*Warning:Chapter may cause strong emotions. It is a ship breaker. Multiple ships may get broken. It isn't a sunny, puppies and rainbows chapter. But it can also trigger some with certain characters. There will be "deaths". Chanclas are advised and possibly tissues. Enjoy.
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I guess I was dozing while labeling and rewrapping the gift. Cause one moment it's in my hands, I close my eyes. I open them and it's gone. I was also no longer in Reaper's lap. I look around and see Reaper holding it. He leaned against a wall with the box in his hands. I quickly get up. I go over to him. He looks at me curiously.
"What's this?"He asks
"Nothing. Now can I have it back please?"I ask, my voice weak and no louder than a whisper
"Oh! If you want it, then it has to be important!"He says, raising the box above his head
"Reaper! Please!"I whisper, though tried to yell
I hop and try to reach with all that I could. He smirks.
"Yep, it's really important!"He snickers
"Give it back!"I snap faintly
"No.~"He says
I keep jumping and trying to reach it. Then, I feel a hand on my back. The floor leaves me, and not from a jump. Reaper lifts me up. I finally could reach the box but my grip fails me. I look at Reaper. He then leans in and kisses me. My face ignites. He lowers me with a grin.
"What was that for?!"I ask
"Happy Valentines Day!"He says
My face gets brighter.
I guess I dozed off into tomorrow.
But then I get an idea.
Maybe this isn't a bad thing. Time to trick him.
"Fine, you can keep it, but make sure it gets to who it is being sent to."I say softly
"And who's that?"He asks
I look down, lowering my ears and hugging him. I'm silent. I feel my face burn. He is silent. I feel him place a hand on my head.
"Aww, too bad that your fever came back today."He says
I remain silent.
I hear the door creak open.
"Hey, Geno! I go-oh. Am I interrupting something?"Science's voice asks
I look and see Science entering. I part from Reaper and shake my head no.
"Ok, drink this. It'll fix my mistake. It's time for operation SL-GH6."Science says
"Ah, ok."I say softly
I drink it and check. No more ears and tail. I smile.
"What operation is that?"Reaper asks
"One that does not concern you so stay out of it."Science says
"Science!"I snap
"What? I don't want it to be ruined!"Science says
I shake my head. I look at Reaper.
"Just check inside for who it's supposed to belong to."I say, gesturing to the box
And see the gift for you.
I leave the room with Science. He sends me to find Goth while he assembles some other people included in the operation. I easily found him and wait for a signal. There is a triple tapping sound from upstairs. That's it. I lead him upstairs to a seemingly empty room full of random stuff Ink created. I uncover his eyes and he looks around.
"What's this?"He asks
"A surprise for you."I say softly
"Huh?"He says
"SURPRISE!"A bunch of voices cheer
Ink, Palette, Error, Raven, Shino and Science pop up from behind the creations. Goth jumps and nearly shot an attack at Science.
"Sorry."He says
"It's ok. We can't blame you for being tense in a situation like this."Ink says
"And here's the surprise gift!"Shino cheers
Everyone took out lil jars with soul pieces inside. They each take the lids off and the pieces go to Goth. I hold him for his balance, to keep him steady. I check his stats. His soul was whole again except for the piece he gave to Palette.
"Success!"Science cheers
"Wh-What just happened?"Goth asks
"I got them to help me find the pieces! You got your soul back, Gothy!"Palette says
"ToOk sOmE AU hOpPiNg, bUt iT wAs wORtH iT."Error adds
"Thanks, guys."Goth says
"No problem!"They say, coming over and hugging him
I leave to go check on other things. Once done, I head outside to look around and simply get some fresh air. Ink comes over to me after a few minutes. I wave to him and smile. He smiles back and he sits beside me.
"How are you feeling?"He asks
"Better."I say
"Good."He says
"So, are you having a nice Valentines Day with your Glitchy?"I ask with a smirk
"Yes, I am. Speaking of Valentines Day, this is for you from a certain someone. He took lessons to make it."He tells me, handing me a rectangle wrapped up
I look at him. He smirks.
