Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

   It was a beautiful day today. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming and days like these were disgusting. It was too peaceful, seeing every person smiling and going about their lives made Nightmare sick. 

   Nightmare was the leader of a powerful gang, it was filled with members wanting to see the world crash and burn. Their main goal is to throw the whole city into pure chaos. Desperate people would go to them to do dark sinful tasks and once the task is complete the customer is indebted to them. Murder, theft, drug trafficking, nothing was off limits. Their debt is determined by the size of their request, but Nightmare likes to ‘adjust’ the contract. That is the reason why Horror and Dust were surveilling a house. 

   “Argh! Why did the Boss pair me up with you?” Horror complained. 

   “Because he wanted you to know how to properly get a job done.” Dust said as he started at the building from within the car. Horror scoffed. 

   “There’s nothing proper to do here. We go in, kill the slut, get out, and blackmail our puppet. Wait? Why are we killing her again?” Dust groaned at the repeated question.

   “We’re killing her because it’s part of our job, dick.” He said with venom without looking at his unwanted partner for the night.

   “I know that cunt! I meant why does the puppet want her dead?!” Horror spat back.

   “He thinks his wife cheated on him and that the child she gave birth to four months ago isn’t his.” He said briefly.

   “So, we’re killing both the hoe and the kid and blaming him.”

   “Wow, you do have a brain.” Dust said sarcastically. He ignored Horror’s growls and continued to watch the house. 

   It was thirty minutes past midnight and all the houses were silent except for one. There was one light on in the entire house on the second floor. It could be the nursery or the parent’s room? They knew the husband was out because they planned this with him to create an alibi, but framing sounds so much better. It felt like an eternity for the light in the house to go out. 

   “Okay, let’s go.” Dust said as he turned to Horror, who was fast asleep. He growled and struck Horror in the face. “Wake up!”

   “Why the hell did you punch me!?” Horror yelled.

   “Because your face was punchable! Besides, it didn’t even leave a mark.” He said as he exited the car. Horror pulled on some gloves and followed reluctantly.

   “Maybe because you punch like a bitch.” Horror said loud enough to make sure Dust heard. Dust went to the truck of the car and slipped on some gloves before grabbing an oil can. They went up to the door, Dust moved to the side to let Horror through. Horror put his ear to the door, he took a minute before he pulled away. He then sniffed the air and turned to Dust

   “They're both upstairs. The wife is at the last door on the right and the baby is across from it. I also smell gas from the kitchen, it hasn’t filled up the kitchen and it sounds like a small leak. So it’s been on for about a few hours. What’s the plan?”

   “From what we know, she’s recently started smoking again after the kid was born. Her favorite spot is near the kitchen window. The best course would be to knock her out first and position her. Then we pour the oil so the fire can spread throughout the house, killing her and the kid.” Horror nodded and picked up a plant pot, on the bottom of the pot was a key. He used it on the door and he slowly opened it to not startle the woman. Alerting her would be more trouble than it’s worth.

   They quietly entered the home, Dust closed the door slowly. They stood in silence listening for any movement of their main target. Horror motioned towards the stairs and made a phone signal with his hand, Dust nodded and they slowly. The stairs creaked at their weight, it didn’t matter too much as they heard the woman on the phone. From the sound of it, it was a heated conversation.

    They made it to the top of the stairs and paused outside of the door. The light was on, Horror peeked inside to see the curtains we dawn closed. They could take her out now, but that phone call would give them away. Best to wait. 

   “I can’t believe him!” The woman shouted quietly. “How dare he accuse me of cheating! I have been with him for ten years! And he accused me of CHEATING! Oh, don’t worry I have proof that the child is his! Hell, I have proof that both of them are his. No, I haven’t looked at them yet. I wanted to wait until he got home to show him, the look on his face will be priceless. Uh uh. Okay. Well, I’m going to take a quick smoke and go to bed. Night.”

   The light went out and the door opened, Horror grabbed the woman from behind and covered her mouth with a cloth covered in chloroform. She dropped her cigarettes and lighter as she tried to struggle out of his grasp but she was out in seconds. He kept the cloth on her for a few more seconds to make sure she was unconscious. 

   “Good. Let’s set the scene and get out of here. Bring her to the kitchen, I’ll be down soon.” Dust ordered. Horror picked up the woman and carried her down. Dust grabbed the cigarettes and lighter and went into her room, he turned on his flashlight. It was dim so he wouldn’t alert the neighbors, he searched for anything of use before burning the house. His eyes came across a file on the dresser. He grabbed it and read the contents of it and gave a huge sinister smile. 

   “Oh! This is priceless!” He said as he stuffed the file into his jacket. He searched the room more, he grabbed the woman’s phone but that was about it. It looked like she wasn’t big on passwords based on the unlocked phone. He started pouring the oils around the room, making sure to cover the larger area of the room. He started to make his way into the hallway, he started with the back rooms making sure to use a good amount near the baby’s room. He made his way to the stairs and soon into the kitchen. Where Horror was placing the woman near the window.

   “Here.” Dust tossed the lighter and pack of cigarettes to Horror. He caught it without turning to Dust. He placed the contents in her hand making sure she had a tight grasp on it. Dust poured the rest of the oil into the kitchen and living room.

   “Finding anything?” Horror asked. Dust tossed the file on the counter before returning to his task. Horror grabbed it and read the contents, he howled a laugh. “Is this for real?” Dust was about to reply when a small cry silenced their conversation.

   “Great! The brat is up!” Horror growled.

   “It wouldn’t be up if you hadn’t laughed so fucking loud!” Dust growled back. The infant cries got more intent and they grew more annoying. “Go shut that thing up, already!”

   “Me! Why me?!” Horror never got his answer as the cries increased in volume. This was not good. If the cries continued, it would wake up the neighbors and cause suspicion. Horror growled in annoyance as he stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs. “Why the hell do I have quite this brat? All I’m going to do is make it scarier and that’ll cause more problems. But I do have a way of silencing people.” He said as he licked his mouth.

   The thought was having a little snack made his stomach growl. Maybe he should swallow the little one whole, engulfing the child’s body. Feeling it struggles to move down his throat, lowering its cries as it settles in his stomach. He was glad he was a skeleton, so he could see his prey slowly digesting through his magic. Just thinking about it made him drool. It’s been a while since he ate something fresher, he hoped his snack would satisfy him. 

   He entered the infant's room, it was dark and the only light source was from a teddy bear on a dresser. It gave a soft blue light as it played a soft lullaby, but it was having little effect on the child. The light didn’t show much of the room, it showed the outline of a rocking chair and a few stuffed animals.

   Horror went over to the crib that held the infant skeleton, he loomed over and gave a sinner chuckled. His laugh caught the child’s attention and for some reason, it stopped. It gazed upon the large frightening sight and Horror gazed back. Time stopped as Horror stared at the babe’s bright baby blue eyes. For a second Horror’s hunger was lost. He snapped out of the trace and growled as his only red eye lit up to try and frighten the little one, but instead, it laughed.

   Its laughter made his soul skip a beat. The larger skeleton was baffled by the little skeleton. Every person, whether human or monster, was frightened by his appearance and large stature. To see someone, a child no else, not terrified by him was baffling. He stared at the little skeleton some more to see if his eyes were playing with him. The newborn was still unaffected by his appearance, instead, he wanted a closer look as he raised his arms. Horror grimace at this and turned his back.

   “Dump brat.” He said as he was about to head out the door he heard the child whine. He groaned and went back to the crib, as the child saw him again it started to giggle again. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He asked as if the child would reply. The child lifted its arms, wanting to be picked up by the stranger. Its silent request was not being met and it started to tear up. Seeing this Horror gave in, he lifted the skeleton so they were at eye level. Maybe seeing the horrified skeleton up close would scare it he thought. Yet, it made the little happy to be so close to the stranger. Its tiny hands came into contact with the larger skeleton’s skull, curious about the newcomer. As it explored its curiosity, Horror gazed upon its eyes, it held wonder, purity, innocence, happiness, joy, and yet no fear. An odd child. “You’re cute. I’ll give you that, but you need to be put down.”

   “How long does it take to kill a baby?” Dust growled. He finished setting up the scene and was now waiting for Horror at the front door. He was leaning against the door with his arms crossed. He tapped his finger against his arm impatiently as he waited for his partner. He thought about leaving Horror here to burn with the rest of the house. It was a satisfying thought, but the idea of Nightmare’s sadist wrath was not so pleasant. He was about to call to his horribly disfigured partner but halted when the sight of Horror came into view.

   “About time! Baby give you trouble?” Dust said in a teasing tone. Not waiting for a reply Dust walked out of the house and headed into the car. Horror closed and locked the door, placing the key in its previous spot. Horror wasn’t fully into the car as Dust drove off.

   “I set the stove timer. Give us ten minutes to leave the area.” Dust said expecting a somewhat reply, but nothing. Dust brushed it off, after a few minutes of silence Dust sensed something was off. Dust and Horror have been part of the same gang for almost fifteen years and they were anything but friends, they don’t even tolerate each other. Nightmare being the sadist prick is paired with the two often for tasks. Dust has been keeping a close eye on Horror since day one and he knew almost everything about the brute, even his annoying antics. If Dust knew Horror like did, he knew that Horror always sleeps in the car after every job!

   Dust quickly and harshly pulled into an alley, it was one of their blind spots from cameras. Dust turned off the car and looked at Horror.

   “Hey! Easy on the turn will ya!!” Horror spat. Now, something was off. When did Horror give a damn about Dust’s driving or anything in general? Dust was about to confront the larger skeleton when he noticed Horror’s jacket was zipped up. His left arm was in a crating position, holding a small lump. What the hell?

   “Open her jacket!” Dust ordered as he reached for the zipper. Horror grabbed his arm trying to prevent him from unzipping his jacket. Dust reached with his other hand, but it was also grabbed by Horror’s large hand. “What the fuck are you hiding!?” Dust yelled as he struggled in Horror's grasp.

   “Will you shut the fuck up!” Horror yelled back in a hushed tone as he tried to keep the other from moving too much.

   “Like HELL! WHAT DID YOU-” Dust was silenced by a small whine. He looked at Horror who was now panicked. He then looked at his jacket and saw something moving, it settled after a few more seconds of silence. He didn’t. “Horror, what the hell did you do?”

Chapter Text

   “What. The. FUCK HAPPENED!?” Nightmare yelled. Horror and Dust stood before him, Horror was panicking while Dust had a large shit-eating grin. Once Dust saw the sleeping baby inside Horror’s jacket, he was furious. He wanted to put the baby back, but it was already too late for that and it would cause suspension.

   Dust’s other idea was to end the child in the car before Nightmare found out what had happened, but came up with something better. Dust took them back to their temporary hideout at an abandoned warehouse. Nightmare wasn’t around at the time and Horror rushed to his room to hide the child.

   Dust and Horror had a surprisingly civil conversation about keeping the child a secret. Dust said he’ll keep his lips shut, Horror was taken aback by the other’s sudden corporation. It made him uneasy, but he returned to the little one. The lair was quiet for an hour or two until Nightmare returned and screamed for Horror and Dust. He wanted a report and they said everything went smoothly, then Dust told Nightmare about the baby. To say he was livid was an understatement.

   “You had one job. One FUCKING JOB!! And you BLEW IT AND FOR SOME HOE’S KID!” Nightmare’s deadly aura filled the room, it was suffocating. His slimy tentacles stretched out to grab objects within range and threw them in rage. Horror couldn’t say anything, he didn’t even want to breathe. He was afraid if he did, it would be his last breath. Nightmare loomed over the large skeleton, Horror feared for his life. “Explain.”

   Horror tried to say something but no words came. He looked frantically around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with the creature above him. He looked at Dust and saw he was enjoying seeing Horror squirm, his eye went down and caught a look at the item in Dust’s hand. An idea popped into his head and gave a large smile.

   “It was Dust’s idea.” He said with confidence.

   “What!?” Dust exclaimed in shock. Nightmare gazed turned to Dust, Dust out of the two of them was the brains. He normally kept Horror in check, mostly when he was really hungry.

   “Yeah, he’s been bragging about it since he found the file he’s holding.” Both Nightmare and Dust looked at the file in Dust’s hand. Before Dust could say anything, Nightmare took it out of his hands and read it. A large sinister grin appeared and Nightmare started to laugh.

   “Haa. Yes, this is indeed interesting and with this information, we can exploit our new toy. Bring me the child.” Horror’s grin dropped, but he did as he was told.

   He went to his room and pulled the still sleeping child from an old chest. He used it to store his butchering tools, but he dumped them out to make a small bed. He carried the child downstairs and showed him to Nightmare. Nightmare raised an eye at the weak skeleton in his subordinate's arms and was confused. How did this thing subdue Horror? It didn’t matter, as long as he had the child he could have his fun. Nightmare pulled out a prepaid phone and dialed a number and put it on speaker. He glares at the group, telling them to be silent.

   “H-Hello?”

   “Well, the job is done. Your wife is no longer a problem.” Silence. “Well, aren’t you an ungrateful piece of shit. I had this sinful act done for you and I don’t get a ‘Thank you’. Not only that, but they found some interesting information that you forgot to tell us.” Nightmare said with a sadist tone.

   “I-Information? What kind of information? Tell me!”

   “Manners or I could just turn some evidence to the police. Such as our contract, stating our terms. I also have a few people in law that will put you in jail for life or have you on Death Row. Or we could take your eldest son, how old is Stretch? Ten? He's pretty smart for a ten-year-old. Such a shame to see that go to waste.”

   “T-Thank you.” The other said in a low tone.

   “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

   “T-Thank you for your services.” Nightmare chuckled.

   “Good boy. Now, about this new information. Your late wife had a DNA test done on both children and turns out both of them are your children.”

   “W-What?”

   “Yep, turns out she wasn’t cheating on you, but you were cheating on her with your other wife. Let me see, in this file it held text messages between you and your other wife, or second wife, saying that the late wife was a surrogate mother. Since your second wife could not bear children, you told her that you found a surrogate mother. Should I continue?” No answer.

   “Nothing to say? Well, let me tell you what I think happened. I think the woman we killed was not your first wife but the second and the woman in these messages is your first wife for ten years. Your first wife found out about the other life you were living. She was going to blackmail you with the results and expose your real intentions. You not wanting to get blood on your hands request my group’s assistance to silence her by not telling us the real story. Frankly, I don’t like being led on, so here is what’s going to happen. I’ll keep the newborn child as temporary compensation until your real debt has been paid. Which has been tripled, you’ll be my little puppet until I get bored with you and once I am, I’ll return the child.” As he spoke his voice grew darker and sinister.

   “W-Wait! Blue’s alive?” The other shuddered in fear or relief

   “Ah, so Blue is the little one's name. Thank you for that bit of information. Have a nice day Mayor Gaster.” Nightmare crushed the phone and tossed it, not caring where the remains landed. He turned to his subordinates and looked at the sleeping child in Horror’s hand. He looked at the two skeletons responsible for this situation. A wide sadistic grin appeared on Nightmare’s face, they all knew that grin very well. He had an idea and they were the targets.

   “Well, since we are keeping the child, temporarily. It will need caretakers. So, congratulations to you two. You are now parents.”

   Dust was pissed. Why should he take care of the little runt?! It was Horror’s fault for taking the kid in the first place! This has got to the hundredth time he had been punished for Horror’s mess. And this was a colossal mess, he couldn’t kill the kid because now it was a bargaining chip with the Mayor.

   They control him, they control the city. He had to admit it, it was genius aside from the fact that he had to raise a kid for-God who knows long! And it’s all Horror's fault!!! All he had to do was not take the kid, take his punishment, or not drag Dust into this mess! Convincing Nightmare to reconsider was out of the question because once that bastard made up his mind there was no changing it! Damn Nightmare! Damn Horror twice!! And God damn that baby!!

   “If you're going to stomp around, do it outside of my room. You’re going to wake Blue.” Horror said as he held the small child. Comparing the two sizes, Blue looks like a toy in Horror’s arms.

   “Do you have any idea what our situation is!?” Dust growled.

   “Yeah.” He said not taking his eyes off Blue. “We’re taking care of a kid for a while.”

   “For a while?!” Dust laughs with no emotion, “A while could days, weeks, months, or YEARS! We probably won’t get rid of the kid until he’s 18.”

   “It won’t be that bad.” Horror said calmly. Dust wanted to scream at the other’s calmness towards their situation.

   “Horror, it’s a child! How the fuck are you going to take care of a child?” Horror broke contact with Blue and looked at Dust distraught.

   “Me? We’re both taking care of him because if you don’t Nightmare will have your head as well as mine.” Dust growled. As much as he hated to admit it, Horror was right. No matter how much he despised it, he had to help take care of the brat in some shape or form.

   “Fine, but I’m not going anywhere near that thing! You will handle cleaning it, feeding it, and anything that has to do with touching it. While I get the materials you need and it’s sleeping with you. I don’t want to be woken by late-night crying. Deal?” Dust said glaring at Blue.

   “Deal, but stop calling him it. His name is Blue.” Dust rolled his eyes.

   “As far as I’m concerned, it is an it.” He said as he walked out of the Horror’s room to the materials. He ignored Killer’s and Cross’ laughter at his predicament as he went into his car and drove off. Out of all the challenges and life-threatening situations, he’s been through this was probably the worse. He hated kids. He knew nothing about them besides they were loud and annoying. He needed information and a large favor from someone who didn’t like him. He also needed a drink or five.

   Dust pulled up into the driveway next to a black Honda in a rural neighborhood, all the houses were the same. A two-story house, with a double door garage, and a decent size backyard. The only difference between the houses was the colors, they were all either bright or a pastel color. Bright colors to match the residents' bright and stupid personalities. It made Dust sick to look at, but he needed to be here. He walked up to the front door and quickly picked the lock, he did it standing up to not draw too much suspension. Him being here was enough already. He walked in and gently closed and relocked the door.

   He walked into the living room, toys and art supplies were scattered everywhere. The walls were painted with different people and things, some better than others. He walked into the kitchen and saw the person he came to see. They were occupied with doing the dishes, sneaking up on them was too easy. Dust smiled as he grabbed the skeleton’s shoulder, he couldn’t help but laugh as the skeleton jumped.

   “What the hell, Dust!? What are you doing here?” The glitchy voice sounded in shock and anger.

   “Still so easy to scare, Error.” Dust said as he laughed. Error growled at having his question ignored.

   “Still such an ass as always, Dust.” Error said as wiped his hands and walked into the living room. Dust followed. “Now, what do you want?! If I recall I left the group years ago.” He started picking up the items scattered around.

   “Yeah, I remember.” Dust picked a picture frame of a family of three. Error with his significant other and a child about five. “You left for Ink, the baker and then you had a kid. How old is he now? Five? Six?” Error snatched the photo from Dust and set it back in its place and went back to cleaning.

   Error was a full member of the group before Dust, he had a thing for destruction that Nightmare found enjoyable. His passion for destruction was impressive, there was nothing he couldn’t destroy and he did it with a smile. Until he met Ink, he owned a bakery that became well known for its creative desserts and drinks. He was a bit of an airhead, he tended to forget things and was so annoying. How Error fell in love with him and had a kid was beyond him. Error kept his second life a secret even when he proposed and left. Nightmare didn’t make it easy on him either, even when he left he still did small jobs now and then for extra cash. Error claims he left, but in reality, he never did.

   “We both know you are not here for a social visit? Now, tell me what you want so you can leave.” Dust made himself comfortable on the couch, he put his feet up on the coffee table. Error growled and pushed his feet off, only to have him put them up again. “Talk.”

   “I need to need information and materials for-” He stopped himself from speaking the last bit. It was something Dust never thought he would say in his entire life. “Raising a baby.”

   “What?” Error said thinking he heard wrong. “Is this some kind of joke?” Silence. Error busted out laughing, he held dropped the items in his arms so he could hold his waist. “No fucking way! YOU! Dust! The guy who hates kids with a passion knocks someone up! Or maybe you got knocked up? What happened?! The condom broke, late on the pullout, or so drunk that you forgot?”

   “The kid is not even mine, ass hat! It’s Horror’s fault I’m even here in the first place!” Dust spat as he remembers the event that led to his suffering.

   “What are you talking about?” Error’s laughter subsided temporarily for him to speak. “Wait, the baby is Horror?!” Error laughter returned twice as loud, “Now that has to be a joke! What kind of sick fuck, would fuck an abomination like Horror and have a kid with him?”

   “I don’t know, but an abomination fucker, such as yourself, should know the answer.”

   “What?” Error’s laughter concluded at the insult to his husband. He grabbed Dust’s caller and pulled him close enough so Dust could feel his breath, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.” Dust grinned.

   He loved starting a conflict, and seeing his targets get consumed by anger. Seeing them lose any sense of reason made his taking them down so much easier. It was one of the things that brought him true joy. Seeing them lost in their anger and hatred towards him and his most favorite slowly ending their life. Sadly, there is no time to play. He is here on business.

   “I see I finally have your attention. Are you ready to listen, now?” Error growled and pushed Dust away. Dust likes to get to the point, so it made the visit a whole lot shorter. Once, he explained his and Horror’s task and how it led to a baby in their care. He gave half Nightmare’s plan to keep the kid, not telling who the kid belongs to. Dust told Error, his and Horror’s arrangement with Blue, how he would gather supplies and Horror would care for the child. Which led to Dust in Error’s home.

   “Unbelievable.” That was all Error could say.

   “Which part?”

   “All of it. How can someone, let alone a baby like Horror? How can Horror not eat a baby? I’ve seen him do it plenty of times! The biggest one is the thought of you and Horror raising a kid, but at the same time I’m scared for the kid having you two as parents.” Dust rolled his eyes.

   “Can you get me what I need or not?” Dust just got a small chuckle from Error.

   “This isn’t just another target you can just manipulate and kill. This is raising a baby. One wrong move from either you or Horror could cost its life and soon yours. Just be happy it’s not a human baby, you don’t have to change diapers.”

   “It’s just a baby!” Dust said without concern for Error’s warning, “How hard can it be?” Error shook his head and stood up. “Where are you going?”

   “You wanted information and supplies, right?” He said as he grabbed his keys and jacket, “We’re going to the store and I’m going to shove five years of raising a kid in the next few hours. Now come on!”

Chapter Text

   What the hell did Dust get himself into? As soon as he and Error exited the house, Error started bombarding him with baby advice. Like how to hold them, their mood swings, irregular sleep patterns, and more. It was giving him a headache, but he had to listen and take mental notes. He needs this so he can pass it on to Horror so it’ll be his problem. 

   Error pulled up to a store, he motioned for Dust to follow him. Dust reluctantly followed him inside, he wasn’t worried about people freaking about him being part of Nightmare’s gang. The police didn’t even know their faces and thanks to some false alarms, the police department had to explain to everyone the importance of 9-1-1. In turn, the police are now going based on actions, instead of words for identifying them. Too bad they were five steps ahead of them, Nightmare made it clear for them to not get caught causing a scene in public.

   Error grabbed a shopping cart and headed into a baby food aisle. A whole aisle of six large shelves was filled with different kinds of baby items. Diapers, food, toys, clothes, and more. Dust was trying to figure out why people had babies in the first place? They take too much effort. Error headed for the clothes first, the clothes were bright pastel colors with weird pictures or phrases. So stupid.

   “Boy or girl?” Error asked.

   “What?”

   “The kid’s gender. Is it a boy or a girl?”

   “Why does that matter?” Dust said not interested in anything dealing with the baby, “Just grab something, and let’s go.” 

   “The faster you corporate the faster we leave.” Error snapped.

   “It’s a boy, his name is Blue, and he’s four months old. Happy?” Error didn’t answer him as he grabbed several onesies and put them in the cart. They looked bigger than Blue’s actual size, but Dust didn’t question it. Error continued down grabbing anything that Blue will need, soft food, clothes, bottles, pacifier, and more. All the items had different designs from dinosaurs to robots. Error stopped to look at the baby crate and rockers, Dust stared at lifeless toys on the other selves.

   “This is so pointless,” Dust said, “what is even the point of having kids.”

   “To continue a generation and they make life interesting.” Error said.

   “Or they can fuck it up even more and then they’ll grow up and learn to hate you. Wow, kids are a gift from above.” Dust said sarcastically 

   “I get it. I was against having a kid too and then PJ was born and I have to admit, he did make life better. Hey, maybe Blue will grow on you?”

   “As that'll ever happen, the first chance I get I’m getting rid of that brat.”

   It took a total of three hours to get everything and another to pack it into the car. When they arrived the first thing they heard was a screeching cry. They went into Horror’s room to see him bouncing Blue in his arms to silence his cries. Seeing as no one yelled or scream for the child’s silence, they must have left once it started.

   “What took you so long!?” Horror yelled so they could hear him over Blue. 

   “I did my part.” Dust raised the bags of baby items to make his point. He dropped them on the ground and left. Horror just looked at the bags in confusion, he then looked to Error and so many questions popped into his head.

   “I’ll help you.” Error groaned knowing that he’ll need to re-explain everything. Error reached into a bag and pulled out a bottle, a large container, and a bottle of water. He opened the container that held some powder and put it into the bottle, he then added water and he sealed the bottle. He began to shake the bottle thoroughly for about a minute or two.

   “Done.” Error brought the bottle into Blue’s sight, Blue cries settled as Error moved the bottle to his mouth. Blue latched on to the tip of it and started drinking. Horror watched in amazement. “Here.” Error motioned for Horror to take the bottle. He grasps the bottle in his large hands gently as if it was going to break. “Hold the bottle at an angle so it’s easier for him to drink.” Horror watched in amazement as Blue settled down as he drank the substance. It calmed his soul as he watched the little skeleton feed.

   “What is this?” Horror asked.

   “Baby formula. It’s powder nutrition for babies, you mix it with water and you shake it, and if you want to boil it make it hot. You should slowly get him off of it when he's twelve months old.” Error explained. Horror nodded and looked towards the bags of other items. “There is food, clothing, toys, and this.” Error showed Horror a book, Your Baby’s First Year for Dummies Monster Version. What Error calling him stupid by showing him this book? He did well for the first ten hours taking care of Blue. 

   “It’s not all that useful, but some of the information is decent.” Horror nodded as he readjusted Blue. His attention was taken by the larger items that did not come in bags. Error matched his gaze. “I’ll explain those later, but for right now you need to sit while you feed him. I’ll explain the rest.”

   They sat down on Horror’s mattress while he fed Blue. Error explained the basics of raising a baby, Horror made sure to pay close attention to not miss a single detail. He asked simple questions and Error went into detail about the subject. Error briefly explained some of the items and how to use them. It didn’t take long for Blue to finish his bottle, Error instructed him on how to burp Blue. Horror is a larger skeleton, so Error had to do it to show him the proper way. They laid Blue on a large stuffed bear on the floor, he giggled as he chewed on the bear’s chest. Seeing this made Horror want to take a few pictures. 

   “I’m assuming he’s sleeping with you?” Error asked. Horror only gave a nod not wanting to take his eyes off Blue. Error got up and moved the boxed items closer. “Horror, pay attention.” Horror didn’t want to look away from the adorable sight, but reluctantly he did. “I’ll make this quick. This is a Pack and Play, you can use it as a bed, a changing station, and a play area for Blue. This is a car seat, when you guys change locations again you need to put Blue in this for his safety. The instructions on the inside. Understand?” Horror nodded again, “If you have any more questions, you have my number. Oh, and take notes of Blue’s needs and behavior for Dust if he takes over.”

   “Dust isn’t going anywhere near Blue.” Horror said as he turned back to Blue.

   “Yeah, he hates kids, what else is new. But seriously, if Dust is going to help you with Blue, he needs to know what he’s up against. It’s good for Blue as well.” Hearing the last part made Horror pay a bit more attention. Seeing he had Horror’s attention again, Error continues. “Blue will need to get familiar with the Dust and the gang, so he knows not to be wary of you and panic. The more time he spends with everyone the more comfortable he’ll be and it’ll make taking care of him a lot easier. But seeing as he’s already comfortable around you, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

   Error got up and headed home, Horror stayed in the same position watching Blue. Blue just laid on the bear, padding it with his hands in joy at his new companion. Horror would've taken a photo, and a video would've been better, but Nightmare didn’t allow personal items. He said that they can lead the police to them. If they did have something they wanted, they needed to sneak it by Nightmare and get rid of it before he notices.

   After watching Blue for an hour, Horror concluded that Blue was safe. So, he could put together the Pack and Play and get Blue ready for bed. Horror reached for the box and carefully poured out the unit. The pieces slide out, along with a folded piece of paper. Horror took the paper and on it were illustrated instructions, they seemed easy to follow and there weren’t many pieces. Horror grabbed the first two pieces needed and allowed the instructions. 

   Hours have passed, Horror sat on the ground staring at an oddly constructed...thing? It looked nothing like the one on the box! Did he miss something? He couldn’t have, this was the fourth time he assembled this thing! Blue was better off sleeping on his stomach than his stupid thing! Horror groaned loudly in frustration, he picked up Blue and laid down on the mattress. He set Blue down on his stomach, Blue whined for a bit as he was moved away from the stuffed bear.

   Blue settled down as Horror’s stomach rose with his breathing. Horror gently placed his hand in front of Blue. Blue started nibbling on his fingers, Horror didn’t mind as he didn’t feel anything. He laid his head down and closed his eyes, hoping some rest will distract him from the chaotic morning. Aside from Blue’s cooing, it was silent and calm. Blue soon fell asleep to the sound of Horror’s steading soul beat, his head placed on Horror’s hand. It stayed like that for an hour or two, until Horror was woken by two unsavory smells. The first was reeked of coffee and chocolate, while the second smelled of tar and dust. Horror didn’t even have to guess who they were.

   “What do you want?” Horror said in a menacing tone. 

   “Well, look at you, only been a parent for a couple of hours and you’re already protective of the kid. It warms my soul if I had one.” Killed gave a low cold chuckle. Horror cracked open one eye to see Killer and Cross next to him. “We wanted to see your new snack, that you haven’t eaten yet,” Killer said in a baffled tone.

   “Looks like I won the bet,” Cross said as he already predicted his win. “I don’t even know why we made that dumb bet. None of us can kill the kid even if we wanted to.”

   “I know, but I hoped Horror would have cracked and swallowed the brat whole.” Killer chuckled as they moved towards the bed. Killer couched down to get a better look at the small skeleton on Horror’s stomach. “Not gonna lie, but he is kinda cute.”

   “He is adorable, but why did you take it instead of killing it?” Crossed asked, “And don’t say it was part of Dust’s sudden plan to further blackmail the Mayor. We know that’s not the real reason.” Horror groaned.

   “He was just too cute so I took him.” He said. Cross and Killer just looked at him, they didn’t believe him, and yet they knew it would be pointless to push on. Along with his large size and appetite, Horror was stubborn when it came to explaining his reason for things. If you did push, he would yell at you and that would start an unnecessary fight. 

   “Whatever you say, by that way what the hell is that?” Cross pointed at the oddly constructed figure on the other side of the room. Horror growled at the figure, still a bit embarrassed that he couldn’t figure out how to assemble it. Seeing Horror glaring at the pile, he looked at the large box that it came in. He laughed at what the configuration was supposed to be, Killer looked at the label and laughed along. 

   “That is supposed to be a Pack and Play! What? Did you eat the instructions?!” Killer said through his laughter. Horror didn’t say anything. Killer picked up the crumpled instructions. “Seriously, how did you mess this up? Don’t tell me that crater in your head made you so dumb that you can’t follow simple instructions!”

   “SHUT UP!” Horror barked. The sudden outburst woke Blue and his cries filled the room. Horror rocked and bounced Blue while repeatedly apologizing, sadly his efforts were in vain as the cries turned to painful screeches. Cross and Killer covered their ears to block out the high-pitched cries, it was not very effective. 

   “Hand me that bag!” Horror ordered as he pointed to the bag behind them. Crossed grabbed the bag and tossed it to Horror. He caught the bag and dug out a pacifier. He placed it in Blue’s mouth, he sighed as Blue calmed down but was still teary-eyed.

   “Sorry for waking you up like that, Baby Blue. I won’t do it again, so no need to feel Blue.” He chuckled at his poor pun, but Blue didn't seem to mind or understand. Blue raised his hands, Horror led down and nuzzled into Blue’s belly. Blue giggled at the action as he felt Horror’s skull. Horror pulled away and started rocking Blue again, Blue turned to see the newcomers and smiled at them before sleep once again took him.

   Cross and Killer stood flabbergasted at the sudden turn Horror took. One second he was ready to rib Killer’s head off and the next he was a caring adult. What did this baby do to him? They all just sat there staring at the small sleeping skeleton, no one wanted to say anything afraid of waking Blue again. Yet, there was another reason, Cross and Killer couldn’t say a word. When Blue looked at them and smiled, they felt something.

   “I’m going to fix the Pack and Play?” Cross said in a low voice.

   “I’ll help.”

Chapter Text

   Five months have passed since Horror took Blue. Horror was the main caretaker for Blue, if you saw one the other was next to them. Horror kept close taps on Blue and kept notes as Error suggested, he made them as detailed as he could for anyone watching Blue. Yet it seemed unnecessary as Horror was always with Blue. Dust made sure to stay far away from Blue, he even refused to be in the same room as the child. He spends most of his time in his room or out of the baserunning errands or solo assignments. Taking care of a child in their line of work would be impossible until thankfully Cross and Killer have volunteered to help Horror. Such as how to set up a car seat.

   “No Horror, the seatbelt goes behind the car seat and the car seat is backward,” Cross said as he looked at the instructions. Horror grumbled as Cross corrected him for the third time. It was moving day, the gang had been in the same location for six months. A bit longer than usual since they had Blue, but it was time to leave and get a new hideout. They moved hideouts often to throw the police off their trail, they gathered their things and packed them into three different cars. Loading up their equipment doesn’t take long since they didn’t have much of anything. Just clothes and they discarded used weapons or equipment. Yet, the only problem they faced was installing a car seat.

   “There!” Horror said frustrated. He moved to the side so Cross could inspect the seat. Horror looked back to see Blue in the Pack and Play sleeping, over the months Blue has been needier. Every time Horror put him down for some reason, Blue would cry until he was picked up again and it got harder and harder to put him to sleep. Blue would wake up early in the mornings and at night would refuse to sleep. He looked in the book, but it was useless. He made a mental note to talk to Error about this.

   “Yeah, looks good. We can put Blue in now.” Cross said.

   “I’ll get him!” Killer said, who was once bored was suddenly full of energy at the mention of Blue. Killer rushed to the Pack and Play and carefully picked up Blue. He also brought his blanket.

   “Be careful!” Horror growled, “If you wake him up, I’ll grind your bones and put your dust in a milkshake!” Horror spent a good hour trying to get Blue to sleep, but the little skeleton had so much energy, he could power the city for years.

   “Question and I’m not complaining,” Killer said as he brought Blue over and placed him in the car seat, he buckled Blue in and placed the blanket on top. “Why are you leaving Blue with us? Why aren’t you taking him?”

   “I’m curious as to why as well?” Cross agreed.

   “Nightmare wanted me to dispose of a body once we were done packing. I don’t think showing Blue a corpse is a good idea. Dust won’t take him for obvious reasons and I doubt Nightmare would watch him. Error can’t watch him because he went on some stupid trip, so you two will have to watch him until I’m done. I should be done by 2. You guys have the notes I gave you and my new phone number. The book Error gave him isn’t all that helpful, but some points are useful. But he shouldn’t give you too much trouble since he likes you two. He has plenty of food, but don’t overfeed him, he’ll throw up. Questions?”

   Killer and Cross stared at Horror in shock. He thought a lot about leaving Blue. Horror had to think carefully about this since he is leaving Blue for a whole day. Taking care of a body by normal standards took a couple of hours, but Horror took pride in his work. If anything too much pride.

   “Wait, how do we keep Blue busy?” Killer asked. Horror just shrugged his shoulders, “You don’t know!” Killer said a little lower, but not too loud to wake the small one. “You do know we can’t go to the new location for another four hours right? And it’s 7 in the morning.”

   “Look, all I do with Blue is watch him, play with him, feed him, and clean him. I never took Blue outside of the hideout, so I don’t know what else to do with him besides that. So, take Blue anywhere he might like, the park, the mall, the zoo, anywhere. Just keep him busy.” Horror said as he picked up his toolbag. He made his way to his car and hid the bag in a secret compartment in the trunk. “If anything, this should be easy. I mean you two have been spending some time with Blue as well. You should know what he might like.”

   “Horror, all we know is that he likes spending time with you. That’s not saying much.” Killer said.

   “Then find out more and write it down.” Horror didn’t say anything after that as he came up to the sleeping skeleton and nudged his head with his own. Horror did that often with Blue, it was his form of kisses. He feared that he might accidentally bite Blue. He spent so much time watching Blue he forgot to eat, he leaned down to kiss Blue and almost bite him. Luckily, he gained control before any real damage was done. Now, he carries at least four or five snacks on him. Horror pulled away and entered his car and drove off, leaving Cross and Killer.

   “So, what now?” Killer asked, slightly frustrated.

   “It’s still early, we can grab something to eat before Blue wakes up,” Cross suggested. Killer shrugged in agreement and they both entered the car and they drove off. As decided they grabbed something to get at a fast food place. They ate in the car in a parking lot.

   “So,” Killer started as he chewed, “any ideas?”

   “I have a few.”

   As they finished their breakfast, they checked Blue’s baby bag for the day. Bottles, check. An extra blanket, check. Extra clothes, check. Pacifier, check. Food, check. Teddy bear, check. Everything was there and Blue was still fast asleep. They drove off to another location to kill more time and not look suspicious, they talked quietly about anything that came into their heads. It started as small things, but nothing lasted longer than a few minutes until silence struck.

   “Hey,” Killer said, “you never mentioned what we’re going to do with Blue?”

   “We’re taking him to a daycare,” Cross said.

   “A daycare?” Killer said thinking his partner lost his mind until he thought of Cross’ reason. “You wanna see him, don’t you?”

   “See who?” Cross turned his head in embarrassment.

   “You know who. The Boss’ younger brother.” Killer said with a grin, “You know he’ll kill you if he finds out you have a thing for him. I mean crushing on the Boss’ young bro, you make be a skeleton but you got some balls.”

   Cross grabbed Killer’s jacket and pulled him close, he held a knife close to Killer’s eye socket. Killer had a wide grin on his face as he held his knife at Cross’ neck. They stared at each other for a second until they heard movement. They turned to see Blue waking up, they pulled away from each other and hid their knives. Blue yawned and blinked his tiredness away, Killer climbed into the back to feed Blue. Blue was still tired but did not reject the bottle being offered. As he finished his breakfast and was a bit more awake, he took in the unfamiliar surrounding and noticed an important large figure missing. Seeing as the familiar figure was missing tears started to form.

   “Shit.” Killer muffled under his breath as he panicked. He started to bounce Blue as he reached for his pacifier. He offered it to Blue, but instead let out a screeching cry.

