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impossiblyatomictiger-blog · 2 years ago

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Noelle was having a bad day. She definitely had a cold, but her mother wouldn't let her stay home sick; and both Susie and Kris had called in sick so she had no one to talk to ... besides Berdly. During class he talked over her, and it was now lunchtime and she was tired of him.

He was droning on about a kill he'd gotten in Pubnite, and she just wanted to be anywhere else.

Anywhere else.

She had found Kris and Susie ... about to make out? Noelle wasn't entirely sure what they were up to, but considering they had been out all day the previous day she wanted to investigate that closet.

She stood up

"I'm going to the bathroom. Please take notes for me?"

"Anything for you," Berdly said.

Berdly really needed a reality check. Or twelve.

Noelle went to the supply closet.

She opened it, only to find an open void.

She tripped.

The fall didn't feel like a normal fall. She had fallen out of a tree more than once whilst playing with Kris, and this felt much ... slower ... longer. She landed on her face, somehow injuring only her dignity.

She stood up and rubbed her eyes. This couldn't be real. She must be on something, like maybe marker alcohol? She was far too lucid for that, though. The world in front of her was a small town nestled in a forested valley. It was dark; maybe nighttime? But the town was busy; monsters of all shapes moving from place to place. And beyond the town was a large castle with a pillar of even deeper darkness past it.

She walked into town, hoping to find someone she could talk to. Some way home, no matter how much she wanted to collapse of fatigue.

She tapped the -- was it a shoulder? -- of a passing pawn.

"Hi. Where do you think I could go for directions back home?"

"Well, lightner, the Prince would be your best resource for this. Go to the castle."

And so she did, wondering whatever a lightner might be -- she only knew herself to be a boss monster, afterall.

The castle apeared to be backlit; though from what, Noelle didn't know. She walked into the entrance courtyard, but there were still no guards to be seen. As she knocked though, the fatigue started to get to her. A white furred monster called for help as she fainted.

As she came to, she heard the muttering of the monster who'd called for help.

"They're sick ... gonna hafta keep them here until they get better. Fuck, Ralsei. Do you know how to help a sick lightner?"

She tryed to, and failed, to sit up.

"Don't do that, please. What's your name? Pronouns?"

"Noelle. She/her." Talking hurt so much. She coughed a storm as soon as she stopped.

"Mine's Ralsei. He/him," he said. "Your throat sounds ter... There's water on the side table, though I guess you might need help."

He picked up the cup, and brought it to her lips.

"Sorry about the lack of a straw, couldn't find one when I grabbed this."

"It's okay."

Ralsei, now that she had a better chance to look at him, was cute. A thought of which, if she were more lucid, would've brought her to contemplate her sexuality. He wore a simple green dress over a black sweater, with a pink scarf and matching green glasses.

"Do you've anything else you need? I'll be making some renovations, so ring that bell if you need anything."

Noelle was already asleep before he stopped talking.

When Noelle woke again, a little blue monster was in the chair next to her bed.

"Hey miss lightner! I'm here to watch over you while little kindboy sleeps. You've anything you need?"

"Water?"

"One glass of water coming right up!"

They grabbed the glass off the nightstand. It now had a pink straw in it.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. You know Susie? Big, pink thrashing lady?"

"Yeah. I'm in the same class as her, and I guess we're friends? Kris has been talking to me more, and she's always with them."

"We should hang out sometime!"

"When I get better."

"Yeah, when you do."

Ralsei knocked on the door as he entered the room.

"My watch up?"

"Yeah."

The little blue monster ran out of the room.

"What's their name?"

"He's Lancer. About the only person I trust to take care of you."

"He knows Susie?"

"Yeah. Kris and her first came down here a few days ago. We had an adventure and a half that first day." Ralsei looked contemplative. "Do you know them?"

"I've known Kris all my life. Susie ... I've only just started to know her as anything other than a classmate." And both as crushes. Though Ralsei needn't know that ... no matter how cute he was.

"I think I'd love to train you, once you get better. It'd be nice to get to know you!"

