#speculation fic

Hearts On Fire

Chapter 1: Night Terrors

The air was hot and suffocating.

Susie almost couldn't make herself awaken from it. Even when her name was being called out.

By whom? She hardly knew. She knew that 'Susie' was her name, thus she finally stirred awake. The voices were... familiar. Different..? Yet familiar... right?

Her hands started to feel the ground beneath her, as if reaching for... something. What was she reaching for, anyways? Not the usually smooth, cool marble tiling that most floors typically had. Right now, the marble was hot to the touch. Susie couldn't even hover over it without feeling... pain? Yeah, this is what pain felt like. She had almost forgotten.

“...usie!” A familiar voice cried out, causing the purple dragon girl to snap out of her confusion and climb toward the source of the voice. Where was it? At first, she thought it was behind her. Two silhouettes started shambling closer to her. Their formless identities and mysterious intentions were unfamiliar to the purple girl. They.... scared her. She tried to wriggle away, only to be captured by their long limbs, holding her in place.

“NO! NO, LET ME GO!” She remembered another voice screaming out. Equally familiar... in fact, it was her voice. No mistaking it. Susie had yelled many times in the past, it was hard to ignore her own tone and inflection. Right now, she wasn't thinking about her voice, nor her own person entirely. Nor was she thinking about the two overbearing bodies that suddenly launched themselves onto her body.

“Susie please don't!” One cried desperately, practically crying as they desperately held the girl in place with all of their might. The other figure was doing the same, though their strength was... different. She recognized their grip was tight, yet with trembling hands. It was as if whoever it was was trying to keep her from moving away.

She wouldn't be stopped. She couldn't be. Not now.

Smoke continued to surround the air, causing Susie – as well as the others – to start coughing. “We... we have to leave... now!” The familiarly feminine voice yelled, attempting to encourage Susie to stand up and move out. Away from where Susie needed to go. She had difficulty doing so, though not just because the dragon girl was quite tall and heavy. Despite the blanket of smoke that polluted the air, Susie was able to make out an unmistakable green glow of fire.

She didn't need to see much more to know that there was someone else. Someone she had to get to. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she stood up, breaking free of the two figures that had attempted to bring her away.

“SUSIE!” The feminine voice cried out, reaching for her before the purple girl darted deeper into the smoke. The other, silent figure held her back, stopping her from attempting to follow after.

“RALSEI!” Susie screamed out, her eyes watering heavily as she attempted to hold her coughing fit. She couldn't see much, but she couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop. Not until she knew where he was. “Ralsei – hack, cough! – where are you?! ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!” There was no way the fire already got to him. No way, right? Please let him be okay.

Susie's vision got worse, but she didn't have to run far before she finally saw the silhouette of Ralsei appear within the thick smoke. “Ralsei!” She gasped, coughing harder as she felt pure relief. Thank the Angel he was alright. Moving closer, she realized that the prince in question was facing the large pyre, staring directly at it. Immense heat kept the girl from stepping any closer, despite how much she wanted to dart in and grab him away. “C-c'mon, dude, we have to get out of here..!”

Slowly, Ralsei turned his head towards Susie, his expression shocking her into silence. His eyes were wide with shock. With disbelief. With fear. It almost looked as if he were crying, but the heat of the fire evaporated his tears. Looking closer, she could see his fists trembling violently, as if he had no control over their movements. His white fur was starting to pepper with ash and soot, his fur and robes charred slightly from the sparks that flew out in his direction. This didn't feel right... this wasn't real.

Was it?

“Ralsei..?” Susie began, cautious, yet with a pleading tone.

“I'm... sorry...” Ralsei choked out, his voice hoarse. The girl began to take a step closer, reaching her hand out.

“Hey, don't-”

“You have to leave. Now.” He cut in, his tone becoming more assertive. More dark. His expressions were practically unreadable, as they started to become shadowed. It made the usually passive, kind boy appear cold. Cruel, even. This wasn't like him. His burnt scarf began to unfurl, magically lifting above his head in a threatening manner. As if he were a scorpion.

Susie couldn't help but give a mirthless chuckle, feeling disbelief in his statement. “I'm... I'm not goin' without-”

“NOW!” Ralsei screamed. Louder and harsher than she had ever heard from the goat. It frightened her into freezing in place. Before she could even shake her head or shed any tears, the prince's scarf whipped forward, forcefully shoving Susie backwards with the might of a hurricane. “LEAVE AND DON'T EVER COME BACK!” Flames and smoke engulfed Ralsei as she flew endlessly. Her hand reached out desperately.

