#rt papyrus

Dream stared at the red string that had been wound around their finger from the moment that they had woken up from that awful stone spell. They knew what it was, of course. It meant that they had a soulmate somewhere in the wide multiverse. They had stumbled and fled through a portal that they had created by instinct, unsure as to just where they would end up, but fleeing the eldritch thing that Nightmare had become. Unsure as to whether or not they wanted to meet their soulmate or not, they fled from world to world, trying to gain strength and generally evade Nightmare as best as they could.

Which was how they had ended up in the situation they are in now, having been drawn to an AU that Ink had warned them to avoid. Reapertale. But they had felt... Drawn here. They were wearing their cape so that their face was hooded and hidden as they wandered throughout the world, finding it to be a mix of monster and humans. There were whispers of gods and goddesses who ruled them all, beings of incredible, indescribable power. They hadn't realized that their Red String of Fate had grown taught until they very nearly ran into their soulmate, who had a scythe raised as a human pleaded weakly for mercy.

Dream called out at the scene before them, confused "Uhm... What's going on here?" The human's injuries were fatal - and their chest had stilled. Their soul was floating freely from their chest, and still pleading for mercy.

"The name's Sans, god of Death. If you try to interfere, I may just have to kill you too." The hooded figure called out, slashing the human's soul in half and turning to face them, a red string taught between the two of them. "I trust that you..." The Sans stopped talking, staring at the taught red string that connected the two of them. "So... I guess we're soulmates, huh?" The Sans muttered, leaning on his scythe and staring at Dream. 

Shock and confusion flooded Dream, and they wished that they could take back the "What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" At least they weren't bound to a mortal... They weren't sure what to think. 

"I don't know. What do you think it means?" Death asks, staring hard at them.

Dream sighed, knowing the answer to that instantly "Trouble."

"Why, disappointed to find out that the god of death is your soulmate, mortal?" Reaper called, out, squinting at him.

Dream shook their head, lowering their hood "I'm no more mortal than you are. While I can be killed, I don't age, can't die of illness, starvation nor thirst. I suppose I should introduce myself, since we are soulmates, and I know your name, Sans. I'm Dream, guardian of positivity."

"... I've heard rumors about you from the Sanses who run around with Ink. You've been sorely missed throughout the centuries, since your other half has been causing a giant rampage across the multiverse. Not that Ink particularly cares beyond a new game to play. Especially since Nightmare fucks around with darker timelines for the most part."

Dream sighed softly "I was trapped in a stasis spell for centuries... I'm not sure what Nightmare has been up to while I was trapped, but I... Considering how strong he is, I can guess at what he's been up to. I... I suppose that it's nice to meet you?"

Reaper laughed, voice filled with bitterness "I suppose it's good to meet you too... If you're looking for hugs and kisses, I'm afraid I might dust you, even if you're more durable than mortals. My very touch kills."

A small frown appeared on their face at that "You... You've never been able to touch or hold someone? Not ever?" that sounds so horribly lonely...

"My brother, Paps, is also a god of death, and we can hug one another without dusting each other... But hey, it's not all bad. This death touch makes my job easier. You wouldn't believe how -" Reaper began, rearing back in surprise and flailing in shock as Dream rushed him, hugging him tight "Wait I... I... You... You're not..."

"Dusting or dying? Nope... As I told you, the only way I can die is if I'm killed... So your touch won't knock me down." Dream murmured, hugging Reaper tightly "This is going to be troublesome and complicated, but I... If you like, we can try to make it work? Unless you'd rather I vanish and never come back to your world? The multiverse is vast, I'm sure we could manage to avoid each other."

"I... No. I don't... I don't want you to vanish as soon as we've met one another. I do want to make a go of things. Of... Of getting to know you." Reaper responded, treacherous hope blooming in his chest as he looks down at them, his soul twisting and making it difficult to breathe. He had a soulmate... Who wasn't afraid of him. A true smile appeared on his face as he asked "How much of my AU have you seen, Dream?"

"Just a bit of the mortal world. Some of this city and nothing else, as a matter of fact. I'd be delighted to explore more of your world, if you like?" Dream offered, a hopeful smile appearing on their face as well. 

Reaper nodded, offering them an arm as he murmured "I gotta take this soul to the afterlife. Then I can show you a few of my favorite places, if you’d like?"

