Part 2 of Tiny Menace

○●○●○●○●○●○●○

Nightmare sat on top of the chimney, watching Killer assemble the planches, he was building him a tiny house next to the fireplace with a cat bed next to it if Nightmare wanted to take a nap outside the house. It was his second day here, having fallen asleep in Killer's hood when he was showing him around, he woke up the next morning, on the couch and still in the hood, but without Killer.

Horror had been the first he saw as he was the only one awake. They had looked at each other before Horror hesitantly waved. It seemed like they were both as confused as each other regarding the current situation.

- You... hungry...?

Horror had asked. Nightmare slowly nodded, he hadn't eaten since at least twenty-four hours as Killer and he had left the shelter before lunch time, and his little cube of ham was merely a snack, not a meal. The bitty got up, but quickly realized that the couch was to high for him to jump from it. He looked up at the big skeleton. He was scary, but then again, it would be hypocritical to judge him based on how he looked, so Nightmare took a deep breath and held his tiny arms out for him. Horror looked at him for a minute, wondering what he wanted, before getting closer and carefully scooping the bitty in his hand, which was much bigger than Killer's. Nightmare curled his tentacles around the fingers for balance and sat on the palm as Horror straightened up, having bent down to grab him, he looked at the living room, seeing it much better with the new height. There were a big couch and an armchair in front of a fireplace with a TV sitting on it, a coffee table between the couch and chair, and on the right of all of that was a wooden dinning table with chairs.

Horror took him to the kitchen, putting his hand on the counter for the bitty to get down at his own speed. Nightmare stood on the marble counter, looking at the knives and pans hanging on the wall, he heard Horror going through the cabinets to gather some ingredients.

- Killer said... bitty food... for you...

Nightmare turned to him and nodded, he wondered if the big skeleton had trouble speaking ? At first he thought he was just unsure about interacting with him, but it seemed like there was something else... Horror grabbed a box, the one Nightmare thought contained material to kill and cook him, looked through it, and grabbed another smaller box with picture of different ingredients on it. He put it with the other ingredients already on the counter.

- What are you doing ?

Nightmare asked, quite curious about all of that. Horror moved his hands in the air, but all he earned from it was a confused look from the bitty. The big skeleton frowned, thinking for a bit before finding the right word.

- Cookies..

- Why do you speak like that ?

Maybe it was a bit rude to ask this like that, but Nightmare wanted to know.

- Dust said... aphasia... can't find... words..

Horror replied slowly, trying not to mess up his sentence too much.

- Was that sign language when you moved your hands ?

Horror nodded. Nightmare didn't understand sign language, he knew what it was because he had seen customers using it at the shelter, but he was never taught this language.

- Easier like that...

The big skeleton added before focusing on his ingredients and grabbing two bowls, one big and one smaller. Nightmare got closer and climbed on a small jar to sit and watch Horror cook. He let the bigger one prepare the cookie dough, using regular ingredients in the big bowl and special bitty ones in the other. Once the dough was done he took a hob and started separating the dough to shape the cookies on it. Nightmare jumped a bit when Horror pushed the little bowl near him and put the special dough in front of him. The skeleton didn't say anything, watching the bitty expectantly. Nightmare hesitated for a while before finally getting down from the jar, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater, and slowly detaching parts of the dough to make his own little cookies, glancing at Horror to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong.

He had never cooked before, nor did he ever watch anybody cook, it was new but.. he liked that, he liked shaping his little cookies next to the big cookies.. he had liked sleeping in Killer's jacket too... he felt his tentacles curl, reflecting his.. his happiness.. he was happy..

- Heyyyy big guy! Whatcha making ? Ohh little guy's here too!

Speaking of Killer, he just arrived in the kitchen. Nightmare didn't pay much attention to him, too focused on his cookies that he shaped slowly, carefully... He just heard Killer speaking, Horror didn't talk so Nightmare figured he might have been signing instead, then he heard the same noise as when they left the shelter, and Killer was gone when he looked up. Horror was still there, waiting patiently for him to finish.

Nightmare stood up after a few minutes, finally done and rather proud of his work. He looked up at Horror, wanting to see if he was proud too, but quickly looked back down.

Why was he so.. so childish all of a sudden ? He never seeked validation like that before ! Or at least not since the first year in the shelter, when he still had hope.. what was happening ? Horror smiled at him, giving him a small and careful pat on the head before taking the hob back and putting it in the oven. He then went back to Nightmare, carefully scooped him back up, and went back to the living room where Dust was now laying on the couch, apparently finishing his night downstairs. Horror put Nightmare on top of the chimney and that's when he realized Killer was kneeling on the ground, assembling planches.

So Nightmare stayed on the chimney, watching Killer work and Dust, who had woken up, comment on his work, telling him where to put some pieces. He watched them both from his spot, finding them not so scary after all...

Horror came back a few minutes later, putting a tray on the table.

- Cookies ready..