“RALSEEEEEEI!”

______________________________________________________________

“...grrRAUGH!” Susie yelled out sharply, her eyes shooting open from underneath her messy bangs. She thrashed so violently and suddenly that she nearly found herself falling off the side. She managed to catch herself, gripping the sheets of her purple, spiked bed with the vice of someone about to fall off of a cliff. Her chest heaved heavily, heart beating thrice as fast as it usually did. Susie gulped thickly, staring up at the ceiling as consciousness returned to her mind.

“...wuh...what the fuuuck,” She panted quietly, her eyes soon adjusting to her surroundings. She recognized the two decorative axes that hang above her bed's headboard, as well as the dark walls and bright purple furniture. It was her bedroom. The Dark World one, specifically. Despite the jarring dream, she didn't forget about the fact that she decided to sleep here for the night. After the miserable day she had prior, there was no way that Susie was going to go back to her place.

Not that there was a chance in hell to return there in the first place.

As memories of her dream faded away, Susie's breathing steadied. She pulled herself upright, sighing deeply and sitting on the edge of the bed. She wasn’t surprised to see that she was in her usual “Dark World” outfit, though she took notice of the fact that she wasn’t wearing her spike bracelets. A glint on the nightstand reminded Susie that she had placed them there, prior to falling asleep. They were badass, but not very comfortable to lay in. “...man, that was a bad one,” She muttered. Time seemed to stand still, the silence as suffocating as the smoke from her dream. It made her ears ring.

It was soon broken by the sound of her door opening. It made her jolt somewhat, instantly looking over. She had a hunch as to who it was, and was quickly confirmed as a fluffy, familiar face appeared.

“Susie?” Ralsei asked softly, looking somewhat unnerved as he peers in.

“Ralsei..?” Susie breathed out, momentarily hallucinating that his fur and robes were still charred. She could still smell smoke. She blinked once, allowing the mental illusion to disappear. “H-hey.”

“I didn't even know you had come here,” The prince continued, cautiously opting to step in a little. As if he was waiting for permission. His expression was clearly tired, but also glinted with a hint of worry. This boy was way too damn kind for his own good.

“Hah, yeah. Sorry for not, uh, letting you know,” Susie began using her hand to scratch the back of her head.

“You know you can come here whenever you want!” He tutted, giving a playful scowl. As if the very idea of disallowing Susie to visit the Dark World was ridiculous. “I was just uh...” He pauses briefly, quickly changing questions. “I just heard you screaming.” It was at this point that she noticed Ralsei was avoiding eye contact with her. She had a hunch as to why that would be the case, considering... earlier events. She decided to push those memories to the side, for the time being.

“...screaming?” Susie answered after a pause of her own. It really was that bad, huh? “Yeah, I, uh... had a pretty screwed up dream.”

“I-I thought so..!” Ralsei dared to take another step in, finally finding the courage to look into her eyes. To Susie, they carried a genuine warmness, though guilt was also noticeable to the purple girl. Her heart couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of the emotion as well. “I'm not bothered, of course! I'm just... worried. It... sounded like you were yelling something,” He reassured, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

She couldn't find the nerve to actually admit what she was probably yelling. “...man. That... sucks. I don't think that's ever happened to me before.”

“Can I get you anything?” Ralsei quickly asked, offering another gentle, tired smile. Even now, he was utterly and completely generous to her plight. It frustrated her, but she did appreciate the offer.

“I... don't know,” She answered honestly, sighing and shaking her head. Without even looking, she could hear the Prince move closer. It was very subtle, though not unexpected. Damn him and his incessant need to give and help.

“...your hands. They're... shaking,” He prompted timidly.

Oh, they were? She didn't notice. She loosened her grip on the sheets as she tried to come up with an answer. Ralsei didn't wait for a response, asking a simple, yet predictably sweet request. “...Susie, is your hand okay?”

Susie paused for a moment, unable to find the ability to answer. The previously pushed aside memories came rushing back into the forefront of her mind. How could she ever forget. The pain was negligible at best, and irksome at worst. Right now, it felt especially sensitive. Just thinking about the prophecy's 'ending' made it sting.

