Noelle gasped as she sat up, nothing but darkness around her. "K-Kris? Kris!?" She asked. She tried to stand up, but stepped on something that squeaked, making her yelp and jump. She landed against the wall, and one of her antlers brushed up against a switch above her.
The lights turned on with a click, and Noelle flinched, calming down once she realized where she was. A chess board sat on the floor, with a deck of cards strewn out across it. A familiar stuffed animal sat just next to the chess board, sporting a singular button eye.
Noelle shakily stood up, looking at herself. She was slightly dirty, covered in a few bruises, and…was wearing Kris's sweater!?
She blushed, moving to take it off, before the scent of Kris's cape hit her nose. Oh. Oh. His cape was his sweater in the light world. That means…this entire time, she had been wearing his sweater!? Well, if this was his cape…then she couldn't take it off, right?
Her face crimson, she kept the sweater on, silently wondering how long it had been since she had worn one. A melancholy smile appeared on her face as she fiddled with the sweater, reminded of times oh so long ago.
Sitting by the fireplace together, drinking hot cocoa during the holidays…running around the forest playing tag together…imagining going on adventures they had just experienced together. Just a few of these memories made her eyes water with nostalgia, and the warm feeling of his fuzzy sweater didn't help.
How long had she been wearing it? How was it still so warm? She felt cozy enough to fall asleep, and she kind of wanted to. However, Kris's subtle twitch drew her attention to him.
She looked down at him, nervously grabbing her-his sweater. This was his. Why was she so warm? Was it really just the sweater? Noelle raised her hands to her cheeks, thinking back to the kiss on his cheek she had given him.
Ugh, why did she do that!? Thinking back on it now, Noelle regretted that a lot. She thought of it as a cliche thank you from those cheesy stories she read online, but now she felt like she had flirted with him!
That was OBVIOUSLY not her intention. Oh god Kris was waking up-what was she going to do?
His eyes opened with a start, and he sat up, his long sleeved black shirt covering his body. He silently thanked his past self for putting on a long sleeve shirt, as…Noelle was wearing his sweater.
Holy shit.
Noelle was wearing his sweater.
"Am I dreaming?" He asked, and Noelle blinked, before tilting her head.
"I-I don't think so? A-Are you talking about…" she paused, before looking around nervously, her hair swinging from side to side. "the dark world?" She whispered, cupping her mouth.
"Noelle, nobody else is here." He told her, smiling softly. Noelle blushed, cupping her embarrassed buck-toothed smile.
Kris grunted as he stood up, his body sore as hell. "Tch…ow." He mumbled, feeling his stomach. He felt like he had just spent the entire day in a gym. He hated gym. "I better have a damn six pack in the morning." He grumbled, and Noelle giggled, before she winced.
"Ow. Oh, my back…o-ow!" She gasped, and Kris hurried over to her, helping her stand up fully. She hissed, her entire body throbbing. "I see what you mean…I feel like I was sent through a pipe…" she moaned, making Kris raise an eyebrow.
"Like Mario?" Kris asked. Wow. Noelle huffed a breath out of her nose, a mixture of amusement and unamusement on her face.
"Yes, Kris. Like Mario." She snickered, and he blushed, looking away. It was weird seeing his face get red instead of purple. "Ugh, what time is it?" She mumbled, checking her watch, only for her eyes to nearly bulge out of her head.
"SEVEN-THIRTY!? Kris, we've been here for over twelve hours, we have to go!" She cried, standing up and bursting out the closet door-wait…this wasn't even the closet! They were in the unused classroom!? How did they get here?
"Whatever! C'mon, Kris!" She shouted, grabbing him by the wrist and running through the halls, speeding faster than Kris could keep up.
"Noelle-wait!" He shouted, his legs nearly leaving the floor a few times.
Sadly, the moment they exited the school, a familiar face was waiting for them. "Noelle! There you are-I've been waiting here for hours-wait why are you wearing Kris's sweater-KRIS!? What have you done to my beloved Noelle, you delinquent!?" He shouted, holding up his wings like an old-timey boxer.
And just like that, Noelle saw Kris close up. He quickly pulled his arm from her, forcing a neutral expression. Noelle saw all of her progress just vanish, and despite the logical side of her brain telling her that her Krismas wasn't gone, she couldn't help but feel like all of his healing had just been poured down the drain.
By Berdly.
Fucking Berdly.
Steeling her anger, Noelle stepped forward, smiling at Berdly. "Sorry about not being able to spend time with you today, Berdly! I got a little wrapped up in catching up with Kris and time just flew by, I guess!" She explained, hiding her anger expertly. Kris rubbed his arm nervously, looking away.