   “What did you do?!” Cross scolded.

   “Hey, you know this isn’t my fault!” Killer yelled over Blue’s cries, “He wants Horror, so all we have to do is keep his mind off of Horror for a few hours!”

   “I know, I know! Just try and keep him calm.” Cross started the car and pulled off, during the ride, Blue refused to calm down. Killer tried many times to give Blue his pacifier or get him down for another nap. Yet, nothing worked. As they arrived at their destination, Blue finally calmed down when Killed handed him the stuffed bear. He moved around to make it dance and made his voice deeper to sound like Horror’s.

   “You could've done that sooner,” Cross said in a sour tone.

   “Bite me.” Killer fired back. Cross parked the car and helped Killer with Blue’s things. Killer gently exited the car, while keeping Blue distracted with the bear. They entered the daycare and went up to the front desk clerk. She was a young human, about in her late twenties, she had a bored look on her face as she flipped through a magazine.

   “Welcome to Sunshine’s Daycare. How may I-” She stopped her greeting as she looked up to see too tired and pissed off skeletons with an infant. “C-Can I h-help you?” She stuttered as the two glared at her.

   “I’m looking for Dream.”

   “Down the hall, take the first right, and he’ll be the third door on the right.” They followed her instructions. As they walked, the doors they passed were brightly colored with individual cartoon pictures.

   “Arg.” Killer groans, “I don’t know why you and Error fall for the bright and bubbly. They are so annoying. Yet, they're the most fun to break.”

   “Says the one holding a bright and bubbly baby, who will grow up to be even more bright and bubbly,” Cross said as he walked, eager to reach his destination.

   “If we keep him long enough he might have a twisted mind like us. Hell, he practically loves Horror, who knows what else is going on inside his head.” Killer chuckled as he moved the bear close to Blue’s face to simulate a kiss. Blue giggled, Killer repeated this action and Blue’s laughter increased. Killer was preoccupied with entertaining, he started cooing at the small skeleton. Cross glazed back and tried not to laugh, to see someone like Killer playing with a baby was enjoyable to watch. As they approached the required door, Cross slowed down his speed.  

   “Please, don’t get cold feet now,” Killer said.

   “I’m not getting cold feet!” Cross replied softly as he stood in front of the door. It was a plain door with a large cartoon sun with a smile, under it were the words ‘Dream’s Little Sunshines’ in cursive. Cross raised his fist to knock, but his hand started to shake.

   “Oh for the love of-!” Killer handed Blue to Cross and opened the door, as soon as they entered Killer had to cover his eyes. The room was way too bright. The room was just as colorful as the rest of the building. The room was decorated with suns, clouds, and quotes like ‘Think Positive’ or ‘Sweet Dreams’. Toys filled certain areas of the room for playing and bean bags were formed into a circle at the center.

   “Hello, may I help you?” Their eyes turned to see a skeleton with pearly white bones and bright yellow eyes. He wore a golden crown on his skull.

   “Hi Dream.” Cross greeted in a shy tone, a blush crept upon his face as Dream’s eyes met his. Dream’s eyes were brighter than the sun, his smile could erase any negative emotion, and the aura he gave was warm. He envied any creature or thing that came into contact with Dream’s loving embrace. Oh, he wished he could hold Dream in the same embrace.

   “Cross! It’s so good to see you again.” Dream held a large smile, but it dropped slightly as he looked at the infant in his arms,” Oh, is this your child?” Cross was pulled from his thoughts at Dream’s question.

   “Huh? Oh, no no. We’re babysitting for a friend of ours who is at work right now.” As Dream heard Cross was only babysitting, his smile grew a little bigger. Cross’ face grew even hotter, Killer on the other hand rolled his eyes.

   “That is so nice of you to help your friend.” Dream moved closer to look at Blue. Blue looked at Dream with curious eyes, Dream gently took Blue from Cross without a struggle. Blue reached out and felt Dream’s skull, it was different from what he’s used to. While Horror, Cross, and Killer’s skull were rough, Dream's was smooth and he smelt nice. What caught Blue’s attention was the golden crown around his skull. Blue padded it and tried to eat it, but it was too hard, and yet he still kept trying.

   “This little one is adorable, does he have a name?” Dream asked as he cradled Blue. Cross didn’t answer as he looked at the sight given to him. Dream was already perfect, but the way he held Blue was heavenly. Dream was great with kids and seeing him with them was one of the reasons why Cross’ soul skipped a beat. The image was absolute-

   “Beautiful,” Cross mumbled without his knowledge. Dream stared up in confusion at the answer.

   “Beautiful? That’s an odd name for a baby.” Crossed was once again pulled out of his thoughts by Dream’s reply.

   “Uh? Oh, Blue! His name is Blue.” Cross corrected himself, “But anyway, he won’t be back until 2 and we don’t know much about taking care of a baby or how to keep them entertained. Especially for long periods, so-” Cross held the last word unsure of what to say next.

   “So, you wanted my help.” Dream said as he placed Blue down in a pile of pillows that was in view of them, “I don’t have much experience since I only work with toddlers, but I’m happy to help you, Cross.” Dream said with a large smile, Cross returned the smile, but not as large. “Did the father give you any instructions or say if Blue needs any special treatment?”

   “He gave us some notes, along with a book.” Cross handed both items to Dream, he skimmed off the notes but had an uncertain look on his face.

   “This is...very helpful, but the handwriting...is difficult to read. In the book, there is a different style.”

   “We know. Another friend gave him the book and wrote some notes inside. We would have asked him, but he’s on vacation with his own family.” Cross explained.

   “How hard can it be? I mean you both must have spent some time with Blue to know him a little bit.” Dream said without looking up from the book. Both Cross and Killer looked unsure of themselves.

   “Not exactly. You see, Blue has a favorite and can get noisy if they are separated and vice versa.” Cross explained while remembering when he took Blue out of Horror’s sight and started crying. Horror barked at him, claiming he was swiping Blue.

   “I see. Well, what I do know for entertaining little ones, is to find out what they like.” Dream flipped through the book on Blue’s likes and dislikes, but it was a shortlist. “I see Blue has yet to find his hobbies and I doubt chewing on finger counts.”

   Dream did grow a bit worried for Blue and the father, it could also be that Dream was misinterpreting some things. The handwriting was poor and hard to decipher. Actually, the more Dream read the more concerned he got. Dream’s eyes widened as he realized a large problem, Killer saw this and started thinking the worst. He motioned for his knife ready to strike, Cross saw both Dream’s expression and Killer’s movement. He raised his arm, halting Killer for a moment. He gave Killer a look that told him to wait.

   “Cross, what is Blue’s day like?” Dream asked worried about his answer.

   “His day?” Cross dropped his arm and took a moment to think about his answer carefully. “Well, he wakes up, gets fed, um...” Cross stopped as he tried to recall Blue’s day, but he was stuck.

   “He chews on his bear and sleeps on his father’s stomach,” Killer said, threat forgotten. Killer as well tries to recall a typical day for Blue, he came up short. They realized that neither one of them knew what Blue does on a day-to-day basis.

   “We have no clue. He’s always with his father, so it’s hard to say.” Cross said in defeat.

   “I see. Well, I’m glad you brought him because Blue needs some time to himself. Away from the father.” Cross and Killer looked at Dream confused, “From the notes, it looks like Blue spends all his time with the father. In which all of his activities also surround the father being present. If this continues, Blue will be hundred percent dependent on his father.”

   “But he’s a baby. He should be dependent on Ho-his dad.” Killer corrected himself.

   “Well, yes.” Dream said, not noticing the sudden correction, “Now, it’s fine, but as he grows it’s best to give them some time away from each other. It’ll help his mind develop. He’ll also learn other familiar faces so he’ll feel less stress when away from his main caretakers. Such as you two or the mother.”

   “Oh, I see. So he needs to spend time with others that he sees daily. So he becomes familiar as he grows.” Cross said, summarizing Dream’s explanation.

   “Exactly, Cross.” Dream said with a wide smile. He took Cross’ hands into his, “I’m so glad Blue has someone like you to take care of him when the parents are away. Speaking of which, why isn’t the mother assisting?”

   Cross was unable to answer as his face was red hot by the touch of Dream’s hands clutching his. He stared at Dream’s bright yellow eyes that were filled with care and compassion. He wanted to answer, but the words won’t leave his mouth. His hands felt so warm in Dream’s and the way he looked at Cross with such admiration made his soul stop beating. He wished he could look into Dream’s eyes all day and be the center of his joy.

   “Blue’s mother is away on business,” Killer answered since Cross didn’t respond. Dream turned his gaze at Killer and that snapped Cross out of his thoughts.

   “Oh, Blue must have some hard-working parents.”

   “You could say that,” Killer said as he gave a chuckle. Killer diverted his eyes to the pile of pillows Blue was on, but something was off. As Dream continued his conversation with Cross, who was more responsive, Killer headed towards the pile. He moved the pillows around gently and then started to toss pillows out of the pile.

   “Hey!” He called out as he turned to the two, “You did put Blue over here, right?” Dream nodded, “Okay, so, how come I can’t find him?”

Chapter Text

   “How the hell do you lose a baby?!” Cross yelled as he threw pillows from the pile in search of Blue. Killer and Dream were searching the rest of the room, but Blue could not be found.

   “I don’t understand how he could just vanish!” Killer said in a panic, “He’s just a baby!”

   “Should we call the father?”

   “NO!” They both said loudly.

   “His father is very protective of Blue. If he finds out that we lost him, he’ll be...well-” Cross tried to explain the hell that will await them if Horror or Nightmare found out they lost Blue. It’ll be even worse if Nightmare found out they were in contact with his younger brother. Dream is oblivious to Nightmare’s plans, he doesn’t even know that he’s the leader of the gang. He doesn’t even know that Cross and Killer know Nightmare. So if Nightmare knew that they met their punishment will have a life-lasting effect on them.

   “It’s okay, I understand.” Dream said as he continued to look in the small playhouse, “I have a friend who is also very protective of his child. So you don’t need to explain.”

   The search continued with no luck searching for Blue. They widen the search area to the other side, but no Blue. They search the entire room, moved equipment, looked behind toys, and even behind a small bookshelf. Yet no baby in sight, their panic increased.

   “This is not good!” Cross repeated said as he paced the room.

   “Will you STOP PACING! YOU’RE NOT HELPING!!!” Killer yelled. Cross growled at Killer and they two started a heated argument. Dream tried to calm them down but was having little effect. He tried to get in between them to separate them but it was futile. He tried again but stopped once he noticed something.

   “QUITE!!!” Dream yelled. He didn’t like raising his voice, but it was needed to grab their attention which it did. “Sorry for yelling, but can Blue use magic?”

   Cross and Killer looked at Dream confused, but seeing as his random question might help locate Blue they took it seriously. Like they said before, they rarely spent any time with Blue so their seeing any development was low. Especially if it had anything to do with magic. They shook their heads.

   “Okay. Is he more active? Like wiggling, grabbing objects, or kicking?” Dream asked. They nodded eagerly to see Dream’s point, “I believe Blue started crawling.”

   “Crawling? The book said babies start crawling at eight or nine months!” Cross asked.

   “Well, yes, but some can start crawling between four to seven or eight months. This is good because Blue is growing and this will also build curiosity. He might even start walking sooner than expected.” Dream said with the intent to lighten up the mood.

   “Good, he says! What’s so good about a missing baby!?” Killer yelled, Dream shrunk at Killer’s aggressiveness. Cross pulled Killer away from Dream.

   “Sorry about him. We’re just stressed. Do you have any ideas where Blue might be?” Cross said in a calm tone to relax Dream. Dream stood up straight and took a breath.

   “No, but he might have crawled out of the room.” Dream said as he pointed to the opened door.

   “Fuck.” Killer said.

   “He couldn’t have gotten far. If we split up we can find him faster, but we need to be discrete about this. We don’t want to interrupt the other classes.” He said the last sentence while gently looking at Dream. Dream blushed at the soft gaze.

   “Right. It would be rude to interrupt their classes. I’ll search in the next hall.” Dream said as he ran out of the room. They waited for a few seconds for his footstep to disappear with distance.

   “‘We don’t want to interrupt the other classes.’ Bullshit.”

   “Look, if anyone finds out that a baby is missing, they might call the police and that’ll draw too much attention and cause more problems. So we need to keep the search party small and quiet. The moment you see Blue, grab him, return to the room, and call me. We’ll leave once we have him.”

   “Whatever you say, Romeo.” They both left the room and split up in different directions. Cross slowed down as he entered another hallway, all the halls were the same except for the doors. They were all closed, so Blue wandering inside one of them was ruled out. Music and laughter came from the rooms as Cross walked by, as he walked he noticed that there were pictures of students. As he continued down the hall the pictures got younger. Was there a whole nother age group in the building?

   Cross wasn’t watching where he was going and bumped into someone and was knocked down. Before he could tell the person off, he looked at the person and saw he was much taller than him. He wore a button-up shirt, with jeans, sneakers, and an apron with the daycare’s logo.

   “I am sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” The stranger said in a gentle voice as he offered his hand to Cross. Cross just stared at it and got up himself and brushed off the dirt on his jacket. The stranger retracted his hand.

   “I’m sorry again, I was in a hurry to get back to work that I didn’t notice my surroundings.” He apologized again.

   “Just watch where you’re going next time,” Cross said.

   “I certainly will, Mr.-”

   “Ross.” He replied with a fake name. Cross didn’t like or trust people, so he often gave fake information to people. He tried the same thing with the gang, but they already had his real information so lying was pointless. It took him almost two years to fully trust the gang and a longer to like them. Dream on the other hand was different, Cross trusted him a lot and felt comfortable and safe. So unloading some stress from his work was easy, with some adjustments to his words.

   “I am Alter and thank you for your advice, Mr. Ross.” Alter held his kind smile as he took in Cross’ appearance. He was skeptical, but it would be best not to jump to conclusions. ”Are you picking up a child?”

   “No,” Cross answered as he walked away. He heard Alter follow him, he walked at a steady as Cross tried to walk faster.

   “Are you looking for a teacher?” Alter asked.

   “No,” Cross said, more annoyed. Hearing the other’s annoyed tone, Alter decided to get straight to the point.

   “I don’t want to be that person, but for the children's safety. You can’t be in here if you have no business here, to begin with.” This is getting Cross, nowhere. If he keeps entrancing this caretaker any longer, Blue will wander away more or worse get hurt. And if Blue’s hurt, that's an automatic death sentence. He needs to lose Alter, so he can find Blue. Yet, losing him will also cause problems. Cross stopped to think about his options and so far he didn’t like any of them.

   “Excuse me.” Alter called to Cross, who suddenly stopped. Cross turned to Alter and gave his best embarrassing look.

   “You're right and I know you’re doing your job, but I lost my nephew.” Cross continued to partially explain the situation. Hearing this Alter calmed down and gave a gentle chuckle.

   “Another child wandered off, thanks to Dream’s door.” Alter said amused.

   “Excuse me?” Cross said a bit taken back by the other’s calmness towards the situation.

   “Dream’s door is broken. It doesn’t lock or close, so children can easily wander in or out. Someone was supposed to come and fix it today, but they got sick and won’t be here until next week. Until it is fixed and minimizes lost children, Dream is working in another room and he is sealed off.”

   Dream’s faulty door did explain how Blue left the classroom undetected, but where he was is still unknown. If the school did recognize the unlockable door as an issue, they could have some way to keep the kids inside the building. Or locating them.

   “Question, if a child did wander out how would you find them?” Alter took a second to think.

   “Well, we do a normal search of the building. The children can’t leave because the door handles are too high and some require a bit of force to open them. We do have security cameras just in case.”

   A wave of calm ran over Cross, knowing Blue couldn’t leave the building. Yet, locating him was still an obstacle. If he could look at the security system, he could figure out where he went. Since Cross told Alter about Blue missing, he’ll be willing to help him locate him and not cause suspension. Once he figures out Blue’s location, he’ll call Killer to grab him, and then they’ll leave. Maybe they'll take him to the park and keep him in the stroller.

   “Shall we look at the security cameras?” Alter asked snapping Cross out of his thoughts.

   “Huh?”

   “Yes, the child can’t leave the building, but a missing child is still very serious. And I take my job very seriously.” Alter started heading to the front of the building. Cross followed but at a distance, he pulled out his phone and unlocked it. He quickly sent Killer a text and put it back in his pocket.

   “So, tell me what is Blue like?” Alter asked.

   “What do you mean?” Cross replied with his question.

   “Well, yes, but every baby isn’t the same. They all have their personalities and traits. Some monsters, some humans, and some are both. Seeing them develop and grow, it’s wonderful. Some develop faster than others, but it’s still amazing.”

   “What do you mean by, some develop faster?” Cross asked, trying his best to avoid talking about Blue as much as possible.

   “Some children's minds develop faster or they understand information more easily than others. A better term for this is gifted children. I’ve met a few and I am impressed at what they excel in, it’s quite amazing. Has Blue taken up any interest?”

   Damn.

   “No,” Cross answered, “as I said. He’s just a baby.”

   “Yes, but it’s never too early to discover a hobby. How is he at home?”

   “Monstrously energetic.” Alter turned to face Cross and laughed hard at the accidental pun.

   “He’s going to be a handful when he gets older.”

   “Y-Yeah,” Cross said as he gave a chuckle. They reached the front desk and Alter showed Cross the camera system behind the desk. He pushed some buttons on the control panel and one of the screen’s cameras changed. As he kept pushing the button, Cross kept an eye out for Blue. Alter stopped once Dream’s door came in view, he pressed another button to speed up the recording. He played it from the moment Cross and Killer entered Dream’s room, after a few minutes nothing happened. People walked past talking or running, someone came through with a large stuffed bear, and yet no Blue. They continued to watch until the door opened slightly and Blue came crawling out.

   “There he is!” Cross pointed him out. “But where is he going?” They watched Blue curiously as he crawled down the hallway as fast as he could. Wherever Blue was going he was determined to get there.

   Alter sped up the recording and switched cameras when Blue was out of view. Cross looked at the clock on the recording and felt horrible that they didn’t notice Blue was gone for so long. It was like watching a cartoon, Cross soul did drop a few times seeing Blue alone. Yet, he was impressed at how he maneuvered himself through the school. Blue was about to go into another hall when Alter rewinded the whole video.

   “What are you doing?!” Cross said angrily. “Why are you going back!? We already saw Blue leave the room?”

   “Calm down, I think I might know where he’s going? Or what he’s looking for?” Alter stopped the recording so only the large stuff bear was on screen.

   “So, he’s looking for the bear. Why? He already has one.” Alter only shrugged.

   “Children’s minds can be mysterious. He makes like stuffed bears a lot or it could be something else.”

   “Okay, but where is the bear going?”

   “Room 183.” Cross quickly texted the room number to Killer and stormed down the hall to meet him there.

   Killer was checking the classrooms through the small window to see if someone picked up Blue. His phone buzzed, he checked to see that Cross thinks where Blue might be. He rushed to the location he was sent, he stopped in front of a door that was painted like a galaxy with cutout stars and planets. He knocked on the knock and waited, but when he didn’t get a reply he walked in. The room was decorated similar to the door, planets and stars hung from the ceiling. The room was painted a light purple with stars, rockets, and soft music played.

   “Can I help you?” Killer was pulled out of his thoughts at the voice. He turned his gaze to the skeleton in front of a large bear. He turned around to fully give Killer his attention, but all Killer was Blue reaching out to the bear.

   “Blue!” Killer walked up to them and grabbed Blue. He whined as he tried to reach out for the bear. “We've been looking all over for you!”

   “Are you his father?” The other skeleton.

   “No, I’m-” Killer stopped as he got a better look at the other skeleton. He was shorter than Killer and his skull was around. His eyes were large and round as he looked up at Killer. Killer froze as the other stared at him, he felt hypnotized even with Blue whining in his arms. Killer took notice of the blush slowly creeping on the other’s face, it just made him more angelic. Wait, what?

   “S-Sorry for staring. I-I’m Killer and Blue’s-um-uncle.” Did he just stutter?

   “Hi, Killer.” The other giggled and it sounded like music from the heavens, “I’m Outer.” He said as he offered his hand. Killer readjusted Blue to reach for Outer’s offered hand, gently grasping his hand getting a feel for his soft smooth bones.

   “Thank you for finding Blue. He wandered off when I wasn’t looking.” Killer said not taking his eyes off the angel in front of him.

   “It’s fine. He was just cuddling to my new friend over here.” Outer said as he motioned with his head to the large bear. Outer slipped his hand out of Killer’s grasp, he fought the urge to tighten his grip or reach out for his hand again. His hand felt cold, did it always feel like that?

   “Killer!” They turned to see Cross at the door, who motioned with his head saying it was time to go to his dismay. He silently groaned.

   “Um-” Killer was pulled back to look at Outer, “It was nice to meet you and Blue. Feel free to come by again. I’m sure Blue would love to play with the big guy.” Outer said as he pointed to the bear behind him.

   “I’ll have to take you up on that offer.” He said with a smile. He got a good response from Outer as another blush appeared. Killer chuckled as he left the room with Cross. They gave Dream and Alter their thanks and goodbyes as they left. As they exited the building Blue started crying, they sat in the car for about an hour calming him down.

   “Well, today has been a disaster,” Cross said. Killer hummed in agreement, but his mind was elsewhere. “That was a pretty large bear, it was about the size of Horror.” Killer hummed again. “I think Blue missed Horror and you miss that new skeleton.” He said with a grin. Killer felt hot at the mention of the skeleton.

   “N-No I don’t!” Killer stuttered, “L-let's just feed Blue and take him to the park. So, we can give him back to Horror!” Cross chuckled at his flushed companion.

   “So, we bringin’ Blue here, again?”

   “Absolutely.”

Chapter Text

   Horror paced back and forth in the new hideout deep in thought. It was an old and broken-down hotel that is supposed to be torn down in a few months. After the events at the daycare, Killer and Cross told Horror how Blue is a bit too attached to Horror. How the ten-month-old child cried until he came into contact with a bear about his size of Horror. He tried to deny it, but he knew this could be a future problem, Blue would want to be near him every second and this could interfere with his job. He thought about taking Blue with him on some assignments, since Blue had no problem with Horror he should be able to handle a corpse. The thought of Blue playing around in human intestines was adorable to Horror. Yet, the thought of Blue near his tools shattered the idea.

   Thankfully Killer and Cross volunteered to watch Blue when he was out at work. Over time he did see a change in the young one. He was not as fussy when Horror was gone but was still happy to see him return. He grew to like Cross and Killer as playmates and their trips to the daycare and park. Blue also became more energetic and curious with his mobility, as Horror soon found out.

   Yet today was not the case, Killer and Cross are both out on assignments concerning the Major. Dust was out doing who knows what and Horror had his assignment waiting in a storage container. Which meant no one could watch Blue, he couldn’t wait for everyone to get back because some jobs took hours or days to finish. Now, here he was giving himself a headache trying to figure out who could watch Blue.

   “Why are you not working?” Horror jumped at the sudden voice.  He turned to see Nightmare, normally if someone managed to seek up on him he wouldn't hesitate on attacking. But attacking Nightmare, whether you were surprised or not, is a death sentence.

   “H-Hey Nightmare. I was just trying to figure out who could watch Blue while I’m working.” Nightmare groaned. He could see where Horror would find a simple problem so troublesome. It was infuriating.

   “Just get Error to watch him. His goody-two-shoes of a husband will enjoy having another child.” Oh, right. Error. He didn’t consider Error as a babysitter, he does have a child of his own and Ink loves kids, so they’ll agree. Ink and Horror never meet, if Ink is there it’ll set off some alerts within the baker. Hopefully, Error will be home to answer the door. Horror nodded at Nightmare’s suggestion and pulled out his phone. It took a few rings for someone to pick it up.

   “What do you want?” Error answered in a tired and hush tone. Which was understandable, he was calling at five in the morning

   “I need you to watch Blue for a few days.”

   “Why me?”

   “The whole gang has their assignments and it will probably take days to finish. So, no one can watch him.”

   “I am not watching your abdominal-” Before Horror could hear the rest of Error’s sentence, Nightmare snatched the phone away.

   “Do. It.” That was all Nightmare said as he gave the phone back to Horror.

   “Drop him off in an hour.” Error said as he hung up. Horror put his phone back in his pocket and started gathering Blue’s things. As he finished he noticed he hasn’t checked on Blue in a while. He stopped and turned to the area he felt Blue, to see the baby was gone! He got up in a panic and was about to search the whole building until a black gooey tentacle ceased his movement.

   “Stop freaking out. I have him.” Nightmare said as he showed Blue being cradled in one of Nightmare’s tentacles. His onesie was getting dirty as Blue chewed on another tentacle.

   “Thanks.” Horror said as he was released. When he reached for Blue, Nightmare pulled Blue away.

   “If I give him to you, you’ll lose sight of him and freak out like a buffoon. I’ll hold on to him while you finish.” Nightmare was right. Nowadays if Horror even looks away from Blue, he’ll lose track of the little one because he crawled off somewhere. He was careless once, when he thought Blue was sleeping he decided to sharpen his tools. When he turned he saw Blue chewing on a handle of a butchering knife. It would have been cute if Horror wasn’t trying to pry the dangerous item from Blue’s mouth. Once he got the knife back, Blue tried for a good hour. It got to the point where Horror had to get Blue a plushie knife. He seemed to like it.

   Once Horror had everything ready for Blue’s couple of days with Error, Horror turned back to the pair. To see Blue was now filthy with Nightmare inky guck. Horror was internal groaning at the fact he would need to give Blue another bath. It wasn’t a difficult task to wash the child, but Horror would need to join Blue unless he wanted to make things difficult for himself. He wasn’t complaining, but he didn’t have the energy or the time to bathe himself. He took Blue away from Nightmare, with a few whines from Blue, as Horror mentally prepared himself for the crying.

   Blue’s crying could be heard from miles and damaged Horror’s nonexistent ears. Horror quickened his actions and pulled Blue out of the sink. He dried Blue and dressed him and rocked him to calm him down. Once Blue was calm enough, Horror fastened him in the truck along with his baby bag. He double-checked to make sure he didn’t forget anything. He got into the driver’s side and fastened himself and started heading to Error’s house.

   When he pulled up to Error’s house, he saw two cars in the driveway. He didn’t want to risk Ink seeing him so he’ll have to leave Blue at the door. He got out as quietly as he could, Horror was a large guy so stealth was not his strongest skill, and yet nobody hears him. He got Blue and his bag out of the truck and set them both down. He tucked Blue’s blanket around his to keep him warm and his stuffed bear next to him. As he moved his hand away, Blue grabbed it in his small hand. Horror gave his smile, to others it could be a murderous grin, but not to Blue. Horror leaned down and felt Blue’s tiny skull against his and pulled away. He knocked on the door and went back to the truck ignoring Blue’s whines for him to come back.

   As Horror drove off, he fought the urge to turn around and cradle the small one, but he didn’t. This needed to happen. Blue needed to get used to others and have some form of independence. No matter how much he hated leaving him, especially like this. His soul was tightening every second he drove away, he hated the feeling. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was only for a couple of days and when Friday comes he can grab Blue and this feeling will disappear. He’ll see Blue’s smiling giggle face, him crawling around full of energy, and him sleeping soundly on his large stomach. And Horror will never feel this ache again.

   He was in the kitchen making himself coffee when he was fully woken up by a baby’s cries. He groaned and knew it was Horror dropping off Blue. He thought about leaving the brat outside to freeze, but then the crying would last longer. He did not miss this. He headed towards the door and opened it to see, as expected, Blue crying his soul out to Horror. He grabbed Blue’s car seat and bag and brought them inside. He set Blue on the dining room table as he searched his bag for anything to silence Blue. The first thing he found was a poorly written note.

   ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. Everything is in the bag. He better be safe by the time I return.’

   Short and straight to the point. As Error pulled items out of the bag, Ink and Paperjam came downstairs to find the source of the crying. When they reached the dining room, Ink's eyes locked on Blue. Before Error could explain the reason for the child, Ink rushed over to pick up Blue and rock him.

   “Don’t cry little one.” Ink said in a soothing voice, “Shh. It’s okay Uncle Ink is here. Shh.” Error expected Ink to take a liking to the child, but not this quickly, and proclaiming to be his uncle was stretching it a bit. Error located a premade bottle and handed it to Ink, who had a large smile and stars in his eyes. Yep, he was already attached. He rocked Blue some more as he headed towards the couch. Paperjam followed as he was curious about the newcomer in his parent’s arms. Ink sat down and Paperjam climbed up next to him to inspect the crying child. Ink tried to feed Blue, but he won’t take the bottle.

   Ink tried again, but Blue rejected the bottle and cried louder. Paperjam covered the sides of his skull to block out the cry, while Ink frantically tried to soothe the infant. Error came behind Ink and took the bottle away, seeing as it wasn’t hungry. He handed Ink a stuffed bear and Ink gave a bewildered look, the bear was beyond words. It had white fur and a baby blue bow tie, it would be adorable for any child and parents would want one for their kin. It was perfect and simple. Aside from that, it had a piece of its head missing, the fur was more gray than white, and it smelled like it was found in a local dump.

   Ink wanted to throw it away and give Blue one of Paperjam’s old stuffed animals. He was about to push the bear away, but the cries that filled the house lowered. He looked at the baby in his arms reaching out for the bear, Error laid the bear on top of Blue stomach and watched the little one hold it for dear life.  The bear was a decent size, but in Blue’s arms, it was large. Ink wanted to wince as the child cuddled to the soiled bear, but seeing how it made him happy. Ink didn’t have it in him to stop him.

   “Daddy?” Ink turned to his seven-year-old son, “Why is there a baby in the house?” Ink was about to answer, but he didn’t even know the reason for the second child.

   “Error?” He called as he looked at his husband.

   “An old acquaintance of mine is on a business trip along with his partner and they couldn’t find a sitter. So, I volunteered.” He wasn’t lying, except for volunteering to watch the baby.

   “Really?! That is so nice of you to keep watch over him. Right, sweetie? You can be like a big brother to-uh-to?”

   “Blue.”

   “Uh...blue what?”

   “Blue. The child’s name is Blue.”

   “That’s a wonderful name! It’s so nice to meet you Blue.” Ink greeted as he held Blue closer. He motioned Blue over to Paperjam who was studying Blue very closely. “Would you like to hold him?”

   Paperjam was taken back and gave a small nod. Ink stood up and carefully transferred Blue to Paperjam, he mimicked his father’s position. He held his breath as he was afraid that even breathing on the child could make it cry. Blue looked up at the new holder with tears still in his eyes, Paperjam looked back feeling uncertain that he was not liked. His uncertainty was shattered as Blue raised his tiny hand to Paperjam and smiled as if he felt the other's doubt.

   “Aw, he likes you.” Ink commented. Paperjam carefully readjusted Blue, so they were both at eye level.

   “H-Hi...Blue. I’m Paperjam.” He said, Blue responded with a giggle as he reached out to him. He moved Blue closer to feel his skull, intrigued with close contact Blue decided to attempt to climb his skull. Paperjam laughed as he held Blue on his head to keep him from falling and soon removed him.

   “Can I play with Blue in my room?” Paperjam asked, excited to have a new playmate.

   “Maybe later after breakfast, but for now play here while I talk with your papa.” Error said as he pulled Ink into the kitchen who was memorized by the adorable moment. He whined as the scene was briefly pulled away from him, he wished he had taken a picture or two. “Alright, ask away.”  

   “How old is he? How long will he be staying with us? What are the parents like? Is there anything else I know? What’s his favorite food? Where will he sleep? When did you meet him? Why didn’t you ever tell me about this adorable creature?! Can I PLEASE fix his stuffed bear?!” Ink continued to quickly ask questions without giving Error a chance to reply to even one. While Ink continued, Error picked up a trash can and waited. As expected, Ink threw up a tar color-like substance into the container. This continued for a few seconds until Ink stood straight with a shy smile.

   “You done?” Ink nodded, “Okay. As I said, his name is Blue. I don’t know how old he is, but I’m guessing nine or ten months. His ‘father’ is a worry wart and loves the kid very much, the ‘mother’ never wanted Blue so the responsible parent is the father. We’ll probably put him in our room in PJ’s old crib. I met Blue a couple of months before he was born to give advice. The reason I didn’t tell you is that I knew you would get overly excited and no. Don’t touch that bear. Anything regarding Food, clothing, likes, and dislikes, you can look through his bag.”

   Ink turned to see the bag Error was talking about on the dining room table. He went over and dug through it and as Error said, there were clothes, baby food, snacks, and other things. He soon found a notebook, the content inside was hard to read so he headed back to the kitchen.

   “He gave us notes, but..uh...I’m having trouble.” Ink moved so both he and Error could look through the notes. Error has spent years with the gruesome brute, so he was no stranger to Horror’s poor handwriting. He had to admit it, it has gotten a bit better, still shit, but readable shit.  

   “This page is talking about Blue’s sleeping patterns. Like the time he wakes up, how to put Blue to sleep, what to do if he wakes up at night, and so on.” Ink looked at Error with amazement at how well he read the handwriting. Ink looked back to try and read it as well but only came up with a few words. Error took the book away from Ink before he gave himself a headache trying to read the notebook.

   “How about you cook breakfast while I find our old baby equipment, then we can look through the book.” Ink nodded gladly at the mention of cooking and mentally got to work. Error did as he said he would and found Paperjam’s old high chair in their storeroom. It was still in pretty good condition, but it needed a good clean, which Error provided. As Error was doing his task, Ink was happy cooking breakfast for the family and their special guest. Such for a joyous occasion, a joyous meal is in order. A large stack of chocolate chip pancakes is a perfect breakfast meal.

   Ink started preparing the mix while he listened to the sounds of two children laughing. Ink always loved kids whether they were his or not, he still loves them. To have another child as young as Blue in the house filled him with happiness. He couldn’t wait to play with the small one along with Paperjam. Ink imagined all the fun activities they could do, like painting, watching a family movie, or going to the park. Maybe if he could talk to Blue’s parents, Paperjam and Blue could be lifelong friends. He would make a wonderful big brother and it’ll give Paperjam a sense of responsibility.

   Ink finished cooking the pancakes along with eggs and bacon, the table was set and clean. Blue was placed in the high chair and Paperjam sat next to him, Error and Ink fixed everyone’s plates. Ink took over and fed Blue food that was brought in his bag. It was still early for Paperjam to leave for school and for Ink to open his bakery, so they could take their time. As they continued to eat and make morning conversation, Blue decided to use his food as a toy. He smashed it, threw it at Ink, and spread it on the chair.

   “Heh.” Ink gave a small chuckle, “I guess it is time for a bath.”

   “Can I take one too?” Paperjam asked as if the creative father pulled Blue out of the high chair.

   “May I ask why?” Ink asked, surprised that his son wanted a bath. Paper never likes baths unless it has bubbles, but he’ll focus on playing rather than cleaning himself. Either way, it was a challenge and he had a bath last night.

   “I-uh-um-Blue!” Ink was now more confused, “He’s a baby and might not like baths. As a pro, I’ll have to show him the ropes.” Both parents baffled their laughter at their son’s reasoning for a bath, but they weren’t going to complain.

   “Alright Mr. ‘Pro’. Let’s go.” Said Error as he rose from the table and picked up Paperjam. He grabbed Blue’s bag before following Ink to the bathroom, Error set both Paperjam and the bag down before leaving to get clothes. Ink started removing their soiled clothes, Paperjam was the first in the empty tub and Blue soon followed. Confused by this new environment, tried to wiggle out of Paperjam’s grip but wasn’t having any luck.

   Ink poured in the bubble soap and a few bath toys, then turned the handle for warm water. As soon as Blue saw the water, he panicked. He searched for his larger caretaker, but he was nowhere to be found. Blue didn’t hesitate to cry. Error came rushing in with clothes bundled in his arms.

   “What did you do?!” He spat.

   “I didn’t do anything!” Ink said, returning the attitude, “He started crying when he saw the water.” Ink quickly turned off the water when it was to Blue’s hips, he hoped Blue would stop but he continued. Error dumped the clothes on the counter and searched for the note Horror left. He scanned the book’s contents for any bath-related information.

   “Blue doesn’t take well to bath, it’s best if some baths with him. Run bath first. Bubbles help.” Error read out loud. Ink started stirring the water with his hand to create the bubbles. Paperjam started bouncing Blue and handing him toys to calm him down. Soon, Blue started to claim down sobbing. Paperjam showed Blue the bubbles and the toys, Blue grabbed the bubbles and examined them. He attempted to put them in his mouth but was stopped by Paperjam.

   “No Blue. They don’t good and you’ll get sick.” Paperjam started pulling toys closer to Blue, while Ink turned the water on but it came out slower. It didn’t take long for Blue to be laughing and enjoying his bath. Ink managed to clean both children, while Error was off doing something else. The rest of the bath filled with laughter and amusement on both sides. Once both boys were clean, Ink pulled them out and dried and dressed them. They all went downstairs to prepare to leave for the day.

   Ink owned a bakery, which surprised many, everyone thought he would be a famous painter. They got one thing right. He was famous for his adorable or realistic food art, he even hung up his original paintings, which people can buy at a reasonable price. Yet, this did come easy, at the start Ink couldn’t get a permit to be a bakery and sell paintings at the same time. He thought it was because of his massive debt, but it was a different thing altogether. Something he was too naive to see. It was hopeless, but he never lost faith and yet his smile was slowly fading. Then he met Error, they didn’t start great, he caught Error destroying his artwork and they fought. They expressed their dislike for one another every time they laid eyes on each other, but they always sought each other out. It was an odd relationship that didn’t have a label, it was just them. Months went by and they started growing closer and closer. Then, all his problems started disappearing the more they hung out. Now, he’s living his best life and he couldn’t have asked for more.

   Ink put Blue in Paperjam’s old baby walker, he wished he could take Blue with him to work, but there is a chance Ink will forget he brought Blue. He did it with Paperjam and he was depressed for a month. He packed Paperjam’s lunch while waiting for his son to finish packing his bag.

   “Can Blue come to school with me?” Paperjam asked knowing the answer but wanted to ask anyway.

   “No, Jammie.” Ink said in a calm tone, “He’ll be here when we got home and you can play for the rest of the day. Okay?” Paperjam nodded, still upset that his new friend can’t come with him.

   “Bye Inky. Bye Paperjam.” Error said as he exited from the living room to give farewell kisses to both.

   “Bye.” They said as they left the house to start their busy day. Once Error lost sight of Ink’s car, he returned to the house to take care of Blue.

   Days passed since Horror left Blue in Error and Ink’s care and the little family grew to care for Blue as their own. Error was reluctant at first, but Blue grew on him enough to tolerate the baby skeleton. It was difficult at first, especially getting Blue to sleep. Based on Horror’s notes, Blue likes sleeping on Horror's stomach so they gathered pillows to simulate it.

