Chapter 12: Surprise

"Susie! Over here!"

Susie heard MK call from across the diner. Their friends waved her over to their booth. "Happy birthday!" they cheered.

"Th-thanks, guys." A wide, nervous smile stretched taught across Susie's face. Until now, she had never once celebrated her birthday with a friend, let alone her entire class. She had always kept the date hidden, let it slip by unnoticed. It kept her out of the spotlight; away from eyes that might judge her lot in life if they peered too close.

Sharing this secret meant stepping into the unknown. To be here spending lunch on her birthday with people outside of her parents… It was a new experience. Butterflies danced in Susie's stomach.

"Don't just stand, there," Jockington grinned. "Come on and sit down, Birthday Girl."

Susie slid into the seat beside him. She met Noelle's gaze as they sat face-to-face. Noelle gave her a kind smile. Susie could only express a tentative one in return. Their classmate, Catti, was on the clock and soon walked up to take their orders. With her next to the table, it felt like all of Susie's friends were here for her. All except Kris…

"Sorry, Susie. I've got a lot I need to do today. I'll catch you later. Promise."

Susie tried not to let her disappointment show in front of the others. They were enjoying themselves and she didn't want to bum anyone out. While they waited for their food, her friends handed a set of birthday cards. Noelle put the most effort into hers. It was printed with logos from Susie's favourite bands with a heartfelt message inside.

By the time she finished reading every card, everyone else had received their plates. Catti returned with the steak sandwich and fries that Susie ordered. Next to it, she placed a slice of torte cake. Susie stared at it.

"Um… Did anyone order this?"

"Noelle did," Catti answered monotonously.

"It's for you, Susie," Noelle blushed.

Susie smiled. "Thanks, Noelle." The girl laughed bashfully, as though to play down the gesture as much as possible. Susie was grateful that they were still friends. She started off with the cake. It tasted divine.

As they ate, everyone else became engrossed in talk about the latest superhero movie due to release at the end of fall. Birdly boasted about how he was the first to analyse the trailer for every little secret to expect. Either he did or merely read someone else's blog about the movie, Susie figured both were as likely as the other. All the while, she merely listened; simply happy to be present in the conversation.

If this was what spending her birthday with friends felt like, why had she gone this long alone in her life? A short time ago, Susie had a reason for that. Now that she looked back on the years, it all seemed so silly to her. There was almost no other place that she'd rather be.

If given the choice, Susie probably would have spent all day at QC's. Alas, a four-hour shift beckoned her. Sans wasn't the kind of boss to let her off work simply because it was her birthday. He was, however, the kind who switched the store's radio to her favourite station and gave free corndogs to snack on.

As 6:00 PM rolled around, Susie wrung her floor mop and tossed out the bucket. "Sans! I'm knocking off!" she called, freeing her mane from its ponytail. "I'm taking the old bread and milk home."

"Sure, kiddo. Just leave some for me," Sans replied lazily. His sockets never left the joke book he read as he kicked his short skeleton legs over the service counter. "Have a good night. Say hi to your pops for me."

"Thanks. See ya on Monday." Susie waved whilst she passed with a bag in her arms.

There was still plenty of daylight to guide Susie home. Over these past few months, she felt that she could lift her head a lot higher around town. She wasn't alone anymore. She had a decent job with cool perks. Her family ate enough that she didn't need to slink about for scraps all day. Every previous birthday Susie could remember had meant nothing but dejection and self-pity. This year, though, she actually felt happy with her life. She felt proud of what she had.

The lights were on in the living room when she arrived home. Susie opened the door and carried her bag to the kitchen. There, she encountered several surprises.

"Kris?!"

The dork turned from the table and smiled at her. "Oh! Hey, Susie. Happy birthday."

She would have asked what he was doing in her house, but someone else's presence took priority. "Mom? You're here, too!"

Alison looked up. "Hello, sweetheart. Happy birthday." Susie crouched so that she could hug her mother in her wheelchair. "I was feeling better today, so I decided to pop out of the hospital for a bit just to see you."

"I'm so glad you're home." Tears ran down Susie's face. Even if it was just for one night, this meant the world to her. "But… What's Kris doing here? Don't get me wrong, dude. I'm glad you're here, but…?"

"We invited him to stay for dinner tonight," her father, Bernie, answered with a smile. "Seemed only fair. He's the one who cooked the food and all."

Susie then looked over the table. Plates were already set around a whole chicken roast, grilled sausages, boiled potatoes, and green salad. Ice cubes floated in a pitcher of soda. In the heart of it all stood a chocolate cake with her name scrawled in icing.

"Kris spent all day making this," Alison told her.

Susie thanked God that she was already crying. This would have been a stupid thing to have set her off, but it was more than she ever expected. There hadn't been this much food on that table at once for so long; and Kris had made it all for Susie and her family.

"What do you think?" he asked. A broad grin stretched across his cheeks.

On impulse, Susie wrapped her arms around Kris, crushing him. "It's great, Kris," she wept. "Thanks a lot."

