Chapter 8: Hidden Talents
Kris played with his food. French fry in hand, he painted abstract ketchup shapes over his plate. Half of a pizza slice laid across from it. Truth be told, Kris wasn't paying attention to either his lunch or art. His eyes kept darting across Ice-E's to where Asriel and Frisk were sitting in a separate booth.
They sat across from each other. Two straws protruded from the same extra-large milkshake glass. Asriel and Frisk joked and laughed together, periodically sipping their drink. More than once, they did so at the same time.
"Jeez, would you look at them?" Susie said from Kris's table. Unlike him, she stared directly at the pair, kicking her legs over the seat and reclining against the window. "Ugh! They're so… lovey-dovey."
"If you don't like it, don't watch," Kris answered. He stuck the fry into his mouth and reached for his soda.
Susie flinched. "Didn't say I don't like it," she mumbled. "It's just… Jeez, Frisk really looks a lot like you. It's like you grew boobs and started making out with your brother."
Soda erupted from Kris's nose. It sprayed all over Susie. "Urgh! Dude!" she screamed. "You got that in my hair!"
He choked too harshly to apologise. Susie grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and quickly rubbed it against her mane. The whole restaurant stared at them, including Frisk and Asriel.
"Kris?" Asriel called worriedly. "You okay?"
"Yeh…" he wheezed. "Wrong pipe…" That convinced the lovebirds to turn back to each other.
"That was so gross," Susie complained.
"Says the one who fantasised about me with Asriel," Kris hissed. "Why are you so fixated on him and Frisk anyway?"
Susie looked as far away from him as possible. "No reason…" She suddenly turned back. Her eyes became wider than pizza trays. "I mean, I'm not fixated! Why the hell would I be? It's none of my concern."
"Okay, okay," Kris waved her down, trying to calm her from her fight response. Susie's scales burned hot-pink. They focused on eating for a few minutes. Eventually, Kris felt brave enough to speak again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Depends what the question is." Susie narrowed her eyes.
Kris lowered his voice to a whisper. "Have you got any ideas about how I can keep Frisk out of my mom's house for a few hours?"
"Why? What's up?"
"Frisk's birthday is coming up in a few days. I want to bake a cake for her."
Susie blinked. "You bake?"
"My mom taught me. She does it all the time."
"Oh." Susie then scratched through her mane. A grimace twisted her snout when she felt the snot-tainted soda still soaked into it. "You could get Asriel to take her on a date."
"I thought about that," Kris nodded. "But where to? They've been all around Hometown by this point."
"There's the lake just outside of town. People go out swimming there this time of year."
"That might work. Let me check." Kris pulled out his phone and texted Asriel.
"Hey. Can you keep a secret from Frisk?" A few seconds after sending, Asriel glanced at his phone. His thumb moved across the screen.
"Y?"
Kris replied with gift and cake emojis, as well as the upcoming date. Frisk asked Asriel who he was texting. Whatever he told her, she seemed to buy it.
"What do you need?"
"Could you keep her away from mom's for a while? Maybe take her to the lake?" A thumbs up answered the call.
"Great. We're good," Kris told Susie. "Would you mind giving me a hand with the cake?"
"You want my help with it?" she exclaimed. "I've never baked something before! That was Ralsei's thing!"
True. With Ralsei's help, the cake would no doubt be spectacular. However, Ralsei was beyond their reach in the Dark World. "It's not that difficult," Kris said. "I just need help mixing the ingredients as quickly as possible." The less time they spent in the kitchen, the less danger there was of Frisk walking in and spoiling the surprise.
Susie fidgeted while she made her decision. "Sure… I guess I could try."
Kris smiled. "Thanks, Susie. You're a lifesaver."
On Frisk's birthday, everything for the mission was set in motion. Even with Susie's help, it would take Kris at least two hours to finish the cake. Asriel would try to keep Frisk out of the house for at least three to be safe. In case he couldn't, they had Chara on standby to stall for time. Kris woke early to retrieve all the missing ingredients from the store as soon as Asriel and Frisk left. Susie arrived within ten minutes of him.
"Okay," Kris said when they stood over the kitchen table. "First thing we need to do is beat the eggs and measure out the other ingredients."
"Right…" Susie mumbled, obviously overwhelmed by the spread of foodstuffs in front of her.
"If you're not sure about anything, just read the recipe from the book over there. I'll take care of the complicated stuff."
He had done this so many times, Kris could measure the flour and sugar without thinking. Conversely, Susie picked up the milk with care and studied the recipe for several long seconds. She poured the milk slowly into the measuring jug, peering closely at the marked lines.
"Kris, are you sure we need this much?" Susie asked as they mixed two separate bowls.
"Trust me. I know what we're doing." He flashed her a smirk.
Susie's eyes darted between him and the bowls. "Okay… As long as you're sure…"
They placed both mixtures into the oven. Susie washed the dirty dishes while Kris prepared the icing. Together, they laid the first coat over the cakes once they had cooled. Then Kris took over and picked up the piping bag. Susie watched over his shoulder as Kris squirted butterscotch frosting around the edge of the cakes. He turned his wrist just the right amount to create a swirling pattern with each dot. Switching to a narrower nozzle, Kris then spelled out "Happy birthday, Frisk" in flowing letters.
"Wow," Susie marvelled. "You're good at this."
"My mom's the best, but I'm pretty happy with it," Kris grinned at their handiwork.
"Soooo… What about this one?" Susie directed his attention to the second cake. Although adorned with swirls, same as the first, it lacked any special message on top.
Kris gestured to it. "That… is for you."
"Me?!"
"As thanks for helping me. You can take it home and share it with your parents." He then noticed the corner of her mouth curve downward. Her eyes began to shimmer. Had he misread something? "Susie? Is something wrong?"
"You dork." Susie bumped her fist into his shoulder. It didn't hurt, but the length of her arm pushed Kris off balance. "Thanks, Kris…" she said softly. A blush burned across her face. A smile touched his.
Toriel arrived home before anyone else. She helped Kris and Susie tidy up. When they were done, Kris sent the green light to Asriel. Chara arrived shortly afterwards. Within half an hour, Asriel and Frisk walked through the door with their hair wet and beach towels thrown over their shoulders. Frisk discovered one of the cakes on the table. She looked up to Kris and the others in shock.
"Happy birthday, Frisk," he said.
Hands over her face, Frisk read the message on top. "Did you make this?"
"Kris and Susie did," Toriel smiled. "I just helped clean up."
Frisk walked over to Kris and hugged him tightly. Her swimsuit was still wet, and water soaked through her outer clothes onto his. "Thank you, Kris," she sniffed. "Thank you." Then she turned and hugged Susie as well. "And thank you, too, Susie."
Susie froze like a deer in headlights. "Sure… No problem…"
They waited for Frisk and Asriel to dry off and change before lighting the candles. As they sang for her, Kris felt something warm well up inside his chest. This was the first time in his memory that he was able to celebrate one of his sisters' birthdays. To see Frisk happy on the verge of tears, it was the greatest gift that life could have given him.