Beyond The Darkness - Chapter 1: Day One
Description: Kris and Susie meet Ralsei in the Light World, ready to welcome him home. The only issue: Ralsei can't accept his new future, causing the other two to intervene.
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The Sun above Hometown was shining gently and warmly, despite the cool winds of early Winter bristling through the trees. Currently, the entire town was in a tizzy over a supposed earthquake that had nearly destroyed everything. South of the town, away from all of the action, two residents had stumbled out of the bunker. The doors slammed open as Kris and Susie found their way into the Light World – the real world – once more. The duo looked upwards, their eyes quickly adjusting to their surroundings, their hands still gripping the others' tightly.
“W-we did it..? Are we back?” Susie panted out, as if she had just exerted herself to run a marathon.
“I...I think,” Kris responded, gulping thickly as they felt similarly. As they recollected themselves, their large, boisterous friend began to heave out victorious laughs, pulling the smaller human into a tight bear hug. Despite how painful it was, Kris couldn't help but return the embrace, unable to keep their smile from growing on their face.
“HahaHAHA! Dude, w-we fucking did it!” She howled, swinging them around eagerly. “We saved the goddamn world!”
“W-we sure did..!” Kris choked out, feeling as if all the air had just been pushed out of their lungs... again. Realizing her own strength, Susie loosened her grip, allowing the human to wriggle out and land on their feet once more. The duo's excitement was palatable, but a growing expression of concern on Susie's face made Kris realize that something was missing as well.
“...hey, wait. Didn't that guy say Ralsei would be here..?” The human frowned, slowly looking back towards the doors to the bunker while Susie looked between the trees. “Do ya think he beat us here?”
Kris froze up for a moment, not answering their friend as the quiet, subtle sound of claws scratching against stone met their ears. The bunker was dark, yet their eyes quickly adjusted to a form that was slowly beginning to reveal itself. The silhouette was incredibly familiar. So much so, in fact, that there was no doubt in their mind about who was standing before them.
“...just the opposite, Susie,” They answered with a relieved laugh, a smile gracing their face once more. Tears formed in the corners of their eyes as the unmistakable visage of a hooded robe and the tail of a long scarf became visible in the shadows. Susie turned her attention to Kris as they said this, soon shifting her yellow eyes to where they were looking as well. It took less time for her to comprehend the sight of the shuffling form, its head tilted downward. It was as if he were lost in thought.
“...R-Ralsei!” Susie tempted, calling out his name. His head shot up instantly, looking at the source of the call. His entire body froze up, knees shaking uncontrollably. Even in the shadows, the duo were able to make out the round frames of his glasses, his eyes hidden underneath. Kris's smile faltered as the purple girl stepped forward eagerly. Something was wrong, but they had no clue what it was yet. “H-hey there! Welcome to the Light World, man!” She greeted, flashing an enormous, toothy smile. “I told ya we would break that stupid prophecy!”
The prophecy. The end all be all of the story. The reason for his entire existence. Now he was here. In the Light World.
...no. No, not the light. This wasn't meant to happen. It wasn't right. Ralsei's breathing picked up, his whole body starting to shake as he looked desperately between the passionately kind dragon and the stoic, yet patient human. Neither of them appeared as he remembered. Didn't the Roaring kill him? Where was his home? Why was he here? Multitudes of questions bombarded the poor boy, his eyes starting to well up with overwhelmed tears.
At this point, Kris had started to step forward, looking more worried at this point. Even Susie was starting to show some concern, especially since the fluffy boy started to take a few cautionary steps backwards. “...Ralsei? What's wrong?” She asked, her voice lowering as she took another step toward him. “It's us, dude! Susie and Kris, you remember us, dontcha?”
Muffled, stifled sobs cracked through the bunker, echoing somewhat as the boy clenched his eyes shut. In an instant, he began to shake his head violently, not wanting to believe anything he was seeing. The experience of everything that had happened moments prior was still fresh on his mind, and he refused to believe that he wasn't part of some cruel, sickening illusion. At this point, Susie looked over to the human, who hadn't removed their gaze from the convulsing prince.
“...Kris? What... why is he..?” She began, unsure of what to even lead her question with. Was this Ralsei? This wasn't how he acted usually, right? The human didn't look away from Ralsei, slowly taking a few more steps forward. The shadow of the bunker covered their face, allowing their eyes to readjust to the environment once again.
