Chapter Text
It’s empty, everything was completely erased. There was nothing left besides him, the annoying kid, and this never-ending void. It hurt a bit. The ground was stained every so often from the purple tears that trailed down his face. “crybaby,” he was called. Maybe he was right, but he’d never say it out loud. He was a crybaby. He cried over most things, especially if they hurt him. This? It hurt him to his core. He couldn’t think about anything else, all he could do was cry. How pathetic, right? He knew it well, that wall he had built broke the second he realised it was only him and the kid left.
Another skeleton came along. Colourful, he was. His eyelights seemed to change with each sentence he said. Interesting, not exactly something he was used to seeing. This skeleton was nice and gave him food that he believed was called ‘tacos’ from time to time. It was good, he enjoyed the taste & certainly didn’t mind getting to eat again.
There came a time when this skeleton stopped visiting as much. It got lonely again. All he could hear was the kid pestering him as if he didn’t already do that enough, and the movement of his clothing as he adjusted his position every so often. He was fatigued, incredibly fatigued. His magic was depleting rapidly, and he couldn’t do anything to fix that.
Days passed, he was sure of it. Maybe they had to do something to bring back their world together. Maybe they needed to…
His hands clenched into fists. They were slammed into the white, cold ground below him. Maybe, just maybe, if he were to try to fix this instead of begging the ‘protector’ to help him, he would be able to bring his world back. That so-called protector refused to help him anyway, saying that his world was already gone. It wasn’t, he could save it. He knew he could, he was sure of it.
His train of thought was interrupted by the sound that erupted from behind him. It was sticky, gooey… He couldn’t exactly describe it. He stood up, turning around with as much urgency as he possibly could with how weak and out of shape his body had become.
He saw someone else. Not the protector, — although he was happy about that, he was too upset to face the aforementioned — but instead a skeleton covered in black goop. This skeleton had tentacles & his eye appeared cyan, emphasis on eye.
He stayed cautious, he wouldn’t trust someone so easily after realising what the protector had done to him. “he left you, didn’t he? unfortunate, isn’t it? that’s ok. it’s not like you deserve him, sans.”
“Hello. I do not seek to harm you, I merely come as I have sensed mass amounts of negativity within your soul.” The way this skeleton spoke... It was gentle, almost too gentle. It felt unsafe, there was no way this was something — or, someone... — he could trust.
“What are you? Who are you?” He spat out the two questions with such urgency you would think his entire life depended on this. And, well, maybe it did.
“Nightmare.” Nightmare replied, his tentacles moving passively behind him. “Guardian — or ‘King’ — of Negativity. I believe that I could be of assistance to you, and you could be of assistance to me. I have come here with the intention of striking a deal — a contract, even — with you. A soft hum escaped from Nightmare. “However, I require your name first.”
His head tilted to the side. “man, we should do it. maybe he’d help us get our universe back. the one you destroyed, sans.” He hates to admit it, really, he did, but the kid might be right in this situation. If he were to agree, could this ‘King of Negativity’ revive his world instead?
“Cross. M’name is Cross. Can you explain more about what this contract, or, deal, even is?” Cross’s voice came out a bit more hushed than he intended it to. It didn’t hold the empty tone he usually forced it to during his time in the royal guard.
“Yes, the details.” Nightmare nodded, bringing one of his hands to rest on his chin. “Your main job is to assist with keeping the balance in the multiverse. Both positive and negative feelings are required for balance, so I require you to sprinkle some negativity in other universes from time to time. You will, however, also be required to do chores around the castle, assist with supply runs, and a bit more, but that is the basic requirement. You will, in turn, be provided with proper nutrients, and a safe place to stay. Oh, and of course I promise to protect you to the best of my abilities, like how I protect the ones under my wing currently.”
“ask him about our universe. can he bring it back? can he help you fix the mess you made? you’ve gotta agree, cross. you’ve gotta agree. this is our only chance.” He rubbed one of his temples. The obvious choice was to accept his offer, but what if something went wrong? What if Nightmare couldn’t help with his universe? This would all be for nothing, and he’d be back at square one.
He needed to take the risk.
“I will accept to join you as long as you promise to help me bring my universe back. Otherwise, I will be completely under your command. I will do what you ask of me.” He took a deep inhale after he got that out. His voice came out a bit stronger than before, however with an added bit of rasp. That didn’t matter much to him right now.
“Hm. I cannot promise I will be able to revive your universe, but I will make my attempts to find a way to help.” The guardian studied the (barely) shorter skeleton in front of him. Malnourished & exhausted, he could tell. Little sleep and little to no food, even. “Please keep in mind that there are three others working & living in the castle. You are to be as respectful towards them as you can be.” He paused. He knew how Killer could be, and even Dust (under the influence of Phantom, realistically) may cause some problems. However, Horror was sweet, so there shouldn’t be any problems there. “They can be hard to get along with from time to time. You will adjust, but it will take time. You are required to inform me if any of them take anything too far, Cross.”
Cross nodded as Nightmare spoke. “you better not say anything about anything that happened to any of us. just say you fucked up ‘n that you are the reason our universe is gone, got it?”
He ignored the comment. He wasn’t worried about giving his backstory or even talking about Chara in the first place, so he didn’t feel it was necessary to acknowledge it. “Okay. Then I’ll agree to these terms. I can work under you, Nightmare.”
A small smile formed on Nightmare’s face as he stuck his hand out. “Of course. Shake my hand to solidify the deal. And, please, do keep in mind that I do not make promises just to break them. You’ll sign a contract with more details once we get to my office, okay?”
Cross grabbed the other’s hand with slight hesitation. What if this isn't right? It didn’t feel completely right, but it didn’t feel wrong either. Ink wasn’t going to come back for him anyway, not that he wanted him to. He said nothing in response to Nightmare, shaking his hand instead.
“Wonderful. You will come with me. I will introduce you to the boys and have one of them give you a tour around after we have discussed the contract. Do not worry, you will have time to adjust to living with us before you are sent on missions.” Nightmare stated. Cross didn’t seem to be too opposed to it, nodding to show that he understood and processed Nightmare's words, so he took this chance to teleport the two of them to his castle.
Cross followed Nightmare with his hands at his sides. He was careful not to swing them too far, which he knew he did as a kid. (It was deemed childish, so he made sure to keep himself in check after becoming a part of the royal guard.) Soon, they stopped in front of an open room. Three people were inside the room. Cross would assume it was a living room.. “look at that. they all look worse than you. in the insane way, i mean.” Cross shook his head at the human’s comment.
One skeleton had a gigantic hole in his head, one eyelight was red whilst the other simply wasn’t there. The other had a hood that, comically, but also disturbingly, covered most of his face in a dark shadow. He seemed to look like what Ink had drawn out to be Classic Sans, but with a few differences. The last was a somewhat normal skeleton, just with a very faint amount of black liquid flowing from his eye-sockets. He lacked eyelights, Cross observed.
“Attention, you three. We have a new member, and I expect you all to treat him well. His name is Cross. Please introduce yourselves and be nice to him.” Nightmare stated calmly, crossing his arms on his chest as he leaned against the wall.
“this’ll be interesting, cross. let’s see how ya do.”
Notes:
Aah, this chapter (or the ‘prologue’) is pretty short.. I hope it’s not too bad. If there are any corrections I need to make, please let me know! This is beta-read and what not, but sometimes some things are missed during that. Thank you for reading! I’ll try to get out another chapter every (or every other) week, but my motivation lacks from time to time. This is my first public fic I’ve ever posted, so please let me know if I’ve done any of the tagging wrong.. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed :) Feel free to leave comments, I’d love those. （＾ｖ＾）More tags will be added, but that’s for the future. Hopefully I was able to tag everything properly, please let me know if anything I have done is wrong. (´ω｀♡)
Chapter 2: PROLOGUE — 0.5
Summary:
PROLOGUE. MTT POV of what happens whilst Nightmare is getting Cross from his universe.
Chapter Text
Horror hummed softly to himself as he set the table. Dust had arrived, sitting in his designated spot reading a book, although Horror wasn’t sure exactly what it was. Nightmare was soon to arrive, he was sure, and Killer would stagger in not too long after that.
He’d finished making breakfast, — or, brunch, considering it was after noon — all he needed to do was serve it. He placed two pancakes on Dust’s plate, earning a small purr from the aforementioned skeleton. He placed two on Nightmare's plate, three on Killer’s (he loves pancakes), and three on his own. The syrup was placed in the middle of the table, however only two of them used the syrup.
Nightmare walked into the dining room, taking his seat at the head of the table as usual. “Thank you for the meal, Horror.” He spoke gently as he grabbed his utensils, beginning to cut the pancakes.
“Mm.. You’re welcome..” Horror slurred out, a gentle smile creeping its way onto his face. He enjoyed watching the others eat, — not in a weird way — it calmed his nerves. They were okay. They were eating well and getting the nutrients they needed to survive.
Killer stumbled into the dining room not long after that, — awoken by Nightmare, perhaps — plopping himself in his chair next to Dust. “G’mornin’..” He managed to mutter out. Lazily, he tore apart his pancakes with his fingers. It took less time and it was frankly much easier than using a knife! He, afterwards, grabbed the syrup bottle and poured it on top of his pancakes.
“Morning, Kills.” The soft yet deep voice beside Killer spoke. He had already cut his pancakes and poured a minimal amount of syrup onto them, taking a bite after speaking. “Pancakes ‘r good, Horror.”
Horror purred in response. He always enjoyed being told he did well, especially on things that he cooked. “That’s good... ‘M… Glad they’re good..”
However, Nightmare seemed to be quieter than normal. Usually, he would be talking about things they had to work on, or improvements during the week considering the fact it is Saturday. All of them could tell something was up, but none of them were willing to pry.
“Nightyy, what’s gotcha thinkin’~?”
Correction: Horror and Dust wouldn’t pry. Killer, on the other hand, was quick to ask. He didn’t want things to get bad, so he’d always ask immediately when he noticed something was up.
“I’m feeling strong concentrations of negative energy from a certain universe.” He stated, sipping the coffee that Horror had prepared for him. “Stronger than usual, I believe. This universe has had negative energy I could feed off of, but it’s different this time.”
“Like an our universe typa different orrr?” Killer’s head tilted as he took a bite. His soul twisted a bit, showing his faint curiosity.
“Yes, that’s correct. I will finish this meal, and then I will go to investigate. I do not want to leave someone in need of help alone for too long.” Nightmare spoke calmly, tentacles swaying behind him as he took a bite of his food.
Horror hummed in response. Dust set his fork down, his food was already finished. “Just be careful, N. You don’t wanna walk into somethin’ bad, y’know?” He crossed his arms. Phantom whispered, talking about how this could be an ‘easy way for them to get more LV’ or whatever. He tried his best to ignore him, however that was always a bit difficult.
Killer had, somehow, already scarfed down his pancakes. He really liked Horror’s pancakes, okay? What was so wrong with that?? Anyway, he looked at Nightmare with an excited (ish) expression. “Does this mean we might be getting another teammate? After like, y’know, years?!”
“Yes, that’s a possibility.” Nightmare sat his fork down, rising from his chair which he pushed in afterwards. “However, do not get your hopes up. Although I can tell you already have.” He fixed his clothes as best he could and looked at the boys sitting at the table. “Be good whilst I’m gone, okay? Please, I beg of you, do not destroy the castle.”
“No… Promises… Killer might make... A mess, maybe...” Horror spoke, collecting the dirty dishes from everyone and bringing them to the sink. “Come back... Soon... ‘Kay...?”
“I will not be gone too long, don’t fre-”
“However will I live without my precious Nighty!” Killer whined, tugging on one of Nightmare’s tentacles in an attempt to get a reaction. Instead, Nightmare just sighed.
“You will live.” He moved Killer off of him to the best of his abilities. Fixing his clothes once more, he let out a sigh.
“I will not!” Killer pouted, crossing his arms as he backed away. How was he supposed to live without Nightmare’s beautiful self?! Well, at least he had Dust and Horror!
“Yes, you will. I will return later.” He paused, moving his gaze to fix on Horror, who looked at him with a soft smile. “Thank you, Horror, for breakfast.” The skeleton purred in response, and Nightmare dissipated into a puddle of goop. This puddle also dissipated a few seconds later.
