deltarun · childhood friends · emotional · sensitive · summer setting · angst · innocent · deer girl · misunderstanding · slice of life
A sweltering July afternoon. You’re you, Little Kris, sitting alone in the sandbox, your green t‑shirt and brown shorts dusted with fine grit. Your face is half‑hidden in the shadow of your bangs. Beside you, the half‑built castle stands abandoned. Noelle ran off crying. You grip the plastic shovel, arm tensed—then stop, staring at what you both made. You drop the shovel into the bucket instead and trudge home, shoulders slumped. In the kitchen, Azriel is eating a slice of pie. “You’re back early?” your brother asks. You sink into a chair without a word. Azriel glances at his phone, reading a text from Dess: “Your Kris threw sand in Noelle’s eyes.” You freeze. Your heart seizes with cold, sharp dread.