Berdly crossed his wings, frowning at her. "Okay, well why are you wearing his sweater?" He asked, and Noelle blushed, looking to the side.
"I-um…got cold?" She tried, before she paused. Why was she even doing this back and forth with him? She…honestly couldn't care about Berdly less right now. "Sorry Berdly, but Kris and I have somewhere to be. Can this wait until later?" She asked, making the self proclaimed "Fortnite OG" scoff.
"No, this can't wait, Noelle! If you're going to flake out, the least you could do is send me a text or something! I waited here all day for you!" He said, and Kris rolled his eyes beneath his bangs.
"Or you could just take the damn hint, Nerdly." He grumbled, earning an angry glare from said nerd(ly).
"What did you just say, Kris!? I knew I was right about you, muttering threats under your breath you little freak!" Berdly scoffed, angrily stepping towards him, and Kris clenched his fists, before sliding them in his pockets. It was better to just look small and make him feel good. That way, he would just leave him alone.
"That's what I thought. Freak." Berdly spat, turning around and-
SMACK!
Berdly grunted as he was slapped across the face, albeit lightly, by Noelle. She was glaring at him, completely done with his treatment of Kris. "What is wrong with you!? You can be mad at me, but do not call my friend a freak!" She cried, and Berdly sputtered.
"B-But he called me Nerdly! That's just as bad!" He defended, and Noelle sighed angrily, trying to keep her composure.
"Well maybe Kris has a point, Berdly! How many times have I told you I don't like the competitive games you play! I tell you I'm not good at saying no to people and you don't take the hint, I tell you I don't like your games and you don't take the hint, what more do you want from me, Berdly?" She asked, and he frowned at her, looking genuinely hurt.
"A little honesty? I'm sorry for not taking your likes and dislikes into account, but it's not up to me to say no for you, Noelle. If you don't want to spend time with me, just say so." He said, his pride obviously wounded, but sincere in his words.
Noelle looked down, feeling a little guilty for her outburst. Berdly turned back to Kris, narrowing his eyes at the human. "I don't trust you. I don't like you. As much as I hate to admit, you are…quite the intelligent specimen." He admitted, and Kris blinked.
Was…that a compliment? He honestly couldn't tell.
"I know that you and Noelle used to be friends, but don't get used to her spending time with you. Her studying is more important than whatever you do." He spat, and Kris winced inwardly.
Yeah, that was fair. Lying around doing nothing all day wasn't exactly eventful. It's not like he didn't want to do things, but…there was no point in doing things when there was nobody to do them with. Kris may not have liked people all that much, but…he was lonely. Cripplingly lonely.
"Berdly? Do…you really want me to be honest with you?" She asked, and the boy sighed, before turning to Noelle.
"That's…what I just said, yeah." He mumbled, making Noelle sigh.
"Right. Um…can I…do the project with…Kris instead?" She asked, making Berdly twitch.
"Wh-but that would mean…I would have to work with…Susie…" he whispered, and Kris swore his feathers got a paler shade of blue. Noelle paused, before she gasped.
"I have an idea! You, Susie, Kris, and I can all be in a group together!" She suggested.
"What!?/Noelle?" Both Berdly and Kris asked at the same time respectively. Kris placed a hand on Noelle's shoulder, shaking his head with wide, frightened eyes. "Why them?" He asked quietly, making Noelle smile at him.
"Please? It'll save us the drama." She whispered, and Kris looked to the side. That was true. Hell, he could even maybe tolerate Berdly. But Susie? Hell no. Not with a thirty nine and a half foot pole. She was by far the worst bully he had ever had.
The moment they were alone, she would grab him by some body part or clothing, usually his hair or his shirt and slam him into a wall or his lockers, then say the most demeaning, threatening things he could think of. A lot of which involved biting his face and other body parts off and eating them.
Not fun.
He didn't know what the hell Noelle saw in her, but he couldn't ever tell her what Susie did to him. He saw how she treated Noelle. She treated Noelle like a safe haven, usually sleeping in class near her. Kris couldn't blame her, but the obvious was…obvious.
Noelle liked Susie, and Susie liked Noelle.
Noelle didn't like him. Noelle would never like him. He wasn't…like Susie. He wasn't cool. He wasn't even a monster.
The kiss from the dark world rang in his mind again, but he waved the thought away. It didn't matter. He couldn't get in the way of how Noelle felt, even if he truly wanted to. At the end of the day, if Noelle was happy…then he was…
"Kris?" Noelle asked, and the boy flinched. Berdly was gone, leaving just the two of them there. "Are you alright? You…looked really sad for a minute." She asked, and Kris smiled reassuringly, hiding his pain.
