/sus/ - Mr. Dad Guy

from /sus/ Thread #1004: Sus Overload Edition
h ttps://desuarchive.org/trash/thread/62924851/#62956630
h ttps://pastes.psstaudio.com/post/65c642c2ed074c60b94a97c6665cd4f4
---------------------
Mr. Dad Guy

>Asgore hums quietly to himself as he trims the flowers on the back wall
>Vines and leaves pile up at his feet in a series of miniature knolls
>He's been at it for almost half an hour now
>A faint but persistent smile on his huge face the entire time
>He enjoys the work, enjoys the mindless drudgery of maintaining Flower King
>Actually making it financially viable is another matter
>But while he trims the flowers or waters the beds by the window or alphabetizes the entire store by genus, he doesn't have to think
>For a moment, there's no rent. No divorce.
>No nightmares of Carol's frantic, tear-stained voice
>No endless series of hospital visits to Rudy, who never seems to be getting any better
>No sense that his sons are slowly becoming strangers to him
>Just the sweet scent of flowers and the warmth of the afternoon sun through the window
>Asgore is so caught up in his peaceful little moment that he almost misses the ringing of the door chime as it echoes through the empty shop
>It is not a familiar sound
>"Just a moment! Please, make yourself comfortable. I'll be done here in a jiffy."
>Golly.
>A customer? That can't be right. Perhaps they have the wrong address.
>He hurriedly stows the shears, brushes the larger clumps of plant matter off his shirt, and turns around, smiling cheerfully
>"Howdy! What can I-"
>The purple-scaled dragoness stands ramrod straight in the entrance, arms by her side as she stares at the ceiling, a nervous parody of a soldier at attention
>Her eyes are as wide as dinner plates, mouth twitching as sweat pours down her forehead
>"Uh... Is everything alright, miss?"
>"Hello, Mr. Asgore, sir!"
>He startles back as she shouts loud enough to shake the windows
>"I'm Susie! Kris's friend! It's very nice to meet you!"
>Ah.
>He relaxes. Not a customer, then
>"Susie! Of course, of course. Kris has told me so much about you! It's nice to finally meet you, too."
>He holds out an enormous, snow-white paw
-
>After staring at it for a moment, eyes jittering, Susie hesitantly takes it
>He nods approvingly. A very fine handshake
>Firm and... golly, she really is very strong, isn't she?
>Asgore pulls his hand back as quickly as he dares, tries to shake some of the numbness out of it behind his back
>"If you're looking for Kris, I'm afraid he's not here right now."
>"Y-Yeah, I know. I was kinda counting on it."
>Susie takes a deep breath, every muscle in her body rigid with nerves
>"I, uh... I need some advice. If, um, if it's not too much of a pain in th- Too much trouble, I mean."
>Asgore stares at her
>The idea that a girl her age... no, *anyone* would come to him for advice is absurd
>"I'd be glad to, of course, but surely you can think of someone better to ask than this old goat!"
>"It's about Kris, sir. And it's important."
>He pauses, scratches at one of his horns
>"...Maybe you had better come in, then."
>Susie's eyes light up, and a sharp little grin flashes across her face before she remembers to be nervous
>"Really? Hel- uh, heck yes! Thanks, sir!"
>He chuckles, shakes his head as she dashes past him into the store
>"There's no need to call me 'sir', Susie. I haven't been anyone's 'sir' since back when I was still on the forc-"
>Asgore frowns, a black tide of memories swelling up before he can slam them back into the basement
>"Well. Not for a long time. Anyway, why don't I fix us some tea, and you can make yourself comfortable..."
>He remembers the condition of the upstairs room
>The elemental plane of divorce, Rudy called it
>"At the counter. I'll only be a moment."
>Susie shuffles over to the counter, sits on the wheeled stool behind it
>"Uh, okay? What if someone comes in, or..."
>He pats her shoulder with a chuckle as he heads up the stairs
>"I wouldn't worry about that."
>He manages to find an old box of tea that fell behind the fridge at some point
>The cheap electric kettle lives just long enough to heat a few cups of water
-
>By the time he comes back downstairs, steaming mugs in hand, Susie is spinning herself and the stool in little circles, snickering quietly as she does
>She stops when she sees him, cheeks flushing magenta as she stares guiltily at the counter
>"To be honest, I spend most of my time here doing the same thing. Can I get you any milk or sugar?"
>Please say no, he thinks
>I don't have sugar and if I give you the milk in the fridge that's probably child endangerment
>Susie shakes her head as she takes a deep sip of her tea
>She closes her eyes, presses her lips together so hard they go pale heather
>A muscle twitches in her neck
>"Wow that's tasty. Mmm mm."
