‟It. Was. AWESOME!" - Susie's voice boldly cracked whenever she was excited. Or really scared.

‟Does he really crush a skull with his bare hands? I don't remember that part."

‟Y'probably watched the TV version. They removed half the scenes and made the blood green for kids."

‟Why would they make the blood green for kids?"

Idunno, same reason they make green ketchup."

‟They make… what?"

‟Oh, buddy, you're in for a treat. We should sneak in the movie thea-"

‟…Aaand that's a rain cloud." - Susie craned her head over him. There was a perfect view of the sky here.

He complained at the sky's address, ‟Damn it. We were in the middle of something."

‟Can't handle a shower? I can dry us up if we get wet." - There's a dark tone to that picture when it's said by a dragon.

‟I don't want to end up in the hospital."

‟Say hi to Rudy when you get there!"

Chugging multicolor soda in the shade while shooting the breeze was what Kris and Susie did after Undyne said she'll suplex them if they keep hanging around the station. How his best friend found this curled hill with a giant sheltered tree to sit under was an ongoing mystery, and the clues pointed to pine cones. If only the heavy skies cleared up, it'd be a perfect day for lazing. But against their wishes, it was getting colder, and a gray shadow was enveloping their shade.

A snap went off a few inches in front of Kris's eyes. It broke the twilight of his thoughts and he saw the full sky.

‟W-What?!"

‟You keep zoning out. What's up?"

‟I wasn't- I was just thinking."

‟The heck're you thinkin' about then?"

‟Uh, the weather?"

‟What? Humans work on sunlight or something? Why'd you care so much about it?"

‟I don't know…" - Kris was thinking of other things, generally his crush. And the internet being down… And his mom and Asriel… The Soul too.

‟DAMN IT, YER DOING IT AGAIN! Can't you do all that thinking in school, nerd?! Wait two damn days—"

‟Thanks Sus, I probably sho-"

‟…Two days?"

Where did Friday go, now thought Kris. It wasn't friday? Where did Friday go?

‟Don't tell me, you forgot what day it is?"

‟…I, I might have."

GAHAHAHAH!"

‟Did'cha forget to do the homework too?!"

‟H-Homework?"

‟Pff-"

Susie rose off the trunk to whisper in his ear. She smelled like old gum.

‟Not like I did it, either." - The violet delinquent confessed like a small girl would to her mother.

He shook his head, if it was Saturday, He had an impromptu appointment waiting for him,‟Damn, I gotta go then."

‟Calm down twerp, we'll get through it together."

‟Actually, I'm gonna do it, on my own."

That was a horrible lie, and he knew she knew how bad it was. All Kris had as an apology was a distant smile. He separated from the cold log that was the aspen.

‟Sorry, Sus, I'll make it up to you?"

‟Nah dude, you're fine, go do whatever."

‟Thanks a lot." - He rose up and dusted himself off.

She stopped him, looking at something ‟…Kris?"

‟What's up?"

‟…If anything's bothering ya, you can talk to me… we're friends, y'know?" - She looked worried for a second. More than just how a friend is worried for her best friend. In a way that gave him a bit of pause. He really thought about spilling his guts to her. Shaky, unsure as they were.

‟…Susie?"

‟What?"

‟Find a roof if it starts raining."

NOW you wanna be my dad?! Lay off, dude."

Before leaving the hill, Kris looked at Susie one more time, underneath the withering aspen and thunderous fog. She was looking straight ahead with only a smudged soda to keep her company. It was getting too dark to see what her eyes were focused on.


The bell sounded ominous with the accompaniment of shallow thunder. And in this weather, the Holiday mansion could be great for a Halloween party or an all-out haunted house. In contrast to the creepiness all around, a tiny deer cheerfully galloped to the front gate. Of course, ever careful as she was, she had a yellow rain coat on! It looked very silly as it went over her horns.

H-Hey, Kris! I didn't think you'd come today."

‟Yeah, sorry I'm late."