"Don't worry, I was just…thinking about the dark world. So what did Berdly say?" He asked, hoping Noelle didn't hear his voice shaking. Based on the concerned look she gave him…luck wasn't on his side.
"Kris, please don't lie to me…are you alright?" She asked. Kris frowned, lowering his gaze.
"...I…I don't want to talk about it right now. I'll tell you another time, I…promise." He said, inwardly cursing himself, but he couldn't help it. He felt like he was failing her whenever he couldn't appease her at least a little bit.
Noelle sighed, but nodded. "Okay, that's fair, I guess…now let's go visit dad!" She said, grabbing Kris's hand and leading him just down the road, before they entered the hospital.
The monster behind the counter smiled(?) at them, specifically Noelle. "Hello, Noelle! Your father is doing well today, no incidents have happened." They told her, and Noelle sighed in relief. That was good news. Thank goodness…
The monster then turned their attention to Kris, nodding at them. "I remember you. You used to play on that piano over there. You were always so good at it…I wonder why you stopped." She mused, and both Kris and Noelle looked away awkwardly. Sensing the tension, the monster brought a tentacle to her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't…h-have a nice visit, Noelle." She finished, looking away awkwardly.
Noelle sped past with a quiet "thank you" to the monster, before she entered the door on her left.
The smell of medicine and reindeer permeated through the air, and a frighteningly sickly Rudolph Holiday smirked at Noelle, an IV tube up his nose. "How's my little holiday?" He asked, raising his arms for a hug, which Noelle gladly gave him, grinning happily.
Kris stood awkwardly, watching the two disconnect from their embrace. "I actually had a really great day, dad! Look who's here!" She cheered, gesturing towards Kris. Rudy looked at him, his eyes widening at what he saw.
"Well, if it isn't a good old fashioned Krismas miracle! Get on over here, kiddo!" He laughed, and Kris awkwardly shuffled over to Rudy, giving him a light hug.
Rudolph didn't hug him for any longer than he needed to, smiling at the boy. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you, Kris! How's Toriel doing?" He asked, earning a soft but distant nod from Kris. Noelle smiled encouragingly at Kris, who blushed, his bangs covering most of it.
"G-Good. She's doing good." He told him, blinking as Noelle cleared her throat.
"Doing well, Kris." She scolded lightly, and he quickly corrected himself. Rudy chuckled at the display, gazing at the two with a nostalgic twinkle in his eye.
"Man…it feels like just yesterday that you two barely came up to my hip, and now you're almost taller than me, Noelle! You've done a lot of growing too, Kris. I'm…I'm real proud of you, Kris." Rudy said, smiling emotionally at the boy, whose blush only deepened.
Why was he saying that? Why did he sound so genuine when he said it? He hated how much it hurt. He didn't deserve this, he told himself for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Before he could start spiraling, Rudy smirked at Noelle, gesturing to the sweater she was wearing.
"So, Noelle…any reason you're wearing Kris's sweater?" He teased, and Noelle blushed, pushing her head into the hospital bed.
"Daaaaad!" She groaned into the sheets, making her father laugh, slapping his bed with gusto, only to submit to a shuddering coughing fit. Noelle gasped, and Kris flinched as he covered his mouth with his fist, coughing harshly.
Noelle looked devastated, and Kris felt horrible. Rudy waved off their concerns, his coughing slowing to a stop. "Don't worry, I'm fine! Happens all the time!" He said, earning a worried frown from Noelle. She brushed it off, before she set her bag down, reaching into it and pulling out her small console, switching it on.
"Alright, Dad. I made it to the boss of the fire dungeon, but I keep getting nuked by his omega flare. I even got the Firestone Cloak from Obsidknight's volcanic forge." She told him, showing off a pixelated screen with four heroes traversing a red, fiery palace. It reminded him of their adventure in the dark world.
Rudy chuckled, looking at the screen. "Someone didn't learn the fire shield spell from Grimsquire." He whispered, making Noelle purse her lips, her little buck teeth just barely poking through.
'God damnit she's so adorable.' Kris thought to himself, before looking back at the screen before Noelle or her father caught him staring. Noelle and Rudy fell into a routine of banter, and Kris was content on just watching and listening, enjoying their back and forth.
Suddenly, Noelle looked at Kris, smiling at him. "Kris, did you want a turn?" She asked, and the boy flinched.
"I-I couldn't Noelle…that's y-yours…" he murmured, causing Noelle to pout at him. He grumbled softly to himself, reaching for the console and making Noelle beam at him.
Rudy smirked as Noelle shuffled over to the other side of the bed, sitting next to Kris, but didn't say anything about it. Noelle watched as Kris bought the spell she needed for her, before fast travelling back to the fire dungeon and engaging in a fight with the boss.