Dream nods. They have no idea just how this will work out... But they're willing to try, hoping that the two of them might be able to enjoy one another's company. "Sounds good to me."

~~~

Reaper ran his fingers along the carved number on the inner portion of his radius. He was well aware of what the numbers meant, as they slowly continued to trickle down, each second passing in less than the blink of a mortal eye. He had taken the souls of many mortals, and their numbers - or the numbers of one or more of the mortals around them had hit zero, as he appeared to them, taking their souls from their bodies, to take them to the afterlife.

Five hundred and sixty-four days, three hours and ten minutes. With twelve-eleven-ten... Seconds left. That was how much longer his soulmate had to live. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he wondered morosely if his only chance to meet his soulmate - who had to be alive... They must be a boss monster of some kind, to live for so long - would be when he took their soul to the afterlife. To meet them only to be the one to take their last breath... As he sure as hell wasn't going to make his younger brother take his own soulmate's life... 

He wondered what they might be like? Would he be able to meet them before they died? Would he know if they were his soulmate, and he was theirs? The dull ache that pulled at his soul whenever he stared at the numbers for more than a couple of seconds had returned. With a sigh, he pulled down the sleeve of his robe, shaking himself as he stood up, stretching a little. He was going to pester Tori for a while. It was always fun teasing the goddess of life.

- 

He pauses, sensing something... Someone new in the garden of life. Moving swiftly, making sure to float a couple of inches above the grass, so that he didn't kill everything he touched, Reaper charged to where he could sense the new being - who was worryingly close to Toriel, summoning his scythe, just in case it was another Chara situation. Instead he sees a - 

Reaper stops dead, blinking rapidly as the brightly blazing golden aura of the being who was speaking to Tori, their voice too loud and very soft all at once, the dizzying amount of information that he had gotten from seeing them for the first time incredibly distracting and distressing. Yet... The distress and concern that he felt at this stranger - powerful, kind and gentle as he could feel they were - faded away. "Good morning, Sans." Tori called out, smiling warmly down at him. "Come, meet the guardian of positivity. Their name is Dream."

Reaper nodded, coming forwards and nodding politely, his scythe vanishing as he tucked his hands behind his back "Hello, My name's Sans... I'm one of the two Reapers, so I'd like to shake your hand, but if I did, I'd kill you."

Dream smiled a little and nodded in understanding, the radiance of their soul still nearly blinding "It's wonderful to meet you, Sans. I sensed Toriel's distress and came to see if I could help. We've had a brief chat, and she's doing much better. She cares very much for you."

Reaper smiles a little bit and rubs the back of his skull "Yeah, I'm not sure why she cares for such a spooky bonehead like me, but I'm lucky... Although we didn't always get along with one another, haha... I'm... I don't think you're from this universe, are you?"

"Nope! But do not worry, I do not plan on staying here for very long. I like to wander, now that I've learned how. Thank you both for your time." Dream murmured, smiling warmly at Reaper, their magic rippling against his senses and almost causing him to purr at the feeling. 

"You're welcome... And thanks for coming to cheer up Tori. That's very kind of you." Reaper responded, a genuine smile appearing on his face. "Say, have you met Ink? If you hop around enough 'verses you're bound to run into him. He's... Interesting and kind of dangerous. But for now at least, he means well."

"I'll keep that warning in mind, Reaper. See you later, I'm sure." Dream calls out, a happy smile appearing on their face as they open a golden portal, vanishing in a flash of light. 

-

Reaper hadn't known what was going on in the multiversal sansnanigans that were going on. He had made sure that they knew that he was neutral. As long as they didn't fuck with his home timeline, he wouldn't reap their souls and send them on to the afterlife. It was a pretty good deal, and those whom he loved and cared for were well protected. Dealing with the mess that the others made when the reapers from the worlds that they had their destructive fights in was annoying and irritating to say the least, but it wasn't the absolutely shittiest thing he'd had to deal with.

