Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I don't own Nightmare Sans! That honor goes to Jokublog! Check them out!

This was inspired by everything that ever contained Dadmare content.

This is probably going to turn out to be a oneshots compilation, but I'm not sure yet. 

Maybe not, idk.

I just want fluff and angst.

Headcanon list:

1. Nightmare is not a ruthless conquerer.

2. Nightmare is an unsuspecting soon-to-be parent.

3. They're kids.

~~~~~

Credits for characters

Error ~ loverofpiggies 

Dream and Nightmare ~ Jokublog 

Ink ~ Myebi/Comyet 

Horror ~ Sour-apple-studios

Killer ~ Rahafwabas 

Dust ~ ask-Dusttale blog

Cross ~ Jakei

Underswap, Underfell, Outertale ~ Community 

~~~~~

Started Feb. 19, 2021.

Completed Dec. 19, 2021.

Chapter Text

I sat on my chair as I heard the door creak. 

I turned my skull to see my boys.

"Come in." I gestured for them to sit. "What do you need?"

"Well, we were wondering if.." Dust fiddled with his knife nervously.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell us a story?" Killer hoped.

"A bedtime story?" Horror added.

"Ah, I see." I smiled.

"So..will you?" Cross had a pleading look.

"Please?" Error was determined to get a bedtime story.

"All right!" I chuckled. "I'll tell a story you all know."

"Yay!" They seemed happy.

"Right..this takes place..oh, around the time Killer was..six?"

"Oh, boy!" Killer exclaimed. 

"Right." I nodded. "Once upon a time.."

Chapter Text

I looked up at the roof. Seeing the newly-built ceiling could only provide safety in my mind; I couldn't really expect it to not fall down, again. With all the fighting going on, I doubted that my house would even stay in one piece for the next week, let alone a month. I didn't want to be inside; it was too quiet. I simply couldn't stand the silence of my house..I used to think that I liked silence; well, I didn't, anymore. I stood up, ignoring the pain wracking my body, and looked at the bookshelves around me. The library, my favorite room, where I could find peace when all else was lost..or at least..it was. I had read every book in there countless times; it was too repetitive. I needed something new. I needed a way to escape my futile existence. I couldn't keep living like this. My routine had been ingrained into my mind, as if begging me to leave it. Wake up, eat something, spread negativity, battle with my brother, heal my wounds, read a book, and go to sleep. I had done it so many times; it was insanity. I shook my skull; I needed to do something else. Reading a book would simply have to wait until another day; I was going to take a walk.

A simple walk didn't seem like much to the average monster, but to me, it was practically life or death. I was relieved that neutral AUs existed; I wouldn't have to worry about dying, today. Sure, a neutral AU was supposed to be open to everyone, but the presence of the Guardian of Negativity didn't exactly scream "welcoming." In effect, I mainly stayed in alleys and the outskirts of towns; they didn't bother me, and I wouldn't bother them. It was difficult for AUs to actually pick a side, but there were three options: the "good" side, the "bad" side, and neutrality. If one picked the good side, they would have the protection of the Star Sanses: Ink, Dream, and the Underswap Sans. If it chose the bad side, I was obliged to protect them - not that any AUs actually chose that side..none did. If neutrality was chosen, the AU would receive no protection, but nobody would attack it, either. I had agreed to that long ago; a memory of being tied to a wall and forced to sign a contract still lingered in my mind, but that was years ago, and I really didn't mind it. I decided to choose the neutral AU of Outertale; the stars were rather bright at this time of day. 

I opened a portal, a gateway between alternate universes, to Outertale. Outertale had been neutral from the start, as the inhabitants believed that nobody should have been kept from the outstanding sight; I was glad of that. Sitting on a ridge near the town, I stared up at the stars, finding the setting to be quite peaceful. I stared at the sight for what must have been hours, until I heard some yelling..well, I wasn't one to sit around and not look into things. I walked over to the source of the yelling, finding it to be coming from an alley. It wasn't just any alley, either - it was a dark alley. Few people knew the difference, but dark alleys were much more prone to crime than bright alleys; I knew from experience, sometimes attacking, and other times being the one attacked - of course, I hadn't been attacked in that way in a long time. When I entered the dark alley, I found a group of children gathered around a small skeleton child; I wouldn't have thought much of it..if they weren't trying to kill him. That brought too many memories back..too many screams..

"Please stop!" The skeleton sobbed.

"You don't belong here, tear ducts!" A child scoffed, further increasing the damage done to the skeleton with a sharp kick to the side.

"Mercy!" The skeleton cried out.

"You don't deserve mercy, bonebag!" Another child stepped on the skeleton's leg; it looked as if it had already been shattered. I wouldn't waste any more time; this child was in danger of dusting.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" I grabbed the children's attention; it hurt my soul to see the condition of the skeleton.

"O-oh my gosh.." A child seemed terrified of my presence.

"Please don't hurt us!" Another begged.

"Oh, so you expect me to leave you alone after you mercilessly beat that defenseless child; even I'm not that low." I glared at the children. "Do your parents know that you've been dusting monsters on the streets?"

"We..d-don't have parents.." A child stuttered. "Don't h-hurt us..we d-didn't mean to!"

"Orphans." I sighed. "I assume you live in the orphanage?"

"Y-yeah..don't k-kill us!"

"I'm not going to kill you..but I am going to take you back to the orphanage."

"We don't wanna go back!" The first argued.

"I didn't say you had a choice."

I picked the children up with my tentacles, not bothering to ask them first. They were abusing a helpless child who begged for mercy; I was apparently the worst being in the multiverse? I wouldn't have done something like that! When the children were safely stuck in my appendages, I knelt down beside the skeleton and took him in my arms softly to avoid damaging him further; he was unconscious at this point, but that was probably for the best. After ensuring that the skeleton was safe, I started my walk to the orphanage, which happened to be nearby. The neutral AUs were usually the ones with orphanages, since they were open to anyone; more visitors meant more of a chance for children to be adopted, after all. As I walked through the town, I received some pretty unsettled looks, but I didn't let them bother me; I was on a mission. When I entered the orphanage, I found Outertale's Toriel at the front desk, and she looked a bit unsettled, as well, but she didn't question it.

"H-hello, there.." She looked at the children in my tentacles. "Wh-what brings..you here?"

"It seems that you have some troublemakers in your care.." I mentioned.

"Well, they're known for being a bit rough, but I don't-" The Toriel screamed when she saw the skeleton.

"I think you need some stricter rules..and a form of discipline; if I hadn't been walking by, this little boy would be dust right now."

"I-I don't.." She was rather speechless.

"Tori, what're you-" The Outertale Sans, Outer, entered the room, quickly donning an uncomfortable expression. "Um..what are you doing here, Nightmare? This is a neutral AU.."

"I think you should explain to these children that dusting people they don't like is illegal.." I looked to the children that were still in my hold.

"He had it coming!" The oldest child didn't seem very afraid.

"Robert!" Outer yelled. "What did you kids do?!"

"You're not my dad!"

"Why is there so much negativi-" I glanced back to see my brother and his friends walking into the building; this was just great.

"I take a walk for ten minutes.." I muttered.

"Nightmare, what did you do?" Ink immediately accused me.

"Oh, no.." The Toriel seemed concerned as she looked at the skeleton, who had apparently woken up in pain.

"Well, I've done my good deed for the millennium." I was ready to leave, and I finally dropped the murderous children. 

As I turned to leave as fast as I could, the skeleton cried out in pain; I wanted to leave..but I couldn't. The child reminded me too much of myself when I was young, I supposed. With a sigh, I turned back and took another look at the child, finding that his injuries were even worse than I had previously thought; this skeleton needed serious help...and I knew that there wasn't any of that kind in Outertale..

"There isn't anything you can do for him here.." I stated. "If you'll allow me to take him to my home for a while, I can almost guarantee his survival."

The Toriel looked at me. "Are you sure?"

"Every second he lies here is a second he's losing."

"T-take him.."

"I'll bring him back when he heals.."

I picked up the skeleton, opened a portal, and entered my home; I didn't care that my enemies had witnessed it, and I didn't care that I was actually trying to save a life. I only cared that the skeleton reminded me of myself, and that was horrifying. I had never wanted any being to be tortured the way I was, and I would make sure that this child lived; it was the least I could do. As I entered my home, I laid the child on a bed, hoping to make him comfortable. I didn't know why I was actually helping someone; I just felt as if I had to. Without hesitation, I began to heal the child, seeing the expression on his face turn from pain to relief, although I knew that he was still in pain. Once, during the healing, he opened his eyesockets, revealing that he had no eyelights; that shocked me a bit, but I wouldn't allow my curiosity to get the better of me until the child was healed. It took a few hours, but the child eventually regained mobility, and he would surely live. With a sigh of relief, I sat next to the now-awake child; he had been watching me for well over an hour with a curious expression. It seemed that he had finally found the courage to speak when I sat down.

"You're not scary." He flashed a confused look at me.

"Hm?" I wasn't quite sure how to react to that.

"Everybody says you're scary..but you're not."

"I can be scary when I wish."

"The other kids say you'd kill anyone you didn't like; why didn't you kill me?"

"I had no reason to dislike you." I didn't exactly wish to have a conversation about how the child reminded me of myself.

"But they say you hate everyone."

"That isn't true."

"Why'd you save me?"

"Why shouldn't I have saved you?"

"Nobody wants me; I'm better off dead.."

I couldn't help the shocked expression that lept onto my face. This was a child! This was a child saying that he should have been dead! He didn't look to be more than eight years old!

"Are you okay?" The child made another confused look.

"Why..why would you say that?" I had to ask.

"Everybody else says it..why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're a child!"

"Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does! A child shouldn't be giving up on life!"

"Says the murderer."

Given up or not, this child really knew where to hit me..I paused for a moment.

"So why'd you save me?" The child repeated.

"Because..I don't know why." I sighed. "You would have dusted by now.."

"Nobody would have cared..not even Mrs. Toriel really cares about me. They all think I'm useless.."

"They..don't care?" I was a bit taken aback by that. 

He shook his skull. "Who would care for me? Mom and Dad didn't care.."

"If..if you don't mind my asking, what exactly happened to you?" I was fully aware that I was asking for the child's life story, but I simply couldn't help it.

"They left me when I was three.." He frowned. "They said they'd only leave me for a couple weeks while they looked for a new place to live..but they never came back. They sent a letter a year later saying that they didn't want me anymore and to just say they died or something. Mrs. Toriel thought I didn't see it, but I did. One of the older kids read it to me, and I know he didn't lie..I could read a couple of the words.." He sighed. "Then everybody started making fun of me 'cause my parents didn't want me anymore, and they said I should have died a long time ago..and they poked my eyelights out..I'm useless.."

I wasn't sure what to say to the child; I had only just met him, yet I felt my soul calling out to me to help him. I didn't know what to do; I knew even less what to do when the child wiped a tear from my eyesocket.

"Why are you crying?" He didn't understand.

"I..I haven't asked your name." It was a stupid excuse, but the child accepted it.

"I don't have a name..my parents never gave me one, and the other kids said I was too useless to have one..they just call me teasing names.."

"Would..you like a name?"

The child seemed surprised by that. "Y-you mean I can have one? R-really?"

"Of course you can have a name; everybody deserves that."

"B-but what name?"

"I don't know. What name do you want?"

"I dunno." The child pondered it. "Oh! I want a cool name! I want a name that makes me feel useful!"

"Cool and useful.." I hummed. "Kyle?"

"Kyle?" The child was unimpressed. "What about something unique?"

"Hmm..what about..Killer?"

The child grew a smile at that. "Yes! That's the best name ever!"

"I'm glad you find it up to par."

"What's par?" Killer seemed confused.

"It is simply a saying that means 'good enough.'"

"Ooh!"

"I believe I've neglected to ask how you feel. Does anything hurt?"

"Only a little, but I'm okay; it's not like I haven't been through worse."

"You..you've been through worse?" I was starting to feel very odd in regard to this child.

"Yeah? It's really not that bad.."

"You were on the verge of dusting! How is that not bad?!"

"I have a little determination; it's kept me alive before."

"How exactly did you get that?"

"I dunno. I guess I was born with it."

"How did you first find out, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, uh..it's kinda weird.."

"You're saying this to a monster covered in slime."

"I guess you're right..do you mind stains?"

"Not..really?"

"Okay, then."

Killer closed his eyesockets for a second, and before I could ask what he was doing, he opened them again. As he opened them, a black liquid started to drip out of his eyesockets, almost like black tears; he didn't seem to mind as the tears ran down his skull, and they did indeed fall off, landing on the bed beneath him. Before I could ask what was going on, Killer wiped the black substance off his skull, stopped the flow, and began to speak once more, answering my unspoken question.

"It's liquid determination: another reason I'm an outcast." Killer sighed. "When people want to adopt me, they have to pass the 'crying test'; most of them run away, and the ones who don't just look for someone better to adopt. It's weird..sorry if I made you uncomfortable.."

"I..I don't think it's weird at all." I smiled at Killer.

"You..don't?"

"No, I don't. Killer, that is one of the most exceptional things I have ever seen! Nobody can do that!"

"You make it sound like a good thing.."

"Perhaps."

"Are you going to take me back? I'm all better now.."

"I suppose so." I paused. "Would you mind if I visited you once in a while?"

"Why would you want to visit me?"

"As you may have noticed, I don't have many..acquaintances." 

"I guess adding 'friend of the King of Negativity' to my list of reasons I'm not normal wouldn't make it any worse.."

"I'll see you around, then?"

"Sure, but not after eight; that's bedtime."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Killer giggled a bit at that; he seemed to have a zeal for puns, if nothing else. After a while, I did bring him back to the orphanage, where I was assured that it was a one-time occurrence; I didn't belive that for a second. I visited the child once a week, since it didn't exactly mess up my nonexistent schedule; I spread negativity whenever I needed to, and it wasn't exactly predictable. I wasn't exactly sure what I felt toward Killer as I visited him every week; I didn't feel the same way I used to with Dream, but it felt strangely similar..

I just couldn't place it.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean discover Killer bean.

Thanks for reading my uncovering writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

I groaned; that was going to hurt for a while. I usually didn't run into too many tough battles, but today was a simple exception; it started out fine, though. I was spreading my necessary negativity in one of the many AUs, and the Star Sanses showed up to stop me. They weren't aware that I did what I did because I had to. The multiverse had a balance between positive and negative emotions, and I was the one with the job of keeping it; they just weren't aware. If I were to get technical, my brother Dream was also held somewhat accountable for it, but he wasn't aware of its existence; I wouldn't have forced that upon him. It was my fault that the multiverse was constantly unbalanced, and I would take the responsiblity for it; it wasn't Dream's fault that I corrupted the Tree of Feelings. The Star Sanses often opposed me in my work, seeing the negativity spreading as evil and claiming that I was also evil; of course, I wasn't, but there was no way that I was going to make them realize that. It was a bit unfair that I had to fight all three of them, but that was the price for keeping the multiverse in balance, I supposed.

"Brother, you can stop this!" Dream yelled during battle.

Then there were the constant pleads for me to change. My brother had been convinced that I was simply insane, and if I were to accept his help, I could simply stop my "senseless" choices; it was a dream, but I liked to think that it could someday happen. If the multiverse were to balance itself, someday, I would gladly accept my brother's help..but that didn't look to be happening anytime soon. As for the fact that I saved a child roughly a month ago, they either took it as a sign that I had "hope" or that I had brainwashed the poor boy; I hadn't, of course, but that didn't stop them from trying to prohibit my visits. Of course, when did they ever stop me? I just visited at night instead of day! It was actually nice having someone to talk to, regardless of the fact he was a child; he was good company, really. At the moment, I was in a rather deadlocked battle with my brother and his friends, as I had recently been spreading negativity in one of the millions of AUs scattered around the multiverse; it was a wonder they could always find me. I didn't enjoy battling, but it was a part of my job as a Guardian to fight anyone who would stop me from keeping the balance - the Star Sanses, unfortunately.

As one might have suspected, I was no match for the three of them. First, there was the blueberry, also called Blue. He was the weakest of them, having only the attacks of an average Sans paired with the health of a Papyrus; he took that role in his AU, Underswap. Although being seen as an innocent skeleton, I was one of the few that knew his LV stat; it wasn't one, that was for sure. I didn't think that his friends knew about it. Next was Ink, also known as the Protector of Alternate Universes; he was most likely the strongest of the trio. He had the power to create alternate universes, and he had the power to destroy them, as well; he was also a balance keeper, but he, unlike I, had full control over when the balance would and would not tip. He preferred to create the AUs, but he sometimes was forced to destroy them; he was currently looking for someone to take that job so he wouldn't have to do it. Ink fought with magical paints. Last was Dream, my brother, and the Guardian of Positivity. He was the only one who had my weakness in his power set, and he used it to his full advantage in battle; he fought with positivity. Of course, his weakness was negativity; that allowed me to have the advantage sometimes.

"Dream!" Ink yelled, finding that the other had fallen; he glared at me before leaving, since Dream's injuries were too serious to ignore.

The Star Sanses were forced to retreat, and I allowed them to without continuing battle; I had no reason to prolong it. I didn't enjoy hurting my brother like that, but I knew that his friends would never let him die; if they did, I wouldn't have let them escape unscathed. I never took prisoners, either allowing my victims to retreat or simply killing them; I did have a place to keep prisoners, if I wished to, but I felt no need, since they were not truly my enemies. I couldn't say the same for them, however; the Star Sanses were more for capturing me than killing me, even though they very well could. I did have one safeguard against that, though; the multiverse needed me. If they were to kill me, Dream would be forced to keep the balance, whether he chose to or not - I had been forced to in much the same way in the beginning. It started as a simple pain, but the longer it was ignored, the worse it hurt, until eventually, the multiverse would actually take control of the person's body to force them to do it; it wasn't something one could simply quit. Of course, they simply captured me, and the multiverse was very helpful in supplying me with convenient ways to escape, such as a dropped key or a damaged magic suppressor.

As I finished up my negativity spreading - I wasn't quite done for the day - I noticed the sun setting; night was approaching, which also meant that I would possibly have a chance to visit with Killer tonight. As I burned down a final house, I felt the balance stabilize; I didn't want to waste any time, as the stars were already out when I finished; it took much of my time to keep the balance from tipping, but I couldn't shirk from it. I opened a portal to Outertale, finding the streets as lively as ever; Outertale never really had a specific time for day and night, but the orphanage used the same time scale as other AUs around it to choose when to put the children to bed. I wasn't exactly supposed to be anywhere near the orphanage, but I didn't sign that contract all those years ago to not be welcome in a neutral AU. I teleported to the orphanage, finding a window cracked open just a bit; that was the signal that I was clear to enter, and I wasted no time in doing just that. I had to make sure that the other children didn't see me, however, but I could simply fill the room with some negative feelings that caused sluggishness - not around Killer, of course.

"Nightmare!" Killer whispered loud enough for me to hear him.

"We should talk somewhere better." I whispered back, taking his hand and teleporting us outside. "Much better. So, how have you been?"

"I've been all right. How about you?"

"A few fights, a few injuries, nothing exciting, really.."

"Are you kidding?! Everything you do is so awesome!" Killer jumped up and down; I had once had the chance to teach him about the balance, and he now regarded me as somewhat of a hero, even if I insisted that I wasn't.

"Not really."

"I wish someone like you would adopt me..it would be so cool!"

"I'm sure you'll find some wonderful parents to take care of you someday, and if they aren't wonderful..you know how to call me."

"Nightmare?"

"Yes?"

"Why can't you adopt me?"

"I've already told you, Killer; it's too dangerous. If others found out that I cared for someone, they would no doubt try to use you against me; I don't want to put you in that kind of trouble."

Killer sighed. "I'm sorry.."

"You have nothing to be sorry for!" I patted Killer's skull. "I really do wish that I could adopt you, but I simply can't..not to mention the fact that people would think I was mind controlling you, or something."

"I wouldn't mind that."

"You're a good boy, Killer; I can tell that you'll grow up to be a great skeleton."

"Heh..if I even live that long.."

"Don't speak like that, Killer; you will live that long, and if you don't, I'll avenge you." 

Killer chuckled slightly; he liked that type of humor. "Hey, Nightmare?"

"Yes?"

"If you can't be my adoptive dad..can you be my secret honorary dad?"

"Well, I suppose so."

"Yay! Thanks, secret honorary dad!" Killer hugged me, and I returned the gesture.

"You're welcome, secret honorary son." I smiled.

"I love you."

"..I love you, too, but don't tell anyone - can't ruin that evil persona."

"I won't! I promise..at least until I forget..if I forget.."

"I can accept that." I wasn't too worried about it. "Hmm, it's getting rather late.."

"How late?"

"Past bedtime late."

"Aww..can't you stay for a little bit longer?"

"I'm afraid not; I have a bedtime, as well."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do..especially after battles.."

"Okay..good night, Nightmare."

"Good night, Killer."

After another hug, I sent Killer to bed and went to my own home to do much the same thing. I really did want to have someone else around, but that would never be possible; they would be put in harm's way. Besides, if I had to take care of someone else, I might not have been able to do my work as well as I should have been doing it..and I didn't want to be punished for that..

I never wanted that to happen.

Ever again.

I couldn't think about that; I was tired. I lay down on my bed and shut my eyesocket, hoping for a dream, but feeling like a nightmare. I could occasionally escape my nightmares, but it wasn't worth the loss of power right now; I was a bit wounded in the battle earlier, and I wanted to be healed when I woke up, whether I had a nightmare or not. As I felt myself drifting off to sleep, I felt a strange aura surrounding me..I had felt it before, of course. As a balance keeper, I was subject to the will of the multiverse, and I was one of the few who knew that it was actually sentient. Some multiverses had "higher beings" to control their little"puppets"; I felt that way sometimes, but my multiverse was not one of those. Instead, the multiverse constantly monitored its needs, telling me when to keep the balance, telling me when to take a break, and telling me exactly what its plans for me were - mostly through dreams, of course. The multiverse wasn't a being, by any means - only the ingredients for one. It was more like an computer, perhaps a picky one; it only spoke to me, as far as I knew, and it would only speak to me, for some reason. Perhaps I was simply a tool; I knew I was..but I couldn't fight it.

"You have a desire?" The multiverse didn't really have a voice, simply implanting the thoughts in my mind.

"Yes.." I wouldn't lie; the multiverse knew everything that went on inside of it.

"You like the child."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He..makes me happy."

"Does your work not make you happy?"

"It doesn't..you know this."

"I do."

Silence.

"Why do you want the child to be placed in your care?" It spoke once more.

"I want him to be happy." I replied. 

"Your job is not to make children happy."

"I know.."

"This is not correlating to your job?"

"Not at all; this is a personal desire."

"A personal desire. You have not had a personal desire such as this for the entirety of your service."

"I know."

"If this desire were to be granted, would it increase your performance?"

"..No."

"Would it decrease your performance?"

"Yes."

"A personal desire that would decrease your performance is not logical."

"I am not a logical being.."

"That is correct. You are not a logical being, therefore, you would not possess logical desires. You would not possess desires suitable to increase your performance rather than decrease it. This is correct?"

"Correct.."

"Your desire does not apply to the performance of your work at all. Your desire applies to something else."

"Yes.."

"Your desire pertains to your emotional well-being, as well as the emotional well-being of another."

"It does.."

"Your recent emotional well-being...is substandard. Compared to your past emotional well-being, you are substandard. Are you displeased with your life?"

"Yes.."

"Your desire would decrease your performance, yet allowing your emotional well-being to continue plummeting at this rate would have the same effect. Would your desire heal your emotional well-being?"

"It would."

"Factors: decreased performance, increased emotional well-being, charge of another soul. Alternate factors: decreased performance, decreased emotional well-being. Your desire appears to be..acceptable. If you will, you may process this desire and complete it."

"R-really?"

"Yes. Extra performance boosts may be required periodically, but your desire is acceptable. You may take the child into your care."

"Thank you!"

"You are welcome."

I woke up, and I went back to sleep; I didn't mind my nightmare as much after that. 

I was happy.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean happi.

Thanks for reading my happy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

My mind had been a mess for roughly a week. I had the approval to adopt the child from my "superior," but I still wasn't sure what to do; I was still worried that he would be hurt in some way just for being acquainted with me! After seeing my hesitation, the multiverse again spoke to me, and I had made up my mind. I would adopt the child, and no harm would befall him until he was old enough to defend himself from the other side..in exchange for something. I had to wait to find out what my side of the deal was, and I would have to accept it, no matter what it was, if I adopted him. I had made up my mind; I would adopt the child. I had taken almost all of my free time in the past week to prepare everything for the child's arrival, such as a room, proper mealtimes, and toys; Killer was a child, after all! I had also decided that I would educate the child myself; I didn't want him to feel lonely, but I also didn't want him to be exposed to the world, just yet. Besides, he had already had many experiences being bullied, and I didn't want him to have to go through that again. I woke up early in the morning to find that there was no urge to correct the balance; I was happy about that. 

I rose from my bed with a small yawn before standing up; I had decided to eat some breakfast before going through the trials of the day. Walking to the kitchen, I passed a few pictures in a hallway, smiling at a few of the nicer ones; they were mostly just stars or other things I liked. I would have put a picture of Dream and me there, but Dream knew where I lived; I didn't need him seeing that. My home was rather small, to be honest; unlike some rumors, I did not have a mansion, nor did I have a castle. I had a plain two-story house with a nice attic and a hidden basement..which led to my true home. I was fairly sure nobody knew about my basement, since I had hidden it with some of my most powerful magic, but it was more than suitable to live in. Yeah, if I did have a secret mansion..it was down there. So I had my secrets; everybody had secrets. I only went down there if I needed to, however; when I woke up, I could use the kitchen in the upper home. When I made it to the kitchen, I made some toast; I wasn't feeling too hungry, today. It didn't take too long before I found myself preparing to go to Outertale, and I really..I was rather nervous..

"Nightmare, it's perfectly fine." I muttered to myself. "You have permission, safety, and will..so why is it so hard? No, no, no, I can't think like that. In and out..twenty minutes. Yes, that is a perfectly unrealistic time that will soothe my fears. Heh..twenty minutes, right? More like twenty years.."

I sighed as I forced myself to open the portal, hoping this would go well, but ultimately not feeling like that could ever happen. I stepped through to Outertale, feeling the calm glow of the stars silently cheering me on; well, the multiverse had a way of making me feel calm, I'd give it that. With the reassurance from my surroundings, I teleported to the orphanage; walking would give me too much time to change my mind at the last minute. As I entered the building, I noticed that all eyes suddenly shifted to me - a feeling I had never forgotten, and would experience in the future, no doubt. I didn't mind the feeling, though, walking to the front desk with a mission. It seemed that Outer was minding the front today, and he wasn't necessarily enthusiastic upon seeing me. He sipped a space-themed beverage as he looked at me.

"Nightmare..what can I do for you..?" He kept a forced smile.

"I was uh..wondering if.." I had no idea what to say! I felt my nerves skyrocketing as I spoke to the other. "I.."

"Are you okay?" 

"I..."

"Do you want something to drink?" Outer seemed oddly concerned about me.

"Um.."

"Wow, I didn't know the King of Nightmares was socially awkward!" Outer chuckled. "Seriously, do you need something, or did you just come here to attempt speech?"

"I.." It was now or never.. "I would like to adopt a child."

Outer dropped his drink and looked at me with a dead stare, eyelights gone. I was a bit worried that I had unintentionally killed him. It turned out that he was just in shock, and it wore off within five minutes.

"Wh-what d-did you s-say?" He stuttered.

"I would like to adopt a child." I repeated.

"Y-you ad-adopt..k-kid.."

"Yes."

"I-I get..head orphanage of.."

Outer walked into a different room, shuddering a bit; I wasn't quite sure what his problem was. A couple minutes after he walked into the room, a rather unsettling scream penetrated the walls; I was actually hoping that this would be silent, before that. After a few more minutes of calming down the one who had screamed, she took her place at the front desk, turning out to be the Toriel of Outertale.

"Good..good evening, Mr. Nightmare." Toriel tried desperately to keep a professional appearance.

"Good evening." I returned.

"You do realize that you're a criminal.."

"Yes."

"And you know that we're not really supposed to allow known criminals to adopt children.."

"Yes."

"So..why do you want to adopt a child?"

"My own reasons."

"I..I'm going to have to call someone.."

"You do realize that if I cannot adopt the child legally, I will simply adopt him illegally. I have my mind set on this quite firmly." 

"I figured that.." Toriel sighed. "Mr. Nightmare, there is only one child in this entire institution that is willing to say your name in a manner quite different from the rest.."

"May I adopt him?"

"Normally..I'd have to say no, but..he's been here for nearly three years now, and it's rather clear that nobody else is going to take him.."

"I see."

"I assume you have a good plan for his future? It would be wrong to allow you to adopt him if he were simply going to be raised as a warrior without love."

"I assure you, he will be happy."

"Then..I suppose we can see - one wrong word and I'll have the Star Sanses pull you into a different AU before you know you even said it."

"I understand."

"Very well."

Toriel led me into a back room, where a few doors were located, leading to different bedrooms. She led me into one of the boys' bedrooms, revealing a few children playing; Killer sat in a corner, alone. He hadn't noticed me, yet. As soon as the others noticed my presence, they hid; I supposed that I was scary, for some reason. Toriel allowed me to approach Killer.

"Hello, Killer." I sat next to him.

"Nightmare?" Killer noticed my presence and hugged me. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was a bit lonely and thought you maybe wanted to keep me some company."

"You mean you put yourself up for adoption?"  

"I..no." I shook my skull. "More like, if you'd like, I'm taking you out of adoption."

"Wait..y-you mean.." Killer looked up at me as if I had just told him the world was made of cake.

"I mean." I gave him a soft smile. "How would you like to come home with me?"

"I'd love to!" Killer hugged me tightly. "Thank you so, so much!"

"Of course."

"Can I go with him, please, Mrs. Toriel?"  

"I suppose, but he had better not mistreat you." Toriel seemed stern about that; she probably didn't know that I knew how she had treated Killer.

"I know he won't!"

"Do I need to sign anything?" I really didn't want to, but I would, if I had to.

"No, we don't have any files for him; he's always been somewhat of the outcast." Toriel shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Huh..twenty minutes." I looked at a clock. "Impressive. Well, come on, Killer."

"Yay!" Killer jumped as I opened a portal beneath us, landing us in my house. "Ooh, this place is cool!"

"Welcome to my home."

"I always thought you'd have a huge couch.." Killer looked at my small sofa with confusion. 

"Killer, this is only house number one." I chuckled.

"You mean there's more?!" Killer was absolutely astounded by the thought. 

"Yes, but first, when did you last eat?"

"Um..yesterday?"

"Didn't you have breakfast?"

"..No."

"When did you last have breakfast?" 

"Before going to Outertale..they said I didn't need it."

I had to keep myself under control to not murder someone. "Well, I think you'll find breakfast to be a nice change. I'll get you something to eat, all right?"

"Okay!"

So the day went on with food and happiness; it felt nice to have someone to talk to, and I was sure that Killer was happy as well. We didn't take long to adapt to eachother's presence - we were already as comfortable as we could be - and soon enough, I was giving Killer a tour of my house. Downstairs, the kitchen, two bedrooms, the living room, the dining room, a small library, and a bathroom. Upstairs, four bedrooms and a couple bathrooms. The attic was mostly for storage, but he liked it, nonetheless. After Killer chose a bedroom, we spent roughly an hour setting it up to be just right, and when we were done, he was very happy. It was lunchtime at that point, and I had prepared some soup for the occasion; Killer seemed to like it. As we ate the soup, we had a conversation about future plans and my "other" house, which only served to make Killer more interested in what it was; I had promised to show him after lunch, but I hadn't planned on his finishing in a record time. I could sense his eagerness to see my other house, and I wouldn't let him down. I led him to the downstairs bedroom, which also happened to be my bedroom; it was rather purple.

"Why's the room purple?" Killer wondered.

"My favorite color happens to be purple." I responded. 

"Ooh, your bed is huge!" Killer climbed onto the bed, bouncing a bit.

"I suppose it's rather large, but it's really only a queen size."

"Aren't you supposed to have a king sized bed, since your title is King?"

"This room is hardly big enough for a king sized bed."

"So..where's the other house?"

"Well, it's right down here."

I used my magic to reveal a hidden door near the wall; Killer's expression lit up. Yes, the secret entrance was in the middle of the floor; it wasn't my idea.

"Wow!" He grinned. "A secret passage!"

"Indeed, a secret passage." I confirmed. "Of course, this isn't just any secret passage."

"What kind is it?" Killer stood to get a better look at it.

"This type of passage can only be found with the powers of one who is linked with a balance, such as myself. The only others I know of that have anything to do with a balance are Ink and Dream; they would be the only others capable of finding this, but they would have to know its exact location."

"Cool! Does it open?"

"It does, but first, I'll need to give you something."

"What is it?"

"A key to unlock the door - if I happen to be captured, or someone is trying to break in, you are to take this key to unlock the other house, and stay down there. The key is infused with my magic, so it should work." I handed Killer the key and allowed the secret entrance to disappear. "Try it out."

"All right!"

Killer took the key and focused on where the entrance was. As soon as the key neared the door, the entrance appeared.

"Woah!" Killer jumped up and down.

"You may open it." I smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Okay!"

Killer opened the door, revealing a staircase. After Killer had looked behind the door, finding that the entry was not visible from the other side, he followed me down the steps, and I closed the door behind us. As we walked down the stairs, I told him to keep the key in a safe place, but there would always be another one hidden under my bed, just in case. The staircase wasn't necessarily long, but it could feel that way, with all the torches - magic childproof torches. I was surprised that Killer didn't complain about how long it was; he was truly a wonderful boy. When we reached the bottom, we were met with a very large room, also known as the living room. Killer's dreams of a large couch were fulfilled. The room was designed to feel like a castle - so maybe I had a bit of a castle in my basement - but it was really just a living room the size of a large house. It had a purple couch, a television, a large play - or recreation - area, and an assortment of other "necessary" objects - such as toys and games.

"This place is awesome!" Killer exclaimed, receiving an echo. "Oh, boy! Echo!"

"The echo is prominent." I laughed a bit. "You know how we chose a room for you upstairs?"

"Yeah?" Killer returned to me. 

"You get to pick another down here, since there is the chance that you could be stuck down here if I get captured."

"You mean I get two rooms?!"

"Yes, you get two rooms!" 

"This is the best day ever!"

"It really is."

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Killer."

After this, I led Killer to a hallway outside the living room, which he noted was also quite large. There were more rooms in my lower house than in my upper house, but that was to be expected; it was huge. After an hour of searching, Killer found the room he would choose.

"This bed is bigger than yours!" Killer was a small skeleton on a big bed.

"Yes, it really is. That bed is actually bigger than a king sized one."

"Wow!"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it!"

"That's good to hear." I sat next to Killer on the bed. "Well, have you enjoyed the day?"

"Yes! I love you, Dad!"

"And I love you, Killer."

"I.." Killer yawned. "I'm tired.."

"You can go to bed, if you wish."

"Will you stay with me?"

"I'll be setting up your room for when you wake up."

"All right. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Killer."

I tucked Killer in under the covers and gave him a smile as he fell asleep before beginning work on his room.

Gosh, I loved that kid.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean adopt Killer bean!

Thanks for reading my adoptive writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Hey, come back here!" I ran down a hallway.

"You'll never catch me!" Killer giggled as he ran away from me.

"It's only inevitable! I know these halls better than you do!"

"I've been here for two whole months! I know where I'm going!"

"Right into a wall?"

"No-" Killer grunted as he ran right into a wall. "Okay..ow.."

"I told you not to run in the house." I knelt down beside him on the floor. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay! That was fun!"

"I suppose it was exciting."

"Can we play more?"

"Not at the moment; I've been thinking about something."

"What?"

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Nobody ever taught me.."

"I thought so. If you're ever stuck down here alone, you're going to need to learn how to take care of yourself..in case I'm not here."

"Why?"

"Well, these past two months, I've been lucky; usually, I get captured at least once a month."

"How do you get out?"

"You know how I work for the multiverse?"

"Yeah! You're super cool, like a secret superhero!"

"Well, I don't do all of that on my own."

"What do you mean?"

"If I weren't working for the multiverse, I probably wouldn't be here, right now."

"Why not?"

"I've been captured and restrained in many different ways, and the only reason I've escaped those is because the multiverse doesn't want me to stop working for it."

"So it's like a secret agent?"

"Somewhat..it works like this: if I get captured, the multiverse will force the other side to make some sort of error, such as leaving the door unlocked, and I escape."

"What if you didn't escape?"

"You mean if I didn't want to?"

"Uh-huh."

"In that case, the multiverse would force me to escape."

"Is the multiverse mean?"

"Not intentionally..it's like a computer. You know how beings are made up of code, right?"

"Yep!"

"Well, the multiverse is the computer we link our code to. Just as a computer has antivirus software and firewalls, the multiverse has Guardians. Although, a computer mainly protects itself from outside forces; the multiverse simply desires to keep balance among inside forces. To put it simply, we'll use the balance of Positivity and Negativity. The people of the multiverse are subject to this, and if it is thrown off, everything is messed up. In order to keep the balance, the multiverse needs something - or someone - to keep things straight; that's where I come in. I keep the balance straight in order to protect the multiverse, and if I didn't, it would be very detrimental."

"What happens if you can't?"

"Then the balance tips, and Dream and I would die as punishment.."

"But that's mean.."

"If software on your computer doesn't work the way you want it to, you get rid of it; the same goes for me. If I don't work the way the multiverse wants me to, I have no reason to be kept alive. The multiverse thrives on logic, Killer. If I do my job, it's logical to keep me; if I don't, it isn't."

"Why did the multiverse pick you?"

"Well, the blame for the balance being off in the first place lands on me; I took the apples, and I upset the balance. Now, I'm paying for my actions."

"Does Dream have to do it, too?"

"No, Dream doesn't know about the balance. When I was first selected, I convinced the multiverse to leave him out of it, but if I were to die, he would replace me."

"What about Ink?"

"Well, unlike our balance, the balance of Creation and Destruction is rather stable; he controls it alone, and the multiverse doesn't really bother him unless the space left is getting too full, in which case, he is requested to destroy a few AUs - or forced, if he doesn't do it willingly."

"Like storage?"

"Heh, exactly like storage."

"Yay, I guessed it right!"

"Yes, you did. Would you like to learn how the stove works, now?"

"Oh, boy! Let's go!" Killer jumped.

"Okay, okay, don't run into any more walls!"

"I won't! To the kitchen!"

"All right!"

Killer started to lead me to the kitchen, where we would probably find a way to mess up making a grilled cheese sandwich, but that didn't matter. We actually got along rather well, and he seemed very happy in my home; I was glad. He had been living with me for two months, and both of our outlooks had been lightened by his presence. The multiverse had talked to me a couple times about him, and it agreed that having him around was a good choice; my "emotional well-being" had improved lately, and that was good. Sometimes, I really did feel like a computer program, being practically forced to keep a balance, but I was incapable of fighting it; I couldn't risk penalties for not being obedient while I had a child in my home. While I had often fought my purpose in the past, the thought of losing Killer was too much for me to bear; that was probably another reason why the multiverse allowed me to keep him. As long as Killer was able to be used against me, I would resign myself to being an obedient tool of the multiverse; needless to say, the multiverse was more than willing to let him stay alive..as long as I didn't get any ideas. When we reached the kitchen, Killer was eager to cook.

"What do we do?" Killer tilted his skull.

"Well, first, we find the ingredients." I explained. "Do you know where the bread is?"

"Yep!" Killer put the bread on the counter.

"And the cheese and butter?"

"Got 'em!" Killer placed the items up there, as well, balancing himself steadily on a chair.

"Good!" I took out a pan and a few cooking utensils.

"What are we making?"

"Something simple: a grilled cheese sandwich."

"Yay!"

"Stay steady on that chair!" I would have caught him if he fell, of course, but I didn't want him to fall.

"I will!"

"Good. Now, take a look at the stove."

"All right!"

I began to teach Killer how to use the stove and what to do in the case of a fire - especially a grease fire.

"Wait, so people in Greece don't use water on their fires?" Killer was confused.

"Not..quite.." I chuckled at the misunderstanding. "Grease is sometimes formed from cooking something like..bacon. If you light bacon on fire, water will only make it worse. Instead, cover it up with a lid and wait until it dies down..or grab that fire extinguisher when you learn how to use it, if you're not sure if it's a grease fire."

"What about people in Greece?" 

"They..know how to deal with fire."

"Okay!"

"Moving on, this is called a spatula."

I continued to show Killer the various objects used in the kitchen, from whisks to blenders, and Killer marvelled at them all; he truly was a curious child. Over the next few days, I taught Killer how to properly maneuver around the kitchen, and at the end of four weeks, he was fully capable of following the instructions in a cookbook to make whatever he wanted; although, I would be cooking when I was home - he would probably make desserts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition to cooking, I also taught him the basics of reading and writing; he was rather good at those! Killer was a very adventurous child, and whenever I wasn't teaching him or working, he would often invite me to play games, such as "build the biggest fort known to the multiverse in the living room" or "jail" - the dungeon was a favorite for that game. I had decided to wait until Killer was a bit older to teach him how to properly fight, but I did teach him some self-defense, just in case. At the moment, we were playing a game called "hide and seek."

"You'll never hide from me!" Killer shouted, looking around the living room. "Are you..here?"

Killer looked behind a table, to no avail.

"Hmm, here?" Killer did not find me under the carpet. "Aw, where are you, Dad?" 

"Are you giving up that easily?" I could throw my voice to keep him from finding my hiding spot.

"Hmm.." Killer took one more look around the room. "Yep!"

"All right, then!" I stepped out of my hiding spot, which was behind a bookcase in the corner of the room.

"Aw, man!"

"Your turn to hide?"

"Yep! Count to a bajillion, then come find me!"

"All right."

I turned my back to the room and began to count. I decided to count to one hundred. Near the end of my counting, I no longer heard Killer's shuffling on the floor.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one bajillion!" I let Killer know that I was finished and turned toward the room. "Ready or not, here I come!"

Honestly, Killer wasn't hard to find; the giggling from under the coffee table gave him away, but I would pretend I didn't hear it. I looked around the room, calling Killer's name and acting completely clueless; that made him happy. After ten minutes of searching, I decided that it was time for dinner.

"I give up; I can't find you!" I conceded.

"Yay, I win!" Killer climbed out from under the coffee table.

"Wow, that was an amazing hiding place!"

"Really?" Killer lept into my arms for a hug.

"Yep! I never would have found you there."

"Yay!"

"Now, it's time for dinner; I've made some chicken with mashed potatoes."

"Oh, boy!"

Killer wasn't exactly a picky eater; I wasn't sure what to think of it. Children were often seen as picky eaters; heck, I was a picky eater as a child - well, that was because I didn't want to be poisoned, but still - but Killer seemed to eat just about everything that was considered food - not that I was arguing. I hoped he wasn't deprived of necessary meals before; actually, he did say he had never had breakfast before going to the orphanage..I decided not to think about it. When we reached the kitchen, I set a table and placed the food on it. We had a conversation about our plans for tomorrow, eventually deciding that, if I didn't have to work, we would - start to - build a treehouse in the upper backyard; Killer had always wanted a treehouse, and I happened to have a few strong trees near my house. When we finished our dinner, Killer helped me clean the dishes before brushing his teeth. After that, he was dressed in his pajamas, and I sat next to his bed to read him a bedtime story; I believed that he would like the story I chose. Killer was yawning as I tucked him into his bed, and he clutched a stuffed animal close to fall asleep with. As soon as he was ready, he gave me a smile and prepared himself for a bedtime story.

"Ready?" I opened the book I would be reading from.

"Yep!" Killer confirmed.

"All right. Once upon a time, there was a prisoner. The prisoner had been wrongly imprisoned, as he had never commited the crime he was convicted of. The days went by as the prisoner waited to be released, but the day never seemed to come. One day, as he waited, a guard walked by. By the looks of it, the guard was new, and he wouldn't know everything he needed to in order to properly keep the prison. So the prisoner took a gamble; instead of remaining silent, he spoke up. He said, 'Hello, guard.' The guard returned his greeting with a smile. The prisoner continued, saying, 'I know a way out of here, and I will tell you the way if you release me.' Now, the guard, knowing that he wasn't supposed to release prisoners, was concerned. If this prisoner knew a way out, why wouldn't the others? This one was obviously willing to tell the way out, although, he didn't use it himself? The guard decided that it wouldn't hurt to let one prisoner go if the others would be prevented from using the same tactic. The guard let the prisoner out of his cell and brought him outside, where he asked that the way out was. In response, the prisoner replied with, 'A lie to an unwitting guard.' Before the guard could stop him, the prisoner ran away, and he escaped. The end."

"Wow.." Killer seemed interested. "What happened to the guard?" 

"The story doesn't say. Good night, Killer."

"Good night, Dad."

I left him to sleep, and I ensured that he had a good dream.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean is good dad.

He wouldn't let Killer bean grow up without good bedtime stories :3

Thanks for reading my yawning writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

I was working. I didn't like my work. I thought about it a lot; I supposed I really couldn't not think about it. As time went on, I just grew more tired of it; of course, that didn't mean that I was completely numb to it. The multiverse was cruel, and I knew that from experience. I was the second to be called to a position, preceded only by Ink, but he wasn't as..responsible for his actions as I was. If he had to do his job and refused, he was simply controlled to do it; he got off lightly. I didn't envy him, however. I could never envy someone like him; when he wasn't under the influence of his paints, he was practically the embodient of the multiverse's logic, but when he was, he simply didn't care. He didn't care about his job, because he had never learned obedience; he simply did what his mind told him to do, and if that happened to be creating or destroying, he would do it. He wasn't a problem. He was controllable. He was ignorant. Not to say that ignorance was a bad thing when working for the multiverse - it wasn't - but he had more freedom than anyone else could have ever wished for, in his version of ignorance. He was ignorant to his purpose, but he carried it out, nonetheless, on whims. The multiverse gave him whims.

I did not receive the same. The multiverse had treated me worse from the start, not that I could argue - arguing wasn't allowed. Instead of simply turning me into an ignorant warlord, who would have probably done a better job than I did, the multiverse gave me..will. It wasn't free will - Ink had that - but it was will. A controlled will. My will was controlled by fear - the fear of what, I had yet to figure out. It might have been fear of the multiverse in general; if it wanted to, it could erase me from existence, such as a Gaster in an AU. I might have feared losing the child I had taken in; I knew that I feared that, and that was a current safeguard for my obedience. Before that, I might have feared the pain. There was a lot of it, at first; it was as if I had felt it every day. Before I started my work, I had to be..broken, molded into what the multiverse wanted - needed - me to be. That usually came in the form of pain. Visions of memories of the pain sometimes flew through my mind as a warning, and I would usually adjust myself to avoid it. It didn't always work, but the warning would often frighten me enough to know what would happen if I continued my disobedience. 

At first, I didn't know what was happening; it was right after I had discovered the multiverse. My insanity had worn off before then, and I figured I could just blend in; I couldn't. I explored universes upon universes, enjoying the nature I saw..until the first sign came. A slight twinge in my soul - not even enough to really hurt. I had been in a forest - no, a surface jungle, since the birds were colorful and lively, and I noticed wild cats - clearing, admiring the stars, at the time. I found stars to be beautiful; they could always calm me. I had passed the twinge off as a misstep; that had happened, occasionally. The whispers came soon after that, and the twinge grew into a slight pain. The whispers had told me that I had been selected for a job; I had said I didn't want it. My wish to ignore them was, unfortunately, declined, and I experienced my first punishment as a result. My entire body was consumed by an unbearable burning feeling as my mind was forced to accept ideas I had never wanted to have; I was simply forced. I had eventually conceded to the pain, saying that I would do the job if the pain would just stop, and it did. I had caused chaos for the first time that day, and I was forced to resign myself as a pawn of a multiversal game in which I had no power.

Dream was fighting strong, today, as were his friends; they liked to play "hero" and stop me from my bound duty. Of course, they didn't know; I didn't have permission to tell almost anyone. The multiverse liked to see me suffer, and I really couldn't fight it; that was the only illogical thing about the multiverse: it liked my pain and suffering. In any case, it wasn't my place to judge; I would have probably just been punished if I did that, anyway. It took me a while to figure out the rules of my job, which were many and strict. A few of the more important ones were: keeping the balance, keeping the job a secret, and killing only when ordered to - not that I ever killed without being told to. As I fought my adversaries, I noticed that Ink seemed unfocused; I, of course, used that to my advantage, dodging his attacks with ease. My brother and the blueberry, on the other hand, were fighting with their usual vigor, which just meant a longer battle, really. Occasionally, the battle would come to a mutual break; neither side could fight forever, and those battles were strenuous. At points, rest was needed, and we would simply stare eachother down until another attack resumed the battle; I never broke those.

"Why did you adopt a child?" Ink asked smoothly, having already caught his breath.

"You found out about that.." I really didn't want to have that conversation right now, but I was wondering how they only just found out; Killer had been living with me for roughly five months, at this point.

"Are you planning on raising him as a warrior?" 

"No."

"Nightmare, you're not suitable to raise a child; you've probably scarred him for life." Ink glared at me harshly, and I honestly wanted to wipe that look off his face.

"For your information, he hasn't once complained about being in my home."

"Probably because you scared him to death."

"I don't know about that."

"Well, in any case, we've sent someone over to your house to take him back; he'll be happy to know that he won't have to suffer, anymore."