Up close, Kris could see that Ralsei's robes were extremely tattered, on the brink of being completely ruined. The hem of his scarf looked as if it was suffering the same fate. The hood was brought up over his head, practically covering the portion of his face that the scarf didn't. The way his glasses glimmered also revealed that the lenses were cracked beyond repair. They knew that if he continued to react this way, he may fling them off and destroy them altogether. Kris wouldn't have that.
“Ralsei...” The human started, doing their best to keep a gentle, calming tone. Once again, the darkner – or ex-darkner, at this point – shot his head up, reacting as if he had a weapon pulled on him. “C'mon. We're here to help you,” Kris continued, their expression unable to hide the slight fear that was starting to form in their eyes. Ralsei's eyes widened even more at this point, starting to step backwards again. Logical thought was next to impossible for him, at this moment. All he saw was a being of light moving at him. Ready to grab him and force him into nonexistence.
“Nnnh..! NNNNH!” He whined out, shaking his head as he attempted to speed up, moving deeper into the bunker once more. Maybe if he kept running, he could return to the Dark World. His castle had to be there, right? He just had to keep running. He dared not look away from the human. This was no place for him to be in. He didn't belong here. He HAD to get back home.
Ralsei's hurried attempts to get away were quickly cut short, as he soon tripped over his feet and fell backwards onto his backside. A squeak of pain echoed through the bunker, followed by rapid footfalls. Before the prince could comprehend what had happened, he looked up, face-to-face with the human. His breath hitched as his eyes grew even wider, tears still pooling at the sides. His feet and legs twitched, preparing themselves to either scoot away or kick the human in self defense.
Before he could see through to either action, however, Kris placed both hands on Ralsei's shoulders, steadying him. “Ralsei, it's me, Kris..! Calm down, buddy, you're alive!” This appeared to work somewhat, as the prince slowly lowered his feet to the ground. His whole body was still shaking and shivering, his eyes slowly narrowing.
Kris. That was them, wasn't it? The Cage of the SOUL... but Ralsei couldn't feel the SOUL anymore. This was, undeniably, Kris. No other interference. The very same human they had met just a few days ago. It almost didn't feel real. This couldn't be real, could it? Their touch certainly felt real.
Up close, the human could make out the bags of Ralsei's eyes even more. It looked as if he had never slept a wink in his entire life. Clearly, the boy was horribly rattled. Why wouldn't he be? Susie soon joined their side, making the effort to not rush too fast or be too loud. Even then, it was hard to miss her strong steps. With the fluffy boy momentarily soothed, the dragon girl figured it would be a good time to attempt a greeting once more. The glow of Susie's eyes pierced the veil of darkness, somewhat.
“...hi, Rals. S-sorry for spookin' ya. I... we just missed you.”
...Susie. He hadn't been seeing things. So many conflicting thoughts were roaming around relentlessly in the poor boy's head, unsure of what to even focus on. All he knew for sure was that the two heroes of legend were here. His heroes. Who meant more than anything to him. The same ones he let down multiple times. He didn't know if he even deserved to be around them.
At that moment, however, Ralsei knew that he wanted nothing more than to be with Kris and Susie.
His eyebrows furrowed deeply, his eyes beginning to well up two-fold. Ralsei's nerves loosened immediately, practically becoming a rag doll as he fell face first into Kris' chest. An anguished whine squealed from his throat before instantly spiraling into a screaming fit of uncontrollable sobbing. The human could feel the intense vibrations buzz through his chest, gasping at the prince's outburst. They didn't hesitate to wrap their arms around him, pulling him into a deep embrace. Even with most of his screaming muffled by several layers of wool and cotton, Ralsei's crying echoed powerfully throughout the bunker.
“Ralsei! Oh fuck, Ralsei.” Kris shushed, nestling his cheek against the top of his head. “Calm down, calm down, calm down. I'm right here, it's okay.” Ralsei continued to sob helplessly, nuzzling his face deeper into the human's chest. He showed little concern for smushing his glasses uncomfortably against his face.
Susie's eyes soon met with Kris' pupils. They were no longer glowing, so it was hard for her to know if they were even red to begin with. Regardless, she knew that they were looking in her direction. A worried, heartbroken expression painted their face. It caught Susie off guard, her stomach instantly twisting into tight knots.