Was he blushing? No, couldn't be. Why would he like her? Noelle pushed down these thoughts to pay attention to Ralsei.

"Would you like a book or something? You must be bored."

Noelles stomach growled.

"You're hungry! Right, you've not eaten since you got here. What do you wanna eat? What do lightners eat when they're sick?"

Noelle wanted Toriels chicken noodle soup, but would Ralsei even be able to make that?

"Chicken noodle soup would be nice."

"Kay. I'll go make that now."

Ralsei ran out the door. The room Noelle was in was relatively barren: there was a nightstand, the bed, and the chair opposite the bed. There was nothing to do, and she felt like cotton was stuffed in each sinus. In other words, she felt like shit.

The nightstand did have a drawer, though. Seemed to be easily reachable. She wondered what might be in it? Her own nightstand had her journal, and she had no clue who's room this was. The colors did match Ralsei's clothes. Could this be his room?

Ralsei entered the room again. He was carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming chicken soup on it. Not that she could smelll a thing, though.

He placed the tray on the nightstand.

"Um. I might have to feed this to you. You okay with that?"

Noelle nodded.

Ralsei fed the soup to her daintily. He seemed nervous? While she had been close to the Dreemurrs she'd never been good at reading faces.

Once the soup was done Noelle felt far better. And far sleepier.

"Thanks for the soup."

"You're welcome."

And she slept again. Dreaming fever dreams, with the more pleasent ones having Ralsei, Susie, and Kris in them.

The -- was it morning? -- after started much the same. Lancer being Lancer, and Ralsei keeping her fed and watered. It was much more pleasent then this sounds! However, when Ralsei left to do some renovating, Noelle's curiosity piqued.

What was in that drawer?

She opened and reached it; all much harder to do when laying down.

It was a book. Ralsei's manual? It said please read on the cover.

Well.

If it says so!

The book was written in stuffy prose, but it wasn't anything too difficult to decypher.

Noelle read about the prophecy. About how a human, monster, and prince from the dark. Ah. So the monsters she'd talked to here weren't monsters, but these darkners. The notes in the margins, written in a much more conversational tone, put Kris, Susie, and him in these roles.

The rest of the book was a battle guide. Didn't seem much to relevant to herself.

"You actually read that thing?"

Apparently it was Lancers shift already. How long had she read Ralsei's book?

"Yes. It's not to bad, once you crack the prose."

"You're a strange one," he said, "anyway, you should drink this tea. He said that if you were still up it'd maybe, uh, help you sleep."

That was sweet of him.

"Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome. Glad I don't have to help you drink it."

The tea was calming, and as soon as she placed the cup on the nightstand she fell asleep.

She woke, and sat up to the view of Ralsei with a tea set.

"Lancer said you enjoyed the tea, so I thought I'd bring you some breakfast tea."

"Thanks."

"You're very welcome." He poured the tea. "What did you think of my manual?"

He seemed exited.

"Seems useful. The prose was a bit stuffy, though."

"This is my first book. Kris and Susie found it boring, though."

"That makes sense. Neither one of them is one for ... traditional literature."

Ralsei looked contemplative.

"Do you want to see my library?"

"Yes!"

Noelle immediately coughed.

"Maybe another t--"

Noelle was already out of bed. And wobbling on unused legs.

"If you insist I ... I have an idea."

He was already out of the room before Noelle could respond. Noelle sat, wondering what his idea could be.

When he came back it was quite clear what his idea was.

"I remembered I had this wheelchair. Should give you some mobility."

Noelle got in the wheelchair, and tried to move herself.

"Please, could you push?"

"Yep."

Ralsei pushed her through the castle, pointing out all the rooms along the way.

"That's Susie's room; that's Kris's; that's the dining room."

The library had the largest door thus far. It was a simple, arched, wooden door.

"And this is the library."

The library's defining feature was, after its books, the massive arched window overlooking the lake. On both sides of the larger, central aisle were rows of bookshelves, each fifteen feet high.

"This so cool!"