"You what?!" I couldn't even describe the emotions moving through me at lightspeed.

"Just kidding!" Ink doubled over in laughter. "We don't have the authority to do that! Your face is priceless!"

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood." I glared at the artist.

"Wanna continue the fight, now?"

"Do you?"

"Not really, I was asking you."

"I'm not really interested in that, at the moment." I shrugged. "I'll wreak havoc some other time, then."

"Seeya!"

It had actually gotten to the point where I could do that; I was impressed..or the multiverse just wanted me home, for some reason. In any case, I wasn't arguing; I could spend more time with Killer! As I entered my portal, I was greeted by a small child running toward me with a smile; that was always the best part of my day. As he jumped into my arms, I took him in a warm embrace and returned his smile.

"Hey, Dad!" Killer tried to fit his small arms all the way around me, but he didn't quite reach halfway; he settled for what he had. 

"Hello, Killer!" I always loved it when I could hold my child in my arms. "Did everything go all right while I was gone?"

"Yeah! I even made something for you!"

"What did you make?"

"I made you a hat!" Killer plopped a paper hat on my skull and giggled. "You look silly in it!"

"Silly, perhaps, but at least it's comfortable."

"Do you like it?"

"Killer, anything you give me is special to me, just like you."

"Yay!"

"Now, would you like some lunch?"

"Yes, please!"

"I have some sandwiches prepared in the kitchen."

"Oh, boy!"

I carried Killer to the kitchen, not wanting to let him out of my embrace for even one second; he was much too special to me to not hug him. As soon as we reached the kitchen, he left my grasp to sit at the table, and I brought a couple sandwiches to the table. As we ate, we talked about our plans for the day.

"So, did you have anything in mind for the day?" I questioned.

"Hmm..can we go for a walk?" Killer hoped.

"Where do you want to walk?"

"I dunno..somewhere.."

"Hm..there are a few AUs that don't know of my existence..we could walk in one of those."

"That sounds awesome!"

"I'm glad you like the idea. Would you like to walk in an underground or on the surface?"

"Can we go to a surface?"

"I suppose, but you must stay with me at all times."

"Hmm..I have an idea! Stay right here!"

Killer ran out of the kitchen to do..whatever he was going to do; I really wasn't sure, half the time. Sometimes, he would run off to draw a picture, and other times, he would be preparing to sneak attack me with tickles; he had managed to discover the fact that I was ticklish, and he loved to tease me about it. Of course, I didn't mind; his childish joys were a pleasure to bear witness to, and I loved every second I spent with him. When Killer returned to the kitchen, he had a rope tied to his wrist; I honestly wondered where this was going. Before I could ask, he tied the other end of the rope to my wrist - he was surprisingly good at tying a strong knot - and gave me a smile.

"Now we can't get separated!" He proclaimed, making a heroic pose.

"Killer, you're a genius." I complimented.

"Really? Yay!"

"Well, we've finished lunch; would you like to take that walk, now?"

"Yep! Onwards!"

"All right."

I opened a portal to a copy of an AU that had recently had its barrier broken - it also had no idea who I was - and brought Killer through. He was excited to see a city; he had only ever remembered the town in Outertale, and that was small compared to this. I had taken the liberty of enchanting the rope holding us together to not break; that would have been disastrous, knowing Killer. He expressed a desire to go to the park, and I wouldn't let him down..we just had to find the park, first. We walked through the streets of the town, with Killer sticking close by my side while partially leading the excursion; his feelings indicated that he was happy - very happy. Thankfully, the city wasn't as crowded as one might have thought; it was quite pleasant, actually. As we walked, Killer became suddenly tired at one point; he requested to sit down, and I found a bench nearby. Something was going on..what was the multiverse planning? Killer did not get tired like that, which left only the multiverse's whims to decide what was going to happen next.

"Ready to go, yet?" I asked, after a few minutes.

"Not yet.." Killer yawned slightly.

"Do you want to go home?"

"No..wanna find park.."

"All right.."

"Why are you tied up like that, mister?" A small voice came from next to the bench, revealing..a small Sans. 

So that was the multiverse's plan..one child made a difference, and it wanted to try two. Well, I supposed, if Killer wanted, this child could provide company while I was gone.

"It was his idea." I responded,  gesturing to Killer.

"Ooh.." The child tapped the rope curiously. Upon closer inspection this child had a hole in his skull! That was not healthy! 

"Um..are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, this..I fell out of the crib when I was a baby.."

"Where are your parents, little one?"

"Don't have any. Ran out of food..they gave everything to me.."

"I see..how long ago was that?"

"About a year..people sometimes give me stuff when they pass by.."

"Oh.."

I looked at Killer; he had a pleading expression. I gave him a nod, receiving a happy grin.

"Do you have any food?" The child seemed hopeful.

"I have some at my house..would you like to come?" I knew that I sounded like a kidnapper, but I couldn't rethink my response, having already said it.

"Really?" The child seemed trusting..or maybe the multiverse was playing a role.

"Of course. Do you have a name?"

"My parents used to call me their little horror.."

"Would you like to be called horror?"

"Um..okay!"

"All right, Horror, I'll take you home. Killer, we'll locate the park some other day."

"Okay!" Killer nodded, standing from the bench with his usual energy; I knew the multiverse was doing this..

I created a portal, and the children followed me inside to the house, where Horror was promptly greeted with food. He ate it quite quickly, actually, and he seemed strangely hungry..after three plates of food..

"I don't know how to thank you enough, mister!" Horror thanked me while he ate.

"Really, it's my pleasure." I responded, allowing Killer to climb on my appendages. "I've been thinking.."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a home?"

"Um..not really.."

"Would..would you like to stay with me and Killer?" I could feel Killer's excitement as I asked the questions.

"You mean..live here?" Horror seemed shocked. 

"Of course. I think Killer would like some company while I'm at work."

"Please?" Killer hoped.

"Well.." Horror seemed as if he were thinking hard about his decision. "Okay!"

"Yay!" Killer dropped to the floor and hugged Horror tightly.

"Glad to have another member of our family." I chuckled. "You'll fit right in, I assure you."

I knew he would.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean meet Horror bean!

Thanks for reading my horrendous writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Horror was different. Granted, that meant little in my house, but, as fate would have it, Horror was essentially insatiable. He would eat anything, and I meant anything. It turned out that five-year-old skeletons who didn't eat enough in their early years would grow to need more food as they grew up, and Horror was no exception. It wasn't too much of a problem, though, since I always kept my food storage in a state to last for centuries - it was a blessing that monster food never expired - and there was no way Horror could eat all of it in several lifetimes. If he was fed properly, my medical books stated that his condition would gradually disappear, but until then, we just had to deal with it. As for Killer, he had found a distaste for peas - I couldn't blame him - recently, but he was as adventurous as ever, sometimes pretending to battle the evil "Pea King"; he was adaptable, for sure. I truly loved both of my boys, and the multiverse had allowed me to keep them; I was thankful for that. Killer was half a year older than Horror, making him six; we had celebrated his birthday a while ago. Currently, we were in the upper house, and I was watching them play together in the living room.

 "Roar!" Killer made a dragon fly above a village.

"Yummy.." Horror was controlling the villagers.

"Wait, they're supposed to be scared.."

"They're gonna die anyway, might as well eat cake!"

"Ooh!" Killer landed the dragon. "Roar! Dragon want cake!"

"Here you go, mister dragon!" Horror made the villagers give the dragon some cake.

"Thanks! I won't kill you, now!"

"Yay!"

"I'll just burn your homes!"

"Ahhhh!" 

"Roar! Fire! Yay!"

"Oh, no! Our homes!"

"Too bad! Dragon does what dragon wants!"

"Then we'll have dragon for dinner! Charge!" Horror made the villagers charge on the dragon.

"Tactical retreat!" Killer threw the dragon across the room. "Safe!"

"Aw, now we have no food."

"Now the heroes come!" Killer pulled out a superhero toy. "Here is your food, villagers!"

"Thanks, superhero!" Horror made the villagers dance.

"No problem, villagers!" 

I looked down at my watch. "Hm, it's time for me to start dinner."

"Ooh, can I help?" Horror hoped.

"Me, too!" Killer joined.

I chuckled a bit. "All right, you two can help."

"Yay!" They were ecstatic; I couldn't have asked for better children.

"Come on, then." I stood from my seat.

I led - more like followed - the boys to the kitchen, where my little helpers were ready to assist me; they were adorable, sometimes - all the time. I decided to let them choose what they wanted for dinner, and they decided on chicken; they weren't prepared for the question, "What kind of chicken?" We eventually decided on broiled chicken. As we had our fun in the kitchen, multiple pieces of chicken were mercilessly overseasoned and placed in situations no piece of meat would ever want to be put in; it would be edible, at least. Within a few hours, the edible pieces of meat were escorted to the dining room, where we ate together; the chicken actually didn't taste that bad, surprisingly! We conversed about games and other "important" matters while we ate, but it didn't take long for the conversation to drift into uncharted territory. Killer asked a question.

"Hey, Dad?" Killer looked as if he wanted to request something; usually, it would be an early dessert.

"Yes?" I responded.

"Can we get a pet?"

"..." I paused in thought. "What?"

"A pet, like a dog or something!" 

"Killer, I have no idea how to care for an animal.."

"Aww.." Killer's expression turned sad; he knew I could never refuse it..

I sighed. "All right. How about a half pet?"

"What's a half pet?"

"It's a pet that you don't need to feed or take on walks."

"What kind of pet is that?"

"Your options are a pet rock or a deadly weapon."

"Ooh, I like rocks!" Horror cheered, looking up from his plate for the first time since the question had been asked.

"What deadly weapon?" Killer didn't take the hint.

"This deadly weapon." I summoned a blaster, but he did not fire.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Killer pet the blaster, who seemed confused, having never been called cute before.

"You wanted a pet? Your responsibility. I don't exactly know what care a blaster needs, but if you want to keep it, go ahead."

"Yay! Thanks, Dad!"

"What about the rock?" Horror questioned. 

"We can find a nice rock, later." I smiled.

"Okay! Thank you!"

"Of course."

"Does he have a name?" Killer inquired.

"No, he doesn't. Eat your dinner, and we'll discuss names after."

"Okay!" Killer ate his chicken with a passion.

"Don't choke!"

Dinner ended soon after that, and luckily, nobody choked on any food, which was a miracle in itself. Pretty soon, we were once again in the living room, with the blaster lounging on a pillow nearby. Although some saw blasters as simple weapons, they were actually sentient, and they were rather intelligent, too. Honestly, it wouldn't have been a problem allowing the children to keep one as a pet; they seemed to like him, in any case. As we sat, names were tossed around.

"What about Goopy?" Killer input.

"Licorice?" Horror suggested.

"Spike?"

"Ripple?"

"Butch?"

"Cream?"

"Jet?"

"Potato?"

"Potato?"

"Sure, why not?"

"We need something awesome!"

"Flapjack?"

Killer looked at the blaster, who didn't seem very eager.

"Flapjack it is!" Killer exclaimed. 

Flapjack gave a hum of disapproval, but he couldn't argue with the whims of two children. I pet his skull to cheer him up a bit.

"Ooh, maybe we can teach him tricks!" Killer jumped. 

"Perhaps." I wondered if a blaster could play fetch.

"Let's go find out! Come on, Flapjack!"

Flapjack looked at me with a pleading expression.

"Sorry, Flapjack; I'll take you along on some missions later." I promised.

Flapjack bedgrudgingly got up to follow the children to the backyard, and I followed suit. Over the next few weeks, Flapjack was subjected to multiple forms of childish whimsy, but I assured him that he would grow used to it. The boys seemed to like having a pet, which meant that Flapjack would be staying around, but I would occasionally have to return him into his magic state to allow him to rest. Horror did get his pet rock, which he had named Aqua, since it was blue, and we had found it in a stream; I was honestly surprised it wasn't named after food..unless it was some sort of exotic food? Honestly, I believed that Flapjack would like the attention after a while; he had been rather neglected lately, with the children to look after, and I hadn't been able to devote much time to the well-being of my blasters. He was probably the most tame one that I had ever summoned. Although one could summon hundreds of blasters at a time, there were only three or four that had personalities, and Flapjack happened to be the most laid back of my four. Right now, the boys were in the backyard, testing tricks they had taught Flapjack.

"Sit, boy!" Killer ordered, resulting in Flapjack's lying down on the ground. "Good boy!" Killer pet Flapjack.

"Roll over, Flapjack!" Horror urged, jumping a bit. Flapjack performed the action; the scene was quite adorable. "Good boy, Flapjack!"

This continued for a while, each of the boys taking turns with different tricks. I could tell that the boys really liked Flapjack as a pet, and he liked being a pet; he would never admit it, though, even if he were able to somehow speak. When the boys were done with their tricks, Flapjack was returned to a magical form to rest; a blaster couldn't stay out for days on end without sleep. I decided that now would be a good time for a lesson in reading; Killer and Horror were getting better, but they were still in need of practice. We made our way to the "other" house and sat down in the library, where I held out a book for Horror to practice from while Killer read a simple storybook; Killer could read silently rather well, but there were still words he couldn't figure out.

"Whenever you're ready." I smiled at the eager boy.

"Okay!" Horror focused on the page. "There is..a cat. The cat is n-nam..na.."

"Named."

"Thanks! The cat is named..Sh-Sherbet. Sherbet likes to eat nice..cr..cream?"

"Good."

"Sherbet eats..lots of nice cream for...break..break fast?"

"Breakfast."

"Ooh, okay! Sherbet eats lots of nice cream for breakfast! Sherbet does not k-n..kunow?"

"Know."

"Why does it have a 'k'?"

"Without it, it would simply be 'now.'"

"Ooh, okay! Sherbet does not know that nice cream is bad for..breakfast. Sherbet got a tum-tummy ac-he?"

"Ache."

"Ache?"

"Yes, ache."

"Okay. Sherbet got a tummy ache from eat-ing too much nice cream. Now Sherbet will sle-ep.."

"Sleep."

"Now Sherbet will sleep un-til she gets bet-ter. The end?" 

"Yes, the end." I nodded approvingly. "That was very good, Horror!" 

"Am I getting better?"

"Much better! I'm very proud of your progress!"

"Thanks, Dad!" Horror hugged me tightly.

"Of course, Horror. Now, how about you work on writing your letters while I see how Killer is progressing?"

"Okay, Dad!" Horror slid off my lap and went to write.

"Killer, it's your turn."

"Oh, boy!" Killer jumped on me as I pulled out the book he would read; he wasn't big enough to startle or hurt me - not that I would say anything if he were.

"All right, Killer." I handed him his book. "Whenever you're ready."

"Okay!" Killer opened the book. "Once upon a time, there was a knight. This knight had a horse named Val..Vali.."

"Valiant."

"Ooh, thanks! This knight had a horse named Valiant! Valiant was a strong horse who could run fast. One day, the knight had to chase down a crim..criminal. The criminal had stolen a basket of wh-whe.."

"Wheat."

"What's wheat?"

"Wheat is a grain, often used to make bread."

"Ooh! The criminal had stolen a basket of wheat from a bakery! The knight arrived on the sce-scene just in time to see the criminal running away. Hopping on his steed..what's a steed?"

"The steed is his horse."

"Ohh. Hopping on his steed, the knight gave chase. The knight chased the criminal through the woods and over mou..mounta-i-ns?"

"Mountains."

"Thanks! The knight chased the criminal through woods and over mountains! As the chase went on, the criminal's horse became tired and had to rest. The criminal could not stop because the knight was chasing him. Al-alt.."

"Although."

"Thank you! Although his horse was tired, the criminal kept going. Once, when the criminal looked back, he did not see the knight. The knight had chosen to give Valiant some rest. The knight did not want Valiant to get hurt. The criminal stopped in a town nearby for the night because he thought it would be safe. When mor-morning came, the knight ca-ca-u.."

"Caught."

"Okay! When morning came, the knight caught the criminal because Valiant had gotten enough sleep! Valiant ran over the last hills and mountains to reach the town, and the knight found out where the criminal had been staying. When the knight brought the criminal to the king, the criminal went to pri-pris.."

"Prison."

"Ooh! When the knight brought the criminal to the king, the criminal went to prison. The king gave a medal to the knight and re..rew.."

"Rewarded."

"Thanks! The king gave a medal to the knight and rewarded him for his cou-courage and taking care of his horse! The end!"

"That was very good, Killer! You're doing much better than before!"

"Really?"

"Indeed!"

"Thanks, Dad!" Killer hugged me. "I love you!"

"I love you, too." I returned the gesture. "Now, let's see how Horror is doing with his letters."

The day continued with avid learning and a few games; the boys seemed to like learning, which was good for me, since I was teaching them. I decided to fit in a small lesson in basic math, mainly concerning addition, which they both excelled in; they really were amazing children. When school was finished, we relaxed with a pleasant game of "who can fall asleep first?" as bedtime struck. Honestly, that game was a lifesaver when someone was determined not to go to bed. Of course, I didn't love them any less; they were my boys, and I loved them with all my soul.

I didn't know why the multiverse let me have them, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Flapjack bean and Aqua bean enter bean family.

Flapjack was never meant to exist, but somehow he does, now.

Thanks for reading my pancakey writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Today wasn't the best day of my life. Horror had joined our little family about six months ago, which meant that I had been taking care of my children for nearly a year; I loved them both so much. In that time period, I hadn't been captured once...until today. I couldn't really argue, since I had had some time to get used to having the boys around. If anything, I was lucky to make it so far without being captured, but the multiverse would do what the multiverse would do. Thankfully, the other side allowed me to make one tiny phone call to Killer and Horror, just to let them know I wouldn't be coming home for a bit; they were now in the other house, probably making endless unhealthy desserts - I knew them better than they thought I did. I was now sitting in a prison cell, wondering when I would get the chance to leave; in the past, it would range from three minutes to three months, which wasn't exactly promising. I would wait as long as I had to, though; my boys were capable of taking care of themselves if I happened to be gone for a while..I hoped they would eat something healthy. They would probably put some fruit in their desserts, if nothing else.

During the past few months, much had happened. Horror had had his birthday, making him six, now; they were growing so fast. His appetite hadn't changed, though; that would probably end around his teen years - or, at least, I hoped it would. In addition to that, one of Killer's teeth was becoming loose. Although skeletons didn't have the exact characteristics of humans - like being composed of magic - there were some similarities, such as losing baby teeth. Skeletons generally lost their baby teeth between the ages of six to ten, but they also had multiple sets of adult teeth. Humans only received two sets of teeth in their entire lifespan, but skeletons had virtually infinite, shedding one set every twenty years or so; it was helpful if an adult tooth was knocked out. I was brought out of my thoughts by a struggle; I found it odd, since the portion of the prison I was in was only for "inter-AU" criminals: those who had commited crimes across multiple AUs. As far as I knew, those were few and far between; honestly, I was the only one I was aware of..besides Ink, for making my job harder, but he didn't count, since everyone saw him as a hero.

"I'm sorry!" The voice was rather high-pitched..almost like.. 

"Quiet, kid." A judge from an unsavory AU - Underfell - was speaking. "You've done enough damage."

"It wasn't my fault! I didn't mean to!"

"That's what you said the second time, and somehow, you're here again."

"It was an accident!"

"An accident. Sure. Kid, things that happen more than two times in succession are not accidents. Stay here a while, and we'll make sure to find a nice reform school..or maybe not."

"No, no, don't leave me here!"

"Not listening." The judge opened the door to my cell, obviously not noticing that I was present; I had blended in with the shadows quite well, apparently. "Have fun." 

The judge threw the prisoner into the cell, where I realized..it was a child. At that moment, I wondered how many children I would have at the end of this. The judge left the child in the cell and closed the door. The child cried harder than any child should have ever had to cry; I had the chance to help, and I wouldn't shirk from it.

"Hello?" I probably startled the child, since he flinched.

"H-huh?!" The child looked around. "Wh-who's there?!"

"A friend."

"..." I could feel pure fear coming from the hooded child.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I don't..w-want friends..."

"How about someone to keep you company, then?"

"I..g-guess.."

"Do you want to talk about something to cheer you up?"

"No..I-I can't.."

"Why not?"

"I-I hurt everyone.."

"I do, too."

"Wh-who are you?"

"My name is Nightmare."

"Wh-why do you w-want to be n-nice to me?"

"I'm not always as bad as people say."

"Wh-where are you?"

"I am right here." I stepped out of the shadows, allowing the child to see me; he flinched backwards. "I am not here to hurt you."

"Wh-why not?"

"Because I don't want to. Why are you here, young one?"

"I-I was bad.."

"What did you do that was bad? Surely, you did nothing wrong to be here!"

"I killed people.." The child began to cry harder.

My eyelight widened; how could a child be convicted of murder?! "How old are you?"

"Five.." 

"How could they say you killed? You are but a child!"

"Doesn't matter..they're d-dead, now, and..i-it's all my f-fault!"

I scooped the child up in my arms. "I am sure it is not your fault."

"B-but it is!"

"It isn't the fault of a five-year-old that anyone has died."

"Y-yes, it is! I-I k-killed them.."

"You did not kill them."

"St-stop saying that! You d-don't know!"

I sighed. "You're right; I don't. Why are you crying?" 

"B-because they're g-gone.."

"Then you're sorry for what you did?"

"Y-yes.."

"Then it doesn't matter. If you're sorry, I'm sure they've forgiven you."

"Th-they haven't..I know th-they haven't.."

"Why not?"

"Th-they hated me.."

"How could they hate someone so pure?"

"I-I'm not pure..I k-killed them.."

"Who did you kill?"

"M-my..m-my p-parents.." The child seemed to hold tighter to me. "M-my b-brother..a-and th-the others..the ad-adoptive p-parents...an-and the f-foster p-parents.."

"Seven people?" I was astounded by those numbers; a child shouldn't have had to go through that pain.

"M-mhm.."

"How was it your fault?"

"I w-was there.."

"That doesn't make it your fault."

"Y-yes, it does! M-Mama and Papa fell down the stairs..Papyrus t-tried to push me..but he fell..ad-adoptive parents hurt me..I-I tried to run..a t-truck hit them..f-foster parents hurt me w-worse.." The child sobbed too much to continue, but I understood clearly.

"You had people in your life that were not kind to you.."

The child nodded, curling up in my arms.

"I know that feeling." I noticed the child looking up at me.

"B-but you're s-supposed to be.." He was cut off.

"I'm supposed to be evil, I know. Well, what do you think made them think I was evil?"

"Y-you hurt people?"

"Indeed, I have hurt many people. Do you know why I hurt them?"

"Wh-why?"

"Because they hurt me first. It was wrong of me to do, and I regret it. The difference between you and me..is that I actually murdered them; you did not."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Child, you are not to blame for your parents falling down the stairs."

"B-but I was there..Papyrus said I killed them.."

"Papyrus was angry; that doesn't make him right."

"B-but he t-tried to push me and fell.."

"He fell down those stairs on his own."

"B-but I moved out of the way..i-if I hadn't, he would be alive!"

"And you would be dead."

"..." The child paused before looking at me with a sincere look in his eyelights. "I'm not important."

"Yes, you are."

"B-but I killed them!"

"You did not kill them."

"Th-the truck hit my a-adoptive-" The child was once again cut off.

"The truck hit your adoptive parents because they didn't look both ways before they crossed the street. You did not kill them." 

"M-my foster p-parents.."

"I'm sure you aren't responsible."

"Wh-why are you being so n-nice?"

"Because all I see is a scared child; you don't deserve to be seen the way you are."

"Yes, I-I do.." 

"What is your name, child?"

"I don't remember..th-the police c-called me Dust, c-cause everyone around me..t-turns to dust.."

"That isn't fair."

"D-doesn't matter..i-it's my name, now.."

"Well, Dust..what do you think of me?"

"Y-you're nice.."

"Dust, did you know that I have two sons?"

"No.."

"You remind me a lot of them."

"H-how?"

"Well, Killer and Horror have both gone through struggles in their lives."

"Have they k-killed people?"

"No, but Killer has been hurt by others."

"Wh-why is he called th-that when.."

"I named him; he thought the name was cool."

"Oh.."

"Dust, would you like to come home with me?"

"Y-you mean.."

"I'd like to adopt you."

"B-but I'd hurt you! I-I don't wanna h-hurt you!"

"Dust, you won't hurt me."

"..Y-you don't kn-know that.."

"Dust, I promise you will not hurt me."

"..." He looked up at me once more. "You promise?"

"Of course."

He clutched to me tightly. "O-okay.."

We spent the next few hours talking and telling stories; it was mostly his asking me to tell more stories, but I wouldn't deny him. At the end of three hours, the cell door opened rather quickly, and Ink walked in; Dust hid behind me.

"It seems that someone has been placed here by mistake." Ink stated. "I'm here to take him to a different cell."

"There is no one here but me." I lied.

"Don't play games with me, Nightmare."

"I'm not playing."

"Where is he, Nightmare?"

"Where is who?"

"The little brat!"

"I haven't seen any brats." I was honest, that time; Dust was anything but a brat.

"The little killer!"

"Killer is safe and sound in my house, not here."

"The kid who killed his entire family! Where is he?"

"I've seen no one matching that definition; are you feeling well, Ink? Most people don't go around asking these types of questions."

"Just show me where he is."

"Ink, I've already told you, there's no one here but me."

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"Ugh, fine.."

Ink left the cell, grumbling. He was grumbling so loudly that he didn't hear his keys clattering on the floor; I waited until he was out of earshot to grab the keys.

"Well, Dust, would you like to taste freedom?" I looked to the child on my shoulder.

"How'd that happen?" Dust was unsure.

"I'll tell you, later."

"Okay.."

I unlocked the cell with the keys and started my escape; it was rather simple, since the multiverse needed me around. Within ten minutes, I was making a portal home and bringing our new addition along. As I revealed the secret entrance to the basement, he seemed fascinated with it, but I could feel a lot of fear radiating from him, as well. In fact, ever since I first sensed his feelings, they had mostly been pure fear; I could only imagine what had been done to him for him to have fear for everything. I wasn't going to bring it up, but I had felt it as clear as day when he was even scared of a room. He was scared of the door to my house, he was scared of the door to my room, and now, he was hesitant to walk through the passageway to the other house; I spent five minutes trying to convince him that it was safe, and even then, he only agreed to it if I would carry him. I wouldn't force the boy into anything he didn't want to do; I could see that he had been through that enough in his life, even at such a young age. I carried him down the steps, not saying a word about his frightened whimpers as he clutched to me. When we made it down the stairs, we were promptly met by Flapjack, who scared Dust greatly; he let out a small scream when he saw the pet, making it back down a bit.

"It's all right, Dust; Flapjack won't hurt you." I calmed the child.

"What's going on?" Killer peeked around the corner, Horror behind him. "Dad!"

"You're back!" Horror came running up to me, and Killer followed suit.

"It's nice to see you again, too, boys!" I gave them a calm smile; Dust's fear rose.

"Who's that?" Killer noticed the new arrival.

"This is Dust, someone I found while I was..contained." I knelt down to let Dust walk, but he didn't seem to want to. "It's all right, Dust; nobody will hurt you."

"Okay.." Dust cautiously slid off my shoulder and touched the ground.

"Heya, kid!" Killer greeted.

"Nice to meet you." Horror joined.

"U-uh..h-hello.." Dust seemed to cling to me.

"Is he our new brother?" Killer hoped.

"If he'd like to be." I nodded. "Would you like to, Dust?"

"I-I don't know.." Dust was shivering. 

"Is he okay?" Horror wondered. 

"He's a bit scared." I revealed. "He's been mistreated much in his life, possibly as much as both of you."

"Oh..sorry."

"It's all right, Horror; he just needs to get used to us."

"Wanna be friends?" Killer asked the new arrival.

"No!" Dust seemed to fear the word, clutching to me harder.

"Why not?" Killer was saddened.

"N-no.." Dust began to cry.

"Boys, I'm going to have to see what's wrong." I sighed, picking up the crying child. "How about you go play a game together in one of your rooms?"

"Okay, Dad.." Killer and Horror ran off, followed by Flapjack.

I sat on the large couch with Dust, comforting him as he sobbed. I honestly wondered why he was afraid of friends; had he been hurt by friends before, or was it something worse? We spent half an hour together before I asked the question; he had calmed down by that point.

"Dust.." I began. "Why are you afraid of friends?"

"F-friends hurt.." Dust answered my question thoroughly.

"Who hurt you?"

"When..I was with the foster parents..the other kids said they w-would be my friends.." Dust winced slightly. "Th-they wouldn't stop.."

"What did they do to you?"

"Th-they.." Dust's breathing hitched for a few moments. "Th-they c-called it f-fun.."

"Called..what fun?" I didn't necessarily want to know, but if Dust was going to have serious fears, I wanted to know what was considered rough territory for him.

"B-b-bones.." Dust was practically shaking in my arms. "C-crack.."

"They broke your bones?" I felt sorry for everything he had to go through.

Dust nodded slightly. "Th-then..th-they would...h-hit me.."

"I'm so sorry, Dust.." I held the child closer; he shouldn't have been exposed to that at such a young age.

"D-don't take me b-back.."

"I won't, Dust. I promise."

I wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean adopt Dust bean!

I find that the worse experiences someone goes through, the more I want to keep him safe and want to see him happy.

Thanks for reading my awkward writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dust had been part of our family for about one month, now, and I could already see the problems we would face. On the outside, Dust was a shy child. On the inside, he was terrified..constantly. I hadn't felt even a little bit of joy from him, even if he said he was happy; he wasn't. I wasn't quite sure what to do. He was scared that his food would be poisoned, he was afraid to be alone with anyone but me, he constantly avoided Flapjack, and he wouldn't play with a toy unless he was sure that it was safe..and only one toy fit that description: his hood. Needless to say, we needed to do something. So, we were going to do something. While Dust was sleeping, Killer, Horror, and I had formed a plan to get Dust accustomed to life with us; it could have taken a very long time if we didn't do something ourselves. The next day, we were up early, and we were ready to enact our plan. As soon as Dust exited his room, we were waiting for him; we probably shouldn't have startled him, but we couldn't take it back, now.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Dust asked. 

"We've decided that we're going to help you to overcome your fears." I answered.

"Why?"

"We wanna play with you!" Killer exclaimed; Dust flinched.

"Dust, remember what I said." I reminded. "Those terms are not what you think they are; we have no desire to hurt you."

"O-oh.." Dust tried to relax a bit.

"So, what are you afraid of?"

"..." Dust shook his skull.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No.."

"Are you afraid of Killer and Horror?"

"..." Dust nodded slightly.

"Why?" Horror didn't understand.

"Is it the eyes?" Killer knew that his eyesockets could be intimidating.

Dust shook his skull.

"Is it because they haven't gained your trust?" I knew how to help, if that was the case.

Dust thought for a moment before nodding once more.

"Would you like us to help you trust them?" I wondered, receiving another nod. "All right, then."

Dust, although he was scared of most people and things, was not scared of me, which was a bit unexpected; usually, it was the other way around. I had found that Dust also liked to be carried by those he trusted, and that resulted in my carrying him occasionally; he was light enough to not make much of a difference. I carried him into the living room, and Killer and Horror followed close behind. When we reached our destination, I set Dust on the couch and sat with Killer and Horror on the floor.

"All right, Dust." I pulled Killer and Horror onto my lap. "What makes you scared of them?"

"...I don't know.." Dust looked down.

"How about you meet them? Killer?"

"Hello!" Killer waved at Dust. "I'm Killer!"

"I-I know.." Dust was confused.

"We're gonna start over! What's your name?"

"D-Dust.."

"Nice to meet you, Dust! Would you like to tell me about yourself?"

"I..I'm not safe.."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not safe..you don't want to know me.."

"Wait, is that why you won't play with them?" I hadn't told Killer or Horror that Dust believed he had killed his family..I should have known that it would haunt him..

"I-I don't want to hurt them.." Dust shivered a bit.

"Dust, you will not hurt them! It isn't your fault that your family is dead..you must realize this."

"It is! You don't understand! I killed them! I killed them!"

"You did not kill anyone."

"M-my.." Dust was crying at this point. "My foster p-parents.."

"You did not kill them, Dust."

"Yes, I did! I.."

"Dust, tell me what happened."

"Th-they..they w-were.." Dust took a deep breath. "They were..c-cutting me..w-with a knife..it hurt..th-they dropped it for a minute b-by accident. I-I took it..and..I killed them."

I couldn't say anything; how was I supposed to convince him that that wasn't killing?! Our situation had just become much worse, apparently. Killer and Horror were scared by that story, I was speechless, and Dust was sobbing; he probably felt even worse than he did before. Without thinking, I took the small child in my arms and comforted him. Killer and Horror decided to go play in a different part of the living room; they didn't need to hear the talk I was about to have with Dust. When he had calmed down, I sat on the couch, setting him on my lap, and I began to talk to him.

"Dust, believe it or not, I understand how you feel." I sighed.

"R-really?" Dust asked, as I wiped a tear from his face.

"Yes, I know. I've killed many. Killing is..not an easy thing to overcome. There is something I've neglected to ask."

"What?"

"Do they haunt you? In dreams, I mean."

"..." Dust looked down.

"I should have realized it sooner..I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault..I killed them."

"Dust, you don't need to keep your pain to yourself. If you need to, you can cry, you can scream, and you can do whatever you need to do to get it out; if you keep it inside, you'll only be in more pain."

"I don't want to hurt you.."

"Dust, you won't hurt me, and you won't hurt Killer or Horror."

"What if I do?"

"If you do, it'll be because you haven't gotten your pain out. Take it from one with experience; I ended up hurting everyone around me because I didn't let my pain out, and one day, it became too much for me to bear. Once you've gotten yourself under control, I'll be able to help with your emotions and your nightmares, but I can't do anything until you've let your pain out. Please, do what you need to."

"W-will it stop hurting?"

"Not immediately, but it will lessen with time."

"O-okay.." Dust hugged me tightly.

We sat in the living room for a while, and I waited for Dust to get his courage up; this had to be done. After twenty minutes, it started. Dust began to cry softly, and I held him close. As much as I wanted to shush him, comfort him, and tell him everything would be all right, I knew that I couldn't; he had to get everything out of his system, and that involved dealing with the pain he had hidden. The crying eventually became louder, and he sometimes struggled within my grasp, but I would not let him go. He wanted to flee from the pain, and I knew that; I had to keep him there. He struggled, begged, screamed, cried, and even tried to hurt me in order to make me let him go, but I would not release him; he needed to get his pain out. This went on for many hours, and it was past bedtime when he seemed to finally calm down. His struggles had stopped, and he simply wept freely; that was a good sign. About midnight, he stopped his crying and looked up at me.

"Do you feel any better?" I inquired.

"Mhm.." Dust shivered. "I-it's cold.."

"I've got you." I pulled a blanket over the child, pulling him closer.

"Thanks.."

"Of course. Are you ready to go to sleep?"

"B-but they.."

"They won't be able to hurt you; I'll protect you."

"Y-you can do that?"

"I'm named Nightmare, am I not? I can keep the bad dreams away."

"Thank you..good night."

"Good night, Dust."

The child closed his eyesockets with a yawn, and he soon drifted off to sleep. True to my word, I used my magic to prevent any nightmares from entering his mind, and I ensured his pleasant sleep; I wondered if he had even had one good dream before this. After ensuring his good dream, I decided to drift into a slumber of my own, and I was more than happy to fall asleep while allowing Dust to sleep on my lap. I was reminded of my past, when I would often allow my brother to sleep curled up next to me; I liked those memories. The night didn't last long, and before I knew it, I was being woken up by three children; I never thought that a statement such as that would make sense before I met my boys.

"Wake up!" Killer was smushing my goopy face with his small hands.

"What's for breakfast?" Horror's question was not unexpected, at this point.

"What time is it?" It seemed that Dust had only been woken up, as well.

"I'm awake." I smiled at my three boys. "Breakfast is leftovers from yesterday; Horror, it's your turn to set the table. Killer, you can reach the food and set it out. I want to have a talk with Dust."

"Got it!" Killer saluted and followed Horror to the kitchen.

"So, are you feeling all right?" I turned my attention to my youngest.

"Yeah." Dust nodded. "I'm sorry for hurting you.."

"It's fine; you're not very strong, anyway." I chuckled.

"I can be strong!"

"Not against my insulation."

"Your what?"

"Ah, goop."

"Ooh."

"So, do you have anything else bothering you?"

"No. Thank you for helping me.."

"You're very welcome. Are you ready to eat something?"

"Uh-huh." 

"All right, let's go."

I picked up the child, carrying him to the kitchen. When we arrived, we found that Killer and Horror had already set the table and started eating; that was expected. Dust seemed a bit more comfortable during breakfast, and he even joined a couple conversations; that was progress! As I ate, I contemplated a few things concerning Dust. At the moment, I could see one problem in particular that might have posed a problem: knives; Dust had killed with a knife, not to mention the fact that he had also been abused with one..he hadn't touched a knife since I had brought him home, even just for cooking. I would deal with that at a later time, though, and I would avoid putting him in situations concerning blades. As soon as breakfast ended, my boys had already decided on our plans for the day. Killer had often spoken of the beauty in Outertale, and both Dust and Horror wanted to see it; well, I wasn't standing in their way! As soon as the dishes were cleaned, the portal was made, and we went through it together, ending up in the outskirts of Stardin. I also brought a picnic basket, for later.

"Woah!" Horror was starstruck.

"There are so many.." Dust could hardly believe his eyelights.

"I told you!" Killer giggled.

"I know a perfect spot for stargazing." I mentioned.

"Where?!" The trio were excited; I even felt joy from Dust!

"Follow me."

I led my boys to a spot I frequented; it was quite a magnificent sight, with the stars simply lending themselves to the sheer beauty of the sky. When we reached it, we sat far enough away from the edge of our little cliff to be safe while also seeing the dazzling sky before us. Killer hopped on my back and sat on my shoulders - with the help of my appendages - while Horror and Dust cuddled in my lap, gazing at the wonderful view we had. We admired the sight together, occasionally pointing out constellations or particularly bright stars that piqued our interests; it was peaceful. We spent three hours taking in the scenery, and we could have stayed for days, but we wouldn't; I did bring that picnic basket for a reason, though. When lunchtime came, I pulled out the basket, and we continued to watch the stars, eating some sandwiches at the same time. Before long, we returned to our previous position, which was surprisingly comfortable for all parties. Sometime around three in the afternoon - which didn't really mean much, since we were in space - we were approached by some footsteps, and the owners of which turned out to be none other than my adversaries..great. At least my brother wasn't there.

"Nightmare, what are you doing?" Ink was as accusing as ever.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a neutral zone, which means I'm legally allowed to be here." I didn't turn my skull; I didn't need to.

"As long as you don't do anything illegal."

"I think stargazing is legal."

"Wait, didn't you only have one kid?"

"I did."

"Isn't that an escaped convict?!" Ink noticed Dust, who leaned in closer to me.

"No, he is not a convict. He's a five-year-old child."

"A five-year-old who's commited murder!"

"In self-defense." 

"What?" 

"He killed in self-defense. That isn't murder; it's just killing."

"Murder is murder!"

"Murder is killing with intent; of all people, I should know that."

"He still took a knife to them!"

"After they took it to him." 

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad?" Dust looked up at me with a pleading expression. "Can we go home?"

I smiled at the boy. "I suppose."

"Thank you."

I opened a portal.

"Hey!" Ink was annoyed. "Where are you going?!"

"Home." I answered briefly. 

"I'm talking  to you!"

"And now, you're talking to yourself."

And just like that, we were gone. Over the next few weeks, Dust adapted well to life with us, but his fear of knives did show itself, at one point; we would have to work at that. With the problem concerning Dust's guilt taken care of, he became a much happier child, even showing true happiness when he was with others. He still seemed to be afraid of Flapjack and other various things, but we would get him used to them.

Overall, he was doing great.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean get over problems!

Thanks for reading my problematic writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dust had been with us for about a year now, and we were certainly getting along nicely. Although Dust had continued with his fear of blades, we were making a bit of progress; he could now look at them without hiding immediately. We were going to do something special today for their schooling: we would visit a science-based AU - a neutral one - for a field trip; they were interested in science, and I wouldn't deprive them of interesting experiences. They were growing up so fast! Dust had just turned six, Horror was seven, and Killer was halfway to being eight! My boys were growing too fast for me! We were currently in the kitchen in the upper house, eating a nice cereal breakfast.

"Didjya know that some humans put weed killer in cereal?" Killer mentioned.

"Th-they do?!" Dust was scared of that thought.

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, monster cereal is much healthier, and we would never do that." I assured.

"O-okay.." Dust continued to eat his cereal, but at a slower pace.

"I like cereal." Horror stated. 

"You like every food!" Killer teased.

"Every food is special in its own way."

"Even peas?" I asked. 

"Even peas."

"Ew!" Killer shook his skull.

"Peas are gross.." Dust didn't like peas, either.

"Maybe to you." Horror chuckled.

"I'm done!" Killer announced.

"Good, then you can put your bowl in the sink and play." I responded. 

"Okay!" Killer left the table.

"I'm done, too!" Horror exclaimed.

"Go ahead." I allowed.

"Thanks!" Horror chased after Killer, but not before putting his bowl into the sink.

"Dad?" Dust looked up at me.

"Yes?" I looked at my youngest.

"There isn't weed killer in this, is there?"

"No, Dust, there isn't."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay.." Dust continued to eat.

Breakfast continued for another ten minutes, with Dust not fully trusting the food he was eating. The others occasionally brought up topics such as that around him, and I honestly had to talk to them about it; Dust was more sensitive than other children, and if he had reason to doubt something, he would. I would let them have this day, however; they had been looking forward to it for months. When Dust finally finished his food, I helped him reach the sink to insert his bowl before walking with him to the living room. Killer and Horror finished up their game quickly when we entered the living room, and before we knew it, I was standing in front of my boys, who were sitting on the couch.

"Now, this is a real laboratory we're going to." I had to go over the rules. "Don't touch anything without permission, don't take anything, stay close to me, and if I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. All right?"

"Okay, Dad!" They were always good about following rules.

"All right, then. Any questions?"

"A-are there going to be h-humans?" Dust was afraid of humans; his foster parents had been two of the meaner ones.

"It's quite possible.."

"C-can I stay home?"

I sighed. "How about you just stick close to me? I won't allow them to harm you."

"R-really?"

"Of course."

"O-okay." Dust seemed a bit more comfortable, but I knew he would still be afraid.

"Are there gonna be volcanoes?" Killer wanted to see a volcano.

"I don't think there will be any real ones, but maybe a small one." I believed it was possible.

"Good enough!" 

"Is there food there?" Horror tilted his skull.

"Yes, there will be food." I nodded.

"Yes!"

"Are you ready?"

"Yep!" They were.

"All right, then. Let's go!"

I opened a portal to the AU we were going to visit, and my boys followed me through in their respective ways. Killer hopped through the portal with no problems at all, and his gaze shifted from place to place in a frenzy, trying to take in everything he was seeing; it was only a waiting room. Horror stepped through with a mission, and as soon as he saw the cafeteria sign, he was pleased. Dust..had a bit of trouble, but after fifteen minutes, he was through the portal safely, and he was firmly grasping my skull, seated on my shoulders; the waiting room was practically filled with beings, half of them being humans. As soon as we were ready, we waited for our tour guide, and my boys played a small game while we waited - a verbal game, so as not to disrupt anyone's work. Within thirty minutes, we were approached by a small skeleton wearing a black and white outfit; he stopped in front of us, pulling out a clipboard.

"Good morning, sir." He looked up at me.

"Good morning." I returned, wondering what the child wanted; I noticed that he had a mark under his right eyesocket.

"I'll be your guide for today, sir."

"Aren't you a little young to be a tour guide?"

"I don't think so, sir. The scientists believe that experiments should be able to hold a stable position in the working world."

"How old are you?" 

"Five, sir."

"And you're a living test subject?"  

"I don't know what else I'd be, sir."

"Do you have parents?"

"Once, sir."

"How exactly did you get here?"

"Sir, that's an irrelevant question, but I'm obliged to answer it, nonetheless. I walked down the hall, sir."

"I mean how did you end up in the laboratory?"

"I was traded, sir."

"Traded?"

"Of course, sir. The lab offered my parents a generous sum in exchange for me."

"You were sold?"

"The laboratory doesn't enjoy such vulgar terms, sir. I'm not a slave."

"Then what exactly are you, if you've been 'traded'?"

"Whatever the lab needs me to be, sir. Enough about me; would you like to begin your tour?"

"Um..I suppose so."

"All right, then." The child looked at his clipboard. "Oh, wait, I need to check you in! I'll be right back!"

The child ran to the front desk, leaving my boys and me to talk. 

"Is the multiverse giving us another brother?" Killer wondered. 

"I'll be darned if he isn't safe in our house by the end of the week." I was determined. "He doesn't even realize he's a victim of child labor."

"Does this mean I'm not the youngest, anymore?" Dust questioned. 

"Sorry."

"That's okay!"

The child returned to us at this point. 

"I apologize for the delay, sir." He marked something on his clipboard. "Everything's ready, now."

"That's perfectly fine." I assured. "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"I'm referred to as Subject CR-055, sir."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It's quite simple, really. It stands for 'Child Revision' I'm the fifty-fifth subject, sir."

"What exactly is this 'Child Revision'?"

"You like to ask a lot of questions, don't you, sir?" The child shook his skull with a smile. "I'm not permitted to discuss that with the public."

"Why?"

"I'm simply not permitted. Shall we start the tour?"

"I suppose.."

"Very well, sir." The child motioned for us to follow him.

The child led us to multiple rooms in the laboratory, including one with a miniature volcano; Killer was amused by that. The child seemed to know a lot about the workings of the lab, ranging from how the volcano worked to the beginnings of rocket science! It was obvious that the child had been taught much about science, but I doubted that he had been shown much love. I never once saw him give a sincere smile, and he kept his professional outlook throughout the tour, never once straying from it. It was obvious that he had been kept in the lab since he was "traded," but what I was wondering was if he had been hurt; five-year-olds did not speak with such professionalism unless they were strictly told to, and even then, it would be difficult. He pulled it off with a smooth elegance, which left me wondering about his past. 

"This is the aquarium." The child opened a door, showing a room with fish tanks. "This facility has been adjusted for the public to view the marine life easily, and few experiments actually take place here; however, there is the occasional chance of one."

"A shark!" Killer exclaimed, pointing to a shark.

"You certainly know your way around." I commented, as my boys looked at some fish close by.

"I'm obliged to, sir." The child responded. "I wouldn't be a very good tour guide if I didn't."

"I see..how exactly did you get that mark?"

"Mark, sir?" The child seemed confused.

"Under your eye.."

"Oh, the brand. I received it when I was traded, sir."

"You were branded?" I had the sudden urge to get my boys away from this horrible place and never bring them back; I wanted to get this child away, as well, though.

"Of course, sir; it's a symbol that determines my service to the laboratory." 

"Didn't it hurt?"

"I was traded as a baby, sir; I don't remember the pain."

"What if you were to leave?"

"Well, the plan for my future is to remain in the lab as a scientist, sir, but if I were to go out into the field, I doubt it would be a problem."

"Your future is completely planned out?"

"Of course, sir."

"Don't you get a say?"

"Sir, I'm five. I doubt that I'm mature enough to make my own decisions."

"..." I couldn't exactly argue with that point; my boys were hardly able to make life decisions. "What about what you want to do when you are old enough?"

"There are several fields of science I could go into when I reach the proper age, sir; I'll get my choice then."

"What is the proper age?"

"Working age. For this AU, the proper age would be sixteen."

"You're working."

"Only as a tour guide, sir."

"Do you get paid?"

"Of course I do, sir; how else would I sustain myself?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"In order to prepare me for adult life, I've been granted this job as a tour guide. I earn a rather average salary, which is enough to pay the bills imposed on me."

"You. Have bills?"

"Sir, I don't live here for free."

"What happens when you pay these 'bills'?"

"Then I remain here, sir."

"And if you don't?"

"I lose privileges, sir."

"Which privileges?"

"I..I'm not allowed to discuss that with the public, sir." The child wrote something on his clipboard.

"What about food?"

"I purchase my own food, sir."

"So you're being trained to sustain yourself for when you grow up?"

"Essentially, sir."

"How long has that been going on?"

"I started this job a year ago, sir."

"So you've been working since you were four?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you do before then?"

"I was three, sir."

"What did they do to you when you were three?"

"..." The child paused; I felt a strong aura of fear coming from him. "I-I'm not permitted to discuss that with the public, sir." He wrote something on his clipboard once more, and he quickly calmed himself.

"Did you even get a childhood?"

"Childhood is irrelevant, sir. Children aren't productive when doing things such as playing games."

"That doesn't change the fact that some people need that."

The child tilted his skull. "What do you mean, sir? I don't understand how games would be a necessity of life."

"Studies show that children who grow up without a loving family have a higher chance of growing up to be criminals."

"Which studies would those be, sir? I haven't heard of them."

"Experience studies."

"Experience studies, sir?"

"You're looking at someone who grew up without a childhood. I'm a multiversal criminal. I sincerely believe that if I had been subjected to a kind childhood, I would have turned out differently."

"That's..surprising, sir.." The child seemed intrigued. "That would be an interesting study."

"Have you ever been shown love?"

"Actually, an entire branch of the laboratory is centered around L.O.V.E. and its effects on beings, sir."

"I'm talking about the other type of love."

"Other type, sir? I wasn't aware that there was one."