“Hey, no. It's alright, lil guy,” Susie uttered, placing her left hand on the upper half of Ralsei's back. He felt so small, especially compared to her grasp. He was also shaking horribly, unable to catch his breath from his mournful, guilt-riddled sobs. “Holy shit.” She whispered, deep concern growing on her face as she gently rubbed his back. Her eyes moved from the sobbing prince to Kris' eyes. It was clear to the human that she was now talking to them. “...that bad, huh?”
“Seems like it,” Kris whispered back, feeling Ralsei take a sudden, deep breath inwards. They clenched their hug tighter, readying themselves for what was to come. They've felt this level of sorrow before, after all. Sure enough, Ralsei let out another tearful scream, louder than his previous one. “Shhhh sh sh sh, Ralsei, it's okay, it's okay. I'm right here. You're here. You're alive.”
The sorrowful prince of a land that no longer existed merely buried his head desperately. It was as if he was shaking his head in illogical denial. Kris couldn't find it in them to blame him. They weren't sure if they could handle being brought back from death.
From nonexistence.
Susie wanted nothing more than to throw herself into a three way hug. With her position, it didn't seem too feasible, however, so she opted for a different approach. Since her frame was much larger than Kris', the girl opted to hug the human from behind, resting her head on their right shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around the human's body, her left hand remaining on his back. Her right hand, however, moved upwards, cupping his head in her palm as softly as she possibly could. She couldn't deny that her hands were starting to shake a lot as well. When her hand made contact with the back of his head, his jolted halted momentarily. He wriggled into the hug much deeper at this point, feeling the strong girl's grasps on his weak body.
She also noticed that Kris froze up for a moment as well, letting out a deep, shuddering sigh. Both of Susie's friends were now completely melting into her collective grasp. Clearly they needed this more than anything. She did, too.
“We're right here with you. We're not goin' anywhere,” She rumbled affectionately. Her grasp tightened on the duo, pulling them even tighter as she nestled her face closer into Kris' neck. “N-Neither are you. Please stop crying.” They felt Susie's tears dampen their shoulder, knowing that her dam was about to break.
Theirs was as well.
“You're with us. We'll... always be here for you...” Kris mumbled, unable to mask the sobs that choked from their throat. They buried their eyes into the prince's neck, weeping pitifully and quietly.
Ralsei continued to openly sob, whine, and bawl for a good, long while. It only took a few minutes for his body to stop convulsing and twitching. His breathing had not steadied by a whole lot, however, due to having to take a lot of sudden, shallow, or deep breaths. Neither Kris nor Susie minded how long he needed to grieve. It was a gracious respite for everyone. After everything that had happened. It was all finally over.
They were all free.
After a lot of time passed, Kris and Susie felt Ralsei stir in their arms. They were blessed with the sight of him looking up at the two. Even through his cracked glasses, both of them could see how red and puffy his eyes had gotten. His pupils were dilated impossibly large, continuing to leak an infinite well of tears. Even from under his hood and through his scarf and face mask, they could tell how wet and ruined his fur was.
“Hey there,” Susie sniffed, cracking a small attempt at a confident smile. The way he looked at her melted her heart in such a manner that she never wanted to look away from his eyes.
“There you are,” Kris whispered softly. He was overtaken with a wave of tenderness and devotion, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Ralsei's forehead. “It's nice to finally see you.”
“MMMmmnnh...!” He whined, half the volume he was a few minutes ago. It was as if he was attempting to beg for forgiveness with his whimpers and eyes alone. Ralsei was far too embarrassed and sorrowful to even think about the move Kris had done. It was such an intimate action, the lowly prince felt as if he was undeserving of even looking at them.
“None of that,” The human shushed, unraveling one of their arms and bringing their left hand up to Ralsei's face. The side that wasn't already being held by Susie. It was as if Kris knew what he was trying to communicate, and wouldn't allow him to get away with it. “We love you, honey.” They continued even quieter. Their throat hitched as they uttered the word, almost unsure if they should even say it. Regardless, it slipped out, and Susie definitely noticed. Not that she cared, though she did perk a curious eyebrow in their direction. As for Ralsei, he continued to melt into the hero's palms, his sobbing lowering to hiccups and sniffles. “My poor Prince... you've been so brave... and you've done so much for us.”