He announced. Killer looked up excitedly, abandonned his work to stand up and scooped Nightmare to go to the table with him, putting him on the middle of it for him to chose his seat. Dust followed them and sat on his assigned chair.

The cookies smelled amazing! Nightmare looked at the mountain before him before spotting his own, smaller, cookies and taking one. He saw Horror signed something and Killer smiling happily. He really needed to learn sign language.

Everyone sat down, talking as they all enjoyed a nice breakfast with warm cookies. Nightmare looked at them, were they his family ? His caretakers ? His owners ? His roommates ? He didn't really know how he should address them, but did it really matter now ? He'll probably just figure it out later.

He looked at Dust, he hadn't said a word, simply nodding along to whatever was being said, or signed, the shadow of his hood covering his face. He was the one who told Nightmare that Killer brought him here out of pity, that they all were unwanted. Nightmare couldn't really feel his emotions, there was a sort of mist surrounding his soul, and Nightmare's magic wasn't really powerful anyway. He jumped when he noticed a red and blue eyelight staring at him. Was he mad ? Did Nightmare stare too much ? Maybe he shouldn't have, it was rude to stare after all...

Dust's eyelight finally turned when Killer playfully hit his shoulder.

- Stop scaring my baby!

Nightmare felt his cheeks getting hotter, was Killer talking about him ? Why did he call him his baby ? He didn't have time to think about it as Killer had grabbed him to pull him closer.

- It's okay baby, I'll protect you.

Killer assured as Dust rolled his eyelights, biting into a cookie. This time Nightmare was sure he was blushing as he looked down, biting into his own cookie to distract himself from the nickname. No one has ever called him "baby" before, sometimes the employee at the shelter would call him "Night", but it was that, never "baby" or "little guy" like Killer did. He didn't really know how to feel about that.

He felt a pat on his head, looking up he saw Killer smiling at him, a loving smile, but Nightmare could see the mischief behind it... he opened his mouth to ask what he was up to but only a surprised shriek and a giggle came out when he felt a finger tickle his side. The hand was rapidly slapped and chased off by his tentacles, making Killer chuckle as he looked at the bitty fleeing to Horror for protection, looking very embarrassed.

- I'm sorry I couldn't resist..

Killer smiled, to which Nightmare responded with a frown before turning his back to him, his tentacles curling in embarrassment.

Killer was a threat, Nightmare would have to watch him closely from now on. For now he would stay with Horror, he was much more safe to be around, and Dust... was still a little intimidating. He'll get used to him later.

And later arrived very shortly after because Nightmare was now alone with Dust, Horror had left to work in the garden and Killer went to the store because he was missing materials, so Nightmare was sitting on one of the couch's pillows next to Dust who was busy being on his phone, not paying attention to him.

The silence was loud. He looked at the big skeleton but couldn't see his face behind the hood as he was turned. Nightmare bent over, trying to at least see his eyelights, but he was still too far. He bent farther down, he just needed a little more, just a little... until he felt the air under him and everything shifted as he felt himself fall, having bent too far. He didn't have time to react, all he did was close his eye as his soul beat faster, waiting for the inevitable impact with the hard ground... the impact didn't come. He slowly opened his eye, three of his tentacles were rolled up around him as he was shaking like a leaf, curled in a ball. He felt something tug on his fourth tentacle and he was slowly lifted in the air before being put down on the pillow again, safe. He looked up, Dust didn't move, but he saw a little bit of purple magic around his fingers.

He saved him. He was going to fall and he saved him. Nightmare stood up after calming down from the fright of his near death experience, his legs still shaking a little, and slowly walked to Dust, sitting next to him.

- You should be more careful.

Dust said without looking up from his phone. Nightmare nodded, looking at the skeleton before tugging on his shorts, wanting to sit on his leg. Dust saved him, that was.. a lot, and Nightmare immediately felt a lot safer with him.

Dust turned his head, his eyelight locking on the bitty trying to climb up his leg. He watched him for a second before putting his hand under the little skeleton's feet to help him in his ascent. Once on his lap Nightmare went to sit against his hip, not saying a word, his little tentacles were curling on themselves. Dust didn't mind, returning his attention to his phone, he decided to put on a movie for them both to watch, he didn't have anything better to do anyway, Horror was outside and Killer was in town, it was only him and the bitty who now seemed to really like him, which was curious considering he was scared of him not five minutes ago, but then again Dust didn't know anything about bitties, so maybe that was just how they were ? The only thing he knew was that bitties needed love to live a healthy life, hence why they were sociable and a domestic species only, which was a result of the excessive breeding they went through. Considering that, it was surprising that Nightmare survived this long in the shelter. Dust first thought that he was special, that he didn't need love as much as the others, but he was apparently wrong judging by the way he was pressed against him, it just took longer for him to show it, and maybe he was just more resistant than regular bitties.

Either way, this little bitty was intriguing, and both Horror and Killer seemed to like him, so he'll give him a chance, and maybe he would like him too, who knows ? Maybe he would grow found of this little guy falling asleep on his leg...

Maybe...