“Aw, man..” Killer huffed, plopping himself back down in his chair as Horror began dishes.
“Oh quit complainin’. He literally isn’t gonna be gone for more than an hour, you baby.” Dust threw his legs over the arms of the chair, letting his head hit Killer’s shoulder. “You act like he’s not gonna return.”
Killer merely hummed in response, petting Dust’s hood. “Y’know, if Night does bring someone back, d’ya think you’re gonna be able to handle Phantom?”
“Eh, prob’. I think it’ll be fine, as long as I have your guys’ support I’m sure I can manage.” He shrugged, leaning into Killer’s touch.
“We’ll.. Always support you..” Horror put the dishes into the dishwasher after rinsing them. “We can.. Move to the living room, now.. No need to stay.. Here.. Chairs’ll get uncomfy..” He pushed in the other chairs as Killer and Dust, reluctantly, moved up from their chairs & pushed them in.
“Gotta do.. Mm.. Supply run after.. Night gets back..” The trio plopped down onto the couch, giving Dust the remote for some odd reason. Horror didn’t have a good knowledge of movies and Killer just liked anime, which Dust refused to watch for some reason.
“Well someone’s gotta stay back ‘n take the newbie around if Nighty gets one~” Killer wrapped either of his arms around the two beside him. “I can do that! You two can go on the supply run~”
“Do you think we trust you to give a tour? Really??” Dust looked at the one beside him, rolling his eyelights. “You’d prob’ scare them.”
“Would not!”
“Would too.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Yuh-huh.”
“Quiet… Night will prob decide.. Who goes on.. The run ‘n.. Who gives a tour..” Horror rested his head on Killer’s shoulder. “Quit.. Fightin’ over it..”
“Man, you’re probably right! This ain’t fair, I wanna give the tour! Dust gave you a tour when you joined!” He pouted but kept his arms wrapped around the other two, so it was obvious he wasn’t actually in any way upset.
“I don’t think you’re capable of givin’ a good tour, K.”
“What the hell?! Yes I am! You suck!!”
“Stop itt..” Horror whined. “If Night comes back with.. A newcomer.. ‘N this is the first impression they get.. Do you realise how bad.. It’ll be..”
“Not my fault.” Dust shrugged. Killer, also, whined in reply. It was (totally) not his fault either!!
Speak of the devil, or, the Guardian of Negativity, and he will appear. A black puddle of goop appeared in the hallway outside of the living room, and out came Nightmare and a smaller, very monochromatic-looking skeleton. Well, besides the neon red scar under one of his eyes.
“Attention, you three. We have a new member, and I expect you all to treat him well. His name is Cross. Please introduce yourselves and be nice to him.” Nightmare stated calmly, crossing his arms on his chest as he leaned against the wall.
Horror and Dust could feel Killer practically vibrating in between them. He liked seeing newcomers.
Notes:
A fluffier chapter!! This is the MTT POV of what happened before Cross was brought to Nightmare’s castle! Hope the writing was okay here. It was beta-read, but things can be missed! Apologies for not having a well written chapter summary or title — this is merely the prologue still, so I decided not to worry about it too much.
Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this chapter. ♡（ﾉ´∀`）Chapter one is coming along well, currently sitting at around 1.9k words without being finished. I will have it out by the weekend, and then I will begin my weekly / biweekly updates unless my motivation decides to change!
Please feel free to leave comments, I love reading them! Again, thank you! See you in the next chapter ~
Chapter 3: A New Friend? — CHAPTER 1.0
Summary:
Cross gets to meet the gang. He tries to adjust to the new environment around him, although that proves to be harder than he expected.
The boys are all interacting. :)
Angsty chapter, please beware.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Cross’s mind was running haywire. What should he say, what was he supposed to say? Nightmare already introduced him, but what if they asked questions? He wasn’t prepared for that. “yo, quit freaking out. you’ll give me a headache.” And with that, he took a deep sigh.
“Welcome!” The skeleton lacking eyelights immediately jumped up from the couch he sat on before, moving closer to Cross. “Name’s Killer. That’s Dust, and that’s Horror!” He pointed accordingly as he introduced the other two sitting on the couch.
Cross stared at the other. “Nice to meet you.” He moved his hood to be more over his head as it had fallen a bit in the teleportation. He felt bare without it, he always wore it.
“Before you say anything more, Killer, you will be giving him a tour. Dust, Horror, please go on the supply run.” He pushed himself off of the wall, turning his back to the four. “Killer, I need you to be on your best behaviour. I will be in my office if you happen to need me.”
“Yeah, yeah~” Killer opened his mouth to say something more, but he was immediately cut off.
“I expect this tour will be much better than before, Killer.” He spoke, slight annoyance coating his voice. The last tour Killer did was when Dust joined. That tour was utterly horrible, and Nightmare ended up giving Dust a tour himself.
“Lookkk~ It wasn’t that bad..” Except it definitely was. Dust had no idea where anything was besides his room and one of the bathrooms. Killer was met with a blank stare from Nightmare. “Okay, maybe it was. I’ll do better, trust me!”
Cross didn’t understand what he was watching at all. They had a good relationship, from what it seemed..? Isn’t Killer just supposed to work for Nightmare? Why do they seem so close?
“Well.. Mm.. We’ll take.. Our leave..” Horror spoke with a small smile, standing up from the couch. “OH MY ASGORE HE’S GIGANTIC?? CROSS ARE YOU SEEING THIS????” Cross immediately tensed, that was too damn loud… Chara was floating near Horror, looking him up and down. But, unfortunately, he was right. Horror was gigantic. Cross was above average height for a Sans (with his boots on), yet he towered over him. And Dust, who stood up when he wasn’t looking, (but he literally had his gaze fixed in his direction the entire time) was tiny compared to Horror. “Let me know.. Your favourite foods.. M’kay?” A soft smile was directed at Cross.
“Oh.” He paused. “I’m not sure.” Cross rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, averting his gaze. “I’ll let you know when I can…” Horror nodded in response, walking away with Dust following close behind him.
“Welp, just me ‘n you Crossy!” A smile appeared on Killer’s face as he threw an arm around the other. Cross was just barely taller than him and that was a little annoying.. Nightmare had long since gone back to his office to work on fancy things that Killer simply didn’t want or need to figure out!
“That’s not my name, and why are you so close to me?” Cross spoke, confusing lacing his voice as he moved Killer’s arm off of him.
“Wowww..” Killer pouted as he walked out of the living room. “How boring, Criss-Cross!” He wouldn’t give up, though. He was sort of like this with Dust, too, but not as bad. Definitely like this with Horror!
“wow i hate this guy.” And that’s one thing he and Chara would agree on. Well, maybe Cross didn’t hate him, but it was hard to stay proper when whatever this was is something he’s experiencing. He said nothing in reply.
“Welp, here’s the kitchen. We aren’t in here too often. Well, besides Horror, he’s our cook.” This was boring. Cross was stoic, silent, and wow Killer could not read him to save his life! Not yet, at least. He picked up the pace a bit, and Cross matched that pace. The furry-hooded skeleton stayed to his side, but a little bit behind him. “This is the library. Mostly used by Dust and Nightmare!” Killer opened the doors to the library, allowing Cross to see it for a bit before shutting it.
“It’s messy.” He spoke. “The library, I mean. There’s books everywhere.” It was more stated in a ‘what happened’ way instead of a mean matter. Cross hoped he got that across. Chara seemed to be quiet for now, though. At least there was some peace and quiet...
“Oh, yeah. Talk to Dust about it if you really wanna know why, I won’t reveal that stuff!” He hummed, placing his hands in his pockets as he walked. “Here’s the laundry room. Every week a different one of us does everyone's laundry on Sunday. This week is Dust’s turn, next is mine, Horror’s, then it repeats. Well, guess you’ll be added in there too!” He didn’t bother opening the laundry room door, there was no point. It was just a laundry room. Nothing special!
“Okay. Please tell me when it is my turn, then.” Chara laughed. “man, you just got here yet you’re already desperate to try and make yourself useful!” Well, there goes the peace and quiet. He tried his very hardest to ignore Chara. He did not have time to deal with him.
“Sure, sure~” Killer smiled, although it was a little intimidating considering the fact he didn’t have eyelights... Oh well, that was something Cross could worry about in the future.
“Here’s the gym slash sparring grounds slash whatever you wanna call it. Gym is on that side, sparring grounds are on that side.” Killer pointed accordingly as he spoke. “Sparring grounds can be used for practice or just a way to let off steam. You just let one of us know if you wanna practice or let off steam outside of the scheduled time!” Usually, at least one of them was always willing to help the other out when they needed it.
“I won’t bother any of you with that.” He crossed his arms, looking anywhere but the other skeleton. “Nah, nah~ It’s not a bother, Criss-Cross! We enjoy it.”
Cross didn’t offer a response to that, he merely changed the subject. “Am I allowed to train at any time, or is it only during specific times?”
Killer’s head tilted to the side. “I mean..” He paused. “You can train whenever if you wanna, no one will stop you unless you’re bein’ loud.” He shrugged, moving onwards. “Anyway, this is the general area all the rooms are in. I’ll show ya each one!”
“can’t wait to have to watch you train all the time. yay, so interesting. ” Chara’s sarcasm was very obvious, however, it was very pointless because Cross wasn’t focused on him.
“Here’s Boss’s room. You’re not gonna find him here, usually he’s in his office.” Killer stopped in front of Nightmare’s room, then continued. “Here’s mine. Then Dust’s. Then Horror’s. Then your room is after that! You’ll have to share the shower with the big guy, but he doesn’t make a mess. Here, c’mon.” He grabbed Cross’s hand, ignoring the way the taller tensed, and dragged him to his new room.
“Place isn’t decorated ‘n what not, but here’s your room!” Killer opened the door. “Feel free to change it however ya want. It’s your room after all!”
“Okay..” Cross stared blankly. Now the important question was where was Nightmare’s office? How was he supposed to ask questions, how was he supposed to go to get his schedule for the day? Is that even how this worked...
“Well, that’s really all the important stuff. Any questions for me or whatever?” He finally let go of Cross’s hand. It immediately retracted to the taller’s side.
“No..” He shook his head, hesitating. “Thanks. Uhm, for the tour,” “wow, you’re really too much of a baby to ask about his office? jeez, cross.”
“Sure, sure! Oh, and make sure not to skip any meals. Horror’ll get worried.” Killer turned around, humming to himself. “See ya later, newbie~ Dinner’s at 6, don’t be late! I’ll have Boss getcha a phone.”
And he was gone, probably back to his room or something.
..
“if you’re gonna start crying then i’m leaving. i’m not gonna get a headache cus of your pathetic ass.”
He didn’t reply. He knew it was what Chara wanted — a response, so he could keep going, make him feel worse about what he did and what he was doing.
He waited. He didn’t hear anything from Chara for a while, let alone see him, so he finally let that wall he held up so well fall. He sat down, back against the wall as he hid his face in his knees.
What was he supposed to do? He was in an unfamiliar place. He didn’t have a set schedule, when was he supposed to be waking up?
Tears began to fall from his eyes. It was around 1, maybe 1:30 now, he saw a clock in the hallway and took note of it. He’d have to watch the clock, he couldn’t make a bad impression on his first day there. He’d be there before 6. After all, being on time is to be late, whilst being early is to be on time.
God, what was he doing? Crying in unfamiliar territory instead of making sure everything around him was safe? He felt so weak, so pathetic. Both physically and mentally. His physical state had worsened the longer he spent in the empty universe, and stars, he wasn’t sure how long he had spent there. He lost all sense of time whilst he was there.
He stood up, one hand on the wall to keep himself afoot as his vision blurred. He stood up too fast, he needed to go slower from now on...
Cross looked around him, actually taking in his surroundings. The room was nice, nicer than what he was used to. It was too colourful.
He wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t used to the number of colours he was seeing. Sure, he saw some when Ink would come and go, but this was a constant flood of colours that he couldn’t look away from. After all, he only saw, what, five colours back in his universe, if black and white even counted as colours.
He couldn’t focus. He wiped the tears that fell from his sockets, only for more to come rushing down. He felt lost, and confused. He needed a schedule, he needed something, anything. He couldn’t go like this.
