Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

         Sleep, a child’s greatest foe and a struggle that refuses to end till puberty (and obscene amounts of school work) comes knocking with a bat. When other children were begging for one more hour and stalling as long as they could, you were the odd one out, much to your parents pride and boastfulness. Though, looking back on it, if the other children could’ve only met their best and truest friend in the land of dreams, maybe there would’ve been more children like you.

         You don’t really know how or when it started. Your memories of the small skeleton named Nightmare went so far back that you could no longer remember your first meeting. It had seemed to you, as if he had always been there. That there had never been a time where he hadn’t been eagerly waiting for you the moment you fell asleep.

         You wouldn’t have traded him for the world.

         Nightmare, the book hoarder that he had been, had started the spark that ignited your own love of reading. Back in the early days of your friendship, he would bring books from his village library for you both to read. You often traded favorite parts and played pretend based on them. Some days you could still remember the thrill of running, shrieking with laughter, from the ‘dragon’. Others, you thumbed at your palms and remembered the rough feeling of bark under your hands as you climbed the massive Tree of Feelings as fellow adventurers. During the parts of the year that you attended school, you would check out as many stories as you could to bring with you into your shared sleepscape. The annoyance of going to bed with an armful of hardcovers was worth the delight on your best friend’s face every time.

         Nightmare had been so giving. You had worried for him, in those days. Especially when he’d enter your shared illusion covered in cuts and bruises. You’d try to ask for calmer, less straining activities on those days, not wanting him to be in any more pain than he already was.

          On his good days, though, you had quite the time teasing him. Nightmare was surprisingly sheltered for such an incredible person. It had shocked you when you had first discovered it, but that surprise quickly turned to delight when you realized how easy it was to fluster and frustrate him. It was your favorite game, to see how purple his face could become, and how loud he could holler at you as you fled, laughing yourself to the point of tears. You did everything you could think of to get the reactions you desired. To see his attempt at composure crumble and show off the fellow child underneath.

         You called him adorable. He’d turned purple and adamantly denied it. He was a fierce protector, not cute in the slightest.

         You stole his crown. He’d chased you around for hours, almost catching you but never quite.

          You’d given him every sweet and cute nickname you could think of. Once he’d had enough he’d hit you over the head with one of his lighter books, face flushed all the way to violet.

         The list only went on, but, as many fun times as there were, there was one memory that would never leave your mind, no matter how long it had been.

~~~~~

          “Never have I ever…” Nightmare paused to think, head tilted and nose ridge scrunched. “Eaten cheesecake.”

          “Awww.” You put yet another finger down, huffing at him.

          “I still have no idea why someone would eat that. It sounds disgusting." Nightmare said, grimacing at the thought.

          You giggled, “It’s a lot better than it sounds. Promise.”

          “If you say so.” He replied, clearly unconvinced.

         You snorted out another giggle before focusing. “Okay, my turn. Never have I ever…”

         You peered around for some inspiration, determined to win your game. It would be difficult though, as you only had four fingers left to your best friend’s six. Glancing up, you caught sight of the eternal sunset between the leaves above you and grinned as a sudden idea struck you. “Never have I ever seen the stars in real life! Ha! Got you!”

        Surprisingly, Nightmare didn’t huff and roll his eyes at your antics like he usually did. Instead he blinked at you slowly and said, “Never?”

        “Uh uh.” you said, shaking your head, confused by his lack of amusement at your energy.

        “Ever?” He looked… upset.

        You frowned, hands falling to your lap. Had you said something wrong? “Not more than one or two. I live in the city. There's too much light.”

        Nightmare scrunched his brow and gave you a look like someone kicked a puppy in front of him. He was definitely upset. You were close to panicking, not knowing what you would do if you made him cry. Sure, he’d cried in front of you before, but never because of you.

         Thankfully, just as you were about to start flailing and apologizing, you were interrupted by Nightmare grabbing you by the wrist and dragging you out from under the imaginary Tree of Feelings that centered your little sleepscape. You stumbled along behind him, full of questions but mostly just happy he wasn’t sad anymore. In fact, a good look at his face told you he was feeling rather determined. About what, though, you had no idea.

         Eventually you both stopped in the middle of an almost empty field, save for the handful of wild flowers popping up in random places. “Wh-”

         “Shhh.” Nightmare raised your hands and made you cover your eyes. “Don't move until I say so.”

         “Ok-ay?” You said, frozen in place as you felt him step away from you. You stayed there as your best friend muttered to himself, nothing but his voice and the soft sounds of shifting grass to focus on.

          “Alright. I’m done.” he said, much to your ever growing confusion. You pulled your hands off of your eyes, frowning.

         “Done? Done with wha-” You froze mid sentence, awe like nothing before filling you. The only sound that left your lips was a quiet, “Oh.”

         The fiery sky had faded from existence, a stunning hue of dark blues and indigo replacing it. The moon shone brightly, its soft light cascading down across the field for only you and your friend to see. And the stars, you craned your neck as far back as you could and gaped at the sheer number of them. “Wow.”

        There had to be millions of them peaking out from the darkness, with only the rare cloud blocking a handful from your view. They glowed and twinkled like fairies in the sky. You’d never seen anything so beautiful in your life.

        “Do you like it?” Nightmare stood in front of you, wringing his hands nervously. “I know its no-”

        You cut him off with a fierce tackle hug, squeezing his middle as hard as you could. “I love it.”

~~~~~~

         Then, one random day, the dreams stopped.

         Oh, you had been distraught. Listless and crying yourself to sleep every night. You had stopped eating for a time, thrown yourself into rages you’d never imagined doing before, and begged any star that would listen to give back your best friend. But he never returned. In his place true nightmares reigned. You lost track of how many times you’d woken from sleep with a shriek of terror caught in your throat.

         At the time, you had feared that you had done something wrong. That Nightmare had grown bored of you and left. Or perhaps that you had made him angry and he was giving you the silent treatment or even sending you these horrific dreams. It had taken you time to believe that he was simply… gone.

        Regardless, life had gone on, brutal day after brutal day. Your home life became steadily worse as the years dragged on, till you escaped the day of your eighteenth birthday. Juggling jobs, college, and mental health problems had been an absolute terror, but somehow, you’d survived it.

        Eventually, you became financially stable enough to gain a therapist, and had gone over the deep trauma of your existence, and their resulting symptoms. Instead of calling you crazy and laughing you out of the room, as you had expected, they simply explained that the mind had a way of coping with things that not everyone could understand. You had never felt more guilty as when you had allowed them to lead you through letting go of your best friend and moving on with your life.

         Nightmare had been a figment of your imagination, a balm to soothe the pain you had experienced. You no longer needed him to live your life and could continue on without him.

        Even if it broke your heart to do so.

Chapter Text

Nightmare’s domain was dark and eerily silent. This might seem obvious to some, that the home of the god of negativity would be as such. To those who knew him, however, they would be startled by the lack of noise. To which Nightmare would wave off their concerns with the simple explanation that his men had started seeking out dwellings away from his castle. Unsurprising, considering the time of peace they were in. 

Still, ever since the treaty had been formed, Nightmare couldn’t shake the odd hollow feeling his home seemed to have. He’d grown used to the chatter, the antics, and even (stars forbid) the random crashes followed by frantic silence as the fools tried to fix, or hide, whatever they broke. 

It was… lonely.

In the dark of his office, Nightmare stared down at an ancient wooden box. It was so old that not only had the stain faded to nothing, but the wood itself had been worn down so much that the decorative carvings had almost vanished. The hinges had been replaced so many times that he had lost count. 

Nightmare could be described by many words. Terrifying, vindictive, possessive, longevous, a guardian, a traitor. Sentimental wasn’t often one that many would consider. Nonetheless, here he was, hiding away old trinkets like priceless treasures.

Such was his tradition, when the stars were bright and his mind filled with memories, to sit and stare at those old objects, so fragile after everything they’d been through. Every now and then his hand would reach out and brush a piece. The memories of you were always so bittersweet.

The day the two of you had met had been a painful one for Nightmare. Dream had left to play with some of his friends, and Nightmare had stayed behind to guard the tree. It had been the first day the village children had felt bold enough to come out and attack him directly. It had only been mere taunts that time, but the words had cut deep in his then sensitive soul.

That night, he had fallen asleep, only to find the most priceless treasure he could have ever imagined. 

You were a strange human. Shy but bright and eager to know him, uncaring of his status. He had been quickly charmed and befriended, his world shining brighter than ever before.

You were his hidden paradise. His dear friend. Someone he didn’t have to share with Dream or fear rejection from. 

