Chapter Text
Scarce streams of sunlight filtered through their bedroom's blinds. Somehow, one managing to land right on their closed eyelids. How was it already morning? They could've sworn they'd just gone to sleep.
Kris sat up while trying to rub the sleep out their eyes. A futile attempt at last. Still, they decided to get up and take a shower. Maybe that'd help them.
Walking out the door of their shared bedroom, they took a few steps to the door next to theirs. Once in the bathroom and still feeling groggy, they splashed some water on their face and promptly hurried to clean themselves.
Once that task was complete, they headed downstairs. Just in time as it seemed their mother, Toriel, was making them breakfast.
"Oh! Hello sweetie! I did not expect you to be up so early." She commented as she placed another pancake on an already staggering pile.
"I didn't expect it either." They pushed the bangs covering their eyes back — a habit they'd noticed themselves doing more so lately.
"I was going to leave food for you in the fridge, but since you are here already, I suppose you may eat it right off the pan." The plates were moved to the dining table, which was right next to the kitchen.
"Are you going somewhere?" Kris asked as they took their place on the table and began eating.
"Yes, actually. I have a couple of errands to attend to."
"This early?" Their face morphed to pure horror.
"Indeed. I already told your uncle you would be arriving later today."
"Ugh, come on! Again?"
Toriel muffled a giggle by placing her hand over her mouth. "I apologize, sweetie. I would hate to leave you alone…"
"Mom, I'm 16."
"I know, I know. I would still like you to be somewhere safe while I am gone!"
"Fine. Can Susie and Ralsei at least keep me company while I'm there?"
"Well, I do not see a problem with that. I will still ask your uncle though."
"Thank you…"
About an hour or so later, Toriel departed from their house while Kris was told to head to their uncle's house walking. It was close enough, so it wasn't a problem. Plus, they could meet with their friends on a street corner before actually arriving. The scenery on the way was always nice to look at anyway.
And so, they stepped foot outside their house, ready to face the day. And what a day it'd be.
The streets were sure packed with people…
Kris stopped by a small hotdog stand on the way and fed any birds the bread of the food they'd bought as they walked. They had agreed to meet with Susie and Ralsei a couple more of blocks down. In all honesty, they were quite excited to see them today. They knew they wouldn't get bored on a day like this — especially not at their destination.
While thinking about this, Kris accidentally crashed into someone. Thankfully, they were able to catch them before they fell to the floor.
"Hey dude! Watch where you're going!"
"Susie…" They murmured under their breath.
"What's up, my guy?" She wrapped an arm around their shoulders as soon as they were standing straight.
"Oh Kris! You're finally here!" Ralsei greeted them with his usual cheeriness.
"Sooo, what's the occasion? Any specific reason you, uh, called us here today?" The girl questioned.
"Uhh, yeah, actually."
"So, what is it? Don't leave us hanging!"
"Well, I have to spend the day at my uncle's house, and I thought it'd be a hell of more fun if you were there —I guess." They scratched the back of their neck nervously as they spoke. Honestly, Kris was just expecting them to come up with an excuse to leave or something. They didn't take into account the amazing friends they had though.
"Oh, that sounds fun! Don't you agree, Susie?" Ralsei was the first to speak. "I bet we can come up with some games or some other activities while we're there."
"Yeah… Yeah! That sounds awesome!" The taller monster quickly agreed to with an enthusiastic nod.
"Really?"
"Yeah, come on! Lead the way, dude!" Susie began walking to the direction she was facing before Kris crashed into her — Ralsei following right behind.
"Actually, it's this way…" Kris pointed to their left.
"Oh, right… I knew that… Haha…"
After about 10 minutes of walking, plenty of houses began appearing by the sidewalk. They were all huge, like they belonged to millionaires or something of the sort.
"Damn Kris… You didn't tell us your uncle was rich!" Susie tried whispering in their ear, but her volume was still loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
"It's actually uncles." They emphasized the 's' at the end. "And they're not rich. Or. I wouldn't say they are."
"Uh, have you seen where we are right now?" She did a whole 360° spin to highlight her point.
"Come on, Susie. They don't necessarily have to be rich to live in a house like this." Ralsei tried reasoning with her.
"Bro. Look around you." The sidewalk was clean, wide, and didn't have any holes or alterations on it. Many of the buildings had well nurtured gardens with colorful flowers blooming from thick brushes. Most houses had small adjustments, like swings on the porches or other stuff of the sort. Maybe a small detail here or there on the arches.
"I'll admit it's a nice neighborhood." The goat boy said with a sheepish smile.
"And just that, huh?" The girl crossed her arms.
They kept walking for a couple of minutes more until Kris suddenly stopped in front of one of the many houses.
"This is it." A well loved two-story residence stood before them in all its glory. It was made out of bricks with white accents and a garden that somehow looked better than the rest. A chimney stood at the left side of the roof. Finally, a small cobblestone path lead to the stairs of the porch, where more flowers with pots stood as guards.