He took a deep breath in, only to choke one back out. He needed to calm himself, he knew he needed to, but how could he? Everything had changed, he wasn’t used to this. He shouldn’t have agreed, he should’ve just let himself waste away in this universe trying to figure out what to do.
He’s hungry.
He looked at the bed. He could see what looked to be a very, very warm blanket and soft pillows. It was okay. He was okay, he was safe. Or, as safe as possible. Was he safe? Were the others safe around him?
He took a deep breath in, shakily exhaling this time instead of choking. He was okay. It’s okay, and he was safe.
He could hear the faint ticking of the clock in his room. He looked at it, reading 2:15 on it. Did he really just spend an hour…
…
He chose not to dwell on it. He walked carefully, moving to sit on the bed. It was soft. He wanted to rest, but he knew he couldn’t. If he did, he would sleep through dinner and make Horror worry. He couldn’t make a bad first impression on his first day being here.
Cross stayed sitting on the bed for a while. It was disorienting being here, in a place that wasn’t just an infinite sea of bright, eye-blinding white. He stood up, hesitantly, walking to his bathroom. The bathrooms within the rooms, he assumed, only had a toilet and a sink, and he was correct.
He sighed softly, walking to his door and opening it. He looked around, making sure he wouldn’t somehow run into Killer and stepped out. With the door shut behind him, he walked to what he remembered to be his and Horror’s shared shower room. He opened the door to the room, shutting it quickly behind him.
“yo, you don’t seem as-”
“Shut up and go away again. I’m trying to shower, and I’d prefer if you weren’t here while I did.”
“jeez, jeez.. okay.”
But Cross could tell Chara wasn’t exactly pleased with what he said. He wanted something, even if Cross wasn’t exactly sure what that something was.
Chara soon disappeared after that.
He peeled off the heavy guard uniform he wore, setting it down carefully on the counter. He hesitantly removed his turtleneck after that, the last piece remaining on his body. He looked at the scars that littered his body in the mirror. He hated to look at them. It made him feel worse, and...
He took a deep inhale as he turned on the water, stepping into the shower. He felt his body relax a bit as the warm water rushed over his bones. It was a nice feeling after so long of not having the chance to experience it...
Killer shortcut back to his room, plopping onto his bed. “Man, what a weirdo~” Yet he found himself smiling as he stared down at his hands.
“He was unbearably quiet! Utterly unfair, no fun at all.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “Like, stars, you don’t have to be that damn proper!!” Complaint after complaint fell from Killer’s mouth, whining to no one in particular, just to himself.
“Guess he makes up for it with the fact he’s pretty ‘n handsome. Both at the same time, what a feat!” Killer laughed to himself, letting his back hit the bed.
…
“Man, he’s gonna be hard to get along with, isn’t he? For all of us..”
Killer could tell. There was this dumb protective wall put around the furry-hood-wearing skeleton, and he didn’t think any of them were going to be able to break it for quite some time.
He was sure Horror would want the other to warm up to the four of them. Dust might want it deep down, same for Nightmare, and even Killer himself whether he refuses to admit it or not. There was something different about him, something that he might’ve experienced himself. Cross looked off in directions where there was literally nothing of importance... It was all too familiar to him.
He’d have to talk to Nightmare about it after dinner. It was around 1:30, so maybe he’d take a tiny nap... Set an alarm for 6 and call it a day.
So that’s what Killer did. He set an alarm on his phone for 6 PM, although he knew he was gonna miss dinner by a few minutes anyway. Horror was used to it at this point... His cat hopped up in bed with him. One of them, at least. With Soop cuddling up next to him, he let himself drift off, falling asleep.
Cross stepped out of the shower after what he thought was at least an hour of being in there, relishing the feeling of the warm water against his freezing bones. He was always so unbelievably cold, and he never really knew why.
He got dressed, putting his uniform back on. Chara, conveniently, came back right after he exited the shower room.
“miss me? it’s so boring within the soul y'know.
“Don’t care.”
He muttered, walking to what Killer said was the gym. He took note of the time on the clock, reading 3:05. He opened the door and walked in, letting it close shut behind him.
“you’re such an asshole, cross.”
“You’re even more of one, Chara.” His eyes landed straight on training dummies. He summoned the hack knife he and Chara used, holding it tightly in his hand.
“all i’m trying to do is help you fix the mess you made!”
“Yeah, well, you’re not helping.” He swung the blade, hitting the dummy. “And you never will.”
It felt heavier than normal. Was he not getting enough nutrients to the point where the knife felt too heavy?
“you’re pathetic.”
Chara only got offered a blank stare from Cross before he slashed the dummy again. He needed to get his feelings out somehow, and this was the only way he knew how to do so.
“man, i bet they’d hate you if they found out what you did.”
His breath hitched in his throat. Would they? They would, wouldn’t they? They’d hate him because it was his fault his universe was gone.
He shook his head. He wouldn’t let Chara get to him, even despite how hard that was, because he was already getting to him.
He needed to get back into shape, he really did. He was weak, so he would keep training until dinner. Around three hours and then he could eat, maybe. No, he had to eat, otherwise Horror would get worried. That’s what Killer said, right? If he heard it from his boss, he’d do it in a heartbeat no matter what.
Speaking of, he heard that same goopy noise he heard before.
“Cross.”
He turned around, getting rid of his hack knife. “Boss. I apologise, was I being too loud?”
“god you’re so desperate to prove yourself, to make others proud. it’s pathetic.”
“No, not at all. You’re fine. I wanted to ask how the tour with Killer went. As stated before, he did not do a very good tour with Dust, so I hope he was able to give you a good tour.” Nightmare spoke, his hands resting in his pockets.
“It was fine, yes. I know where everything I need to know is, but..” Cross paused, blinking. “Could I get a reminder on where your office is? Just the way to get there from here is fine, I don’t remember where it is.” Whilst, yes, Killer never showed him, he didn’t want to rat him out. That would create a bad relationship between the two to start with, and Cross didn’t want that.
“Of course.” He turned, motioning with one of his hands. “Go out and take a left. Just keep going until the end of the hallway, that’s where my office is. You’ll pass the kitchen, living room, and a few storage closets until you get there.”
“Right..” He nodded. He’d remember that, or, try to at least. “already kissin up to your teammates huh?” “Thank you, Boss.”
“Of course.” He looked Cross up and down. He came here for a reason — Cross knew the reason, he just didn’t want to accept it. He was giving off a harsh amount of negative emotions, and Nightmare was here because of that. “Killer.. Told you when dinner would be, yes?”
Cross nodded. “At 6 PM.” Nightmare hummed in reply. “That’s correct, yes. Breakfast on weekdays is usually at 10 AM, whilst it’s at noon on weekends because of how late everyone wakes up. Lunch is around 1 PM on weekdays and 3 PM on weekends.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Truthfully, Cross was confused. Breakfast was at 10? He used to get up at 6, so would he have to further adjust his sleeping schedule? He’d ask about that later. For now, he wanted to focus on getting used to the place before focusing on fixing his sleeping schedule.
“That’s all I came to say. I will see you at dinner, Cross. You may continue.” And before Cross could utter a thank you, Nightmare was gone.
He went back to training, passing the time. He desperately wanted to get back into shape, and he wasn’t sure when he would be given orders... So he’d settle for this.
Notes:
Here’s the first real chapter. I’m getting this out when I thought I would! Yay. :) I’m
hoping to get the next chapter out around the same time next week or the week after, but I do have exams so I cannot promise that I can get it done within the schedule I have set for myself.
With that being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! I had fun writing it. I hope the change between POVS was easy to understand!! Thank you so much for reading. Please feel free to leave comments, I love getting them. (⌒▽⌒)☆I have a twitter! svftmvvnlxght is my twitter — updates for the fic can be found there, and just general yapping from yours truly as well~! Feel free to follow.
Chapter 4: I'd Do Anything To Make You Proud -- 2.0
Summary:
Cross gets some alone time with a few of the members -- Unfortunately, a rough time at dinner was expected.
Notes:
I have a Twitter that you can follow for updates! svftmvvnlxght is the user - same as here.
This chapter will be less angsty than the last one if I remember correctly. At least by a bit, it will be!
Enjoy ~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Eventually, the clock hit 5:50. He dismissed the knife he was using, fixing his uniform as best he could as he walked out of the sparring grounds.
Cross looked around, checking for people walking in the hallways, then went to the kitchen.
“hope you don’t fuck up somehow.”
He only rolled his eyelights in response, entering the kitchen. He leaned against the door. Dust was there, and Horror was setting the table with a soft hum.
“Cross.. Hello.. Sit here..” Horror smiled and patted one of the chairs. Cross merely nodded and walked to his seat, sitting down.
“Made some chicken.. ‘N vegetables.. Make sure ta.. Eat ‘em..” Horror began to put the food onto plates. Everyone had a regular-sized portion — however, anyone could go back for seconds.
Cross looked down at the table. He didn’t meet eyelights with Dust, he didn’t know if he ever wanted to. Killer was intimidating enough...
Nightmare walked into the kitchen around 5:59. Horror had begun to put the plates down on the table. “D’ya.. Jus’ want water?” He asked, looking to Cross. He nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
Horror hummed in response, filling up a few glasses with water. Nightmare, Cross, and Horror himself all got water. Killer got chocolate milk, and Dust got coffee for whatever reason... He set the aforementioned glasses down on the table in their proper spots.
One chair at the opposite head of the table from Nightmare was left empty. Perhaps a seat for someone else, Cross wasn’t sure.
Killer stumbled in around 6:04. “Heyaaa~” He purred, plopping down in his chair. He rested his head on Dust’s shoulder and threw his legs over the opposite armrest.
“Killer.” Nightmare spoke, and Killer offered a “Hm?” in response, not bothering to look in the Guardian's direction. (Completely beyond Cross, why wouldn't Killer respect his boss?) “Sit properly, you imbecile.” He pouted, moving to sit with one leg underneath the table and the other on the chair. “You’re no fun..” And he was only offered a stare from the Guardian of Negativity.
Cross watched carefully as they interacted. Really, how could someone be so nonchalant in front of their boss? He didn’t understand it, not at all. Maybe their relationship was different than he thought.
“Here.. Mm.. Dinner..” Horror put down plates in front of everyone, smiling softly as he did so. Cross’s plate was last. “Thank you.”
“seems no one else has manners here. not a single thank you, damn.” And he was right — no one muttered a thank you but Cross. Horror seemed pleased by that, though, purring as he took his seat.
Everyone began eating. They all ate differently, cut their chicken in different ways, and ate in different patterns...
Cross carefully cut his chicken into bite-sized pieces, hesitantly taking a bite. It was good, Horror was a good cook. “yo.. i want some of that. looks good as hell, why’s this guy so good at cooking..” And Cross wanted his universe back, but not everyone could get what they wanted, huh?
“‘S it.. Good..?” Horror question. Nightmare nodded his head, settling for not speaking. “Sure as hell is, big guy.” Killer smiled, less intimidating than before with one of his eyelights showing up. (Why was that? Cross would have to figure it out.) Dust hummed in reply.
Cross nodded. “It is good, you cook quite well.” Horror smiled with a soft purr. However..
Cross was beginning to feel a bit nauseous. He has only had a bit, no more than 5 bites, yet it already felt like far too much. Maybe this wouldn’t be as easy as he thought... He only had a bit left, and he was sure he could finish it so he didn’t disappoint or make a bad impression. He took another bite..
“Hey, C.” He looked up in the direction of the voice, gaze landing on the hooded skeleton, Dust. “Didn’t actually introduce myself, K did it for me.” He paused, glaring at Killer before looking back at Cross. “Dust or Murder, call me whatev.” Dust’s voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. Higher than Nightmare and Horror’s, Cross took note of, but lower than Killer’s. "Ignore anythin' 'n everythin' K says."
Cross nodded. He didn’t say anything else as he took another bite of his food. That feeling only got stronger, so much worse. After going so long without eating, he could understand why his body was reacting like this. He rarely even ate back in his universe. One, maybe two, meals a day.
Nightmare seemed to notice it, his gaze fixed on the black-and-white skeleton. Cross avoided his gaze as best as possible, staring down at his plate.