   It was also difficult entertaining Blue while Ink and Paperjam were away. Television was a temporary solution and so was the bear, thankfully they found out Blue liked being in the kitchen. To Ink’s delight. So throughout the day, Blue would watch a  cartoon with some form of cooking or play with a kitchen playset they got him. He didn’t do much with it, except chew on them. Anything new they found out about Blue, they wrote down in the notebook. Like how Blue loves the outdoors, dogs, or how he might like soccer.

   Everything seemed to be going well until Ink decided to give Blue’s bear a makeover. Ink wasn’t skilled at sewing, so when no one noticed he took it to a seamstress, Lust. Lust was great at sewing, but was very flirty and could be a stripper. He was very popular and he made quality stuff, so no one questioned if he was or wasn’t. When Lust saw the bear, he almost fainted and was happy to fix it up. It took a little over three hours, but it was worth it. The bear had beautiful snow white fur, the old tie was a sparkling baby blue, and it was restuffed with a fixed head.

   It was perfect, but Blue didn’t take well to it. He cried for hours, their previous methods didn’t work. Error was pissed at Ink, but they needed a way to calm Blue. So Error made a gamble. He called Horror. He told him the situation and he shared Error’s anger towards Ink. Horror gave a probable solution, which made Error a bit happy. He took the bear and ripped the head in the same area. Error pushed Ink and Paperjam out to patch the area. He put Horror on speaker to talk to Blue. Which worked, still teary-eyed, but worked. When they returned, the bear had a patch on its head. Blue ceased his crying and cuddled the bear and Error gave Ink a long scolding.

   The week progressed and soon it was time for Blue to go home. Horror called Error so they could plan a pickup time. It was Monday so both Ink and Paperjam would be out of the house. They decided an hour after they left for caution. Error made sure Blue’s things were packed and Blue was washed and dressed. When Horror arrived Blue was in the living room playing with an item from the toy kitchen set.

   “Blue.” Blue turned and gave a huge smile at the sight of his large caretaker. He dropped the toy and grabbed onto the coffee table and pulled himself up and started slowly heading for Horror. Horror seeing this stopped his progress and kneeled, Blue stopped once he reached the end of the table. Determined to reach Horror, he let go of the table and wobbled over. Horror was gently encouraging him with each step with his large arm stretched out. Blue fell forward and hit his skull on the carpet, tears threatening to fall but Blue was determined. He pushed himself up and started wobbling again. When Horror was close enough, Blue blinked the tears away and replaced them with a large smile, and fell into Horror’s hands.

   “Great job, baby Blue!” He said as he lifted Blue high. Horror brought Blue down so their foreheads touched. “I am so proud of you.”

Chapter Text

   “Come on, Blue. Say ‘Dada’.” Blue Horror said in a gentle tone. He and Blue were sitting in their room. After seeing Blue take his first steps five months ago, he was told it was time for Blue to start talking. Hearing this made Horror a bit excited, he wanted Blue’s first word to be his name or something close to it. Sadly they have made no progress.

   “Da-da.” Horror repeated but slower as he pointed to himself. Blue smiled and got up from his spot and waddled over to Horror. He freely fell at Horror’s crossed legs, knowing the larger skeleton would catch him. Horror groaned. Just like with the crawling, Blue was always on the move. Blue squealed happily as Horror lifted him, so he was at eye level.

   “Da-da.”

   “What the fuck are you doing?” Horror flinched at the sudden voice behind him. He glanced behind him to see Dust, with an unemotional look.

   “What does it look like?” Horror snapped as he turned his attention back on Blue to set him on the ground. “I’m teaching Blue how to talk.”

   “Why would you waste your time on that?” Dust said, “It would be long until Nightmare calls in his big favor and gives the little shit back.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Dust was pinned against the steel walls as Horror loomed over him was a deadly aura.

   “Don’t you ever call him that!”

   “And what are you going to do?” Dust said challenging Horror with a sinister grin, “Rock me to sleep?”

   “Heh, no.” Horror grabbed his ax, which was leaning behind him, “I was thinking about making me a snack.” He raised the weapon, Blue started crying. Horror and Dust didn’t stop glaring at each other as he cried. Dust had a large grin on his face, seeing the large skeleton cannibal being reduced to a pathic caretaker was amusing. Dust chuckled as Horror released his shirt.

   “Better calm him down before the Boss gets angry, Dada.”  He said as he left. Horror’s grip tightens on the ax. He picked Blue up with his free hand and rocked him slowly. He hummed a random medley, it sounded intimidating in his low bass voice but it calmed Blue down. Horror looking down at the small skeleton in his arms, Blue still had a few tears in his eyes. Horror wiped them away with his large thumb with the ax still in hand.

   “Heh, I gave you a small fright didn’t I?” He brought the skeleton together, “Sorry Baby Blue, I didn’t mean it.” Horror said in a loving voice that Blue cooed at the affection given. “But if someone did scare you,” Horror he threw his ax at one of the steel walls in the room with the blade stuck inside the wall, “not even their death will be enough to fill me.”

   Horror left and headed to the kitchen that was on the base floor. Each member of the gang had their floor, Killer had the first floor, then Horror, Cross, Dust, and finally Nightmare. All the food was on the base floor, which Horror could not be near after eating all of their reserves three times. So, they made sure someone was between him and the food.

   “Killer, if you try to jump me and scare Blue-” Horror said.

   “I wasn’t going to.” Horror glances to see Killer next to him. “Well, not with Blue in your arms.” Every member of the gang had to be a master of stealth to get the first strike against a target. Including Horror, with stealth and hi enhanced smell and hearing. He was the ultimate predator.

   “Grabbin some food big guy?” Killer asked, trying to make a pointless conversation.

   “It’s almost lunch and Blue needs to eat.” Horror plain said.

   “Of course.” Killer stretched his head to give a glance at Blue, who was happily sucking his thumb. He didn’t see Killer as he was more preoccupied with his thumb. Killer gave a playful grin as he sneaked behind Horror.

   “Duh-nun.” Killer said to capture Blue's attention. “Duh-nun.” He said again as he crept around Horror, who did not attempt to stop him. Blue knew what was happening and giggled in excitement.

   “DundunDundunDundunDundun-DUNDUN!” Killer jumped up in front of Horror making a silly scary face. Blue squealed in amusement as he loved it when Killer played Shark with him. Killer repeated this a few more times before they arrived in the kitchen. Horror pulled up a large block of stone and sat down, Killer grabbed Blue’s baby food and a bag of leftovers for Horror. Horror took the bag and started eating while Killer fed Blue.

   “Any progress with Blue’s speaking lesson?” Killer asked. Horror just shook his head as he shoved a hamburger into his mouth. “Just give it time.”

   “I know, but Error told me that he should have already said at least one word. Or something close.” Horror said as he stuffed another burger into his largemouth. “Am I doing something wrong?”

   “Doubt it. He could be one of those late-bloomers. Or he’s lazy like his old man and his uncles. Is that it Blue? Are you lazy just like us?” Killer said the last few phases in a cooing voice. Horror can’t complain too much about the voice because he tends to do it too in private. He also took a liking to be referred to as Blue’s father, he didn’t know why but it felt right. Killer and Cross, along with Ink, liked to be called Blue’s Uncles. Still no complaints from Horror.

   He was mostly worried that something was wrong with Blue. As soon as Horror returned to the base, he started Blue’s lesson with books borrowed from Error. Blue is fifteen months old and Error said Paperjam said his first word when he was nine months. He even showed Blue pictures and stayed what they were, he enjoyed them, but no words. Does Blue have a learning disability? If he does this could be trouble for Blue in the future. With limited resources and also being an extremely wanted criminal, giving Blue a proper education will be difficult. And Horror isn’t the brightest among the group. He could show Blue how to handle a knife and butchering when he’s older, but proper education is not his area.

   “Idiots.” They turned to see Nightmare standing at the kitchen entrance. “Meeting in 5 minutes.” That was all Nightmare said before turning into a pile of goo and quickly slithering off.

   They finished feeding Blue before entering the auditorium. It had a large stage to the right of the entrance and tables and chairs were spread out in front of it. Cross was already there, he was leaning back in his chair and appeared to be sleeping. They took seats at a table behind Cross’ and it was long before Dust entered. He took a table on the furthest end from the rest of the group.

   “Good, you’re all here.” Nightmares formed in the center of the stage. Once he did, the light dimmed a bit and a projector turned on. Horror started bouncing Blue on his leg to keep him from crying during the meeting. He also covered Blue’s non-existence ears, for any poor language. “I just received three new requests and I think you all might enjoy them.” An image of a man in his early thirties and a police uniform popped up on the screen “Cross, one of our previous clients is denying their assistance, so you will be dropping some evidence to the Police Headquarters about how the current Police Chief came into his position.”

   “What kind of evidence?” Cross asked with one of his eyes opened.

   “The kind of evidence that ties him to the previous police chief’s murder and the tampering of case files involving unsolved rape.” Nightmare said with a grin. Cross nodded and closed his eyes. The image changed to another male that was in his mid-twenties. “Killer, a new client, wants a bit of knife play on camera with this piece of ass. Unceded of course. He also wants multiple recordings.”

   “How rough can I be?” Killer said, licking his mouth.

   “As rough as you want, but don’t kill them. Make sure they’re blindfolded and have noise-canceling headphones. Oh and don’t let your face be shown in the voice footage and were something our client would wear. Once you’re done edit the footage so only the victim's voice is heard.”

   Nightmare changed the image to show two photos of two different groups. Both are families, both look well in health and wealth so far no difference besides one family being a mix of humans and monsters.

   “Horror, I’m sending you to a buffet, but this one is unique. The Hillmens want us to erase the Soto family, so they can have their chain of Mexican restaurants and replace it with their own secret business. They are paying us a large amount to erase them permanently. However, the Soto Family wants us to protect them from the Hillmens, how is up to us. Their form of payment is supplying us with food and equipment and anything they can provide. Both offer good sources of payment and if we assist one of them, they might be profitable in the future. So, Horror you’ll choose who your meal will be, either one will be fine.”

   This was odd, to say the least. Nightmare always told them their task, he also told them which group to hit when and where. Then he would say how it would benefit them in the future by spreading more chaos. So him giving Horror a choice was extremely rare and not to take lightly. Something must be wrong. Or right? Nightmare said he didn’t care which one Horror chose. So he must be feeling too lazy to pick, in a good mood, or either family would benefit them in some way. Well, Horror already knew his target; he just needed some information to confirm.

   “The Soto Family owns a chain of restaurants, right?”

   “Yes, called Mother Soto. Most popular authentic Mexican restaurant. So popular, it’s hard to get a table and they're full for the next three months.” Horror could feel the drool forming in his mouth. He hadn’t had Mexican food in a while, let alone authentic and not counting Taco Bell. Whoever judged that, was an idiot. Besides, if the Soto Family lived, he could eat all the Mexican food he wanted and they could get things that nobody in the group could and not ask questions. Like supplies for Blue.

   “I will assist Mexican food-I meant the Soto Family.” He said as he wiped the drool from his face.

   “Typical.” Dust said, “Thinking with your stomach as always.” Dust leaned back in his chair, seeing as he didn’t have an assignment he might have a day off or help Horror with his task. He silently prayed that wasn’t the case. Yet, Nightmare had a different idea in mind.

   “Don’t get comfortable, Dust. I have a personal assignment for you.” Dust gave his full attention to Nightmare. Nightmare’s assignments were unpredictable, they could secretly be an award or a punishment. Dust doesn’t recall pissing the Boss off, so it must be an award.

   “What is it, Boss?” Dust said cautiously. With a grin, Nightmare’s tentacles picked up Blue from Horror and shoved him into Dust’s.

   “You’ll be watching Blue for the rest of the day.” It took a moment for the group to process Nightmare’s order.

   “WHAAAAAAT!!!” Both Horror and Dust screamed.

   “Is there a problem?” Nightmare asked calmly. He could feel both their anger and Horror’s anxiety about Blue being away. It filled him with such delight.

   “Yes, there’s a problem!” Dust said as he stood up. “Why do I have to watch the little shit! Can’t someone else watch him!”

   “Y-Yeah.” Horror was the next one to speak up. “I can leave him with Error again or-” Horror was immediately silenced by Nightmare’s glare.

   “Didn't I give you two an order to both take care of our leverage.” He said, “So far, only Horror has been doing as told, that is why I allowed him to choose his target. You, on the other hand, have been avoiding this very simple task. So, your new task is to watch the kid until all assignments are completed. Horror will give you all of the information he’s gathered and don’t even think about any outside help.”

   This was bad. Depending on the assignment it could take months or at least a week. By the sound of their tasks, the shortest is Killer’s and his task will take a week. The longest is Horror, he likes to take his time when eating and with a large family and erasing any information. He’ll probably preserve some of the meat for later or sell it as animal meat. Not to mention anyone who can be an ally, his assignment will take three to five months. Dust cursed underneath his breath.

   There was no way out of this. Nightmare was dead set on this punishment. Yes, this wasn’t his best or most gruesome punishment, he just likes to see others suffer. Whether it was friend or foe, he enjoyed it. The meeting ended with Dust accepting his punishment. The gang separated as each member prepared for their assignments.

   Dust was in Horror’s room awaiting Blue’s things, he watched Horror scurry about the room looking for any items he might have missed. He often looked back at Dust to make sure Blue wasn’t uncomfortable while giving Dust a deadly glare. He hated Dust with a passion, so having to leave Blue with him for months on end was his punishment. What if he missed an important milestone? Or a precious moment? More and more scenarios played in his head and each one made his curse Dust more.

   “Okay. Here are all of Blue’s things and I’ve updated my notes. Make sure you feed Blue three times a day, but absolutely no sweets! He gets hyper and will be difficult to put down and he will have an upset stomach and throw up. If you stick to his schedule, he should fall asleep easily. He also likes to walk off, so if you take him out of his stroller for anything make sure you have eyes on him. He is still teething, so keep small, sharp, poisonous objects away from him.”

   “Don’t worry mom. The brat will-” Dust stopped as Horror leaned over him. Dust sighed. “Blue will be fine. You don’t need to worry about him.”

   “I’m not worried about him.” Dust’s eyes widened slightly at Horror’s words. Ever since Horror laid eyes on Blue, he’s been infatuated with Blue non-stop. Hell, even Nightmare tolerated the kid, but Dust couldn’t see what was so special about the brat. And to say Horror was worried about anything else besides his next meal, mainly Dust, was unbelievable. Why? There had to be a catch.  “I'm worried you might try and get rid of Blue, somehow.” And there it is.

   “Will you stop worrying!?” Dust spat as he grabbed Blue’s bag and stormed out. Horror was closed behind trying to ‘give’ more advice. Dust snapped and started yelling provocatively at Horror to end his rant, which Horror returned twice as loud. Blue started to cry and it got to the point where Nightmare had enough. With his tentacles he separated the two, throwing Horror into his truck and giving Dust a final glare as he took his leave.

   As the sound of vehicles starting up and pulling away, Dust was left with a crying child. It hasn't even been a minute and he wanted to kill himself. New record. In all honesty what the hell did the gang see in this child?

   Dust took a seat in the old lobby and started pouncing Blue on his leg, in hopes to quiet him. He has seen Horror do this many times and it worked pretty quickly. Once it was decided that Blue was staying, he gathered as much information about babies from Error and those ridiculous baby books Horror collected. However, those books weren't even about monster babies. They weren’t even about human babies! It was a book FOR babies! Typical Horror. He couldn’t even gather the right information for an assignment. The main reason why Nightmare paired them up so often.

   Anyway, after collecting the proper information, which was boring as hell, Dust had all the right knowledge about child care. Taking care of Blue will be easy. If Horror, a large cannibalise, undead, lard-ass, can handle a child then so can Dust. How hard can it be?

Chapter Text

   What. The. Fucking. HELL! It’s been almost an hour and Blue was still crying! Dust was at his wits-end. He tried rocking him, feeding him, giving him a toy, but nothing worked. How did Horror, an idoitic numskull, silence this child!? He even went as far as reading Horror’s notes, which were unreadable and it looked like Ink wrote in notes of his own in glitter pen. It burned Dust’s eye sockets by the different colors but it was readable. Ink did note on what to do, if Blue continued to cry. Dust groaned Ink's ‘solution’ and vowed to kill himself later.

   He placed Blue on the floor and stood in front of him silently regarding his life choices that lead to this. He took a deep breath as he prepared for utter embarrassment.

   “B-Baby shark, d-doo, d-doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. B-Baby shark, doo, d-doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.” Dust choked out each word of the song while he did a rigged and stiff dance. He wanted to stop and burn the notes, but he was desperate. 

   Blue’s crying stopped and was replaced with happy coos and clapping of his hands. Dust took a good look at Blue as he continued to say the words. Blue stood up and started pouncing in place as he clapped. He started to move his hips, side to side as his way of dancing to Dust’s poor singing. Blue then lost his balance and fell backward on his rear, but laughed it off as he got back up and continued to dance.

   Their little dance party ended once Dust finished the song. Feeling exhausted from embarrassment, Dust moved Blue to the low coffee table and laid out his toys. He dropped down on the sofa and leaned back to catch his breath. He watched Blue pick up and inspect the toys before putting them in his mouth. Dust groaned at the disgusting sight. How anyone wanted a child was beyond him. They were annoying, loud, high maintenance, messy, and cost too much money and time. As he sat there more questions popped into his head. Such as, how the hell did Horror make this look so easy?!

   Dust did the proper research, gathered information, and followed the notes perfectly. Yet, it was a waste of time. Horror made it look like taking care of Blue was his second nature.  Horror has never cared for anything, especially a child! Dust has seen him devour many living things, old people, young people, animals, and monsters. He would butcher and eat any living and breathing thing. And to think that a guy like him could make taking care of an infant look easy. 

   Just trying to understand it was giving Dust a headache, he needed a break. He looked at Blue who was still occupied with chewing on his toys. With how loud Blue is being, Dust could close his eyes for a second. Even if Blue moved, Dust could hear him fine if he went too far from him, besides he just needed a minute of rest. Then he can have enough energy to deal with his problem.

   Contempt with his decision, Dust layed down with his arm folded behind his head. Closing his eyes, he allowed sleep to take him far away from the situation. Dust could feel all his worries and care slip away quickly. Dust had a dreamless sleep, he’s always had a dreamless sleep. He used to have terrible nightmares when he was young and it grew worse over time to the point he started to hear voices. They stopped once he had his first kill, it was amazing and he was relieved and continued to kill to prevent their return. He found enjoyment in taking a living being's last breath. Until he took the wrong life. Then the voices returned but as someone new. 

   Without warning, Dust was suddenly woken up by a clashing of metals. He pulled out his knife from his back pocket to slaughter the intruder, but no one was there. Dust sighed in frustration as his nap was interrupted. He looked at his environment again and saw no one, it was quiet. He laid back down ready to return back to his dreamless sleep. Peace and quiet. Quiet? Wait? Why was it quiet?

   He opened his eyes and looked at the coffee table to see Blue was gone! He jumped up in a panic and rushed to the source of the clash. He ran into the kitchen and saw Blue on the floor trying to put one of Killer’s knives into his mouth!! Dust rushed over and snatched the item away from Blue, luckily it was the handle Blue was trying to eat. Blue cried immediately as the item was taken away.

   “SHUT IT!!” Dust yelled. He crouched down to Blue’s level to look the infant in its face. “If you wanna off yourself do it around someone else. I ain’t dying cause you decided to commit sucided, brat!!” Dust knew it was pointless to lecture an infant, but he needed to let some anger out. Blue continued to cry in want of food or the knife. Dust sighed and picked up Blue with his free hand. 

   So small. A familiar voice in the back of his head said.

   So weak.

   So easy.

   Dust snapped out of his thoughts, noticing he raised the knife to attack. He groaned as he put the knife on the counter, away from the edge. He made a mental note to ‘go out later’ as he walked back into the lobby where Blue’s things lay. He sat down and placed Blue on his leg, he reached into Blue baby bag and pulled out a bottle of milk. Blue’s crying quilted down as he grabbed the bottle and enjoyed his meal. Dust was thankful that Blue was a monster, so he didn’t need to worry about changing diapers. 

   Blue took his time with his bottle and Dust was growing impatient. He weighed the pros and cons of taking the bottle but decided against it. He did think about what to do next, he couldn’t nap because Blue might get into more trouble. He didn’t want to play with Blue, it sounded like a headache. He definitely didn’t want to watch or listen to any baby shows, he’d go crazy. He needed to keep Blue occupied long enough to relax and think. 

   Dust went through his options, but none of them would work, well not for long. So, he had to use his last resort and take Horror’s advice. Taking Blue to the park.

   Dust quickly changed his clothes to some decent ones, so he didn’t draw too much attention. In all honesty, them being together would cause suspicion alone. No one was going to believe they would be related somehow. He could say Blue was adopted or he was babysitting. He’ll solve that problem later. Dust didn’t give Blue any time  to finish his bottle, he set up Blue in his car along with his things. He drove to the large park in the city, which was an hour drive since the hideout was outside of the city. By the time they got there, Blue finished his milk and was ready to move around. Dust quickly retrieved the stroller and bag and sat Blue inside. Dust started walking the trail to the center of the park that had a playground.

   As expected, Dust did gain some attention by people who passed by but it was a quick glance and then a smile. He was relieved that the people minded their own business and didn’t ask questions. Nowadays, there were so many ways to have a child that it didn’t matter if they were related or not. Welp, one problem down and one to go. Speaking of which, he needed a place to set Blue so he could play. 

   He found a shaded area with a bench near a sandbox, perfect place for a nap. Dust made his way over when a woman stood in front of him. Not caring, he walked around her, but the woman having a death wish grabbed his arm.

   “Are you just going to ignore me?!” She said, Dust held back every nerve in his body that screamed at him to end this bitch. “Well?! Answer me!”

   “What do you want?” Dust said in an annoyed tone. As much as he wanted to quickly end her, he couldn’t. There were too many people here and making a scene is not something he wants. So, he’ll have to tolerate this woman.

   “Is that your child?” She asked.

   “Yes. Now, bye.” Dust answered quickly without realizing what he said. He turned back to the stroller, the woman was persistent as she grabbed the handle to stop him.

   “They can’t be your child!” She screeches like a vulcher. “They look nothing like you.”

   “He’s mine.” Dust simply said as he pushed the stroller hard enough to make her stumble forward and lose her grip. Dust heard her groan as she followed him.

   “No he’s not!” She yelled. Dust didn’t stop walking and she didn’t stop following him. She blocked his path again and Dust tried to move past her, she moved in front of the stroller. Sensing the holtitiy, Blue started to cry hoping Dust would get away from the woman faster. “See! You made him cry! How would any parent allow that? So he can’t be yours! Where’s his mother? I demand you let me speak to her!” 

   “Why the hell is it any of your business?!” Dust said even more annoyed. 

   “Because you could have kidnapped this angel from his real family.” Hearing the word kidnap, the people around them started looking at them. Some took out their phones to record if the police were called, hopely Dust can settle this before that happens. Wonder how this will play out. Dust has no patience for them or this lady. Before he could speak the woman reached down and started unbuckling Blue. Dust quickly reacted and pulled the stroller away and pushed the woman to the ground. Blue cried louder.

   “Keep your hands off him!!!” Dust said with a murderous glare. The woman flitched in fear, but still stood up persistence in getting Blue away from Dust. She charged Dust to reach for Blue, but Dust gripped her wrist tight enough that it would leave a bruise. The woman screamed and kicked in pain.

   “HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME! THIS MONSTER IS STEALING MY BABY!!” The woman yelled as she continued to scream and kick at Dust. Dust rolled his eyes at the woman’s poor attempt to gain an assistant. The small group around them were witnesses from the beginning. This situation was getting ridiculous and tiresome. Dust pushed the woman onto the ground once more and started to walk off with Blue.

   The woman tried to get up and tried to run after Dust, but was stopped by the group of witnesses, who also got tired of the woman’s harassment. Dust didn’t stop to listen to their words and didn’t care as long as Blue was away from that banshee of a woman. Dust made it to the bench and released Blue from the stroller. He rocked and pounced Blue on his leg to calm the child.

   “Hey, calm down. She’s gone. She won’t mess with us.” Dust whispered to Blue. Blue opened his eyes to see Dust, his tears slowed coming to a stop. He raised his arms wanting to be a bit closer to his temporary guardian. Dust sighed and lifted Blue up, so they were eye level. 

   “Better?” Blue replied with a smile and a giggle as he reached out to feel Dust’s skull. He patted his skull and looked around it. “Sorry bub, I don’t have a hole in my skull.” Dust said in a low voice, making sure no one heard them.

   Dust set Blue down in the sandbox once he was fully calmed down. Blue whined at being put down, but seeing Dust sit next to him silenced his whining. Dust handed him a bucket and a shovel that was already in the sand. Blue was filled with curiosity as he filled the bucket with sand and dumped it out. He filled it again and handed it to Dust for him to dump it out. Blue wandered around the sandbox looking for more things, he found a trunk and a toy pot. He handed both to Dust, who showed him how to play with them. Blue laughed and smiled and Dust felt strange. He was still tense from the recent encounter and yet not as much. 

   Blue then spotted the other area of the park and started to waddle in that direction. Dust got the hit and quickly picked him up, he then grabbed their things and moved to the larger area. There were too many kids and parents in the main area, but none were on the infant equipment which was in Dust’s favor. He could keep an easier eye on Blue and all the equipment was low to the ground so if Blue fell he wouldn't get any major injuries. It even had a mini gate to prevent them from wandering off, but Dust didn’t trust it. It was old and had thin wires holding it together, even the baby proof gate wasn’t even properly lockable. Who the hell thought this would prevent infants from leaving?

   Dust rolled his eye lights and paced Blue inside the poorly made gate. As he was about to sit down on a nearby bench, Blue started crying. Dust groaned and picked Blue up again, he started crying and turned back to the play area and started reaching it. Dust went to put Blue down again, but again Blue cried as the ground grew closer.

   “What do you want!?” Dust snapped, “We’re here! You wanted to play, so go play!!” Blue looked at Dust not understanding the adult's rant. Dust placed Blue on the ground and ignored the child’s cries for him to return. Dust watched Blue cry and cry and soon Blue’s cries caught the attention of others. Some glared in disgust and pointed the scene to others, it didn’t take long before more and more eyes landed on them. If this kept up that lady would return, but this time Dust might lose.

   Insufferable.

   Annoyance.

   Need Silence. 

   Kill him, brother.

   Before Dust knew it he was in front of Blue glaring at him. Blue looked back at him with his tear filled bright blue eyes. Blue reached up wanting Dust to pick him up again. Dust took a breath as he picked up Blue once again. Blue gripped Dust’s jacket as he cuddled closely into the other. They stood like that for a good minute, until Blue turned to the play area again. This time Dust stepped over the gate and moved to the playhouse. He set Blue down and he waddled inside, Dust sat on the ground and watched Blue bang toys together and play with the toy stove. He also started babbling nonsense and Dust replied with replies of his own. 

   Blue left the house to move to the balls left by other kids, then to a See-Saw, and other toys with Dust in tow. When Blue fell, Dust caught him and lightly tossed him in the air and caught him in his arms. When Blue cried, Dust held him until he stopped. When Blue smiled or laughed, Dust smiled too. Not his usual murderous smile, but a calm and gentle one. 

   After hours of playing, they had to stop to have lunch. Blue had his milk and mashed up fruit, while Dust had a burger and water. Dust rocked him to sleep in his stroller, which was easier now that Blue wasted some energy and Dust had some time to think. Blue woke up a few times, but settled once he had his grim stuffed bear. It didn’t last long, as Dust felt his own mind slip away to rest. Dust didn’t realize how tired he was until now. Actually he was bone-tired and he’s been with Blue for-God who knows how long. At times it felt slow and then fast and then slow again. Watchinging a child was exhausting. Dust would never admit it out loud to anyone, but he was impressed by how Horror handled Blue. Baffled and yet impressed. 

   As Dust continued to rock him, he soon felt sleep take him as well. He knew sleeping out in the open defenseless was a poor idea, but no one was around or close to them. They were in a shaded area, Blue was fastened and wasn’t going anywhere on his own. Everything told him to leave and rest somewhere secure, but he was so exhausted that he didn't have the strength to move. It was a losing battle and Dust gladly took the loss. 

   Dust sat there in peace as he had a dreamless sleep again. The wind against his skull was nice. The sun on his bones. The warmth. It reminds him of his brother, he was always warm. Always happy to see him, even if he didn’t deserve it. He kept smiling and even now when he sees him, he always has a smile. His voice was calming and it was odd he hasn’t heard it since Blue stopped crying. Did Papy like Blue? 

   Dust slowly woke up as Blue cried. He must have been hungry or had a nightmare. Dust wanted to sleep a little long, but something was wrong. It was colder. The sun was still hitting his skull, but it was less now. And Blue. Blue’s cries were soft and yet far and he sounded scared. Wait, Blue wasn’t crying. He was screaming.

   Dust eyes snapped open and saw that Blue wasn’t in the stroller. His bag was gone as well. Dust already knew what had happened. Blue was taken. But why didn’t anyone stop them? Oh right, the area they were in was empty of people when they sat down, so on one could see him being taken. Now, there were more groups. Young, Old, they were there. He needed to get Blue back before-before-why should he?

   Locate 

   Why should he waste another breath on a means to an end? Blue has been nothing but trouble since Horror saw him. It was an easy job! Kill the bitch and the kid! Yes, Nightmare said watch the kid, but he can cover it up as an accident. No one would know. Horror would get over his lost toy, like he always does. It wasn’t his problem. So, why were his feet moving?

   Eliminate

   Blue wasn’t his problem anymore. They can handle him. Hell, they can have him! Blue was a waste of time and pulled everyone’s attention from their real goal! Spreading fear and destruction. They were just using him as leverage against the major and nothing else. They weren’t even planning on giving the kid back. Since, Horror couldn’t do the job and neither could Killer and Cross. Dust had to silence the brat and he looked forward to ending Blue’s life. He ended his own brother without remorse! So, why did his soul hurt at the thought of ending Blue?

   Retrieve

   It wasn’t a permanent thing! Blue would be gone one they used the major. He would be gone just like this! He should be happy that he didn’t have to worry about the brat anymore. He should be thanking whoever took Blue from his hands. The person who snatched Blue while his guard was down. The person who is making Blue cry. The person who is waking away with Blue. He should have shrugged it off like he always does. He should be taking a nap and waiting for the others at the base. So, why did he feel an ocean of rage? Why? Why? WHY?

   “MAMA!!”

   At that moment, all the questions silenced and only one word rang out. 

   Protect

Chapter Text

   It didn’t take long to find the culprit and he wasn’t surprised to see the woman from before. She was trying to act normal, but with a skeleton infant in her arms screaming it was anything but normal. He saw her tiring of ‘Cooing’ at Blue and rocking him, but nothing worked. She got the annoying glares and whispers, but no one thought anything was of it.

   Monster and human child adoption were legal for both species, so it was a good cover. Dust had to hold himself back from chasing after her and brutally slaughtering her in the open. He had to wait for an opening and with her leaving the park in the middle of the day, he had plenty of options.

   It was a decent size city and lunch was ending and people were too occupied with their phones to notice. So Dust had a lot of coverage. He could distract her and take Blue, but that was not satisfying. Dust swiftly grabbed a brick on a passing construction site and moved a few people away from the woman. He tossed the brick into a car and sounded off the alarm. A few people jumped and stared in the direction of the alarm. This gave Dust a few seconds to push the woman into an unoccupied alley. He quickly covered her mouth and nose with a cloth with chloroform he had prepared. He gripped her waist, so she wouldn't try to run.

   She tried to struggle out of his grasp, but he held a strong grip that tightened over time. As he waited for the drug to take effect, he kept pushing her further into the alley. He also gave Blue his pacifier to calm him down. He caught the woman from falling and took Blue in his arms.

   Once, he made sure Blue was not physically harmed, he dropped the woman’s unconscious body. Blue stared at Dust as a few tears fell, Dust wiped them away. Blue feeling he was safe, snuggled closer to Dust. Dust felt his soul fill with a warm relief as Blue moved closer. He could explain what came over him.

   It has only been a few hours and the child had him wrapped around his tiny finger. He felt so much anger in such a small amount of time and it was all washed away just by Blue is safe. He took a breath and pushed that feeling aside as he turned to the unconscious woman. He gave a sinister look to the woman, he grabbed her limp wrist and dragged her around a corner. He had to rearrange the area to make her appear like a sleeping homeless person. He found some old and torn strips of clothing and wrapped them tightly around her mouth, wrist, and ankles. In case she wakes up and runs before he can retrieve her, Dust took a look at her ID. He was not surprised her name was Karen Batch. It made sense.

   Dust cradled Blue as he left the scene unnoticed, he returned to the park to see the stroller was still where he left it. He strapped Blue in and headed back to the car. The drive was quiet, besides Blue cooing at people and sights passing by. It was cute, but Dust had other things on his mind. So many things, but his main objective was to get Blue home and then attend to their soon-to-be guest. They arrived back at the hideout and Dust put Blue in his highchair and fed him mashed carrots.

   Getting Blue to sleep was beyond difficult, previous methods didn’t work and he would cry when held in a certain position. If Dust did manage to put him to sleep, Blue would wake up ten minutes later. Dust put on some soft music, but that had little effect and warping him in a blanket didn’t help. Out of options, Dust decided to pack his duffle bag as he held Blue. He had to walk around to gather the tools he needed. One by one the bag was filled to the max, he went to check on Blue’s baby bag when he noticed. Blue was fast asleep in his arms. Dust chose not to question it and set Blue down in his playpen while he gathered the rest of their things.

   The music was still playing in the background when Dust finished loading the car. He grabbed some wireless noise-canceling headphones and his phone and synced the two. He gently placed them on Blue, they were large on him but it’ll serve its purpose. He carefully picked up Blue, making sure the headphones didn’t fall off and that Blue was still asleep. He moved Blue’s car seat to the front and strapped Blue in. He knew it could harm Blue if he got into an accident, but he would drive slow and he didn’t want that woman anywhere near him.

   Dust couldn’t return to retrieve the woman without drawing suspicion. He’ll have to wait for sunset, fewer people and the police won’t patrol until later at night. Karen should be up by now, but he was confident she won’t be leaving. Even if someone spotted her, they’ll ignore her. People today won’t lift a finger to help the helpless and if they do they’ll do it for their gain. Popularity. Sure, you might have a person with a heart of gold that might help her, but no one will believe her story. Dust has her name, birthday, and face mesmerized, and finding her home address is child’s play. She can’t run.

   Dust drove for a good thirty minutes to an old hideout of the gangs a few years ago. Dust stopped the car at the loading dock. He got out of the car to open a storage container and went back into the car to park it. The police already searched the area once they left and crossed it off their list, so it was perfect for temporary use. They used multiple storage containers for different things, so space was never an issue. They did set up a few containers to look like a place to laze around from work. A few workers lost their jobs, but it wasn't their problem. Dust pulled a thin string that turned on the light. It wasn’t bright but I lit up the needed space.

   Dust closed the container’s doors and locked them inside. He checked on Blue, who was still asleep, Dust then started unloading the van. He set up the container for their needs for a few days. He also set up more lights for Blue to navigate and also a camera so he can watch Blue from a distance. Once he was done and everything was set up, he carefully moved Blue to his playpen to sleep some more. He did another check and gently left to prepare for their guest. It would be rude not to tidy up a bit.

   Dust went to a container that was a few rows down from Blue. He sets up his things and drives back to Karen. As expected the police haven’t patrolled yet, he found Karen in the same location. It seemed she tried to worm away and by the runny make-up, she cried a few times. Her eyes landed on Dust and like her previous attempts, she tried to move away but failed. Dust watched the sad scene with a smile, it was fun watching someone fail to escape their enviable end. He didn’t waste any time grabbing her by her hair and dragging her to the van. Ignoring her kicks and her muffled screams.

   He checked the surrounding area to make sure he wasn’t being watched. As the area was clear, he unlocked the van and carelessly tossed Karen in. She hit the interior with a bang and as she groaned in pain, Dust closed the door and moved around to the driver’s side. He pulled off and headed back to the docks. He heard Karen kicking and banging her body on the door. Dust kinda wished he had knocked her out again just for the silence, but it would be pointless.

   As they grew closer to their destination, Karen’s banging grew quiet until it stopped completely. Dust stopped the car in front of the container where he had everything ready, he got out and prepared the chloroform. He opened the backseat door and Karen started to kick and scream again, he pinned her legs down and removed the ripped cloth from her mouth. Before she could let out a scream, he covered her mouth with the new rag and held it there until her movement ceased. He opened the container doors and picked her body up, once inside he dropped her on the floor in front of a table.

   The contents of the table were covered by a black sheet. Before he left, untied her and turned on the light. The container they were in is special, they kept their ‘guest’ here until they were no longer needed. It can be locked from the inside and outside, but has to be unlocked from the outside. So her escape was slim to none.

   Dust drove back to the crate that held Blue, Blue was still asleep and no one could blame him. He did have an eventful evening. Dust checked the cameras and lights to see if they all had enough battery to last another hour. Blue has been sleeping for an hour and thirty minutes so he’ll be fine. Leaving him alone was a bad idea, but it can’t be helped right now. Duty calls.

   Dust did another round of checks before he adjusted Blue’s blanket and headed back.

   He arrived back at Karen’s container and when he opened it, he saw the cloth was disrupted a bit. Dust took a step inside, not worrying about the door being opened, Dust walked until he was in front of the table.

   “You chose the knife. It’s a good choice, light and easy to move with, but you need to get close to your target for an effective strike.” Dust said to Karen who stood at the entrance of the crate with a knife in hand. She shook in fear and shock at how he knew she was there. The crate was pitch black aside from the dim light above, there was no way he could have seen her. Or the weapon she chose to defend herself with.

   “For a woman, who managed to swipe a child from me, you are pretty ballsy thinking you can sneak past me again.” He said with a twist in his voice. Karen dared to look back at him, her eyes widened as she saw a twisted grin spreading up to his cheeks. Her body was frozen in complete terror, her throat grew dry trying to scream. She ordered her feet to move, but they were grounded. Her mind screamed and begged her body to run, call for help, anything to get away from him.

   “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? I hope not, I want to be the one who rips it out.” With that, something finally snaps inside Karen, and she found the willpower to run out of the crate with such speed. She took multiple turns in hopes of losing him, she was already getting tired due to the situation she pushed to keep running. She hoped the direction she was going would lead her to the city and to someone who can help her. Karen took another turn and stopped hearing a painfully screeching along with a menacing chuckle.  

   Straight ahead was Dust slowly walking towards her, with the knife she had chosen. Apparently in her shock and horror at the container, she dropped the knife. Dust used the knife to scratch the crate next to him as he walked toward Karen. His laughter grew louder and louder as he grew closer. Karen did freeze this time and turned and started running again. She ran until she spotted another figure, she didn’t stop and think as she ran faster towards the figure.

