Chapter Text
Carol would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned by Noelle and Kris suddenly acting like little kids again. They hadn't been this close since Dess… no, she couldn't think about that right now. Rudy was getting worse and now Noelle was acting off. Even if she was grateful to Kris for taking Noelle to the festival, she couldn't shake the utter wrongness of the feeling. It didn't matter for now, all of that could wait. For now, she needed to sleep.
Kris had been acting strange lately. They seemed more withdrawn than usual. It made Toriel worried about them. They were typically shy, sure. But now, they seemed so distant. Like they were slipping just out of her reach. She sighed and made herself some toast with honey. Things with Sans had gotten carried away last night.
Rudy wasn't stupid. He liked to crack jokes and downplay his health, sure. But he wasn't stupid. He knew something was wrong with his daughter. He wished he could write whatever was happening off as purely bad and wrong, but she was more confident now. Then there was Kris, they'd been hanging around her an awful lot lately. Sure, the two were close as kids, but after December went missing they'd grown apart. Further still when Asriel went off to college a few years ago. Something was up, he intended to find out what.
Tenna and Queen didn't typically like meddling in the business of the lightners. But even they couldn't just brush whatever was happening aside. Queen sat in the space where they'd joined their rooms together, "Tenna, have you noticed something odd with Kris? I can't quite describe it, but something just feels wrong."
He nodded, staring at a wall absently, "I have. They're not behaving like they used to."
Queen crossed her legs, "You know them well, then?"
"I do, I've known them since they were just a baby," He commented.
"So you can tell something is wrong then?"
"I can. You mentioned last night about Noelle also acting strangely. What have you noticed?"
Queen swirled the battery acid in her cup, "Well, she's more sure of herself than before, which is good I suppose. But when I ran into her she seemed to be in almost a trance. Oh dear, we ought to go wake Susie. She's supposed to be going to the festival with the pair today."
Tenna nodded and stood, "Right, let's go get her."
Asgore was shocked when Susie came and pounded on his door. he looked at her, "Susie? What's wrong?"
She had tears in her eyes, "It's Kris and Noelle! We have to hurry, we might be able to save them!" Asgore blanched and started running toward the lake. He hadn't thought much when he saw her dropping Kris off earlier through the window. A terrible thought crept in. Had she known? Surely not. Especially if she was reacting like this. As he neared the river's edge, he noticed two ice cream cones on the ground, plus melted ice cream staining Susie's shirt and jacket. He was sure, then. She hadn't known this would happen. Asgore called the authorities and they were there rather quickly.
The next person he called was Toriel, "Toriel, before you hang up I-"
"I'm sorry Asgore, I'm busy in the garden right now," Toriel tried.
Asgore inhaled sharply, "Toriel, it's Kris. I need you to come to the lake immediately."
Toriel froze, "Kris? Asgore, what happened to my baby?"
"I'll explain when you get here, just come, it's an emergency," He hung up after that. He saw her running toward the lake a few minutes later.
Toriel huffed from running so fast, "Asgore, Asgore where is my child? What happened?" Asgore looked out at the lake and Toriel pressed a hand to her mouth. Tears prickled her eyes, "No, no they didn't."
He nodded solemnly, "Noelle too. They're checking the lake now since we saw Noelle's clothes floating there."
"Mr. Dreemurr!" One of the paramedics shouted, "We found them!" Asgore and Toriel were over in an instant.
Toriel gasped as she looked down at Kris's lifeless form, "They look so pale… are they…"
"We don't know yet, ma'am. Please move, we need to attempt to resuscitate them."
Toriel held onto Asgore's arm and a fury lit in her eyes, "What happened?"
Asgore shrugged, "I'm afraid I'd like to know that as well. It seems everyone does. Susie saw them last, though I'm not sure it is a good idea to question her for now."
Carol had been out in the bunker for most of the day. Upon returning to town hall, she saw Rudy unconscious near the ladder he'd been on hanging up lights. She ran to him, "Rudy? Honey? Can you hear me? Rudy, Rudy wake up. Sweetheart, Rudy?" He wasn't dust, she was still holding him. It's not like Dess. It's not like Dess. That was the only comfort she had. She picked him up and brought him back to the hospital. She looked up as she heard an ambulance arriving. What a mess. She stepped out to get some water and saw… Toriel and Asgore. Why were they here? She walked over, "Toriel, Asgore. Is something wrong with Kris?"
Asgore was lightly touching Toriel's shoulder, "Kris… we… do you not know about Noelle yet?"
Carol's heart froze, "Noelle? Asgore, what happened to my daughter?"
Asgore cringed and sighed, "She… she's gone, Carol. Noelle and Kris… they tried to… goodness. Noelle and Kris tried to kill themselves. Noelle succeeded, I'm… I'm so sorry."
Carol stared blankly at Asgore and Toriel, "No… no please tell me you're lying. Tell me you're lying, Asgore!" He shook his head. She sat down on the bench nearby, "This can't be happening. Not her, not our Noelle. Not her too."