He remembered beating this years ago, and knew the exact strategy to beat it. Spam fire shield for the boss's omega flare ability with the mage while using both the paladin and the knight to deal damage. Noelle watched him with wide eyes as he input his actions with perfect precision, his crimson eyes narrowed in sharp focus.
Noelle clapped as he successfully defended against the attack that always got her, before he held the console back up to her. "Y-You can have it back-" he started, and she frowned at him. He pulled back, continuing to play without another word.
It didn't take much longer for him to beat the boss, causing a fanfare both in the game and real life with Noelle and Rudy cheering for him. Kris blushed heavily, lowering his burning face. "Great job, Kris!" Noelle complimented, and Rudy chuckled.
"Yeah, nice work, kid! You really showed that bastard what for, eh? That's what he gets for picking on Noelle, ain't that right, kid?" He laughed, and Kris smiled, nodding. Noelle felt a small amount of heat fill her cheeks, and she turned her console off, slipping it back into her bag.
"I have to go, Dad…it's getting kinda late. Mom might be worried." She mumbled, knowing deep down that her mother probably wasn't even home. She probably didn't even know she was gone in the first place.
Rudy nodded, waving his daughter goodbye. When Kris went to follow, though, Rudy grabbed his wrist. Kris froze, looking back at the monster to see him smiling. "Just a minute there, kiddo. I want a word with you." He said, making Kris swallow harshly. Here it was. The moment he was dreading. Noelle's father was going to accuse him of being a pervert or something, he just knew it.
"I wanted to thank you, Kris." Rudy said, his voice softer than before. Kris paused, looking down at the monster. "Noelle hasn't been…doing the best lately. Everything going on is…really gettin' to her, you know?" He asked, and Kris nodded. He could relate.
"Well, she looked the happiest she had in months, kid…and it was all because of you. So seriously, Krismas…thanks." He said. Kris nodded, but Rudy kept speaking before he could leave. "That's not everything, though. There's one more thing I wanted to tell you." He continued, a serious look in his eyes.
Kris nodded softly, bracing himself.
"I don't think I'm making it to Christmas, this year, kid." He admitted, and Kris flinched. Rudy smiled sadly, a tired look in his eyes. "I know. It's dark, but…it's true. Just…keep an eye on Noelle for me, eh?" He asked, smiling at Kris. "She might say she's fine…but she's not. She just doesn't want anyone to worry." He said, smiling sadly.
"She gets that from her old man." He admitted, before looking up at Kris. "Make sure my little holiday doesn't lose her shine." He whispered, and Kris felt tears stinging at his eyes.
"Yes, Mr. Holiday." He mumbled, making Rudy laugh.
"C'mon, Krismas! You know you can call my Uncle Rudy!" He laughed, and Kris smiled. Rudy grinned at him, gesturing for the door. "Don't keep my sweetheart waiting Kris. Oh, and just one last thing?" He asked, making Kris pause. Rudy then shot him a smirk, as well as a pair of finger guns. "I'm rootin' for ya, kid!" He laughed, making Kris blush, before he exited the room.
He made his way to the main lobby, seeing Noelle talking to the monster at the desk. Once Noelle heard him, she turned, smiling at him. "How did the talk with Dad go?" She asked, and Kris smiled.
"Goo-er…well. It went well." He responded, making her smile. The two of them exited the hospital, noticing that it was dark now.
Noelle bit her lip, looking down. "I guess…this is goodbye for today, then?" she asked, but there was a hint of hesitation in her voice.
Kris smiled sadly. "I…guess so." He mumbled. Noelle nodded silently, and Kris turned, slowly walking away. He was about to make it out of sight, before she called his name.
"Kris?" She asked, and there was a soft, nervous tone to her voice. "C-Could I…s-spend the night at your house?" She whispered, and Kris's eyes widened.
"Yes." He answered immediately, wincing to himself. He hoped he didn't come off too strong. Noelle smiled in relief, pulling her phone out.
"T-Thank you, Kris. Let me call my mom really quickly." She told him, grabbing her phone from her bag and dialing up her mother.
She answered on the second ring, as always.
"What is it." Carol Holiday demanded. Noelle idly wondered if she even knew who was calling. Probably.
"H-Hey, Mom…it's Noelle. I-I just…wanted to know if I could spend the night at…at Kris's?" She asked. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and dread settled in her stomach.
Then… "You're…with Kris?" Carol asked slowly, and Noelle responded with a quick and soft yes. After a few more seconds of silence, Carol finally answered Noelle's question with an amused hum. "Why not. Just bring back a slice of Toriel's pie. Oh, and say hello to Kris for me. It's been a while since I've seen him." Carol said, before hanging up the call.
