Chapter Text
This isn't going how Susie intended for it to go.
"Look, if you just- come with me, so I can show you-"
"Susie," Noelle says, without the giggling, heart-brightening warmth she ususally says Susie's name with. It's cold, now. Exasperated, walking a thin line that even Susie knows is on the verge of tipping her into the go away, forever territory. "My dad is in the hospital- he's hurt, he's not- I can't leave him to just go… hang out with you, for some sort of game."
"It's not a game," Susie says, and it comes out with more bite than she intends it to. That's just typical; somewhere around her teeth, words always get sharper, like running up against them on the way out of her mouth has the same effect as grinding an axe. She swallows, tries to force herself softer. "I'm being serious, and it's reall,y, really just going to be better if I can show you, okay?"
"No!" Noelle's voice is loud- louder than Susie's ever really heard her get, and too loud for the empty hallways of the hospital. It echoes, makes Susie's bones rattle. Noelle looks, for a second, like she wants to take it back, one hand twitching up like it wants to cover her mouth- like she covers her mouth when she laughs, when she smiles, when she's hiding a flush that Susie can feel more than see, warmth radiating off her like a fireplace- that she curls into a fist instead. "No, it is not okay. I don't… I can't do this, right now, Susie. Okay? Just- get out of here, before my mom comes back."
You've already done enough, hangs unsaid. Maybe Noelle isn't even thinking it. Maybe it's just the sort of thing that plays on a loop in the back of Susie's head anyway, a shitty, too-loud rock song played over staticy speakers. Her hands curl into fists, an echo of Noelle's, but with a lot more edge, claws digging into flesh and threatening to draw blood. "There's not going to be a later, Noelle. I'm pretty sure-"
Noelle cuts her off. "Please." And that is much closer, much softer, to how Susie knows her. There's tears in the corner of Noelle's eyes, and Susie is struck with the impulse to reach out and brush them away. She won't, though. Her hands are probably too rough for that. "Please, I'm sorry, just-"
"Noelle," Susie tries again. She doesn't know what she's going to say next, really. She doesn't get the chance to find out.
Behind Noelle, billowing out in tiny whisps, is dark- beyond dark, pitch, no-streetlight, door closed black smoke, is coming from under the door of her father's hospital room.
Kris didn't want to wait outside.
Kris didn't really want to be anywhere near any of this. They think this, loudly and deliberately, so the driver's side of this relationship could hear it. They can't walk away, not when I'll wait for you was pushed out of their mouth, and Susie smiled, soft and sharp in a way only she can manage, and said thanks, Kris. Susie, despite it all- despite all the choices they wouldn't have made that lead them here, and all the things they couldn't say, or wouldn't say- was their friend. And even if it hadn't been their thought, it had been their voice that made the promise.
So. They're fucking waiting outside, still as a statue. No twitching hands. No twiddling their thumbs. Nervousness thrums through the conscious part ot their mind, but the unconscious doens't react to it. It's a waking sleep paralysis, sometimes, this- possession isn't quite right. Relationship isn't either. Kris doesn't like thinking about it- so, they don't. They close their eyes, and-
"Oh, Kris! Fancy seeing you here."
It's fucking Berdly. It's thought with a different cadence, from both sides of their mind: exasperation, and glee. They don't want, really, to open their eyes. They do anyway, without prompting. Better to get this over with.
Berdly's holding chocolates. "I was just on my way in to offer Noelle a shoulder of a true friend upon which to rest her head in these trying times," he says, gesticulating. The choclates shake in their container; the ribbon holding the box together is tied in a pretty shitty bow. If he shakes it a few more times, it'll probably come apart, and the choclate will go flying everywhere. There's glee in both voices in their head, now: in the forebrain, their own, schandedfreude. In the hind, a oh god, oh no sense that's almost laughing, nervous.
It's not quite the same feeling, but it's nice, when the driver's side aligns with them. Smoother. Peaceful, when they don't have to fight against the tide.
