Karma leaves this dull AU but he doesn't think it was worth it...the new Daemon was cool though

———-

Daemons Multiverse

Sans had decided to actually see his old man in person for once. It had been weeks since he last dropped off some daily essentials, that without he feared the other would starve to death. Paps had also been pestering him to check on them, so with that thought he entered his AU, feeling nostalgia after being away for so long.

He knew Gaster was not the most social monster so was rather surprised that when he entered the house there were children's toys scattered about. He even spotted old items from when he and Paps were babybones.

Did the other make a kid again? He thought they swore off it after having the two of them.

' I don't like this, Sans'

" I know, Dromir. Hopefully this will be sorted out soon"

Hearing noise in the kitchen he entered, seeing Gaster staring out the window, while Grey glanced at them both before turning back.

"Hey guys, feeling a tad bone -ly from this reception. What's up with you?"

"SANS! I am surprised you came over. Didn't you say you had to go to that meeting with 'Splash'?"

"It's Ink Pops. What do you have against the guy?"

Incoherent muttering was all he heard and he sighed at his Pops stubbornness. At least he knew where he got it from. High pitched laughter silenced Gaster, making them stare outside once again.

"Any visitors i should know about?...Pops?"

He didn't like the guilty shifting or the silence, so stood beside Gaster, trying to spot what they had been looking at.

"...is that a babybones?"

"Yes, they have been here a few weeks. I almost forgot how much work they were but it has been nice"

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped!"

He was slightly hurt at this being kept from him, as he thought their family had gotten better at secrets. It might have been painful but he felt so much lighter, after admitting to the RESETS and the other AU's out there.

Gaster fully turned to him, letting him see that their eyelights had turned purple, silencing his further protests. He felt Dormir brush against him, their tail high in the air and swaying in agitation. What had happened when he had been away?

"I just got them used to me being in the same room as me, Sans. I feared what adding more monsters would do..their magic is unique"

This helped to calm Sans down, as he was rather used to the truly odd magic others could have, unlike Gaster.

"Their magic feels at times similar to yours, Sans"

"Impossible. Ink is way too picky on who he 'created' to have it. We would have been told"

"....Would he really tell you?...I'm not going to argue this right now, Sans. I am more worried about who their parents could be. Have you heard anything?"

"No..they could be an Outcodes kid?"

"Maybe.."

He could see this wouldn't get anywhere soon so headed outside, straight for the kid. He would try to get his answers straight from the source.

"SANS! This isn't the best ide-"

"It will be fine. Tibi -honest i'm hurt you don't trust me in this"

He basked in the groaning and walked quicker to the babybones. They were sitting in the snow, making a tiny castle, when their gaze landed on him.

......... You feel your sins crawling on your back ........

Sans shivered at this familiar magic, now understanding why Gaster has sounded bewildered. This magic didn't feel purposeful though and more instinctive, as if in reaction to a threat. He did similar things as a kid until he learned to control it better. When they looked away their gaze landed on his Daemon and he could see the way they softened.

"..kitty.."

He concealed a snort and patted Dormir to calm them down. He knew they disliked being compared to a common house cat but this seemed to help calm the babybones down.

"Heya, kiddo. Your sculptures are thaw -some. I go by, Sans. It's Ice to meet you"

Karma smiled at the puns but looked over at Gaster for comfort. He didn't like that someone new was here and way too close to him for his liking. His wings wanted to flare in defence but he kept them down, curious at what was going on.

"Karma, this is my son Sans that I told you about...The one with the terrible humour"

"I'm hurt. I thought you found my jokes rib -tickling good?"

Karma watched the interaction, curious why others didn't introduce their Daemons. Maybe it was the same reason you wouldn't do that if your SOUL was in your chest?

It could also be a family thing only, as he only knew Gasters Daemon's name, when they thought he was gone.

He started fiddling with his scarf, playing with the multitude of beads and smiling at the magic pulsing from some of them. A tug on his sleeve made him spot one of Gaster's summoned hand constructs, which was playfully waving at him. He grabbed it closer for comfort, liking the feel of it.

"Kiddo, want to meet some of my friends?"