"The type of love you feel when you're surrounded by family. The type you feel when you have someone dear to you."

"I don't believe I've been acquainted with that feeling, sir."

"Don't you have any friends?"

"Friends are a waste of time, sir. When life ceases, friendship means nothing."

"Haven't you ever had a friend?"

"I tried it once, sir, but when the beta trials came, only a few of us made it into the program; friends meant nothing then, and I've learned from that."

"What exactly were the beta trials?"

"Every experiment with living subjects here has a series of beta trials - some even have alpha trials - which determine the subjects of the experiment, sir. There are occasional deaths from unknown causes during those - nobody knows why - and it happened that my late friend was one of those affected; it only proved that friendship is frivolous." 

"Were you placed in a dangerous situation?"

"Those who make it through are never at risk, sir."

"Could you have died?"

"Those who make it through are never at risk."

"You're good at hiding your emotions.."

"That's a necessity, sir."

"Hey, Dad, look at this thing!" Horror was looking at an octopus.

"This specific marine animal is known as the blue-ringed octopus." The child walked over to Horror, leaving me to wonder how to get him out of here. "It's very deadly, and one touch is enough to kill even a human; monsters, being more fragile, could be killed in an instant. You shouldn't worry, however; the glass is made to be unbreakable, and the octopus cannot reach you."

"Dad, i-is it really deadly?" Dust took a step back from the octopus.

"Yes, but if he says you shouldn't worry, I'm sure it's safe." I made my way over to the others, wondering if I should have considered kidnapping or legal methods.

"Hey Dad, what kind of fish is that?" Killer pointed to a whale.

"I believe it's a whale." 

"A killer whale, to be exact." The child confirmed. "A toothed whale-" The child was cut off.

"Close off section three in the main lab, please; thank you." A speaker spoke.

"Wh-what was that?" Dust was scared.

"Experiments don't always go right." The child explained. "That happens once a week, on average."

"O-oh.." Dust clutched to one of my appendages, and I picked him up to calm him.

"Why's it called a killer whale?" Killer liked that the whale shared his name.

"It just..is?" The child wrote something on his clipboard.

"What are you writing?" Horror was curious.

"Marks."

"What are those?"

"They're to let me know what I should improve on."

"Why would you need to improve on being a tour guide?" I inquired. "You've already proved yourself to be more capable than some adults I've seen."

"Sir, I should know every aspect of my job, including why animals are named in certain ways; if I don't, I'm inefficient."

"Isn't everyone bad at something?"

"Not everyone, sir. Some have that luxury; others do not."

"And you're one of the ones who don't?"

"Yes, sir."

"What happens if you're inefficient?"

"Disciplinary action is taken, sir."

"What does that entail?" 

"Since I'm only five, my punishments are quite less severe than older subjects, sir; I simply suffer a broken arm if I have enough marks."

I froze; that..was less severe?

"Are you all right, sir?" The child was confused.

"A-are there any other children your age here?" I asked. 

"I'm the youngest who isn't a baby, sir."

"I see." I looked to my boys; they were frightened. "H-have they actually.."

"Broken my arm, sir? Many times; I'm not a very good listener, apparently."

"D-Dad, I don't like this place.." Dust looked like he was about to cry; I pulled him into a hug.

"Is there something wrong with your tour experience?" The child tilted his skull.

"We're just having a bit of a bump." I tried to calm Dust by rubbing his skull; he responded to it a little.

"Pardon me, sir, but what are you doing?"

"I'm comforting him?"

"Why?"

"Because he's sad."

"I..don't understand. Is that supposed to help?"

"Mhm.." Dust nodded, already somewhat calmed down.

"How does that work?"

"It makes me feel good.." 

"Interesting. Shall we continue with the tour?"

"Sure.." I nodded.

We continued on, despite the scare earlier. I was honestly considering kidnapping, but I decided against it after a while; the child certainly wouldn't have trusted me. I had to do this legally. Of course, doing legal business with a company involved in illegal activity was difficult, to say the least. When the tour was finally over, I sent the boys home ahead of me; they knew how to prepare a meal by themselves while I was out, and Killer could use the fire extinguisher, just in case. 

"Do you need something else, sir?" The child looked up at me.

"I'd like to know who watches over you." I stated.

"My supervisor, sir?"

"I believe so."

"I can take you to him, sir."

The child led me to a room, where I was met with a human in a lab coat who sat at a desk.

"Who is this, 055?" The human gave his attention to the child.

"He requested an audience with you, doctor." The child replied.

"Very well. You're dismissed, 055."

"Yes, doctor." The child left the room.

"You're Nightmare, I presume?" The human looked to me with a bored expression.

"I am." I replied. 

"Take a seat, then."

"Thank you." I sat in front of his desk.

"What do you want? Some evil weapon or something?"

"No, I'd like to know why you've been branding children."

"..." The human was unsettled by that. "Um..y-you know kids! They're always lying about bruises!"

"That bolt of lightning under that child's eye looks awfully like your logo."

"S-so? It's a scratch! He probably got it while playing outside!"

"All right. How did you get him?"

"Found him on the side of the road, why?"

"You realize your emotions are betraying you; you're a terrible liar."

"Ugh..what do you want?" The human glared at me.

"I want to know why anyone would rob someone of their childhood. What have you been doing with those children?"

"Nightmare, you're one to talk! Kidnapped three children? And you're concerned about us? Talk about hypocrisy!"

"I never kidnapped any children; I legally adopted them, and much like them, I've noticed that your 'subjects' have been horribly mistreated. What kind of person forces a five-year-old to pay rent?"

"It's for future responsibility!"

"Children should be allowed to be children."

"For what cause? What possible consequences could there be for preventing a child from playing meaningless games that do nothing to further their minds?"

"As I've told the child, the results can be quite shocking. I mean, if I had had a childhood - if I could have played meaningless games - I don't think I'd have ever left my AU."

"S-so? You're an exception!"

"Perhaps. Tell me about what you put these children through; I'm interested."

"The Child Revision program?"

"Sure."

"Taking children from birth and treating them as adults when they reach four years of age."

"What about before then?"

"We put them in a sort of coma, inserting knowledge into their undeveloped minds."

"How many children have you done this to?"

"It's still in the early stages, but..maybe two hundred?"

"So you've robbed two hundred children of ever having a childhood and forced them to act like adults?"

"Essentially."

"What about discipline?"

"That's necessary."

"It's come to my attention that you've broken that child's arm multiple times."

"He doesn't respond to instruction as well as we'd hoped; we're fixing that issue in the newer subjects."

"And you find that as proper cause to break bones?"

"The subjects respond well to it."

"You do realize that 'trading' beings for money is illegal?"

"Says the murderer."

"I don't think you understand this situation. In one of the many papers I was forced to sign while in captivity, I found a specific paragraph that caught my interest; although being possibly the most feared criminal in the multiverse, I'm legally allowed to turn in other criminals if I haven't attacked any AU within one week of the report. I haven't attacked an AU..in two weeks."

The human froze.

"So, I think the immediate ceasing of this 'Child Revision' program is a good idea, don't you?" I didn't regret signing that paper at all.

"U-uh.." The human was shaking. "W-well, we d-don't.."

"I'm sure there are many orphanages across the multiverse that will be happy to take in these abuse victims..or you could return them to their families."

"W-we don't even.."

"Well, you had better find a way, before I write a little report about your behavior." 

"Wh-what do you want f-from us?"

"I want to know that those children have childhoods. I want to adopt any of those children who have nowhere to go. And I never want to hear of this establishment dealing in live beings without said beings' voluntary consent. Is that acceptable?"

The human sighed. "You win. We'll stop the program.."

"That's delightful news."

"There's only one child who doesn't have an immediate home available.."

"I'll be happy to sign the appropriate papers."

"Whatever.." The human grumbled, picking up an intercom. "Subject CR-055 to office B3, subject CR-055 to office B3. Thank you."

Within a minute, the child returned to the room.

"You needed me, doctor?" He looked at the human.

"055, you're switching hands." The human frowned.

"Why?"

"The CR program is cancelled; you'll be leaving today."

"Where will I be going, doctor?"

"You're going to stay with Nightmare; he'll be your new legal guardian."

"Understood, doctor."

"036 should be right outside; tell him to spread the message, then you come back here."

"Yes, doctor." The child went outside the room for a minute before returning. 

"Must I sign anything?" I wondered.

"No, there's nothing to be signed. Here's his birth certificate." The human handed me a birth certificate.

"There's no name here." I hummed.

"He never got one; you name him, nobody cares. Now get out before I call security."

"All right." I smiled, looking to the child. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, sir." The child nodded.

I opened a portal to my home, and the child followed me though, gingerly landing on the floor in the upper house's living room. My boys were obviously in the kitchen, from the sounds of cookware emanating from it. I turned to the child.

"Would you like a name before you meet them?" I asked. 

"It makes no difference to me, sir; you may call me 055, subject, or whatever you wish." He allowed.

"Well..written out, in letter form, what's your name?"

"CR-055? That would spell 'Cross.'"

"Do you like that name?"

"It's fitting."

"Would you like to keep it?"

"I think I should like to, sir."

"Very well, then; you'll be called Cross from this point forth. And, uh, no need to call me 'sir'; you can refer to me however you want."

"Um..okay..."

"Come on, then; I think the boys will like getting to know you, and you may like getting to know them."

"All right."

The child followed me into the kitchen, where a rather unsurprising dinner was in the making.

I should have put the dessert book on the top shelf.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean adopt Cross bean!

Thanks for reading my scientific writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Cross had been with us for five months now, and it was difficult. Aside from the fact that he had never been a part of a true family before, he also seemed to have no clue how to be a child; he asked what hide and seek was. It was obvious that we would also have to break him from his old habits; he kept thinking that we would break his arm if he even stuttered! That specific subject led to a lecture on why I would never hurt my children in such a way - unless they developed certain tendencies that would impact their lives in horrible ways if not dealt with in time, but that was for later in life. On the bright side, he had begun to call me "Dad," and I believed that he was beginning to feel some true happiness; he had shown a smile when he discovered a certain type of candy: chocolate. I would be keeping that in mind. He was also doing well in his schooling, apparently knowing how to read and write without any further instruction. He did have trouble in a few areas, however, but that was what school was for, after all! At the moment, I had left the boys at home, since I had to work. I was currently in one of the many "good side" AUs, keeping the balance.

When I was gone, my boys would do a variety of different things, from playing games to studying. I had noticed that Cross preferred to study rather than play games, but he was allowed to do that, of course; the others were definitely for playing, though. While Cross wasn't too fond of games, he was actually quite interested with Flapjack! He had apparently always wanted a pet, but the laboratory had never allowed him to care for one; he was certainly caring for one now! My boys all had their own opinions on Flapjack. Cross liked to spend time with the blaster, sometimes even asking if Flapjack could sleep on his bed occasionally, which I was fine with; Flapjack couldn't hurt him unless I ordered him to - which I would never do. Killer liked to teach Flapjack tricks; Flapjack was well-versed in the art of rolling over. Horror took the job of feeding Flapjack, trying to figure out Flapjack's favorite foods. Dust wasn't exactly fond of Flapjack; he had apparently had a bad past with pets, but we were working on that. As for Flapjack, he was accustomed to having multiple children playing with him and dressing him up in different ways; I had come home once to see him dressed as a baseball player - he had even had a glove stuck on one of his teeth.

Today was a nice day; the multiverse seemed more lenient than usual, for some reason, and my workload was lighter than I had expected; I would be ready to go back home after only one universe! Of course, that didn't grant me luck; my adversaries arrived earlier than I had usually seen them, and they were ready for a fight. I readied myself quickly for battle, and I faced down the trio.

"Brother, you don't have to do this!" Dream exclaimed. "You can come with us!"

"That's ridiculous." I glared at him. "You're an idiot, Dream."

Being rude was a sensitive subject for me. Although I had never said it out loud, I despised rudeness; why would I have liked what I was taunted with for so long? I had at first tried to deal with my brother in a calmer fashion, but there came a certain point when something happened - rather, the multiverse stepped in. My brother had been neglecting his side of the balance, but the multiverse hadn't spoken to him about it, opting to come to me, first. When I had heard that my tormenter would soon come after the brother I loved, I had to try to stop it; that was easier said than done. I debated with it for days inside my mind - which turned out to only be an hour in reality, but I didn't care in the end - to try to get it to spare my brother from my fate, and I eventually won, convincing the multiverse that it was logical for me to handle the balance alone..for a price. If my brother were to be spared, I would have to convince him that I hated him. I had never fought my brother in a true battle with the intent to hurt him before that..I missed those days, but I couldn't argue. The multiverse had spared him. All I had to do was what it wanted.

Dream seemed hurt by my statement; I could feel the multiverse's joy.

"Don't listen to him, Dream." Ink returned my glare. "He's not your brother, right now."

That hurt me more than they could have ever known, but I couldn't show it; that would have been signing my own death warrant..or rather, Dream's.

"R-right.." Dream took a breath and regained his composure. 

"Stop your evil ways, Nightmare!" Ink shouted.

"Not on your life, artist." I responded; oh, there was no way I would put my brother in my position, thank you very much.

"Then we'll have to take you down."

Battle broke out. I was actually quite skilled in fighting three people at once, surprisingly; I had done it for decades, actually - maybe centuries. I used my appendages to fight, since I wasn't the best at hand-to-hand combat; I could still take someone down, if I needed to, however. Bones, paint, and my tentacles flew everywhere, but the projectiles I hated the most were the arrows. Dream was a positive being, therefore he had arrows made of positivity to attack me with; that was my weakness. Of course, my tentacles were made of negativity, which was his weakness, but I wasn't worrying about that. As the battle went on, I quickly realized that I would be losing this confrontation; Dream's arrows seemed to be overcharged with positivity today, and that would hurt. By the time we had been fighting for ten minutes, I was forced to retreat, but not without sustaining more injuries than I could count. I opened a portal to my home, collapsing on the floor. I just wanted to sleep..

"Dad?" A small voice peeked around the corner, followed by others; I couldn't move.

"Dad, are you okay?!" I felt someone small hugging me.

"F-fine.." I groaned slightly.

"I'll get something for him to eat!" I knew that was Horror.

"P-please be okay.." Someone was crying. 

"Wish they didn't hurt you so bad.." Killer's voice became clearer; he had seen me in worse situations, before, unfortunately. 

I didn't necessarily like falling unconscious in front of my boys, but I had probably done it more than twenty times over the years. They knew I couldn't help it, however, and they didn't hold anything against me for it; they really were the best boys I could have ever asked for. I wasn't out for long, thankfully - or at least it didn't feel long - and I was waking up before I knew it. I was still on the floor, which was expected - my boys couldn't exactly pick me up - and my boys were surrounding me.

"Are you okay?" Killer hoped.

"I'm fine..just a bit worn out." I sat up slowly, avoiding moving the spots where I had been shot with those accursed arrows.

"That must have been a very intense fight for you to barely make it out, Dad." Cross pointed out.

"Yes, it was intense.."

"Do you require any first aid?"

"No, but thank you for your worries, Cross."

"You're welcome."

"If you're okay..." Killer started. "Can we play a game?"

"I suppose." I smiled, forgetting any pain I had.

"Let's play tag?" Horror suggested.

"Yeah!" Killer jumped up and down. 

"Okay.." Dust nodded slightly.

"Is that another game?" Cross tilted his skull.

"Yes, it's another game." I confirmed.

"How do you go about it?"

"Well, somebody's 'it,' and it has to tag someone else." Killer explained. "When you're tagged, you become it. When you tag someone, you gotta say 'you're it!'"

"So you want to avoid being 'it'?"

"Yep!"

"That sounds..unproductive.."

"It's fun!"

"I still don't understand 'fun.'"

"You'll get it." Horror assured. "Can we play, now?"

"Sure." I sat up, ignoring my pain. "Who'll be it first?"

"Umm..Dust!"

"Okay.." Dust agreed. "I'll count to ten. One..two.."

The other boys ran off, and I walked; I couldn't deny the fact that I was hurting. Soon enough, I simply sat down in a corner, inspecting my wounds; Dream's arrows had done a number on me, unfortunately. I could hear my boys laughing, playing together. That made me smile, but the pain was still present. They found that I was absent fairly quickly, and they began to search for me; Killer was the one who found my spot first, rushing over to see me in what I wouldn't have described as my finest moment.

"Dad, are you all right?" He questioned.

"Yes..just a bit worn out.." I winced as a surge of pain went through me.

"You said that earlier..do you wanna go to bed?"

"I wouldn't want to leave you unsupervised.."

"We can play in your room! It's big enough to not be loud!"

I sighed, knowing that I probably should have been getting some rest. "All right."

"Okay! You go to bed, now, and I'll get them!"

"Thank you, Killer; you're a wonderful son."

"You're a wonderful dad, Dad!"

I chuckled at my son's enthusiasm. Getting up, I made my way to my bedroom, where my boys were already playing together in the corner; they were even being quiet - that was rare, at best. I slowly pulled myself into my bed, getting some proper rest for once. As soon as I fell asleep, I found myself having a dream about my boys; they were happy, and that was all I could have ever asked for. My injuries were worse than I had first thought, which essentially left me bedridden for a few days, even if I did heal faster than most, since I was in the service of the multiverse; that helped, though. Over those few days, my boys made great strides to take care of me, which was appreciated; I decided that I would take them out to a nice park, or perhaps to Outertale for a day, when I had recovered. When given the choice, my boys chose Outertale; they loved the stars. When Cross first saw the brilliant sight, he said that he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life; I had promised to take him back soon, and it was certainly soon! When I had recovered, we prepared for our day, and when it came, my boys were ecstatic about it; they were adorable.

"Do we have lunch?" Horror asked.

"We're getting lunch there." I answered.

"Ooh, can we go to the diner next to the orphanage?" Killer inquired. "They have really good food there!"

"Sure." 

"How is it always night there?" Cross wondered. 

"Outertale doesn't exactly have an atmosphere."

"How do they survive there, then?"

"Magic."

"They create their own air with magic?"

"A few do."

"That's impressive."

"Yep."

"A-are there going t-to be humans, there?" Dust hoped not.

"I think there will be mostly monsters, because of the lack of oxygen."

"Okay."

"Ready to go?"

"Yes!" They exclaimed.

"All right, then; let's get this show on the road!"

"But.." Cross didn't understand.

"Figure of speech." I helped.

"Oh."

In a moment, a portal had been opened, and we went though, finding ourselves on the cliff we frequented. We started off the trip with some stargazing, admiring the sight together; we all loved the stars. After a few hours, it was obvious that my boys were hungry, and it was right around lunchtime - perfect. We stopped our stargazing for the moment and allowed Killer to guide us to his restaurant of choice, trusting his judgment; I had actually been there once before, but that was before I was a widely known criminal. As we entered the main town area, I knew that people were staring, but I honestly didn't care; my boys were happy, and that was all that mattered. When we entered the restaurant, we took a table in the corner and waited for a brave waiter to walk over to us.

"Pick whatever you'd like, boys." I glanced over the menu. "But try to get something healthy."

"Is chocolate healthy?" Killer hoped.

"In some cases. Not this one."

"Okay.."

"U-um..h-how may I h-help you?" A timid waiter came up to us.

"Can I have a milkshake?" Killer looked to me with an expression that was impossible to say 'no' to.

"All right, but you are eating something healthy." I responded. 

"Yes! Uh, chocolate milkshake, cheeseburger, and starfruit slices on the side?"

"I'll allow it."

"R-right." The waiter wrote down Killer's order. "N-next?"

"Could I have some well-done steak with a side of whatever vegetables you have?" Horror chose carefully. "And a strawberry smoothie?"

"S-sure..n-next?"

"I-I dunno.." Dust was unnerved by the stranger. "What sh-should I get, Dad?"

"Perhaps some soup?" I suggested.

"O-okay. Thanks, Dad. I-I'll take some ch-chicken noodle soup a-and some w-water?"

"O-of course.." The waiter scribbled down the order. "A-and you?"

"I'd like a taco, please, sir." Cross requested. "On the side, some carrots, and to drink, I'll take a chocolate milkshake, please."

"U-uh-huh.." The waiter looked to me with a scared look. "Wh-what would y-you like, s-sir?"

"I believe a simple ham and cheese sandwich with some carrots on the side will suffice." I said. "Golden flower tea, please."

"O-of course.." 

The waiter scurried away and left us to talk. 

"Why was he acting weird?" Horror didn't understand.

"Maybe he's just scared of people, like me.." Dust glanced back at the waiter.

"It could be because I'm a wanted criminal." I pointed out.

"Oh.." Horror realized. "Right."

"Nightmare, what are you doing here?" Ink just had to interrupt our day..and he brought my brother..

"You do realize that I'm still legally allowed to be here, right?" I gave Ink a bored expression. "For your information, I'm ordering food."

"There has to be some ulterior motive!"

"Dad, when you said you were a criminal, you meant it, didn't you?" Cross hummed.

"I'm afraid so." I confirmed.

"Wait..haven't I seen you before?" Ink looked at Cross suspiciously. "You...I swear I saw you somewhere before.."

"Lightning Laboratories?" Cross asked. 

"Yes! Nightmare, what are you doing with that kid?"

"Taking care of him." I answered. 

"He was perfectly happy in the laboratory!"

"Oh, yes, being forced into child labor makes children very happy." 

"Um..what?"

"Can we eat in peace, now?"

"Brother, how many children are you going to adopt?" Dream was interested.

"..None of your business.."

"I think it's cute!"

"Wh-what?! No, it isn't!"

"Yes, it is!"

I felt a tug on my sleeve before I could retort; Cross looked up at me.

"My tooth fell out." Cross held up a tooth; he had been working it out since about three months ago.

"Oh?" I smiled at my boy. "Do you have a wish to make?"

"I wouldn't expect you to believe in the tooth fairy." Ink scoffed. "Wishes on teeth don't come true, you know."

"Yes, they do." 

 "I wish.." Cross thought for a moment. "I wish for a little brother!"

"That's a maybe wish. Maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't."

"I hope it will.."

"I'm sure we'll get an answer soon, and if not, you can redo your wish."

"All right! Thank you, Dad!" Cross hugged me tightly, and I returned the gesture; this was one of the few times he had been truly happy, and I would make it count.

"This is adorable!" Dream was recording-

"Do you mind?" I glared at my brother.

"We're just going to watch you and make sure nothing goes wrong." Ink stated. 

"You can get arrested for stalking, you know."

"Nightmare, we're in a neutral AU; battling sides can't battle here."

"I belive you misunderstand; you're stalking my family, and you're borderline harrassing us. Laws exist for a reason, Ink; I think you would be setting a horrible example when your enemy, the supposed villain, is actually obeying the laws, while you're not."

"And who's going to arrest us?"

"Us? You're the one breaking laws, Ink."

"Dream-" Ink looked to his side, finding no trace of my brother.

"Dream left as soon as he realized he was stalking. He's not breaking any laws."

"Well, I'm not leaving!" Ink glared at my boys; well, that called for extensive action. Dust looked like he was going to cry, and I wouldn't have that.

"Excuse me?" I caught the attention of a waiter. 

"Y-yeah?" The waiter was the same one as before.

"That man over there is being dreadfully rude; he's also not a paying customer, and he's in violation of several law codes."

"O-oh.." The waiter went to the back of the restaurant.

"What was that?" Ink was unimpressed. "Telling them to speed up your food so your prisoners die of food poisoning?"

"No, and they're children, not prisoners."

"Wait, maybe I should stop calling Err-" Ink shook his skull. "What was it, then?!"

"I just know who owns this restaurant." I smiled innocently at Ink - well, as innocently as a goopy octopus could.

"And who, pray tell, is that?"

"What?!" A loud screech came from the kitchen: the owner.

"What in the-" Ink froze when a rather large monster in an apron came out of the kitchen with a broom and a bloodthirsty expression; She locked eyes with him.

"You." The owner narrowed her eyes. "Get out of my diner or buy something!"

"Oh no." Ink chuckled nervously. "I-I hate to cut this short, but..bye!" 

Ink ran for the door, narrowly avoiding being beaten with a broom.

"And that is why you always obey the law." I noticed that all of my boys were giggling a bit at the scene.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, sir." The owner appeared next to our table; she was one of the beings who wasn't scared by me in the least, knowing that she could actually scare the life out of me with her broom.

"That's perfectly fine, really." I assured.

"The nerve of some people, harrassing poor children." The owner shook her head. "Enjoy your meal, folks, and, if the children would like, they can have some ice cream, on the house."

"Thank you!" My boys would never turn down ice cream - ever.

"Of course!" 

The owner went back to her lair- I mean the kitchen and continued whatever she was doing before. The rest of the day passed smoothly, with a filling lunch and some dessert afterwards, which my boys absolutely adored. After finishing that, we stargazed for a while longer before heading home. It had been a rather uneventful day, but we wouldn't have had it any other way.

We were together, and that was what mattered.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Nightmare bean family have fun!

Thanks for reading my uneventful writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

It was a peaceful dusk in our little home. Cross had been with us for six months, and we were making a bit of progress with his understanding of "fun." After an entire day full of games, he finally understood what fun felt like, having felt it during a game of hide and seek; he simply couldn't resist the adrenaline! Although, that was all that he had understood; he would get it, eventually. As for his little brother wish, there was still no progress; I wasn't allowed to take in any children that the multiverse didn't give me directly, but Cross understood. He held on to his wish, though. At the moment, we were in the upper house's living room, doing whatever we were doing; we were all doing our own things. Killer was doing a bit of studying, trying to figure out what an equation meant for math; he had decided not to ask Cross for help, although the younger would have been able to explain it to him simply. Horror was on my lap, practicing his reading skills with a short novel I had found; he was getting much better, but the injury that he had suffered in his skull made his learning process a bit slower. Dust was playing with a pack of playing cards, trying to guess which card he would pull out. Cross was playing with Flapjack, choosing his outfit for the day; it seemed as if Flapjack would be a cowboy today.

"But he wouldn't give up!" Horror read emphatically. "Des-pite the odds, the little caterpillar started to climb the stem of the hy-hyd.."

"Hydrangea." I assisted.

"Thanks, Dad. Despite the odds, the little caterpillar started to climb the hydran-gea! Step by step-" Horror was cut off by a knock at the door. "What's that?"

"I'm..not sure.." I put Horror beside me on the couch. 

Walking over to the front door, I decided to open it; I couldn't stop my boys from following me, however. With them behind me, I opened the door,  revealing..Ink? Ink holding a small crying child?!

"You have got to help me!" Ink groaned. "He won't shut up!"

"What are you doing with a child?" I looked at him suspiciously.

"I figured if you could do it, I could, too!"

"Do what?"

"Care for a kid!"

"Why do you want to care for a child?"

"Something to do while I'm bored, mostly, but he won't be quiet! Can you make him shut it?"

"You have no idea how to parent a child, do you?"

"Nope, but I'm trying!"

"Ugh..come in."

"Thanks!"

"Sit down and don't say a word."

"Fine, bossy boots."

"Dad, what's-" Killer was cut off.

"A very degrading term that you shouldn't use." I replied.

"Ooh, okay!"

"Go play with your brothers and stay away from the visitor."

"Okay, Dad!" Killer took the others to a corner of the living room.

After Ink was seated, I took the child from him and tried to see what Ink had done to hurt him so badly. Upon closer inspection, the child had black bones, with different colors littering his body, including blue streaks coming down from his eyesockets; that wasn't the interesting part, though. The entire child seemed to be glitching! I didn't want to ask, yet.

"When did you last feed him?" I noticed that the child seemed hungry.

"Uh, I dunno." Ink shrugged; that wasn't a good sign.

"When do you last remember feeding him?!"

"Um, maybe three weeks ago? Why?"

"He needs to be fed at least three times a day!"

"..Oops."

"You're hopeless, Ink." 

I pulled a chocolate bar out of the couch cushions; I had always kept some chocolate there in case of emergencies. No, it wasn't weird. The child seemed happier when he had something to actually eat, no thanks to his caretaker; actually, he somewhat resembled Cross when he was first introduced to chocolate. After the chocolate was finished, I brought the child something more filling - soup - and turned my attention to Ink.

"What's his name?" I asked, giving the child a spoon.

"Errat." Ink answered, snickering. "I like it cause it sounds like 'a rat'!"

"You're a horrible influence."

"Aw, come on, Nighty, you know it's funny!"

"It's degrading. Just like you."

"Now that's just cruel."

"Like naming a child a degrading term? Exactly."

"Well, he's my kid; I should be able to name him whatever I want!"

"With the way you've been treating him, it's a wonder he hasn't been taken away from you."

"As if you could raise a kid any better."

"At least I make sure they get fed."

"Bet they can't read."

"Ink, you can't read."

"Yes, I can!"

"Barely."

The conversation was cut off by an unexpected crunching sound; our gazes shifted to the child, who had successfully..eaten the spoon..the soup was untouched.

"Well." I said. "I guess you never even taught him how to eat."

"Isn't that automatic?" Ink thought.

"Apparently not."

"I'm not dealing with this."

"So you're abandoning your child?"

"Yep! Good luck, Nighty!" Ink vanished, leaving me with his former child.

I looked at the child and hummed. Well, Errat was a stupid name; it had to be changed immediately. After rejecting Ethan, Esquire, Eugene, Eros, Edward, Eric, and Ernest, I finally found a suitable name.

"Well, little one." I faced the child, looking it in the eyesockets. "Would you like to be called Error?"

After looking at me for a minute, the child nodded with a smile; Error was a good name. After a smile, I looked to the rest of my boys, specifically Cross.

"Cross?" I called my former youngest.

"Yes, Dad?" Cross looked away from the game they were playing.

"I think your tooth wish just came true."

Cross's eyelights turned into stars; that was adorable! "Really?!"

"Indeed! Come meet your new little brother, Error!"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Cross came running over, and the others followed suit. Cross gave off an overwhelming aura of pure joy, hugging Error almost immediately. Error, although startled at first, seemed to calm down after encountering the fluff in Cross's outfit, letting out a giggle, although..his voice was..odd?

"Dad, why does he sound like those sports announcers on the radio?" Killer tilted his skull.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure we can get used to it." I shrugged, smiling at my boys.

"He looks hungry." Horror looked at the bowl of soup without a spoon and ran to get a utensil.

"Spoon?" Error looked up at me; his voice actually sounded a lot like a radio announcer.

"You..want a spoon?" I guessed.

"Num."

"What did Ink feed you?"

"Spoon!" Error didn't seem to be as adept at speaking as the others had been, but, considering the fact that he had been apparently raised by Ink, he was lucky to even be alive.

"Um, no; you eat with spoons."

"Spoon?"

"Horror has a spoon." I glaced at Horror, who had just returned with a spoon. I placed the spoon in Error's hand. "Here, you eat the soup with the spoon."

"Eat spoon!" Error stuck the spoon in his mouth.

"No, no, no! You don't eat the spoon!"

It was too late; the child had consumed the spoon. My boys looked in shock at the innocent-faced youngster, having mixed reactions. Killer was just plain shocked. Horror had mixed feelings, probably debating whether the child had been fed properly or he just ate metal on a daily basis. Dust ran to hide behind a chair, obviously scared of the younger one. Cross, on the other hand, pulled out a spoon and began to feed Error the soup; he was taking his "big brother" role seriously. Error seemed to enjoy the soup thoroughly, not hesitating to eat it when Cross lifted up the spoon; luckily, he didn't try to eat the utensil again. After a while, the soup was finished, and Cross ran the bowl to the kitchen before returning to hug his new little brother.

"I'm gonna take care of you forever, Error!" Cross declared.

"Fwever?" Error tilted his skull; we would definitely have to teach him how to speak.

"Forever!"

"Frever!" Error giggled, playing with the fluff on Cross's outfit.

"Thanks for the best little brother ever, Dad!" Cross was happier than I had ever seen him before!

"Don't thank me; it was the multiverse that allowed him to come here." I stated.

"But the multiverse hurts you.."

"I know..but it also gave me all of you, and for that, I should be grateful."

"I still don't like it.."

"I know."

"Muttyvur?" Error wondered. 

"We'll tell you about that when you're older." I assured, patting Error's skull; he seemed to like that.

"Okie!"

"Hm, look at the time.." I glanced up at the living room clock. "It's getting late. Should we sleep upstairs or downstairs, boys?"

"Downstairs!" They harmonized; the beds were more comfortable down there, and their rooms were bigger.

"Downair?" Error held onto the fluff of Cross's outfit.

"It's a bit late to get him his own room.." I hummed.

"Can he sleep in my room?" Cross hoped. "I'll even lend him some pajamas!"

"I suppose." I knew Cross would take good care of Error.

"Thank you, Dad!"

"Da!" Error laughed happily.

"To bed, then." I smiled. 

"Okay, Dad!" They nodded.

My boys ran off to the lower house, Cross leading Error softly. As I rose from the couch, I noticed that one of my boys wasn't with the others. I sat down next to a chair in the corner.

"Dust?" I called out softly to the missing child; we still hadn't managed to get Dust over his fears, but we had made a little bit of progress.

"Wh-why?" I could hear Dust crying.

"Why what?"

"Wh-why'd he eat i-it?"

"He probably didn't know any better."

"Wh-why'd he have f-five t-t-tongues?"

"He has what?"

"H-he has f-five tongues.."

"For the life of me, I will never be able to explain Ink's creations.." I sighed. "Are you ready to come out?"

"N-nuh-uh.."

"Dust, he won't hurt you; he's just new."

"H-he's scary.."

"Remember what we said about scary people?"

"..They w-won't hurt me i-if I don't hurt th-them?"

"Exactly. Will you come out, now?"

"Okay.." Dust climbed out from behind the chair and hugged me; receiving a hug back. 

"Do you think you can try to get along with Error tomorrow?"

"..Mhm.."

"All right. Do you want a bedtime story?"

"..."

"Dust?"

"..."

"Dust, are you-" I found my middle child already asleep. "Oh..I'll keep that story for tomorrow, then."

Standing up, I carried Dust to his room in the lower house, where I managed to put his pajamas on him without waking him up. Looking around the room, I noticed that it was completely safe, with stuffed animals standing guard; I found that cute. After ensuring that Dust was asleep without any lurking nightmares, I started my nightly rounds. Every night, I checked in on my boys to make sure they slept safely; it had become somewhat of a habit at this point. I started with Killer, who was sleeping peacefully in his room, which was devoid of stuffed animals; he had claimed to have grown out of that phase, effectively passing all of his stuffed animals to whoever wanted them, and he had replaced the toys with whatever "mature" things he could find, such as lava lamps - honestly, they looked fairly spectacular, lighting up his room - and books. With Killer safe and sound, I moved on to Horror, whose room was decorated with stuffed foods; cakes and vegetables littered the room, but he always made sure to keep them tidy. I found Horror climbing into bed, wearing his pajamas with pictures of foodstuffs decorating them. It was an obsesssion, yes, but I couldn't fault him for it; he had struggled too much in the past to be faulted.

"Good night, Horror." I wished.

"Night, Dad." Horror yawned, pulling his blanket over him.

Turning out the lights in Horror's room, I went to my next stop: Cross's room. Cross preferred a plainer style, using mostly monochrome colors and decorating his room with scientific books and the like. Although, he did have an impressive display of glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on the roof of his room; Cross seemed to be into astronomy. When I reached the room, Cross had already fallen asleep, with Error in his arms; I could see that they had already established a firm trust in one another, which was reassuring, to say the least. With my nightly routine done, I decided to go to sleep myself, in my room. My room was decorated with a certain style in mind, donning a purple hue mixed with black wherever possible. I kept it simple, however, making the main pieces of furniture the bed and a sole dresser; on the dresser...lay a crown, untouched for..years? I didn't know when I had stopped wearing it; it might have been soon after my corruption. I shook my head, opting to simply go to bed and decide where to put Error's room in the morning. When I fell asleep, I found myself in a familiar void - one where I often talked with a familiar voice.

"The child is content." The multiverse said.

"I believe so." I responded. "Why have you brought me here?"

"The child shall be the last of your gifts."

"I see. If I may ask, how old is he?"

"He is to be regarded as five years old, just as the others were when gifted to you."

"Does he have a birthday?"

"His date of creation is April 4."

"Thank you for the information."

"You are welcome. The child is unlike the others."

"How so?"

"He is of a different balance."

"H-he's..."

"When he will come of age, he shall be the Destroyer."

"T-to fight..Ink?"

"Indeed. Why do you show emotion to this?"

"I..didn't expect it..is there any way to spare him from this fate?"

"No."

"All right..I assume I'll have to train him?"

"It is not required. There is a simple way to teach him to destroy; however, your instruction would most likely be far less painful."

"I will teach him.." I didn't want the multiverse to carry out any form of 'teaching' on my youngest son.

"He will be treated as you are."

"..If he neglects his job?"

"Pain, albeit not as much as your punishments at first."

"I understand..I'll make sure he's obedient.."

"This is good. You have become far more tolerable since the gifting."

"..."

"Have you anything to say before communication is cut for the present time?"

"What happens to Ink?"

"He shall become the Creator. He will retain his destructive ability, however."

"All right."

"Do you have anything more to ask about the child?"

"At what age will he be held accountable?"

"He shall begin to destroy at the age of ten."

"Is there any possibility of delaying that?"

"No."

"All right.." I couldn't argue with the multiverse..not with lives to care for..not anymore..

"Is that all?"

"Yes.."

"Farewell, Guardian of Negativity."

"Good bye, multiverse.."

"Must you call us that?"

"I find it more appealing than 'master.'" That was the only thing I had been able to avoid doing for the multiverse..the only sense of individuality I kept..

"Very well."

I woke up at that point, finding that an hour had passed. An hour always passed during my talks with the multiverse, whether we had spoken for days or mere seconds. When I rose, I went straight for Cross's room, wanting to make sure he and Error were all right. When I arrived there, they were still fast asleep. I sat next to the bed, giving Error a pitiful look; I wished he wouldn't have had to go through that, but I couldn't stop it..I couldn't stop anything, it seemed..

"Da?" Error was awake, looking at me curiously.

"Oh, you poor boy.." I couldn't help it; I wept.

"Cwossy!" Error tugged on Cross's pajamas, waking the small skeleton quite efficiently.

"Hm?" Cross rubbed his eyesockets. "Dad? Why are you crying?"

"..I'm not sure if I can say.." I honestly didn't think I would have been able to get the words out.

"Da?" Error laid a hand on my knee. "Okie?"

"I'm so sorry.." I hugged Error tightly, but not too tight. "I'm sorry.."

"'S okie." 

"Dad?" Cross was concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"The multiverse came to me tonight.." I revealed. "Error.."

"What about him?" 

"He's going to be forced into a position..just like me."

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean talks cutely!

I'm gonna flipping miss that-

Thanks for reading my illiterate writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been a month since Error had been brought into our family, and things were moving smoothly. I had decided that I would hold off his Destroyer training until he reached the age of eight, giving him roughly three years to enjoy his childhood; I wished it could have been more. Error had gotten more used to speaking, and he could now form sentences, but he prefered to call almost everyone by nicknames. Killer was "Kills," Dust was "Dusty," and Cross was "Crossy." He couldn't think of a nickname for Horror, and I was just called "Dad"; on occasion, Error would call Flapjack "Flappy." Cross had taken it upon himself to help with Error's schooling and other things, living up to his role as "big brother" rather well; actually, if he hadn't helped, Error probably still would have been unable to form most words. Out of everyone, Error spent the most time with Cross, and he spent the least time with Dust; it wasn't his fault that Dust had trust issues, but they were starting to get along a bit better. At the moment, my boys were playing in the backyard, and they were having the time of their lives - that might have been an overstatement, but they were having fun, nonetheless.

"Crossy!" Error threw a ball in the air, and Cross caught it.

"You're getting better at this, Error!" Cross had finally understood the value of having fun after Error showed an interest, and he had been happier as a result; that didn't mean that he studied any less intently, however.

"Really?" 

"Yep! Here it comes!" Cross threw the ball back at Error, slow enough for the younger to catch it.

"Yay! I catched it!"

"You caught it!"

"I caught it!" Error returned the ball, Cross catching it.

"You're doing so well!" Cross threw the ball back.

"Oof!" Error tripped, dropping the ball.

"Are you okay, Error?"

"I'm okay!" Error lifted himself off the ground and chased after the ball.

"I can swing without moving my legs!" Killer announced, swinging on the swing set without using his legs.

"I wanna try!" Horror hopped onto the swing next to Killer, trying to copy his motions.

"Dust, why don't you join them?" I looked to my middle child, who was sitting alone in the grass.

Dust didn't respond, simply picking a piece of grass out of the ground and staring at it. I decided to sit next to him.

"Is something wrong?" I knew that my boys were prone to feeling out of it every once in a while; Dust probably felt that way the most. 

He dropped the piece of grass.

"I can't help unless you tell me what's wrong." I didn't like it when one of my boys went silent. 

"..They.." Dust muttered too quietly to hear the rest.

"What was that?"

"They..came back.." 

"They?"

"N-nightmares.."

I sighed. "I see..do you want me to make them go away?"

"Can't..forget."

"I know..how about you try to get your mind off it? Perhaps a game? I'll keep a good watch on your dreams tonight."

"Thanks, Dad.." Dust nodded a bit. "I'll try.."

"That's all I could ask for."

Dust gave me a small smile and started to walk over to the slide. I returned to my spot on the porch, overseeing my boys as they played. A few minutes later, Error came running up to me, with Cross following close behind.

"Dad! Dad!" Error ran into my goop; I was glad it was child safe. "Dad, I wanna ask a question!"

"What's your question?" I wondered. 

"How do bones work?"

"What do you mean?"

"Crossy said he broke bones before, but they're better now?"

"Does Cross know?" I looked to the older.

"Actually, I don't.." Cross admitted. "How does it work?"

"This seems to be a good time for a little lesson in anatomy."

"Atanomy?" Error tilted his skull.

"Anatomy, the study of someone's body; in this case, it would be a skeleton's body - or a human's skeleton, but that isn't important, right now.."

"Ooh! Anatomy!"

"Yep! I'm sure the others would like to hear about this, as well!"

"I'll get them!" Error made a heroic pose. "Dusty, Horror, Kills!"

"What is it, Error?" Killer was the first to arrive on the scene, followed by Horror in second and Dust in third.

"Dad is gonna teach about anatomy!"

"All right, take your seats." I sat down on the grass, and my boys sat in front of me. "Does anyone know how broken bones heal?"

They shook their skulls.

"Then this will be a learning experience." I smiled. "When a bone breaks, it often has to be reset - almost always, for skeletons. Now, skeletons' bones heal faster than other beings, partly because the amount of magic contained in them is quite substantial; the healing process starts almost immediately after the bone is reset. Now, inside of your bones are things called osteoclasts and osteoblasts. I won't go too much into detail about those yet, but, in essence, the osteoclasts remove bits of bone that either cannot be supported with the amount of nutrients you're taking in or don't get enough action; of course, there can be other causes. The osteoblasts, on the other hand, add bone, making your bones thicker and stronger. Instead of replacing the bone with scar tissue, as a soul injury - or average human injuries - would, the osteoblasts replace the bone with bone tissue, which is quite useful, since it means that skeletons are immune to receiving scars. Any questions?"

"What happens if the osteoblasts break?" Cross asked.

"If the osteoblasts don't do their job, no bone is replaced; if the osteoclasts continue, the bone could be severely damaged."

"What about my skull?" Horror fingered the injury.

"I really can't explain that..I'm sorry. Perhaps your osteoblasts just gave up..or something else.."

"What about my brand?" Cross inquired.

"I would assume that the osteoblasts weren't developed enough during that stage, or the scientists laced the..weapon with something to prevent it from healing.."

"So bones fix themselves?" Error summarized.

I chuckled. "In simplest terms, yes, bones fix themselves."

"What if someone abused that?" Killer seemed unsettled.

"Unfortunately, people do abuse the fact that bones heal without a trace..many victims never get a proper chance to attain their freedom from such abuses simply because there's no visible proof."

"Is there a way to prove it?" 

"I'm not sure; there might be, but I haven't really done much research on the subject.."

"Is that why skeletons don't get tattoos?" Horror wondered.

"Yes, that's a reason why skeletons don't get tattoos, and you're never getting them."

"What's a tattoo?" Error wasn't sure.

"It's an artificial marking on someone's body."

"Like my face?" Error patted his markings.

"Not really. Your markings are natural." 

"I'm a flower!" Error giggled. "Natural!"

I couldn't hold back a laugh; my boys were just too precious! 

"Is it lunch time?" Horror hoped.

"Hm..yes, it's lunch time." I confirmed. "What would you boys like?"

"Chocolate!" Error jumped up and down.

"You can have chocolate after."

"Aww.." Error made a pleading face; I had to resist it..I had to resist it..I had to..

Half an hour later, we were seated at a table on the back porch, eating some healthy salad; Error had some chocolate pudding on the side. As I prepared the salad, I thought about my boys; I had five lives to care for..they were so precious to me. It felt like only yesterday that Killer was a five-year-old, coming home with me for the first time..he was eight, now. Horror was seven and a half, Dust was six and a half, Cross was five and a half, and Error was five; they were growing too fast for me..much too fast. I had to savor every moment so as to not let them slip out of my hands. We had a conversation as we ate lunch.

"Dad, why does Error have to be the Destroyer?" Cross didn't want his little brother to go through such hardship.

"The multiverse deemed it so.." I frowned. "If there were a way to stop it without risking harm coming to any of you, I would do anything, but there isn't..I'm sorry."

"Why's being the Destroyer so important, anyway?" Killer questioned. "Didn't Ink do that?"

"I don't know what the multiverse wants with Error, but I can prepare him for it..that's just about all I can do.."

"What's the Destroyer?" Error tilted his chocolate-covered skull.

"Well, Error, that's you."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you when you're older; I want you to enjoy your childhood.."

"Okay!" Error licked the chocolate off of his skull; seriously, why did Ink have to give the poor child five tongues?!

"So, do you boys want to do a bit of magic practice today?" I finished off my salad.

"Yes!" Killer was the first to confirm.

"Ooh, magic!" Error clapped.

"Sounds delicious.." Horror was too busy eating to process what I had asked.

"I'm okay with that.." Dust nodded.

"I'd like that, Dad." Cross smiled.

"Then we'll be going as soon as you're all finished." I declared. 

"I'm gonna finish first!" Error stuck a large forkful of salad in his mouth.

"Don't eat too fast, you'll choke!"

Lunch finished rather quickly, and Error had to be reminded multiple times to slow down his eating before Cross decided to portion his bites; nobody choked, thankfully. When everyone had finished their lunch, we headed to the training area in the lower house; it was quite large, actually, and I had used it many times to hone my powers. From swords to magic manuals, the training area had everything that a fighter could ever want, and my boys took advantage. Killer seemed to be drawn to blades, for some reason, but I had decided that none of my boys would be touching knives until they were ten except in cases of emergency or when cooking; Killer did well with his magic, however. Horror was a bit less adept with his magic, but he was still a formidible opponent for Killer in play fights. Dust didn't really have a good grip on magic yet, since his had only just started to show up; monster magic usually showed around the ages of four to seven, and Dust's had come in a small while after he had turned six. Cross's magic had come in early, due to scientists poking their needles where nobody should have been poking; his magic was unstable, and he stuggled to conjure attacks, unfortunately. Error's magic had been present since his creation, apparently, and Ink had already taught him much; there was still a lot for him to learn, however.

"All right, today we'll try to summon blasters." I smiled at my boys, laying a hand on Flapjack. "Now, this is very advanced for beginner magic, due to personalities having to be formed the first time, but if a blaster can be summoned earlier in the magic-training process, the individual may adapt to other types of magic even better than if not. That being said, I don't expect any of you to succeed in this. Personally, I couldn't summon a working blaster until I was twenty."

"Ooh, I'm gonna try!" Killer was up for the challenge.

"I have to tell you how, first, silly!" I chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Oh, right! So, how?"

"Well, first, imagine a personality; you can't change this later, so make sure to make it exactly how you want it. After that, it's only a matter of focusing all of your magic to create the blaster, but you have to remain incredibly focused. That's about it, actually; any questions?"

"What if we mess up the personality?" Horror didn't like that idea.

"Well, then you'll be stuck with a personality that you can't change. Don't worry, though; almost every blaster owner has at least one mess-up. Actually, I meant for Flapjack to be a bit more energetic; he's somewhat the opposite.."

"Really?" Killer giggled.

"Really."

"How does a blaster work?" Cross wanted to know.

"That's a good question." I hummed, trying to figure out the best way to describe a blaster. "Well, it's somewhat like a fusion of a pet and a weapon. On one hand, it'll literally kill someone if you order it to, but on the other, it might want to play fetch; I'm trusting that none of you would make your blasters kill someone. Now, with a blaster, once it's summoned, it'll follow your orders; they have to. A blaster simply cannot disobey an order unless the summoner orders it to harm themself, in which case, the blaster will desummon itself automatically and refuse to come back for roughly a week."

"Like bones?" Horror inquired.

"Yes, all magic is incapable of harming the summoner."

"Is the personality of the blaster dependent on the summoner's current emotions, or can a sad person make an energetic and happy blaster?" Cross questioned. 

"I'm actually not sure about that, but I would assume that emotions play a part."

"Can we try now?" Killer wanted to summon a blaster.

"All right, you can try."

The day went by like that, with my boys trying to summon blasters. By the end of the day, none of them had accomplished the feat, but I assured them that they would get it eventually.

Practice made better, after all.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean family have fun!

