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Ahhh the festival. Hometown’s premiere event, the one many of its residents spent preparing for and awaiting with barely contained excitement. For the rest…
It was kind of boring.
While stalls selling local produce and baked goods were never something to complain about, they could hardly make for an entertaining event. Yes, there was a small ferris wheel - affectionately referred to as the hamster wheel, due to its size - and some years they’d even bring out a bouncy castle for the youngest of Hometown, even after the dreaded ICE-E incident . But, despite all of this, most people in town attended the festival, at least for a time. It was the perfect place to catch up on old friends, talk for a while and simply be with no pressure and a drink in your hands. The local council knew this, of course, so most of the actual festival grounds were taken up by a large grassy knoll fitted with wooden tables, and with plenty of space for particularly fast families to set up their picnic blankets and baskets while there was still room.
But perhaps, the most appealing part of the festival was not the night itself, but the day after, as it was a day where there was no school nor work (unless you worked in emergencies, in which case you were used to these kinds of exceptions). Kids loved it, being free to run around and stay up way past their bedtimes. For the oldest, however, the name of the game was drinking. The council had, of course, forbidden the sale of alcohol during the festival to prevent any altercations, but where there is a will there is a way, and by the Angel was there a lot of will to go around at the festival. The morning after, you could not walk two steps without bumping into someone with a splitting headache, or a particularly groggy teen. No relation to the festival, of course. Mere coincidence.
There was also a special tradition around the festival. Inviting someone. It was more of a symbolic step, since everyone in town would attend anyway, invitation or not, but it was a nice gesture. A request to spend some time together. Of course, not necessarily romantic, but that could never be ruled out. Two teens, inseparable since their childhood, going to the festival together didn’t mean they liked each other, right?
R-right?
So... why was he struggling so much?
Asriel paced back and forth in front of the mirror. C’mon Azzy - no wait, that was what she called him. C’mon Asriel, you can do it.
“So, the festival’s in town and I…” - Nope, too much.
“Eyyy Desss!” - he pointed his fingers at the mirror. Absolutely not.
“So, what’s the deal with that festival anyway?” - That didn’t sound right at all.
“Do you… wanna go to the festival… w-with me?” - Why couldn’t he get the words out? He-
“ASRIEL DREEMURR!” - Toriel banged on the door of the bathroom a bunch of times. Asriel jumped and almost slipped - “You better not be doing what I think you’re doing in there!”
“I-I was… brushing my teeth mom!” - Asriel hurriedly picked up his school bag off the floor and exited the bathroom. Kris was waiting outside with their own schoolbag and bright red plastic horns. Toriel had her arms crossed and was tapping on her arm.
“Took you long enough, young man.” - Toriel pointed to the door - “Now come on everyone, we might still make it in time.”
The drive to the school felt longer than ever. Today was the festival, and that was it. He'd been to the festival since he could remember, so it wasn't like it was something new to him.
As they pulled into the school, Asriel tightened his grip on his school bag, which only tightened further as he stepped into his classroom.
“Barely made it son! Another second and the door woulda been locked, gya ha ha!” - the old tortoise monster, Mr Boom, was already hard at work at the blackboard, writing a famous quote by an author that could or could not be him. Asriel simply nodded sheepishly and went to his seat.
Next to Dess.
Of course, sitting next to Dess, like he'd done throughout all of school. Two best friends, sitting next to each other like one does. Nothing else. Absolutely no suddenly complicated feelings that had kept at least one of them awake all night-
“Bedsheets got the better of you again?” - the doe monster whispered, giving him a smile. Asriel was broken out of his spiraling pile of reassurances.
“B-buh…” - he looked around, as if the reason for his stuttering could be found at any of the walls of the classroom - “I-I actually was… having trouble in… the b-bathroom?”
ANGEL DAMN IT.
“Ew.” - the doe whispered back.
“N-no, I-”
“Mr Dreemurr, quiet down!” - Mr Boom didn't even turn to face him. - “If you need to discuss anything with Miss Holiday, you have the Festival to do it.”
THAT WAS THE PROBLEM.
Asriel instinctively covered his face with his ears, failing to conceal a slight blush. A short rumble of laughter spread through the class.
“Alright, alright. I know you kids are eager to get out of here, so today we'll do something a bit easier …” - a soft murmur broke out around the classroom. Asriel lowered his ears - “...If you've read the book I told you last week, gya ha ha!” - the murmur was cut short abruptly.
Mr Boom started walking through the classroom, leaving small sheets of paper on the top of each student's desk. As was customary with these book tests, you could use any notes you'd taken, short of having the actual book on your desk. As the teacher placed down the tests, Asriel could feel the tension in the classroom rising. But, for once, he was actually not tense at all.
