Chapter Text
The next few weeks went smoothly for both groups. The Stars continued to looked and gather information on Nightmares little gang, and Nightmare kept his team on a tight leash. Outings weren't allowed as frequently; though when they were necessary, they were as quick and quiet as possible.
"Cookie?"
"Uh- sure. Thanks." Moon smiled up at Swap as he took a sugar cookie from the baking pan. He nibbled on the edge of the star shaped cookie, crunching down on it as he looked toward the others.
Dream stood in front of a large white board mounted onto the wall. It was covered in tiny doodles of what he assumed was Nightmares team, but the scribbles were difficult to differentiate from one another. Notes of the little information they had were written besides the people they were in relation to. The fox enjoyed the makeshift conspiracy theory board. It was entertaining to see just how little information they had managed to gather within the past few months. Maybe his expectations were too high, but he would have thought the efforts of the entirety of the Council would when been more than this.
Swap made his way over to the board and stopped next to Ink. He offered the artist a cookie, which they gladly took. They got crumbs all over the carpet.
"So, Nightmare's attacks seemed to have lessened ever since the council first had a meeting to address them. And we don't want to point an fingers at people… but there's a very likely chance someone within the council is working for him." The guardian sighed. "But we have way too many people in the council to personally integrate all of them."
"And no one's really been able to make contact with him. The closest we've got is that someone thinks they saw Killer somewhere." The artist explained.
"Where was it?"
"Uhh, some Underfell variant I think?"
Moon made a mental note to tell Killer to stop heading over there. He had no idea how often he went, but it had to be really often if he'd managed to be recognized.
"We need to brainstorm ideas of how to make contact with him. Of course we want to be able to just talk… but realistically it's going to get violent. His recent attacks haven't been as frequent but they've gotten a lot more violent and it's causing a lot of negativity."
"It's… really bad. BUT we're going to think of great ideas and will have a wonderful plan to minimize harm and damage!"
The four of them sat in a circle on the floor for a while. Stationing people in the universes that Nightmares team had been seen seemed to be the best overall idea, but they knew he'd been limiting the time and amount he let his men leave. And considering that someone inside the council was working with him, they'd likely let him know which universes to avoid.
And directly reaching out to him wasn't the most liked idea, as it would just lead to more people being hurt.
Their recent attacks had doubled in overall damage and far too many people had been injured as a result. But, no one had been killed.
"I mean, don't you think it's weird? His entire goal has been to spread negativity, and killing people would be the best ways of doing so. I did some digging… well I just looked at some really old records, but my brother's attacks used to end in a minimum of at least one casualty. They would occasionally increase, but I couldn't find any pattern from them."
"When was that?" The fox asked, looking up from the spot of carpet he was currently ripping out.
"About… maybe ten years ago? It's a bit hard to say. Of course we can't just blame every single misfortune on him, sometimes things just happen. But I'm pretty sure his attacks mainly took off around ten years ago. I think there was a few before that, but nothing all that major. It was just small disturbances. I actually, umm- I have a bit of a theory behind it." The guardian shifted uncomfortably.
"I think my brother knew about you when you were helping us. So when you left, which I have nothing against it was absolutely your own choice, he started to attack. We were weakened after all… and he probably thought it was his best shot to get what he wanted."
"…I guess that would make sense. But, how would he have known back then? Moon was never made an official member of the council or of us, so how could he have known?" Swap glanced over at the fox.
"That's the one thing I don't quite know yet. The council had always been big, but I suppose we could limit down the possible suspects now. A lot of our current members have been a part of the council for a few years, but only a fraction have been with us for over ten years."
The fox got tired of the conversation and excused himself for a moment. He stood in the kitchen for a minute before grabbing a jar of Nutella from the pantry. He ate spoonfuls of it straight out of the jar. Listening to The Stars trying to figure out who was the traitor was fun and all, but it was really boring.
He could still hear them talking in the living room. Swap was talking more than when the fox had been present. He licked the metal spoon clean before throwing the plastic jar into the overflowing trash can. Ink really needed to clean this place up. They only had food because of the times Swap would come over, which led to an excessive amount of expired and wasted food.
The artist's 'home' was littered with paint stains and garbage. It reminded him of Dust's room a little, but it was somehow more disgusting. At least Dust had cleaned his room once he started to care about the others. Sure his room was never that organized anymore, but he tried to make sure no more mold grew in there.
Moon leaned his back up against the kitchen counter, his eyes looking up at the window above the sink. The house was surrounded by absolutely nothing. A section of the anti-void. Error had a few… not nice words to say about the artist living in the same 'universe' as him, but they never crossed paths within it. Of course they still hung out and bickered as usual, but they had to go out of their way to do so.
The antivoid was cool. Just nothing, forever. But Cross hated the place, he couldn't stand being in it for any more than a couple minutes. Moon saw it plenty enough, it just got boring after some point.
He threw his spoon onto the pile of dishes in the sink. He could still hear them talking. Swap was whisper shouting at Dream about something. The fox stretched, raising his arms above him and rolling his shoulders back. He really hated being here.
The past few months of his life has been spent going on outings to spread positivity. It involved a lot of a baking, like, a LOT of baking. But he got to see Ink light things on fire on accident which made it a bit better. A lot of time was spent watching them heal people too. Moon was usually allowed to just sit in some corner and not bother people when they did that.
"Look, I don't want to know what happened between both of you. And it's none of my business because you should be dealing with it, with him. You barley even talk when he's in the room. This entire team is built on open communication and trust! If he's affecting that for you then I can help you, but that's not it. You just don't want to talk to him in general! It's setting all of us back. So I need you to talk to him and deal with whatever it is that needs to be dealt with. I'll help you, but I can't do it for you."
Moon stayed in the kitchen until the sound of Swap crying stopped. He made his way back into the living room, seeing the guardian and the knight sitting on the floor. Ink smiled at him as he drew on the white board with a permanent marker.
"Sorry that took longer than I thought it would, I had to take a call." The fox apologized, nervously smiling as he sat back down on the floor. "Any good ideas?"