"Go on, open it. A certain someone was too nervous to give it to you himself. I never knew someone so laid back would get so anxious about a simple task. Then again, this is you he is dealing with."Ink says
I look at him with confusion.
"We all know how he feels for you."He says
I understand now. I look at the rectangle and unwrap it. I absolutely froze. Right then. Right there. Yep. It was a gift from Reaper. But it's lovely and had one of the most reassuring messages right on it. It being a painting.
I gaze at it.
I smile.
I don't say anything.
Just gaze at it.
Memories fill my head and I feel my face warm.
"Okay, so while you love that painting and stare at it, I'm gonna go inside."Ink says
I nod. My mind gets trapped in Memory lane, but I do not mind it. I enjoyed it. Little do I, or anyone, know that my bad feeling was right and how this day will turn out.
Nightmare's POV later that night
I smile and hang out in my room. I have a plan forming in my head. So many thoughts were entertaining me. My current form may not be so bad. I don't leave a mess everywhere anymore from my goop. It's easier to get around the place and I'm not bothered by others as much. Also I don't get my tentacles stuck in doors anymore since this form doesn't have any. Plus, I've surprisingly began to get trust from others. I guess chaos does bring people together and cheesy stuff like that. I've also been remembering more. Especially things of Dream and I before the incident, even though I haven't seen him at all.
BANG!BANG!CRASH!
I jump out of my bed.
That came from Dream's room! What is that idiot doing?
I run and bang on the door. It swings open with a slight creeeak. There is a giant hole blasted in the wall, leading outside. Pieces of the roof hung weakly and one or two fell, breaking into nothing. I get curious and jump out of the hole. I wander down the street, looking around. I freeze up. My eye lights shrink. Tears fill my eyes at the sight I am seeing.
Dream was getting dragged away by Fresh. But as Fresh did so, he injects something into Dream. Dream began to turn. He was fading, getting consumed. He was breaking. He is becoming what I was, tentacles and all.
No....Not him!
"Brother!"I yell without thinking
Dream's head turns. I could see the fear in his eyes and the shock. I reach out to him. He reaches to me.
"Don't go! Fight it! Please! I'm here! Fresh! Release him now!"I yell, in tears
"Nah, don't feel like it. You're no boss of me, non-broseph."Fresh says
"N-Nightmare! I-It's you! I-I can't! I-"Dream shouts, but breaks into coughs
Then, the darkness consumed him. I no longer saw the bright light that he was. Instead, I now see a dark stranger staring me in the eyes. His arm drops. The transformation is done.
"He is gone. Goodbye, brother."My former brother says
"Wait!"I cry
"No. Let's go, Fresh. Things are about to get deadly. We want no part of that."He says, turning and walking away with Fresh
I stand there, in tears. Surprising huh? After all he did, everything he ignored me, abandoned me, hurt me, everything. How he made me feel, think or act. All the trouble he's caused me, now he's finally gone. Wouldn't I be happy?
No. No I am not. He went away in one of the worst ways possible. And I remember good times with him where he cared for me, helped me, healed me, was there for me and made me happy. I also remember something he told me while I was under the alias of another Nightmare.
"Of course. He's my brother after all. Plus, if I had been a better brother and protect him from the haters or shown the people that he's as good as me, maybe he wouldn't have had to eat those apples and we wouldn't have to fight. But, no matter. That's a big if and it's too late now. All I can really do is hope that I can make it up to him and find a way to bring him back. Become his good brother again."
After everything, we still care for each other. Yes, that's what we really are. Brothers. And he's my brother. I love him, no matter how bad things get between us.
And now he's gone. And I'm crying.
"DREAM!"I yell
But nobody came. Nobody answered. I break into tears. Then I stop. What good will that do? Crying shows weakness. Don't show that. We are brothers. But remember your rule, Nightmare. I tell myself this. Nobody hurts my brother but me. And they just hurt him. So?