What he hadn't expected was to be unexpectedly summoned during one of his rare days off, frowning as he found the Omega timeline in absolute shambles. There were dozens of injured mortals, with hundreds more dead. Sighing, he summoned his scythe, slashing his way through the dead souls, shoving them none too gently into the afterlife, having so many to reap, there was no time for any of the tact nor kindness that Paps showed the mortals who were dying. 

He froze as he felt something vibrate on his left radius as he finished reaping the last of the mortal souls dead. With trembling fingers, he pulled down his sleeve, staring in muted horror as the numbers flicked down... Ten seconds... Nine... Eight... Panic seized him as he searched the AU, instinctively knowing that his soulmate had to be here... He could hear sounds of fighting and charged recklessly onto the battlefield to see Dream, Ink, Nightmare and Error battling two on two, their mortal companions dusting around them. 

Before he could even attempt to defy fate and stop all four of these assholes from killing each other (as he had no idea which one of the four of them was his soul mate) one of Dream's arrows pierced through Error's soul, shattering it at the very moment that one of Error's gaster blasters was able to slam, full-force into Ink, vaporizing the creative guardian, even as a wave of ink gutted Nightmare. An anguished "No!" Left reaper as he rushed towards the four of them, noting that Error and Ink had already dusted, but he had a couple of seconds left, the positive and negative guardians sputtering weakly, glaring darkly at one another.

"You... Killed... My soulmates... Dream... Of course... I wouldn't... let that... Slide..." Nightmare ground out, surrounded by several piles of dust, the clothes of Cross, Killer, Dust and Hatchet surrounding him. 

"It was not.., My intent to do so, brother... I never... Wanted to hurt you..." Dream called out, their eye lights fading. "Oh... Hey Reaper... Here to... Clean up our messes, as always?"

Discarding all sense as he knew in the back of his mind that he would only hasten the other's end, Reaper rushed to Dream's side, picking the other up and gently brushing the tears from their eyes "Dream! Dream no... Please... You.. you have to stay with me... Please no... I just... We... We're..."

"Soulmates? Oh... I'm so sorry to leave you... But..." Dream coughed weakly, golden ichor splattering Reaper's face "There's nothing that... Can be done... S-smile for me?"

"But I... I can't... Not... N-Not when you're dead! I can't... I don't..." He only helps souls cross into the afterlife. He never sees them again not unless they are reincarnated. "I... I'll bring you to Tori... Maybe... Maybe she can... She can heal you?" Tori would do that for him, right? Heal his soulmate? He's already preparing the portal when Dream shakes their head.

"No... I... I'm not meant to exist without him... Gotta... Stay balanced..."  Dream mumbled, gesturing in Nightmare's general direction as the negative spirit collapsed into a puddle of dark ooze, having just given up on this life. A spectral form of a small, violet elemental hovered over what remained of Nightmare, waiting to be collected. "But... I'm glad to know... Who my soulmate is... Even if it's just in my final moments. You were a wonderful friend... Reaper... You must... Remember to smile... Maybe we'll meet each other again in a happier time?" With that, Dream faded into a puddle of dust, nothing remaining of them but their circlet and clothing. A yellow, spectral elemental appeared, gently nuzzling into him before chirping, causing the darker spirit to appear, murrmuring lowly. With trembling fingers, he cupped both of them, saying quietly "I release you from this life, and send you on to the afterlife. Rest well."

He reaped what remained of Error's soul... and poked at what little remained of Ink, knowing full well that the other was soulless. Would he resurrect somehow, or was this it? Reaper realized with a jolt, that he had accidentally allowed part of Dream's cloak to touch what remained of Nightmare... and a small sapling had begun to sprout from where the two had mixed. With careful, trembling fingers, he wrapped the little sapling up in Dream's scarf, stumbling into Tori's garden, yelling for her help, covered in dust and miserable. 

She came running over, Undyne yelling at him for daring to be in here and gaster staring at him in a great deal of confusion, half a dozen of the other gods watching him. "Tori I... They... My soulmate just died and I... This... This tree.. They... I... Please take care of it... I... Please?" Reaper begged, knowing that he wasn't making much sense. 

"Of course... Sans... Give me the sapling, I will tend to them... Go to your brother, and grieve for them..." Life murmured, a sad and understanding smile appearing on her face. 

Reaper nodded, staggering off to where he knew his brother to be, collapsing into the other's confused embrace. 