"Sans. That seems a tad soon. They have hardly had any time with yo-"

"There might be a lot of them but they are super friendly"

"✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ✌︎☼︎☜︎ 💣︎⚐︎☼︎☜︎ ✌︎☠︎☠︎⚐︎✡︎✋︎☠︎☝︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎☠︎ ❄︎☜︎💣︎💣︎✋︎☜︎💧︎"

"That is harsh, Pops. Am I just too cool for your tastes?"

Karma stood back, not liking the contrast of tones or the suggestion one bit. He could probably hide until Sans left and could even follow them out of this place.

"Did I forget to mention that I know someone with a super cool Daemon?"

-

Karma thought he was getting too easy to bribe but this was his best chance to experience new things in this place....Though his option to hide was still available.

He stepped through the portal and grimaced at the noises that surrounded him.

This looked like the Council of Sans but it was much larger than he was used to. Probably to account for all the Dameons around. He was confused when they stopped by a large metal arch, watching others walk through it with ease. The magic coming off it was unsettling and he was already preparing to leave. No Daemon was worth this, no matter how 'cool' they were.

"Hey now. It's ok. This just confirms who Is in the building, making sure their Daemon matches what is recorded. It doesn't hurt"

He glared at Sans, clearly showing his opinion of that 'comfort'.

"I'll show you, Karma. It will be fine"

He followed Gaster's path with his eyelight, not sensing anything but a simple CHECK from the arch, when they passed through. He still faltered before entering but Gaster crouched down, opening their arms from the other side.

"Run through it if you want. I am right here"

He hated how comforting he found that but followed the instructions, not stopping till he could hide in Gaster's arms.

"Very good. We can now see some of Sans friends"

"Yeah, about that. Might have to do a rain check on that. The arch didn't mange to get clear results so I'll need to call for some help"

"..can we just go home now?"

Gaster melted at the plea but knew it was more serious than that. He had been one of the few to work on building this device, knowing it also had a basic health scanner in it. The so-called 'unclear' results looked rather serious, going by Sans's expression.

Karma was feeling done. He was getting stressed and he disliked all the eyes he could feel on him. He should have just stayed in that boring AU...

"Sorry for the wait. Ink was whining at having to leave his new AU so soon. Now who is having the issue?"

"It's baby bird over there. You can see why i called"

Karma whined as Gaster turned him towards Dream, who was busy whispering to Sans. They looked just like all others but their Daemon was huge! It was some type of deer but its antlers were golden. Probably the apples fault, though it did add some charm to them.

"I-I see. I need Nightmare for this. Now, Karma? There is nothing to be worried about. This should be an easy fix"

What exactly did they think was wrong with him? Looking away, the most obvious answer was the lack of visible Daemon. He probably could have gotten away lying about it, saying they were just tiny, but that arch was bringing more issues than he thought. His hands went to his pin, knowing he had an escape plan if things got worse.

" What was so important that I had to come here, Dream? You know I can't leave the idiots alone for long. Like children the lot of them "

Huh, this had to be one of the few Nightmares that weren't corrupted. The voice was still deep and he could still sense the Black apples' power on them. Their Daemon was the same as Dreams but had darker antlers. What a weird multiverse he was in.

His thoughts were interrupted by Gaster standing back, making him whine in unhappiness. His wings puffed up when the twins eyelights focused on him, not liking the situation at all.

"Relax. We just need to coax them out. This will be quick"

He hardly had time to unravel that cryptic statement when he felt a tug from his chest. He stumbled forward to catch his balance, wincing at the familiar pain.

*CRACK*

The twins pulled back like they were burned, while Karma observed how others Daemons were cowering behind their vessels. He stretched his wings, sighing in relief when the pain died down.

Silence had enveloped the room, making him look over at Dream in curiosity.

"What now?...Do you need to try again?"

He would rather not but he knew how stubborn some adults could be. Dripping sound started to echo in the room, making him draw his attention towards Nightmare. So that's where the goop went! He didn't know it could be controlled and was fascinated that even their Daemon was being covered in the substance.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, making him realise that Gaster had come over to him. He shivered at the flashing purple eyelights and stern expression, that made them look too much like XGaster for his liking.