"That parasite and those good-for-nothing glitch or kid will pay."I growl
"REAPER!"I hear a voice yell
I recognize it.
Geno.
Crap.
I run, quickly wiping my tears. I head to the backyard, where I heard the yell. My eyes widen. I see someone zip past me with a yellow-edged scythe. I blink and it's Reaper, his eyes glowing orange. I see Geno was backing up, dropping something.
What the? NO!
"You won't hurt my friends anymore!"Reaper snaps, charging at Geno
"Reaper, please!"Geno cries
Reaper swings the scythe. A loud, bone-chilling yell follows. I cover my mouth, more tears coming. But then, anger filled me.
They are not puppets to be played with! This isn't them! They won't be used against each other like this! Not on my watch!
"Geno!"I yell
Geno falls down, hitting the ground with a thud. He looks at me, but didn't turn to dust. His soul doesn't break either. A golden rope-like item wraps around him. Then...He just disappears, but not from a teleport. Odd.
"Reaper!"I yell
Reaper looks at me. He narrows his eyes. They are still orange.
"Snap out of it, you idiot!"I snap
He charges at me, swinging the scythe. I slide under him and pick up the item Geno dropped.
"You wouldn't want to hurt Geno the way you did, would you? Come on! Break free and prove that you don't want that!"I growl, but really was pleaing to him
I can sense his emotions. They were horrible. And I know how they felt for each other. I need them to be okay. In the time I spent with the others, I've gotten connected to them. I can't lose them. I can't let everyone I cared for become puppets for those idiots like my brother just did. He's hallucinating a nightmare, his fear. And he is being manipulated all the while. I know it. But I need something to remind him that it isn't real. Something to bring him back.
Reaper says nothing. He charges at me again. I look at the item and get up. I tighten my grip on it. This was it. I turn it around and shove it in his face right when he got close.
"Look at this! Look at this and tell me what you see! If you swing that scythe, you go against this! You love Geno don't you? He needs you to be there for him, Reaper! But you can't do that if you don't snap out of it! Come on!"I order
He froze. He stopped dead in his tracks and stiffened up. He looks right at the painting in my hands. I hear something clatter to the ground. I look at the ground and it's his scythe. It loses the yellow glow. I peek out from the my hold on the painting to look at him.
I release a sigh of relief.
His eyes lose the orange color. Instead, they fill with tears.
"G-Geno...?"He says
I lower the painting.
"N-N-Nightmare?"He stutters
"Welcome back, buddy."I say to him
"B-Back? W-What do you mean? W-Wait, d-did I-?"He asks, then sees his scythe on the ground
Then he sees me holding the painting. We both notice Geno's scarf laying where he fell. He quickly put the pieces together.
"Dang it! I messed up again! I hurt him! G-Geno!"He cries
He kneels on the ground, crying with the scarf in front of him. I sensed all the pain, anger, sadness, regret, all the negativity come off him. But this guilt and pain was different. He was aware that he did wrong, but he wasn't in control. These feelings were accompanied with something very powerful this time as well.
Love.
I felt so bad for Reaper, but then I sensed something horrible forming in Reaper. I put the painting down. Reaper does not pick up the scarf. Instead, he picks up the scythe and hands me it. I stare at him in shock. He puts his arms at his sides and bows his head.
"Go on, do it. I deserve to pay. To go to hell. I told you guys that I wouldn't do it again and yet here I am. So do it."He says
He wants me...to kill him?! To use this?!
My hands shook. My grip on the scythe is weak.
"One good swing should do it."He says
I shake my head. He doesn't look at me. I swing my arms, holding the scythe.....And throw the blasted thing onto the roof. I pick up the painting and hand him it.
"But then who will be there for Geno the way you are? Come on, Reaper. We have a kid, parasite, and glitch to send to hell."I tell him
He looks at me in shock.
