"No! I'm done sweeping everything under the rug! I can't believe I just let this all happen-I-I just let you…hurt him." She gritted out, and Susie looked away.
"I-I never…hurt him. Not really." She mumbled, and Noelle froze.
"What? What do you mean, not really!? Stop avoiding the question!" She yelled, and Susie growled again, hoping that she would just back off. "Answer the damn question, Susie!" She spat.
"All I said was the truth. If that little freak couldn't handle it, then that's his fault." She defended, and Noelle's face went red in anger.
"What is WRONG with you!? That 'little freak' is someone I care about! Even if he wasn't-you can't just go around acting like you're bigger than everyone!" She accused, pointing at Susie, who stomped towards her, fangs set in her signature threatening grin.
"Oh yeah? Well guess what, Noelle. I am bigger than everyone. I'm bigger than him." She growled, gesturing to Kris's still body lying on the ground. "-and I'm bigger than you." She bit out, pointing a claw in her direction. "So why don't you just prance on home and-"
Noelle had enough of it.
"Does that make you feel good, Susie? Putting other people down like that?" She asked, tilting her head. "Because I don't know anymore. I used to think that you…that you only did it to protect yourself-but now?" She laughed bitterly.
It sounded unnatural coming from Noelle, the ever kind, gentle girl. She then settled it with a glare, one that said exactly what she was thinking. It's over. "Now I know who you are." She spat, leaving Susie standing silently, her head lowered.
Noelle turned around, walking back over to Kris tersely, before she gently picked him up, using herself as a crutch once more.
'She's stronger than she looks.' Susie idly thought, not even noticing how her eyes stung. Noelle then paused, before turning back slightly, glaring at Susie with a cold side-eye.
"Don't talk to Kris or I again, or I will alert the authorities that you are harassing us. You know who my mother is. You know I'm not joking." She said, her words cold as ice. Then she turned and left. Susie stood still, gaze lowered to the ground.
She balled her hands up into fists, shaking as a single tear rolled down her face, before she just…stopped.
A calm smile then spread on her face, and she wiped the tear away without a second thought. "Fuckin' freaks…the both of them." She whispered, before she too left the abandoned area.
---
Noelle smiled awkwardly at passerby as she basically dragged Kris through the town. She didn't quite know where to take him, before getting an idea. It may have been a risky one, but it was the best one she had. She just hoped that her mother didn't decide to randomly take the day off again.
So, changing directions and giving the same passerby the same awkward smile, she walked towards her house, huffing with sweat pouring down her face. "You are…really heavy, Kris…" she grunted, surprised she was even able to carry him this far.
Thankfully, she made it to the front gate of her house, grabbing her key from Kris's-her sweater. She swiftly unlocked the gate when she heard the sound of claws scraping against the ground. She turned her head, smiling frustratedly at Alphys, who was fiddling with her claws.
"H-Hello, Noelle. I-um…was wondering if you-you had unlocked the school doors?" Alphys asked, and Noelle froze. Alphys, recognizing the fear of getting in trouble, waved her hands frantically. "Y-You're not i-in trouble or anything!" She continued, before sighing.
"I-I would actually prefer if it was you…b-because otherwise, that would mean-um…someone broke into the school." She finished, whispering the last part. Noelle sighed, before nodding at Alphys.
"Yeah, I just needed to grab some things I left in the supply closet yesterday. I brought Kris because he…uh…left some things…too?" She tried, and Alphys nodded, knowing that Noelle wasn't telling the whole truth, but either not wanting to get into a discussion about it, or just didn't care. Probably the former.
"R-Right…that um…reminds me. What…were you doing in there yesterday? You were both in there all-all day and…" she trailed off, a faint blush coming to her face. "Y-Your grades won't take a hit, and I'm uh…Kris is a good kid, so I won't…punish you two. J-Just…you know the rules about…physical contact in school, right?" Alphys asked, and Noelle blushed.
"W-What!? Of course I do, Ms. Alphys! Kris and I weren't…" Noelle couldn't force herself to say the word in front of the teacher. "d-doing that…" she mumbled, sounding very unsure of herself. Alphys nodded, not believing her for a second.
"M-Mhm. Just…don't…do that, okay?" She asked, before walking away. Noelle sighed, beginning to tire of the interruptions today. She knew that Alphys only meant well, and just wanted to make sure that everything was okay with them.
Besides, she had a point. If they…had been doing that in the closet all day then yeah, that was a completely valid thing to bring up. Sadly, she didn't experience the things that they had. They had almost died. Kris did die. He came back somehow, but…Kris wasn't…alive for a moment.