Groaning from Nightmare thankfully distracted him from those unsettling thoughts. He was bewildered why the darker Guardian was leaning against Dream, who also looked like they were about to be sick.

"Are you two ok?"

Nightmare had thought this was going to be a quick unimportant trip. His brother did like nagging him to spend more time together but this was just pure hell. He could feel the negativity that was overflowing in the child and it was making his corruption sing in glee. It was so annoying to push back down, but it was so messy otherwise.

He liked being able to wear what he wanted, without it being instantly covered in goop. It also was useful to make others lower their guards and much more constructive to having a normal life.

Their question made him want to laugh incredulously. Why were they asking that and not more worried about themselves?

" No. No we are not "

His grip on Dream tightened in shock, when straight after his reply the emotions coming from the babybones just vanished.

"Is that better?"

Nightmare wanted to cry. Why did Dream drag him into such complicated situations?

"N-Nightmare? I-I can't feel anything from t-them"

Of course the idiot Council heard this and whispers started of Daemon-less being. How Dream could deal with them on a daily basis was a mystery. None of them could use their brain.

"If that was true then the twins wouldn't be as affected as they are. This is not another Flowey situation"

He never thought he would be so thankful for the Creator's arrival but it seemed even Ink could have their useful days. He watched as Gaster crouched next to the babybones, while their Daemon glared at anyone looking over.

Dream was glad things were settling down but was bewildered when Inks Daemon ran straight into the child, causing them to burst out laughter when they fell over. Inks Daemon then sat on them, before shifting into a tiger to make it harder for them to escape.

It was always fascinating to see how Inks Daemons could shift but he was still uncomfortable at the casual touch they allowed from others.

It would have been sweet if it wasn't for the tension he could spot in the babybones, from all the eyes stuck on the scene. Ink walked over to the pair, after Karma managed to wriggle out from under the Daemon. Karma leaned back into the orange and black fur, warily observing Ink as they neared.

Ink outstretched his closed hand and unveiled a rainbow rock. It was swiftly snatched out of his palm and cooed over by Karma, who showed it off to the tiger Daemon. Dream stared at Ink, expecting an answer on what they were doing.

"I just thought about what a bird would like. it lowered the tension at least, so there is no need to lecture me"

Dream reluctantly nodded at Ink's impulsive plan, still not used to their helpful suggestions.

A gasp from Gaster alarmed him, twisting his body to see Karma playfully fighting with Inks Daemon. The emotions he sensed from Gaster made him worry the other was about to faint any second.

He knew the reputation that carnivorous Daemons had, of being more dangerous than others, but Dream was hardly phased at what he was seeing. He had seen Ink do too many stupid things in the years, to be worried.

He had once witnessed Ink Daemon get stuck in a gap, forgetting they could easily change their shape to escape. That had severely lowered any remaining awe he had for the Creator.

Nightmare finally looked more stable, as they fully stood up and moved away from him, looking very tempted to just leave. Dream sighed at his antisocial twin but left them alone and walked towards Gaster, nudging them when he was near enough.

"Why do you keep looking away from, Karma?"

"They have an adverse reaction to my coloured eyelights"

Dream and Gaster startled at the voice that spoke up from behind them.

"How odd. All the other Gasters with eyelights like yours are dead. It's kind of annoying after the amount of work i put into them"

"Ink, have some tact! Gaster, why don't you just ask them?"

"I would love to but Karma's powers make it rather hard to contain them"

Dream could see the spark in Inks eye shapes at that comment, making him groan in annoyance.

"...Ink. Do not go and bug the ne-"

He was resigned to the mess he would have to clean up, as he saw Ink ignoring his warnings yet again.

Thankfully Ink only managed to get a few feet away from Karma, before they turned to him and started hissing in warning. Amusingly even Inks Daemon joined in, making Ink pout at them both.

Dream sighed in exasperation at Ink having such a weird Daemon.

~~~~~

Karma: I can not be swayed by any means! I am an immovable fortress. Unable to be-

Sans: Want to see a cool Daemon?

Karma: Yes please!
-
Karma: I might have been tricked before but this time is different! I am much wiser and-

Ink: *Shows a shiny rock*

Karma: *Grabs rocks and chirps in glee, glaring at anyone who comes near it*

Dream:...are they ok?