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“... Oh, is that it?”
Asriel grabbed a small blank can from within the fridge and looked at it up close. Yes, this is it. Satisfied, he placed it on the tray he was carrying and gently bumped the fridge's door with his hip. It closed with more force than he intended, making the katana that was mounted on the wall wobble slightly in its frame. The goat monster watched it intently - and slightly nervously - until it stopped moving. It seemed like it was in no danger of actually falling off.
Asriel breathed out, preferring not to dwell on what would have happened if one of Carol's precious katanas had come to any sort of harm. With the tray and drinks in hand, he turned around and used his shoulder to push open the door of the Holiday mansion's kitchen.
“GET DUNKED ON!” - the voice of the eldest daughter of the Holidays loudly welcomed him to the living room. Asriel stood still for a few seconds, just observing the scene unfolding before him - one that was strangely familiar: a small console rested on the floor in front of the large TV of the Holidays. On the screen was a brightly dressed cartoon girl wielding a sword, stuck in a looping heroic pose with the text WINNER in bold, red letters above her while another character that resembled a large ape clapped unimpressed on the bottom corner of the screen. Meanwhile, on the couch, were three people: a human and a large doe monster, both with controllers in hand, and another, smaller fawn monster sat next to the larger one, stifling a giggle.
Kris threw the controller in their hand against the carpet, luckily with not enough strength to deal any significant damage to it - “Not fair!” - the human crossed their arms and leaned back into the sofa.
“C’mon Kris. Do you always have to be such a sore loser?” - Dess Holiday tilted her head to the side in order to maximize the condescension in her voice and pose. Asriel knew that sadly this was a very effective method to rile Kris up - “It’s just a game anyway. Even if you suck bad at it we still love you, Krismas.” - the doe monster proudly displayed her buck teeth in a wide smile.
Asriel looked at Kris as they shook, and considered that if Dess continued, them popping a blood vessel or three was not out of the realm of possibility. Knowing his sibling better than anyone, he decided to intervene before it was too late for anyone involved.
“Woah, I see the Holiday-Dreemurr grudge match is going well, ha ha!” - Asriel’s voice made everyone’s heads turn to look at him as he slowly made his way to the sofa. Kris and Dess’ expression relaxed, while Noelle’s eyes seemed to grow large - “I got you guys some refreshments. You need to be topped up if you wanna be fit for fighting!”
“Yaaay! Thanks Azzy!” - Noelle excitedly kicked her feet before quickly hopping off the sofa and approaching Asriel.
“Here you go, Elly. A glass of eggnog just for you!” - the goat monster took a small glass filled with a creamy white liquid and handed it to the fawn. She quickly took a sip, and then smiled at Asriel with some white staining her upper lip - “Thank you!” - she repeated, returning to her sister’s side on the sofa.
Asriel looked at his sibling - “Okay Kris, for you-” - the human quickly snatched the half-full bottle of chocolate milk from Asriel’s hand, ignoring the plastic cup the goat monster had prepared for them. Without missing a beat, they began drinking straight from it - “Kris!! What the heck, gross!” - Kris seemed to pay little attention to Asriel’s reprimand only for a split second before immediately going back to drinking.
“Fahaha! Don’t worry Azzy, it’s not like they're gonna leave any. And nobody else here drinks that stuff anyway!” - the doe monster added, and Asriel simply sighed in defeat while shaking his head.
Asriel took the blank can from the tray and offered it to Dess - “... And for Dess, a can of your special lemonade.” - the girl took the can, and raised it as if to toast while winking at him. Asriel only hoped she hadn’t made that batch too special; he loved his girlfriend more than anything in the world, but she was quite the handful - and earful - when she was drunk.
Finally, Asriel took the last remaining can off the tray and set it aside on the table. It was a can of iced tea - ICE-E’d tea, to be precise. He pulled open the tab and took a swig of the beverage. Refreshing. Just what he needed to get everything ready for a relaxing evening.
Well, it was meant to be relaxing, but…
Asriel looked at his sibling. The offering of chocolate had worked its usual magic getting them in a better mood, but they still appeared to be slightly crossed. The goat took another sip from his can, as if to build up enough courage to attempt to defuse the situation further - “Hey Kris. I’m sure you held your own against Dess. You know how she is-”
Kris whipped their head around with enough force to startle their brother, raising an accusatory finger towards the older doe at the same time - “It wasn’t supposed to be Dess! Noelle and I were going to fight but she gave the controller to her!”