"I brought a card." Berdly's kept talking, as Kris took their mental sidebar. He's digging into his messanger bag, now, and coming up with a card bearing an illustration of several smiling carrots in the dirt, flashing thumbs up. WE'RE ROOTING FOR YOU! it declares. Kris snorts. Oh my fucking god, the driver's side echoes. Oh my fucking god! "You could, of course, sign it; I know not all are as thoughtful as I and I am willing, in this one instance, to allow you to ride on my coattails. For the sake of Noelle."
I gotta draw something stupid in this, Kris thinks, in the same second the driver thinks: you gotta draw something stupid in this. A choice is made. "Sure, man. Got a pen?"
Berdly huffs. "Don't ask such silly questions, Kris."
Kris almost smiles, genuinely. Fondly. No one asked them to do that.
They're going to pretend someone did.
The pen Berdly comes up with is a school bookfair dream: multiple colors of ink on tap, in an electric green casing. Stupid picture is going to be a stupid masterpiece. Both sides are satisfied with this thought; zen is found. Berdly passes over both, and Kris can't grab them quick enough. They twist a bit, trying to balance the card on one knee and stand on the other foot; Stupid Masterpiece wasn't going to be a "hold the card in the air and half-ass doodle" sort of ordeal. This needed focus.
Berdly huffs. Kris' hand twitches. It's the preamble sort of huff, the huff they know from extensive experience is going to be swiftly followed by the most eye-roll inducing sentence known to man or monster since the last time Berdly opened his beak.
"Allow me," he says, turning and gesturing broadly. "To be the desk upon which you pen your most heartfelt condolences."
Kris says nothing. The driver doesn't ask them to. What the fuck is with this guy?
Berdly crouches. "I will even lower myself, to accommodate someone of your stature."
Kris' eye twitches. They could kick this guy. They should kick this guy.
Focus. Stupid Masterpiece is more important.
Begrudgingly, Kris agrees.
Use Berdly as a desk. That, at least, meant Kris didn't have to look at his stupid face for a second. All focus could be given to Stupid Masterpiece which, even if it didn't manage to make Noelle smile, would at least give them something to focus on for a few minutes that wasn't the heavy feeling in half their body, or Noelle and Susie, or their deal with-
The cut that thought off, with malice. With? It's tempting, always. To give into the driver, to let them steer Kris to the things they don't want to do, don't want to know, know that the driver can't know anything about. With?
Kris clicks the green ink down on Berdly's pen, and starts sketching out the rough shape of a pine tree- horizontal, though. Pine tree skateboard. Polar bear doing a kickflip on pine tree skateboard. That'll do the trick.
"I must admit," Berdly starts, because the dude can't stop talking for two goddamn minutes. Kris' jaw clenches, and their grip on the pen tightens. Polar bear has on sunglasses. "I am a touch surprised not to see you inside, already paying your respects." Polar bear is doing a thumbs up? No. Peace sign. Could they get away with a middle finger? Probably not, but god, that'd be so fucking funny- "After all, in times of need, it is important that we all band together for the sake of the weak, and-"
Kris is fighting an inner war- peace sign vs middle finger- so they miss the exact second that Berdly goes silent. They're grateful for it, though- even as Berdly starts shaking, ever so slightly- damn, was the dude so out of shape that crouching for a few minutes was doing him in?- and then, at full tilt- ah, goddamn, don't fall over before I finish-
Berdly stands abruptly, throwing Kris off kilter, making them drag a dark line just under Supid Masterpiece. Damn. Guess that was the ground, then. They could make it work.
"The h— the hospital's—" Berdly's pointing, voice jumping a few octaves. "It's-"
Kris rescues the card before it tips into a puddle, because god forbid their work got destroyed, and feels their heart- actual heart, and then where the driver is settled in the vague area of it; they jump, and then shrink, an 'oh god, oh fuck,' flinch- kick into double time, at the sight of dark smoke leaking out from under the doorway. No. No, fuck, no, there was no way- there was no reason, they hadn't said anything about-
"There are people in there!" Berdly's already making for the door. "Sick people- Noelle, her dad, Kris, we have to-"
No. They surge, unbidden, and grab for Berdly's shoulder. "We can't just-" You have to help them. It's the driver, now, panicked even in their distance. Kris, you know you have to help them. You're the only one that can help them. Susie's in there, alone. She's in the Dark World, alone, and you don't-
"We have to help them," Berdly says, and Kris has no clue where this bravery is coming from, when exactly Berdly's bravado had turned into something the idiot would actually act upon, but they don't fucking like it. The hand they'd put on Berdly's shoulder is shaken off, and then grabbed, tugging them forward. "Come on!"