“You're as much of a hero as either of us,” Susie added in, her quiet tone still wavering somewhat. Even as the fluffy boy attempted to shake his head, neither she nor Kris allowed him to defy their statements. “You think we'd be able to do everything without ya? You're a damn legend, Ralsei.” She cracked the best smile she could muster, her pride glowing through her own sadness.
The crying ex-darkner merely replied with shaky sniffs, his body growing limp once more. He didn't dare break eye contact with either of the heroes, believing that he'd lose them again if he did. Ralsei didn't feel like a hero. Certainly not a legendary one. Susie and Kris were so kind to him. Why? How could they be? He just couldn't comprehend it.
A few more minutes passed before Kris spoke up again, muttering in a manner that only Susie could hear them. “We need to get him out of here. Somewhere safe.”
“Your place?” She suggested immediately, her thumb absentmindedly rubbing Ralsei's cheek.
“Suppose so,” Kris replied, letting out a deep sigh. They weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of having to explain the situation to Toriel, but that was a bridge to cross later. Frankly, there were more important matters at hand right now. They could tank the inevitable lecture, so long as Ralsei had a place to stay. Plus, they'd be lying if they said they didn't enjoy the idea. “We just gotta... figure out how to get him through town.”
“Hrm...” Susie rumbled, slowly beginning to unravel herself from her two friends. As much as she didn't want to remove her hands from the crying goatboy – and indeed, her lack of touch caused him to start squirming and whimpering again – she knew that they couldn't stay in the bunker forever. “C'mon. We'll see how he handles walking.”
“Okay,” Kris sighed, starting to stand up as well.
Ralsei's eyes widened, his breathing picking up once more as he was slowly stood up by the human. His legs shook heavily, and even with support from Kris's hands, he was still somewhat unstable. At the very least, he didn't immediately fall over. Susie's hands on his back helped make sure of that. Ralsei tilted his head, somewhat confused as they all started walking towards the entryway of the bunker. He was beginning to hyperventilate again, clearly not enjoying whatever idea the duo had in mind for him.
“Hey hey, you'll be okay. We're just taking you home, okay?” Kris comforted softly.
Home? This wasn't his home. He had no home. Not anymore. Ralsei knew that. His connection with the Dark World was nonexistent. How could he get home? Should he trust Kris on their word? He wanted to, but even seeing the outside world from a good distance away was enough to make him start to panic again. “Ghk... nnmhh!” He coughed, beginning to close his eyes and drag his feet. “NNNGH!”
“Shit..!” Susie grunted, having little trouble in actually moving him, but not wanting to force him any further. Especially since Kris had stopped in their tracks as well. “We know, buddy, it's light. We promise it won't hurt you.”
She was lying. She had to be! Ralsei was familiar with the light. He knew he didn't belong in it. One full body blast of it was more than enough to make him cease to exist. One time was bad enough, and Ralsei knew he wouldn't be able to handle it a second time. The raggedy prince tucked his head further into his hood, reaching his hands upwards to desperately grip at it and pull it harder. His feet became rooted in place, unable to find the resolve to keep moving, even with Kris and Susie encouraging him on either side. “GhnnNNNHHMMPH!”
“Hey hey hey, it's okay, it's okay,” Kris hurried, starting to panic a bit themselves. They wrapped their arms around the boy once more, attempting to soothe him with another hug. It didn't seem to have much effect this time around, unfortunately.
“We'll be here all day, Kris..!” Susie huffed, doing her best to hold back a small edge of impatience. Even now, she couldn't find herself to put blame onto Ralsei for his behavior. “We can't just keep him here!”
“I know, I know,” They sighed, looking up at Susie with a small, pleading look. The larger girl's expression softened considerably, giving another deep sigh as she looked downwards, a hand on the back of her head. Clearly, she was considering something.
“...I have an idea. If you lead the way, we can make a break for it.” She suggested. Kris looked outside for a moment before turning back and giving a small nod. Even without needing to ask, they had some idea of what her idea entailed.
“...okay. Lemme scout ahead first. We don't need the extra attention.” They whispered, reluctantly letting go of Ralsei and stepping out of the bunker, running off out of sight for a brief moment.