Thanks for reading my crazy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Killer

~~~~~

I stared up at them. Two skeletons, a male and a female. The male was tall, with a green right eyelight and a blue left one. The female was just the opposite, short with inverted eyelights. I knew them as my parents. We had been thrown out of our home for some reason, and they had to make me stay somewhere while they found a new place to stay; they said it wouldn't take long.

"Thanks for doing this, miss." The male set me on the table. 

"It's no problem, really." Another woman spoke; she was furry. "He'll be treated well, I assure you."

"Bye, sweetie." The female rubbed my skull slightly before leaving with the male.

I never saw them again. They never came back. 

"You're useless." A child, older than I stated. "Your parents probably hate you, and that's why you're still here."

"Heh, they're lucky to be rid of him, if you ask me." Another scoffed. "Too bad we're stuck with the creep."

"Like I said." The first hit me to the ground. "Useless."

I opened my eyesockets with a fright; where was I? I looked around, noticing my lava lamps..I was in my room; I wasn't in the orphanage..not anymore. The thought comforted me as I lay back in my bed. I missed my parents, sometimes; a part of me wanted to believe that they hadn't left me intentionally. Maybe they were killed; that would have been better than intentionally leaving their child, right? They never even bothered to name me..they probably did hate me..I didn't hate them; I couldn't..maybe they had just forgot where they put me! I knew they hadn't. Why did I give my stuffed animals to Dust? He needed them more..right. I settled on the next best thing: a pillow. Dad was really nice; he had treated me better than my parents had. I loved my dad; he was so awesome! I looked at the clock next to my bed; it was an hour before I usually got up. I decided to stay in bed for a while; maybe I could get Dad and the others to play jail today! Or we could even play pirates! I liked playing games; they were really fun! I thought of fun games to play before my alarm went off, and I hopped out of bed.

I changed into my day clothes, putting my pajamas in a hamper; I had been able to change my clothes for a really long time! I hadn't been able to do that before Dad taught me, and it was fun picking what I would wear; the older kids at the orphanage usually did it, before..they always made me wear clothes that didn't fit or looked bad. When I was changed, I ran outside my room to find Dad; he was probably in the kitchen. We had slept in the high house, last night, which meant that I had a shorter walk. I sneaked down the stairs, wanting to surprise Dad; I had been working on being stealthy, and I wanted to sneak up on him! When I reached the bottom floor, I tiptoed to the kitchen, where I heard bacon sizzling; it smelled so good! I was very quiet as I sneaked into the kitchen, making no sound at all! When I got close enough to Dad, I made sure to stay in his blind spot; he couldn't see, there. I attacked from his right.

"Dad!" I jumped on him. "Did I scare you? Did I?"

"..." Dad contemplated his answer; had he seen me? "I'm going to be honest, here; you had a pretty good strategy, sneaking up on my right, but you should have taken off your shoes, first. I heard you coming."

"Aww, man!" I had failed!

"Apart from that, however, you did a very good job." Dad rubbed my skull.

"Yay!"

"Can you wake your brothers? Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."

"Okay! Waker upper is ready!"

I ran upstairs, deciding that Horror would be the easiest to wake up first. I went into his room and climbed on his bed.

"Horror." I tapped his skull.

No response.

"Horror?" I tapped again.

Still no response.

"Horror?" I shook him.

No response. I thought for a moment.

"Breakfast!" I shouted.

"Hmm?" Horror opened his eyesockets. "Morning, Killer.."

"Good morning! Time to get up!"

"Gotcha."

Horror got out of bed, and I moved on to my next target: Dust. I crept into Dust's room, turning off his nightlight; I had lava lamps instead of nightlights. After the nightlight was off, I crawled onto his bed and tapped his skull.

"Dust?" I shook him slightly.

"Kill..Killer...Killer?" Dust rubbed his eyesockets, yawning. "Morning...?"

"Yep! Morning, Dust!"

"Good morning.." 

Dust stretched before slowly making his way out of bed. Two down, two to go. Next up was Cross. I knew exactly how to wake him up! I charged into his room and jumped on his bed, effectively waking him up.

"Agh!" Cross jumped up, startled. "Do you have to do that?!"

"It's more fun!" I giggled. "Good morning, Cross!"

"..Good morning.."

"Breakfast soon!"

I left Cross's room to wake the last of my brothers: Error. I walked into him room quietly and turned off his nightlight before leaning on his bed.

"Error?" I rubbed his skull slightly. "Errrror?"

Error was a heavy sleeper.

"Crossy's gonna be worried if you don't wake up, Erry." I had used that tactic in the past, and Error usually woke up when I used his nickname.

"Huh?" Error woke immediately. "Where's Crossy, Kills?"

"Crossy's downstairs, but you have to get dressed, first."

"Okay!" Error jumped out of bed and went to his dresser. "Help me?"

"All right." 

I helped Error pick the clothes he wanted to wear today; he still couldn't put his clothes on alone, and someone had to help him. Error decided to wear a blue shirt and jacket and black pants, which made him look perfect! After I helped him get dressed, we went downstairs to get some breakfast, and we sat at the table. Dad had made bacon and eggs, today! I liked bacon and eggs! When everybody had food, I decided to ask what we would play.

"Can we play jail?" I hoped.

"I need to clean the dungeon a bit..not today." Dad excused.

"How about pirates?" I ate a piece of bacon.

"Ooh, I wanna wear the eyepatch!" Error declared.

"Dad can be the super evil bad pirate that we make friends with!" 

"I have to work today, sorry, Killer." Dad sighed.

"Aww..when will you get home?" I didn't like it when Dad had to work.

"I might not get home until dinner; there's a lot to do, today.."

"But that's so long.."

"I know..but I can't take breaks."

"Okay.." I frowned, stabbing my eggs with a fork.

"Can you take us with you?" Cross wanted to go.

"Sorry, boys, I can't; it's way too dangerous to take you out with me." Dad shook his skull. "Aside from the fact that none of you can defend yourselves against my enemies, I also fight people who wouldn't think twice about hurting any of you." 

"We've been hurt before.."

"Not like that. If they had the chance, at least Ink would have no hesitation in killing you,and I'm not going to let that happen, end of story."

"Okay.." Cross turned his attention to getting a piece of bacon out of Error's eyesocket.

"Are you taking Flapjack?" Horror questioned. 

"I'm afraid so; I'll need him today." Dad pet Flapjack. 

"Okay.."

 "Why does the multiverse have to be so mean?" I didn't understand.

"It thrives on logic." Dad had said that so many times. "Logic doesn't care about the treatment of its workers as long as the work gets done.."

"But..but.." I didn't want to cry. "But you get hurt.."

"We can't control that, Killer."

"W-we should.." I started to cry.

Dad sighed, picking me up and hugging me; I hugged him back. "But we can't..it's okay to cry, Killer..it's okay.."

"N-no, it's n-n-not.."

"Shh, I have you." Dad made me feel comfortable. "I have you."

Nothing else was said after that. Everybody ate his breakfast silently, and I stopped crying. I didn't like crying; I couldn't cry regular tears, only determination. I didn't know why I cried determination. I didn't like it when the multiverse hurt my dad; it wasn't right. My dad deserved to never be hurt! He was always kind; he never hurt anyone! Why did they have to hurt him? When Dad left, we had to stay behind in the lower house. We were in the living room, right now, talking about what to do.

"A board game?" Horror suggested.

"I wanna run!" Error proclaimed. "I'm gonna run really fast!"

"What about tag?" I input.

 "Yes!" 

"Okay, who's it?"

"I'm it, I'm it!" Error bounced happily.

"Okay!" Cross turned to Error. "Error, count to ten, then chase us!"

"How?" 

"It's like this: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Now you try."

"Okay..one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!" Error touched Cross."You're it, Crossy!" Error ran off.

"...Did he just.." Cross had been tagged; we ran.

We played tag for a few hours, and I was only tagged five times! I was the fastest runner out of all of us, and I could outrun everyone unless I tripped; I tripped a lot. When we stopped playing tag, we were really tired; running was hard sometimes. For the most of the day after lunch, Cross made us study so we wouldn't fall behind in school; he did that a lot. Cross was the only one who liked studying - apart from maybe Error, since Cross helped him - but the rest of us would respect him, since he was smarter than we were. As soon as the time said it was seven o'clock, we put down the schoolbooks and went to the living room; studying wasn't fun after seven. I sat on the couch next to Dust and Horror, wondering when Dad would get home. Dad's work took a lot of time, and we never knew when he would be getting home. Sometimes, Dad would be home within an hour, and others, he wouldn't come home for a week; I was in charge of making sure everyone was taken care of when that happened, since he was most likely in prison during those waits. At seven thirty, a portal opened in the living room, and Dad walked out, looking like he had been in a fight.

"Dad!" We ran up to him and hugged him.

"Boys!" Dad chuckled and hugged us back. "I missed you!"

"We missed you too, Dad!" I was so happy that he was back!

"Can we eat dinner, now?" Horror was always hungry; I didn't really know why.

"I suppose I'll start cooking." Dad nodded.

"Okay!" Horror was appeased.

"Who wants to help me tonight?" Dad sometimes asked for someone to help him. 

"Ooh! Ooh!" Error jumped. "Me! I do!"

"All right, master chef Error! Let's get in the kitchen!"

"I'm a master chef?" Error was astounded.

"Yep! Are you ready?"

"I'm ready! Let's go!"

Without another word, Dad and Error went into the kitchen, leaving the rest of us to play.

"Wanna play something?" I hoped.

"How about checkers?" Dust was good at checkers. "I-if you want to, o-of course.."

"That sounds good!" Horror was up for it.

"Who plays who?" Cross asked. 

"Cross and Dust play eachother, 'cause they're better." I decided.

"Okay.." Dust accepted that.

"Horror, you're with me!" 

I sat down with Horror and set up a checkerboard for us to play. I had the black side, and he took the red. As soon as we were ready, we played. I tried really hard to beat him with my strategy - which may or may not have been refusing to move my back pieces to prevent him from getting kings - and in the end, he had no moves; I won! Dust had won his game, as well, and we both faced off against eachother, but before we could finish, Error ran into the room.

"Guys! Guys!" Error exclaimed. "Dinner!"

"I'm already there!" Horror was off.

"Did you help Dad?" Cross turned to Error.

"Yep!" Error confirmed. "I'm a master chef!"

"Then I'm sure it's going to be delicious!" Cross allowed himself to be dragged to the dining room by Error.

"Temporary halt?" I looked at Dust.

"Sure.." Dust sighed; he was losing due to my strategy.

I quickly ran to the dining room, and Dust came in a couple seconds later; he didn't really like running. Dinner tonight was delicious: spaghetti! When we finished dinner, we decided to sleep downstairs, and Dad set us on the couch in the lower living room. 

"All right, who wants a bedtime story?" Dad inquired.

"Me!" Error shouted.

"I think I have a bedtime story to tell, then." Dad thought for a moment. "Once upon a time, there was a very pretty flower. This flower was called Rose. Rose had always dreamed of flying, but she was a flower, and flowers couldn't fly. One day, a bird came along with an offer to help Rose fly, but Rose would have to give something up. Instead of asking what it was, Rose accepted the offer immediately, and the bird removed Rose from the ground. The bird flew over many lands, showing Rose places from cities to fields, and when the bird landed, he said, 'You must now hold up your end of the bargain.' Rose met a thorn. The end."

"Poor Rose.." Error frowned.

"Bed time, now. Brush your teeth and get to bed."

"Okay, Dad!" We ran off to do as we were told. 

I loved my dad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Killer bean is silly.

Thanks for reading my silly writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Horror

~~~~~

"Daddy?" I had been crying. "Are y-you okay?"

"Don't be scared.." My daddy held my hand. "It's okay, just look away.."

"Wh-why?"

"Shh, look away, please. I'm going to run off so fast that I'll leave a trail of dust, eh?"

"R-really?"

"Yep..it's a magic trick..just look away for a moment.."

"Okay.." I looked away.

"I love you, my little horror.." He let go of my hand.

When I looked back, there was a pile of dust.

"Daddy?" I was frightened; mommy had run away like that, too, but we didn't find her.. "Daddy?!"

There was nobody. Mommy and daddy had run away fast enough to leave dust behind..but they left me. I cried; I'd never see daddy again! I wanted my daddy! I cried over the dust he left; why'd he have to go?

"Horror?" Someone touched my shoulder. "Horror, you're having a 'me.'"

"H-huh?" I opened my eyesockets; Dad was there. "Oh..s-sorry.."

"It's all right." Dad hugged me closely. 

"I hope I didn't wake you.."

"I was up..do you want to talk about it?" 

"No.." I shook my skull.

"All right, then. Do you want a midnight snack?" Dad always knew how to cheer me up.

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Do you want something healthy, or do you want something that'll keep you up?"

"Keep me up? I don't wanna sleep.."

"All right; I'll stay up with you, then. Get into your day clothes, and I'll come back with a snack."

(My brother threatened me to leave the typo I have just made: "I'll come bacc with a snacc." Okay, enjoy the rest of the story.)

"Okay, Dad." I nodded, getting out of bed.

Dad left me to change, and I did so. Dad knew how bad nightmares could be, and he would sometimes let us stay up if we went bed early the next day; I didn't want to dream about my parents. I loved my parents, but..I had to move on. Nightmare was my dad, now, and although he would never replace my old parents, he was my new one; I loved him just as much. I decided to wear a red and black sweater and some jeans; they would be comfortable. When I was dressed, I went into the living room; we were in the lower house tonight, which meant that the couch was larger and more comfortable. I grabbed a blanket and curled up in it while waiting for Dad; it was so warm. Dad knew that I loved warm things; they made me forget about the hole in my skull. The hole made it drafty, and I was often cold without a blanket covering it. Sometimes, I wished I had never fallen out of my crib; that was stupid of baby me to do, and it would have saved me a lot of cold nights. When Dad came back, he sat on the couch next to me and handed me a piece of pie; it was chocolate flavored! 

 "Thanks, Dad!" I smiled, accepting the pie.

"Of course." Dad returned my smile and wrapped an arm around me. 

I started to eat my pie in silence. Dad was a really good dad; he did all sorts of stuff that normal dads didn't, like staying up all night when one of us had a nightmare. Dad didn't need to sleep as much as normal people, since the multiverse was his boss; he could stay awake for weeks if he needed to! I didn't really like the multiverse; it was mean to my dad, but Dad never really said the same. Dad always said that we should respect the multiverse, but I sometimes felt like he was being forced to say that; he was afraid that something bad would happen if he didn't. I was scared of when Error would have to do a job, too; he would only be ten. I was eight, at the moment, but I knew that I wouldn't have been able to do a job like that in two years. Dad said that he would teach Error how to be a good servant of the multiverse, since he would have been hurt if he wasn't; I didn't want my little brother to be hurt..

"Something on your mind?" Dad looked down at me, recognizing the look in my eyelights.

"Does Error really have to do it?" I was worried that he would be hurt.

"Unfortunately."

"Can't you ask the multiverse to not make him do it?"

"I'm afraid I can't.." Dad shook his skull. "If I were to try something like that, someone would probably be hurt.."

"Why is the multiverse so mean?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you a Guardian?"

"Because it's my fault that the balance is off. I suppose I deserve this.."

"No, you don't! You deserve hugs all day!"

"I'm glad you think so, but not everyone sees it that way."

"Why is the balance off?"

"Because I offset it.."

"How?"

"That's a pretty long story.."

"We have all night." I held up my piece of pie.

"Well, all right. I'll give you the short version; is that okay?"

"Yep!"

"All right, then. It was a long time ago; I don't know exactly how long. My brother and I guarded the Tree of Feelings, protecting it from those who wanted the fruits it bore; they lived in a village nearby, mainly. When they realized that my brother was the embodiment of happiness, they started to just want to take him instead of the fruits. They would take him off to play every day, leaving me alone to guard the tree. After a while, they realized that I was the complete opposite of my brother, the embodiment of sadness. Now, that doesn't mean that I was sad all the time; I was actually quite happy in my early years..but they decided to believe that I was evil. They started blaming me for anything and everything bad that happened, from floods to deaths! I wasn't to blame..but they wouldn't listen. It started out as verbal abuse, but..somewhere along the line, they became hostile..they would attack me on sight if my brother wasn't nearby. One day, they tried to kill me; I was immortal, but I didn't know that, at the time. I was afraid that they would kill me, and I ate the fruits of the tree. The balance was offset that day, and my life was never the same."

"That's sad.." I frowned.

"Yes, well, not every story can be a happy one.."

"Why can't the people who hurt you take care of the balance? They made you offset it."

"No, Horror; they didn't deserve that. They didn't force me to take the fruits; I did that of my own free will, but..I don't regret it."

"Why not? You lost everything.."

"Yes, I lost everything..I was partly insane, a murderer, and I had done my own brother wrong. But I don't regret it. If I hadn't done it, I never would have found you."

"We would have survived.."

Dad sighed. "Honestly? I don't know if you would have. Maybe you would live, possibly taken in by some nice family. Killer might have lived, if he wasn't killed by his abusers. Cross almost definitely would have lived; those scientists didn't show any signs of wanting to kill him. Dust? No, Dust would be dead. He was in prison when I first met him; I didn't have the soul to tell him that they weren't kind enough to simply send him to a reform school. Error? Error wouldn't even exist; Ink only created him because I was adopting children. Don't tell them that; Dust would be more paranoid than he already is, and Error would probably be sad for a while, and you know what a sad Error is like."

"I won't tell them. I promise."

"Thank you, Horror. Are you done with that pie?"

"Uh-huh." I nodded, holding up my plate. 

"All right. Do you want to overcome the sugar and go back to bed, or do you want to stay up and watch a movie with me?"

"What movie?"

"I'm not sure; perhaps a pirate movie, if there's a good one."

"Okay, I'll stay up."

"All right."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Horror."

Dad turned on the television at that point, and we watched a movie about pirates; I liked pirates. When the movie ended, it was still night; it was three in the morning, technically, but it was dark. I was scared..

"Is something the matter?" Dad could feel emotions, and he knew that I was scared.

"I-it's three.."

"Yes?"

"Killer said three in the morning was when the gh-ghosts came out.."

"Ah, I see.." Dad hummed. "Well, he's right."

"H-he is?!"

"Yep, all the ghosts come out at three o'clock, and they leave at three-oh-one."

"They do?

"Yes, they do."

"They're only out for a minute?"

"Indeed, and they don't like to harm people, either; they just say good morning at that time, since everybody else is sleeping, and they want to be the first ones awake."

"That's silly!"

"Yes, well, ghosts can be silly. Are you still scared?"

"Nope! It's silly to be afraid of ghosts!"

"That's right! So, what else shall we do on this wonderful night?"

"Can we just cuddle?"

"Sure."

I moved closer to my dad, wrapping myself in the blanket tighter; that was very comfortable. Dad's goop was actually soft and warm when he wanted to cuddle with us; he was an awesome dad. We cuddled for a while before some footsteps approached us.

"Dad?" Error peeked around the corner.

"What are you doing up this early, Error?" Dad didn't feel his having a nightmare.

"I heard sounds.."

"Ah, that might have been us..sorry."

"It's okay..can I cuddle with you?"

"Do we have room for one more, Horror?" 

"Yeah." I confirmed.

"Yay!" Error came up to us and joined our couch cuddle. "Cuddles!"

"He's so adorable..." I couldn't contain my glee while running on pure sugar.

"I'm not adorable!" Error pouted.

"Then what are you? 

"I'm precious!" Error smiled, giggling.

"I'll take it." 

"You're both precious." Dad stated. "I love you, boys."

"We love you too, Dad!" We harmonized. 

"Error, I think you should get some sleep, now." 

"Can't I stay up, too?" Error whined.

"Sorry, you can't. Off to bed, now."

"Can you tuck me in, again?"

Dad sighed playfully. "All right, but you have to go to bed."

"Okay!"

"I'll be back in a minute, Horror."

"All right, Dad." I nodded.

Dad walked Error back to his room, and I was again alone on the couch. I pulled my blanket over my skull a bit more, cutting off any draft that had made its way into it; that was cold. I looked at the clock; it was just past four in the morning, and I was hungry. The blanket was so warm, though..I didn't want to move. When dad came back, he found me snuggled into my blanket.

"Horror, are you tired?" He wondered, sitting next to me.

"No..just hungry.." I hummed, leaning into Dad's arm.

"Would you like another snack?"

"Please?"

"All right." 

Dad picked me up along with the warm blanket. I cuddled with him happily as he carried me to the kitchen; sometimes, being light was a free ride. As we reached the kitchen, Dad set me on the counter and started to make a snack; he always made the best midnight snacks - or four A.M. snacks. When he finished, he handed me a plate of fruit.

"Thanks, Dad!" I ate an apple slice.

"You're welcome, Horror." Dad rubbed my skull. "Well, we have less than two hours until Killer wakes everyone else up.."

"Can we make a super special breakfast?"

"Hmm, I suppose so. What shall we make?"

"Blueberry chocolate pancakes!"

"All right, let's get to work!"

"Yay!"

We started immediately, getting the pancake mix, eggs, chocolate, blueberries, and everything else we needed to make this breakfast the best breakfast ever! Dad was a really good cook, and he knew exactly how long to cook the pancakes, which meant that his were the best! When the pancakes were done, it was six in the morning, which meant that Killer would have been getting up around now. Dad and I waited for Killer to come see what we were doing, which he did right on time! He walked into the kitchen to see Dad setting the pancakes on the table while I plated the pancakes.

"Good morning Dad and Horror!" Killer waved.

"Good morning!" We returned. 

"Have you been up long?"

"Not really." Dad shrugged; it was never long for him.

"Do you want pancakes?" I offered.

"Ooh, pancakes!" Killer grinned. "I'll get everyone else!"

Killer ran off to let us finish preparing breakfast.

I loved my dad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Horror bean doesn't sleep.

Thanks for reading my restless writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dust 

~~~~~ 

"You're a bad kid!" 

"I hear he's killed seven people!"

"He doesn't deserve to be happy."

"Stay still, brat!"

"Afraid of a little blood? You're pathetic."

"Brother, you killed me."

"Why did you kill us?"

"You don't deserve it."

"You should've been the one to die. Would've saved us a lot of trouble."

"Aww, are you scared? Let's play a little more, shall we?"

"Put that knife down!"

"What do we do with him?"

"Better off dead. Say we'll send him to a reform school."

 "Wait, did he hear that?"

"Ugh, just put him in a cell."

"I..I didn't mean to.."

I opened my eyesockets slowly, being met with Killer. I felt tears running down my face.

"Dust?" Killer inquired. "Did you have another bad dream?"

I nodded, hugging Killer tightly; I didn't like bad dreams. Dad could block out most of the bad dreams, but some still got through, sometimes; those nights were the worst. 

"Hey, it's all right." Killer comforted, holding me close. "It's not real; nobody's gonna hurt you."

It was real. It was all real; everything had been said, sometimes more than once.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Killer asked.

"N-no.." I hugged Killer tighter.

"Okay..do you want me to help you get dressed?"

"Y-you don't h-have to.."

"I want to."

"I-if you w-want to.."

"What color?"

"B-blue?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Th-thank you.."

Killer walked over to my dresser and grabbed some blue clothes for me to wear. After he got them, he allowed me to put them on, and we walked downstairs to see the others; Killer must have woken me up last, today. Killer woke everyone up most days, but sometimes, he wouldn't; those days were mostly when he was sick, but he also went to bed late, occasionally. When we reached the kitchen, the others were already at the table, eating some waffles. Killer and I sat down in our chairs and started to eat after saying good morning. I didn't talk much during breakfast; I didn't really want to. If I said something wrong, they might have abandoned me somewhere! I didn't want to be abandoned! I had nowhere to go if I was abandoned! What if they gave me to Ink?! He'd kill me! I didn't want to die! I was scared of death..what would happen? I would have been punished for killing my family! I didn't want to be hurt..

"Dust, are you all right?" Dad looked at me with a worried expression.

"I-I'm fine.." I didn't talk about my fears; they were stupid, and nobody wanted to hear about stupid things.

"You're crying.."

"I-I'm sorry.." I wiped my tears; why did I have to be so sensitive? They probably thought I was weak..

"If you want to talk about it, you can.."

"N-no, it's fine..I'm fine.."

Dad sighed. "All right, Dust.."

I decided to focus on my breakfast; I wouldn't have done any harm by looking at my breakfast. The waffles were very nice; they were round, there was lots of syrup, and the butter went perfectly into the many holes in the waffles. The waffles were standard waffles, but they were good standard waffles. I took a bite of my waffles; they tasted pretty good. The waffles were definitely good, and Dad always made good waffles. Yes, they were good waffles; those waffles would be the highlight of my day, no doubt. Obviously, those waffles were good and healthy. I took another bite. This bite had butter in it; I liked waffles with butter. Butter was good on waffles, and there was no doubt about that. I did indeed like butter on my waffles. What...would have happened if I didn't like the waffles? Oh, no..they would have thrown me out..they would have abandoned me! What if I didn't like them?! I just had to keep smiling..had I been smiling before? Were they looking at me? Oh, oh goodness! I was such a disappointment! I didn't deserve them! I should have just gone away..they shouldn't have had to deal with me! I looked up for a moment..nobody was looking at me? Oh..they weren't..

"I have something special to do today." Dad mentioned. "Whose turn is it?"

"Can I come?" Error didn't exactly understand 'turns' yet.

"If it's your turn."

"When?" 

"I went last time." Horror stated. "It's Dust's turn."

"E-Error can go with you..it's fine." I had always skipped my turns; Dad wouldn't have wanted me with him..I would have ruined everything..

"Can I?" Error hoped.

"Not today, Error." Dad shook his skull. "I don't remember the last time Dust joined me.."

"Because he never did.." Horror admitted. 

"It's settled, then. Dust will join me."

"I-it's fine..you don't h-have to take me.." I took another bite of my waffles that were definitely good waffles.

"I'd like to."

"I-I guess.." 

"Can I come, too?" Error wanted to go; he would have done a better job than I..

"I think this should be a one-on-one." Dad said; was he going to fight me?! Was I going to die?! Oh, no! He was going to kill me! "You can spend the day with Cross; wasn't he going to do something special with you today?"

"Crossy!"

"I was going to teach him about physics." Cross smiled.

"Physics!" Error clapped.

"Well, we'll be going in ten minutes, Dust; you might want to finish your breakfast." Dad suggested.

"O-okay.." I took another bite of my final meal; he was going to kill me..

I finished my breakfast within five minutes, trying not to shake; I didn't want to die! What did I do to upset Dad? Had I said something wrong? I knew I shouldn't have ever opened my big mouth..I was a failure..I should have just died when I had the chance..

"Are you ready to go, Dust?" Dad noticed my empty plate.

I nodded; maybe he would have killed me quicker. I didn't want a slow death..

"All right, then." Dad held out his hand, and I took it; I didn't want to make him mad.. "Let's get going."

Dad opened a portal to a different universe, and we stepped through. It was..Outertale. I supposed I would die under the stars I had liked so much. Dad looked down at me, and I faced him.

"M-make it quick, please.." I pleaded.

"What are you talking about?" Dad seemed confused; was he going to strike when I least expected it?!

"Y-you're going to k-kill me, right?"

"What?! I'm not going to kill you!" 

"You said 'one-on-one..'" I didn't believe him.

"I meant as in we would do this together.."

"..Y-you're not going to kill me?"

"Of course I'm not! I love you, Dust!"

"O-oh.." I had made a fool of myself.. "I-I'm sorry.."

"You don't have to be sorry, Dust." Dad hugged me. "I would never kill you."

"R-really?"

"Really."

"Then..why are we here?"

"I've brought you here to talk."

"About..what?"

"Just to talk. I like knowing what my boys have to say, and you're no exception, Dust."

"I-I don't have anything.." I didn't want to burden him, especially since he wasn't going to kill me.

"Dust, you and I both know that's simply untrue. Do you have anything on your mind? Anything at all?"

"N-nothing.." 

Dad sighed. "Have any nightmares gotten through recently?"

"A f-few.." I frowned; I would tell him that.

"I'm sorry..I'll ensure nothing gets through tonight."

"Y-you don't have to.." I didn't want him to overwork himself for me.

"So you don't have anything on your mind?"

"No." 

"All right, then.." Dad thought for a moment. "Then..would you mind if I speak about what's on my mind?"

"Why?" I didn't understand.

"Well, everybody has fears; I'm no different from anyone else. Would you mind listening?"

"I..guess not.." I would help my dad; he'd done so much for me..

"All right. I fear losing you boys. I fear waking up one morning to find that everything was simply a dream, and all of you were just figments of my imagination. I fear that one of you might die someday while I'm not around, and I wouldn't be able to stop it. I fear one of you deciding that I had never been a good parent and saying so. I fear disappointing the only people in my life who I can care for. I'm filled with fear when one of you even becomes ill, wondering if I was the cause. The multiverse has given me you boys, and I fear that one day, it'll take you away, and I'll never see you again. I'd never be able to see you grow, and I'd never be able to see you read books or smile ever again..I fear ruining your lives, and I fear that this has all been one big mistake. What if I mess up? What if I argue with the multiverse? What if I say it's bad, and it takes you away? What if Killer's or Cross's parents show up one day and want their child back? What if I'm forced to part with one of the sole joys of my life? What if one of you is captured and killed? Would I be able to hold myself back if I found the murderer? What if one of you turns against me? I wouldn't be able to fight my own children; I'd rather die. I'm sorry..I probably went too far."

"You didn't.." I hugged Dad tightly. "You don't have to be scared..we won't leave you."

"Thank you, Dust." Dad smiled. "I was almost convinced you'd say my fears were idiotic."

"They aren't..I'd feel the same if I lost you.."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh.."

"Do you have fears, Dust?"

"..Yeah.."

"Do you want to talk about them?"

"..No."

"Some other time?"

"I'm just..scared.." I clutched to Dad's sleeve.

"What are you scared of?"

"It's stupid.."

"Dust, no fear is stupid; I sometimes think mine are, but you said they weren't."

"..Really?"

"Absolutely. I won't judge your fears, nor will I make fun of them. Will you trust me enough to tell me?"

"..I'm scared..of being rejected.."

"By whom?"

"...Everyone."

"I see. You've had many people hurt you in the past..you don't trust anyone else to treat you any differently..is this correct?"

"Yes..p-please don't be mad!" What if he thought I was worthless? I trusted him..but..

"I'm not mad; I would never be mad at you. Dust, you're a brave boy."

"Wh-what?" I couldn't believe that; I was scared to death by butter knives!

"You've dealt with this for most of your life. You've been abused, hurt, and even imprisoned, but you're still you. You're afraid of being rejected..would you like to hear a secret?"

"What secret?" 

"I'm afraid of that, too."

"You..are?"

"Yes, I am."

"But..you're so strong! You're strong enough to fight Ink off, and you're really brave!"

Dad chuckled softly. "Being strong doesn't mean that I don't have fears. Everyone's scared of something. Ink's afraid of the color white. Horror's afraid of not having enough food. Killer's afraid of being abused. You're afraid of being rejected. I'm proud of you, Dust."

"Why?"

"Not everybody is brave enough to admit his fears. Not everybody is brave enough to keep going after being hurt for so long. I was hurt as a child, as well."

"You were?" I didn't know that.

"Yes, I had many people hurt me..although, I didn't handle it quite as you did. You killed in self-defense, because they were trying to kill you. Me? I wouldn't have been able to do that. Instead of that, I turned into a big goop monster and killed everyone around me. We have similar pasts, but, to your credit, you didn't turn into a goop monster."

I giggled a bit. "You're a good goop monster, Dad."

"I'm glad you think so. Now..I have a problem."

"What's your problem?"

"I figure that since we're talking about fears..what do you think about Error?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think he'll be able to handle it? Should I start sooner?"

"I don't know."

"The multiverse..is cruel." Dad looked sad; I had never heard him say that before!

"But you always said-" I was cut off.

"Yes, I know what I said..respect it, and such. I try, I really do..it's just so hard when I know what it's going to do to my son.."

"..I get it.."

"What if I don't train him properly? What if I don't have enough time?"

"What if you start slow?"

"Hm?"

"What if you teach him a little before he turns eight, and then teach him a bit more when he gets there?"

"I suppose I can do that.." Dad hummed. "That's a good idea, Dust. I'll start with simple things, such as respect..yes, that could work..thank you, Dust."

"No problem." I smiled; I had actually helped Dad!

"Well, shall we get back home, or do you want to spend the day together here?"

"Can we stay for a while?" I wanted to look at the stars.

"Of course, Dust."

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Dust."

I loved my dad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean talk.

Thanks for reading my scared writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Cross

~~~~~

I was in a room. The room was dark, and I could barely see in front of me. Then the lights turned on. Scientists surrounded me, some of them talking, others staring at me. I was the only child in the room.

"One hundred marks.." The lead scientist scoffed. "That isn't acceptable; we expected more, 055. You shouldn't have made that many mistakes. Were you feeling unwell, or are you simply inefficient?"

"I-I.." I could barely speak.

"Don't stutter!" The scientist slapped me. "Adults do not stutter."

"I'm sorry.." I felt a tear forming. "I..don't know...what happened.."

"That's a lie." He slapped me again, harder. "055, this is not a game; you are here to work and to learn, not to slack!"

"I..I will try harder..I'll do better.."

"You had better hope you do better." He grabbed my arm. "But until you do, let this serve as a reminder of your disobedience."

"N-no, please don't hurt me, please!"

He broke my arm..why did he do that..? I sobbed on the floor as they laughed at me; I didn't mean to do wrong..I didn't mean to..

"Crossy?" A hand touched my face. "Crossy, wake up!"

I opened my eyesockets to see Error.

"Oh..hello, Error.." I was glad that it was a dream; my arm was mobile, thankfully.

"Crossy, why are you crying?" Error tried to flick the tears off my face.

"No reason.." I wiped the tears away; Error didn't deserve to see those. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I got scared.."

"Scared of what?"

"The dark..there are humans in the dark.."

"Error, we're literal monsters."

"Humans are scary..can I sleep with you tonight?"

"I guess so. Hop in, then."

I moved over for Error to get into my bed, which he did accordingly.

"Thank you!" Error grinned.

"You're welcome." I returned the smile.

"Will you protect me from the humans?"

"Of course I will! No humans are going to get you while I'm protecting you!"

"Yay!"

"Go to sleep, now; Killer's sleeping nearby, and I don't think he'll be too happy if we wake him."

"But he wakes us every morning.."

"..." I had nothing to say to that; his point was too valid. "Good night, Error."

"Nighty night, Crossy!"

I closed my eyesockets once more, holding my little brother close; he was so adorable. I loved my little brother; he was the best little brother ever! I often dreaded that day when my little brother would be hurt, but I didn't want to focus on that; I would make sure that my little brother had the best childhood ever! As soon as I knew that he was asleep, I allowed myself to follow, having a dream that was definitely better than that nightmare. I had considered calling them something else; Nightmare was my dad, and nothing bad should have been related to him, since he was good! Dad was the best dad I had ever known - and..the only dad I had ever known, but that was a different story - and he didn't deserve to mean something bad! I decided that I would think about that later. When I woke up, I found Error still asleep; somehow, Killer hadn't woken us up yet, although it was a whole hour past the time when he usually would; I hpped he wasn't ill. I decided to climb out of bed and get dressed before waking up Error, which I did. When the time came to wake my little brother, I did so with a tenderness I reserved for him.

"Erry, it's wakey time." I rubbed Error's skull softly. "We're going to have a fun day, today."

"Mm..Crossy?" Error yawned. "Wakey time?"

"Yes, it's wakey time. Remember the trip Dad said he'd take us on, today?"

"Farm!"

"Yes, we're going to a farm! That's a good job remembering!"

"Yay! I remembered good!"

"You remembered well."

"I remembered well!"

"Good job, Erry!"

"Thank you, Crossy!"

"Ready to get into your day clothes?"

"Yes!"

"All right, piggy back ride!"

"Yay!"

I turned around and allowed Error to climb on my back; I was a bit bigger than he, despite being only half a year older. When he was firmly stabilized on my back, I gave him a ride to his room, where he picked out his outfit for the day; it was an outfit including overalls, since Error wanted to dress up like a farmer while at a farm. After finding a play hat made of straw, Error looked like a little farmer; he was adorable! As soon as he was ready, we went off to the kitchen, where Dad was making breakfast. He smiled when he saw Error's farmer outfit.

"Ah, you're the first ones up." He said. "Good morning."

"Good morning." I replied. 

"Morning!" Error giggled, jumping up and down. "Do I look like a farmer?"

"You are a farmer, aren't you?"

"Nope!"

Dad performed a dramatic gasp. "Then who are you?"

"I'm Error!" Error waved his straw hat in the air.

"Error?! I didn't know it was you under that hat!"

"It's me!"

"Well, you're a very good pretender!"

"Yay! I'm a good pretender!"

"Are you ready for breakfast, my little farmer?"

"I'm ready!" Error sat at the table readily.

"I wonder where Killer is.."

"Should I check on him?" I volunteered.

"Would you?"

"Sure."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

I walked out of the kitchen to Killer's room, where I found the brother in question on the floor, doing a puzzle?

"Killer?" I sat on the floor in front of him.

"Huh?" Killer looked up. "Oh, hey, Cross."

"It's morning."

"I know."

"It's time for breakfast."

"Oh! Sorry! I was gonna wake everybody up, but then I saw a puzzle, and I sorta..got sidetracked."

"That's all right. Dust and Horror are still asleep."

"Okay! Waker upper is on the case!" 

Killer ran off, and I went toward the kitchen, where Error was eating some cereal with Dad. I explained the situation to them and got some cereal of my own, eating it with them. Dust, Killer, and Horror entered the kitchen a bit later, and they received their share of cereal as well. Breakfast was rather quick, but we still had a short conversation. Surprisingly, Dust started this one.

"Dad?" Dust looked to Dad.

"Yes, Dust?" Dad seemed proud that Dust was coming out of his shell a little.

"You said that everybody's scared of something.."

"That's true."

"What's Cross scared of?"

"..I'm not sure. Cross?"

"I have no idea." I wasn't really scared of anything..the scientists were bad, sure, but they were always nicer when I had done a good job, therefore cancelling out any fear of them.

"Well, there will be something."

"Okay.." Dust looked back to his cereal.

When breakfast was over, Dad went over the rules again.

"All right." He started. "You all know not to trust strangers, and you know to stay close to me; even so, I expect you to remember that. There are going to be live animals at this farm, and they may bite you if you get too close; if there is a clear sign that you may pet them, stay away from their mouths, unless you're feeding them. Remember that this is a neutral AU, but they probably still won't want to be close to us; I'm still a criminal, in their eyes. They have allowed us to take a tour, but we are going to stay in a specific part of the farm. Any questions?"

"Is there going to be a tour guide?" Killer wondered. 

"No, there was no tour guide quite as brave as Cross." Dad smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Crossy is the best tour guide!" Error proclaimed. 

"No, I'm not!" I chuckled.

"You are, now!" Error patted my skull - his form of dubbing people with titles.

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that."

"That's right! No argues!" 

"Arguments."

"No arguments!"

"All right, I concede."

"Any other questions?" Dad looked at us.

There were no more questions.

"All right, let's go." Dad opened a portal.

We walked through the portal, finding the entrance to a farm; it was huge! There were pens with all sort of animals, such as sheep, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, and all the animals I had seen in books but never seen in real life before! Error started jumping when he saw all of the animals.

"Aminals!" Error shouted.

"Animals!" I corrected.

"Animals!" 

"Let's start." Dad looked to the pens.

Dad led us to the first pen, where we saw some sheep and goats; they were so cool! The sheep had very fluffy wool; Dad said we were allowed to pet them, and we took advantage. Even Dust touched the wool a bit! Error went a bit overboard, sticking his skull into a very fluffy sheep's wool; we had to pull him out, but he was laughing the entire time. Next up were the chickens, which we couldn't pet, but we looked at them as they walked, moving their heads back and forth. We then looked at the horses, which were gigantic! The horses must have been six feet high! There were also ponies, which were much smaller, some of them shorter than I! Error wanted to ride a pony, but we weren't allowed to do that; he settled for riding on Dad. Next up were the cows, which looked quite silly! They had spots-

I heard a sound - a low, guttural sound. It..it sounded like..it sounded like one of the machines in the laboratory starting up..the ones that would hurt..the ones that would shatter bones. Where was it coming from?! I didn't want to be hurt! I held Dad's leg; he would protect me..he wouldn't let the machine hurt me..

"Cross?" Dad looked down at me. "Are you all right?"

"I don't like it.." I mumbled. "Scary sound.."

"Cross, that's a cow."

"It's dangerous.." I didn't want to be near the scary cows..they made bad sounds..

"It's safely in its pen."

"It's gonna hurt me.."

"It's not going to hurt you." Dad picked me up and allowed me to lie against his sternum while viewing the horrendous beast. "See? It won't hurt you."

"I..guess.." I supposed it wasn't that scary..

It made the sound again.

"No!" I hid my face in Dad's jacket; it was not friendly! "It's scary!"

"Hm.." Dad sighed. "Would you like to move on?"

"Yes!" I wanted to get as far away from that beast as possible!

"All right, pigs are next."

"Oh, boy!" Error was excited to see pigs.

We moved on, leaving the dreadful "cows" behind; I knew what they really were. They were malevolent, sadistic beasts disguised as mere farm animals; those farmers didn't know what they had living in their pens, eating their precious feed. Those poor farmers must have been threatened every day just to remain silent about the threats they harbored in those pens; I pitied them. They were probably forced to obey the beasts' whims in order to get their own breakfast, while the dreadful beasts sat in the lap of luxury, driving the farmers to ruin due to their impossible demands. Now that I was paying attention, I could feel the evil aura emanating from the fiends; it spread throughout the entire AU, no doubt, and it pressured the air. The brutes must have been not only controlling the farmers, but the rest of the animals, as well; that was sick. When we reached the pigs, I couldn't get my mind off of the beasts we had previously seen..they scared me too much; I didn't ever want to see a cow ever again! As we went through the rest of the farm, Dad continued to carry me; I felt like my legs were going to give out, and the monstrous cows would trample me under their serrated hooves of doom! I didn't want to be trampled!

"Bunny!" Error giggled when he saw a bunny, and he took me out of my thoughts for a moment. "Crossy, look! It's a bunny!"

"That's a cute bunny, Error." I smiled, silently hoping that the beasts hadn't gotten to the poor lagomorphs.

"Well, that's our time." Dad glanced at a clock tower that happened to be in the farm. "We should be getting home."

"Aww!" Error wanted to stay.

"I made chocolate cupcakes for dessert." 

"Home!" Error loved chocolate as much as I did!

"Home it is."

Dad opened a portal for us to go back home, and we did so immediately; Error and I had our souls set on those chocolate cupcakes! After a quick and unimportant dinner, the wondrous treats came out. Chocolate cupcakes were the best desserts ever, apart from possibly some other chocolate dessert I hadn't heard of. The frosting was perfectly centered, the cake was simply delightful to eat, and the entire treat was delectable. Personally, I had two. Error would have had two, but he was too full from dinner; he settled for one today and another tomorrow. When bedtime arrived, Dad told us a bedtime story before sending us off, and we liked every bit of it! It was about a caterpillar that went to the moon! When I reached my room, I put on my pajamas and climbed into my bed, but I couldn't sleep. I felt like I was being watched. I looked at my closet; there was nothing. I looked under my bed; there was still nothing. I looked on the roof, but there was nothing. As much as I tried to convince myself of the truth, I couldn't; I was scared. When the clock showed that it was midnight, I knew that I had to do something. So I went to Error's room, and I woke him up.

"Erry?" I had a small quiver in my voice.

"Crossy?" Error opened his eyesockets sleepily. "Is it morning?"

"No, it's still night.."

"Why you here?" Error was definitely tired.

"I...got scared.."

"Do you wanna sleep with me?"

"Can I?"

"Yep! I be the big brother today! I protect you!"

"Thanks, Erry." 

"No problem!" Error moved over to give me space to sleep, and I carefully lay next to him. 

I loved my brother.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cross bean discover cows.

Why did you misread the script, huh, Cross? It's supposed to be "I loved my dad"!

Cross: Well your script is stupid. Dad wasn't even there! But I do love him, if it's any consolation.

...