After sitting in the hall for nearly an hour, all three parents were sent home. Carol placed a hand on Rudy's pillow. His side of the bed was cold. She squeezed her eyes shut, no matter what, she would not cry. She had to be strong. She was the mayor for Angel's sake. Did the Angel even exist anymore? If they did, they were cruel. December, Noelle, Rudy, her whole family. What had they done to deserve what they got? December was gone. Noelle was dead. And Rudy was fallen. Maybe she shouldn't have been so hard on her daughters. Maybe she should've been nicer to that Susie girl. There were a lot of maybes in her life right now. She didn't have time for those, or sleep. She got up and headed to the living room. She had more important matters for now.
Toriel got the dreaded call around 3 in the morning. She'd barely been sleeping anyway, so it didn't technically matter. When she saw the number for the hospital, she had a feeling she already knew. Once she hung up, she started to cry. She buried her face in her knees and sobbed. How was she going to break the news to Asriel? How was she going to bury her child? Monsters like her and Asgore typically outlived humans by decades, but she still expected to at least see Kris grow up, maybe go to college themself, or find someone to love. Get a good job, a house, and a nice person. Instead, she was going to bury her teenager who wasn't even old enough to drive. Her teenager who just made a new friend. She calmed down slightly and got to her feet. The hospital had technically only asked her to come to there. There was the slightest chance it wasn't what she thought. Maybe Kris was awake and asking for her. She wanted to believe it was true. Her soul knew it wasn't. She walked down to the hospital, spotting Asgore headed there as well.
Asgore looked over at her, "They called you as well?"
She nodded solemnly, "Of course." The two lapsed into silence for the rest of the walk. She assumed they'd called Asgore when she didn't come quickly. Asgore, thankfully, didn't mention her puffy eyes or how red they were.
Tenna was cooking something for Ralsei. The poor kid hadn't eaten or rested since… the incident. No one spoke if it as anything other than that. Not to mention Susie hadn't been home in days. Tenna knocked on her door, "Ralsei? May I come in?"
Ralsei opened the door and looked up at him, "Mr. Tenna, did you need something?"
Tenna handed Ralsei a plate of spaghetti, "I don't think I've seen you leave your room in two days. I doubt you've had much to eat in that time either. How are you taking this all?"
He looked away, "My feelings don't matter. And I don't really need to eat anyway."
"But your body can still feel hunger. Eat, for goodness sake child," Tenna said. He rested a hand on their shoulder, "Ralsei, I can see it in your eyes. You're in so much pain, yet you refuse to let anyone see it. That's not good for you. Believe me, I'm speaking from experience."
Ralsei sniffled, "But… but I shouldn't feel like this! I'm a darkner! I'm here to make the lightners happy and if I've failed at that one job then… then who even am I? It's wrong for me to feel this way! I shouldn't be like this, feel like this. Why am I so… so angry? It feels like all of my sadness just turns into anger. I shouldn't be angry. Least of all at Kris. They were hurting, so why am I angry?"
Tenna pulled Ralsei into his lap, "Emotions are complicated. It's hard to come to terms with, especially when you're feeling so strongly. But, the best thing you can do is just feel them. Let it out, then it can't hurt you anymore. I'll be here as long as you need me to be, okay?" Ralsei looked up at Tenna with teary eyes. He sniffled a few times, still trying to hold it together. But then Tenna put a hand on his back, and Ralsei broke. He sobbed in Tenna's arms. He screamed and wailed, even tried to hit him a few times. Tenna held them tighter. Ralsei fell asleep curled up in his lap.
Queen poked her head in, "What was all-"
"Shh, he just fell asleep," Tenna's voice was a whisper as he pointed to Ralsei in his lap.
Queen sat down next to Tenna, "He looks exhausted."
Tenna nodded, "I think he hasn't slept since Susie left."
She gingerly picked Ralsei up out of Tenna's lap, "Let's put him in bed, shall we?" Queen set Ralsei down in his bed and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. Ralsei whimpered and shifted a little. Tenna turned on the classical music channel on his face and Ralsei calmed.
Queen sighed and crossed her arms, "I do hope that girl's okay."
After a few more days, Susie finally returned home. She looked ashamed when she saw Tenna and Queen. Tenna crossed his arms, "And just where have you been young lady? It's been days, Susie! Nearly a week!"
She clenched her fist and shouted, "I get it, okay? I screwed up! I always screw up! I'm sorry I'm not either of them. I'm sorry I'm not perfect. I'm sorry I broke them."
That gave both Tenna and Queen pause, "Susie, darling, what are you talking about?"
"You're mad I ran away, right? Mad I tried to skip town and leave forever?" Susie questioned.
Tenna put a hand on her shoulder, "Susie, goodness no. We were worried. We were so scared something happened to you. I'm sorry we led with accusations. You had us worried sick. Come here." He gently tugged her into a hug. Queen knelt and wrapped her arms around the both of them.
Susie pulled away, "I should go to my room and get settled again and stuff."
Tenna stopped her as she started to leave, "Wait. Go see Ralsei first. He's been inconsolable since you've been gone. Fell asleep crying in my arms a few days ago." Susie instantly felt a pang of guilt in her soul. She ran toward his room, likely to attempt to comfort him.
Queen stood, "Well, at least she's home. Should we find a suitable punishment for her? I can find one on the internet."
Tenna shook his head, "Don't bother. I think she's learned her lesson. I'll go make some food for them. She's bound to be hungry."
Queen nodded, "I'll go see if I can find anything to cheer them up in their search histories."