The thought scared her. Kris had been a constant in her entire life. He was just as much a part of reality as water and oxygen were to her. So now, fully realizing that Kris hadn't been…and eventually would never again be part of this world…good lord, that hurt.
Noelle rubbed at her eyes before her tears could fall, opening the gate and dragging Kris to her front door. She sighed, sitting on her porch with Kris propped up next to her. What a day. She checked her wristwatch and holy crap it was barely one!
So much had happened in the four hours that they had spent away from Kris's house that she expected it to have been a while later. Sighing, Noelle stood up and unlocked the front door, before grabbing Kris by the arms and dragging him inside, stamping her feet on the welcome mat. She grunted, pulling his legs over the stairs and wincing as his shins hit the top step.
He…probably didn't feel that. Dragging him over to the couch, she grunted, lifting him up enough to roll him onto her couch. She panted, lying on the ground and staring up at her ceiling. "Geez…louise…man." she whispered, sitting up.
"What the heck am I supposed to do now?" She mumbled. She looked around, before humming. Standing up, she made her way to the kitchen and opened a drawer, taking out a pad of sticky notes. She quickly wrote her number on it, before pausing and drawing a little mustache on it.
She giggled softly to herself, placing the sticky note right below his nose. She snickered, before she grabbed her keys and shoved them in her sweater pocket. She looked back at Kris, waving at him with a smile. "Bye, Kris."
However, before she left, she paused, shooting a glare at him. "Don't think you're not in trouble. When I get back after finding this dark world, we're going to have a serious talk!" She scolded, despite him…still being unconscious.
Shaking her head, she closed the door and locked it, before sprinting away…only to stop and unlock the gate, then she sprinted away. There were only a handful of places that a fountain would make sense to be in, so it couldn't be that hard to find it, right?
---
Susie walked down the sidewalk, hands in her pockets. She was still smiling calmly, thinking of all the moments she had looked forward to hanging out with Noelle. She scoffed, shaking her head. What a waste of time that turned out to be. In the end, Noelle turned out to be just like the rest of them.
Susie paused at the library, looking in the window. She wasn't looking at anything inside of it though, only her reflection.
Despite this town being full of them…nobody but her really knew what it was like to be a monster. A bird? A deer? They were harmless in retrospect. Most monsters were cute and cuddly.
Susie? Her? She was towering and intimidating. Nobody ever even wanted to be her friend. Everyone just…avoided her like the plague. Even the damn teacher didn't have the confidence to look her in the eyes.
The only ones that did were Berdly(ugh) Noelle and…Kris, apparently, as seen by today. Noelle must have worked her magic and given the freak a confidence boost when they were trapped in that closet all day.
Susie continued to pretend like she wasn't hurt by Noelle's harsh words, idly entering the Library. Of course Nerdly was the only one in there. He gave a curt good morning while reading a book, not even looking up at her. She snarled, walking over to the desk, casting a shadow over the little weirdo.
He flinched, looking up at her, before narrowing his eyes. "Oh. It's you. Hello Susanne." He said, looking back down at his book. Her grin became more forced as she slammed her hand down on the book, ripping it from his hands.
"It's. Susie." She spat, before she turned around. "Nobody but you is even here. Why are you still here?" She asked, and he scoffed like it was the dumbest question he had ever heard. She snarled, baring her teeth.
"It's my job? What a moronic question, Susan. You seriously can't even comprehend the idea of being employed-uh oh-" Berdly was cut off as Susie reached over the counter, grabbing him by his collar and lifting him up, carrying him towards the computer lab.
"C'mon, loser. We're gonna go in that lab and you're going to do our project while I play the skateboard game-" she spat, only to falter as she opened the door to…nothing but darkness?
Berdly stopped struggling in her grip, similarly confused. "Did someone turn off the lights? Or uh…rip them out?" Susie asked, and Berdly shook his head.
"I…No, I don't…think so. Nobody has been in there since I arrived and…when I got here, everything was fine. What in the world could be going on?" He asked, putting his feathers up to his chin. "Clearly, this is the work of something supernatural. There could be no other explanation for something as weird and wacky as this." He murmured, and Susie gave him a look.
"Shut up, Nerdly." She grumbled, before lightly shoving him inside.
He then fell deep down with a scream, disappearing into the darkness. Susie full body flinched, her eyes widening behind her mane. "Shit!" She shouted, diving in after him. She winced as wind whipped at her face, spotting Berdly a few seconds later. He was flapping his arms and screaming out in fear, spotting Susie and screaming at her.
"H-H-HELP MEEEE!" He begged, trying desperately to flap his wings. Suddenly, the darkness around them disappeared, revealing a neon, glowing city with a freaking palace at the center, a giant blue and white head laughing at the top of it.