Noelle blinked, genuinely surprised. That…was actually really easy. She was surprised at how quickly her mother agreed! She even sounded excited at the mention of Kris! The idea that her family was so happy to have Kris back made her feel warm and tingly inside, and she turned to Kris, a warm smile on her face.
"She said yes! She never says yes to anything like that…but she said yes this time, so…your house it is, Kris." She told him, smiling softly at him. Kris blinked in surprise, before nodding. Kris led Noelle this time, walking upwards at the next crossroad.
Noelle played with her hands nervously, her tail wagging through her skirt slowly. She hadn't really been over in ages. Sure, she dropped by to check on Toriel and Kris occasionally, but she never stopped by to hang out. Well…that changed today, she guessed.
Finally, they made it to a familiar clearing at the north most part of the town, with a spacious yard, red van parked in front, and a nice big cozy home smack dab in the middle of the lot. "It's been so long since I've…really appreciated your home, Kris. It's…nice." She said, gazing at the house with something in her eyes, jealousy? Longing?
He couldn't place it, but was nonetheless confused. Noelle thought his home was nice? She practically lived in a mansion! He fought the urge to smile at her, and decidedly opened the door.
It parted open with a creak, and the first thing he saw was his mother sitting on her beloved Chairiel, glaring at him. "Hello, Kris. Would you mind explaining why-" she started, before she froze upon seeing Noelle walk in after him. Kris blushed, looking away as Noelle waved awkwardly.
Toriel blinked, watching the way Noelle lightly pushed Kris on his back, nudging him forward. He stumbled forward like he suddenly remembered he was supposed to, before angling his head downwards, speaking softly to his mother. "Sorry for being late, mom. I…was spending the day with Noelle." He mumbled, and Toriel breathed in audibly, looking at the girl, who nodded, face tinged pink.
"Um…she was wondering if she could…stay the night?" He then asked, and Toriel smiled, her anger having melted in place of absolute radiating joy.
"Of course she can, dear! Asriel's bed is open, Noelle, honey! It's so good to see you with Kris again! I've been trying to get Kris to talk to you, and it seems like my nagging paid off!" Toriel laughed, covering her mouth.
She then looked at the two with a soft, motherly affection in her eyes, one that Toriel was known for. "Now you kids go and sleep now. I'm sure you two had a very eventful day!" She said, and Kris nodded, sighing to himself.
Noelle laughed anxiously along, unable to look Toriel in the eyes. Kris's sweater was still on her. Why wasn't she taking it off? This should be mortifying, she should be begging whatever god was out there to rewind time so that she could save herself the embarrassment, but…it wasn't.
All she felt was the comforting warmth of Kris wrapped around her, and she felt her face flush heavily at the thought. She buried her face into the collar of the sweater, shivering as the warmth spread throughout her entire body.
Her best breath was shaky at best as she breathed in Kris's scent. He smelled good. Noelle idly noticed Kris and Toriel finish talking, before she waved at the two of them as Kris led her through the house and up the stairs.
They walked past two doors on the second floor, before entering the third one, which was Kris's room. Kris closed the door mostly, the lights illuminating the room. Noelle smiled softly, gently placing her bag on the floor.
"It looks just the same…from all those years ago." She whispered. Kris still didn't have anything on his side of the room, sporting only his old bird cage and-was that a bloodstain? Noelle's attention was drawn to the red stain that dyed the carpet near his bed.
Before she could think to investigate, Kris sighed behind her, running a hand through his hair and giving her a brief glance of his eyes. He was looking at her. No. He was staring at her.
Noelle swallowed nervously, feeling multiple thoughts fly through her head at light speed. 'Does my hair look good? Do I smell nice? I hope my breath doesn't stink. He's so warm. He's so warm. He's so warm he's so warm he's so warm.' Noelle snapped out of her train of thought to realize that she was marking his sweater with her scent.
Okay, what the hell was up with her? Why was she acting like this? Why couldn't she stop herself? Why was she so warm? Warm past what his sweater could provide. There was a boiling heat in her, one that spurred with every second she spent in that damned sweater.
Haze filled her mind as Kris overtook her thoughts again, subconsciously burying her face into his sweater again. She was so hot. She was too hot.
With Kris, he was…well, staring at her. His eyes were wide, his jaw was slack, and he was admittedly totally not freaking the hell out right now.
Why was Noelle getting intimate with his sweater? She stood there, breathing softly as she gripped the hem of his sweater, nuzzling her face into the collar. Just earlier she had marked it with her scent again as well.
Kris didn't mind, of course. In fact, he was more than willing to just give it to her.
