Very prickly shadow

Alphys paced back and forth at the front of the classroom, fiddling with her hands like she’d just committed a crime.

“I-It’s not that I want to do this.” she mumbled, voice shaking more than usual. “It’s just– Undyne said I need to, um, ‘lay down the law’ a little more? Something about backbone? Discipline? But I don’t–this is too much, I think–I mean, you’re not even the one who– this is probably unfair–"

Kris stared blankly ahead, chin resting in their hand. They blinked once, slowly.

“Okay.” Alphys said eventually, caving. “You can go. Or not. It’s up to you. Or– no pressure. You can leave, though. Please.”

She shuffled out of the classroom in a hurry, nearly dropping her clipboard on the way out. The door clicked shut behind her.

Kris didn’t move. Didn’t have to.

They leaned back in their chair, slowly digging around in their pocket until they pulled out their 3DS. It was covered in scratches and spots where the paint had chipped, adorned with half rubbed off and faded stickers.

They booted up Pokémon. It loaded with a happy little jingle that echoed in the quiet classroom.

Their save file was right where they left it, just outside a Pokécenter. They scrolled through their party out of habit.

Their starter blinked up at them.

Same name as always.

Yours.

They stared at it for a second. Not too long but just long enough.

They had named their first ever partner pokémon after you when they were 9. It wasn’t even supposed to be a big thing. You were just... their best friend back then. The person they cared about the most. 

And now? Years later?

It had became a tradition.

Kris let out a tiny breath through their nose and slumped forward, resting their forehead against the desk. Their thumb moved slowly over the controls. Half-playing. Half-thinking.

It was raining outside.

They didn’t really notice until the thunder started.

Then they glanced toward the window. Watched the water fall down the glass in slow, squiggly lines. Everything outside was gray and dripping, and kind of pretty in a way that made you want to fall asleep.

They wondered what you were doing right now.

Still at club, probably. You were the president of something. A few somethings, maybe. You always had people around you, laughing, talking, helping with things. You had that kind of face. Easy to go to. Easy to like.

Kris stared at the screen without really looking at it.

You probably didn’t even remember what day you two stopped hanging out. Probably didn’t notice the last time you two spoke. They wouldn’t blame you. It was just one of those things that happened slowly, like bangs getting too long or gold stars peeling off the wall.

But still.

Sometimes they caught themselves looking for you in crowded halls. Sometimes they noticed the way your laugh sounded even when you were two rooms over. Sometimes they– okay, they always– named their Pokémon after you.

Just because.

The screen blinked. Their starter fainted again.

. . .

After an hour or so of mindlessly grinding in their Pokémon world, they yawned, closing the 3DS and sitting up, rubbing the back of their neck.

The thunder rumbled closer now. The rain was coming down even harder than before.

They figured they’d head out. Not home. Just… out.

So they stood up.

legs feeling weird from sitting too long. They stretched a little, then shoved their hands in their hoodie pocket and walked out of the classroom.

The halls were completely empty now. A lot of the lights had already been turned off. The whole building felt still and slow.

They pushed the front doors open.

The rain was deafening. It hit the pavement in fast, loud drops. Big puddles had already started to form near the sidewalk.

Kris stood there for a second, holding the door open, watching.

Then they stepped outside, just far enough to sit on the front steps. The awning shielding them from the rain. The air smelled like wet concrete and grass.

They sat down, pulled their hood up, and rested their arms on their knees.

After a moment, they reached into their hoodie and pulled out their 3DS.

They stared at it in their hands. Thought about opening it. Didn’t really want to. But there was nothing else to do.

So their thumb slowly glided over the on button, just before-

“…Kris?”

They froze before slowly turning towards the voice.

It was you.

You had just stepped outside, holding a folder against your chest, like you were keeping warm. Your backpack hung off one shoulder and you looked surprised to see them.

You stepped under the awning, letting the door swing shut behind you.

“What are you still doing here?”

Kris blinked up at you silently. They didn’t say anything right away.

Their hand tightened a little around the 3DS. Their face felt warm.

“…Just waiting out the rain.” they said finally. Tried to make it sound casual.