After taking a second to gawk at the scenery, she dove down faster, noticing that Berdly's outfit had changed, and his feathers had become a lighter shade of blue. He wore a high tech suit of sleek white and orange armor over his chest, arms, and legs now.
As she got closer, she noticed the orange scouter over his left eye, black bodysuit underneath his armor, and green sash tied around his waist. She grunted as she grabbed him, nearing a light green platform. She flipped, landing on her feet with a grunt. Berdly had his arms wrapped around her neck, and his legs extended all the way outward.
He looked up at Susie, his green eyes twinkling. "You…saved me…" he whispered. Susie cringed, dropping Berdly and wiping her hands.
"Yeah, don't mention it. No, seriously. Don't." she spat, before turning and taking a few steps forward, only to pause when she heard him follow. "...What are you doing?" She asked, and he stood awkwardly.
"...Following you?" He asked, and she scoffed.
"Yeah, don't do that. I don't want you infecting me with…whatever it is you have." She said, continuing forward. Berdly stammered over his words, looking around nervously.
"B-But I d-don't know what's o-out there! I'm a baby bird here-I don't even know where here is!" He yelled, and she growled at him, grabbing his armor and lifting him with it.
"Can you just shut the hell up already!?" She spat, and Berdly flinched, before nodding quickly. Susie sighed, dropping Berdly to the ground again. "Alright…now to find a way out of here." She mumbled, continuing forward.
It didn't take long for her to find something, a tiny little outlet with pink ears and a pink teddy bear-like body. It looked up at her, shivering. "W-What are you doing here!? Get out while you still can! Queen's gone mad, controlling everyone with her plugs! Save yourselves!" It cried, and Susie grimaced.
"The hell even is this thing?" She murmured, and Berdly cleared his throat.
"Don't mind my companion, she doesn't do…people. Can you tell me about this…Queen?" He asked, and the small plug creature nodded, only for a long wire to descend from the sky, attaching to the outlet's face.
Berdly flinched, and Susie took a step back as the creature randomly grew to a massive size, standing over four feet taller than Susie. "W-What the heck!?" Berdly shouted, and Susie summoned a large purple axe with a turquoise blade edge by instinct.
It felt…right, in her hand. Like it belonged there. It was made for her, she could tell. She grinned, pushing Berdly out of the way and swinging her axe at the creature…only for it to catch the handle, sending an electrical current through her body.
She screamed in pain, shaking and twitching, before she fell backwards, smoke rising from her unconscious body. Berdly watched it happen, his eyes widening. When the creature took a step towards him, he immediately raised his hands. "I surrender. You beat Susie, I don't stand a chance." He said.
"Wise Decision" Berdly heard, and he looked up to see a floating throne with a burst of flame coming from the bottom. A fully mechanical woman sat in it, her legs crossed and a glass of green liquid in her hand.
She had pointy black boots, white legs, a black torso with a V shaped blue and white collar, white arms with blue gloves that stretched to her forearms.
Most striking about her though, was her large, pointed head and black visor. Berdly recognized it as a smaller version of the giant head at the top of the palace, only with fewer points.
"That Was Actually Easier Than I thought It Would Be Lmao" she continued, before snapping her fingers, a bright green cage falling down on both Berdly and Susie. Berdly flinched, before grabbing onto the bars.
"Where are you taking us, you fiend!?" He shouted, and the mechanical woman pointed to the palace with her thumb, a lazy grin on her face.
"Obviously The Giant Palace With My Head On It Duh" she laughed, before she floated away, the cages following. Berdly gripped onto the cages tighter, closing his eyes.
"This can't be real…where are we? Someone-please! HELP!"
---
Kris groaned as he awoke, slowly sitting up. He barely even remembered what happened…all he remembered was that Susie had shown up and-
"Noelle!" He gasped, looking around. He was…
Back in the dark world again?
How did he get here? He was in Noelle's room again, but she was nowhere to be seen. Slowly, he got to his feet, his card cloak falling around him, hiding his arms. He hummed, looking around carefully. Something wasn't right here.
"Kris?" He heard, and he turned around. Noelle was on the bed he had just been laying in, sitting and smiling at him. "Are you alright? You look…tense." She purred, standing up. She sashayed towards him, and he couldn't help but allow his eyes to wander.
That robe really did look good on her. It framed her body well, and while he had made sure not to stare as much as he could, it really outlined her legs well. He had accidentally caught himself staring at the outline of her thighs a few times and had felt bad about it after.
Then she placed her hands to his chest, slowly pushing him against the door. "N-Noelle?" He swallowed, his throat dry as a desert. She leaned forward, an amused smile on her face.