Noelle piped up almost immediately - “Y-you know I’m bad at the game! It would not have been a fair fight!” - her nose glowed brightly as she defended herself.
“Yeah Kris, give her a break. It’s not fair when you get put up against an opponent that’s much better and more experienced than you.” - Dess somehow managed to speak both while drinking from her unmarked can and very clearly smiling. Asriel brought his hand to his forehead. By the Angel Dess, come on…
Kris basically leaped out of the couch, brandishing the now empty chocolate bottle - “That’s cheating! You are a tryhard cheater! Sweaty sweaty tryhard! F-”
“Kris, give it a rest.” - Asriel anticipated his sibling’s next words and shot them a stern look. While keeping the human from swearing occasionally was like trying to alter the course of a river - Dess had taught them well sadly - Asriel tried his best to reduce it to a minimum, especially if directed at another person.
Dess elbowed her sister lightly - “Elly look, they’re sooooo mad, fahaha!” - Noelle looked at Kris and snickered.
Asriel turned his attention to his girlfriend with an exasperated look - “Dess, you aren’t helping.” - Asriel breathed out. He’d seen this scenario play out a million times, and he’d see it play out at least another million: Kris egging Dess on, Dess egging Kris on, all until things reached a boiling point and the whiffle bat would come out. They’d make up 10 minutes later most of the time, but it was still exhausting.
“How would YOU feel if I got Azzy to play instead of me, huh!?” - Kris said, speaking directly to the doe monster as if their brother wasn’t in between them. Asriel turned towards them.
The doe monster laughed.
“Well, I’d kick his ass like I just kicked yours!”
!!!
Suddenly, it was as if a fierce wind had blown through the living room of the Holiday manor, taking away every sound but the reverberation of those last spoken words - and even the breath of those present. For what felt like an eternity everything stood still, no one daring - or perhaps able - to make a move.
After a time, however, Asriel moved. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he turned to face his girlfriend. His face was devoid of much expression other than a shine in his eyes - almost like a glow.
He spoke slowly, and clearly.
“... Oh, really now?” - the goat monster crossed his arms, leaning slightly forward. His voice roared like thunder and, combined with his fiery glare and his pose, gave the normally affable and fluffy monster an intimidating presence that was very rare to see in him. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again - “Is that so?”
Dess and Noelle both stood quietly, before the older doe took the lead and answered - “Yeah it is. I’d kick your ass.” - the doe’s expression recovered from the initial shock and quickly returned to its signature smile, challenging the goat monster - “In fact, I will.”
The gauntlet had been thrown down.
Asriel quickly moved his arm to the side, opening his hand and uttering a single phrase.
“Kris, the controller.”
The human jumped slightly at the mention of their name, before an almost impossibly large grin overtook their face. They scampered down and quickly retrieved the controller they’d thrown off, handing it to their sibling.
Both Dess and Asriel turned in unison, facing the TV and leaning slightly forward. Dess pressed a button on the controller, finally progressing past the victory screen and back into character select. Dess selected the same character as before: sword magician. Asriel hesitated for a moment before doing the same, choosing the same - albeit colour-swapped - character.
“Bold move, Azzy.” - the doe monster said.
“I’ll have you know I’ve been practicing!” - Asriel shot back. While he’d not had much time to fight against his sibling thanks to his busy schedule, after becoming invested in the game’s professional scene, he’d been looking at tutorials online the past few months. He had even spent some of his free time honing his skills in the game’s training mode when everyone else in his house was fast asleep. Hopefully, hitting a training dummy over and over and getting button combinations down to muscle memory would have paid off. Dess was a fierce opponent, and he was sure this’d be a hard fought battle.
Dess pressed a button and the two characters loaded into the stage. The two twin fighters stood above a sprawling city, their fighting arena being two platforms separated by a gap leading into the void below.
READY?
GO!
Before the announcer’s voice had even faded from his ears, Asriel found Dess’ character within striking distance of him. His shield came up too late as Dess drew first blood, sending him into the air with an uppercut. Asriel fumbled with the controller, suddenly forgetting what button the dodge was on, and watched helplessly as his character tumbled to the abyss below.