'Probably won't have a say in that matter,' Susie thought worriedly, using both hands to secure the prince by his shoulders. Even without looking up, Ralsei felt Kris step away, causing him to become even more upset. He lifted his head up and looked around manically, whimpering louder as he looked for his heroic human. “Calm down, calm down. Kris'll be back soon, Rals, don't panic,” She shushed gently, hugging him close to her body comfortingly. Ralsei couldn't not panic, however, his breathing and sniffling increasing in pace, on the verge of another breakdown.
Just before the dam burst, Kris ducked back into view, just outside of the entrance. Their eyes met with the other two, giving a brief nod of the head. Susie felt Ralsei jolt in her grasp, as if he wanted to squirm away and run towards them, but was only kept at bay due to his own immense paranoia (as well as Susie's strength). In response, she began to walk him towards the entrance, stopping just short of the threshold. Ralsei's breathing quickened once more, his eyes bearing imploringly into Kris'.
“Not too clustered. Still a lot of people outside, though. We'd have to hurry,” They panted, watching as Susie nodded in agreement. With her on board, there was only one other person to warn. Kris stepped forward, their faces an inch away from each other. They began to talk softly to the prince, gently holding his face in their palms. “Ralsei, you need to trust us, okay? You'll be safe where we're going. I love you,” They whispered, planting another quick kiss onto the nervous boy's forehead.
“Mm?!” Ralsei reacted, his tone sounding even more confused. His noises would only increase in fear and volume as Kris began to run off, allowing Susie to reach down and scoop the ex-prince into a bridal hold. One hand under his legs and the other tucked up his back, cupping his hooded face close to her body. As the two expected, the poor boy began to squeal out, burying his face into Susie as his body writhed. “GYEEEEEEEEHHH!?! NNGMMMMHHHH!”
“IgotchaIgotchaIgotchaIgotchaIgotcha..!” Susie hushed quietly, immediately running after Kris. She felt Ralsei fling his arms over her neck, attempting to pull himself closer to avoid any amount of sunlight touching him. If it weren't for how weak and light he was – as well as how sturdy and strong Susie was – he would've wound up strangling her. Much of his screaming was muffled, but it was still shrill and loud enough that anyone within a 20-foot radius would've been able to hear.
Even if Kris was still getting used to their own sense of 'freedom', they still kept a decent lead ahead of Susie and Ralsei, doing their best to steer clear of anyone that would ask questions or get in their way. As talkative as they had been the past few days, now was not the time for conversation. The heavy stomps of Susie's feet mixed with Ralsei's tearful screams allowed them to know that they were right behind them.
'Past the church and the mayor's office... the hospital, library – not now, Berdly..!' Kris thought to themselves, ignoring eye contact as much as possible as they booked it up the road. Susie was not far behind, attempting to keep the upset boy as well hidden as she could. Not an easy feat, obviously, as just about nearly everyone they passed by was staring in their direction. Passing by QC's Diner, the human silently hoped that a certain 'janitor' wouldn't be-
“Oh man. Didn't know this town had an ambulance,” Sans remarked suddenly, standing unmoving from the front of his store. If they weren't in such a hurry, they would've thrown something at his giant, stupid smile.
The quickly turned to the left, past Catty's house, and down the road to the Dreemurr household. There was only one obstacle remaining, and she was currently hurrying in Kris' direction. “Kris?! Where have you been?” Toriel began, her face worn with worry. Ralsei's screams were soon audible to the older monster woman, jumping in surprise. Susie barreled down her driveway, holding the source of the noise and flashing an urgent, yet apologetic look to the woman.
“Hi mom, gotta take care of somethin', sorry,” Kris rushed, darting by her to slam open the door.
“Huh?!” She turned to Susie, her bewildered expression imploring for some sort of answer to anything that was happening. “Susie-”
“Scuse us, Toriel, uh, kinda important!” Susie interjected, attempting to raise her voice above Ralsei's squealing. Hearing so many different voices, being in the light, and being carried was more than enough to overstimulate him more than what was comfortable. So much so that his screaming had somehow increased in volume. As she followed Kris into their house, the dumbfounded mother could only stand there, blinking as her nerves spiked with annoyance.
“What on Earth... KRIS DREEMURR?! YOU GET BACK OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!” She boomed, starting to stomp after the duo. “AND NO RUNNING IN THE HOUSE!”
By the time Toriel had even stepped foot on her porch, Kris had already opened the door to their bedroom, allowing Susie and the crying captive to enter inside. “Dude, your mom sounds pisssssed.”