The strange dreams you shared were still a subject he knew little of. Centuries of research left him with little more than theories and a vague explanation that might as well have been ‘the stars aligned’. 

He’d been devastated to know that he couldn’t pass gifts back to you the way you could for him. He could only assume it was because his side of the connection was stronger than yours, making it easy for him to take but far too difficult for you to receive.

He had eventually settled for using his control over your joint sleepscape to render each night as enjoyable as possible. You particularly enjoyed the flower fields he came up with. Running and skipping through wildflowers, usually playing out some story line or another with him.

He’d never expected the day you had learned about flower crowns. You had marched into the sleepscape and, with playful imperiousness, demanded to know why he hadn’t taught you yet. 

Nightmare had never told you about the significance behind the crown of moon-flowers he’d placed on your head that day. And he’d never get the chance to. It lay, carefully preserved by magic, on the top of his treasures. Waiting to be worn by someone who’d never get the chance to again.

The only treasure that remained outside of Nightmare’s box was a small, terribly woven bracelet. A little golden moon charm hung from it, contrasting against the purple yarn. He’d sooner remove his hand than the tattered old thing.

~~~~~

“Tada!” You cheered, shoving a box in his face as soon as you reached him.

He blinked rapidly, taking it on instinct. He knew from experience that you’d start shaking it and pouting if he didn’t grab your gifts immediately. “Hello to you too.”
You grinned, even more excited than usual, bouncing about with restless energy. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

His Soul dropped through the ground. It was a holiday for you? He didn’t prepare anything! He’d never even heard of this Valentine’s Day. “Um-”

“I know we have different holidays and festivals and stuff,” You said, cheerfully unaware of his sudden relief. You weren’t expecting anything. “But I really, really wanted to make you something this time!”

Now that he was certain you wouldn’t be disappointed by his lack of knowledge on the subject, Nightmare allowed himself to be much more amused by your cheerful excitement. You looked like a rabbit, bouncing around like you were. He carefully pulled apart the red and pink paper, dotted with… souls? “Is there something special about this one?”

You grinned as he pulled out a simple, but carefully braided purple bracelet with a little moon charm gleaming in the sunlight. “It’s the celebration of the people you love!”

The whole world came to a screeching halt for Nightmare. You… loved him? No one had ever loved him before. Except for Dream and their mother. 

Too overwhelmed by the sudden roller-coaster of emotions he was experiencing, Nightmare just hugged you tight and tried to fit everything he wanted to say into a single, “I love you too.”

~~~~~~~~~

The day he’d eaten the apples had been the day of his greatest despair. At first, the power, the thrill of control, had been intoxicating. He had celebrated the death around him and delighted in his new form. Until he had fallen asleep, eager to speak to you of his new freedom.

What Nightmare hadn’t realized when he’d first eaten the apples, was the terrible price for his new form. His connection to you had been severed. You were gone. His only friend. His love. His paradise. Gone. 

He’d rampaged for weeks after this discovery. And spent the next few decades desperately searching high and low for you across the multiverse. But, in the end, it was all for nothing. 

Finally, after nearly a century of searching, Nightmare had been forced to acknowledge that even if he found you, your mortal life would have run its course. You were gone. 

Time had passed since then. His brother had woken. He had taken in his men. They had all fought. And fought. And fought. And eventually, after the war rendered them all weary, the treaty was formed.

Even still, Nightmare couldn’t quite move on from you. He sighed, running his hand over the worn lid of the box as he closed it. 

Chapter Text

The last thing Nightmare had been expecting that morning was a frantic call from Blue about needing his immediate assistance. He wouldn’t say he was panicked, but the frantic quality of Blue’s message had him… concerned. 

Ink was waiting for Nightmare when he arrived in the Doodlesphere, (and what a terrible name that was) seeming as cheerful and exuberant as ever. It still grated on his nerves to be around such annoying beings like the Creator, but he had developed a bit of a resistance to their fuse shortening abilities over the decades.

“I heard that you required my assistance?” Nightmare asked, wondering what could have gone wrong. The lack of Dream attempting to smother him only heightened his… concern.

“Oh, yeah, so some Sans type mentioned that there was a pretty bad storm in his verse and asked for some help with getting people out.” Ink said, suddenly seeming much more serious. And surprisingly annoyed. “He neglected to mention that said storm was a category five hurricane.”

Nightmare frowned as Ink lifted up his shirt to show his entire ribcage wrapped in bandages. “All three of us got tossed around pretty bad, but Dream took the brunt of it. He’s going to be fine, but we were hoping you could-”

“You were hoping I could speed up the healing process.” Nightmare finished, pinching the bridge of his nose ridge. The longer he and Dream were at peace, the more Nightmare realized just how often his brother threw himself (or got himself thrown) into danger. He was half-way ready to wrap the younger guardian in bubble wrap.

“Yep!” Ink chirped, all trace of irritation gone.

Nightmare sighed, “Lead the way.”

Ink led Nightmare to one of his guest rooms, where Dream lay on the bed. His brother was so wrapped in bandages that he more resembled a mummy than a skeleton. 

Nightmare sighed (he seemed to be doing that a lot recently) and sat on the side of the bed, quietly changing the drying cloth that rested on his forehead. He was incredibly warm, his magic likely fighting to heal him as quickly as possible. That wasn’t good.

“You’re even more trouble as an ally.” Nightmare quipped dryly at the still form.

Using magic on his brother, and vice versa, was difficult. The two had to be careful not to let their opposite channels of magic crash against each other, lest their attempt to help could instead cause harm.

Nightmare carefully pushed healing energy into his brother’s wounds, keeping his touch light and gentle. The process was slower than it would have been with anyone else, but at least he was still able to do so. 

After what must have been hours of work, Dream was almost entirely healed of his wounds. The Nightmare could feel the guardian fall deeper into a more restful sleep. 

More tired than he’d like to admit, Nightmare stood slowly and left his brother to rest. He closed the door near silently and peered around for the dreaded inkstain to inform him of his teammate’s improved health.

Following the trail of paint and loud babbling, Nightmare made his way across the surprisingly large home. He finally found the Creator rattling around in a large room full of artifacts and scattered papers. It must’ve been the room Dream mentioned in his last visit to Nightmare’s domain. He’d been intrigued by his brother’s request for assistance identifying some older magical artifacts.

It was then that Nightmare heard the dreaded word. The singular sound that could send chills down his spine and make him come to attention faster than anything else.

“Whoops!”

The world faded to black.

Chapter Text

It was a drizzly, wet afternoon and you had been forced from the warmth of your apartment out into the cold for groceries. You’d never been more thankful that there was a store just a few blocks away from your building. 

Despite the chilly weather, it was a pleasant -if inconvenient- trip. You wore your favorite scarf. You’d playfully splashed in a few stray puddles, putting your sturdy rainboots to work. You’d even managed some casual conversation with a very friendly cashier while you were checking out. 

Unfortunately, your good mood was spoiled by a loud, and blatantly angry, businessman who nearly trampled you in his rush to get wherever he was going. The large dog monster was screaming so loud even people across the busy roadway noticed. You shrank back under a nearby canopy as he marched by you, too engrossed in his fit to pay attention to his surroundings. You watched him pass, skin crawling. 

A sudden noise to your left startled you into jumping. You whirled around, scanning the area, only to find no one there. You frowned in confusion and stared at the pile of trash that sat near the edge of the awning, the only thing close to you at the moment. Was it a stray? A rat? The wind and your naturally jumpy nerves?

The sound reached your ears again. You shuffled carefully closer to the source of the noise. After some confusion, and searching, you found it. There, lying in an old cardboard box, was some sort of moving… gloopy thing. You’d almost missed it, if not for the quiet growling noises it kept making. 

You’d never seen anything quite like it before. You could only compare it to a small black blob of slime. The only difference was this blob had a singular teal eye half the size of its head and several little tails sticking out from its back.

It growled again, sounding closer to a kitten crying for its mother than anything truly fierce. Its little tails waved around, dragging the creature slowly across the box. Your heart clinched at the pitiful sight.

Before you got closer, you paused and closed your eyes to steady yourself. You had a bad habit of becoming unreasonably attached to things and you could not get a pet right now. It would stink and mess up your apartment and need attention and stimulation, meaning extra work for you. Thus, you determined to yourself that you would simply take the creature and bring it to a shelter to be adopted by someone else. That was what was going to happen. No getting attached.

Nodding determinedly to yourself, you bent down and scooped the creature out of its soggy box. It squeaked and huffed as you straightened and held it up to your face, blinking at it in wonder. Despite your previous resolve, you couldn’t deny that the odd little thing was very cute. It was the size of your palm and soft and squishy like a stressball, though you were careful not to squeeze it. The big teal eye you’d noticed previously seemed to almost glow in the dim atmosphere. Its skin, ink, whatever was cool to the touch and shimmered with a blueish greenish iridescence when the light hit it.