1 - 0!
Dess simply turned her head with a smug grin plastered across her face. The goat monster quickly responded to her implicit jab - “Look, I’m not used to this control scheme, okay?” - he did his best to lie his way out of embarrassment. He failed miserably.
Dess raised her arms - “Fahaha! If you’d been half as quick to defend yourself in game as you were just now you may have stood a chance, you know?” - Asriel huffed and turned his attention back to the game. He tried his best not to let her comment get to him, but it was especially hard given that it was true.
Asriel’s character returned to the field atop a flying platform descending from the top of the screen. He used his precious seconds of invulnerability to get his bearings, watching his girlfriend’s character waiting for him down below with ill intent. The goat monster breathed in, and his character stepped off the platform and into the enemy’s hands.
While Smashing Fighters was a game both the Dreemurr and Holiday children greatly enjoyed, it was clear who of the two families had spent more time on it. Dess was a fighter on a completely different league from Asriel’s sibling: if getting into the occasional match with Kris was like riding on a bike with training wheels, doing so with the doe was going against someone who’d gleefully take them off and proceed to beat you into a bloody pulp with them. And beat him she could; for as soon as Asriel finished visualizing that metaphor, he saw his character fly in the opposite direction of a charged attack and explode into a blast of light at the edge of the screen.
2 - 0!
The golden boy gripped his controller hard and sighed. It was clear he was slightly out of his element, but this was not a problem. He only needed to-
“Nice try! Nice try! Nice try! Nice try! Nice try! Ni-”
This time, below the flying platform, Dess’ character repeated the same short animation with an accompanying low-quality voiceline. Asriel turned his head while the invulnerability lasted, coming face to face with the grinning deer.
“Are you seriously taunting right now!?” - Asriel spat out.
“Nice try!” - the doe replied, in a purposefully poor imitation of the character's voice.
The goat monster turned his attention back to the TV screen, doing his best to ignore the doe's taunts. As his character dropped onto the battlefield once more, he tried to clear his head. On top of being good at the game itself, Dess was a true master of psychological warfare: to duel her was to make combat with both mind and body. Asriel had been taken off guard, and if he gave into the doe's dirty tricks, letting his focus stray from the match, he would simply lose.
This time, he held back as his foe attempted to lure him in with its constant taunting. Asriel remained calm, using the distance between the two fighters to charge some of his character's magical attacks. Suddenly, his opponent rushed ahead, bored by the ineffectiveness of her tactics, and started wailing on him. Strike by strike, the goat monster was pushed back to the edge of the map.
Just as he wanted.
With a swift dodge, Asriel's character stepped behind Dess’ and unleashed a powerful charged spell that sent her hurling towards the void below the stage. However, it seemed that the doe would not be so easily bested; her character quickly recovered from the stunned animation and used its double jump to attempt to get back onto the stage. The golden boy saw only one way to guarantee her demise, and jumped into the void himself. He had one shot, one chance to nail the timing of his attack so it would send her plummeting down and gave him enough time to recover. Asriel pressed the button, the attack making contact just in time for-
CLING.
Suddenly, it was Asriel's character who was the one flying out of control. His sword magician was launched onto the stage, bouncing from it and into the side of the screen. Asriel's mouth hung agape as he watched the flaming text appear on the screen.
GAME!
THE WINNER IS…
SWORD MAGICIAN!
Once more, Dess’ character struck a triumphant pose, while this time an off-colour copy of her clapped in the bottom corner of the screen. Asriel blinked a few times, his brain struggling to catch up to the last few seconds of their match.
“Wh- Huh?” - he managed to say after a few seconds.
The doe laughed - “Fahaha! Dude, did you seriously forget about the counter move?”
Asriel's eyes opened wide. Of course he had! The training dummies did not hit back. And even if they did, it was a terrible move anyway: it was predictable, had difficulty killing unless the opponent was very damaged, was very punishable if it missed and-
“Well, goes to show which of the two families is better, huh Elly?” - Dess continued her gloating as Asriel silently fumed beside her. When the goat turned to his other side, he saw the disapproving face of his sibling.