"You're so cute like this, Kris. You can barely even say my name." She whispered into his ear, and he shivered, clawing at the door.
"H-Hah-Noelle-wait-" he breathed, and she giggled in his ear, before nibbling on it with her buck teeth. He tensed up, voice cracking. "What's going on?" He asked, and Noelle hummed deeply, and Kris felt helpless as she slowly removed his cloak, sliding it off of his body.
"I want you, Kris." She whispered, and he nearly whimpered. "Do you…want me too?" She asked, leaning forwards. Kris looked down at her lips, watching them draw closer. He opened his mouth to say something, but it was too late.
Noelle's lips came into contact with his, and Kris gasped as pure euphoria flooded his brain. Her lips were so soft against his, and it felt like they fit together perfectly. Noelle shifted, her lips leaving him for only a second, before she slammed them into his again, tilting her head to get a deeper kiss.
Kris had abandoned the idea of trying to claw his way out of the room, instead slowly placing his hands on her waist. She hummed into his lips, taking his chestplate off and feeling up his chest through his bodysuit.
Kris panted as their lips parted, a strand of saliva connecting their lips. Kris felt breathless, staring at Noelle, who was flushed. She licked her lips, humming at the taste of him. Of him.
Kris swallowed thickly, closing his eyes. 'Please don't look down, please don't look down, please don't look down, please-'
"Well what do we have here?" Noelle whispered, and Kris froze.
'...Fuck.'
---
Kris's eyes snapped open, and he sat up, his face crimson. He felt his torso, feeling the soft material of his sweater. He paused, calming down slowly. That was…wow. Kris tried to stand up, realized he had a…problem, then sat down and crossed his legs. His face burned with shame at having such a dream of his friend, glad that he had woken up before it got…yeah.
Once he had calmed down fully, he stood up, looking around the familiar house that he used to spend so much time in. It looked exactly the same as he had remembered it. They hadn't changed anything.
Kris felt a swell of nostalgia fill him as he walked around the first floor, smiling at all the little Santa dolls. He remembered how he would glue them shut to "starve" them. Good times.
He thought back to how hard Noelle would laugh when he would randomly activate multiple of them at low battery and make their slowed down laughs interlap with each other. He grinned at the memory, before heading up the stairs. He paused at Noelle's door, wondering if he was allowed to enter it.
Just then, a sticky note fell from his face, and he blinked, looking down at it. How long had that been there? Kneeling down, he picked it up, humming once he realized it was Noelle's phone number. Ignoring how he felt at putting her number into his phone, he quickly called her, smirking at the mustache on the sticky note.
She picked up swiftly, speaking with a hopeful tone. "Kris?" She asked, and he smiled.
"Hey." He greeted, and she sighed in relief. It was heartwarming to hear that she cared that much, even now.
"You and I are going to have a serious talk when I get back! As a matter of fact…" she grumbled through the phone, before the front door opened, and Noelle walked inside. She looked around, quickly spotting him and narrowing her eyes.
Kris flinched as she sprinted up the stairs, placing her hands on his shoulders. "What is wrong with you!? Why did you do that!? Are you dumb!? Are you okay!? Oh, Kris!" She cried, pulling him into a hug, resting her head on top of his. She felt his face heat up against her and blushed. Right. That…
Something that would be talked about later. One thing Noelle knew though? Kris liked her…and she liked Kris. She had for a while, long before they drifted apart. However, she always thought he just…didn't feel that way for her. He was always so…closed off about his feelings, and she assumed he had only seen her as a friend.
So…she moved on. It hurt for a while, and…she definitely still had residual feelings for him, considering he was her first and longest crush. The memory of that night rang in her mind, and she blushed crimson, desperately trying to think of something else.
Right. Her residual feelings for Kris had reignited once more from her long adventure with him. She had gotten to see that yes, her dear friend was…really still there. Better yet, he had matured a lot. Sure, he could still be a mischievous little gremlin sometimes, but…so could she. They all had their moments. Now, Kris was a kind young man that treated her like…gosh, he treated her like a woman.
Noelle blushed and pulled away from the hug, smiling at Kris. "I looked for the dark fountain while you were unconscious…I couldn't find anything. I looked in the school, the church, the hospital, QC's, ICE-E's, that skeleton guy's store, the police station, and even the town hall! The only places I haven't looked are your dad's flower shop and the library." She explained, and he nodded.
"Got it. Which one do you want to do first?" He asked, and she looked down, remembering what she had said to Susie. She did not want to run into her, especially so soon after she blew up at the girl. A part of her felt bad, but she really didn't regret what she had said.
If she had known how bad Susie really was, she wouldn't have spent so much time with her. Or…so much time crushing over her. Noelle blinked, realizing she still had yet to answer Kris's question.