Thanks for reading my milky writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

Error

~~~~~

"Eat?" I looked up at Ink.

"Oh, sure." Ink dropped a fork. "Go nuts."

"Num!" I ate it.

"Why did I make you to eat metal? What was I thinking?"

"Num num."

"Whatever, I'll see ya later, kid." He left me in my cage.

"Back..back! Back!" I cried.

I sobbed in my cage; Ink always forgot about me..I didn't like being forgotten...

"Erry?" Someone..was there? "Erry, it's morning."

"Morning?" I yawned; it was morning..morning meant..play? Play?!

"Yep, morning!" Kills's voice was evident; he was there!

"Morning!" I opened my eyesockets; I wanted to play!

"Good morning, Error! It's time to get up!"

"Okay!" I slid out of my bed, ready for the amazing day ahead of me!

"Do you want to try to dress yourself?"

"Yes! I can do this!" 

"All right, I'll help you if you need me."

I grabbed a shirt; that was important! Oh, I had to take off my pajamas first..I did that and picked up the shirt again. There were three holes to put my skull through..which one was it? Um..I decided to use all three of them, but my skull didn't fit? My skull wasn't that big! I was stuck..

"Help!" I couldn't get my skull unstuck! "Kills!"

"I gotcha." Kills helped me get unstuck; he was a good big brother!

"Thank you!"

"No problem. Do you want help now?"

"Uh..yes, please." Putting on my own clothes was a task I couldn't manage.

"I'll get you ready." Kills picked out some awesome-looking clothes and started helping me put them on! "I think Dad's going to do a teaching thing with you, today."

"What kind of teaching thing?" I noticed that Kills only used the middle hole for my skull; I had to remember that. 

"I think it's something about being the Destroyer." Kills made sure my shirt was perfect!

"What's the Destroyer, again?" 

"You, but you only start when you're ten." Kills grabbed some pants.

"Are you ten?"

"Almost. Next month, I'll be ten." Kills helped me put the pants on.

"Will I be ten, too?"

"No, you're seven. You still have to be eight and nine before you're ten." Kills grabbed some socks.

"Why?"

"Because that's how it works." Kills tickled my feet when he put the socks on.

"Hey, that tickles!"

"I'm the tickle monster! Roar!"

"No, spare me!"

"Why should I spare you?"

"Because I'll hug you!"

"Hmm, that's a deal." Kills hugged me, and I hugged him back. "I love you, Error."

"I love you, too, Kills!"

"Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Yep!"

"Let's get going!"

"Go!"

I started running to the kitchen; I was going to be the first there! Kills didn't run as fast as me, which meant that I made it first, but everyone else was already there..I wasn't first..

"Good morning, Error." Dad cheered me up.

"Good morning!" I hopped up on my chair as Kills made his entrance.

I started to eat breakfast; I wondered if there would be chocolate after breakfast. I really liked chocolate! Chocolate tasted amazing! I felt bad for dogs; they couldn't have chocolate, because they were allergic. I didn't really know what allergic was, but people who were allergic to things couldn't be near them. I was sad when Crossy said that people were allergic to Dust a lot, since that meant that they couldn't be near Dusty! I was glad that I wasn't allergic to Dusty. I wondered if Dad knew why people were allergic to Dusty..

"Dad?" I looked at Dad.

"Yes, Error?" Dad responded.

"Crossy said people were allergic to things."

"Yes, most people have allergies of some sort."

"Why?"

"Different causes; sometimes it's simply inhaling pollen, while others, a bee's sting may prove to be..serious."

"Why are people allergic to Dusty?"

"Um.." Dad laughed a little.

"Why are you laughing?! People being allergic to Dusty isn't funny! He's really nice, and nobody should be allergic to him!"

"They aren't allergic to him, Error. They're allergic to a different dust."

"So people aren't allergic to Dusty?"

"Not at all."

"Oh. Okay!"

I went back to my breakfast, happy that people weren't allergic to my older brother; that would have been sad. When I finished my breakfast, Dad told me to stay at the table, and I did; I was a good little soldier! I played with my spoon for a little bit while the others ate; I was surprised when the others told me that spoons weren't for eating; Ink had always fed me spoons and forks. When everybody was done, Dad picked me up and carried me to the training room; I liked that room! I wanted to make a blaster that looked like Flapjack, but I wasn't able to make one yet; nobody else could, either. When we reached the training room, Dad set me on a mat and sat in front of me.

"Today is the beginning of your novice training." Dad stated.

"What's that?" I wasn't sure.

"Next year, your true training shall begin, but you'll have a little before that point. We're starting out slow."

"What am I training for?" 

"In three years..you will become the Destroyer."

"Why?"

"Because the multiverse said so."

"Why did the multiverse say so?"

"I don't know. Now, today I'll begin to teach you about the multiverse."

"Okay!"

"Do you know what the multiverse is?"

"Crossy said it's a bunch of universes!" Crossy knew all kinds of stuff!

"Yes, it is. The multiverse is inescapable while inside of these universes. Now, there are other multiverses; that has been proven..but there is no way to travel between them from this one, as of yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, as you know, opening a portal between simply universes is a difficult task; you don't have enough magic to do that, yet."

"It's really hard!" I wanted to do it..

"Yes, so imagine opening a portal between multiverses."

"Super hard!"

"Indeed. Our multiverse is a simple one, and by that, I mean simple to understand. Our multiverse has things called balances. Do you know what a balance is?"

"Is it those things you put pennies on?"

"That's a scale, but it can represent a balance. It just so happens that I have one..right here." Dad pulled out a scale and placed it on the ground.

"Wow!"

Dad chuckled. "Now, the multiverse contains two balances that you will be directly related to: the Balance of Emotions, and the Balance of Creation and Destruction. You won't be working with the Balance of Emotions, since that's my job, but you will be working with the Balance of Creation and Destruction, being the Destruction side."

"Who's the Creation side?"

"That would be..Ink."

"Why?" 

"He's known as the Creator, as you will be the Destroyer. You will most likely have to fight him, and you will most likely lose, at first."

"I can't fight Ink! He's so strong!" I was so weak!

"Don't worry, son; I'll be there to help you whenever I can."

"H-he'll hurt me.." I didn't want to be hurt..

"I know..but you'll be stronger, and you'll be able to take it."

"R-really?"

"Hey, would I train you wrong?"

"No.."

"That's right. Now, back to balances." Dad pulled out some stones. "I'll use your balance as the example. Now, in the multiverse, there is a limit of how many AUs there can be; not everybody knows that, unfortunately, and those include Ink."

"Can't we just tell him?"

"I've tried, believe me..he simply won't listen. No, you'll have to ignore the urge; the multiverse doesn't want him to know, and if we go against it..there will be consequences.."

"What..k-kind of consequences..?"

"..Bad ones." 

"I don't wanna go against it!" I was scared; what if it hurt me?!

"That's good." Dad rested a hand on my shoulder. "Keep that mindset; it'll keep you safe."

"Wh-why do I h-have to be s-scared?"

"Because..it wants you to be scared, and if you aren't, it will make you scared; the multiverse thrives on logic, and if you are scared, it makes sense that you will do what it tells you to do. Always obey it."

"I-I will!" I didn't want to be hurt!

"Good. Now..you will be in direct contrast to your opponent, Ink. When Ink creates a universe.." Dad dropped a stone into one of the sides of the scale; it went down. "The balance could be offset. When this happens, you will have the job of destroying a universe." Dad took the stone back out; the scale was even again. "However, when you destroy too many universes.." Dad dropped a stone in the other side, tipping it. "Ink will have to create more." Dad dropped another stone in the other side, balancing it. "Do you know what happens when there are too many universes?"

"No.."

"To put it simply.." Dad dropped all of the stones into one side, and the scale was offset completely; he then knocked the scale over, and all of the stones fell out. "The multiverse explodes."

"It what?!" I didn't want everything to explode!

"This is why you keep the balance. They will hate you, and they will try to kill you, but you must never give up."

"..Is that what happens for you, too?"

"Somewhat, although the multiverse doesn't explode if I don't do my job right. I keep the Balance of Emotions, which keeps everyone feeling happy, sad, angry, excited, surprised, shocked, and every emotion you can think of. If my balance were to tip.." Dad pulled the scale back up and collected the stones. "To the positive side.." Dad dropped a stone in, upsetting the balance. "Everyone would be feeling happy all the time."

"What's so bad about that?" I liked being happy.

"Well, if your favorite sock goes missing, are you going to want to be happy?"

"No.."

"That's why I cause negative emotions. When I go to work, I make people sad and scared; when I do that.." Dad put a stone in the other side of the scale. "I balance it. When my balance is stable, people can feel happy or sad at the right moments, and they won't be happy nor sad at the wrong times. When I go overboard.." Dad placed another stone in the negative side. "Everybody feels sad, scared, and angry all the time. When that happens, I have to go undercover and make good things happen to cheer everybody up." Dad placed another stone in the positive side. "The Balance of Emotions is different from the Balance of Creation and Destruction, however; when people start to feel sad or happy all the time, they spread it. If the balance tips and is left that way, it will start to tip on its own. Actually, it tips randomly, sometimes; the multiverse is to thank for that. If the balance tips completely, either all bad emotions or all good emotions will simply..vanish. If that happens, only intense efforts from every Guardian of every balance can restore it, and even then, it has to be kept."

"What happens if a Guardian doesn't wanna restore it?"

"Then they'll have to be compelled..or the balance will simply not be restored."

"What if a Guardian dies?"

"If a Guardian dies, there is always a replacement. If I die, my brother replaces me. If he dies, someone else will be forced. The multiverse always has a backup plan."

"...I'm scared."

"I know. I'm sorry for scaring you, but it's far better that you are scared by my descriptions than the multiverse's wrath."

"..Have you..has it hurt you?"

"Yes..yes, it  has hurt me many more times than I would like to admit. Do you know how you receive a punishment if you don't do your chores?"

"Yeah.." I didn't like not being able to watch movies for a week; I always did my chores.

"Well, keeping the balance is the multiverse's form of chores..and if you don't do them..you suffer punishments worse than simply losing tv privileges."

"Like what?"

"Losing life privileges. Of course, that's only if you refuse after much struggle. If you do your job obediently, you could literally be immortal."

"..How old are you?"

"A few centuries."

"You're so old!"

"Yes, I'm so old. Now, that'll wrap up our lesson for today. Would you like to go play with the others?"

"Yes!"

"All right, run along, then."

"Thank you, Dad!"

"You're welcome, Error."

I ran off to play with my brothers, who were playing with Flapjack; I loved to play with Flapjack!

I loved my dad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean is taught!

Thanks for reading my balanced writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Killer

~~~~~

Today had been my tenth birthday! We had cake, ice cream, and we even went to Outertale for a bit! It was really the best birthday ever! My favorite part was when Error "crowned" me with a paper hat that he had made; he was so adorable! Alas, all good things had to come to an end, and it was bedtime. I was in my bed, ready for a full night's rest. Dad was next to me, since he tucked us in on our birthdays and gave us special birthday bedtime stories; I loved those. 

"Good night, my eldest." Dad hugged me. "Oh, you're getting too old for me!"

"I love you, Dad." I yawned.

"I love you, too, Killer. Happy birthday." 

"Thanks."

"It's time for you to get some rest, now, all right?"

"All right. Good night."

"Good night."

Dad left me in my room to stare at my lava lamps until I fell asleep. I felt strangely tired, even after all that cake..I fell asleep rapidly. When I woke up..where was I? Was this a dream? A black void..this..had to be a dream, right? I pinched myself, but it didn't hurt; I was dreaming. I had heard of lucid dreams before, but this was..surreal! Although..I couldn't do anything..maybe this was only half lucid? Did those even exist? 

"Hello?" I called out.

"Welcome." Something..said? I didn't hear it, but..what?

"What..where are you?"

"I am everywhere."

"What are you?" I could totally be brave toward a monster lurking in my dreams..totally...

"I am the multiverse."

I froze. The..multiverse? The thing that made my dad do those things..

"I believe the mentioning of your service has been neglected." It..it was..my service?!

"My..service?" I didn't want to be in a service..

"Yes, you will be linked to a balance, as your caretaker is."

"Does..he know?"

"It may have been skipped in conversation. You may deliver the news when you awaken. Would you like to hear the details of your service?"

"Um..is there any way to quit? I don't really want to do this.."

"No."

"..Okay..what are those details?" I would have to ask Dad about this when I woke up..and possibly cry for three hours..

"You shall be linked to the Balance of Emotions, just as the Guardian of Negativity is. He will describe to you how to perform your duties and other various necessities. You are not expected to understand every rule imposed on you until that point. You will have one day until you are held accountable, at which point, you will be expected to obey any orders given to you. If you do not, your penalties will be severe. If you possess any questions, you are recommended to ask them now."

"What about Error?"

"He will be linked to the Balance of Creation and Destruction."

"Is the day twenty-four hours exactly?"

"Yes, you will possess twenty-four hours upon waking to be free of reprimand. At the end of those twenty-four hours, you shall be imposed with the rules that the Guardian of Negativity relays to you."

"What if he forgets one?"

"If he is so foolish as to forget a rule, it will be given to you in a dream, such as this one."

"Um..do I get a title?"

"Yes."

"What is it?" If I could get one fun thing out of this, I would.

"You shall receive it when you earn it."

"..Will I have to..kill people?" I didn't want to do that.

"That is likely; however, the Guardian of Negativity will likely attempt to take responsibility for those occurrences. If you are ordered to kill a being, you will."

"..Will this happen to my brothers, too?"

"At the age of ten."

"..."

"Do you possess any further questions?"

"Will I be able to come back if I do?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't.."

"Very well. You are now free to use your twenty-four hours however you wish."

~~~~~

Dadmare - panic version

~~~~~

I was sleeping soundly, having a nice dream; my eldest son had just turned ten today-

"Dad!" A scream echoed through the halls.

Without thinking, I teleported immediately; if one of my boys was in trouble, I was going to get there as fast as possible. I found myself in Killer's room; he was crying. I sat next to him and wrapped him in an embrace; he should have been asleep an hour ago..did he have a bad dream?

"What's wrong, Killer?" I held him close; his emotions were so..erratic.

"I..I-I don't..it was.." He was sobbing. "I don't wanna!"

"Shh, Killer. What's wrong? What don't you want to do?"

"It was..I was..it said..it-it said.."

"Calm down first, Killer." I rubbed his back softly. "Shh, calm down first."

"I d-don't wanna.."

"You don't want to what?"

"I don't wanna.."

"Hey, what is it, Killer? You can tell me."

"I don't wanna..."

"Killer, I can't help you unless you tell me."

Killer took a deep breath. "S-something..came to me..in m-my dream.."

I was thinking horrible thoughts; no, that couldn't have been true! "What came to you?"

"Th-the.." He choked for a second. "Th-the m-multiverse.."

No..not my boys..

"I don't know what to do.." Killer clutched to me as hard as he could. 

Could I beg? Would pleading work? No, that might have gotten them killed..I had never wanted this..why would the multiverse hurt my boys? No..I could panic later; right now, Killer needed me. I couldn't let my eldest son down, especially when he was in such a state.

"Killer, I want you to tell me exactly what it told you." I needed to know; maybe it was a false alarm?

"It said I would..be linked to a balance.." Killer shattered my hopes of a false alarm. "The Balance of..Emotions.."

"Oh, dear.." I had to pull myself together; I couldn't break down when my boys needed me. 

"It said I have twenty-four hours..before I'm..accountable."

"I see..did you ask it about the others?"

"They have to, too.."

"All right.." I had to keep it together..Killer needed me right now.. "What about rules?"

"It said you'd tell me."

"Indeed..well, the balance is stable for the day, since I went out two days ago..get your brothers up and meet me in the living room; sleep is secondary, tonight..you don't have to change your clothes. We have twenty-four hours."

"Okay, Dad."

"I'll see you there."

"See you.."

I wanted to break as I left that room. I wanted to break and shatter into a million pieces. I wanted to kill myself for being so stupid; why wouldn't I have known that the multiverse would not only torture me, but all of my loved ones, as well?! I had to hold myself together for at least those twenty-four hours: the last day of my eldest son's freedom. When my boys entered the large lower living room, Killer hadn't told them of the situation; I noticed that he had been crying determination the entire time. When everyone was in the living room, I pulled Killer onto my lap and allowed him to stay there; he deserved so much more, but that was all I could give him.

"I'm tired.." Error yawned. 

"So am I.." Horror closed his eyesockets.

"You have to stay awake for this, I'm afraid.." I frowned. 

"What's going on?" Cross was interested.

"I've made a grave mistake.."

"What kind of mistake?" Horror held his eyesockets open with his phalanges.

"When I heard that Error was going to be linked to a balance at the age of ten..I didn't think that any of you would, as well..but..it's happening."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Dust was afraid of that thought. 

"Killer has one day before he has to start going to work with me."

"What about us?" Cross was worried.

"Horror has half a year, Dust has one and a half years, and Cross, you have two and a half years until you all must join me, as well."

"I-is it optional?" Dust hoped.

"I'm afraid it is not." I sighed. "Today will be spent on confirming the basics of obedience and servitude..I'm sorry I didn't know it sooner.."

"Doesn't Error already know this?" Cross believed. 

"Not everything, and it'll be a good reminder of what he does know. As of this moment, you all will be in training for that day when you're forced to keep a balance. It will hopefully not disrupt your childhoods too much, but you have to be taught..or you will face the consequences that we can avoid. With that said, you will be able to sleep tomorrow; we'll get some high energy and magic foods to keep everyone awake." 

"Dad..?" Killer looked up at me. 

"Yes, Killer?" I responded. 

"I'm scared."

"I know..honestly? That's the safest place for you to be."

So the night went on. We ate our snacks and went immediately to teaching; I was forced to go through every bit of information that I could remember to prepare Killer. I had never imagined that my other boys would be forced to uphold balances..I should have known. I went over everything: multiverse custom, the fear principle, suppressing one's will, obedience, balance rules, begging rules, and every penalty I had been made aware of; I believed I had scared them with a few, but it couldn't have been helped. We went over many principles and expectations over the course of the day, but when that twenty-third hour hit, I had to test them. My younger boys were given written tests to be taken in their rooms; for them, it was just another class in school. For Killer, he was to take the oral test. I had collected multiple samples of what I had taught to test him with, and if he didn't pass, he had an hour to get the material down.

"Are you ready?" I hoped he was; there was no telling what might have happened if he wasn't.

"I think so.." Killer took a deep breath.

"Names you refer to the multiverse as?"

"Multiverse. If it doesn't accept that, I call it master."

"List five penalties for disobedience."

"General pain, a crack in the soul, death of a loved one, my death, forced obedience."

"If you are ordered to do something that you don't want to do?"

"Ask politely if there is a way to avoid it; if there is, beg."

"If it offers you a deal?"

"Ask for time to think it over and discuss it with you or one of my brothers if they're old enough and you aren't available."

"If you aren't allowed to have time?"

"Weigh my options carefully."

"If you offset the balance accidentally?"

"Accept the punishment for myself; there is no avoiding it."

"If you are ordered to kill someone?"

"..If I can't ask you to do it, I kill them."

"If our adversaries show up?"

"Retreat immediately unless I've been ordered to fight them."

"If you have to fight them?"

"Fight the blue one."

"If he isn't there?"

"Fight the yellow one; he wouldn't hurt a child..too badly."

"My brother has always had a soft spot for children. What about the other one?"

"Avoid the Creator at all costs unless I'm ordered to fight him."

"If you are?"

"Fight as well as I possibly can."

"What if you get captured with me?"

"Stick by you the entire time."

"If we're separated or you're captured alone?"

"Wait for an escape and reveal nothing."

"If they threaten you?"

"Evaluate the validity of the threats and act accordingly."

"If they..hurt you?"

"Endure it until I break, if that point comes; I'm not responsible for my actions if I break."

"If you want to do something, but the multiverse says 'no'?"

"Forget my desire unless it's important to me and the multiverse is flexible on the subject."

"If it isn't flexible?"

"Forget it, or, if it's very important to me, try to find logical reasoning to convince it."

"If there is no logical reasoning?"

"Forget it entirely."

"What does the multiverse want you to feel towards it?"

"Fear."

"Should you show it?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Always."

"Does this mean that you live your life in constant fear?"

"No."

"What does it mean?"

"I understand that it can and will hurt me if I am disobedient."

"If you accidentally disobey?"

"Come to you immediately."

"What is your weapon of choice?"

"You never taught me that.." Killer was confused.

"I know. Pick a weapon."

"..Knife."

"Very well." I gave my eldest a knife. "We will start with this. I'll teach you how to use it for defense and..offense. Your weapons training starts tomorrow. You have passed the test."

"I'm scared."

"...I am, too."

I was scared to death.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Killer bean balancer ;-;

Thanks for reading my aging writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Today was the day. Today, Killer would be going out with me on our first job together, and I couldn't keep myself from worrying; I had already broken down crying several times, and I had made sure that he knew how to use his weapon, but it was still difficult to see anything but failure in our future..my outlook was quite dim. Killer, on the other hand, had resigned himself to what he was forced to do; he was such a brave boy..I didn't deserve him. Before going out, I went over the basics with him one more time, just to make sure, and he had memorized them. He was confident now, but I couldn't predict what would happen when we finally went out. I picked a simple AU that wouldn't offer much resistance to start him out with. With a final good bye to the younger boys, we were off, and Killer gripped his knife. I had taught him much in those few days, but he still wasn't experienced; I had already started teaching Horror how to use his weapon of choice, an axe, and Cross was training with a knife, as well. Dust hadn't chosen a weapon, but I had decided that a knife would also help him overcome his fears. When Killer was ready, I went over what to do again.

"All right, the chances of them fighting back are small." I began. "If they fight back, their attacks aren't powerful. You have the armor I gave you, right?"

"I have it, just like the other five times you asked." Killer smiled.

"Good, just making sure. You have your extra knives?"

"I have extra knives, an emergency food pack, a mobile portal creator, and the training you gave me."

"Right, right..good. in that case, I'll be watching you closely, and if I see an attack heading for you, I'm protecting you whether you want me to or not."

"Got it."

"Good. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready, Dad."

We entered the town, which happened to be a Snowdin. I knew that this AU would be easier to attack because of the childish themes; they were adults, but they weren't very mature adults. I watched Killer closely as he did as he had been instructed, and I sighed when he first attacked a monster; I had hoped that I would never have had to see that happen. I started my attack, as well, and we continued that way for ten minutes..before Ink, Dream, and the blueberry arrived. They seemed unsettled when they saw that I had brought my eldest child.

"Nightmare, what have you done to that poor kid?!" Ink had an accusing tone.

"None of your concern." I turned to Killer quickly, receiving a shake of the skull; he wasn't allowed to leave...

"Nightmare, we'll make you pay for whatever you did!"

The adversaries attacked, and Killer immediately tried to fight the blueberry instead of Dream or Ink. Although Dream would never have tried to hurt a child, the blueberry had made it a point to always match his opponent's fighting skills, and at the moment, Killer was in need of a sparring partner; the blueberry was the perfect match. I believed that the blueberry was even giving Killer tips! Meanwhile, I was fighting Ink and Dream; they were much more of a threat toward my family. Dream's arrows of positivity mixed with Ink's paint was a deadly combination, but I had faced off against it many times before. The battle went on for quite a while, but I was more interested in Killer; the blueberry had actually stopped fighting to teach him how to properly fight with a knife, and he was learning quite well! Although, when Ink noticed, he broke from battle and started lecturing the blueberry on helping villains; that wasn't good. After a few minutes, the blueberry thankfully won the argument and continued to help Killer, while Ink regained battle stance. Without the help of their blue friend, Ink and Dream were less trouble to deal with, and I ended up winning the fight; they retreated, bringing their blue friend along. 

"Are you all right?" I looked over Killer. "Did anyone hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Dad!" Killer smiled.

I let out a sigh of relief and hugged my boy. "All right. Can you feel how the balance is doing?"

"Um..not really." Killer couldn't access the stability of the balance yet, but he would be able to sooner or later.

"It's still leaning towards the positive side; we need to make..I think one more stop."

"Okay!"

With that, I located another AU that would be child safe. When I had located a suitable AU, I went through the portal after Killer; I wanted this day to be over. We went through the portal immediately, finding ourselves in another easy AU. When we went through, I looked over Killer once more; he didn't look like he was feeling well..

"Are you all right?" I wondered if he was experiencing portal fatigue..I should have brought some medicine for that..

"Just a little tired.." Killer said.

"May you go home?"

"No.."

"Right..maybe try fighting a weaker civilian..don't get into any sticky situations."

"Okay, Dad." 

We began our second attack, and it started out much like the first; Killer was using the new techniques that the blueberry had kindly showed him..I wondered if the blueberry took students. We continued for a while, until Killer fell down; he had been hit by an attack. I quickly knocked out the monster that I had previously been terrorizing when my eldest gave the signal that the multiverse had ordered him to do something unsavory. Although the multiverse usually communicated through dreams, it could give orders while the one it was talking to was awake; it didn't do that too often unless the victim was a balancer in training, as Killer was, but it still occasionally would have a burst of orders that it wanted to be carried out. I had hoped that the multiverse would go easy on him, but it seemed that it had other plans. It ordered Killer to..kill someone, by the way Killer was shaking; I was strictly prohibited from doing anything..I supposed that the multiverse wanted to test him, but..

Killer hesitated.

Killer hesitated..and he was punished for it. I had to get him out of there. I should have known that he would hesitate..what kind of ten-year-old would actually kill someone?! I retreated immediately, putting the pained child in his bed; I hoped his punishment was simply pain..that was easy to overcome. I sat by Killer's bed as he whimpered; I didn't like seeing my boy like this. He eventually passed out, which was probably better for him; he would have been in less pain that way. When he was asleep, I decided to get him a snack for when he woke up. After procuring some healthy crackers, I made my way back to Killer's room, finding him awake.

"Killer?" I noticed that he didn't seem like he was in pain anymore. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." Killer's voice was a bit flat.

"Would you like a snack?"

"I guess."

"Here." I gave my eldest the crackers.

"Thank you."

"..Are you feeling all right?" I couldn't..sense any emotion..

"I'm perfectly fine."

"Killer- what happened to your soul?!" I noticed my eldest's soul..it looked like a target? He had never had a red soul!

"Oh..that's weird."

"Killer, what happened?"

"I don't know."

"Why can't I feel any emotion coming from you?"

"I don't know."

"Did the multiverse do something to you?"

"I really don't care."

"I'm so sorry..I should have trained you better..I should have prepared you.." I had failed my son.. "Do you know how long you'll remain like this?"

"The multiverse said that I will be emotionless for several hours."

"All right..did it say anything else?"

"It mentioned a standard."

"A..standard?"

"Yes."

"I see.."

I was familiar with standards. I supposed that the multiverse had deemed Killer's standard as total lack of emotions. Standard punishments were different for every individual, but they were always horrible. A standard punishment was the one used against an individual the most when they disobeyed the multiverse, as opposed to other punishments. My standard was simply pain; the multiverse enjoyed my pain, and it gave me as much as possible. I decided to stay with Killer until he regained his emotions. About an hour later, the door opened, and four young boys peeked in.

"Dad?" Horror led the group.

"Yes?" I looked to them.

"Can we come in?"

"I believe so."

"Okay!" My four younger boys came in.

"What are you doing?" Error wanted to know.

"I'm sitting with Killer.." I answered.

"Why?"

"Do you remember how I said the multiverse will punish you for disobeying?"

"Yeah.."

"Killer disobeyed, and he's being punished for it.." I sighed, glancing at the emotionless expression of my eldest.

"He looks okay.." Cross pointed out.

"He's been stripped of his emotions. Don't worry, they'll come back, but when they do, he's going to need us."

"Wh-why's his soul like that?" Dust questioned, a bit startled by the sight. 

"I don't know."

"Can he talk?" Horror asked.

"He can, but.." I frowned. "Killer, can you feel your emotions coming back, yet?"

"No." Killer's deadpanned voice startled the others.

"Did the multiverse say exactly how long this would take?"

"Three hours. Maybe four."

"Right.."

"Why does he sound like that?" Error wondered. 

"A complete lack of emotions leads to no emotion in speech, either.." I picked up my youngest and allowed him to sit on my lap. "What shall we do as we wait?"

"Can we play a game?" 

"Sure, but a game we can play here, please."

"Okay!"

We began a game of "I spy," which we all enjoyed thoroughly - Error and Horror won most of the games - until Killer started to regain his emotions, at which point, we started to talk to him.

"Killer, are you feeling all right?" I inquired.

"I'm fine.." Killer's voice wasn't as dead as it had been before.

"Can you feel anything?"

"I think I can feel a little bit.."  

"What emotion?"

"Maybe..fear."

"Anything else?"

"I don't think so."

"We're right here, Killer; it's okay."

"I.." Killer's mouth twitched; it hadn't moved since he became emotionless - apart from speaking. "I feel..sadness." 

"Negative emotions?"

"Y-yes.." Killer's started crying.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." I hugged Killer; he must have been so scared..

"D-Dad?" Killer clutched to me; he had regained at least most of his emotions, and he was scared to death.

"I'm here, Killer. It's okay; everything's okay."

"I'm s-sorry!"

"You don't have to be sorry, Killer; everything's okay, now."

"If I had.."

"We'll just have to work on it for next time; you'll be ready next time."

"I don't wanna do that again.."

"I know..I'm sorry, Killer."

"I..wanna sleep.." Killer yawned; that must have taken a lot out of him.

"You can rest, Killer."

"C-can you stay with me?"

"Sure."

Killer fell asleep at that point, and, true to my word, I watched over him; I had hoped that he wouldn't ever have had to feel a punishment, but I supposed that was wishful thinking. I figured that I would need to train him more to prepare him for the act of actually killing someone; he was going to have to give up his childish nature, unfortunately, and he would have to make a commitment..that would be the hardest part. Thinking about it, I realized that the rest of my boys would have had to go through the same training - especially Horror, since his tenth birthday was the nearest - in order to avoid a punishment. I decided that I would train them together to prepare them; I would start with Killer, Horror, and Dust, and when Cross and Error were ready, I would have them join the training. I had never imagined that I would have needed to teach my boys how to kill; hopes never lived long, for me, unfortunately. I would prepare them, however; I couldn't allow them to be punished for my wrongdoing.

I had to protect them.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Killer bean emotionless ;-;

Thanks for reading my emotionless writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Are you ready?" I looked to my eldest.

"I'm ready.." Killer nodded.

"If you're ordered to kill?"

"I'll do it..I can't mess up this time."

"I'll be right behind you."

"Right.."

I opened a portal, and we began another attack. I had started combat training for my boys, but Cross and Error were in a less intense training routine; perhaps they would be ready for my older boys' routine in about a year. Killer's punishment had occurred a week ago, and he was scarred from it; his soul wouldn't regain its previous form, but he hadn't had any lapses in emotions again. We would have to be careful of his soul, since it was now exposed for all to see..and possibly attack. I was determined to protect him, however, and I would. Horror and Dust had both been training for the days when they would join us, and it was..hectic, to say the least. Horror didn't have as much of a reaction as Dust did..Dust, when told that he would have had to kill again, locked himself in his room and cried for about a day..we eventually got him out, but..he would need some time. Today, Killer was going on his second trip with me, and if he hesitated this time, I feared the consequences that would come upon him. We were going to another easier-to-handle AU, and it would hopefully be a successful run. We attacked the citizens. 

Killer always liked to look on the bright side of things; when he became a Guardian, he was promised a title, and he had received it: Guardian of the Emotionless. He wasn't too fond of it, but he accepted it; a title was a title, after all! We weren't exactly sure what it meant yet, but we could ask the multiverse if we needed to. Killer was doing well with his attacks, but he still needed to improve; he wasn't that skilled. I had encouraged him not to use magic unless he needed to, since a child's magic levels weren't very high as compared to an adult's, and he would tire easily if he used too many attacks; the knife was preferable at this point. Some time into our attack, Killer gave the signal that he was ordered to kill someone, and after a second..he did it. A monster turned to dust, and Killer had..killed. After a while, we were ready to go home, and Killer wanted to leave immediately; he had been slightly covered in dust, and I knew from experience that dust was irritating. Once we reached home, Killer headed straight for his bedroom to get some clean clothes, and he was going to take a shower as soon as he got them. I, on the other hand, was soon greeted by my four other boys.

"Dad!" Error jumped on me. "Is Kills okay this time?"

"I'm not sure yet..Dust, would you mind helping me?"

"Um, sure, Dad." Dust agreed.

"Right, then. How about the rest of you go play? This might take a while."

"Okay, Dad!" Horror saluted. "Come on, I think there's some chocolate here, somewhere.."

"Chocolate!" Error and Cross jumped; they loved chocolate.

Once the trio of chocolate-eaters had left, I sat down on the couch and gestured for Dust to sit next to me, which he promptly did.

"So what do you need me for?" Dust asked.

"Well, I was thinking that you might be able to help Killer when he gets out of the shower." I explained.

"What do you mean?"

"..He killed someone today. Gaining LV is a bit traumatizing for children, sometimes.."

"Oh.." Dust understood.

"I believe I've neglected to ask this, but..what exactly is your LV stat?"

"Four.."

"I'm sorry.."

"It's okay. You want me to help him get through it without having to break down every day, right?"

"If you can, it would help tremendously." 

"Okay. I'm going to need to get some things, though."

"Do you need any help?"

Dust nodded in confirmation, writing a quick list and giving it to me.

"Um..why do you need seventeen blankets and fifty-two pillows?" I didn't understand.

"Uh, did I write that?" Dust looked at the list again. "Oh, my mistake. I meant twenty-seven blankets. I can get everything else. Can we bring everything into the lower living room?"

"Um..sure."

"Great!"

Dust then ran off, leaving me to collect the items on his list; I wondered why he needed such exact numbers. In any case, I went to the storage closet and counted out the exact amount of blankets Dust had requested before getting the pillows. I honestly had no clue what they were for, but Dust obviously had some sort of plan. When I reached the living room downstairs, Dust had a virtual mountain of stuffed animals..I had no clue what was going on. During the next ten minutes, I was ordered to hold things, place things, and even sit on things as Dust did..whatever he was doing. Horror, Cross, and Error were as confused as I was, apparently, and Dust's actions proved to be an enigma among us. When Dust heard the shower water stop, he sped up his work, and as soon as Killer entered the living room, he was also confused. A great portion of our living room was dominated by fluffy blankets and pillows, and stuffed animals were everywhere; honestly, it looked like a fluffy paradise. When Killer asked, Dust was more than happy to reveal what he had been doing.

"Um..what is this?" Killer tilted his skull.

"Dad said you gained LV." Dust replied. "So I made you a fluffy land to prevent mental breakdowns!"

"Wow..I wasn't going to have a mental breakdown, though.."

"Silly! The mental breakdowns only start when the nightmares start! You're probably fine until you go to sleep, but after that, you'll like fluffy land better!"

"..."

"Now, do you want to cuddle, or is fluffy land going to sit here?"

"I think I'll pass.."

"Your choice." Dust hugged a teddy bear close; it seemed as if he would benefit from 'fluffy land' just as much as Killer would, if what he had said was true, but I was more concerned about how he knew that..

"Have you actually had a mental breakdown?" I hoped he hadn't.

"A couple. I've mostly healed, but they sometimes sneak up on me."

"Okay.."

"Fluffy land helps."

 "I suppose we can keep it here for a while, if you think it'll help."

"Yay!" Dust lay down in the soft blankets.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, but Dust had managed to persuade me to allow him to sleep in his fluffy land; he could be hard to say no to, at times. When bedtime hit, I sent the rest of my boys to their rooms; Killer didn't seem to be feeling bad at all, but he did only have two LV. I had a rather peaceful night, avoiding both the multiverse and any nightmares; that was rare. When I woke up, I decided to see if Killer had had a restful night; if what Dust had said was true, he wouldn't have been very happy. I made my way to his room, finding it..empty. Killer got up early, but not that early..I wondered where he was. I decided to see how the rest of my boys were doing. Horror's room was..also empty? I was a bit worried, at this point. Cross's room was vacant, as well, and Error's was in just the same condition. Had they gotten up earlier than usual? I hoped nothing had happened to them; the multiverse couldn't have taken them away from me..I hadn't done anything wrong! I looked in the kitchen, finding no trace; where were my boys? 

I decided to check the living room, finding..all of my boys cuddled together in 'fluffy land'; okay, that was adorable. From the looks of it, my boys were comfortable; I decided to allow them to sleep while I prepared breakfast. As I cooked some bacon and eggs, I wondered if the boys would want to go to a park today; I couldn't remember the last time they had gotten out - except for Killer, but that was different. When I finished making breakfast, I set the table and decided to see if my boys were ready to wake up. They looked rather comfortable in their little fluffy land, but they were going to have to get up at some point. Horror woke up first, sensing the smell of bacon.

"Morning." He whispered. 

"Good morning, Horror." I returned. "Why is everyone sleeping here?"

"..Bad dreams."

"I see..are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"What about Killer?"

"He..didn't do too well."

"Okay. You can get started with breakfast; I'll wake the others." 

"Thanks, Dad."

Horror ran off to the kitchen, ready to eat his breakfast, and I sat down next to Killer, hoping that he wouldn't be startled as I woke him up. I attempted to wake him in the most soothing manner I could muster, and he eventually started to stir.

"Mm..Dad?" Killer groaned. "What..time is it?"

"Breakfast time." I answered.

"Oh.."

"I heard you had a nightmare last night?"

"Yeah..Dust was right..fluffy land helps."

"That's good to hear. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure.." Killer rubbed his eyesockets.

"All right, Horror's already there."

"Thanks, Dad."

I decided to wake up the rest of my boys, starting with Error; it was unfortunate that I had to disturb his rest.

"Error, it's morning." I rubbed his skull softly.

"Nuh-uh.." Error yawned. "Night.."

"There's some chocolate ice cream for later if you eat all your breakfast."

"Good morning!" Error was definitely awake.

"Chocolate?" Cross woke as well.

"After breakfast." I reminded.

"Erry, our time has come!" Cross took Error's hand and led him to the kitchen.

Last on my list was Dust. I sat next to the sleeping child, rubbing his skull as I had done with Error. He smiled a bit, savoring the moment; Dust liked having his skull rubbed.

"Dust, it's time to wake up." I softly alerted.

"Never.." Dust held a teddy bear close.

"Fluffy land will be here after breakfast."

"Mm..fine.." Dust opened his eyesockets slowly.

"Breakfast."

I picked up my middle child, and he showed no resistance; he seemed more tired than usual..I hoped he hadn't had a bad dream. When we reached the kitchen, I set him in his chair, and he started eating his breakfast. I took my seat last. As Horror grabbed his second plate, I decided to mention the night.

"How did all of you manage to end up in fluffy land?" I wondered. 

"Bad dream." Killer replied. 

"Same." Horror shrugged.

"It really is comfortable." Cross admitted. 

"Can we keep it?" Error fed a piece of bacon to Flapjack.

"Maybe not where it is currently, but I'm sure we can find a different place that will work just as well." I hummed.

"Fluffy land is surprisingly useful." Killer mentioned. "I didn't have any bad dreams after I slept there."

"That's interesting. Did all of you sleep well?"

"Perfectly!" Error proclaimed. 

"I had a peaceful rest." Cross smiled.

"I slept well." Horror said.

"Yep." Killer nodded.

"And Dust?" I noticed my middle child drifting off.

"Fine.." Dust yawned.

"I think you need more sleep."

"I do..too.." Dust tilted his skull forward sleepily; he must have had a rough night..

"Bad dream?"

"No.."

"What happened?"

"Everyone else..bad dreams..helped.."

"How late did you stay up?"

"Don't know.." 

"You may go back to bed, if you wish." 

"Thanks, Dad.." 

Dust promptly left the kitchen to go to the living room, where fluffy land would have led him to a pleasant rest. For the rest of the day, I watched my boys carefully. Killer didn't seem too damaged by the fact that he had gained LV, but I would have had to watch him closely..I didn't want something to happen when I wasn't ready for it. I hoped that Killer wouldn't have had to kill anyone else for a while..the multiverse was only testing him the first time, and he had passed the test.

Now we just had to stay strong.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Killer bean kill ;-;

Thanks for reading my deadly writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been four months since Killer had started to join me on my excursions; he hadn't killed anyone else, thankfully. Unfortunately, Horror was going to have to start joining us as well in roughly a month, and he wasn't looking forward to that point. He had improved his fighting style with his axe, but he was still inexperienced. I had been having him and Killer fight eachother to improve both of their skills, and it had been working so far; Killer could now take on most adult monsters with less difficulty, and Horror could last for a while in a fight with him. As for the rest of my boys, they were still learning. Dust had been accustomed to holding a knife properly, but he still held back; he didn't want to hurt anyone, and while I could understand that, I had to try to get him to actually use the weapon. Cross had taken an interest in knives as well, and I had started him out with some simple training. Error didn't really enjoy any of the weapons I had showed him, but that was fine; he had time. Today, I was going to take my boys on a small shopping trip; they needed to get outside our universe every once in a while, and a shopping trip was a good way to get out...and we needed more crayons..my boys went through crayons like a swarm of locusts would with a garden. 

"Dad, do you think they'll have action figures?" Killer wondered. 

"Perhaps." I replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering.."

"All right." I was going to allow them a few minutes in a toy store, but I hadn't told them that yet. "Is everyone ready?"

"I'm ready!" Error jumped.

"Ready." Horror nodded.

"I'm prepared." Cross stated. 

"Ready for action!" Killer exclaimed. 

"I'm ready to stay home and hide." Dust didn't exactly want to leave the house.

"Dust, you can't stay home alone." I shook my skull. "Remember last time?"

"That was an accident.." Dust hadn't meant to hide under his bed when he heard the house settling; it had taken a couple days to find him, though.

"You can hold on to me the entire time; I'll keep you safe."

"All right.." Dust grabbed one of my appendages and held on tightly; I wouldn't have been losing him with his grip.

"Stay close to me, boys." 

I created a portal to a neutral AU, and my boys followed me through it. Each one of them held an appendage, which meant that I would have known if one of them let go. When we were through, we found ourselves in a well-known neutral AU; many monsters from different AUs chose to shop here, since it was essentially a ridiculously large shopping center. There were a lot of crazy AUs, but some of them were useful. We began walking through the shopping center, and my boys pointed out interesting things that we probably weren't going to buy, but they were interesting anyway. We eventually reached a children's store, and we began to look for crayons; those were at the top of our shopping list. When we entered the store, we immediately found ourselves faced with toys, games, and decorations, but we were on a mission; there was an entire section of the store dedicated to coloring, and there were enough crayon boxes to last my boys...a year..if they didn't draw much. That was good enough for me. I grabbed about ten boxes of crayons, and I was done in that store. Of course, the cashier had to be difficult.

"Dude, why are you buying, like, over a thousand crayons?" The man scoffed.

"May I just make my purchase in peace?" I had every right to buy over one thousand crayons if I so wished.

"Every box. Has 128." He was laughing as he gestured to the boxes. "You don't need that many!"

"I have five boys. They can go through these in a month if they want."

"Yeah..I only see one."

"I-" I looked behind me, finding..one.

"I tried to tell them not to run off.." Dust apologized.

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know..someone was in the window and they went to see something."

"What?!" How many times had I told my boys to stay away from strangers?! "Which way did they go?!"

"To the right..D-Dad, are they okay?"

"Everything will be just fine, Dust..just hold on to me and do not get separated." 

"O-okay.."

I held my middle child close to me as I rushed out of the store; I couldn't believe that my boys would run off like that..they knew better than that! I knew I wasn't weird when I gave my boys tracking devices; I was very smart at the time, and it was paying off. I turned on the tracker that I had brought and located my boys in a small apartment near the shopping district; thank goodness they weren't off-world. I ran up to the door of the apartment and knocked rather loudly; I was panicking, which gave me every right to do so. After hearing a few voices inside, the door opened slowly, revealing..

"Dream?" I couldn't believe it.

"Hello, brother!" Dream was acting like he wasn't the most likely suspect for kidnapping my boys. "What brings you here?"

"My children."

"I'm afraid there aren't any children here, sorry!"

"Dream, you're a horrible liar and I equipped them with tracking devices. I want my children back now."

"..." Dream paused. "Oh.."

"Give them back and I won't file a complaint."

"Brother, I just want to be part of your family! You're doing all sorts of things, like adopting children, and..I'm just..left behind.." He sighed. "I want to be your brother again.."

"Give them back." I wasn't allowed to show care, but on the inside I was fairly exploding into emotions..

"Please..just one time..." 

"You may." The multiverse actually..

"All right." I nodded. "One time."

"Thank you!" Dream took me into a loving embrace. "Come in, brother!"

Dream pulled me into the apartment, revealing my boys playing a board game with the blueberry. I immediately approached them, placing Dust down on the ground.

"Okay." I started. "Whose idea was it to run off with the enemy?"

"Mister MV." Killer instantly replied; that was our code name for the multiverse..

"All right." I couldn't blame my boys for following the multiverse's instructions. "Where exactly are we?"

"My place." The blueberry spoke up; that was believable, knowing his line of work.

"I see. Boys, it seems that we're spending the day visiting."

"I have some juice if anyone wants some?" Dream held a pitcher.

"What kind of juice?" Horror was interested.

"Apple juice!"

"This is acceptable." Horror accepted some apple juice.

"Boys, I may or may not have neglected to mention the fact that this is your uncle..Dream." I stated. "You won't be seeing him often, however."

"Why's he named after bad dreams?" Error tilted his skull.

"I'm..named after good dreams?" Dream thought.

"Not in our house." I shook my skull.

"What do you call good dreams?"

"Rare. Boys, I'd like to have a quick talk with this nice fellow; how about you talk to Uncle Dream?"

"Okay, Dad!" My boys surrounded Dream as I spoke to the blueberry in the corner. 

"Need something?" The blueberry inquired.

"I know that you know more than you let on." I revealed. "I know that you know why I attack."

"I see. What does this have to do with me?"

"My boys are growing up into the business, unfortunately; I was hoping you might be able to train them in combat? Although I can train magic, I'm not very skilled with knives or other weaponry. You can name your price."

"That's tempting. I think I can drop by once a week, perhaps on a Saturday. How's fifty G a month?"

"That sounds perfect. Of course, I do have a special case."

"Most do."

"Error, my youngest, is going to face Ink. He may require training that I simply can't provide."

"Seventy G a month; I'll train him well."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

"Do you require anything to assist with the training?"

"I've got it. If I need anything, I'll let you know."

"All right."

"New guardians..interesting."

"I panic every time I think of Ink going near one of them.."

"Valid concern, but there's not much to be done about that."

"Well, thank you, again."

"No problem."

"Dad!" Error called out, waving a piece of paper in the air. "Look at this!"

"What is it, Error?" I looked to my youngest.

"I drew a bird!" Error ran up to me and showed me his drawing.

"That's very nice, Error." I patted my youngest's skull approvingly.

"Yay!" Error ran back to the others.

"Cute kid." The blueberry commented.

"My life revolves around them."

"I can tell. Well, I won't keep you away." 

"Thank you."

I walked over to my boys, finding them playing with their uncle; they seemed happy. I had originally intended to keep them away from Dream, since the multiverse hadn't seemed too keen to let them see him, but today might have been an exception; either way, I was happy to see my brother again, and my boys were happy to meet their uncle. The day was honestly quick for my liking, and before I knew it, I was tucking my little angels into bed.

I loved them so much.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Night bean didn't buy crayons. 

This is shorter-

Thanks for reading my weird writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Today was Horror's first test; it was also the first day of my boys' training. Unfortunately, Horror was going to have to go out with Killer and me before the blueberry arrived..the multiverse wanted to see him without any formal training, apparently. I had selected another easy AU to help him adjust to everything, just as Killer had, and we were about to leave; we just had to say goodbye to their younger brothers.

"Why do you have to go?" Error didn't want Horror to leave.

"It's my job now, too." Horror hugged Error.

"P-promise you won't get hurt?"

"I'll try my best."

"Kills, you better keep him safe!" 

"I will, Erry." Killer assured. "He'll be perfectly fine!"

"He had better be." Cross stated. 

"Dust, will you begin to set up the training room for your instructor?" I requested. "He's coming today."

"Sure.." Dust nodded; I could tell that he was nervous about next year. 

"Thank you."

"Bye, Dad!" Error waved.

"Good bye, boys."

After a couple more goodbyes, we were ready to go. Horror had been trying to use his axe properly, and I helped him to the best of my ability, but I wasn't exactly skilled with that type of weaponry. In any case, the blueberry would have been able to train him much better than I would have; he was skilled in many types of weaponry (likely due to being one the most dangerous assassins in the multiverse, but I wasn't arguing if he could train my boys). As soon as we entered the AU, Killer began the routine he had been accustomed to, attacking any of the locals he could find. As for Horror, I picked a target for him to go up against, and he began battle with a weak monster; that should have been good. I watched my boys carefully as I terrorized a few of the stronger monsters nearby; I was ready to step in the instant something even remotely bad could have happened. As for the time of testing..Horror's LV rose; we had been practicing for that the most, and it was paying off. Thankfully for us, our enemies didn't show up today; we were able to go home after the first AU, as well. When we returned home, neither of my boys had been punished in any way, but they wanted to take showers..monster dust was irritating.

"Dad?" Error found me in the living room.

"Yes, my son?" I looked to my youngest.

"Is Horror okay?" Error climbed into my lap.

"Yes, Horror is perfectly fine." 

"Did he.."

"Yes.."

"Is he gonna have more bad dreams, too?"

"Unfortunately, he likely will." I sighed at the recent memories of Killer's nightmares.

"When does the teacher come?"

"He should be here within the hour. If you-" I was cut off by a doorbell. "Huh...that's earlier than expected." 

I stood up with my youngest son in my arms and walked over to the front door. Upon opening the door, I came face-to-face with the blueberry, who carried a backpack, presumably full of weapons.

"Hello, Nightmare." He greeted.

"Blueberry." I let him inside. 

"Nice place you got here."

"Thank you. Will you require anything to assist you?"

"Maybe a few things; do you have a training area?"

"We do; most of my boys should be down there."

"Lead the way."

With that, I nodded and led the blueberry to the basement. He wasn't surprised in the least when the secret passageway opened, likely because he knew it was there; he knew way too much to comprehend. As soon as we reached the training room, Killer, Dust, and Cross were waiting for us; I assumed that Horror was still in the shower, but Killer didn't have as much to clean off. After explaining that, the blueberry nodded and started to train the rest of my boys in methods of battle that could apply to all fighters until Horror arrived. When he did, the blueberry continued with some starter techniques for him that would have at least made him able to hold a fight with someone stronger without being killed in the process. As for the rest of my boys, he had taught them a few techniques with their weapons of choice, except for Error, who was going to have a private instruction time; his job was going to be more difficult, but he still got a chance to try out a knife. I was sitting by the side, writing down everything I could; I was going to implement training into their school schedule, as I had with multiverse aspects. 

When it had been an hour, my four older boys were sent to the side to practice the techniques the blueberry had shown them, and Error began his hour of private instruction. I noticed that, while the blueberry had focused mainly on weapons for the others, he put an unusual amount of focus on magic for Error. I decided not to question it yet; he knew what he was doing. Thankfully, Error had a large amount of magical capability for his age, allowing him to perform whatever feats the bluberry taught him..until..

"Now, can you try to summon a blaster?" The blueberry requested.

"I've never done that.." Error frowned. "It's really hard.."

"Well, I think you can do that."

"Really?"

"Sure! An easy way to begin is to think of what personality you want first. It always starts with a base. Stop me when I say one you like; would you like it to be happy, sad, mad, fearful, brave, curious-" The blueberry was cut off.

"That one!" Error always like curious things. "Curious!"

"All right! Good curious or bad curious?"

"What's the difference?"

"Well, a good curious would stop investigating if it seems too dangerous, while a bad curious would go..possibly until it or you desummon it."

"Oh..um, good?"

"Right. What about a secondary trait?"

"What's that?"

"Same as the first base, but this one is less pronounced and more general, such as a playful personality."

"Can I do that one?"

"Sure. If you aren't happy with the personality, you can always look through..this." The blueberry pulled out a book. "It's got every known personality for blasters, and you can plan yours to be exactly how you want it!"

"What if I mess up?"

"Most do. I once made a nervously happy one instead of a playfully happy one; it's all depending on your focus."

"Okay.."

"You don't have to do it today, of course, but I want you you to work on it during the week; maybe you can find a personality you like even better than playfully curious in the book!"

"Really?"

"Sure!" The blueberry's wristwatch beeped. "Oh, that's my time! Well, good luck with the summoning!"

Error bid the blueberry a goodbye before the latter walked over to me and collected his first month's payment. 

"Next week, same time?" I questioned.

"That should work if I finish up on time."

"What exactly are you doing on that day?"

"Just clearing up my list."

"Might I ask who is on said list?"

"I only tell people if they or their family are on my list."

"Are we?"

"Only you, but I can't exactly kill you; maybe someday."

"That's reassuring and terrifying all at once.."

"I have that way with people; in any case, your boys are a joy to work with!"

"They truly are amazing."

"Yep! Well, I'll be off, then! Have a nice day!"

"You, as well.."

"Thank you!"

The blueberry saw himself out, somehow knowing the entire layout of my house; I had learned never to question him. When he was gone, I turned to my boys with a smile, welcoming a hug from them. Soon enough, my boys were eagerly showing me what they had learned, and the blueberry had even left some books behind to further their learning when he wasn't around! Needless to say, most of them seemed excited about it; Dust was still a bit apprehensive, but I had honestly expected that. When my boys had worn themselves out, they were hungry, but I had the answer; I had already cooked some dinner. We were soon seated at the table, eating some spaghetti and talking about the day.

"Dad, do you think I can do it?" Error looked to me hopefully.

"Do what?" I acted as if I didn't know. "Mow the lawn?"

"No! Make a blaster! Do you think I can make a blaster like Flapjack?"

"I think you can do whatever you put your brilliant mind to, Error; if you want to make a blaster, I know you can."

"Do you think I'll even make one before Kills?"

"Perhaps.." I glanced at my eldest son, who would have usually been disputing the possible claim. "Are you all right, Killer?"

"Yeah..just a spike.." Killer had been having some adverse side effects of having LV; he wasn't quite used to it, as of yet.

"Would you like to go to sleep early?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Do you wanna go to fluffy land?" Dust asked. 

"Maybe..I don't know yet.." Killer did enjoy the fluffy landscape Dust could create, and it truly did help with his bad dreams.

"Maybe Horror would like fluffy land." Cross brought up. "He did gain LV."

"Would you like that, Horror?" I questioned.

"I think so.." Horror nodded. "If it's anything like Killer said it is..I think I'd rather cuddle with someone.."