"It's uhh- going great. We're going to start investigating a few people to hopefully figure out who is giving my brother information. And we'll set up a few posts in universes he's been known to send his men to. It's not the best, but putting everything into just one thing isn't really going to do anything. But hopefully, this way we'll be able to make contact with him. And- you know, talk to him." The guardian explained. He looked hopeful before seeing the permanent marker on the white board.
"You seriously think he's going to just talk to you guys?" Moon laughed, tilting his head to the side. "When was the last time you even saw him?"
Dream's eyelights stared down at the ripped carpet. "It's uhh, it's been a while. I think I saw him like… fifty years ago? I was just trying to help some people and I saw him just… kind of there? I couldn't say anything to him. BUT I think that if all of us have changed over the past ten years, then I think… maybe he has too." He let out a defeated sigh. "I just… I want to talk to my brother again."
Your brother is ḓ̴̨̛͇̰̿̈́͗̀̆͜e̶̩̾́a̸͕͚̫͊̚d̵̖͇͕̳͖͈̽̎̈͝.̴̱̜̋̇͑̂͊͝
"Well, whatever happens, I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out." Moon forced a smile to him. "When are you hoping to put this into action?"
"As soon as possible, I'll call a meeting for the council later today. You don't have to show up, it'll just be a chance for us to figure out who we can send where. Just keep an eye out for anything. And let us know if you get any new information." Dream stood from his spot, grimacing at the artist for a moment. At least it was a good drawing.
"Sure thing." He pulled out a key from his pocket. "I'll see you guys soon."
"If you bump into me one more time I'm going to throw you into the tv." Dust threatened as he side eyed Killer.
"It's not my fault! You're the one that keeps getting in my space." "Well I wouldn't be in your space if you just moved on beat you asshole!" "I'm PERFECTLY on beat!" Killer yelled before kneeing Dust in the stomach. Both of them fell onto the floor while still yelling at each other.
"This is my favorite part." Horror gently rested his arm over the fox.
"Mine too." He snickered.
He glanced over at Nightmare, who had Cross in his lap as they both silently smiled at the conflict. The guardian rested his chin on the soldier's skull, his fingers methodically tapping on the bone. Behind the two skeletons on the ground, the TV played a YouTube video of some Just Dance song.
Horror handed the fox another apple slice from the plate set on the arm rest. He watched as the creature sunk its teeth into the flesh before reaching his paw out in anticipation of more. The skeleton laughed at him for a moment before giving him the rest of the platter.
"How are… the… The Stars." He took a moment. "How are they?"
"'s all fine. They're busy trying to look for us right now." He chewed for a second. "Too bad they tell me everything."
Killer ran his tongue against Dust's collar bone.
"We need to find new places… t' get food."
They could see Dust's ribs as a hand pulled up his shirt.
"I'll have Amber bring us stuff. Don't worry about it."
The fox looked down at the now empty plate.
Moon and Cross left the living room.
They silently agreed to head towards the soldier's room. The fox laid himself across the perfectly laid out blanket on the other's bed and let the skeleton roll him up in the fabric. The skeleton's phone was propped up against a pillow as both monsters laid on the bed.
"I need more morphine." Wilson said in a hoarse, disgusting voice. His body still laid on House's couch and covered with a gray hoodie.
"We're out. You've been using my personal supply of painkillers for the last eight hours." House explained as he poured out two white pills into the palm of his hand.
"You have- you have enough enough for both of us?" He could only open his mouth as House placed both pills into it.
"I've got enough stashed around here for a minyan." House leaned forward and put a glass of water to Wilson lips and waited for him to swallow.
Faint sunlight spilled past the curtains and warmed the room. Moon could feel himself overheating in his stupid sweater and Cross's amazing wonderfully soft blanket. But he couldn't muster up the energy to break free from its immensely strong don't be dramatic bond. The skeleton lazily poked the blanket burrito before resting his skull on the trapped fox.
"Hey! Just leave me alone." Wilson groaned on the floor before rolling himself onto his back. "It's pathetic. I'm pathetic. An oncologist with cancer. Of all the things that could be killing me… it's like the universe is giving me the big middle finger." He spoke inbreathe breaths that took his entire being to force out.
"The universe doesn't care-" "WHY ME? I'm always telling my patients not to torture themselves, because there's no answer."
"Sound advice."
"It's cruel advice. They were just trying to make sense of what was happening to them. And I'm there telling them not to bother?" His breaths were still heavy and rushed. "I should have spent my life being more like you. Should have been a manipulative, self-centered, narcissistic ass who brought misery to everything and everyone in his life."
The camera focused back onto House as he looked away for a moment and pursed his lips.
"You'd still have cancer."
"Yeah. But at least I'd feel like I deserved it."
The fox let out a noise, similar to a pur, as he felt the skeletons fingers softly scratching his head. His ears piqued before lowering and his tail tapped against the inside of the blanket.
"Okay, your heart rates up, BP's tanking. White blood counts at 500. We have to go to the hospital now."
"No." Wilson sniffled and tried to swallow down the puke that hadn't made it into the bucket.
"I don't have the equipment or the meds to handle this." House tried to plea.
"No. Win or lose. Win or lose. That was the deal." He spoke with what sounded like no air left in his lungs.
"That was the deal when there was an 'or'. You can't win this."
"No. I'd rather die here. Not in an ambulance." He sobbed. "Not in a hospital. Please." His voice broke. "You can't do that to me. I can't… House… please. Promise me that you don't do that to me. Promise me."
He looked at House and watched him eventually nod. "Okay. I promise."
The camera panned outward and watched as Wilson laid on House's couch, surrounded by discarded tired and holding an air mask up to his face.
"… I'm a virgin."
"…what?"
"I haven't had sex… ever."
"… seriously? I mean! There's nothing wrong with that or anything! I just… really?"
"Yeah."
"… not even with Nightmare?"
"Does everyone think we've done it?" He asked, just a bit too agitated for comfort.
"Everyone thinks you've done it."
The fox groaned and retreated back into the blanket. As much as he wanted to be mad at Cross and the others… he couldn't… really blame them.
"Killer owes me an outing."
"What?"
"We bet money on if Nightmare was a virgin or not. But we don't really need money, so he owes me an outing now."
"He's not a virgin, what are you talking about?"