"It's my favourite place. I've read many of these books, some good, some bad, some worse."

A thought popped into Noelle's head. How long had she been in the dark world? Her dad would be worried sick about her. She was missing so much schoolwork.

Her spiraling slowed when she noticed that Ralsei was hugging her. It felt ... nice. He was so fluffy.

Noelle was ... crying? When had that started?

"There, there."

"I just ... my dad ... he might've..."

"Are you missing home?"

"A bit."

"I think you're almost better; how are you feeling?"

He started to unhug her, but she didn't want to let go.

"Stay. I'm so tired."

"Do you want to go back to m-- your room?"

"Not yet."

They stopped hugging, and Noelle's face became flushed. Was she ... into him? She'd never been into a guy, though she'd only really had three real world crushes before.

"Um, what's a book you'd reccomend?"

Noelle seriously wanted to think of anything other than Ralsei's fur and voice and outfit and how kind he was and that she was apparently bi and--

"What did you say?"

Was he blushing too? Now was to soon to confess a crush, right?

"Um... did you mean to say that out loud?"

She said that aloud? Fuck, he's gonna think she's trying to come on to him and hate her and --

"Because I've one on you, too. I think: I've never really had a crush on anyone before ... except maybe ..."

He continued to speak, but Noelle couldn't focus. He had a crush on her. She wanted to ask him out: that was what you were supposed to do if you confess and the feelings are returned, right?

"I mean, you're very cu--"

"Do you want to go out?"

"Yes. As boyfriend and girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah. Um, we should probably establish boundaries now?"

"Yeah, probably. Sounds like"

Ralsei was still right in front of her. She couldn't do this with him there.

"Let's do it in the sitting area over there."

The boundary discussion was, to say the least, very awkward. Noelle sat in her wheelchair next to Ralsei, and they both blushed feverishly throughout.

"What boundaries should we discuss? I've never seen this in any story I've read."

"According to Ms. Toriel, we should discuss exclusivity, romantic gestures, simple touch, and sex."

"Sex? Now?"

"Yeah, we can have that conversation later. Um... what's your boundary on exclusivity?"

"Yes? Um, where does being Poly lie here?"

Noelle was pleasantly surprised by that. She'd figured she was poly when she brought up her romantic fantasies involving Kris and Susie to her dad. She was ... not confidently poly.

"You're poly too! How did you figure out?"

"I've crushes on a couple ... friends of mine." Ralsei stared at his paws.

"No need to tell me who yet. I want to wait before ... attempting to ask out more people."

Noelle yawned, then coughed up a storm.

"Let's finish this discussion as we head to your room."

As Ralsei pushed Noelle to her room, they established their boundaries regarding touch. Hugs would be ok as long as they accepted noes, kissing would require asking, and anything beyond that would require further discussion.

As Noelle crawled into bed, they said their goodnights. And Noelle had a restful sleep.

In the morning Noelle felt much better; no longer was her throat sore. The day started as usual: with Ralsei bringing her food and water.

"Morning, Noelle."

"Morning, Ralsei. Did we really do that last night?"

"Yep. You appear to be better?"

Noelle was. And thus the day went. After breakfast, Ralsei took her to the library.

"You'll be going home later today. How does that sound?"

"Good. Cannot wait to see dad and Kris and --"

Was that Susie wielding that axe? She looked even more butch down here! Kris was beside her, looking ever the perfect knight. Noelle could have swooned over them. They appeared to be in the middle of an arguement with Lancer

"I was told not to let anyone near Noelle until she's not sick. And she was sick last I saw her!"

"Can we at least visit he- She's down there?"

Kris pointed right at Noelle, then waved.

Noelle waved back.

Susie barrelled down the hall.

"How did you end up down here? Did you fall? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Got to meet Ralsei!"

Kris made a sign that seemed to suggest --

"Not yet, Kris. It's none your busi--"

"Not yet what?" Asked Susie.

Ralsei blushed and put his hands on his face.

"Um," Noelle said as she too became flustered. Had she really said 'not yet.'