“L-look, I didn't expect that, okay?” - he tried in vain to excuse his performance, while the human simply shook their head - “If she hadn't been so lucky with that move I totally could have turned it around and won!”
“Damn Azzy, is your middle name John, or does the sore loser thing just run in the family?” - Dess was quick to add, much to her boyfriend's annoyance.
Asriel pointed a claw at Dess - “Let's go again!” - the doe arched an eyebrow, a smile still plastered onto her lips - “Best of three! It's the rules.”
However, Asriel's appeal to proper etiquette fell on willingly deaf ears - “Pfft! Why? I don't need to prove anything yet again, Dreemurr.”
“Y-you scared?”
The doe rolled her eyes, very obviously unimpressed by her boyfriend's poor attempt at taunting her. Asriel didn't really see an out in this situation: he wanted an opportunity to properly prove himself and defend the Dreemurr name, but the ball was in Dess’ court and it would take a lot for her to give it up. So a lot he would have to give. The goat monster cleared his throat, and went all in.
“Best of three. And we can bet whatever you want on it!”
A soft gasp came from both of the younger siblings, who'd been mostly quiet up until that point.
Now that had gotten her attention.
Dess turned slowly towards Asriel, and as she did so, a smile that made him regret his wager grew on her face. Once it reached its apex, buck teeth proudly displayed, the doe began to speak.
“How about this?” - the doe tapped her finger on her chin, pretending to think of something she very clearly had already figured out - “Let's say… a date!”
“A-a date?” - Asriel repeated without meaning to. Well, that was hardly a punishment. In fact, it was something pleasant! It seemed he had had no real reason to worry ab-
“A date!” - the doe replied with a little too much enthusiasm - “And of course, whoever loses pays for food.” - of course. If he knew his girlfriend well, she'd use that opportunity to stretch the goat's funds thin as much as she could. Still, it wasn't like he wasn't used to paying at QC's and such, given the odd jobs he did sometimes around town, so-
“... And the winner gets to choose what the loser wears to the date.”
Oh.
Oh Angel.
The effect of the doe's words on Asriel must've been quite apparent, as she instantly attempted to push her advantage - “That too much for you, flower boy? I thought you said you could beat me?”
Asriel swallowed. Now it was him who'd thrown the gauntlet down, and he could not take it back. Could he truly beat Dess? He'd need to focus a lot, and even then the tutorials he'd watched had not been of much use in the last game. But despite everything, the boy decided to live by his words - “... I accept.”
Another gasp escaped Noelle, who was leaning so far forward on the sofa she looked to be in danger of falling off. Kris placed a hand on their brother's shoulder - whether it was mournful of reassuring he could not tell. The goat nodded, and once again turned to look at the screen at the same time as his opponent did.
With a few button presses, the same characters were chosen, and a map was selected at random. It seemed this time the two would duel atop a spaceship flying above a city. Not tournament legal, Asriel knew, but maybe he could use this to his advantage.
READY?
GO!
The match began, and with it, so did Dess’ aggression. Asriel did note that her preferred style was one of rushing down her opponent, which was easy to get overwhelmed by. However, this time around, as his shield blocked most of the doe's moves, he focused on her choices. Mostly quick jabs and kicks, but every once in a while a slower charged move would be thrown out. The goat mentally went through what he remembered of the character's moveset, and identified those occasional moves as a point of vulnerability. But how could he exploit it? With proper spacing, the doe could easily outmaneuver a jab out of shield, which would leave the goat in a worse position than before.
Suddenly, a wicked smile grew on the goat's face. He patiently waited for the doe's next big strike, and stopped guarding.
CLING.
The counter went off, and Dess' character was thrown back. Asriel heard a huff coming from his side, which he ignored in favor of rushing to the enemy, now vulnerable. His muscle memory was not as good as he'd wanted it to be, but he was able to capitalize on the doe's state to score some good hits with a mostly good combo. A lucky charged attack soon after, when the doe attempted to retaliate, drew first blood.
0 - 1!
Asriel's wicked smile grew into a cackle. He turned his head to the doe - “Did you forget about the counter?” - two could play at that game.
“Don't get cocky, flower boy.” - the doe simply responded. Her boyfriend should have heeded her advice, for soon after dispensing it Dess managed to catch the goat off-guard and send him off the screen to settle the score.
