S11-3
Feelings arise

Ever since that day of school, Kris has been experiencing a warm sensation in his chest. He was feeling a warmth in his heart. Out of nowhere, Susie's voice echoed in his head. 'If it makes you feel better, I'll be your girlfriend.'

It was Thursday morning, and Kris had gotten up early, having heard Susie's footsteps nearing the door. "Kris, wake- Oh, you're already up. I'll be waiting downstairs."

Susie turned to leave, but Kris put a hand on her shoulder. "Susie, wait. There's something I have to tell you."

"Well, hurry up. We've got less than half an hour until school starts."

Not knowing how to put it into words, Kris pressed his lips against hers.

When they parted, Susie stood there, her eyes wide and the purple of her face overtaken by a red blush. "This is about what I said a few days ago, isn't it?! I wasn't being serious! OK, I was, but... Oh, forget it." Susie pulled Kris into a hug, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and yet... she liked it. "About what I said, I'm glad I said it. Feel better?"

"Yes." Kris said happily.

"Good. Now, let's get ready for school."

Classic bacon and eggs, a good way to start the day. "Susie, I couldn't help but overhear that you and Kris were having a nice conversation while I fixed up breakfast. Anything you'd like to share?" Because she still had food in her mouth, Susie simply reached over, took hold of Kris's left hand, and held it up in her own. "I see. Kris, I'm so proud of you. Susie, I'm trusting you to take good care of him." At Toriel's words, Susie blushed.

Swallowing the bite of bacon she had in her mouth, Susie responded. "I won't let anything happen to him. You can count on me."

Later at school, Kris and Susie were busy drawing on a single piece of paper. It was a diagram of Monster Kid, but they added mechanical arms. Monster Kid himself was looking at what the two were drawing. "Yo. That looks awesome."

Once it was done, Kris got up to show the picture to Ms. Alphys, leaving Susie and Monster Kid to talk for a bit. "Susie, are you and Kris... a thing?"

"A 'thing'? Whatchu talkin about?"

"Y'know, like... are you and Kris... dating?"

"Not yet. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. How about you and Noelle?"

Monster Kid was flustered by the very thought of her. "I... I'd wanna take it nice and slow. I don't want to rush into this."

"Yeah, we might wait a week or two. I'll ask about what Kris thinks at lunch."

During lunchtime, Kris and Susie were finishing their meals. "If your mom worked in the cafeteria, the food here would be a lot better."

"Well, yeah, it would. No argument there, Susie."

Susie then recalled what she and Monster Kid were talking about in class. "Kris, when do you think we'd start... y'know... dating?"

"Friday afternoon, next week. Let's not rush into this."

"That's the same thing Monster Kid said about him and Noelle. He said he'd take it nice and slow."

"I'm happy for him."

"Me too."

"Does Berdly seem... irritable to you?" Kris wondered.

"Yeah. He's normally cocky, hotheaded, and egotistical, but now he's added irrational, irritable, and short-tempered. Too bad he's still selfish. I wish he got rid of that so he'd be more... tolerable."

"You and me both, Susie."

Lunchtime was over, so classes were resuming. Kris and Susie made their way back to the classroom, hand-in-hand.

"OK, class, we're gonna have another monthly project. This time, I'll choose the partners. Kris is with Susie, Noelle is with Monster Kid, Jockington is with Catti, Berdly is with Snowy, and Temmie is with-"

"Tem partner with... EG!" Out of nowhere, Temmie pulled out her black-and-white hardboiled egg.

"Yeah. You're with the egg. Anyway, I'll let you all choose your own projects this time."

"A monthly project where you have free reign over what the project is? Cool!" Monster Kid exclaimed, bouncing in his seat.

"Someone's excited." Kris whispered to Susie, who snickered in response.

"I would be too."

Thinking back to the project, Kris leaned back over to Susie. "What do you have in mind for our project?"

"3D printing?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of... cuisine. We could make our own recipe, then share the treats we make with the class."

"Not a bad idea. How good are you at it?"

"I've helped mom in the kitchen more times than I can recall. I even tried my hand at making my own dish."

"How'd you do?" Susie wondered.

"There's plenty of room for improvement, but other than that, not half bad."

"Once we head home, what say we start working on that recipe?"

"Don't you think we should ask what everyone likes first?"

"Right. Sorry, Kris. Why don't we do that tomorrow?"

"Sounds good, beautiful."

Susie was caught off-guard, a blush showing across her face. "B-b-beautiful...?"

"Well, yeah. You're beautiful, smart, strong as steel, tough as a cinderblock, I could go on. In the end, it's who you really are inside that counts." Susie could feel her face heat up and her soul pound inside her chest. She was touched by Kris's words. To think that she almost bit his face off a month ago, and now she had fallen in love with him.

I was never really into people pairing Kris with Ralsei. It just... didn't make much sense. This pairing, however, is more logical.

See you all next time.