"O-Oh, we can go to your dad's shop first. I haven't seen him in a while, is he doing okay?" She asked, and Kris winced. He looked down, almost sadly, as he answered her question.
"He…He's fine, I guess. He's not doing the greatest though. He's just too nice to people. He barely even runs a shop, for the most part, he's just giving flowers away. I-I really want him to succeed, but he's just…not made for that type of job." He explained, and Noelle frowned.
The Dreemurr's divorced not long after Dess had disappeared. Noelle sadly didn't know much about what had happened, as that was when she and Kris had begun to drift apart. Knowing that with everything else going on, Kris had to deal with his parents divorcing too?
Noelle pulled him into another hug, this time protective in nature. Kris blinked as she began to whisper calming things to him, speaking of protecting him and making sure he never had to feel the way he did again. Kris didn't know what incident she was talking about, whether it be Susie or his parents divorcing.
Either way, the hug reminded him of how Noelle was taller than him, able to comfortably rest her head on his. Kris closed his eyes and hugged her back, pulling himself as close to her as he could.
"I-I'm sorry, Krismas…if I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own life, I would have been able to…help you-give you something to…ground you." She apologized, and Kris shook his head against her neck, her scent of gingerbread and reindeer permeating through his mind.
"It's okay…it wasn't…that bad." He mumbled, subtly smelling her. Damn, she smelled good. Noelle began to run her hands through his hair, whispering something about how much she wished she could have helped him, but he was too focused on her vulnerable neck to listen.
He felt like an animal, targeting a doe's vitals. He buried his face into her neck, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent once more. He heard Noelle's words begin to falter, before she was simply just hugging him, not saying a word. Uh oh.
"Are you…are you sniffing me?" Noelle whispered, and Kris nodded. What was the point in hiding it. She already knew the truth.
"You smell good." He growled, and Noelle shivered. She debated on pulling away from the hug, before an idea wormed its way into her head. She exhaled shakily at it, speaking before her brain could stop her.
"D-Don't stop…" she whispered, running her hands through his hair again. Kris inhaled, surprise clear in his eyes, before he felt himself relax.
"I don't want to stop." He whispered, acting on instinct. Despite his smaller size, he was stronger than her, and it showed in the way he gently pushed her against her door.
Noelle was reminded of their moment together in the dark world. It was similar to this, only with far more energetic charge to it. Noelle gasped as Kris buried his nose into her neck, not even hiding it anymore. He inhaled deeply, and his hands found their way to her hips, resting idly.
Noelle blushed hard, simply standing there and shivering. Something in her told her that she should stop, tell Kris that this was bad-tabboo, even. Yet the thought of Kris leaning over her, whispering quiet nothings into her ear while playing with her neck drove her wild.
"K-Kris!" She suddenly whimpered, and Kris growled like a beast. His next move surprised even him, as he opened his mouth, pearly white teeth glinting in the light. Her eyes widened as she saw his open jaws near her neck. She needed to stop this. This was bad. This shouldn't happen, they were just friends.
She should have stopped this. She needed to stop this.
"Hah…d-do it, Kris…" she mumbled instead, her brain turning to mush. Kris didn't hesitate, placing his mouth against her neck and gently biting down into her. She gasped, instinctively pushing herself into Kris, resulting in him swooping his arms around her back.
She had never felt this way before. Her knees were shaking in place like jello, her fingers twitched, entangled in Kris's hair. All her thoughts were of him. What he was doing to her. What he could do to her. Kris had the necessary tools to turn her into a whimpering mess, and it both scared her and drove her up the wall.
It took a minute to remember that they were just friends. "K-Kris-we…" she started, only to gasp as he pulled his mouth away from her neck, leaving a small mark beneath her fur. Kris stared at it, a swell of pride rising within him.
"Kris…we shouldn't…" Noelle whimpered, and Kris was pulled back to reality, the fog in his mind clearing. He stumbled backwards, the weight of what he had just done hitting him. Noelle looked at him, watching as he processed everything he had just done.
He looked ashamed of himself, balling his hands into fists. "Fuck, I-I'm sorry, Noelle-I don't-I couldn't-" he stammered, and Noelle smiled shakily.
"I-It's…fine. I t-told you to keep going…" she mumbled, doing nothing to quell his panicked apologizing. Noelle frowned, biting her lip, before she shook her head.
"Screw it." She whispered, before taking a step forward, grabbing the collar of Kris's sweater and pulling it to the side, revealing his collarbone and shoulder. He froze, and Noelle inhaled deeply, before she opened her mouth and bit down on the part where Kris's shoulder met his collarbone.