"Very well, fluffy land will be in operation tonight."

"Yes!" Dust grinned; fluffy land was one of the only things that could drive his fears away, at least temporarily. "May I set it up?"

"After you finish your dinner."

"Okay!" Dust continued to eat his dinner, but he ate at a faster pace now; he knew not to eat too fast, however.

"Hey, Dad?" Error wondered.

"Yes?" I directed my attention back to my youngest.

"What do you think they'll look like?" 

"Your blasters?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, they usually resemble the summoner, which would make a guess of black-boned, glitchy, and small to be logical."

"So it'll look like me?"

"Of course, just as Flapjack looks somewhat like I do." I summoned Flapjack to show the resemblance.

"Ooh! I wanna make one!"

"You'll have to practice rather hard for that."

"I'll do it! I won't give up! I will make a blaster!"

"And I'll help." Cross added.

"And Crossy will help me!"

"I'm done, Dad." Dust was finished with his dinner. "May I set up fluffy land now?"

"Sure, Dust." I nodded. "Let me know if you need any help."

"I will!" 

Dust then ran off to establish fluffy land once more, which had been made much easier recently due to the demand for it; we had actually bought many blankets and pillows to have right on hand to avoid taking the blankets from people's beds every time. As for Error's vow, he began to devote much of his time to summoning attacks, but he still had some way to go before he was ready to make a blaster; he needed to learn how to use blue magic on one thing instead of the entire room first..but he would. I knew that he would get it down in the end. We all slept in fluffy land that night. It was a peaceful one, as all should have been.

I wished they all could have been that way.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Blue bean train bean family!

Thanks for reading my training writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Horror had been joining me for two months now, and everything was going well. The blueberry's lessons were definitely paying off; Killer and Horror's fighting skills had over tripled, and Cross and Error were able to hold a fight against their older siblings well. Dust was still..not quite in the spirit..it was slower for him, but he knew at least the basics. Killer, Horror, and I had recently returned from an AU, and it had been exhausting; the blueberry had decided to give them a challenge today to test their skills, and they had given him everything they had. It was quite the battle for them, and they enjoyed it, even if they did get quite a few scratches along the way. They were currently resting on my lap as the younger boys played nearby; Dust was playing with a top, and Cross was helping Error with his magic. Error had been spending at least an hour every day simply on magic training; he was certainly determined to summon a blaster, and he had set his personal goal as his next birthday, which wasn't for a few months, giving him plenty of time. Of course, I told him not to be upset if he didn't make his deadline; he was only seven and a half, and his magic wasn't as strong as it could have been.

"Crossy, does this look better?" Error showed Cross a bone he had managed to summon; he was working on shaping.

"That looks much better, Erry!" Cross grinned in approval.

"Yay! Can I try the blaster again?"

"Maybe after one more try at blue magic, okay? Try the top again."

"All right!"

 Error focused intently and directed his magic at the top Dust was looking at. Soon, the top was surrounded with a blue aura, and it started to float rather steadily; Dust was a bit unsettled that his top started floating, but he calmed down when he realized that it was just Error's magic. After setting it back down, Error smiled victoriously at Cross.

"Can I now?" Error hoped.

"All right, Erry, you can try again." Cross nodded.

"Yay!" 

With another cheer, Error began the summoning process. He had once been able to summon the entire outside of the blaster, but the personality factor of the first summon made his summoning fail; he had since finalized the personality that he wanted, trying to avoid his previous mistake. Within a few seconds, his magic began to form the body once more, and a familiar glitched blaster shell made its rare appearance. The blaster looked very much like Error, even copying the unique coloring of his individual eyelights; Error liked that aspect. As the body faded into existence, it wavered at one point before Error caught his focus again. Soon, the body was fully formed; that was step one. I paid more attention as Error shifted his focus on forming the personality of his blaster; I didn't think he had gotten this far before. When I noticed that the blaster was remaining, I woke Killer and Horror from their rests and told them to stay quiet; they would have wanted to see this moment. All eyelights were on Error and his attempt. One minute after the beginning, Error's magic seemed to be draining quickly, but he remained firm in his resolve to succeed. And he did!

"Woah.."  Killer was in awe at the sight. 

"Is it..alive?" Dust asked, almost silently.

"It's powering up.." I explained; new blasters with personalities did that at first.

"How long does it take?" Horror questioned.

"Depends on how powerful it will be; the longer it takes, the more powerful the end result is. If it takes more than three minutes, we might be in trouble.."

"Why?" Cross wasn't sure.

"Well, over three minutes would either mean that this thing is going to be more powerful than even I am..or the multiverse hand-crafted it.."

"What happens if it's the latter?"

"We may want to run.."

"Wh-why?" Dust was a bit scared.

"The one the multiverse made for me..will attack anything.." I paused. "I can't control that one.."

"How do we desummon it if that's the case?" Killer didn't want that.

"Outlast it..and get far away from the house.."

"Why?" Horror wondered. 

"Because 'anything' includes the house."

"Oh, this is just getting better and better.." Killer sighed.

"What about Error?" Cross inquired. "It can't attack him, can it?"

"It might be his magic, but if the multiverse designed it..he's going to have to run, too." I sighed.

"Why isn't he moving?" Killer asked. 

"He's linking with it; new personalities require links to power up."

"H-how long has it b-been?" Dust seemed terrified.

"Two and a half minutes.." 

"Can we tell if it's just going to be powerful?" Horror was nervous.

"Not until it's fully powered up. If it starts growling, run to the backyard, and make sure to bring Error; he can't hear our conversation, and he'll likely be confused."

"Dad, Dust's out of it again.." Killer glanced worriedly at the shaking child.

"I'll get him." I picked up the nine-year-old with one of my appendages.

We waited for the blaster to power up curiously; it was certainly taking over three minutes. Five minutes into the process, Error opened his eyesockets, and the blaster started humming..maybe it was all right? The blaster was small, but it was summoned by a child; that was to be expected. After a second, the blaster turned to us, and..it didn't go well; it had certainly been crafted by the multiverse, and within a minute, my boys and I were in the backyard, hoping that the blaster didn't kill us.

"Wh-why's it angry?!" Error was frightened. "I-it was supposed to be happy!"

"The multiverse must have made it.." I sighed, moving my boys out of the blaster's fire. "Error, can you cut your magic?"

"Can I what?" Error had no idea what that was..oh, dear.

"Desummon it?"

"Blue's teaching me that next week!"

"Try to give it the message that you don't need it out right now!"

"How do I do that?!"

"Tell it you don't need it out with your magic! Send some sort of signal!"

"I-I don't know how!" Error was scared.

Well, that left me with two options: teach Error how to cut his magic forcefully or wear out the blaster. If I had had a magic suppressor, that would have been useful, but I didn't. I decided to wear out the blaster; it was the easiest way. With a spark of magic, I summoned three blasters to fight the one rogue; that would have given it targets that could fight back and drain its energy. When the blaster was focused on mine, I turned to see five scared boys; that was unfortunately expected. I kept them out of the way of any stray fire until the blaster eventually tired out and desummoned itself, which prompted me to desummon my own. When it was over, I turned to my terrified boys and carried them inside before setting them on the living room couch. When they had calmed down with a bit of encouragement, I sighed and began to speak. 

"Well, that wasn't the best experience." I stated the obvious.

"I'm really sorry.." Error frowned. "I didn't mean for it to be mad.."

"It wasn't your fault, Error; the multiverse just decided to give you that personality. If you would like to try again, you might be able to make the one you intended."

"B-but what if it happens again?"

"If it does, I'll wear yours out again, and we'll know." I placed a  hand on my youngest's shoulder. "Everything will be okay. Would you like to try again?"

"...Yeah." Error nodded.

"All right, then. Error, I think we're ready."

I allowed Error to stand before taking my seat where he was previously on the couch, and he began to let his magic flow again. As before, he formed the outside and made it to the personality stage. Thankfully, he started the linking process again; this wasn't another multiverse-made blaster, since that would have just started attacking us. After two minutes, Error opened his eyesockets slowly, and the blaster started humming; it didn't growl, which was a good sign. Soon enough, the blaster turned to the rest of us happily, investigating us one by one; it was obviously curious.

"Is it nice?" Error hoped.

"Yes, this one is nice." I smiled, petting the blaster on its foreskull and receiving a happy hum.

"Do you think it'll like Flapjack?"

"Well, we can see."

I summoned Flapjack, who was promptly met by the small blaster. He was unsure at first, but he soon nuzzled the smaller blaster, who returned the gesture; they were definitely going to be friends.

"Yay!" Error was happy about the friendship.

"Do you think Flapjack's gonna be its dad, like you're our dad?" Killer hoped.

"That may be." I smiled at the thought. "Well, this blaster needs a name, Error."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Error didn't know.

"Blasters are only girls if their summoner intends that during the first summoning; if you didn't think about it, your blaster is likely a boy."

"What's the difference?" Horror inquired.

"Well, girls tend to be sometimes more on the 'easy to anger' side, and they're more prone to attacking without being told to."

"Are all girls like that?" 

"Of course not - only those who are."

"Who is?" Cross continued.

"Well.." I thought for a moment. "It's best never to speak of this, since if you do, you're likely never to be on a girl's good side. If you ever meet a girl who is easy to anger, don't bring it up..ever.."

"Why?"

Thoughts of the owner of the Outertale diner owner flashed though my mind. "...Let's stop this conversation and name the blaster."

"Okay!" Error was fine with that. "What should he be named?"

"Whatever you want, Error; the choice is yours."

"But there's so many names!"

"You can take your time, or you can ask the blaster; it won't say anything, but it's fun."

"Hmm.." Error looked into the blaster's eyelights and squinted intently; silence reigned for a good two minutes. "Matrix."

"What?" I hadn't been listening.

"He wants to be named Matrix!"

"That's a good name." 

"It's awesome!" Killer exclaimed. 

"Is it friendly?" Dust wasn't sure yet.

"He's friendly, Dust; you can trust him." I assured.

"What if he's trying to trick us?"

"He isn't."

"What if he is?"

"I'll protect you, Dust."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay.."

When that was said, my braver boys surrounded the blaster happily, trying to play with the new addition to our family; I was glad that blasters could play immediately from the time that they were summoned, or else I would have had to calm my boys of their enthusiasm..that was nearly impossible. Matrix's personality had been planned for quite some time; Error had wanted a playfully curious blaster, and I could see those traits clearly. I knew that my boys would take good care of Matrix. I just had to make sure that Error would desummon him when he ran out of energy; a tired blaster was never a good thing. I shuddered slightly remembering what had happened when one of my earlier blasters wasn't desummoned for an entire week..it had refused to come out for a month after that, and I didn't think it had forgotten yet; blasters were sometimes the worst types of grudge holders..they could hold such spite. My boys seemed to be immediately enraptured by the blaster, and even Dust joined in after a few moments of hesitation, finding Matrix to be kind. Overall, it wasn't that bad.

The next time my boys met with the blueberry for their lessons, Error was quite ecstatic to show off the new addition to his skill set, and the blueberry was impressed with his ability at such an early age, not to mention the fact that the blaster had a perfect personality, which was very uncommon for first summons. Needless to say, the blueberry made sure to give Error some care manuals; blasters needed maintenance if they were going to be used, and Error's was. 

It was surely going to be exciting.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean gets Matrix blaster!

Thanks for reading my blasted writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Killer.

~~~~~

It had been roughly three months since Error got his blaster. His magic was apparently very powerful, which made sense, since he was going to have to fight Ink, who was also very strong. It was a bit awkward knowing that the youngest one in the family got a blaster before the oldest, but I had been working on catching up with him; I was going to make second, and that was final! Actually, I was only competing with Cross; Horror didn't really want to make a blaster before he was ready, and Dust's magic was still on the weak-for-his-age side, which made it unlikely for him to get a blaster before I did. Cross, however, had the strongest magic after Error; Dad wouldn't tell us why, but I had a feeling it was something about the fact that he had been with that laboratory before living with us. Cross's magic sometimes started up without his knowledge, and it often ended very badly. The thing I was focusing on, however, was the fact that his erratic powers allowed him to use blue magic before Blue taught it to us; it just snapped one day, and he could use it! It was still weird when someone randomly lifted into the air, but Cross was working on keeping it controlled. I just didn't want him to get a blaster before I did..I needed to get one.

So one hour a day, every day, was put aside for the sole purpose of getting that blaster. It wasn't because I wanted to be better than everyone else; it was just my duty. As the oldest, I was in charge if Dad was sick or something, and I needed stronger magic to protect my brothers if something bad happened. I still wasn't sure about the personality or anything, but one thing was for sure: I wanted to name it Blade. I had decided that a long time ago, and that was what was going to happen; Blade was the best name I could think of. At the moment, Dad was taking Horror and me to work in some sort of..candy-coated AU? I didn't understand that..Horror seemed to want to eat everyone and everything. The people were literal gingerbread men; I wasn't sure if they were edible, but Horror had to be held back from finding out..he settled on eating some..candy cane flowers? Anyway, that was what was happening, and I wasn't going to question it for sake of..everything. I wondered if Cross and Error would have liked this place..there was a lot of chocolate..maybe I would bring it up for a trip sometime. Yeah, I would. I had just defeated a gingerbread man in combat when a few portals opened; Horror and I rushed over to Dad to find Ink, Uncle Dream, and Blue. 

"Nightmare, stop your evil ways!" Ink was always so mean to Dad; we didn't like him. "Haven't you hurt enough people?!"

"It won't ever be enough, artist." Dad said stuff like that to make sure that the others didn't know that we had to do this; the multiverse didn't want them to know - except Blue, for some reason. 

"You could at least stop torturing these children!"

"That won't do, either." Dad loved us; the only torture we had gone through was before he had taken us in.

"You monster!" Ink was angry.

The battle began quickly, and Horror and I began to fight with Blue, who was ready to test our skills once again. Every once in a while, Blue would be missing from the battle - he had an important job, but we weren't allowed to know what it was - leaving us with the option to fight Uncle Dream. Uncle Dream didn't really try to hurt us; he mostly dodged our attacks, since he was too nice to hurt children. We weren't really sure why our Uncle wanted to fight Dad; it made no sense..Dad was the hero! Maybe it was because Dad was the secret hero; everybody said he was evil all the time, even though he wasn't. Maybe Uncle Dream didn't know that he was the hero. That was sad. I fought Blue with Horror; we had been working on teamwork attacks, and they were super hard! We had to focus a lot when attacking, since if we didn't, one or both of us could have been hurt, and we didn't want that to happen! We managed to make a few hits, and Blue seemed proud of our progress! We still needed to practice a lot, but we were getting better! We had just landed another attack when I heard something from behind us; I took a moment to look back, finding- 

Dad was on the ground.

Dad wasn't moving! Ink stood above him, raising his paintbrush..he was going to kill him! I had to do something! I started running, not knowing what in the world I was going to do, but knowing that I had to protect my Dad. Everything moved so slowly as I ran across the battleground, every step seeming to take a minute just to reach the ground. When I got close enough, time seemed to move even slower as I skidded in front of my dad, intent on protecting him from everything. I closed my eyesockets and pulled my arms over my skull; I hoped that I didn't just doom myself, but I was willing, if that was the case. Everything was silent for a moment before I heard a loud sound, followed by a scream of pain; what had happened? My breathing was heavy as I felt myself collapse; I was suddenly very tired..I fell asleep.

"Killer?" Someone called my name.. "Please wake up!"

"Kills!" Another..sounded..my head hurt..

"K-Killer.." One sounded scared.

"He needs space, guys!" A fourth..? "He's used a lot of magic!"

"He's gonna be okay, though, right?"

"Yes, he just needs rest."

"Does he need anything to eat?"

"He might."

"I'll get him something."

"Hey, he's waking up!"

"K-Killer!"

I opened my eyesockets slowly, seeing my brothers..we were in my room. Had Dad brought Horror and I back from the AU? Maybe..had I protected him? I hoped I had protected him! Where was he?!

"Where's Dad?" I asked, now seeing my brothers clearly.

"He's in his room." Cross answered. "He was injured badly, but he'll be okay."

"How'd you..carry him?"

"Matrix helped!" Error pet his little blaster happily. "Matrix is really strong!"

"Back!" Horror entered the room, holding some apple slices. "Oh, he's awake!"

"Matrix isn't that strong..is he?" I didn't think so.

"Well, he did have a little help.." Cross smiled, stepping aside to reveal..a blaster? It had no eyelights, like me..and determination ran down its face..was it..mine? 

"He's super strong!" Error giggled. 

"Actually, this one is a she." Cross corrected. 

"Is she.." I was in awe.

"She's yours!"

"Yes!" I leaped out of bed and hugged the blaster tightly; I loved her!

"You really saved Dad back there." Horror smiled. 

"What happened?"

"Heh, Ink went flying; your magic must have flung him a mile!"

"Awesome!" I chuckled, petting my new favorite blaster. 

"What's her name?" Error wanted a name.

"Her name..is Blade."

"Ooh! Blade is cool!"

"She sure is!"

"I do have one question, though.." Horror hummed.

"Yeah?" Cross looked to Horror.

"Aren't blasters supposed to shoot beams?"

"Yeah..why do you ask?"

"Uh..this one didn't.."

"...What?" Cross was now interested.

"She shot black stuff..kinda like what's..here." Horror pointed to the determination.

"...This is intriguing." Cross touched the determination. "Do you mind if I study Blade, Killer?"

"Um..I guess not." I shrugged; as long as Blade was okay, it was fine with me. "Can I see Dad?"

"After you eat something." Horror handed me the apple slices.

"Okay." I began to eat the fruit. 

"Can I have some, please?" Error liked apples.

"Here." Horror gave Error an apple slice.

"Yay! Thank you!" Error nibbled his apple slice happily. 

I ate the fruit slices quickly, wanting to see how my dad was doing; I didn't like it when he was hurt. I hugged Blade close when I finally finished the snack, feeling my magic coming back a bit; I had apparently used a lot to summon Blade so quickly. Cross explained that the fact that Blade came about so fast on the first summoning was because I had felt that it was urgent at the time, which was absolutely correct; I had felt it urgent to protect my dad from the scary artist. Cross said that it happened like that sometimes in particularly dark AUs or when people were in danger and a magic user was still in training. Either way, he said that it wouldn't affect Blade's performance, and everything was going to be okay; I had done the linking process after passing out, apparently. As a side effect of the rushed summoning, however, I wasn't able to choose the personality of my blaster; it would have ended up as whatever I had been feeling at that time, which seemed to be protective, although we didn't know what the secondary trait was. Dad would have known. When we reached his room, we opened the door slowly, finding him sitting up in his bed; he had a couple colorful bandaids on his goop; Error must have done that. Error always insisted that bandaids were necessary after getting hurt in battle, and he had apparently gone very liberally with them this time.

"Hey, Dad!" I stood with Blade hidden behind me; the others said that Dad hadn't seen her yet. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling a bit better; are you?" Dad inquired.

"Yep!" I came a little closer; I was glad that Blade was small, since Dad surely would have seen her if she wasn't. 

"Hm.." Dad looked suspicious. "What have you got behind your back?"

"Nothing.." I giggled.

"I find that hard to believe with that reaction."

"Just something.."

"Interesting. I hear you saved my life earlier; I must thank you for that."

"It was nothing.." I was happy that my dad was okay.

"Oh, well in that case, I guess I don't need to give you a super special surprise.."

"Say what?" I was interested.

"Oh, I was just planning to take you to Outertale with the company of a cake, but if you don't feel that that's necessary, I'm okay with that."

"You know, I think I'm having a change of soul." I mentioned.

"I was only kidding, Killer; I know you'd like that." He hugged me; Blade lowered under the side of the bed. "And you deserve it."

"Thanks, Dad." I grinned happily. "I have a surprise for you, too."

"Oh, really, now? I'd love to see it."

"See..her." I chuckled as Blade rose, facing Dad.

"Well..this is a surprise.." Dad was very much surprised! "Has she..got a name?"

"Blade." I pet Blade. 

"Blade must be very strong..I suppose this is how you saved my life?"

"Yeah, Cross explained the physics and stuff."

"Good to know. Did you pick her traits, or.."

"No, it was too quick for that. We know the base is protective, though."

"I see..do you have any idea what the secondary is?"

"Not yet. Can you help us find out?"

 "I suppose I can figure this out.." Dad laid a hand on Blade's forehead. "As a Guardian of the Balance of Emotions, with enough training, we can sense the personalities of blasters...I certainly sense the protectiveness. Beneath that, I believe I sense..anxiety? Worry..definitely. The secondary trait of this one is anxiety - she's anxious."

"What does anxious mean?" I didn't know.

"Anxious means worryful, somewhat like..fearing for what could happen in the future."

"Like Dust?"

"..Somewhat. Dust is more on the paranoid side, but it could be translated as anxiety."

"Okay..so are you feeling good?"

"I'm feeling all right, but I might need to take it slow for a while.."

"Okay. Does cake in Outertale count as slow?"

Dad chuckled a bit. "I suppose we can try it."

"Yay!" I smiled victoriously. "And if trouble comes, Blade will protect us!"

"I'm sure she will."

I knew she would.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Killer bean get blaster!

Thanks for reading my suspenseful writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Horror.

~~~~~

Killer had gotten his blaster, Blade, about four months ago. About one month ago, he made another, a boy, whom he named Slade; he was a fearlessly prideful blaster with some sort of scar over his eyesocket. Blade and Slade worked well together. As for the rest of us, we hadn't gotten blasters yet, but our powers were getting stronger. A lot of things were happening at the moment, one of them being the fact that I had gained my title: Guardian of the Hungry! I liked that title; it reminded me of food. In addition to that, we had also discovered my standard..I didn't like that. My standard punishment was being hungry..or starving, really..no amount of food would take the pain away! I tried to be obedient..it was just so hard sometimes! I didn't like the pains...I had to try to forget about them. The most prevalent thing we currently had on our minds was Dust..he was going to begin to join us in only three months, but he wasn't ready for that..he was terrified. We had to try to keep his mind off of it, utilizing fun trips, such as today's. Today was going to be a very fun day; Dad was going to take us camping! We had never camped before, but Dad said it was a lot of fun! We were currently in the upper living room with our gear.

"All right, boys." Dad smiled. "Do you all have everything you need?"

"Yep!" We harmonized.

"Insect repellant?"

"Got it!" Killer exclaimed. 

"Extra food?"

"We have extra extra food!" I chuckled.

"Stuffed animals?"

"I have them!" Dust hugged a teddy bear.

"Telescope?"

"Got it and all the other awesome stuff!" Cross declared.

"And..chocolate?"

"Chocolate!" Error jumped happily. 

"I believe that's everything important, and I've got all the unimportant things, such as the tents, sleeping bags, and pillows."

"Yay!" Error was almost too excited for this.

"If we're all ready, let us go into..the wild."

Dad opened a portal to a forest, and we all went through it, finding ourselves in a grassy clearing; this must have been a surface forest! I looked around at the trees and sky, smiling at the sights around me; this was much better than that town I used to live in..that place had no trees or grass. I loved the outdoors; it was so much better than the dark indoors, and all the animals made it so much better! When I had finished admiring the sight, I ran over to the campsite Dad had started making, helping my brothers put up the tents; Killer and I put them up, while Dust and Cross made the insides look nice; Error was helping Dad prepare the space for the fire tonight. When we were finished with the tents, Dad sprayed us with the insect repellant to keep bugs away; we didn't want to be bitten..or stabbed..or anything that bugs did. Soon, we were ready to begin our camping experience. Our schedule included a walk in the forest, singing songs around the campfire, catching fireflies, making s'mores, climbing trees, and all kinds of fun stuff! I was so excited to get started!

"Okay, boys, who wants to take a walk?" Dad looked to us with a smile.

"Me!" We shouted together.

"All right, let's get walking! Remember to stick close, boys; I don't want to lose any of you." 

"We'll stick like glue!" Killer giggled.

Killer hugged Dad before refusing to let go, claiming that he was actually stuck like glue and needed help to get off. After pulling the stuck Killer from Dad's goop, we started on our walk, looking through the dense yet lively forest. We saw a lot of squirrels and birds on our walk, and we even got the chance to see a real deer! It was so awesome, and its antlers were so big! I liked deer; venison tasted good, but we didn't kill and eat this one, only looking at it. I grew a bit tired at one point; I had stayed up late last night helping the others get their backpacks ready for today, and it was beginning to catch up to me. I closed my eyesockets for a second, but when I opened them again, I was..alone? Had I fallen asleep?! I got up off the ground; I had fallen asleep! I looked around, hoping my family were near..but I couldn't see them. I was alone..in a forest. I whimpered slightly at the thought of being stuck here forever..I wanted to go home! I decided to look around, hoping that I was near the campsite. I ended up walking aimlessly for a while..how could I have gotten lost so fast?! I sighed, continuing my lonely walk in the desolate woods.

Then I saw it. It wasn't the campsite, but it was the next best thing: a tree. Not just any tree..it was an apple tree. I was hungry. I walked up to the apple tree, intent on procuring an apple to munch on while I wandered through the forest to find my family; they were probably worried about me at this point. I hummed at the tree, wondering how to get up; there weren't any low branches that I could use to make my way up to the delectable apples easily..but there was the trunk. I placed a hand on the bark, testing to see if I could climb the tree that way; it wasn't sturdy enough. I frowned, staring at the apples above..I just needed to get up there..but how? I decided to use magic..maybe if I focused on an apple, I could use blue magic to get it down! I wasn't very good at blue magic, but this was practice. I set my sights on the apple I wanted before activating my magic. I focused solely on the apple, and it actually came closer! Maybe I wasn't so bad at blue magic, after all! I grinned happily when I grabbed the apple, sitting on a branch to eat it-

Branch?

I was in the tree? How did I get into the tree? Wasn't I bringing the apple closer? Had I brought..myself to the apple? I must have..but how? I looked down under my feet to see..a blaster. I nearly fell backwards out of the tree when I noticed it..I had made a blaster..I had made a blaster! I laughed giddily when I realized that I had actually made a blaster! This was so cool! It even had a hole in its skull and one red eyelight! I hugged the blaster when it came higher, grabbing another apple to give to it; it nibbled the fruit slowly as I ate mine. 

"Are you a boy?" I asked the question that was on my mind, and the blaster nodded. "Okay, boy..you're nibbling your food, aren't you? Hm..I think I'll name you Nibble!"

Nibble gave me a happy hum as he continued to nibble his apple.

"Nibble, do you know where the campsite is?" I hoped.

Nibble nodded; he knew!

"Could you take me there, please?" I grabbed another apple to give to Nibble, who nodded once again. "Thanks!"

With a small smile, I slowly steadied myself on Nibble, who helped me get down from the tree I had previously been stuck in; I wasn't very good at tree climbing. When I was down from the tree, Nibble began to float in a certain direction, and I followed him. After a few minutes, we found ourselves faced with a worrying Dad; he hugged me tightly before setting me down on the ground.

"Where did you go, Horror?" He questioned; he looked as if he had been searching for a while..I didn't mean to worry him.

"Uh, I think I fell asleep." I shrugged; I had fallen asleep!

Dad sighed, hugging me again. "I'm keeping you in my sight from now on, sleepyskull."

"Sorry..but I found something cool!"

"And what would that be?"

"An apple tree!" I held up one of the apples from the tree.

"I see; that's very nice. I assume you also found a blaster hanging off that tree?"

"Nope! He's mine!"

"Well, you've won third place in the blast-olympics." Dad chuckled; Killer had made that term. 

"So, uh, you're not mad, right?"

"I'll be darned if you're going anywhere near the fridge after bedtime in non-emergencies for the next month."

"..Fair."

"Indeed. So, tell me about your little blaster."

"I couldn't climb the apple tree, so I tried to use magic, and he just came! Isn't he awesome?"

"He is. Do you know his traits?"

"Not yet."

"Can you sense them?"

"..No?"

"All right, I'll try to figure it out for you later."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Would you like to get back to camp now?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"All right."

We began our trip back to the campsite, where I was immediately hugged by my brothers, who almost as quickly turned their attention to the presence of a new blaster. We spent a while playing with Nibble and the other blasters, watching as they played happily together, but Nibble was a bit slower than the others..maybe he wasn't as energetic. At one point, Dad decided to try to sense Nibble's personality, coming up with helpful and laid back; that explained the slower speed. After a couple hours, we desummoned our tired blasters - they needed rest - and began to chase after fireflies.

"I have one!" Killer cheered, opening his hand to show off the firefly, but it flew out as soon as he did so. "Hey! Come back here!"

"Firefly, firefly, firefly." Error counted the ones he had; they were attracted to the light of his magic. "Crossy, there's a big one!"

"Oh, that is really big!" Cross smiled at the observation.

"Dust, I swear they're not going to hurt you." Dad was trying to get Dust to join the fun.

"B-but I don't wanna b-be struck by lightning!" Dust whimpered.

"You won't be struck by lightning, Dust! Wherever did you get that idea?"

"Th-they're called l-lightning bugs.."

"Oh, Dust..they're also called fireflies; they're harmless!"

"F-fireflies?! I don't wanna be caught on fire!" Dust hugged Dad tightly; Dad sighed at the poor choice of words he had chosen.

"Horror, look!" Error caught my attention. "It's on my head!"

I walked over to my little brother, laughing at the firefly who had made it onto his skull. "Are you the firefly hotel?"

"Yep! Error's Firefly Hotel! Only free a room! Double on weekends!"

"Double of free is still free." Cross reminded.

"Exactly!"

"Let's show Dad!" Killer suggested.

We ran over to Dad and Dust, intent on showing them Error's visitor.

"Dad, look!" Error urged, keeping the firefly on his skull.

"Oh?" Dad looked away from Dust for a moment. "Oh, I see."

"I'm a hotel!" 

"I thought you were Error."

"I'm an Error hotel!"

"Ah, that makes more sense."

"Can we make s'mores now?" I was hungry.

"I suppose we can get to that." Dad nodded, leading us over to the campfire, which was lit.

"What's a s'more?" Error didn't know.

"Imagine..graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, and you have a s'more." I clarified.

"Chocolate?" Error wanted a s'more; it was evident.

"First, we roast the marshmallows." Dad explained, handing each of us a marshmallow roasting stick tipped with a marshmallow. "Don't hold them too close to the fire, but let them feel the heat."

"Feel the heat, marshmallow!" Error held his marshmallow directly in the fire before pulling it out immediately. "Did it work?"

"Um..that one might be a bit overdone, but you've got the spirit."

"Here, put the marshmallow onto the cracker." Cross helped Error pull his gooey goodness onto the graham cracker. "Now add some chocolate and another cracker..and you have a s'more!"

"Yay!" Error held the s'more happily. "Thank you!"

"Anytime."

"Dad, is it supposed to look like that?" Killer wasn't sure about his gooey marshmallow. "It looks weird.."

"It's supposed to be a little melted." Dad shrugged. "You should be fine."

"Okay." Killer made his s'more.

"Can we tell scary stories?" I hoped, biting into my wonderful s'more.

"Maybe not too scary.." Dad didn't want Dust to have bad dreams.

"Okay! Can I tell one?"

"Go ahead."

"Yay!" I quickly thought of a story. "Once, there was a lollipop. This lollipop was named Joel. Joel walked for ages because nobody liked him, but he never knew why. He was shunned by all the lollipop folk, until he found a mirror, and what he found scarred him for life: he was missing his top!"

Dust screamed; he was..very easy to scare..even when the story wasn't scary..it was a lollipop, for goodness' sakes!

"Well.." Dad was calming down a whimpering Dust. "Maybe the rest of you can-" Dad was cut off.

"Stop right there, Nightmare!" Seriously? Ink was here? "Stop terrorizing that child!"

"I happen to be comforting this child.." Dad sighed. "Have you just been stalking us?"

"Maybe- no! No, of course not.."

"You need to get a life.."

"I have a life! Unlike you!"

"We're camping. He was frightened. I am comforting him. There is nothing illegal here."

"Well, it's not a neutral AU!"

"Are you honestly going to fight me in front of these young children?"

"Maybe."

Dust started crying; this was too much for him.

"Are you going to fight me in front of this child?" Dad stood firm.

"He's a murderer, anyway!"

"Ink!" Uncle Dream? How many people were going to interrupt our camping trip? "When I said keep an eye on them, I meant in battle!"

"...Ohh." Ink chuckled nervously. "This is awkward.."

"Come on, you're going in the corner." Uncle Dream started dragging Ink to a portal.

"I don't like the corner!" Ink whined.

"Then stop stalking my brother's family!"

"But it's my livelihood! I must destroy evil!"

"If you want to destroy evil, help Blue when he cleans up litter in towns! It's a living far better than stalking!"

"But litter is boring.."

"It's a serious problem in big cities! Now come on!"

Uncle Dream forced Ink into the portal, leaving us confused; Dust had stopped crying, opting instead to sleep on Dad's lap.

"I understand nothing." Killer stated. 

"I wanna go to bed." Error yawned. 

"I believe that would be a good idea." Dad nodded, picking up Dust. "Good night, boys."

"Good night!" We harmonized. 

We slept peacefully that night.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Horror bean get blaster!

I think I combined three of you guys' ideas to get this :3 

Thanks for your suggestions!

Thank you for reading my hungry writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Cross.

~~~~~

It had been two months since Horror got Nibble, and now only Dust and I were left to get our blasters; Dad told us not to be upset if we didn't get them soon, since there were no guarantees for these sorts of things, and it was really only chance that caused the others to get them within only a few months of eachother. Another thing that everyone was thinking about was Dust: in less than a month, he would turn ten; his birthday was close to Horror's, while mine was about a month after that. At the moment, it was a bright Saturday morning, and I was sitting on the porch in the backyard, enjoying the morning air; I had never had that chance in the lab..I had always been inside. Inside air was different from outside air; I preferred the latter. I drank some milk as I slowly started my day, noting when Dad joined me, sitting down on the porch table next to me.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" He commented.

"Mhm." I agreed, sipping my milk.

"I was thinking about going on a trip today; would you be interested in that?"

"Where?"

"Well, I was thinking of going to visit that farm - the one where we get our eggs?"

"Oh." I hummed. "I guess I'd be okay with coming."

"Very well. I actually wanted to get there before the others woke up; Killer is sleeping a bit later today, and I figure that I can make a good breakfast."

"All right, I'll come." I placed my milk on the table.

Dad soon opened a portal to the farm, and I followed him through. We usually had only to look into one of the food storage rooms to find ingredients for things, but whenever possible, Dad liked to use fresh eggs; he said they were better than stored eggs, but we would use the stored if we had to. We went up to the market in the farm, meeting a nervous farmer; I wondered why he was so nervous.

"H-hello, N-Nightmare.." He stuttered. "How c-can I help you..t-today?"

"I would like to purchase one dozen eggs, please." Dad requested.

"S-sure.." The farmer placed a carton of eggs on the counter. "Th-that'll be t-two g.."

"Here you go." Dad gave the farmer the money and picked up the carton of eggs. "Good morning."

"M-morning.." The farmer shuddered.

As soon as Dad took the eggs, there was a rumble..was it an earthquake? No..it sounded more like..hooves. I froze, knowing that there was only one creature that made those types of sounds: cows. I heard cows, and there were lots of them. Dad didn't seem to notice the stampede that was obviously nearby! I grabbed his leg, whimpering; they were going to kill us all! Dad still didn't notice the stampede..how could he not have noticed?! It was so loud! In an instant, the wall of the market building was broken, and a cow faced us; Dad glared at the evil cow, who huffed demonically. Its horns even looked like demon horns..it made the sound. I whimpered, holding on to Dad's leg with all my strength. He looked down to me, gesturing for me to get behind the counter; I did so quickly before returning my attention to the face-off. Dad growled at the evil cow, who seemed to smile at the challlenge; they fought. Dad fired multiple blasters at the cow, who was unphased; Dad was a bit shocked that his attacks did absolutely nothing against the beast. The cow attacked, making the sound I feared so much. I screamed as dust flew up into the air..no..no! Dad! No..he wouldn't leave us like that..

The beast then looked at me, giving a huff of amusement at my terrified expression. The farmer backed away slowly, obviously knowing that this cow was too much of a threat to even bother trying to save its victim: me. The beast made its sound again, approaching me slowly. I backed against the wall of the market, screaming as loud as I could in the hopes that someone, anyone would save me! But..nobody..came. It was just me and the cow..me and the horrendous, vicious, vile, terrifying, scary, unstoppable beast. Me and it. I stood slowly, knowing that it was now life or death, and I was the only one who could protect me now. I activated my erratic magic, hoping to fire an attack at the beast, but it was too fast..it raised a hoof, and I screamed. 

"Cross!" Dad's..voice? "Cross, wake up!"

"D-Dad?" I whimpered, leaning into the goopy texture..Dad was alive?

"Cross, you had a bad dream..it's okay, Cross." Dad hugged me tightly. "It's not real; none of it is real."

"B-but you..it.."

"Shh, just focus on my voice and deactivate your magic."

"M-my magic?"

"Yes, you've already blown three holes in the wall, and we don't need to make it four."

"Wh-what..?" I couldn't make holes..

"Are you all right now?"

"I..I'm okay..I used my magic?"

"Yes, you used a lot of magic.."

"I'm sorry.."

"It's okay, Cross. Whatever you dreamed about must have scared you.."

"Yeah..th-there was a cow..and it..k-killed you.."

"I see.." Dad hugged me tighter. "Cross, trust me: I won't die from a cow."

"I-it was going to step on me!"

"I understand." Dad sighed. "Well, your room is a bit of a mess, and you've won fourth place in the blast-olympics, but I think we can sort this out."

"My- I what?" I wasn't hearing that..

Dad chuckled. "Your bad dream must have triggered a magic surge; you've successfully summoned a blaster."

"I..have?" I wriggled out of Dad's grasp to see myself faced with a blaster; it had the same brand I had been marked with so long ago.

"Congratulations, Cross. It's a girl."

"She's not a baby.."

"Might as well be; all of you will forever be my baby boys."

"..I've been thinking about that."

"About what?"

"Us..and you..what's going to happen when we grow up?"

"I imagine you'll stop aging somewhere in your twenties; the multiverse likes its..Guardians..in their best shape."

"So..we're going to be immortal?"

"Unless it has reason to kill you, yes."

"Huh..cool."

Dad smiled. "So, what are you going to name your baby girl?"

"Flapjack's new daughter shall be named.." I thought for a moment. "Star!"

"That's a very nice name, and I'm sure Flapjack will adore his new daughter."

I giggled a bit. "What are her traits?"

"Getting right down to business, I see." Dad hummed, laying a hand on Star. "Oh, this is odd..this is very odd.."

"What's odd?" I hoped there was nothing wrong with Star! She was supposed to be special! I hoped the bad dream didn't affect her badly!

"Usually, a blaster summoned as a result of a nightmare would have fear or anger as a trait..I feel..kindness..and curiosity? No, more than curiosity..inquisitiveness..this blaster's traits are kind and inquisitive."

"What does inquisitive mean?"

"It resembles curiosity, but on a further scale; Star may be a bit too curious about things..she may end up getting in trouble because of it. With this nature comes the desire to obtain knowledge, and this blaster is bound to be intelligent. You'll need to keep an eye on her."

"I will!"

"I know you will." Dad rubbed my skull playfully. "Now, would you like to try to go back to sleep?"

"Yes, thank you, Dad."

"Of course."

I then desummoned Star, falling asleep soon after. I had a better dream this time, dreaming about playing with my brothers instead of being murdered by a cow; I preferred playing. I soon woke up to the sound of Killer's voice, prompting me to get out of bed. I put on some day clothes and walked out to the upper dining room, finding my family already there; I smiled at the sight of Error feeding Matrix a piece of bread. Blasters didn't typically need to eat, but they enjoyed being fed, nonetheless. Still smiling, I took my seat at the table, beginning to eat my breakfast and talk with the others, who hadn't been made aware that I had summoned a blaster. We had a conversation consisting of caterpillars and their different characteristics, leading to the question of if Error was a caterpillar - I didn't know how it got there, and I really didn't want to. After breakfast, the others would usually go into the backyard to watch their blasters play together, and I had always been brought along, since Error wanted me to come; Dad wasn't going to join us today, instead summoning Flapjack and going to have a talk with Dust about the future. My brothers summoned their blasters, and I surprised them by conjuring my own.

Error gasped, hugging me. "Crossy! You did it!" 

I chuckled. "You didn't think I'd miss out on all the fun, did you?"

"Yay!"

"Looks like Dust's last, then." Killer stated.

"Dusty will make one." Error was sure of it.

"What's its name?" Horror pet Star before sending her to play with the others.

"Her name, and it's Star." I replied.

"Flapjack has a lot of kids!" Killer giggled, looking at the blasters' shenanigans.

We all turned our attention to the sight, finding the blaster family welcoming Star with smiles. Soon enough, they began to chase eachother around the yard, humming happily; I was glad that they all got along. When they tired themselves out - some took longer than others - the little ones huddled around Flapjack and cuddled with him; that was adorable. Flapjack seemed to like his children; he made sure all of them had enough room to move while also maintaining cuddle status. After a while, Error was beginning to get a bit tired - I attributed that to the fact that he went to bed late. He yawned slightly before walking over to the blasters and joining their cuddle; they accomodated him, and now there was an eight-and-a-half-year-old covered in various sized blasters. After a while, Horror decided to join the mix, and Killer and I were not going to miss out on this opportunity; we were all covered in and surrounded by blasters within five minutes. Actually, being surrounded by blasters was surprisingly comfortable, especially when one was small, such as us; we were no different than a group of children with one large blanket.

"Taking a nap already?" Dad was impressed.

"Maybe.." I glanced at Error, who was already soundly asleep. 

"Hm. Okay, then. Dust is paying a visit to fluffy land; perhaps you would like to continue your nap there instead of on the grass?"

"That sounds super comfy.." Horror was half asleep.

"All right, then."

Dad then picked us up, not waking up Error or disturbing Horror's drift to sleep. He brought us to fluffy land, where we continued our cuddle, except this time, Dust joined our pile. After a bit of silent pleading, Dad was convinced to join us as well, and we enjoyed our cuddle a million times more than before, which was saying a lot. We spent the rest of the day playing with our blasters and comforting Dust, who seemed to get more and more paranoid as the days went on; it was unfortunate, really..he had been coming out of his shell before the knowledge that we would grow up to help Dad struck, at which point, he just started retreating. We knew he was scared; he didn't try to deny it. Dad was trying to prepare him, but it didn't seem as if anything would prepare him for the tasks that lay ahead. Instead, we decided to make him feel as comfortable as possible; that might have helped a little, and Dust certainly needed comfort, with everything he was going through. At the end of the day, we were a family, and we would do whatever we could to make our family members feel like they belonged just as much as the rest did; it was our duty. We just needed to hold on for a while longer; Dust would be okay.

I was sure of it.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cross bean get blaster bean!

Hope I didn't scare y'all with the cow-

Thanks for reading my starry writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dust.

~~~~~

One week. There was one week until I was going to join Dad and the others. I had one week of freedom. I couldn't sleep without bad dreams; Dad couldn't stop them. I knew I could do it - help them - but I couldn't find the courage to do so. I had broken down crying more than once in the past few weeks, dreading my inevitable fate. I knew I shouldn't have been so afraid; it was stupid. I just couldn't help myself! The others had been so understanding, and I had just been making things so hard! Why couldn't I just accept my lot in life and move on with it? Why did I have to make everything so difficult? I didn't deserve this life..it was too good for me. A loving family and a dad who cared infinitely for me? I didn't deserve that. I was a horrible child; I deserved nothing. Why did they put up with me all the time? They cared for me..but why? I hadn't done anything but be a burden in my entire life..why would they care for me? I didn't offer anything to the family aside from a pain and a worry. I had nothing to give them, yet they loved me as much as any other child; I had done nothing to deserve that. I should've been dead, if I was being completely honest about it.  

"Dust?" Killer entered my room. "Are you..awake?"

"Mhm.." I wiped my tears.

"Didn't sleep again?"

"No.."

Killer sighed, coming over to me. "It's gonna be okay, Dust."

"Why?" I looked at him.

"..What do you mean?" He didn't know.

"Why do you care for me?"

"Because..you're my brother. I'll always love you."

"But..I'm just a pain.."

"No, you're not. You only think that 'cause you're going through a rough time."

"I've always been useless.."

"Hey, no you haven't! You've done lots of things the rest of us couldn't do, and you've been useful in every case!"

"Name one.."

"When I gained LV, you were the one who came up with fluffy land! It's helped us so much!"

"It's a pile of blankets and pillows in the middle of the floor..anyone could have done that."

Killer frowned. "You were the one who taught me to face my fears."

"Some example..I can't even face my own.." 

"Hey..just because you have a few fears doesn't make you any different from the rest of us." Killer hugged me. "When it really counted, you've stepped up so many times to show your true colors, and they're wonderful colors, Dust. Don't give up yet; you'll show everyone just how strong you can really be."

"..." I looked down before returning my gaze to him. "You really..you really think so?"

"I know so." Killer smiled. "When people see my little brother, they're gonna say, 'Look, it's Dust! He's so strong! I wanna be just like him when I get older!'"

I gave out a small laugh. "Thanks, Killer..I needed that.."

"Of course, Dust." Killer gave me another big hug. "Now, it's time for breakfast!"

"Okay."

I felt a little better as I walked downstairs; we had slept in the upper house last night. I reached the dining room with no problem and found myself faced with bacon and eggs. I didn't speak during breakfast; I needed to think about things. When my fate came, I would be using a knife..which I had been scarred for life from - not the same knife, but still. In order to avoid triggering myself, I would likely want to attack only the limbs and torso; the head was off-limits..I knew that sight too well. Why did past me have to go for the head..? If I had to kill, I would go for the soul; that would have offered the victim a quick and easy death, while also limiting the amount of time I would be subjected to the torture that was watching someone die. I would have been okay with that; it didn't make it too difficult, and I wouldn't have had to put too much strain on my sanity. I ate a piece of bacon as I finalized my plans. I hoped the multiverse didn't go too hard on me; I didn't want to find out what my standard was going to be, since both Horror's and Killer's were so horrible..I couldn't imagine being starved or emotionless for several hours..

"Can Star roll over?" Error asked.

"Yes, but she prefers staying upright." Cross answered. "She gets a bit disoriented when she's upside-down."

"Blade can roll over!" Killer grinned. "She's really good at it!"

"Nibble's still working on that." Horror shrugged. "He prefers to just sit back and relax."

"Bet he'll roll over if you offer to scratch his belly."

"Probably."

"Not gonna try?"

"Eh, not yet."

"Matrix is the best roller-over..er...?" Error was confused; he was much better with words than he was a few years ago, but some things still stopped him in his tracks.

"He's the best at rolling over." Cross assisted.

"Oh, yeah! Matrix is the best at rolling over!"

"Hey, Dad?" Killer looked to Dad.

"Yes?" Dad responded.

"Can we go to the park today?"

"I'm afraid we have to go out.."

"Oh..do you think we'll have time after?"

"Perhaps if nobody is too badly injured."

"Okay.."

Breakfast finished soon after that, and Killer, Horror, and Dad left the rest of us at home to do whatever we wished while they were gone. We were in the lower house, since we weren't allowed to be in the upper house unless we knew it was absolutely safe or Dad was home; it was just too dangerous if someone tried to break in. We played a few games while the others were gone, which effectively got my mind off of my fate; I actually enjoyed myself for once. Error and Cross always knew how to have a good time together, and when you were with them, it was impossible to not have fun..unless you were emotionless, of course; Killer sometimes had that problem. Our games ended after four hours, and we soon found ourselves tending to the others' wounds; they were mostly scratches, but Error insisted on being the doctor, using more than one box of colorful bandaids. As soon as the older ones were covered in bandaids, we went to the upper house to play in the backyard, but I swore I heard footsteps before we were up there..Dad said I was just a bit afraid; he felt no aura. I hummed the rest of the way to the backyard, trying to ignore the extra set of footsteps I knew I heard.

"Crossy, can you swing with me?" Error hoped.

"Sure, Erry!" Cross smiled, going to join Error on the swings.

"Bandaids won't stop us!" Killer declared. "To the mystical forest of..Bananasplit!"

"I like this forest..." Horror wanted to eat it, no doubt.

"Would you like to join them, Dust?" Dad offered.

"No, thanks..I'm just going to clear my mind and relax.." I needed to relax..I was too stressed out.

"Very well; enjoy your relaxation."

"I will."

Dad then sat down on a bench, directing all of his focus on the others, who were having a fun time. 

"Crossy!" Error giggled. "I closed my eyes! This is so weird!"

"Swinging with your eyes closed..?" Cross tried it. "Oh..oh! What is this?!"

"I know, right?! It's awesome!"

"Horror, it's the lost treasure of Kanamote!" Killer exclaimed. 

"How do you come up with these names?" Horror had no idea.

"Vowels! Take a random letter and a vowel, or just a vowel, and keep going until it sounds cool!"

"Oh..nice!"

"Now get the lost shovel of Irihote! Quick!"

"Getting it!" Horror went for the lost shovel.

I heard more footsteps; they were getting closer. They were just my imagination though, right? Dad didn't feel any aura..everything was fine; he would have told us if it wasn't. I just needed to calm down; I was too stressed already. I needed to calm down and relax..yes. I needed to enjoy the fresh air and forget about all my troubles..right. I was calm..I was fine. It was a nice day today..the clouds were fluffy, as clouds should have been. I smiled at the peacefulness of the day; it was a good day. Then the footsteps started again. They were soft..and slow..but who-

"Not a sound." Someone..had grabbed Dad?! It was Ink!