Their grip on the pen and card tighten. You have to help them. "I don't-"
It's too late, though; Berdly has the door open, and is pushing through the fog- pulling them into the darkness, even as they dig their heels in and fight back. It's no use. It never really is.
Kris falls. They land. The landscape has changed.
"What," Berdly says somewhere beside them, wheezing. "What?"
Fucker. Kris exhales harhsly through their nose as they stand, and take in the landscape. The walls seem to stretch on into infinity; tall, rectangular metal pylons flanked by sertile blue curtains that billow in wind that Kris doesn't feel, but definitely sees. Fucker!
Let's move. "Let's move." They push the words out through gritted teeth. "Get behind me. I'll lead the way."
"What!" Berdly's still spluttering, even as he stands. He's in that stupid fucking cyber-armor again, orange-half visor over one eye. Kris would laugh if the joke wasn't on them. "This place, it's- I thought that-"
"Noelle and Susie are in here, somewhere," Kris says. Hopefully just them. Hopefully, no one else. The Knight didn't say anything about a Dark World here. It's chilling, the potential that they weren't worth updating, anymore. That they'd somehow fallen out of favor- even though the Knight needed them.
Or. They'd always said they needed them. Needed the Soul. That it had to be them, and the Soul, and-
Kris shakes their head, dislodges the line of thinking. Dark World. Noelle, Susie- probably Noelle's dad, too. "Noelle and Susie are in here, somewhere," they repeat. "And they need help. Right? That's- all that matters." That's all that matters, they repeat in their own head for the driver- the Soul- to hear. Got it? Drop the mysteries. People are in danger.
That's all that matters, the Soul- begrudingly, Kris knows- agrees. Alright.
"Alright." Kris jumps, when Berdly echoes the word, without having heard it. "You are, of course, correct. There are damsels that are certainly distressed right now, and we must be their knights in shining armor." He pauses, considering his own outfit. "Though, I am considerably more shining, so perhaps I am the knight in this scenario, and you, my squire."
Fuck this guy, Kris thinks. God, this guy is so fucking funny, the Soul snorts. Go along with it. Yes, and. "Sure," Kris says. This thing is going right in the fucking bird cage when they get home. Hey, c'mon. I just meant- "Whatever. Let's go."
There is an eerie emptiness, as they walk through the beginnings of the world. It's always sparsely populated here, Kris knows; the Darkners don't tend to show up in the- tutorial zone, the Soul helpfully supplies, and Kris lets them have it. There's a gnawing anxiety to the lack of pop-up battles now, though. Their footsteps echo, Berdly's talons clacking on tile lounder than Kris' booted footsteps. It sets their teeth on edge.
"You said Susie was here?" Berdly asks, about fifteen steps from the start. Kris nods.
"I was waiting for her, outside." They wish, now, they they'd insisted on going in. Maybe that would've stopped this. Maybe they could've protected her. This had to be about the Shelter code; the Knight knew, somehow, despite Kris not telling them, that Susie had the paper Asgore had left behind. Kris resents him, where they know they should resent theirself. Should've ripped it up faster. Should've known, somehow, that the stupid fucking Flower Guy had told her about it. Should've- "She came to talk to Noelle."
"They're probably not alone, then." There's audible relief- sincere relief, in Berdly's tone, and written across his face. Kris' heart- not Soul, just heart- twists. They pretend it's the Soul. You do not feel bad for fucking Berdly. Come on. "That's good. Susie can protect her, whilst we fight for them both."
Kris nods. "Yeah. They'll be okay, I'm sure." It comes out more reassuring, than simple fact. More like a hope they had to speak aloud, for their own sake as much as comforting Berdly. Comforting Berdly? No. They didn't want to do that.
Don't you? the Soul asks. It's a legitimate question, curious. Kris ignores it. No fucking way.
There's nothing but the sound of their footsteps, again, for another about ten feet. "Do you… know what this place is?" Berdly asks. It sounds a little like it's pulling teeth.