She felt him shudder against her, and couldn't stop the giggle that vibrated against his skin. When she pulled away, she could clearly see the mark where she bit him on his collarbone. She blushed heavily, concealing it with Kris's sweater.
"Alright-we're-even-let's-go!" Noelle shouted, rushing down the stairs and throwing the door open, sprinting outside. Kris still stood in that same position, hand on his neck.
"...She has no idea what she's doing to me…"
---
"He has no idea what he's doing to me…" Noelle whispered. Kris was lucky he had backed off when he did, or else her room would have been in shambles by the time she was done with him. She laughed nervously, shaking her head. No, that wasn't her anymore. She w-wasn't a p-pervert like that!
Sure, maybe she wanted to push him to the floor and tease him until he cried, or kiss him until her lips were swollen, or feel his hands caressing her body as he slowly unbuttoned-
Noelle closed her eyes, exhaling softly. "Lock in, Noelle. He's just your best friend…your kind of hot and adorable best friend…" she whispered.
"Hey."
There he was, standing behind her. He was sporting a crimson blush, just as she was. She looked back at him, a wobbly smile on her face. "K-Kris…d-do you still…want to go to your dad's shop first?" She asked, and he shook his head, getting even more red. God, he was adorable. She didn't deny it anymore. She liked him.
Scratch that-she really liked him. Years of repressed feelings came surging forward, infecting her brain with him. She swallowed nervously, nodding idly.
"Yeah, after…what I…h-heh…let's go…" she whispered, opening the gate and walking through, with Kris following from behind. Once she realized that she was in front, she smiled. "Oh, did you want to lead, Kris?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"No, I think you should. You're…more of a leader than me up here anyways." He told her, earning a blush from her.
"What does that mean? Are you flirting with me again? Fahaha!" She laughed, and Kris felt his face redden at how casually his feelings were brought up. She flinched, lowering her gaze. "S-Sorry…I…we will talk about that. I promise." She whispered to him, and he nodded softly, eyes hidden behind his bangs.
She smiled at him, before turning around and heading for the library. She certainly wasn't looking forward to going to the library, not wanting to run into Susie again. If she did, though? She would do everything in her power to protect Kris, even if it meant getting her hands dirty.
However, when she opened the library doors, it was…completely empty. She stepped inside, followed by Kris. The two looked around, spotting nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was fine inside, save for the strange absence of anybody. Even Berdly wasn't here?
"I thought Berdly worked today…why isn't he here?" She mumbled, and Kris shrugged.
"Maybe he called in? I mean, it is the weekend. If I had to work on my day off from school, I know I would." He suggested, and Noelle snickered.
"Yeah, you would! You're so lazy, Kris!" She giggled, and the boy smirked, crossing his arms behind his head.
"I'm not lazy, I just care about my time. I like making sure I don't waste it." He said, grinning as Noelle laughed.
"Most of the time you're just sleeping!" She said in between giggles, and he nodded.
"Exactly. Peak time management skills." He stated, voice deadpan despite a grin being on his face. Noelle laughed even harder, bracing himself on the computer lab door.
It creaked open, and black smoke floated from the doorway. Both Kris and Noelle stiffened, dropping the levity. "Oh no…" she whispered, eyes widening. "No wonder Berdly wasn't here! He has to be in this dark world!" She cried, and Kris narrowed his eyes.
"Damn it. That's not good, we need to go. Hold on, let me call my mom before we go…" he mumbled, and Noelle nodded, waiting awkwardly as he dialed up his mother, telling her that he would be spending the day with Noelle again.
Noelle's cheeks burned as Toriel's boisterous laughter echoed from the phone, and Kris grumbled something similar to "I love you" before hanging up the call.
He sighed, shaking his head and walking back over to her. "Sorry about that. I don't feel like getting grounded on a Saturday." He mumbled, and she smiled, amused.
"Momma's boy." She teased, earning a grumble.
"Daddy's girl." He bit back, and she blushed.
"Meanie! Alright, no more stalling!" She shouted, taking a deep breath. Kris did the same, before the two of them jumped into the dark world.
They felt their clothes begin to change as they fell, the darkness making way for a brilliant neon city. Noelle's eyes sparkled in intrigue as she looked around, and Kris couldn't blame her.
The place already looked a lot more eye catching than the last dark world. Bigger, too. "Hey, Noelle!? You think the dark worlds get bigger the larger the rooms are!?" He asked, yelling over the whipping wind.
She turned her head to him, nodding at him. "It would make sense! Card Kingdom was bigger than Castle Town, and the unused classroom is bigger than the closet! I've been in the computer lab many times, it's definitely bigger than both!" She shouted back, and Kris looked down.