1 - 1!
Asriel took this as a sign to continue to focus, but it was very clear that the taste of defeat had thrown the doe's game off just a little bit. While her aggression continued, she seemed to be more reluctant with her attacks. This gave the goat some much needed breathing room, where he could finally start to interiorize the tips and tricks he'd watched on his computer screen.
The pair went back and forth, trading blows before disengaging and stepping back. Asriel tried his best, but performing long strings of combos on someone who didn't want to just stand there and take it was not the easiest task. Still, the short three hit strings he was able to perform had built up considerable damage on the doe, so it was now or never. The goat rushed towards the doe once more, the sequence of buttons in his mind. He performed the first hit, which was skillfully blocked by the deer.
And then stood still for a second.
The doe dropped her shield just in time for a charged attack to send her flying off.
1 - 2!
A very loud huff escaped the doe besides him. Oh, now she's really mad. He couldn't blame her; he would have been too. Conditioning your opponent was one of the best ways to be unpredictable later on in the match, and Asriel's limited combo knowledge had worked wonders to build up a false sense of security on the doe. Still, he needed to play it safe: he was very damaged, and did not want to have a repeat of the last time.
Asriel kept himself a healthy distance away from Dess. He needed to figure out another way to slip past the doe's defenses, and he was certain his last trick would not work… unless he changed it again.
The goat rushed ahead, once more preparing to unleash his signature combo… and then didn't. Dess shield blocked nothing but dead air.
The goat grabbed the doe out of her shield, and threw her backwards off the edge of the platform. A familiar situation, one that would not have a familiar outcome - not that Dess needed to know. Asriel jumped into the void in pursuit of Dess, and very clearly saw the counter coming. So once again, he grabbed onto her instead of striking, and simply waited.
“Dude!!”
The doe's words did little to alter her fate. She was able to escape the grab, but by the time she was free of the goat's clutches, it was far too late. Asriel's character disappeared first below the screen in a blast of light.
2 - 2!
But the precious few seconds the doe had been in her boyfriend's grip, being dragged down by gravity, had been enough. She used her jump to attempt to save herself, but was just shy of returning to the starship-shaped platform. The two monsters could only watch as her character slowly descended and met a similar end to Asriel's.
GAME!
THE WINNER IS…
SWORD MAGICIAN!
This time, it was the off-colour copy the one who struck a victorious pose, cape billowing on non-existent wind. Asriel basked in the sweet fanfare of victory as he threw his arms back behind his head and rewarded himself with a smile. Kris got up onto the sofa and basically threw themselves to him, shaking his shoulders and laughing at the newfound champion.
“Bullshit!!” - Dess’ voice broke everyone out of their celebration. Noelle, to her side, gasped and covered her ears, while Kris simply looked at the doe with eyes wide open - “That was bullshit and you know it Azzy! I totally should've been able to grab the ledge there!”
Asriel attempted to interject - “Dess, please, lang-”
His human sibling was way faster at the draw - “You're the one that's bullshit! Bullshit at the game, ha ha!”
“KRIS!” - Asriel yelled, doing little to stop the human from sticking their tongue out at their neighbour and giggling.
The goat sighed, then turned to Dess - “Come on Dess, it's okay to lose sometimes.” - Asriel attempted to put on a kind face, but judging by his girlfriends reaction it seemed to have the opposite effect he intended - “I mean it's only a game after all, we-”
“You calling ME a sore loser??”
Suddenly, an idea struck Asriel. It was only game two out of three, and he still was unsure of his raw skill being a match to Dess’ - especially after she was sure to become wiser to his tricks. So, if he was not sure he could beat her on the console's battlefield, he would try to level the playing field outside of it.
“I don't know Dess, am I?” - the goat's smile turned malicious, in a way his expression never did - “You tell me.”
Then, Dess began laughing.
It was a low chuckle at first, one that almost made the goat worry that she had begun sobbing. But soon it progressed into some giggling, and before anyone knew it Dess threw her head back, the Holiday living room engulfed in the cackling of someone who had either gone mad or was about to. All present bore witness as the doe lowered her head back down, the laughter faded and a glint in her eyes that perhaps for the first time really did make the doe look like a child of Carol Holiday. She spoke.