   “PLEASE! HELP ME!” Karen grabbed the stranger’s arm tightly. “Please! T-There’s t-th-this-this PSYCHOPATH! H-He’s after me and-” Karen stopped her panicked cry as the stranger gave a familiar wicked chuckle. She got a better look at the stranger and her eyes widened in pure terror.

   “Psychopath? I’m sorry, but why would you even try to compare yourself to me?” Dust said as he looked Karen in her eyes. She tried to run again, but Dust grabbed her hair and flung it against a container face first! She felt her blood splattered onto her face, she wanted to scream but it’ll only fall on deaf ears. She thought he would take her back to that container for torture, but no Dust kept banging her head against the crate. This was it, she’s going to die. Her body tightened as she prepared for the next clash, but it never came. Only his laughter.

   “What? Expecting something? You’re not gonna die, well no like this. It’s boring and quick death is too good for you.” He said as he dragged her back to the first crate.

   “D-Do-Do you have any idea who I am?” She said weakly as they entered the unit. “If you kill me, powerful people will be after you!” Dust pushed the tools on the floor and slammed her on the table.

   “Really?” Dust scoffed, “Of course, I know who you are.” Dust said as he strapped her to the table. “You’re the rotten bitch who stole from me and truthfully I think I’m doing everyone a favor. Whoever these ‘powerful people’ are, they haven’t met me.” Dust looked among the tools on the floor, he thought about what to use first. It was a difficult choice to make.

   “T-The c-child? W-What have you done to my c-child?” Annoying. Dust groaned.

   “For a soon-to-be-dead woman, you ask a lot of questions. But I'll humor you. In the park, you were right. He’s not mine. He’s stolen. I've been watching him for a few days and I thought it would be boring, but I was wrong. Because he brought you and now we get to have some much-needed fun.”

   “W-We?” Dust didn’t answer as he picked a scalpel and a pair of gloves. Dust ripped her shirt open and lifted the scalpel.

   “Try to stay still.” He said as he slipped on the gloves, “This isn’t usually my specialty, but I’ll make an exception. Oh and feel free to scream.” And she did.

   An hour passed as Dust sliced open Karen slowly, making sure she was awake for every cut. He squeezed and pulled a few bones and organs to increase the pain. He wasn’t familiar with a human’s internal body, that was usually Horror’s specialty. He also cut off a few small limbs and tied some areas to stop blood flow.

   “K-K-Kill me.” Karan wheezed out.

   “Not yet. We haven’t scratched the surface yet.” He said with a large grin. He moved the scalpel to her eye, wanting to cut them open. Until he heard Blue’s cries through the camera’s mic. Dust cursed, just was about to get to the good part.

   Leave him.

   Finish.

   As much as he would love to, he really shouldn’t be leaving Blue alone too much. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t going anywhere.

   “MAMA!” Dust sighed. He saw Karen react to the word and for some reason, it pissed Dust off.

   “I’ll be right back. Hold this for me.” He said as he stabbed the scalpel into her shoulder. She let out a beautiful scream, he had to fight the temptation to stay and finish. Dust left and returned to Blue, he was standing in his playpen with tears falling down his skull. When Blue’s eye landed on Dust, he raised his arms and cried harder. Dust removed the gloves, and his jacket, and wiped any blood off his face not wanting it to get on Blue. He was glad that the crate had some dark spots. He didn’t want Blue to see the blood. God, what has been going on with him lately?

   “Hey, have a nightmare, or are you hungry?” Dust asked as he picked up Blue. “Or maybe you just don’t like it here? Well, get used to it for a bit longer. You’ll be staying here for another few hours.” Dust had no idea what the hell he was doing. Why was he talking Blue, he wasn’t going to reply or understand any of it. He was losing it. He grabbed Blue’s baby bag and pulled out his baby food. He sat down on a wooden box and started feeding Blue, the food got on Blue’s face and Dust’s sweater.

   Once done and cleaned, Blue showed no signs of going back to sleep and he didn’t want to be away from Dust either. This was a problem. He couldn’t take Blue with him to finish the job and he can’t leave him here. Argh! He’ll have to take Blue and finish Karan off as soon as he gets there. Welp there goes his fun. Dust picked up Blue and a few other things and headed back to Karen. He set up the playpen in the far corner away from the table and in Dust’s line of sight. He turned Blue away and gave him his bear and phone and preyed to a whatever higher being that Blue will not look up.

   Apparently, a higher power does exist, Blue was distracted long enough for Dust to finish Karen. He did have to gag her but Blue didn’t look so all was good. Blue even stayed silent enough for him to clean and wipe their fingerprints. Dust did have to cover Blue’s eyes when exiting, but the problem was when he tried to take back his phone. Which was half-covered in drool, Blue cried when it was taken away. Dust gave him his teddy bear, which stopped the crying but Blue puffed up his cheeks. It was kinda adorable.

   Dust packed up the van, locked up the crates, and drove off satisfied with the outcome of the outing. It was still late into the night, so not a lot of traffic. It was a quiet drive besides Blue’s cooing, Dust did enjoy himself today. It didn’t go as expected, but he did enjoy it. He was surprised Blue handled that pretty well for his age. Wait, how old is Blue anyway?

Chapter Text

   What? This can’t be, right? If it is right then, they royal fucked up. Dust was sitting in the lobby on his phone, as Blue was walking around playing with his toys. He would bring it to Dust and hand him a few and soon come back and just stare at it. He would wait for Dust to hand it back to him. Dust would hand it back rather quickly, so Blue can play. As he was, Dust needed to confirm some information, so he pulled out his phone and started his search. He expected a lot of things, but not this!

   How is Blue a Pre-Toddler?! Well, Blue did check all the boxes, except for speaking, but it did make sense. Blue did look more advanced than a regular Infant, but that’ll mean he’ll have to get more things for Blue! Damnit! He didn’t have the energy to deal with this, he should probably gain more information and purge out any junk. Since they took Blue in, their inventory has gotten bigger and made moving harder. Getting rid of stuff is the first thing he should do, but what should he get rid of? He didn’t want to get rid of something only to buy it again in the future. Maybe his clothes? No, Blue was still on the small side and he can still wear some of his clothes. Toys? Yeah, there are some toys Blue stopped playing with. He won’t miss them. Equipment? Nah, Blue didn’t have a bed and he usually slept on Horror. Since Horror's gone the playpen will need to stay.

   “Argh! That’s not enough. I need assistance, but who do call?” Dust scrolled through his contacts. He didn’t have to worry as much about keeping an eye on Blue. Since the whole kidnapping incident a week ago, Blue decided to stay close. He still wonders, but it’s rare and he cries when he doesn’t see Dust.

   “Mama!” Oh, and he said his first word. Dust eyed Blue as he walked over holding an empty toy bowl. He lifted it for Dust, and he took and pretended to eat the imaginary food. He handed it back to Blue, he waddled off to make more. Dust has seen Blue do this many times before the park. Even with the others. He would give them an empty place and they would pretend to eat. Maybe Blue likes cooking? At this age? Is this even normal? Well, Blue isn’t exactly normal himself. Wait, one thing at a time.

   For right now, Dust needed to gather more information and fast. When they returned Blue he’ll be in poor quality. If a bargaining chip is of poor quality upon return, then its victim will underestimate them. That will likely make them cocky and start telling their secrets. That is something they must avoid, cocky clients, are problem clients. Yet, they loved shutting them up. Anyway, who would know enough about toddlers? He could call one of the others but hearing how he can’t handle this was not a headache he wanted to deal with. Dust kept scrolling up and down looking for anyone who could help. He came across Error’s name and paused.

   Error was a parent and accessible but made it clear he wanted nothing to do with the group. He says as he continued to come into contact with the group. He was about to press his name until he remembered a small detail. Nightmare said, no outside help. He probably means no help from the group but since Error was “officially” out of the group, it didn’t break any rules. Dust pressed Error’s name and waited.

   “What?” That didn’t take long.

   “I need information.” Dust said getting straight to the point. “Blue is now a pre-toddler. What do I need to do?” Error groaned.

   “Did you read the book I gave Horror?” Book? Oh, yeah. Error did give a parenting book. Dust pulled Blue’s bag close and searched for the book in question. It was at the bottom of the bag, which was frustrating. He opened the book and found the toddler section and it was almost the same information online. It said, at Blue’s age, he should be saying a few words and learning new experiences to help aid their physical and mental growth. 

   “Where can I get more information?” Dust asked bluntly. 

   “I’ll send you a location for a daycare we took PJ. They have caretakers that can help with Blue. And for the fuck sake stop calling me!” Error said as he hung up. Dust recognized the name and groaned. Dust’s phone buzzed showing the address of the daycare Error recommended on the screen. He decided to read through the chapter a bit more while packing the van. It didn’t provide a lot of new information, but it did say talking to a child would help their cognitive development. Probably one of the reasons Blue has trouble speaking. 

   Troublesome

   Dust sighed as he changed his clothes to something nicer and clearer. He also had to use eye drops to temporarily change the color of his eyes. So they became a darker blue instead of his usual red and blue. Killer and Cross have been to this daycare many times. They told him the story they were using, but never signed Blue up in their program. 

   Since they weren’t the main guardians they couldn’t sign him up. Cross and Killer told him that “Blue” was a nickname and his real one was Neon. He has two dads but calls one mom as an inside joke. Since skeletons can change their reproductive organ, having a child with same-sex parents was not uncommon. They also confused a few mistakes while at the daycare that needs to be continued to avoid suspension.

   They both have a brother and gave them the contact information for prepaid phones. Both parents were business people so they were always busy. It wasn’t far from the truth. They also have a few fake medical forms for Blue’s registration, but they did check to see if Blue had any medical problems. It wasn’t the first time Dust had to pretend to be something else, but he never liked it.

   Once the van was packed and Blue was secured, Dust drove off to the daycare. When he arrived it looked exactly how he imagined. Bright and stupid-looking. He sighed as he parked the car and took Blue out. As soon as he walked in the lobby looked brighter than outside. It was blinding with its bright colors and large windows. Dust had a knot in his non-existing stomach. He ignored it as he walked to the front counter.

   “Welcome to Sunshine’s Daycare. How can I-Blue!” The woman stopped her sentence to coo at Blue. Blue gave a smile as he laugh at the woman. “How are you Blue? We’ve missed you!” 

   After hearing his name more women started to appear to give their greetings to the toddler. They all stopped once they decided to look at Dust, who had a disgusted look on his face. And just like that, they all left except for the concierge. Dust moved his eyes to her and she jumped in fear. Even though he wore a disguise, he still had his unapproachable aura. 

   “C-Can I-um-help you?” She asked.  

   “I need to register my child.” She didn’t reply as look back between Blue and Dust. Probably trying to figure out how something so pure came from Dust. Answer, unexpected kidnapping. 

   The woman didn’t say anything as she handed Dust a few forms and a pen. He took the items and went to the seating area. He placed the items in the chair, then Blue on the floor close to him. The area had toys for all ages, so he pulled a few he thought Blue would like. Blue immediately took interest as Dust handed him a few toys. To get him more engaged, Dust started building with the legos. Blue joined and once Dust determined he was entertained. He grabbed the forms and started filling them out. He remained on the floor knowing Blue would want some form of attention once he noticed Dust stopped playing with him. Like clockwork, Blue did notice and try to gain his attention. Dust gave it for a minute and continued the forms. This went on until he was completely done. He picked up Blue, who was whined at being taken from the toys. Dust returned the forms and bounced Blue to prevent crying.

   “Um…okay.” Said the attendant as she looked over the forms. “E-Everything looks-looks to be in order. I’ll..uh..got get my manager and-”

   “Is your manager, Dream?” Dust interrupted.

   “Um-n-no.”

   “Then your manager is useless. Dream is the reason I am here and our conversation will determine if I want to stay.” Dust loomed over the attendant, “So, why are you still here?” In a flash, she ran down the hall. Dust continued to bounce Blue as he waited, Blue wasn’t calming down and was about to cry. So, Dust quickly grabbed Blue’s teddy bear and once it was in Blue range he quickly wrapped his tiny arms around it for support. Dust wouldn’t admit it out loud but it was a cute sight to see.

   “Shit!” Dust looked up at the voice who silently swore and to his disgust, disdain, and surprise, he saw one of his colleagues. Who was supposed to be on a job? If Dust was someone else, he could ignore him and go about his own business, but he wasn’t someone else.

   “Hi, Killer.” Dust greeted. His voice sounded calm to another, but it was intimidating to those who knew Dust. Killer jumped as he heard Dust call him. He knew if he ran he would have a worse fate later. He collected himself and turned to return Dust’s greeting.

   “H-Hey Twil. How have you been?” Killer said trying to hide his nervousness.

   “I’m well. I’m just signing Blue up for daycare. Isn’t that right?” Dust said to Blue, who giggled and turned to Killer wanting to be held. “Aw, does someone want their Uncle?” Dust said with a joyful smile, but Killer knew better.

    Dust moved closer to Killer, so he can hand Blue over. Killer was hesitant but took Blue and as he was close Dust leaned closer to whisper directly in Killer’s nonexistent ear. 

    “You better have a good explanation.” Killer pulled back and gave Dust a small glare. “I didn’t expect you to be here. Didn’t you say you were on a business trip for a week? Finish early?”

    “I did, but it ended early. I just got back and decided to attend to other forms of business.” As Killer was talking, Blue decided he wanted to climb him. Killer kept Blue in place by holding Blue on his hip and bouncing him. 

    “Oh? What sort of business?” Dust gave Killer a large smile. He was hoping Killer would give him a reason to murder him. If Killer finished his assignment early, then he could have helped Dust with Blue. Killer returned the smile daring Dust to try something, but before Killer could answer a soft voice interrupted them.

    “Excuse me?” Both skeletons turned to see two skeletons. One had pearly white bones, a golden crown, and bright golden eyes to match. The other skeleton wasn't as white and slightly taller. They also wore a yellow and blue jacket with some kind of soft and puffy fabric on the hood and bottom of it. Dust had to fight back a disgusted look from forming on his face. These two screamed positivity, which was something the gang hated the most. Why did Killer and Cross bring Blue here?

    Dust saw the second skeleton give a small wave at Killer. Killer jumped a bit but returned the wave with a dumbass grin. Oh. So, this was ‘business’. Dust had to hold back a laugh. This was funny as hell. Killer the rapist, the cutting kink bastard, the serial killer wanted in over 30 countries had a crush on drowsy marshmallows. Aw, this was too good not to pass up. The blackmail, the teasing, he will never live this down. Dust praised whatever dark deity gave him this gracious gift. Dust stepped up to the two skeletons and offer his hand.

    “Hi. I’m Twilight. Blue’s father. You must be Dream. I’ve heard so many good things about you and I just had to see for myself.” Dream smiled at the friendly greeting and accepted his hand.

    “Yes, I am Dream and this is Outer. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet the part of Blue.” Dream said as he introduced himself. Dust offered his hand to Outer who also accepted it. Dust gave Outer a seductive smile.

    “Outer? Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful being.” Dust lifted Outer’s hand and placed a gentle kiss upon it. This act flared Outer’s face and Dust could feel Killer’s eyes burning in his skull. 

    “O-Oh..um..thank you.” Dust returned Outer’s hand and Dust was pulled back by Killer. He handed him Blue, to keep his hands busy.

    “Twil, let's focus on the reason you're here,” Killer said.

    “Yes yes of course, but can you blame me. Having such a creature of pure beauty in front of me can make me forgetful.” Dust said, throwing a wink to Outer, which increased the heat in his face. “But he is right. I just wanted to see if this was a proper place for Blue. I’ve been told he comes here a lot.”

    “Oh, yes. We usually don’t take children who aren’t registered, but Blue was a special case. Let’s finish this conversation in my room and I’ll be happy to answer all questions.” Dream offered.

    “I would appreciate it.” Dream walked off to his room and the rest followed. Killer made sure he was in between Dust and Outer. Dust passed him a grin. Yes, this will be interesting.

    Dream led them to his room, which was spacious enough for small children. It had a dress-up area, a small reading area with large pillows, a small climbing area with cushions around it, and more. Blue started making noises and moving around, Dust looked to see Blue reaching out to the dress-up area. Dust carried him over and gently placed him down. He stayed to make sure Blue was okay. He started pulling out toy food and banging it on the small stove. See as he was okay, Dust returned to the group who was now sitting at a small table.

    “I hope it’s okay if he plays for a bit,” Dust asked.

    “I don’t mind.” Dream said, “It’s what it’s there for. Now, is there something specific you wanted to ask?”

    “Yes, I’ve read a few sites and books on child growth and I have some concerns. I think Blue might be behind verbally.” Dust said. Cross was surprised at Dust, hearing how he is keeping track of Blue. Not only physically, but also by keeping track of Blue’s mental progression. He was impressed and shocked. Dust was supposed to be Blue’s executor if the Major went to the police, but now he’s playing an actual parent.

    “Why would you say that?” Dreamed asked, a bit taken aback.

    “Well, I’ve noticed that at his age he should recognize a few words, respond with head movements, and at least say more than one word. So far he’s only said ‘Mama’ and he doesn't seem to respond to his name.” Dream took a moment to think. Killer was shocked by Dust’s words. Blue said his first words while everyone was away. Killer had a lot of emotions, anger, confusion, and glee. He misses Blue’s first word and he’s pretty sure Dust didn’t record it. It’s only been a 

    “Do you have conversations with him?” Conversation? They were both confused by the question. Outer sees this and takes it upon himself to explain.

    “I know it sounds ridiculous because he can’t respond, but he will understand. Reading, sign language, and narrating his actions will help as well, along with adding to his vocab. As for the name, try to say his name as frequently as possible. He’ll pick up on it the more you use it. Allow me.” Outer stood up and walked over to Blue, Killer, and Dust turned and watched carefully as Outer kneeled to Blue. Blue looked at him as Outer smiled at him.

    “Hi, Blue. Are you cooking with your spatula?” Outer asked as he tapped the toy spatula. Blue ignored Outer’s question and offered him a plate of ‘food’. “Thank you for the chicken Blue. I love it that you put it on a red plate.” This continued for a few more minutes, Outer stayed with Blue leaving the three of them to talk.

    “Do you understand a bit more?” Dream asked them. Killer brought his attention back to Dream, while Dust watch the interaction. “Even though Blue can’t verbal speak he can still learn a word for the future. Music also helps with this, giving him numbers, and letters, and helping label items. This can also be applied to eating together.” 

    Dust took out Horror’s notes and wrote down the new information. He did see a few books in Horror’s room for Blue. Music won’t be a problem, but it could be a distraction or an annoyance. Having a one-sided conversation doesn't sound too bad just needs material to talk about. 

    “Is eating together important for his development?” Dust asked.

    “Yes. At Blue’s age, he will copy adults' actions and words. Family-style dining will teach him the proper way to use utensils and how to use a cup. As he gets older, he’ll be able to properly use them and soon he’ll be able to serve himself. Everything can be an opportunity for Blue to learn something new. Even asking questions, start with yes and no questions and then build up to more detailed questions.” Dream said with confidence. 

    Their conversation continued for another hour, Dust and Killer are being escorted out of my Dream and Outer. Dream was still giving Dust some advice on raising a pre-tod and things that he should be expecting. Such as the terrible twos and only bread meals. Dust felt his head starting to ache from all the future stress he’ll have to endure. His mind began to think how could any sane person want a kid? Then again, why did Horror ever take Blue in the first place?

    Horror was the take to eat first and ask questions later. He was quite even for a skeleton his size he could sneak better than anyone. He was a born predator and a bottomless pit when it came to food. He and Dust bumped heads so many times it was higher than their kill count. They didn’t know why, they just didn’t mix. So, why did Horror take Blue? Cross told him, Horror thought Blue was cute but that didn’t make sense. 

    “Dust!” Dust was snapped out of his thoughts as Killer called out to him. “Are you okay?”

    “I’m fine. Just thinking.” Dust said as he walked to the car.

    “It better not be about Outer.” Killer growled as he followed Dust, “Because he’s mine.”

    “Really?” Dust said tauntingly, “Cause the way you and he were acting it didn’t seem like he doesn’t belong to anyone.” Dust gave Killer a grin. Killer glared daggers at him. “But you don’t need to worry, I was thinking of thing else.”

    “Like what?” Dust didn’t want to say he was thinking about Horror. It made him nauseous just thinking of it. Also, giving Killer something to play with was a headache when it was about him. Good thing, he did have an alternate option. 

    “Does this place seem…odd?” Dust asked.

    “Well duh. This place has way too many bright colors for my liking.” Dust glared at Killer and he let out a half-hearted laugh. “Calm down Mom, I know what you meant. Yes, this place is odd, but I did my research. It’s safe. Even Error used to drop off his brat here.” That doesn’t make him feel any better. Dust has this feeling that this place was more than some happy sunny daycare. He could brush it off, but Dust always trusted this feeling. It saved his life more than anyone, but it ended more lives too.

    “I know that look.” Killer said bringing back Dust’s attention, “You got that feeling again, dontcha. I’ll see if Cross can do some more digging around the place and see what sticks out.”

    Killer is a perverted murderer with an odd obsession with knives. We were mostly given the job dealing with rape if he fitted the clients' requirements. They also did a few killings together with more difficult targets. What's worse than one insane murder with blood lust? Two. He had an infinity for teasing the group about anything and everything. But besides all that, he and Dust had similar pasts. Then enjoy the rush of ending a life so much that ended the wrong life. 

    “Thanks,” Killer responds with a nod. Silence greeted them as they stood.

    “So,” Dust spoke, “Outer huh? I didn’t expect you to be so fragile with an even more fragile marshmallow.” He said with a grin.

    “I-I wasn’t fragile!!!” Killer argued with his face turning red, “I was j-just imagining all the dirty thing I could do to him. I mean have you seen that ass!! I would wreck it!” He gloated poorly.

    “Is that so?” Dust said as he unlocked the car and started to strap Blue in. “Then do share. You’ve been so open about your other dirty desires, so this should be no problem.”

    “S-Shut up!!!”

Chapter Text

   Days had passed since the trip to the daycare since then Dust immediately went and brought more things for Blue. When he got to the hideout he threw out the previous books and did more reading on Blue’s needs. Dust discovered that Blue should be able to feed him solid foods. Which shouldn’t be a problem because Blue has been doing well picking up items and wasn’t a picky eater. As long as the food is easy for him to swallow he should be okay. Maybe something he already had Dust thought. When he went through Blue’s soft foods he only found two flavors, apples and pears. No vegetables. Dust traveled to the store to get more food for Blue. He only got a hand full of items since he didn’t know Blue’s reaction to them. He has yet to test them.

   Dust now sat in his room rewriting all of the “notes” Horror took. Blue was taking a nap in his play pin, he was lying on his back sound asleep. Dust this opportunity. He signed and rubbed his head. He has been having more headaches than usual and they increased when he looked at Horror’s notes. Even when he’s not here he makes a mess and Dust has to clean it up. Of course, Horror would only pick foods he knew. Then again Dust should have seen this coming. Horror did only eat meat and if he did have something healthy it was rare and familiar to him, which are only apples and pears. Dust was impressed he took the initiative to take notes, but his handwriting was so poor even Blue could write better.

   Problematic

   “I know.” Dust said to no one.

   Why bother?

   “Because.” Dust said again. He didn’t hear a reply, but he knew they waited for a real answer. “It’s my job. I have to do it.”

   Have to? Or want to?

   Dust didn’t reply. Of course, he had to, it was an order from Nightmare. Yes, everything he was doing would be pointless. They would have to return Blue once the Mayor served his proposal. Things would go back to normal. He had to do this so when he was returned he wouldn’t be faulty. Now, that he thinks about there were a lot of things he didn’t need to do. Like the park. He could have lied and said he did that. It would have saved him a lot of trouble. Dust sighed. This baby was nothing but trouble.

   As if on cue Blue started crying. Dust turned to see Blue’s eyes still closed as he was crying. Dust waited to see if he’d go back to sleep, but the crying increased over the few minutes. Dust groaned as he got up to head over to the crip. Blue had tears streaming down his flushed face. Dust picked him up and something was off. He placed his hand on Blue’s head and then back. He felt warm. He placed Blue back down as he went to get the first aid kit. He pulled out a thermometer and returned. He picked Blue up again and cradled him until he calmed down.

   Once Blue was back into his nap, Dust unbutton his onesies enough for his ribs to be visible. He lifted Blue’s arm and placed the thermometer in his armpit and he waited. He could be overreacting, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Thermometer beeped signaling it was finished. 97.2 flashed on the small device. Yep, overreacting. He just had a nightmare. With that out of the way, Dust put Blue back to sleep in his crib and got back to his research.

   “Troublesome.” Dust was about to get back into his research when his phone buzzed. He checked the screen and an alarm for Blue’s feed appeared. He found out that children needed to be on a schedule, so they don’t feel stressed about unknown events. Dust decided to ease Blue into a schedule, feedings were the easiest to deal with and reschedule. Blue is still on the small side so he didn’t eat much, but he does tire himself out a lot which equals long naps. Dust reset the timer as soon as he did his phone went off again. The screen flashed showing the caller ID, Horror.

   “Great.” Dust said sarcastically. He thought about letting it ring, but knowing Horror he’ll probably keep calling until Dust picks up. Or end his job early to drive back. Dust answers and puts the phone on speaker.

   “What?” Dust says.

   “Where’s Blue?” Horror asks.

   “Awe. No love for the mother of your child?” Dust says jokingly with a chuckle.

   “Where’s. Blue.” Horror repeats ignoring Dust’s comment.

   “He is sound asleep.”

   “Any problems?”

   “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Their “conversation” progressed the same. Horror asked a question and Dust gave a simple answer leaving out any major information. Horror gave his progress on his end, he was ahead of schedule and will finish early to relieve Dust. Which was music to his ears. The “conversation” was coming to a close until Horror asked for pictures.

   “What?” Dust asked confused.

   “I want pictures of Blue.”

   “I heard you the first time. Why do you want pictures? I already told you he’s okay.”  

   “I miss him.”

   “You don’t need a photo! He’s fine. Just finish up stuffing your face, so I can dump this kid.”

   “Stop being an ass and send a photo!” This was a waste of time. He didn’t understand Horror's mindset at all. Dust gave him all the information he needed, so why ask for more proof? Yes, if this was a typical assignment Dust would send proof of a completed job. But, this!! This isn’t their typical job. This is just babysitting leverage that can’t even defend themselves or run. What would be the point?!

   They go back and forth until Dust has enough and gave in. He took a quick photo and sent it, it was blurry and the quality was questionable but it was Blue. He didn’t care if it was perfect or if Horror wanted another one. He just wanted this call to be done with. For all, he knew Horror only got the kid to feed some new dumb fetish of him, but Dust still doesn’t care! He was about to hang up when Horror stopped him.

   “Something is wrong.” He had enough. He was exhausted. Mentality and physical. He has done everything, he has read every book on babies, and he had embarrassed himself too many times to be told he did something wrong.

   “Horror.” He said simply, “There is nothing wrong! Blue is fine. You wanna know, how I know he’s fine? It’s because I’ve been extending myself to make sure he’s fine! I’ve been to Error, the park, the stores, and a fucking daycare that makes me sick!! Yep be read every book on this little shit, so I’m more of an expert more than you! You’ve only had him for almost eleven months and I found out more about him in a few days! Like he’s a pre-toddler! So, why the hell are you still giving a pre-toddler baby food!”

   “Dust! Listen to me-!” Horror tried to intervene, but Dust stopped him.

   “No! How about you listen to this!! You know you could have killed Blue on multiple occasions! MULTIPLE! Do you know what SIDS is? Cause I DO! When Blue was sleeping on your stomach instead of his crib or he was sleeping on his stomach! HE COULD HAVE DIED!” Dust only was red as he yelled at Horror. “I’m surprised this kid is even alive under your so-called care!”

   Dust continues to yell and scream at Horror. How? How could a buffoon like him raise an infant incorrectly and still lived? Why? Why did Dust care about Horror’s mistakes? He had no answer and he felt anger at Horror. He was so angry at the larger skeleton that he didn’t notice Blue crying again.

   “DUST! SHUT FUCK THE UP AND LISTEN!” Horror screamed into the phone. Dust was taken back and was about to yell back, but Horror continued. “Dust! Think for a minute! How long has Blue been crying?” Blue?

   Dust turned to see Blue crying and went over to check on him.

   “He just started, but don’t use him as a “

   “Has he been crying a lot? Has he eaten at all in the last few hours?”

   Dust pause. What’s going on?

   “N-No? No. He didn’t eat. He’s been sleeping and waking up crying, but he goes back to sleep.” Dust was now getting worried. They often have fights, where Horror lacked the proper knowledge that should have been common sense and Dust would say something snarky. Horror would threaten him, Dust called it a bluff and then it turned into a fistfight, but this was different. Dust was screaming at Horror and losing his usually calm temper. Horror was calm and asked questions to get a clear picture of the situation. What was he seeing that Dust could not? What was he missing?

   “Blue has a fever.” This baffled Dust. Blue wasn’t showing signs of a fever, he could have a bug but not a fever. Dust wanted to cast it aside as Horror tried to pull a fast one on him, but something told Dust to listen.

   “That’s impossible.” Dust said calmly, “I checked him he’s not hot.”

   “How did you check him?” Another question.

   “I felt his skull and I used the thermometer.” Dust sentenced slowly when quiet as he spoke. Dust rushed to retrieve the thermometer. He held it up and turned on the small device. Dust watched it carefully as he hoped he was wrong. That Horror wasn’t right. It beeped signaling it was done and it confirmed Dust’s worries. 97.2 flashed on the screen. It was broken. Blue does have a fever.

   Dust hung up and rushed back to Blue and removed Blue’s clothes and changed him into more breathable clothing. He took Blue and rushed to fill Blue's sippy cup with water. Blue took the cup without hesitation and once done Dust refilled the cup and gave it back. Dust continued to give Blue water and food and then gave him medication and he soon he fell asleep again. Dust watched Blue asleep, his eyes were on Blue but not his mind. That wandered to Horror.

   How? How did Horror know about Blue’s fever from a poorly taken photo?

   Lucky

   No, Horror was certain it was fever to the point he was more serious. If it was one of his lucky guesses, then he would have said ‘um’. It was a poor habit of his, but right now it was useful. Dust took out his phone and looked at the picture. He didn’t see a flushed face, no sweat, Blue wasn’t breathing heavily, and he wasn’t dazed. Then again it was a poor photo. He looked at Blue and back at the photo and saw no comparisons. So, how? What did Horror see in a photo that Dust couldn’t see in person? He let out a groan as his head started to hurt. Nothing. No matter how you looked at it Horror was right and Dust was wrong. It felt weird to think about and it would be weirder to say.

   Dust would have to apologize to Horror. He could pretend it never happened, but Horror might hang over his head. Or worse. He’ll tell Nightmare. This was giving him a headache. He needed to focus on Blue first then he’ll handle Horror. Hopefully, he can smoothings out before Nightmare returns.

   The last couple of hours have been watching and feeding Blue. Dust has been monitoring his health, but his mind continued to wander to Horror. On how he knew Blue was sick. He snapped back to his task at hand, but it always went back to Horror. He thought about calling him and getting quick answers, but then he’ll have to apologize and his pride won’t let him. It wasn’t pure curiosity that is stirring him, but it was the fact that Horror knew something he didn’t. Being left in the dark about valuable information made him...anxious. He knew being anxious over something this small was exaggerating, but the fact that Horror knew something he didn’t. It was infuriating.

   Dust continued to watch Blue, he compared Blue now to the photo he sent Horror for any differences. He saw none. He found a new thermometer and check his temperature hourly. It flashed 101.9 an hour ago, now it read 100.5. It’s an improvement, not a big one, but an improvement non less. As he watched, he did notice signs of Blue’s fever. He didn’t eat anything now even soft food but only drank cold liquids. Constantly sleeping for long periods. Fussier than usual and lack of energy. Yep, Blue has a fever.

   How did Dust miss this?

   Are you well?

   “I’m fine.” Dust replied. “Probably stress.” Which was odd for him. For any of them. Yes, they take their work seriously, but 90 percent of the time they do nothing but fight each other and relax. Causing disorders just come naturally to them. Dust and Killer slaughter innocents just for fun. Horror will eat any with a beating soul and lots of meat, so skeletons were off the table for a while. Cross and Error are good for information even if you bury it in the pits of hell, they’ll find it. If you’re holding it, they’ll love to make you sing. Then there is Nightmare, the leader, the boss. He can do all this and more. Well, that’s what he heard.

   With all they can do and who is after them, stress should be the least of their worries. So, why is he acting off? At that moment Blue started crying again.

   “Welp there’s my answer.” He said as he got up from his spot to check up on the pre-toddler. Blue had his eyes closed as tears ran down his eyes. He picked up Blue a gave him a bottle he prepared earlier. Blue took it without hesitation and continued to sleep. They probably needed to start giving Blue regular cups. As he sat with Blue, he took a breath and swallowed his pride. He carefully switched hands, so he could reach for his phone to call Horror. He set the phone down on speaker and waited for him to pick it up.

   He will not answer

   That might be true, but he was willing to try. The ringings stopped and movement could be heard from the phone. There was some background noise of a machine and rhythmic splatting. Heavy footsteps were next, they got quieter as he walked away. Metal scrapping against metal, then- WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! The metal was being brought down with ease. Dust didn’t take long to figure out what he was doing. Welp. Better get this over with.

   “How did you know?” The sounds from the metal stopped for a moment before they continued. “Don’t play dumb.” Dust said as he waited for his answer.

   “His bear.” Bear? What bear? Horror continued, “Blue has this bear. Part of its head is gone and it has a small bow tie.” As Horror described the bear, Dust turned to look for it. It was laying in the playpen in the corner, in the corner, not even close to where Blue was sleeping. He looked back at the photo, no bear. Dust was not even more confused.

   “When I put Blue to sleep, he likes to hold on to me. He has a strong grip and when he feels that I’m gone, he wakes up. So I give him the bear to hold on to while he sleeps. To see Blue sleeping without holding it. I thought something was wrong.”

   Dust didn’t say anything. How could he? He’s been trying to figure out this mess for almost an hour and Horror solved it because of a bear! Dust felt a weight being lifted and yet another being placed, but heavier. He quickly ended to call, set Blue down, and walked away enough so Blue was still in sight. He took a breath.

   “Are. You. FUCKING KIDDING ME!! A BEAR!! A FUCKING BEAR!” Dust yelled his anger and stress out. “That brainless cannibal figured that out because the little shit wasn’t holding his shit toy!! That has got to be the dumbest thing I have EVER HEARD!!” Dust continued to yell and curse at Horror’s logic, but as he continued with insults he couldn’t tell if he was yelling at Horror or himself. Dust managed to calm down once again. He led against a walk to think.

   He’s wrong.

   Maybe. A lucky guess at least. He needed to think. He has read that kids have a strong grip enough to hold their weight at a young age. They are intelligent enough to memorize faces, words, and tastes. So, a child associating a stuffed bear with a parent wouldn’t be uncommon. Then, again Blue isn’t normal himself. Kids cry, run, or even shit themselves when they see one of them. Blue on the other hand, giggles, laugh, and dances when he sees one of them. Especially Horror. That bear has a hole where its ear should be. Just like Horror.

   He’s wrong.

   He wanted to believe that. He wanted to deny everything and say it was a lucky guess. He wanted to say Horror was wrong and continue to see him as a mindless cannibal. He wanted to keep his pride but he couldn’t. Not with what he already knows. Horror has spent more time with Blue. He slept with Blue, ate with Blue, played with Blue, bathed Blue, read to him, and more since day one. Dust knew, but Horror had experience.

   “Damnit. He’s right.” Dust muttered. It hurt to think about and it killed Dust to say. Knowing the person you hated the most to be right twice in one day. It made Dust sick. He went back to Blue, who was still fast asleep. He pulled out his phone and dialed Horror. It didn’t take as long for Horror to answer, but when he did Dust said nothing. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He never thought about what to say. ‘Sorry, I yelled and cursed at you.’ ‘Sorry, I didn’t trust you.’ How do you apologize to the person you hate the most? Luckily, Dust didn’t need to say a word.

   “You don’t have to say it.” Horror said, “I’ll be back early.” That was all Horror said before it hung up. Dust took a breath, he should feel better by now. But the weight got heavier.

Chapter Text

   Days passed. Blue’s fever ended, to Dust’s relief. It made his job harder than it was. Blue slept longer, which resulted in Dust hovering over him for any changes. Blue didn’t eat or drink, which increased Dust’s anxiety. Blue wasn’t his bubbly and energetic self, which was upsetting the most. To say Blue’s fever was different was an understatement. Both physically and mentally. He won’t admit it but he prefers Blue’s bubbly personality.

   It was Sunday, which was Dust’s and Blue, undeclared, relaxation day. They would stay inside and do nothing. Dust would sharpen some weapons while Blue ‘cooked’ and babbled. It was quiet, on the outside. Dust was internally panicking because Horror would be coming back today and he still hasn’t recovered from their last conversation. He rehearsed what he wanted to say but now that moment is hours away and he was freezing. He could talk to him once Blue was asleep. No, Horror would what to sleep with Blue. Maybe after or before? No, he won’t have Horror’s attention before or after their nap. Maybe, as soon as he comes back? No, Horror will rush straight toward Blue.

   Before Dust could give himself a headache, Blue called. Dust turned to see Blue holding up a plastic steak. Dust put down his tools and kneeled to Blue. He read kids feel better and more heard if people are their height. 

   “Is that for me, Blue?” Dust knew he wouldn’t get a reply, but took the steak and ‘ate’ it. “Thank you so much, Blue. It was delicious.” He said as he rubbed his stomach. Blue smiled and waddled off to get more. Dust followed behind by crawling. Blue was grabbing more toy food and threw them in a plastic bowl. He handed Dust the bowl and he took it with a smile. Inside was the same steak, a carrot, and a bundle of grapes. During their time together, Dust did make an effort to expand Blue’s entertainment. Nothing too big, just a few toy foods, utensils, pans, pots, stuffed animals, dress-up clothes, a doctor’s kit, fake money, and a ball. Nothing extreme.

   “Thank you, Blue. Can I have a fork, please?” Dust asked. Blue turned to look for the requested item. Once found he returned to Dust and handed him the fork. Dust started ‘eating’ and sharing his meal with Blue, who giggled at the activity. Even though Blue can’t fully communicate with Dust, having a conversation did allow Blue to pick up a few words. He’ll have to thank Dream for that bit of information. Dust also figured teaching Blue to be polite would make taking care of him easier. Blue did understand and replied to a few words like Mama, more, and a few foods. He would shake his head, but he won’t say anything other than Mama. 

   “Mama.” Speaking of which. 