The book they'd been assigned was none other than the Lord of the Hammer (authored by their teacher no less). Having been loosely based on the prophecy of Deltarune, it was a book his mother had had no trouble letting him read over and over again from an early age. And it had even had some games based off of it to boot! He could probably recite it by heart, so the test would be done in no time.
After 15 minutes, his suspicions were proven right, and he flipped over the sheet. The old teacher, now sitting at his desk, gave him a smile and a nod, and Asriel took out a small notebook from his back. He'd probably spend the extra time he had sketching some cool stuff. His previous nerves seemed silly in retrospect. What had he even been worried abou-
“Pssst.”
Asriel raised his head. He could've sworn he heard something.
“Psssst!”
He looked to his right.
Of course, Dess.
The girl was trying her best to look inconspicuous. As Asriel felt some of the nerves come crawling back under his skin, he noticed a peculiar motion she was performing with her pencil.
TAP TAP TAP.
TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP.
Questions 3 and 5. Of course. He knew for a fact Dess had not read much past the first chapter of the Lord of the Hammer (despite his numerous recommendations over the years), but she had played Dragon Blazers, which was based on it, so she was not going into the test blind. Not AS blind.
The tapping repeated.
Ah yes. Asriel nodded, avoiding the gaze of Mr Boom, who appeared on the brink of falling asleep - which, to be fair, was how he normally appeared when he wasn't talking. He quietly ripped a small piece of paper off the corner of his sketchbook and looked over at the finished test. Yeah, the third question should be "The Battle for the Snowpass” (not surprised she didn't know), and the fifth was more complicated, requiring some actual reasoning of your answer. He wrote "The Dragon. Say why her sacrifice was an emotional moment”, as not much else fit on the tiny scrap of paper.
Then he got an idea.
He flipped the scrap of paper over.
“Wanna go to the festival with me Y/N”
It wasn’t the first time that they had passed each other notes in class, and he was certain it would not be the last. It had started at first with Dess chucking some silly miniature drawings of the teachers his way for him to see. It had progressed into a way to talk between each other without making much noise, and, eventually, into Asriel “coaching” Dess during some tests - with promises she’d study more for the next one, which to her credit she mostly would. This note felt different however, heavier. Asriel felt a big weight leaving his hand as he passed it to Dess, but it did not ease his concerns. Whatever happened was now in the hands of-
“Watcha got here?” - Mr Boom quickly snatched the scrap of paper from Asriel’s hand. He froze. When had he gotten up? - “If you’re passin’ notes around my class, I hope you don’t mind if I read them too!” - The tortoise monster held the note very close to his good eye.
And then, he laughed - “Gya ha ha! Ah, you kids are gonna be the death of me...” - he left the note on Dess’ desk and pointed to Asriel - “Don’t let me catch ya doing that again, alright son?” - he tapped the boy’s head with his cane, and went back to his desk.
Both Dess and Asriel sat, wide-eyed, and being stared at by the rest of the class. After a few seconds, everyone went back to their tests, including Dess, who masterfully slid the scrap of paper into her pocket and winked at Asriel. He tried to go back into his sketchbook and not think about it too much.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and every student hurried out of class.
“Alright kids, enjoy the festival!” - Mr Boom said, while the kids rushed out the door. As Asriel and Dess were going out, Asriel swore he saw him giving him a thumbs up.
“Yeah yeah, I knoooow.” - Dess anticipated Asriel - “I swear I’ll read the next one. I was just busy, you know?”
“Did you... Read the note?” - Asriel asked
“Huh? Yeah. I had to make some stuff up about the Dragon but I think it was convincing enough for half a mark.” - she tapped him on the shoulder, but noticed the boy was looking away. - “Azzy?”
“Um… there was another side...”
“Another side?” - the doe tapped her pockets, and brought the note out - “What do you… Oh.”
A knot formed in Asriel’s stomach. Oh? Did she not want to? Of course nothing was wrong, even if she didn’t want to go at all, or if she’d been asked to by someone else. It didn’t really matter at all! Yep yep yep yep. Nothing to worry about. They’d hang out like always, inviting her had been a silly idea, so in a way-
“Y-yes I do- I mean! Sure Azzy! I’ll go with you!” - the doe awkwardly pointed fingers at the boy - “Like old times, us two friends right? I mean, like last year…?” - a nervous smile appeared on her lips. Was that… relief?
“Yeah, of course!” - Asriel returned the nervous smile - “yeah, you and I, best friends hanging out. Nothing new to see!”
“Yup.”
“Cool.”
“Cool cool cool cool.”
“...”