It's not like they'd scheduled a time for their study session. He wanted to keep coming every Saturday, and He did. Noelle didn't have anything else to do (presumably), so she let him in. The first session has been stuffed in the unending trunk of awkward memories they never talk about.

‟Can you come inside now? I-I really don't want to get my fur wet."

‟Yeah, must be a pain to dry."

‟Oh, you don't know the half of it! After you brush it, you need to comb it and—"

They had fun conversations.

The house was still wrong, that didn't go away. But her room was the corner within it he could grab on to. It was a part of the Holiday house he knew still remained similar enough. Like a treehouse in a wild forest. It was also cute and warm inside. And, it did smell a little of her.

‟Okay! We can get started right away then!"

‟Right away can," - Stretch,‟Come later."

K-Kris?"

The fastidious student took a store bought cinnamon cookie and fell backwards to get a good perspective of the room. Among the council of plushies, there was no sign of the carnival prize he got her. His heart raced, but he understood why. It was just a cheap festival reward, so it was left to gather dust on a shelf somewhere. What instead caught his attention was a picture on Noelle's night-stand.

‟What's that?"

‟Oh? That picture? It's from when it snowed."

‟Hmm."

Mouth still full of store-bought cinnamon cookies, Kris went and picked it up. It felt a bit wrong to pretend he didn't know anything about it, these study sessions were a shared secret between them, so lying to her was like breaking a pact. It might be unfair of him. But it was unfair of her to fall in love with another girl.

‟Oh, I'm giving you bunny ears."

‟Bunny ears? Is that what those are?"

‟Yeah, I think… Maybe. I don't know. I was pretty stupid back then."

Asriel and Dess were super cute in the picture, all things considered. They were definitely the stars of it. Maybe Kris should've been more photogenic. Not like he was even in the present.

‟Hey, Noelle?"

‟Yes?"

‟Were you crying before this got taken?"

‟Was I- huh?"

‟Your face's wet."

‟It is?" - Kris presented the picture to Noelle's giant peepers, ‟Oh, it really is. Pfehehe"

‟What, did I hit you with a snowball?"

‟I think I was crying because it was the first time we'd ever seen snow."

‟Wait, seriously?"

‟Of course! …Kris, it was the first time you'd ever seen snow too! Don't tell me you forgot!?"

‟…I did."

‟H-How could you forget the only time it snowed in Hometown?"

As long as Kris was looking into the picture, he was talking with baby Noelle. All monsters were fragile creatures. When viewed from the perspective of a human. One hit and poof, they could be gone just like that. But Noelle especially so. His perfect flower. Little baby Noelle. He'd protect her, and be as gentle as need be.

‟…All I remember is everything surrounded by white, then I went to sleep in your living room and had some weird dreams.

‟You're hopeless, you know that?!"

‟You can remind me if I forget something important."

I'm not your secretary!"

‟…But man, you really were a crybaby."

Don't change the subject!"

Noelle straightened up, she put on her serious face, and looked directly at Kris. Or where Kris would have been, if he wasn't still laying down and looking at the picture.

‟Kris, I'm glad you're having fun, but…"

‟I really need to study right now, so, uh… can we begin? Please?" - She was using those eyes on him.

Fiiine."

‟Great! We'll start with… English!"

Nooooooo"

It was true that Kris was in no mood to Study, but a bigger part of him just wanted to see Noelle flustered. For all the growing up he'd done, teasing her was just as delightful as it was when they were kids. If he was with her, he could even stomach English. Maybe English wasn't that bad if the top student would teach him. Maybe.

Accompanied by the secure sound of her pen, he looked to her expansive bed, and in there, almost buried in the hollows of the mountain range of pillows, was the bear he gave her. It looked to be undergoing some kind of initiation ritual, or maybe it was being tamed. Whatever the reason, it was face-down buried in pillows, and it looked ready to start hibernating for the long winter ahead. Maybe it had already started. It was raining pretty hard, perfect day for a nap.

‟Kris! Pay attention! You won't be in time for Monday!"

‟Do you really think Alphys'll check our homework next week?"

‟What do you mean?"

‟Hello, Noelle? Halloween~?"