"He told us himself…" Cross fidgeted with his hands and looked back at his phone.
"When did he tell you this?" The fox finally sat up.
"It was… a long time ago."
The fox blinked. "You guys made this bet almost four years ago?"
"It was more like five."
Moon groaned and pulled the blanket back over himself.
"… uh, sorry?" The skeleton didn't know what else he was meant to say.
"No, it's fine." The fox let out a defeated sigh. "… I thought it was stupid to think that the guardian of negativity would be a virgin."
"That's what Killer said too." He laid back down to watch the show. "Why did you tell me this?"
"Because…I thought you'd be the only one to not make fun of me for it."
"Why would any of us make for of you for that?"
"I don't know! I just… I don't know." He could feel his eyes water. "And I don't- I don't even know if I want sex. I think I do, but maybe I just think that I need to. I hate it."
The fox could still hear the show playing from Cross's phone.
"Did you wanna talk about it?"
"… no."
"Then we don't have to talk about it."
After a few minutes, the fox threw half of his blanket into Cross and snuggled into his side.
The two doctors stepped out of the elevator and stopped after a second.
"I'll see you at lunch." Wilson watched as House gave a small nod to the offer before the oncologist walked off screen. And the diagnostician smiled.
The oncologist made his way into his office, taking small steps that slightly haltered as he registered that his computer was open on his desk. He glanced around for a moment before leaning forward and typing in his password. He groaned as he sat down and "Any Way You Want It" by Journey began to play from the computers speakers.
The camera shifted to show a slideshow of photos taken during his treatment, when he was unconscious, of him and two hookers. Where different tacky props were used to decorate himself, House, and the two hookers. One of the last photos had him wearing a yellow lei, his hands positioned around the shoulders of both the hookers, and House in front of all of them with his arms extended and smiling mouth open facing the camera.
Wilson couldn't help but laugh, his eyes closing and smile stretching across his face as he watched. He earnestly chuckled as the camera slowly panned away from his, and the credits began to roll.
"… thank you."
The massive amounts of baking with The Stars wasn't a joke. They really did bake that much. Fortunately, for food safety measures, they decided to never bake at Ink's place. But unfortunately, that meant they baked at Swap's place.
Moon had already revisited the place quite a few times in the past few months, but it was just as uncomfortable every time. Swap had most likely been telling Stretch when the fox would be there. The two interacting would be… less than ideal.
You left his brother crying and unable to even get out of bed for weeks, of COURSE he hates your guts.
The fox held the metal bowl against his chest as he continued mixing some sort of batter together. He couldn't even remember anymore. They always used the same few recipes. The written instructions had already become engraved into his mind. His gloved paws set the bowl down onto the counter and measured out a teaspoon of baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Once that was incorporated well enough, he put in a cup of blueberries and folded them into the batter. The mixture was poured into lined muffin tins before being put into the oven for like, what- like seventeen minutes? Sure, that's fine.
Swap stood at the other counter, piping bag in hand as he continued frosting cupcakes.
"… those look good." Moon mumbled as he stood beside the knight.
"I- uh- Of course! I would never make anything less than magnificent for others." He stumbled for a moment before regaining his confidence.
"Can I try one?"
"Go ahead." Swap watched as the fox took a cupcake and bit into the side.
"… this is really good," He covered his mouth as he chewed. "I thought it was vanilla, but the lemon is a nice surprise." He smiled at the knight before quickly shoving the rest of the cupcake into his mouth.
"I'm pleased to know they meet your standard." He forced a fake, posh voice before giggling at himself. "How are the muffins going?"
"They're good, I just put them in the oven." The fox leaned against the counter.
"What did you put in them?"
"Just blueberries, you have a lot in the fridge. Where the hell do you get all this fruit anyway?" He vaguely pointed toward the fridge which still had a few containers of fruit left.
"Me and Pap's go out to Market!Tale before every big baking session. Most of the sellers give us stuff for a pleasant price."
"Nice to know." The fox opened his mouth to speak again, but the front door opened before he could form the words. Moon already knew who it was, he could tell by the way Swap's shoulders tensed.
… he hadn't… told his brother…
"… hey." Stretch said after a moment of silence. His eyelights immediately went to the fox, whose ears had already pressed down against his head. He glanced at Dream and Ink, both who were in the living room talking about something, for a brief moment. The taller skeleton looked back at the fox who'd moved a few feet away from Swap.
"Long time no see." He'd already begun making his way toward the kitchen. "Why don't we have a little chat, for old times sake." Stretch's fingers dug into the fox's sweater too harshly to allow him to pull away. He was already dragging the fox out the door before Swap could try and stop his brother.
Moon was thrown forward and stumbled down the steps on his way down. He could hear the door being slammed closed before Stretch's hand found its way back to the fox's shoulder. The fox tripped over his feet a few times, but managed to keep pace as he was dragged to the outskirts of Snowdin.
Everyone knew that what happened between Swap and Moon had been far from desirable. And though the fox got over the situation without any mental breakdowns fucking liar, Swap hadn't. Which meant Stretch had to deal with the aftermath.
Look, it's really hard for me to be on your side right now. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!! You think I don't know that already??????
The fox was pushed forward once again, and the skeleton was successful in having him faceplant into the snow this time. He could hear the skeleton softly laugh at him for a moment before composing himself again. Moon forced himself up and shook the snow off of himself like a dog. Stretch groaned as some of the snow hit him, but he repeated the fox's actions. After a minute of both of them shaking off snow onto each other, they stopped and Moon realized where they were.
The hill.
He brushed a thin layer of snow off of a tree stump before sitting down on it. His tail lightly tapped against the wood as he looked to the horizon.
"Sorry about… being here." He looked over to Stretch.
"'s fine, not your fault anyway." The skeleton reached into his hoodie and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Sans shoulda told me."
He extended the box out to the fox, who hesitated for only a split second before taking one.
"He told me he did." The fox let the skeleton light his cigarette before pulling away.
"He only told me Dream 'n Ink were over. Didn't mention anything about you." He took a drag. "Hate those guys comin' over."
"Me too."
The skeleton glanced down at the fox. "What brings ya here anyway?"
