#yournaothings

chapter two of 12 Days of Gyftmas, Esino's writing prompts. My submissions are very late, but I'm going to work on them anyway.

Ice: Reaper and Geno from @moommoon000 "The Blood Moon"

Geno/Enid build an igloo.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/76238841/chapters/201257846

With the last cube of ice in place, Enid plopped down and released a sigh that puffed out in front of her from how cold it was. 

Good job, Enid. Shift back and I’ll finish the rest. Geno told her, and she was more than happy to do so. As soon as the shift was through, Geno stood onto his two feet and walked over to pull on his clothes. Being exposed to the cold even for a few minutes was enough to have him shivering. 

Hurry, our mate is already on his way. Enid warned Geno, who slipped into the opening of the ice building Enid worked hard assembling. She did the heavy work of pulling out the ice Geno had cut from the lake. Now, it was Geno’s turn to make sure it was all fixed up properly for him and the King of Lycans. 

Inside of the igloo, Geno was safe from the icy wind that blew past. He patched up any holes before bringing in the campware he had brought from the castle. He wanted this to be a surprise for Reaper, but he knew he was running out of time. Reaper was fast, especially if he shifted into his wolf form to get here. He knew Reaper would be upset that he ran off again without anyone with him, but this had to be done by him– and with no one else here to ruin the surprise; like Makaria. 

Geno tried to be quick. He laid out the sleeping bags and extra pillows, a bag of snacks set aside for when Reaper finally arrived– 

A shadow filled the only opening to the igloo and a growl filled the small space, making Geno’s heart skip a beat and race. He turned around, falling on his bottom onto the sleeping bags and stared in surprise at his mate’s wolf; Death. The black wolf’s red eyes stared down at him, ready to lecture him of how dangerous it was to go out alone. 

“Wait! Before you get angry with me!” Geno raised his hands up in defense, trying to calm the wolf down. “Uh, um. S-Surprise?” He said with a nervous smile, but Death didn’t move, nor did he look away from Geno. 

You made an igloo.. For? He heard Reaper mindlink him and Geno swallowed hard; Reaper didn’t sound too excited for his surprise and it was making Geno nervous. “For.. For us. Enid and I thought it was a good idea.” He said, his voice quiet and now unsure. 

Death finally looked away from Geno to inspect the small ice building, before huffing. It was… A bit too small for the large black wolf. Enid could only reach so far when building it. The fact that she was even able to do all of this was pretty amazing. Death stepped in as far as he could go before he shifted. 

A nude Reaper remained in Death’s place, on his hands and knees and Geno’s face blossomed with a pretty blush that had Reaper gushing about how adorable he was. No longer upset, Reaper crawled further in and on top of his sweet mate. “You made this for us~? Oh, my sweet mate loves me so~!” He sang and nuzzled into Geno happily. 

“H-Hey! Wait! You- You’re naked!” He shrieked, but Reaper ignored him, still nuzzling into him, scenting him. 

Once Reaper was finished, he had slipped into one of the sleeping bags to stay warm; even though the igloo kept the wind from coming through, it was still cold and he was still very much naked. Geno laid beside him, cuddling up with him. 

“So, what was the purpose of this igloo?” Reaper asked and Geno blushed again. “After we train and explore, or whatever… We have a little shelter to rest in for a bit. Enid and I thought it was a good idea…” He quietly, embarrassed. Reaper moved a bit to press a kiss to the top of Geno’s head. 

“You’re so thoughtful~ Thank you, my love. But, how did you manage to build it so quickly?” He asked and Geno smiled proudly. “I cut the ice and Enid pulled the ice blocks! She did most of the building.” Reaper’s smile mirrored Geno’s; Geno felt his wolf jump around with excitement and joy.  “You both did a wonderful job, thank you.” Reaper said sweetly, softly before pulling Geno into a sweet kiss. 

After a while, it started to get too cold for Reaper. He left the igloo to shift back; Death stood tall while Geno exited with all of the things he brought. They shared the snacks, giving them the energy to head back to the castle. As much as Geno and Enid wanted to run with their soulmate, Geno had too much to carry; Enid would also have trouble. So, they walked back to the castle. 

As always, Thanatos and Makaria were fretting over them, and Geno huffed. “I was fine! I was just, uh. Training with Enid.” He said with a blush. Death barked out a laugh and gave Geno an amused look. “I-I’ll go put these up!” Geno said quickly and ran off, Makaria following close behind, demanding answers and asking questions of her own. 

Thank you so much!!! You are amazing! You guys always give me the warmest of fuzzies!!! You help the world go round.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/78562106/chapters/211668896

Error and Ink had a deal; one that was working well so far. Many were astonished how neither broke any rules like last time with the X-Event. 

For part of his deal, Error was to eliminate any anomaly that would cause an AU to fall apart. Plenty of anomalies have been taken care of by this point and most of them have shared the same soul trait. Error had rattled off about his little missions to eliminate these souls to Nightmare until one day it piqued his interest. 

Just like Sans the Skeleton, there were many variants of him in different Alternate Universes; the anomalies Error took care of shared the same situation. The same human, same soul trait, same fate. A human who was born to die. They were not important to their AU and only caused harm in the end. A sad fate, one that Nightmare took interest in. 

The negativity would be delicious, so he sent his boys out to fetch the next targeted anomaly. 

Your Name. Many variants of this human have been eliminated already, saving multiple Alternate Universes. However, it was not his intention to save the next target, but to keep them. Study them. Feast off their negativity; and when they are no longer of use to him, he will destroy them. 

~

“I don’t appreciate you interfering with my work, Nightmare.” Error said through his glitches, his expression contorting to one of annoyance. 

They remained in the Alternate Universe Your Name lived in, waiting for the Bad Sanses to return. Waiting on top of the mountain, Nightmare had his back to the Destroyer, his gaze set on the city at the base of the mountain. Ebott City. It was between Spring and Summer, the weather was a perfect warm, and the wind calm as it blew over the mountain. Still, Nightmare could feel the negativity from the civilians from the city. From everyday problems, to desperation that sent people to act out crimes. Nightmare ate it all up. 

“Are you even listening to me?!” Error snapped, his voice high pitched as his glitching got worse from his temper. Nightmare didn’t bother glancing over his shoulder at him, he only grinned wider. It wasn’t too long after that his boys appeared with the human tossed over Horror’s shoulder. He dropped her to the ground, she yelped from the pain and glared up at the massive skeleton monster. 

Nightmare turned around, pleased to see his boys actually did a good job. He was only slightly worried they would kill her. 

“Very good, I see you followed instructions this time.” Nightmare said, his tentacles swayed behind him as he stepped closer to study the human. Once the pain in her bottom calmed, her attention was brought to him, and she looked on with fright. He smirked. “Hello, my dear.” 

The human frowned and he was aware of the heartache that gripped her tightly. He was surprised to see her gather courage and climb to her feet; standing her ground, she glared at each and every skeleton monster. 

“I don’t know what’s going on, but if this is some stupid plan Sans put together to try and get me back, it’s not working! This is a cruel joke on his part and I’m not in any way interested in playing this stupid game!” She snapped, angry suddenly. It surprised everyone, except for Error. 

“It’s not a joke, nor are we trying to help him get you back.” Error said clearly, all while expecting the ends of his phalanges. Acting disinterested, he probably wanted to be done with this mission and go back to the Anti-Void to laze around the rest of the day. Error raised his mismatched eyes to stare at her. “You’re here to die-” 

“Now now, Error. That’s not what we agreed upon.” Nightmare interrupted and caught her attention again while Error glared at him. “I didn’t agree with any of your stupid plans!” Error shrieked, his glitches rising in pitches as he raged. Nightmare ignored him and continued to speak to the human. “You will be coming with me-” 

“I will not.” She bared her teeth at him, and it only made him more amused. “Of course you will, if you wish to live. Your other choice is to die.” Nightmare simply explained, and it wasn’t hard for the human to put the pieces together. She glanced warily at Error, fear sinking deep within her soul. She turned her attention back to Nightmare. “What is it you want from me? Why am I sentenced to death if I don’t go with you?” 