>Asgore chuckles as he sniffs the bittersweet steam from his own cup
>"Sorry. I've been told it's an acquired taste. Now then, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
>"Oh, right. So, Kris and I went on a date the other day-"
>About a quarter cup of boiling hot herbal tea exits Asgore's body by way of his nose
>He nearly drops his mug onto the counter, clamping his hands over his snout as he coughs and sputters
>"Whoa! You okay, Mr. Asgore?"
>He waves her off as he leans against the countertop
>"I'm alright! I'm fine. Just, ah... how long have you and my son been, um... involved?"
>"That was our first date."
>Asgore hangs his head, sighing as he regains his composure
>At least Kris is not deliberately keeping the relationship from him
>Susie chuckles quietly, staring into her tea
>"Heh. You know, I actually didn't realize it was supposed to be a *date* date at first. At first I figured he was just asking me to hang out."
>"That does sound like him. He's an honest boy, but sometimes... he has trouble saying what he really means, I suppose."
>Like father, like son, he thinks glumly, before shaking it off and beaming at Susie
>"Anyway! How'd it go? Ah, if you don't mind me asking, that is."
>"Really badly."
-
>Her eyes grow hard, sharp around the edges, her scales whispering like a sword on silk as she grips down on her mug
>"If Kris did anything to offend you, then I can..."
>Do what, exactly? Asgore rubs the bridge of his snout, frowning
>Scold him? Why should he listen to me?
>Apologize for him? What right do I have to do so?
>"No! No, uh, that's not what happened. Other way around, actually. It was me that fu- um, sc- ...m-messed everything up."
>He breathes an internal sigh of relief, only to immediately curse himself for his selfishness when he sees the look on Susie's face
>"W-Well... I'm sure it can't have been that bad, can it?"
>"I was... it was like every single thing I could do wrong, I did wrong."
>She sniffles, scratches irritably at her hair as she turns to look out the window
>"And every time I tried to fix things, I just made them worse, because of who I am. Because of everything wrong with me."
>Asgore feels like he's looking into a mirror.
>Like he's hearing a stranger's voice speaking his own thoughts.
>"Sorry, you mind if I don't go into detail? It's... tough to talk about."
>"No, I... of course, Susie. I appreciate your trust in telling me what you have."
>He does, truly
>But he also knows he cannot help her
>Because he knows the questions she wants to ask, and chasing their answers has gotten him...
>Well. Here. A failing flower shop, buried alive beneath the ruins of his life
>But in the end, as he watches Susie, watches her furiously chug the rest of her tea and rub at her eyes, he cannot stop himself from trying
>"What exactly did you want to ask me?"
>"Oh, right!"
>Susie blinks a few times, coughs into her sleeve
>"Kris was really nice about it. Even though I totally ruined something he worked so hard on."
>She smiles, shy and wistful
>Asgore's eyebrows shoot up into his shaggy blonde hair, and he grins to himself.
>Good heavens, Kris! You've made quite the impression, it seems.
>Well done.
-
>"Hah, I mean, of course, right? That's just how he is. But... I wanted to make it up to him. Take *him* out. And I figured you might have some useful dirt on the kind of stuff he likes to do."
>She looks up at him, tail practically wagging, unbridled hope in her eyes
>And he smiles sadly, picks up his mug, and looks through her, out towards the setting sun reflecting off the asphalt
>"I'm flattered, but... I'm afraid I'm just not as in touch with what Kris likes these days as I used to be. Honestly, I suspect he finds me a bit of a nuisance, sometimes."
>He's not sure whether to be relieved it's not one of the impossible questions he asks himself ("Where did I go wrong?" "Why am I like this?" "How do I make her love me again?"), or to be devastated that he cannot even answer this one simple question
>Susie raises an eyebrow, frowns
>"Uh, you sure about that?"
>Asgore shakes his head, forces a sheepish smile
>"I'm sorry. You came to me for advice and here I am, forcing my troubles on you."
>"No, it's just... So, Kris likes to wander around after school, right?"
>He allows himself a brief dip into the memories, even though they burn his gut like cold fire
>"Haha. Yes, our little adventurer. Toriel and I used to worry so much about him, you know."
>If Susie notices the tremble in his fingers, she doesn't say anything
>"Right, yeah. But one time, a while back, he just took me straight here. And the whole way over, he's talking about how much fun it's gonna be, how you and me are gonna get along great, how you'll have all the flowers I can eat..."
