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Kris Dreemurr has been carrying feelings of jealousy and regret with them all day. They are trying their best to not show it. All throughout the Festival, Kris had been strung along watching Noelle and Susie fall in love with each other. The worst part is their blossoming relationship is adorable. They can tell from how just one look from the other is enough to cause them to melt into blushy giggly messes that they are truly happy together. Kris doesn't want to come in between that, as much as it hurts. So they swallowed any reservations they had and voted them Festival King and Queen, watched them ride a ferris wheel together, sat at the picnic table from afar while Susie and Noelle flirted with one another. And now Susie has spent most of their recent Dark World adventure talking about how excited she is about her first girlfriend. Kris would rather jump in a body of water than confess the pain she is inadvertently causing.
They are now sitting in a hot spring reflecting on their feelings of the two girls.
To say that Kris's relationship with Noelle is complicated would be the understatement of the century. At one point in time, the thought of them ending up together would have been a foregone conclusion to anyone around them. Childhood best friends who laughed and cried as they grew up together. They were tinier versions of their older siblings, who were thought of Hometown's blossoming teenage romance even if they were never officially together. When Dess disappeared, Kris and Noelle were inconsolably distraught. Noelle lost her big sister and Kris lost someone they looked up to dearly. Kris couldn't handle the guilt of blaming themselves for what happened. They thought that if they stopped being around Noelle, they could just move on. So Kris and Noelle drifted apart from one another, only exchanging small talk in the school hallways about borrowed pencils.
Now that Kris's obligations, or perhaps fate, is bringing them together again once more, Kris doesn't know where they stand with Noelle. Sometimes they catch glimpses of longing glances. Sometimes they hear a faint sadness in Noelle's voice when she reminisces about their childhood that makes them think that maybe they could still work out. But then, Noelle says something to downplay all of it. She says that they were just two neighbors. She says that their moments spent together were forced. And Kris knows that Noelle will never be able to fully shake away those concerns, because they weren't able to show her how much they care. Noelle deserves someone who will give her hope of a bright future, not someone wrapped up in memories of a broken past.
And now, there is Susie too. They have only been friends with her for a couple of days and yet their bond feels irreplaceable. Kris couldn't imagine being as wild and carefree as they are with Susie with anyone else. It's exhilarating. Susie never judges all of Kris's weird eccentricities they've been insecure about besides playful teasing. Most of the time she even joins in with whatever doglike behavior they get up to. Susie is rough and imperfect in a way that Kris relates to. As the only human in Hometown, they've never felt that kind of connection with anyone before. Susie feels different from all the other monsters somehow.
When Susie flashes that toothy grin of hers, with her sharp and yellowing teeth that feel so perfectly her, Kris feels some of the hope she has. Her faith in a better world shines bright. Kris doesn't understand how she still manages to have that kind of optimism in a world that has treated her so poorly. But her hope shows that underneath Susie's tough girl exterior, that deep down she is the kindest and gentlest girl Kris will ever know. A girl that Kris is betraying every step along the way. Kris is lying to her about their role in the story they've found themselves in. Susie deserves someone who can be emotionally vulnerable with her, not someone who will leave her with a broken heart after she inevitably discovers the truth.
Kris feels so alone right now. They aren't literally alone, as Ralsei is joining them in the hot spring. Kris tries to relax, sinking deeper into the water and feeling its warmth on their skin. It feels nice being fully enveloped by the gentle heat. It doesn't substitute the longing for someone else's body pressed up against theirs. But it will have to do for now.
Ralsei takes his glasses off for a brief moment. For some reason, Kris feels bad for glancing over at him in such a state. Ralsei eyes looks so soft without his glasses. It's almost as if Ralsei is naked without his glasses, that his eyes are more intimate than any other part of his body. Kris's breath feels heavy. They are relieved when Ralsei finishes cleaning the fog off of his glasses and puts them back on.
"Was there anything… you wanted to talk about?" Ralsei softly asks.
Kris hesitates as usual. Talking to Ralsei can be hard for them. As the prince from the prophecy, he obviously knows more about Kris's true nature than Susie, although he too appears left in the dark on some things. It's difficult for Kris to gauge what he does and doesn't know.