"You're not mad?"He asks
"How can I be? You were not in control. You, your nightmares and fears were being manipulated and used like a puppet. And the result caused someone you loved to disappear....just like my brother. You have no fault in this. They are to blame. Now, are you gonna debate with me over your life while Geno is in need for someone to be there for him?"I explain
"But isn't Geno gone? Dead? I had to of hit him with my scythe! And that...that..."He says
"Isn't the case. When you were hallucinating, your scythe wans't the same. It glowed yellow. He didn't turn to dust and his soul didn't break either. He hit the ground sure, but then something tied him up and he got sent somewhere. He did not die, Reaper. More of sent away. Disappeared. He could be alive. Don't you want to be around for that, Reaper? For him?"I explain
He nods. I could tell and sense that he wasn't okay. I open my arms out to him.
"Come here."I tell him
He comes closer. I wrap my arms around him. He tensed.
"Relax. You looked like you need a hug. Take it."I tell him
He hugs me. Then he cried again. I pat his back to attempt at comforting him.
"Thank you, Nightmare. Thank you for snapping me out of that."He says
"The control or your pain?"I ask
"Both."He replies
"No problemo, Reaper."I say
"Now, what did you mean about Dream?"He asks, breaking away from me and putting Geno's scarf on his wrist
"That parasite took him. He....He poisoned Dream, Reaper. Dream got consumed by the same kind of poison that made me...turn. Except it wasn't an apple. Dream...turned into something similar. Except he...He is...I can feel it...He is gone. I can't feel him anymore. My brother...Dream...is gone! They took him away from me!"I explain, starting to cry again
"But wouldn't you of all people be glad he's gone?"Reaper asks
"No! I may hate him and things may not be the best between us, but he's still my brother. And I care about him. That's what brothers do. And that's why I made a rule that nobody can hurt him but me. Those idiots that took him broke that rule and they will pay. They....They..."I explain
He hugs me. Again.
"I guess neither of us are as heartless as we seem, huh?"He says
"I...I guess so..."I say
"Now, let's go inside to update the others. We'll make a plan. Those idiots are going down!"Reaper says
Oh I wish I wasn't lying to Reaper.
Meanwhile, Blue's POV
"Gah!"I yell, getting kicked in the chest
I skid back. I try to dodge or block any attacks, but mostly try to keep Ink safe. I had come downstairs to find Ink getting beaten up horribly. By Error! His scarf laid on the floor a few feet behind Error. Something isn't right. Every hit was hurting me too. I check our stats and see he was losing all his hp. I cut between them, trying to get Error to snap out of it. He would not listen, nor could I get near him. I refuse to fight my friend. He's still in there.
So here we are now.
I get a bone attack to the head and dodge the strings. I drop down, getting knocked beside Ink. I wrap my arms around him to try and protect Ink from the hits.
"YoU dIrTy liTtlE pEstS....ThIs Is tHe eNd oF tHe linE foR yOu bOth."Error says, huffing
"Error...please. It's me."Ink says
"ShUt Up. I kNoW wHo yOu aRe."He says
I do not say a word. I've already tried. Besides, I know how Error fights. He ignores whatever is said. He doesn't focus on the opponent. So, he doesn't even see us. He sees our souls. They're targets even.
Then, someone steps in front of us. They block Error from us. I look up and it's Dust. Another soul target that Error sees. But then I notice Error's eyes are orange instead of his usual colors. What is wrong with this scene? A lot of things but the reason I do not know.
"Error! Snap out of it!"Dust says
"UgH, gEt oUt of ThE wAy."Error snaps
"No! You're not gonna hurt them!"Dust says
"OkAy, tHen fiGht mE, 90's tRasH."Error says
"I'm not Fresh! I'm Dust! And I won't fight you! You're my friend!"Dust shouts
"I aM nOt yOuR fRiEnD nEvEr hAvE, nEvEr wIlL bE. NoW, If yOu dOn'T miNd, I HavE tO rEmoVe sOmE tRaSh tHat kIlLeD mY bRoThEr."Error says, firing a string
It wraps around Ink's half of the soul and turns orange as well. That's new. And odd.