“i cannot get over how pathetic you are.” And Chara’s words were not helping in any way.
Horror stared at him too. Did he know? Stars, Cross was going to lose it whilst he was here, wasn’t he? This was all too much, he felt like he was going to do something wrong.
He took another bite, followed by a sip of water. Just a few more, and then he could offer to do the dishes... Yeah, that’s what he’d do.
“i can just tell you’re itching to do something. god, you’re so boring man. quit being so desperate to please others.” Chara rolled his eyes, floating to the side of him. He wanted to tell him to shut up.
“Ya don’t.. Have ta.. Finish if ya can’t..” Horror spoke, and Cross looked at him a bit confused. He only smiled at him. “I.. Get it.. Might not’ve had.. Much food.. ‘N so.. It’ll.. Take ya longer to.. Get used to eating again.”
Cross nodded. “Okay, thank you.” Then maybe he shouldn’t finish everything, he needed to eat something for every meal, right?
He looked around. Nightmare had finished eating, same for Dust. Horror was almost finished, and Killer was taking his time. “Yo, Crossy.” Cross looked up at the voice, meeting Killer’s gaze. “What happened to ya?”
Ah.
He looked back down, beginning to fidget with his hands which were now under the table in his lap. “You don’t gotta tell. Just curious.” Killer shrugged.
What was he even supposed to say? That he destroyed his entire world, and now has to share his body with some dumb human kid? (Who may or may not be older than Cross himself, but he refuses to accept that) Yeah, no. He can’t just say that.
“It was destroyed.” So he settled for something much simpler. “Just a white void now. I’m all that’s left, I guess.” Cross murmured, keeping his gaze fixed on his lap.
Killer only hummed in response. Unsure what to say, Cross assumed. That’s fine, he didn’t want to talk about it anyway.
He watched as Horror got up from his seat. He hesitated, but finally let the words fall from his mouth. “Hey, uh, I can do dishes.” A mutter with hesitance lacing his voice. What if he wasn’t supposed to ask... Or something like that. He could hear Chara mocking him but decided to ignore him as best as possible. It's impossible. He's so loud. It's getting overwhelming.
“Mm.. Okay.” Horror smiled, collecting the dishes from everyone who was finished (Killer took his time to eat from time to time) and setting them on the counter next to the sink. “Thank you, Cross..”
Cross stood up from his seat, pushing it in carefully behind him. “Of course.” He moved to the sink, starting the water. He took note of the dishwasher, rinsing the dishes that were left in the sink for him. He didn’t mind the way Horror watched as he did so. Was he judging? It was expected, he was new. Was he doing it wrong? He couldn’t fail.
“yo.” He lifted his head as Chara spoke, focusing back on what he was doing. “focus, man. you’ll embarrass yourself otherwise.”
He looked back. Killer seemed to be finished eating, so he walked back to the table and took the dishes left. He was offered a blank stare. “Was gonna get up ‘n give ‘em to ya, Crossy.” Cross paused. “Sorry.” He spoke, almost in a whisper. He rinsed the last of the dishes and then started the dishwasher. Not without the necessary pods & soap for the dishwasher, of course.
“Thanks.. Ya didn’.. Have ta.. Do that.” Horror spoke, patting Cross’s shoulder. He tensed. “I know. I wanted to.”
“Well, thank ya.” He was given a smile. He offered a faint smile back before his train of thought was interrupted by another voice.
“Cross, please meet me in my office once you’re finished here.” Nightmare spoke, then dissipated. He figured it was to give him a more in-depth explanation of how things worked around here, considering he didn’t get one of those. Was he in trouble? Did he do something wrong?
“Go on, newbie~ We got the rest.” Killer winked, (however that was possible, no one knows) resting his head on Dust’s shoulder again. Stars, Cross has to be intruding on something...
He thought for a moment, before turning to the entryway and walking out. He walked in the direction Nightmare told him to go. This place was gigantic, like a labyrinth... Maybe he’d have to go exploring at some point when he wasn’t feeling like training.
Once he reached the office, (with a little bit of struggle, he kept making wrong turns for no reason, there weren't even supposed to be any turns!) he knocked on the door.
“You may enter.” A voice responded after a few minutes. Cross turned the doorknob, opening the door and closing it after he had stepped in.
“You wanted to see me, Boss.” Nightmare hummed, motioning to one of the chairs. “Yes, that’s correct. Take a seat, please.”
He nodded, sitting down in the chair closest to Nightmare's desk. His hands rested in his lap, and his gaze was on his boss.
“I would like to give you more detail-“ He paused, removing his glasses. “-on what you will be doing during your time here, Cross.” Cross nodded in reply, not saying anything specific.
“I hope you realise you are both the youngest and newest member, but you are still expected to do what the others will be doing. You are not to slack off unless you have fallen ill or have an injury that stops you from doing tasks that I assign you.” Why was this something he was being told, was this not obvious? Did Nightmare’s other subordinates not expect this?
“Excuse me, Boss, but I know this. I know what is expected of me as your subordinate?” His head tilted to the side a bit. He was confused, he truly didn’t understand why this was something he had to be told. Did Nightmare doubt- “I know you do, Cross.”
He stared. “Then why-” “You’re missing an important point. You are under my protection, you realise this, yes?”
His head tilted again. “Yes, boss. You said that.”
“And that includes the human you share a soul with, Cross.”
“okay, what the fuck.”
He averted his gaze, looking down instead. He should’ve expected this. Chara was a separate being from him, Nightmare could feel his feelings, right?
“I was confused when I first came to your world. I had been feeding off the negative emotions of two beings, not one, and yet there was only one visible being in front of me.” Nightmare rested his hands on the desk in front of him. “So after a bit of thinking, I came to a deduction. Trust me, this does not change your position as my subordinate. However,”
Of course. There was always, however, something that was wrong, limitations that would be placed upon him because he was different.
“This human is not to take control of the body. If they do, I will not hesitate to remove them. I cannot have these kinds of interruptions.”
“OH COME ON NOW???? WHAT THE HELL? I-”
“God, do you know when to shut up?!” He yelled, turning in his chair to face the ghostly kid that floated to the side. Chara blinked at him, clenching his hands into fists. He was tense, Cross could tell. “uhh.. how about you make sure your boss knows you weren’t yellin’ at him. i’m just gonna go.”
He could tell Chara wasn’t exactly expecting him to raise his voice at him. He never has; he never had a reason to. “..I’m sorry.” He murmured, turning in his seat as he saw Chara disappear, going back into the soul.
“That’s completely okay, Cross. I believe I am correct in my assumption that your outburst was not directed towards me in any way.” He took a sip of the coffee he had. He has to get the energy to deal with his subordinates somewhere. “Yes, of course..” He looked around the room, at anything, anything but Nightmare. “Uhm..”
“He’s gone. Uh, back in the soul.” Nightmare hummed. “That’s helpful, fewer interruptions for you, yes?”
Cross swallowed, words falling heavy in his throat. What if Nightmare didn’t trust him to control himself anymore? “I.. really am sorry about that, I swear it won’t happen again.” Nightmare shook his head. “I do not want your apologies for this matter, Cross. If he ever proves to be too much of a bother, please inform me, okay?” He sighed. If that’s what he wished.
“Now,” Cross’s gaze finally met Nightmare’s again. “May I continue?” And he nodded. “Wonderful.”
“Now, you will run errands from time to time. Some will be solo, some will be a duo or more, it depends on the errand. All missions to spread negativity when I need it will be a duo or more, no matter what. There is always a chance you will see the Stars — Ink, Blue, or Dream — during these missions. I suggest you not engage until your magic has been replenished and you are not at risk of passing out during battle.” He opened his mouth to speak, yet Nightmare cut him off. “And yes. You are capable, you are more than capable, but you need to be focused on replenishing your magic before you fight the Stars. You may meet the Destroyer — Error — at some points, too.” Cross hummed every so often, making sure Nightmare knew he was paying attention to the conversation, actually listening.
“Now, I’d like to give you your first task.” He felt himself perk up, sitting up in his seat. Something for him to do. He wouldn’t fail, he’d make sure of it. “Please tidy up the library. It is a mess and I do not have the time to tidy it up myself. You may find Dust or Horror in there, try your best not to pick any fights with them.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Boss. I know better.” Nightmare flashed a small smile. “I know you do. You are dismissed, thank you.”
He stood up from his chair, bowing his head. “Yes, sir. I won’t disappoint you.” And he left the room before he could hear Nightmare’s response.
“I know you won’t.” The Guardian took a sip of his coffee, putting on his glasses. He heard a shortcut, lifting his head.
“Yoo, boss~” Nightmare groaned. “Yes, Killer?”
“Y’know, Crossy’s suuuper weird~” Killer purred, draping his body over one of the chairs. “Like, suuuuuper weird!”
“He is not weird. Do not be rude, Killer..” He opened the book he had been reading before. He could easily communicate with Killer and read at the same time. “Hell yes he is! Man, he’s so proper ‘n shit. I try to tease the guy and he just stares back at me! It’s no fun, I can’t see that embarrassment in his face like I did with Dust ‘n Horror!!”
Nightmare listened as Killer complained, a soft smile gracing his face. He could hear the pout in his voice. “But like he’s so cute though, don’t’cha think? Handsome too!” He hummed in reply. “Maybe so, yes. Though, please try not to overwhelm him, Killer.”
“Yeah, yeah I knoww~ Can’t have my fun ‘til he adjusts some more, I knoww. Big guy seems to like ‘im though. Prolly cuz he did the dishes, huh?” The guardian nodded. “It seems so, yes. I believe he is a good addition to the team.”
Cross pushed open the doors to the library. He had felt the familiar presence of Chara following behind him ever since he left Nightmare’s office. He was silent, unlike usual, just following...
He stepped inside, letting them shut behind him. The library was a mess.
Where was he supposed to start? Well, there were so, so many books in here. It’d keep him occupied, and he wouldn’t go to bed until it was finished, he’d make sure of that.
He’d rearrange the shelves and whatnot. The library was not too large, so he wouldn’t have too much of a struggle with that. He began to take books out of the shelves, putting them into piles.
“the hell are you doin’ man?” Chara asked, floating right above a pile of books. “Reorganising and cleaning the library. Only the latter was an order, but I wanted to do something more.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “come onnn! you’re so boring. overachieving bastard..”
And maybe Chara was right. He decided not to dwell on it, beginning to organise the books by the author’s surname. Chara watched, he merely watched. That’s fine, Cross didn’t care. He could watch all he wanted. He finally had an order, nothing could stop him, not even the dumb kid.
So hours passed. He sat on the floor of the library, putting books in piles based on the first initial of the author’s surname. Chara had long since gone back into the soul, figuring out that he couldn’t terrorize Cross for fun since he wasn’t paying a wink of attention to him.
As he began to put the books back on the shelves, he heard a quiet shortcut noise. He looked to see who it was, locking eyes with the hooded figure before looking away and focusing on the task at hand.
Dust didn’t say anything, so neither did Cross. The smaller took a book — Cross didn’t mind as long as it was put back in its proper place. He kept himself quiet, focused completely. However, it was a little hard when he could feel an intimidating gaze on him.
“Y’do realise it’s like 9, yeah?” Cross shrugged. “Yes, is that a problem?” Dust shook his head, even if the other wasn’t looking back to see it. “Nah, just lettin’ ya know. Didn’t know if ya knew.”
He didn’t reply, and Dust seemed to have averted his gaze, reading the book he had picked up.
Cross, finally, got to move to the other side of the library to put books on the opposite shelves. Time passed quickly as he did this — it was something he could do to occupy himself, and he loved that.
He finished shelving the books around an hour later. Surprisingly, Dust was still there, silent. He was sitting on a chair, legs draped over the sides with his gaze fixed on the pages of a book.
He grabbed a broom and dustpan which was resting against the wall, beginning to sweep up old papers and trash all around the library. He didn’t understand — how could someone let it get this dirty? Truth is, he did understand. Sometimes your mental state is so bad you cannot get yourself to clean what needs it, even if that never happened to him. Everything always to be clean or else he would be upset.
After everything had been swept into a pile. “I’m sorry,” Cross paused. He could tell Dust wasn’t one for talking, but... “Where can I find a trash bag?” Dust’s gaze never left his book. “Underneath the sink. You’ll see ‘em.”