“...”
There was a weird silence between them for a few seconds. Neither of them knew where to look or what to do with their hands, so they stood in front of their lockers for a bit, fidgeting awkwardly while the other students went on their way.
“Well… I gotta go! Mom’s waiting for me, hehe.” - Asriel managed to break the silence - “I’ll see you at the festival then!”
“You sure will!” - Dess gave the boy a small little wave.
Asriel headed for the door. For some reason, he felt light as a feather, which was obvious to anyone around due to the way he was skipping on his way out of school. He was really looking forward to the festival now.
“But mom, why do I need to wear this?” - Asriel’s complaints filled the Dreemurr’s living room as his mother fitted him with some clothes.
“Well son, I think just for a year we could try to go to the festival dressed more properly .” - she accented as she clipped on the last of the buttons of Asriel’s shirt, and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Both Asriel and Kris were wearing matching clothes: black dress pants, a white undershirt and a black button up shirt on top. - “It doesn’t hurt to wear something that isn’t an old jacket or a sweater every once in a while, right?”
Kris and Asriel looked at each other, commiserating. They knew resistance was futile: their mother had even managed to find a similar outfit for their dad (but in a dark blue), while she was wearing a purple blouse on top of a dark, long skirt. As Asgore walked down the stairs, undoing some of the buttons of his shirt, she spoke once again - “Look at us! Don’t we look great together?”
Asriel instinctively put his hand over Kris’ mouth and nodded, while Asgore replied - “We do Tori, of course, but… don’t you think it’s a bit… much? For the festival-” - his wife’s glare answered by itself - “Y-you’re right, you’re right. Alright kids, let’s go to the festival!” - despite the itchiness of their new clothes, both kids cheered, and were out of the door in a second.
The streets were bustling with people, even on the road near the Dreemurr’s residence. It seemed like everyone in town was out and about, and some turned their heads and greeted their parents as they walked by. They were stopped a few times by neighbours who started to chat with their parents, much to the dismay of the kids.
While Mr Cattenheimer was speaking to their parents, Asriel decided to turn to Kris - “So, Kris! Are you excited for the festival?” - anything to pass the time. These new clothes felt itchy, especially with the heat.
Kris stopped scratching their arm and looked to their brother - “I guess.... I wanna ride the hamster wheel.” - Kris looked around, then tugged on their dad’s shirt. - “Dad, can we get going?”
Asgore looked back at his children and smiled - “Sorry Mr Cattenheimer, but there’s two little troublemakers here that really want to go to the festival.” - the cat monster knelt down and gave both of them a polite wave, which they returned - “We’ll catch up later at the festival!”
The Dreemurr’s continued their way to the festival. As soon as they reached the main street, the smell of home-made sweets filled the air, and the multi-colored lights of the ferris wheel dazzled everyone present. Toriel had abstained from setting up a stall with some of her cooking this year - to give others a chance, she’d smugly said.
But, before sampling any of the local cuisine, they needed to secure a spot on the festival grounds. As soon as they reached the grassy knoll, past the ferris wheel and the stalls, all four of them started to scan around for a spot to settle down. While Hometown had very little in the way of population, it seemed to become exceedingly crowded when the festival rolled around. Where could they…?
“Yohooo, over here!” - a deep but playful voice called out from within the knoll. The father of the Holidays sat next to a Christmas themed picnic blanket, surrounded by his family. He beckoned the Dreemurrs to his side - “C’mon, we saved you a spot over here!”
The Dreemurrs walked over to where their neighbors were, and set up their own blanket next to them - “How kind of you!” - Toriel said, while setting down a basket she’d been carrying. - “Here, as thanks! Specially made for the blueberry lovers.” - the goat monster produced a small pie tin, hot to the touch, from her basket, still lightly steaming.
“Jackpot!” - Rudy Holiday exclaimed, grabbing the tin with his hands before quickly setting it down on the blanket. He turned to his wife and tapped her with his elbow - “See? I told you it’d be worth it.” - his wife sighed, but gave a slight smile. A rare sight. Laughter spread among those present.
Throughout the years they’d become quite close knit. They kids came and went to each other’s houses, sleeping over as much as they’d sleep on their own beds. It was no wonder that they usually came together for the holidays or special events, such as the festival. And what better way to enjoy an evening out together than share some food and company!
“I see you’ve brought out the Sunday best!” - the deer monster spoke again, while unloading some stuff from his family’s basket. Some bottles filled with a creamy liquid, a bunch of sandwiches and a small salad wrapped in plastic - “It’s truly an honour.” - Rudy did a grandiose bow, which brought out some giggles from his audience. Toriel seemed to shoot him a glare after, though.