"Ink!"I cry, holding him closer
"No! Error, I get that you are scared. You don't want things to go wrong. You care. You're afraid of the worst of situations. How do you even know your brother is gone? You are also angry then. But this isn't the way. Snap out of it, Error. We can get through this. We all can. You're not alone. Come on, Error. Best buds? We are that aren't we? We got each others backs."Dust says, trying to calm Error down
Error froze. He is silent. Then he summons a bone attack and shoots it right at Dust.
Dust ducks but then his soul appears, the bone turns a dark orange.The bone pierces the soul.
"Dust!"I shout
"Heh...It's okay Blue....Besides, my best bud never has failed me and he hasn't yet.....Winning that bet was worth it, right, Error?"Dust says with a smirk as he begins to fade away
Error jolts. One of his eyes turn to normal and look at us.
"D-DuSt? BLuE? INkY?"He calls, in confused shock and lifting his hands
"See?"Dust says
But with that movement of Error's hands, I feel a great pain shoot through me.
"Glitchy!"Ink shouts
I look to Ink and see his soul crack. Then, just like that, he was gone. I frown and begin to cry. A hand is placed on my cheek. I look and it's Dust. He leans in and kisses me.
"Love you, Blue!"He says, then fades away completely
I break into more tears.
"Dust! Ink!"I shout
"B-BluE?"Error asks
I look at him. He's crying and glitching. He must be realizing the situation. But he was falling apart.
"I-InkY...D-Dust...N-No!"He cries
I see two spirits appear behind him. One had a blue glow, the other having a red glow. They take form as Ink and Dust.
"Bud, it's okay. We'll find your brother. I'm sure he's okay. Don't worry."Dust says, lowering his head
"Glitchy, it's okay. You weren't yourself. You were not in control. You're back now. You're gonna be okay. We know you will be."Ink says
They both hug Error before coming to me and hugging me. Then they disappear again. Sprinkle runs in and grabs Error from behind. Palette runs over and hugs me. He then heals me. I watch as S!Reaper shoves something into Error's mouth. Error fell back, unconscious but the two caught him.
"Is he gonna be okay?"I ask
"Yes. We've made our own cure. Some kind of power has made people see their fears throughout the household and hallucinate. I had to free my Geno from it not too long ago. Some Valentines Day."S!Reaper says
"Alright, good."I say
"We may be able to explain that."Reaper says, walking in
"What happened now?"Palette asks
"You guys could answer that for us, too."Nightmare says, coming in beside Reaper
We trade information with each other. Now I know the reason. I hug Nightmare. He clearly is still handling the news of Dream himself. I hug Reaper as well, knowing how he cared for Geno.
A few minutes later...
I go and sit beside Error at the kitchen counter. He was crying...again. He looks at me and apologizes....again. I tell him it's not his fault, but he clearly doesn't believe me. Something is on his mind.
"I fEeL lIkE tHis iS mY fAuLt. If I hAd nEvEr cOmE aLoNg, We pRoBaBlY wOuLdN't bE hErE rIghT nOw. InK!PaP wOulD hAvE nEvEr gOtTen AnGrY anD cReAtE ReNeW. MeANIng aLl Of tHe fOlLowInG eVeNts wOuLdn'T hAvE hAppEnEd. ThEn I wOulDn'T hAvE jUst kIlLed mY bEsT bUd aNd InKy. My bRoThEr mAy nOt EvEn bE fReakIn' mIsSiNG eiThEr! My fAuLt..My fAuLt. It'S mY fAulT. I'm sUch aN iDioT! MaYbE I sHoUldn'T hAvE eVeN lEft mY aNtI-VoId anD coMe iN cOntAct wiTh tHe mUlTiVeRSe. SuRe, I mAy hAvE bEen nOn-ExiStenT to EverYoNe tHen, bUt eVerYonE woUld bE oK...I woUlD hAvE fOunD mY bRo anD iT woUld hAvE beEn jUst Us hAvInG fuN wiTh tHe mUltIvErSe peRfeCtlY sAfe....bEsIdeS tHe usUal chAoS fRom NiGhtMaRe anD thE gANg oF coUrSe."He says, tears in his eyes and his voice shaking
"Error! Don't say those things! You couldn't have known! Those things were out of your control! Nobody could've known that would happen and you don't mean to cause it! Don't blame yourself for something out of your control! And don't you dare say those things! The multiverse would've been worse without you!"I snap at him
"I'm sOrRy...It'S jUst tHat I aM qUesTiOnInG tHiNgS wIth eVeRyThiNg gOiNg oN.."He says
"Error, I want to slap you so hard right now."Ink!Pap says
I look at Ink!Pap and see him with a chancla. I put an arm in front of Error protectively.