The creature blinked in your general direction and wrapped its tails around your fingers, purring contently. Awww. 

Oh, no. It was too late wasn’t it? 

Groaning quietly, you gently tucked the tiny blob thing that you were now inexplicably attached to into the folds of your scarf. Picking your umbrella back up, you grumbled to yourself and started marching in the direction of your home. 

Despite its previous activity, the creature was remarkably still and docile as you made your way through bustling streets and loud sidewalks. The cool sensation of it pressed against your jaw was odd, particularly on an already wet and cold day, but the soft vibrations of its purrs melted whatever irritation you might’ve had before it could even stir.

When you made it back to your apartment, you took the time to find an old cardboard box you hadn’t thrown out yet and set the tiny creature down. It squeaked in protest and flailed its little tails in your general direction as you put away your groceries as quickly as possible to avoid listening to the heartrending cries for too long.

Finally, you finished. Collapsing into one of your chairs, you dragged the box closer to you from across your table and stared at the irate blob inside. You huffed at the little thing in its box as it finally quieted down and wiggled a finger at it. The big teal eye didn’t really track the moment much, but the creature shuffled into your general direction, making high pitched growly noises and waving its little limbs at you. “You know, if I'm going to keep you, you’re going to need a name.”

You’d never really had a pet of your own before, but you had seen some rather ridiculous names on social media, so you were fairly confident you wouldn’t fumble naming him. The blob felt male, not that you had any reference. 

A sudden thought struck you. Once, when you were younger, you had mentioned in passing that if you ever found a little companion, you would name it after your imaginary friend. Nighty had turned purple and grumbled that he didn’t want to share a name with an animal, but you had found his reaction so funny that you had sworn up and down that you would find a name similar enough to his.

Nightmare would be an ironic name to give to such a cute creature, and Dream was out due to already being claimed (even if it was the imaginary brother of your imaginary friend). Luna felt too girly, and so did most star themed names…

“How about Moon?” you mumble, mostly talking to yourself. The tiny creature had finally gripped onto your finger and his little tails were curled up and around your palm. His insistent squeaks had been replaced by a raspy little purr that nearly vibrated your whole hand.

You smiled at Moon, gently picking him up and petting along the small ridges that you assumed were his spine. “Yeah, I think that suits you. You’ll be my little Moon.”

Chapter Text

You ended up making Moon a nest out of some old shirts and sweaters you had hidden in the back of your closet. The idea had been fueled by the sudden realization that, as cute as Moon was, you had no intention of letting him sleep in your bed. While Moon didn’t leave trails of slime like you had originally assumed he would, you still feared squishing him if you rolled over in your sleep. Besides, he couldn’t seem to see very well, and you weren’t interested in him accidentally sticking one of his searching tails up your nose as a wake up call.

Thankfully, Moon had been more than pleased with his nest, snuffling and rolling around in the soft fabrics and purring like a little motor. Sleep had come easily, lacking the usual night terrors, much to your great relief. Your new friend must’ve picked up on your good mood, as he squeaked and snuffled inside your jacket hood, purring contently against your neck as you ate breakfast the next morning. You found yourself hoping the trip to the vet would be just as peaceful.

-------------

“We’ll get little Moon here all checked out! If you don’t mind sitting in the waiting room, it's just over there.” the nurse said, smiling that generic cheerful smile anyone in customer service knew. It was clear she was getting annoyed by your nerves.

“Are you sure?” You asked, fidgeting. Moon had protested every time you so much as put him down. Maybe you got attached too easily, but those tiny heartrending cries made you feel like the scum of the earth.

“He’ll be fine.” she assured you, a bit of irritation starting to sink into her tone. “We have one of the best care teams in the tri-state area.”

“A-alright.” You mumbled, shrinking under the pressure. You scooped Moon up and set him down gently in his little nest before handing the box to the woman, who flashed you a brief smile before heading down the hall and out of your view.

You sighed and headed back to the ugly pink chairs to wait, hoping nothing went wrong.

--------

Nightmare was drowsy, more tired than he had been in decades. Whatever that spastic inkstain had done had sapped away his energy and left him in a fog-like state of near nothingness. The only thing he could sense was the coming and going of negativity flitting around him, slowly feeding him snippets of strength.

It went like that for what seemed like an eternity, till a steady, comforting warmth pierced the thick veil of almost-a-coma mid meal. It reached for him and held him close, carrying him away with it. Nightmare felt strange around the warmth, half asleep as he was. The only thing that had come close to this feeling had been his brother, but Dream’s warmth could quickly turn into a searing brand if the two of them weren’t careful. 

This warmth, however, felt similar to the odd but pleasant ache Nightmare felt when caring for his subordinates, as if the heat that filled his soul had been given physical form. It was as addicting as it was comforting. He chased after it in his tired state, determined to keep the warmth close, gripping it with his tentacles as best he could and drawing it closer.

After some time, a voice came with the warmth. Soft and crooning, talking to him in words he couldn’t quite make out, but sweet all the same. Other sounds came and went, but none of them were like the Voice, so he didn’t pay them much mind. Instead, he closed his eye and let the beautiful sound follow him through the waves of unconsciousness. 

Then, something reached out and took him from the warmth. At first, he had been too lost in the comforting softness of his bed, filled with an incredible scent that tickled the back of his mind with a memory he couldn’t quite reach. But once he noticed, his relaxed state quickly drained away, replaced by an unwavering fury.

How dare they take him from his warmth.

---------

The screaming alerted you first. It was a series of loud, startled shrieks that nearly made you, and everyone else in the waiting area, jump out of your skin. Then came the crashing. Loud bangs of heavy objects being thrown around almost seemed to rattle the walls of the clinic. By that time, you were on your feet, thoughts focused on your tiny blob and his safety. 

You darted down the hall to the room you’d seen the receptionist take Moon, opening the door to a truly strange sight. Moon was somehow twice the size he had been not ten minutes ago, and was using his -now much longer- tails to grab and throw everything within reach around the room. His previously adorable squeaks had turned to a loud, shrieking growl of obvious displeasure.

You stood in shock for a moment before noticing something you’d missed in your first scan of the room. A young looking vet huddled under one of the tables, hiding from the incoming projectiles.

Springing into action, you stayed exactly where you were (in case your now less small companion decided to make you a target as well) and called for your pet. “Moonie!”

The effect was almost immediate, Moon dropped his latest objects of terror (a clip board, pen, and paperweight) and started waving his tails in your direction, his eerie growl kicking up a notch. Ignoring the frantic vet trying to dissuade you, you scooped up the irate blob in both arms and held him against your chest.

As Moon settled against you, you finally got the chance to take in his rapid changes. Where the creature had been the size of a kitten, he now was more comparable to a fully grown house cat. His inky textured skin was colder than it had been, and seemed to have a more vivid hue to the previous iridescence you had noticed. What’s more, his tails were now twice as long and thick as they had been, and you were more inclined to label them as tentacles. The ridges of his spine were more prominent, and you could now make out a mouth full of very sharp looking teeth as he yawned widely.

The vet stared at you in shock and something like horror as Moon contently wrapped his tails around your arms and neck, purring loudly. It was certainly a stark contrast from the shrieking terror he had been not even a minute prior. 

You fumbled for something to say. “Uh, hi?”

Wow. Way to go. You managed a whole word. Let’s try for a sentence this time, shall we?

You manage to stumble through introducing yourself to the vet and explaining that you were not, in fact, a random person who barged into their office, but Moon’s caretaker. And no, you had no idea that he could rapidly grow and turn violent at the drop of a hat. You didn’t even know what he was.

The vet had you hold Moon for the rest of his check up, which seemed to be the only thing he needed to stay non-violent, though he still made his displeasure clear whenever the vet and their assistant did anything he remotely disliked. Mostly through lashing tails and pitched growls that quickly faded when you hushed him.

The vet’s expert opinion ended up not being anywhere near worth the bill, as, in the end, you learned that they also had no idea what Moon was. Only that he seemed to eat ambient energy in the air, his sudden growth was likely a threat response, he was very smart, and that he was definitely not socialized.

So, you loaded a socially done blob of mystery back into his box and into your car and drove home to drown your irritation in ice cream and movies.

Chapter Text

“You lost my brother?!”

Swap laughed nervously, shrinking slightly as he tried to edge away from the true subject of Dream’s wrath. Ink, however, clung to his scarf in an attempt to shield himself from the enraged guardian. “Well, you see-”

“How do you lose a three hundred year old negativity god?!” Dream screeched, bandages slowly unraveling from his abrupt movements.