"Council stuff… I get to be an 'unofficial official member' of The Stars."
"I assume it's hell."
"It's on par." The fox shrugged and rolled back his shoulders. "… but sorry about… what happened. It was shitty of me."
"It was." He moved closer to the tree stump. The fox scooted over to get him enough room to sit beside him.
"I can let you know when I'll be here if you don't wanna see me."
"Nah, I don't really care. He looked happy."
"… how was he… after the whole thing?"
"Didn't eat, barley slept, spent a lotta time crying too. Ya know, typical stuff." He sounded so calm about everything.
"I had a feeling." He took a short drag. "Still makes me feel like shit whenever I think about it."
"At least you didn't have to actually deal with it." Stretch took one last drag of his cigarette before disintegrating it in his hand. "Look, I don't really care about you. If it were up to me, you'd be dead. Do whatever the hell you wanna do. Just don't toy with him again. If you wanna be his friend then just be his damn friend, don't make things complicated. If you wanna like him again, then actually commit to it. Because if I find out your messing with his emotions just for the fun of it, I will kill you this time."
"… got it." His voice was coated with shame rather than with any fear. "I'm pretty sure he thinks you're trying to kill me right now."
"That's fine. I don't want him to mess with your feelings either. Both of you have to take responsibility for whatever your relationship is. I love my bro, but he's…. not the same. It's not your fault or anything, he just changed. I wouldn't put it past him to mess with you when he shouldn't be. Just because he's my bro doesn't mean I won't kick his coccyx. But if your gonna start anything up with him again, actually follow through with it this time."
"… nah, my party's already full. I don't think… they'd want him apart of… us…"
"What're they like?"
"They're… complicated." He looked down at his cigarette. "But I like them, a lot. They treat me good… they care… they trust me. But I think they're too different to let someone like Swap in. And I think that's for the best. I realized that him and I … aren't really meant to be. We both know it, but I don't think either of us want to accept it yet."
Stretch took the cigarette from Moon's paw and disintegrated it. "Sometimes things just don't mix—'s just what happens."
The skeleton leaned forward a bit. His eyelights stared off towards the horizon but never focused onto any one thing in particular. The fox held his paws in his lap as his tail thumped against the tree stump in a slow, quiet motion. "I forgot how nice you are."
"Don't count on it too much. I still want you dead."
"I know, but thanks for… understanding me. You'd be a good therapist."
"Ehh, too much work."
"… I should probably leave. I've been baking for the past five hours, I wanna go home." Moon stood and stretched for a moment before grabbing a key from his bag. "But thanks for the smoke."
Stretch merely shrugged at the fox as he left. The skeleton stayed on the hill for a while longer, enjoying another cigarette before deciding to head back.
Upon arriving back, he was greeted with the other three skeletons decorating various desserts spread out on the table and kitchen counter.
"Oh, hey bro!" Swap immediately smiled up at his brother once he realized he was back. "… uh, where's Moon?"
"He said he had to leave, told me to apologize on his behalf. So, sorry. Anyway, could I talk to you? Just for a minute." He looked at the guardian and the artist for a moment.
"Sure thing." Swap set down what he was holding and whipped the back of his gloves on his apron. He hung said apron onto it's hook on the wall before following his brother outside. Stretch closed the door behind them. Both brothers sat down on the porch stairs.
"Why do you guys bake so much anyway?"
"Well it helps people feel better and Dream infuses them with small amounts of healing magic-" "No, I mean why do you guys bake that much?"
"… Dream and Ink don't know how to cook."
"Can't you? I think your stuff's worthy enough."
"They don't really like my cooking that much and I would rather not be the only one not baking so- did you pull me away from them just to talk about this?"
"Ehhh, partially. But I wanted to talk about him."
"Did you threaten him?" Sans pointed a finger at his brother's chest. His magic caused his scarf to slightly puff up for a moment.
"Course I did, but that's not the point. I was having a very mature and adult conversation with him about you guys."
"Paps, I already told you I'm over everything."
"You look like you wanna to marry him."
"No I don't!"
"Look, I'm not gonna try and fight with you on that. But something I know for an absolute fact, is that he's taken." Papyrus watched as his brother froze at his words, his shoulder tensing before slumping. "And he didn't tell you that, did he?"
"… no."
"I had a feeling." He let out a sigh. "Sans, I know you like him, but it isn't going to work out. I'm telling you this because I care about you, your my brother. I don't want you to get hurt again."
He heard his brother sniffle. "… did he tell you who?"
"He said they care about him, that's it."
Stars, it was so stupid of him to believe he'd still have a chance. Just spend some time together, maybe bake together, and they'd magically become a couple. Like nothing even happened. Like nothing had stopped them the first time. Moon didn't owe him anything. He was his own person with his own life.
Swap wiped a few stray tears away with the back of his glove, they still smelled like blueberries and vanilla.
"… I … still like him."
"I know."
"… what do I do about it?"
"Wish I could tell ya."
"Cmon' man it'll be really fun. Trust me."
"The last time we did this we were almost attacked… we're not even supposed to be out here." The solider mumbled into his scarf.
"Oh come on, it'll be FINE. Because Nightmare WON'T find out we left."
"Killer he already knows were out here." Moon pulled back the hood of his cloak and before poking his head out of the alleyway for a moment.
"Okay ya I know- WHAT I MEANT, is that he won't put us in the timeout corner for this. You trust me and Moonpie, don't you?" Killer leaned closer to Cross's face and batted his nonexistent eyelashes on him. He should really invest in some eyelash extensions.
"Don't call me that."
"Ughhhh- you guys are soooo boring. We haven't left the castle in days! Don't either of you ever have fun?"
"Keep your damn voice down. And I have tons of fun staying at home." The fox corrected with a jab at Killer's chest.
"We're on our fourth rewatch of House." Cross confirmed as a soft lilac dust covered his skull for a moment.
"You're proving my point. Whatever, let's just go already." Killer said as he pulled his hood back over his skull and made his way out of the alley. He stopped a few feet away and waited until he was sure the two other monsters were following closely behind him.