~~~

Reaper had gone to these Christmas parties for several years now, having found them to be endlessly entertaining... And if he could poke and prod at people without dusting them, finding their reactions to be amusing as all hell, so much the better. He knew that whatever had happened to his soulmate to cause the other to feel no emotions whatsoever for... Five hundred and twelve years, sixteen hours and seven seconds (so sue him for counting. It had been disorienting and terrifying when the emotions that didn't belong to him but did belong to his soulmate suddenly vanished) had suddenly come back a couple of weeks ago. The first thing he had felt from them was a return of the absolute terror, confusion and soul-rending betrayal that had laid him flat on his back, wheezing as he tried to get himself together. Tori had fluttered over him and yelled for Paps - as his brother was the only one in his AU who could touch him without dying. 

The misery and sadness had died down to bearable degree - but much of the warm cheerfulness and contented peace that he had sensed from his soulmate had never returned. Not truly. There was a lot of determination and a grief that caused Reaper's soul to ache. Reaper had searched amongst the crowd of sanses at the Christmas Party, hoping that they were amongst their numbers... And he was getting close to asking Ink for help, to find his soulmate... Even if it meant dealing with the creative guardian's shenanigans a lot more than normal, it would be worth it to find his soulmate and hopefully dragging their miserable butt to therapy. 

"Hey, Reaper..." Geno murmured, squinting at something or someone behind him "Ink's here... And he brought that golden marshmallow with him. I mean - Blue is tough as they come. Cheerful and sweet, but he can and will out-maneuver and manipulate pretty much anyone and everyone when he has a mind to do so. What the marshmallow is doing mixed up with the soulless creator and the mafia leader of friendship, I do not know."

Reaper hummed, turning around and freezing as he sees the gold and blue-clad sans. Their magic called to him in a way that he'd never experienced. "I... I think that they might..." He had seen other people meet their soulmates before. Whether the reactions were positive, negative or neutral, the first impression tended to be a lasting one, especially... Especially between soulmates. "I think they might be my soulmate."

Geno snickers a little "You wouldn't be the first to hope for that. They're the guardian of positivity, and their warm aura makes everyone around them feel happy... Sounds really lonely to me... They've been told that by at least half of the sanses here... Not that any of them were right, but hey. Good luck. If you're right, then you're right."

Reaper waves a hand at Geno "I can sense their emotions. What they're actually feeling, not the positive aura that is lifting the spirits of everyone around them." With that he went quiet, making his way over to Dream, mentally rolling his eye lights as a hush fell over the crowd and they reluctantly parted. He looks over at Dream, more sure than ever that the other was his soulmate. The fake smile on their face belied the exhausted circles under their eyes and the almost desperate way that they seemed to be trying to please and distract others. "Hello."

"I... Uhm... Hi." Dream responded, blinking up at him "My name is Dream. What's yours?" They ask, holding out a hand for him to shake.

Reaper grins, taking the other's hand, amused by the way that everyone tensed up around them "It's nice to meet you, Dream. I'm Death."

Dream stared up into his face, their eye lights widening for a couple of moments, surprise, hope and uncertainty flickering through them as they murmur "It's... It's nice to meet you death..."

"Heh... I get it. Not many people are eager to meet me. I think I even scare the life out of some of your companions." He responded, winking a little at Dream. "But don't worry, I'm a pretty chill guy. Meeting me here isn't automatically a death sentence."

The smile on Dream's face shifted to something a little bit more real, and a soft chuckle left them "Hehe... I... I don't think that you're all that scary. I've seen worse things happen to people than meeting you... You seem quite nice."

Reaper shrugged a little, a small smile appearing on his face "Eh. This place is a lot like an idle fantasy for me. I can touch people without killing them here. Which is nice, as in my home AU, anyone I touch who ain't my brother dies. Mortal or not. But in this place, I've got no fangs."

Dream giggles again, their eye lights brightening a little "I think the two of us need to have a bit of a private chat."

Reaper nods, following the other "True, but I'm not sure how private for how long this chat will be. Your friends seem to be kind of... Nosy."

Dream shrugs, grabbing one of Reaper's hands and teleporting them far away from where the party was "This should give us enough time to talk for at least a little bit. And of course, there's the Underfell Therapy Closet to hide in. I... I think you're my soulmate. It's difficult for me to tell, as I can sense the emotions of everyone around me... But your feelings are familiar to me, even though we've never met before."