“You are a parasite and must be removed.” Nightmare said, simply. The confusion, fear, and anger that oozed from her soul was delicious to him, and he knew he made the right choice to steal her from Error. It wouldn’t hurt this AU if he removed her from it and brought her to his castle. Used as a snack when he needed a little extra negativity. “So, what will it be, YN?” 

“It would be in your best interest to go with the boss~” Killer cooed, his grin wide and sharp as he watched her. His knife was summoned and he played with the sharpened tip of it. She didn’t give him a reply and turned back to Nightmare. “And if I prefer death over coming with you?” She asked, and he was impressed that she wasn’t naive. 

“It’d be such a shame, such potential wasted.” He said, and she raised her brow at that. “I have use for you, YN. Of course, I will care for all of your needs while working under me. You will have nothing to worry about.” Nightmare explained, he watched the human raise a brow, yet gave him an unbelieving look. Smart human, he thinks. “Wait, you’re offering me a job?” She asked. “Job, new living arrangements, whatever you want to call it, toots. Just choose, or the boss will lose his patience with ya.” Killer spoke up again, warning her of the consequences of wasting their time. 

“I’m losing my patience. Just let me kill the anomaly and be done with it.” Error huffs in annoyance and he reaches up to his eye sockets and summons his blue strings. They wrap around his fingers, and he readies to capture the human. 

“Uh oh, looks like your time is up, doll~” Killer snickers. Nightmare can feel the fear spike within the human’s soul and she took a step back. “Calm down, Destroyer. I will not allow you to kill this one, this time.” Nightmare said, turning to face him while one of his tentacles rested between her and Error. He gave the Destroyer another annoyed look; Killer was correct, his patience was wearing thin. He should just take her without her consent; this would be the last time he gave a human an option to go with him. I had been merciful this far. He thought bitterly. 

The tentacle that hung between Error and the human flexed suddenly, before wrapping around the human’s middle, snatching them up as quick as a viper. Her scream of fright echoed around them, but there was no one around who could save her- 

A bright arrow shot through the air and pierced his tentacle, the burning pain shot through him and only fueled his rising temper. His attention was shifted towards the line of trees behind Error and cursed when he realized he let his guard down; his annoying brother and his team of Stars arrived. 

Dream stepped out from the darkness of the woods, his bow raised with another arrow notched and ready to be released. “Release the human, Nightmare!” Dream commanded him. Following Dream came Ink to one side and Blue to the other of him, they too were prepared for a fight. His time was up. 

Chaos erupted then; Error thrust his hands towards the human, catching her before Nightmare could get another hold on her. As the strings tightened around her and she cried out in pain. Error opened his glitchy portal and began to drag her with him through, but another arrow was released and cut through the strings. Before the human could fall to the ground, Blue teleported and scooped her into his arms.

“Hold your breath!” He gave her a warning before teleporting away and back to Dream and Ink. “Good job, Blue!” Ink cheered and spun Broomie in hand before striking a fight ready pose. “We’ll keep them distracted! Take her to Core!” Dream instructed, Blue wasted no time when Ink summoned a portal for them to go through. 

Nightmare’s tentacles writhed behind him in his anger and he commanded his boys to retrieve his human before it was too late. Dust was the quickest, appearing at the portal and grabbing YN’s ankle and started to yank her out of Blue’s grasp. Dust was prepared for a counter attack from Blue, but it wasn’t him that sent the attack. 

Suddenly, Dream whipped around and slung the bow over Dust’s head until it rest over his shoulders and he pulled back. The taut string of the bow was yanked against his neck and he choked and suddenly released YN. Dream yanked him back away from them and Ink rushed in to keep him busy. Horror was in Dream’s space then, swinging his axe at him, but the Positive guardian dodged. 

With the two busy, Killer picked up where Dust had left off; grabbing at YN before she disappeared through the portal with Blue. “C’mere!” Killer growled, his hand gripped at her pant leg and yanked back. This time, Blue managed to kick his boot out and knocked hard into Killer’s face. With a cry of pain, Killer was sent back, tumbling into Ink. The smallest of the Stars easily recovered from being knocked down, flipping backwards. With a single hand on the ground to support him, he twisted and spun before pushing himself off the ground and flipping through the air. While in the air, he slashed his brush towards Dust, his ink ceased Dust’s attack. 

Nightmare’s tentacles stretched and reached for the portal, but it was too late. Blue and cleared the portal in time for Ink to close it. He growled angrily and focused his anger on his brother. Once again, his stupid brother had foiled his plans! His body contorted, corruption reflecting his anger as he rushed severely attacks at Dream. “Get over here, you vile worm!” 

Dream dodged another attack from Horror before turning his attention to the large tentacles racing towards him. His bow shifted into his twin blades and he sliced through the corruption with ease. Now facing Nightmare’s anger, Ink and Dream found the fight more difficult. Dream called for Ink to pull back, but Nightmare wasn’t going to allow them to get away this time. At least not his brother. 

More tentacles rained down on them, ready to pierce and kill; Ink met Dream in time for the positive guardian to summon his barrier. It gave them enough time to let Ink summon his portal below their feet. Nightmare roared with fiery anger as he watched the two disappear through that stupid portal; successfully fleeing the fight, again.

The corruption pulled back, settling over Nightmare’s bones, but oozed more freely in his temper. His tentacles writhed behind him, his glare remained on that inky blot on the ground; Dream’s barrier having disappeared once they exited the AU fully. 

“Well, that could have gone better.” Killer remarked, rubbing at his sore jaw. He just never knew when to keep his comments to himself. Nightmare’s temper flared and a tentacled wrapped around the little pest and squeezed hard. He brought Killer close to his face and sneered at him. “You will find out where they’ve taken her and bring her back to me! Is that understood?” 

KIller’s response was choked out of him, a breathless, “Yes boss.” Nightmare tossed him aside towards the other two skeletons. “Before you go, tell Cross his vacation is over with.” Nightmare instructed and turned away. “Yes boss.” The three replied, Killer once again with his breathless reply. 

Error stood in place, his arms crossed and he glared at Nightmare with his own irritation. “Great plan that was, goopy.” Was his annoying glitchy insult, and when Nightmare went to lash at him, the Destroyer slipped through his portal and disappeared back into the Anti-Void. Nightmare glared at the spot Error had been, before allowing his corruption to pull him to his abandoned domain.

~

The Omega Timeline was peaceful, as always. 

The moment Blue stepped foot on the plush grass, he gently set YN to her feet; her legs trembled from the encounter with the other skeletons. She held onto Blue’s arms, the kind skeleton smiled and offered his assistance until she could stand on her own. 

“Are you okay?” He asked her, voice smooth and calm. A bit higher pitched than her Sans’ voice. Her Sans? She mentally shook the thought from her mind. “I’m alright.” She breathed out her reply, and slowly glanced up at him. His blue eye lights were bright and happy; it reminded her of Papyrus. “Thank you for saving me.” 

Blue grinned and let out an adorable, “Mweh heh” that had her smiling. “It was my pleasure, human! I am very happy to see you unharmed! Nightmare and his gang of bad Sanses are very mean and violent! It’s a good thing we got there when we did!” She nodded, agreeing with him. “Yes, I am very grateful for you and your friends– uh, where are they, anyway? Did they make it back?” She asked and moved to look around Blue for the other two. 

Behind her, she heard the grass shuffle as if someone were walking up to them. “Do not worry about Ink and Dream, they will join us shortly.” 

YN gasped and turned to see a.. Child? A greyscale, eyeless child stood before her offering a gentle smile. They looked like… “Frisk?” She asked with a tone of worry. They shook their head and replied; “I am not the Frisk you know. Although, I am a variant, another version of them. You may call me, Core.” 

Variant, a different version. 

“W-Wait a minute.” YN breathed out, tripping over her words. She felt a headache coming on. “What is happening right now?” She asked as she lifted her hand to press against her temple where the throbbing was beginning. “First I meet other versions of Sans, and now I’m meeting another version of Frisk? Is this some kind of joke? Did Sans ask you to pull this off?” Or am I having a nightmare? She asked herself, and between the other options, she prayed it was the latter. She’d prefer a nightmare over all these different Sanses. 