“Well, heh.” Ink said, shaking behind his living shield. “It's a funny story.”

“I’m listening.” the irate guardian hissed, eyes narrowing to slits. 

“Remember that artifact we were looking into?” Ink asked, eyes firmly looking away from the imminent threat in front of him.

Swap could hear Dream’s teeth grinding from three feet away. “The one I told you not to mess with?”

“Yeah…” Ink was so pale Swap was amazed that he hadn’t fainted. “So I may have. Messed with it. Just a little.”

“I see.” Swap wondered, was it possible to set someone on fire with just your eyes. For Ink’s sake he really hoped not.

“I mean,” Ink rambled, sweating at the look in Dream’s eyelights. “He’s probably fine. I’m like 59% sure. Maybe 42%. 36%?”

Swap, finally having enough, slapped a hand over Ink’s mouth and solemnly stared dead into his face. “The hole you are digging here is four feet wide and six feet deep.”

Dream growled lower than any monster Swap had ever heard, the potent heat of his magic flaring once more. This was how he died, wasn’t it? 

His teammate’s eyes flashed orange for a brief moment. “Find. Him.”

Chapter Text

~~~~~~~

You wandered through a beautiful stone castle, the kind you only saw in fairy tale movies. You strolled through long, grand hallways, admiring the floor to ceiling windows and what little you could see of the art on the walls. It was dark, with only the brilliant light of the crescent moon to guide you.

Everything felt so real. You brushed your hand against the cool stone, feeling every bump and divot. The red carpet was soft and plush under your feet. You could smell the heavy perfume of flowers in the air.

But, as beautiful as it was… something felt wrong. You walked faster through the halls with every passing minute. No matter how sudden your turns or how strange your direction, the eerie feeling of eyes following you wherever you went. Your heart pounded in your ears as you finally made it out of the castle and into the garden.

The outside of the castle was somehow even more lovely than the inside. Beautiful and exotic flowers grew everywhere, surrounding statues and fountains, all near glowing in the starlight.

“Where are you?” you jumped at the sudden whisper, spinning around so fast you almost fell. Only, there was no one there. 

You pressed a hand against your racing heart, unease returning twofold. What was happening?

“Paradise?” this time the sound seemed to come from all around you. You couldn’t make out the words spoken, but something about the voice made you want to run. Every fiber of your being was screaming at you that there was something wrong with that voice.

You needed to get away immediately. You needed to run, run, run.

A pitiful cry came from the entrance of the garden. “Where did you go?”

Something was looking for you.

You ran for the forest at the edge of the garden. Your clothes snagged on thorns and your feet ached from the rocks in the dirt, but all you could think about was putting distance between you and whatever that thing was.

Once you cleared the tree line you scrambled behind one of the larger trunks, gasping for breath. Trembling you closed your eyes as the same pitiful cry you’d heard before rang out over the clearing. 

It sounded, so sad.

You bit your lip, sympathy warring with your terror. Shaking like a leaf, you peered around your hiding place to look at whatever was hunting you. All sympathy faded away as your stomach dropped.

It was huge. A massive, twisting shadow made of pure darkness. Not even the light from the moon could illuminate it, instead being sucked into the skin of a living nightmare. Long tentacles sprouted from its back, lashing about in its upset state. The body itself was hard to make out, but the claws attached to its long limbs were more than easy to see. 

Your breath froze in your chest as a branch gave way under your foot. The creature’s head whipped over in your direction and your legs almost gave out. 

Half of its face was melting. The off balance weight causing it to tilt its head to one side oddly. And its remaining eye… the teal orb that sat in the creature’s eye socket burned brighter than any light you’d seen so far. It stared straight into your soul and picked you apart piece by piece.

The nightmare grinned wider than physically possible, showing off long jagged fangs even more frightening than its claws. “My Paradise!”

You turned and bolted deeper into the forest, ignoring the shrieking cry of panic and sorrow. You couldn’t even think straight anymore. Fear filled your every vein and terror drove your feet forward.

But you’d never be fast enough to outrun a nightmare. 

You screamed as you were grabbed from behind. Reality seemed to fade out from under your feet as you were dragged down, down, down into darkness. Thick tentacles wrapped around your body and pulled you deeper and deeper into the black abyss of nothing. 

Nothing but you and the nightmare.

But then, the terror just… held you. It wrapped its arms around you and pulled you close. You shivered as it buried its face in your neck and cradled you against itself. You’d almost call the embrace tender, were it not for the unbreakable grip that kept you from escaping its hold. 

Hot breath flickered across your skin, making you flinch. “Mine,” 

“My Perfect Paradise.”

~~~~~~~

You woke half panicked, your heart pounding so hard you could feel it in your head. You sat up, shaking the blankets from your sweaty legs and holding a trembling hand against your racing heart. You glanced around your room, a creeping feeling sliding down your spine as if your nightmare could follow you into the waking world. 

Your paranoid searching was brought to an abrupt halt when Moon chirped curiously at you from his place next to your pillow. Glancing away from him, you took several deep, steading breaths and attempted to calm yourself. 

Once you stopped shaking, you laid down again. You clutched at your pet, letting him curl up in your arms. Moon’s soft, squishy tails wiped away the lingering feeling of the terror’s massive tentacles. His charming little squeaks and purrs drowned out the echo of that voice.

"You know," you said, you voice dry and thick from sleep. "I was starting to think you were my little dream catcher."

Moon cooed at you as you stroked one of his tails. You grinned wryly. "Guess not, huh, baby? More nightmare's for me."

You huffed and stared at the faint light coming from his unseeing eye. "I suppose I should be used to it by now though."

As you drifted off, you squeezed Moon lightly and reminded yourself of the same thing you’d told yourself for years now:

Nightmares weren’t real. It was all in your head.

Chapter Text

Despite your previous concerns about adopting a pet (and Moon’s unexpectedly clingy behavior), you found yourself falling back into your daily routine faster than you ever would have expected. After making some calls, you discovered that the college you worked for had a remarkably pet friendly policy. Your fellow staff members were happy to have you bring in your little terror.

Soon, you hardly had to stress about waking at five and preparing yourself and your little glob of cuteness for a long day of office work. Every day from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, Moon dozed on the corner of your desk as you compiled research and edited official papers. Students and staff alike poked their heads in to coo at the lazy bundle of grumpy that refused pets but imperiously accepted all manner of treats. You were worried he might have another growth spurt if he kept eating so much.

If anything, having Moon around made your days significantly brighter. While you preferred the quiet of your office more often than not, it did get lonely every once in a while. Friendly exchanges with coworkers only went so far to dim the desire for company. While Moon couldn’t necessarily understand you, or respond, he made excellent company. 

As a bonus, Moon also scared the living daylights out of a particularly annoying HR administrator that had taken a fancy to you. His far too frequent visits to your office significantly reduced, to your great delight.

The only downside to your brighter days were the increased frequency of your chronic nightmares. It was rather disappointing, as you had managed to reduce them greatly over the last handful of years through therapy and extensive self healing. You reminded yourself to book another appointment with your therapist to go over it. 

Despite having experienced them since childhood, you found yourself unsettled by these new nightmares. Repetitive dreams weren’t something you’d ever struggled with, yet the last few weeks had only small variations of the same plot. It was odd, and you couldn’t for the life of you figure out what had triggered such intense terror that it would take the form of that terrible beast to haunt you.

Nevertheless, you did your best not to dwell on it. It would do you no good to ruin your days over something so small.

You paused your assessment of the paper you were going through as Moon snuffled and growled in his sleep. Smiling at him, you gently reached out and ran a hand over his spine. He grumbled and wrapped his tails around it, squeezing briefly before releasing you. You cooed quietly, careful not to wake him.

Moon, for some inexplicable reason, brought out a part of you that you had thought died years ago. Buried under years of trauma and guilt, the little creature called to the nonsensical child in you. You found yourself remembering for the first time in ages, what it felt like to be that little girl who knew that no matter what happened, she’d always have her friend.

It was… painful in a good way. That bittersweet ache that pounded in your chest made you realize that some wounds from your past still hadn’t healed fully. 

You chuckled softly as Moon grumbled slightly louder, sounding for all the world like a grumpy old man being told to wake up from a nap.

Maybe with him, they finally would.

Chapter Text

Nightmare faded in and out of the dark sea of exhaustion. His previous rage and blind attack must’ve frightened off the intruder, because the Voice always close by, filling him with that wonderful warmth. 

But not even the Voice could save him from his torment.