   “Yes?” Dust said with a sigh. He has tried to break Blue of the ‘Mama’ phase, but no dice. Hopefully, he’ll break it soon. “Do you want more?” Dust asked as he offered the pretend food. Blue shook his head and whined. He put down to the bowl and checked the clock. It was 11:30, lunchtime.

   “Are you hungry?” Blue nodded and tears started to form. He dropped down to a sitting position and started to whine. Dust quickly picked his up, which halted the pre-toddler’s mood. “Okay, let's go to the kitchen and get some real food.” 

   Dust stood up carefully and preceded to the damaged kitchen. He set Blue in his high chair, which was still a shock to Dust. Even though Blue is sitting in chairs, his size has not changed much. Dust didn’t think too much about it, it could be his genetics. Once Blue was strapped in, Dust turned to heat a hotdog and cut up an apple, steamed broccoli, a roll, and a sippy cup of milk. He told Blue, exactly what he was doing and praised Blue for waiting. He also made himself a plate but in larger portions.   

   He grabbed them some forks and enjoyed their meal. Blue babbled and Dust gave his replies as they ate. Blue enjoyed the food, when he finished his roll he made his hands into a fist and knocked them together. This caught Dust’s attention and he nodded.

   “More bread, Blue?” Dust asked placing another roll on his plate. Dust has been teaching Blue sign language to make communicating his wants easier. He only knows three signs, but it made a huge difference. 

   As they ate, Dust’s mind wandered to Horror’s arrival again and how to approach him. Just flat-out saying he was sorry wasn’t enough for what Horror did. He knew the signs of Blue being ill even though Dust was right there. A simple sorry wasn’t enough. As much as he despises Horror, he saved Blue and Dust’s ass. If Blue would have died on his watch, Nightmare would have had a field day with him. Not only losing leverage over the major but also failing a mission. Dust, in his opinion, never failed to get the job done, even a simple one. So his failure to watch their leverage, whos a pretoddler would be embarrassing, to say the least.

   Horror made this thing so easy. Well, he has been watching Blue for far longer so of course, it was easy. He knew Blue’s signs and triggers. What made him feel happy and safe. Horror knew all of that even though he was missing a few pieces, he got it. Dust on the other struggled for two days with Blue. Watching Blue for the past three weeks was a challenge and Horror deserved a real apology for taking him on first.

   Pointless.

   It was, but Dust never like the feeling of guilt. The fact he was feeling that now was odd. He hadn’t felt that in years. He’s been feeling a lot of things since he started watching Blue. He was truly something special. Or just something. 

   Dust didn’t have any more time to think as the entrance to the hotel creaked open. Dust would have been on alert if he didn’t hear heavy footsteps and a deep voice that came with them. 

   “Blue?” Horror said as his steps grew closer. He ducked down to enter the kitchen and gave a soft smile to Blue. Blue turned to see the new guest and squealed in delight to see his main caregiver. He lifted his arms and kicked his feet, telling the giant of a skeleton to pick him up. Horror set down his bag and gentle pick up the tiny skeleton. He brought their foreheads together as a greeting and held him close. Blue cuddled in close to Horror, and seeing the little one again made Horror relax. 

   Dust could also see Horror rush the job given to him. The dark lines under his eyes gave him away. He probably took a few power naps just to finish. He was an idiot. Rushing a job is as dangerous as getting caught. If he had missed a single detail, even as simple as changing his clothes the police would tear them all down. Lecturing him now would be pointless, Dust needed to know if Horror had any loose end to finish before he dropped. By the way, he’s swaying he has about an hour or two before collapsing. 

   “Did you complete everything?” Dust asked as he continued eating.

   “No, I just-” Dust cut Horror off by getting up and taking Blue. Horror growled at the action. “Give him back!”

   “No.” Dust said calmly as he put Blue back in the high chair. As soon as Blue was secured in the chair, he started crying and wiggling trying to get out.

   “He needs me!” Horror argued. He made a quick grab for Blue, but Dust stopped him. “Out of my way!” Horror’s anger increased with Blue’s crying.

   “Horror. Listen.” Dust said calmly.

   “No! Blue is mine!” Horror reached to grab Blue again, but Dust grabbed Horror’s hand and pulled him close. Dust rotated so Horror fell on his back, Dust jumped on top of him and pin both of his arms. Seeing this Blue’s crying turned into screeching. “GET OFF! HE NEEDS ME!!” Horror tried to get up, but couldn’t

   “HORROR! ENOUGH!” Dust yelled. Horror continued to struggle, but his strength was drained. Once Horror’s struggle was all but gone Dust spoke. “Horror! You’re right! Blue does need you! That is a fact, but he does not need you to make risky moves just to see him. You rushed your assignment, that is as clear as day. Your job was supposed to take a month, maybe two, but you finished in three weeks. Erasing a whole gang takes time and by the count of their size. You would have been done in a month and two weeks.”

   Dust stopped to make sure Horror was listening. He allowed Horror to process the information before continuing. 

   “Horror, when was the last time you rested?” Horror turned his head way, Dust moved Horror’s wrist so he was holding both hands. If Horror decided to escape, he would have succeeded. Dust took Horror’s skull and moved it back so their eyes locked. “When did you sleep?”

   “A few days ago..”

   “For how long?”

   “An hour.” Just as he thought.

   “Horror, you’re exhausted. You can barely walk or stand. Let alone take care of Blue.” Dust released Horror to sit up. “Are you sure you handled everything?” Horror nodded as he sat up, Dust stood up and took Blue back to Horror. “Tell me everything that you did and don’t leave anything out.”

   Horror told Dust his procedure for disposing of the bodies, the capturing, death, striping of clothes and items, the tools, he left nothing out. Something disposing of a corpse was simple if you knew how, but Horror took pride in his work. Dumping, burning, burning, were all too simple and boring. No, Horror bad was a better idea and Nightmare agreed. Once, Horror’s victim was secured he would strip them of everything. Clothes, watches, jewelry, everything. Then, put them away for Cross to deal with later. The procure for humans and monsters were different, this group was anti-monster, so all human. He removed all hair and nails and then he would cut them open and remove all organs. If the organ was not damaged, he package them and they were put in a cooler for Killer. Desperate people were always their best customers.

   Then, the skin, and finally the muscles. He was fortunate to have prey that was plenty of muscles, they made up for the skinny and old. He chopped off the major body limbs and sliced the muscles off, any veins he saw he had to cut or pull out. He made sure all muscles were removed, leaving only bones that will be handled later. Once all the muscles were removed, he pounded each one until tender and in large piles put into meat grinders of different types. As the meat was grinding, Horror focused on the bones. He cleaned, heated, chopped, and grinned in their grinder until they were powder. They were packaged and sealed and labeled for Cross to deal with. 

   Once the meat had been ground, they were checked for any bones, hair, or anything extra. Then, they were packed to look like everyday ground beef. Horror being a cannibal knew no one would be able to tell the difference unless you did a DNA test. If anything people will write it off as bad meat and throw it away. He loaded the packaged meats into a larger box and loaded them into a freezer truck. The bone meal was loaded into a separate truck with ‘donated’ items as well. Then he repeated the process. There was more meat than expected, but that was an easy fix, Horror does forget to eat. 

   Once everything was completed, he cleaned and disinfect everything. He burned his clothes and changed into some new ones. He called Cross and Killer to pick up the trucks, Killer took the meat truck, and hours later Cross got the items truck. Killer was supposed to sneak in extra boxes of meat into butcher’s stores, fast food places, grocery stores, and any place with food. Cross-mailed the clothes to tailor stores who owe them a favor, they are supposed to wash, redesign, and sell or donate them. Same for the jewelry and other items. Horror took the extra organs and stashed them in an old hideout. Then he returned to Blue.

   “Is that all?” Horror nodded. Dust listened to Horror’s every word, Blue calmed down and they moved to the lobby. They sat on the couch as Blue played with Horror’s jacket. Dust sighed and pulled out his phone and dialed Killer. He picked up after a few rings.

   “Hey.” Killer replied.

   “Did Horror forget anything on the meat packages?” Dust asked right away.

   “Yeah, he forgot the company logo. I’m reprinting the labels now.” 

   “Okay.” Dust hung up and turned to Horror, who barely had his eyes open. “Come on.” Dust said as he grabbed Horror’s free arm. Horror, too tired to argue, let Dust do what he wished. He was led to the only working elevator, Cross was the one who fixed it when they first arrived. Besides getting away with crimes, each member had a high intelligence in science and engineering. So broken appliances were never an issue. The elevator was slow, but it worked.

   When it arrived, Dust helped Horror step in and select his floor. Horror was wobbling, so he leaned on Dust for support and all while having an energetic pretoddler. Dust nudged Horror to try and keep him awake, it had little effect. Horror was falling fast, but he fought it so he didn’t drop Blue. Dust had to admit, the gang was filled with lazy members and Dust and Nightmare were no exception. Everyone here loved a good nap, even if it was never a pleasant one. So, the fact that Horror was standing after no real sleep, was shocking. Horror was usually a beast without sleep or food, so the fact that he was calm was surprising. His gaze was only on Blue, who was babbling and pointing at the buttons. Horror gave a tired chuckle as he swayed. 

   The elevator stopped and opened to a dimly lighted hall with broken doors and peeling wallpaper with stains. Dust tugged Horror out and into Horror’s main room, which was the next door over. They stumbled in and Dust tried to support Horror as best as he could to the bed. Once close, Dust took Blue so Horror could fall to the bed. Not bothering with the blankets or his clothes. Blue leaned forward to Horror, Dust set Blue on the larger skeleton’s stomach. Horror weakly moved his hands to readjust Blue for a more comfortable position. Dust expected Horror to fall asleep as soon as he hit the bed, but he didn’t. He watched Blue. He waited for a few minutes, but he didn’t sleep. Dust started at the floor as he took a breath. It’s now or never.

   “Sorry.” Dust said without looking up. Horror didn’t say anything, he just started at Dust, “Sorry I yelled at you over the phone. When you-I realized-I can't- I can’t put it into words, but you make taking care of Blue, so easy, but it wasn’t easy for me. It made me realize that you do know what you’re doing. So, sorry and keep up the good work.” Finally! He said it.

   Dust wasn’t expecting Horror to say much because he was exhausted. A nod or a grin at least, but not loud snoring. Dust looked up to see Horror fast asleep while Dust was apologizing, even Blue fell asleep! Dust growled fighting the urge to punch him in the face. Instead, he felt the two skeletons to their nap with stomping feet and a loud slam of the door.

   “Last time I try to be nice.” He grumbled as he entered the elevator.  

   The day continued in peace, Dust went back to Horror’s room to get Blue when he was fussy. Dust used his time to call Cross and Killer for updates on the deliveries. Blue was playing with his toys and when he got tired or missing Horror, Dust would return him. During that time, Dust would clean, research, relax, or check up on the others for progress. Besides that, the day was quiet. 

   It was getting close to midnight when he heard Horror’s footsteps. Dust looked up from his phone to see the larger skeleton lumbering in the lobby with Blue in his arms. Horror sat Blue down near his toys, so he could sit next to Dust. The couch dipped and creaked under his weight. Besides Blue’s cooing, only silence was between them.

  “Thank you.” Horror said. Dust side-eyed him, wanting him to continue. “You watched Blue and took care of him well. Even if it was a punishment, thank you.” Horror turned his head away to avoid Dust, but he could see Horror’s skull flush a bit. They never really thanked one another for anything or apologized for anything. “And don’t mention it.”

  “What?” Dust said fully turning his head to Horror. Horror did the same.

   “You apologized for snapping at me early, right?” Dust’s eyes widen.

   “You heard me?” Horror nodded. “There is no way in hell you heard me while sleeping!”

   “I’m still aware of my surroundings even when I’m asleep.” Dust wanted to say something, but decided to keep it to himself. Horror sighed. “You did a great job watching Blue.”

   “You did too.” After their conversation, they silently agreed to never mention it to anyone. It was peaceful, in a way.

   Until Blue stood up and wabbled over. He fell back which made Horror jump, but settled when Blue got up again and continued. He wabbled over to Dust to hold up an empty plate. Dust put down his phone to provide Blue with his undivided attention.

  “Do you need something, Blue?” Dust asked. Blue held the plate for Dust and with a big smile.

  “Mama!”

  “What did he call you?”

Chapter Text

   It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. Children laughed as they ran, played in the sand, and swam. The delicious smell was food from vendors filled the air. Along with the smell of salt from the ocean. Music was heard all around whether it was from an instrument or a device. It was truly a beautiful day.
   “How in the hell did we end up here?” Horror asked as he looked at the scene. Dust was sitting right beside him with Blue in his arms. Both skeletons were not happy about their situation, but they needed to get out. In a matter of speaking.
   It had been a few days since Horror’s return. Since then, Killer and Cross have long completed their task. They are now completing smaller requests, as well as helping with Blue from time to time. Dust has been more involved with Blue, mostly helping with cognitive skills. Like reading or having one-sided conversations. When Blue needed more of an emotional, physical, or anything, Horror took over. A lot.
   Horror picked up a troublesome habit of looming over Dust when he was taking care of Blue. He does the same with Blue, but more than a normal amount. Horror has become a helicopter parent, but Blue doesn’t mind. Dust has found it a major inconvenience.
Dust was in the kitchen preparing Blue’s lunch. He found out that meal times with Blue were enjoyable. He looked forward to them often, if he didn’t have a 7’5 foot tall skeleton looming over a pre-toddler every second.
   Dust picks up Blue’s plate and moves to set it on the high chair, but Horror intercepts the plate. Dust internally groans as Horror stares daggers at the food. It was chopped-up salad, blueberries, and fish sticks. Quick, easy, and healthy.
   “He needs more meat.” Horror says.
   “He had bacon for breakfast. Only. Bacon.” Dust says plainly back. Horror has been back for two days, but this conversation made Dust think he’s been back longer.
   “They’re too big. He’ll choke.” Horror says pointing at the blueberries.
   “They’re fine,” Dust replied back as he walked around Horror. He sets the food down. Blue immediately started grabbing at his food and stuffing his face. Dust watched for a few seconds to make sure Blue was okay before going for Blue’s sippy cup. He filled it with milk and turned back to see Horror hand-feeding Blue. He held the tiny fork in colossal hands as he poked the small orbs and held it for Blue to indulge in. It was sweet, the first five times he did it but now it was annoying.
Dust placed Blue’s sippy cup next to his plate. Instead of Blue grabbing the cup, Horror grabbed it and held it up for Blue when he was ready.
   “He can feed himself, Horror.” He said for what felt like the hundredth time. When Horror did not reply, Dust took the fork and handed it to Blue. Blue stared at it then he tried to copy Horror’s movements. He tried to make time and failed every time, this caused him to grow upset and return to using his hands.
   “He’s helpless.” Horror said, “He needs me.” Horror opened his hand for the fork and Blue gave it up willingly.
   “He needs you to stop babying him so much.” Dust said back as he took the fork.
   “He can’t do it!” Horror said with his voice raised a bit as he took the fork.
   “Yes, he can if you would stop and let him do it!” Dust snatched the fork away from Horror and slammed it on the chair. The sound made Blue jump.
   “I did and he couldn’t do it! He needs me to help!”
   “What Blue NEEDS is to try things without you hovering over him!”
   “He NEEDS-”
   “SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” They both jumped at the screeching third voice. They turned to see Nightmare standing in the doorway. Cross and Killer were right behind him, all with angry annoyed looks. “Ever since Horror returned, your pickering has been nonstop. It’s becoming insufferable.” Nightmare glared daggers into both skeletons. Both were about to defend their actions, but slimy tentacles covered their mouths. More wrapped around their bodies as well.
   “Not. A. Word. Your arguing has been interfering with your work and ours. A problem I should have resolved years ago.”
   Suspended. To a beach. For the weekend. With Horror. This was Dust’s worst nightmare, not to mention they had Blue. So, they had to be a perfect little family in front of unwanted people. They were given new disguises, and Dust was given a sundress. To save himself more embarrassment he wore his pale jacket over it. Horror had a classic beach outfit, a large shirt, swimming shorts, sandals, and shaded. He also had a hat to cover up the hole in his skull.
   Just seeing them all smiles and joy made Dust sick. He could easily turn this peaceful scene into a massacre if for…well, him. Unfortunately, Nightmare said no to killing anyone as it wouldn’t make it a punishment. Dust was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Blue cooing at the new environment. At least he had something. Dust took a breath.
   “This is all your fault!” They both said in unison. Their situation was not the most ideal, so fighting about who to blame was pointless. Fighting is what got them into this situation, to begin with. The only one having fun in this situation was Blue, who was cooing and banging his shovel. Besides watching Blue and sitting in silence, there was not much they could do.
Blue decided to explore his new surroundings and crawl towards the sand. Before he could, he was pulled back. He attempted again but was pulled back. Determined to reach his goal he continued and was met with the same results. Dust watching this, signed.
   “Horror, what are you doing?”
   “The sand will burn him.”
   “So? He needs to learn that on his own. Think of it as a sensory experience to help his growth.”
   “The sand will burn him. We can buy him sand.” Horror is unwavering in his decision.
Dust was starting to get annoyed. First, it was breakfast. Then, it was the beach and now he won’t let Blue touch fucking sand. What is wrong with him!? Dust was about to object when a more annoying voice chimed in.
   “Actually he is correct!” They both turned to see a skeleton.
   “Who are-” Before Horror could ask his question, the skeleton stopped him.
   “Your child needs to experience new things outside of their household or else they’ll be scared of everything. Or worse! They’ll be rebellious! They’ll start being rude, cursing, and calling rude names. Then, they’ll start stealing and get put in jail! Do you know what they’ll do to new inmates?!” The skeleton continued its rant, Dust was not listening but Horror gave his full attention. It seemed to go on forever until the skeleton got close to their faces and stared seriously at them.
   “Do you want your child to grow up rebellious?” They asked. Dust didn’t reply, correction, he wasn’t going to. This conversation was ridiculous. Yes, the skeleton is on Dust’s side, but Blue growing up to be rebellious was absurd. Blue would never! Dust turned to Horror to speak his opinion, but it looked like Horror was deep in true thought.
   “Are-Are you okay?” Horror didn’t reply, he just fell back suddenly. “You okay?” Dust asked again.
   “Not my Blue. How could I let this happen? My precious baby. I’m not old.” Welp. He’s hopeless.
   “Great you broke him.” Dust said turning to the skeleton.
   “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get that kind of reaction. Well, I did but not like that. He must be a loving father. I’m very sorry.” They said.
   “It’s fine. I at least get some peace and quiet.” Dust took this moment to really get a good look at the skeleton. Nothing too fancy. Pure white bones, tattoos, and oddly shapen eye lights. Nothing special, but this skeleton looks familiar. From where? He has no idea and it was off-putting. Dust made sure to never forget a face, but the only faces he’s been seeing are Blue’s and the gang’s. He’s getting rusty and needs more information.
   “So, who are you?” Dust asks bluntly.
   “Uh? Oh! I’m so sorry! I just get so caught up in the moment and then the next thing I get too excited and I start puking. My husband is always telling me to calm down, but that’s easier said than done an-Oh. My. STARS! BLUE!” Dust was taken aback as the skeleton yelled Blue’s name. This caught Blue’s attention to being called, and seeing the skeleton made Blue squeal and smile.
   The skeleton moved to pick up Blue but was grabbed by the shoulder. The skeleton turned to the person who stopped them. Dust turned to see a very irritated Error and annoyed child.
   “INK! Where have you been?! We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He said.
   “Sorry, but I was just talking to the nice couple, and turns out~ They’re Blue’s parents! Isn’t that amazing! Now, I can finally put a name to the people who brought this little angel into the world~” Error’s eyes widen at the sight of the odd trio, and with good reason.
Error left the group to start a new life, so he had his old group mates meet his husband. Bad combination! If they weren’t on punishment. Keeping their cover is a priority, for that to remain intact they’ll have to cooperate. This will be exhausting. Dust stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes.
   “Hello, so you must be Error. My husband, Butch told me you were watching our child. Thank you so much for that. I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.” Dust wanted to kill himself. He spoke in a sophisticated tone, his voice was naturally deep like the others but it gave him more of a charming aura.
   “I’m Twilight. A pleasure.” He offered his hand to Error, who hesitated but took it regardless.
   “He was no trouble. PJ enjoyed having a playmate.” Error said as he squeezed Dust’s hand.
   “I’m happy to hear it. Blue can be very unpredictable.” Dust squeezed back.
   “So what brings you three to the beach?” Error said emphasizing the last word as he squeezed harder.
   “Oh, just trying to get away from it all. Work has been hectic.” Dust replied and squeezed more.
Sceneing to obvious tension between them, PJ decided to break it.
   “Dad, can we get cheeseburgers?” PJ asked. Error catching on to his son’s intentions agreed. They brought ingredients to make sandwiches and had drinks in their cooler, but getting far away from them and relocating would be best. Sadly his husband didn’t get the hint.
   “That’s a great idea!” He said as he dropped all their things next to them. “PJ and I’ll grab some food for all of us. While you guys get to know each other. Twilight, I would love to swap numbers once I'm back. I can’t wait to chat with my new parent friend. Bye~” He takes PJ’s hand and starts walking off. Leaving the three of them in utter shock and disappearing.
   “What are you two doing here!?” Error yelled.
   “What does it matter?” Dust replied as he picked up Blue and placed him on Horror’s stomach. He hoped he would get accurate results soon.
   “It matters, A LOT!? I take my family to the beach to get away from your guys’ bullshit. Only to see that Nightmare, sent you two to spy on me! And don’t even try to deny it! We both know he would!”
   “Don’t flatter yourself, if Nightmare wanted you to follow, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We are on a one-week punishment due to your content fighting. Isn’t that right?”
   “Yes.” As if on cue, Horror picked Blue off his stomach and sat in a smooth motion.
   “You were awake the whole time?” Error said annoyed then shocked. He was used to the groups…odd habits. He even gains some of their habits as well, like being a light sleeper. It was annoying but useful for surprise visits.
   “I was…thinking.” Horror stared at Blue and brought him close. “Please, don’t grow up to be a delinquent and get arrested or call me old man. Don’t join a gang, date any shady people-actually don’t date at all! No boyfriends or girlfriends! Just friends! With no benefits! Actually! No friends until we have a talk with them! Just stay my adorable little Blueberry and stay away from shady people!” Horror continued telling-no-begging, Blue odd demands. Dust and Error just stared at him in confusion, as his demands were all describing the group to a T.
   “Well,” Dust sighed, “There’s nothing we can do about it now. We can’t leave and with your husband here, you can’t leave until the end of the day.”
   “Sadly, that’s not the case.” Dust looked at Error as to not think what Error was implying. Error turned his gaze elsewhere to confirm one of many unwanted scenarios. “We’re here for the weekend, too.”
   “Fuck.”

Chapter Text

   “One, two, Three!” Horror said as he dipped Blue’s legs into the salty water. Blue laughed at the action, and Horror pulled him out. Blue giggled in anticipation to feel the water again. “One, two, Three!” Blue squealed with laughter. Dust lay on the beach watching them have their fun. Horror was sitting in the water, so it went up to Horror’s hips.
   Day two of suspension was hell. Not as bad as day one, where Dust was forced into a conversation by Ink. It took him everything not to off himself. Horror on the other hand took notes on Ink’s “Wise Wisdom”, in hopes of not “currupting” Blue. Error tried everything to keep Ink away from them with the help of PJ, but it ended in failed attempts. No matter what they did or where they went, Ink somehow found them. It was unnerving. Luckily, Horror can keep Ink’s attention off Dust for a while to give more “advice”. Dust was happy with the break with the large ball of energy, so he could focus on the tiny ball of energy. 
   Once the day ended, they went to the beach house, which Nightmare rented for them. It was spacious and secluded, but they still had to check for any unwanted items. Then they called it a night. It wasn’t a quiet one as Blue woke them up constantly, but nothing they couldn’t handle. Now new day, new problems and it’s name is Ink.
As soon as the trio stepped out the door in Ink, he immediately started blabbing on and on about activities, the kids could do together. Dust shut them all down because they wanted family time for the day. In reality, he just wanted to get away from him. He didn’t know what it was, but Ink didn’t sit right with him and his personality was making it worse.
   Thankfully, Ink bought it with the help of Error and PJ. Now, he could enjoy an idiot-free afternoon. 
   “Dust.” Well almost. 
   “What?” Dust groaned. He felt wet being placed on his chest. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know it was Blue.
   “I’m going to get Blue a floaty.” Horror said and walked off without waiting for his reply.
   Dust signed and groaned as he sat up. He moved Blue so he didn’t fall over. He sat Blue on his thighs and started bouncing him. Blue usually liked being bounced and tossed into the air, but he was more interested in the water.
   “You like the water that much, Blue?” Dust asked. Blue turned to look back at Dust and nodded. Dust was taken aback by this. He wasn’t expecting Blue to understand, let alone reply in any way. “Okay, then. Let’s go.” 
   Dust pulled Blue close as he stood up and headed towards the water. Dust walked until the salty water was at his hips. He wasn’t as deep as Horror, but it was understandable. Horror is 7 feet tall and Dust stands at 5 feet. Dust held Blue in the water, so his legs were in. Blue kicked the water and laughed at the little splash he did. He even tried to dive in, but Dust held him pretty well to prevent it. Dust soon lowered Blue even more so he could touch the water.
   “How does the water feel Blue? The water feels cold.” Dust said as he watched Blue use every part of his body to make splashes. Dust chuckled at the little skeleton flailing around, Dust started slowly moving Blue through the water.
   “Look. You’re swimming, Baby Blue.” Dust said in a low gentle tone. Blue giggled and continued to splash around. As he did some of the water managed to get into his mouth. The taste was new and very unpleasant, he spat it out but he could still taste it! He screeched, signaling the caretaker of his displeasure. Dust lifted Blue up to his face and cooed.
   “Aw, Blue. What happened? Did you taste the salty water? Bet you didn’t see that coming.” Dust chuckled as he brought Blue in close for a hug. “It’s okay. Let’s get something to drink. Without salt.” As Dust turned around, his soul dropped as he saw Horror holding his phone up with a smile. 
   “Delete that!” He yelled, Horror chuckled.
   “Why? I’m just catching a tender moment between my wife and child.” Horror said teasingly.  
   “Give it!” Horror started tapping his screen as he laughed at Dust he rushed awkwardly towards him. When he got close he snatched the phone out of his hands without effort. His soul dropped even more as he saw that Horror sent that to the whole gang. It didn’t take long for texts to roll in, they sent emojis and sent insufferable nicknames like ‘Mama Dust’ and ‘Marshmallow’. Dust hated many things and showing his soft side was one of them, but having it recorded made it worse.
   “What the FUCK Horror!?” Dust yelled.
   “What? This is what you wanted. Quality time with family~” Horror chuckled as he added a teasing voice to his last word. Dust was about to counter, but Blue started to get fussy. 
   “This isn’t over yet.” Dust said as he pushed passed Horror to reach their things.
   “Whatever you say, honey.”
   After everything settled, they had lunch and enjoyed the rest of a quiet afternoon. They reached the beach house and got ready for bed. Blue was tucked in and Horror snored in the bed. Dust lay on the pullout couch as he watched the video for the fifth time. As he watched, his soul felt lighter and more full, like everything was perfect. Watching him and Blue, he had this same feeling with him. He felt warm. He felt safe. He truly smiled. He found it after thinking he’d never felt this way again. This feeling was a weakness and he needed to end it, but he didn’t want to. This feeling. It just felt right.

Chapter Text

   It was their last night of punishment. They tolerated Ink for the day. They tolerated each other without fighting. Blue was perfect as always. They were a somewhat perfect family. They had everything packed for tomorrow. Everything was going great until Mother Nature wanted to join in their torture and create the God of all storms. 
   It wouldn’t have affected them cause it was the middle of the night. They could sleep through it tonight and tomorrow if needed. Unfortunately, they had a pre-tod and he was terrified. He screamed, cried, whined, and tried to run and hide. No matter where he hid the sounds scared him more with each boom. Dust and Horror did everything they could to calm the little skeleton down. They put on music, cuddled him, comforted him, rocked him, gave him his stuffed bear, and read to him, but nothing worked.
   “Blue, please!” Dust begged as he held the pretoddler and patted his back. “Go to sleep.”
   “Begging won’t work. I’ve tried.” Horror said defeated on the bed. “Relax. Once the storm is over he’ll calm down.”
   “Great idea!” Dust said sarcastically, “Once the storm ends at 12 in the afternoon. ALL our problems are over!”
   “At least I’m coming up with ideas!” Horror yelled.
   “Ideas!? Horror you really think covering his head was an idea?!”
   “I didn’t mean his whole head!”
   “That’s NOT any BETTER!!”
   BOOM! Blue screamed and clinched onto Dust for dear life. Both of them realized screaming at each other wasn’t going to work. In the hope of getting any sleep, they need to work together. Dust took a breath and got his thoughts together.
   “Has Blue ever acted like this with you?” Dust asked.
   “When I first got him, but it was never this bad. Or long. You?”
   “Okay, how do you calm him down?”
   Horror took a moment to think, then he got up and motioned for Dust to hand over Blue. Dust did, trusting in the larger skeleton. Horror made sure Blue was comfortable before laying on the bed with Blue on top of his belly.  He grabbed the blanket and moved it to cover Blue’s back. Horror read that patting or rubbing a child’s back helped them sleep. In fear of hurting the pretoddler, Horror places his hand on Blue’s back. Blue cries lowered, but we’re still strong in volume.
   Dust had to act fast. He grabbed his phone, which was charging next to the couch, and started playing relaxing music. He then started digging through his bag for the portable speaker, he won at a stand. He synced the two and put it on full volume. He placed the speaker next to the couch. With the house full of music, Dust grabbed Blue’s bear and placed it next to him on Horror. As expected, Blue immediately grabbed it. With everything set, all they could do was wait.
BOOM
Blue started crying again. He wasn’t kicking or hitting. He just screamed. Dust had enough.
   “What are doing wrong?! We tried everything and still, he won’t sleep! For the love of FUCKING GOD BLUE! JUST GO-” Before Dust could get his thoughts out. Horror grabbed his arm and pulled him to lie next to them.
   “Horror. What are you-”
   “Shush. Look.” Dust stood up to look at Blue and everything slowed down. Blue had his eyes closed and tears ran down his skull. With his free hand, was making a grabbing hand towards Dust.
Horror rolled so Blue was closer to Dust. Dust slowly took Blue and positioned them between each other. They each had one hand on Blue. The small skeleton soon relaxed and snores could be heard. Even with the powerful storm outside, Blue didn’t wake up.
   “We make a good team.” Horror said.
   “When we want to be.” They both chuckled. Heavy rain and roaring wind was the only sound that could be heard by others. To them, the only sound was Blue’s soft snores. 
   “Let’s have a truce.”
   “A what?” Horror asked in a tired tone.
   “Truce. It means no fighting until Blue’s gone. We’ll work together to take care of Blue and do our jobs. Once our business with the puppet is done, it’s business as usual. Deal?” Dust said in the same tone with a few breaks to yawn. 
Horror didn’t reply right away as he let out his own yawn. He moved closer to the pair for a more comfortable position.
   “Deal.”

Chapter Text

   “Come on, Blue. Say ‘Dada’.” Blue Horror said in a gentle tone. He and Blue were sitting in their room. 

   “Da-da.” Horror repeated but slower as he pointed to himself. Blue smiled got up from his spot and waddled over to Horror. He freely fell at Horror’s crossed legs, knowing the larger skeleton would catch him. Horror groaned. Blue squealed happily as Horror lifted him, so he was at eye level.

   “Da-da.”

   “Mama!” Horror groaned at another failed attempt. Blue has been growing very well over the past few months. Better than anyone expected. He replies with nods, that he can speak a word, does sign language, and walking will never be a problem. The only issue is Blue is refusing to say Daddy or any variant of it. 

   Blue doesn’t dislike him if cuddling, crying when he leaves, and smiling just for holding him are anything to go by. Blue refuses to call him.

   “Why would you waste your time on that? We both know his favorite word is,” Dust smirked as he swatted down to Blue’s eye, “Mama.”

   “Mama!” Blue squealed his new word.

   “Fuck off!” Horror growled as he rolled away from Dust.

    After their return, Dust and Horror have been arguing less and less. They’ve taken shifts of watching Blue. Created a schedule for them to follow. Exchanging trips and creating rules for Blue. Even sharing photos with each other of Blue. The rest of the group thought they were going insane, if they were no one was complaining. Productivity has been up. 

   It wasn’t all perfect, Blue has been wandering off. He wasn’t in any danger, just scaring Horror with his disappearing acts. He’s also becoming a bit of an early bird, which brings them to their current situation.

   Dust will be dropping Blue off at Daycare. They were planning on dropping him off after breakfast, but Blue woke Dust up by sticking his arm in his eye socket. Dust tried to lay Blue down or calm him down but no success. So they decided to drop him off early. Horror, wanting to attend, woke up easily and started getting Blue ready.

   “What if he never says it?” Horror said as he picked up Blue and his things.

   “He’ll say it when he’s ready. Dream said he might be a late bloomer.” Dust said, trying to lighten the other’s mood. Horror didn’t reply as he walked past Dust.

   “Where did he learn to say ‘Mama’?” Dust went to answer but he didn’t have one. 

   “Who knows,” Dust was wondering the same thing. There were many opportunities for Blue to learn it, but he was surprised it wasn’t a swear. Maybe have picked it up from the DayCare or from Error’s house. Maybe from a cartoon he watched with them? Dust shook his head, “It’s not important right now. We just need to get Blue to the DayCare and finish our assignment. The faster we get it done, the better.”

   They exited the elevator and loaded the car’s hidden storage with their tools. When sealed and covered, they placed Blue’s things on top. Along with other items to hide suspicion. Dust opened the back door to check the car seat.

   “Why are you dressed like that?” Horror asked. Dust was dressed in casual business attire.

   “It’s for my cover at the DayCare.” Sensing Horror’s confusion, he continued. “Cross and Killer created a character for the DayCare, to not cause any suspicion. Thankfully, they came up with a representative of a family-owned restaurant. It works well with our new toy, the Soto Family, they’ll provide us with an alibi and anything else to make it more believable. We even have a contract, but it also means more work to keep the illusion.” Dust turned towards the larger skeleton and was met with a skeleton who seemed to be long gone. “You listening?!” Dust snapped.

   “Uh?!” Horror's head snapped to look at Dust. His skeleton turned a bit red, but he brushed it off. “Y-Yeah. I was.” No, he wasn’t. Dust folded his arms.

   “It’s for security!” Dust growled. Horror tilted his head in confusion, Dust would be furious if Blue hadn’t copied him. It was cute….in its own way. “I have a bad feeling.”

   “About the DayCare?” Horror asked as he handed Dust over to Blue.

   “Yeah, something about it sets me off.” Dust turned to strap Blue as he continued, “I already asked Killer to do a check on it and the employees.” Dust closed the door and moved to the passenger side as Horror went to the driver’s side.

   “What are you trying to find?” Horror asked as he started the car and pulled off. 

   “Hopefully, nothing.” The ride was quiet after their conversation. Blue was babbling to himself. They soon put on some music, which made Blue start bouncing. Not by much but enough to keep him happy. He did different movements for different songs and Dust recorded it all. As they were coming close to the DayCare, Horror pulled into a store’s parking lot. It was empty except for a few cars at the front and the one Horror parked next to in the back.

   Dust got out and started moving Blue’s things to the car next to them. Horror got out to get Blue. Blue giggled as Horror raised him so they were eye to eye. Horror connected their foreheads to show affection. He pulled away to cradle the little skeleton, Blue giggled as he snuggled closer to Horror. Horror gave a tiny smile. Not frightening or sinister, just a simple smile. It felt nice. Blue looked up and gave one back.

   “Mama.” It dropped. At that moment everything slowed down. One word, it’s just one word. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that the only living thing, he didn’t kill, wasn’t scared of him. Who cares it won’t call him. There will be others. Yeah. There will be something else. Someone who was weak and needed him. Who truly needed him? Who wanted to be close to him? Who wanted his help and protection. Who looked at him without fear but with kindness and love. It doesn’t matter, there are others.

   Dust took Blue and Horror didn’t put up a fight. Blue’s smile dropped as he was being taken. It doesn’t matter. Blue had Dust, he didn’t need him. There will be another. There will be another. There will be another. There will be another. There will be another. There-There will be no one, who will need him. He wouldn’t blame them, who would want something like him?

   “ DADA! ” Horror eyes widen at the call-cry. No, screaming! He turned to see Dust struggling to hold Blue as he was wiggling with such force. Tears ran from his eye sockets like a rush fall. His wails were deafening and his movements were of that in distress. 

   As Blue cried, Horror was frozen still. Blue, a small skeleton, looked at him with eyes full of emotion. Sadness, and worry, but they held so much love. It was all for him. Horror gently took Blue and held him close to his chest. As Blue settled, he patted the closest part of Horror’s skull as a way of comfort. Horror moved into the small hand, it was warm. 

   “Sorry, Blueberry.” His voice was low and quiet enough for only them to hear. Is his voice cracking? “I didn’t catch that. Can you say it again?”

   “Dada.” It was quiet, but he needed to be certain. He lifts the pre-toddler up to his face.

   “One more time!”

   “DaaDa!” Horror cheered at tossed Blue in the air! His laughter was contagious as the little skeleton started giggling and squealing. “DADA! DADA!” 

   “That’s right, Blueberry!” Horror chuckled with such joy as he caught the skeleton and brought him close. “I’m you’re Dada and I will always be here for you. I promise.” Blue qued as they brought their skulls together.

   For once, Horror right and wrong. There will be no one else, like Blue. An odd tiny skeleton, who sees the world with such innocence and joy. Even a group whose sole purpose was to cause destruction and chaos to the lives of others. Oh yes, there is no one like Blue.

Chapter Text

   “Dada’s home!” Horror announces as he slams the door open. Blue ceased his play at the sight of the larger skeleton. He cheered as he got up and ran towards Horror.

   “Dada! Dada!” Horror scoped up Blue and held him close.

   “It’s okay. Dada’s here.”

   “Oh! Give it a break!” Killer yelled from the couch. “We’re tired of you slamming doors for EVERY ROOM!” Killer was in no mood for anything. He’s been working on assignments on top of other things, making his breaks very rare.  

   “We’re happy Blue said another word, but it’s been a week. It’s annoying.” Dust said as was playing with Blue before Horror’s arrival. Alas, Dust should be one to talk. He also gushed over Blue’s second word to the point he recorded it and sent it to the group. He even told the receptionist. Not his best moment. 

   Their words didn’t make much of an impact as Horror was still gushing over Blue. The two are annoyed with Horror’s lack of attention when being skilled at, Killer especially. Over the week, Horror has been gushing-no, bragging about Blue saying his name. Which news flash! Horror isn’t Blue’s biological father. If anything, they’re kidnappers, among other things. He’s not hating Blue, he’s innocent, but Horror is not.