“I'll handle that,” They stated, turning to the window and closing the curtains. “You just worry about him, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” Susie replied, sitting herself atop Kris' bed. She kept holding Ralsei, now attempting to rub his back and rock him in an attempt to comfort him. His screams sounded a lot louder in a confined space, his voice cracking and breaking from how much he was crying. “Turn out the lights when you leave, huh? I'm not even sure if he can handle these.”
“Way ahead of you,” Kris answered, already at their door, flicking the lights off.
“KRIS? WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BROUGHT INTO OUR HOME?” Toriel angrily called from the first floor. They winced upon hearing her, steeling their nerves to face the music.
“I'll be back as soon as I can,” Was all Kris managed to whisper before shutting the door and hurrying downstairs.
Susie kept herself occupied with Ralsei, loosening her grip, but still embracing him tenderly. His sobs began to quiet marginally, shaky breaths and sniffles replacing his screams. She kept rubbing his back, mumbling softly to her fluffy friend. “Shhhh, sh sh, Ralsei... it's okay. You're so brave... you're so fucking brave, Ralsei.”
Brave? Him? Another lie that he couldn't believe Susie was telling him. What was brave about crying like a pathetic child? Regardless, his shivering slowly began to decrease, his sobs quieting up as he whimpered pitifully into the dragon monster's chest. Ralsei buried his muzzle into her some more, continuing to deny his own existence, even in the comfort of Susie's arms.
“...you're safe, Rals... we'll never put you in harm's way again...” Susie whispered, nuzzling her snout into the top of Ralsei's head. She felt him wither into her arms as she did so. He elicited tiny whimpers of guilty contentment, wishing he was worthy enough for such affection.
With nothing else to his name, he wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as he could.
________________________________________
There was no easy way to explain anything to Toriel. The Dark Worlds, the SOUL, the Roaring Knight, the Roaring itself, Ralsei, none of it. It was such a far fetched story that Kris knew even attempting to explain it wouldn't even scratch the surface of the entire situation. Plus, they knew that their mom would only get angrier.
That's why, at first, Kris remained quiet, allowing Toriel to loudly chew him out. “You disappear for hours, running off with Susie to who-knows-where; you leave your poor mother sick to death while an earthquake rocks our neighborhood; now you come running home with a stranger screaming like a lunatic?!”
“They're not a stranger, mom,” The human attempted, their voice low and sheepish.
“Then who are they, Kris?” Toriel's eyes narrowed, clearly displeased with that answer.
“...h-he's a friend.”
“...Kris Dreemurr, I know you can come up with something better than-”
“He is!” They interjected, their volume increasing suddenly. So much so that it surprised their mother. “...sorry.”
After a few seconds, Toriel let out a sigh, still unamused, but willing to humor her child. “That does not explain anything. Where were you? I was scared that you got stuck, or...” She implored, allowing her veil of sternness to slip and reveal deep concern. She couldn't even finish her sentence, unable to entertain the very idea. She placed a hand gently on their knee, tapping into her seemingly infinite well of patience for her child.
“...s'a long story.” Kris sighed finally, looking down at their lap guiltily.
“We have time.”
'I was hoping you wouldn't say that,' They thought, letting out another deep sigh. They knew better than to lie to their mother. They were quite familiar with her many lectures about the importance of telling the truth, when they were younger. Even now, it didn't bring Kris much joy knowing they'd have to lie by omission. Whatever helped Toriel realize Ralsei's predicament, though, they were willing to do.
For the next half hour or so, Kris attempted to explain how they and Susie had found a shy monster boy around their age mysteriously skulking around the back of the school. They said that his name was 'Ralsei', a monster unknown by everyone. They said how he was extremely lonely, with no friends or family to speak of; how they were his first friends. They told stories about how they'd always try to find time for him, coming up with stories to share or games to play. With no home of his own, his only option was to sleep and live inside and around the bunker.
Kris paused before mentioning how the earthquake left Ralsei completely and utterly shaken and traumatized. They were the only ones who knew of his presence, and knew that he couldn't – shouldn't – stay outdoors. Not when it was so dangerous.