"Ground incoming! Brace yourself!" He warned, and the two of them performed a flip, landing on their feet. Noelle nearly tripped upon landing, but caught her balance at the last minute.
"I did it! Kris, did you see that!?" She asked, and he smiled at her, nodding. He then took a few steps forward, only for a high pitched laugh to echo in their minds.
"Hee hee! Don't tell me you forgot! Someone has yet to use me, uee hee hee!"
Kris shivered, remembering about the Jevilstail. He looked back at Noelle, seeing that she was staring at him with the same look in her eyes. She heard it too, then. Summoning the Jevilstail from hammerspace, he inspected it, humming.
He didn't know what it did, and Ralsei wasn't here to explain it, so he just gave it to Noelle. "Here, you have it. With how interested in your power Jevil was, I'm assuming it will strengthen your magic." He told her, and she beamed at him.
"Thanks, Kris! Now…how do I put this on?" She asked, and he looked at it, tilting his head.
"Uh…is there-like…a clip or something?" He asked, making her shake her head.
"No, it's…just a tail." She mumbled, observing it closely. Kris shrugged, giving her a curious look.
"Can't you just stick it in your tail? It would probably hold." He asked, earning a bright red blush from Noelle.
"I-I can't put it in my tail! N-No way! That's…I c-can't do that!" She shouted, and he blinked.
"Oh. Sorry…is it like…too small or something?" He asked, and Noelle looked away, an embarrassed expression on her face.
"No, nothing like that…it's just…sensitive." She whispered the last word, and Kris blinked.
"...ah." he weakly muttered, before turning around. "P-Put it in y-your…hair." He mumbled, and she nodded, quickly peeling off one of her amber cards and placing the Jevilstail into her hair. She felt magical power flow into her, soothing her slightly.
"Ooh…I think you were right, Kris! I do feel like my magic got stronger from it!" She explained, the amber card vanishing into hammerspace.
He smiled back at her, glad that they had moved past that. "Good. Now, let's move. If Berdly really is in here, then we need to get going quickly." He stated, voice serious. Noelle smiled at him, pride in her green eyes.
"You're really starting to sound like a hero, Kris." She told him softly, and he paused, heat rising to his cheeks.
"M-Mhm…so are you, Noelle." He murmured, and Noelle grinned at him. "Your buck teeth are really cute." He blurted, before stiffening. Noelle brought her hand up to her mouth, feeling her front teeth with a reddened face.
"R-Really? I always thought they…kind of looked goofy. You…you like them?" She whispered, and he nodded, not able to look at her. They were god-damned adorable, how could he not like them!?
From behind him, Noelle swept some hair behind her ear, looking down with a flushed smile. Well, she knew it already, so…
"You're really pretty, Noelle." He told her, his voice unwavering. She blushed, before shooting him an unserious glare.
"When did you become such a flirt?" She asked, and he swallowed, far out of his realm of comfort, but he didn't have much else to lose, so…
"When you marked me." He responded, moving his cloak, chestplate, and bodysuit out of the way to reveal her teeth marks still clear as day on him. She flinched, covering her face.
"Stop teasing me! Ugh, you're way too good at that…" she grumbled, making Kris blink.
He…was?
Wait, that was working!?
"Wow, being honest about this feels great." He commented, and she looked away.
'...Does it?' she thought, inspecting Kris's body language. He was still tense, but not in the same way he was back at Castle Town. 'Maybe I should have that talk with him soon. I still want that kiss.' she thought to herself, ignoring the heat in her face. What? She liked the guy!
Noelle smiled, a pleasant heat spreading through her entire body. 'That does feel pretty nice…Kris…I-I like Kris…I like Kris. Oh, Kris…' she sighed softly, drawing a questioning gaze from Kris.
Before they could make it much further, the sound of something growling made them both tense up. Kris drew his alabaster blade, which seemed to have been sharpened since the last time he used it. It was longer, too.
It resembled an actual knight's sword now, instead of a smaller, flimsier version that was made for him. It was like the weapon got stronger along with him.
Noelle closed her eyes, a frosty chill surrounding them. A towering beast suddenly fell from the sky, a long wire attached to it. Kris inspected the way the wire attached to the creature's head, as well as the way it seemed to dangle from it.
"Noelle, keep an eye on it. If it tries anything, freeze the wire." He commanded, and she nodded. Kris took a step forwards, pointing at the creature. "Hey. I'm assuming you're not here to talk?" He tried, and the beast took a swipe at him, claws brimming with electricity.
Kris jumped backwards, pointing at the beast. Noelle held her hands out, spraying ice along the wire and freezing it. The creature seemed to shudder, before Kris jumped, slicing the wire with his sword.