I watched fearfully as Ink summoned a blaster pointed towards the others; they couldn't help Dad! Dad was silent as Ink held a knife pointed at his soul..Dad was in trouble! But..the others were held back by that blaster..it would fire if they moved! Ink began slowly backing away toward a portal, intent on taking Dad..but I couldn't let that happen. I..needed to protect my family, but I didn't have any weapons on me..I couldn't let that stop me. Without regular weapons, I would have to use either what was on hand or magic, and I had nothing on hand, leaving magic; I hoped it wouldn't fail me now. I was terrified, but I had to be brave; my family needed me. I took a deep breath before shooting one bone at the attempted Dadnapper. I caught his attention, and now everyone was looking at me..great. 

"D-don't hurt him!" I was shaking, but I had to keep myself under control..

"The little murderer..wonderful." Ink seemed unphased by my attack, as well as my presence. "I'm just taking your caretaker down to a nice place with dark gray brick rooms; I believe you've been there before."

"Y-you're not taking him anywhere." I had to focus my magic..just a little more..

"Oh? And you think you're going to stop me with a little bone? Honestly, you're pitiful; I pity you." Ink went closer to the portal, resulting in my shooting another bone.

"S-stop moving!" I needed more magic..I needed to focus on magic and not fear..magic and not fear..

"That was even weaker.." He scoffed. "Nightmare must love having you around; you might as well be dead already."

"D-Dad loves us.." Magic and not fear..bravery..magic and bravery.

"Honey, I don't think Nightmare loves anyone; you're just pawns to him. He's just an evil warlord, and he needs to be put away."

"D-don't say that about him!" Just a little more magic..I could do this..why did it have to take so long for my magic levels to rise?

"You're just in denial; that's completely normal. Don't worry; when Nightmare's locked up, we'll put all of you in a nice..orphanage. Doesn't that sound better than here?"

"N-no!" One more moment..

"Perhaps not yet. In any case, I'll be leaving now, kids."

Ink made for the portal, but he was cut off; my magic had been prepped, and I had summoned whatever I could; my eyes were on my target, however.

"Put him down." I had to be brave.

"And what do you think you're going to do to me?" Ink questioned. "You aren't brave enough to fire that thing, and even if you were, your attack power is ridiculously low."

"I said put him down!" I just had to hold on..just until he released Dad. 

"Try it."

Ink was..challenging me? He really wanted me to attack him, just to call my bluff! If I had to attack him..so be it. I didn't want any of my attacks to hurt Dad, and they wouldn't; magic only hurt who the user wanted it to hurt, and I needed it to hurt Ink, not Dad. So I threw everything I had at him, hoping he would just let my Dad go. He seemed surprised when I attacked him, probably not have been expecting me to actually do it, but I did. Bones shot at him, followed swiftly by..a laser? I couldn't focus on that; I needed to focus on getting Dad away from that mean monster. If I had a laser, I'd use it, and I did. It turned out that I was stronger than Ink had expected, due to the fact that with only a few hits with said laser, he let go of Dad and retreated; his blaster on the others dissipated. I..had used a lot of magic..I needed to rest. Before I could journey to the ground, I was caught in what felt like Dad's arms..he was safe; everyone was safe. Everything..was perfectly fine..except my nerves; I was terrified, and that was what kept me awake..unfortunately.

"Dust, it's okay!" Dad tried to calm me down; it wasn't quite working. "He's gone, Dust! Nothing to worry about! Please calm down!"

"Dusty, you're last in the blast-olympics!" Error said. "Be happy! Please?"

"Dad, is he going to be okay?" Killer wondered.

"I think..he's just processing everything.." Dad replied. "He should be fine once he gets everything sorted out."

"How long will that take?" Horror inquired.

"Maybe a few minutes; he may also be linking with his blaster..I hope this doesn't affect the linking process."

"Isn't he supposed to be passed out or idle while linking?" Cross thought. "He's sort of..shaky.."

"I believe that his small amount of determination mixed with his adrenaline is keeping him awake..he would probably be sleeping if he could."

"Dusty has determination?" Error wasn't aware of that.

"Yes, actually, I believe Horror and I are the only ones out of all of us who don't."

"How do I have it, Crossy?"

"Ink made you with some.." Cross shrugged.

"What about you?"

"...The place before..coming here.."

"Ooh. What about Dusty and Kills?"

"They were just born with it for some reason."

"Ooh!"

"Hey, shh, you're okay." Dad noticed that my shaking was slowing. "There we go..you're okay, Dust; you're okay."

"D-Dad?" I stuttered.

"I'm here, Dust." 

"Wh-what happened? I-is everyone okay?"

"Yes, we're all fine, thanks to you, Dust."

"I..saved you?"

"Yes, and you did an amazing job, too; I love you, Dust."

"I love you too, Dad."

"Now, would you like to turn your attention to your new blaster?"

"My..blaster?" 

I followed the direction of Dad's gesture to..wow. It had my eyelight colors! It was..wow.

"Anything to say?" Dad asked.

"Wow.." I had only one word in mind, and it was that.

"Is he in shock?" Cross questioned.

"Um..he might be a bit overwhelmed." Dad chuckled a bit. "Perhaps we should give him a moment."

Actually, I needed three moments to calm down, but when I did, I was holding my blaster tightly.

"I believe this one is a male." Dad enlightened. "What would you like to name it, Dust?"

"I think.." I hummed, looking at my blaster. "His name is Ash."

"That's a very nice name." Dad pet Ash. "Killer, would you like to try sensing Ash's traits?"

"Okay!" Killer placed a hand on Ash, as he had seen Dad do, and he tried to focus. "Um..I think..it's..weird.."

"How so?"

"It's scared..and brave?"

"Do you think so?" Dad was surprised.

"That's gotta be it." Killer removed his hand. "Try it!"

"Odd.." Dad placed his hand on the blaster. "Hm..yes, he's got a contradiction."

"Is that bad?" I hoped not!

"No, just uncommon." Dad removed his hand. "His traits are both fearful and brave, and whichever is the base will shine above the other, but the other will show. I believe the base is fearful, which means that in dire situations, he will be brave, but for the most part, he will be fearful."

"Ooh.." I hugged Ash. "Like me?"

Dad smiled. "Yes, like you."

"Got any more doubts, Dust?" Killer wondered.

"No.." I pet Ash slowly. "I'm right where I belong."

I wouldn't forget that again.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean get blaster!

*Waits for people to get the chapter names reference*

Thanks for reading my happy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dust. 

~~~~~

This was it..today was my tenth birthday, and I had just passed the oral exam. Horror hadn't gotten a free day like Killer did; we assumed it was because none of us had known that we were going to be Guardians with Dad at the time. Dad led me to my bedroom tonight, as he had with Horror one year ago; I felt my fate coming upon me with each step. The others had already gone to bed; we were the only two awake at the moment. I took deep breaths when we entered my bedroom. We were sleeping in the lower house tonight, to make me feel safer, but it only helped to a certain extent. I thought of my childhood up to this point; there had been many bad points, but there had also been many good points. I tried to look more on the good points, like after I first summoned Ash! Dad had taken me to Outertale to stargaze for a while afterwards; he had said he was proud of me. Actually, he had been saying that a lot recently..was it because it was true, or was he just trying to cheer me up? He wouldn't have lied to make me feel good, right? I didn't think so; Dad wasn't like that. When we finally sat down on my bed, Dad took my hands in his and looked at me very seriously. 

"Dust, this is going to be very important." He stated. "Are you listening?"

"I am." I nodded.

"All right. When you first fall asleep, you may think that you're awake, but you won't be; you'll be in a semi-lucid dream state. You will have a body, but your surroundings will be completely black; don't freak out."

"Okay..I won't."

"There won't be a visible floor, nor will there be a roof or walls; it will be an infinite blackness, but there are no humans in there, and there are no scary monsters in there; there will only be you and the multiverse."

"All right.."

"When the multiverse speaks, its voice will be a bit loud, but you'll get used to it; remember to stay alert. Listen very carefully to what is said to you, and remember what is said; do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Very well. Remember to respect the multiverse; it is your new master."

"I will."

"All right." Dad laid my skull down on my pillow. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Okay..I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Dust." 

Dad held my hand as I closed my eyesockets and fell asleep. When I opened them, I saw nothing..blackness..a void; I looked down to see my hands..this was it. I took a deep breath, waiting for the multiverse to speak to me; I wouldn't panic..I was fine. I had everything under control, and I wouldn't freak out. I could be terrified when I woke up, but I couldn't be right now.

"Greetings." A loud voice spoke to me.

"H-hello, multiverse." I had to stay calm..this was just like Dad said it would be.

"I believe you already know the details of your service. Is this correct?"

"Yes.."

"Explain."

"I am to be a Guardian, as my father and older brothers are, and as my younger brothers will be. I assume there is no way to avoid this?"

"Correct. Conversation is shortened due to this knowledge. Do you have any questions?"

"Will I be faced with the task of killing someone tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Is there any way to avoid that?"

"No."

"I see..do you expect that I will fail?"

"Due to a compilation of past events, chance of failure is almost inevitable."

"What will happen if I fail?"

"You will receive the punishment of your standard."

"What is my standard?"

"It is not necessary to give you this information."

"...If this information is given to me, my chance of failing the task will be lessened, as I would no doubt be more fearful, knowing what is to come."

"This request contains logic, although it will not grant you the knowledge. I would never tell a servant of its punishment."

"Oh.." I sighed, before pausing. "Did you just refer to me as an..it?"

"I did."

"..Why?"

"Your question is invalid."

"Um.." I needed to rephrase that. "Why do you refer to me as an 'it'?"

"Events over time have led me to believe that different servants are of different values than others; your value is lesser than that of the others, leading me to the conclusion that you are not worthy of distiction. You are an it."

"..." I had nothing to say to that that would have been considered 'respectful.'

"Have you any further questions?" 

"Am I going to be an it forever? Can I change that?"

"It is possible, although unlikely, that you are capable of showing worth."

"So you expect me to be worthless?" 

"Yes."

"And if I prove to be useful?"

"If you prove to be useful, you may gain distinction."

"..Do I still get a title if I'm worthless?"

"Yes, although the title you would receive would be of little importance."

"..What are you?"

"I am the multiverse."

"I mean..what are you?"

"I am your master."

"..What are you? Are you really what we live in?"

"I am the manifestation of the balances of the multiverse, meant to guide the servants thereof in their duties."

"Are there others like you?"

"There may be, but it is not my place to know."

"What would happen if you were to be destroyed?"

"If I were destroyed alone, a replica would be made in my place. If the multiverse itself was destroyed, I would cease to exist, along with all who reside in the multiverse." 

"I know you said you didn't speak about punishments, but..if I'm of lesser imortance, would my punishments be worse or easier to take than the others'?"

"They will be worse. A servant with no distinction deserves no mercy, while a servant with much distiction will gain more favor."

"..." Okay. I was scared.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"If I wasn't worthless, would my standard be the same?"

"Yes. Is there anything else before I depart from you?"

"No..I understand my place.." Even the multiverse itself hated me..what a surprise..

"Very well. You shall awaken now."

"All right.."

My dream faded out, and I found myself staring into my dad's worried eyelight. 

"Is everything okay?" He questioned. "Did anything bad happen?"

"..." I frowned.

"Dust? Are you all right?"

"..." I whimpered as tears formed rapidly in my eyesockets.

"Oh, my poor boy.." Dad hugged me tightly; I started sobbing rather quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm wrong!" 

"Whatever could you mean by that?"

"Th-the multiverse..s-said I'm worthless.."

"Oh.." Dad's emotions grew darker. "I'm sorry.."

"Wh-why does the world hate me?"

"I don't know, Dust..but I think you're amazing."

"Y-you're just s-saying that. N-nobody could like m-me.."

"Oh, Dust.." 

Dad continued to comfort me for a while, until I fell asleep. I didn't have a bad dream tonight; Dad must have been blocking them. I didn't know what happened; one minute, I thought I was where I belonged, but the next, the literal world I lived in decided to tell me that it hated me..maybe I just didn't deserve to think things. I was no leader..that was more of Killer's department, or even Cross's..I was just a follower. When I woke up, everyone was..in my room?

"Um..what's going on?" I had ten thousand scenarios moving through my mind..were they going to kill me because I was useless?!

"Dust, we've decided that you're going to prove the multiverse wrong." Dad stated.

"But..you said it's always right.."

"In logical areas, yes, but this area isn't logical. You are just as much of a Guardian as the rest of us are, and we're going to prove that."

"..How?"

"After careful deliberation, we've decided that the best way to prove yourself is to defeat my brother in one-on-one combat."

"But..I-I'm not..strong.."

"You are strong, Dust." Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. "And you can do this. I don't want to see you hurt, Dust; I know what happens when a Guardian isn't favored, and I don't want you to go through that."

"..Okay.." I looked at my dad sadly. "It said I'll have to kill someone, though..what if I can't do it?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"All right.."

"Now, would you like some breakfast?"

"Yeah..that sounds good."

"Okay, let's get something to eat, then."

We then went to the kitchen, where we sat at the table; breakfast today was scrambled eggs. Breakfast was mostly silent today, with only a few conversations started by Error or Killer. I wished we didn't have to be Guardians..I wanted to be normal. I wanted to grow up with my family and be happy, not kill or hurt people..but that choice wasn't available. I supposed I would get used to being a Guardian, but I honestly didn't want to; I knew that none of us did. One hour after breakfast, a weird feeling came over me; I assumed it was something to do with the fact that I was now linked to the balance, since Dad said we had to go out soon after the occurrence. I grabbed my knife along with a few spares - Dad said I would likely need them - before joining my older brothers and Dad in the lower living room. Cross and Error would be staying home alone now; I wished I could stay with them, but I couldn't.

"Be safe, Dusty!" Error ordered.

"I'll try." I smiled a bit at my little brother's orders. "You be safe, too."

"We will! Crossy's gonna teach me about planets!"

"Enjoy your planet study, then." Dad hugged Cross and Error.

"We will!" 

At that, Dad opened a portal, and we went through it. Dad said that he had chosen a darker universe this time, since Uncle Dream would be weaker in a more negative place. Of course, the downside was that the inhabitants would likely be stronger than normal in a more negative world; we would have to be strong. Killer, Dad, and Horror fought a few of the older monsters, while I tried to fight the children; they would have been weaker than the adults. I got a few scratches, but I was mostly able to fight them off..until I was ordered to kill. Dad said that when I was ordered to kill, I would have to do so; I took a deep breath, aimed for the soul, and closed my eyesockets before it hit. I flinched when I heard the scream, and I almost cried when I felt my EXP rise, but I had to stay strong; I could cry all I wanted later. I opened my eyesockets and continued to fight, not stopping until I heard Dad call, at which point, I ran over to him, finding that our enemies and Blue had come to stop us; I tried to hide behind Dad when the mean artist glared at me..I knew he didn't like me.

"Nightmare, stop invading AUs!" He yelled, causing me to flinch slightly; I didn't like loud sounds. 

"That is quite impossible." Dad was right, although I wished he wasn't.

Ink began to yell about how it was wrong to do these things to children, while Dad whispered to me about fighting Uncle Dream; I understood how to defeat him.

"Are you even listening to me?!" Ink didn't think we were; he was right.

"Not particularly." Dad answered honestly.

"...Let's just fight.."

"Sure.."

So we did. Dad immediately went for Ink, Killer and Cross attacked Blue, and I faced down Uncle Dream. He was weakened due to the negativity in the universe, and I knew he would hold back against me, but I was still outmatched; I was only ten! Soon enough, I began to attack him, to which he responded by dodging. He didn't even try to attack me; he only dodged. Even if I used a hard-to-avoid move, he just dodged! The cycle had been going on for about five minutes when Uncle Dream moved out of the way, giving space for-

No. That wasn't right!

Uncle Dream went off to fight Dad, leaving me to fight..Ink?! I couldn't fight him! Dad couldn't help me; he was fighting Uncle Dream. My older brothers couldn't help, either; they were being tested by Blue! I was alone against the one person Dad told us to avoid in battle at all costs..and I couldn't run. That meant only one thing: it was time to pretend to be brave until I was able to go home and cry in fluffy land for multiple hours, recounting the event. I just needed to survive the event first. Sure. Okay. This was fine. I gripped my knife tightly as I dropped to the ground to avoid being hit with what looked like..paint? I wasn't going to question it; I decided to regard it as lava, since I was smart enough not to touch lava. I rolled out of the way to avoid another attack. Okay, it seemed as if Ink didn't care that I was a child, since it appeared that he wanted to kill me! I rose to my feet quickly and jumped back, trying to get away from yet another splotch of paint. Unfortunately, a bit splashed on me, producing a burning effect; okay, it was basically lava, and it hurt. Badly. I whimpered as I avoided more lava paint, wondering if I was going to live through this; Ink didn't seem like the type to give mercy.

After three minutes of dodging paint, I decided that I would have to attack my opponent to end this battle. After avoiding another potential splatter - of which I had been hit by many - I tried to attack my enemy. I ran up to him quickly, peparing to attack; he was also preparing, unfortunately. When I got close enough, I ducked under his brush at the last second and rammed my knife into his femur before getting far away. I was about twenty feet away from the battle when I finally dared to look back, seeing my former opponent on the ground, holding his wound tightly; he had dropped his paintbrush. I noticed that he didn't try to pull my knife out of his leg, instead keeping it there; maybe it was to keep the bleeding down? Speaking of bleeding, his blood was..black? Was it..ink? That was a bit weird, but I wasn't going to question it; questioning things was dangerous. Well, I had gotten through the event that I was going to cry about later, but I wanted to go home first. When I had collected my thoughts, I found that our enemies and Blue were gone; it seemed that they had retreated when they saw Ink incapable of standing. I didn't get my knife back. 

"Well, that was impressive." Dad commented, after coming over to me with the others.

"Can we go home now?" I hoped.

"Yes, the balance is stable." Dad looked at my clothes. "I want to look you over before you take a shower..that paint is difficult to deal with."

"Okay."

At that, we went home, and Killer and Horror joined Cross and Error in play while Dad examined my wounds in a bathroom.

"I'm sorry that happened, Dust." Dad apologized as he washed some paint off my leg; it still burned.

"Th-that's okay.." I whimpered a bit from the pain.

"No, it isn't." Dad sighed. "I shouldn't have allowed Ink to break from our battle; after he did, I had no way to protect you from him, and I apologize for that."

"You d-don't have to..I-I'm okay."

"I wish that were the case. I want you to stay off your right leg for a while; Ink's paint burns right through bones, and activity just makes it worse. Treat it like a broken bone."

"A-all right..will I b-be okay?"

"I think you'll be fine if you don't show that leg too much energy; I can show you how to use a summoned bone as support for a broken - or painted - leg to walk. I'm not going to do anything with your scratches, since Error would wonder why he can't go through more of our bandaid supply."

"Thanks, Dad." I giggled a bit at the end.

After Dad looked over the rest of my bones, he showed me the aforementioned technique, I took a shower, and we went out to the living room together.

"Dusty!" Error ran up to hug me; thankfully, we didn't fall over.

"Hey, Error." I hugged him back.

"Hmm.." Error eyed me up suspiciously. "Why aren't you using your leg?"

"Dad said I have to let it rest."

"..Does it need bandaid?"

"I don't know..it might."

"Bandaid!" 

Error then began to cover my leg in bandaids; by the end of the day, it looked like a neon wonderland; I was going to be okay. After being covered in bandaids, I made my way to fluffy land to cry my eyesockets out. I must have fallen asleep during my time of sorrow, since I soon found myself in the black void, where I was greeted by the multiverse.

"Greetings, once again." It spoke.

"Hello.." I was a bit confused; why would it want to talk to me again? "Why am I here?"

"It has come to our attention that your worth may be more than previously calculated."

"It..has?"

"Indeed. The actions of killing an individual when ordered to and defeating the Guardian of Creation in battle have led us to believe that your worth is above average. When this is taken into consideration coupled with your apprehension, your worth is average."

"..So I'm not worthless?" 

"That has been stated."

I smiled at that; I wasn't worthless!

"As a result of your current worth levels, your title will be the Guardian of the Fearful." The multiverse continued.

"Thank you!" I was overjoyed!

"You are welcome. Do you have any final statements before we leave you?"

"..Wait..we? Why do you call yourself 'we'?"

"We are more than one in the present moment. When last we spoke to you, we were one."

"Is that possible for me to understand?"

"Likely not."

"Um..okay. Bye, then..."

"Farewell."

I was going to be okay.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean okay!

I love this bean so much-

Why must I make the bean sad-

Thanks for reading my okay writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been roughly half a year since Dust had started joining me on missions, but it was going..badly. Ever since the beginning, the Creator had been constantly engaging in battle with him, even when he was in the middle of fighting someone else! Everyone involved with the multiverse, no matter who it was, knew that Ink was vindictive; he had only given up a grudge once, and that was only because the other party had been framed - he now held a grudge against the one who had tried to frame the other. Another thing everyone knew was that if Ink did have a grudge against someone, that person was doomed to either become a criminal or a prisoner in a jail somewhere, despite how good-natured they might have been in the past; it had happened too many times to be considered a coincidence. As a result, I tried to shield my middle child from the artist as much as possible, but it was still difficult; even the blueberry and Dream occasionally blocked one of Ink's attacks to keep him from severely injuring my son, which I was grateful for. In any case, he hadn't been too hurt lately, since the blueberry had devoted much time to helping him become a better fighter. Today was a day of celebration; Error was turning nine today, and the rest of us were willing to help him make it special..it was his last birthday before the fateful day.

"Error, wake up." I softly ran my hand over my youngest's shoulder.

"Mm.." Error yawned softly; his face was buried in his pillow, which I wasn't worried about, since skeletons didn't exactly need to breathe. "Dad?"

"Yes, it's me." I woke my children up on their birthdays; they liked it better than when Killer did it, and he was willing to accept that.

"Ooh.." Error hummed, obviously thinking. "You here..not Killer..today is..birthday?!"

"Yes, it's your birthday!"

"Yay!" Error leaped up from his pillow, allowing me to get a good look at his excited expression; he was adorable.

"Happy birthday, Error!"

"Thank you!" Error hugged me tightly. "So..cake?"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Yes, we'll eat cake, but later."

"Aww..what now?"

"Now, we have chocolate waffles."

Error's eyelights widened when I mentioned chocolate. "Chocolate!"

"Yes, now come on; I'm sure you'll want to have seconds, and the others are already at the table."

Soon enough, Error put his clothes on, and he was ready to go. He smiled happily when I allowed him to climb on my back for a ride; he loved pretending I was an airplane or some other craft; today, it seemed that I was a pirate ship. 

"Arr!" Error giggled. "We'll sail the seven seas of chocolate cake and conquer the shores of vanilla!"

"I'm sure we will, but you need breakfast first, Captain Error." I played along.

"Yes! Breakfast for the crew and ship!"

"Aye, Captain!"

So we "sailed" into the kitchen, where the others were eating chocolate waffles; my boys liked their chocolate. I didn't exactly want them eating chocolate every day, but on birthdays I would make an exception; there were over three hundred other days in the year, after all, and five days of chocolate wasn't going to kill them..I hoped. By the time we had finished breakfast, Error had forgotten about being a pirate; it was time for him to open his presents. In the past, we had waited until it was later to open the presents, but my boys claimed to nearly die of anticipation; I didn't want them to die, naturally, which only gave the option of letting them open the presents earlier in the day. I didn't mind it, since I loved them so much. We made our way to the living room together, where there were five neatly wrapped gifts for Error; we each gave him one. Error honestly probably would have been happy if he only got a chocolate bar, but we were intending to give him more than that; we sat down when Error was ready, and he grabbed the first gift in the bunch, which was from Cross.

"What is it, Crossy?" Error looked at the small tube curiously.

"It's a kaleidoscope!" Cross explained. "You look inside it, and everything looks weird! I can explain it more later."

"Okay!" Error lifted it up to his left eyelight and closed his right eyesocket. "Ooh! It's pretty! Thank you!"

"I knew you'd like it!"

"Yay!" Error put the kaleidoscope aside and picked up the gift from Horror, revealing.. "Chocolate!"

"You can never go wrong with chocolate." Horror grinned at Error's excitement in regard to the box of assorted chocolates.

"Thanks!" Error put the box of chocolates next to the kaleidoscope and picked up Killer's present. "Oh, boy!"

"You can never go wrong with toys, either." Killer smiled at Error's reaction to the toy rocketship.

"True." Horror admitted. 

"Crossy, we can play astronauts now!" Error clapped happily.

"Yes, we can!" Cross smiled at his younger brother.

"Next!" Error picked up Dust's gift to him. "Ooh.."

"D-do you like it?" Dust hoped he did.

"What is it?" Error looked at the wooden structure curiously.

"It's a..h-heart.." Dust was a bit nervous; the blueberry had suggested that he work with his knife more, and he had decided to try woodcarving. He was still a beginner, but he could do a few things.

"Ooh..I love it!" Error hugged the heart to show that he liked it; Dust was relieved. "Now for Dad's!"

Error put the heart aside, picking up my gift to him. He opened it to find a blue and black blanket; it was the softest blanket I could find, and he deserved it.

"It's fluffy!" Error giggled, burying his face in the fabric.

"I'm glad you like it." I smiled at my youngest; he was definitely adorable.

"Hey, what's that?" Killer asked, looking to the side of the couch. 

"What is what?" I looked to the spot Killer was looking at, seeing..another gift?

"Is it for me?" Error wondered curiously, eyeing up the present.

"It is your birthday..I wonder who put it there.."

"It says.." Cross read the tag. "This is from..the multiverse?"

"Does the multiverse celebrate birthdays?" Killer didn't think so.

"I have no clue, but perhaps Error would like his extra gift?" I didn't think the multiverse would give my son a harmful gift; if it did, there was no way to stop it, anyway.

"Yes!" Error opened the present, pulling out.. "A sewing kit..?"

My children looked to me for an explanation that I didn't have.

"Um..I have no idea what it means, to be honest." I shrugged. "Maybe the multiverse wants Error to have a hobby?"

"This looks stupid." Error wasn't impressed; he was interested in toys and chocolate, not sewing.

"Maybe keep it under your bed? I doubt we can throw it out."

"It can scare off humans in the dark!"

"Sure."

"So, do you like the rest of your gifts?" Cross wanted to know.

"Yep!" Error jumped jovially, clapping his hands quickly.

"Good to hear; what would you like to do today?" I inquired.

"Um..can we play?" 

"What would you like to play?"

"Astronauts!" Error picked up the toy rocketship.

"Very well."

We began to play astronauts. The children were the astronauts, while I was the alien on the planet; I was a nice alien, though. We played for about an hour before switching games, which continued periodically throughout the day, with only a lunch break; my boys had a lot of energy. About three o'clock, Error claimed that he had a headache, which wasn't exactly the best thing to happen on a birthday. When the clock reached four, his headache had intensified; we stopped playing games. About four thirty, Error was lying down on the couch, curled up in the blanket he had received; his condition didn't seem good. I gave him some medicine, but it did nothing to ease the pain. I noticed that Error's glitching was becoming quicker and more widespread; I hoped this wasn't some sort of disease..I was no doctor. At five o'clock, we were gathered around the couch, only able to give moral support as Error whimpered from the pain he was in; if it didn't stop soon, I would have likely needed to take him to a doctor. At six twenty, Error began crying uncontrollably; I tried to heal him, but my magic did little to nothing. At seven o'clock, Error held his eyesockets tightly, still crying. 

"D-Dad.." He sobbed; his voice was harder to make out. "I-it h-h-hurts!"

"I know.." I rubbed my youngest's skull, wishing I knew what was going on; I would have brought him to a doctor an hour ago, but my portals weren't working. "I know.."

In just one second, Error went from sobs to a loud scream; then everything stopped. The crying ceased, and everyone was now staring at Error's hands; he had pulled..something from his eyesockets..

"..It doesn't hurt anymore." Error said, looking at the..strings?

"What is it?" Killer had no clue.

"I don't know.." I touched one of the strings. "It looks like blue magic..solidified..?"

"Is that possible?" Cross asked.

"Apparently.."

Before anything else could be said, the strings started..moving?

"Ooh.." Horror was intrigued by the mystery, moving closer to the strings..until his soul was brought out. "Hey!"

Horror's soul was grabbed by the strings; that was cause to panic. He stopped moving.

"Um..I-I can't move.." Horror was a bit freaked out by the event.

"Can you retract the strings, Error?" I hoped.

"I can try.." Error closed his eyesockets and focused; the blue threads retreated to his fingertips, where they stayed, wrapped around his fingers.

"That was..weird.." Horror shuddered a bit, regaining his ability to control his body.

"Should we call Blue?" Cross was concerned.

"I think that would be a good idea; if I don't know about it, he might." I nodded.

And that was what we did. To our relief, the blueberry didn't have anything important to do, which meant that he could definitely come over to help us figure out why my youngest son had magical threads coming out of his eyesockets. He took Error to the training room, likely intending to figure out how the strings worked; after one hour, the rest of us were permitted to enter the training room, where the blueberry waited with an explanation.

"So?" I hoped it was nothing bad.

"It's a type of magic correlating to his balance." The blueberry started. "It's a destructive weapon that can double as a manipulative tool."

"And..what exactly does that entail?"

"He'll be using them to destroy AUs, likely since blasters won't do the job alone. The strings can hack into a world's code, which gives him the power to destroy said world without having to destroy the entire..world. Essentially, it would lower his time taken to destroy an AU from multiple decades to mere minutes, and he won't have to even bother going to the surface, except in surface AUs. As for the manipulation, if he can get his strings around a person's soul, he can essentially control them, somewhat like a puppet; he'll have full control over their magic and movements."

"I see. What do you recommend we do?"

"I would recommend at least one hour of training every day; that would give him over three hundred hours of experience when he begins his work in one year. Oh, and don't worry about boredom during training; I would expect him to use his newfound powers for mischief."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well.." The blueberry came close to whisper to me. "If he can control people, imagine what he'll do when he wants something on a high shelf, if he doesn't just reach up and grab it himself; you could end up being a tool of mass chaos without intending to be."

"Oh.." I sighed, hoping Error never got that idea.

"So, that's about it! I'll see you on Saturday!"

"Bye, Blue!" My boys waved.

"Goodbye." I joined them.

"Seeya!" Blue disappeared; nobody was questioning that anymore.

"..Does this mean I have to learn how to sew, now?" Error didn't exactly want to do that.

"Uh.." I thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so."

"Yay! Can we eat cake?"

"Sure." 

My boys were more than ready to eat that cake, and Error's training with his new power began the next day; the strings were still a bit uncontrollable at times, but he was getting the hang of it.

Overall, it wasn't so bad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean get strings!

Finally-

Thanks for reading my stringy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Error.

~~~~~

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Dad questioned.

"Absolutely!" Blue nodded happily. "This will be excellent training for the future!"

"What if something goes wrong?"

"I'll handle it! Besides, everyone who knows about resets has agreed to play along!"

"What about those who don't?"

"They'll be evacuated!"

Dad sighed. "Are you sure he won't be hurt?"

"Absolutely!"

"I'll be watching."

"I know!" Blue looked at me. "All right, Error! Are you ready for your simulation?"

"Yep!" I grinned and jumped a little.

"Very well! Let's get going!"

"Okay!"

Blue opened a portal to Underswap, his home, and we went through it. It was three months before Crossy was going to help Dad, Kills, Horror, and Dusty, and it was nine months before I was going to be the Destroyer. I had gotten my strings three months ago, on my birthday; it hurt really bad when they were coming in, but I was doing okay now! They didn't hurt anymore, and I  could use them really well! I had also realized why the multiverse gave me a sewing kit for my birthday; my strings were very strong, and I could make awesome presents for my family! I was trying to make a scarf for Crossy's birthday, and I knew he would like it! It was hard to keep it a secret from him, but I was managing! Dad had helped a lot with the sewing, since I wasn't very good at it; he had experience sewing things, but I didn't know why, since it was something about his past. Dad didn't like to talk about his past very much, but he would if we asked him. Today, Blue was going to give me a training course for when I started destroying, and we were going to pretend I was destroying Underswap; it was going to be super fun! When we entered the portal, we were in a weird purple place; Blue called it the Ruins.

"Are you ready, Error?" Blue looked to me.

"Yep!" I nodded. "What do I do?"

"First off, you're going to want to kill everyone. Now, you won't actually be killing anyone here, since this is just a test, but in nine months, you will be killing people. Here, just shoot your strings softly at people, and anyone participating will fake death, okay?"

"Okay..why do I have to kill everyone, though?" I didn't want to kill anyone.

"Well, if an AU is destroyed and people are still inside it, the people will fall into the void, which would give them a very bad and painful death, but if you kill them, you can make it as painless as you want. They won't like it at the time, and they may be very angry with you, but you have to remember that it's for their own good; if you don't kill them, they may be in agony for the rest of their lives. Do you understand?"

"So..if I don't kill them, they die a worse death?" I frowned.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Okay.."

"But you don't have to kill anyone here, since this is only training! Are you ready to pretend to destroy?"

"Yep!" 

"Okay, we're going to first get rid of the soulless being who meets the fallen child; in most AUs, it's a talking flower, but in swaps, it's likely to be a Temmie. Do you know what a Temmie is?"

"Aren't they those monsters on the cereal commerical?" I didn't know how they called it cereal, but the theme song was catchy.

"Yep! Although, this Temmie won't be as nice as those ones." Blue shrugged. 

"I wiw rule da world!" The Temmie came out into the open. "Fite me, Destroya!"

"Okay." I shot a slow string at the Temmie.

"Oh, noes! I has be ovrpowrd!" The Temmie fell onto the ground. "I ded!"

"Did I do it right?" I looked to Blue.

"Yep!" Blue clapped proudly.

"Yay!"

"Now we'll move on to the Keeper of the Ruins, which is usually a Toriel, but in swaps, is an Asgore."

"Okay!"

Blue and I moved on, leaving the "dead" Temmie to lie on the ground. We walked through the Ruins - "killing" monsters along the way - up to a house, where we rang the doorbell. A large goat monster met us at the door with a smile.

"Ah, I've been expecting you!" He seemed nice. "Would you like some tea?"

"Now, Keepers of the Ruins are usually very friendly, but you'll still need to kill them, unfortunately." Blue shrugged. "If you're ever feeling down, though, they're great for moral support if they don't know you're the Destroyer!"

"Okay." I replied. "Do I do the same thing?"

"Yep!"

"Okay. Sorry, Asgore."

"It's quite all right, child." He smiled at me.

I shot my strings slowly, and he fell onto the ground like the rest. Blue then led me out of the Ruins, where I continued to "kill" people, but it was really easy, since nobody fought back. We continued on, going all the way through Snowdin. When we reached Waterfall, Blue said that he would meet me up ahead and left me to continue alone. I was a bit hesitant in the beginning, since I didn't know which monsters were playing along or not, but I eventually made it all the way through; I was glad that Alphys was playing along, since she was apparently really strong. I found Blue at the end, and he said that I had "killed" every monster that was playing along; I had to kill every single one, since I didn't want anyone to fall into the void. We continued together into Hotland, the core, and everywhere else, eventually reaching the Judgment Hall, where I would likely end my killing. We found the fallen human there, along with Blue's brother; Blue told me not to "kill" either of them, which caused me not to. I waited for instruction.

"All right, Error." Blue started. "You've done a great job so far! Now, the two people you'd have to watch out for the most would be the judge and the fallen human. For the fallen human, which is Chara in this case, you need to take their soul."

Chara stepped forward, smiling at me.

"How do I do that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Just reach out with your strings, but be very careful; if you break the soul, the human may reset the entire world, and then you would have to kill everyone again." Blue gestured to the human.

"Okay.." 

I sent out my strings, and the human's soul came out; it was red. My strings wrapped around the soul.

"Good." Blue smiled. "Now, you're not going to do it this time, but in the future, you would rip the soul out and then kill the human. That takes away their ability to reset immediately, but you must keep a firm grip on the soul, since if you let it go for even a second, a reset may take place. When you hold it, no reset will occur. You'll likely need a place to keep all the human souls..but we'll talk about that later. Now release the soul."

I did so, and the human relaxed.

"Thanks, Chara!" Blue waved as the child went outside the hall. "Now, the ruler of the Underground is beyond this hall; it's Toriel here, but usually Asgores unless there's a different character swap. She would be your final victim before destroying the AU, but first you must get past the judge - or you could be sneaky and get her first, but let's just begin with the judge this time. Judges remember resets, for the most part - there are few who don't after finding out about the multiverse - and they will fight you very hard to keep their world intact, unless they're psychos or have very sad lives..we'll talk about that later. Now, have you been practicing with your strings?"

"Yep!" I nodded; I had been practicing a lot!

"All right, what about manipulation? Have you practiced that?"

"Um, not as much..they don't really like it." I remembered one incident when Dusty began crying because I accidentally grabbed his soul..that wasn't a good day.

"Well, you need practice!" Blue brought out his soul. "Now, my brother has agreed to let you practice a fight. You will be controlling me, and you'll have full control of my powers."

"Wh-what if I hurt your brother?"

"That's why Chara's nearby; without proper practice, you may very well kill someone - actually, I'd expect it. We're going to have some practice before the fight begins so you can get accustomed to my power set, but when the fight begins, you'll need to pay very close attention."

"Okay.."

"Now, take my soul."

"All right.." I did so, and Blue straightened. 

"Can you move me?"

"Um.." I tried to move his arm. "Nope.."

"Hm..the strings might only control powers of beings with high amounts of LV..you might need to grab individual limbs for movement; try it."

"Okay.." I grabbed his arm with some strings, and it moved without any trouble.

"Interesting..I'm going to try to fight it this time; see if you get any resistance."

I moved Blue's arm again, but it was a bit difficult. "It's a little bit harder."

"I see; you'll need to work on it, since if you control people in the future, they will likely fight you."

"All right."

"Now, try to summon a bone attack through me."

I attempted the action, but it was harder than I had thought. Blue said that he would help me through any struggles, and when I was able to defeat his brother in combat with his powers - we were going to do this multiple times if we had to - he had a few other volunteers to be controlled to help me with my powers. It took a few hours and a few magic recovery breaks, but I was eventually able to control Blue's power set, even with resistance, rather well. In the final test, he resisted with all of his strength, but I was able to hold on and overpower him; I was ready to fight.

"What about HP?" I wondered, noting that some AUs had someone with one HP.

"Oh, don't worry about that! We both have a good amount of HP, and these strings will only hurt me if you want them to; my brother is an amazing dodger!"

"Oh..okay."

"Oh, and always remember to stay out of sight; if the person you're fighting realizes that you are controlling their opponent, they may try to hurt you. Go ahead and see what you can do, Error!"

"All right!"

With that, I readied myself, and battle began. I started by making Blue shoot a few bones at his brother, who dodged them quickly. If this had been a real battle, I would have also been trying to use my strings to attack the other, but this was only a test battle. Blue's brother also wasn't fighting back this time, but he would in the future to make sure I was ready. Actually, Blue said that nobody was going to remember this as a test; they were going to think it was a dream, since I was going to be directly opposing Ink in the future, and if he knew that all of Underswap was helping train me, he wouldn't have been very happy. I battled Blue's brother, using Blue, for a while, but I eventually lost the battle, unfortunately; Blue's brother was amazing at dodging, and I wasn't able to hit him enough to lower his HP to the point we had agreed on within the time limit I had been given.

"Aw, you'll get it next time, Error." Blue assured as I released his soul.

"Are you sure?" I hoped I would be able to win the fight next time.

"Of course!" Blue smiled. "In fact, I want you to practice for it! Ask your dad if you can sometimes test attacks or your control with him; I'm sure he'd be okay with it sometimes!"

"Okay!"

"Good! Now, I've got to clean this place up; this portal will take you home!" Blue opened a portal.

"Thanks, Blue!" 

"Sure thing, Error!" 

At that, we said our goodbyes, and I went through the portal, being immediately hugged by Dad.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

"Yep!" I nodded happily.

Well, it had been fun, even if I did lose the final battle. 

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean tested!

Thanks for reading my testing writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Cross was going to join us on our runs in one month; he didn't seem as concerned about it as the others had been, but he still didn't like the thought of killing someone. Speaking of the others, they were having struggles of their own..some were less urgent than others, of course. Killer was taking on the task of teaching the blaster family new tricks. He had gotten most of them to roll over on command, but Ash and Star didn't seem too interested in tricks; Star became dizzy easily, and Ash was simply too timid to even think of attempting tricks - he preferred to join Dust in fluffy land, which now had a permanent spot in a previously empty room in the lower house. Ah, Dust..the past year had been hard on him, unfortunately; if Ink hadn't had the political impact of being the Creator and Protector of AUs and someone had seen what he did to my son, he would have been inmprisoned months ago. He had captured him shortly after Error had started his tests for destroying, and when we rescued him, it wasn't the prettiest sight; I was waiting to get that no-good artist alone..just for a few minutes, no interruptions..I would put him in his place! We had gotten so far with helping Dust overcome his fears, but that soulless artist just had to undo years of work! At least Dust would trust us..although that was the extent.

Dust had one thing going for him, though; he was obedient to a fault. If the multiverse wanted something done, Dust would do it with few to no questions asked; as a result, however, we didn't know his standard. We hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Perhaps the multiverse was capable of pity..I doubted it. Horror wasn't really in the middle of anything too urgent, but he had volunteered to allow Error to use him as a puppet for his string training; he was getting better at it, and he had defeated the Underswap Papyrus multiple times in combat with various skill sets. In seven months, the Destroyer would be a large threat..I was just hoping that Ink didn't go overboard with him. Ink hated Dust just for firing a few attacks at him; I didn't want to know what was going to happen when AUs began to disappear randomly! I was hoping that we could keep Error's job as the Destroyer a secret for as long as possible - until he was an adult, preferably, even if it was a pointless goal - to keep from further angering the Creator. Today, we were taking some time to just relax as we used to; my boys deserved a good childhood, and I was determined to give it to them. We were in a park in a surface AU at the moment.

"Nice kids, huh?" Someone was seated beside me on a bench; this AU didn't know about the multiverse, and I was more than able to fit in with the inhabitants.

"Mhm." I smiled as I watched my boys playing with the other children. 

"Are any of them yours? I mean, if you don't mind a question like that..gosh, I'm an idiot sometimes, sorry.." The one beside me was a skeleton..interesting.

"It's no problem, really, but I'm not really too keen on sharing my family relations; better safe than sorry."

"Yeah, I get that. Sorry."

"I'm sure your children like it here." 

"Oh, I don't have any..at least, not yet..soon. I'm scouting out places for the little one..got any suggestions?"

"Mine enjoy this one; the trees offer a good amount of shade."

"Oh, that must be important..thanks."

"Sure thing."

"Dad!" Error ran up to me. "Dad, guess what!"

"What is it?" I directed my attention to my youngest. 

"The swings broke! But I used my strings, and now they work again!" Error seemed overjoyed at the thought of his powers being used for good.

"That's amazing, Error." I smiled proudly at his achievement. 

"Yay!" Error jumped happily. "I'm gonna go show Crossy!"

"Don't trip!" I warned, feeling uneasy as my youngest ran over a sandbox.

"You..named your kid..that?" My bench companion was a bit unsettled by that.

"Different families, different ways." I shrugged.

"I guess..I gotta say, you don't look alike."

"Adopted, if you must know. Severely mistreated..he was lucky to be alive when I first saw him." 

"Oh..sorry. Gosh, I'm gonna be such an embarrassment to my kid.." He brought his hand up to his skull. "Is it bad that I'm predicting every single possible thing that could ever possibly go wrong?"

"I'm fairly certain everyone does, at some point."

"It's just..I don't want to mess up again.."

"Again?" 

"..I don't really know you, but would you mind if I told you something absolutely crazy? I just- I need to get this off my chest, and you seem to understand me more than..everyone else.."

"Hey, I'm no therapist, but if you need to get something out, I'll listen."

"I don't know how to thank you.." He took a deep breath. "I had a kid..a long time ago..but I was young, you know? My family and her family were respectable. We did things we shouldn't have, you know? In a moment of weakness, we just..dropped the kid off. No orphanage..just..dropped him off.." He sighed. "At a..laboratory..it was stupid! I don't even want to know what happened to the kid..we shouldn't have done that! It wasn't humane!"

I had long since gone silent; I was..no..

"I hope he's still alive.." The one beside me continued. "We just gave him to the weird laboratory, and we used the money we got to hide our tracks; nobody ever found out, but..I've regretted it ever since.."

"..." I had very mixed emotions; what was the multiverse trying to do to me?! "This child..was he a skeleton?"

"Yeah..how did you know?"

"...What was the name of that laboratory?" It couldn't have been..I was pleading that it wasn't..

"It was..Lightning Laboratories?"

"..." Was this some sort of sick joke? "Would the child be about ten by now?"

"..Yeah?" The skeleton looked at me oddly. "What..makes you ask..?"

"..Would you have ever considered taking your son back?"

"I..don't deserve that..I wouldn't be a good father to him..goodness knows what I've put him through- How did you know he was a boy?"

"Sir..I'm only going to say this once." I glared harshly at the one beside me. "Don't you dare go near my children."

"What's that for?"

"Nothing. Absolutely..nothing."

"You think I'm a psycho, don't you? Agh, not even a stranger at a park can believe me..I should've just stopped when I had the chance.."

"Sir, it is for the pure reason that I do believe you that makes me say that; what kind of person would sell their child?!"

"Oh, gosh, my parents were right.." The one beside me buried his skull in his hands. "My life is a horrible one.."

"Dad!" Error ran up once more, Cross in tow.

I sighed and put on an interested expression, if only to comfort my boys. "What have you got, Error?"

"I found a ladybug!" Error showed me the insect in question. "Isn't it pretty?"

"It's very pretty, Error."

"Dad..." Cross was staring at the one beside me. "Who..is this?"

"No one." I answered quickly. "It's no one."

"Dad, he feels weird.." Cross was sensing a parent-child bond..why did the multiverse have to torture us in such ways?

"Cross, I assure you, it's nothing for you to worry about."

"Tell him." The multiverse ordered; this had been planned..

"What is it, Dad?" He was curious.

"Cross.." I bowed my skull. "It seems the odds are not in our favor today..meet your father."

Both Cross and the one beside me gave off feelings of shock at my words; I just hoped that nothing would change from this occurrence.

"..What?" Cross was the first to speak up.

"Of all the luck we've run out of, this has got to be the worst.." I frowned. "If you sense something in regard to this man, and if what he has told me is true, this is your birth father."

"..." Cross wasn't sure how to react to that. "Why?"

"It's my educated guess that a Mister MV is behind this meeting, and I can only hope that nothing will change."

"Dad, nothing is going to change, because I'm staying with you, birth father or no!"

"I'm glad to hear that. If that's the case, I expect that this is simply a meeting; we can leave if you aren't comfortable."

"..." Cross looked at the one sitting next to me longingly; I knew that he had always wanted to meet his birth parents, even if they had sold him at birth. "I wanna talk to him.."

"Very well..shall we leave you to it?"

"No..stay, please.."

And we did. It turned out that the man was indeed Cross's father, and he felt horrible about what he had put his child through. It would have been fine if it had just been a meeting, except for one thing: he offered to make things right. He offered to give Cross a home, as if  hadn't provided that..I felt angered at such a proposal, but..if Cross left, he wouldn't have had to bear the burden of being a Guardian; he wouldn't have been at the mercy of a force none could control. Cross turned down the offer immediately, and he made it rather clear that he wouldn't leave me or his resposibilities; that was all that came from the day. It had appeared that the multiverse favored Cross for some reason, and it wanted to offer him a pathway that would lead to freedom instead of servitude, but he didn't want that route. Cross admitted that he had enjoyed the conversation and the meeting, but he would never leave us.

"So..is my mother nice?" Cross wondered, at one point.

"Oh, she's the best.." The man replied. "You would love her.."

"Cross, it's really time to go." I glanced at the sleeping boys nearby.

"Oh.." Cross frowned. 

"My..offer still stands..we'd give you the best.." The man wanted to rekindle his relationship, but that would mean breaking so many others.. 

"No. I'm where I belong, and so are you; this has been nice, but nothing will change because of it."

"..Yeah. I guess there's no excuse for what I did, huh?"

"If it's any consolation..I forgive you. Make my brother happy."

"We will.."

"Good." Cross smiled. "I'm ready to go now, Dad."

"All right." I hugged my second youngest tightly; he had always made me so proud.

I took my boys home, leaving the man as a stranger in the park, as it should have and would have been, if the multiverse hadn't interfered. The multiverse was like that sometimes; it enjoyed seeing what would happen if two individuals met or reunited. In some distant reality, I might have just lost one of my boys..I was glad that it wasn't this reality. I had seen many of the multiverse's quirks and wonders, occasionally finding myself in a difficult situation because of it, but if it made one of my boys happy, even for a moment, I was okay with it. At the end of the day, when it was just me and my boys, I knew that it was right; nobody would ever take them away from me, even if I had to give up everything I had. As I tucked each of my boys into bed that night, I felt a sense of relief that nothing had happened to our family unit; I didn't know what I would have done if something had happened. All I knew was that nothing could separate me from my boys, and that was final. The multiverse could throw whatever it wanted at us, but we would stand firm; I just needed to remember that..

I hoped Killer's parents didn't come along next.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cross bean talk..or something?