"... I'm pretty sure that we're soulmates too, actually. Were you trapped in a stasis spell or killed for five hundred years and change before either resurrecting, reincarnating or breaking free of the spell? I couldn't... I couldn't sense you at all for that time and I..." Reaper shuddered a little. He'd despaired of ever meeting the other. That his soulmate had been mortal and worse yet, born in a different world and that they had lived and died before he'd ever had a chance to meet them.

"I... I was trapped in a stasis spell for a very long time. I didn't realize it was five hundred years. I've recently broken free. It's... I... I'm so glad to meet you, finally. Do... Do you mind if I hug you?" Dream asked, voice trembling a little as the other reaches out for him.

Reaper nods, scooping the smaller immortal up and hugging him close, lightly resting his chin on the top of the other's skull. "I'd... I'd very much like to hug you... I'm sure that there's a lot of shit that both of us have to talk about - complicated backstories and whatnot... But for now... I think just holding one another sounds good... What about you?"

Some of the worry and fear that he could sense within Dream ebbed away, replaced with hope and joy as the other murmured into his chest "I... That sounds like a really good idea to me... Thank... Thank you... Reaper."

"You're welcome, Dream." Reaper murmured quietly, hugging them tightly. Come what may, and regardless of any metaphorical or literal skeletons hidden in each of their closets, they had one another, and they'd found one another. That alone was enough for Reaper as he presses a gentle kiss to the top of the other's skull, hope and a small whisper of affection blooming in his chest as he looks down at Dream.

~~~~

Dream has existed for several days when they finally fall asleep for the first time, one warm evening, snuggled into their twin, leaning against what remained of the one who had created them, and what they had been created to protect. They found themself in a beautiful garden - with plants of many kinds that they had never actually seen before - with beautiful blossoms that as they rushed over to smell, found that they could neither touch nor smell. 

This was terribly confusing to the young guardian, who tried to grab the flower, their fingers again going through the petals as if either they or the flower didn't exist. They hear two people speaking "telling you Tori, I don't have a soulmate. I've never once dreamed of them, and I've never seen them, if they've dreamed." said one voice, gruff and slightly frustrated and sad.

"Perhaps your soulmate simply hasn't been born or created yet? You mustn't give up hope, dear friend." a second voice said, comforting and gentle.

Dream makes their way over to the pair of voices, continuing to walk through the garden, seeing plants and hearing... Birds? That's what the information in their head from the previous guardian informed them that the strange but pleasing noises were coming from. "Uhm... Hello? Do you know where we are?" They call out, looking up at the tall, fuzzy person and the tall, bone person who looked similar to themself and Nightmare, though the big bone person had on a really cool black cloak.  They had seen trees... But none of them remotely resembled the tree that they were meant to protect and live beneath. 

"...How did you get in here? You're not supposed to be in here. This place is a sacred place." The tall bone person demanded, a growl in their voice.

Dream shrugged, not the least bit intimidated by the growls "I dunno how I got here.. I fell asleep next to Nighty an' I woke up a little while ago that way." Dream responded, pointing in the direction of the place that they had found themself in "I dunno how I got here... Why can't I touch anything? Who are you? Where are we?"

The furry person paused for a couple of moments before asking "... Do you see someone, Sans?"

"Yeah, there's this little kid like three feet from us. Can't... Can't you see them too? They're right there." The big bone person responded, pointing directly where Dream was standing "You're in Life's Sanctuary, kiddo. I'm-"

The goat person abruptly cut in "This is Sans, and my name is Toriel, young one. You and Sans are soulmates. you are currently dreaming, and you've dreamed your way to your soulmate. I can now see you, but only just. I promise that though Sans may seem kind of scary at first, he is kind and very punny. What's your name, young one?"

"My name is Dream!" The little guardian responded, grinning brightly up at Sans and Toriel, tilting their head a little as they pressed "So when I wake up, will I be back with Nighty and the tree?"

"If that's where you fell asleep, then you should, unless you were moved in your sleep... Why did you fall asleep near a tree?" Sans asked, curious despite the bored and unaffected expression on his face.

"Because me an' Nighty were created there, to protect her!" Dream responded cheerfully. "We are the guardians of the tree of feelings. I'm the guardian of the positive fruits. To make sure that no one eats them..."

"Why would someone want to eat these fruits? What do they do? ... How long have you existed?" Sans asked, moving a bit closer to them, trying to understand why now, of all times, had his soulmate appeared. After waiting what felt like an eternity for them to appear, did they finally show up. Or at least... Make themself known to him. 

"The positive fruits represent the hopes and happiness of everyone... if they are eaten, then they don't feel those good feelings anymore." Dream explained with a worried frown "So I gotta protect them! And I've been around for..." They stare down at their fingers "Three days! The previous guardian - who was killed by a human - was dying and made me an' Nightmare! Night guards the negative fruits. They stay balanced so that peoples' feelings are balanced. You are the first people, part from Nighty, Who I've ever seen or talked to."