   Getting greatly annoyed, Killer pulled out one of many knives and lunged at Horror. It didn’t expect a lot of damage, but enough to make the bulky skeleton acknowledge him. He was unfortunately stopped by Dust wrapping his arms around him. 

   “LET ME GO!” He yelled, “I WILL NOT BE IGNORED!”

   “He is holding Blue!” Dust said, trying to pull the other back. Also being mindful of the waving knife.

   “Then you take Blue, while I STAB HIS EYES OUT.” This struggle didn’t last long as black tar tentacles wrapped around everyone. They wrapped around their mouth to silence them and their ankles to prevent them from fleeing. Blue was taken by them and was handed to Nightmare, he was not happy. Thankfully, they were not the cause of his frustration. He released Killer and jerked his head to the side, telling him to leave. He turned his attention to the Dust and Horror. 

   “Listen up.” He commanded, “Meeting in 5. Don't be late.” He walked leaving them baffled, but they didn’t question it. They flooded into the auditorium, Nightmare was on stage with Killer, doing something on the computer. Cross was already there at the table, looking confused as the both of them. They rushed to take a seat as the lights went out and the projector switched on. 

   “We’re leaving. I expect everything gone in 5 hours and I mean everything. No excepts. Clothes, food, weapons, and even tracks. Anything that shows activity. All items that slow us down, get rid of it. I don’t care how you do it just do it. Burn, sell it, toss it, put it on a corpse, I don’t care. It needs to be gone. Horror and Dust, the same goes for Blue. Any items he doesn’t need to get rid of. Understood?” Crickets.

   “Boss?” Dust, the first to speak, “Did this really need to be a meeting? You could have just told us.” This was true. The group has moved many times, even with Blue it was never an issue. The real problem was finding a new location, going back to an old one is a rookie mistake. So, why a meeting?

   “Because we’re letting our guard down.” Killer stepped forward as the projector showed some pictures of the daycare.  

   “A few weeks ago, Dust wanted me to look into Sunshine’s Daycare because he was suspicious of it and the staff. The owner it Dream built the facility out of pocket and with donations. His background as a teacher of children with special needs gained a lot of supporters. Including some with very deep pockets.” Killer explains.

   “No wonder it’s so fancy.” Dust muttered under his breath.

   “If rich people give you money for a project, you might as well get the bells a whistles,” Cross said. 

   “If those bells and whistles are the news and latest secret service equipment. Then, yes. They got all the bells and whistles.” Killer pulled up a slide showing blueprints of the center. Parts of the blueprints were marked in red. “Bulletproof glass, face recognition, police scanner, security shutters, and if it wasn’t bad enough. They have an ex-military staff members.” Killer switched the sliding showing the military photos of the staff.

   “Wait wait wait wait wait wait. Wait!” Cross said in a frenzy, “Are you tell me, that even been walking in and out of a daycare that’s littered with ex-military with a stolen child. Not once or twice, but several days a week!”

   “No. We’ve been walking into an MI6 base!” 

   “WHAT!” Everyone screamed. They all started yelling, curing, asking questions. All trying to figure out the same questions. How and why? How could they’ve not seen the signs? Why didn’t they dig deeper? Why did they let their guard down? It was all so frustrating! They were a group of terrorists among terrorists! Everyone feared them and yet no one knew who they were! Yet, they were careless!

   “Silence.” Nightmare said with such authority, but not a bit of anger behind it. It was unnerving. He looked at Killer, “Continue.”

   “Look we’re all to blame for this, even Error since he recommended it to us. All we can do is prepare. Starting with them.” Killer changed the slide to show staff members. There are a few recognizable faces. “Our first concern is Alter Royal Script, ex-military, he was tasked with the rescue and capture. He left after discovering his unit was responsible for executions of the young, his younger brother was the leader of said unit. He’s the lead security guard, and he dresses casually to lower opposites defeases. Our next concern hits home.” Killer said as he eyed Nightmare. 

   “Dream, the lead of the toddler room is also their intel collector. He also trained in many forms of long-range weapons. Mainly a sniper and bow and arrow.” Everyone was silent as they tried to process the newest information. 

   “Your younger brother…is an ex-military?” The first part was a shocker, but this one takes the cake. Nightmare is secretly a terrorist leader and his younger brother is secretly an ex-military. Yet, neither one knew. Not only that, but Cross has been openly flirting with him. That was bad no matter how you phrase it.

   “Apparently.”

“Apparently?! How could you not know your younger brother was in the military?!” Dust asked frustrated. Nightmare didn’t back down as one of his tentacles wrapped around him in a suffocating grip. Horror shielded Blue from the sight.

“The same reason, he doesn’t know about me!” Nightmare’s voice became chilling and filled with the intent to kill. As he spoke his grip grew tighter, Dust struggled to move as his bone slowly started bending. As he was about to be broken, he was trusted back a few feet. Nightmare retracted his tar tentacles and signaled for Killer to continue.

   “Dream was recruited to join a special task force. Main objective, True Protection. Their task varies from person to person, arresting gangs, seeing real punishment for police, volunteering, and such. They do pretty much anything to protect. Dream his task handling the No Names.” 

   “No Names?” Cross asked.

   “The people dealing with underground dealings, murder, disappearings, and anything. If try questioning a victim, they won’t have much to say. Basically, people like us. Dream is tasked with tracking and arresting No Names and he’s no amateur. In the time he was recruited, he has located over thirteen No Names around the world and arrested seven of them. Luckily, he hasn’t been assigned to track us…yet. The unit’s individuals are highly classified, but I was able to identify a few of them and one in particular.” Killer chanced the slide and Dust, who was back in his chair.

   “SERIOUSLY?!” The image on screen was none other than Error’s husband, Ink. “I knew there was something off about that guy!”

   “As always, your feeling was right. Ink was also recruited in the same unit, but he has no military background or law enforcement of any kind.”

   “So, why recruit a civilian for a special unit dealing is dangerous criminals?” Cross asked.

   “I have a guess.” Killer changed the image to a clinic, “Ink was one of many testers for a new drug that can willingly change your emotions. It was supposed to help reduce anger and depression, among other things.” He pulled up images of the pills and a variety of color viles. “Error confirmed the information, but whether it worked or not wasn’t confirmed. I think that’s why he was recruited.”

“I…don’t follow.” Horror said. Killer signed.

“They are using him for interrogations.” Dust said. Everyone knows Horror isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to things. Dust knows this better than anyone, so he’s the one to dumb things down for him.

“If he can change his emotions at will, he can relate or threaten the target. Making getting information a lot easier.” Horror nodded seeming to understand Dust’s explanation.

   “Right. Thankfully, Ink is an open book to Error so he basically told him everything about the tests. And that he’s still on them. They send him a liquid form of the drug of happiness that lasts for a month and a new one for a week.”  

   “Um-” Sensing Horror’s question, Killer stopped him.

   “They’re liquid because Ink didn’t take them in pill form, so they made them child-friendly. They even add food coloring and fruit flavoring. Since the drug doesn’t work on anyone, but Ink, they're also safe for kids.” Killer waited a minute, in case Horror had any more questions. When he didn’t, Killer looked towards the other two skeletons, “Questions?”

   It was quiet at first, Dust was the first to speak up.

   “So, what exactly is the plan?” It was a loaded question, but it was on everyone’s mind. They found out that they were walking freely into a lion’s den and were close to being caught from all angles. They’ve escaped the police many times and have many deposable tools at their disposal. They could escape, but was running the best option? Nightmare has a good cover, but the others including Blue are another story. They were too deep with the Daycare. Leaving suddenly only after a few weeks of care, was a red flag even with the proper documentation. They could fake an accident with Blue, but that’ll also be tricky in and out of the Daycare. Faking injuries would cause more suspicion and causing an accident would have more attention on them. No, they need to stay under their radar and as close as possible, but how? 

   Nightmare had a plan, but it was a gamble, but it also posed a great opportunity. 

   “We’re going to play house.” Nightmare looked at their confused faces as he continued, “As I said before, once done here we are going to pack and destroy everything. Then we’re going to temporarily split up and lay low for a month or two for adjustments. Each of us will have different living arrangements, which have already been obtained. Dust and Horror will be the only ones in the same space since they have Blue. Questions?”

   “I’m confused.” Said Dust, “I see why we’re doing this, but…why?”

   “They are a threat.” Nightmare simply said, “We can run from the FBI because we have pawns on the inside for an escape. Even without them, they won’t hold us for long. This is different. If they capture us, the odds of escaping are lowered. So we’re going to destroy them.”

Everyone tensed. Taking out threats is common and a very tedious task, but this was a challenge. The tiniest mistake can have them caught, so they need to be precise. Not only that, there were people in there that the group had connections with. Emotional connections. Weaknesses. Weaknesses that mess be eliminated. 

“So, we’re going to put our nonurgent assignments on hold, so we can focus on this. Dust will focus on setting an image. Horror you’ll be assigned to a butcher shop. Killer, Cross, you’ll give us every detail of information you’ve given them. We need to make sure we play our part perfectly. If the information is flexible, we can take on some small jobs. Questions?”

   “Um, yeah.” Cross slowly raised his hand, “How…exactly are we going to-um-take them out? I-I mean y-your brother or Ink, how do we handle them?” Cross was flustered as sweat ran down his skull. Nightmare stared hard at him as he gave his answer.

   “Terminating each member is a good start, but not permanent. They’ll just hire someone else and keep going and learning.” He started pacing while keeping contact, “We need something permanent and scarring to even the toughest of souls. Tell me. What does every member of this team have in common?”

No one rushed to answer.

   “No wrong answers.” Nightmare said, but silence. Until Dust raised his hand.

   “Their monsters.”

   “Good answer. Yes, everyone in the special unit is a monster. Monsters are weaker than humans due to are fragile souls, but we live far longer. Need little food, we heal faster, and our death is an easy cleanup. But there’s something else.”

   “A reason?” Killer said.

   “Yes!” Nightmare said with a grin, “They all have reason to be on the unit. They all joined for that reason. To protect the weak from us. So, in order to destroy them and keep our business we need to destroy their reason. Their will. Their motive! Their determination to protect! Once their determination is nothing but dust, they’re be nothing but lifeless toys for our own pleasure!”

As Nightmare spoke, something snapped in everyone. Nothing should surprise them because they’ve done it all. Murder, rape, abductions, illegal sales, and more. Nothing was foreign to them too, but what Nightmare was possessing was new. They’ve shattered and dusted the souls of many monsters, but breaking a monster’s hopes? Their goal? Their reason? Their… D E T E R M I N A TI O N . Seeing the light in their eyes loses their color, their light, their shine, their will, and yet the soul still beats. Their mind and bodies are traumatized by their failure. Waiting for someone to twist and mold them into whatever the other desired. This chilled their souls and sent shivers down their spines.

   It was EXHILARATING . Large toothy grins all form on their faces, excited for their biggest mission and its rewards. Ideas of such rewards came to their minds, some as simple as money and others a bit more intimidating. Like a toy for releasing daily frustrations. Oh, the wonderful things they could receive and if no reward was gained, the experience would be enough. Oh, the wonder things they could do. 

   “When do we get started?” Horror asked as he clawed at his skull in anticipation.

   “Now.” Nightmare said as his tentacles gently took Blue, “Now that your hands are free. Get packing.” They all rushed out of the room, leaving Nightmare and Blue alone. Nightmare took Blue into his arms and stared at him. 

   “Hi,” Blue said with a smile and Nightmare smiled back.

   “Hi, Blue. Do you want to help me with something?” Blue nodded eagerly, “Good. You’re going to be a perfect little helper.”

Chapter Text

  Two months. It’s just two months. Eight weeks. No problem. Yep, two months of playing house as a businessman. With an adorable child and an ogre as a husband. Two months of smiling, tolerating annoying people and their equally annoying families. Pretending to care about little Giovanni’s milestones. It’s only been a week since they moved into this neighborhood and Dust wanted to slaughter all of them. Sadly, they had to lay low for a while before they could initiate their plan. As complicated as it was, it would take time as well. If he had to guess they’ll probably be here for a year or two, maybe three to tie up all loose ends.

  “Mama?” Dust looked down to Blue in his arms.

  “Yes, Blue?” Blue brought his hand to his mouth and tapped it a few times. “You hungry?” Blue nodded as he laid his head on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I think they're about to have breakfast.” Dust said as he walked into the Daycare.

  Blue was the only thing that kept Dust and Horror sane. Not being able to kill took a toll on them, Horror the most. Being a cannibal isn’t easy when you can’t eat human or monster meat. Animals were okay, but it wasn’t the same for Horror.

  Once Blue was checked in, Dust took him to his room and was met with a very cheerful Dream.

  “Good Morning, Blue!” It was way too early for this. Dust thought he would be used to this by now, but he guessed not. It was still annoying.

  Blue giggled at the greeting but still stayed cuddled up next to Dust. Dust signed Blue into their sign-in sheet and handed Blue over to Dream. Dust waved goodbye and so did Blue, who started to tear up as Dust headed for the door. Blue was outgoing, but goodbyes were always the hardest for him. Dust wasn’t worried. His uncle was there.

  “MAMA!” Blue cried out as the door closed. 

  “It’s okay, Blue.” Dreamsaid as he bounced and patted Blue’s back. “He’ll be back in no time.” Dreamed started to walk as he talked to Blue in a soothing voice. 

  “Is everything okay?” Asked a voice close to Dream.

  “I’m okay, drop-offs are hard for him. He’ll calm down in a few minutes.” 

  “May I try?” Dream turned to the voice with a shocked and confused look. 

  “You wanna hold him?” Dream said in disbelief, “Are you feeling okay brother?” The skeleton rolled his eyes before he took Blue from Dream.

  “Hello Tiny. Are you okay?” Blue looked up to see a new person. He wore a dark purple sweater and black pants. The dark clothes made his bones more white. He also wore a gold crown on his head. He looked and talked differently, but Blue knew it was him. “I’m Nightmare. What’s your name?”

  “Mama,” Blue said as he buried his face into Nightmare’s sweater. He felt the skeleton rub his back. Blue sniffed and relaxed in Nightmare’s arms. Blue was a bit confused as to why he looked different, but he liked the skeleton either way.

  “Wow, Nightmare!” Dream said impressed, “You are really good with him! Here I thought you hated children.”

  “I do,” Nightmare said glaring at his younger brother. “The crying was giving me a headache. How can you bear it?”

  “It just takes practice and patience.” Dream said proudly, “But I’m still impressed you could calm him down so fast. It usually takes him a few minutes.”

  “Just dumb luck.” Nightmare said as he put Blue with the other children. He immediately started waddling to the kitchen area. There were others in the area but not a lot. A few monsters and a few humans, they were nice…sometimes. They didn’t matter right now, what mattered was when he was going to eat. 

  “That might be true or it could be that my grumpy brother might have a soft spot.” Dream said as he set up the table for breakfast. 

  “Wow.” Nightmare said as grab plates, “I have a soft spot for a creature that cries over the littlest thing and costs a lot of money to keep alive. It’s a miracle.” Nightmare said sarcastically as he started to set the small table. 

  Dream scoffed. Nightmare’s likes were a very short list, even as a child he didn’t like many things. He just read books alone. He never liked people and it didn’t matter who or what they are. He never liked them. Dream was the opposite and he drew people in, which made Nightmare more distant. 

  “I’m serious, brother.” Dream said while helping, “I’ve never seen you so relaxed around a child before and vice versa!”

  “Dream, we haven’t seen each other in decades. Besides you told me some of the kids were easy, so don’t make a big deal out of it.” Nightmare quickly ended the conversation. Dream’s smile lowered a bit to Nightmare’s words. He was right. It had been decades since they’d seen each other.   

  “Wow, that long, time sure flies when you’re a monster.” They didn’t say anything after that, the only words that were spoken were to the children. Telling them it was time to eat. The twins washed their hands and the children and placed them at the table. Nightmare was sitting on the floor with the smaller ones that couldn’t eat solid food. He listened to Dream as he talked to the children about their food.

  “So how were your travels? See anything exciting?” Dream asked.

  “Not really.” Nightmare said simply, “I visited Japan a few times, their flowers are nice in the spring. Their stories are interesting. Italy has some good food and the buildings are beautiful. Though the water boats made me a bit nauseous.” 

  As Nightmare rambled on about his travels, Dream sat in shock. His brother. His quiet, loner, bookworm of an older twin brother was actually having a conversation with him. Dream gave a big smile as he listened intently to his brother’s words, not missing a single detail. 

  Dream continued to ask questions and Nightmare answered. Dream did have to correct him on his language around the innocent ones, but it was a pleasant conversation. Dream showed Nightmare the basics in the room, like how to change a diaper, bottle feedings, and check the sign-in sheets. It was perfect to Dream, having his brother back in his life. He hoped it could last forever. They were a good team, like Ying and Yang, you can’t have one without the other. Dream was great at cheering people up and helping them see the bright side of things. Nightmare was good at calming people and settling their greatest fears, but just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you have to like it. Which brought them to their current situation.

  “Dream!”

  “Y-Yes, brother?” Dream hesitated as he turned to see Nightmare holding another crying infant. “May I ask what happened to Oliva?”

  “She was pulling someone’s hair and I scolded her.”

  “Nightmare.” Dream groaned as he took the infant. “You can’t scold an infant.”

  “Why?” 

  “Because they don’t know any better. We have to guide them and teach them right from wrong. Even if they do wrong we need to correct them and show them a better way.” It was Nightmare’s turn to groan.

  “This is the fifth time she pulled a child’s hair. You think she would learn by now.” He said clearly frustrated at the small infant.

  “I know it can be frustrating, but she is an infant. We just have to be patient with her. Rome wasn’t built in a day ya know. Can you get the mats for nighttime please?” Dream walked away to a clear area to comfort the child, Nightmare scoffed rolled his eyes, and went to get the mats. 

  He set out three mats with the child’s personal blanket, set the music, and turned off the lights. He gave the area a look and tilted his head to the side. He went over the the thermostat and adjusted the settings, he changed the music to natural sound with soft music and surrounded the mats with pillows. He even moved the cribs away from the sun's rays. It wasn’t perfect, but it’ll have to do. He placed the pretoddlers on their mats, while Dream rocked the infants to sleep. It didn’t take long for the pretoddlers to sleep, but it took Dream a while to get all the infants down.

  “Wowie Nightmare! I’m impressed! It usually takes me ages to get even a few of them to sleep. You’re amazing!” 

  “Shhh, you’ll wake them!” Nightmare said in a hushed voice. “Besides, it’s nothing special.”

  “Nothing!” Nightmare shushed Dream again, he gave an apologetic look as he continued. “Brother, you underestimate yourself. You just helped five kids find peace and relaxation with just a few stuffed animals and a change in music. On the first try! It took me months to figure them out and it still confuses me, but you nail it on your first day. That’s not nothing, that’s something.”

  Nightmare rolled his eyes.

  “That was very corny, brother.” Dream chuckled at his brother’s honesty.

  “Corny as it might be, it still holds truth. You’re amazing and I can’t wait to see the great things you’ll do.” Nightmare gave a small smile. Great things. Yes, he couldn’t wait either. 

  They sat in silence listening to the sounds of rain and birds. It was peaceful for a few minutes until a faint whine alerted them. Dream sighed in frustration. Nightmare turned to the sound of the whining and it was Blue. He still had his eyes closed, but was tossing and grabbing at his blanket and at the air. It didn’t take long for his whining to turn into screams of distress. Dream stood and went to Blue, he picked him up and patted his back. His cries didn’t die down and lasted seven minutes before Nightmare spoke up.

  “What’s wrong with him?” He asked annoyed.

  “Night terrors.” Dream said in distress, “He never had them before, but it started two weeks ago.”

  “Did you talk to the parents?” Dream nodded.

  “They said Blue usually sleeps with them most nights but decided to put him in his own bed in a different room. They didn’t think it would cause terrors. It has gotten so bad that even when Blue sleeps with them he gets them. I’ve held him, pat him, given water and milk, but nothing soothes him. I don’t know what to do. If this keeps up I fear the worst.”

  Dream was being dramatic. The worst that would happen is Blue being cracky for a few days. After the group’s meeting, Nightmare told Horror and Dust to slowly separate from Blue temporarily. Just enough for Blue to cause some disturbance that Nightmare can hold. Night terrors were just the result of this. It was a simple fix. Nightmare took Blue from Dream with little resistance.

  “Take a break. I got him.” He said.

  “Are you sure?” Nightmare gave a nod. Dream, still unsure, reluctantly didn’t push any further. He watched Nightmare grab a book and sit in a rocking chair. He moved Blue so his head was on his shoulder and started to read out loud. His voice was soft and slow, relaxing even. Dream hasn’t heard his voice like this in a long time, he was jealous that Blue brought it out. Yet, thankful that he did. Nightmare’s reading and calm voice soothe the child until his cries and tears stop. Nightmare finished the book and read it again in the same manner, until he was certain Blue was asleep.

  Nightmare stood up carefully, going as slowly as possible to Blue’s mat. He set Blue down and covered him with a blanket. Nightmare took a moment to watch him sleep. He felt a weight on his shoulder and heard a small chuckle.

  “Told you, you are great at this.” Dream said.

  “Dumb luck, but I didn’t think he would sleep for me. I never saw myself as comforting or approachable.” Dream giggled.

  “We may be older, stronger, and sometimes more intelligent. With that being said, we still don’t know what goes through the minds of young children. Their minds are a mystery, so we cannot decide or explain who they trust. If he feels safe with you, he must see something in you.”

  “Doubt it.” Nightmare spoke the truth. There was nothing good inside him that should be comforting. It didn’t matter if Blue was sick in the head, he wasn’t good. Not nice, safe, comforting, or anything. Whatever Blue is thinking is wrong because there’s nothing inside him. There hasn’t been for a long time.

  It took some time to get Blue back on his mat. He was very clingy to Nightmare, he cried on his mat and with Dream. He just wanted Nightmare, it got to the point where Nightmare had to lie down with Blue. Blue held on to his finger as he lay there, eyes half open and making sure Nightmare stayed. Blue wiggled closer to Nightmare, so his face was buried into the larger skeleton’s chest. Nightmare froze. He glanced at Dream, to see his brother with a big smile. It looked like he was trying to hold back a squeal.

  Nightmare ignored him and turned back to Blue. His face was peaceful and it made his stomach turn and his head was quiet. When Nightmare was sure Blue was fully asleep, he moved. 

  “Nice work.” Dream said with a smile.

  “It was nothing.” Nightmare said brushing off the compliment.

  “You know.” Dream started, he hesitated before continuing, “We have an opening here. If you’re interested?” Dream asked cautiously.

  “No thanks.” Nightmare quickly answered. Dream puffed u his cheeks in frustration.

  “You didn’t even think about it.” Dream grumbled.

  “Dream, taking care of kids, isn’t me. I’ll mess up and make things worse for you. Or worse.”

  “You don’t know that and even if you did, you can learn from your mistakes. I’ll even be here to help you, we can be together…like old times.” Dream started to sound desperate for Nightmare to join, but it wasn’t enough. He needed Dream to beg him to join.

  Their last conversation probably weighed on Dream’s soul and that was all the leverage Nightmare needed. Using a person’s guilt is a common strategy, in this case, it was Nightmare’s most powerful weapon. Dream may have grown in many ways, but deep down he was still his naive little brother. Oblivious to the real threat before him.

  “Sorry, but I can’t.”

  “Nightmare, I-”

  “I need to get going.” Nightmare said as he headed towards the door.

  “Please!” Dream called out as he grabbed his hand. Like clockwork. Nightmare held back the large grin trying to form on his face. “Please…think about it. I don’t-I want us-I-” Dream struggled to find his words. Nightmare could feel him trembling. “I can’t lose you again.” Those were the last words Nightmare heard before pulling his arm away and walking out. 

  He speed walked out of the building into his car and drove off. When he was a good distance away, he called Dust.

  “Yes, Boss?” Dust answered.

  “Go pick up Blue in three hours. Ask how he slept and if I’m brought up in conversation, give me mild praise. I’m sure you can handle it from there.” Nightmare ordered.

  “Rodger that.” Dust replied before hanging up. 

  Everything was going according to plan, but it was too soon to tell. If he was correct after he stormed out, someone would have entered the room to check on Dream. If it was a close friend, then Dream would tell them everything that happened. They will listen and hopefully give some decent advice that’ll lead to Nightmare being recommended for a lower position. Every piece is moving the way he wanted, except for one.

  Blue. Nightmare except the small skeleton to be unpredictable, but clinging on to him wasn’t something he anticipated. It was strange. The turning feeling he felt when Blue moved closer and was at peace. Dream’s words came back to him like a bolt of lightning, he tried to shake them but couldn’t. Questions rushed into his mind, but the same question repeated many times.

What does Blue see, in them?

Chapter Text

  “Boss?” Nightmare was sitting on the couch in Dust and Horror’s house. Playing the part of their new acquaintance. He used this opportunity as a statute report, but he needed every detail in this brief period so as to not raise suspicion.  “Can you take Blue?”

  “Excuse me?” Nightmare said glaring at the two skeletons.

  “Boss, Blue hasn’t been sleeping well since we started this plan.” Dust explains, “When we get him down he cries minutes later. We can’t sleep.”

Nightmare expected there to be backlashes at this part. He already told them to cease the distancing between them, looks like it worked too well. He wasn’t his concern or his problem to fix.

  “May I remind you two, that this happened because you simpletons failed a mission.” Nightmare snapped with venom, “Now, you want him to fix it? You two deserve this and many more.”

  The two skeletons shrieked away at the sudden lashing out. Being sleep-deprived made them too tired to snap back, among other things. Dust has been actually trying to build his and Nightmare’s reputation in and out of the Center. Horror has been working at a butcher shop and handling small jobs. With that plus a pretoddler crying a majority of the night, they were about to collapse. Nightmare’s words did ring true, but he had to think logically. These two were critical to his plan to take down that center and have that team in his control. These two were worthless like this. However, this could be a great opportunity. Nightmare scoffed and took Blue from Horror.

  “Get out of my sight.” The two didn’t argue as they went to their respective rooms for some rest. He heard Horror drop onto his bed and his snoring. That didn’t take long. Nightmare sighed and looked at Blue. Blue looked back with his pacifier in his mouth.  

  “As always,” Nightmare started, “you’re causing trouble without trying.” Nightmare gently ran his fingers on Blue’s skull, he stopped once his palm was close to Blue’s cheek. Without a second thought, Blue rested his head into his palm and closed his eyes as he relaxed. The little skeleton felt warm and soft. 

  “You are…something. Whether you are useful or a problem, you are…something.” 

  “Mh?” Blue asked as he opened his eyes. 

  “I’m impressed that you could capture my group’s affection so easily. Even Dust and Killer are pudgy in your hands. Now I wander…” Nightmare didn’t finish as he got up and strapped Blue in his stroller. He packed basic snacks and Blue’s water bottle and headed out. Nightmare had a theory. It was proven with his group, but now he needed extra clarification, and what better way to test a child’s abilities than at a local park.

  Dust already told him what happened the last time Blue went to a park. Dust was punished for letting his guard down, but not harshly. Nightmare will make sure not to repeat Dust’s failure, besides they only going for a stroll. No stops.

  “My!” a feminine voice called out in a joyful tone. Nightmare looked to see a female couple, one a monster and one a hybrid. “What a glorious baby!” The monster said, “Are they yours?”.

  “No, I’m just babysitting.” Nightmare said as he continued to walk. The couple strayed from their own path to follow.

  “How old is he?” One asked.

  “I don’t know.” 

  “What’s his name?” The other asked.

  “Blue.”

  “Does he live near here?”

  “I can’t tell you that.” 

  “He is SO adorable.” They said. Blue didn’t seem to mind the attention or the strangers joining them. The women continued to praise and coo over Blue. This continued until they reached the park’s entrance. They waved goodbye and went in the opposite direction. Nightmare thought that was the end of it, but another couple noticed Blue and it was a repeat of the last. They talked and gave Nightmare tips on taking care of a child, but based on their lack of exhaustion and lack of brains. They don’t have kids. They gave Blue a blanket to keep him warm, but it was already warm outside. Nightmare threw it away once they left.

  The next couple was far older, they talked about their kids, their grandkid, and their great-grandkids. They wished they could go back to their tiny baby days, they gave Blue a lollipop and continued on. It was thrown away.

  A group of children were next. They asked the most questions with no room for Nightmare to answer. Some compared Blue to their siblings and others wished they had a sibling. They didn’t last long as parents called them away. They handed Blue their toys which were removed.  

  This cycle seemed endless and they weren’t even halfway done with their walk. People kept coming and going until Nightmare was surrounded. He tried to shoo them off, so he could see but they kept asking question after question. If this keeps up they’re going to-

  “Ah!” Crash. The people moved and Nightmare internally groaned to see a tall female skeleton monster. She was dressed in business formal red and black clothing. She also had men and women dressed in suits around her. There was a smaller body hiding behind her, but he couldn’t see them that well. Nightmare saw that their strollers bumped into each other. Her was custom-made by some designer and in the same color set as her suit. They looked expensive, but there was no scratch so it should be fine. When Nightmare looked at her face, she had other thoughts. 

  “I’ll have to call you back.” She said as she ended her call. “Do you have any idea…what you have done!?” Before Nightmare could even get a sound out the woman rushed to the front of her stroller and opened the cover. “You could have hurt my angel!!” Angel?

  She turned to face Nightmare and he was taken aback. Inside her stroller was a skeleton child that was similar to Blue. There were some differences, but they do look the same.  Blue had sky blue, eye lights, and a more bubbly and gentle appearance. This skeleton had red eye lights and was sharper and… intimidating. The woman noticed their similarities as well. 

  “This-This could be- You.” She said pointing at Nightmare, “What is this little one’s name?” She asked not taking her eyes off Blue.

  “Blue.”

  “Blue? Are you his permanent guardian?” She asked.

  “No. I’m just babysitting.” 

  “Babysitting. Shame.” The woman snapped her fingers and one of the people closest to her handed Nightmare a card. “Give this to Blue’s parents and have them contact my assistant as soon as possible.” Nightmare took the card and went to reply, but the woman already returned to her phone call and walked off. With the group in tow.

  “That was something,” said Nightmare. He turned his attention to the card in his hand. His mouth turned into a large grin. “Blue, you are definitely useful. I’d be a fool to give you back.”

  Nightmare returned to the house to hear Horror and Dust were still sleeping. He unloaded Blue and his things into the living room. Nightmare placed toys in front of Blue, but he made no motion for them. Nightmare did notice as he was occupied with the small card from that woman. He pulled out his phone and opened up Dust’s fake email for his persona. He started composing an email, it was simple and professional considering Dust’s persona is a businessman. 

Blue gave a low moan, Nightmare turned to see Blue still staring at his toys. His eyes started to droop and his head slowly went down, they suddenly snapped open. He yawns and weakly picks up the closest toy. Nightmare sighed and quickly sent the email.

  “Sleep finally caught up to you?” Nightmare picked Blue up and put him in a cradling position. Blue automatically nuzzled his head in the bigger skeleton. Nightmare dug into Blue’s bag and pulled out his pacifier. Blue took the offer and gently nuzzled back into Nightmare. They went into Blue’s room and sat down on the rocking chair and just waited for Blue to sleep.

  It never came. Nightmare waited for what felt like hours but only thirty minutes. Blue never slept, he was obviously tired if the droopy eyes were any indication. Perhaps the two were right, his plan worked a little…too well. A mistake he’s willing to accept, but not admit out loud. He got up from his seat, his lower half was sore from sitting too long but he adjusted. He turned off the light, closed the blinds halfway, turned on the night lights, and returned to the chair. He repositioned Blue, so the smaller skeleton was lying on his chest. As the two started moving back and forth, Nightmare rubbed Blue’s back and hummed a lullaby.

  Blue went to sleep after a few minutes, but Nightmare continued to rock and hum to him until he was certain the pretoddler was asleep. A few more minutes passed by until it was time to move Blue to his crib. The small skeleton moaned in discomfort but settled down, Nightmare continued to hum as he slowly moved back to the chair. He probably should stay for a few more minutes to ensure he’s actually asleep. Just a few minutes.

It hurts. His legs hurt, but he can’t stop. If he does-

 “Nighty!” Someone called with a cheery voice. “Where did you go?” A sweet voice. “We were just playing around.” He kept running. He can’t stop. 

  He turned to see if they were close, but tripped and fell. He hit hard on the ground. He tried to get up and escape before-

  Nightmare felt a tug on his leg. He looked back to see shadowy figures with wide smiles.

  “Nighty~,” They said, “You’re hurt. Let’s us help~” The figures started grabbing and pulling him back. Nightmare crawled and tried to reach for anything, he tried calling out but his voice was nonexistent. Once the figures had him close they started ripping his clothes and pinning his body. They shoved his face into the ground and moved his hips up. The dirt on his face was cleaner than the hands he felt on his body.

  He screamed as they had their way. He tried moving away from their rough touches. He tried blocking out their ‘sweet’ words that had more venom than any snake. He tried calling his brother. But he never came. Where is he? Where is he!? WHERE. WAS. DREAM !

  Nightmare jolted awake to the faint cry, he checked his surroundings to see he was in Blue’s room. He turned to see Blue tossing and turning in his sleep. Nightmare took a breath and wiped running sweat off his skull.

  “It’s okay, it’s just a bad dream. We get them all the time.” He said as he reached his hand between the bars of the crib to gently rub the tiny skeleton’s cheek. Blue suddenly took hold of Nightmare’s finger and soothed himself to sleep. Nightmare was speechless. When was the last time someone needed him like this? Maybe when he was a child, but even that was rare. 

  How can something so small be so bright and warm? People like Blue disgusted him. They’ll put on a mask of positivity and speak words that’ll bring your guard down. Once it’s down, you’ve basically handed yourself over to them. You will be their puppet and toy until you die, even if you manage to leave or they decide they're done with you. They will always have control. 

  He didn’t see that in Blue, it could be that he’s only a child now and might grow to be that person. Blue could have the potential to be that person. If he is, he’ll be a problem either for them or for someone else. A little ball of energy and chaos in the purest form, a perfect weapon. He could grow and not change, a person too innocent and blind to see the reality. Something that needs protecting. 

  All Nightmare knew was that right now, Blue needed to be protected from his inner dreams. If Nightmare is the only one that can soothe him, then he must. But. If someone did harm the little skeleton in any other way, he’d have to find new ways to hide a body. Nightmare shook his head, what was he thinking? 

  Blue needing him, truly needing him was a fantasy for all of them. They’ll have little moments, but he shouldn’t get used to it. None of them should. Once we find a purpose for the Major, Blue will be gone. It was temporary. 

  Nightmare lay back and let sleep take him back into his own bad dreams. He felt a little squeeze of his finger and he returned in. That night, for the first time in a long time, he had a decent dream.  

