They had drawn matches that morning to find out who was taking care of the little skeleton and when. They couldn't take care of the little one 24/7 as it would only draw Boss attention to them. It was enough for Dust that Nightmare had asked about the animal at breakfast that apparently had been brought into the house yesterday. At least they could convince him it was an animal. Apparently Cross could be a good liar in some situations. He could tell multiple times that it was a baby possum that Cinnamon had brought into the castle as he had found it abandoned and starving and Cross had just decided to take care of the baby possum.
So yes, Dust would admit he was a little impressed by Cross's ability to lie.
Still, it didn't change the fact that Dust was the first to take care of the little cream puff. Why the others even thought he would be suitable to take care of a child is questionable. In general, none of them are actually qualified to take care of a child at all. So why did the others think this was a good idea?
"Kid, it's time-" Dust had to stop in mid-sentence when he saw a Gaster leaning over Mini, his hand dangerously close to the tiny skeleton. But the attack Dust sent at the Gaster only seemed to be absorbed. However, Dust had the Gaster's attention. And for someone who looked so frail, the Gaster was quick. The grip of the hands on his arms and legs was strong, leaving Dust little room to move. As the Gaster leaned forward, Dust was ready to take more drastic action, but was caught off guard.
“Sans doesn't like orange tea and mushrooms. But he has a fondness for chocolate and mashed potatoes. Have pomegranate syrup on hand. Sans likes this one the most.” And just as quickly as Dust was trapped, he was free and the Gaster was gone.
What the hell just happened?
~*~
"Okay Kiddo, here are your waffles." Dust said after finally getting the kid into the dining room. Who would have thought that someone could naturally sleep so deeply? Dust was sure he could have used a vacuum cleaner next to the child and they wouldn't have woken up.
"Waffles for breakfast?!" Mini exclaimed excitedly. The excitement of something so simple made Dust smile slightly, especially when the eyesight briefly resembled a star. Was Horror like that before? Unfortunately, Dust didn't know. He hadn't been part of the gang when Horror came to Nightmare.
"H made them especially for you this morning so remember to thank him later, okay?"
Mini nodded while stuffing their mouth full, although they didn't really answer until their mouth was empty. "Naturally! It would be rude not to, especially since you're wasting your supplies on me."
"Kid-" Dust couldn't voice his concern at Mini's testimony as Mini cut him off. They really didn't waste supplies on Mini, the little one didn't even eat a portion that either of them would have had. It wasn't even as much as the snacks Cross picked up throughout the day. A child shouldn't have that kind of thinking. Was it because Minis Papyrus was missing? Or was it some other influence?
"Oh, hello Phantom!" Mini interrupted Dust before he could even say anything and excitedly jumped off their chair to greet Papyrus. It confirmed Dust's suspicions from yesterday. The little windbag could actually see Paps.
"HELLO LITTLE HORROR. AND AS GLAD AS I AM TO HAVE SOMEONE ELSE TO TALK TO, BUT SHOULD YOU NOT FINISH EATING FIRST?” Paps used the same tone Dust had used to get him to eat his veggies. Stars, Dust felt old.
"Uhm… I'm full, don't worry!" Mini smiled brightly at the two skeletons while they wrapped up their plate properly and put it in the fridge. After all, they cannot let it go to waste just because it had gone bad because of improper storage. The waffles would then no longer taste good. Mini would know. They had already eaten some foods with green fur.
Phantom and Dust looked at each other. They would talk to Horror to make food suitable for Mini. The murmuring about eating already moldy food is not good. How the hell did this kid survive until now?!
~*~
Killer grinned at the small skeleton in front of him. It seems full and energetic, just perfect for what Killer is up to! He's always wished for a little extra pair of hands. It's a shame that Boss says no to children. Which, frankly, was mean. Glitchy was allowed to have children and not Killer! How was that fair?
"Are you ready kiddo?"
"For what?" asked Mini, tilting their head curiously. Oh why was the little one being so cute?! Damn boss, why did you keep this from him for so long? He would make a great parent!
"You'll see!" Being careful not to run into Nightmare, Killer took Mini to his room. There he took a quick look around before quickly pushing the child in and then disappearing into his room. Both were met by a loud meow and many begging eyes. In front was an older gray striped cat with orange spots and yellow-green eyes and a missing front tooth.
"Hello my beauties! I can see you missed me terribly.” Chuckling, Killer leaned down to them and started petting the bunch of cats. Mini themself quickly began to scratch the old gray cat behind her left ear. Killer watched this with a satisfied expression. Anyone who manages to get the old lady to flop down on the floor so quickly can't be bad. Generally speaking, no one who likes cats can be bad.
"So soft..." Mini whispered in astonishment as they gently ran their fingers through the gray cat's soft fur. Killer quickly took a picture of the sight. The others need to see how cute Mini looked! He quickly sent it into their group, completely forgetting that Nightmare was in that group as well. "Can I take one with me?"
"Sorry kid but Boss just about allows me to keep cats."
"Is that so?" It came from the door. Killer quickly pulled Mini behind him as if the little skeleton hadn't been seen yet. It would be pointless, but hey, he could have fun, right? And while he's swinging Mini to the hole in his floor, straight down into Cross's room, Killer made sure to keep Nightmares' attention.
