Chapter Text
Your parents are fighting again. You can hear ‘em through the walls. A metal pie tin clatters onto the kitchen floor, and you jump from your spot on the carpet, restless and on high-alert. You wish Asriel were here. He's in the Librarby studying for finals right now, so you're stranded unless you want to get past Mom and Dad.
“Why can you not just listen — “
“Because all you do is scream at me, Tori, and I don’t —”
A series of bangs sound against the counter, followed by heavy footfall. Who are you kidding, you can't even leave your room when they get like this. You crawl onto Asriel’s desk chair, boot up his PC, and put on his pair of noise cancelling headphones. Much better. The vibrations of their yelling still buzz against the bedroom door, but it's an improvement. You’ll take all the wins you can get.
“I only yell because I do not feel like I am heard! You always —”
The beautiful sound of Vapor booting up drowns out the confusing word spikes stabbing at your brain. It's music to your ears. As you click around the homepage for a distraction, you slowly blow out an invisible candle. Your therapist said it helps with “emotional regulation.” He also said that video games are a form of “escapism” that “distracts you from processing things,” but that he never judges his clients for their coping mechanisms. Anyway, you’re still in grade school, so most of the stuff goes over your head. Don't care. It’s viddy game time.
Who's online right now? You don't have your own Vapor account (your parents said you can make one when you're older,) so you just bum games off of Azzy.
A couple of his internet friends are idle, apparently. You don't know them well.
Noelle’s not on; she's probably busy doing homework or something.
No, nope, no… Oh, sweet.
Berdly is always there when you need to hang out with someone. He's reliable like that.
Like cuckoo-clockwork, a message window pops up on the screen. The guy probably noticed you log on at the same time you noticed him.
smartgeniusgamer: Good afternoon, Asriel! If Kris is available, could you please go get them and ask if they’d like to play Minecrap with me?
smartgeniusgamer: Unless you're busy, of course. In which case please ignore this and carry on! 8M
Woah, he types fast for someone with feather fingers. You chicken-peck at the keyboard, using your index fingers to respond.
GodOfHyperdeath: this is kris hi and tes u wanna call
GodOfHyperdeath: also whag is 8M?
smartgeniusgamer: Hi, Kris! 8>
smartgeniusgamer: Those are emoticons. It's supposed to be my glasses and beak.
GodOfHyperdeath: lolll that one looks like a pp kinda
smartgeniusgamer: No it doesn't.
GodOfHyperdeath: ya it does
You hit the video call button before he can get another word in and kick your legs under the desk. Berdly joins immediately.
“It doesn't look like that!” he whines. His feathers are all fluffed up from embarrassment, and his face looks really silly that close to the camera.
“Like what,” you say, and sniffle a bit. Huh, you didn’t realize your nose was so stuffy.
“Like a —” he pauses and sits back. “Are you okay? You look, um. Tired.”
You try to clear your throat without him noticing, but he probably does with those big ol’ glasses. “Yeah, ‘m okay. My mom and dad are in the kitchen yelling, so I’m just stayin’ in my room.”
“Oh,” he says. “That sounds yikes.”
“Whatcha wanna play?” you ask, changing the subject.
“Um, I just finished engineering an auto harvester in Minecrap. Do you wanna join my world?”
“Okay.”
“W-wait! Before you do,” he says, “You have to PROMISE you won't blow it up.”
You’re silent for a moment, pondering this lofty request.
“Kris,” he prods.
Hmmmmmmggggmmm.
“Kris.”
“Sure,” you agree, “Send the code.”
“I’m watching you! You hear me?”
“Okay, okay.”
As soon as you join, you blow up Berdly’s harvester.
“Wh — You promised!” he squawks.
You giggle mischievously. “My toes were crossed,” you explain. An expert betrayal.
“Krisaliiis!”
Hehehehee. “That’s not my name. Are you calling me a bug?”
“Yes!” he says, “Because you bug me!”
“Your face bugs me. I can see boogers up your nose.”
“Stop it or I’m kicking you, Kri — Um — Kriscellaneous!”
You blow a raspberry through Azzy’s headset and peak the mic. “You didn’t even use a real word for that one.”
“Oh yeah? Who has the high school reading level, again?”
You feign suspicion, narrowing your eyes and raising both your eyebrows (since you can’t do just the one. Yet.) “Hmm. Spell ‘ICUP’ real quick so I know you’re not lying.”
“Ha, ha, haaa!” Berdly says — And you need to emphasize how much he does not actually laugh, but says the words “ha ha ha” — sounding out each syllable with great care. “Very funny, Kris. Your tricks won’t work on me a second time!”
Hours go by before you know it. You end up helping Berdly collect more redstone to rebuild his piston harvester thingamabob, which is actually pretty useful for grinding purposes, apparently. By dinnertime, things have quieted down enough for you to log off and leave your room.
From the hallway, you detect the faint sound of running water. They’re probably prepping stuff downstairs. You make sure your socks muffle your footsteps as you descend.
Not wanting to disturb the peace, you take your place at the kitchen table.
“Where’s Dad?” you ask. You’re kneeling backwards on your seat, fingers wrapped around the chair slats like prison bars. Mom is turned toward the sink, so you can’t see her face, but you think you hear her sigh softly. She smooths out the fur on her ears and faces you.
She looks… sad.
She’s smiling, but she still looks sad.
How does she do that?
“Your father just has some business to attend to,” she says. “He will be back by morning, my child.”
“Okay,” you say lightly, because you don’t want to sound as sad as her. That might make her cry. “It’s gonna be okay, Mama.”
Mom just nods at that. She brings two plates over, and the two of you have dinner in silence.