Nightmare wasn’t sure what higher being had decided to finally reign judgement down upon him, but they certainly knew how to enforce the cruelest of punishments. 

Nightmare dreamed. He dreamed of his Paradise, as you would have been had you known each other beyond childhood. Your face may have been older, your body grown, but he knew that Soul. That scent. That lovely light.

You were alive, breathing and breathtaking. You walked the halls of the castle he had built for you. You flitted about the garden he had spent centuries cultivating. He felt a swell of pride at the admiration you held for his work. He yearned to hold you, to bask in the sweetest illusion until reality crumbled away.

But not everything was as it seemed.

In his dreams, you always remained just on the edge of his vision. Only a trace of you could ever be seen. Flickering, there one moment and gone the next. The ghost of your footsteps was always just around the corner. 

It drove him mad. 

Nightmare felt like a dying fool in the desert, chasing after the illusion of water that was always just on the horizon. He scrambled through the halls of his castle, desperately searching for you. He forgot all forms of dignity as he went chasing after your shadow. 

Desperate and despairing, Nightmare cried out after you with all the desperation of a lost child, begging your retreating form not to leave him. 

It only became worse from there. 

Finally, he would be close enough to speak to you, to touch you. Only for you to tremble and flinch from him, terrified by what you saw. You screamed and fled every time he came near. No matter how he tried to sooth you, to reassure you it was him, that it was your Nightmare, you still trembled and cried like you were faced with a terrible beast.

At the end of his dream, you’d vanish from his arms and he’d spend what felt like an eternity in the dark, clinging to the Voice as his only comfort till it all started again.

It. Was. Hell.

Chapter Text

Hiding away in the Doodlesphere, an unfortunate Soul carried a heavy burden. A burden he was willing to bear, as it had been asked of him by his dear friend. Dream was too busy, having left to start his search the minute he received news of his brother's disappearance. Nevertheless, he felt weighed down by the duty he had agreed to take upon himself. 

Swap knew the call had to be made, but he really didn’t want to. Dream on a rampage was terrifying enough, he didn’t even want to think about what would happen if that group joined in. 

The poor guard stared down at his phone like it was going to turn into a serpent and bite him. Though, in all honesty, that would have been preferable to the task he was about to undertake. 

He could smell the destruction bound to be caused. The chaos that would come from this.

Dialing the number, he grimaced as he prayed to all that was holy that they wouldn’t pick up. 

His prayers went unanswered. “Dust speaking.”

Better to just bite the bullet. “Nightmare’s missing.”

“... What?”

Stars help them all.

Chapter Text

You woke with the ghost of a scream still on your lips.

Sitting up, you frantically searched for your captor, only to see your dark and empty room. You gasped for breath, face wet with sweat and tears.

Another night, another nightmare. You calmed your racing heart as well as you could, but your mind refused to settle. You flinched at every shadow. Every gust of wind was a whisper you could barely hear.

Grimacing, you climbed out of bed as carefully as you could. Moon grumbled in his sleep by your pillow, and you didn’t want to wake him if you could help it.

Padding to your kitchen, you flipped on the light and rustled around till you found yourself some tea. It was an old box, shoved all the way in the back of one of your drawers. Your last resort. When nothing else helped you sleep, this had never failed.

You sat at the table, gripping your steaming cup like a lifeline. The dreams seemed to be getting worse. The scenery grew more vivid with each passing night. The terror caught you sooner and sooner every time. Your fear grew with every nightmare. 

It almost felt like the creature would soon crawl out of your mind and into the waking world.

You took a long drink of too hot tea, searing your taste-buds. The leaves were stale with age, giving it an odd taste. Both made you grimace, but they chased away the creeping paranoia like you had hoped they would.

The terror itself seemed to be getting clearer. Its voice was less faint, its cries grew more piercing. 

You still couldn’t make out most of its words but every few nights, you’d catch snippets of what it was saying. 

I adore you, My Paradise.

You shuddered, the sweet croons were almost more frightening than its ear splitting shrieks.

I miss you so much…

What was worse, your lack of sleep was beginning to affect your work. You drained unhealthy amounts of coffee just to get through the day, and you jumped at every shadow. You felt like you were going crazy.

Don’t be afraid. 

You really hoped you could make it till your appointment…

Chapter Text

Morning, baby.” The Voice was louder. “Did at least one of us sleep well?”

Nightmare stirred, a deep ache in the back of his skull. He had finally siphoned enough negative energy to withdraw from his own mind, but…

“I’m not feeling great, so we’re going to stay home today.” Something was… off.

The light was too bright to be his bedroom, or his infirmary for that matter. And that smell… he knew that scent. Where had he smelled that scent?

A soft, gentle hand stroked his head lovingly. The soothing motion brushed aside some of his raging migraine. He hummed in sleepy pleasure and leaned into the feeling.

A warm chuckle. “Looks like someone’s ready to go back to sleep.”

No. He didn’t want to sleep anymore. He didn’t dare risk returning to that miserable dream.

“Okay, okay. Easy there. No need to growl, Grumpy.”

… he was not grumpy.

Something wrapped around him and lifted him into the air. He leaned back against the soft warmth that cradled him tiredly. He was so disoriented. Whoever was holding him felt even bigger than Horror. What sort of giant was tending to him?

“Do you want breakfast or are you too lazy to eat right now?” 

A cheeky giant.

“Alright alright. You sure are growly this morning, Mr. Moon. You fill up on too many snacks yesterday?”

He was awake yesterday? He couldn’t remember…

“Alright, you chill out on the couch while I make myself something, m’kay?”

… he could do that.

Nightmare did his best to stay conscious while the Voice hummed quietly to herself and bustled about in her kitchen. His eyelight had been having trouble seeing everything clearly, but he was starting to make out fuzzy shapes and outlines as time passed.

As the Voice was joined by the sound of sizzling and the wafting smell of bacon, Nightmare tried moving his tentacles around. They felt clumsy and slow, but at least they still worked. He used them to feel around the massive… couch the Voice called it. How big was this woman? He almost couldn’t reach the edge!

Nightmare blinked several times and squinted, trying his best to make out his surroundings. Everything was significantly larger than he was used to. Did Ink make some sort of Gianttale while he was out?

“Alright.” the Voice sighed, making her way around the couch. “Nothing like tv and breakfast to take the mind off of things.”

Nightmare shrieked.

Chapter Text

Dream frantically tore through his current research on the artifact Ink used to “poof” his brother out of existence. Despite having read through all of it before, he couldn’t help but hope he would find something new to discover exactly where in the multiverse his brother had been “poof’’ed to.

His phone chimed with another update from the searchers. It was Killer, this time. Nightmare wasn’t in Mafiatale. 

Dream ran a hand over his face with a weary sigh. Nightmare also wasn’t in Undertale, Underfell, Fellswap, Underswap, Outertale, or the Anti-Void. About all they managed to find out was where his brother wasn’t.

The guardian paused and took a deep breath, trying his best to clear his head. Well, another Au down, only about a hundred more to go then.

It had been a little over a month since his brother vanished from the face of the multiverse, and Dream was really starting to consider bashing Ink’s skull in with his own brush. 

Swap, the angel incarnate, had taken charge in the chaos (Dream needed to do something nice for him when this was over. Maybe a vacation in Outertail? Or like a cruise ship or something). The former captain of the guard sent out an alert to every friend and ally he could find and sent out as many search parties as they could manage. It wasn’t nearly as many as Dream had hoped, but his heart warmed at the few who came.

Error had taken over Nightmare’s duties in his absence. Dream could only pray his brother didn’t strangle him for that decision. 

Dream, himself, had spent feverish weeks spilling over the stars-awful thing that Ink claimed to be messing with at the time of the incident. To his great, and still increasing, despair the object was near impossible to trace, and all the guardian could glean from the runes carved into it was that it was a method of travel.

Very helpful.

At least, Dream could say for sure that Nightmare was not dead. He might not have been as in tune with the multiverse as his fellow gods, but even he would have sensed the shift in the balance if such a catastrophic thing had occurred.

Still, Dream couldn’t help but feel bitter that this had happened. He had fought so hard for the peace they had now. Didn’t they deserve some rest? Just a little time to heal before the fates sandblasted them in the face again? 

He grinned bitterly. Of course not. it seemed like their family was nothing more than destiny's chew toy. Chosen to suffer again and again until the deities were satisfied.

He had finally gotten his brother back. Not only that, but Nightmare was the first to reach out after the treaty was formed. Sure he disguised the attempt with a basic debrief on each side’s situation, but he still did it!