Why were they suddenly showing up now, after Sans asked for her to go with him to Frisk’s graduation– YN gasped, the air passing through her throat harsh enough to burn. Tears pricked at her eyes and she coughed. “Oh my goodness! Frisk’s graduation! I can’t miss that! They’ll be so upset!” She twisted back around and gave Blue a pleading look. “Please, you need to take me home, right now! I can’t miss Frisk’s graduation!” 

Blue frowned and he gently grasped her upper arms. “I’m afraid it’s not safe for you to return home. Nightmare and the others could still be there.” He told her, his frown deepening when she looked at him with such distraughtness. 

“I’m sorry, YN. But, you cannot return to your home.” Core said, gravely. “Come, there is much to talk about.” YN didn’t want to go with Core, she wanted to go home. But, if she was in danger… Worried, she gave Blue a quick glance and he offered her a comforting smile. “It’s okay. You can trust Core.” And with that, he gently took her hand in his and followed after Core. 

Now inside of Core’s home, the three sat at the dining table. Core finished serving tea to their guests before sitting in their own chair. YN sipped at her tea, feeling the hot drink calm her nerves. 

“I don’t understand why Nightmare has decided to interfere this time. I wonder if Error has asked him for help.” Core commented, and Blue gave them a concerned look. “When we arrived, Nightmare and Error were fighting over the human as if she were a toy.” He explained how Dream saved her from Nightmare first, then Error. “Nightmare must have had his own plans with her.” 

“That is very concerning.” Core hummed as they thought it over, remaining quiet for a moment longer before regarding Yn once more. “I’m sorry you had to witness that. Rest assured, you are safe here.” Yn frowned, she started to feel uneasy. “And where is here?” Core offered a friendly, calm smile. “You are now in the Omega Timeline. This Alternate Universe is a sanctuary for those who have lost their homes due to unfortunate events.” 

“Those other skeletons won’t get me here?” Yn asked carefully, not at all letting her guard down after that encounter. Core nodded to her. “Nightmare and his crew, and Error cannot come here. So, you won’t have to worry about them anymore.” 

She felt sick to her stomach. “What do you mean by that?” Her response was quiet, nervous. Core continued. “As you know, you cannot go back to that Alternate Universe. This will be your new home.” 

Devastation hit her hard, as did the stress from the day. Suddenly, she didn’t feel well anymore. “I– I don’t feel so well.” She said as she reached to her side, her body following her hand, practically falling into Blue’s lap. 

~ 

Blue caught the human, his soul squeezed with concern. 

“She will be fine, Blue.” Core reassured him and they hopped out of their chair to come around the table to his side. “We’ll let her rest here for now.” They said and prompted Blue to follow them with the human. 

They led Blue to a guest room. Core pulled back the covers and Blue laid the human in the bed before pulling the blanket over her limp body. “Are you sure she’ll be fine?” He asked Core, worry still gripping him. Core pat his arm gently and smiled. “I am sure. She is just exhausted from all the excitement. Come, Dream and Ink are here. We’ll discuss our next steps.” They said and left the room. Blue remained a moment longer before turning and leaving the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. 

~ 

Killz: boss says vacay over with time to work

Cross stared at the message a moment too long and his best friend snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“Duty call, bruh?” 

You: what’s the mission? 

“Yeah, looks like Nightmare needs me.” Cross sighs heavily, disappointed that he couldn’t have the whole two weeks of vacation. “That’s a bummer, bruh.” Epic pouted and tossed a mini cookie snack into his mouth. As he chewed, Epic glanced over at Cross. “We didn’t get finished with the rest of the series!” Cross felt bad, and reflected on his expression. “Hey,” Epic sat up, nudging Cross with his elbow. “No worries! We’ll pick up where we left off next time! Just let me know the juicy details of yer mission, bruh!” 

Cross laughs and shakes his head, turning to grin at his friend. “Of course, dude. It’s got to be good if he’s asking for my help. Maybe Killer fucked up again.” He laughs, imagining some silly scenario where Killer messed up and Nightmare tossing him around comically. 

Killz: manhunt blue took a human boss wants should be in the au yur at

Killz: woman with [redacted] features has a pretty face probs with core

Cross’ attention is back on his phone. “Fuck, I know why Nightmare needs me now, dude.” He said, his tense voice catching Epic’s attention. Frowning deeply, Cross raised his eyes lights to stare at Epic. “There is someone in this AU he wants me to collect.” 

…

The real next chapter; "Mercy" is considered a deleted scene.

@bored-animator a new chapter.

Characters and their Creators: Killer Sans: Rahafwabas Dust Sans: Ask-Dusttale Horror Sans: Sour-Apple-Studios Nightmare Sans: Jokublog XTale Sans(Cross): Jael Peñaloza/Jakei Error Sans: Lover of Piggies/Crayon Queen

Ink Sans: Comyet Underswap Sans (Blue): popcornpr1nce Dream Sans: Jokublog Shattered Dream and his brother: galacii Underfell Sans (Red): Vic the Underfella

Atara: cactobutt (tumblr)

Leaving the once familiar castle wasn’t a hard thing to do. 

He never looked back as he teleported into the closest AU to Shattered Dream’s castle; a dark and desolate Universe where those still alive were struggling to survive. 

Killer teleported away, finding that one AU that remained neutral; a place where his previous boss enjoyed to visit on his days off. 

Brew Beginnings came into view once Killer stepped through his shortcut. 

It was raining today. A terrible and gloomy day with thunder rumbling above. Killer tipped his head back to watch the rain pour down, washing away the black ichor that stained his face. Lightning struck in the distance and thunder shook his bones. 

He couldn’t feel emotions any longer but if he did, Killer figured guilt would be gnawing on his soul right about now. He was so stupid to leave his boss for that silly wannabe. Shattered demanded to hunt down every monster and human who dared insult and hurt Nightmare– it was boooring. There was no fun! No killing! 

Most of his time was spent back at the castle babysitting Shattered’s pathetic human. He was done being used in such a way; So was Horror and Dust. Killer wasn’t sure where they planned to go, but he wasn’t worried.

“Are you going to continue standing out in the rain or come inside?”

The soft voice of Brew Beginnings owner opens the door and calls out for him. Killer lowers his head and meets Latte’s warm eye lights before the owner smiles kindly, eyes closing. “Come inside, Killer. I have your hot chocolate ready.” 

Latte steps back into the shop, the door closing behind him. Killer stares at the open sign as it blinks brightly. Unblinkingly, Killer takes a step closer towards the entrance, slipping inside without a noise. 

The coffee shop wasn’t very busy at this time and it surprised Killer. None of the customers seemed bothered by Killer’s presence, allowing Killer to walk towards his usual spot, his shoes squeaking and water squishing in his shoes with each step he took. Before he sat down, Latte came to Killer’s side with a warm towel. 

“Here you are, Killer.” Latte smiles as he wraps the towel around Killer’s shoulders and the murderous skeleton sits down in his seat. His usual mug is placed in front of him, hot and steaming. He doesn’t thank the Ccino variant and dared take a sip of the steaming drink. Latte smiles and sits across from him and tilts his head to the side, regarding him curiously. 

“How are you doing, Killer?” Latte asks, recognizing when Killer was having one of his episodes. Killer remains quiet while nursing his drink, his silence doesn’t bother Latte one bit. He waits for Killer to be ready to speak, however; Latte had an idea of why Killer was here. 

It nears noon when the customers begin to leave, thanking Latte as before they leave. Latte slips behind the counter to clean up a bit, leaving Killer alone in his booth. The rain hasn’t let up at all but the thunder faded long ago. He watches the puddles ripple from the rain pouring from the sky. 

Someone slowly makes their way down the stairs of the coffee shop, leaving the upstairs living quarters. Killer doesn’t bother to turn and look, knowing well enough who descended those stairs. The music plays softly from the speakers above, the calming incense fills the coffee shop. A soft sigh breaks the comfortable silence and those soft steps drew closer until the monster slipped into the booth across from Killer. 

“Why are you here?” 

The voice adds to the comfort in the coffee shop for Killer and his shoulders relax. His gaze breaks from the view outside and he turns to look upon his former boss, Nightmare. 

