Chapter Warnings:

Mentions of food insecurities, doesnt go into detail

Mention of Ink being the weirdo he is

Glitchy text, should be okay to read but let me know if translations are needed

Chapter Six Start

It was a lazy day. Supplies had been stored away, wounds were bandaged and stable, and the gang was enjoying a slower afternoon with battles or raids a few days off. Horror was in the kitchen making some snacks, and the other four were scattered around the couch in the living room.

Nightmare slunk more unto Dust. Ideally, he would be able to have all of them to lazily drape some part of himself on, but he knew they could never sit still long. Killer and Cross were taking turns commenting about the movie on the TV, a slice of life movie that wouldn't take much attention to follow. They were mostly commenting about the art style, he could hear, the animation one of a particular style. He listened in for a moment.

"..you know I think I've seen this other one like that too. You remember the one movie from Studio Ghibli with the cool dragon kid? I think it was called Spirited Away."

Killer was quick to respond. "Yeah I remember, No Face was so cool in that one! Didn't you draw him at some point?"

"Yeah, I also drew Haku's dragon form. That movie was so pretty, we have to watch it again!"

They got sidetracked for only a little longer before they started talking about the movie again, and Nightmare turned to press into Dust's side more. He was delightfully warm, much warmer than when he'd first met him in the bitter cold of his universe. It had been so cold there... Nightmare wrapped another tentacle around Dust's side, the loose embrace as reassuring as the rhythmic click of bone against his phone screen.

Dust's magic had almost fully replenished itself after that last fight, Horror's cooking and a good night's rest were all he'd needed. Killer and Cross were also doing well, and Nightmare was pleased to see Horror's skull hadn't needed any reinforcing after he got knocked into that tree. Idly, Nightmare wondered how his brother was doing. Closing his eye again, he sought out his opposite's energy in the mass of the universe. It didn't take a lot of sorting to pick out his brother's bright aura from the muddled ones crowding it.

Dream was in another universe it seemed, not uncommon for the hard-working guardian. His spirit was pulsing with hope, the bright orb cheerful in a way that he knew would be easily conveyed through Dream's actions. Nightmare couldn't help but wonder how he did it. How could Dream be so.. so bright, so hopeful, so kind even if people didn't deserve it? He wondered if Dream was naïve, but as he thought about it, he couldn't be. Dream could never be naïve, not after the shambles left in Nightmare's wake each and every battle after that fateful day.

No, he couldn't be naïve, but he had to be something else. Nightmare just couldn't figure out what.

Regardless, he let the thought drift. If he hadn't figured it out yet, it wouldn't be today. Today he was going to relax, and he was going to enjoy the warmth drifting from Dust next to him. Nightmare pressed his face further into Dust's side, his other three tendrils summoned in a loose coil around a pillow or two. He'd been thrown a rather nice blanket at some point, the heavy fabric managing to bring his cold form to room temperature. He was perhaps even a little warm for once, and he hadn't needed to lay on a vent or sit next to the oven to achieve it.

If he was more awake, he'd be a little proud, but he was content to lay there and lightly doze off.

_________________________________________

When Nightmare woke up again a short time later, Horror was bringing some snacks into the living room. He was setting a few plates on the table, a few different types of sandwiches sliced into little triangles. There were also some cookies with a few drinks on the coffee table next to them. Horror went back to the kitchen before Cross and Killer leaned over to grab some sandwiches and cookies, and he came back a minute or two later to sit on the couch next to them. 'He'd probably gone to check everything was turned off, he was really careful about that.'

Nightmare was glad to see him take a sandwich or two for himself before he grabbed two to hand to Nightmare. The second sandwich was passed to Dust, who took and ate it without looking up from Sweets Smash on his phone. Horror had been hesitant to eat when he'd first joined, which was a different problem altogether compared to the forgetfulness Dust and Killer were prone to. It had taken a lot of reminding on Nightmare's part (read: picking them all up and sitting them at the table so they would eat), but eventually he'd been able to convince all of them that food was important and they were worthy of regular meals.

They all had been able to help Cross better with the practice, and he'd been caught up with regular foods and meals after a couple weeks. They had a few allies who may visit, but so far Cross was the last to move into the mansion with the rest of them full-time. They always had more rooms.

Speaking of allies, Nightmare thought over the insight he'd gotten from Ink. Surprisingly, the scatter-brained artist had provided them with more useful information than he'd likely ever find. Their current 'stalker', the term loose since he wasn't really aware of his intention, was called Error. Ink had said 'he is THE Destroyer of Worlds, a glitch with a vengeance set on destroying alternate universes.' He'd also spoken about his appearance a little more, the black bones something they'd already known about, but he was apparently very unique in more than just visuals.

The glitching, he found out, had spread to his voice and his appearance in and of itself. The shifting they'd thought was a byproduct of the portal was just how he normally looked, parts of his code spiraling out of place before teleporting back and repeating the process. His very image was peculiar, and his voice was as anomalous as the rest of him. He was said to have a deep voice, but there were regular hiccups and glitches scattered throughout his speech.

The most he'd gotten out of the creator after that was that he used blasters and strings as his primary weapons, the strings usually sourced from facial markings. Ink had grown more excited as he talked (gushed) about his enemy and had leapt away after throwing up his namesake. Nightmare had only stared after him in mild bemusement, he was likely going to go draw the destroyer he had been talking about. Nightmare's only choice was to wait after this, he had no way of reaching their aforementioned watcher, and he didn't know of his intentions or his whereabouts.