“...yeah, I'll be fine. I've had worse than this,” Susie replied, flashing a large, dishonest smile. She wasn't surprised that Ralsei sported a confused expression of disbelief. Yeah, she knew that the observant little sweetheart wouldn't believe her. Regardless, he attempted to humor her statement, looking down at his feet bashfully.

“...w-well, uhm, if you're sure! I suppose you can... h-heal yourself now, anyways,” Ralsei trailed off, his voice becoming quieter. Susie blinked at this statement, apparently not having thought of doing that in the first place.

“...oh yeah. Guess I have gotten pretty good at it, huh?” Susie muttered, unable to keep a small, self-satisfied smile. “Heh, with you and me at the ready, that damn titan stood no chance!”

Ralsei flinched slightly after hearing the word 'titan'. His hands squeezed themselves tighter, his smile looking a lot more strained. Susie's sense of concern spiked up, having recognized that specific face far too many times. “Right! I-in any case, I'm glad we took care of it!” Before the purple girl had a chance to respond, the prince bowed his head, hurriedly turning on his heel and heading to the door. “... I should... let you get back to sleep. You've got a b-busy day tomorrow, after all.”

The Festival. She had nearly forgotten about it. Fun.

“Hey, no, wait,” Susie began with something of a pleading tone. Fortunately, Ralsei stopped in his tracks, listening even if he wasn't looking in her direction. After eliciting a sigh, she continued. “...I don't... I don't think I...” She couldn't find the nerve to ask for his company directly. The thought of doing so made her freckled face start to flush, making her stomach feel like a bowl of Jell-o on a trampoline. The prince waited patiently for her request, curiously peeking over his left shoulder.

“...I don't think you should have to be alone tonight,” Susie finally finished, opting to take the chance to actually check up on him, for once.

“Susie..?” Ralsei began, starting to turn back around. He was staring at his feet again, burying those glowing pink cheeks of his into his scarf. The dragon girl gritted her teeth somewhat, unsure of how else to react to his unyielding cuteness. “...are you asking me to... have a sleepover with you?”

With a small laugh, Susie shrugged and flashed a grin. “Well, if you say it like that, guess I can't help but accept! Never had one before, anyways,” She said, raising an eyebrow in the goat prince's direction. He had perked up marginally, nodding again as he graced the girl with a small, grateful, genuine smile this time around.

“Neither have I... b-but I'd love to have one with you!” He bleated eagerly, watching as the purple girl extended her lacerated hand.

“...and since you're gonna be here anyways, I guess you can heal me up too.” Ralsei tilted his head in slight puzzlement, but was already starting to step his way towards Susie.

“You don't mind, right?” He asked carefully, being met with a more boisterous laugh from his larger friend.

“Dude, what's with the questions, huh? Ya never have issues doing it on the battlefield!” Ralsei appeared more shy, his smile looking somewhat coy. “C'mon, just get over here and heal me already! Besides, it feels... nicer when you do it.” If Susie didn't know any better, she would've thought she was in her dream again, with how hot her face was becoming. Maybe it was just from the joy she could sense radiating from Ralsei's eyes, his smile growing fairly brighter.

“Oh gosh, r-really? Then allow me..!” He said, seating himself next to her on the bed. The prince's hands reached forward and gently caressed Susie's injured one. It was so gentle that for a second, she didn't even think he was touching her. The pads of his hands were, naturally, incredibly soft and squishy (as well as very cool, which the dragon girl was secretly gracious for). She resisted the urge to playfully squeeze them with her fingers. 'Bet he's ticklish.' She thought... for some reason. Being healed by Ralsei's magic in such an intimate way always brought Susie's mind to places she would've never even thought to have gone. It confused her... but she never fought against it. It felt too good to do so.

In an instant, Ralsei's magical paws rubbed over her wounded hand, 'erasing' her injuries as if they were never there to begin with. The irritating stinging was completely gone, and she could finally flex her hand without causing blood to ooze out. Susie flashed a toothy grin, admiring his handiwork. “Hell yeah, good as new. Uh, thanks, dude.”

“It's not a problem, 'dude!'” Ralsei responded, his legs swinging idly. Susie couldn't help but give an amused snort, finding the word rather silly coming from his sweet voice. She found it somewhat endearing when he mimicked her style of speech... most of the time, at least. There was a brief moment of awkward silence as the two of them attempted to try and find something to say to the other. Ralsei got there first, speaking to Susie with his quiet, curious voice. “So, um... is Kris not here with you?”

