Chapter 17
Hidden Away
"Wow… Why didn't your mom hide the Holiday ornament this deep?" Susie asked, as she and Kris explored the depths of the closet under the stairs.
Kris reminded her that it was a tradition that Rudy knew about and used as a chance to prank their family. Susie snorted, immediately clamping a hand over her mouth and nose. According to the clock, it was still very, very early in the morning. Toriel was out like a light, giving the teens a chance to take care of business before going back to bed.
Stealthily shifting boxes and old bags, Kris uncovered an old trunk that Toriel and Asgore had hidden some of their treasures in. Susie held a flashlight that the two of them had dimmed by securing napkins around the lamp with rubber bands. It didn't give off a ton of light, but it was enough to work with. Kris wondered if Toriel had ever purged this trunk after the divorce, but the thick layer of dust quickly communicated that it had probably remained locked and forgotten. Perhaps the memories were too painful to revisit.
Or perhaps the answer was the key. Sure enough, the manuscript that Gerson's magical imprint had gifted them had transformed into a special key set to the trunk's lock. Kris carefully inserted and turned the key. Susie leaned over them, lowering the flashlight. They moved their hands carefully, shifting aside old envelopes, small gift boxes, booklets of pressed flowers, and heaps of pictures to find anything that looked like a Christmas present or fantasy novel.
Eventually, they found it under a bunch of pictures of Kris' parents in college. It was a hand-made, leather-bound book, pressed with novice gold letters. Kris carefully cracked it open, causing a bunch of crinkling noises. The reek of old paper assaulted the teens' noses and they had to pinch their nostrils to keep from sneezing.
The unmistakable letting of a typewriter was splashed across the pages. References to the Dark World were clearly visible. This was it. There were even illustrations from Gerson, depicting spells and worlds neither teen recognized. Susie and Kris took turns oohing and awing over their discovery.
"Sweet! This is a book I'd definitely be willing to read!" Susie said. "What are we going to do with it?"
Kris explained that they could hide it among Asriel's things up in their room and then when they had the chance, they could take it over to Ralsei's palace. With everyone's efforts combined, they could seal it away with a bunch of puzzles and locks, deep within the palace. That way, everyone could help guard it. It would also be something they could keep a closer eye on.
"Great idea, dude," Susie commended, slugging Kris on the arm.
They barely kept their balance after the hit. Susie helped keep them upright. Then, walking very carefully, they ascended the stairs together and stole away into Kris' room.
Due to the winter snows and no one spending the night up there, the room was pretty cold. Susie complained and pointed out that Kris had even left the window slightly cracked open. She raced to close it, shivering. Kris hurriedly dove under Asriel's bed and hid the book.
"What if your brother finds it?" she asked.
Kris wasn't concerned. Even if Asriel did, he'd just accept that it was Kris' business and leave it alone.
"You have it all figured out then, don't you," Susie said smugly. "Well, let's go back and warm up. Or…" Her eyes wandered over to the unused beds.
They had gotten intimate in the Dark World. Susie's ornament had been more personal and special than she had ever intended. Kris met her eyes and smiled weakly. Eating in the Dark World barely had any effect on their stomachs. Did that rules apply to other aspects of their bodies? To their desires and satisfaction?
Hell, who cared about that right now!? Toriel was asleep and they were awake, alone together in a dark bedroom. High on victory, shivering from the cold, and needing to warm up and sleep, Susie and Kris couldn't think of anything better.
They climbed into Kris' bed and snuggled up together under the blanket. They quickly returned to kissing. Arms and legs churned under the covers, generating heat and allowing them to feel even more of each other. They existed in a nest of warmth, afraid of touching the frigid corners and borders of the bed.
Eventually, their clothes started coming off. Their fingers interlocked. Susie got on top. Just like in the Dark World, stronger gusts of wind throwing bucketfuls of snow against the outside walls and window helped to drown out the creaking bed. Susie kept the blanket wrapped around her as she straddled Kris.
A Christmas full of firsts.
When they were done, Kris and Susie carefully gathered their clothes and got dressed. Kris changed the sheets and blanket, tossing them into the laundry while Susie grabbed up Asriel's blanket. It was time to hide the evidence of their deed and sneak back downstairs.
"I feel like such a dork," Susie snickered. "What are we? In a teen movie?"