The specific universe was an Underfell variant after a pacifist route. Humans and monsters still lived with a bit of social division, but the progress towards regaining harmony seemed promising. There had already been a few reports of Nightmares men visiting the universe. Moon glanced across a busy street and felt his heart drop at the sight of a few Council members out on patrol. They were too busy talking to other civilians to notice the trio.
"This is a really, really, REALLY bad idea." But Killer didn't hear him.
They eventually arrived in front of an animal shelter and quickly made their way inside. The fox glanced around and felt just a bit of relief as he realized there were only a couple of civilians inside.
Killer uncovered his skull as he approached the counter and smiled at the receptionist. He opened his mouth to speak, but the receptionist sighed and stood before he could say anything. They led the trio to a door which they unlocked with a key and allowed them inside.
"I'll give you an hour. Try not to break anything this time." The door clicked shut behind them.
Killer immediately grabbed the keys hung on the wall and made his way to let a few cats out of their enclosures. A few of them meowed at him in recognition and rubbed themselves against his leg before trotting around. Moon and Cross both sat down at the end of the large hallway on a wooden bench with far too many claw marks across the wood.
"Hi, Dog." The soldier smiled down at a long haired gray tabby cat, scooping the creature up into his arms and setting it down on his lap.
"The cat's name is Dog?" The fox extended his hand out to Dog and allowed them to sniff his hand before they rubbed their snout against his paw.
"Killer gave her that name."
"Of course he did." The fox ran the tips of his claws through Dog's fur and earned another headbutt to his paw in response.
Killer came back to the end of the hallway with one cat perched on his shoulder, one held in his arm, and two following closely behind him. He set the cat in his arms down into Moon's lap and handed the fox a few small cat treats. "Feed 'em." He instructed while sitting down onto the floor and using his magic to lift up a small box of toys from the corner.
The cat in Moon's lap pawed at him until he gave them a couple of treats. Afterward, he was allowed to pet them a bit. They nibbled on his paw for a while before eventually licking his fur in a weak attempt to clean him. The fox didn't mind, and accepted another few treats passed over to him by Killer. He held the treats in front of his snout and sniffed them for a moment.
"Oh, this is what you were making yesterday?"
"I only feed them the best." Killer smirked before giggling a bit as one of the cats continued to make biscuits on his jacket. His smile faltered for just a moment as he watched the fox eat the treats.
"These aren't that bad."
"… sometimes I forget how weird you are." Cross mumbled while scooting just a bit farther away from the fox.
"No, these are actually really good." Moon held up a few cat treats in front of the soldier.
"I think… I'm okay..." He gently pushed the fox's paw away from him. He focused back on the string toy he was holding and pulled it back up into the air, watching as two of the cats swatted at each other in their attempts to reach the plush mouse attached to the end of the string.
"Do you think that," Killer picked up a short haired, cream colored cat onto his lap. "Nightmare would let me keep one of those guys?" He scratched the small creatures head and inspected it's ears for a moment.
"Mmmm, maybe. He's been in a bit of a good mood lately." The soldier said. "Didn't you have a cat at one point? I swear you've had one before."
"Uhhh… I did… once… but Nightmare didn't really like it so… you know." His smile dropped a bit at the memory. One day, the thing was just gone. It had been a kinder approach honestly, he'd expected to find the thing gutted and sprawled out on his bed.
"Oh… right…" He shifted uncomfortably. Gods, he shouldn't have brought that up, he really, really shouldn't have brought it up.
The fox cringed at the tension in the air. "… I think he'd let us have one or two of them." He let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of Killer's smile returning to normal. "The castle gets kinda lonely sometimes, I'm sure he'd enjoy the extra company."
"… that does sound kind of nice. And I bet we could get Horror to grow some cat grass for them. Or some catnip if you want." The soldier giggled at the mental image as he looked over at the other skeleton.
"Huh… I guess your right. Whatcha think Soop? You wanna come home with us?" He looked down at the cat, who blankly started up at him before meowing in his face and pawing at the fluff on his jacket. "I'll take that as a yes." He giggled and ran his hand through Soop's fur as she purred against his chest.
"We could make a day out of getting stuff for her. And we'd need to make sure the castle is at least a little safer…" The soldier mumbled as he ran through all the small details of activities would need to be done. But the idea was still nice to him. Even before they had to be isolated to the castle they didn't exactly have much to do. One cat would be great, but then they'd probably get a bit lonely after a while. So then they could get another to keep them company and keep them happy. They could spend a lot of time bonding with them, and Horror would continue to make them healthy treats. And Nightmare could create small rodents and birds for them to hunt too. And Dust could make them little shirts and sweaters and socks and hats and-
Cross froze as the sound of keys jingling could be heard from the other side of the door before it swung open. The sound scared the cats and caused all of them to scatter away. Killer attempted to reach out to Soop, but she scurried away before he could get a hold on her. The receptionist from earlier stood in the open doorway, heavily panting and sweating a bit.
"You guys need to leave NOW."
Moon expected them to sound mad and probably upset, but the fear in their voice made him tense.
I knew this was a bad idea.
"Why the hell do you have people from THE COUNCIL looking for you? You could warned me or something at least!" They exclaimed, but not quite yelled. "You uh- fuck, you guys need to go like right now. They sound way too excited at just the idea of finding you." They looked directly at Killer.
The skeleton looked irritated, but knew it wasn't the place to try and argue back. He brushed off the pile of cat hair that had been shed onto his cloak as he stepped closer to the fox and soldier.
Moon reached his paw into a pocket on the inside of his cloak before pulling out an old, gothic styled key. This time, he didn't even need to speak to get it to work. He merely held it outward in front of him and watched the magic enclosed within it pooled and formed a portal.
The fox felt a numbness through his body the moment a large noise, definitely a crash, could be heard from down the hallway. Someone yelled, but Cross had already gotten a hold of the two monsters and pulled them through the portal.
Moon and Cross stumbled, but neither of them fell as they were thrown through the magic. Killer landed face first into the castle foyer floor. He groaned and went limp after a moment.
"Oh my- I am so sorry- I didn't mean- mean to do that." Cross stammered as he quickly made his way over to the other skeleton. "I- are you- uh are you okay?"
"Never-" He winced as he pushed himself up from the floor. "better."
