitz. He stumbled backward. Kris threw a punch at his side. Shooting a grappling hook out, they latched onto his hammer and pulled it out of his hands.

They ran forward, kicking him in the stomach. Blitz grunted, moving away and granting them a moment to breathe.

Susie could do nothing but watch. The two entered their own fight. Blitz threw several of his own attacks. Kris dodged them effortlessly. He was tired, they were not. They capitalized on his lack of stamina, attacking him while he was down.

But he wasn’t down forever. Blitz caught one of their punches. Drove his fist into their side. They winced. Kris tried to pry his hand from theirs. He clenched his fist. Raising them up, Blitz threw them like a rag doll. Water whipped into the air.

Blitz groaned, getting up. He pinned Kris to the ground.

Susie saw his hands go for their throat.

Enough of this. Biting her lip, Susie forced her body to stand.

Kris kicked and squirmed. Gasping for air, they beat against his metallic head. Blitz winced, granting them an opening. Their head met his, getting him to reel back. Kris threw their foot out and got Blitz off of them.

But not for long. They tried to get away, but Blitz planted his foot on their chestplate. He began stomping on them in response to their writhing. 

Kris cried out in pain.

It was her turn.

Letting out a yell, Susie drove the mallet into Blitz’s face. He flew back. His feet gave out. And he landed on his side.

She grunted, getting down on her knee next to Kris. They sat up.

The two caught their breaths.

“... you… you good..?” She asked.

“... yeah… are you hurt?”

“... hurt? Heh…” Susie winced. “... ain’t nothin’.”

Kris scoffed. “... sorry I took so long.”

“... don’t sweat it.”

Susie set the hammer down. They looked over at the now unconscious goliath.

“... what do… we do about him..?” She asked.

They got up. 

“... we get some answers.”

Chapter Text

It was finally over. Kris had a moment to breathe. The festival had been cleared out, the big guy was sound asleep, and their heart had stopped racing. Nobody had died. Only a few unlucky fairgoers had to be taken to the hospital.

For now, they had more important matters to attend to. The sleeping giant was a few feet away, snoozing on a rooftop away from the fair below. The news was already all over this. Police officers were keeping them at bay. Cameras and microphones were haphazardly thrown out at whoever they could get their hands on. The situation was still a mess, but at least it was under control.

Susie was resting nearby. Kris was worried about her. She didn’t look too good, despite her claims to the contrary.

“Hey…” They kneeled next to her.

“... hm?”

“You sure you’re okay?” Kris looked down at her arms. “You’re bleeding all over the place.”

“Dude, I’m fine.” She sighed. “... what about him?”

Blitz was his name, apparently. He sleepily shifted around, the chains wrapped around him keeping him held upright. It was a bit overkill, but they couldn’t afford not to be careful, not with a ten foot maniac with a mallet. At any moment, he could spring to life and start wailing on them again.

“Keep a close eye on him. If he wakes up, don’t let him go anywhere.” They said.

“Got it.”

“Nice hit by the way.”

“Heh. Thanks.”

Their phone lit up. It was Noelle.

“Hold on a sec.” Kris moved away.

They walked over to the edge of the rooftop. Kris swiped open their phone.

doelle

hey,

i dont mean to alarm you but

my mom said she wants to talk to you

the KNIGHT you

Great.

Kris

i’ll be right there

“Hey, Susie?”

“Yeah?”

“I gotta go. Noelle’s mom wants a word with me.”

“Oh.” She sucked air through her teeth. “Shiiiiit. That can’t be good.”

“Yep. I’ll be right back.”

“Good luck, man.”

They shot a grappling hook out and began swinging toward the fair once again. The mayor was waiting for them near the center, along with a dozen of her own personal bodyguards; the Hometown police department.

Kris had never seen her more irritated. Maybe she was there to place them into custody. After the mess they had caused, they could hardly blame her.

Grappling onto the ground, Kris reeled themselves in, landing directly in front of her. They stood straight up and fought off the urge to salute, not wanting to make more of a fool of themselves than they already had.

Whatever insults she had rehearsed over were about to come flying at them in seconds. For now, she was dead silent. That familiar look. The one an apex predator gives its prey right before the killing blow.

In the distance, they could barely make out Noelle. She was next to Toriel behind the police tape. Her spectating was hardly a comfort.

“You.”

Here we go.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?”

Kris didn’t know how to respond. Would she recognize their voice?

“Two children are missing. Six people were sent to the hospital. Some may have life-altering injuries.” She crossed her arms.

“And my daughter.” A fire lit up in her eyes. “You placed her in danger. Along with both of her friends.”

She took a step toward them. “My. Daughter.” 

Kris backed away.

“Both of her friends have vanished. They could be dead.”

Carol’s fists tightened.

“Because of you.”

The irony wasn’t lost on them. They were being scolded for their own disappearance. But that’s what happens when you try to exist in two realities.

Kris Dreemurr. High school student by day, failed vigilante by night. You try to live two separate lives, eventually both will become tangled together, tying you up in an inescapable knot.

And so here they were. She almost looked ready to hit them. Part of them felt like they deserved it.

All of a sudden, the Ferris wheel in the background let out a loud groan. Kris saw its legs begin to bend, and it began to fall. It crashed to the ground, producing an earsplitting noise. The officers behind the mayor all flinched at the noise. The crowd gathered behind the police tape gasped in unison. 

But Carol didn’t even move. Her eyes stayed locked on them. An angry mother’s attention was unbreakable.

There was a beat of silence.

“This has to end. And so it will.” Carol turned away. “You have one week to disappear. Or else you will be arrested.”