“You're dead meat, Dreemurr.”
Asriel nodded, and thankfully he was able to suppress a smile. He'd gotten into her head.
“We'll see about that, my love.” - the doe rolled her eyes at the pet name, and pressed a button on her controller.
The pair selected the same characters once more, but this time the stage selection was not left up to chance. Dess quickly moved the cursor to the uppermost left of the list, and pressed a button. A flat platform suspended in the void, what would be the Final Destination of their fated confrontation.
Asriel knew this map well - at least from second hand - given it was one of the few legal stages for competitive play, which filled him with confidence. She probably didn't know she was taking him into his home turf. This should be-
Wait.
Suddenly, the possibility of her also knowing this map well wormed its way into the goat's mind. Of course she would know, it was one of the most iconic maps of the series as a whole! Had she then taken him to her hunting grounds? Maybe all of this had been an elaborate ploy to lure him into a false sense of security?
Asriel shook his head, sparing only a single glance towards the doe. As the stage loaded, she gave no signs of anything but fierce - and admittedly scary - determination. The goat shuffled on his spot and gripped his controller, still shook at the amount of mental pressure Dess could still exude without doing anything herself.
Both fighters loaded into the match, one on each opposite end of the platform. The announcer's voice echoed through the Holiday living room, a clock striking noon at a remote desert town where two strangers hovered their hands around the holster at their hips, ready to duel for everything over nothing.
READY?
GO!
Asriel stepped back, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of Dess’ attacks… only for it to not come.
Both fighters stood away from one another, only moving slightly when the other did. Were they not trapped in a two-dimensional plane, they would have been walking in circles, sizing each other up. Occasionally, an easily dodged projectile would fly from one end of the stage to the other, but the fighters made no riskier moves. Asriel tried his best to hide the uneasiness this change in his girlfriend's attitude caused in him. Had she just been playing around so far? Was this her being serious for the first time?
And so, he tried to leverage the advantage he was almost sure he'd granted himself over her.
“Dess, are you trying to kill me of boredom?”
Perhaps not the most effective bait, but one she appeared to have taken. Her character dashed closer, sword first. Asriel blocked her attack and made the fatal mistake of attempting to retaliate with a quick strike, only to find her just out of his reach. It appeared it'd not been him who'd casted the lure, and not her who'd bitten the hook.
As reward for her proper spacing, the doe replied with a swift retribution and a combo of her own, and Asriel was thoroughly punished for his arrogance. With the last hit of her frankly absurd combo string, Asriel was carried just high up enough to disappear off the top of the screen in a blast of light - “Your shit talking is almost as good as your fighting Azzy!” - the doe said, adding a sprinkling of insult to his grievous injury.
1 - 0!
Asriel was on the back foot. He'd overestimated both his skills in game and his skills outside it, and only now it dawned on him how unmatched he was. But letting her know of that realization would only spell his doom.
The goat attempted to create some distance by jumping off his respawn platform, but it did little to dissuade the doe from giving chase. The two clashed in the air, seemingly matched to the naked eye but not really; Asriel was down one of his lives, and while the doe's damage was mounting, so was his.
In a flash, both characters used a charged move forward, and fate saw fit to reward and punish them both: each one was sent flying in an opposite direction and disappeared off the edge of the screen, equalizing their damage but not their lives.
2 - 1!
“Damn Azzy, seems you won't get to decide what I wear.” - the doe snarled - “I bet you wanted me to go in a swimsuit, ya big perv!” - the goat decided to not dignify that accusation with an answer, even if the blush on his face was perhaps more damning than any word.
Match point. The pressure was on, and it was no little pressure: Dess only seemed to need a good combo to bring him down, so any mistake could spell the end for him. Time slowed down around the goat as he reminisced of the many hours of tutorials and guides, the memorized inputs and tier lists. The two opponents stood immobile atop their respawning platforms.
And Asriel did not know what to do.
So he gave up.
If I can't beat her…
… I'll join her.