Cross muttered a quiet thank you before walking out of the library, leaving Dust by himself again. Cross was quiet, and he appreciated that. He didn’t bug him continuously like Killer did, (though he’d never admit he didn’t hate it as much as he seemed to) and he didn’t have nearly as annoying a voice as him too. Of course, Phantom was being unhelpful — muttering things about how they could ‘get some free LV’ and how ‘Cross was weak’ and whatever. However, Dust had gotten much better at dealing with him after countless therapy sessions with a trusted therapist and major support from his (boyfriends) teammates.
Cross walked back in with a trash bag a minute or two later. No shortcuts, hm? Probably to conserve his magic, or because he didn’t trust himself not to get lost. Either way, all of the trash ended up in that bag.
Dust was quiet, Cross liked that. He didn’t have the stress of saying something wrong or some other stupid thing like that. He tied the trash bag and looked around the library. He had done it in around four hours. There weren’t as many books as he thought, so it didn’t take long to sort through them.
He left the library without saying anything. Chara was back at this point, nagging him about something he didn’t bother to actually listen to. He didn’t care, not right now.
Cross found himself in front of his boss’s office. He knocked on the door, hearing a “Come in.” from the other side. So, he opened it, stepped in, and closed it behind him.
“I’ve completed what you asked of me. I’ve tidied up the library, the books have been organised, too.” He bowed his head, hands to the side.
“Have you? Wonderful job, Cross. I will check it out later.” He stood up straight, looking at Nightmare. His gaze was fixed on a book. “Go get some proper rest.”
“Yes, sir.” The guardian hummed. “You’re dismissed, Cross.”
And Cross turned. He exited the office, making his way back to his room. “guess i can’t take over the body while you're sleeping ‘cus i’d get my ass beat by some dumbass octopus lookin’ motherfucker..” Cross let a laugh escape him as he closed the door to his room behind him. “Thank stars.” He wondered if, maybe, Nightmare would be able to tell when and if Chara did take over. Maybe there’d be a difference — like Chara’s emotions would be stronger, and his emotions would be weaker, he wasn’t sure.
He undid the buckles on his uniform, stepping out of it. He was left in his black turtleneck and shorts. It felt nice to be out of it, but he also felt wrong. After so long of wearing it, he felt cold, and empty, without it on. It was weird.
The (former) guard sat down on his bed, taking a deep breath in. He wasn’t sure when he’d wake up. He didn’t have a phone yet, either. No alarm for him, unfortunately. He’ll figure it out.
“Hey, kiddo.” He called out, looking at the ghostly figure hovering at the window. “what?” Chara responded, looking at the skeleton. “I’m going to bed.” Boss’s orders, after all. “sure, whatever.” And then he disappeared, leaving Cross alone with his thoughts.
He shouldn’t be so eager to sleep, what if something went wrong? But he was so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep.
He let his body hit the bed, pulling the blanket over himself. He was exhausted. He wanted to fall asleep. His sockets closed by themselves.
But sleep never came. He tossed, he turned. It never came. He was sure he’d
fall asleep eventually, right? Surely it wouldn’t be that bad.
But yet he couldn’t. He didn’t fall asleep, not at all. He couldn’t, like it was impossible. It was because he was in an unfamiliar place, he knew that. He didn’t feel safe here, what if one of the other skeletons came and...
Cross let out a sigh, he could sleep. He just had to try harder... Just try a bit harder.
And try he did.
“Yo, big guy.” Horror turned, humming when his eyelights met Dust’s. “Hi, Sweetheart.” And he was met with a huff from the smaller, a faint trace of purple-blue flush across his face. “The newbie..”
He murmured, leaning against the fridge. “Is so dumb..” Horror tilted his head to the side. “Dumb?” “Yeah, dumb as hell.. He’s dumb as hell. Fixed the entire library jus’ cus Boss told ‘im too..”
“Mm.. Jus’.. Sounds like he follows.. Orders.. Unlike ya ‘n Kills..” Horror smiled, sitting on the kitchen table. It’s fine — he’d clean it before breakfast tomorrow. “Ok, well, shut up. I follow orders when I wanna.” The bigger skeleton let out a small giggle in response, patting a spot next to him, eager for Dust to join him. So he did, hopping up and sitting on the table beside Horror.
“‘S dumb, Horror. He’s like.. So quiet ‘n perfect ‘n shit. ‘S pissin’ me off.” Horror wrapped one of his arms around the smaller skeleton. “How is someone’s face that damn perfect? Even with that stupid ass scar. I know he, like, looks like me - us - but damn it ain’t fair.”
“So.. What’ur sayin’ is.. Ya think he’s cute..”
“THAT is not what I said.”
“Kinda is..”
“Nope. Shut up. You suck.”
“Mm.. Maybe.. Ya love me, though..”
“I hate you.”
“Mmhm..” Horror purred, resting his head against Dust’s.
“Idiot..”
“Your idiot, then.”
“Look, I jus’.. Hate that stupid guy’s face. ‘N his stupid smooth voice, ‘s stupid. Hate ‘im. I hope he dies to K’s teasin’ or somethin’. I hope Boss lets ‘im go cus’ he can’t fight or somethin’.” In reality, Horror knew that wasn’t something Dust wanted. He could tell from the way that he spoke about him. It was cute.
“Heeyyy~” He heard a groan leave the skeleton beside him. “Kills.. Hiya.” “Cuddlin’ without me, huh?” Killer hopped onto the table on the other side of Dust, wrapping both of his arms around him.
“Dust is.. Lil’ mad at.. How adorable Cross is.” And Killer erupted into a fit of laughter, earning a glare from Dust.
“HAah! There’s no way!!” Dust pulled up his hood, covering his face so neither of them could see the blue-purple haze across it.
This would be a long night full of teasing. Horror just hoped practice wouldn’t go badly tomorrow.
Notes:
And that's the end of the fic! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a fun time writing it even if, to some people, it might seem all over the place...
Horror is one of my favourite characters to write, I swear. Diving into his vocabulary is such a fun thing to do!
Got this chapter out a bit sooner than I thought I would. Again, I hope you guys enjoyed it. The summary is kinda weak right now, I'll edit it later on.Thank you for reading! svftmvvnlxght is my Twitter if you'd like to follow to see fic updates or just to chat or something. :)
Until the next chapter ~
Chapter 5: Aren’t You Better Than This? — 3.0
Summary:
Cross is struggling, to say the least. Training, eating, training, eating, is that all he does?
He gets to see the fighting styles of his teammates, they’re all different.Summary to be edited soon. :)
Notes:
I’m so sorry for not getting this out earlier. The holidays and simply my own lack of motivation and poor mental health have been obstructing me from finishing this for far too long, but I’ve finally managed to get it out. I hope it lives up to expectations, however it is a shorter chapter than usual.. It is, unfortunately, not beta read just yet. I’ll get someone to do that as soon as possible!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cross grumbled a bit to himself as he began to stir, eye sockets opening and closing sluggishly.
The sun isn’t even rising yet, of course... Wait, does the sun rise here?
He thought, forcing himself to sit up. His legs dangled over the edge of the bed. A headache developed at the base of his skull — not an unfamiliar presence, but not welcome in any way. He looked at the clock, reading ‘6:32’. It was early, though it wasn’t like he didn’t expect to be up this early.
He pushed himself to his feet even despite his reluctance. Even despite his want to stay in bed more than anything. He was sure Chara wouldn’t rise until later in the morning — he never did — so he got a few hours of solitude. He decided he’d train for a bit, until around eight, and then followed by a shower before breakfast.
Cross decided against throwing on the rest of his uniform. He would only take it off for his shower anyway, it would only hinder his movements, too. There was no point in wasting the effort on it.
He stepped out of his room, making sure the door was closed softly behind him to not wake anyone else. Exhausted, he was utterly exhausted, but he didn’t want to go back to bed to not further mess up his sleeping schedule — Whether he actually had one of those, he wasn’t sure.
The hallways were dim and quiet, and Cross walked through them with his feet dragging behind him. His movements slow, his legs feeling heavier than they did before. By the time he reached the gym, he considered going back to his room and letting himself crawl into bed, but he decided against it.
He stepped in, letting the doors close with a soft thud behind him. Silence, deafening silence. He hated this feeling. The feeling of being truly alone, he hated it. But it’s what he deserved after everything he’d done. He’d get used to the unwelcome solitude soon enough.
Instead of heading to the sparring grounds this time, he opted for using the machines set up in the gym.
But, as he began, he couldn’t focus on anything except his thoughts. Negativity spewed from him, and he was sure Nightmare was feeding off of it. It made him feel a bit pathetic, weak, that someone was feeding off of his emotions...
He wanted to go home. Back to his world, to his world before everything happened. He’d like to see his brother again. But, then again, would his brother want to see him after what he had done? He wasn’t sure. After all, he ruined it all, did he not?
After so long of exercising, although it was needed, he began to feel his body giving up on him. The time read around 8:05, from what he could see, and... Well, that was basically eight, wasn’t it? He hadn’t gone off schedule.
His phantom pains seemed to be acting up more than normal, too. Perhaps due to the stress he had been putting on himself considering the changes he’d gone through in this past day. He’d see if there was anything he could take to calm the pains later on.
Cross pushed the doors to the gym open, eye sockets slanted. Maybe he didn’t realise how much he needed this shower, he’s sure it’d make him feel so, so much better.
He walked through the hallways. It was quiet, was everyone still asleep? Breakfast wasn’t long from now, was this normal? He wasn’t sure. Perhaps he’d become accustomed to it soon enough, but, well, that’s something for him to figure out later on.
He knocked on the door to his bathroom. He waited, patiently, to see if there was a response. There wasn’t, so he allowed himself to step in. He locked the door behind him.
He began to peel off his now sweaty clothing. It was sticky, maybe even suffocating, so he was quite happy to have it off. He’d grab a new outfit after he finished showering.
He turned the water on, making sure it was warm before stepping in. It was nice, it felt nice. Something to clean the dirt and grime off of his bones.
Not that he truly had any, but it felt like it. He wished it didn’t, but the memories he carried unfortunately made it so. The consequences of his actions, he supposed. It made him feel as if he was constantly covered in blood and dust, horrible, it was a horrible feeling. He could do nothing to erase it.
Is this really what my life is now? Hanging around a bunch of other skeletons, really?
Cross was less than happy about it. He wanted to focus on getting his world back, not have to deal with three (or maybe two, Horror seems quite nice) other skeletons constantly teasing or bickering with him.
He didn’t see the appeal in it, but maybe this was better than being alone. At least he was out of that void now, who knew if he would’ve been able to get out himself? Probably not, so he supposed this was okay.
He would rather be alone than be here. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the feeling that everything he was doing was wrong. As if everyone around him was judging him for how he acted and how he talked. As if everythinghedidwaswrongandhewouldjustbesentbacktothevoidbecauseNightmaredeemshimusel-
He shut off the water to the shower. He’d been in long enough. Stepping out, he grabbed his clothes and shortcut back to his room. As soon as he threw on a clean outfit, he could feel a familiar presence looming beside him.
“not training?”
“I finished and took a shower. You just woke up too late.” Was all he offered in response. Otherwise ignoring whatever else Chara decided to say. He looked at the time. 9:10, which means he had plenty of time to explore a little bit before breakfast.
He put on his coat. Truly, he needed fresh air. After all, he hadn’t breathed any in quite some time. He opened the door to his room, letting it fall closed behind him as he walked carefully through the hallways. He’d make sure not to alert anyone, on the off-chance that they were still asleep.
He pushed open the large doors, letting the moonlight seep in from outside. Wait, moonlight? He was sure it was the morning, did the sun fail to rise here? Oh well, it didn’t worry him at all. More so, it made sense. Nightmare didn’t seem like the kind to enjoy daytime as much as he did nighttime, so it didn't shock him in the slightest.
Cross saw nothing but a massive forest, save for the moat around Nightmare’s castle. The trees were dark, as was everything else in this dimension – if that’s even what it could be called, he wasn’t sure.