As much as he wanted to push the soldier away, he allowed him to help him stand and not immediately fall back over himself. Moon followed and placed his paws on the side of his skull, inspecting the damage.
"So doc, do I get a cool scar or what?" Killer laughed before forcing himself to stop at the slight pain.
"It's… actually not that bad. There's just a little crack." Moon explained as he gently ran his claw over the skeleton's left cheek, where the crack was, but pulled away when he heard Killer wince. The fox glanced down at the floor when the skeleton had fallen and thankfully saw no bone fragments.
"We should get you to Nightmare."
"Cross, carry me."
"… no." The refusal sounded like a question on its own.
"But I am simply so terribly injured," He pressed the back of his hand to his skull and dramatically— though carefully— sunk back to the ground.
Cross only stared at him with emotionless eyelights.
I can't believe I let this guy take my virginity.
As the soldier started down at the skeleton, Moon let out a sigh of defeat. He allowed for his shadow to form and watched as it bent down and scooped Killer into its arms.
"Yay :3" Killer wrapped his arms around the shadow's neck and threw his head back to look back at the fox. "I forgot about this guy, why don't we get to see him more often?"
"IT is terrible and annoying and I hate it." He corrected as he'd already begun to walk away. His shadow followed behind him, and Cross followed behind it.
"I mean… it's interesting." The soldier mumbled as watched the way Moon walked without an actual shadow attracted to him anymore. He didn't know the specifications of how shadow magic worked—it wasn't something he ever really intended to learn. Nightmare and Moon were the only two who knew how to use it, and they seemed plenty sufficient at it for all of them.
"See? They like me, don't they Moonpie?" It spoke as it twisted its head in a direction just a bit too far to the side. Something should've broken.
The fox didn't respond.
The 'trio' arrived at Nightmare's office and Moon's shadow gladly carried Killer over to the guardian. He was less than pleased to see it, and quickly took the skeleton from it's grasp.
Moon forced his shadow away the moment it had fulfilled it's purpose.
"I suppose you all had an entertaining outing?" The guardian questioned as he held Killer's face with his hands and examined the damage in the same fashion the fox previously had.
"We… uh- we wanted… to just… pet… some… cats…" Cross's voice died in his nonexistent throat as he looked down at the floor in shame. He didn't want anyone else to get in trouble, they didn't have ill intention. But he… he didn't want to take the blame either. It wasn't his fault. It wouldn't be fair to him.
The guardian glanced at the soldier but didn't comment. He pressed his hand against the crack in Killer's skull and focused his magic onto the point. A faint teal glow emanated from his hand as he healed the small wound. Nightmare's ability to heal was weak, but he could heal small scrapes and bruises when necessary.
Not all monsters are born with the ability to perform healing magic. The trait is most commonly passed on from a parent, though it can be learned by most monsters with enough practice and dedication. As a monster's magic is a direct representation of their soul, their ability to perform specific types of magic can be influenced by their soul.
Monsters with particularly high Levels Of Violence often have a more difficult time performing healing magic; the violence they cause directly contradicts the desire and ability to heal.
- Moon I. Vulxen
Nightmare pulled his hand away and observed as the bone reformed itself. His magic would never be able to do much more than heal what was on par with paper cuts. Even with all his dedication and patience, it simply wasn't something he could do anymore.
Believe me, he'd spent weeks trying to fix the gaping hole in Horror's skull.
"… It's not their fault, I shouldn't have agreed to let us leave." Moon explained. "I'm sorry."
"I mean it's entirely his fault. I was kind of… annoying them both and convinced to leave in the first place. I just wanted to get out of the castle for a bit." Killer glanced up at Nightmare for a moment before looking away.
The guardian sighed before pressing a small kiss to Killer's skull as he set him down. "I am not mad at any of you. I simply… worry about you leaving. While we may know quite a lot about where the Council will and will not be, we cannot always be certain they will not find us. The only way we can be certain we stay hidden is by not leaving." He looked between the three monsters. "But I understand that it had been difficult for you all. As much as I wish you could freely leave, I cannot in good consciousness allow it until this… situation is fully resolved."
Moon seemed to stiffen a bit at the guardian's words. "Actually, about that, how do you feel about… meeting them?"
Nightmare didn't look quite as surprised as Moon thought he would, and surprisingly, the other two skeletons relaxed at the idea as they looked over at the fox.
"I've been thinking of something for a while now… and I think you'll like it. Also how do you feel about us getting a cat?"
The 'anonymous' note 'found' by Core and given to Dream was a phenomenal thing for them to receive. And as suspicious it was, the Stars couldn't afford to not go. Worst case, they immediately died. Mediocre case, they just waste their time being pranked by some random kids. BUT, best case scenario, they would actually be able to have a peacefully conversation with Nightmare's team.
The Stars had been in the abandoned universe for a good few minutes. Times was always a difficulty when it came to going between different universes, so they'd decided to show up what was likely two hours earlier than the notes told them to. Orders had already been given to Core to send backup if they didn't return in a few hours, or if they 'got a really bad vibe' after a while.
As much as they really wanted to go without any sort of weapons, they weren't stupid enough to trust them. Swap glanced around the barren surface, cringing slightly as the borders of the universe seemed to be actively collapsing on themselves. From what Ink had been able to gather, the universe had been slowly falling apart for a while now. They'd be perfectly fine residing in it for a few hours.
The artist sat on the ground with their fingers fiddling with the long pleated skirt they were wearing. They picked at the specks of paint and bits of glitter that stuck to the fabric. "Do you think they're actually going to show up?" Their colorful eyelights looked up at Dream.
"… I mean… I wouldn't really count on it. I really hope they do though." The guardian stood beside the artist, glancing down at him before looking over at Swap. The knight hadn't been himself ever since they last baked with Moon. Something had clearly changed, but Dream couldn't find it in himself to ask him. He could have just read him emotions, and therefore his mind, but Swap had already told him that was weird and asked him to stop doing it. So as much as he wanted to try and help him, he wasn't allowed to. It had only been a few days since then. But the tension in the knights mind seemed to rapidly grow. Dream could practically see the negativity dripping off of him.