The creature fell to the ground, the wire disconnecting from it and making it shrink to the size of a teddy bear. "Y-You freed me! Thank you so much, heroes!" The plugboy cried, and Noelle smiled at it.
"We're happy to help! Can you tell us how to get to the city? We just got here, so…" she asked, and the little guy nodded, pointing forwards.
There was a platform with multiple hanging wires dangling from the top, sparks of electricity falling to the ground and creating shockwaves of power. Noelle inhaled sharply at the sight, and Kris nodded at the plugboy.
"Thanks. You should get somewhere safe." He said, and the plugboy smiled.
"Actually, I think I'll go with you!" He said, before fading away. Kris blinked, looking around.
"Uh…where did…he go?" The boy asked, and Noelle paused, also observing her surroundings.
"I…don't know, actually. Maybe he went to our inventory?" She asked.
Suddenly, three more of the enlarged creatures fell from the sky, surrounding them and growling. Kris tensed up, grabbing Noelle and pulling her to his side, holding his sword at the ready. One of them swiped at him, and he blocked their claws with his sword.
Electricity pulsed through the creature, and Kris flinched, dropping his weapon before he could get electrocuted. Another of the creatures tried to grab him, but he slapped their hand away, before punching them in the chest, doing a surprising amount of damage.
Noelle took a step backwards as the last of the creatures neared her, before she tried to freeze the wire again. The creature held up its hand, electricity melting the ice magic before it could fully form around its hand. Noelle flinched, taking another step back and nearly falling off of the platform.
"K-Kris!?" she shouted, and he froze, looking at her. Both of the beasts tried to claw at him at the same time, but he growled, throwing up his cloak. The two creatures tore it to shreds as Kris dove for his sword, grabbing it and slicing one of the creature's arms off.
He ignored its scream of agony, dashing for the one targeting Noelle and sliding under the second one's swiping claw. He jumped in the air, slicing the wire that held the third creature up, sparing it.
The other two Werewires faced them, one of their arms leaking rainbow blood that dissipated into green ones and zeroes upon touching the ground. "They're…made out of code?" Noelle mumbled, and Kris snarled at the two, sword at the ready.
They knew his strategy now, and probably wouldn't allow their own wires to be cut. "If you come any closer…I will be forced to hurt you! I don't want to, but I won't hesitate." He warned the Werewires, who floated towards him anyways.
He narrowed his eyes, looking at Noelle. "Cover your eyes if you don't want to see this. These ones aren't going to go down without a fight." He whispered, and she swallowed, before nodding, but she didn't cover her eyes, she didn't even look away.
Instead, she took a step forward, creating multiple shards of ice that floated between her palms. The shards were sharper than before, bigger too. "You're getting better at magic." He told her, and she blushed.
"T-Thanks, Kris-watch out!" She cried, shooting multiple shards of ice at the approaching Werewire, burying them into its side.
The beast groaned, and Kris used that chance to try and slice the wire, but it grabbed his sword, running an electrical current through it before Kris could let go. He screamed, his muscles spasming painfully.
Noelle gasped, looking at the sight with shrunken pupils. The other Werewire approached her, but she didn't even seem to notice as Kris's hair parted around his face, revealing his wide, pained eyes. He screamed to the sky, dropping his sword, yet it didn't matter. The beast grabbed him with both hands, increasing the voltage and causing smoke to rise from his body.
"Stop…" Noelle whispered, her breath visible in the chilled air. Frost encroached the enemies, spreading from Noelle's hooves. "Let him go." She continued, voice shaking.
The one armed Werewire was frozen to the ground, multiple layers of ice covering its legs, leaving them fully frozen through, yet she didn't even notice.
The next thing the final Werewire saw was Noelle standing in front of it, hands glowing with power. "LET HIM GO!" She repeated, an explosion of ice bursting from her hands. Kris was dropped to the ground, unharmed as a tidal wave of magic consumed the creature.
Noelle stopped once she realized that Kris was on the ground next to her, her eyes widening as she flinched backwards. The Werewire was fully frozen through, resembling a statue more than anything now.
She covered her mouth with a horrified gasp, staring at what she had done. It was only self defense. She was protecting Kris, who was helpless. She had moved on instinct, only wanting to protect her friend. Kris twitched beside her, groaning softly. She gasped, lowering herself to the ground and placing her hands on his shoulders.
"K-Kris? Kris, wake up!" She begged, and he mumbled softly, opening his eyes and looking up at her, confused.
"Huh? N-Noelle? What…happened?" He asked.
She bit her lip, trying and failing to stop the tears from coming.
"I…I did something bad, Kris…"