They close their eyes and ask about the Dark Fountains. Maybe it's the lingering guilt over lying to Susie that causes them to, or maybe it's a desire to know more about the nature of the worlds they create. Kris doesn't even know if they could handle that.
Ralsei sighs. "How do I… say this."
Kris already feels the lump that forms in the back of their throat whenever they feel cowardly. They should be accustomed to this feeling by now after three days of lying to Susie. Or after six years of avoiding Noelle. Yet it still stings each and every time, causing Kris to wonder if everyone would be better off if they had been the one to disappear instead of Dess.
"I… don't think there should be more Dark Fountains, Kris," Ralsei says.
They know he's right. But Kris made a deal they can't back out of now. All of their suffering is a result of their actions. Perhaps inactions would be a better way of putting it. Either way, everything is their fault. It always has been.
"No, making them… is bad. It's very bad. The more darkness gets released, the closer…" Ralsei trails off his sentence, as if he's afraid to finish it. "The closer the Roaring becomes. And, if it happens… I believe… it will mean… the end of the story."
It takes everything in Kris to not drown in their own sorrow upon hearing this. They are struggling to keep their head afloat in the hot spring. Kris sits there in silence, presumably leaving Ralsei to wonder what they might be thinking.
"Kris, yesterday, when you played that giant piano. Your performance… it had something beyond the notes," he begins to speak. "After you left for the Festival today… I tried to play that song too. On the piano in Castle Town. But I… I couldn't do it like you. Even if we press the same keys, your fingers just know something that mine don't."
Ralsei doesn't know that at one point in time Kris was considered a musical prodigy. Dess's guitar playing inspired to pick up an instrument. They were never any good at guitar strumming, so Carol ended up giving them piano lessons and proved to be a natural. Kris would happily play on stage with their brother, Noelle, and Dess. Without Dess though, there wasn't a reason to play the piano anymore. But the muscles in Kris's fingers don't forget things. Kris's mind doesn't either, as much as they would like for it to.
Kris opens their eyes again and averts their gaze to Ralsei instead. If they had kept their eyes shut, Kris would picture Dess's face again. They can't quite bring themselves to do that.
"You… must be really special, Kris," Ralsei gently whispers.
Ralsei's head is barely above the water but Kris can still see the blush on his face. His fur somehow looks softer than usual. Maybe the water has relaxed his body or maybe it's somehow a reflection of how tender this moment with Ralsei is.
"There's a reason why you're the hero. And that's why… I'm putting all my faith in you," Ralsei confesses.
Part of Kris wants to tell Ralsei that he shouldn't, but the sincerity in his voice convinces them to remain silent. They worry that they will have to break his heart too. That him and Susie will both turn on them and leave them completely alone. Nobody to turn to for comfort, just more nights of staring at the ceiling wishing things could have turned out different.
Kris swears that Ralsei moved slightly closer to them but can't be completely certain. Whether or not he did, Kris decides to inch closer in response anyway. They are tired of feeling distant from those they care about. Kris might hurt more later because of it, but they hurt right now too, so Kris decides it doesn't matter. It hurts a little less when they go nearer.
"That no matter what path we take to get there. That even if you do something I disagree with. All it means is that I don't understand it yet. Right?" Ralsei asks with a nervous tremble.
Kris is taken aback. It was as if Ralsei could sense their concerns and directly addressed them. For the first time this adventure, they actually feel that level of comfort that they thought only Susie could give them. Ralsei giving them preemptive forgiveness, even though they aren't worthy of it, leaves them wanting to cry. It's hard to say if they would be tears of joy or tears of sadness. Maybe they would be something else entirely. All Kris knows is that they are overcome with desire.
"The end of the story… we have to avoid it. We have to. But at the same time…" Ralsei says, sounding on the verge of tears as well. "If a happy ending does exist somehow… it's with you, Kris," he professes while blushing.
For some inexplicable reason, Kris's first thought is to start lapping up all the pool water like a dog as a way of cutting the romantic tension. But Kris pushes that aside. They have made so many mistakes when it comes to pushing away those they love in the past. So even if it's selfish, even if it's reckless, even if it's sudden, Kris decides to go for it.