No longer covered in corruption, Killer can see Nightmare’s white, white bones. They don’t look healthy enough but after that day he lost his corruption to Dream… He looks much better. There’s a medical patch over his damaged eye socket, hiding the gnarly wound from all. Nightmare’s now purple eye light studies Killer closely and he frowns– his teeth shifting into that dip catches Killer’s attention and he grins, tilting his head slightly to the side. 

“Really, boss? I came all the way here–” 

“Don’t lie to me, Killer.” Nightmare snaps with a small glare. “Did my brother send you?” Killer snorted and rolled his faint eye lights, the reaction startling Nightmare. “That asshole has abandoned us, so I left.” 

Nightmare remained quiet as he tossed these words in his mind before asking, “Is he searching for me?” Killer shook his head and took the last gulp of his now cold chocolate drink, he glanced out the window looking bored. “He’s going after all those who’ve hurt you in the past. He’s been gone for months.” Nightmare rolled his eye and sighed. 

Latte silently walks over to set Nightmare’s coffee in front of him and retrieves Killer’s mug to refill it for him.  Nightmare quietly picks up his mug and takes a healthy gulp of it. He doesn’t speak until half of his coffee is gone. 

When Latte returns, he brings not only Killer’s drink, but a fresh pot of coffee for Nightmare– he could tell the Nightmare variant was going to need it. Nightmare nods his thanks to the kind host before he walks back behind the counter, leaving the two alone again. 

“He will come find you.” Nightmare warns Killer finally and the skeleton huffs a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “He won’t.” 

“Are you sure?” Nightmare asks, not at all believing that. “I am, he’s more concerned with his stupid plans. I thought about killing that dumb human of his but he wouldn’t know about it until he returned– if he returned.” 

“He had us babysitting the damn whining thing, so I left.” Killer explained and he turned his gaze back to Nightmare. “I… Missed being near you.” Nightmare looks down as he refills his mug again, his smile a humorless one as he says, “I’m nothing like I used to be.” I’m weak now. 

“The only thing that’s different is you don’t smell.” Killer grinned wickedly and Nightmare sent a glare at him. “Heh, and you actually look like a skeleton monster now. Other than that, you’re still you.” 

Nightmare’s eye widens as he raises it to look at Killer in surprise, a pretty purple blush painting his cheekbones. Killer’s eyes looked down at the pretty coloring before raising them back to meet Nightmare’s eye and he grinned. “I think I like that color a lot better than the cyan.” 

If it didn’t hurt Killer, Nightmare would have spilled his hot coffee on Killer for that comment– he was so flustered now! 

“Heh,” Killer laughed and finally relaxed further. “I hope you don’t mind but I’d like to stick by your side from now on.” I missed you. Nightmare seemed to relax and he sighed. “Where will you stay–?” Killer blinks at him and feigns innocence when he says, “I was hoping to stay with you~” Nightmare rolls his eye and sighs. “I’m living with Latte currently. I don’t want to ask more of him after everything he’s done for me so far.” 

Killer could imagine that Latte personally healed Nightmare, nursing him back to health since his fall. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” Killer says anyway and Nightmare shoots a small glare at him. “I will not–” 

“Sorry, I heard everything.” Latte’s voice startles Nightmare as he suddenly was at his side, smiling apologetically. With their booth being so close to the counter, of course Latte heard everything they discussed. “I am fine with housing Killer as well. But, when Presso returns…” 

His brother, his Paps. Nightmare must be staying in Latte’s brother’s room right now and he comes home after his adventures to rest and spend time with Latte. Then he leaves for more adventures once more. 

“Latte,” Nightmare sighed, ready to decline his offer. “Killer needs a place to stay as well. I can offer a roof over his head for a little while.” Nightmare shook his head, heaving another sigh once again. Latte was just too kind. 

“If it makes you feel better, I can help you find a living space of your own.” Latte offers, again to Nightmare who nods in agreement. He was getting tired of being a burden to his friend. “Thank you, Latte.” The host nodded with a hum before he went back to work. 

“If you are staying here, I suggest that once you’ve finished that drink, you head upstairs to get cleaned up. You look and smell like a wet dog.” If Nightmare had a nose, it would have been scrunched up in disgust. Killer wasn’t offended and just laughed. “Sure, Nighty.” 

“Don’t call me that.” Nightmare grumbled softly before drinking his coffee, hoping to hide that pretty blush of his behind the mug. 

… It didn’t work. 

—-

In the neutral AU, with the help of Latte, Nightmare and Killer found a cozy little apartment nearby. A two bedroom apartment, perfectly sized for the two of them. The kitchen was a bit small, with both of them working in the kitchen, they easily bumped into each other. Killer always making perverted jokes every time they did. 

The dining space was much larger, the table that was provided could seat at least four all together. “We can invite the big guy and Dusty soon!” Killer suggested and Nightmare had to turn away to hide his smile at the suggestion. 

The living room was twice the size of the dining space, a tv mounted on the wall helped give more space. The sofa they managed to get was plush and perfect for lazy afternoon naps~ Nightmare always found Killer sprawled out over the piece of furniture, snoring away before he threw a pillow at him to wake the snoozing skeleton. 

One bathroom to share; the two skeletons didn’t need to use the toilet– unless they got sick. The tub, however, was used quite a bit. Nightmare enjoyed soaking in a hot bath, and a guilty pleasure? He would add bubbles to his baths. He would dip lower to hide his blushing face whenever Killer teased him about it. 

“I didn’t know you liked bubble baths, boss!” 

“Shut up…” 

There were two bedrooms. Both with their own small closets. 

Killer shared the master bedroom with his boss, something Nightmare wasn’t very happy with at the time, but grew to enjoy his presence. Especially during the nights where his night terrors came to torment him… Killer was always there to pull Nightmare into his embrace and scare away those awful nightmares. 

After accepting Killer being moved into his bedroom, Killer cooed about how the second bedroom could be for Horror and Dusty when they came to visit. 

Nightmare agreed to that with a smile, one he didn’t hide from Killer this time.

~ 

Word eventually came to Nightmare about what his brother was doing. 

Presso came home to visit his brother one day. Post showed up with him, handing out mail to Latte and Nightmare. A beautifully written letter from Shattered Dream himself. 

Killer and Nightmare could only imagine the poor Postman being harassed by his dumb brother to deliver the letter. “Did he ask you where I am?” Nightmare asked, feeling a little nervous at the answer. Post’s answer soothes him slightly when he shakes his head. “He only wished for me to deliver this straight to your hands only.” Post explained and Nightmare nodded. 

“What’s it say~?” Killer asks, peering over Nightmare’s shoulder as he opens the envelope and pulls out the sheet of paper. 

He reads it silently, frowning. Killer snorts and plops back down in his seat beside Nightmare. “That’s not at all surprising.” He sighs, sounding bored. Latte and Presso raised a bone brow in question, Post minding his own business. Being the Multiverse’s postman was exhausting. 

“Dream is bragging about what he’s done for me.” Nightmare rolls his eyes. “However,” He says quietly, but catches their attention aside from Post. “He says that the True Dream has shown up in the AU he’s in and they are currently battling.” 

“What will you do?” Latte asks softly, nursing his own drink. Nightmare sets the letter on the table and sighs. “His foolishness has gone on for far too long.” He says as he closes his eye as he lets himself think. The silence lingers while Nightmare thinks, Killer begins tapping his phalange against the table, boredly. 

“We shall go to him and put a stop to his stupid plans.” Nightmare finally says and he looks at Latte with a frown. Latte knew Nightmare didn’t want to see his brother again, he only wanted to live peacefully and away from his brother. Latte frowned and looked at him with worry. “Will you be alright?” 

“I will,” Nightmare said with a nod before grunting when Killer knocks into him, an arm wrapping around Nightmare’s shoulders. “I’ll go with you~” He grinned wide with excitement. “Gotta thank the asshole for all he’s not done for me~” Nightmare rolls his eyes. “You will behave. I wish to stop him from his foolishness; with his variant there, perhaps he will find his own peace as well.”

“Do you mean that?” Killer asks curiously and Nightmare nodded before glaring down at the letter. “As long as it’s far, far away from me.” 