“Nah, not tonight,” She answered, her small grin souring somewhat as she reminisced. She felt kind of bad for them, honestly. If she knew that she was going to come here, she would've tried to bring them along and give them some reprieve. She could only imagine what they were going through. Listening to a drunk couple laugh and dance all damn night after... everything. She didn't know how to really explain it to Ralsei, however, so she kept quiet on the matter.

“O-oh,” He answered simply, nodding slightly. If she looked closely, maybe she'd see that familiar look of concern flash upon his face. Before it could linger too long, however, the prince looked in her direction once more, speaking up again. “...did it have to do with-”

“No,” Susie answered again, this time cutting off Ralsei's sentence. She knew what he meant, and she would've done anything to not think about the Sanctuary or the Prophecy right now. She tried to not sound short with her Darkner friend, regardless of how often the thought pricked in the back of her mind. “Just... personal shit, y'know?”

“I see,” He hummed, his brows furrowing. Normally, Ralsei wouldn't know anything about 'personal business'. After all, he was here for them, not the other way around. So he thought, at first. Lately, however, it was no mystery to his two Lightner friends that he had been struggling with a sense of self. He had to put conscious effort into not belittling himself, and it was quite difficult for him to do. For now, he opted to continue asking about Susie's wellbeing. Angel knew she needed it. “...what about you, Susie?”

“What about me?” She replied, her question sounding more like a challenge to the prince as she gave a warning glare in his direction. As much as she enjoyed his company, she didn't really have the energy necessary to tell Ralsei that he's real, or how the prophecy is bullshit, or about-

“What was your dream about?”

...that.

The question itself caused Susie to flinch, her expression looking a bit more uneasy. She should've expected a question like this, in all honesty, but given the subject matter, she was... not eager to share it with anyone. Especially not Ralsei. In an instant, she looked away, attempting to 'charm' her way out of it with a small chuckle and a toothy smile. “Oh, man, where do I even begin? It was like, way too scary. SO scary! It was like watching '28 Million Seconds Later'! You wouldn't even know where... to... uh, b-begin.”

Opening one of her closed eyelids, she spotted Ralsei staring at her with an imploring, skeptical look. It was obvious he was confused, and she didn't need him to tell her that he absolutely did not understand her reference. How could he? The guy's hardly even seen any real media. Susie felt her confidence take a nosedive into her bowels, grimacing as the prince fiddled with the end of his scarf. '...fuck, he ain't gonna accept that, is he.'

“...hmmm,” Ralsei mused quietly, studying Susie's flustered, yet anxious face. Feeling somewhat bold, he scooted an inch closer to his friend, opting to try a different direction. “...you know, Susie...”

'Nope, he didn't.' Susie sighed, preparing herself. Ralsei ignored her exasperation and continued.

“Dreams can reveal a lot about someone, depending on what they see, y'know.”

Hearing this, Susie couldn't resist a small snicker, pointing a finger in his direction. “Woah, didn't know you were that big of a hippie, dude. What next? You're gonna 'ReAd SoMe CaRdS' to determine my future?” She joked, watching as Ralsei perked up curiously.

“...cards can do that?!”

“Well no! Not playing cards, like- well maybe, but... special- I was just- that's what WEIRDOS do, Ralsei!” Susie stammered, attempting to explain divinatory practices – which she didn't believe in, by the way – to her sheltered friend. “Like, they throw some old stones, say some creepy shit, smoke some smelly ass crap, and..!”

The sound of Ralsei giggling broke Susie out of her ramble, causing her to glance in his direction. She was unsure if she should be amused or not. She felt a sense of relief, hearing that... ridiculously adorable laugh of his ring out. Was he-

“Ehehe! S-Susie, I'm just pulling your leg!” He laughed out again, kicking his feet even more eagerly. “I know what Divination is! I've read a couple of books on it. How else would I know about dream interpretation?” He answered, flashing a sly, teasing smile in her direction. Susie felt her face grow hotter, scratching the back of her head as she gave a few chuckles of her own.

“...ah. Right. Knew that. Just-” Susie began, almost being interrupted by more Ralsei giggles, causing her to grow even more frustrated. “I just wanted to make sure!” She said through gritted teeth, clearly not used to being on the receiving end of teases. Especially not by this dweeb! At this point, she might as well be on fire with how steamed she felt.