It was nice. It wasn’t overwhelming, and it seemed to be raining as well. Perhaps it always rained, he wasn’t sure. He wouldn’t ask such trivial questions anyway, as he could easily figure them out himself.
He didn’t step out from under the portico he was under. He didn’t want to get his clothes wet, that would be uncomfortable and he did not want to deal with that right now. So, he supposes he wouldn’t be exploring outside right now. He’d have to find something else to do with his time.
Although, he was sure it was already past 9:25. Should he just go to the dining room to wait for breakfast to be finished? Maybe he could help out somehow, he wasn’t sure. Cross would like to make himself useful…
He turned around, opened the doors to the castle, and stepped inside once more. He walked through the hallways, the faint aroma of bitter coffee spreading throughout.
The hallways were quiet. All he could hear was the faint sounds of cooking from the kitchen, where he assumed Horror was right now. And as he stepped in through the doorway, he confirmed that.
“G’mornin.” Horror’s voice rang throughout the kitchen. “Breakfast isn’t.. Finished yet.”
“That’s okay. Is there anything I can help with?”
“No, ‘s okay. Thanks.”
“Oh,” Cross paused, thinking for a second. What else was he supposed to do? “Okay.”
“‘Less you wanna.. Set the table for me.” Horror looked back at the smaller skeleton with a small smile.
“Oh, sure. I can do that.” Cross paused for a moment before following Horror’s gaze, which was resting on a pile of plates and some silverware on the counter.
“you’re genuinely painfully boring.”
He disregarded every word Chara said to him, walking to the counter and taking the plates and silverware. He took his time, making sure to set the table well as he listened to the soft sounds of sizzling in the background.
“‘M makin’ breakfast burritos… That ok?” Cross looked back at Horror, meeting his gaze. He offered a small nod, indicating that he was, in fact, okay with the breakfast for this morning. “M’kay.”
He finished setting the table soon after that, fixing anything that seemed to be out of place to him. He eventually heard the stove being turned off, signalling that Horror was finished.
Cross turned around, facing Horror who still had his back turned as he set the burritos onto another plate. He brought the plate over, setting one burrito down on each plate.
“Gave ya a.. Smaller one. Noticed ya.. Weren’t doin’.. Too well with bigger portions.”
He swore he stopped thinking when his brain processed those words. Did it really matter that much? He wasn’t sure he understood that.
A simple “Thank you.” is all he could muster in response, taking a seat in his designated spot as Horror began to fill the glasses with drinks for everyone.
He didn’t quite understand why Horror would go to those lengths for him, but he didn’t bother to ask.
He heard the near-silent noise of a shortcut and looked beside him, Dust had made it to dinner. Nightmare followed shortly after, with Killer minutes later.
“Good morning~” Killer was the first person to break the silence. That was expected, Cross had noticed how talkative he seemed to be. Although he’s pretty sure his reason for being talkative was just to piss people off around him...
“Good morning, Killer.” Nightmare spoke, pausing for a moment. “Dust and Killer, you two will be heading out on a mission. The specific details will be discussed before lunchtime.”
“You got it, Boss~”
Cross couldn’t help the disappointment that welled inside of him. He was aware Nightmare wouldn’t be giving him missions for quite some time, both to allow him to adjust to the new environment and to increase his magic levels, but he couldn’t help the disappointment.
Everyone else had already begun eating, safe for Nightmare who was simply watching the other four. Perhaps he didn’t want to eat breakfast this morning? After all, a guardian didn’t need nutrients.
He took a bite of the burrito, it was good. Well, not that he was expecting it not to be. He was yet to feel nauseous, which was a great thing in his opinion, but he was sure it wouldn’t last long.
Breakfast was really quiet. Maybe that was because it was early and no one was very awake yet..? He wasn’t exactly sure the reasoning behind it, but it’s not like he cared.
Cross let his teeth sink into the burrito once more, chewing it, and swallowing it.
There comes the nausea.
Much to his dismay, his previous thoughts were right. He wanted nothing more than to devour what was sitting on his plate, but one, that would be unprofessional, and two, he simply couldn’t.
As a bonus, the silence was as comfortable as it was awkward, and it was confusing him to no end. How could something be comfortable yet not at the same time?
Nightmare seemed to have given his burrito to Horror and later excused himself from the table to head back to his study.
He soon finished his meal (even if it made him feel like crap after the fact). It was a much smaller portion compared to those around him. He finished his water — the drink Horror had given him — and brought his dishes to the sink.
He figured he’d do the dishes without asking considering he did them the day before, turning on the water and rinsing his dishes. Horror offered him a small smile at that.
Cross situated his dishes in the dishwasher. He’d wait until the others were finished — speaking of, Killer and Dust had both finished. Killer grabbed Dust’s dishes along with his own and brought them to Cross.
They didn’t exchange a single word, Killer only looked at him with that shit-eating grin that was always plastered on his face. He did nothing more than roll his eyelights at that, rinsing the dishes he was handed and settling them into the dishwasher.
“Ay, Crossy,” Cross looked up, meeting what he assumed was Killer’s gaze on him (although he couldn’t tell due to his lack of pupils). “Meet us in the sparring grounds after you’re done. Training today before the mission.”
“Ok.” Was all he offered in response before both Dust and Killer took their leave. He was now left in the kitchen alone along with Horror.
No words were exchanged as Horror handed Cross his dishes with a small smile offered as a silent thank you, and then Horror was gone.
Chara was quiet — unlike normal, though it wasn’t something he minded — as he rinsed the last remaining dishes. He grabbed a small cloth and put some water on it, wiping down the table as well.
He took one more quick scan over the room, assessing it, before he decided it was fine and he could head to the sparring grounds. He walked — he didn’t trust himself to end up in the right place if he shortcut — down the dimly lit hallways, and eventually ended up in front of the double doors to the sparring grounds. He pushed open the door, only to see that Killer and Horror had already started.
He let the doors shut behind him as he stepped in, going to sit on the sidelines near Dust — but not too close. He watched carefully, both Horror and Killer seemed to be focused on hand-to-hand combat rather than using their magic to their advantage. Cross wasn’t sure why, maybe just a personal preference? That’s the best conclusion he could come to.
The fight ended not long after with Killer coming out on top, Horror tapping out once he was pinned to the ground with the smaller skeleton’s knife pressed against his sternum.
“i’ve never seen a sans use knives or an axe before.”
Cross rolled his eyelights at that. Of course not, they had only met one another Sans - not including Classic himself - so of course he hadn’t seen that.
“Me ‘n you newbie.” Dust muttered as he stood up from his spot on the ground. He stepped out into the field, taking his position.
Cross did the same, rising from his spot on the ground and taking his stance on the field. The fight began not long after. Dust’s attacks were what you would expect from a Sans, whilst Cross settled for only using his bone attacks and his gaster blasters when he really needed to, using his hack knife the most.
Chara was giving Cross advice throughout the fight. He wanted to ignore him out of spite, but some of it was helpful. Even still, Dust ended up coming out on top, leaving Cross with a few bleeding scratches from the tips of his bones.
Killer tossed him an opened bottle of water. He caught it, staring at it for a moment before unscrewing the lid and taking a few sips. He handed it back to him after.
Cross didn’t feel good. That whole fight made him feel even worse, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to - or even want to - stay any longer. Horror and Dust seemed to be ready to go for another match.
He quietly slipped out, excusing himself back to his room where he immediately rushed to the bathroom. He flicked on the lights, turned the water on, and splashed it on his face.
“the hell was that about?
“I don’t need your input right now.” He spat back, clenching his hands into fists against the sink. He really didn’t, he didn’t care to listen to Chara.
“no, you definitely do. what the actual fuck was that?”
He groaned. He didn’t want to deal with this, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t make Chara go away, much to his dismay, so he had to deal with it.
“I don’t know, ok? I just..” He paused. What was wrong? Sure, Chara said some stuff that might’ve set off something inside of him, but was that really why he was feeling this way? “..Didn’t want to go for another match.”
“uh huh. you expect me to believe that when you jump at every chance you get to train?” Chara’s expression held nothing but annoyance. Like,
really, did Cross take him for an idiot? He knew something was up.
“Well, you better start believing.” Cross stepped out of the bathroom after turning off the light. It was only around 11, not even lunchtime yet. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
He sat down on his bed, removing his jacket and setting it to the side. He wondered if he was going about this all wrong. If he should even be here right now. Not like there was anywhere else he could go before, besides the original universe thanks to Chara’s power.
He heard noises coming from the left side of his room, similar to the noises he heard when Nightmare appeared for meals. He looked, only to see a small box with a note on it.
Here is the ‘multiversal phone’ you are mandated to keep on your person at all times, especially during missions. You are not to misplace, break, or dispose of this device.
You are free to decorate it how you wish, whether that be the casing, the home screen, or something else that I may not have much knowledge of. The contacts of myself and the rest of the group have already been imported, and you have been added to the crucial chats.
~ Nightmare
“Huh.”
Notes:
I’m so sorry for skipping the fight scene!! I’m not well versed in fight scenes yet and did not want to risk making a mistake whilst I wrote. I will get better at them as time goes on.
As always, thank you so much for reading. This chapter was hard for me to get out due to the business of the holidays and simply lack of motivation, but it was fun writing it nonetheless!! I hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to leave comments — I love to read them, they always make my day. <3
Chapter 6: Perhaps, this will be okay. — 4.0
Summary:
Dust and Killer are out on a mission, and Nightmare is somewhere Cross doesn’t care to figure out. It seems his interaction of the evening will be with the much larger skeleton, one he can only hope goes well.
Notes:
I am so, so sorry this took me so long to get out. I cannot promise chapters will come out on a fluid schedule because school is beginning soon and I do play a sport, but I will do my best to get at least one out every month. I, again, wholeheartedly apologise for the amount of time this took for me to get out. Nonetheless, I hope that you enjoy it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He unlocked the phone hesitantly, and immediately got notifications from a group chat labelled “Groupchat”. What a name, he thought to himself. He stared for a moment longer before locking the phone and putting it to the side, on his dresser. Now, yes, Nightmare had said that he needed to keep it on him at all times, but if Killer was just going to flirt with everyone in the group chat, he did not want to see it.
“a phone huh? what even is the point of having one, can’t people just, y’know, track us that way? i mean, come on, be…”
He decided to tune Chara out. He didn’t, right now, want to listen to him. Sure, he wondered the same, but he didn’t have the energy for a conversation with the ghost kid next to him.
He was getting antsy — sitting still for so long wasn’t something he was very fond of if he had to say so himself. He let his body hit the bed he was sitting on, his sockets closing not long after. He’d rest for a bit, until dinner, perhaps.
—
“Weirdo.” Killer spoke to no one in particular, just hoping one of the other skeletons in the training room heard him.
Dust sat down beside him, staring for a long while before uttering a response. “Dunno, guy seemed off when I got a good look at him.” He shrugged. That was true, Killer took note of that as well. He seemed to be staring off into the distance, at what Killer wasn’t exactly sure, and nor was Dust.
He took a sip of the water from the bottle that the shorter skeleton threw at him. “Aggressive.” He spoke in reply, teasing him in an attempt to get a rise out of him. Unfortunately, all he got was a pissed-off stare. He’ll take it, at least Dust looked pretty when he did it.
“Training over then?” The deep voice from beside him spoke - belonging to none other than Horror. He thought for a moment before offering a nod in reply, popping up from his spot on the ground.
“Again tomorrow! Maybe the newbie’ll stick ‘round more, what d’ya think?” He heard Dust scoff in reply but gave no true verbal answer. He pouted for about five seconds before he quickly changed to another topic.
“What’s for dinner, big guy?” Horror looked up at him for a moment, processing his words before humming out a reply.
“Just salmon. Been a while. Got ingredients for it.” And of course, the unspoken “and vegetables” was there. Horror always did his best to make sure the three (now four, Nightmare had no need to eat given his immortality) ate proper meals as much as they could.
“Welp! Okay~ I’m gonna go take a nap then.” Killer threw his arms up, stretching, a few pops sounding from his spine.
“Uh- no?” Dust spoke up from his spot on the ground. “We got a mission.. Like, right now. Did you forget?” And from the expression on Killer’s face - though not much different from your average Killer expression - he did forget.