You nodded. “Makes sense. It’s coming down pretty hard.”

You stepped closer, dropping your bag on the ground with a soft thud. Then sat next to them on the steps, a little space between you.

Kris glanced sideways. Then immediately looked forward again.

You rested the folder on your lap and sighed. “I heard Susie got you in trouble again?”

“…Yeah.”

You snorted.

Kris felt their ears get hot.

You leaned back on your hands, staring out at the road. “Is it like Ms. Alphys to give out detention? She seems too shy…”

Kris shook their head a little as they looked away. “Didn’t last long.”

“Figured. Your class seems fun to be in.” You muttered happily under your breath.

There was a pause. Not awkward. Just quiet.

Rain hit the pavement in a steady rhythm. Street totally empty.

You didn’t say anything else for a moment. You just sat there. Calm. Like this was nothing strange. Like it was totally normal to be sitting next to each other again after all this time.

Kris didn’t move. Didn’t trust themselves to.

Their heart was beating faster than it should have been.

They kept their head down, hiding behind their bangs a little.

They weren’t sure why you were talking to them. Or why you sat down. But they weren’t going to move.

Kris had liked you for a long time. Maybe longer than they even realized. When you were kids, you were close, basically best friends. You’d run around the playground together, sharing secrets and silly games. Kris thought you were the brightest, most wonderful person they’d ever known.

But as you grew up, things changed. You became more popular, always surrounded by new friends, laughing easily with people Kris didn’t know. It wasn’t that you forgot Kris completely. It was just... you slipped out of reach. Like trying to hold onto light.

No matter how much time passed, Kris couldn’t let go of their feelings. They told themselves it was just a phase, or that maybe you had already forgotten them. But deep down, their heart held onto you. It was like a quiet hope that kept flickering.

As they got a little older Kris would snap whenever their mom or brother asked them how you were doing. Not because they didn’t care. It was the opposite. It hurt too much to talk about you. So they’d get quiet or change the subject. After a while, they both knew to stop asking. 

They didn’t know how to move on, and honestly, they weren’t sure they wanted to.

You leaned back a little, stretching your legs out in front of you.

“You ever get the feeling the day’s been way longer than it should be?” you asked.

Kris glanced over. You weren’t looking at them, just watching the rain hit the pavement.

They nodded. “Yeah.”

They didn't get that feeling at all. In fact they had no clue what you were talking about, but they knew that they liked your voice and it sounded like something you'd say. So they nodded anyway.

You smiled faintly. “Feels like it should be tomorrow already."

Then there was another pause.

A quiet one. Not awkward. Just quiet.

You hugged the folder closer to your chest.

“…It’s kinda weird seeing you here.” you said. “Not bad weird. Just, I don’t know. We don’t really talk anymore, huh?”

Kris froze for half a second.

They kept their eyes forward, toward the sidewalk, pretending that sentence didn’t land exactly where it hurt.

“…Yeah.” they said quietly.

You tilted your head a little, thoughtful. “We used to hang out all the time.”

Kris swallowed. “Then we just stopped.”

They said it before they could think. And as soon as the words were out, they wished they hadn’t.

You were quiet for a second and they found themselves hoping you hadn't heard them over the rain.

“Yeah.” you said. “We did.”

You didn’t sound sad. Just honest.

Kris felt their hands curl tighter in their sleeves. Their heart was beating fast. They didn’t know why they felt embarrassed, it wasn’t like you’d said anything mean. But something about the way you remembered it made everything worse. Or better. They couldn’t tell.

Your voice was a little softer now.

“I still think about that sometimes.” you said.

Kris went still.

You weren’t even looking at them. Just out toward the rain. Like you were talking to the air more than anything.

“When we used to hang out,” you added. “after school. Before stuff got… busy, I guess.”

Your tone was light. Easy. Like it wasn’t a big deal.

But Kris’s chest tightened anyway. They kept their eyes on the ground. 

You shifted a little beside them.

“There was that one day,” you said, “where we got in trouble for splashing water at each other outside. You remember that? You had that weird plastic dinosaur in your pocket and it got soaked.”