Jkdsbykcsr this adds no plot-

It's a what if-

Why did I write this trash-

Thanks for reading my trashy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Cross.

~~~~~

Well, today was the day; I had turned ten yesterday, and I had to go to work with Dad and the others. I was a bit nervous about it, but I wasn't really worrying that much; I had been preparing for two and a half years, after all! I was only a bit worried about leaving Error home alone; he was going to have to play by himself or train, and I knew that he didn't really like being alone. I had spent the entire day with him yesterday to cheer him up, but I knew that he was still a bit sad. I had decided that I would wear the scarf he gave me for my birthday out to reassure him; he had made an amazing scarf with his strings, and I was impressed with the quality! We were currently in the lower living room, preparing to go out to restore the balance. 

"D-do you have to go?" Error didn't want me to.

"I'm sorry, but I do.." I hugged my little brother tightly. "I'll come back, okay?"

"..And you'll be okay?" 

"I'll be perfect; everything will turn out fine."

"Promise?"

"Erry, you know I can't do that.."

"Half promise?"

"Well.." I sighed. "Okay, I half promise that everything will turn out okay."

"All right!" Error was appeased.

With that, Dad opened a portal, and we followed him through. He had chosen a bit of a more negative AU for this, but I would be fighting the younger inhabitants with Dust while the older ones fought the adults. I had never really been in a true fight before, and the pace was a bit quick for my taste, but I managed to keep up to the best of my abilities. After a bit, I was beginning to get the hang of it, until a voice invaded my mind - one that told me to kill. I..I knew it was the multiverse; I wasn't ready..I wasn't ready for that. Dust noticed my hesitance, knowing that I had been ordered to kill, and he said something, but I never heard it. Soon enough, I felt something strike my soul; the multiverse must have taken this as disobedience..I wished I had just swung the knife. Everything fell silent as I plummeted to the ground in pain, with Dust no doubt calling for Dad to come immediately. Just as quickly as we came, we were gone; Dad said that the balance had been restored anyway. I must have passed out while going through the portal. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in my bedroom, with Dad sitting by my bedside.

"Cross?" Dad caught my attention.

"Hey, Dad.." I felt tired. "What happened?"

"You didn't kill.." Dad sighed. "It was only ten minutes ago; whatever your standard is, it must be in effect, but I don't know what it is, as of yet."

"I don't feel so bad.." I yawned. "Just kinda tired.."

"Do you feel bad in any way?"

"Not really."

"Mentally, perhaps? Can you remember everything clearly?"

"Yes, just fine."

"Hm.." Dad looked at me confusedly. "You were ordered to kill, yet you disobeyed..you must be experiencing something.."

"I really don't feel a thing-" My eyelights widened; they might have even went out - I couldn't feel a thing..

"What? Is something wrong? What's going on, Cross?" Dad wanted to help, but I didn't see how anyone could help.

"Dad.." I whimpered. "I can't move.."

"Oh, my.." Dad was concerned now - very concerned. "Do you remember anything? Did it tell you how long you would stay like this?"

"I-I don't remember!" I was crying at this point; I couldn't move!

"I'm so sorry.." Dad was crying as well. "My guess would be a few hours..we'll just have to wait and see.."

"I-I-I can't m-move.." I wanted to move! I wanted to be able to move! I couldn't feel my arms or legs!

"It'll be okay, Cross.." Dad put a hand on my shoulder; I couldn't feel it. "We just have to wait a little bit; maybe we can ask Error to help you out..we haven't seen what his strings can do to people with loss of limbs." 

"I-I don't want to..be a b-burden.."

"Cross, you've never been a burden; you're an amazing help. This is only a minor setback that will go away with time."

"P-please don't tell Erry.."

"Why not?"

"I-I don't wanna make him s-sad..I'm the big brother..I-I should be the one l-looking out for him.."

"Cross, there comes a time in everyone's life when they're weaker than they've ever been before. In that time, they can rely on their family for help; will you rely on us, Cross? Please?"

"..." I frowned; this was almost inevitably going to come out sooner or later, whether I wanted it to or not. "Fine..but I don't want to stay here.."

"I can carry you."

"I hope it's not too much trouble; you don't have to, if you don't want to."

"I want to, Cross; I genuinely want to."

"..Okay."

Dad pulled my blanket off of me and carefully picked up my legs, which were immobile. I had always had a slight fear of being paralyzed, seeing my limbs, but not being able to move them. Now that it was happening, I was even more afraid; what if something bad happened? What if someone broke into the house and we had to run for it? I would have been left behind. I didn't like the thought of being left behind; it made me feel afraid. Helpless to do anything against several potential killers? No, thank you. When Dad had my body safe and secure in his arms, he began to carry me out to the living room, where the others were in the middle of a board game; Killer was winning. Dad set me down right next to Error on the couch, at which point, the others seemed confused as to why I wasn't moving; Error noticed it first, of course, testing me by tickling a spot he knew I was ticklish in; I didn't feel it. I didn't laugh. I just looked at him sadly, conveying the message without words; he hugged me as soon as he understood, likely trying to hide his crying by stuffing his skull into my clothes. The others didn't understand as quickly, and Killer was the first to ask what was wrong.

"Are you okay, Cross?" He inquired, hoping I was fine. 

"We..found out what his standard is.." Dad was kind enough to do the talking for me; I was still crying slightly.

"What is it? Is it bad?" Killer hoped not.

"..He's paralyzed. He will likely not be able to move for a few hours."

"Oh.." Killer hugged me as well, and Horror and Dust followed suit. "I'm sorry, Cross.."

"It's fine..I'll be okay in a few hours.." I assured. "I just need to put my mind to something..without moving.."

"How about a movie?" Horror suggested. "You don't need to move for those."

"But this is my study hour.." I whined slightly.

"Cross, you will have many more study hours on many more days." Dad said. "You can afford to take one day off out of your life."

"I already do that on birthdays and when I'm ill.."

"Well, paralyzed constitutes ill." Dad had a point. "We'll let you choose the movie."

"Well..okay."

"Good to hear. What movie would you like to watch?"

"Hmm.." I thought of random child-friendly movies I had seen the titles for and wanted to watch. "Can we try that one with the chocolate factory?"

"Old or new?"

"..Old."

"Let's give it a try."

So we watched the movie. It was a bit weird not being able to reach the popcorn on my own, but the others helped by feeding me some; it felt odd, but I couldn't really have done anything about it. The movie was good, of course, since it had chocolate in it; nothing with chocolate in it could have been all bad. When the movie was over, I was still unable to move, which led to the request that I was faced with at the end of the movie.

"So..would you be opposed to allowing Error to practice his string powers?" Dad questioned. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I guess...it wouldn't be too bad." I replied; the worst-case scenario would be summoning a demon cow, and I didn't think that would be happening.

"Yay!" Error was excited to try this out.

Within ten minutes, Dad, Error, and I were in the training room; Killer, Horror, and Dust were playing with their blasters, with Killer no doubt trying to teach them tricks, Horror probably being okay with anything, and Dust trying to "preserve Ash's sanity" by keeping him away from learning tricks and cuddling him instead. When we were ready, Error stepped up to me - I was being held up by Dad - and brought out his strings.

"Are you ready?" Dad questioned. 

 "As I'll ever be." I responded.

"I'm ready!" Error curled his strings around his phalanges. 

"Okay, go ahead whenever you want to, then." Dad smiled.

"Let's go!"

Error then wrapped his strings around my soul and body.

"Can you move him?" Dad wondered.

"Yep!" Error moved my arm up.

For the next hour or so, Error practiced with his strings on me, and it was actually fairly fun; I had forgotten about my paralysis for a while. When Error finished with his training, Dad caught me before I fell onto the ground, and I thanked him for it. I was actually rather tired out after all that being moved around, and I honestly just wanted to get some sleep; I hoped I would be able to move when I woke up. Soon enough, I found myself lying down in fluffy land, with Error cuddling me to keep me company. After a bit of struggle getting to sleep, I managed to drift off into a pleasant dream as Error hugged me. It had been about three hours without being able to move, and I was honestly sick of it; I just wanted to forget about the entire thing and move on. I was a bit worried about killing someone else, but I knew that I would have to do it to avoid being punished again; I didn't want a repeat of today. I woke up with Error in my arms, sleeping soundly; he was adorable. I stretched a bit, yawning, before I realized that I was stretching! I could move! I gave out an amazed chuckle as I wriggled my phalanges around excitedly; I was never going to take motion for granted ever again! I made sure not to wake Error up as I left fluffy land and ran out to the living room happily, hugging Dad as soon as I could.

"Oh!" Dad was a bit startled when I popped up out of nowhere, but he had a smile when he saw that I was moving on my own. "Moving again, I see?"

"Yep!" I grinned. "I never knew moving was so much fun!" 

"I would assume not being able to move would make certain things appeal to one more. Are you feeling all right now?"

"I'm feeling great!" 

"That's good to hear. What do you plan to do now?"

"Study." 

"I expected that; enjoy your studying."

"I will!"

With that, I headed to my room, where I found myself surrounded by my books. When I had finished taking in the fact that I could maneuver around on my own, I scoured my bookshelves for something that would interest me, looking through geology, biology, chemistry, physics, blaster care, math, literature, and other various sciences and miscellaneous books before settling on my all-time favorite subject: astronomy. I had always loved the stars, even when I was just a baby! Stars were simply so amazing, with the way they lit up the night sky like millions of beacons floating around. With a smile, I brought a book about stars to my bed and began reading.

Today hadn't been the best, but it was always better with my family.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cross bean paralyzed!

Thanks for reading my paralyzing writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been six months since Cross began to join us on our missions. Since then, he had gained LV and a title, which was the "Guardian of the Independent." One month ago, we had finally found out what Dust's standard was; he hallucinated. The multiverse had ordered him to kill someone else, but he missed his attack, and he was punished for it. He hallucinated that the ones he had killed were after him; I wished the attacks on the sanity of my middle son would cease..between Ink and the multiverse, he was never going to come out of his shell. As for my youngest, today was the day we had all dreaded for the past five years; he had turned ten yesterday. The multiverse was reaching its limit, and a Destroyer was needed to preserve the Balance of Creation and Destruction. Error and I were currently in the training room with the blueberry, preparing Error for his job. 

"You're going to want these on your bones." The blueberry put some sort of armor onto Error's leg bones, with more for his arms and torso.

"Why?" Error wondered.

"This is the same stuff Dust uses; it acts as a paint repellent, to keep it from burning your bones. It's uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it eventually."

"It's cold."

"The coldness counteracts the burning sensation; it has to be cold."

"Okay.."

"Do you remember your defense rundowns? His paint flings?"

"Yep! Duck, dodge, and lift myself up; worst-case scenario, block with bones."

"You'll do great."

"What am I going to destroy?" 

"You're going to destroy whichever universe the multiverse decides needs to be removed; we can't choose it." I sighed; I wished we could choose it.

"Okay.."

"Now, we don't know exactly when this will happen, but when you feel some sort of disturbance, you let us know. It could come as a twitch in your soul, a burst of physical pain, or just the multiverse telling you it's time. Have you been working on your portal magic?"

"I still can't make them."

"I have a feeling that when the multiverse needs you, your magic will grant you that capability automatically."

"Really?"

"Yes, I believe so. If not, I'll have to make the portals for you." 

"Will you be coming?"

"Yes, I'll be accompanying you when you destroy; the others may come once you improve your skill, but for now, I don't want to risk having any of them inside of an AU that is being destroyed."

"Will Blue come?"

"Nope, I won't be coming." The blueberry shook his skull. "Ink doesn't know I've been training you, and if he finds out, I do not want to face that type of publicity."

"Fair enough." I admitted.

Error whimpered for a second; I assumed that was it.

"Is it time?" I questioned.

"I think so.." Error relaxed after a moment.

"Try to open a portal." 

"Okay.." Error activated his magic, and a portal bathed in glitches opened; I knew it. "Woah.."

"Well, this is it." I offered my hand for my son to hold, which he did. "Will you be here when we return?"

"I'll watch the kids; they've been begging me to play some game with them." The blueberry chuckled. "They'll be safe."

"Thank you."

"No problem! Now get a move on!"

"Right."

I led my son through the portal; the AU we landed in seemed as if it were just a copy of the original Undertale - what a place to start. My son took a deep breath before beginning to dust monsters, his LV slowly rising with every monster down; I was not permitted to assist him. My boys had only rarely been ordered to kill others, with Dust having the highest LV of six - the others were between two and four - but Error's job was to kill entire universes; he had already surpassed six in twenty minutes. It took two hours for my son to clear out the Underground and capture the human's soul, and when we were sure there were no more beings to kill, Error opened a portal home and sent the human soul through it quickly to the blueberry, who was ready with a soul jar; it would keep the soul safe, since we weren't allowed to shatter it, even outside of the AU. When that was done, Error shot a few of his strings into the ground, which brought up a code bar. He began looking through it, trying to find and delete whatever he needed to in order to destroy this universe. As he did that, a portal opened in front of us, and an angered artist stepped out of it alone.

"What are you doing?" His tone was darker than mine when I was trying to be scary; now that was frightening.

"Um..nothing." I shrugged. 

"This AU..is falling apart..what are you doing?!" Ink used his paintbrush to shoot paint in our direction; we dodged it.

"Just a bit of interior decorating." 

"No..you're-" Ink paused. "No..not you..him. Heh, the child I created..destroying my other creations..little brat, just like your murderous older brother. Well..you want a fight? You've just brought upon yourself a war."

Error was scared. He was likely too afraid to move; I grabbed him with a tentacle and pulled him out of the way of a paint attack, setting him safely on the ground. I then began to attack the artist, keeping my youngest son safe from harm. Ink seemed more..energized than usual today, attacking faster than I was used to; perhaps it was because he was protecting what he deemed his instead of simply helping Dream "save me." It was at that moment that I realized that my brother was not here; Ink was barely holding back. I gestured for Error to finish up destroying the AU while I held off Ink; we needed to get out of here! Error quickly ran over to the code bar, deleting things more rapidly than before. In a split-second move, Ink swung his brush at my legs as I focused on an attack; I fell, and he charged for my youngest. I had no time to react as the artist charged up his attack and slammed the wooden part of his brush against my youngest son; a crack was heard. The AU was turning into a white void as I ran to my son, ignoring the artist that had left. I picked up my youngest, opening a portal beneath us as the AU blinked out of existence. The blueberry was present when we reached home, but my other sons were thankfully not.

"What happened?!" The blueberry was quick to respond.

"Ink happened." I replied. "I'm taking him to his room; keep the other boys out."

"All right." 

The blueberry ran off to wherever my other sons were as I made my way to Error's room; he was unconscious. When I got there, I laid him on his bed and covered him with a blanket; it was obvious where he had been hit - Ink aimed for his skull. I began to heal the crack that made itself clear between his eyesockets, and when I couldn't heal it any more, I placed a small bandaid on it; Error would be proud. Speaking of Error, he woke up soon after I finished healing him.

"D-Dad?" Error's eyelights explored his eyesockets.

"Yes, my son?" I hoped he was all right.

"Where..are you?"

"I'm right here, Error; we're in your room."

"I..can't see you." 

"I suppose it is a bit dark in here.." I turned on the bedside lamp. "Is that better?"

"..." Error blinked, sitting up. "No."

"I'm..right here." I turned my youngest's skull to face me. "Can't you see me?"

"I see..a big..blob..thing?" Error squinted at me.

"E-Error, please tell me you're joking.." He wouldn't have..

"I can't..see.." 

That was that. I picked up my son and hugged him tightly; he hugged me back, although I didn't deserve it. I had allowed my son to be critically injured; eyelights were a very big deal, and they weren't as easily fixed as a human's eye. In fact, surgery on eyelights was practically unheard of; Error would likely need glasses. 

"So.." I spoke up, after a bit. "What's your favorite color?"

"I like red..Crossy's soul is half red." Error whispered.

"All right." I placed Error back on his bed. "Can you see any better?"

"No..everything's all blurry.." Error didn't like it.

"I'm going to take you somewhere to fix that, okay?"

"Okay.."

"Hold onto me at all times; if you wander off, it'll make finding you much harder if you can't see me."

"All right."

With that, I loosely wrapped a tentacle around Error, which he held on to, and I opened a portal to a neutral AU that had a hospital theme. At this moment, I was glad that neutral AUs existed; helping my son would have been much harder if they didn't. I may have very well looked like a concerned parent speed walking into a hospital, but that was because that was exactly what I was. The doctors at the front desk shared a worried expression when they saw my son's condition; thankfully, they were a few who kept close to their oath, and they were concerned only with preserving life. When I reached the front desk, the doctors were kind enough to lead me straight to a room; being the Guardian of Negativity essentially gave me a pass from having to deal with waiting rooms, since the waiting rooms would be empty if I entered them. Error was set in a chair in a hospital room, and I sat on the side as a doctor approached me.

"What seems to be the problem, aside from the crack?" He questioned. 

"His vision.." I replied.

"...How did it happen?"

"He was hit in the face by a giant paintbrush.."

"Ouch.." The doctor sighed. "Well, the crack will likely seal itself over time, but we've never been able to do anything about vision loss..he'll need glasses."

"I know..his favorite color is red.."

"Well, that helps." 

The doctor then proceeded to find some red glasses, which he placed on Error.

"Can you see any clearer?" He inquired. 

"Nope.." Error shook his skull.

The doctor switched out the glasses for some other red ones, and the process repeated quite a few times until the doctor brought out a final pair.

"Try this one..if it doesn't work, we'll likely have to send for some." The doctor placed the glasses on Error. "Can you see?" 

Error blinked a few times, looking around and smiling. "Ooh..I can see!"

"Well, that's that, then. We'll keep his file on record in case he needs a new pair."

"Thank you." I said.

I made sure to pay the bill before going home; if we were going to need extras in the future, it would have been better to be on the good side of the hospital. When we were ready to leave, I picked up my youngest son and made a portal back to his room, where I laid him on his bed and set his new glasses on the bedtable. After another apology - I didn't know how many times I had apologized since Error's clear vision had been lost, but it wasn't enough - I allowed him to go to sleep; it had been a long day, and he deserved it. Later in the day, Error showed off his new glasses, claiming that they were the most amazing glasses in the world; none of the others asked why he needed them except for Cross, who received his answer later from Error himself. Error made a good Guardian of Destruction, but he needed to improve his battle skills more; the blueberry helped infinitely with that, thankfully, and Error would no doubt be able to hold his own against Ink in the years to come.

I hoped everything would be all right.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean get glasses!

Thanks for reading my visible writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been about two months since Error had gotten his glasses, and everything seemed to be moving along okay. It was a bit difficult getting Error used to his job, but he was getting the hang of it quickly; he said that the glasses were harder to get used to. Unfortunately, after a medical exam, it was confirmed that Error's eyesight would remain how it was, but, thankfully, his eyesight would not get worse due to the quick response with healing magic. He had fought Ink almost every time he had to destroy, which resulted in his having a great deal of injuries; Ink never held back with him. I had begun to notice that even in normal negativity runs, Ink was frustrated, attacking whoever he was fighting - usually Dust, unfortunately - much harder than before. My boys needed a break, and that was evident. They needed time to be children again, not Guardians. As a result, I was taking them to a festival in a surface AU; it was apparently cowboy themed, and my boys loved cowboys. I just needed to wait for the right moment to approach them with the news. I knew they would love it, but I needed to time it properly; directly after battle wasn't the best time, but during breakfast was.

"So, boys." I spoke up, drawing all of my boys' attention - except for Horror's, but I knew he was still listening - to me. "I was wondering if you'd all like to come with me to an event."

"What kind of event?" Killer was interested.

"Well, a surface AU is having a cowboy festival-" I was cut off, as expected.

"I'm in!" Killer declared; the rest of my boys smiled in agreement.

"Can I wear my cowboy outfit?" Error hoped.

"You can all wear your cowboy outfits." I nodded, chuckling slightly.

"Yay!" Error threw a strawberry in the air out of his excitement, which landed in Horror's skull..

"Agh!" Horror shuddered, reaching inside of his skull to pull out the food item in question. "I'm not a golf hole!"

"Whoops.." Error chuckled nervously.

"I hereby claim ownership of this fruit." Horror smiled at the strawberry.

"But I was the one who had it first!"

"It landed in my head; do you want my head germs in your food?"

"...Take the berry."

"Thank you, Error!" Horror ate the strawberry.

"Here, Erry; you can have one of mine." Cross tossed a strawberry to Error, who caught it.

"Thank you, Crossy!" Error grinned happily.

"No problem!"

"When is the cowboy thing?" Killer questioned.

"It should be taking place in a couple hours; we'll be ready." I assured.

"All right."

"Are you boys excited?" 

"Yes!" Error clapped his hands quickly.

"Cowboys make good food." Horror was thinking of the culinary possibilities.

"Listen here, partner, we got a lotta room in this here town, but it ain't enough for the both of us, so how's about you just mosey on outta this saloon, and we'll be callin' it even?" Killer did his best cowboy impression, causing everyone to giggle; he was quite good at it!

"Don't some cowboys have sidekicks?" Cross thought.

"Maybe the cartoon versions." Killer shrugged. "But the real cowboys are the lone wolves, those who live off the land and mean it!"

"And carry a six-shooter!" Error added; yes, that was important for a cowboy, but my boys had barely scratched the surface of magic, let alone human weaponry..maybe someday.

"How do you feel about it, Dust?" I had been trying to halt my middle child's retreat back into his shell, but it was difficult, to say the least. "You've been awfully quiet over there."

"..." Dust just shrugged silently, not taking his eyelights off of his food; he hadn't eaten anything..his behavior was beginning to worry me.

"Dust, please eat something.." 

"..Why?" Dust didn't move.

"We care about you, you know..it wouldn't do to make us worry about your habits; I've seen how little you've been eating..I barely sense your nightmares anymore. Have you been sleeping at night?"

"I just don't want to talk about it.." He sighed. 

"Would you at least try to enjoy yourself for today? You like cowboys, don't you?"

"..Yeah." Dust smiled slightly, taking a bite of his food; that was good. 

"But no real cows; Crossy's scared of them!" Error reminded. 

"We know!" Killer laughed.

Breakfast was finished soon enough, and my boys took the chance to change into their cowboy outfits; they had been waiting for a day such as this. Killer wore a black and red outfit, the black hat signifying that he meant business. Horror opted for a brown one, wearing a backpack full of food to complete his aesthetic. Dust wore a blue and red cowboy outfit, matching his eyelights; he had the honor of holding the "official cowboy safety rope" in case of emergencies..but none of them could actually use the rope, which left it as mere decoration. Cross wore a black and white cowboy outfit, deciding that the cow imprints would scare off any of the living variants; he claimed that the skin of his victims would fend off any unwanted dairy producers. As for Error, he wore a blue and black outfit with a red bandana and a brown hat; he was obviously the leader of the group, with the way he ordered everyone around playfully paired with the sheriff star on his vest. When my boys were ready, they gathered in the living room, where I had been waiting for them, but they didn't seem too happy when they saw me..was something wrong?

"You need a cowboy outfit." Error answered my unspoken question. 

"I'm just your supervisor." I shook my skull; there was no way- 

Two minutes, later, I was sitting in the living room, wearing a black cowboy hat and bandana; the rest of my outfit was covered by my goop.

"Better." Error grinned.

"The speed at which this came to pass is astounding." I stated.

"Can we go now?" Killer wanted to live out his dreams as a cowboy.

"Sure." 

With that, I opened a portal to the AU in question and watched as my boys went through first. We soon found ourselves standing in what seemed to be a recreation of the "Old West"; to my boys, it was cowboy heaven. There was no way I was letting them off by themselves, though; that was just asking for trouble, instead, each of them held a tentacle, and we were on our way. Aside from the occasional odd glance, we received no problems, which made me happy beyond measure. We began our trip at a showing of cowboy tricks; a rider was on a horse, performing some fairly dangerous yet entertaining stunts, and my boys loved it. Their attention was held for an hour before Error was drawn to a pony ride; he did not perform stunts, thankfully, but he managed to ride the pony like he owned the place, earning cheers from his older siblings. About noon, we stopped for some lunch at a cowboy food stand - yes, that was the best I could come up with - to get some delicious cowboy delicacies. Cross was adamant about eating steak; he wanted to decrease the surplus population of evil cows by eating them..and I wasn't going to tell him that his efforts would be in vain.

"This is good!" Horror ate his food happily.

"Their plan is simple, Erry: they want to rule the world." Cross was explaining cows and their evil ways to Error. 

"You do realize that if Ink ever finds out about your fear of cows, he might make a literal AU dedicated to cows, right?" Killer smirked.

"..." Cross paused, before putting on his serious face. "Death to the Cow-reator!"

"I'd destroy an AU like that; cows make Crossy cry." Error cared too much for his older brother to allow an AU with only cows to survive more than an hour.

"Thank you, Erry.." Cross hugged Error tightly. "You're the best little brother ever!"

"Only 'cause you're the best big brother ever!" Error hugged back with the same strength.

"I get no love.." Killer whined sarcastically, but Dust took it seriously, hugging his big brother and telling him that he was indeed loved.

"Well, guess I'd better hug someone, too.." Horror hugged a french fry, causing the rest of us to laugh before bringing him into a large group hug.

The rest of the day was filled with failed rope tricks, a short crying episode - Error and Dust had thought that a horse had actually died in a play, but we soon convinced them that it hadn't - and other various cowboy-themed activities and events, giving us a fairly successful day at the cowboy festival. My boys were tired out by the time we got home, brushing their teeth and putting on their pajamas directly before going to bed; they were certainly tired, and it showed. Once each of my boys was in bed, I decided to find my own, changing out of my outfit and putting on some pajamas of my own before crawling under a warm blanket. Being a father was tough, but the reward of happy children was unlike any other. I had a pleasant dream about my sons as cowboys that night; I was glad that they weren't actually cowboys, though..I didn't believe that I could handle that. When I woke up, I soon realized that my alarm wasn't going off..that was odd. I opened my sole eyesocket to find Dust attempting to shake me awake; had he had a bad dream? He was still in his pajamas..

"Dust?" I yawned, sitting up to satisfy my middle child's pleads. "Is something wrong?"

"My room is too loud; may I sleep in fluffy land?"

"Well, sure, but why is your room too loud?"

"Ask them." Dust made a gesture in the direction of the living room. "You might want to bring Flapjack..good night.."

"Um..good night?" 

I was very confused as my middle child walked out of my room tiredly, heading towards fluffy land. Sighing, I followed his advice and summoned Flapjack before sitting up. Now that I was listening, there were sounds coming from the living room..I wondered what this was going to entail. With Flapjack folowing close behind, I walked to the living room, freezing when I reached the doorway. I believed that my eyelight went out when I bore witness to my sons riding - yes, riding - on their blasters as if they were..horses. I should have known that a cowboy festival would give them ideas! Killer was nearly upside-down with Blade, Horror was sleeping with Nibble - he was likely dragged into it unwillingly, by the looks of things - and Cross was riding around the living room with Error in tow..well, this needed to end before someone got hurt.

"Boys." I used my parental 'you shouldn't have done that' tone; they recognized it; Flapjack likely did the same, but with blaster sounds. Everyone in the room froze.

"O-oh..hey, Dad.." Killer chuckled nervously, likely thinking of an excuse for why they were up at three in the morning pretending to be cowboys.

"Would you care to explain?" 

"U-uh..we couldn't sleep?"

"Horror seems to have no trouble in that department." I glanced at the child curled up with his blaster; that was adorable, but I couldn't focus on that right now. "Strike one."

"...Howdy, partner, this is our new bedtime routine?" Killer shrunk slightly.

"Strike two." I watched as Flapjack carefully got Error and Cross off of Star and Matrix. 

"Um..." Killer thought hard. "Will this be worse if I run?"

"Bet your life on it. Strike three, you're out."

"..." Killer slowly slid off of Blade, and Flapjack took Star, Matrix, and Blade to a different room, presumably to punish them in a blaster's way..although I didn't know what way that was.

"Front and center, all of you." I ordered, giving my boys a disappointed look when they did so. "What exactly made you think that you could do something like this?"

"It's really fun!" Error jumped slightly, not fully grasping this situation yet. "Kills does it a lot, but he only invites us sometimes."

"..." I turned my gaze to a fidgeting Killer. "Is this true?"

"W-well.." Killer whimpered slightly. "Y-yes.."

I sighed, turning to the younger boys. "Go to bed now, and no movies for a month."

"Aww.." Error frowned as Cross led him back to his room.

"Killer, how long has this been going on?" I walked with my eldest to one end of the sofa, away from the sleeping Horror, who resided on the other edge; I decided not to wake him, only pulling a blanket over him. His involvement wasn't known yet, and he was getting the benefit of the doubt until I knew more.

"..A while.." Killer mumbled, sitting down next to me.

"A while, as in..?"

"..Maybe two years."

"Were you intending on sleeping?"

"..I usually do.."

"Killer, I don't mind if you stay up late every once in a while on your own, but your younger brothers need their rest; playing games in the middle of the night is not a good substitute for sleep."

"I know..I'm sorry.."

"How often have you done this?"

"Maybe once a week.."

"Do you have a reason?"

"..When it happens, I can't sleep."

"When what happens?"

"..Dad, I have insomnia..I can't sleep right.."

"How did you figure that out?"

"Cross let me look in one of his books.."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I..didn't want to worry you. I would have told you, but..with Dust coming home beaten up every day, Error becoming the Destroyer, all that training, and you were already overworking yourself..I just didn't want to add on."

I hugged my eldest close. "Killer, I may have all that on my plate as well as the weight of the world on my shoulders, but I will always have time for you; all of this could have been cleared up easily, you know."

"It..could? How?"

"Let's see..I'm named Nightmare, I can affect and infiltrate others' dreams, and I can fall asleep and wake up on whims. I wonder if it's possible that I have the ability to put someone to sleep.."

"You mean you do?"

"I always have; how do you think I convince Dust to sleep after a big scare?"

"Ohh..that makes so much sense.." Killer facepalmed. "I'm sorry..I should have just gone to you.."

"Well, no more late nights for you unless you have a bad dream, understand?"

"Yes.."

"Now, off to bed."

"B-but..aren't you going to punish me?"

"Yes, but that can wait until you've had a good night's rest." I used a bit of magic on my eldest, causing him to yawn. "You should hurry off to sleep; you'll fall asleep as soon as your skull hits the pillow. Good night, son."

"Good night, Dad.."

Killer soon went to bed, unknowing of the punishment I was planning for him; cleaning up Error's strings after his training sessions was a hassle, but it had to be done! When I was sure that Killer was out of the vicinity, I made my way over to my second eldest, who had slept through the entire debacle. Making sure not to wake him, I wrapped a few tentacles around my son and lifted him up before taking him to his room and setting him in his bed, where he would sleep for the rest of the night. As soon as I had checked all of my boys once more, finding them asleep, I retook my status as a creature of nightmares and drifted to sleep myself, enjoying the peace.

Everything would be fine.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Bean family cowboy.

Thanks for reading my cowboyish writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Error. 

~~~~~

Being home alone was boring. Dad and the others had just left on a negativity run, but I wasn't allowed to go on those unless the multiverse said I could..it didn't this time. So I was sitting alone in the lower house, doing..nothing. I didn't feel like reading a book, I was bored of Solitaire from the second I first heard of it, I had finished all of my homework, and I wasn't allowed to watch television for another week...ugh. At the moment, I was just lying on the couch with Matrix, doing nothing in particular aside from cuddling. Dad and the others had left ten minutes ago, and the emotions balance was apparently more off than usual today, which essentially meant that they would be gone for at least five hours..I hoped not more than ten. As for the destruction and creation balance, I had taken care of that yesterday, and Ink hadn't created anything since then, which was odd, but I didn't mind the time off. I had gotten used to the silence of the house about three minutes ago, now only listening to Matrix's purring; the others called it "humming," but I preferred the term "purring." Yep. It was just me and Matrix..alone..there weren't any ghosts or anything-

"I told you I wasn't crazy!" That sounded like..

"I still don't condone your spying." Uncle Dream?

"But we now know the location of their secret base!" Ink.

"Let's just get in and out before anyone knows we're here.." The voices were coming from the staircase..

"Have I ever let you down, Dream?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"..No."

Well, that was that. I shouldn't have mentally complained about being bored. But..this could work in my favor...oh, yes! I was glad that I had seen something somewhat like this in a movie once; my plan of action was immediately determined. I stood from the couch and ran toward my bedrooom, intent on finding something to aid me in my plot. As for Matrix, he would keep the intruders busy while I prepared.

This was going to be good.

~~~~~

Ink. Because you don't get spoilers.

~~~~~

On one of my routine spying missions about a month ago, I had seen something rather strange happen in Nightmare's bedroom; he and his (demon) children had disappeared. After pondering the subject for an extended period of time, I concluded that there was a secret entrance in that room, which no doubt led to their secret villain lair. Instead of rushing in without a plan (which was, admittedly, my first instinct), I decided to wait until Nightmare and his child labourers were out on a mission, and I was also going to bring Dream along, since he would be good for smuggling out any secret plots they had stored away in their lair. As of right now, we were going down a rather long and dark staircase, lit only by torches; that practically screamed evil! Ha! And Dream said that I was crazy! When we reached the end of the staircase, we found ourselves standing at the entrance to a very large..living room?

"I don't get it.." I looked around, finding nothing that seemed even remotely evil..except perhaps the carpet that clashed with the wallpaper. That was horrendous! "Aside from bad taste, I don't see anything..bad.."

"Maybe it's because you're mentally ill." Dream smirked; I couldn't see it, but I could feel it.

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are, squid boy." Dream..why?

"Let's just get those secret plans; this could all be a front."

"Or maybe he values his privacy?"

"Dream, he's the King of Nightmares! Nobody claims that title without making himself known!"

"Ink, would you honestly want to bother someone with the title, 'King of Nightmares?'"

"..." I couldn't deny that Dream had a point. "Come on."

We began to make our way to a hallway outside the living room, intent on finding Nightmare's secret collection of evil plots that I knew he had somewhere. Before we could enter the hallway, however, we were stopped by a..blaster. I recognized that blaster..it belonged to that idiot child I had created so long ago; he must have been neglecting the poor sentient (although he probably didn't know that) weapon. 

"Aww, he's so cute!" Dream reached out to pet the creature, but I stopped his hand before he could touch it.

"Dream!" I pushed his hand back to his side. "This thing could be hostile!"

"It's humming." Dream thought that simple humming was harmless!

"Yeah, humming, as in powering up!"

"Ink, powering up sounds much different than this."

"I'm not taking any chances; let's ignore the blaster and keep going."

Dream sighed. "Fine.."

We attempted to go around the blaster, which resulted in its moving to intercept us..this was promising. The blaster must have been guarding the secret documents! That was good enough for me!

"Come on, Dream!" I shouted, running past the blaster.

"Ohh!" Dream whined, hopping over the blaster to follow me.

Well, the blaster decided to follow us, but I knew how to dodge a blaster! I grabbed Dream's wrist and ducked inside the nearest room, locking the door behind us; I was glad that Nightmare used doorknob locks instead of key locks! When the door was firmly secured, I turned around to see what room we were in; it must have been something-

"Stars." I nearly gagged. "This is a monstrosity. This..I didn't think anyone could be so evil! How could anyone do something so twisted?!"

"Ink, it's just a kitchen..calm down." Dream didn't notice the horrors of this 'kitchen'!

"Just a kitchen, Dream?! Just a kitchen?!" I was ready to tear this place apart at the seams! 

"Ink, what are you talking about?"

"Carpets! He put carpets in his kitchen, Dream! Carpets!"

I was ready to lie down and die. I had known that Nightmare was evil, but I had never known that it was possible for someone to be this evil! I looked at the yellow - yellow - carpet with disgust.

"Ink..there are worse things." Dream sighed. "Maybe there's something on the fridge; most people put important things there. Just don't look at the carpet."

"Easy for you to say.." I whimpered.

Nevertheless, we walked over to the refrigerator, finding some papers on the door, but they weren't exactly what we were expecting..

"..He has a picture of me." Dream whispered, almost inaudibly, as he looked at the picture of himself at the top of the fridge. 

"He has a picture of all of them.." I looked at the pictures of the various murder children around the fridge door; I had to try very hard not to laugh at the picture of Horror with a pot on his skull. "What's this?"

"It looks like a reminder list.." Dream looked at the list closely. "Get candles for birthday, plan summer vacation, and.."

"What is it?"

"..Kidnap Ink to try to knock some sense into him..for causing my children trauma.."

There was silence for a good minute. Neither of us was going to break the silence after that. I looked at Dream solemnly before walking to the nearest exit, intending to make my way to Nightmare's lair..wherever it was. I opened the door out and began walking, ending up simply..tripping. I got up off the ground to find that I had tripped over..a blue string. 

"Dream, we're not alone in this house.." I looked back to my friend, who was..oh, no.

"Ink.." Dream deadpanned, being almost entirely wrapped in blue strings. "I know."

I groaned. "Kid, we know you're there! Come out, and we'll..uh..we'll give you candy!"

"Probably poison!" A glitched voice yelled from a room or two over. "I'm not a little kid! I'm not stupid!"

"Error, sweetie, please untie me!" Dream pleaded.

"Get out of our house, and maybe I will!"

"Kid, we've got lots of bribes!" I tried.

"I don't want anything!"

"Chocolate?" Dream offered.

"..." There was silence from the glitched child; I hoped the stupid bribe would work.

"Yep!" I tried to sweeten the deal. "Lots of chocolate, but only if you untie Dream and take us to your captor's lair!"

"What's a captor?"

"Uh..Nightmare."

"Then no!"

"Ugh..fine! We'll find it ourselves!"

"Sure you will!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

I received no reply. Scoffing, I stood up and went over to Dream, trying to untangle the knots holding him hostage; it took a couple minutes, but I eventually freed him from his binds. With both of us thankfully unharmed, we went out into the hallway (avoiding the tripwire) and began to search the rooms, opening every door we could find. Error was nowhere to be found, and his blaster seemed to have also disappeared; he was probably hiding like the scared kid he was. We searched the entire hallway before coming to an intersection with two possible routes; there was only one problem.

"It's a frisking spiderweb." I looked down the string-filled corridors. "We'll have to go in a different-"  

And the hallway we had just come down was miraculously filled with strings...perfect.

"It looks like we're going to have to choose a direction." I unsheathed my paintbrush. "Left or right?"

"I say right..it can't be that bad.." Dream hoped.

"Right it is."

I began to slash away at the strings that covered the corridor we had chosen, slowly making a pathway through the hall as Dream checked the doors, finding nothing. When the web of strings ended, we found ourselves looking at a corridor with small brick toys scattered all across the floor..this kid was determined to give us hell, wasn't he?

"And this is why you should have taken my advice and worn shoes." Dream pointed at my bare feet.

"Come on, Dream, it can't be that bad!" I scoffed, walking onto the bricks nonchalantly.

I could tell that that sadistic child enjoyed my scream of pain. Dream was lucky, wearing boots; he carried me across the sea of doom as I whined about my foot's agony. As soon as we reached the end of it, we ducked inside a nearby room, finding ourselves in a library..a large library. 

"He still likes books.." Dream muttered.

"More like he's obsessed with books." I corrected.

"This is your last chance to leave peacefully!" The child's glitched voice suggested.

"We are going to find that lair, and you are not going to stop us, kid!" I was determined.

"Have it your way!"

We heard a rumbling. The floor beneath us was vibrating as the sound of wood scraping across wood filled our hearing. Then we realized just how deep the trouble we had found was. There was no time to run as a tall bookshelf tipped over, countless books falling onto the ground as a prelude to destruction; we were about to be crushed. I whimpered slightly as I watched the elegant wooden bookshelf fall to its doom, intent on taking us down with it. When the bookshelf met its end, multiple cracking sounds were heard before I blacked out entirely.

That darn kid!

When I woke up, I found myself tied to a chair by blue strings, with my hands also bound by something else..with the sensation I currently felt, I could only assume that the kid had gotten his hands on some magic suppressors..but how? I looked to my left cautiously, finding Dream in the same predicament; we had been defeated by a ten-year-old demon kid. Upon closer inspection, said demon kid was sitting on his blaster in front of us, munching on a chocolate bar. 

"Dad and the others should be home any minute now." He enlightened. "They aren't gonna be happy when they find you here."

"Error, my darling nephew, what could you possibly hope to gain from turning us over to my brother?" Dream tried flattery.

"I wanna watch TV." That..that was his reason?! 

"..What do you mean?"

"Dad took away my TV privileges 'cause I did something bad; I figured he might let me off early if I took you guys prisoner, and you were trespassing anyway."

"..You did all that..for television." Dream could hardly believe it.

"Just tell me one thing, Error." I spoke up.

"Hm?"

"Why does your kitchen have carpet?"

"Uh, Killer fell off his stool once and got hurt really bad; Dad didn't want it to happen again, so he got carpets. Putting them in was a lot of fun!"

"..How did you get magic suppressors, then?"

"Found 'em in Dad's safe."

"And..what else would be in that safe?" I hoped it was evil plans.

"I dunno; I only wanted the magic suppressors."

"Ugh." 

"Erry!" A child's voice called out from a different room. "We're home!"

"I'm in here!" Error called back to the voice.

There was a bit of waiting before Nightmare and the rest of his motley crew entered the room to find us tied up; needless to say, Nightmare was confused.

"Um.." He walked over to us. "What exactly happened while we were gone?"

"They broke in, and I defended our home bravely!" Error posed heroically - ironic.

"Why is that not hard to believe?"

"This kid is a freaking demon!" I growled. "Who the hell tips over a heavy bookcase to catch his victims?!"

"Me." The demon smiled innocently.

"..Did you really crush them with a bookcase?" Nightmare seemed concerned.

"I was within my rights. They were the ones intruding!"

"..All right."

"Can I have TV privileges back? Please?"

Nightmare looked to us, then back to Error. "I suppose."

"Yay!"

"Well..who wants guard duty?"

"Me!" Four of the kids raised their hands..

"In that case, I'll make a turn chart. Good work, Error."

"Thank you, Dad!" The glitchy child seemed much too happy for this situation.

"Wash up for dinner, boys; I'll take the prisoners to the dungeon."

"Yes, Dad!" The children ran out of the room excitedly, leaving us alone with Nightmare.

"So, brother.." Dream wanted to talk. "You have a picture of me on your fridge?"

"..." Nightmare avoided Dream's gaze before attempting to change the subject. "My boys have never had prisoners before; we're going to keep you here for at least two weeks. I suggest you get comfortable."

I felt as if I wasn't going to like this.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Error bean capture Ink and Dream!

Thanks for reading OUR skittle writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Ink and Dream had been our prisoners for about four days at this time, and my boys were (mostly) excited about having someone to guard; they enjoyed playing games while watching the prisoners, and they were the best little guards I could have ever asked for. Of course, not all of them had gotten into the spirit, but Dust, although he hadn't set foot into the dungeon, had assisted in making food for the prisoners, which meant that he was likely still excited. At the moment, he was helping me make some lunch for our "guests," since he didn't want them to go hungry. We were making some chicken noodle soup, and we were making a lot of it; we had to feed eight people, after all! We had actually made so much that we were probably going to have soup for dinner, as well; we weren't going to waste perfectly good soup! After filling eight bowls and placing seven on a tray, Dust sat down at the counter to eat his lunch alone.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" I didn't want my middle child to be more cut off than he already was..it was bad enough that he refused to even think of the basement..

"I'll be fine." He assured, nodding. "I just don't want to get in the way.."

"You won't be in the way, you know." I laid a hand on his shoulder. "If you need to get something out, I'll be happy to listen to you."

"I know..just not yet."

"All right. I'll wait for you, then."

"Thanks.."

"Of course."

I didn't enjoy leaving Dust alone, but I knew that he needed it..all of my children needed it, sometimes, but he needed it more often. They had all faced trials and been through things that normal children simply didn't experience..there was no guide book or manual for those things; they each had to decide what was right and when it was right. I wished I could help them more, but doing anything other than waiting for them could send them into dangerous situations..I didn't want them to feel forced to tell me all their problems, but..I would know if enough was enough. I hoped Dust would come around before that happened. When I reached the dungeon, I found the rest of my boys playing in the hallway, laughing and having the time of their lives, but they stopped immediately when they smelled food.

"Dad!" Error ran up to me, but he didn't jump up to hug me, since there was soup in the way; instead, he took a bowl and sat down before eating some. "Thank you!"

I chuckled. "You're welcome, Error."

The rest of my boys took their soup in like fashion, and each thanked me happily. When my sons had their food, I moved on to the prisoners, taking a bowl for myself before sliding the tray and the final two bowls under the door into their cell. 

"Thank you, brother." Dream was kind enough to thank me; Ink..was not, only glaring at me.

"Why feed us so often?" Ink was more..judgmental. "Afraid we'll starve? Or are you trying to content us? You think we'll really stay here? Why feed us the same food as yourself? Or is ours poisoned?"

"Or maybe we just wanted to make some soup." I sat down to eat my lunch.

"Dad, can you play with us?" Killer hoped. "We wanna play jail, but they won't play with us!"

"Aren't they already in a cell?"

"Yeah, but the prisoner's supposed to say specific lines!" Error replied. "They won't say them!"

"Probably curse words." Ink muttered.

"Will you please?" Cross held up Error, who used his charm to conjure puppy-dog eyelights.

I smiled at my boys' antics. "All right, I'll play."

"Yay!" My boys harmonized.

"But after lunch."

"Okay!"

And we ate. It didn't take long for everyone to finish, and Killer ran the bowls upstairs rather quickly, returning only a minute later, ready to begin the game.

"When do we start?" Horror was ready to pretend to be a superhero. 

"Whenever you're ready, boys." I stood up, completely ready to be arrested by my sons.

"Wait, we must catch him in the act!" Killer pointed out. "Commit a crime, and we'll catch you!"

"All right, I'll steal the ancient artifact of..Llamamoose."

I then proceeded to attempt my robbery, only to be caught by the brave heroes and thrown into prison, in the cell next to our real prisoners, who probably had no idea what was going on..at least, Ink didn't.

"Now stay, prisoner!" Error ordered.

"I demand my phone call." I crossed my arms and huffed, exactly as my boys wanted me to.

"All right, call someone!" Killer sent a toy phone under the cell door to me. "One person only!"

"Of course." I picked up the toy phone and donned my old-timey gangster voice. "A'right, listen 'ere, boys; ya gotta bust me outta dis joint, ya hear? Lil' Moe, you bust in da rear; Big Tom, you come in da fron'; we cut 'em off an' do it nice and good. You boys'll be paid big money 'f we do dis right. Yeh, tomorra.' Whaddya mean? Oh. Well, da day afta' tomorra,' den. Yeh, I'll be waitin.' Bye."

"Was that an escape attempt plot we heard?" Horror assumed correctly.

"Nah, jus' a lil' get-togetha."

"What the heck are you doing?" The artist spoke from the cell next to me. 

"Quiet, non-participator!" Error warned. "If we have to, we'll shoot you!"

"With what?"

Error pulled out his high-power water pistol and squirted the artist with it; I was so proud of my youngest!

"Hey!" Ink hid behind Dream, but Error didn't want to shoot his uncle unless he had to, which resulted in his stopping. "Stupid kid!"

"Says the one who tackled an elderly lady in the street because she was allegedly in danger of being attacked by me and broke her back in the process." I glared at the artist, who obviously hadn't forgotten that incident two months ago, since he fell silent soon after I spoke.

The rest of the day was spent in play, with my boys guarding me as I attempted to escape "jail"; I failed every attempt, and I was eventually sentenced to be executed by a firing squad. The morning of the execution, my boys had their water guns, and they shot me to a watery grave. Or, at least, we pretended to do that. We had fun either way. The days passed by quickly as the prisoners became more and more bored in our dungeon; even Dream had lost his usual fervor by day fourteen. On the aforementioned day, I woke up with a strange feeling of..numbness. I sat up in my bed, wondering why I was feeling..yes, emotionally numb. I didn't feel much of anything, even negativity. Heh, it reminded me of Dream's old aura; he never could learn to control it-

"Killer!" I shouted, surprised as I ran out the door of my room; what I was feeling..must have been one!

"Yeah, Dad?" Killer peeked his skull out from the living room.

"I need you for a minute."

"All right, what do you need me for?"

"You'll see. I need to test something."

"Okay..?"

Killer followed me curiously as I led him to the training room, where I knew that the device I needed would be located. I hadn't actually used it in several decades, but I was glad that I chose to keep it, despite all the times I seriously contemplated throwing it away. I brought out the device - it looked like a barcode scanner, for some ridiculous reason, but I wasn't complaining - and pointed it towards my confused eldest, who had tilted his skull in question; I wasn't going to say a word until the device told me what to say. When specific numbers and a green light took their places on the screen, I smiled, wondering how I hadn't noticed the presence of the emotional anomaly before.

"Well, Killer, I have good news and bad news." I placed the device back in its place.

"Um..what's the bad news?" Killer wasn't too keen on knowing, but he asked nonetheless.

"You're going to have another class in school."

"Aww.." Killer whined slightly; with all of his magic classes and normal classes, he had over ten separate classes in school. "What could possibly be the good news?"

"You have an aura." I chuckled as my eldest's expression turned to one of interest.

"You mean like..yours?"

"Not exactly. Your title, Guardian of the Emotionless, isn't just a title; it's a verbal declaration of your powers. I am the Guardian of Negativity; my aura radiates negativity, making those around me feel negative emotions. Yours radiates emotionlessness, and I believe that we can both guess what that means."