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Smoke accompanied the god as he set foot in the new universe, his scythe in one hand, and a list in the other, a long one, containing the names of every person needing to be reaped. It wasn't often that an entire universe died, it was very rare in fact, and Reaper could only sigh as he made the list dissapear and brought his black veil back down in front of his face, trying not to think of what tragedy could have happened for things to turn out this way.
Taking time to think, to take pity in the souls to reap, was never good. It lead to souls not being reaped properly if he hesitated, getting corrupted and being unable to find rest. It was why Reaper always did his job fast, never talked, never lost time, never let himself get distracted, never allowed himself any mistake. Still, he stopped when he reached a tree stump on a hill, and was met with a statue resembling a skeleton child. It looked like it was trying to protect himself, his arms raised in front of him, and the god couldn't help but look at it as he folded his wings in his back... he felt a soul inside, a soul that wasn't on the list, a soul that was still alive, a soul that, he could feel it, had the same magical trait all immortals had. Was there a child inside this statue ? How did they end up there ? Were they hit by the same force that had devastated the village nearby ? Who were they ? Why did they have divine magic ? They looked so young, too young to be a god...
Reaper lifted his free hand, the other one resting on the handle of his scythe, and slowly approached the small statue, wanting to brush off a leaf from the child's head, but his movement was abruptly stopped when a slimy, black tentacle impaled the ground before him, and a voice yelled from behind, « don't touch my brother ! ».
Reaper spun around, his grip tightening on his weapon and his wings opening wide, ready for an altercation, but he quickly untensed when he saw another small child, no older than the one in the statue, looking around six years old, and with the same immortality trait. The little child, a boy, was covered in the same black substance as the four tentacles in his back, his clothes were torn, and despite his threatening stance, he looked exhausted and terrified. Something strange was going on in this AU, and despite it not being part of his job, Reaper couldn't help but unsummon his scythe, fold back his wings and lift his veil over his head so the child could see his face and see he meant no harm. « Is your brother... in the statue ? », he slowly asked the young boy who only seemed to tense even more at the question, his gaze going from the god to the boy in stone. « I am not here to harm any of you... my name is Reaper, I am a god », he introduced himself, no need to mention his domain as he was pretty sure the kid had already guessed it with his black robe and his scythe.
The boy's gaze kept going to the statue, and his posture slowly changed, his tentacles retracted behind him, and he looked up at Reaper with worry, his little hands in tight, shaking fists, « is Dream gonna die... ? », he hesitantly asked in a whisper. The god frowned for a moment, tilting his head slightly, he hadn't seen that name on the list. He turned his head towards the statue, then back at the child waiting for his answer. It didn't take him long to understand who Dream was. « No, he is not going to die, I am not here for him », he reassured, at least he tried to, as his words didn't have the effect he wanted... the goopy child took a few steps back, his tentacles pressing themselves around him as tears gathered in his only socket, « are.. are you here for me.. ? ».
« No, no of course not ! », Reaper quickly corrected, mentally slapping himself for having allowed this confusion. « I promise I am not here to hurt you », he took a step forward, but the harm was already done and the kid jumped, startled by the movement in his direction, before running away in the forest behind him. « Wait ! », the god tried to call, but the child had already ran off.
He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, should he leave ? Should he try and find the kid ? He had finished his job here, he was supposed to leave, to go reap the next souls on the list to prevent the creations of ghosts, much more annoying to send to the realm of death. But he couldn't feel any other soul in this universe aside from the two children, one of them being a statue. Could he really leave this kid alone ? Did he know how to live alone ? Did he know how to find food ? How to find shelter ? Reaper groaned, turning in circle as he thought. This was why he didn't lose time when doing his job, because if he did, if he took time to talk to someone, his moral would take over his duty, and he would find himself walking through a forest, looking for a child he didn't even know the name of.
« Kid ? Are you here ? I'm sorry for scaring you, I promise I just want to talk, you're not in trouble... », he tried to reassure as he looked around the trees and bushes for the little skeleton. He came to a stop when he saw movement between branches and looked down at the bush, spotting a cyan eyelight looking at him from behind the ferns, almost invisible in the shadows. The child didn't move, but he observed, he knew Reaper had seen him and was ready to run off again if the god approached, and Reaper knew that. « I'm gonna sit down, okay ? I'm not getting close if you don't want me to », he warned as he slowly knelt on the forest ground, letting his wings rest on the pine needles and watching as the kid seemed to untense slightly, seeing he wouldn't try and approach him.