Chapter Text

  “Boss?” Nightmare grumbled as he heard Dust calling him. “Boss?” Why is he trying to wake him up? He doesn’t need to go anywhere and they don’t have anything important today. Whatever it is, it can wait another few hours.
  “Boss! Wake up!” Dust said more urgently while shaking Nightmare. His eyes snapped open, he got up from his spot and loomed over Dust intending to strike.
  “This better be good?” Nightmare said. Dust simply raised Nightmare’s phone which had a few miscalls from his brother. Nightmare groaned as he relaxed into a normal stand, he took the phone and redialed his brother. It took a few rings until Dream answered.
  “Hello?” Nightmare said half awake.
  “H-Hello Brother.” Dream sounded distracted and frantic and the sound of items being moved around could be heard in the background. “Sorry to bother you, but can you come to the center today? They’re short-staffed today and I am unable to come in at this moment.”
  “Wait, where are you?” Nightmare asked.
  “I’m handling a few things, but I should be in later. They just need a little support for a few minutes…hours? Please?” Nightmare thought for a moment.
  “Okay, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Dream sighed a breathed a relief.
  “Thank you, Nightmare. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Nightmare ‘Tsk’ at his brother’s words and he ended the call before Dream could say another word. ‘I’ll make it up to you’. Dream has spouted the same phrase for decades and never committed. Some many promised to reward Nightmare for his acts of service to his brother, broken. What a waste of breath.
  Nightmare checked his phone for the time, 11:37, lunch had started for the kids, and would be going to sleep soon. No time to search the area. He needed a way to distract a few staff members so someone could sneak around. A fire drill? Maybe, Horror could pretend to be a firefighter and search the building. The cameras would be a problem though and given his size he would be easy to notice. The ‘who’ is a question, but the how is another. How to handle the cameras without raising any suspension? 
  Nightmare continued his thoughts as he got ready to leave. His thoughts continued on the drive to the daycare, but no solutions came to him. It was giving him a headache. No matter, once done he’ll call a strategy meeting and brainstorm some ideas. As soon as Nightmare walked into the building, Dream rushed him!
  “Oh! Thank stars you’re here!” Dream said frantically, “I need you with the Infants with me, so my coworker can be with the older kids.” Dream said as he started pushing Nightmare on the back towards the classroom.
  “Hey! Quit pushing you’re gonna make my trip!” Nightmare said trying not to lose his balance, “What’s happened to make you like this?”
  “Birthdays.” Dream said exhaustedly, “We have a birthday being celebrated today and the parents are bringing cupcakes at three. But! We have kids with special diets so some can’t have them. So we have to give them something else so they don’t get upset! I wanted to give them a variety of fruits, but no my coworker thought popsicles were better and left to go get some. Now, I have to-” Dream continues to panic over his dilemma. His words start to get faster as they enter the room to the point it’s gibberish.
  Nightmare listens as he gets ready to assist him. Dream continued as he quickly set the mats out for naptime, tripping a few times. He fumbled with the iPad, dropped the water on the floor, ran into a wall, and many other things. It got to a point where Nightmare had to step in, he forced Dream to sit with the kids while he finished up. Dream was allowed to continue his ranting, but nothing more. His going ended once all the kids were asleep.  
  “Let me get this straight.” Nightmare said bluntly, “You were overwhelmed by a birthday and lack of staff.” 
  “It’s more than that, but yeah.” the younger skeleton said defeated, “The worst part is that it’s not even their actual birthdays. The parents want to celebrate it early and have the actual party over the weekend. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it's a lot when not planned.”
  This may be too much of a coincidence, but this is just too perfect and simple. 
  “We’re going to celebrate Blue’s birthday.” Nightmare announced to the group. Confused looks were on everyone’s faces. After his shift at the daycare, Nightmare summoned the group to a local park. They set it up so to outlookers the group met by chance. They were all dressed in casual attire. 
  “Why?” Killer asked.
  “We’re going to use Blue’s birthday as a temporary distraction so one of you can look around.” 
  “But why a birthday?” Dust asked next.
  “I saw my brother get overwhelmed at the center by a single birthday and lack of staff. He was so disoriented and exhausted it was amusing.” He said as he chuckled.
  “If a single birthday can cause him to be in chaos, imagine if there were multiple. They’ll be so busy handling the kids and parents to even care about us.” Killer said with enthusiasm but it was short-lived by Nightmare’s ‘tsk tsk’.
  “You’re getting excited. We don’t need multiple birthdays. One will do. For this to work, some of the staff will need to take a sick day.  Killer and Cross, you two will look around the center. Horror I want you to bake something.”
  The group, aside from Horror, froze at their leader's request. Horror wasn’t bad when it came to cooking or baking. He was good enough not to set fire to the kitchen, but his ingredients made the dishes inedible for anyone. Even the gang.
  “Horror’s going to make the staff a taste treat. Something simple and sweet as a ‘Thank You’, they won’t think twice about it. Use anything we have. Dust, will deliver the treats and inform the staff of Blue’s big day and inform them that you will celebrate it at the center during snack. Also, inform them about a few more guests.” 
  “Wait, won’t the staff figure out that the treats we give are the source of missing staff?” Dust asked.
  “They won’t, we’ll plan his birthday the same day as their potluck. They won’t be able to tell which dish was bad. Any other questions?” 
  With no answer, the group separated for the day and began to prepare for the morning. Dust arrived at the center just before breakfast, he dropped off Blue and went to the front desk. As instructed he told the front desk about Blue’s upcoming birthday. They gave him the information but seemed uneasy about having a full-on party at the center. It took some “reassurance” for them to agree on his terms, after all, it was a special day. They asked for the day of the party and Dust was out the door.
  With that handled, all he could do now was wait, complete small assignments, and keep his cover going. In other words, he had a lot of free time while Blue was in their care. There had to be something he could do. He went to his car and sat in thought about how to spend his free time. He could take a nap in a day or hour, everyone was busy, he didn’t want to see Error, and everything else was meh. He pulled out and unlocked his phone in hopes the internet had some entertainment. 
  He saw he had a missed message from Nightmare from a few days ago, Dust opened it and it read, ‘Call them’. The text was attached to a photo of a business card, it was black with elegant shiny red font. Oh yeah, Nightmare did tell him a woman gave him a card. Who was this? If this person can cure his boredom, Dust didn’t care. He dialed the number and waited.
  “Wednesday Gaster. Speak.” Wednesday Gaster? Where has he heard that name before? 
  “Hello. This is Twilight. Are you the one who gave my babysitter your card?” Dust asked sternly.
  “Are you the parent of a young child named Blue?” What does she want with Blue? It’s now becoming apparent that Blue is a magnet of affection and attention. Innocent and not. It might be a bigger problem if not dealt with, he should talk to Nightmare about this.
  “Yes. What business do you have with my child?” Dust demand.
  “Mmm.” Wednesday hummed with a bit of amusement, “I would like to strike a business proposition, that will benefit you handsomely.” Dust didn’t reply so she continued, “I run a fashion industry and I’ve been searching for the next big thing, but not just anything. Your son could be part of it.”
  “Interesting. What exactly is this big thing? I will not proceed until I have more information at this very moment.” It was clear she was a businesswoman, loreing people with a taste of promises. Once you’re in, it’ll be too late. The best way to go at this is to demand information upfront and get as much information before the meeting.
  “Your son has something I thought couldn’t be replicated, he’s adorable and magnificent. Just like my youngest son and I want to capture it. Your child is adorable and if you join me, it would benefit him. You can put the money in a trust fund or save it for his education. You can even save enough so he doesn't have to work a day in his life, but this is a limited-time offer.”
  That’s bullshit. It’s not limited. It’s clear she wants Blue and if he says no she’ll do whatever it takes to have him. Which means more trouble and unwanted attention, but on the other hand. Nightmare gave this task for a reason. Why? Dust has no clue, but it’s obvious Nightmare wants her in his backpack, and taking this route is the better option. If that’s the case, he’ll play but he won’t make it easy.
  “My~ With a deal like that how can I refuse.”
  “Great! I-” Dust cut her off before she said another word.
  “3 O’Clock at Sunshine’s Daycare, four weeks from now. We’ll iron out some details. Bring your child and a gift for Blue’s birthday. Don’t be late.” With that Dust hung up and tossed his phone into the passenger chair. Dust grinned at himself as he imagined her slamming the phone down and swearing, now that someone lower than her could order her around. Taking power away from someone so high up, made him hot. 
  He felt his pants becoming tight, he could handle it quickly but he was still in the daycare’s parking lot. Best take care of it in private. 
  Days passed and it was finally Blue’s special day. Horror took it upon himself to clean and dress Blue since it was a special day the false family decided to sleep in. Once clean, Horror dressed Blue in a frilly baby blue dress, white slippers, and a bow on his skull.
  “Blue you look adorable~” Horror said nuzzling into the pretoddler. Blue squealed at the gesture and reached his small arm around Horror’s skull. The larger skeleton put Blue on the floor and pulled out his phone. He then proceeded to take pictures of Blue in his new dress. The door to Blue’s room opened and Dust entered looking down at his phone.
  “Horror is Blue re-what the hell is he wearing?” Dust said see Blue in Horror’s chosen outfit.
  “He likes it.” Horror said as he continued to take pictures. Blue looked towards Dust and smiled, he held a part of his dress and lifted it up for Dust to see.
  “Mama!” Dust sighs and kneels down to Blue’s height.
  “Hey, Baby Blue. Are you wearing a dress?” Blue waved the clothing around, seeing it move. Dust wanted to argue, but Blue was cute in that dress and he did seem to like it. Dust picked up Blue and stood up, ready to leave. “Once the party is over, I’ll bring Blue back so we can do presents. Nightmare, Cross, Error, and I will keep the staff busy, while Killer searches the center. You’re on standby in case things go south. Understand?” Horror nodded. “Where are the brownies?”
  “Kitchen counter.” Dust nodded and turned to leave until Horror stopped him. “Pictures?” Horror simply requested. Dust rolled his eyes.
  “Yes, I’ll take pictures and send them to you. Say ‘By-”
  “You look nice.” Dust paused and started at Horror with a confused look.
  “Uh. What?” That was all Dust could say. Horror lifted up his finger and directed it at Dust’s chest. 
  “Your outfit.” Horror said, “It looks nice on you. It’s new, right?” His outfit? It wasn’t anything special. Just a dark blue-grey button-up shirt with black pants. It was too tight for him and not enough spot for him to hide his knife, but it’ll get the job done. Dust has worn many clothes similar to this, but the fact Horror noticed was…nice.
  “Thanks.” 
  “But Blue is still cuter.” And he ruined it. Dust growled and turned to leave.
  “Say ‘Bye’, Blue.” Blue raised his hand and gave a tiny wave.  Horror gave a gentle smile and placed his forehead on Blue’s. When they parted, Dust picked up the brownies from the kitchen and made his way to the car.
  When they got to the center, Dust gave the front desk clerk the brownies, dropped off Blue in his classroom, and went to his car. As he pulled off, his phone rang and it was Nightmare. He swiped to answer.
  “Is Blue gone?” Nightmare asked.
  “Yep, safe in the building with Dream.”
  “Good, I texted Error to head to the Center around three. Did you contact that woman?”
  “I did. She’s coming to the Center at three as well. Why is she important?” Dust was curious about their leader’s reason for interacting skeleton woman. From the way she acts, she's powerful in the business world but they are more dangerous. Maybe Nightmare wanted to trick her into making a deal with them? It wouldn’t be the first time they messed with a target, so they asked for their aid. That made the most sense, but they already had powerhouses in their debt. Why was she so special?
  “I’ll explain in due time. For now, listen to what she has to say and play your cards correctly. We already have what she wants, so she’ll be desperate to have it.” With that, Nightmare ended the call. Dust groaned. He hated going into something unprepared, but somehow he managed. He had some time before Blue’s snack and cupcake pick up, he could research this woman.
  Dust drove to a library and logged on to one of the computers. Since he is doing “innocent” research, he won’t cause too much suspicion from staff and outside eyes. He typed in the skeleton’s name in the search engine and thousands of articles appeared. Welp, Dust was right. Ms Wednesday Gaster is powerful, but that’s an understatement. She’s a fashion icon and designer. She has thousands of stores around the world and is known as ‘The Emperess’ because she has bankrupted fashion companies. Only to buy them for cheap with her ‘gracious’ deals, she has done this all over the globe.
  Interesting. This woman has a huge influence in the fashion industry and Dust bet she had other businesses too. Other sites confirmed she was close to celebrities and high politicians. If Dust can strike a deal with her, he’ll have access to her resources in multiple countries. Nightmare was right, he’ll need to play cards right.
  Dust tried to find pictures of her youngest son but to no avail. Then why would she brag about him, he thought there would be pictures or magazines of the ‘cutest’ baby. There were photos of her eldest son, if you can call them that. The photos taken have him hiding behind his mother or something else. Based on the photos he’s tall, maybe six or seven. To be sure, Dust found photos of her being pregnant some years ago and he’s five.
  The other pregnancy photos were last year, so the youngest son should be roughly Blue’s age. Maybe older. Dust continued to read articles and look at photos until it was two O’clock.  He cleared his history and left to pick up the cupcakes. He arrived at the center just before snack and he was greeted with staff frantically running about and throwing away food. Guess the brownies worked.
  The woman at the front desk was on the phone, probably calling other daycares or off-staff for assistance. The closest daycare is a few minutes away, but he doubts anyone would come since it’s short notice. If an off-staff member does come, Killer won’t have much time. 
  Dust walked into the classroom and saw the kids finishing up their snacks. He and Blue locked eyes, the small skeleton’s eyes lid up as he kicked his feet and wiggled in his seat. The outfit Horror picked was replaced by a regular onesie they brought as a spear. It was covered in blueberries and yogurt, but it didn’t take away from Blue’s cuteness. Dust would try to fight a smile but it would be a losing battle. 
“Hey Baby Blue~,” Dust said as he handed the cupcakes to another teacher as he approached Blue. He nuzzled his skull against Blue’s.
  “Mama! Mama!” Blue called in excitement. He tried to turn to see his caretaker, but he started to grow frustrated and tears started to form. “Ma..Ma.”
  “Give me a second, Blue.” Dust said as he walked away towards the door, “I need to sign in and-“ Blue immediately started crying as Dust approached the door. Dust kept talking to soothe the little skeleton. Once signed in and hands washed, he returned to Blue and nudged his skull before giving it a kiss. He sat next to Blue as the teacher cleaned up the table for the treat. 
  As they were about to sing ‘Happy Birthday’, the door slammed open! Dust could hear several sets of steps and a loud clicking of heels, the staff froze in fear and in excitement. The heels stopped behind him, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was. Dust didn’t move and continued to focus on Blue. If he turned to greet them, he was respectful and weak. Basically, her bitch.
  “You’re late, Ms. Gaster.” He said. She clicked her tongue, as someone brought her a chair with a pillow.
  “It will do you well to watch your tongue.” She said calmly as she repositioned her child in her arms, “I am the one graciously giving you a million-dollar deal. You should show some respect.” Dust laughed lightly, not taking his eyes off Blue.
  “Yes, but your deal would be nothing without my Blue and you know that, or else you wouldn’t be here. Even if you did the project without him, it wouldn’t make a lasting impact. Maybe a few years, with a good team longer but people would be tired and bored. That’s why you need Blue or your ‘million dollar deal’ would be a waste of time, money, and effort. Isn’t that right, Blueberry?” Dust wiped Blue’s cupcake-covered face as he heard Wednesday's anger slowly rising.
  “Now, I’m not going to pretend I know your project and the revenue you’ll receive, but I will.” Dust finished cleaning Blue and turned towards Wednesday. His smile was gone and so was Twilight, he stared daggers into her with eyes wishing she did something. Hoping she would so he could return it.
  “You’re lying. You’re selling your project short saying it’s a million but it’s more. Far more. If this project goes well, your children’s children will be set for life. What you stumbled upon is a treasure among treasures. Twin models. Yes, there are twin models, but not babies, and definitely not as cute as ours. You want to introduce them as twins and have the people grow up with them creating a bond and familiarity. You’ll probably want to do the ‘childhood’ trope because if you do the biological route, it’ll be a huge scandal in the future. Am I wrong?”
  Wednesday was speechless and so was everyone else besides the babbling infants. Dust softened his face a bit and returned to Blue, he heard Wednesday take a breath she must have been holding. 
  “You are different. No one has spoken to me like that in decades. Yet here you are, however, I cannot be upset.” She collects herself and snaps her fingers. One of her attendants brought over a personal high chair. As she sets her child in, she continues.
  “What you said is true, no one has ever done identical twin best friends and our children would revolutionize it. They will be the faces people will think of when someone mentions twins, models, monsters, etc, etc.” Once her child was settled, another attendant brought over their own bip and cupcake. It looked expensive and homemade.
  “It looked like you did your research, I did as well. Sadly it proved to be invalid as I expected you to be a somewhat smart, lower-class business owner. I was right of course but impressed. I'm appalled but impressed. I’ve already had my lawyer draw up a contract.”  Her attendant handed Dust the contact, he wiped his hands and took it. 
  As he read, Killer and Cross were at the front desk waiting for Dream. Cross immediately asked for the restroom’s location, because he ‘spilled’ hot coffee on his shirt. The receptionist quickly gave him the key and directions. He raced away, leaving Killer. He made a request to speak with Dream, but he was a no-show.
  “I am so sorry Sir.” Said the receptionist, “We’re short-staffed today, so Dream won’t be able to meet you.”
  “We just wanted to deliver a small gift of appreciation.” Said Killer. “For everything he has done for us and Blue.” He lifted up a small bag, inside was candy and a small stuffed animal. The receptionist smiled and took the gift.
  “That’s very kind of you. I’ll make sure he receives it.”
“Thank you. Oh, is Blue here today? We wanted to say ‘Hi’” asked Killer already knowing the answer.
  “Yes, he’s in his room just down the hall,” they said while pointing down a hall. “Just sign in and you can walk on down.” They slid the sign in a binder and two visitors passed across the desk. Killer began to sign them both in, he took a pass and headed down the hall.
  Killer walked slowly making sure to look through the window of each door, to look lost. He needed to stay in the hall until Cross dealt with the cameras and other issues. It took another minute for him to feel the vibrations from his prepaid phone. He knew it was Cross signaling him, he was free to look around. He walks around memorizing each detail and room.
  He entered a few and claimed to be lost, he did notice a few odd details about the building but nothing big. He was running out of time, so he entered his last room and it was nothing special. Boxes upon boxes. It was a large room with empty shelves, empty closets, and no decorations. He quickly walked out, searching but nothing.
  “Maybe I got the wrong information?” He said as he was about to leave something caught his eye. The windows. He walked closer for a better look. “What the-” Killer whispered under his breath. He looked through and on the other side was Blue’s classroom. He can clearly see Dust talking to some woman and Blue enjoying a cupcake with his peers. He could clearly hear their conversation as if he was in the room with them. This has to be impossible because where Killer is standing should be a wall. Why did this room have this? Is it in all the rooms? If so, how did he miss it?
  Killer froze. Someone was coming. He quickly hid as the door opened. He heard two sets of footprints enter.
  “Shit!” Said a voice, “It opened.” Killer peeked from his hiding spot to see two figures. One he didn’t recognize and the other was Alter. The other figure placed his hand next to the window and a monitor appeared. They pressed a button and the walls closed hiding the window. Even though the window was now shielded from view the person still panicked as they typed on the screen.
  “Calm down, Sci,” Alter said placing a hand on their shoulder. “You’ve handled it.”
  “I know, but I have to make sure no one came in this room,” Sci said not removing his eye from the screen. Alter leaned to see as well and Killer began to sweat. If they saw Cross hack into the cameras, they’d know something was wrong and alert the others. He could end them here, but that’ll create more problems in the future. He’ll just have to trust Cross is smarter than this guy.
  “What the-” Shit. He’ll have to handle them now. He reached inside his jacket for his knife ready to silence them. 
  “What’s wrong?” Alter said in a bit of panic. Sci groaned and continued to type on the monitor. Killer grabbed the handle and gripped it tight as he began pulling it out, Sci yelled.
  “Epic!” Killer froze, “He downloaded a bunch of videos on the server and the system got a virus. A nasty one in fact!” Alter gave a nervous laugh.
  “You had me worried for a second, how bad is the virus?” 
  “Not too bad.” Sci groaned, “It corrupted some files, but nothing that can’t be retrieved. The firewalls I put up stopped it from spreading, but I’ll have to clean and reboot the system tonight.”
  “What could he have downloaded to cause this much damage?” Alter asked. Sci had an annoyed look.
  “Anime.”
  “One anime caused this much corruption? I’m afraid to ask, but how many episodes did he download?”
  “A thousand.” Alter and Killer were taken aback. Killer wasn’t familiar with a lot of anime but knew that some people were crazy enough to dress up as characters. He was guilty enough to admit he was a fan of some darker animes, but not enough to download a thousand episodes in one day.
Alter sighed and rubbed his head.
  “We’ll have a meeting with him on the matter, but did we lose anything important?” Sci pulled something on the screen before replying.
  “We lost some children files, a few profiles, and some evidence of a gang but I can attempt to retrieve it. No promises.” Alter groaned in frustration.
  “The children files aren’t a huge concern now, but we’ll get some backlash for it. I’m more worried about the evidence, is it for who I think it’s for?” Sci ceased his typing and lowered his head. Alter sighed.  “Try to recover what you can, that evidence is a top priority. We’ve worked too hard for so little. If we lose it, we might as well let them walk free.” Sci nodded, understanding the large task in front of him.
  “I’ll do what I can, but like I said, no promises.” Alter placed his hand on his shoulder in reassurance.
  “That’s all I ask.” Killer could see Alter tense his hand, that evidence must be worth more than anything. It was probably about them, which means they’ll have another thing to worry about. 
  “Oh, Sci?” Alter called, “Did I see Ms.Wednesday Gaster in the room?” Sci mumbled a confirmation without looking at the screen, “What is a powerful figure like her doing here?” Sci pulled something up on the screen, that Killer couldn’t see.
  “All she put for her reason of the visit was ‘Birthday’.” Alter leaned closer and gave a hum. 
  “She was here for Blue’s birthday. Do we know anything about this ‘Twilight’ or other family members?” Shit. They’re asking questions and bad ones. Killer immediately went back to his previous plan to silence them. He could hope for another covenant act to solve this problem but doubt it. If he silenced them now, it would protect any information they might dig up. It’ll also draw suspicion if they suddenly go missing, which they don’t need. 
  Sci continued to type away and Killer was losing time! Damn it! No choice, they’ll that to disappear. Killer pulled out his knife and readyed it to strike, as soon as he chose his target the fire alarm sounded. Sci and Alter jumped startled by the alarm, Sci quickly hid the monitor as they exited the room with Alter in tow. Killer jumped down from the ceiling and rolled his joints to relieve tension.
  “Lady luck must love me, right now.” Killer looked at the wall and cursed, hacking wasn’t his skill set. He’ll have to rely on Cross and hope he can solve this quickly before they start digging too deep.
Killer quickly left the building through a side door, and quickly found Cross who was not fazed by the situation.
  “You okay?” Cross asked. Killer didn’t reply with words just a glance. Cross sighed as he said, “How bad is it?”
  “A six…and rising.” Cross cursed under his breath.
  “We’ll have to handle it after this and yes. Whatever the issue is we can dissolve it once we leave. Just don’t draw attention and stay calm.” Killer nodded and set his sights elsewhere. 
  He spotted Dust with Blue and a few other figures. The teachers, some in suits, and a taller skeleton with a child. Must be his assignment. He wasn’t the only one who noticed as others took notice as well. The staff whispers excitedly at the skeleton and the name ‘Ms. Wednesday’ was repeated.
  He’ll have to ask Dust about them later.
  Minutes passed and the drill was not a drill. Some faulty equipment in the kitchen caught on fire, so that’s what they were told. Parents were called and everyone was sent home. Killer and Cross hopped into their car, Killer explained he saw as he drove. Cross didn’t seem fazed by the searching deeper into Dust and Blue.
  “Don’t worry.” Cross simply said.
  “What do you mean ‘Don’t worry’!” Killer said baffled, “This is a big problem! If they see anything wrong, they’ll start to dig deeper until they figure out what we're doing.”
  “Well, luck for us that they won’t. I re-edited Blue and Dust’s file so it’s spotless. So calm down.” Killer nodded and took a breath. “Good. Now, tell me about this, Sci. Leave nothing out.”
The two pulled up to Dust and Horror’s house with large boxes wrapped in light blue paper in hand. Cross readjusted his box to knock on the door.
  “You think he’ll like them.” Killer said giddy. 
  “Of course he will. Dust and Horror might be another thing.” Even though Blue’s birthday was an excuse to get a look around the center, they couldn’t let the baby skeleton’s first birthday be without gifts. The two did enjoy themselves as they were selecting their gifts. They were in the store for hours picking out the best ones.
The door opened to a frustrated Dust. His shirt was pulled out of his pants and was wrinkled with a few colorful stains. Dust looked at the large wrapped boxes the two were holding and growled.
  “If that plays Baby Shark, I swear to fucking God I’ll make your death so slow and painful that the Grim Reaper will be traumatized!” Dust threaten.
  “Chill,” Killer said amused with Dust's exhausted look, “that’s for Blue’s next birthday.” Dust was not amused.
  “What happened?” Cross asked who was also a tad amused at the skeleton.
  “Not what. Who.” They both looked at each other in concern, Dust stepped aside to let them in and was blasted by loud children’s music. The living room had boxes of gifts, the kitchen was a mess, and the laughter of a single person could be heard at the dining room table.
  They entered to see, Horror with Error and two others. A smaller ink-black skeleton and one that recognizes too well Ink. Before they could even think about turning around, Ink set his eyes on them and gave a big smile as he rushed up to greet them.
  “Hi! I’m Ink and that’s my beautiful husband Error and my precious angel PaperJam or PJ for short. I don’t know how or when we started calling him PJ, but he seemed to like it so it just stuck. What are you doing here? Are friends for Twilight and Butch? How did you guys meet or maybe you guys are family? Uncles? Cousins? Brothers? I have a friend who has a brother, but I’ve never met him-” Ink kept going on and on. Was this the work on the drugs he tested or was it his own natural energy? Either way, it was too much.
  Thankfully Error stepped in and handed Ink a cup of water. 
  “Ink, calm down.“ Ink blinked for a second and gave an embarrassing smile.
  “Sorry. I can get excited sometimes when meeting new people. Here, let me take those.” Ink took the gifts away from Killer and Cross and headed to the living room. While Killer and Cross took Error into the kitchen.
  “What the FUCK Error?” Killer whispered harshly. “What are you guys doing here? You’re not supposed to know where we are.” 
  “You don’t think I know that!” Error whispered back, “Ink found out that it was Blue’s birthday. While at the park he ran into Horror and followed him there. I just arrived an hour ago, I tried to get him to leave but he’s not budging!”
  “You think he’s on to us?” Crossed whispered.
  “No.” Error said, “I’ve been watching him and nothing is out of the ordinary.”
  “That you’ve seen.” Killer spat. Error glared back.
  “What’s that supposed to mean?”
  “You know exactly what it means.” Killer got closer to Error as they started each other down, “You’ve left us for him. You’ve married, fucked, and had a kid with someone who is part of a special task force trained to end us. Which you didn’t know until a few weeks ago, why should we trust you if you let something as big as that get by you?”
Suddenly Killer grew a large sadistic smile.
  “Or maybe you did know and didn’t tell us? You probably knew this whole time and decided to protect your little slut-”
  “Enough!” Cross pushed them both apart before things got out of hand, but they continued to glare, “We have bigger things to worry about than you two trying to kill each other. Error, Killer is right. You had years with this guy and you didn’t know and if you did know and didn’t tell us.” Cross grabbed Error and turned. Error tripped and fell on the floor so Cross and Killer were blocking him.
  “We’ll make sure they’ll suffer for your mistake.” Error knew they were bluffing. Even though he was honest about not knowing about Ink, the message was clear. “Let's go and enjoy the party.” They turned and left Error on the floor.
  The party continued and on the surface, there was peace and a happy face, but everyone was on edge. Conversations stayed simple. Food was eaten in silence for a bit. PJ and Blue’s laughter calmed everyone when tension was high. The cake was served, homemade, beautifully made, and equally as delicious. The highlight of the day was unwrapping the gifts.
  From Error and Ink, was a child-size kitchen play set with food, silverware, dishes, and other tools for cooking. From Cross, puzzle sets for different varieties. Letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. From Killer, animal onesies such as a bunny, bear, cat, and his personal favorite a shark. Dust wasn’t happy with that one. Horror got Blue more outfits he thought Blue would look good in, a majority of them were dresses. Dust got Blue some coloring materials, such as crayons, markers, and paper. 
  The event continued until sunset, Error managed to get Ink out of the house with assistance from PaperJam. The rest cleaned up the house and got Blue ready for bed. Once the smallest skeleton was asleep soundly in Dust’s arms, they relaxed in the living room in silence. The day’s events washed away, their bodies grew heavy their eyelids even heavier and sleep took over.

Chapter Text

  Dust woke to a blinding light and movement on top of him. He begrudgingly opened his eyes to see Blue was wide awake attempting to climb on him. He gave a lazy smile and rolled on his back causing Blue to roll with him. He squealed in enjoyment! Dust lifted him into the air and stared into his bright blue eyes.
  “Mama!” Blue said with a big smile. Dust returned it and brought Blue down to nuzzle his skull.
  “Good morning to you too, Blue.” Dust placed Blue on his chest. He pulled the blanket over them in hopes of getting a few more minutes in bed. Bed?
  Dust looked around and saw he was in his room instead of on the couch with the others. Did he manage to walk here? No, he was pretty exhausted with yesterday's move. Dust sighed and decided it wasn’t as important as getting a few more minutes. As his eyes began to close, his alarm went off.
  He groaned and blindly searched for his phone, after a few failed attempts he did manage to grab it. He glared at the notification with pure hatred as it read ‘Playdate’. Dust groaned as he carelessly tossed his phone somewhere. He forgot he set up a playdate with Wednesday to discuss the contract. Playing a business monster was a pain in the ass. Dust grabbed his pillow and covered his face in hopes he would suffocate himself. 
Dust felt some weight being added to the pillow, but he didn’t move. He then heard the thumping of steps growing closer with a familiar smell. The step stopped next to him and the weight on the pillow was lightened with a giggle.
  “Dada~” Blue squealed. Dust mentally groaned not wanting to answer a hundred questions for a person who was missing a part of his skull. Maybe he will finally make work of his promises to kill him? Then Dust doesn’t have to go to this dumb meeting.
  Dust peeked out from under the pillow and as always was disappointed. No axe. Instead, Dust was met with a full pot of coffee. Great, a reason to live. Dust begrudgingly sat up and accepted the unwanted pot of coffee and started to down the bitter liquid.
  “You look like shit.” Horror said.
  “Well, aren’t you sweet.” Dust said sarcastically as he finished his coffee. “Why are you up?”
  “I was hungry.” Typical, Horror. Always hungry. “Why are you awake?” He asked back.
  “Alarm clock.” Dust slowly got out of bed, “Blue and I have a playdate with an important woman. She wants to have Blue as a model or something, so we’re meeting to talk.”
  “Why?”
  “Because that’s what Nightmare wants.”
  “Why?”
  “Horror, it is too early for your dumb questions.” Dust entered the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. It wasn’t doing much to wake him up. Neither would a cold shower, but he has to try something. As he gathers his things, he is having trouble looking for a particular shirt. It was a dark grey-blue button-up shirt. One of a few shirts that was nice and comfortable for him. He searched the closet many times but to no avail. 
  “Horror, have you seen my shirt? The grey-blue one?” Dust asked as he continued to search becoming frustrated.
  “It’s in the dirty laundry.” Dust glares at the mountain of dirt clothes and groans. Shit. He’s been so busy that he forgot to do laundry.
  “Horror,” He sighs in exhaustion, “can you wash the clothes?” Horror gave a sound of comfort. “Can you also go grocery shopping? I think Blue’s running low on snacks.” Horror gave another grunt. “And clean up a bit?” Horror paused before giving a groan. “I know, cleaning is tiring, but Blue can’t live in a messy house. Staying in a run-down building was bad enough.” Dust said as he put on another button-up shirt. “Besides, if anyone sees his living conditions they might get suspicious and start asking questions.”
  “Fine.” Horror said groaning. His face twisted with disdain as his cleaning chore. The house was usually clean except for the kitchen, the living room, Blue’s room, their rooms, the bathrooms, the front door, the backyard, and the dining room. Besides those areas, it was a clean house. 
  Dust continued to get ready as Horror got Blue ready by dressing and packing his bag. Dust double-checked everything and quickly wrote a chore list for Horror and put it in his hand. They got Blue strapped into his car seat and they turned towards each other.
  “Do…you have everything?” Horror asked.
  “Yes, I have everything.”
  “Blue food, extra clothes, your phone, money? Do you wanna eat something? I can get you something.” Dust paused at the last question. That’s an odd question. He hadn’t eaten in a while, not even at Blue’s party, but that wasn’t what was bothering him. Horror was a glutton at his finest. Doesn’t share food, eats other’s leftovers, and gets angry when someone takes their food. Food was the solution to all his problems. To him, offering Dust something to eat was odd.
  “Uh…sure. I can eat something quick.” Dust said feeling a bit curious. 
  “Okay, what do you want?” Dust thought his answer and felt the need for a little experiment. The thought of using Horror as a lab rat was amusing.
  “Something quick doesn’t make a mess, and easy to eat in the car.” Horror nodded at Dust’s request and went inside the house. Dust pondered on what Horror would bring him if anything at all. He gave Horror simple requirements for his food, so he shouldn’t have any problems. 
  The food that came to Dust’s mind was toast, a waffle, or an apple. Toast would satisfy his stomach until lunch or until gets home, but it’ll leave crumbs. Dust growled at the thought of cleaning it up. Though this could be a trick and he’ll bring back an empty container to smite him. That sounds more like Horror. If Dust thought about it long enough, Horror has been acting weird more…tame. They still bicker, but less. Was it because they were Blue or was it for the mission?
  Dust snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Horror returning with a container. Once he was close enough, Horror held out the container. Dust took it, it had some weight to it. He shook it a little and heard the movement of multiple items inside, but not metal. He opened it, and Dust was taken aback. Inside was an apple, a banana, and a kiwi all sliced beautifully. There was no particular arrangement, all the fruit was mixed together with a hint of lemon. Did he do all this in a few minutes?
  “When did you do this?” Dust asked.
  “I made it before you woke up.” Horror said, “I just needed to find something to hold it.” Before he woke up? He woke around ten, so Horror didn’t wake up too early. Giving him enough time to cut the fruit.
  “Thanks.” Dust said putting the lid back on, “You didn’t have to.”
  “I wanted to,” Horro said avoiding Dust’s gaze, “if you didn’t eat you can’t take care of Blue. So, make sure you eat it.” 
  He offered and made him something to eat so he could take care of Blue. That makes sense, if he didn’t eat he couldn’t do the job. He skipped meals before and it didn’t affect him so he didn’t think much of it. He ate yesterday morning and it was waffle-no, that was Blue. Oh, he ate chocolate last wee-no, that was Cross. Right, he ate spag-no, that was someone else. Wait, when was the last time he ate?
  “Dust?” Dust snapped out of his thoughts and was met with a concerned look. “Are you okay?”
  “Y-Yeah. Thanks again for the food. I’ll make sure I eat it.” Dust turned and got into the car, he strapped himself in and bid Horror goodbye. As Dust drove, he couldn’t stop thinking about the small gesture. Yes, he did it so he could take care of Blue, but it made Dust feel…odd. Maybe he was hungry?
  When he came upon a stop sign, he opened the container and grabbed the first thing he could before driving on. It was an apple, it was a bit sour due to the lemon but good. 
  The drive to the park was long and tedious because it wasn’t Blue’s usual park. It was Wednesday’s personal park for her child an hour away. Dust managed to do some quick research on it, apparently Wednesday had it made for her firstborn. After two years, she then opened it to more wealthier visitors. She even built a small cafe. He’s grateful for the fruit Horror gave him.
  The drive wasn’t bad, pointless, but not bad. Blue was entertained with cartoons and music. Dust did pull over to give him the rest of the fruit Horror packed. The rest of the drive was the same. When they arrived, there was a large black gate with red accents and a ‘W’ on the gate. Dust had to show the invitation Wednesday gave him to enter.
  It looked like a normal park aside from the large building in the center. Dust pulled up to the front of the building, parked the car, and stepped out.
  “Good morning, Sir.” Dust turned to see an employee, they jumped once they locked eyes. “Um..Ms. Wednesday has..uh-been expecting you. I can- I can park your v-vehicle?” That sounded like a question.
  They extended their shaking hand for his keys. Dust instead went to the back and took Blue out, who was moving his arms and legs in excitement. He grabbed his bag and headed back to the employee to hand them his keys.
  “Th-Thank you you. I’ll take good ca-” They stopped mid-sentence as they locked eyes with Blue. 
  “Is there a problem?” Dust said menacingly. 
  “N-No, Sir!” They said as they took a step back. “It’s just..your child is very adorable, Sir.” Dust glared at them until they lowered their head and took another step back.
  “Thank you.” Dust said as he walked inside. Dust was probably going to be here more often, so best not to make enemies with the staff but having respect and fear is always nice.
  When he entered, Dust was met with a blinding white interior of the lobby.  It was a round room with a little bar in the center, from what Dust could tell it had a multitude of drinks. Tables and chairs circled around it. Dust could feel the cool air of the AC and hear the chatter of the other guests. On the other side of the room, Dust could see two doors leading outside and another room between them. This one had a couch, a round table, and a transparent curtain hanging from the door frame. Must be for Wednesday.
  “Mr. Twilight?” Dust looked over to see another employee. “Would you kindly follow me?” They led Dust through the building and as they walked, Dust could feel eyes on him. Well, mainly on Blue. He glanced around and he was right, the people around him stopped their activities to gawk at Blue. Maybe he should get something for this, it could be a problem in the future.
  He was led through glass doors, which led to a patio and a larger portion of the park. It had the basic aspects of a regular park, pathways, flowers, nice trimmed brushes, a water fountain, and a few canopies. There were ponds in the distance, but so far a normal park. 
  “Sir.” Dust was brought out of his thoughts once again to see the employee usher him to a small flight of stairs. It led them to an upper deck, he could clearly see Wednesday on her phone. Next to her was a playpen where both of her children were, they were so quiet he almost missed them. As Dust approaches her, she looks up.
  “Finally, you decided to show up.” She said as crossed her legs. She was wearing black suit pants, black high-heeled sandals, and a long sleeveless red blouse that was puffy at the wrist, she also had a black sun hat. Nice outfit but impractical with the heat.
  “Be happy I did. The drive alone was not worth it.” Dust said as he took the seat next to her. Blue was cradled in his arms eagerly looking around, which made him a bit difficult to hold.
  “If he’s going to be a problem, you can put him in the playpen.” She snaps her fingers and her eldest child comes over.
  “Y-Yes, Mother.” He was tall for a child and thin. Based on his speech alone, he was timid, shy, and polite. The opposite of his mother. Even with the designer clothes, you wouldn’t even think they were related.
  “Slim, be a doll and take Blue to play with your brother.” She said in a gentler tone. He nodded as he gave a weak smile, when he locked eyes with Dust he jumped behind his mother. “Go on dear.” 
  With his mother’s encouragement, Slim slowly approached and was taken back by the child in Dust’s arms. He thought his mother was overexaggerating when she boasted about a child being his brother’s twin. As if another could compare to his Lord’s cuteness. To his shock, she was not. Physical they were the same, but their eye color and personality were different. There have been cases of people looking alike, but besides those two details, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. It didn’t matter, he was nothing compared to his Lord. A stepping stone.
  With his newfound confidence, he lowered his head and held out his hands as if he were asking for permission. Dust handed Blue to Slim and waited until he got a good hold. When he tried to take Blue, Slim felt a bit of resistance and dared to look up and was met with a piercing glare. At first glance it was protective, saying that if anything went wrong even the smallest thing. He will need Slim’s young life, but it was more than that. It was a promise.  
  Dust released Blue into Slim’s young care and he sped back to his younger brother. By the child’s reaction, the message was clear as crystal. He brought his attention back to Wednesday, who was glaring at him. 
  “I did not take kindly to that look you gave my son.” She started.
  “And I didn’t take kindly to the look your son was giving mine.” He saw the child flinch at the mention of him.  They both glared at each other, neither showing signs of backing down. Wednesday gave a small ‘Uhm’, seeing that this was going nowhere.
  “Shall we discuss?”
  “Lets.”
  As they talked, Slim put all his focus on not making eye contact with a stranger. He’s seen many people trying to get on his mother’s good sign for many things. Many showered her with compliments and licked her shoes. Few had even brought their own kids, trying to gain his or his brother’s favor. All ended poorly, but this man was different.
  Not only did he back-talk to his mother, but he also dared to bring a poor clone of his precious Lord. The fact that he stood up to his gorgeous mother was one thing, but having two bodies manage to produce a look poor alike was unforgivable! No-Impossible! His Lord’s cuteness was unmatched! Add in his ruthlessness and that makes him even cuter! This clone doesn't stand a chance. 
  Filled with reassurance, he nodded to himself and took a breath. Besides it was only temporary. Once they make a mistake, his mother will kick them out and they’ll never see them again. He just has to be patient. He set the clone on the other side of the playpen and brought his full attention to his Lord.
  His Lord was beating his stuffed animal with another stuffed animal. Showing dominance at a young age was another reason why his Lord was superior to other children. He stared others down with a fierce gaze showing how insufficient they were. Even his toys knew how wonderful and ruthless he was, Slim envied them. They got more attention than he did, but watching his magnificent was an honor.  
  Unfortunately, it was short-lived as the sound of another’s laughter filled the space. He glared in its direction, to see the clone chewing on one of his Lord’s crayons. His Lord wasn’t fond of arts and crafts, so they mainly collected dust. Knowing that someone else was using his Lord’s things without permission rubbed him the wrong way. He had half a mind to rip it out of the clone’s mouth, but he couldn’t with his mother and her guess so close. He’ll be scolded for it.
  Another part of him wanted the crayon to get stuck and let the clone choke. Yet, that’ll lead to an even worse punishment. He signed took the crayon out of the clone’s mouth and set it aside. With that distraction taken care of, he returned to his Lord, who was now throwing his stuffed animals around. He was so cute when upset! Slim quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and started recording, but was interrupted again with another burst of laughter.
  Slim glanced over and saw yet another crayon being chewed on. Without taking the camera off his Lord, Slim quickly removed the item and went back to steady the camera. It was short-lived as the clone once again had another crayon in their mouth.
  “Stop that!” he quietly yelled to not be heard by his mother or bother his Lord. He reached for the crayon but the clone turned its head away. Slim tried again
  “You’re going to choke!” He growled as he tried to take the crayon, but it kept evading him! He managed to grab the crayon and pulled, the clone wouldn’t let go! Slim was getting frustrated and so was his Lord. He could see in the corner of his eye that his Lord had an upsetting face as his full attention was on his clone.
  Slim stopped fighting the child as his Lord started to get up and waddle closer. Slim fought with himself, continued to fight the child, or let his Lord take over. It was a one-sided dispute as the anticipation to see his Lord’s work was too good. He released the crayon and returned to recording, once his Lord was close enough he raised his stuffed toy and brought it down on his clone. The action caused the clone to drop the crayon, and his Lord took the opportunity to slap the clone’s skull. 
  The clone started to tear up, and Slim waited with excitement to see the results of his Lord’s authority. Surprisingly it never came because the clone, pushed his Lord causing him to fall on his back. Both he and his brother were baffled by the sudden act, but his Lord stood up and tried to push the child down. The clone retaliated and pushed back, Slim watched the two little skeletons push back and forth. It went on for a few minutes until their sounds of frustration turned into giggles.
  What was a fight turned into a silly pointless game of pushing. Slim was confused and conflicted. Since he was born he has never seen or heard his brother laugh. It was beautiful and a joyous occasion, but Slim wasn’t the cause of this laughter. Instead, it was a nobody’s poor version of his brother, a nuisance, a pest, a virus, and pathetic. Who gave this thing permission to make his Lord happy? That was Slim’s job! 