Toriel spoke up, murmuring quietly "You... You're quite big for three days old... And you can speak quite well..."

"Well, yeah. That's because our creator made our bodies so that they were adult-sized, or mostly adult-sized. An' gave us lots of information so that we would know things an' be able to guard the tree!" Dream responds happily, beaming up at the both of them. "... Why are you two upset? We haven't met any mortals yet... Part from you two right now, but you're not where I am, an' I don't think all mortals are bad... And the mortal who killed the previous guardian is dead because mama killed him."

"Err... Dream. Neither of us is mortal, either." Sans spoke up. He pauses for a moment before forging on ahead "Tori here is the goddess of Life... and I'm the god of Death." He hadn't heard of the tree of feelings, but then again... There were things about the universe that he didn't know about. He'd have to talk to dad, as he was pretty sure that this little one along with their twin were little godlings, perhaps born somewhere within the mortal realm and they needed to be found and trained properly in the use of their power... Why hadn't he been informed of something that was so important? He glances at Tori, dozens of questions on the tip of his tongue, but nothing that he wanted to ask, lest he confuse the very new godling in front of him.

"Ohhh... Cool! I didn't know that gods exist! That's really cool." The little guardian murmured, beaming eagerly up at the both of them. Dream pauses for a moment, blinking as they turn, hearing Nightmare call out for him "I think... I think I'm going to wake up soon. It's really nice to meet you for the first time, Sans! I hope to talk to you again soon." With that, the little guardian vanished into nothingness.

"... Tori, why wasn't I informed about this tree of feelings? Is it protected somewhere within the realm of the gods? Or is it rooted in the mortal realm because the tree affects both mortals and the gods?" Reaper asked, glancing at Life, trying to read her responses.

"I... I honestly have never heard of such a tree, but I cannot think that little one was lying to us. Their words had the ring of truth... Or at least, they believe what they've been told to be the truth, at least." Life responded, frowning a little "Perhaps it is something very old, that I have forgotten..."

"I'll speak with Gaster and Alphys. If there was anyone who could tell me about this tree of feelings, it would be one or the both of them." Reaper murmured, determined to find his soulmate and meet them in person - at least once. The little one hadn't seemed to be the least bit afraid or nervous of him... But the other was so new to the world, it made sense as to why they wouldn't flinch at the sight of death... Nor fall down in worship of Life.

----

Alphys had no idea what he was talking about when he had spoken of the tree of feelings. Gaster had frowned, pausing for a couple of moments before murmuring quietly "Such a tree would be well known, if it was native to this universe, Sans. I believe that your soulmate is from an entirely different universe, Sans. There are multiple universes, but it will take time and research for me to figure out how pan-dimensional travel is feasible... You will need to content yourself with dreaming visions of them and they of you until then, Sans. But I am glad to hear that you have met your soulmate, in some capacity at least."

Reaper nodded, sighing in frustration. Of course his soulmate had to be from an entirely different universe. His luck could never grant him something as easy as a soulmate who he could immediately reach out too... Although he did feel terribly unsure as to just what might happen if the two of them were able to actually interact with one another in reality... Dream was so very young, it was almost certain that they were platonic soulmates. which suited him just fine but... What happened if the other tried to embrace him? Would the other dust at his touch? "I... alright. Keep me informed. Thanks, G."

"Mmm... And I would like to remind you, sans, that by mortal reckoning, you are a little over ten years old, although gods do not age as mortals do, and you have always had an old soul. From what you told me of your soulmate... This young guardian seems much the same." Gaster pointed out, a small and knowing smile appearing on his face. He hadn't expected the other's soulmate to be so far afield... But he had hoped that the other did have a soulmate, as neither of his creations were lifeless creatures, even as many of the gods hissed and glared, muttering irritably at the necessity of such beings. 

"Yeah, yeah. I know. It just... Feels weird. I have a soulmate... But I... I'm glad to have finally met them in some way... and that they haven't been hiding from me because of what I was created to be..." Reaper murmured, hope and uncertainty lingering in his mind. Perhaps the other didn't mind his presence now... But later? Reaper mentally shook himself. There was no need to dwell on what-ifs and might be’s. What would happen, would happen. He had a chance to get to know his soulmate, which was more than what a decent chance that Mortals got. "But hey. I'm sure I'll win him over with my punderful sense of humor. Then again, he's so sweet and I've just got this killer sense of humor. They... he? Might not take to it so well, given how saccharine sweet he is."

"have courage, Sans. Your soulmate is yours, and they yours for a reason." Gaster murmured "I cannort say for what reason the fate have bound the two of you together, but it is a rare and precious gift to be able to meet your soulmate, even amongst the gods."

"I... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Gaster." Reaper murmured, heading off to go find Paps - who would absolutely want to know that he'd met his soulmate. A small smile lingered on his face - perhaps Paps had met his soulmate today as well? He's pretty sure that he’d hear all about it if that were true.