“S-sorry..! I couldn't help myself!” He sighed, giving a small sigh as he returned to his previous train of thought. “It's just that... I do think dreams are fascinating, in a sense.”

“Oh, ya do, huh?” She began, scratching her chin in a faux-thoughtful manner. “Okay then, Dream Boy. Tell me... what do you dream about?”

Ralsei froze up once more, similarly as he did before, yet Susie didn't break eye contact with the fluffy boy. Even as he began to squirm and fidget with his robes. “...ah! Well, oh, uh... S-susie, it's... you... it's-you wouldn't like it...”

“Try me.” She tempted, raising an eyebrow as she rested her chin in one of her hands. She even went so far as to plant her foot atop her bed, providing the perfect stand for her elbow.

“...uh...” He gulped, beginning to anxiously wring his cotton hems out. “...well, fine! Dude!” Susie snickered, unable to keep herself from laughing each and every time he said that word. “Just... don't...” He paused, as if, thinking of what to say next. He was much better at that skill than she was, as he turned back and continued with, “...don't fall asleep on me!”

“... 'Cross me SOUL and hope to die!' Now c'mon, spill it, Dr. Toothpaste,” Susie answered, mimicking an old persons' voice. Not dissimilar to that one 'old guy' she met in the Sanctuary. “Don't keep me in suspense, man! Tell me everything.”

“...okay,” Ralsie answered, unable to pull his imploring eyes away from Susie's own pair of yellow, teasing eyes. He knew she was hiding... something! Truth was, however, he was as well. But now wouldn't be the time he did that. She wanted answers, he would give them to her. “I..whenever I sleep... which is rare, I'll have you know... I... have the same dream. Each and every night.”

“Oooh damn,” Susie said, her eyes widening in vague interest. “What happens, huh? Keep goin'.”

“Well, for a... Darkner like me, I always dream of the Prophecy. And-”

“HOOOOOONK!” Susie began to snore, melodramatically falling onto her mattress and pillow. Her legs kicked upwards, falling equally as forcibly onto the bed. Ralsei could only stare with a bemused laugh.

“SUSIEEEE!” He whined, instantly becoming incredulous with the lizard girls' behavior. “That... that's not funny!”

“SHOOOOOOOO!~” She continued to wheeze out, her body suddenly becoming heavy and limp. Ralsei wouldn't allow this injustice, suddenly climbing atop of her and shaking her by the shoulders. His tone became more serious. Almost... dire.

“Susie, come oooon! I wasn't kidding when I-” A powerful pair of arms clamped around his body, hands gripping his shoulders. One of Susie's eyes opened suddenly, as if winking to the unsuspecting goat boy.

“Gotcha.”

Within an instant, the girl performed a 'crocodile roll' on the fluffy boy, suddenly clenching onto his frame and flipping him underneath her body. Naturally, Ralsei reacted as she expected him to. With kicking feet, clenched eyes, and a shrill, giggly voice.

“YEEEK! SUSIE NOOO!” Ralsei giggled helplessly and uncontrollably. Susie began to push her entire body onto the smaller boy's, smirking eagerly as he squirmed around. Her hands remained on his shoulders, holding him down as her jaws opting to start harmlessly snapping at his face.

“GRAHAHAHA! CAN'T ESCAPE SUZILLAAA!” She growled playfully, wrestling with the physically weaker Darkner.

“STAWWWWP!” He cried out, his eyes filling with happy, yet overwhelmed, tears. “D-don't eat me! I-I taste bad and will give you hairballs!”

For a moment, Susie rested her snout atop of Ralseis' head, humming loudly as she continued to lay atop him. “...hm, you're not wrong there... I do have a sweet tooth, though..” She cackled, already opening her mouth widely, as if contemplating swallowing the prince whole.

“NOOOOO!~” Ralsei squealed, clenching his eyes shut as he attempted to playfully push Susie away. There was no denying the deep blush that permeated his fuzzy cheeks and long ears. She could feel her own burning equally as bright. There was that smoky scent again...

“...blugh. You did it. You've bested Suzilla...” She stated, allowing Ralsei to 'win' their tussle. She allowed herself to flop onto her back, landing right next to the fluffy prince. “...it's not healthy to eat sweets before bed, after all.”