Kris winked. Who said there was anything wrong with that?
"Merry Christmas, Susie," they said in a hoarse whisper. "There's no one else I want to spend it with more than you."
Susie pulled them close and replied, "Unless you want to get caught by your mom, keep that talk to yourself until we get to my place." Kris blushed, despite the fact they had just had sex. She leaned in even closer and added, "Thank you, Kris. This has been the best Christmas ever. And… And I'm looking forward to many more with you."
They shared another passionate kiss before braving the stairs once more. They carefully arranged themselves on the couch and snuggled in for a few hours sleep before Toriel got them up. There was still a lot to worry about and answers to hunt, but for now, they were going to rest. The enemy had been defeated. That pigman, whoever he was, wasn't going to strike anytime soon. Not after that ass whooping.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
QC watched the three strangers settle into the booth that she normally reserved for Kris and Susie. It had once been the Dreemurr's favorite table, but now that those two were thicker than thieves, they used it often. She was more than happy to serve Kris Dreemurr again. They were a good kid, even if they were a tad bit strange. And the fact that they had made friends with the town bully, Susie, and calmed her down, was remarkable.
She was also certain that there was a spark of romance there between them. QC was rooting for them.
However, those three strangers were another matter entirely. They made her skin crawl. A pigman monster paired off with another human (a rare sight aside from Kris), and another monster so tightly wrapped up, it was impossible to tell who they were. She tried to swallow her nerves when she approached them. She had heard it directly from Undyne and others, there were strangers creeping around Hometown. While these guys didn't appear to be creeping or anything like that, there was something about them that was off-putting.
Oh well. Business was business, and if they proved themselves to be troublesome, she could easily call the cops.
"Here you go, three coffees and three slices of peach pie. Sure you don't want to try any of our apple pie? It comes Dreemurr recommended!"
The pigman flinched and grunted, "No thanks! I'll eat this."
"You don't even deserve any pie," the wrapped-up patron hissed.
"Now, now," the human said, thanking QC and waving her back. "There's no reason to be so hostile. I consider our time here a success."
"But we don't have the book," the third one said as QC retreated. She walked slowly to try and eavesdrop on them. "How could you screw up so bad?"
"They had help! I didn't expect an entire freakin' Christmas tree to turn on me!"
QC shrugged to herself. They must have had a very. Very bad and drunk time decorating a friend's house for Christmas. She didn't recognize any of them or see anyone familiar with them, so it was the Angel's own knowledge who they were here to see.
"Then why aren't we over there right now, breaking in?" the third member of the party asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure QC was out of earshot.
"Because we'd easily get caught. That's why," the human said, relaxed and unconcerned. "They will find another place to hide Gerson's book. And honestly, that's okay. Because now that the book will be in their possession, it's no longer a matter of stealing it from them. We could have done that before they realized what was hidden in the Dreemurr house.
"Gerson is dead, so we couldn't pry it from him. But now that it is in their hands, we can break them and get the book after that." He flashed his friends and fellow conspirators a maniacal smile. "We just need to do our research. This town has been touched by the Dark World. We just have to poke around and investigate. Once we have enough intelligence on the brats, leave the rest to me. I'll break them."
"You're sounding confident," the third one sneered. "But you were the one who said we should trust this fat ass with retrieving the manuscript!"
"Hey! I'm not fat, just hungry!" the pigman shot back, swiping both of their slices of pie.
"Keep it down, keep it down," the human said, nodding pointedly towards the diner owner. She was acting a little peculiarly. "Maybe this isn't the best place to discuss business. In any case, if we want that book, what's a few more weeks or even months!? We'll soon have the full story for the Hammer of Justice, and all the truths of the Dark World."
"Got any money on ya?" the pigman asked. "I can't cover my meal…"
"Damn man, you spend too much on Hammer of Justice collectibles! You can't even afford a slice of peach pie?"
"Don't worry, Horace, I've got ya covered," the human said fishing out his wallet. "Let me signal the lovely lady again. I think I'll try some of that apple pie."
"You're a real hero, dude."
With an ominous wink, the human's eyes sparkled red as he said, "That's exactly what I intend to be, my friends. A hero."
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE SUMMERTIME…
(Go read the Krusie Summertime Adventure!)
