Random reflections on Kress that I hope you'll maybe enjoy. (And am very curious about your own headcanons of the same type.)
I like to imagine Kris's puppy thing was originally from the positive reinforcement Dess gave them for it, and now even as they try to move past everything, they still like being treated like a puppy, and kinda have an irreversable kink about it.
Even if seriously reflecting on it makes them feel sick, they still like being being held and petted and called "good dog," and now everyone calls them a puppy and like a pet dog as a cute little joke because it seems to make them smile, with absolutely zero context of any of the sexual trauma behind it.
And, I love so much the idea that Susie, maybe isn't even too much like Dess, but still constantly reminds Kris of her, when she's violent towards them, when she laughs, when she puts her hand on their head and smiles...
i love this a lot, the way it perfectly ties into the complicated feelings Kris might have about Dess, the craving for the affection she provided despite knowing it's wrong and feeling sickened by that wrongness, but still shamefully finding some comfort in it. it's too good!
i've certainly considered leaning into some pup/pet stuff with some of my art of the two (i'm a big fan of that kinda thing, it shows a bit in my older drawings) but i have to assume the world of Deltarune wouldn't have the same culture around dogs and their role as a pet given that they instead seem to be separate species of monster with comparable intelligence to everyone else aside from the annoying dog, so i begrudgingly stayed away from it this time.
As for Susie, I like to think of her and Dess being a bit similar but only really on the surface with similarly tomboyish presentations. Just enough for those occasional glimpses of Dess you mentioned to really hit hard in a way that even Noelle would recognize, and it's why the two take to Susie so quickly and comfortably.