The two stayed silent for a moment, Reaper let the boy watch him, decide if he wanted to give him a chance... and finally speak, « why are you here... ? », he asked, cautious. « Well... », the god started, trying to think of a way to explain his job without scaring the young one even more, « my job is to help lost souls find their way towards peace, and this place had a lot of souls in need of guidance... ».
« They don't deserve peace », the kid stated, hissing the words. Reaper tilted his head, surprised by the statement, « they're mean », the kid quickly added, as if trying to make a point so Reaper would believe him. « I am not here to judge their worth, it is someone else's job, I am just here to guide their souls. » The answer didn't seem to please the kid, but he also didn't comment on it and didn't run away, so Reaper took it as a good sign. « Do you know what happened to them ? », he carefully asked. The boy nodded after a few seconds. « Do you think you could tell me ? », he tried, wanting to know what the kid may have gone through to try and find how to help him, however, the child quickly shook his head. The god didn't insist, understanding it might have been hard for him to talk about it if the events were recent, he didn't want to push it and make him uncomfortable. « Could you tell me your name, then ? », he changed the subject.
The child hesitated for a moment, glancing at the side before giving a small answer, « Nightmare... ». Reaper smiled, Nightmare and Dream, it made sense, their domains must have been complementary. « Well, hello Nightmare, it is a pleasure to meet you », he saluted properly now that the presentations were done. Nightmare frowned, as if doubting the last part, and brought his tentacles closer to him.
« I have a son », Reaper spoke after a moment of silence, and Nightmare looked back at him, « he is a bit older than you, his name is Goth ». He wasn't quite sure why he was telling this kid that, maybe he was trying to show him he wasn't dangerous ? Maybe he was just trying to start a conversation ? In either case, it seemed to work as Nightmare was listening and waiting for more information. « You kinda remind me of him, he tends to hide too when something upsets him, usually I would manage to get him out with a cookie but I sadly don't have one with me right now », he chuckled.
« What's a cookie ? », the question took Reaper by surprise, how did a kid not know what a cookie was ? He searched for an answer, for how to explain, « it's, uh.. something that you eat, like a biscuit ? Do you know what biscuits are.. ? ». Nightmare just kept staring, silent. « I.. I can show you but I will need to leave for a few minutes.. do you promise to stay here and not run away ? », he asked, not wanting to have to find him again if he decided to take this opportunity to run away once more. Nightmare stared for a little while longer, thinking about the offer, and eventually slowly nodded. Reaper smiled, getting up slowly as to not startle him, « I won't be long ». He backed up a bit, enough to let black smoke envelope him as he teleported away, leaving the kid alone once more.
When he came back a few minutes later, Reaper was pleased to see that Nightmare hadn't moved, even if he had backed up a bit more under the ferns. « I'm back », he announced himself as he sat back on his spot, not wanting to scare him, with a few cookies in his hand. « I took chocolate ones, I think you're gonna like them », he handed him one, staying at his place so Nightmare could be the one deciding to get closer or not.
The kid glanced at the cookies, then back up at Reaper, and slowly, very slowly, made his way out of the bush he was hiding under, crawling so he could extend his arm and retreat quickly once he had grabbed the cookie from the god's hand. He tripped as he backed away and fell on his butt, « are you okay ? », Reaper quickly asked, reflexively moving forward, which only made Nightmare hiss as he returned to his bush, still very against the idea of getting touched. The god didn't insist, but still kept an eye out in case the kid showed signs of having hurt himself. Eventually, Nightmare smelled the cookie, inspecting it by turning it around in his hand, touched it with the tip of his tongue to get a first taste, and finally took a bite. Reaper couldn't help but smile as he saw his little pupil widen and the kid took another bite, finishing his cookie rapidly and licking his fingers for the crumbs. He looked up at the adult when he was done. « Want another one ? », Reaper proposed, not surprised to see Nightmare nod, « why don't you sit closer ? That way you won't have to crawl out everytime ? », he suggested, not forcing, and handed out another cookie.
Nightmare tensed, looking at the god suspiciously, but still got closer to grab his treat. Reaper didn't move, he let him approach, and watched him take just one step back - just enough to be out of reach - to eat his cookie, not detaching his gaze from the god. They didn't talk, sitting in silence, and Reaper took this opportunity to look at the kid, looking for visible injuries, but it was hard to tell with the goop and the dirt stuck to it. However, he noticed the tip of his tentacles were twitching uncomfortably every now and then. « Are you hurt ? »
Nightmare flinched, he had sat closer to him to take the biscuits, but didn't expect him to talk, « why ? », he asked defensively. « You look uncomfortable », Reaper explained. Nightmare glanced to the side, thinking, « my.. my back hurts.. and my head hurts too... », he mumbled after a moment.