They were bonding! Dream came over for dinner twice a month. He had Nightmare's number, and was even allowed to text whenever he wanted! Sure, his oh-so-stoic brother grumbled when he hugged him but not a year ago, he would have skewered Dream for such a thing. They traded books and information, and it wasn’t even on work subjects.

Dream glared at the artifact in front of him.

He was not losing his brother a second time.

Chapter Text

You sat across the room from your still frantic pet, confused and terrified. Moon finally stopped his horrifying screams a handful of minutes ago, but his tails still lashed as he watched you from the couch. His large teal eye stared at you like he’d seen a ghost. He shook and trembled so hard you could see it even with the distance between you.

You’d stopped trying to calm him down after he’d flinched violently at the sound of your voice and recoiled from your hands like they were made of fire. Your tiny blob was still cowering in his corner of the couch looking over the coffee table at you tearfully. You felt your heart break with every whimper and cry that came for him. 

What had happened to your poor Moonie in the five minutes you’d put him down?

Why was he so afraid of you?

Did you do something wrong?

Had you hurt him somehow?

Were you going to have to give him up because he was too scared of you? Did you not take care of him right? Was another being you loved going to be taken away from you? Was he going to leave you too?

It was really shaping up to be a terrible day. You had refused to sleep the last couple of nights, instead forcing yourself through sitcoms, cop shows, and enough caffeine to kill a horse to keep yourself awake. You’d been jumping at every shadow and sound for nearly a week, a deep paranoia almost crippling you. 

You felt as if the terror was around every corner. You heard his whispers even during the day time. You’d nearly screamed in fright whenever someone knocked on your door while at work. 

It had gotten so bad that your coworkers had sat you down and demanded you take the week off. You’d hated the idea. Having a week to dwell on every thought and fear? No thank you. Nevertheless, you were harassed into at least taking a long weekend.

It had taken you a few days to warm up to the idea, but you’d actually been looking forward to a lazy friday cuddling and watching tv with your Moon. You’d already been on your last, frayed nerve, and now this? It was all just too much.

Tears started to drip down your face as you apologised over and over again. You buried your face in your knees and rocked back and forth as you tried to muffle your sobs. 

Why was this happening to you?

What had you done to deserve this?

You’d lost your best friend. A best friend who wasn’t even real.

You’d suffered at the hands of your family.

You’d struggled through life just to make ends meet.

You’d done your absolute best to heal from your past and move on with your life.

And now you were haunted by nightmares that only seemed to worsen. You suffered from terror of a thing that was only in your mind, yet still managed to frighten you in the waking world.

And now your beloved pet was afraid of you for reasons you didn’t even know.

A startled cry jarred you out of your spiral. You jolted forward at the sight of Moon clumsily crawling down your couch. It took every ounce of your self control not to bolt over to him and help, but you didn’t think you could take another fearful rejection.

Slowly, but with more determination and intention then you’d seen him do anything yet, Moon dragged himself over to you. Your pet stared up at you, big eye filled with a sense of awareness he hadn’t had before. He paused, tilting his head, before chirping quietly at you.

Trembling, you held out a hand. You waited for him to recoil as your fingertips gently brushed one of his tails. A breath you didn’t even know you’d been holding escaped you when he purred and wrapped it around your arm like he’d done so many times before. 

Carefully, so as not to startle him, you scooped Moon up and held him close. He curled his little tails around you and squeezed like he was afraid you’d put him down. You let out a wet laugh as he nuzzled you. “I guess it's been a rough day for the both of us, huh, baby?”

He cooed back at you as you finally refocused on the world around you. 

The couch was shredded from Moon’s tails. Blankets and pillows were scattered in both your panic. Your plate of bacon and leftover lasagna was shattered on the floor (from when his scream had startled you into dropping it) and smeared into the carpet (from when you’d rushed over it to check on him). 

“I should probably clean that…” You mumbled, completely unmotivated to move in the slightest.

Moon whined and squeezed you tighter. You buried your face into his back. “Yeah, you’re right. Lets just… sit here a minute.”

Chapter Text

Nightmare was still reeling once you’d finally calmed down enough to clean up the mess the two of you had made. The shock was so great, he hadn’t even thought to protest you putting him down. An hour of holding you was nowhere near enough.

You were alive. In front of him. 

Alive.

His Paradise. Just, living. 

He regretted frightening you. He just knew your desperate apologies and heartbroken sobs would haunt his own nightmares for years to come. Siphoning away your negativity was the least he could do, after causing such a reaction.

Nightmare wished he could hold you properly. That he could explain his reaction. That he could console you and tell you how much he’d missed you.

Which led him to his second realization.

Nightmare was the size of one of Killer’s cats.

This was not good. Not only would no one in his life ever let him live it down. He was also much weaker than he should have been. Whatever that half-brained Creator had done had left him painfully frail. Even crossing your living room had been difficult. 

He needed negativity. And fast. He also needed to know exactly where, or when he was.

But first, he was going to bask in your real presence. 

~~~~~

You called him Moon. It was cute. You smiled tentatively at him and pulled him into your lap. He stared up at you, drinking in every detail as you ran your fingers along his spine. 

You looked exhausted. Dark circles rimmed your blood shot eyes, still red from tears. You swayed slightly as you sat with him, eyes drooping every few minutes. He wanted to tell you to go rest, but all that came out of his mouth was a concerned croon. You smiled for real, refocusing on him, “I’m okay, baby. Just a little tired.”

He could see that you were dead on your feet. An astronaut could see that you were dead on your feet. He huffed at you and settled deeper into your arms. There wasn’t anything he could do about it right now, except continue to absorb your negativity and provide whatever comfort this body was able.

He rested his head on your chest with a grumble and promised himself.

Soon. Soon he’d be able to really reunite with you.

Chapter Text

The rest of your long weekend was slightly less miserable than the start. After your much needed (but deeply unpleasant) release of emotions, you had crashed on the couch with a still distressed, but much more friendly Moon on your lap. It seemed the combination of exhaustion and burnout had granted you a small reprieve from torment in the form of a dreamless six hour knockout. You were a bit too groggy to celebrate as much as you wanted to, but you couldn’t deny the relief you felt.

Surprisingly, you actually set aside your stubbornness for a while and heeded your coworkers' advice. You spent the entire weekend on either your bed or your couch, completely wrapped from head to toe in blankets. Your chosen activities? Absolutely zip but reading and cuddling with your pet.

Speaking of your little glob of mystery, Moon had, yet again, changed. While he hadn’t grown like in the vet’s office, you could mark a noticeable difference in his behavior. It confused you to the core, but you tried not to stress about it (with a modicum of success). 

Your pet had, somehow, managed to become even more clingy than he had been previously. Before, he had been content so long as you were within ‘visual’ (or whatever he used to sense things) distance from him. After your joint freak-out? You couldn’t be outside of six feet of him before he started getting agitated. The less serious part of you wanted to quip about reverse social distancing. 

Once more, Moon’s ‘agitated’ behavior itself had changed. Where he had once shrieked to the high heavens, he now only let out near silent whimpers. His entitlement and comfort in your presence had practically drained from him. He fidgeted uneasily before seeking your attention, staring up at you with the most soulful eye you’d ever seen.

And that led you to the most startling change. Moon, where he had stared into space and made motions in your general direction, now watched you with all the intensity of a hawk on a rabbit. The teal eye that previously held nothing but color now seemed to be lit with enough intelligence to fill a dozen libraries, with knowledge to spare.

You hated to say it, but it almost unnerved you. Where you had been endeared by the instinctual affection shown to you beforehand, you now felt close to haunted by the way that eye followed you everywhere. It was as if Moon expected you to vanish into thin air at any moment, which wasn’t great for the lingering remnants of your nightmare/sleep-deprivation induced paranoia.

Nevertheless, you pushed those feelings way into the back of your mind. You were going to enjoy your long weekend even if it killed you! 

~~~~~~~~~

Nightmare was in some sort of mixture of heaven and hell, and he wasn’t sure if he was loving it or hating it with all the fury of a thousand suns.

You were alive and… mostly well. He got to rest in your lap and read with you like it hadn’t been centuries since the two of you had last met. You smiled at him and held him with an adoration he had almost forgotten. 

You relaxed into your couch and dozed several times, letting him just stare at your peaceful face. He’d blacked out for an unknown amount of time when you’d leaned over and kissed his forehead casually.

You were exhausted to the bone. You had scars he’d never seen before. Old scars, so faded he had to squint to see them. Every now and then you’d startle at the sound of a car door slamming or a random civilian hollering. 

You didn’t grin with all the abandon of someone who could look into the eyes of fear and laugh anymore. Your eyes no longer held the lightness of hope and zeal for life he’d once envied. He hadn’t heard you laugh once since waking up.