She began to walk away. The police officers followed her out of the festival like lapdogs.

Kris stayed frozen in place for a moment, watching her leave. They expected her to change her mind at any second, but she disappeared into the crowd, a herd of cameras following after her.

One week. That was rather gracious of her, all things considered. She had every right to place them in handcuffs right then and there. There was one problem, though. Whether she had said one week, one day, or one year.

They weren’t going anywhere.

Kris shot a grappling hook into the air and went back onto the sleeping giant’s rooftop. Susie was still watching Blitz like a hawk.

“How’d it go?” She asked.

They sat down next to her. “She told me to leave or be arrested.”

Susie groaned. “... gotta be kiddin’ me…”

There was a brief pause. Kris noticed the sun peering over the horizon. No rest for the wicked.

Kris looked down. “She gave me a week.”

She sighed. “You’re not leaving. And you’re sure as hell not gonna be arrested.”

They nodded.

This feeling was all too familiar. It seemed like with every choice they made, every step they took, they kept moving backward. Nothing got any easier. It only just got worse.  And now Noelle was involved. Getting Susie into this mess of their own making was thoughtless enough. They had no one to blame but themselves.

Sure, you could say Blitz was at fault for all of this. But would Blitz have even shown up if they hadn’t been masquerading as the Knight? At the end of the day, he was looking for them.

Would Blitz have even shown up if they hadn’t been so selfish? So selfish as to take matters into their own hands? To run around in a shiny, bulletproof Halloween costume, pretending they were a hero? 

Were they compelled to act because of their sense of obligation? Or was it something deeper, more personal? Kris didn’t know.

One thing was certain. They were no hero. No hero at all. 

Maybe Carol was right. Maybe the Knight would be better off gone, rotting away in a prison cell.

Blitz stirred. Louder this time. He had awakened. His chains rattled. Kris and Susie got up and made their way over to him.

“Stop.” She said.

He looked up at her. Or at least, Kris thought he did. Blitz’s helmet obscured every detail of his face. It looked like a fishbowl built for sharks.

“... OR WHAT?”

“Or I’ll break a finger of yours.”

Blitz laughed. He saw through her threat like a lumberjack might with timber.

“IS THIS NECESSARY?” He looked down at his chains.

“Yes. Now keep your mouth shut.”

Kris was getting deja vu. A part of the old Susie was shining through.

“Only answer me when I speak to you. Got it?”

Blitz nodded. He seemed more entertained than intimidated.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He hesitated. Like he was contemplating whether or not he wanted to let the beans spill. But Blitz reached a conclusion.

“I’M HERE FOR THE KNIGHT. I WAS TASKED WITH RETURNING WITH THEM SO A MEETING COULD BE HELD.”

A meeting. Returning with the Knight. This sounded familiar to Kris. The Impressionist had a similar goal.

“So why did you go crazy and start smashing everything at the festival?”

“TO CAUSE A SCENE. LURE THE KNIGHT IN.”

“By bringing down a Ferris wheel? With people in it!?”

“WHATEVER THE COST.”

She shot him a disgusted look. “You’re out of your goddamn mind.”

He chuckled. “NO MATTER. YOU HAVE BROUGHT THE KNIGHT TO ME NOW.”

Blitz turned to them. “KNIGHT. DO YOU HEAR ME?”

They nodded.

“THEN LISTEN. CHANGE WILL OCCUR. SOON. FOR THE SAKE OF BOTH LIGHTNERS AND DARKNERS, IT IS BEST IF YOU HEED MY WORDS.”

He sat up.

“THE OVERSEER WISHES TO SPEAK WITH YOU.” Blitz turned toward Susie. “YOU WILL NOT APPEAR. THEY MUST GO ALONE.”

His chains clattered together.

“THE SEED OF CURIOSITY HAS BEEN PLANTED.” Blitz said. “IN DUE TIME, YOU WILL COME TO EMBRACE A NEW ERA.”

“RETURN TO THE DARKNESS. RELINQUISH OUR EVERLASTING DISPUTE. BECOME AS ONE.”

He stopped. A silence drew over the three. Before it could be severed, Blitz began tugging at his chains.

“Wha-!? HEY!” Susie panicked.

He broke free, tearing the metal from his trenchcoat. She went after him. Blitz kicked her away. Getting his feet under him, he turned and ran.

“SHIT! COME ON, WE GOTTA-”

“No!” They held her back.

“THE HELL ARE YOU-!?”

“Let him go.”

“WHY?!” Susie pulled away from them.

“He’s going back to the church.”

Blitz leapt from rooftop to rooftop. He was heading in the general direction of the forest. In reality, Kris didn’t know for certain where he was going; they were merely guessing. But Susie was too hurt. She wasn’t in any shape for a second round with the giant.

She caught her breath. Kris slowly let go of her, hoping she wouldn’t break out into a sprint. Susie looked back at them, her face plate hardly masking her feelings.

“Shit, man… just… SHIT!” She dug her claws into her hair. “What was he even talking about?!”

They sighed, looking down.

“New era?! The hell are they planning to do!?”

Kris buried their face in their hands. They couldn’t think. Susie continued to freak out, moving over to the edge of the rooftop and watching Blitz. He bounded through the air, breaking through a gathering of trees and disappearing into the forest. He had scaled the town in about ten seconds.

Their phone suddenly lit up again. Kris checked it. Over a hundred new messages and missed calls from their mother had loaded.

“Susie.”

“Huh?”

“We gotta go. My mom thinks we’re dead.”

“What?” She remembered. “Oh, right.”

The two dispersed from the rooftop.