Fresh New Antivirus

Ch. 67 - Uno

"me an' nightmare go way back." Killer added. "i don't know what he was like before the apple thing, but i know as happy as he has been with us, he'll be that much happier now that you're here too."

The table turned to stare at him.

"what?"

Dust snickered. "awww i didn't know you could be sentimental."

Killer immediately flipped him off. "fuck off you fucking man-child."

"me? a child?" Dust said amused. "you must be kidding."

"can we not swear with dream here?" Cross mumbled, getting quieter as people turned to him.

Dream rolled his eye lights. "I don't care about swearing as long as there isn't any intent to harm behind it."

It was Dream's turn to be the center of attention.

"important question, have you ever sworn?" Killer asked.

"... that has nothing to do with it." Dream deflected, grabbing the deck from Horor and shuffling it further. "New game?"

"wait, wait, wait." Dust said, leaning into the table. "that sounds like a story."

"No it doesn't." Dream said using his 'dealing with the masses' smile. "So about the game?"

"i'm kind of bored of uno." Cross said, raising a hand.

"same." Horror smiled.

"all uno'd out." Dust's eye lights shone.

"guess this means story time~" Killer said.

Dream sighed. "... you ever played the game 'Getting Over It'?"

***

Nightmare was distracted from the negotiation list by an increasing amount of angry frustration from one of his boys. The rest seemed varying levels of sympathetic or amused. It passed from person to person a few times.

Curious about what they could be doing to cause so much negativity and why (and if it was potentially dangerous hijinks), he exited his office through the shadows.

Appearing behind the group gathered around Killers computer, he saw Cross playing some sort of game involving a very inefficient means of travel. There were a couple laughs as Cross managed to lose a great deal of progress. Nightmare noticed Dream's laugh seemed a little more out of breath and strained than the others.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a bored tone, causing them to jump. They seemed to have been engrossed in the strange game.

"... try not to rage contest?" Horror offered.

Nightmare sighed and pinched his nasal ridge. "And you thought that was a good idea in this AU with Dream of all people?"

A pause.

"it was dream's idea." Dust pointed out.

Nightmare stared at his brother. "What, are you some kind of masochist?"

Dream scratched a cheekbone and didn't meet his eye light. "I-"

"Don't answer that."

"I wasn't!" Dream puffed out his cheek bones, eye lights snapping to Nightmares. "I'm fine is what I was going to say."

"..." Nightmare took in Dream's condition. Sure, Nightmare had seen him fight in far more exhausting states. But this wasn't a fight. There was no need to push himself to this length in a casual setting. "You and I have a very different idea of 'fine.'"

"not really." Dust muttered, referring to Nightmare's similar tendency to downplay. He received a tendril slap to the back of his hooded skull for his remark.

"Regardless, save this rage contest for an AU not steeped in negativity. For now, change the game to something more lighthearted."

Nightmare turned to leave but was stopped by a tug on the back of his jacket. Turning around with a tired expression he looked into the pleading face of Cross.

"will you be joining?" His eye lights had taken on a swollen appearance - classic puppy eyes.

"What? I have too-"

"yeah!" Dust catching on also now gives puppy eyes. "come play boss-man!"

Killer even went to the effort of lighting his one partially working eye light. "pleeease?"

Horror didn't say a word, but the pout alone was a compelling argument.

Looking at Dream was the last straw.

Hunched in on himself, but smiling despite that Dream spoke. "It's okay. I know you're busy."

Nightmare rubbed his face turning to the ceiling in defeat. "Arrgh- fine! I'll play a game." He looked over his cheering idiots and a smiling Dream. "One round, and one round only. I still have to format the document."

"monopoly" Killer threw out.

Nightmare stared at him. "What part of 'lighthearted' was misinterpreted? I'm not interested in needing to rebuild a part of the castle again."

"technically it's the shadow papyri that do that." Cross pointed out.

Dream seemed curious about the term, but didn't ask. He wasn't aware the Bads had any Papyrus's on their side.

Narrowing his socket at Cross he remarked. "Sure feels like I do it myself."

"... how about an outdoor game?" Horror asked. "... we can play in the courtyard."

No one had any reason to protest.

"who's down for a quick game of forty-forty?" Dust suggested, gaining much agreement.

Nightmare sighed. He had a feeling he knew who would be 'it.'

Gods, he discreetly smiled, they really are such children.

He wouldn't have his family any other way.

The group began to head out of Killers room and toward their large courtyard. Dream bouncing on his heels, yet remaining by Nightmare's side, suggesting he would be dragging him all the way there if not for the pain that comes with touch.

"Come on slow poke!" Dream practically jogged in place, turning around to face Nightmare with a smile. "We won't make it at this rate and I need to learn the rules!"

Nightmare remembered a younger Dream dragging him around similarly when they were younger, and smiled without meaning.

"Hmm. I suppose you are right." Nightmare melded into the shadows. "See if you can keep up."

"Wha- no fair!" Dream began racing after his not-quite-full-speed shadow traveling twin.

Soon enough the others joined in on the impromptu race, the dark castle being filled with light laughter.

And if Nightmare was asked if he had laughed the hardest. Well. He would never admit it.