"Let's not let the food get cold," Bernie called. "Dig in."

The four of them sat around the table. Susie grabbed a buttered roll and stuck it into her mouth. It was soft and warm. Its gooey centre tasted sweet and salty. Her tongue sang over a seasoned drumstick. Susie's soul flew into the heavens.

After dinner, her parents gave Susie a gift. It wasn't some cheap trinket or bag of candies like she was used to receiving. Susie's breath caught as she unwrapped a small box containing a silver pendant. A small amethyst gleamed in its centre.

"Mom… Dad… This is…" Expensive. Exorbitant. Simply way too much for either of them to spend on her.

"Susie," her father smiled, "ever since you started working, you've helped make life a lot easier around here. Your mother and I believed that you deserved something special for your birthday this year."

"But… how much did this cost?"

"Not enough to put us in the red. So, it's certainly not something for you to worry about," her mother answered. "Go on. Try it on."

The clasp was large enough for Susie's scaly claws to handle. She fastened the pendant around her neck. It dangled beneath her collarbone. "It looks beautiful on you," Alison beamed.

Susie cradled the pendant between her fingers. Its gemstone matched her scales almost to the precise hue. "Thanks, Mom," she murmured. Thanks, Dad." Her voice trembled.

Kris then handed Susie a large envelope. "Sorry it's not much," he said quietly. "Hope you still like it."

Inside, Susie could hardly call what she found a card. It was more of a poster, folded in on itself multiple times until it fitted into the envelope. Kris left a message in the centre, but there was more with it. Across the entire card were dozens of other messages. A little face was drawn next to each one. Susie recognised every character from the Dark World.

Ralsei's picture sat to the left of Kris's. Green, cursive handwriting spelled a sappy greeting with hearts dotting every 'I.' On the right, a message from Lancer was barely legible, complete with his dopey, baby Santa Claus laugh. Susie covered the stupid smile on her lips. There was another from Seam, Clover, and even one in Rouxls Kaard's mangled Shakespeare impression. Each one was written in a different style, matching their personalities, all wishing Susie a happy birthday. It must have taken Kris hours to make them all. Who else could have possibly written them?

"Thanks, Kris," she chuckled. "That's awesome." He smiled brightly in return.

Her father soon turned off the lights. Seventeen candles burning atop the cake cast the darkness away.

"Happy birthday to you…" they sang.

"Happy birthday to you…"

A new tear broke down Susie's cheek.

"Happy birthday, dear Susie…"

A soft sob rocked her chest.

"Happy birthday to you."

Susie blew the candles out. In the seconds before the lights came on again, she quickly dried her eyes.

Bernie cut the cake for everyone. The edge of Susie's fork glided through its soft layers. White cream squelched out from under the gentle pressure. Susie stuck the bite into her mouth. It was sweet and fluffy like a dream. Alison swooned after tasting her piece. Kris's face burned red as she asked him to bake for them more often, praising him as a master chef.

At nine, Susie's father left to drive her mother back to the hospital. She and Kris stayed behind to clean up. There was still food left over from dinner. Susie made a rare use of their storage containers.

"Thanks for tonight, Kris," she said at last. "I had a really great time."

Kris threw the dishcloth aside to dry. "You're welcome. Sorry I didn't get to spend any time with you guys this morning."

"That's okay. This more than makes up for it." Susie turned to face him. A blush seared across her snout. "I'm… I'm really grateful that you did this for me. You didn't have to go through all the trouble."

"I wanted to, though. You've been a huge help to me over the past few months. It's because of you I was able to reconnect with Frisk and Chara. I was able to get my family back because you were there to support m-"

His lips stopped. Susie pressed hers against them. She held his face in her hands until she broke away moments later. Kris stared at Susie. His mouth still hung agape.

"I… Um… I…" Susie stammered. "Sorry… dude… I… just…"

"Could we… do that again…?" Kris asked in a daze.

Susie's body worked faster than her brain did. She kissed him once more. This time, Kris pressed back with equal earnest. They stopped and started as their breaths allowed until Susie finally learned to inhale through her nose. His skin was so warm. His lips were so soft. His hands were gentle as they gripped her arms. Susie combed carefully through Kris's silken hair. He smelled sweet of apples.

They nestled onto the couch, barely watching the television. Kris laid on Susie's shoulder as she held him close. They each came clean about how they felt for each other. It was a sense of exposure that Susie thought she had overcome through her first relationship with Noelle. However, with Kris it was like moulting. It took a little time and effort to dig out the sensitive part of the issue. Susie trusted Kris, though, so she didn't hold the truth from him.

Kris's phone soon rang. He pulled away from Susie to check the message that popped onto his screen. "Mom's five minutes away," he sighed. "Should go wait for her in the driveway."

When they stood, Susie decided she needed one more kiss before he left. Kris pulled her close. She held him tightly. Once again, Kris's phone tore them apart. "Happy birthday, Susie," he said to her.

She gave him a tender smile. "Thanks, Kris."

It was the happiest birthday that Susie ever had.