The prince let out a few boastful chuckles in response, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. “H-haha..! I win!” He cooed tiredly, flopping on his back in a similar manner. Both of them laid limply for a few moments, taking in the moment and cooling off. Neither one said anything to each other, being left with their thoughts for a good few minutes. Susie and Ralsei knew each well enough to know that, perhaps, one was hiding something from the other. At this moment, however, neither took the initiative to bring it up. With the titan fight, the prophecy 'revelation', the whole 'Toriel never actually being in any danger' situation, and literally everything else, they both figured that today was eventful enough.

“Heh. Ya sure did, Rals.”

“...so, uh,” The goat began, shifting around awkwardly. “Is the sleepover over then? Should I... leave?”

Hearing this, Susie laughed again, peering over at Ralsei with a confused smile. “Uh, no? Whaddya think the word 'sleepover' means, dumbass? You're sleepin' here tonight! With, uh...” She stated, her commanding tone quickly turning somewhat bashful as she realized what she was saying. “...with me.”

“Oh, h-haha! I guess that makes sense,” Ralsei relented, fidgeting with the hem of his robe a little more, as if he had never actually laid in a bed before. The more Susie thought about it, the more she realized he probably hasn't. “Gosh, this is... really comfy, isn't it?” He hummed, shifting around on the mattress and positioning his head on a pillow. He was laying on his side, facing Susie with an adorably innocent, yet caring, gaze. His glasses were askew, as his cheek squished against the side of the bed, which only made the darling goat boy look even sillier than usual. Naturally, the purple warrior couldn't hold back a laugh. As much as she wanted to pluck Ralsei's glasses off of his face, she resisted the urge, her hands twitching at her side.

“Yup. All thanks to you, Dr. Toothpaste.”

"Oh, how original, Miss... Miss...” Ralsei hesitated, as if trying to come up with some sort of counter to her words. At first, Susie figured that he'd falter at the opportunity. Until he flashed a smug scowl at the taller purple girl. “Miss... Barney The Dinosaur!”

Susie completely froze up, staring at the smaller boy with wide, yellow eyes. No emotion other than shock flashed upon her face. “...what?!” She yelped. She was completely paralyzed, barely able to comprehend what the seemingly sweet prince had just said. Her sudden shock caused the fluffy boy to panic almost immediately, reaching forward with a hand to try and shake her out of her daze.

“N-no, Susie, wait..! I-I was kidding! Kris taught me that one!” Ralsei insisted, rapidly becoming more and more anxious at the girl's abject stiffness. Even with his statements, Susie remained stiff as a board, barely reacting as the goat boy tried to wriggle her to consciousness.

Finally, she let out a powerful, yet quiet, huff. Enough to blow back Ralsei's head-fur, in order to quiet him from his persnickety paranoia. “...oh Kris said that, huh?”

“...uh...” He hesitated, realizing he had just thrown his friend under the bus. He didn't say much else, allowing Susie to chuckle.

“...pfft, whatever. Don't sweat it. That was a good one.”

“Uh, thanks..!”

“Just don't say it again or I'll slam dunk you into the nearest trash can, got it?” Susie threatened with leering eyes.

“Got it!” He squeaked.

“...good.” She grumbled. The dino-girl flipped back onto her back, her breathing even more hurried as she attempted to bring sleep onto her body. In a state of embarrassment, she turned away from the shorter male, facing the wall of her neon-colored bedroom. “Now... good night, Ralsei.”

“...good night, Susie,” She heard Ralsei reply softly, shifting around. A gentle clatter was heard, which Susie interpreted as him removing his glasses and setting them on the nearby nightstand. When she heard the sheets ruffle afterwards, she presumed that the goat would be facing the opposite direction. After all, why would he decide to face her?

Regardless of whatever logic sprang forth in her mind, Susie immediately felt a warm, yet light, weight cling to her back. Her eyes widened a bit as her frame stiffened a little, realizing that the smaller prince had taken to spooning against her. Ralsei let out a soft yawn, snuggling his face into her back. 

“...is this too much?” He asked cautiously, realizing how still Susie was. She was happy that he wasn’t able to see the deep hue that was slowly covering her freckled face once more. She honestly didn’t know how to answer that question. It certainly wasn’t because she hated being touched, at least not anymore. Hanging out with Kris and Ralsei all the time had softened her up. Plus, she knew that she was guilty of physical affection… in her own abrasive way, at least. Regardless, a vortex of conflicting emotions swirled around her mind. She knew, without looking at him, that he was peeking upwards with his damn pretty pink eyes.  