Kris blinked.

Their voice came out low. Barely there.

“…You remember that?”

You turned toward them now. Not dramatic. Not intense. Just surprised they even had to ask.

“Yeah?” you said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Kris didn’t answer right away.

They looked down again. 

They thought about that stupid plastic dinosaur. It had been orange. It smelled weird after it dried. They’d kept it in their drawer for years, even after the paint chipped off.

They thought they were the only one who remembered that day.

They thought you’d forgotten everything.

“…I dunno.” Kris mumbled.

Their voice felt small. Embarrassing. But they didn’t take it back.

You didn’t laugh at them. You just smiled a little, like you understood.

There was a quiet moment after that.

Just the sound of the rain.

“You were kind of my first real friend, you know.”

That made Kris turn to look at you.

You weren’t trying to be sentimental. You said it like it was just a fact.

“I didn’t really talk to people much before that,” you went on. “but then you just kinda… let me follow you around. Even when I was being annoying.”

Kris shook their head. “You weren’t.”

You looked at them again. You were still smiling, but there was something shy behind it now. Like saying this out loud felt a little strange for you, too.

“You made stuff feel easy back then,” you said. “I think that’s what made me want to talk to more people.”

Kris didn’t know what to say.

Their throat felt tight. Their heart felt like it was sitting right at the base of their tongue.

They hadn’t even realized they were gripping the edge of their hoodie until they forced their hands to relax.

You looked away again, back toward the rain.

“I guess I just never said thanks.” you said.

Kris stared at you.

You weren’t even looking at them. Just watching the rain, like you hadn’t said anything weird. Like that wasn’t the nicest thing anyone had ever said to them.

They looked down again, fiddling with the drawstring of their hoodie.

You remembered.

They didn’t know why that made their face feel so hot. Or their chest kind of floaty. It was just… a lot. In a weird, sweet way.

They’d thought about those afternoons a million times. You and them, stomping through puddles, getting scolded by teachers. Laughing so hard it made their stomach hurt. You used to talk so much back then. About everything.

They always figured you forgot. Or grew out of it.

But you didn’t.

You were sitting right here, saying you missed it. That it mattered. That they mattered.

Kris pressed their sleeve to their mouth for a second. Just so they didn’t have to figure out what their face was doing.

Their heart felt like it was trying to walk in shoes too big.

You nudged your foot gently against theirs.

“I didn’t mean to make it weird.” you said. “I just think about that stuff sometimes. That’s all.”

Kris shook their head quickly.

“It’s not weird.” they said. Too fast. “I–It’s not.”

You smiled again. Just a little. Not looking at them.

Kris stared down at your foot next to theirs. It wasn’t even touching. Just close.

They kind of couldn’t believe any of this was real.

“We should talk more.” you said.

Kris’s heart stuttered.

They looked down so fast it was almost embarrassing.Their bangs fell in front of their eyes, and they didn’t bother brushing them away.

“…Okay.” they said, barely above a whisper.

You didn’t laugh. Didn’t act like it was weird. You just smiled, soft and normal, like this was the most casual thing in the world.

“Cool,” you said. “we’ll start now, then.”

Kris could barely breathe.

They curled their hands tighter into the sleeves of their hoodie, trying to act normal, but they could feel their face burning. It wasn’t fair, how easy it was for you to say stuff like that. How you could sit next to them, say we should talk more, and smile like it was that simple. Like it didn’t just completely ruin them.

They’d spent so long convincing themselves you were out of reach.

And now you were right here.

Talking to them like you wanted to be close again.

They couldn’t even think straight.

“…What do we talk about?” they asked, too quiet. Their voice was shaky, and they hated that you might’ve heard it.

You didn’t say anything for a second.

Then you turned to them, eyes soft. “You pick.”

Kris froze.

That was the worst possible answer.

You pick?They could talk about a hundred things. What you liked, who your friends were now, your favorite colors. They could ask if you still ate your cereal dry or if you still doodled on your math homework like you used to.

They could ask if you ever thought about them.

Like they thought about you.

But none of those things were safe.