"And you said they weren't rich…" Susie muttered frustrated as Kris rolled their eyes.
"Umm… So, how are we getting in?" The questioned was muffled by Ralsei's scarf.
"I have a key."
"Oh."
Kris went up the small steps, and opened the door easily, which gave way to a dark foyer.
"Are they not home at the moment..?" The smaller boy poked his head in.
"It seems like they aren't. Strange…" And with zero respect, they waltzed in — their two friends following closely behind until the human found the light switch.
"Uhh. Now what?"
"Well, we can do pretty much whatever we want." Kris stepped further inside and into the living room. It was an enormous room with a l-shaped couch at the left side facing the fireplace, with two other chairs on either side as well. More to the right, sat a black, grand piano.
The human sat of the back of the couch, still facing their companions.
"Really dude?"
"Yes, of course."
"You seem suspiciously comfortable here."
"I mean, I am here a lot." They shrugged.
"Huh."
"Well, I think your uncles' house is very pretty, Kris!" Ralsei beamed as he clapped his paws.
"Thanks I guess…" They brushed their hair back.
"Hey, why don't you give us a tour, huh?" Susie suggested as the first activity.
"Oh, that'd be wonderful!"
"Sure, I guess. Just don't break anything."
With that being said, the trio began walking around each room, exploring and asking every question imaginable:
"Who are the people in this picture?"
"Is this the guest washroom?"
"Why is there fur everywhere…"
"Oh man, these flowers are actually very pretty!"
"YOU EVEN HAVE YOUR OWN ROOM HERE??"
After some messing around, they finally reached the library.
"I don't understand how you can say they aren't rich while having this whole thing in here." Susie began walking around with her hand stretched out towards the bookshelf — brushing past several books' spines.
"I admit they're a bit well off…" The girl simply scoffed at that.
Ralsei began moving around as well — finally on his own and not attached at Kris' hips. "They have so many interesting books!" He commented as he opened, closed, and gathered more and more titles in his arms.
The human simply crossed the room to lounge on a window seat nearby.
That was until Susie found out there was a ladder. She immediately began pushing it around with great fervor and enthusiasm… for some reason. Kris could only imagine she merely wanted to mess around and find some way to climb up the exaggeratedly long ceiling.
After a while, they got a little bored of just sitting around, so they began checking out some of the sections they hadn't bothered with in the previous times they'd been at the house.
What they weren't expecting was to find —in a dingy, and not well lit corner—a book that had certainly seen better days. Curious, they took it with them and went back to their previous position — where the natural light spilling through the window perfectly illuminated the cover.
"Angel…" Read the title in big, golden letters that seemed to come alive in the air.
They opened it to a random page and simply stared.
They recognized this handwriting. It seemed so familiar, but at the same time… so distant.
Their soul could recognize the precision and tone of the words being said. It could acknowledge the way the ink filled the pages. But they couldn't recall who this might've belonged to.
Sadly, they didn't get the chance to keep pondering it over as a purple hand launched from behind their head and snatched the dusty, old book right out their hands.
"What are you doing with this prehistoric thing? It looks like it belongs to the era of dinosaurs." It seemed Susie had finally left the damn stairs alone.
"Ugh, c'mon. Stop messing around."
"I'll give it back… If you can catch me!" And she went right back to them…
"Susie!" They quickly chased behind as Ralsei stood to the side.
"Guys! I don't think this is really the place to be doing this!"
"Live a little Ralsei!" She exclaimed from the very top of one of the bookshelves.
"I'm not going up there, Susie!"
"You're no fun." She slid down as quickly as she climbed up.
"Give it back." They demanded with their hands on their hips.
"Why do you care so much? Is it your secret diary?" Once the idea struck her, she instantly began flipping the pages rapidly.
"No! Of course not! I just want to look at it…" Their small hand landed on her forearm.
"Uhhh guys?" Ralsei called from a distant.
They kept arguing as Susie dangled the book over Kris' head as if they were some dog.
Until it was seized by an even bigger and white hand once more. A hand full of fur, with big claws that could never truly hurt someone.
"Now, now. Why are we fighting over this thing?"
"Uncle Tenna!" Kris was surprised to see him there — despite him living there. The ant monster and his husband usually came back much later in the occasions they weren't home when the human teen arrived.
"Oh, Kris! It's wonderful to see you!" He threw his upper arms to the air and his lower pair held the precious text. "And I sense you've brought company." His antennae made some slight movements.
Susie looked a little sheepish at the fact she'd been caught making fun of Kris in front of their uncle. Meanwhile, Ralsei somehow waved — almost making the countless volumes in his hands fall.
"Yeah. This right here is Susie." They placed a hand on her shoulder. "And that's Ralsei over there." He had finally decided to place the collected books on a nearby table.