—--

The battle raged on. 

Fear and anxiety gripped everyone tightly as they watched Error throw strings at Shattered, who dodged and reached to grab Error’s leg– strings wrapped around Shattered’s wrist, Error yanked his own hand back and tossed Shattered away from him. The strings were cut and Shattered flipped through the air and landed on his feet. 

All amusement was gone now, Shattered was clearly over this battle. Out-numbered, weakened, and exhausted. Shattered didn’t have a lot of choices now, but running away wasn’t something he wished to do; now when word would spread of how he ran away from his variant and his brother’s variant. 

“Are you finished?!” Dream called, his twin blades in hands as he glared sternly at his variant. “Are you?” Shattered asked and he grinned. “Getting tired, variant?” Dream mirrored his grin and repeated, “No, are you?” 

Nightmare rolled his eye before his tentacles buried down into the ground behind him and suddenly burst out from underneath Shattered. The wannabe jumped out of the way, only getting hit in the leg–

“Gah!” Shattered shouted in pain as he fell to his knees. That hit hurt. Shattered growled as his corruption moved to cover the wound, his magic beginning to heal it. However, it was enough time worrying about the wound for his opponents to attack. 

Surprise painted his features when a large paintbrush flipped in the air and was caught in its owner’s hands. Ink grinned as he opened a portal and allowed for Dream to slip through the portal. Shattered was quick to bring his tentacles around to block the blades from slashing down on him. The positive blades sliced right through his tentacles. Dream moved to slash at him again but Shattered kicked out his foot and kicked Dream in his middle and sent him flying back. 

Error picked up where Dream had left off, lashing out with his strings and binding the asshole up before he tossed him back and forth, slamming him into the ground below again and again. Nightmare picked up right after Error’s attack and wrapped his tentacles tightly around Shattered’s body and squeezed. He grunted and choked as Nightmare squeezed the air from Shattered’s faux chest. 

“Give up.” Nightmare growled and Shattered glared before he grinned. “N-Never.” 

Sharp blades sliced through Nightmare’s tentacles and dropped and released Shattered who fell to his knees. Both corrupted Guardians looked shocked, their singular eyes turning to see an open portal and before it… 

Killer teleports back to his Nightmare’s side, grinning and spinning his blade on a finger. “Sup, Dreamy~” Shattered glared, his teeth dropping into a frown. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the castle, underling?” Shattered’s brother glares and he steps forward. “You’ve done enough, Dream. Stop this mess right this instant and go home.” 

Shattered tilted his head to the side, his eye focused on Killer instead of his brother. “Killer, what is the meaning of this!” Killer grinned wickedly and he stepped up beside Nightmare and leaned his arm on his shoulder. “I got bored! So, I left! Nighty was always better company than you.” Shattered glared before snarling, “Where are they?” A dark, sinister look fell over Killer’s features and dread gripped Shattered’s corrupted soul. “Oh~ They’re still back at the castle. Don’t know if they’re still alive because no one is there to care for them any longer~” 

Panic shot through Shattered before anger took over, his glare darkening. “You insolent fool!” 

Error’s strings wrapped around Shattered’s body and he tightened the strings, earning him a yelp from the corrupted Dream. “Fi-i-inall-ll-y!” Error laughed maniacally as he continued to tighten those strings. “Somethi-i-ing to ho-o-old over your head!” He continued to laugh– until Shattered’s own brother nodded towards the strings and Killer jumped at the command. 

The strings were cut and Killer returned back to his boss’ side. “Don’t kill him, Error.” The uncorrupted Nightmare told the glitch, who wasn’t very happy with the change of things. “Sh-h-hut up! I wi-i--ill do what I want!” He snapped and stomped his foot against the ground. Nightmare rolled his purple eye. “Enough of your tantrums, I’m doing you a favor and ending this battle.” 

Shattered’s surprised eye meets his brother’s and he flinches. After all this time, his brother finally shows himself. To do what exactly? “Why have you come, brother?” And his brother rolled his eye light, cursing at having to repeat himself again. “I’m ending this battle now.” He glares sternly at Shattered and continues; “Killer has explained everything to me. You must return to your human, or I fear they will die.” 

If what he was saying was true, then his human was indeed all alone. “How long have you been gone from the castle?” Shattered asked Killer and that dark grin returned. “I’ve been gone for a while, but the others?” He shrugs and hums a chuckle. “Who knows how long they’ve been away~” 

It was embarrassing to admit it, Shattered had forgotten his human at home, too consumed with his goal of purging the Multiverse of his brother’s bullies– perhaps… Perhaps it is time to go home. 

But…

Shattered turned his gaze towards the humans several feet away, to the woman who watched on with such fear that increased when she met his own wicked eye. 

The Guardian of Positivity; the original Dream stepped in his line of sight and Shattered, still on his knees, peered up at the Dream before him. “You’ve done enough, Shattered. Listen to your brother and go home.” 

“It will never be enough.” Shattered admits and his brother speaks. “I never asked you to purge the worlds of all who’ve hurt me, Dream. I never wanted this.” Shattered peered over at his brother and snapped with a growl. “Then what do you want?!” Nightmare heaved a sigh, he hated repeating himself… “I want peace. Haven’t we been through enough already? Why continue to fight such foolish battles when we can stop and retire? Our variants do enough fighting as is. Dream, please.. Go home.” Your human needs you. 

He didn’t have to say it aloud for Shattered to understand. “You truly did not appreciate anything I did for you?” Shattered asked, irritation evident in the dark look he sent his brother; Nightmare sighed and tilted his head, tired of hearing this same shit. “I never asked for any of this, Dream.” He repeats with a growl. “You’ve only given me a headache each time I hear of your stupidity.” Shattered gnashed his teeth and he snarled angrily. “You truly don’t care?” He snarled. “I killed for you!” 

“A waste of time. Enough of this game, brother.” Nightmare spat before turning around and started for his portal when–

“NIGHTMARE!” 

He paused and turned to look at his brother, kneeling there and gripping at his clothes in desperation. Tears poured from his eye socket and his voice trembled as he held back his sobs. “I did all of this for you, my brother!” He choked on his words. “You truly did not care?” 

Everything he did, from eating the corrupted apple to killing all who… And in the end his brother never cared? 

Nightmare huffed a sigh. He forgot how stubborn his brother was. “I only cared about revenge but even after you consumed the apple I realized how foolish that was. You suffered just as much as I did. In the end, I wished to be done with our foolish fighting and just rest. Will you not do the same? You have a human to care for now, they rely on you to survive now. Without you there, they will fall. Go home, Dream. Let’s be done with all this fighting.” 

I’m tired. 

Exhaustion settles in his soul and he wilts, his tentacles falling limp behind him. He looks up at him, to everyone around with defeat. Dream, Nightmare, Error and Ink stand near him, watching with anticipation. Holding their breath as they wait to hear Shattered speak his defeat. Those mortals far back, keeping the mortal woman safe from Shattered still. 

He supposed it was time to wave the white flag. Lowering his head, Shattered admits defeat, however… “I will return and I will defeat you, Dream.” He threatened and his variant only offered a confident grin. “I’ll be waiting, Shattered. And I will still kick your ass.” Shattered grinned right back and tilt his head in amusement. “My, using such foul language?” Dream huffed a laugh. 

Shattered turned his gaze towards his brother and Killer. Nightmare turned away and stepped through the portal with Killer following after; the portal disappeared as soon as they slipped through. Shattered sighed, disappointed he didn’t get a farewell, but perhaps he too will see his brother again. 

Giving one final look at everyone, Shattered met Norah’s nervous eyes and he grinned. He enjoyed the flinch of fear one last time before he opened his own portal below him and fell through.. 

—--

Nightmare opened his own portal and his boys jumped through and returned home. It was time to recover– while the boys didn’t do much fighting, they knew their boss was going to need time to recover. 

Cross paused, ever the loyal soldier, he waited for Nightmare to be ready to leave. 