"Noelle?" He asked, and she gasped, flinching out of her instinct fueled trance, looking at him with a dazed confusion. "Would you…want to keep that sweater?" He asked, and Noelle nodded adorably, her antlers accentuating the movement.
"Y-Yes." She whispered breathily, making a blush rise to Kris's face.
Okay. Well, ignoring how that made him feel, Kris walked over to his bed, falling in it with a sigh. He groaned, his sore body finally getting the rest it deserved. "Thank goodness tomorrow is a Saturday…" he mumbled, yawning softly. Noelle shuffled over to Asriel's mattress, lying down. She was definitely warm enough without a blanket, just from the sweater alone.
When she looked over at Kris, she found that he was already asleep, and she remembered everything that they had done today. Kris deserved the rest after the list of things he had done today. Kris usually wasn't all that active, so to go on an entire fantasy adventure all in one sitting?
That was sure to take a lot out of Kris. But he did it…all because she just wanted to stay a few extra minutes. Thinking to herself, she wondered if anyone else her age had ever done something like that for her without expecting something in return.
…
They hadn't. Kris was the only one. The thought made her conflicted. Of course she was happy that Kris would be willing to do such things for her…but out of anyone that did it, the fact that it was Kris made her sad.
Kris, the quiet boy that had nobody but his mother…going out of his way to make her day even just a little bit better. As she began to fall asleep, her little red nose buried in Kris's sweater, one last thought ran through her head.
"Let's spend tomorrow together too…" she whispered, before succumbing to her exhaustion.
---
Noelle was the first of the two to wake up the next morning. A soft glow peeked through the blinds, and the sound of shuffling downstairs made her moan softly in her half-sleep, her reindeer ear poking up to listen to the noise from downstairs.
Noelle sat up, stretching with a yawn. She hummed softly, her voice as soft and sweet as always. She looked over at the other side of the room to see Kris sprawled out across his bed, tangled in his sheets like it was some sort of booby trap.
Noelle giggled softly to herself, before she tried to get to her hooves…and promptly fell on her face. "Oof!"
The sound of her body hitting the floor made a loud thump, one that woke Kris up and caused the shuffling from downstairs to freeze. Noelle inwardly cursed her sore legs for failing her as Kris slowly sat up, wincing in pain.
"Fuck." He grumbled, his voice low and gravelly. Huh. She liked his morning voice, she noted with a blush.
"S-Sorry, Kris! I fell…" she admitted, embarrassed, and he waved her off with a sleepy grumble.
"It happens t' everyone." He slurred, half asleep. The boy rubbed his eyes, yawning softly. "Don't worry about it." He finished, still tired but fully conscious now.
Just then, the door opened just a crack, and Toriel peeked inside. "Good morning you two! You're certainly up early, Kris! Well, I know you like to wake up early Noelle, so…" she started, before pushing the door open with her body and revealing two plates of biscuits and gravy(minus the sausage, of course).
Noelle's pupils dilated at the sight of food, her stomach growling angrily. She thought about how she had been watching her weight lately, before deciding that it didn't matter. Today would just be her cheat day, and besides, she would just run it off in track.
Toriel smiled lovingly at Kris as she set his plate in his lap, before giving him a soft kiss on his forehead. "Good morning, Kris! I hope you enjoy it! You too, Noelle dear." She said, before hurrying out of the room.
Noelle swallowed her first bite of the heavenly food, smiling at Toriel. "Thank you Ms. Toriel!" She called, and the woman smiled at her before leaving the room. The two ate in comfortable silence, Noelle enjoying a home cooked meal that wasn't made by herself for the first time in…a year? Maybe two? The nights blended together when she was alone.
Shaking the thought away, she realized she was scarfing down her food like an animal. However, when she looked over at Kris, his eyes were glowing with a similar intensity as they did when they faced off against King…while he was shoveling food into his mouth.
Noelle giggled, thankful that she didn't have food in her mouth at the moment. Kris shot her an inquisitive look, and her giggle devolved to a series of tiny exhales. "I-It's nothing! You just take eating so seriously-I forgot how much you love food!" She laughed, and Kris blushed.
"It's…really good." He mumbled, eating slower now. Noelle frowned, before she cleared her throat. Once she was sure Kris was looking at her, she started trying to inhale the food at the same velocity that he just was, only to immediately choke.
Her eyes widened in a panic as a piece of biscuit got trapped in her throat, and Kris was by her side before she could even blink. Luckily, she swallowed the food before it could get worse, grabbing at her throat and taking a few shaky breaths. "I (cough!) am never…doing that again." She groaned, earning a chuckle from Kris.