He must get rid of it. 

  “Oh!” Slim tensed as he heard his mother’s voice, “My little angel is laughing! Thank the Stars for your recording, Darling. I’m gonna need you to send me that ASAP.” Slim was about to protest but felt a chill run down his back as a shadow covered him and eyes pierced his soul. He did, but he couldn’t turn to meet the eyes behind him.
  “I would like a copy as well.” Said the man behind him, “I take it this is the final nail in the coffin?” Wait, what?
  “Indeed. Let's start shooting on Monday at 12 O'clock” Wait, what is happening right now? What was Mother doing?
  “That’s the start of Blue’s naptime, 2:30 is a better time and we can have a meal together.” 
  “Very well it’s-”
  “Mother!” The two adults looked at Slim as he suddenly called out. His eyes widened in fear at what he was hearing. Hoping he was misreading the situation and his mother was kicking them out like the others. “What are you talking about?” His mother made a ‘tsk’ and looked at him annoyed.
  “Darling, you are smart enough to know when a deal has been made.” Slim felt his soul stop at his mother’s words. “I must say, Mr. Twilight is an aggressive negotiator and the last temp was a gamble. My little Rasberry never liked people, so to see him actually getting along with someone is magnificent. Though to be honest, if they didn’t get along the deal was off. We can’t have them fighting each other on set. It’s bad for business.”
  “Agreed. It would be troublesome and I detest trouble.” As Dust spoke he glared hard into Slim. He didn’t have to make eye contact to know his point was made. “We should let them play, have them build a stronger friendship.” Wednesday hummed in agreement.
  “Yes, and we can chat. I’ll have the chef bring us up something. Darling, would you like Darlingtiramisu?” Slim didn’t reply but gave a simple nod.
  “Tiramisu?” Dust asked as they walked back to the table, “Doesn’t that have caffeine in it?” Wednesday sat down with a sigh of relaxation, Dust took his original sit. The chair was comfortable but he had no time to relax.
  “Yes, but deserts with caffeine are the only thing he likes. I tried giving him something else, but he pouted and refused. Thankfully, the caffeine doesn’t make him hyperactive but makes him-what’s the word…sociable. Just a bit.”
  Wednesday snapped her fingers and an employee rushed over. They placed their orders and sat in silence. Now what? Dust did what he needed to do, he’s on her good graces or that’s what it looked like. He was lucky that her youngest son, Raspberry, took a liking to Blue. At this point, he shouldn’t be surprised. Now that the deal has been made and the contract signed, now what? 
  He flashed back to Horror’s question from this morning. He shut them down because he didn’t know. Yes, he did the research, and yet he had more questions than answers. Why did Nightmare want this woman in his pocket? She’s powerful and has equally powerful connections, so maybe he wants to use those connections for his own gain. That sounds right, but why not tell them right away? They could have found dirt on her and blackmail her and her connections. So why play the long game? 
  “So,” Dust was pulled from his thoughts, “how are you fairing here?”
  “Excuse me?” Wednesday gave a small laugh.
  “Darling, as I said in our last ‘meeting’ I’ve done my research and what I found about you is interesting. You’ve been in the food business for years, but your profile shares that information, but that was made a few months ago.” Dust tensed at her words, how did she know that? Stupid question, she obviously hired someone knowledgeable with code. What else does she know? 
  “Even the restaurants you support have the same timeline, but their sites go back years.” Wednesday grinned as she spoke, “Now how did that happen.” 
Shit. She’s good and troubled. He couldn’t kill her, he’d have to kill everyone on the property. Too much work, but a lot of fun. No, he’ll have to play it off somehow.

Play the part

  Dust mentally took a breath and laughed. Yes, that’ll do. Playing the part of a rich bastard who preyed on the weak for money. It was almost like killing.
  “You’re good, but I expected nothing less. I started my business young, so I did my research on the poorest family-owned restaurants with an ounce of culinary talent.” Dust said as he rolled his eyes, “I wanted more time to scout but fate had other plans.” He said as he motioned to Blue, who was playing with his new friend.
  “Once he was born, I had to rush a few things to make sure I had enough for him. That’s why the dates are questionable. In my opinion, the restaurants I scouted were pathetic. I made them better. They have better staff, a better look, and more customers that they can handle. Without my advice and guidance, they would be nothing.”
Dust waited for a reply. Wednesday was taken aback, she hoped to find a crack or even a dent but to no avail. All she could do was smile, laugh, and try again.
  “My. You are definitely quick, how many restaurants did you advise?”
She’s probing. Trying to find anything to make him break. He’ll have to try and redirect the conversation somehow.
  “At the time, five, I had roughly twelve on my list but I needed to provide for my little one. Wasn’t it like that for you when you had your son?”
  “It was and it wasn’t. My husband took care of me, when he passed I took over and I had his company better. So, I can relate in a way.” Husband?
  Oh right, she was married for the majority of her life, she married into wealth to someone. He died when she was pregnant with her second child. Not much was said about her ex-husband or found, only pictures that showed he was a skeleton monster like her, but what he did or was known for was never found.
“Sorry for your loss. May I ask what happened to him?”
“He passed by a horrible disease. The doctors said they have no idea what it was or where I came from.”
  A disease? Based on the few photos of him, he was taller than her, frail, and probably didn’t think much of himself since he slouched in the pictures. Him having a disease would make sense if he didn’t take care of himself, but something seemed familiar. Like he heard this before, but where?
  “Now let me ask a question?” Dust gave Wednesday his full attention, “Why did you choose that daycare?”
  “Excuse me?” 
  “Sunshine’s Daycare? Based on our conversation so far, you have the funds, resources, and know-how to get into any care facility you desire, but you choose that poor excuse of a dump. And between you and me, something is going on in that building but I can’t put my finger on it.”
  Oh? This could be fun.
  “You feel it too!” Dust said with false shock, “I didn’t want to say anything because it was recommended by a friend of mine, but it feels like I’m being watched. Not just by cameras, but by the staff. It feels like nothing is private in that building! I was on the phone with a friend of mine and brought up having dinner with them. The next thing I hear is an employee is going to the same restaurant. It’s disconcerting.” 
  Wednesday had a slightly shocked expression, she had her hand on her chest to show sympathy. Dust knew better, he saw the glint in her eyes at his words. A glint ready to see someone crumble with just a few twists of words. Ready to tell anyone who dared to listen, willingly or not.  
  “Interesting. Tell me more.”
  Dust continued with his lies, making them simple and yet interesting enough for her to twist into some more. Something bland, that she can make into an engaging story. Something innocent that can be brushed aside, that she can make unforgivable. Something so viel that it can make anyone smile as they try to twist the truth. No matter who you are, what you do, who you work for, or what you represent. Everyone was powerless when rumors spread. 

Chapter Text

  Dust walked tirelessly through the door. He dropped their bags at the door, put Blue on the floor near his kitchen set, and collapsed on the couch. He let out an exhausted groan. His bones felt heavy, and his mind was mush. Even carrying Blue was difficult. All he did was sit, eat, and gossip with Wednesday, and he was drained. Will he always be this mentally exhausted after talking to her? Sleep is the only thing he wants right now. 
  “When did you get home?” Welp, there goes that idea.
  “I just got back.” Dust groaned, “What do you want?”
  “You need to eat.” Dust heard him stomping off somewhere, then he heard dishes being moved. After a few minutes of him walking and more dishes being moved, he was heard coming back towards Dust. He picked something up, probably Blue, and walked away and running water was next to be heard. More movement was heard until Horror came back to Dust.
  “Get up.” Horror said.
  “Fuck off.” Dust snapped, but he was so exhausted that it lost its venom. The next thing he knew he was being lifted off the couch. “WHAT THE FUCK, HORROR?!”
  Dust attempted to kick and hit the much larger skeleton, but his attacks had no effect, and he was too tired. Horror continued to hold the skeleton until he lay limp on his shoulder. Horror moved towards the dining room’s set table, where Blue was already in his high chair happily waiting. He sat Dust down and went to the kitchen and returned with a wet cloth. He took Dust’s hand.
  “Let go-” Dust tried to pull his hand away, but Horror had a good grip on him.
  “You need to clean your hands.” Dust groaned and allowed Horror to clean his hands, he attempted many times to pull away, but Horror didn’t allow him. Horror returned to the kitchen with taco ingredients in separate bowls.

  No spaghetti. 

  “What kind of meat is that?” Dust asked as Horror was making Blue’s plate.
  “Beef.” He said, “I won’t serve Blue or you human.” He placed the plate in front of Blue. Blue started mixing the ingredients and processing to shave it in his mouth. Half fell on his high chair. 
  “What do you want?” He asked.
 “Just cheese.” Horror made his plate and set it in front of him with lettuce and tomato on the side. “I didn’t want these.”
  “You need vegetables.” Dust gave a weak chuckle. 
  “Since when did you care?”
  The answer was obvious, ever since he took Blue he has been acting differently, and yet, he doesn’t reply. He continued to make his plate, Horror placed the dish in front of Dust. It had three tacos, two with cheese and one with cheese and vegetables. Dust glared at the taco with unwanted toppings and glanced up at Horror, who was making his plate. Unfazed by Dust’s weak glare he sat down with his plate filled with tacos stuffed to the brim with meat. Horror grabbed multiple at a time and placed them in his mouth. He used his large hand to cover his mouth from Blue.
  “No vegetables? Hypocrite.” Dust snapped. Horror gave a low growl, Dust averted his gaze. He didn’t know why, but that growl did something to him. 
  “Inside.” Inside!? Inside what? Horror pointed to the tacos on his plate. “Vegetables inside meat.” Horror said with his mouth full of food.
Dust looked closer at Horror’s tacos, his eyelids lowered in annoyance at what he was trying to say. He groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
  “Between.” Horror gave a confused grumble, “You need to say, ‘between’ not ‘in’. Honestly, how the hell do you know vegetables, but don’t know the word ‘between’? Probably because you’re gluttonous feeble mind can only possess food.” Dust spat, but like his words before they had no venom.
  “Just eat. Then rest.” Horror said as reserved Blue his seconds. Dust lost the rest of his strength to speak, he turned his head back to his plate. He could walk away and head straight to his room, but then Horror would go into a rage about him wasting food. Which will cause a far larger headache that’ll last longer. 
 Dust knows little about Horror’s past when they first met, Nightmare brought him. Dust remembered it well, his clothes were covered in blood and he was chewing human flesh. At the time, he had few words and would attack them, but he was always angry when food was wasted. When asked why, he didn’t answer, just stare. No one pushed. When Nightmare was asked the same question, all he said was ‘Horror was proof of how cruel the world was’. No one knew what he meant and yet they did in a way. 
 Dust never liked Horror, in his eyes, Horror was mentally weak. They all had poor mental states, but Horror’s mind was almost nonexistent on day one. When he’s hungry, he can’t think properly and if he doesn’t eat, he becomes a starving beast and attacks anything or anyone. His mind always revolves around food, which can make him easy to control with the right approach. Human, animal, or monster it was all food to him which made his perfect body disposal.
  He was all muscle and no brains, but nowadays Dust didn’t see the gluttonous carnivore as much. Horror has been a little more gentle, perceptive, and focused. Even his cooking was different. He used human meat in all of his dishes and now not a hair in sight. He has even proven Dust wrong on several occasions, to Dust’s displeasure. Yet, Dust hasn’t changed one bit. 
  “After dinner, we need to talk.” Horror nodded. Dust took a bite out of his food and slowly chewed to taste the spices the larger skeleton used. It was delicious.  
After dinner, Blue was lying in Horror’s arms sound asleep. Dust and Horror were sitting on Dust’s bed.
  “Now, down to business. We are going to create some rules.”
  “Rules? Why?” Dust opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
  “I haven’t been-been the best with helping Blue, so I want to change that with this. Having rules of the house will give Blue and us more structure and set boundaries.” He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, “Any ideas?” 
  “Are these rules for Blue or us?” 
  “Both. Once, it’s finished we can set a schedule for Blue.” Horror was confused because Dust’s reason did not make much sense to him. Why do they need rules or schedules? It was so confusing.
  “Um..uh…Eat three meals.” Dust tried not to rule his eyes at the typical behavior. Instead, he sighed.
  “That’s not a rule, Horror. Try ‘Bed at nine’, ‘Lanudry on Sundays’, or ‘No running’. Actual rules.”
  “Um...Dust eats three meals.” Dust looked at Horror with confusion, “You don’t eat much and you are thin. You need to eat more, so rule one: Dust eats three good meals every day.” Dust was taken aback, Dust didn’t think his weight was a problem. He was a skeleton so they were naturally thin without their magic bodies, but what took him by surprise was that Horror was noticing.
  “Fine. Then, rule two: Horror cooks meals. Heh, I’m not the best in the kitchen.”
  “Why? Couldn’t rise to the occasion.” Dust and Horror stared at each other until Dust gave a light chuckle at the bread pun.
  “That was a crummy pun.” Dust said as he gave another chuckle at his own horrible pun and Horror joined in his laughter.
  “That was the yeast I could do.” Dust’s laughter increased.
  “The yeast! I bake you have more.” Their laughter was so loud that it filled the room, which stirred the small skeleton. They tried to silence their laughter but failed as it turned to chuckles instead. Blue was not amused by the rude awakening. Once the small skeleton was resting peacefully again in Horror’s arms they looked at each other. The silence between them was different.
  They always had silence between them on jobs or off, there was always silence. They had to, if there was no silence, they were fighting, and fighting led to attempts on their life. So, silence was good for them and others, but this was different. It wasn’t bad or good and yet it was good. They weren’t mad at each other nor was anyone mad at them. It was just them after a nice laugh. Nice. Yes, it was a nice silence between them.
  “We should continue.” Dust said and Horror nodded in agreement.
Their night continued after that, their list grew and shortened and as time passed the list was forgotten. They sat lying in the bed with Blue in between them and the two larger skeletons watched over him tiredly. 
  “Alright, let's go over them.” Horror groaned in exhaustion. “Shut up. I need to make sure you understand them because I am not explaining them in the future. Rule one, I’ll eat three meals a day. This does not include snacks, such as granola bars, coffee, ketchup, alcohol, a single fruit, baby food, a single item from fast food locations, smoothies-”
  “What the fuck?” Horror said in an annoyed tone at the absurd rule conditions, “This is too much.”
  “You’re the one who made it dumbass and YOU are the one who wanted to specify it!” Horror didn’t reply as he turned to Dust with a confused and tired look. 
  “I did?” Horror indeed goes into full detail as to what qualifies as a full meal. He was adamant about snacks not being filling, he was persistent about this and refused to continue until Dust wrote it down. Even with Dust writing smaller to fit the requirements, it took a whole sheet of paper front and back. 
  “The fact that you forgot the first rule you made proves my point. It’s a wonder Blue is still alive. Rule two, Blue can’t date. Seriously?”
  “Yes.” Horror said pulling Blue in close to nuzzle his skull, “Just until I’m dead. No, even if I die, no dating.” Horror gave a mixed grin, it was murderous and yet upset. Dust remembered what happened to Horror the last time he thought about Blue’s future and it was a headache.
  “Horror, he’s not even two and will you stop smothering him. You’re going to wake him.” Dust said trying to reason with him.
  “No.” Dust took a breath and continued reading.
  “Rule three, no taking Blue on jobs. Having Blue around has made assignments a bit more difficult. Taking them and completing them. Yet, leaving him at the daycare isn’t ideal or permanent and neither is leaving him with Error. We’ll need to find someone else to care for him.”
  “Okay, that’s easy. Next.”
  “Rule four, background check everyone. Seeing as we’ve been lacking in basic knowledge we need to run a serious background check on anyone we continually interact with. To avoid any more surprises.” 
  “Agreed.” This rule was agreed by both skeletons, with the surprising news that the center’s true identity has put the group on edge. Especially with Error’s weakness almost ruining their plans. The group is keeping him at a distance, but still keeping a very short leash on him. “What about that lady you see?”
  “Working on it, but for all her fame, she’s a ghost. No past until she married and had no immediate family besides her two kids. Her husband died of an unknown disease while she was pregnant. I don’t know how, but I know I’ve heard that before.”
  “Don’t we use the same lie on jobs?” Horror said as he sat up, now interested in Dust’s words. 
  “No. We used something similar, but not that exactly. We try not to do the ‘unknown causes’ a lot, too many unknown deaths draw attention. Anyway, rule five, is more family time. We are technically a family on paper and in the center, but sadly we need to do more in public family things.” Dust said the rule unwillingly. It was Horror’s idea, but more simple. Dust was the one who modified it, seeing as they did not do many family-based activities. 
  Dust refused this rule quickly as it wasn’t important, and Horror refused not giving a valid reason as to why. After an hour, Horror wasn’t giving up so Dust caved and wrote. Horror later came up with a veiled reason for the rule much to Dust’s displeasure and anger. Horror then came up with activities and trips and this angered Dust even more that the larger skeleton couldn’t have said that hour ago.
  “This includes family trips, meals, festivals, school activities, picnics, movies nights-okay, no.”
“What?” 
  “We are not going clothes shopping or taking family portraits. We have enough clothes and Blue is so small it’ll be years until he’ll need more. We might not have him for that long anyway!” The words left his mouth so fast before he realized what he said.
  Horror was silent. Dust’s words weren’t harsh, vile, or a swear and yet they hurt. Yes, Horror knew it wouldn’t last forever and he knew the time to say goodbye is drawing near and yet unknown. Horror is attached to Blue and Dust hates to admit it, but so have he and the others. 
  “Nevermind. Let’s continue.”
  For the next few hours, they went through each rule on their list. It was only long due to Horror asking questions and Dust would explain how it was on the list. Some rules were taken out as Horror was confused by the rule or it wasn’t necessary by both skeletons. They decided to call it a night as they saw the sunrise with the new day. They both groaned knowing they spent a whole night talking and now they’ll have to take care of Blue. Who was the only one with a decent amount of sleep?
  “Ugg.” Dust groaned as he fell back on his pillow, “Let's just drop Blue off at the center and go to sleep.”
  “Good idea.” Horror said as he shut his eyes and started to snore. Dust shot up at the relation of what happened. He quickly starts to aggressively shake the larger skeleton.
  “OH NO YOU DON’T! YOU’RE DROPING HIM OFF!” 
  “Can’t. Rule…seven.” Horror said as he lazily pushed Dust away. Rule seven? Dust searched the list until he came to number seven. ‘Dust will pick up/drop off Blue from/to daycare. Horror’s appearance might make staff cautious.’ Shit. He forgot about this.
  Horror is a very large skeleton with an unsightly face to those he newly meets due to the one eye and the hole in his skull. His voice and speech do not help much. If he were to drop off or pick up Blue, the staff would be on guard and try to prevent Horror from getting him. Which will cause Horror to go berzerk and that’ll cause more problems. He screwed himself when he made that rule.  Dust groaned and fell back on the bed.
  His mind was slowly losing the ability to think and his body was too heavy. He’ll probably be asleep for hours and probably sleep until tomorrow morning. He won’t be able to take care of Blue or do assignments. He could tell Killer or Cross to drop off Blue and let him stay with them or have them spend the night. So far, that’s the best plan and he’ll need to contact them now, his body was slowly getting heavier by the second. He blindly searched for his phone until he felt the rectangular item. He sent his message and allowed sleep to take over.
  He was so tired he forgot to add another rule to the list. Oh well, better luck next time.

Chapter Text

  “BUT WHY?!” Well, this could have gone better. After they made their list of rules, the two larger skeletons passed out on Dust’s bed with Blue. Dust barely remembered handing Blue over to Killer yesterday. As he predicted, he and Horror slept all day and didn’t wake until an hour ago. Killer did spend the night and took Blue to the center a few hours ago, they took their time waking up. Dust recalled their last conversation and brought up the forgotten rule.

  “I already told you why.” Dust said aggravated. “Blue needs to sleep in his room and his bed. If he doesn’t he’ll expect to sleep with one of us or in another’s arms for who knows how long. He needs his own space and gets used to his bed. He only slept in that room once!”

  Since they relocated into this house, they had an extra room and made it Blue’s. However, Blue has only slept in the room when Nightmare was watching him, he’s mostly been attached to him or Horror. Mostly Horror.  It hasn’t been a huge problem since he was almost out of the danger zone for SIDS, but it was becoming more difficult to put the little skeleton down for a nap. Hince the new rule: Blue sleeps in his room and bed . Now that he thinks about it, Blue will be due for a new one as soon as he turns two. Maybe they should get him a new one now?

  “He sleeps fine! He doesn’t need to sleep in bed when he has ME!” Horror yelled trying to defend his weak statement. 

  “No, he’ll sleep fine if he’s being held. When I try to put him down on the couch, our beds, or his own, he wakes up and cries. That’s not good for him!”

  “I have no problems putting him to sleep.” Horror grins triumphantly, but Dust rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

  “That’s because you allow Blue to sleep on that blob you call your stomach.” Horror growled. This was going nowhere, Dust had no choice but to use one of Ink’s tactics. Use his ‘Fatherly’ Instincts against him. Dust took a deep breath.

  “Horror, if Blue can sleep in his bed, we deny him an experience that’ll affect his life. He’ll be scared to be away from us when he’s sleeping.” Horror puffed up his chest in pride.

  “I’ll be there to protect him while he sleeps.”

  “That’s okay, but he won’t be able to have sleepovers with Killer, Nightmare, Cross, or his new friend Raspberry. If he can’t have a simple sleepover at Raspberry’s house, he won’t have friends and no friends mean Blue will be upset and alone. Do you want him to be friendless his whole life?”

  “But…he’ll have us.”

  “Sure, he’ll have us, but he’s going to ask why he has no friends and we’ll have to tell him that you denied him an experience and he’ll hate you.” The color drained from Horror’s face as he had a shocked expression.

  Horror dropped down in a chair and started mumbling something Dust couldn’t understand. This was the same reaction he had on the beach, he’ll be unresponsive for a few minutes. Dust took this time to breathe and collect himself. Horror was a great caretaker of Blue, too great if you asked Dust. Just telling him he’ll ruin Blue’s future will have him comply with whatever, but Dust doesn’t want to rely on that method too much. It’ll work, but the fact that Ink, a secret ops member, came up with it left a sour impression. 

  While Horror was in this state, Dust collected his thoughts and now that he’s properly well-rested he could think clearly about their next moves. Blue’s sleeping arrangement should be the last thing on their minds, but Blue not sleeping in his bed will hinder their assignments and planning. Nightmare told Dust a while back that Blue does tend to sleep in people’s arms a lot at the center, but rarely on his mat. It was a miracle when he did and that’s something they don’t need right now. If Horror keeps coddling Blue, they’ll be inseparable and thus their work will be more difficult.

  Horror will most likely agree to his terms, but it’ll be rough. The best method for children Blue’s age is sleep separation you soothe the child for a minute or two and lay them down. Once, down you in their view and ignore them until put themself to sleep. It’s a form of torture for both the child and the parent, but it works if the parent can resist their child’s calls and cries. In other words, Horror’s torture. Horror resisting Blue’s crying is more difficult than him not eating a pile of fresh meat. He’ll be the first to comfort Blue, so this will be a challenge.

  “Okay.” Dust turned to Horror as he spoke. He slowly sat up, he looked defeated and drained even though he did nothing but sit. “You win. What’s the plan?” 

  Dust took a breath and explained the method of sleep separation. To say Horror was filled with terror was surprising, Horror fought this until he remembered the ‘consequences’ and silenced himself. Dust reassured him that they wouldn’t start until they checked Blue’s room. 

  “What’s wrong with his room?” Horror asked as Dust opened the door. They were immediately struck with a wave of dust. They turned on the light and were met with a plain room, only the crib and a dresser were there. It was…depressing. Almost like they were keeping a prisoner instead of a young child. Besides that, the only things indicating it was a child’s room were the light blue wall paint, the rocking chair, and the white crib that was now a bit grey.

  “We need to clean.” Said Dust.

  “And decorate.” Horror added. They both groaned at the future labor that awaited them. They returned downstairs to figure out what Blue needed in his room. They sketched a quick list of things they’ll need and things they’ll need to do.  

  “Okay,” Dust said, “We’ll need to deep clean the room and check to see if the furniture needs to be replaced. Then moved his toys and probably some shelfs. A rug, a nightlight, curtains, a speaker, and stickers. Anything else?”

  “His room needs to be in space.” He said. Dust looked at him in defeat, not trying to give a confused expression.

  “What?” 

  “His room needs to be in space.” Horror said louder. “With stars, planets, and a nightlight that goes round and round.” Horror tried to demonstrate what he was trying to say with his hands, even though it was a poor explanation Dust understood.

  “So, you want his room to have a Space theme?” Horror nodded eagerly. It wasn’t such a bad idea. If everyone in the gang had one thing in common, besides causing chaos, it was the love of space. It was filled with unknown variables and had so many unanswered questions. So many wonderful and once-in-a-lifetime experiences can be seen in the night sky. What was more captivating was the infinite amount of stars. So many are seen and yet, so many haven’t been discovered or born. Dust loved looking at them with his-it doesn’t matter.

  “Good idea. We can go shopping later today.”

  They spent the rest of the day, sweeping and scrubbing Blue’s room. They then checked the furniture, which wasn’t damaged or had chipped paint, much to their relief. Moving Blue’s toys into the room wasn’t difficult since he didn’t have a lot, but it didn’t fill the room as they expected. Shopping for decoration was enjoyable. They filled their cart with space-themed items and some other things they thought Blue would enjoy. They did have a few arguments about the items on whether or not they would cluster up or not.

  When they got home, they immediately set up Blue’s room. It wasn’t anything fancy or special, but cozy and relaxing. They placed glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling and rearranged them into constellations. A little table and chair were close to the center of the room and a shelf unit was parallel to it. It was majority empty but had basic art supplies fitting Blue’s age. A large baby blue rug with a rocket ship design was placed on the floor. Curtains with a star design were hung on the window and a see-through veil was hung around Blue’s bed. It was unnecessary, but it appealed to Horror. 

  The two collapsed on the floor as they finished their work and vowed to never go through it again. They took a moment to breathe and collect themselves, a nap was on their minds as a perfect reward. Yet, their bodies were too exhausted to move and the floor was as comfortable as any bed or couch. 

  “Finally done.” Horror said exhausted as his eyes closed awaiting sleep to take over.

  “Well, with the cleaning.” Dust heard Horror groan in frustration, “Relax, we have time before Blue gets home. Let’s rest, first and handle that later.” 

  Once those words were spoken, the two skeletons fell into a deep sleep. The rest was well received but rudely disturbed. The two glutched away as they felt the presence of two others. 

  “Damn it. They woke up.” Said Killer as he held up a knife, “And I was this close to having some fun.”

  “What the hell are you doing here?!” Dust growled.

  “Uh? We’re dropping off, dumbass. We’ve calling you guys for hours.”

  “Dropping…off?” Horror said with a tilt. Killer looked at the duo with a bewildered look as he crossed his arms.

  “You guys seriously don’t know what time it is? It’s six O’Clock.” Killer’s words took the the duo a moment to process, Horror was the first to react by falling back onto the floor. 

  “I failed Blue. I failed Blue. I failed Blue.” He continued to mutter the line over and over. Dust rolled his eyes and Killer looked even more baffled by the action. He went to speak, but Dust stopped him.

  “He’s fine.” Dust proceeded to walk into the hall, “Did Blue eat?” Killer looked back and Horror before following Dust.

  “Yeah, we got take out” Killer was cut off by being slammed up against the wall. He quickly placed his knife on Dust’s neck. When they locked eyes Dust’s eyes were filled with frustration and anger. Killer smiled at his comrade’s distress, to others he may as well be tired and overworked, but he looked like a starving animal. It was laughable.

  “You’re feeding him junk!” Killer gave a dark chuckle.

  “At least he’s eating, unlike you. Tell me,” The knife to Dust’s neck was pushed closer, scrapping his bones. “when was the last time you or Horror had your fill? The last time either of you went off on a rampage? It must be hard for you two, unlike Cross and I, we’ve been fattening ourselves up. The last soul I had was last night. A young soul, a child becoming an adult out on the town, celebrating with friends. Some friends. I gave them a few cuts and they cried for help, but their ‘friends’ ran. It was sad, so I gave their friends a more gruesome end.”

  “What’s the point?” Killer made a tsk sound as she shook his head.

  “My point is that you and the brute have been playing family for so long that you're starving yourself. You’ve been taking care of a soul, that you haven’t taken a soul. You’re becoming weak.” Killer grabbed one of the hands that was keeping him pinned on the wall and effortlessly pulled it away. “If you keep this up, you’ll leave me in quite the predicament.”

  Dust’s grip faltered as Killer brought them both down to the floor. His back hit the ground hard and he felt a sudden weight on his abdomen. When he looked up, Killer was on top of him with a large murderous, and the knife was held between his eyes.

  “I’ll be sad losing someone I was equal to and called a dear friend and yet taking out someone who feared. So powerful,” Killer’s smile grew up to his eyes as he raised the knife high ready to strike, “it’s always fun!”

As he could bring it down, Dust grabbed Killer’s wrist and pulled it to the side forcing Killer to turn. When his back was facing Dust, he wrapped his free arm around his neck and wrapped his legs around his hips. Dust brought Killer’s hand that was holding the knife to his neck.

  “Am I weak now?” Dust asked as he tightened his hold, but Killer didn’t struggle.

  “Yes, you are.” Killer effortlessly got out of Dust’s hold without fear of the knife at his neck, “You lost your blood lust.” He stood up and made his way down the stairs. Leaving Dust on the floor.

  Dust didn’t move, he couldn’t-no refuse to get up. Killer’s words infected his mind, he wanted to deny them and yell he was wrong. That he didn’t lose his blood lust and he was still a ruthless killer, but he couldn’t because Killer was right. Dust hasn’t taken a life since that woman who took Blue, but that was months ago and yet he didn’t think about killing since then. What was wrong with him? Was he ill? Or something else? Killer said he’s been so busy with Blue that he hasn’t killed, why? Because he hasn’t left the need to or want to. 

  He recalled the moments he spent with Blue and Horror and they were nice, simple moments. He was calmer and more relaxed with them than he’d been in years. It looked like it also affected Horror as well. He hasn’t seen Horror crave humans in a while and he’s been more tame. Even the jobs they were given seemed to match their change, fewer assassination jobs and more blackmail, fraud, and simpler tasks. Nothing exciting. He liked this feeling and yet hated it, it reminded him of peaceful times and the failures of his past weakness. Showing weakness was a death sentence by the group or by others and it didn’t matter who or what you were. If you had enemies and they wanted to hurt you, they’ll know how. Yet, this feeling was nice and he missed it for years. Now, he had a new question. Is this feeling something he wants to keep or not? And if so, how?

  “What are you doing?” Dust turned to see Horror staring at him.

  “Nothing, let's go.” Dust slowly stood up and continued to the kitchen.

  As they made it downstairs, Killer and Cross were gone and Blue was playing with his kitchen set. He turned at the sound of them coming down the stairs.

  “Dada! Mama!” He squealed as he waddled quickly to them. Horror scoped Blue up and lifted him close to his face. He brought the bubbly skeleton close so their heads gently touched. Blue took this moment to feel Horror’s head and attempt to climb, this made Horror chuckle. Once, Blue managed to reach the top of his caretaker’s head, he noticed Dust.

  “Mama!” Dust moved his gaze from the floor to Blue and gave a weak smile, but it didn’t appease Blue as he gave a worried look. The lack of movement from Blue alerted Horror and brought his attention to Dust. 

  “Dust?” Before Horror could answer his question, Dust took Blue.

  “Hi, Baby Blue. Did you have fun with you Killer and Cross?” Blue didn’t answer as he continued to stare at Dust, “Did you eat well? I saw you cooking, what did you make while I was gone?” Dust continued to talk to Blue as they went upstairs. 

  The night continued, Blue’s stares didn’t last once he got a bubble bath. Though Dust nor Horror hasn’t said a word as they got ready for bed. Dust handed Blue back to Horror and entered his room. He closed and locked it behind him and slid down the door. Killer’s words pledged his mind even more. He didn’t sleep that night or any night.

  Days passed and the two skeletons had been busy getting Blue acquainted to his room. So far it was a smooth transition, well for Horror, Dust on the other hand has not been home. Any chance he gets to be out of the house he takes it. If he is in the house, he’s in his room. His behavior has not gone unnoticed by the other two skeletons and Horror was no stranger to this behavior. Sadly, it did affect Blue as the little skeleton was being common anxious from the lack of attention. It made him more clingy. Putting him down for a nap was more difficult since he refused to sleep if he wasn’t being held. Horror wasn’t concerned about this by it started affecting his chores in and out of the house.

  So he started the terror that was sleep training Blue. When he finished his basic duties, he started watching videos online about the training. He had a feeling Dust told him about it, but couldn’t recall what method to use so he studied anything he could find. It was not a pleasant experience, just imagining Blue going through this was terrifying. Horror would have stopped if it wasn’t for Dust’s warning about Blue’s future.

  With that in mind, Horror started the training right away! He got everything ready for Blue’s nap and double and triple-checked everything. Music, night light, teddy bear. Once, Blue was sound asleep Horror carefully moved him into his crib, but as soon Blue felt the mat he woke up and started crying. Blue looked up at Horror with his large baby blue eyes full of tears. It struck Horror’s soul. Horror fought every nerve in his body to pick up Blue, instead, he turned and sat in the middle of Blue’s room.

  “This is for Blue. This is for Blue. This is for Blue.” Sixty seconds turned into a minute which then turned into an hour. Blue continued to cry, Horror was still sitting in the middle of the room crawling at the hole in his skull. He continued to repeat his words as if it was a prayer to an unknown God. Horror was slowly losing was little sanity he had left. He closed his eyes in hopes of droning out the sound of his torture.

  Horror’s body relaxed from exhaustion and the world around him silenced. He let out a breath as he let his body fall on one of Blue’s plushies. The hard floor felt soft and comfortable and the stuffed toy had a decent smell to it. Even though he was on the floor he wasn’t cold. His body felt less tense his bones relaxed and his mind was the next to follow pursuit as it began to shut down. He didn’t know how long he lay there and he didn’t care.

  He soon stirred away by a new smell, it smelled of pine and a faint hint of blood. It was weak, but there. Horror opened his eyes to see Dust standing over Blue’s crib with his back facing him. He was dressed in his usual dark jacket with the hood up. Horror groaned as he stood up and took a spot next to Dust. They both looked down at the sleeping pretoddler, curled on his belly snoring quietly. Dust gave a weak chuckle.

  “I’m surprised.” He started, “Here I thought you would have broken and have him in your bed sound asleep.” 

  “It was hell.” Horror simply said.

  “I bet.” They stood in silence watching the tiny skeleton.

  “You smell nice.” Horror said suddenly. It took Dust by surprise as he looked the the larger skeleton to see if he was serious. 

  “What?”

  “You smell nice. You usually smell of monster dust and blood. Now you smell of pine and mint. The blood is still there, but you smell better.” Horror expected no reaction or a simple sound to acknowledge his compliment, but he was met with a glare.

  “You think I’m weak don’t you?” Dust gripped the railing of the crib, “I was feared by people who didn’t know I existed. I was the strongest in the gang and now look. I’m playing babysitter and being looked down upon by someone who wasn’t on my level.” Dust’s grip tightened and his glare moved to Blue.

  “It’s his fault.”

  You’re weak. You’re weak. You’re weak. You’re weak. Pathetic. Damn, Horror. Damn Blue. His fault. His fault. His fault. His fault. His fault. Kill them. End them. Power. Need more. Need more. Do it. You’re weak!

  “No, you’re not.”

  His mind was being pledged of voice until he felt large arms wrap around him. It was suffocating. It was trapping. It was smothering. It was comforting.

  “You are not weak.” Horror’s words were simple and meaningless. He didn’t know what he was talking about. “A weak person would have abandoned his task and taken death or killed Blue, but not you. You excelled at it. You gathered information, sought out any threats, and found a place where he could grow, and you did all this while working for Nightmare. You’re not getting weaker, you’re getting stronger.”

  Dust head was quieter. The words were still there, but quiet. Horror’s words held no power and yet they hit him hard as he felt his body fall. Horror’s grip on him tightened as they fell to the ground. Dust’s body was tense, his mind was confused with different thoughts. It left him unmoving and unwilling. However, Dust knew one thing. If Horror let go, nothing would stop him.

  “I don’t know who told you those words, but they are the weak ones. They have no idea what you’ve been through or what you had to do to keep him alive for this long.”

  “And you do?” Dust finally spoke.

  “No. I only pieces. Only you and Blue will know what you did for him and I know he is grateful for you.”

  “He won’t remember.”

  “Maybe not, but he’ll know.” Dust chances a glance at Blue. His breathing was steady and calm. It soon turned to discomfort, Dust released the rail with one hand slid it through the bars, and caressed Blue’s skull. Blue nudged and smiled at Dust’s hand. His hands took many lives and have been covered in the blood and dust of his victims. They were cold, dirty, and sinful. Yet the small skeleton found comfort in them.

  Dust removed his hand and lowered the rails. He carefully scoped up Blue and cradled him close to his chest. Dust leaned into Horror’s chest, Horror readjusticed his arms to hold both of them. As Horror held them both, he saw wet droplets falling on Blue’s clothes. He held them tighter and he didn’t let go. 

  “Thank you.”