On one hand, this sort of action was pretty… intimate, wasn’t it? Friends could cuddle though, right? What was wrong with it? Susie certainly didn’t see anything weird about it. Even if it did make her heart and guts feel all twisty. Ralsei’s adorable yawns and the way he cuddled into her was like a massage of the senses, unwinding her nerves as the fluffy prince got comfortable. After a day like today, he probably needed physical touch a lot more than he would care to admit. Who was she to deny him of it?

“...Not at all,” Susie mumbled after a few seconds. At first, Ralsei was worried that she'd say 'no', already starting to scoot away from her. Hearing her affirm him, however, a small, sleepy smile returned, nodding as he nestled into her back once again. “Just don't blame me if I roll over on you in my sleep!” She snickered, being met with a small, sleepy laugh.

“I'll be fine,” He murmured, his arms gently wrapped around her waist. She could only imagine what his face looked like right now, considering that he felt as if he was growing warmer. Unlike the fire in her dream, this was... a good kind of warmth. Another yawn escaped his muzzle as he nuzzled in. “G'night...”

“Night, Rals,” Susie sighed, catching the contagion of yawning and closing her eyes. She was very sleepy, though her heart was still beating quite rapidly. Not because of any nightmare, however. 'Get a grip, Susie!' She thought to herself, mentally smacking herself for feeling so... giddy over their sleepover.

She just hoped that she would go back to sleep before she could be plagued with more confusing thoughts. The image of what Ralsei looked like spooning against her was more than enough to toy with her emotions. 

___________________________________________________

Ralsei's dream started off as it usually did. By this point, it was practically expected by the young Darkner. Imagery of the 'Legend of Delta Rune' cycled across his mind, starting off as he always knew it. Usually, this provided a sense of familiar comfort to the prince. It was consistent. It was certain. Nowadays, however, he wasn't even sure if that was the case anymore. In fact, seeing the same iconography and words drift through his imagination made his head hurt.

So much was supposedly set in stone... but by how much? Could it change? Susie liked to think so. Her hope was as infectious as her laugh, which was why Ralsei was starting to feel a shift in his beliefs as well. The uncertainty terrified him to his very core. To make matters worse, even his own dreams weren't safe from this new phenomenon.

“But if this harmony were to shatter...

A terrible calamity would occur.

The sky will run black with terror.

And the land will crack with fear.

Then, her heart pounding...”

As the words continued, the edges began to... singe? Green flames crept their way across the pictures, as if it were made of nothing more than paper. As soon as they began to appear, they burned brighter and hotter, turning the pages of the prophecy into nothing more than ash and embers. The air was becoming suffocating. No matter where Ralsei looked, there was fire, small at first but soon blazing into a chartreuse pyre.

The prince began to panic, but there was nowhere to go. He found himself unable to even move his feet. Even looking up at the sky, he saw nothing but a pitch black void of nothingness. Darker than dark.

Words escaped him, though there was no time to even think of anything to say. A strange, overpowering, unseen voice boomed from above, speaking directly to Ralsei. It sounded like everything and nothing at all. It spoke in complete, garbage gibberish, yet he could still understand it. It was nauseatingly familiar.

“A SHAME.

YOU WERE DOING SO WELL, TOO.

PERHAPS THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER.

PERHAPS THEY CAN STICK TO THE SCRIPT.”

Fear surged through Ralsei's body, finally finding the ability to respond. His voice wavered with panic, desperately smiling up above at the unseen voice. “N-no, please! I-I'll do better! I promise! I won't... I won't..!” He was unable to finish his train of thought, watching as two, massive, white hands revealed themselves from the void, slowly reaching downwards at the goat. His throat closed up, too scared to do anything other than watch in complete despair. The hands began to envelop him.

“RETURN TO ME.

AND I WILL MAKE YOU BETTER.

NOW...

HOLD STILL.”

“PLEASE! NOOOOO!”

___________________________________________________

“RALSEI, WAKE UP!”

“Bwaaugh!” Ralsei bleated, jolting awake as a different, equally familiar, voice called out to him. He felt far more comfort hearing the gruff tone of Susie, his eyes quickly taking in the girl gripping his shoulders tightly. Without his glasses, it was hard to see everything clearly, but the purple girl was still close enough that the goat instantly noticed that she held a scared, concerned look. “S-susie!”

“Jeez, finally! You were freaking out hard,” Susie sighed, looking a lot less tense, though still highly worried. 'And I thought my dream was bad.'