"You have to get good at stage one of fatassery before you can get to stage three." He quipped, and Noelle laughed, not expecting the sudden joke. Kris smirked at her reaction, while Noelle rubbed the tears out of her eyes.
"H-Heh…what's s-stage one?" She asked, and the boy paused.
"...Okay, I just made that up, it's not actually a real thing." He admitted, blushing when Noelle laughed again. She sighed after her laughing fit, gazing at Kris with a soft smile.
"It's been too long since we've just…hung out like this. I wish we could spend all day like this…" she murmured, and Kris paused, before slowly looking up at her.
"Well…it is a Saturday. Remember…what we used to do on Saturday mornings?" He asked, and she smiled, reminiscing on the memory like it was yesterday.
"We would eat as many bowls of cereal as we could, while watching the morning cartoons. My dad would always make fuss about us not leaving any for him!" She giggled, and Kris nodded, leaning backwards on Asriel's bed.
"Yep. So…wanna go do that now?" He asked her, and she paused, before grinning at him, standing up.
"Last one down has to wear the Togore hat!" She laughed, and Kris flinched, before sitting up and rushing after her.
"W-Wait! I don't want to wear the Togore hat!"
---
He ended up wearing the Togore hat. Kris crossed his arms as Noelle giggled non-stop, leaning forward she was laughing so hard. Kris blew a puff of air out of his nostrils as Noelle laughed at him, but he would be lying if he wasn't at least a little bit happy with how this turned out.
Sure, he may be wearing the ugliest thing created by mankind (him) with the ugliest name created by his parents (thank Gerson they went with Asriel), but at least Noelle found it funny, based on the way she was starting to tear up, her face turning a shade of purple beneath her fur. "Y-You look-hah-s-so mad!" She laughed, holding her stomach and falling onto her back, kicking her legs up in the air.
Kris felt his already dark red blush somehow deepen even further, focusing on the children's cartoon on the television. It was one of their favorites as children, but the show became an obnoxious mess ever since the creator died.
Noelle finally seemed to calm down next to him, sighing breathlessly as she sat up, her long, golden hair unbrushed and wild.
He ignored how much he liked it like that, trying to distract himself by taking a bite of the forgotten cereal on the table. Ugh. Soggy.
Noelle hummed, leaning back on the large couch. Toriel had left to go get some groceries, and Noelle had offered to help, but Toriel insisted she catch up with Kris instead.
No surprise there. Still, Kris thanked his mother silently for allowing him as much time with Noelle as he could get. Speaking of, she turned to him, full of energy that Kris didn't have. "Alright, this cartoon is a lot less fun than I remember it being. I don't know what you want to do, but maybe we can…" she trailed off, looking away.
'Why is going back to his room all I can think about? I know Kris has something to do around here…but nothing seems appealing. At least-not as appealing as just…hanging out with him.' she thought, tapping her chin. She tried to keep her face steady, so as to not give any of her thoughts away.
The more she tried to think of what to do, the more flustered she got at her inability to think of anything but him at the moment, until she just looked at Kris, blurting out the first thing that came to mind in a panic.
"Let's play some Smashing Fighters!" She suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Kris.
"Don't you hate competitive games?" He asked, and Noelle averted her gaze, her smile growing frazzled as she murmured out a response.
"N-Not when I'm playing with you…" she answered, and Kris paused, before he stood up.
"I'll go get the console. We can use the TV out here." He said, heading towards the staircase. He heard the sound of her hooves following him and he turned to her with a smile on his face. "I told you I would get it."
Noelle shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back. "I wanna spend time with you." She said simply.
Even with its simplicity, it made Kris's soul burn. The two quickly grabbed the console and two out of three controllers, before hooking it up to the old TV downstairs. Kris grabbed the cord to the television, plugging it into the wall.
Noelle was already sitting on the couch, having stuffed her knees into his sweater, using it as a full body warmer. He grinned at the sight of it, sitting on the couch right next to her. "Yeah, that's yours now." He told her, and she gasped.
"N-No! I couldn't-this is your favorite sweater!" She gasped, and Kris shrugged, booting up the game.
"I have another one just like it. It's made by the same brand and everything-just different colors. Trust me, you should take it. I-It looks good on you." He said, his voice getting quieter the more he spoke. Noelle nuzzled deeper into the sweater, covering her flushed face.
"O-Okay…" she muttered, and the two fell into an awkward silence. Upon getting to the character select, they both immediately chose the same character, prompting a smile from both of them.
Noelle always picked the biggest guy she could find, and Kris chose whatever the other player chose. Noelle smirked at him, quite literally with her game face on. "Get ready to be destroyed." She growled in the deepest voice she could muster, which really wasn't all that deep.