~~~~~~

Dream was very glad that they wore gloves at this particular moment in time. As otherwise they would have to find a way to hide what was on their palm. Ink had dragged him into this strange place - the... Omega? Timeline? where there were dozens of different versions of the same monster, from many different AUs and timelines. Amongst the goat monsters, occasional humans, buny monsters, Migosp, Aaron, Temmie and Papyri... There were also... Sanses. LIke the Stylized black and blue S that had been carved into the middle of their palm since they had first acquired a body, centuries ago.

Their soulmate was very likely named... Sans. Any one of the sanses he was currently watching talk, fight and argue with one another could be their soulmate... Or none of them were their soulmate, and the Sans whose S this was, was someone else entirely. They lightly tugged up their glove a little higher, trying to decide how best to bring about the end of a brawl that was going on between an Underfell, Swapfell and Fellswap trio of Sanses - especially as a couple of Undynes were headed over, Papyri from similar timelines hot on their heels and it looked like it was going to turn into a huge mess of negativity and pain and they really didn't want that to happen.

They clear their nonexistent throat as they call out, pulsing their magic in order to increase the warm and happy feelings that the assembled and brawling monsters were feeling, lowering the amount of aggression, fear, and uncertainty in the same flare of magic "Hello... Excuse me... But why are you fighting?"

Every eye light focused on them, but Dream stood their ground. They were fairly sure that they could handle this many rowdy mortals. And they could see Blue hovering nearby, prodding at a snickering Ink, possibly to come help keep the peace. 

"This asshole stole my chocolate! I want it back... Who the hell are you? You some sorta swap with a fixation on yellow?" The Underfell sans huffed, glaring a little at them, pointing at the swapfell sans accusatory "... I'm called Red, if you didn't know."

"It's nice to meet you Red. My name is Dream." They respond, a small smile appearing on their face. They turn to look at the swapfell.

"The hell it is! I bought this chocolate three days ago, and you're the one who took it from me! You cheated at the sparring match that you made me lose, so I took it back. I'm called Viper." The swapfell huffed, glaring at Red as he tried to keep the chocolate out of Red's hands.

The fellswap Sans growled "That's where they're both lying. These two stole the chocolate from me, and I want it back! I haven't seen a Swap Sans variant who looks quite like you.. are you from a storyswap where you're the king or queen of the underground, given the circlet on your head?"

Dream frowns a little in confusion, wondering what the other meant by that "No, I... I'm not a swap sans. My name is Dream. I don't know if my AU has a name, but I've never... Monsters weren't... But that's not the point of this... I propose that the three of you split the chocolate evenly between the three of you, that way, each of you has some chocolate... Regardless of whose chocolate it might have once been... Besides, isn't there a chocolatier down the street? You could each purchase as much chocolate as you wish from there."

the trio of Fell variants stared at him "I... Fine. Splitting the chocolate sounds reasonable. What do you mean your AU doesn't have a name? Unless you're from an unfinished world, yours has gotta have a name... And are you implying that you're from a surface AU? Are there humans aboveground in your world?" Red demanded, equal parts curious and annoyed at having to share his chocolate. But if it got Viper and Blackberry off of his back, he'd take it. "Ink... HEY INK! What's Dream Sans's AU called?"