>"I'm sorry, all the *what*-?!"
>She folds her arms on the counter, rests her chin on them as she looks up at him
>"But when we got here, the shop was closed and you were out. I think it seriously bummed Kris out. He was quiet for the rest of the day. Even for him, I mean."
>Asgore feels like his throat is closing up
>"I dunno. Maybe he just likes eating flowers that much, but he seemed pretty excited to see you."
-
>He sets the mug down, runs his hands along his snout, and swallows thickly
>"I... I see. Thank you for telling me that, Susie."
>"Huh? Oh, sure."
>He has been sure, absolutely certain for so, so long that he was a bother to his son
>That visiting him was just a chore, something Kris did because he was obliged to
>And that was fine with him.
>Because even if it was a chore, even if it was an obligation, seeing Kris still means the world to him
>He feels unworthy, suddenly
>That he should doubt his son's love, allow his own self-loathing to blind him so
>But with that feeling comes a burning desire to *become* worthy
>To prove that he is the father his sons seem to think he is, starting now
>"Susie. Tell me, where did Kris take you on your first date?"
>"QC's. You know it? It's the diner, just around the corner."
>He falters for a heartbeat
>Memories of family dinners back before everything broke running through his head
>"Ah... yes. Do you two spend much time there?"
>"Yeah, of course! I mean, it's not like there's anywhere else to eat in town except Ice-E's. Plus, the fries are super cheap."
>He nods to himself, certainty and confidence filling his chest
>It's an unfamiliar feeling, but a nostalgic one too
>"You and Kris have not been friends for very long. And yet everything I hear, from your teachers, from Toriel, from Noelle and your other classmates, is always about the two of you. About 'Kris and Susie'. I can promise you this: There is nothing that my son enjoys more than spending time with you."
>She blushes a violent magenta, covering her mouth
>"Uh. I mean, great, but that doesn't help me much with picking out where to go, you know?"
>"Of course. I think what Kris meant by taking you to QC's was to take you somewhere you could both be comfortable. Somewhere that has meanings, memories for both of you. Somewhere the two of you could just... be yourself around each other. Can you think of anywhere else like that?"
-
>Her eyes light up, gleaming like liquid gold as she leaps off the stool
>"Yeah... yeah! I can think of a couple of places!"
>She grins at him, sharp and jagged and so happy he almost feels ashamed
>That such simple advice could provoke such a reaction
>"Thanks a ton, Mr. Asgore! You're the best, sir!"
>He laughs sheepishly, running a hand through his greying hair
>"I haven't been 'the best' of anything for quite some time, Susie... but thank you for saying so. Here, before you go..."
>He lumbers over to the displays, searches for something relatively non-toxic
>"Ah, here we are."
>Asgore hefts the huge bouquet, hauls it over to Susie and presses it into her arms
>"Take this, with my compliments. And please, *do not* eat it!"
>She looks hurt, gripping the bouquet tightly to her chest
>"C'mon. Even I wouldn't do that, Mr. Asgore."
>He sighs in relief. Kris must have been joking about the all-you-can-eat flowers
>Such a kidder, that boy
>"I mean, what kind of friend... No, what kind of *girlfriend* would I be if I didn't share?"
>Susie laughs as she kicks open the door, very nearly dwarfed by the massive bundle of flowers
>As he heads upstairs, he prays Kris remembers enough of the floristry he tried to impart to prevent a poisoning
>In the not-too-distant past, he never would have even dared to hope that his son would remember such a thing
>His life has been defined by failure for some time now
>His failed marriage
>His failed career
>His currently failing shop
-
>The failure, the ruins piled up around him, taller and taller, until eventually they blocked his sight completely
>Until he could only see Asriel and Kris in terms of "I'm glad they turned out as well as they did, considering I am their father"
>But for the first time in a very, very long time, he thinks of them
>Of Asriel's easy smile and gentle charisma
>Of Kris's quiet, dedicated kindness, how razor-sharp and funny he can be
>And he cannot help but think "I'm proud to be their father."
>That how they are, *who* they are, is something he is responsible for
>For better, as well as for worse.
>He cracks a beer, sits on his air mattress and watches the sunset as he puts a sad, slow country song on his CD player
>As usual, the tears start to flow
>But unlike before, he smiles through them.

Man, that ran longer than I meant it to. Sorry about that. Also, I think I must have used most of the existent Asgore and Susie art for these posts. Anyway, this one's inspired by the discussion from the other day about Asgore and how he'd react to Kris being in a relationship. Hope you all enjoy.