So instead they mumbled, “I’m… still bad at Pokémon.”

You laughed again.

You leaned back a little, grinning. “Good.” you said. “That’s how it should be. I’d be worried if you were suddenly, like, good.”

Kris pressed their sleeve to their mouth again, like they could hide the smile trying to creep up.

You sat back again, arms stretched behind you on the step, legs kicked out in front. Like you weren’t in any rush at all.

“…Y’know,” you said after a minute, “you’re kinda different from how I remember.”

Kris blinked. Their whole body tensed.

You didn’t sound judgmental or weird about it. Just thoughtful. Casual.

Kris shifted in their seat. “Different how?”

You hummed, thinking.

“Dunno.” you said. “You’re still quiet. But I guess I thought you’d be, like… meaner now.”

Kris stared.

“…Mean?”

You laughed. “I don’t know! You’ve got that whole scary hallway stare thing going on.”

Kris’s ears went red. “That’s just my face…”

“Yeah.” you grinned. “I figured that out today.”

Kris let out a tiny sound that might’ve been a laugh. 

You turned your head slightly, your voice softer now.

“I’m glad you’re still you, though.”

Kris stared at you for a second too long.

Then their mouth moved before their brain caught up.

“You’re different too.” they said.

You blinked. “Me?”

“Yeah. I mean–” Kris looked down fast. Their thumb rubbed at a loose thread on their sleeve. “Not in a bad way. Just. You seem more…”

They trailed off, trying to find the right word. It was hard to explain what they meant without sounding stupid.

“…Content.” they said finally. “You seem… okay. With everything. With school. People. Life.”

You tilted your head a little, curious, but didn’t say anything.

Kris swallowed. “It’s not like you weren’t before, I just– back then you didn’t talk to anyone but me, really. And now you’re–”

They stopped again. Their ears were burning.

You were still just watching them. Patient.

Kris hesitated.

They wanted to say they were happy for you. That it was cool seeing you like this. That you deserved it.

“…Sometimes I feel like I was there first.”

You blinked.

Kris still wasn’t looking at you. Just down at the wet concrete.

“I knew you before everyone else.” they mumbled. “When it was just us. And now you’re–”

Everyone’s.

They didn’t say that part. But they didn’t have to.

The words sat between you both, quiet and strange. Kris felt like shrinking into their hoodie and disappearing.

But they meant it.

They’d been proud of you. Always.

But deep down, it stung. How easily other people got to be close to you now. How they got your laughs and your inside jokes and your after-school stories.

When Kris had been the one there first. The one who remembered every little thing.

The one who never stopped thinking about you.

Yet as soon as they said it, they regretted it. Their whole chest clenched up.

Too honest. Too weird. Too much.

They bit the inside of their cheek and looked away, heart thudding like a drum in their ears.

You blinked. For a second, you didn’t say anything.

Then, quietly, “…I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Kris didn’t respond. Just stared hard at the step below them.

They hadn’t meant to say that. Not really. Not like that. They weren’t even sure what they did mean, just that it had been sitting in their chest for years.

A slow, quiet ache with no name.

There were too many things they remembered about you.

The way you used to swing your legs under your desk in elementary school. The way your laugh cracked a little when you were caught off guard. The way you used to look back at them during class like you were waiting for them to make some dumb face to keep you from falling asleep.

Every time you smiled at someone else now, Kris felt like it should’ve been them.

They knew it wasn’t fair. They knew it was stupid.

But still, some part of them, childish and stubborn, kept whining, I knew you first.

You shifted beside them.

“I always kind of thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.” you said, your voice quiet. Thoughtful. A little uncertain.

Kris shook their head fast. “That’s not it.”

You looked at them then. Not teasing. Not amused. Just surprised. Like you were trying to see something you hadn’t let yourself see before.

“Yeah, I guess I really had no reason to think that… We should’ve talked sooner.” you said.

...

“Sorry.” you added, voice softer now.

That made Kris glance at you.

You weren’t looking at them anymore, your eyes were down, hands curled in your lap, like you weren’t sure if you’d said too much too.