While the adults engaged in conversation, the young ones scooted closer to each other, some already pie in hand. Noelle was wearing a small dress - Christmas themed, of course - accented with little bows on her sides. And Dess… had you told anyone she was her sister, they’d probably laughed at you. She was wearing a jacket over a graphic t-shirt - the Dragon Blazers logo barely visible anymore - with some ripped jeans that were on their way to become shorts. Her hair had been dyed black a while back, judging by the visible blonde roots atop her head, and she’d yet to use the red dye for her antlers she’d told Asriel about. Her beautiful lips, hiding the same buck teeth her sister had, curved into a-
Dess snapped her fingers in front of Asriel - “Dude! You good?” - Asriel shook his head. Yes. Right.
“Uh… sorry, I spaced out.”
“Noelle and Kris want to go to the hamster wheel.” - Asriel turned, and saw Kris nodding very effusively. Noelle smiled - “Wanna come with?”
“Yeah sure!”
Toriel looked at the kids after lowering her glass - “But you’d barely had any…” - Toriel was stopped dead in her tracks by a combination of Kris’ very practiced puppy eyes and Asriel’s pleading face. She looked to her husband, and then to the Holiday parents besides her -”...Alright, go have fun. Don’t lose sight of each other!” - as the kids were preparing to leave, she pointed to the Dreemurrs - “And try to not get your new clothes dirty!”
After their parent’s permission, the two Dreemurrs stood up, followed by the Holidays, and waved to their parents as they turned towards the main road of the town. The small ferris wheel had been set up next at the end of the main road, next to the food stalls. These stalls were manned by numerous residents, and offered mostly sweet, home-made treats for a small price. There was cotton candy, cookies, colourful smoothies… Further along the path, but slightly out of the way, was a small inflatable bouncy castle. Some kids were already inside, making it wobble and testing the straps that fastened it to the floor.
The kids reached the front of the ferris wheel. There was a small booth in front of it, where a blue rabbit monster stood guard - “Hello! A ride for two?” - Kris and Noelle both nodded, and the operator turned to a small console inside the booth. As soon as the next pod touched the ground, a couple of teens stepped out, and the bunny monster opened the small steel fence - “All yours!”
As they saw their siblings go in, Asriel and Dess prepared to wait outside for a bit. Dess, however, turned to Asriel. - “Hey… you wanna ride too?”
“Huh?” - Asriel knew Dess didn’t think too highly of the hamster wheel - “Sure, if you really want to?”
“Could be fun!” - Dess stepped up to the booth, and started digging through her pockets. After a while, she turned back, seemingly disappointed. - “Apparently, ONLY kids ride for free.” - she sighed, and gave Asriel an all-too familiar stare - “...Do you happen to have any cash in that fancy new shirt of yours?”
Asriel sighed, and reached into his pocket. He’d made a habit out of carrying around a small wallet everywhere with pocket money he’d earned through odd jobs here and there, for occasions such as this. He grabbed a 5 dollar bill and gave it to her - “Here.” - there went a week of mowing Bratty’s lawn.
“Thanks Azzy, you’re the best! I’ll pay you back!” - Dess winked then headed back to the booth. Asriel raised an eyebrow. He could have sworn he’d heard that before… He actually didn’t really mind much. Money spent with friends was not money wasted, in his eyes.
Dess beckoned him closer as the next pod of the wheel approached. They both went through the steel gate, and stepped into the small cramped space. The hamster wheel was just big enough to see over the treeline, so there was almost no room for two teenagers to sit across each other inside the pod. Asriel thought all of this and instinctively sat next to Dess. She looked at him for a second, and then smiled. She put her feet on the opposite, unoccupied seat, and invited her best friend to do the same. He relented after a few light elbows to the side.
The pod started moving again, and began the ludicrously slow ascent. Dess broke their silence shortly after - “I bet Kris is gonna try to make the pod shake to scare Noelle. Again” - Dess rolled her eyes.
Asriel laughed - “I bet you’re right, haha. I don’t know how they are so inseparable with Kris being like that sometimes.” - Dess shook her head, smiling.
“By the way.” - Dess looked at him - “I like the new look.”
Asriel sighed - “Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Once my mom gets an idea into her head, there’s nothing you can do to convince her otherwise.”
“No, no! I mean it!” - Asriel looked at Dess, surprised - “I mean, it’s still kinda dorky, but it fits you!” - Asriel raised an eyebrow - “Gosh, you know what I mean…! Maybe, if anything…” - she rubbed her chin.
“Hmm…?”
“I think it’s the black shirt. I think it’d look better off.”
Asriel recoiled back, trying (and failing) to conceal a slight blush.