They waited around for a while. They really shouldn't have come so early. But Dream insisted that they couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. And Core could manage everything for them for a few hours. They seemed more than delighted to be given the temporary authority anyway.
Swap was the first one to see the portal forming across the field. It swirled with a dark teal and purple magic before a large skeleton missing a chunk of their skull stepped out. A few others followed before Dream laid his eyelights on Nightmare. He didn't even register the fact that Moon was standing right beside him until the fox weakly waved at him.
"… hi… guys…" The fox's voice couldn't be heard from the other side of the field; but they watched as he slumped behind Nightmare's frame. The guardian glanced back at him before forcing himself to look ahead at the trio whose positivity he could feel immediately wither.
Slowly, Swap stepped forward. The others didn't stop him. And Nightmare's men remained still at his action. He could feel their stares, he could feel perfectly well the way they analyzed his every movement. But they didn't move. The knight stood before the guardian and the fox, his eyesockets already leaking a light blue liquid. The fox couldn't meet his gaze and his craws dug deeper into the tendril he hid behind. Swap understood everything from just the way the fox held onto the guardian.
He should have been terrified and helpless. He should have been begging the Stars to save him. He should have been doing anything, just anything other than what he was already doing. He shouldn't have been calm. He shouldn't have been at ease. He shouldn't have looked more afraid of the Stars than of the ruthless monsters that surrounded him.
He belonged with them.
But Swap couldn't tell if Moon owned the others, or if they owned him.
"… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have… I should have told you sooner."
The knight looked up at the guardian, who could only afford him a look of apology.
"… this whole time? … this WHOLE TIME?" He cried at the fox. "You just… lied to us. Lied to me, just like that?"
"I would have told you if I cou-" "NO! No, you wouldn't have. You would have just-just messed with me like last time. Is this- is everything just some sort of fucking joke to you? Do you seriously not care about anything we've done together? After EVERYTHING we went through, after I gave you so much… you just lie to my face and can't even bother to tell me you're taken? You knew what you were doing the entire time… and you just let me believe I had a chance. You told my own brother before even thinking about telling me. Do you really think I'm that stupid? Do you really think I'm worth that little?" Dream and Ink approached a few steps behind the knight.
"… I'm sorry." The fox choked out his words. "I know what I did was bad and I don't expect you to forgive me, I don't expect any of you to forgive me. But I've done everything for a reason… and I can't tell you what that reason is… but I promise you, all of you, that if you just let me do what needs to be done… then everything will work out. We'll all be able to get what we want in the end… you just need to trust me." He glanced up at Nightmare, catching his gaze for a moment before forcing his head back down. "I meant what I said in my trial I joined the Council to help the multiverse regain it's balance."
"… We would appreciate it if you would discuss a possible truce with us." The guardian of negativity took control once again. His eyelight handed back on Dream and managed to not falter.
The smaller guardian forced himself to look away from Swap and Moon. "… okay."
Ink created a long wooden table, alongside some chairs, for everyone in the center of the field. The artist scratched at the edge of the wood and restrained himself from trying to make small talk. The taller guardian sat opposed to the smaller, and the rest of his men were seated around him. Dream summoned a scroll with his magic and unrolled it before pressing it forward to Nightmare. "It's far from complete and only a temporary version… I hope that's alright." His hands trembled against the table more than he wished they would.
"Your contribution is more than enough, I am afraid we have not prepared anything on our behalf yet." He hesitated to hold the paper and tensed a bit at the golden magic that encapsulated it.
The meeting was in silence for the majority of its duration. Nightmare would read a section, cross out a few parts, and then usually add a section of his own. And slowly, the magic from the scroll faded from bright and golden, to a much darker teal color. Occasionally, the guardian would allow the fox beside him to peak and read his edits, and he seemed mostly pleased with the adjustments made. Once Nightmare seemed to be content with his work, he handed the scroll over to Moon alongside the quill he'd used. The fox wrote a section at the very end of the document before crudely signing his name in the open area at the bottom. He passed the document back to the guardian, and saw him sign without hesitation.
"Nightmare, can I ask you something?" The younger guardian forced himself still as he met the other's gaze.
"Of course."
"… why are you doing this? Why now?" He glanced over to Nightmare's men, watching as they all read the document in full. "What changed?"
"… I do not know when it happened exactly," His tendrils curled in on themselves and flexed for a moment. "but I have realized my original 'plan' was… of poor quality. The harm I wished to cause others was built on experiences I had hundreds of years ago. For so long I believed that becoming the harm that I faced would somehow solve everything. The ideas I had when I was a child were foolish… and it was foolish of me to keep them for as long as I did." His set his hands onto the table, interlocking his fingers. "But I still need to fulfill my purpose, we both must. I cannot destroy you, to do so would only cause more issues to arise. And I apologize that it has taken me so long to realize this." Dream's voice died before he could even think of the proper words to speak.
That's two whole people crying so far, do we get a prize if we can get Ink to cry too?
He made a noise between a laugh and a sob before covering his mouth with a gloved hand. "… I'm sorry… I should- I should have done more. I shouldn't have left you when I did. I should have been a better brother to you. I should have cared more. I should have tried more." He sobbed, tears leaking down his skull as he looked up at his brother. "I'm sorry moonflower, I'm so, so sorry."
Nightmare watched the other guardian weep. For a moment, he almost wanted to reach over to him. He couldn't tell if he wanted to hug him or not. Dream's regret was perhaps the best emotions Nightmare had ever been able to consume. It was something he would only ever get once, no other time would ever be this strong and sincere. It would never be this satisfying again.
But it would always be there, festering in the cracks of his mind and soul—and Nightmare was content with that.
The guardian blinked back the few tears he could fear forming in his eyesockets. He looked at the others and watched as the knight quickly signed his name before passing the document over to Dream. He sniffled and controlled his breathing as best as he could as he read every new thing his brother had added. He tried his best to wipe his eyesockets and not get his tears all over the paper.
"… do we… really need to disband?" Swap and Ink both held a small look of distrust, but they'd still been willing to sign. Dream was the most important one after all, shouldn't he be the one to make the final decision?