"Don't blame yourself. I should have never used my anger like that. I should have been more reasonable. I'm the idiot at fault here. So don't you dare say those things. I know my brother would be miserable without someone like you. And don't you dare question your time with him and blame yourself like that again or I swear to Asgoro I will slap you with this chancla."Ink!Pap says
"....OkAy."Error says
I look around and smile. I nod to Ink!Pap. It was nice to see that he wasn't letting Error take the blame.
But then I got this dark feeling. I turn my head to find the source. I see Reaper enter the room with a book.
I recognize it.
E!Pap had showed me it once. That made me remember a promise I made to E!Pap. One that he made Geno. Reaper sits down in the corner of the room and opens the book. He begins to read it.
I sigh.
He looks so gloomy.
I didn't want to do it, but I know that I have to. He deserves the truth. I need to fufill the promise. For both him, E!Pap and Geno. It's for the best. Knowing is better than not knowing. Plus, maybe it will somehow make him happy.
I wait a few minutes, talking with Error and cheering him up. Then I excuse myself from the conversation. I go upstairs to my room. I unlock a box hidden in my desk drawer with a snap of my fingers. I check inside the box and see it was still there. A single piece of paper without a page number. The side of it was messy, like it was torn from somewhere. But the information it held was very important. I take it and go quietly back downstairs. I tuck it in my pocket. I check the room and see Reaper was the only one there now. He still reads the book. I go over to him and sit beside him.
"Hey, Reaper."I say
"Hey, Blue. Sorry to hear about Dust and Ink."Reaper says
"Same to you about Geno. But I'm sure everything will be ok. That's a mighty nice book you got there. Scrapbook?"I say
"Ya....A scrapbook Geno made me."He says
"What page are you on?"I ask
"Emmm, 32, why?"He says
"Try page 40."I tell him
He flips the pages a bit.
"It's just a torn corner with the number."He tells me
"What was the thing on the pages before it?"I ask
"Just a bunch of pages telling how he feels about everyone. Page 39 tells of how he considers me a close friend and such....Entry 7.98 it says."He says
"Ok, good to know."I say
"Why is that good?"He asks
"Well...Geno made E!Pap promise him something but E!Pap passed that promise onto you. They did that in case something happened, which they were obviously right about. Geno tore a page out in case of trouble. He wanted to make sure it got to you and only you. Something about stuff being used against you. I haven't seen it. E!Pap hasn't read it. Only Geno has. We only know it as the Truth. So, here's a promise fufilled."I tell him, taking the page out
I slide it into the scrapbook. The tear marks lined up perfectly and it came together magically. It unfolded and looks as good as new.
"I hope it makes you feel at least a lil better, Reaper."I say, not bothering to look at it.
He glances at it, then at me. He hugs me.
"Thank you, Blue."He tells me
"No problem, Reaper."I respond, hugging him in return
I get up and leave him to read once he released me from the hug. What do I do? Find my brother and hold him close. He comforts me.
Meanwhile, Cross deals with his own situation. Observe:
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Well, this chapter was uh...yeah....I hope it was a good one at least! I'll try to make another chapter but I'm running low on ideas again so if you have any ideas or requests, please comment them. Thanks for reading and I hope you all are having a good day/night/whatever!
:3