Broken Souls

Epilogue

-Life's Living Room, ReaperTale-

Dream slumped on the oversized wicker couch fiddling with his gloves unsure what to do. Life said he might be able to help so he couldn't just leave, but he was clearly an intrusion to his brother's family.  Not that he blamed them, he had been an enemy for a long time due to his own willful ignorance.

Life glances at him as she walks past headed for the kitchen, "are you alright child?"

"Yes Lady Life, just unsure what I can do to help. I am not exactly welcome, in there and even if I was, it is not like I can do anything." Dream looks at the door to the treatment room with sad eyelights.

"You underestimate them, your brother cares about you and so do your nephews.  Error well you have been fighting your brother for a very long time." Life gives him a pat on the head.

"I have been fighting my brother for a very long time and Error loves him with his whole glitchy soul even if he can't feel the positive side of love." Dream slumps in on himself looking defeated.

Life grimaced Dream wasn't wrong. Error was protective of Nightmare and his boys, "your right he loves him.  Loves him, enough to give you a chance with only minimal warning."

Dream looked up at her with big sad eyelights before getting up and shuffling back into the treatment room.

-Treatment Room-

Dream hesitates in the doorway shuffling his feet trying not to look at Killer curled against Error in the chair by the bed.

Killer wipes his sockets with his sleeve, "pull up the other chair firefly this may take a while.  When dad has to sleep he can be down for a few days."

Error nods to Dream assessing him with a slow look, "he is right plenty of time for a chat."

Dream hunches a little and pulls a wicker armchair over to sit next to them, " have you called the others to let them know what is going on I am sure Horror is worried."

Killer blinks and shakes his head, "no I wasn't sure what to tell him.  He also gets upset when anyone doesn't take care of themselves."

Error frowns but nods to Dream, "call and tell him the truth. Nightmare exhausted himself, shielded us from the explosion and is sleeping it off."

They both looked at him processing that, it was the truth but not the whole truth. Finally Killer spoke up, "if he finds out there is more to it he will be more upset."

Dream looks thoughtful but nods, "maybe mention his behavior before the trip? I mean Horror already knows Nightmare wasn't taking the best care of himself.  Maybe he will be calmer if it is something he already knows?"

"Either way he is probably going to deal with it by cooking way too much and feeding the first family member he catches. We just stay with Night until he calms down." Error glances at Dream watching him twitch nervously.

Killer takes out his phone standing and walking to lean in the doorway while he waits for Horror to pick up.

Dream twiddles his fingers hunching in on himself and glancing around with nerves now and then. "Nighty is going to be okay right? He will get rested up, then he can control the goop so he can heal right?"

Error watches him for a bit, then reaches into his inventory, takes out two balls of yarn and tosses one onto Dream's lap. "That is the current plan Firefly now prove you, are as smart as Night claims and copy me." Error summons two thin printed bone attacks no thicker than his pinky and starts to cast on for a simple scarf.

Dream fumbles but manages to turn his staff into knitting needles connected by a long cord and copy him.  "Um, why are we doing this?"

"You are a twitchy nervous brat without anyone to guide you so you are going to learn something calm to do that won't annoy me." The look Error gave Dream wasn't exactly kind or caring but there was an almost indefinable quality to it.

Dream relaxed seeing it finally understanding compassion and sympathy had their roots in the negative side of the spectrum. This was what Nighty had meant all those years ago when he said the villagers were rejecting what was best in them.  He sniffed and copied Error in casting on fumbling a little but succeeding under Error's surprisingly calm and patient tutelage.  Not even noticing the balance shifting slowly back to something more stable with Nightmare's return and his growing calm.

Killer watched from the doorway talking on the phone with the rest of the family having made it a group chat.  Things were going to change again. Nightmare wasn't going to settle for the way things had been not after admitting Error is his SOULMATE and taking Dream's issues in hand.  Dream had no idea what he was in for now that Error had taking charge of him and Nightmare had decided his little brother needed looking after.  Killer texted as much to the others and smirked at the flood of memes and emoji's about mother hens including a photoshopped one of Nightmare on a nest setting on Dream.

Life peaks over his shoulder and chuckles things where going to be chaotic but good especially with this wild bunch leading the way.