Asriel threw all caution to the wind, alongside any basic game knowledge, and rushed ahead to the doe like she had done before to him. He mashed button after button, each strike clashing against his opponent's shield. But he did not intend to do any damage, no. He just needed to buy time. The doe remained inside her shield, her patience seemingly growing thin as Asriel repeated the same three inputs that would have normally been a simple combo, but thanks to his consistency had transformed into a suffocating sequence of attacks that only left about a sixtieth of a second to react accordingly.
CRACK.
That was the sound of a shield cracking.
Asriel stopped his flurry, seeing the doe's character remain still in a stunned animation. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he stepped back and, after a second, began performing the combo he'd destined to muscle memory throughout the last few months.
The goat monster flew, and so did the doe, being dragged to the heavens by the force of Asriel's attacks. The stage's upbeat music was replaced by the frantic yet ineffective clicking of the doe's control stick, and the rhythmic grunts and yells of the characters on screen. This melody eventually crescendoed into a final, triumphant yell from both Asriel and his character, one that was answered by the sound of a character disappearing off the side of the screen in a colourful explosion.
2 - 2!
Asriel sat back down and looked at his girlfriend as she prepared to respawn.
“Free pro tip: the best way to get an advantage is to pressure your opponent. Don't let them breathe!”
The resulting growl from his girlfriend let him know he'd struck a nerve. Asriel could almost taste his victory. While having a date be paid for by his girlfriend did not really excite him any more than a normal one would, getting to choose what she wore was an… interesting prospect. Of course, despite how what she had said about a swimsuit made him feel, he would never dare make her wear anything uncomfortable, but perhaps something not her usual style could be good. He imagined her in a long, flowing red dress, coming down the stairs of her home in a way that made music play in his ears.
He was wise enough to not let his thoughts, wholesome or otherwise, consume him. The doe rushed to meet him in the field of battle and he replied accordingly. The graded blows and parries, dodges and projectiles and seemed to be evenly matched. But slowly, it was made clear that the goat was gaining on the doe. She was pushed back, and the equal exchange of damage was thrown off balance. Her head was not in the game, clearly. Asriel had won both in game and outside of it, surpassing the undefeated champion of both in her own turf.
“Azzy!”
Asriel braced himself for a jab, a complaint or an insult.
But certainly not for what came.
The doe's hand slipped under his chin, cupping her boyfriend's head. This sudden warmth drew the goat's eyes to his side, just as his girlfriend gently moved his head to face hers.
And before he knew it, their lips joined.
Asriel's eyes went wide for a second, like they always did, before his eyelids floated down and let the warmth of Dess’ lips be the only sensation he could feel the world through. He let himself be carried by the soft movements of both of their heads, the slow teasing motions of their tongues as they danced and made the two become one. A jolt started in his mouth and made his way to his every extremity, doing multiple laps around his system as the doe's tongue pushed deeper. His very breath was taken away, but he could live without it - he could live with nothing but this. He could never get enough of it, and he never would. For every time they kissed, every time they held hands, he could do nothing but be thankful for every moment in his life, the good and the bad, for ultimately leading him to her. It was in those gestures, in the smallest things, where he felt love. Where he felt whole and true to himself.
Asriel opened his eyes to meet the love of his life, the one who owed so much and could only ever do so little for. And he found them…
… looking to the side.
Asriel was confused only for a fraction of a second, until he noticed his girlfriend's hand was no longer cupping his face, and instead on her controller.
Her controller, the one she was using to absolutely destroy his character now that he was defenseless.
The goat didn't even have time to process the sheer betrayal before he pulled back and attempted to regain control of the situation…
But it was far too late.
GAME!
The final round and the final game, both a loss.
Asriel turned his head slightly, mouth agape and a small string of saliva still joining it to his lover's, just to see her wipe her mouth with her sleeve. She noticed his staring and responded accordingly.
“... How's that for not letting the opponent breathe?”
Asriel scoffed, slowly recovering from his lovestruck trance - “C-come on…”
“Ah ah ah!” - the doe wagged her finger dismissively in front of Asriel - “All's fair in love and war! And this was war.” - the doe scooted closer, before planting a quick kiss on the goat's cheek - “And also I love you, dummy.” - the goat couldn't help but chuckle, something the doe returned.
“Azzzzy!!” - Kris scaled their brother's back and flung themselves over their shoulder, like a particularly angry towel - “Don't let her walk all over you like that! She totally cheated! You had that in the bag!”