Say yes. Kris nods, and says nothing. Bites their tongue.
"I remember," Berdly says, slowly. "A dream. It was- I had a dream, a few days ago. About… I was wearing this, and you were blue, and wearing that, and—"
"Maybe this is a dream again," Kris says, and keeps walking. "You inhaled too much smoke and passed out. Oops."
"Wh- don't say things like that!" Berdly's almost squawking. That makes the corners of Kris' mouth turn up, just a little. "I'm being serious, Kris!"
"So am I." Kris shrugs, and doesn't turn their head to check behind them, even as tempting as watching Berdly tweak out is. Eyes on the prize. There was no shadow of the Dark Fountain on the horizon, from here. Bad sign. Means it's big.
"The odds against having a sequel dream are astronomical." Berdly keeps talking as if Kris hadn't said anything, which is par for the course. They just keep their head forward, and try to tune it out. Still no battles. Please, one battle. Anything that'll shut him up. They wish, with a pang, that Susie were here. Or-
"Kris!"
Ralsei. Thank god.
They stop in their tracks to let him catch up; Berdly doesn't stop walking in time, and rams directly into them. Kris stumbles; a featherd hand grabs them by the arm, and pulls them back. "Careful, Kris, not to fall so soon."
Fucking Berdly.
The annoyance is immediately wiped from their face when Ralsei catches up; it's a relief to see him, even given the circumstances. Maybe especially given the circumstances.
(He knows, Kris knows. He knows. And he knows this one isn't right. That I didn't-)
"Where's Susie?" Ralsei asks, a little breathless.
Not here. Kris shakes their head, and gestures behind them. "Not here."
"It's- there's two," Ralsei says, hushed but high octave. "Kris, there's two fountains, in the same building- and, they weren't right on top of each other, thank god, but they're close. They're close, and I think Susie's in the other world, alone, and-"
Not alone. Shit. "Not alone," Kris says, grave. They were already a pretty pale blue. It gets paler. "With Noelle."
"Oh no." Ralsei tugs on his ears, panic clear in his eyes. "No, that's right, she was going to talk to her, today. To take her to Castle Town; we were up all night last night, decorating, and-"
Kris quells a pang of jealousy. This wasn't the time. "We have to find them."
Ralsei frowns, face twisting until worry becomes determination. "Susie knows what to do. She'll know she has to- find some way to seal the fountain. Which, she can't, if you're not there, but maybe… maybe there'll be… a bridge. Something, between the two, so we can get to her, or she can get to us. Right?"
Kris nods. Ralsei echoes the movement, determination doubling. "Right! So, all we have to do is… trust her. Trust that she knows what to do, and we'll… we'll see her, soon." He moves, then, to the tail of the line. "Let's go, Kris."
"Ex-scuse me?" Fucker. Kris had almost forgotten about Berdly. "That's- you! You were in the last dream, and you-"
Ralsei's frown took a sour edge. He leans around Berdly, from the end of the line, and stage whispers in Kris' direction. "Kris, why'd you bring him?"
Kris shrugs, and shakes their head. Not my idea, man. Can't get rid of him now.
"I can hear you!" Berdly huffs.
Ralsei pushes a smile, fading back into line. "Right. Of course. Hello, Berdly, it's… so nice. To see you again."
Berdly's eyes narrow, but he nods. "Likewise. It is fortuitous, to have found a healer for our party before we forge ahead. I presume, at least, that you are versed in the healing magicks, given your… robes?" It comes out unsure, like even Berdly wasn't tracking his own logic. "Though, you really could use a hat."
Ralsei's tenuous smile drops. "Kris? Let's get moving."
Kris nods, and they do. It almost feels right; if they imagine Susie's heavy footsteps in place of the tapping of Berdly's talons on tile, this was how every adventure started. The three of them, moving through an unfamiliar land, and-
There's two notes of trumpet, in the back of Kris' mind, and the metalltic, shining chord that meant something had become aware of them. Shit. Battle time.
"Did you have an appointment?" a serpentine voice hisses, as its shadow rises across the battlefield. "Let'sssss get you checked in, ssssweetheart!"
Kris draws their sword, even though they know they won't use it. Let's go.