“I-I MEAN!” - Dess shouted, her words just not catching up to her - “Here, just let me…” - Dess leaned closer, and Asriel could hear his own heartbeat getting faster and faster. Friends. Friends. Best friends. Things that best friends do. Angel, what is happening to me?
Dess slowly unbuttoned Asriel’s black shirt, while he watched helplessly. She then grabbed onto the white undershirt and pulled on it slightly, untucking it from his pants. She finally pulled back - “T-there!” - It must’ve been some of the lights outside, or Asriel might’ve thought she’d been blushing.
Asriel looked down at his new appearance. He had to admit, it really did work better. Less old butler serving in a mansion, more normal person - “You’re right Dess, it does look better!”
“You doubted me? I’ll have you know I have impeccable taste!” - she pulled on her jacket, and they both broke into a fit of laughter.
The slow ascent of the ferris wheel had brought the skyline into view. Apart from the apartment blocks and the Holiday mansion, every building in the town could scarcely clear the height of the surrounding trees. The sky was beginning to darken already, and on its horizon many blinking lights began to come to life. There was a point on this horizon, where the lights were most numerous, that they focused on.
Asriel and Dess both had wondered which place this was many times over their lives. A city, they thought for sure, but they’d never actually tried to confirm this theory. Perhaps they preferred it to be what they believed, even if the truth was otherwise. They’d spoken about it at length, imagining what went on in there. How did it differ from their town? How were people’s lives there? Did they have their own festival?
“I wonder if there’s someone there that's staring back at us right now.” - Asriel said absent-mindedly. Dess looked at him, then back into the horizon, with a grin. She raised her middle fingers and waved them in the direction of the city - “D-DESS!!”
“Yeah, keep your eyes to yourselves, city snobs!” - she laughed. Asriel couldn’t help but chuckle, much to his frustration and Dess’ satisfaction - “Hope they don’t ban me from there for that. We gotta go some day!”
We . Asriel cherished the word for a few seconds - “...yeah. I wanna see what a big city is like.”
“Just you wait Azzy. In a few years, we’ll be kissing this place goodbye, onto greater things!”
Asriel looked back to Dess. A few years was maybe an understatement, but he had hopes of moving away at some point. Going to college - “Well, I’d love that, but… do you really think it’s for the best to leave Kris unsupervised here? I don’t think mom can be everywhere without me.”
Dess scoffed - “Yeah, you’re actually right. We can bring Noelle and Kris, too. Noelle can sit on the back and Kris can go in the trunk!”
Both of them laughed once again.
Before they knew it, the pod opened, and they were back on the ground. Their younger siblings were outside, searching around for their supposedly responsible elders. Noelle spotted them coming out of the hamster wheel, and tugged on Kris' shirt, causing them to turn around - “Where were you? Did you ride the wheel too?”
“Yeah, we thought it could be fun.” - Asriel responded. It had been fun. Being with Dess always was - “How about you two? I do hope there was no incident this time.” - Asriel tried to do his best Toriel impression, staring at Kris with his arms crossed. The human instinctively avoided his eyes. The admission of guilt. Asriel sighed - "Goodness Kris… Well, what do you want to do now?”
Both kids looked at each other, as if the concept of doing something else had been introduced to them for the first time in their lives. They stared into each other’s eyes for a second, and raised both arms at the same time - “BOUNCY CASTLE!” - Noelle yelled.
“Alright you two, let’s get you there then.” - Dess began walking behind the kids, who took off in the attraction’s direction - “That one I’m not getting into, for the record.” - Asriel chuckled.
When they arrived at the bouncy castle, they could see their siblings already inside. “Dess watch your antlers!” - Dess said - “And tell Kris to watch where they point that headband!” - she wasn’t sure whether they’d heard them or not - “Me and Azzy are gonna go on a walk and get something to eat, we’ll be right back!”
“A-Are we?”
“Come on Azzy. They’re not going anywhere. We can go get something at a stall.”
“With whose money, hmmm?” - Dess smiled and blinked repeatedly. How did that always work? - “Alright, your highness, what do you want to eat?”
“Don’t call me that, fahaha!” - Dess taped her friend on the shoulder - “I think some cotton candy would be good.”
Dess and Asriel sat on a bench, cotton candy sticks in hand. They passed the time watching people walk by and commenting on them. Basically everyone was here: Mr Boom was chatting with a vendor from a stall who looked a bit tired - he was probably going into a long tirade with a life lesson at the end. They saw Bratty, who enthusiastically waved to Asriel before realizing who was sitting next to them, and left shortly afterwards. Pizzapants was there too, looking around frantically as he always did. Catty saw them and spoke with them for a while - well, at them - before running off once something caught her eye. All the while, the two best friends were eating their sweet treats, and occasionally glancing at the bouncy castle.