They move towards Ralsei until the two of them are right next to each other. Ralsei doesn't say anything as Kris cups their face in their hands and closes their eyes before pulling Ralsei in for a kiss.
Ralsei's lips are soft, as is his fur. Kris can feel Ralsei gently fall into them upon their embrace in a way that shows he was expecting this. They can feel their face reddening as they are still disbelief that this is really happening. Prior to this moment, Kris wasn't even sure if they had romantic feelings for Ralsei. Now, all their previous experiences together are tinted in a different light. Suddenly the swan boat takes on a new meaning. They long for Ralsei's nuzzling against their cheek and the way his fur tickles against their skin.
Kris pulls away after a short while and tells Ralsei that their happy ending is with him too. Even if their feelings are obvious now, Kris still feels the need to say it directly. As they open their eyes, they let out a soft laugh at how pink Ralsei's fur is right now. They didn't know he was capable of blushing like that.
"Kris, I… I didn't know you felt that way…" Ralsei whispers in an awestruck voice.
They nod and prove their affections by deciding to lick Ralsei's face.
"Kris!" he laughs from the sudden shift in behavior.
Kris now knows what it's like to laugh with someone in the face of seeming hopelessness. In the back of their mind, they still feel that nagging uncertainty, but it subsides into the background when they hear how happy Ralsei is. They're sure that this is what Susie felt with Noelle during their date earlier.
Now that they know what shared love feels like, Kris wants more. They reason that it isn't greedy if it's channeled into loving each and every part of their paramour. Kris moves in for more kisses, each one getting a little more hungry than the last.
Ralsei stops for a brief moment at Kris's sudden intensity. "We probably shouldn't be doing this… I mean… I don't know if I…"
Kris cuts them off and tells him that it's okay to want things. They struggle with feeling like a bad person for wanting things too, so they know where Ralsei is coming from. But it breaks their heart a little bit whenever Ralsei counts himself out just because he's a Darkner or because something isn't in the prophecy. Underneath the water, Kris rests their hand gently on Ralsei's thigh.
"I…" Ralsei mutters with quivering lips. "I want… I want to be your…"
Ralsei stares up at Kris with a longing expression instead of saying the last word. Kris knows what Ralsei wants to say. They gaze back and take off Ralsei's glasses, gently placing them off to the side and admiring just how pretty Ralsei's eyes are.
Kris is Ralsei's knight and Ralsei is Kris's princess. And she is beautiful.
They tell her so, and she embraces them tightly in a warm and soft hug.
"Thank you, Kris..." she whispers.
Kris wipes away the tears in Ralsei's eyes before tenderly kissing her once more. They gently pull at Ralsei's robe. As much as Kris is savoring each and every kiss and the feeling of soft lips brushing up against theirs, they can't stop themselves from pushing their limit.
"Kris…?" Ralsei asks in between kisses. "You know Susie could come back at any moment… right?" she nervously laughs.
Notably, she doesn't tell Kris to stop. So Kris continues to slightly tug at Ralsei's robe until she speaks up.
"I suppose… it really doesn't make sense that we're still wearing clothes in a hot spring," Ralsei says, her cheeks having gone from a rosy pink to a deep red.
The pair cautiously get undressed, each blushing profusely over how new and exciting this all is. Kris is shaking but manages to tell their princess to sit on the edge of the hot spring. She obliges as Kris now stands before her. They are both naked and ready to experience one another fully.
Kris catches Ralsei off guard as instead of moving their hands towards her crotch, they instead start things off by lifting one of her paws out of the water. They press their lips against Ralsei's pawpads and shower it in kisses.
"K-Kris! W-what are you even doing?! T-that tickles!" Ralsei laughs as she tries her best to maintain her composure.
Kris does not stop and insists that they need to pay respect to their princess by worshiping her feet. Ralsei giggles and goes along with it. Kris just keeps brushing their lips against her paw, tickling Ralsei in the process.
Once Kris is finished properly tending to Ralsei's paws, they move on to brushing their hands against her thighs. Her fur is more soft and delicate than Kris could have ever realized. She was a giant plushie that Kris could cuddle and feel consoled by. The sad little kid crying uncontrollably after Dess's disappearance inside of them feels safe right now.