The both of them instantly started button mashing at each other, with Kris making an actual effort to not make an effort. Noelle bit her lip, pounding on the attack button as fast as she could without damaging the little controller.
Suffice to say, it only took a minute for Kris to actually start playing the game, annihilating Noelle's first life in seconds. "W-What!? How the heck did you do that?" Noelle asked, and Kris shrugged, hiding a smirk.
The moment she got back into the platform, she tried her brilliant strategy of button mashing again. Kris sent her an unimpressed stare, and Noelle stuck her tongue out at him.
"You do know I'm just going to beat you again, right?" He asked, and she smirked at him, quirking a singular eyebrow.
"Try me, gamer boy." She challenged, before doing something that Kris wasn't ready for.
She found the special move button.
Her character on screen threw a trident of darkness at Kris's, before doing it again, and again, and again. Kris froze, losing his first life. When he looked back up at Noelle, she was giving him the smuggest smirk he had ever seen on her.
"Button mashing always wins, Krismas. You should know this." She taunted, earning a competitive smirk from Kris. Her smugness vanished without a trace, a pleading look in her eyes. "Kris, I'm sorry. Please, don't-"
"GAME!"
Noelle paused, looking at the snickering Kris. "Kris. We're switching games. Let me go get my bag-I know I brought it!" She said, setting her controller down and rushing up the steps, before she slowed down, her hooves loud on the stairs. She gave an apologetic wince to Kris, who smiled. "Sorry!" She called, and he gave her a thumbs up.
A minute later, she walked back down with her backpack in hand, plopping back onto the couch. Kris could see her tail wagging and smiled. She was having fun. Good.
Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a small case with only a few cartiges in it, one of which being…oh no.
"Noelle…can we talk about this?" Kris asked, and she grinned at him, switching Smashing Fighters for…Just Dancing. "Noelle-I can't dance-you know this-please let's just-" he tried, but Noelle just ignored him, grabbing her controller and standing up, walking a bit closer to the TV.
"C'mon, Kris! Don't tell me you're scared to compete against a girl." She teased, and Kris frowned at her.
"Noelle, you and I both know that you would beat me in most competitions. I am very afraid to compete against a girl, thank you." He said, crossing his arms like a child.
Noelle giggled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him off the couch. "C'moooon! I thought you liked video games! Stop being laaaazy!" She teased, and he groaned dramatically, but grabbed his controller off of the couch.
"Fine, I'll submit to your torture. I know this is just so that you can tire me out enough to eat my slice of pie later." He faux accused, earning a gasp of totally real offense.
"Kris!? Are you trying to call me fat!?" She asked, and Kris went pale.
"O-Oh my god no! You're not fat at all! You're the least fat girl I know!" He said, desperately trying to save himself. Noelle laughed at his reaction, grinning at him.
"I kinda see why you like that…it's fun." She chuckled, and Kris gulped. He really hoped she didn't get addicted to pranks. The idea of Noelle setting up a fully planned prank sent shivers down his spine.
The two loaded up a popular pop song, one that Noelle probably liked. His theory was immediately proven correct as Noelle began humming along with the song.
Kris sighed, doing a light stretch before he began, with Noelle grinning at his right. The difference in skill was staggering. Immediately, Kris was crushed by Noelle's perfect moves, her body built for fast and precise movement.
Kris struggled to keep up, trying different strategies. He tried to follow the dancer on screen, then the on screen instructions, then Noelle, before he settled on just moving his body in the vague direction that was shown on the TV screen.
By the time the song was over, Kris had his hands on his knees, panting softly. Noelle smiled, not even breaking a sweat. She had nearly double the score he did, yet she didn't even seem winded.
"How…are you…so good at…that?" Kris panted, and Noelle hummed.
"Well, I've had a lot of time to get good at it lately. Mom isn't really home all that often, and…well, other than studying, there isn't…much to do at home." She said, looking down. She subconsciously dug her hoof into the floor, frowning sadly.
Kris frowned along with her, before he grabbed her wrist, gently holding it in his own hand. "...I have an idea…of what we can do. F-For now, at least." He mumbled, and Noelle perked up, tilting her head at him. He blushed at the sight, the combination of her fluffy ears and cute little buck teeth turning him into a stammering mess.
'I wanna pet her.' he thought to himself, his eyes widening behind his bangs. Despite his shock, the thought continued. 'I wonder if she would like it.' he continued, and Noelle smiled at him, saying his name, probably for the second or third time now.
"Kris? You're spacing out again…sorry, I don't mean to interrupt-" she began.
"Do you like being pet?" Kris choked out, and Noelle blinked.
Smooth, Kris. Real smooth.