“So,” Dream said nervously, his soul racing with anxiety. “You… You said you’d like to make peace, right?” Nightmare sighed heavily, just like his variant, Nightmare hated to repeat himself. “Yes. There is a quaint coffee shop in a neutral AU. Both of us will be comfortable there without any restrictions. The host is kind and will provide safety while we discuss the terms.” Dream smiled, his eyes sparkling with joy at hearing this. Nightmare narrowed his gaze and stepped away; his positivity burning at his corruption. Dream laughed nervously and apologized. 

“We will discuss a time and day later. Let’s return home and recover.” Dream nodded, agreeing with his brother. “I look forward to meeting you again, brother. Thank you.” Nightmare turned away with a huff, a cyan coloring on his cheekbones. “Until we meet again, brother.” He bid his brother farewell and slipped through the portal with Cross at his side. 

Blue cheered as he met Dream halfway, he wrapped his arms around Dream’s middle and spun him around. “You did a great job, Dream!” He cheered and Dream laughed brightly, happy. He wraps his arms around Blue and embraces him back. Ink swooped in and with surprising strength lifted both skeletons up and spun him around. 

Red picked at his teeth, looking away boredly. Atara turned her attention to her friends, making sure Norah could stand on her own. Thanks to Blue, she was feeling a bit better. 

“Dream!” Maria called out, catching Dream’s attention after being released. He smiled and accepted the hug she gave him. “You’ve saved everyone!” Dream laughed. “Not just me, my friends and brother helped.” He nodded, before pulling away and giving her a stern look. “You all are just as stubborn as my friends.” He gestured towards Ink and Blue. “I told you to stay away.” 

“It’s a good thing we showed up!” Lily told him as she stood and left Norah’s side, who fell into a tight embrace from her brother. Dream felt his soul throb with relief, watching as the step siblings cried. Felix was so relieved to have his sister back and alive. 

“I appreciate it, but please be careful next time. Shattered was strong, he could have killed you all.” Dream lectured lightly. Maria smiled, but promised to listen better next time. 

“So, you made new friends, huh?” Ink asked Dream as he folded his arms behind his head and eyed each person. “Wow, such a colorful bunch– oh!” Ink’s gasp caught Dream’s attention and he glanced towards him. 

“You’re friends with XChara’s son?!” 

Silence stretched out around them, before Dream spoke, confused. “What did you say?” 

Everyone glanced at Ink’s pointing finger and followed it right to Felix, who looked just as confused. Blinking a few times, Felix asks, “You knew my father?” Ink grinned wide and with a burst of excitement said, “I sure did!” 

“Wait, you can remember XChara’s son but nothing else?” Blue asked, surprised. Ink shrugged. “It must be the similarities in the face. I wonder why Cross didn’t notice.” 

Maria steps in between everyone. “As much as I would love to hear about this, I think we should head home. I’ll make some dinner while those who are injured get fixed up.” Dream smiled, liking that decision. “I’d like that a lot–” He perks up and grins at his friends; Ink and Blue. “Maria is a great cook! I’m sure you’ll love her meals!” 

The group continued to chatter on while they headed back to Maria’s house.

((

Cross did in fact notice Felix and how he looked a lot like XChara. That's something he wasn't ready to mess around with.

Phew! Shattered Dream has been defeated! We also got to see how his brother was doing.

Error stands over them, frozen and tense before anger brews within him.

"Who did this to you?"

Error is angry that someone hurt you and made you cry. He'll dish out revenge. He will get them back.

No. Revenge isn't enough.

Error will kill for you.

That's how much he values you. He won't say it's for love. He can't. But, he can at least admit to caring so much for you that he will burn the world for you.

Prologue: I Can't Save the World if I'm Not Happy Anymore

The atmosphere in the house that once was filled with positivity now was replaced by the suffocating negativity Dream always fought against. This late at night no one would be any wiser of what misery Dream was facing all on his own after yet another intense and frustrating battle against his brother. The same old thing they have been through countless times, yet there was no progress made on either of them. No one truly won during their fights. They simply would get the upper hand while the other team would slink away to lick their wounds. Every fight, every battle, every time Dream would stand before Nightmare, begging him to stop this nonsense. It all ended the same way. 

Nightmare refused to give up his chaos. 

Dream refused to give up on saving his brother and the Multiverse. 

Nightmare was never going to come back, Dream finally caved in and believed the words the King of Negativity spat at him every time they fought one another.  There wasn't anything more Dream could do. He tried everything. In the end, Dream finally realized that he was fighting a battle that he'd never win. That thought alone opened the idea to a more devastating thought; if he couldn't save his brother, what makes him think he could save the Multiverse? He was the Guardian of Positivity, yet he couldn't save anyone. 

That's not true, you've saved millions-

Millions that are still fighting against their demons to this day. He didn't save them, he made their lives worse.

They're safe, making a new life, making new friends. They are healing, and that takes time.

What about Nightmare? 

Time will tell, he will come around eventually. 

And, if he doesn't?

. . . .

Dream heaved a heavy sigh as he gently pulled his crown from his skull and held it firmly in his hands. The gold caught what little light from the moon that flooded into his bedroom. It made the metal sparkle beautifully.  It made Dream sick to his stomach; he didn't deserve to wear the crown that symbolized peace and hope.  Releasing one hand, he ran his phalanges over the warm metal, feeling the smooth surface one last time before he released yet another heavy sigh and placed it gently on his bed beside his weapon and cape. Everything that was used to fight the negativity, to fight his brother. A flash of yellow and gold that brought hope and relief to the victim's tormented souls.  

The items laid innocently on his bed, staring at him, judging him. 

To continue to wield such items would make him a liar. 

He was no Guardian. 

He was no hero. 

He wasn't one when it was just him and Nighty, and he wasn't one now. 

Nightmare was right. It was time to give up the facade and move on. 

No amount of positivity would convince him to stop and pick up his weapon once more. He wasn't fit for the job any longer. With a heavy soul, Dream turned away from the few items he abandoned on the bed and walked away. He didn't stop to look back, not once as he opened a portal and stepped through, leaving the room, the house as empty as he felt deep inside his soul. . . .

—--->

Chapter One: A New Life

The AU Dream entered was an interesting one, he had to admit. He wasn't sure if he's ever been to one like this before; honestly, he would have remembered if he had with how unique this was! An AU where humans and monsters got along so well, there were monster and human children running around- hybrids. Yes, hybrid children, and many were already in their mid-twenties! 

With his hands stuffed deep inside of his jacket pockets, Dream excitedly watches all the citizens as they walk by, his eyes brightening from all of the positive aura surrounding him. Everyone was so happy and enjoying the cool weather of fall; the leaves were turning such pretty colors that dangled over the sidewalks- the public park was even more breathtaking! Dream wished he had found this place a lot earlier in his journeys, he felt so refreshed and energetic! 

It didn't take long for him to decide that he would make this AU his new home. He didn't have Ink around to tell him about this AU, but he could already tell this was a good AU, a positive one. An AU where Nightmare wouldn't dare go because of all of the positivity. 

Dream was safe here. 

Checking everything off his mental to-do list, Dream was quick to find a home; he wanted his own house, but he was offered a nice apartment complex. It wasn’t grand or anything, not that he expected something like that. His old home was a simple one bedroom home, so this was perfect. 

As he followed the real estate agent into the home, he was quick to map everything out. As soon as he walked in, to the right was the kitchen; wide space and plenty of room to cook. A little further in and to the left was the small hallway leading to the bathroom and bedroom. Heading past both the kitchen and that hallway was the living room. Thankfully, the apartment was furnished with cozy furniture so he wouldn’t have to worry about sleeping on the floor tonight. 

His attention was caught by the sliding door on the opposite side of the entrance to the living room; it lead out onto a patio where there were pots of plants growing and a cute outdoor chair sitting in the corner of the patio. It overlooked the backyard that connected the rest of the community of apartments, where there were children running and playing with each other. 

“It’s a lovely place.” Dream commented with a satisfied sigh. The agent smiled happily. “I’m glad you like it. Everything has been dealt with, so I will leave you to acquaint yourself with your new home.” Dream bid them goodbye before turning back to watch the children laugh and play together. This place was so peaceful; Dream wondered how he hadn’t felt such positivity before this. What a wonderful place he could have escaped to with the other Stars. 