“Nice moustache Azzy! I see you’ve finally taken after your dad!” - Dess said after a while, looking at him.
“Huh?” - Asriel didn’t remember having any facial hair, at least not any beyond his normal fur. He touched his upper lip, and pulled out a long string of cotton candy that had become stuck there. He chuckled - “I don’t think it’s my style. You wanna try it?” - he offered the cotton candy playfully to Dess.
“Sure thing!” - Dess immediately grabbed the candy and pulled it into her mouth. That wasn’t the try he meant - “Honestly, I think you could look alright with a mustache dude!”
“Hmmm, I suppose you could be right. You do have impeccable taste, after all” - Dess laughed heartily. Asriel felt warm - “Maybe in a few years it’ll grow in.”
They two of them were interrupted by two children that were apparently done with their bouncing - “Tired already? I didn’t take you two for quitters!” - Dess exclaimed, knowing Kris would take offense to that.
“I wanna get some pie.” - the human responded, squinting at Dess - “We’re gonna go back to mom and dad.”
Before Asriel could say anything, Dess interjected - “We’re gonna stay here for a while ourselves, maybe grab a smoothie. You guys know your way back, right?” - We . Again.
“Of course!” - Noelle exclaimed, and took off with the human by her hand.
Once they were out of sight and earshot, the doe monster turned to Asriel and whispered close - “Come with me. I wanna show you something!”
Asriel stood up fast, startling Dess. He apologized, which the girl waved away, and followed her down a path next to one of the stalls and into the dark woods. Around them there were voices, others who’d gone into the forest to seek some solitude - or companionship - during the festival night. Asriel would have been spooked by the utter darkness that enveloped him, his only way of following his best friend being the song her hooves made when stomping the dry leaves, had his mind not been otherwise occupied:
What? Show him something? She’d shown him many times before. Her playing the guitar and piano, and some songs she’d written for them; some cool videogames that she had found in a thrift store and his mother had not approved; some music videos that her mother had also very much NOT approved… She was always introducing him to new stuff, which he was always thankful for (even if he found them strange or scary sometimes). He also tried to show her stuff, but his stuff was… well, for the most part, it was not as interesting, or fun, as Dess’: his ska music collection, the many drawings in his sketchbook, the Lord of the Hammer… But despite that, she'd always appreciated him doing it.
So, why was he anxious about this now?
After walking for a bit, Asriel began hearing the low hum of the shelter, on the southern edge of town. They’d actually made it quite far. The voices of those at the festival were muted and distant, and the lights barely reached them now. Finally, they stepped into a clearing. It was small, especially compared to the one that housed the bunker, but after the hamster wheel Asriel found it to be more than enough space.
“What do you think?” - Dess outstretched her arms, lifting them to the sky. It was already dark, but the moonlight illuminated the clearing - “I’ve not seen anyone ever come here. I don't think people even know this place exists!”
“It’s cool!” - Asriel replied. Ah, so it was a new hangout spot. Kinda silly to get worked up over-
“Aaaand…” - Dess reached into the inside of her jacket - ”Ta-daaaa~” - She produced two metallic canisters, and passed one to Asriel. He caught it without much trouble, feeling a tiny bit proud, and read the label on it.
“Beer?” - Asriel looked at Dess and pointed at the can - “Dess, you know about alcohol at the festival! Where did you even get this?”
“Ahhh, shush Asriel.” - She sat down next to a log in the center of the clearing - “Come on, do you really think the reason mom makes an effort to separate the adults-only punch from the normal one in the basket is because of the taste?”
Asriel hesitated for a bit, but a surge of confidence shot through him. He plopped down next to Dess - “Sure, whatever.”
“Dang Azzy, that’s my boy!” - she opened the tab on top of the can, and waited for her friend to do the same. After Asriel recoiled from the noise, she held her can out to him - “Cheers!”
Asriel toasted with his best friend, and dark from the can.
Asriel had never drank alcohol. The closest thing he’d done was getting into the first aid kit his mother kept under her bed at a young age, and spilling the bottled alcohol he found inside. He remembered the permeating smell that clung to him and his mom’s room until she came back home and scolded him for fooling around with adult stuff. The liquid in his mouth tasted similar to what that whole mess had smelled like: intense, and causing a tingling sensation on his nose that made him kinda sick. And, on top of that, bitterness. Probably not the most bitter thing he’d ever tasted, but it was amplified tenfold by the nauseating sensation he was feeling - the alcohol, he could only assume. He struggled for a few seconds, trying his best to keep the drink down, but ended up failing.