And Kris… God, they wanted something so simple.

They wanted to rewind everything. Back to when things were easy. Back to muddy shoes and shared gummy bears and rainy days where you grabbed their wrist before they could even respond.

They wanted to hand you their umbrella. Walk you home. Carry your backpack for no reason. Tell you they liked your smile and mean it so hard their whole chest hurt.

They wanted you to know that no matter how much time had passed, they’d never really let go.

Not even a little.

Even now, they caught themselves daydreaming about things that didn’t make sense, like you resting your head on their shoulder during a bus ride, or pulling them into a photo on your phone and saving it as your lock screen. Stuff that made them cringe, but felt good anyway.

Stuff they wanted more than they could say.

They glanced back down at their lap. Tried to stay still. Tried not to mess it up more.

Maybe you didn’t feel the same way. Maybe you never did.

But you were here now.

And that had to mean something. Right?

“I’m really glad I ran into you today.”

Kris didn’t know what to do with that. Their hands twisted in their sleeves. Their eyes dropped to their lap again.

“…Yeah.” they said. “Me too.”

You smiled at the sidewalk. Said nothing for a moment.

Then you sat forward a little and quickly shoved your folder into your backpack.

“…Hey.” you said, half-smiling, like you were thinking something dumb. “Wanna run?”

Kris blinked. “What?”

You looked over at them, grinning before quickly standing up and adjusting the strap of your backpack. “Home. Wanna book it?”

“It’s still pouring.”

“I know.”

Kris stared up at you. “You’ll get drenched.”

You shrugged. “So will you.”

There was a beat.

 “Okay, yeah. Dumb idea.” 

You said with a small laugh as you plopped back down onto the step.

Kris didn’t say anything. They couldn’t. Their chest felt too tight.

“It’s childish.” you added, a lot softer now.

And something about the way you said it, like you missed it, even just for a second, made their stomach twist.

They caught it in your voice. That small drop. That flicker of something like disappointment.

It hit them all at once. You wanted to go. You wanted to run. You wanted them to say yes.

And if they sat here and let that pass, if they had to watch your face fall even a little, they were going to lose their mind.

So before they could even think about what they were doing, Kris reached out and grabbed your hand.

You turned fast, startled, but Kris was already standing, already tugging you down the steps.

“Wait–”

Your voice barely registered.

Because when you looked up at them, Kris wasn’t even looking back. Their head was turned slightly away, their brows furrowed, their face bright red, like just holding your hand was already too much.

But they didn’t let go.

They pulled you down into the rain.

And you laughed, breathless. “Are you serious–?!”

Water splashed around your ankles. Rain slipped down your sleeves and soaked through your top in seconds. The sky was still gray but the clouds had started to open up, letting rays of light through.

You kept running.

Kris kept holding on.

And if you noticed how tightly they were gripping your hand, how determined their face was, like they couldn’t bear the idea of letting you down, you didn’t say anything.

You just squeezed back.

.  .  .

“Well that was a dumb fucking idea.”

Kris nodded. 

You two took cover under a bus stop as the rain got heavier and your legs tired. Soaked, cold, and worn out bodies shivering, looking out into the street with blank faces. 

“I’ll call someone to pick us up.” 

“My socks are wet…”

. . .

EDIT: GUYS. I just reread the ask and honestly i feel so bad AURBHHH BEAHHHH like i think i rlly did lose the plot… they were barely a loser 😞😞 ill take this as my sign to not take too much time writing something bc ugh I literally forgot the entire plot I’m so sad

a/n!! hihihihihi tysm for requestinggg 1!!1!111 not TOOO happy with this honestly! rereading it, it feels all over the place and thats most likely bc i took day long breaks from working on it so idk it just felt like i was writing it in sections and they dont quite connect right ykwim??? but i hope u like it regardless!

thought making u guys imagine what kinda pokemon kris saw u as would be fun!! sorry again for the kinda of sudden ending, i honestly just rlly like writing them i think. like open endings to me r so fun IDKIDK!!!!

again THANKS SMMM for the request!!!1!1 rlly hope u like ittt lmk!!!!