A sad smile overtook the joyous one as he thought about his friends. He wondered if they were worried about him, if they even knew he was gone yet. Was Blue and Ink looking for him? Did Core!Frisk know where he was? They always seemed to know where to find him. 

Did Nightmare know he was gone? Was he happy? Or was he angry that Dream was missing?

The positive guardian shook his head, dismissing such troubling thoughts before heading back into his new home. There was much to do to make this his own; he didn’t have much money, so priorities first! 

Such a silly thing, Dream laughed to himself as he made his way to the grocery store to buy some food. He didn’t really need it, he felt so full already from the AU’s positivity. But, sustenance wouldn’t hurt to have. He has been spoiled after all; Blue always brought such wonderful treats with him when they all hung out together. Perhaps this AU would have something similar?

He was correct, this AU had plenty of delicious treats and more! Dream felt a little ashamed for spending just about all of his money on such treats, but he felt that he deserved them. Ink and Blue always said he should think more of himself, “Take better care of yourself!” They would tell him. And he did! At least he tried to. Saving the Multiverse always came first. Now that he didn’t have that responsibility, he could relax a little and get what he wanted. 

As he was walking home, he came to a stop in front of a small marketplace that he had overlooked on his way to the grocery store. Celestial Market It looked like a family owned little market- before Dream realized what he was doing, he stepped inside, the bell above the door chiming to let the owner know someone  had entered. 

“Welcome to the Celestial Market!” 

The melodic voice of an older woman called from behind the counter, drawing Dream to walk in until he could see her. She faced away from him as she restocked the shelves behind the cashier counter with the individual pastries. All of them homemade, with cute little stickers with the marketplace’s name, logo, and a short description of the pastry. 

Her brown (and gray) hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, yet her long, wavy hair ended at her mid-back. She stepped down from the stepstool she had been using to reach the top of the shelf and she turned to face her customer with a bright yet tired smile. 

“Oh, hello! You must be new here, I haven’t seen you before.” She said with surprise, but was happy to see a new face.  Dream felt himself match her own lovely smile as he nodded and introduced himself. “You’re correct, I just moved in today. My name is Dream, it’s nice to meet you.” He balanced his bag of goodies in one arm before offering his free hand in greeting. 

The woman laughed softly, happy to shake his hand in greeting and introducing herself.  “My name is Maria, it’s nice to meet you as well, Dream.” She released his hand and reached up to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear.  “What can I do for you, Dream? I can’t imagine you came in here to look for something.” She said, amused as she gestured to his bag of goodies. 

Dream blushed, embarrassed.  “Y-You’re right, I just happened to look over and saw this place. It’s easy to miss, I’m afraid.” Maria nodded, agreeing with Dream.  “It is, but I have plenty of returning customers. Why don’t you have a look around. Everything here is homemade.” Dream wasn’t sure if he would purchase anything today- “I’m afraid I don’t have any money to purchase any of your goods today.” He told her, honestly.

“That’s alright, Dream.” Her soothing voice calmed his worries as she reached behind her and snatched up a little pastry she had been stocking the shelves with and handed him one. “This one is on the house, so you know what you’re missing.” She teased him with a wink. Dream’s blush darkened as he gently took the neatly wrapped pastry from her.  “Y-You didn’t have to-” She waved off his worry with her hand. “Don’t worry about it, Dream. Like I said, it’s on the house.” 

Tucking away the pastry, Dream glanced around, noticing how there was a lack of employees here. “Do you work alone?” He asked, starting to get worried that she was running a business all by herself.  “Oh,” Maria huffed as she continued to stock her shelves. “I have my two kids help out in the mornings when it gets busy. He works at the tattoo parlor just down the street in the afternoon, and my step-daughter works at the university’s cafe during the evenings.” 

“But,” Dream started slow as he wondered if the marketplace’s business wasn’t busy while her children were gone.  “That leaves you all alone.” Her silence was enough of an answer. “I um,” He continued, that blush returning; he looked away, embarrassed.  “If you don’t have anyone else… I am in need of a job.” Which was true. He needed the money to pay for his new home and food- ah, let’s not forget new clothes as well. 

Maria laughed softly behind her hand, finding Dream’s behavior sweet.  “I can offer you a job, Dream. The help will be nice. However, I’m afraid I can’t pay you for a full time job, will that be alright?” Her concern was met with his surprised enthusiasm, his golden eyes lighting up with excitement as they met her soft brown ones.  “Oh! That will be fine, Maria! I will accept whatever is offered to me!” Maria laughed with such joy that it physically brightened Dream’s aura. “We’ll get you started tomorrow morning, when the kids are here. They can watch the store while I have you fill out some forms, then we’ll go from there.” Dream nodded, agreeing to these demands. 

Thanking her once more for the pastry and job opportunity, Dream hurried home with his goodies. 

—

Maria sighed as she finished closing up her shop and turned to walk down the street. As much as she wanted to go home and relax, she wasn’t finished with her errands for the day. The sun would set in an hour, yet she had one more place to visit. In her arms were some pastries and another “Get well soon” card. 

As happy as this city was, there were still plenty of awful things happening. The hospital was always a reminder of that. Maria knew her children were already there visiting their sick friend; Norah Wendall. She had fallen ill recently, and after a few days in the hospital she had fallen into a coma. It has already been a few months since she had fallen under the coma, but there was no sign of her waking up soon. All they could do was to visit her and hope she would awake soon. 

The doctor who was in charge of her stated that he was doing everything he could to help her remain comfortable. “She is still with us; have faith. She will return when she is ready.” 

Felix, Norah’s step brother, did not like the doctor and swore there was something wrong with him. With their mother having passed away years ago, Maria was all the two had as a parental figure. She did her best to guide Felix during such a hard time. 

The hospital staff greeted Maria happily as she entered. She returned each greeting with one of her own before stepping into the elevator. Norah was on the third floor, the elevator ride didn’t take long at all to get there. However, having to walk down a few halls to the room took her a little longer. Once she entered, she was happy to see Norah laying in her bed, sound asleep, looking peaceful. 

On the sofa sat Felix and Maria’s step-daughter, Lily. She smiled lovingly to the two; Lily and Felix had been dating well before Norah fell ill, and both spoke how they would marry after Norah awoke. Maria couldn’t have been happier with the two, they were just perfect for each other. 

Maria set her gifts on the bedside table before leaning down to press a soft, loving kiss to Norah’s forehead.  “Hello, my sweet girl.” She greeted Norah, squeezing her hand, hoping the young woman would squeeze back. After a moment, Maria’s smile fell a little and tears filled her eyes. She glanced away from Norah to face the children; Felix looked away, his expression contorted in his pain. Lily frowned and turned her attention to her fiance, trying to comfort him. On another chair sat Kai, her son; he stood and walked over to comfort his mother. 

“It’s alright, mom. We just need to give her a little more time, okay?” Kai tried to comfort his mother, who nodded. “Of course, love.” She replied before Kai led her to sit on the sofa beside his sister, then returned to his own seat. 

The room fell silent for a few minutes before Maria asked Felix how he was doing. The small talk helped him from falling into a depressive state. Their soft voices filled the room; if Maria didn’t know any better, it would seem like Norah was only taking a nap and would soon awake to join their conversation. 

One day. She thought to herself with a hopeful smile. One day soon. 

—

Dream returned to the marketplace early in the morning, just as he was instructed. He wore jeans and a baggy sweater, with his bodysuit underneath. It was a chilly morning, even though the weather didn’t affect him like it did for others, he still felt comfortable wearing appropriate clothing. 

Seven in the morning, Dream was happy to be able to meet Maria’s children! As he entered the store, he saw the young woman behind the counter, preparing the cash register for the day. She glanced up in surprise; “Oh, we’re not open yet, sir.” 

“Yes,” Dream began with a smile. “Your mother- um, I mean the owner told me to come in early to fill out paperwork for a job.” The young woman gasped softly, “Oh!” She gestured towards the back where the office was.  “Right, mom told us about you. She’s in the office right now.” Dream thanked her before making his way into the back and knocked on the office door- it was open, and he could see Maria going through some paperwork. 