Ralsei's smile looks different. Her smile before was muted and born from forced optimism and politeness. Kris has seen Ralsei's negative emotions on display today, and they found it a welcome change of pace given it showed a more honest and vulnerable side of herself. They're glad that they can now see Ralsei's genuine positivity too, as her smile is radiant and practically extending from ear to ear.
Kris tells her it's nice to see her real smile which widens it even further somehow.
"It's nice to see your smile too, Kris!" Ralsei says back.
Kris moves in for another kiss as they reposition themselves to be on top of Ralsei's lap. They faintly grind into Ralsei's crotch, eliciting faint whimpers of delight. Their movements are gentle and intimate as they caress Ralsei's soft chest where her breasts would be. Kris smirks as they feel a bulge brush up against them. Before they attend to that, they continue massaging Ralsei's chest.
They whisper in Ralsei's ear that she's a good girl. And they want to hear her say it.
"I'm…" Ralsei starts.
Her voice sounds nervous as she musters up the courage to be able to say it confidently.
"I'm a good girl, Kris. I'm your girl. Please kiss me," she pleads.
Kris rewards her for her honesty with an extended passionate kiss. They force Ralsei's mouth open with their tongue and effortlessly glide it against her own, eliciting more faint moans and getting Ralsei even more excited than she already was. Kris wraps their arms around her and feels around her body. Once Kris's and Ralsei's lips finally part, Ralsei is left begging for Kris to go further.
"I need you, Kris," Ralsei desperately cries. "I've never asked for anything else before. Let me have this one thing. Please."
Kris doesn't want to keep their princess in waiting. They get off of Ralsei's lap and go back in the hot spring while Ralsei continues to sit on the edge. Kris starts by gingerly kissing the tip of Ralsei's cock, causing it to twitch ever so slightly. They give it more and more pecks, Ralsei's throbbing getting more and more noticeable with each movement Kris makes.
Ralsei's moans start to get loud enough to where Kris begins to worry anyone nearby may be able to hear what these two have been getting up to. But this does not stop Kris, as they can tell little more needs to be done to fully send Ralsei over the edge. They open their mouth and start sucking on Ralsei's cock. The taste is milder and sweeter than they would have expected, and they certainly aren't complaining about that. They make their way down to Ralsei's shaft and back towards Ralsei's tip, repeating this process until Ralsei can barely take it anymore.
"K-Kris!" their princess calls out as she comes down Kris's throat.
Kris eagerly swallows Ralsei's load, making sure to not pull away until Ralsei is finished. Once she is left a panting mess, Kris laps up the last remaining bits of her sticky release. Kris encourages Ralsei to join them in the hot spring to cleanse herself off.
"Good idea… ha…" she faintly whispers, still out of breath from the rush of excitement.
Kris embraces their love in a hug in the middle of the water, the two exchanging kisses for as long as they could reasonably get away with. Eventually, they both come to their senses and realize they are keeping Susie waiting and hop out of the pool.
Kris is still thinking of how things could have played out differently with Susie. Kris is still thinking of how things could have played out differently with Noelle, too. Those thoughts will never fully go away, but they're grateful they managed to get love right for once in their life and can now begin to feel genuine happiness over Susie and Noelle finding each other instead of stewing in jealousy.
They shake themselves dry like a dog, as to be expected, before putting their clothes back on. Once Ralsei is fully clothed as well, the two hold hands together and finally reunite with Susie who had been waiting in the cafe.
"There you nerds are," she laughs. "Ya know, I was gonna do a cannonball in the pool but then I saw you two… uh… needed privacy."
Kris and Ralsei both blush profusely and refuse to say anything.
"Arright, let's go gang," Susie announces.
Kris is far from their ending, as their adventure continues forward. Still, they are happy with Ralsei now and that's what matters to them most. The three heroes are all smiles as they prepare themselves for what comes next.
"Hey," Susie says after a little bit of walking. "I'm glad you've found someone who makes you feel special too, Kris. You deserve it."
After seeing Susie's toothy grin, Kris finally agrees that they do.