Reaper frowned, but it was to be expected, a child left alone in a universe where everyone was dead rarely came out unharmed. Unlike the souls, though, he could do something for the kid, « I can help you if you want », he held out his gloved hand, all the cookies having been eaten. Nightmare stared at the hand, then back up at him. « Why are you doing that ? »
« Doing what ? », Reaper tilted his head, unsure of what Nightmare was talking about exactly. « Being nice. Why are you being nice ? », the kid developped his question, and the god felt his soul twitch. For a child to think that being nice to him was suspicious... he preferred not to think about what he could have been through, but he knew it must have been bad. « Because I don't think you deserve someone to be mean to you ».
Nightmare frowned for an instant, staring at the god with a wide eye and an unreadable expression, then, slowly, carefully, he put his shaking little hand in the one offered to him...
« Is... that a child.. ? », Geno asked, incredulous. His husband had just came back from work, a wing around a kid holding his hand like he was going to dissapear if he let go of it. Reaper winced seeing the look on his partner's face, « his name is Nightmare... he.. he was alone in his universe.. », he started to explain.
« And you thought ''let's bring him home'' », Geno accused, crossing his arms in front of his chest. « What did you want me to do ? Leave him alone to starve ? To fend for himself ? », Reaper argued, though he didn't want to fight, not with a scared kid behind him, and not with Goth looking at them from the top of the stairs.
Geno rolled his eye, « of course not ! But I would have liked to be informed that you were bringing a kid here, I have nothing prepared and it's too late to go buy stuff now ! », he retorted, « plus, caring for a lost kid is a big responsibility too, have you thought about that ? What if he has allergies or special needs and we can't offer proper care ? ».
« We will figure things out, okay ? For now he just needs somewhere safe to sleep and something to eat, then we will find a solution, I'll find someone who can care for him, alright ? », Reaper tried to plead his case. He knew he should have called his husband before taking the decision of bringing Nightmare home, but there wasn't any connection in the kid's AU and, honestly, he was too focused on getting him to a safe place to think about warning anyone.
Geno scowled at him for a moment longer before sighing, « he can stay here for now, but you need to find someone who can take care of him », he eventually agreed. Reaper smiled, relieved, « thank you, my love.. ». He turned around to ask Nightmare if he wanted to take a bath before dinner, but the kid had dissappeared without the god noticing he had let go of his hand, « Nightmare ? », he called, looking around. Guess he was in for another game of hide and seek...
Nightmare was hiding again, the two adults were arguing and it was because of him, because of his presence. He got scared, and he went to hide. He didn't know where he was, he had chosen the closest room and hid under the fourniture, trying to make one with the shadow... He flinched when he heard footsteps approach and someone bent over to look at him. It was another child, a bit older, around ten years old, the one he had seen in the staircase. « Hi », the kid saluted, « my name is Goth, dad said your name is Nightmare ».
The smaller child looked at the new one sitting in front of his hiding spot, was he going to force him out ? To get him out of his house ? He didn't dare move.
« He said you were alone », Goth continued, « why are you not with your parents ? », he asked, curious. Nightmare blinked, unsure if he should answer, but it would be rude not to, « I don't.. I don't have parents... my mom is dead... and.. and I don't have a dad... », he said in a murmur, fidgetting with his fingers.
« Oh, that's sad.. », Goth simply commented, and Nightmare shrugged, he never really got to know his mother anyway, so her dissappearance didn't change much things, if anything, he was much more sad for his brother's condition. Reaper said he couldn't take Dream with him because moving him could hurt him, but he promised to check on his twin often. « Do you want to play ? », Goth changed the subject.
« Play... ? », Nightmare asked back, unsure, the kids from the village never wanted to play with him, he only ever had his twin, when he wasn't too tired after a day with the villagers. The older kid nodded, and put a plush in front of him, a purple octopus that Nightmare hadn't noticed he brought with him, « you can have this one », he announced.
The goopy child looked at the plush, he wanted to touch it, but experience told him to never touch something that wasn't his. « Are you sure... ? », he looked up at Goth, who nodded again, « yes ! It was mine when I was a kid but I'm too old for it now, so you can keep it », he stated.
Nightmare stared back at the plush on the ground, hesitant, he glanced back up at Goth for a few seconds, and finally shuffled closer, enough to slowly grab the plush and bring it closer to him, inspecting it as he brushed a hand on the fake fur. « Thank you... », he thanked as he hugged the octopus close to his chest, feeling a bit of warmth in his soul.