“ PFFFFT! ” - Asriel spat on the ground. He’d taken a way bigger sip than he’d anticipated, most of which had been quickly spread on the ground before him, and some on his clothes - so much for keeping them clean. Dess, still drinking from the can, opened one of her eyes to look at him, concerned. He shook his head, trying to somehow shake the taste off his tongue - “Dess, this freaking sucks!”
Dess seemed to choke, and started coughing profusely. Asriel rushed to her side, after seeing his friend double over. - “Dess! Are you okay?” - he tapped her back, while she hacked and wheezed.
Dess gasped for breath and raised her head. She was covering her mouth, and tears were streaming from her eyes - “Oh my goddess Azzy!” - she coughed again - “That was so fuckin’ funny!” - Dess coughed again. Asriel didn’t even react to Dess’ colourful language - “Do you have anything I can wipe my nose with?”
“What? Uh, yeah, here.” - Asriel took out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Dess. She loudly blew her nose and wiped her mouth with the cloth. After doing so, she looked at it, back to Asriel, and put it in her jacket pocket. “I’ll wash it and give it back”, she’d said with her eyes - “W-what happened Dess?”
“What do you mean what happened?” You made me laugh!” - the doe monster chuckled again, and coughed a bit more - “I didn’t think you'd like it, but I didn’t expect you to react that way! It’s very unlike you, fahaha!” - Asriel laughed along with Dess. Yeah, now that he’d thought about it, it was a stronger response than the mellow golden boy used to give out.
“I’m sorry, but it does suck! I can’t say it any other way! I don’t understand how people can drink this stuff, it’s awful…” - he looked at the half-empty can with disdain.
“Well, it’s an acquired taste.” - the girl replied.
“You didn’t seem to like it that much either.” - the goat monster shot back, seizing his chance.
“I WAS TRYING TO ACQUIRE THE TASTE BEFORE YOU MADE IT GO THROUGH MY NOSTRlLS, DUMMY!” - Dess grabbed Asriel’s can from his hand - “If you don’t want it, I’ll resume my efforts, thank you very much!”
Asriel simply stared as Dess brought the can over to her lips. The deer monster looked at him and her hand shook. She tried to look away, but Asriel could feel she was holding back laughter - he was too. After a few seconds of trying and failing to drink, they both finally cracked, heads thrown back in roaring laughter.
“I can’t do it now, I just keep thinking about it! Dess, this freaking sucks! ” - the girl set the can aside. Asriel wiped some tears from his eyes - “Fine Azzy, you’ll keep me from alcoholism this day.”
Dess leaned back into the log they were both sitting beside. Asriel followed suit, and, alongside her, observed the night sky. They’d moved far enough away from the festival that the lights no longer obscured the beautiful patchwork of stars of the night. There, standing next to Dess, Asriel began feeling nervous again. Nervous, but warm, comfortable.
“Look” - he said - “you can see the Belt of Urion there.” - Asriel pointed towards the sky, singling out four stars that were in close proximity - “In ancient times, sailors used it to find their way on the sea.”
“Pfftfft, nerd .” - Dess squinted her eyes - “Where is it? I can’t see it.” - she raised her hand, pointing towards the sky without a concrete objective.
“Here.” - Asriel grabbed her hand, and guided it to the position. As he did so, he could have sworn his heart could pop out of his chest. Why right now? He prayed his friend could not feel his agitation. Why would she care about it anyway?
“Ahh, I see!” - Dess nodded - “You really gotta put in the work. That is barely a line, let alone a belt!” - she chuckled, then looked to Asriel, who was still guiding her hand - “Do you know… any more?”
“U-um… yes of course.”
Asriel guided Dess’ hand through the night sky, tracing a path between all of the patterns he could recognize as constellations he’d read about: the Three Gates, the Flos Minor and Flos Mayor, the Wheelbarrow, the Snowflake… Asriel had always been fascinated by the stars. Beyond the insane concept of great balls of fire millions of kilometers away from home, their sheer permanence was the thing that most intrigued him. So far away, yet their presence was unmistakable. They’d been there for all his life, and were the same his mother and father had seen when they were kids, and they’d be the same when the world changed irreversibly around him. Something about all of it, how everyone was under the same sky, the same stars… Something about it comforted him.
“That was actually kinda cool.” - Dess said - “You’re very smart, Azzy.”
Ouch, heart, stop - “T-thanks Dess!”
“So… who decides what stars are a constellation?”
Asriel blanked - “Uuuuh…” - that was a good question.
“Can we make our own constellation!?” - Dess enthusiastically grabbed both his hands, and looked at him with shining eyes.