Listening to themselves, Kris knew that there were plenty of holes in their story. However, as they expected, Toriel's expression quickly softened at each event. Disbelief became surprise, which soon gave way to pity, guilt, empathy, and sadness. The tears that lingered in the sides of her eyes were the ultimate tell that she was utterly moved by Ralsei's supposed plight. She was especially hurt that the poor boy had no home or family to worry about him. It was just Kris and Susie.
“...oh, m-my goodness,” Toriel sniffled, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “Kris, I... I am so sorry... I just wish you told me sooner so I could have helped him as well...”
Hearing this, the human merely shrugged, sucking on their cheek sheepishly. “He's... well, we tried, but he's... y'know, way too shy and humble to really accept anything.”
“Poor dear,” She sighed, reaching forward to pull Kris into a gentle, caring hug. Kris felt obliged to return it, hearing the genuine waver in her voice. “I am sorry I got upset with you, Kris. You and Susie really care about Ralsei, don't you?”
“...yeah. We do,” Kris answered, unable to keep the lump in their throat from cracking their voice.
“You go check up on him, honey,” The motherly goat woman sniffed, planting a gentle kiss on their child's cheek. “I will be here if any of you three need anything, okay?”
“I will. Thanks again, mom.” With that, Kris slowly stood up, moving upstairs to their bedroom. From behind, they could hear their mother already beginning to rummage around in the kitchen. No doubt a fresh baked pie was coming their way soon. They were quietly grateful, knowing that all of them could use a bite to eat after today.
Slowly, they opened their bedroom door, peering in slowly. Susie was still sitting upright with Ralsei in her lap. He was still sniffling and sobbing quietly, allowing the larger girl to nestle her head into the top of his head. Upon revealing themselves, she flashed a small, tired smile. “Sup. How'd it go?”
“A lot easier than I thought,” They answered, stepping in and quickly shutting the door behind her. Ralsei stirred around, letting out a small whimper as he looked upwards sadly. Upon seeing Kris, they perked up somewhat, unable to think about anything else other than them. So much so that he nearly fell forwards in an attempt to move closer. The human didn't waste time in seating themselves on their bed as well, pulling the scared prince into their body once more. “Hey there, Ralsei. Missed you,”
“Mmmmmhhh...” He whined in response, clinging tearfully to Kris' chest. Susie took the time to uncross her legs, groaning gently as she stretched them outwards, off the side of the bed.
“So uh, what sorta excuse didja use? Don't think she'd, uh.. really believe the whole 'Dark World' stuff,” The larger girl asked.
“No, nothing that elaborate,” Kris answered, starting to nuzzle their chin atop Ralsei's head as well. “Just kinda... told her that he needed some help. How he's alone and... um, doesn't have a...” They paused, pulling away as they felt the boy shift his gaze upwards. Peeking down, they'd see the pathetic look in his eyes, as if begging him to not say what he knew to be true. The human decided to reach up and stroke his cheek from under his hood, wiping his tears away with a thumb. “...well, you've got a home now. You're gonna stay with me, okay honey?”
Ralsei didn't answer, opting to smush his face into Kris' chest once again, sniveling some more. Kris couldn't resist falling backwards into their mattress, pulling the fluffy boy atop of their body. “...yeah. Been a big day for you, huh?”
“For all of us,” Susie added, copying the action and laying over her friend's bed. For the longest time, the only noises that came out of anyone was soft crying from Ralsei. In this quiet moment, the weight of all of their adventures were starting to press on them quite heavily. There was still so much left unsaid between everyone. So much that needed to be discussed at some point.
Currently, all that Kris and Susie could think about was resting, cuddling close to their companion. The dragon girl fell asleep first, and it wasn't long before the human followed suit. Their hand rested idly atop of Ralsei's head, making sure to keep him nice and close to their body. Part of them hoped that he'd join them on a well-deserved nap.
As the minutes turned to hours, all that the ex-prince could do was be alone with his thoughts, staring upwards at his heroic saviors. He didn't deserve to be here. This shouldn't have been meant for him. Susie and Kris were much too caring and kind for a Darkner like him.
...except he wasn't a Darkner anymore. Whether he liked it or not, he lived in the Light World now.
With another shuddering sigh, Ralsei cuddled closer into Kris' body, unable to bring themselves to fall asleep. Perhaps one day they could earn that right. Perhaps one day he could be seen as brave and heroic.
...perhaps one day, he could call himself a friend.