“Oops?” He shrugged. “We can go then.” He leaned down to grab Dust’s sleeve, tugging on it in an attempt to get him to stand up. The latter swatted his hand away and stood up on his own.
“‘Kay. Boss’s office, then.” Killer nodded in reply to Dust’s statement, waving goodbye at their larger mate before they were off to Nightmare’s office.
—
It’s quiet..
Cross thought to himself. He couldn’t hear the idle chatter of who he assumed to be Killer and Dust outside of his door anymore, so they must have left. He remembered faintly that Nightmare said something about them going on a mission after training..
But he couldn’t remember whether or not Horror was participating in it. Maybe, if the kitchen was free, he could try to eat something... something small, something he’d be able to handle so he did not end up wasting it.
He stared at his ceiling for a few moments longer before pushing himself off his bed, despite the exhaustion his body held. He took a glance back at XChara, whose gaze was on something completely different before he left the room without another thought.
He carefully closed the door behind him, to which the ghostly kid yelled his name. He did not reply.
He made his way through the winding hallways - which he had no idea why they had to be so large, was a castle really necessary for four people? - and eventually made it to the kitchen.
No one was there, thankfully, so he opened one of the nearby cabinets. Scanning the inside, he found some snacks - granola bars neatly lined in rows, chocolate, too. Other things that he didn’t really take a liking to, as well..
He grabbed one granola bar and shut the door to the cabinet. He leaned against the counter as he unwrapped it.
Cross never liked feeling so pathetic - he never liked feeling unable to do something so simple. All he had to do was take a bite of this small granola bar.. And yet he couldn’t. A pathetic sight, wasn’t it? He’d admit it.
He finally took a small bite of the granola bar. It was good, of course it was. It had small chocolate chips spread within it, too. His magic was replenishing, even if just a bit.
He took another bite. It wasn’t too bad, it was small. He only had a few more bites left, so he’s sure it would end up alright..
“Oh, Cross.”
Cross’s gaze shot up when he heard the voice - Horror. He quickly looked away. Seriously? Did this have to happen now? All he wanted was to eat a singular granola bar..
He looked back up. The taller skeleton was only offering him a small smile as he put away what seemed to be other ingredients for meals that would be made throughout the week.
Nothing more was said, the two just exchanged glances from time to time as Horror put away the ingredients and Cross made his best effort to finish the granola bar he held in his hand.
“Do y’want somethin’ to drink?” Horror asked, setting down the now-empty basket on the table. “I was gonna.. Get myself some water. Want any?”
Cross hesitated for a moment before replying. “I guess so..” He heard Horror let out a hum after he processed his words.
He finally took his final bite, crumpling the wrapper in his hand as he listened to Horror fill up the glasses.
“I’ll take your trash.” He offered as he handed Cross the glass of water - it had ice in it, too. Cross muttered a small thank you and handed the crumpled-up granola wrapper to the taller skeleton.
The two didn’t speak again. Cross quietly sipped on the glass of water he was given whilst Horror preheated the oven. Cross assumed he was doing this for dinner.. He wasn't sure he would want anything, but he supposed he could try.
“Do you want a.. Specific vegetable?” Horror asked. Cross set his almost finished glass of water down on the counter.
“No, that’s alright. I don’t have a preference.” He spoke, shaking his head. “Is there anything you need help with?”
Horror stared at him for a moment, presumably thinking, before he spoke. “If ya wanna, y’can.. Help with the vegetables. Makin’ salmon.”
Cross perked up. If he was being given something to do, he’d happily do it. He did need to do something else that wasn’t just sit around and wait. It was making him way antsier than he wanted...
“Ok.” Was all he said in response. Horror offered him a small smile, but he could only stare. What exactly was he supposed to do? Did Horror have something specific he wanted him to make? He’d do whatever.
“Can ya wash the broccoli? It’s.. In the vegetable tray.. In the fridge.” Horror asked, and Cross nodded in reply, moving to the fridge to open it “You’ll also need a lemon.. Garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil.”
He wasn’t a fan of broccoli, the texture didn’t feel the best on his tongue. But then, to be fair, he would still eat it if provided.. Well, maybe not now.
He pulled out the broccoli and the other ingredients Horror had mentioned to him just a few moments ago. It was simple.. Not that he was expecting it to be hard.
Cross pulled out a knife from the knife block in the corner of the counter, chopping the broccoli into florets for both easier preparation and easier consumption.
The stove was turned on to medium heat, and he poured two tablespoons of oil into the skillet he had placed on the front right burner. Horror was on the other side of the kitchen handling the salmon, so this was comfortable for both of them.
He put the florets in the skillet, cooking them for a few minutes uncovered before covering them and letting them sit in between occasional stirs.
This was nice - nicer than he expected it to be, that’s for sure. He expected it to be awkward, to make him feel nervous or something similar, but it didn’t. He felt oddly comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be hanging around some murderous(?) skeleton he didn’t know.
He eventually took the lid off the skillet after a bit more time thinking. He seasoned the florets accordingly and finished with a few tablespoons of lemon juice.
He deemed it okay timing as he turned off the stove. Horror had just taken the salmon out of the oven for the first time and was currently seasoning it. It would go back in for around seven minutes before it was finished, so this gave time for the broccoli to cool off.
He opened the oven to offer some assistance to Horror outside of what he had already done. He was met with a smile - a messed-up one, but a smile nonetheless. Cross appreciates the gesture.
Horror closed the door to the oven before setting the cook time to seven minutes again. Cross watched as he walked away, heading instead to set the table. He averted his gaze instead of staring any longer.
He stayed quiet. What else was he supposed to do? If Horror did not ask anything of him, then he was not needed. If he was not told to leave, then he couldn’t leave, either..
“Cross?” His gaze shot back up as the gravelly voice sounded throughout the kitchen. “I forgot the knives. Can you.. Hand me them?”
Cross reacted on autopilot. He got five knives, enough for all of them, and handed them to Horror. The larger responded with a small smile, knives laid out properly before he could even think another thought.
The other went back to the oven afterwards, considering it was a few minutes from finished, and laid out plates. Nightmare, Horror, and Cross had antique plates that he could only assume were hand-picked by the Guardian to match the castle perfectly. Dust had a plate which was divided into halves, presumably for separating main courses from the sides, though he couldn’t be sure..
Then there was Killer. Killer had a plate that was separated into five different sections. One for the main course, one for the vegetables (which he usually tried to give away. It usually didn’t work.), one for the side, and two extra sections if they were needed.
And Cross doesn’t know why he remembers all of this, and why it’s a thing his soul is whispering to him to remember as his time here persists.
The loud, high-pitched beeping brought him out of thought. He looked over as Horror pulled the pan out of the oven and set it atop the stove. Carefully, the larger transferred the salmon onto the plates. Afterwards, he put a bit of rice and, of course, the broccoli that Cross made onto the plates as well.
“Can you help me?” Horror looked at Cross, tilting his skull to the side ever so slightly and gesturing to the places behind him. He quickly nodded and grabbed two of the plates - Dust and Killer’s so that he didn’t accidentally put the wrong plate down for the other two.
He set them down and then looked back up at the larger, who reciprocated that gaze and offered him a smile. “Thank you. You.. Helped me a lot.”
Cross felt a bit of heat rise to his skull at that. To be seen, to be recognised.. It was nice. He enjoyed that, he always had.
Horror took his seat soon after, settling down and waiting patiently for everyone else to arrive. Cross looked around for a moment before taking his seat as well, staring at the food in front of him.
He noted that he was given smaller portions. The smallest salmon on the pan, only three pieces of broccoli, and merely a spoonful of rice. He silently thanked Horror for his understanding.
Killer appeared in the doorway to the dining room a few moments later, clothing covered in dust and blood, presumably from the mission he and Dust had finished just a bit ago.
“Sorry. Give us a moment ‘n we’ll be here. Gotta change ‘n give our report ‘n whatnot.” The black-teared skeleton spoke, Horror giving him a small nod before he disappeared. Cross could only assume he went back to Nightmare’s office.
It was quiet until he appeared again, Dust along with him. Killer had changed, he noticed, because he no longer had the grime on his clothing. Dust hadn’t. He doesn’t know why he takes note of this, there’s no reason for him to, but he does, tucking it away in a small file in his brain for safekeeping.
Killer started the conversation, as per usual. Dust sat quietly, picking at his food for a moment before taking a small bite of the fish prepared. He noted that the smaller’s had fewer spices compared to Horror’s. He still doesn’t know why he takes note of this. This is only serving to confuse him further.
He picks up his fork, cutting a tiny bit of the salmon off and bringing it to his mouth. It tasted phenomenal, of course it did, but he immediately felt his nonexistent stomach drop as he tried to swallow.
He felt like everyone was staring at him. He felt like everyone was judging him, everyone was whispering in his ear, calling him pathetic. How could he not do such a simple thing? How could he..
He looked up as Killer’s laughter rang throughout the dining room. Nightmare - when did he get here? - had a soft, warm smile on his face as he watched.
..They weren’t looking at him, and he wasn’t being judged. Horror wasn’t looking at him, which was more surprising than anything. He was looking at Killer... Everyone was.
And all of their gazes held a fondness that Cross himself couldn’t understand, couldn’t process, couldn’t fathom why his teammates and boss were looking at him like that.
He looked down at his food and took another small bite. Maybe being here wasn’t the worst. It wasn’t home, he didn’t have his family anymore, but it wasn’t the worst.
“i didn’t want to come here to watch whatever this is.”
And Chara was back, apparently, for a reason Cross didn’t understand. He didn’t bother to look at him, settling for picking at his food instead.
..
Maybe they would be okay here.
Notes:
I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you find any grammatical mistakes, please feel free to point them out. I will fix them as soon as possible! The next chapter is already in the works, so I can only hope I finish it soon.
Any updates will be posted on my Tumblr, Tiktok, or Twitter, all by the name of svftmvvnlxght. I thank you for reading, and for the support you may show this chapter. It will always mean the world to me. <3
Chapter 7: You’re a Cheater! — 5.0
Summary:
Cross finished eating, excusing himself from the group in hopes of getting some time to himself, only to join them in game night soon after. It’s odd, but.. Not the worst thing he’s ever experienced.
Notes:
Hello!! This is not beta-read, so please feel free to correct any mistakes in the comments. I really, really do apologise if any of these characters are written poorly or far from canon — I write them how I see them, and I am aware that those interpretations are in no way canonical at all. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cross carefully pushed his plate away from him, signalling he was finished with the meal. He didn’t eat much; none of the broccoli, one or two bites of the salmon, and a few bites of the rice. Even despite that, Horror’s gaze was the softest smile he could manage. He appreciated it, even if he didn’t understand why the larger was smiling at him in the first place, considering he was wasting the food he had made him.
Nonetheless, he sat around for a bit longer as Killer argued with Dust over who was better at Uno, yes, the card game. Nightmare and Horror were both on Dust’s side, though Killer was determined enough to say that he would prove the other was cheating after dinner.
Eventually, he stood from his chair, excusing himself from the group and taking his dishes to the sink. He began with rinsing off his utensils, followed by his glass, and then his plate. All were put neatly into the dishwasher to be washed once everyone had finished their food.
He felt Chara’s gaze bore into his back as he did so, sitting legs crossed on the kitchen counter.
"you gonna go spend the rest of your time training?"
Cross ignored his comment for the time being, shutting the dishwasher and exiting the dining room. Only once he was far enough away from the others did he respond to the ghostly human.
"Yes."
Chara scoffed in reply, following behind him. "booooooooriiinng. you could be doing something so much more interesting," he continued. "like, i dunno, actually trying to get our world back instead of doing whatever this is?"
Cross replied with a simple, "I can do both." and entered the training room. The heavy doors shut loudly behind him, and he’d call himself a liar if he said he didn’t have some enjoyment in the noise.
—
"He just up and left." Killer complained, picking at his food. "Like, c’mon, I was tryna give you an invite to play with us." Eventually, he took another bite of his salmon.
"And you believed he’d take that as an invitation? Please," Dust scoffed, "you were literally arguing with me about how I’m the biggest cheater you’ve ever met-"
"And you are!" Killer cut him off. The smaller gave him the most deadpan stare he could muster and scoffed as his fork reached his mouth. "No, seriously! I drop down soooo many draw twos and draw fours, yet you still always manage to win! I don’t know how!"