"Now what was that?" Killer saw the amusement in Nightmare's eyes. Eh, let Nightmare know. He didn't look mad at him now. Everything will be fine.
"You're getting old boss. Don't you even recognize Horror anymore? Maybe you need glasses after all.”
~*~
To say that Cross was used to a lot of strange things by now wasn't even a lie. And yet everyone still manages to surprise him sometimes. Like last week, when Killer preferred to make a hole in Cross ceiling, his floor, just to get to Cross faster. And he still hasn't repaired it to this day, even though Cross asked him to do it several times. But what he had expected even less now was Mini, who fell through this hole onto Cross's bed.
"Kid! Mini, are you alright?” Concerned, Cross sat down with Mini on the bed and checked them for injuries. Just because they fell on the bed doesn't mean they couldn't have injured themselves as well. Especially with the head injury, Cross wanted to be very safe. He was sure Horror would have his head if Mini hurt themself any more. The big one seemed very attached to the child, although he hadn't had much contact with them yet. Was it because Mini was like a smaller and more innocent version of him?
But when Mini just started giggling, Cross slowly relaxed. It seems the little one really wasn't injured and was in excellent health. That was a relief. "Don't worry, the bed cushioned my fall! Nothing happened to me and every bone is still where it belongs!”
Cross actually wanted to ask how Mini had fallen through the hole in his ceiling, but that was superfluous when he heard Nightmare's voice from there. Maybe they could hide Mini a little longer before they have to meet Nightmare.
"Come on kid. We'll see if we can find something to pass the time with. What do you like to do?” Holding Mini's hand after the child got off the bed, Cross walked them out of his room. The main thing is to get away from Nightmare. Killer was lucky that Cross wanted to get something out of his room when Mini fell through the hole. Who knows where the child would have gone otherwise.
"Oh! Oh!“, excited Mini jumped next to Cross and looked at him with big begging eyes. That alone made it difficult for Cross not to just want to fulfill every wish of the child just because they were looking at him like that. Maybe the others weren't so wrong about his weakness for cute things after all. "Can we draw together?! I have a lot of pictures that I absolutely have to add to my book! There's a lot I don't want to forget."
"Sure kid. Let's go to my studio for that. There you have a lot of choices of what you want to draw with.” Cross has never been happier when someone shared his passion for drawing. And if Mini continues this hobby, then he could also watch their development and see how they keep getting better. Cross was really looking forward to that.
~*~
When it was time to prepare dinner, Horror went in search of his little counterpart. Since he had seen Dust and Killer in the living room without the child, he assumed that Cross was with the little one. And since Nightmare kept a strict schedule of Cross training times so he didn't overwork himself, Cross couldn't be there. Which didn't leave him many options. They can't be in the garden, Horror came from there. They could be in the library, but if they want to avoid Nightmare, then that was out of the question, too. Which left only Cross Atelier. There he also found the two skeletons lying on the floor together, their faces, hands and floor covered in paint. But Cross and Mini looked so happy joking around that Horror wouldn't even object.
"It'll be dinner time soon," Horror said calmly, drawing the attention of the two skeletons. Mini seemed disappointed that they would soon have to stop painting with Cross. But perhaps Horror's offering could quickly change that. "I thought you might want to cook with me Mini."
"Sure!" With an excited expression on his face, Mini jumped up and quickly ran to the sink in the room to wash their hands there. Horror was happy that he didn't have to tell Mini to wash their hands first. Color doesn't taste good no matter how much edible stuff you mix it with. But as soon as Mini finished washing their hands, they ran back to Horror and held their arms up to him. "Can you carry me? Just until we get to the kitchen. Please?"
Horror wasn't immune to Mini's begging gaze either. With a gentle smile he picked up the little one and carried them into the kitchen after they said goodbye to Cross. Along the way, Mini asked so many questions about what they were going to do, but Horror kept dodging the questions. It was supposed to be a little surprise for Mini. It also seemed like they didn't really know what it was after Horror asked him to peel potatoes while he made a simple Jägerschnitzel himself.
"Hello Horror. I see you and our guest are making dinner.” Stopping in his act, Horror turned to Nightmare. He was standing in the door, looking at Mini, who was also looking at him. He considered trying to talk his way out, but it probably wouldn't do any good. Nightmare must have sensed Mini all day long and just got amused by the way they're trying to hide a kid from him.
"Can I taste your goop?" Mini blurted out, surprising both adults. It was kind of expected that question would come up, especially since Horror had done it too. Still, it came as a surprise that this was Mini's reaction to Nightmare.
~*~
Laughing, Error leaned back in his beanbag as he watched the small skeleton that Goth had made friends with. At first he'd only done it casually since it seemed that there was nothing special about the little skeleton that Goth broke the rules for multiple times. But a quick look at the child's soul had caught Error's attention. And he didn't regret keeping an eye on the child. Sure, the Gaster was annoying and tried to take his eyes off the skeleton, but there's a reason Error is ingrained in the code of the multiverse. You can't keep him away from something that easily.
"What an interesting friend you've found, Goth. Maybe I should pick him up for a visit soon so Reaper and I can get to know him too."