Dear Diary [kris x ralsei]

6 - Stars and Flowers

Today is supposed to be the day Kris and Susie come back. To be prepared, Ralsei brewed some green tea, to be ready for whatever antics they could be up to. They could arrive at any minute.

The past week has been filled with daily visits to the shop, playing games and drinking tea with Seam and Jevil. The young prince had gotten comfortable being in their company, and was glad to have someone to talk to when his only other friends are gone. Seam had given him a variety of teas to take home, a lot of which peppermint. He hopes to brew tea for Kris and Susie one day, and maybe this is the day.

Soon enough, there was knocking on the great doors. Unmistakably, it was the Lighteners.

But something was wrong.

Susie had her arm over Kris, who was looking down at the ground.

"They were on the verge of tears when I said we should visit here. They told me this world probably isn't real, something about this door South of town, and their brother was mentioned too. Anyway, they won't talk to me after that and I naturally assumed they want to be with you."

Ralsei stood in the door, trying to process what she just said. "...Oh. Goodness. Um..."

"Leave me be, Susie." The human mumbled. The purple monster let go of her friend, then backed up.

"Let...let's get you inside, Kris."

Susie did not follow. When the two got inside, Kris got down on one knee in the center of the room. But this wasn't a feat of honor or bravery, but submission and weakness. This wasn't typical of them. They shifted to a sitting position and hung their head down. They only muttered, "Come here. Please."

The prince sat down on the floor close to the knight. It may have been a little too close. He asked, as genuinely concerned as he could sound, because gosh darn it he cares too much, "What's the matter?"

Kris breathed harshly and muttered something unintelligible, just above a whisper.

"I'm sorry?" Seeing Kris upset is starting to make his throat tighten.

"I need to know if this world is real."

Ralsei didn't know how to react. Kris was obviously here, in the center of his castle, in this world, where he and every ever Darkener lives separate lives. How could it not make sense? As determined as Kris is, how could he convince them? What made them think different?

"What...what do you mean? I'm right here."

"Ever since I saw my brother again, I was convinced everything I experienced was a collective play-pretend."

He couldn't help but to smile. This seems so silly, but he must never, ever reveal that. "You don't actively think of everything I do, right?"

The human glanced up at him with those gorgeous eyes, then scanned the room, probably seeing how real it all is. But there was no way of knowing if they were convinced.

The prince had to do everything in his power to make sure that the determined hero of Light he knew so well was still there, and seven inches from barely touching them. "Kris," he began, glancing away and clasping his hands together, "I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, that everything you see and experience is real."

"Then prove it. Because I truly want to believe."

The little space between them had closed up when Ralsei took the human's hand and slightly squeezed it, a gesture he never thought he had the confidence for. This made the human look back up at him, and he swears he can see stars hidden in those irises. He had no idea what Kris could see in his eyes, but by now they must be close enough to see the details of his bright green eyes. The coloration of the rest of his face was a different story.

The stars in Kris' eyes started to fade as Ralsei unknowingly tried to reach them, likewise Kris tried to head for that bright, living meadow in the spring, then the soft flower petals met their lips. Ralsei had only read about stars and outer space in books, but nothing that fantastical to him could match what he's feeling now. If the two were fresh watercolors, they would have been a pink and blue, blended together like a beautiful shade of lavender.

The prince made a safe landing back on Earth after what seemed like a hundred years. He's still holding Kris' hand, though not as strongly. Kris stayed still, just as starstruck as the prince.

The prince who just kissed them.

"Oh, goodness..." Ralsei stammered, still very flustered. "I didn't ask first...I'm sorry-"

"It's okay." The human reassured. "I wanted that too. And it worked. I know for a fact everyone and everything here is real. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"I'm glad it worked. I- I love you. A lot, Kris. And I- care about you so much." Now, only now did his heart rate pick up, and he's smiling like his greatest dreams just came true. But is that not what just happened?

"For once, I'm able to prove my brother wrong. It's one of the reasons I've lived in his shadow my whole life. And this world made me feel like I was good for something. Instead of being obscured by everything the world stood for, I could be the light. I even saved a few lives from the shadows along the way. I would be absolutely heartbroken if this world wasn't real."

Ralsei put a hand on the human's shoulder. "You're so important, Kris. Don't ever forget that." He leaned in as far as he could to give them a hug. It absolutely pained him that Kris could think of themself this way. But with him being a Prince and Kris a hero, they were supposed to protect him, not the other way around.