"I am afraid so, but know that we shall be doing so as well. Having these 'teams' is only necessary if the balance of the multiverse is uneven. Only in times of great disturbance will either group be allowed to temporarily reform. I understand that the balance of positivity and negativity is not perfect at the moment, so you all may continue your work for the time being. Though once balance is regained you must be permanently disbanded." Nightmare explained as he leaned forward just a bit. "Both of us still must do our job of course, but it should be without the aid of anyone else. We should not involve mortals in our work any more than we already have."
Dream couldn't say no. He'd wanted to find a way to peacefully talk with his brother for hundreds of years. He wanted to trust him. He wanted to be able to sign it without a second thought. He'd wanted a truce for longer than anyone else had. Even if it was only for a few weeks or months or however long they could all handle it for. But something in his soul stung and dug itself into him.
You need to do this. You need to do this.
Toriel's looming presence was so persistent that Moon was surprised she hadn't already made up some excuse for him to throw up. She wrapped her paws around his throat to ensure his silence. He'd done his job so well. He'd even gotten to write a section of the truce, isn't that just adorable?
The guardian of positivity name glowed a bright gold as it was inscribed onto the document, coating it in his magic just as everyone else had done. It was done. It was that easy.
It shouldn't be this easy. It can't be this easy. It can't. It can't it can't it can't
Hundreds of years for this, and it's over in only a couple hours.
There has to be something more.
Shouldn't there?
Some sort of disagreement or dramatic fight?
… how are you this bad at your job?
My entire existence has lead up to this moment and you can't even try to make it seem realistic. Fuck, you really are terrible at your job. But I guess that makes sense, if you couldn't be bothered to let me have a relationship with my own family then you wouldn't even think twice about having things make sense you-
The fox coughed and silently gagged into the crook of his arm. He blinked away the tears that formed in his eyes as best he could. He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with everyone else. A few more words were exchanged between the two guardians. The table and chairs melted into the black ink they had been created from. It sunk back into the ground and was absorbed by it until there was no trace left of them ever existing.
Nightmare didn't object to the way Dream hugged him. He wrapped his arms around his brother and rested his head on his shoulder. No one said anything about the embrace. But they walked just a bit lighter afterward.
The Stars walked back to where they'd arrived. They watched as the now separated group of skeletons stood at their end of the field. Cross had already grasped Horror's hand and spoke to him words that The Stars couldn't hear. Killer had slung his arm around the hooded skeleton's neck and shoved his hand into the other's pocket. Dust attempted to push him away, but the action caused both of them to trip and fall onto the ground. Dream watched as his brother sighed before using his tendrils to pick the two skeletons up.
The group made their way towards the portal Nightmare had created. Moon stayed a few steps behind the rest of them. The fox's eyes flickered back at the abandoned universe. The horizon stretched on and on, for what seemed like eternity. He watched as the Stars left in their portal. He could see the way Dream kept an arm around Swap's shoulder to prevent him from looking back. He could hear the others behind him, already bickering about what Horror should make for dinner. His paw fell over his bag as he could feel the magic that radiated from the keys inside. There was no point in bringing them, not when Nightmare was the one in control of the meeting place.
But the fox hadn't let himself leave without them. Not without the key that lead to the Omega!Timeline.
In that single moment, the urge to leave overcame everything else. It was so simple. So, so simple. He could just leave. Leave Swap. Leave Nightmare, leave Dust and Killer and Horror and Cross all behind.
What would that be like?
How far could he get before someone dragged him back?
Would they even bother?
What life could he live outside of this one?
He could feel the nausea pool in his stomach and burn the back of his throat. His arms wrapped around his stomach as he forced himself to stop thinking. It was a stupid idea. Such a stupid, stupid idea. He had a life here with them. He didn't need anything else. He didn't deserve anything else. He couldn't think of such awful things, not now. Not when she was already watching over him.
The fox took in a shaky breath. The air tasted differently here. Not bad, not good, simply different than the air he breathed at home. Nightmare's hand rested on the fox's shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"… ya, just a bit nauseous." His paw reached up for the guardian's hand, guiding it to his face. The coldness of his magic helped to ease the flushed skin beneath his fur.
"I can have Horror prepare you something to ease that. Can you walk on your own?" The guardian had already placed his other hand against the fox's side. Gods, was he really that pathetically predictable?
Moon let out a low hum, but he didn't push himself away from the guardians touch. The rest of the team stood around the portal, clearly waiting for them. Once they were close enough, the others began to make their way through the portal. Cross waited for the fox and guardian. The soldier gave a small, earnest smile to them, before allowing himself to go through.
Nightmare stopped just before the portal, his hands still holding the fox in place. He watched as Moon let out shallow breaths of air and trembled on weak legs. The questions and words flooded his mind, but he wasn't allowed to speak on the matter.
Some things weren't allowed to be spoken. Not even when they were of concern. Not even if it meant he would continue to be in pain. Moon was always sick. Nothing would ever change that. He was always uneasy and weak and on the verge of puking. And the guardian was never allowed to ask why. He could only try to alleviate the suffering. So Nightmare picked up Moon, and carried him back home.
The fox was nestled into the guardian's bed with a blanket wrapped around him and a cup of tea held in his paws. He leaned his head against Horror's shoulder as both of them nibbled on a plate of cookies. Killer had laid his entire body over Dust's lap, holding him captive as he tried to talk him into going to the animal shelter with the rest of them on their next outing.
It was… far more normal that Moon had expected it to be. He'd expected some sort of interrogation from Killer at least, but it never came. They just acted like it never happened. It's not like it changed how they saw him. They'd all done bad things, even if some were to incredibly different degrees. But they tried their best to leave it behind and forget about it.
The door to the room opened as the guardian and soldier stepped in. The taller of the two held a white envelope with a wax seal on the cover.
On the front, 'Bad sanses Nightmare's team' was written in very eccentric curly letters.
Greetings! We hope this letter finds you all well. We're all absolutely thrilled to hear about the temporary truce put into place and we hope that one day it can become official. We'd like to invite you all to a ball to celebrate this tremendous milestone. It will be hosted in the Omega!Timeline in twelve days. For more information please contact Core!Frisk as the event approaches. Please wear formal attire.
We hope to see you there!
- The Council