“Good morning, Dream.” She greeted with a tired smile and waved him inside. “Come on in, I’ve got everything set up for you.” He nodded and did as he was told. He sat at the desk and waited as Maria began to hand him a few pages and pen, explaining to him what she needed from him. 

As he began to fill out the pages, he paused and frowned. “Um, Maria?” She raised her gaze from her own work, and met Dream’s worried gaze.  “There’s a slight problem. I um, see… I’m not from this.. AU…?” He didn’t have an Identification card fit for this AU, nor did he have some of these other… identification requirements the paper was asking for.  

“Oh, I see.” She paused as she thought about this dilemma. “That’s alright, dear. I’ll help you out with that, just go ahead and fill everything else out and we’ll finish that part later.” Dream nodded and turned back to the paperwork. He felt bad for needing the help to get silly ID cards so he could work legally. He never had that problem back in the Omega Timeline. 

“Don’t worry about it, Dream.” Maria’s voice startled him from his thoughts. It was then when he realized that he had drifted off into his worrisome thoughts. She offered him a sweet, kind smile. “There are many monsters who travel to different Alternate Universes. You’re not the first, so we’re prepared to help in any way.” 

This surprised Dream; it shouldn’t have. He wondered if that was one of the reasons why this AU was so accepting of monsters. He would have to ask later. 

Maria worked on getting his information typed into the system before she wrote down a few notes.  “The office isn’t open yet, but once they are, I’ll call in a request for someone to meet with you for new ID cards. They’ll help you out, I promise.” Maria assured Dream.  “In the meantime, why don’t you go meet the kids? They’re curious about you, I told them you’ll be starting.” 

With a nod, Dream thanked Maria and exited the office to find both the young woman and her brother at the cash register. As he drew closer, he saw they were watching a video on the young woman’s phone. Upon seeing Dream walk up, she closed the app and locked her phone, her attention turned to him. She looked at him for a moment.  “So, you’re a skeleton?” 

Her brother rolled his eyes and nudged her with his elbow. “Lily, come on. Don’t be rude.” Lily snickered and apologized. Dream chuckled and waved away her brother’s worries. “It’s alright, I knew she was having fun. My name is Dream, by the way. I’ll be helping your mother out with the shop.” 

“Kai,” The brother was quick to introduce, he held out his hand for Dream to accept in greeting.  “This is my sister, Lily. She acts like a little brat, but she is unfortunately the older sibling.” Lily stuck her tongue out at her brother, playfully smacking his arm. “I do not act like a brat.” “You do too-” “Do not!” 

Dream laughed as they started a small argument. Kai was the first to break it and push Lily away.  “Anyway, Dream. Why don’t I show you around the shop, show you what needs to be done and where everything goes.” With a nod, Dream followed Kai into the back. 

The morning went by quickly, and before Dream knew it, he was leaving the shop with Kai leading the way to the local Social Security Office. After that, he was led to the DMV where he got a new ID card. He was offered to study for and take the driver’s test, but he said he had no interest in driving. Once he had everything he needed, Kai returned him to the shop before leaving for his other job. 

Lily had already left, but had left some takeaway food for both her mother and Dream. Maria finished up the paperwork while they ate, having closed the shop for an hour so they could have a break. 

“Your children are lovely, Maria.” Dream commented after he finished his meal. “They are, aren’t they?” Maria said softly, her voice some and endearing. He could feel the love she held for her two children.  “I was really surprised, you know. I was worried she would hate her brother when she found out he wasn’t all human.” Dream was surprised to hear this, “Kai is a hybrid? But, I don’t sense anything different-” He also didn’t do a soul check when he had met him.  

“His father was a water monster.” Maria admitted with a sad smile. “We married before monsters were truly accepted among this community. When the humans found out we had a child together, they rioted. My husband was accidentally killed. Kai never got to know his father, he only heard stories and had pictures of him.” Dream deflated at such a saddening story. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Maria.” She smiled sadly at him. “It’s alright, Dream. It’s in the past. I was a single parent to Kai for several years until I met Lily’s father. Kai was ten years old while Lily just turned thirteen. Both her father and Lily accepted us into their lives. By then, monsters were starting to mingle with humans.” 

“It took years, but humans and monsters finally came together. They accepted each other and found friendship and love. I would wish for that to have happened years ago, but there were so many good memories I hold dear that I wouldn’t want to trade for the world. Kai means everything to me, then and now. The same goes for Lily. I do miss Kai’s father, but I was glad to have met Lily’s.” 

“Oh,” Dream bit his tongue, not sure if he should ask about Lily’s father. “Is your… Lily’s father is not around any longer?” Maria’s smile was sad as she glanced away. “No, he’s not. He passed away a few years ago. It was from natural causes, I’m afraid. Lily took it hard, she was very close with her father.” 

“It must have been so hard for you all.” Dream commented, saddened. “Are you looking for another?” Maria laughed as she sent Dream a teasing smile. “No, I’m not. Are you offering,  young man?” Dream lit up so bright with his blush, he sputtered and tripped over his words. “N-No! O-Of course not! I-I was merely c-curious!” His stumbling had her laughing once more.  “You’re so easily flustered, Dream. I’m only joking with you.” She chuckled before answering honestly;  “I’m happy being single. I’ve accomplished so much in my life, and I’ve loved two wonderful men. It’s time to just focus on me.” 

Maria’s eyes and smile softened as she got lost in her thoughts. “I am happy where I am. Besides, I’ll be too busy to go mingling with Lily about to get married.” Dream’s eyes brightened, his smile growing.  “Oh? That’s wonderful news! That must be why she is so happy!” 

“Yes,” Maria laughed softly. “Her fiance is a wonderful young man. It’s funny; Felix’s mother was a sorceress. She traveled to this AU, and when she found out she was pregnant, she remained to give Felix a normal life. She also passed away in the last ten years.” 

Maria made a strange face, her soul twisting in unease for just a few short moments, Dream barely caught onto her worry before she continued. 

“Lily’s mother also was a sorceress. But, as far as I’m aware, they always remained in this AU. Lily and her father moved here from another city. They had only been here for a month before I met her father.” 

“Did Lily’s mother pass away as well?” Dream wondered, Maria shrugged. “They never really talked about her. Lily’s father always told me that her mother left to protect them. I don’t know from what, but I think they assumed she was deceased.” 

“If monsters and humans were not on good terms, it wouldn’t surprise me if she fought to the death. Monsters and mages always found it difficult to get along.” Dream explained, wondering if that’s what happened. Maria hummed and nodded in agreement. She glanced down at her phone to see their break time was up. 

“Are you ready?” She asked with a grin. Dream smiled in return, he jumped out of his seat with plenty of energy. “I am ready.” She laughed and led the way out of the office, closing and locking in after Dream exited, before going to open the shop back up.  The rest of the day went by smoothly, with the customers coming in and meeting their newest citizen. 

It wasn’t long before the city was buzzing with the newest handsome skeleton monster that worked at the Celestial Market. Business picked up once again thanks to him; everyone wanted to know more about the strange monster who showed up out of nowhere one day. While this helped business, it had everyone feeling more exhausted by the end of the work days. 

Dream ate up the positivity that came with everyone coming to greet him; but answering all their questions was getting exhausting. Where did he come from? It’s too complicated to explain right now. What did he do before this? Ah, he’d rather not talk about it.

Maria was helpful and shooed the customers away from him so he could finish his stocking. On her days off, Lily would stay and scare away the overwhelming customers, having no problem yelling at them on their way out. 

Two weeks had already passed by since Dream moved in, he was enjoying his time at the marketplace, which he learned was named after Maria’s late husband’s last name; Celeste. It was a cute name for the shop. Dream found it a little funny how he worked in a shop named Celestial, seeing that he had once been a part of the Star Sanses. 

Stars, he missed Blue and Ink. 

He missed his brother, too. 

Dream shook those thoughts from his mind as he stood up from his chair on the patio. It was getting late, even though he didn’t have to work the next day, he should try and get some sleep. Well, he didn’t really need to sleep, but he has gotten used to being able to sleep properly now that he was no longer in charge of defending the multiverse-

Ah, I shouldn’t think about it. I’ll only worry more.