“I-I was..?” He panted, his hands touching his face, affirming that he was indeed awake. His fur was damp with sweat, especially around his face. Had he been... crying?

“Like, at first I was pissed, cuz you started squirming and twitching, kicking me while I tried to sleep! But then you...” Susie paused, looking downwards with a guilty expression. “...started b-begging.”

Ralsei felt a deep, sinking feeling in his gut, his breathing picking up once more. “Begging,” He said, not so much asking but affirming.

“Yeah. Like your life depended on it.” The fluffy prince felt his throat start to close up once more, his hands beginning to tremble as they gripped his cloak.

Susie's grip loosened on his shoulders, but didn't remove themselves entirely. Her yellow eyes bore intently into his pink ones. She tried her best to appear warm and comforting, though she wasn't sure of how well she was accomplishing that. Ralsei was clearly despondent with fear. “...you good?”

“...I-I'm...” He began, attempting to ready a small smile for his friend. It was practically instinct, at this point to try and shove his feelings to the side. The more Ralsei stared into her eyes, however, the more he realized that he couldn't – wouldn't – lie this time. Kris' words came back to him, still feeling their gentle hug from the Sanctuary loft. Susie probably wouldn't believe him if he tried to lie, anyway. His smile quickly turned into a pained grimace.

To answer her question, Ralsei buried himself into Susie's body once more, hugging tightly as his whole body began to shudder. “...no.” He sniffled weakly, trying, and ultimately failing, to keep himself from breaking down.

Without hesitating, Susie held her frightened friend closely, her hands rubbing his back in a slow, comforting manner. “Hey, hey...”

“I-I'm so scared... I-I thought... it felt... there...” Ralsei sobbed, unable to find the ability to speak properly.

“You're okay, Rals. I'm right here... you're okay,” She reassured softly. Comforting someone from spiraling was not something Susie really knew how to do. Her only frame of reference came from the goat boy himself. Even now, his words drifted around her head as she continued to rub his back.

“Try... saying something you wish someone'd say to you?”

“...I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you. I promise.” Susie's words and actions appeared to help. The Darkner's trembling decreased to slight shivering, his crying becoming quiet whimpers. Ralsei dared to peek upwards, his pink eyes puffy and damp. 

“S-susie... thank you,” He hiccuped, his grip finally starting to loosen on the larger girl. Her's remained secured, however, as Ralsei wiped his face with a sleeve. “I-I'm sorry, heh...”

“For what?” She asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

“F-for being like this. And for kicking you in my sleep. A-and for getting your shirt all messy-”

Susie responded to this by pulling Ralsei into her once more, hugging him even more firmly. This caught the fluffy boy off guard, but he certainly didn't mind. “Dude, shut up,” She huffed, her tone even, but not mean. “Let's just... sit here for a while, okay?”

“...okay,” Ralsei answered, letting out a shaky sigh as he cuddled into Susie some more. His face felt warm again, able to feel Susie's heart rate pick up once again. He couldn't help but feel selfish, but he didn't want this moment to end any time soon. He knew it had to at some point, however. The concept of time wasn't that strong in the Dark World, so neither one knew if it was morning in the Light World or not. Susie couldn't stay here the whole time, he knew that. The Festival was coming up, after all. She needed to spend time with her real...

...Ralsei couldn't even bring himself to finish the thought without his eyes getting misty again. Instead, he thought of the present. Susie made him feel incredibly safe. Very loved. He didn't know if he even deserved it. Susie was spectacularly special, though. Her empathy and affection was passionate, even if it was unconventional. If there's one thing she proved to Ralsei, it was that she could heal even the deepest of injuries. She made him feel as if he was real, so much so that he was now starting to believe it himself. That he had a chance to change fate. That he could be her friend.

It made his heart ache, as if she was gripping and wringing it out like a wet washcloth. Kris and Noelle were very lucky to be friends with her. Again, it was selfish, but it almost made him feel... envious. That he wouldn't be able to come along and play games and eat delicious snacks and have fun.

'...as long as they're all happy...' He thought, peeking up at her once more. It was difficult, as Susie had now taken to resting her head atop of his. With the gentle way she breathed, he figured that she had dozed off again. The light rumble of her throat confirmed this.

“...I hope you have fun at the Festival,” He whispered, not wanting to wake her as he patted and rubbed her back lovingly. Eventually, he closed his eyes as well, feeling calm enough to attempt sleep again.