“S-sure, I don’t see why not?”
“Alright, here!” - she grabbed the goat monster’s hand this time, and pointed towards the sky - “Let me know if I pick a star that’s already taken, okay?”
Dess traced a path between the stars, occasionally going back due to Asriel’s warnings. Once she was satisfied, she looked at his friend - “Alright, I got it. Ready?”
“Sure?”
“So, that is me… and my head… and my hands… and that’s my guitar…” - Asriel did his best to imagine given the loosely connected stars he’d been given to work with - “... and next to me… that’s you… and that’s your arm… and that square there is a sick amplifier!”
“Thanks for having me in it, Dess.” - his heart felt fuzzy for some reason.
“How could I not? But! You’ve not heard the name yet!”
“Alright, what’s it called?”
“‘The Blood Crushers Tribute band official constellation, grab your tickets now’!”
Asriel looked at his friend, dumbfounded, while she snickered - “Really? THAT’s what you’re calling it? The full thing?? ”
“Well, I’m sorry Azzy, but we’ve gotta step up our marketing game! We’re not gonna sell out a single venue at this rate!”
Asriel held a deadpan expression for a few seconds, challenged by her friend’s barely contained snickering. His lips twitched, while she let out some sounds that could be considered giggles, until both of them were laughing together once again.
It was at this moment, Dess cackling under the moonlight, her hair fluttering in the slight breeze as she still held his hand, that it finally clicked. What else could it have been.
By the Angel.
I’m in love.
I’m madly in love with her.
Asriel stared, almost in disbelief, as he saw his best friend of countless years under a new light. Every detail, every facet of her, those she’d told him about, those she’d hidden from others out of fear or shame. Everything. He loved everything. She was everything. There was no festival. No lights beyond the treeline. No stars but her eyes. At that moment, Asriel had held his word in his hand, and she held him back.
As the doe monster wiped away the tears from her eyes, she looked at him, puzzled. He’d probably been looking at her, lost in thought, for a while - “What’s up Azzy? Do I… have cotton candy on my face, too?”
Asriel snapped out of his trance - “Huh? No, no, I just…” - he knew the cause. But the cure? He hesitated - “I just wanted to say… I really appreciate you, Dess. I’m really glad you’re by my side.”
Dess tucked some of her hair behind her hair, and looked back up towards the sky - “Cheez dude, what’s with the sudden change?” - she looked back at him - “You’re all red now!”
“Uhhh…” - now it was Asriel who averted his gaze. Of course he was red. I love you. I want to tell you I love you. How can I tell you I love you?
“Don’t tell me you’re drunk just from that tiny sip?” - Asriel looked back at Dess. Perhaps it was the rose tinted lenses that had become of his eyes, but he could have sworn she’d seen a blush on her face again - “Come on dude, I think we should get back before you pass out.” - Dess stood up, hand still holding his.
“Actually Dess… Could we… stay here for a while? It’s nice out here.”
Dess looked at his friend, and sighed - “Alright, fine. But it was your idea, okay?”
“I accept all responsibility.”
Dess sat back down next to him, and rested on the log once more.
“...Azzy?”
“Yes?”
“I’m really glad you’re with me too.”
The day after the festival would’ve been worse had Asriel’s parents not partaken a bit too generously of the adults-only Holiday punch. Asriel and Dess had returned quite a bit later than their younger siblings, but their parents had been too busy telling each other embarrassing stories about their children and laughing loudly for them to notice. Dess and Asriel were glad to have missed most of the scene.
Toriel and Asgore sat on the couch, in front of the TV. They were covered in blankets, and were trying their best to rest their eyes and heads.
“Kris sweetheart.” - Toriel lowered her head to address her youngest, drawing on their notebook on the floor of the living room. - “Could you get mommy a glass of water?”
The human obliged, when Asriel entered the room. - “Hey mom, hey dad.”
“Hey champ.” - his dad replied from below a pile of blankets - "Everything okay?”
“Yeah everything alright, yes, Just wanted to tell you I’m gonna go to Dess’ house later.”
“Sure, son. Have fun” - his dad returned to his resting position.
“Thanks!” - Asriel replied, before storming off quickly and loudly up the stairs. Some groans coming from the sofa followed suit.
Once in his room, and after ensuring his sibling was busy downstairs, he took out a piece of paper from his desk, and a pencil. He layered some books around his workspace for maximum protection, and began his work. One way or another, he was gonna tell her. Even if he took days. Even if he had to think of a million ways before coming to the perfect one.
CONFESSION OF LOVE
A poem by Asriel Dreemurr, for Dess Holiday.
Well, for starters, the title needed some work.