"Well, it's a pleasure to be meeting you two. Make yourselves at home! I hope Kris has been an excellent host so far."
"Ehh. I wouldn't exactly say so-" A light punch to her arm made her shut up. "Hey! See what I mean?" The gigantic monster giggled with a palm over his mouth.
"What were you doing here anyway?" His hands roamed the texture of the book. Touch and his antennae were his way of perceiving this marvelous and unpredictable world after all.
"Oh." Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed. His shoulders and antennae sagged a little. Despite trying to not let it show, a frown overtook his face.
"Uncle? You okay?"
"Huh? Oh! Yes! Everything's okay!" Tenna's face instantly lit up, as if nothing had ever happened.
"If you say so… Hey, where's Uncle Samuel?" The human asked as they were aware the two men were usually inseparable.
"He's in the kitchen, unloading the cungadero. We went shopping!" He beamed as he clapped his hands all excited.
"Him? By himself?"
"Well, yes. He's perfectly capable!"
"The 1.5m tiny man?" They balked.
"Eh, yes."
"Right…"
"Ha! Anyway! What- what were you doing with this?" The ant began frantically waving the book around.
"I was just checking it out before someone tore it from my hands." Kris gave the purple lizard a horrible side-eye.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, man." She put her hands up in surrender.
"Hm…" As this was happening, Tenna seemed lost in thought (quite the unusual sight).
"Why do you ask?"
"Uh- Well, uhhh." He took a deep, calming breath, and continued. "Sammy and I have read this countless of times before… I know you're not little kids, but perhaps… you'd like to know more about it?" He looked almost… embarrassed mentioning it — afraid he'd immediately get turned down. However, he underestimated how curious the three adolescents in front of him were.
The distance between the trio and Tenna instantly became null — their faces radiating light.
"Yes! Yes, we'd love that, dude!" Susie said with her hands balled up as fists.
"Oh- ha. Didn't expect you to be so thrilled! Right, let me just get Sammy in here then."
"What for?" A confident voice coming from the doorway resounded in the room. Samuel G. Tenna stood straight as soon as he noticed all eyes (and antennae) were on him. His ghostly, white skin made it seem like he was glowing — with his jet black hair, styled back, creating the perfect contrast.
It seemed Ant's antennae hadn't been able to sense him as he'd been so distracted with the kids.
"Oh! Sammy! You're here!" Ant went ahead and squeezed Sam in an all-capturing hug — making him lose all his nonchalance as the man was now the ant compared to his husband.
"Ant— You— Are crushin' — me!" Upon those words, he was released with a gasp. "Jesus, Ant. You saw me not even ten seconds ago!"
"Aha… Sorry..?" He at least looked somewhat apologetic about it…
"'Sorry' doesn't even begin coverin' it." He did air quotes and promptly brushed his hair back as he spoke.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. I hate being hugged by my very loving and very kind husband!" Tenna crossed his arms with a huff— clearly offended.
"Oh, c'mon! You know I didn't mean it like that!"
"Then like how?"
"You were embarrassin' me!" A slight blush overtook the pale man's face.
"So now I'm embarrassing? I see how things are… You don't truly love me after all…" And now, his antennae had wilted, and he'd completely turned his back on Samuel.
"WHA- HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT??"
"With my mouth." He turned over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out.
"You are insufferable." Samuel said once he realized he was being messed with.
"So are you."
They all sat in silence for about five minutes before the smaller man spoke up once more.
"So what did you need me for?"
"Oh, right! I need your beautiful, big, and purple eyes to assist me with something!" With each word, he leaned in closer to Sam's face.
"I've told a thousand times before my eyes are NOT purple! You can't even see!"
"But your soul is purple…" He mentioned with a whimper.
"That does not mean-! Whatever." He stopped before the silly banter progressed any further. "What, do you want me to read or somethin'?"
"Oh- uh. Yeah, actually…" Once again, his features turned sour as he ran his hands over the cover.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Tens? Why the long face?"
"It's nothing. Just-- look." Ant showed his partner what he was holding. As soon as his eyes laid upon it, an indecipherable expression crossed his eyes. However, it quickly dissipated, and a small, sad grin overtook his face instead.
"You've kept this thing the whole time? You really are a sap." He took the weight from Ant's hands. "I'm guessin' the kids were snoopin' 'round?" His gaze landed on them with a raised eyebrow.
Susie and Ralsei looked a little bashful as they fidgeted with their clothes or scratched the back of their necks.
"If you want to call it that." Kris calmly said with not much fare — embarrassing their friends even further (even if Ralsei pretty much had nothing to do with it at all). A small sigh escaped from Samuel's mouth.
"'S fine. I'll…" He trailed off as he stared at the title. "I'll read it for you. We can add some extra context or whatever when we need to. How 'bout that?"
"Sounds awesome, uncle." They said with a smile on their face.