"Oh... I'm not... A sans..." Dream murmured quietly. Viper glanced at him quizzically, but no one else had heard them say that. 

Ink laughed merrily "Pfhahahaaha! I wish I knew. I found Dream wandering around a littletale, completely out of place and terribly confused. He can travel AUs whenever he wants to, without my help. Also He prefers to be called Dream, rather than Dream Sans. I dunno why."

the answer to that was relatively simple. Dream wasn't a sans. He did inhabit a skeletal body -the body of a swap sans that had been created by the previous guardian of the tree of feelings... But he had not been born, nor created inhabiting this body and thus could not truly be called a sans. Not that they felt any desire, nor the inclination to actually explain this, as they had a feeling that the others might not react all that well to learning about that... Not that they had spoken to Ink and Blue - with whom they had been traveling for some time now  - about anything in regards to their past... Everything was just too fresh and painful to begin to think about, much less speak to another about.

"Heya, Ink. Is there a reason why you invited me here? It's not as if there are another one of those parties going on at the moment - though, with those three, I'd not be surprised if you've got a proper death on your hands soon." A low, amused sounding voice called out from behind Dream. all three of the fell based Sanses froze and drew back a little, wariness and uncertainty flashing across their faces.

Dream turns to face this newcomer, a small smile appearing on their face "Hello. My name is Dream. What's yours?"

"... Dream, huh? Like half of the people here, my name is Sans... but I have several nicknames. My favorites are "Augh no, not you!" as well as Reaper and Death. In my AU, I'm one of the two gods of death, along with my brother, Papyrus. You have been sorely missed over the past few centuries that you've been trapped in a stasis spell."Reaper called out, a small smirk appearing on his face "I had  wondered what had happened when your soul mark had changed color for centuries, and was hopeful when it changed back to the color it used to be." 

"I... You.. we're... Soulmates?" Dream managed out, eye lights bright and wide as they tried to process the huge download of information that had been thrown at them, a giddy grin appearing on their face, their eye lights turning into stars "I... I'm so glad to hear that we are soulmates. It's wonderful to meet you, Sans... Unless you prefer one of the nicknames that you gave me?"

"Eh, as long as you don't call me a curse, I don't care what you refer to me as," Reaper responded with a small smile. He didn't extend a hand... He did hope that his touch wouldn't kill the guardian of positivity... But he had no reason nor the inclination to even attempt to try. Not unless Dream attempted to initiate contact with him first. 

Dream hummed, looking at Reaper curiously "I think I'll refer to you as reaper, at least while we are around other sanses, to reduce confusion... Do you have time for us to speak one on one?"

Reaper shrugged "Eh. If the people in my AU - the other gods at least - had it their way,  I'd never stop working... But reaping souls endlessly gets really... Dreary. I've got plenty of time to get to know you." 

Dream nods, a small smile appearing on their face as they walked over to reaper, taking off their right glove, turning their right palm so that the stylized S could be seen by the other, offering it out for the other to shake. "Alright.. Have you ever been to an OverHaven? They are beautiful places."

Reaper hesitates, showing the gold and blue D on his right palm, reaching cautiously towards him and the two of them shook hands, their magics sparking a little and shifting.  "Can't say that I have. I don't tend to travel the multiverse all that much, although  it does sound nice."

Dream nods, beaming happily as they open a portal to Overhaven 36, to a point where there should be no mortals around for miles. "Alright. I've opened the portal to what should be a secluded glade."

Reaper nods, smiling a little, though a bit uncertain as he nodded, stepping up to the portal, a hopeful expression appearing on his face. So far, his soulmate wasn't the least bit afraid of him. That was a good thing, though that might partially be due to the trauma they were likely still processing, as Reaper could read souls and was... Well aware of the secrets that the other was hiding from everyone in regards to their past. He steps on through, making sure to float a few inches above the grass, to avoid killing anything. "I... Oh..." The vibrant colors of the flowers seemed to glow in the early dawn light, the dew glistening brightly on the grass, his breath leaving him in a pale white, misty cloud. A goofy grin appeared on his face "This... This is incredible..." He murmured to Dream.

Dream nods, beaming happily and hugging him tightly around the middle from behind "I... I'm so glad to finally meet you, and I hope that we'll be able to get along."