« Ah ! There you are ! », Reaper exclaimed with relief as he entered the room the kids were in, making Nightmare flinch and back up again, holding the plush tightly, as if scared that it would be taken away. « No no, you're not in trouble ! No need to get scared », he tried to reassure, unsummoning his wings as he knelt down next to his son and offered a smile to the little one when seeing the plush, « you two already made friend I see ? ».
Goth nodded, « he looked sad so I gave him my plush », he explained. « That's very sweet of you, honey », the god approved, giving his son a kiss on his forehead. « Why don't you go help your mom with dinner while I talk with Nightmare ? », he asked, and Goth did as told, getting up and leaving the room after having waved goodbye at the little kid staring at them.
The two were now alone in the room, just like in the forest, except this time Reaper didn't have cookies. « I'm sorry if we scared you », Reaper started by apologizing, « Geno isn't dangerous, he won't hurt you, he was just a little mad at me because I didn't warn him, but it's okay now, no need to hide », he smiled.
Nightmare glanced at his plush before looking up at the god, « promise... ? ». Reaper nodded, « I promise. Can you come out from under there, please ? Dinner is almost ready, but I think you will feel more comfortable after a quick clean up », he extended his hand, waiting for him to make the first step like he did in his universe. The kid hesitated for a moment, but eventually secured his octopus in one arm and crawled out from under the desk, refusing the hand but still waiting for Reaper to get up so he could follow him, which the god did once he was sure Nightmare wouldn't go back to hiding once his back was turned.
He lead him to the bathroom, « do you need help getting your clothes off ? », he asked, letting him enter carefully and look around, holding the octopus for reassurance. Nightmare thought for a moment, then shook his head. « Can you do that while I look for clean clothes, then ? ». Nightmare nodded. « Alright, I won't be long, and if you need help you can call me or wait till I'm back, okay ? ». The kid nodded again, and Reaper eventually left in the bathroom as he went to his own bedroom, looking in the box of Goth's old clothes that Geno didn't want to put away for some that might fit the goopy child. He found some gray pajama pants and a blue t-shirt and decided it would do for the night. He closed the box and went back to the bathroom where Nightmare was waiting for him, undressed, still holding his plush, and his old clothes awkwardly folded on a chair next to the sink. His bones looked alarmingly thin and bent.
Reaper held back a wince and instead smiled, putting the clean clothes aside, « I'll help you get in the tub ». He took off his gloves and rolled up his sleeves, and held out a hand to help Nightmare climb in the tub without falling. He gently grabbed the plush to put it aside while the kid was looking curiously at the tub, but as soon as the soft fabric left his arms Nightmare got startled and tried to get it back, his little socket filling with tears. Reaper tried his best not to panic and reassure him, « it's okay, it's okay ! I'm just putting it on the side so it doesn't get wet, I'm not taking it away, you'll get it back as soon as we're done, okay ? It's right there, see ? », he showed him the plush sitting on the side so Nightmare could look at it and shuffle closer from inside the tub to stay near and keep an eye on his octopus, make sure it didn't dissapear. Reaper sighed in relief, the crisis had been avoided for now. « Okay... I'm gonna wash you now, you tell if something feels bad, okay ? ». The kid didn't answer, staring at his plush, he only looked up when Reaper used the shower head to pour warm water on him and watched as dirt and dried blood went down the drain. The god didn't like that sight at all, but he didn't comment, simply checking for injuries while he could have a close look at his bones.
Once the kid was wet enough, Reaper grabbed a sponge and put soap on it to gently scrub Nightmare's back, marking pauses each time the little one flinched or tensed, and taking special care to clean the tentacles that kept moving out of the way. « Do you think you can scrub your arms and legs on your own ? », he asked him. The kid looked up, nodded, and hesitantly took the sponge, looking at it for a moment before beginning to srub his left arm, careful. Reaper watched him for a moment, then when he was sure he didn't need help, he got up : he was still in his work clothes, and he took this little time to change into something more comfortable too, opting for some sweatpants and a hoodie. He then sat back next to the tub and waited for Nightmare to finish so he could rinse him and help him out once more to get dried and dressed.
Reaper struggled a bit to pass the t-shirt over the tentacles, and once he managed, the appendages shifted by themselves, the goop simply going through the fabric. The god couldn't hold back a sigh as he stood up, letting the child rush to grab his plush again, very attached to the little octopus already. Maybe it was the tantacles, Reaper thought, and smiled to himself as he took Nightmare to the dining room where the table was set and the plates already served, an extra one having been added between the two adults. The god helped him sit on his chair, the seat having been elevated with a pilllow, and sat down too once the kid was settled.