“Actually, maybe you're right, Kris.” - the goat shrugged off his sibling before looking towards his girlfriend, who arched an eyebrow - “I think it's time I get even.”
Without warning, the goat monster placed his hands behind Dess' head and paid back her previous gesture of affection a thousandfold. He gently caressed her hair, his fingers mimicking the motions of his tongue as it wrestled with hers. After a small initial shock the doe moved her hands to mirror her boyfriend's and both made their best effort to fight for the other's taste. Their passion ended up sending Dess backwards, falling into the soft cushions of the sofa with Asriel on top. The two broke apart in a small giggle fit, looking into each other's eyes - uninterrupted by rivalry this time. Asriel gave the doe a small peck.
“One to one.” - he said.
“Huh?” - the doe took a few seconds to understand her boyfriend's implicit challenge, before smiling and giving him a peck herself - “Still aching for a fight, Dreemurr? That can be arranged…”
“Best of three?” - the goat monster asked.
”I'm feeling best of five, at least. Maybe eight.” - the doe said. Asriel preferred to reply with actions rather than words. He lowered his head, deciding to take the lead early in their next bat-
“EWWWW!!” - Kris’ purposefully shrill voice broke the two lovers from their trance and brought them back to the living room of the Holiday mansion. The human stood away from the sofa, opening their mouth and making gestures that would make one seriously believe they were about to throw up. To their side, Noelle covered her mouth to badly conceal a giggle.
Dess looked to the pair of children and then back to Asriel. She got off her boyfriend and stood up - “Alright you little jerks. I think it's about time we wrap all of this up.” - she picked up the remote, which had spent most of the evening on the carpet, and turned off the TV - “Go brush your teeth and then go to sleep.”
“Nooo!” - Noelle said, flailing her arms around - “Can't we stay up a bit more? Please…” - the fawn's puppy eyes would have certainly worked on Asriel, but her sister was far more used to them.
“Elly, it's already late. Just help Kris get their sleeping bag and I promise you Azzy will cook breakfast for all of us tomorrow.” - Asriel cocked an eyebrow at the commitment the doe had made for him, but let it go fairly quickly; he knew getting those two to go to bed was not the easiest, so sometimes sacrifices had to be made. He normally didn't mind cooking, either, especially if it was for the ones he loved.
“Yayyy! Okay!” - the fawn grabbed Kris's hand, who had in turn picked up a small backpack off the floor and put it on. Whenever the Dreemurr and Holiday parents spent time together away from home, their children would almost always use that occasion for sleepovers, and this time was no exception. The two children quickly ran up the stairs and disappeared into Noelle's room. While if they would immediately go to sleep was a mystery, they were sure to stay in that room until the next morning.
“Well, apparently I am making breakfast tomorrow.” - Asriel scoffed, making the doe laugh. The goat grabbed the tray with the discarded glasses and cups they'd last used - “I'm gonna put these things away.”
Dess quickly took one last, deep swig of her unmarked can and tossed it into the tray with practiced elegance. Asriel was thankful she'd decided not to crush it with her forehead this time - “Thanks Azzy. You're such a gentleman.” - the doe gave her boyfriend a quick peck that tased of alcohol and lemon - “Come to my room after. We're still one to one for now.” - she stuck her tongue out and winked.
The blush in Asriel's face served as enough of a response - “Not for long we aren't.” - the doe smiled in acceptance of the challenge, then began heading towards her room.
However, as soon as she placed a foot on one of the stair's steps, she turned around.
“Wait. Azzy, do you prefer black or red?”
The goat was confused for a second, before giving the strange question a small amount of thought and answering - “... Uh… Black, I guess?”
“Alright, got it.” - the doe monster gave a thumbs up before a worryingly large smile spread to her face.
“You're gonna look sooo good with eyeliner dude.”
Asriel was thankful he had a good grasp on the tray - “W-what? When am I-”
“Winner decides what the loser wears, Azzy…” - the doe winked once more before disappearing up the stairs.
Asriel watched the love of his life enter her room while he pondered just how far she was willing to stretch their wager. He opened the door to the kitchen and stepped in, beginning to put away the glasses on the tray and throwing away the trash.
He couldn't help but smile.
“Angel, what did I get myself into…”