Your voice was quiet and hoarse, a low hum of background noise that didn’t care if the recipient was listening or not. Your grins had the rueful edge of someone who knew a terrible truth but would let the rest of the world have their blissful ignorance. Your eyes were filled with exhaustion and suffering beyond their years.

You almost reminded him of Dream on his bad days. You had that same bitter happiness that screamed ‘it's all an act’. That same glitter of real emotions popping through the haze of easygoing relaxation. That tension in your shoulders when you even looked in the direction of the door.

What had happened to you?

Chapter Text

The day you took Moon back to work, you were actually feeling rather hopeful that things were going to go well for once. The morning was crisp and clear, you made waffles for yourself and your pet, who had been not only less stressed that particular morning, but downright happy. He’d even cuddled you without hesitating first after you’d fed him half your blueberry dotted goodness.

 The drive to your college was filled with pleasant ‘conversation’ as you updated Moon on the tasks you needed to do. From finishing editing an official paper on a particular plant that could benefit the medical industry with nerve pain patients, to finally getting around to asking tec support to see if they could help you figure out why your copier had been so temperamental as of late, to begrudgingly informing your fellow editors that their advice was sound and you were feeling better. You swore the little traitor looked amused at that last one.

Your as-a-treat coffee from a particularly ‘fancy’ drive-thru was absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Not so much caffeine that you were jittery, but not so little that you were lethargic. It tasted divine. 

If the coffee was perfect, nothing could ruin your day.

Then, as the two of you settled into your office, you remembered what time of year it was. You bolted to your calendar and looked at the date with rising apprehension. It was that time. The dreaded week. The time when all staff, students, and professors collectively lost their minds. The time you usually tried to take vacation on just to avoid the terrors.

The despairing students, the stressed out professors, the frantic staff. The deranged levels of studying and cram courses. The sky rocketing amounts of energy drinks. The random tears. The wreaking smell of ramen like a cloud of misery rolling over the whole school.

Your college had never made it through the week without at least six major meltdowns and a caffeine shortage. Once a student had collapsed mid conversation from sleep deprivation. 

It was finals.

Chapter Text

You hated finals with a burning passion. The manic energy that floated through the air managed to stress you out through shear osmosis. What was worse, your coworkers, from HR to professors to the janitorial staff, all viewed your office as a personal haven.

You hated it.

The only members of staff you could even say you remotely liked were your fellow editors (with whom you formed the unbreakable bond of camaraderie against grammatical errors and a righteous hatred for metaphors) and the I.T. department (who respected your paranoia of all things high tec and turned a blind eye when you snuck into their cubicles for their hidden stash of snacks and coffee).

Your office was your quiet place. Did it get lonely? Yes. Did you want it to be the college’s unofficial vent spot? Absolutely not. You had enough of your own problems without being used as an unholy combination of therapist and confessional booth.

And yet, here you were, desperately trying to tune out some professor or another whining about some student or another as you worked on editing a very important assessment for the HR department. You nodded every few minutes and occasionally made an understanding noise in an attempt to appease them and could only think: With a salary like yours you could get an actual counselor to talk to.

Every. Single. Year.

Moon sat on his perch, eyeing the woman with enough disdain that you idly wondered if he was going to throw something at her soon. Your lips quirked up in a vague smile at the stray thought. With the level of annoyance you had running through your veins, you’d probably give him a treat if he did.

Finally, someone dipped their head into your office and informed you tormentor that they had a class to get to. Thank the stars. And the planets. Whatever being that was taking pity on you.

After the professor bolted out of your office like the hounds of hell had caught her scent, your savior slipped in and closed the door behind them. You glanced up to thank them, but the words caught themselves half way up your wind pipe. 

Agonized dread filled you. You briefly wondered if you could fake a seizure to get out of what was to come.

Before you stood Sam. HR Manager Sam. HR Manager with a big fat, capital C Crush on you Sam.

Sam was sweet. He was tall and shy and had three younger sisters. He turned bright red whenever you smiled, even if it wasn’t at him. He frequently tried to find any excuse he could to engage with you. Up to and including attempting to make it through your favorite series in an obvious attempt to converse with you despite being a die hard sports fan rather than high fantasy lover.

Sam would also not know ‘not interested’ if it danced in front of him wearing a clown suit.

You took back every nice thing you said about deities. They clearly hated you.

Chapter Text

“Sam.” you greeted, nodding professionally. “Did you need something?”

You had thought he had been avoiding your office. Had the news of Moon being significantly less vocal about his distaste in company already spread enough for him to risk another visit?

Sam was nice. He was kind. He was polite. He was not your type. He was the reason you hated so much as entering the HR department with a burning passion. 

Three years of performing social acrobatics in the name keeping interactions strictly professional. Two years of warding off unnecessary and unwanted gifts. A year and six months of icy politeness that even a golden retriever could get the message from. Exactly thirty-two rejected date offers. Innumerable conversations explaining to people that No, you were not interested. No, you would not be giving him a shot. 

You did not want to date Sam.

Sam did not get the message. Sam kept coming back. Sam was too nice about his ‘wooing’ attempts to file a harassment report.

You did not like Sam.

Moon did not like Sam either. Whether because he picked up on your attitude, because he was a cranky little ball of rain cloud, or because Sam never brought him snacks like most of the rest of your visitors, you did not know. What you did know, was Moon’s territorial snarling had frightened Sam away from your office for six blissful weeks.

Moon was no longer territoriality snarling at people he didn’t like the moment they walked through the door.

Sam was back in your office. On finals week. You did not have the patience, nor the care to hold a professional conversation with Sam. 

People liked Sam. Sam managed relations between the different departments. Meaning, not only did you have to see him monthly at meetings, he also had friends all over the school staff. Sam’s friends were not as nice as he was.

Upsetting Sam could make your life very difficult.

So, you gritted your teeth, smiled, and braced yourself to talk nicely to Sam.

Chapter Text

Nightmare did not like this… Sam.

The shrunken god of negativity peered up at the man in irritation. While Nightmare had been enjoying the veritable feast of negativity that you brought him to, he had not been happy about just how many people were interrupting your work with basic matters that were none of your concern. They were undoing all of his hard work, unballing that knot of darkness that you had let fester in your chest. He could practically feel your blood pressure rising with each visitor.

The minute Sam walked through the door, he could almost hear something in your patience start to crack. You smiled a smile that screamed ‘get me out of here’. 

Nightmare wrinkled his nose as the rancid smell of giddiness and infatuation filled the room, mingling unpleasantly with your discomfort and dread. Oh, he had a crush. Disgusting. 

While Nightmare applauded Sam’s good taste in ideal partner’s, he was not pleased with this development. You were his. He had looked for you for centuries. Sam would have to find someone else. 

This needed to end. Particularly since you looked like you were subtly trying to become one with your chair, and Sam seemed blissfully ignorant to your quickly deadening tone.

You weren’t going to do anything about it. Clearly, Sam didn’t have the brain cells to notice that he needed to stop. 

Nightmare was more than happy to handle it for you.

~~~~~~

Half way through the most painful conversation about the weather in your life, Moon let out a snarl so deep it shook your desk. Both you and Sam jumped, you in surprise and Sam in complete and utter mortal terror.

“Oh,” You said, looking at the absolute terror on Sam’s face with a little too much amusement. You managed an apologetic grin. “Sorry, I think it might be lunch time for a certain someone. Guess all these people were stressing him out more than I thought.”

Sam straightened and scraped together a remarkable amount of dignity for someone who had just hit an opera note and jumped three feet in fear of a sentient blob the size of a house cat. He smiled with all the benevolence of a priest and said, “No, no problem, I get it. I need my alone time, too. It was great talking to you, though!”

“Yeah, likewise.” You managed to grit out, with only a drop of sarcasm. 

“See you tomorrow!” He finally left.

You waited till Sam’s footsteps faded down the hall before deflating like a leak balloon. You could kiss Moon for his heroic actions. And you would, once you weren’t too socially exhausted to so much as fight gravity. “Of all the times to start growling again there sweetheart, that was the best.”

Moon grumbled in smug agreement.

Chapter Text

You groaned as you collapsed into your couch, Moon grunting in surprise from his place in your arms. You had made it half way through The Week without attempting murder or having a mental breakdown, but you were too tired to be proud of yourself.

“You know,” You said dryly, staring up at the ceiling without really seeing it. “I miss when you used to growl at anyone that came within two yards of me, Moonie. Can we go back to that? It was nice.”

Moon made his usual squeaky grumble noise back at you.

You groaned, long and tired, before whining. “I don’t want to coooook.”

Growl.

“But I'm tired.”

Squeak.

“I’m so hungry.”

Hmmmm. Okay, that felt judgmental.

You sighed so long and loud that you swore you flattened yourself. “I suppose I could order something…”

~~~~~~~~

Nightmare decided that once he was fully back to strength, he was visiting more colleges. Just three days through finals and the god of negativity was almost strong enough to return to his physical form. Three days to replace a strength born from centuries. He would be doing those students a favor by soaking up all that spare negativity.