Nightmare put his plush on his laps, and looked at the plate of pasta in front of him for a moment before looking back up at Reaper, hesitant. « Do you know how to use a fork ? », Geno asked before the god could, making the kid flinch and turn to him anxiously, slowly shaking his head. « It's okay, I'll show you », he reassured as he got up, grabbing the fork and patiently explaining how to hold it and pick up the food with it, then guiding his hand as Nightmare tried to do it himself, and when he got it right, he let him do it on his own and sat back down, though he still kept an eye on him in case he had any problem, and wiped his mouth when he got sauce on his chin.
Dinner went well, better than what Reaper expected, even if Nightmare kept looking at him every now and then, as if afraid of having done something wrong despite eating in silence. Bedtime came rapidly, and since they didn't have a room prepared yet, Goth offered he could sleep in his room if he wanted to. The parents agreed, not having another option at the moment, and prepared the kids to bed, Reaper taking the time to explain to Nightmare that if he had any problem during the night he could come get him or Geno, that their room was just next to Goth's, and that he shouldn't be afraid to wake them up. It took a moment to convince him he was safe enough to sleep, but eventually, they were able to leave the two kids alone in the room and go to their own, the god being especially exhausted by his day of work.
« You said that his entire universe died ? », Geno asked him as he made himself comfortable in the bed, cuddled against his husband who nodded. « I don't know how it happened, he wouldn't talk about it, and I didn't force him to, but he said the people were mean and they didn't deserve peace... I'm very worried about what he might have gone through even before the sudden deaths... », Reaper confessed.
Geno hummed, frowning, he worried too for this little kid left alone so young, « maybe he will talk more with time, but for now we can't do much aside from being a safe place for him... ». His husband hugged him tighter, « I hope so... ».
Days started to pass, slowly at first - Nightmare obviously didn't trust them right away, though he did seem to relax a bit more around Reaper – then faster as the kid was starting to get comfortable in the house. They had prepared him a room so he wouldn't sleep on a matress on the floor indefinitely, and even though it wasn't decorated, Nightmare had seemed happy to get his little private space where he could retreat and hide in when he felt overwhelmed. Overall, things went rather well...
Smoke dissipated, and Reaper appeared in the kitchen. He lifted his veil and passed it over his crown of spikes, looking at his husband preparing a salad, he didn't turn around, but the god knew that Geno had heard him. He took a breath in before speaking, « I might have found someone who can take care of Nightmare », he informed, though his soul clenched at the though of giving the goopy child away.
Geno didn't look up from his salad, « you're not taking this kid anywhere », he stated, leaving no place for discussion, but still Reaper arched a brow, « I thought you wanted me to find him a family who could take care of him properly ? », he asked, confused.
Geno finally turned around, a severe look on his face, « are we not a family ? », he asked, and continued before Reaper could answer, « do we not care for him ? Do I not feed him, get clean clothes on his back, heal his scratches when he falls down while playing ? Do I not reassure him and spend hours with him when he gets bad dreams ? Which, by the way, happens way too many times for it to be simple dreams. I care for him all day when you're at work, he plays with Goth all day too, and have you seen how he rushes to you when you get back ? How he only wants you to read him a bedtime story ? How he would wait until you're home before going to bed when you're late ? I don't know about you, but we look pretty damn much like a functionning family to me », he ranted, leaving Reaper voiceless. « so no, you are not taking our son anywhere », Geno finally concluded.
The god stood there, not knowing what to answer. He felt relief, like a weight just got lifted from his shoulders and left him shaking : Geno didn't want Nightmare to leave, he wouldn't have to give him to someone else, wouldn't have to see him go, wouldn't have to give up on that small kid he had tried so hard to gain his trust, wouldn't have to say goodbye to his youngest child... he could have almost cried from relief if a little voice hadn't spoken up from behind them, from the kitchen door, « can you look for Stretch while I'm outside ? I don't want her to get dirty, please », Nightmare asked, handing out his octopus plush to Reaper. Since Goth had given it to him, he had barely let go of it.
The god bent down to grab the precious plush, « of course sweety, and be careful outside, okay ? ». Nightmare nodded, rushing to join Goth once his plush was in safety, « thanks dad ! », he yelled before dissappearing outside with the older kid waiting for him.
« See ? Seems like we're a family for him too », Geno smiled, and couldn't help but chuckle when his husband turned to him with happy tears rolling down his cheeks, « alright, come here, fierce god », he teased as he opened his arms to invite his husband in an embrace.
« He called me dad... ! », Reaper happily cried against his partner. « I know, I was there too », Geno smiled, holding his love against him, though he wasn't doing much better as a tear rolled down his cheek as well, moved by the same relief of not having to watch his little baby leave...
The family had grown a bit bigger, and the parents were very proud of both of their kids.