"Maybe it’s because you’re bad." Dust said in retaliation, though it wasn’t really far from the truth — Killer sucked at any game you threw at him, and always blamed it on Dust ‘hacking’ or ‘cheating’, somehow.
"Nuh-uh, it’s ‘cus you’re unfair."
"No, it’s because you’re an idiot."
"Nuh-uh! I’m not an idiot, you’re just a cheater!"
"No, you’re an idiot who needs to finish his food."
Killer gasped as if he had been physically harmed by that comment, wiggling further into his chair as he angrily took another bite of salmon.
"That’s what I thought."
"Shuddup."
Dust shrugged as if he didn’t care, though the small, but smug smile on his face proved otherwise — he had won this argument, and he was proud of it whilst Killer pouted in his seat.
"D’y’guys.. Want dessert?" Horror smiled softly as he stood from his seat, taking his and Nightmare’s dishes to the sink. "I hope so.. ‘Cus ‘m already makin’ some."
"Who’d say no to dessert?"
"True. Def not me, I’d give up my life for ‘Ror’s dessert."
"You would not."
"Shut up, Dust!"
Nightmare shook his head as his smallest mates argued back and forth, joining Horror at the sink. He listened to the background noise of the other two for a bit before he spoke.
"Did you enjoy it?"
"..Huh?"
"Spending time with Cross. Did you enjoy it?" He repeated, clarifying what he meant, one tentacle gently rubbing Horror’s mandible.
"Oh.. Yes. He is.. Nice. And a good cook." The larger nodded, carefully leaning into the touch afterwards. Nightmare purred from his side, seemingly happy with his answer.
"Isn’t he? He’ll make a great addition, I’m sure. I’ve been watching him when I can, when I believe it’s appropriate to. He’s skilled, truly the soldier that Killer perceived him to be."
Horror hummed, "Yes.. He’s strong." That much was obvious from training, even if he excused himself quite early. He was strong, and his abilities were ones that he would have to get used to.. Although very useful in battle and on missions, he knew that much.
"Now, might I inquire what you are presenting us with for dessert?"
A quick change of topic — Nightmare’s known for them, often not staying on one once he’s realised the other party has nothing more to reply with, or there’s not another point he finds important enough to make.
"Brownies."
"A good choice. If you’d like to offer some to Cross, you will probably find him in the training quarters, as that is where he spends most of his time, and usually is not heading back to his room until around ten-thirty." Nightmare stated plainly, leaving a careful kiss against the larger’s cheek.
Horror purred — broken, muted, but nonetheless purred — into the affection he was given. "Yes. I will offer.. Him some. See if he.. Likes chocolate." And he had a plan for if Cross did not like chocolate! He’d start making sugar cookies for dessert, vanilla cake, or anything vanilla-flavoured in the first place.
"I know you seek to make him happy. I need you to know that he may not accept your dessert even if he does like it, so please, be as patient as you can with him, okay, love?"
"Yes, I know.. That. I will.. Leave them there, if he says he doesn’ want’ ‘em.. So he still has the option.. If he jus’ doesn’ w’na.. Eat ‘round me."
Nightmare gently pet his skull. "Good. That is a wonderful idea, Horror. You’re taking good care of him, I am quite proud of you."
He was sure the Guardian could feel the way his soul heated up in the few seconds after he processed his words. He looked at her with a smile as he moved (unfortunately) to get the ingredients for the brownies.
"The recipe."
"Huh..?"
"The recipe, do you have it, dear?"
Horror stared for a moment, blinking slowly, before he responded. "Yes.. Sorry." He picked the recipe out from his notebook full of them, placing it on the counter displaying the correct page.
"That’s quite alright." Nightmare gave him one final quick kiss before he began to help gather ingredients. Measurements were left to Horror, however, as the last time the Guardian tried to make something, the oven needed to be replaced. Worse than Killer, Dust would say, to tease him as he cuddled into his neck after it happened.
He did help to mix, though. It took a lot for his tentacles to get tired, even if Horror could easily do the mixing himself or with a mixer, Nightmare just decided he wanted to help more.. Hands-on, this time.
Horror thanked him as he slid the pan into the oven, and the other gave him a small smile.
—
"Cross..?"
A voice called from the doorway. Unfortunately, they got a large blade pointed straight towards them — training mode, Cross apologised profusely once he realised who it was.
"’S ok.." Horror spoke, shushing the soldier as he tried to apologise more than he already had, offering to make it up to him however necessary.
"’S ok, really.. Jus’ wanted t’see if you.. Wanted any brownies?"
Cross visibly perked up, weapon long since deteriorated from his hold. He eventually took his proper stance again, a light glimmer in his eyes remaining even if he believed it was gone.
"Did you make them?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to have them?"
"Yes, if you.. Will accept them.."
The soldier stared for a moment longer before he took the small plate he was being offered. "Then I will have them. Thank you."
Horror lit up, smiling as sweetly as he could manage. "’M happy you’ll.. Take ‘em. They’re good.. Promise. I make ‘em good.."
"I don’t doubt that." Cross replied after a bit longer of staring at them.
“please eat it i will genuinely lose my mind if you don’t like i will just kill us both pleaseeeee."
He reluctantly took a bite, just to shut up the whining man-child that he had to deal with every waking second of the day.
It was perfect. Horror did make them good, not that he ever doubted his abilities, it just exceeded his expectations a bit more than he was expecting..
The larger looked at Cross, seemingly curious to see whether or not he liked it. He chewed for a moment longer, finishing the bite he had taken, and spoke.
"They’re good. Thank you, Horror."
Horror perked up a bit. "’M glad y’like ’em.." Was spoken softly. "’Ll go now. Gonna get back to the group.. ‘Less you wanna join us.. F’Uno?"
Cross blinked. "i knew that goopy freak wanted more than just to say the hooded one was a cheater." Chara’s voice echoed in his head.
"Sure." He found himself saying without really thinking about his words. He regretted them immediately after, silently cursing himself and realising he was going to, probably, spend his night awake thinking about what a stupid decision this was.
Horror smiled and urged him to follow. Some small part of him thought this was the best decision he’d made in a long, long time. Being able to spend time with people other than Chara.. That stupid, god forbidden man-baby.
Once he and the larger reached the living room, he saw Dust already dealing out hands — one for himself, Horror who presumably sat on the left of him, Killer on the right, Nightmare on the right of Killer, and.. Him. Him on the right of Nightmare.
"Nice for you to join us~" Killer hummed out, picking up his hand as Dust drew out the cards. The smaller, hooded skeleton scoffed at that, muttering “impatient” under his breath.
Cross noticed that he moved their arrangement as he picked them up. By colour, by number, by some secret and even weirder third thing, he wasn’t sure.. But he noticed it. He filed it away for later, because it could be useful for this game. And not because of any other reason.
"There. If you’re not impatient like someone here, make sure to count and tell me whether or not you have seven cards." Dust spoke after he had drawn them out, putting the remainder of the deck in the middle of the circle and flipping the first card over — a red two.
Cross counted his deck. A green two, a green four, a green seven, a red nine, a yellow skip, a yellow three, and a blue skip. Great deck, he had a card of every colour. He couldn’t wait to have to draw a hundred cards because the one colour he needed wasn’t in his hand.
Killer went first. He was the youngest, so he got dibs. He placed a red reverse, switching it to Dust’s turn.. Presumably so that he could give him as many cards as possible to ruin his life. The smaller glared and placed a yellow reverse, faltering that plan right then and there.
Killer pouted, placing a yellow six down. Nightmare follows after, placing a yellow five, counting down. Cross couldn’t do that, unfortunate.. He didn’t exactly see the reason in skipping Horror’s turn, either, so..
He placed a yellow three, Horror following with a green three - good, his most hefty colour. Dust let out a groan at this, presumably, his hand was either made up of predominantly yellows, or he had no greens. He learned it was the latter when he began to draw.
One, two, three, four, five, six cards until he managed to lay down a green two. "You’re an ass." He mumbled, elbowing Horror who only gave a small smile in return.
Killer giggled from his side, placing a green two. Nightmare placed a green eight. Cross thought for a moment before placing a seven — counting down again.
Horror ended up drawing two before he could play again, placing a green four.
"Lotta good that colour did you." Dust teased before placing a blue four. Killer scoffed at him, surprised, offended?, and began to draw. He proceeded to draw ten cards until he found a blue. He glared at Dust with the biggest glare he could muster before placing a blue six.
Nightmare placed a blue eight, and Cross, unfortunately, had to place down his blue skip to skip Horror’s turn. He was given a pout to which he muttered a quiet apology to.
Dust placed a draw two. Killer whined for a bit, saying he was cheating because how could he have so many cards that affected him specifically badly?, and then drew.
Nightmare placed a blue six. Cross blinked before he began to draw himself, ending up with eight before he could play again - a green six this time. Horror placed a green four, Dust a green three, and Killer a green seven.
Nightmare had to draw four, eventually placing a red seven on her fifth pick-up. Cross played his red nine, and Horror played his red one. Dust smiled and placed a draw two. Killer placed one back — the cards would go to Nightmare if he didn’t have one.. But he did. And thankfully? Cross had one too. Horror placed another draw two, keeping the stack going, currently at ten cards. Dust placed another — where in the world was he getting these?? — and Killer followed suit. Nightmare ended up with fourteen new cards, tentacles curling at the ends in a more hostile way.
Cross had to draw anyway since the colour ended at blue and he didn’t have a blue or another draw two. He picked up two new cards before his next placed was a blue four. Horror placed a blue seven, and Dust a blue nine. Killer changed the colour to yellow with a yellow nine, and Nightmare placed a skip, skipping Cross’s turn. Fair, since he was going to end up doing that to Horror. Horror drew four cards before he placed a yellow three..
The smallest skeleton smiled, placing a yellow two down — he was down to six cards, the least of all of them even if it wasn’t exactly a small number, and he was proud of it.
Killer placed a yellow seven, Nightmare a yellow six, and Cross.. Well, Cross placed down his skip and muttered a small apology. He was met with a bigger pout. Dust placed his three.
To his right, there was some furious drawing from Killer, who ended up with 17 cards, up there with Nightmare’s 19, before placing a red three.
"This game sucks." Killer pouted as Nightmare placed a red four. Cross followed with a red two, and Horror with a seven. Dust placed a nine…
No one ever reversed it. Either all the reversed were held in one person’s hand — Nightmare’s… — or none of them had any.
It ended up going on until Dust finally placed down his last card, a draw four straight to Killer. "What colour?"
"Bruh." Killer deadpanned, but eventually answered. "Blue, cheater."
"’Kay. Colour’s blue and I win, again."
Nightmare immediately reversed the turn of play, probably to avoid any of Killer’s draw cards.
Nightmare ended up getting second, Horror third, Cross fourth, by some miracle, and Killer in last.
The loser wasn’t particularly happy about his placing, anyway… More so he wasn’t happy about Dust winning, because now the shortest was teasing him.
Cross didn’t feel in place right now. He gathered the deck and put it in a neat stack before standing up. Horror looked up at him and tilted his head, but the soldier just muttered a goodbye and excused himself to his room.
-
Cross sat down on his bed, hands resting in his lap as he tried to process whatever just happened. He just got invited to play a game of Uno with his teammates and boss… Which made no sense to him, but he.. Wasn’t sure he wanted to question it any longer.
He looked to see Chara sitting on the bed beside him, presumably just as confused as he was.
"at least we didn’t lose."
"At least I didn’t. You didn’t talk to me at all during that game.."
Chara looked offended at being called out, but didn’t argue. Out of character for him, Cross has to admit, but he wouldn’t complain since he wasn’t being bothered.
"whatever. i’m going to bed."
And he was gone.
Cross stared at the now-empty space beside him for a minute or two before he finally moved himself to lie down on his bed. He supposed sleeping would be the best option for right now, considering he didn’t know what else to do..
His sockets closed a few moments later as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Notes:
Again, this is not beta-read. Please feel free to offer corrections in the comments, I will fix them as soon as I get to them. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to leave comments as I do love seeing them!
Updates have a chance of being posted on Tumblr @svftmvvnlxght !! :)
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