After half an hour of back and forth with yourself, you finally settled on Chinese food. He’d never been more grateful for someone to make a decision in his life. 

Then what you’d said previously finally hit the god. 

I miss when you used to growl at anyone that came within two yards of me, Moonie.

His unconscious body had been doing what? If he’d had hands, Nightmare would have buried his face in them. 

Killer was never allowed to know anything about what happened while he was gone.

Chapter Text

At last, the dreaded finals were over. No more melt downs. No more papers. No tests. No research papers to edit. No stressed coworkers to soothe. No random office visits at all hours of the day. The students were headed home for break. The campus was clear. 

And the entire staff was crowded in a single room gorging on pizza and punch like it was a five star feast. The room was so alive with rowdy professors and giddy staff members that one would think it was a celebration for the ages rather than an end of school pizza party.

You huddled in the corner, clutching a paper plate and soda like a lifeline as you tried to avoid both conversations and getting stepped on. You were also without Moon, for once, an odd feeling despite the pile of grumpy sweetheart being a technically recent addition to your life. You curled up in your seat, watching your coworkers like they were prime reality tv. And, really, they might as well have been. 

Martha and James were sharing cake despite their messy breakup a year ago, with that tell tale look of ‘summer mistakes’ in their eyes.

Half the HR department was having an impromptu eating contest. April, the longstanding champion, looked to be keeping her crown, if her competitors' green faces were anything to go by. 

The IT department was huddled around a singular computer with evil grins and greasy fingers. You decided that was none of your business. If you didn’t see, you weren’t responsible.

One of the counselors was making googly eyes at the football coach and there seemed to be a speed run divorce happening in the back corner between two professors.

You kept notes on your phone, fully prepared to give your blob the full rundown, with side notes, when you got home. 

While you generally could be allowed to bring Moon with you to your workplace, there were a few things that had you leaving him home this time around. Reason number one being that you had been concerned about the number of people that would be at your end of year party, as well as the noise they would generate. Moon was a cranky little goblin, and you did not want to be the person who was mostly known for their loud and nippy pet.

You had hated far too many ‘chihuahua mama’s’ to be that person.

Secondly, you wanted to start slowly getting Moon used to you not being around all the time. While you could understand his clinginess to an extent, you wouldn’t always be able to bring him everywhere with you. You never stayed longer than an hour or two at the school parties, so you figured it was the perfect time to start.

You had considered hiring a pet sitter to watch him while you were gone, hoping that having some sort of company would ease the process for him, but the prices were ridiculous and way above your pay grade. While Moon certainly wouldn’t die from lack of attention, you couldn’t help but feel a bit worried for your pet. You hoped he wouldn’t be too mad at you for leaving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nightmare was panicking.

Of all the things to happen while he slept, you vanishing was the worst possible scenario. Beyond the worst. It was his own personal nightmare come back to haunt him.

He barely even noticed his form shifting back as he searched wildly through the apartment. His tentacles lashed about wildly and left long gashes in your walls. Where had you gone? What had happened? How could he have already lost you again?

Had you been kidnapped? No, he would've sensed your fear. He wasn't weak enough to sleep through an attack.

Did you run away? Why would you do that. You didn't know it was him did you? No, you wouldn't run even if you knew. Right?

Had something else scared you off? Was there some sort of sign of why you left, or, even better, where you were going?

Nightmare ripped through the apartment, searching for something, anything to tell him where you had disappeared to. Complete and utter terror hazed the edges of his mind, wiping out all rational thought.

Where had you gone?

Where was his Paradise?

~~~~~~~~~~~

You left the party socially drained and ready to collapse.

Your feet hurt from your poorly chosen heels. Your clothes felt too tight after all that food. The chatter of your peers felt like it was still ringing in your ears.

The only thought on your mind as you drove home was how nice it was going to be to collapse into your bed and fall asleep to the loud purrs of Moon. 

As you stumbled through your apartment door, you groaned quietly. "Moonie?"

Instead of the grumble you expected, or even the loud scolding shrieks you had braced for, the air seemed to still ominously. You frowned and closed the door behind you. "Moonie? Baby?"

You flicked on the lights and gaped at the sight before you. Your apartment was in tatters. Long gouges lined the walls. Your items were scattered all over the floor, torn up and flung about. 

There was a strange sound coming from your bedroom...

"Moonie?" While fear of an intruder had crossed your mind, the driving fear that something had happened to your pet far outweighed it.

You cautiously made your way down the hall to your room, stepping around broken items and torn books. The sound became clearer the closer you came to the door. It was the soft whimpers of your pet. You tried to flick on the lights, but they seemed to be busted. You squinted around the ominous darkness of your room, trying to make out where your distressed Moon could be.

A much larger shape than you were looking for moved in the shadows.

Before you could run, before you could even scream, the shadow lunged at you. You let out a frightened cry as something grabbed you, a heavy weight tackling you.

But you never hit the ground.

The world seemed to melt around you, stealing your breath. 

And everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Nightmare woke with a start, his skull bounding with the rhythm of his Soul. He lay collapsed on the familiar stone floor of his castle. As he tried to move the rest of his aching body made itself blatantly known. He groaned, curling in on himself and planning to just stay there till he felt well enough to get up. Only, when he did, a small noise of discomfort echoed from somewhere near his rib cage. A noise he did not make.

A singular teal eye blinked down. You were there.

You.

All at once, Nightmare jolted from his tired state. His memories rushed back to him at the sight of you. He remembered it all. The fear he felt when you had disappeared without telling him. The rage he had flown into to try and find some clue to where you had gone to. You returning, just as he had been preparing to leave and search for you in the outer world. 

In his near mindless state of fear and desperation, he had only thought of making sure you couldn’t run again, as it seemed you were about to do when you caught sight of him. He had grabbed you, latched on to that hazy blip of familiarity that was his home and forced open a portal. The instinctive magic had been unstable and forceful, sending you both careening through space and time.

Nightmare quickly sat up, ignoring his own pain as he frantically checked you over for injuries. If his running theory about having been sent back in time was correct, what he had done was reckless and stupid beyond belief. Even if it wasn’t, the process of traveling had severely weakened him, meaning that it could have killed you. 

The king sighed in relief when he finished his check to find you completely unharmed, if deeply unconscious. It seemed he’d managed to take the brunt of the damage. Good. 

Since he had verified that you weren’t in any danger, Nightmare pressed his forehead against yours gently and let himself take a moment to just breathe. He sat there for a while, just soaking in the feeling of being near you and letting it calm him. It occurred to him, in that time, that he was truly, physically holding you for the first time ever. 

His grip tightened as he smiled in giddy excitement. 

You were so warm. Your breaths were deep and slow as you slept, head resting on his arm. He’d spent so long looking at you as ‘Moon’, that it hadn’t occurred to him just how delicate you were compared to him. He gently gripped your wrist and felt the steady thrum of your pulse beneath his fingers.

Even with the time he’d had to process, he still marveled. You were alive. He could see you and talk to you. Your skin was soft against his bones and you were alive.

And you were both on a floor that likely hadn’t been cleaned in over a month.

Nightmare’s nose ridge wrinkled at that thought, brought out of his wonder just enough to remember the severity of the situation. 

He had kidnapped you.

There was a fairly solid chance you weren’t going to be able to go home.

You… were not going to be happy about that.

You were not going to be happy about him.

Nightmare was fully aware of how horrific he would appear to you. Physically and through his actions. He had spread terror across the multiverse. He had slaughtered thousands, maybe even millions of lives.

He grimaced quietly as he looked down at you. His hand gently slid over your cheek to keep your head steady as he shifted.

…He’d cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he needed to heal himself, and make sure his domain hadn’t completely imploded while he was away. And he needed you to be comfortable while you slept off the fatigue of spontaneous inter-dimensional travel. 

Nightmare carefully carried you to one of the more secure rooms, deep within the castle. It wasn’t as large, or as grand as some of the others, but it was safe, and deep within the stone walls he called home.

You hardly even stirred as Nightmare laid you on the bed and carefully pulled the covers over your still form. His tentacles waved gently behind him as he begrudgingly stepped back.

Nightmare softened as he gave you one last look, brushing the hair out of your face. “Welcome home, Paradise.”