Nightmare was pulled out of his thoughts by a suspicious knock on the door. He turned to the others, a frown making its way onto his face as he tried to think of who that could be. He was met with equally confused faces, and Horror picked up the empty plates after he started looking a little worried. Nightmare pulled himself up from the couch and made his way to the door after a moment, shifting his expression into one of cool indifference.

His eye was met with two mismatched ones upon opening the door, a thin skeleton just a little shorter than himself stood just at the bottom of the stoop. He was wearing the jacket typical of a sans, but the black coat and blue hood made for an interesting contrast against the red and yellow dotting his outfit. Nightmare only stared for a moment longer before the blue tear tracks and error messages jolting about his form made the dark guardian stiffen. The.. the destroyer of worlds was currently on their doorstep.

The destroyer of worlds was currently on their doorstep and Nightmare was staring at him. A rushed "Give me a moment, please." was all he managed to choke out before he gently closed the door with a restrained panic otherwise unknown to him.

Nightmare collapsed against the door before turning to his 3 stunned, worried teammates. "Killer, do tell Horror we have a guest. The destroyer is currently outside the door."

He could see the moment the words processed, Killer's blank eye sockets widening in shock before an eye light flickered and died. He shot up to his feet and bolted into the kitchen, the hurried news followed by the clang of a pan hitting the floor.

Nightmare started laughing when Cross practically fell over, both at seeing his youngest startle so bad and at the unexpectedness of it all. Cross looked like a fish out of water before he started laughing as well, and Killer piped up after he'd poked his head out of the kitchen. "Stars, that was worse than when you saw a cow!"

"Be quiet, you're making me laugh..!" Nightmare gave them a light shove with one of his tentacles, trying poorly to muffle his own laughs and get them to stop. He looked over to see Dust smiling at their antics, but he was otherwise the only one unbothered by the new development and kept trying for a highscore on his phone. Nightmare took a second to breathe before he gestured a 'settle down' motion at the others and opened the door, his expression trying for indifferent.

Error looked no different from the last time he opened the door, just looked up at Nightmare blankly. A clang sounded out from the kitchen, making Nightmare stifle a wince. He took a step back and opened the door wider, sweeping a hand wide. "Come in, come in, it's a little cold out."

Error stepped into the threshold and took a moment to look around before starting for an armchair by the couch. The others had quieted, but he knew even Dust was aware of what was happening because he looked up from his phone. 'He can likely feel the LV'

Nightmare and Dust were the only two to sit down, Dust in a feigned indifference, Cross and Killer leaned up against the wall, and Horror staying in the kitchen. Error didnt seem to notice the tenseness of the room, and spoke first. "ɨ ǟֆֆʊʍɛ ʏօʊ աǟռȶ ȶօ ӄռօա աɦʏ ɨ ƈǟʍɛ ɦɛʀɛ?"

His voice was as deep as Ink had said, and there were some inconsistencies when he spoke, but otherwise he was.. Certainly different than what they'd been expecting. Nightmare was calm, "Yes, I wish to know your intentions toward my group. Do you seek to set up a deal of some sort?"

Error leaned forward a bit. "ɨ ɢʊɛֆֆ ʏօʊ ƈօʊʟɖ ֆǟʏ ɨ ǟʍ ʟօօӄɨռɢ ȶօ ɮɛ ǟռ.. ǟʟʟʏ-ʟʏ, օʄ ֆօʀȶֆ. ɖɛֆȶʀօʏɨռɢ ɨֆ ʍʏ ʝօɮ, ɮʊȶ ɨ աǟֆռ'ȶ ɛӼǟƈȶʟʏ ɛӼքɛƈȶɨռɢ ɦɛʟք. ɨȶ աǟֆ զʊɨȶɛ-ʊɨȶɛ ֆʊքʀɨֆɨռɢ ȶօ ֆɛɛ ʏօʊʀ ȶɛǟʍ ʄɨɢɦȶɨռɢ ȶɦɛ ƈʀɛǟȶօʀ."

He continued, "աɦʏ ǟʀɛ ʏօʊ ɢɛȶȶɨռɢ ʀɨɖ օʄ ɢʟɨȶƈɦɛֆ?"

Nightmare took a second to think about his answer. "I assume you are aware of the rest of Ink's team, and their proclaimed intent to protect AUs. The one with the bow and arrows in obnoxious amounts of yellow is my opposite."

"I seek to weaken him and his influences of positivity throughout the multiverse, and destroying AUs is a useful approach."

Error leaned back into the chair with a hum. "ɨ ֆɛɛ.. ɨ ɢʊɛֆֆ աɛ ɖօ ɦǟʋɛ ǟ ƈօʍʍօռ ɛռɛʍʏ-ʍʏ, ǟȶ ʟɛǟֆȶ, ɨʄ ռօȶ ֆɨʍɨʟǟʀ ɢօǟʟֆ. ɨȶ աօʊʟɖ ǟʟֆօ ɮɛ ɛǟֆɨɛʀ-ɛʀ-ɛʀ ȶօ ƈօօʀɖɨռǟȶɛ ɨʄ ɨ ɦǟɖ ɨռʄօ ʄʀօʍ օʊȶֆɨɖɛ ȶɦɛ ǟռȶɨ-ʋօɨɖ.."

Nightmare stared at Error as he debated and muttered to himself, contemplative. He was thin, likely malnourished, and the void he'd come from had seemed rather cold and desolate This sounded suspiciously similar to Cross's circumstances, albeit with Error being able to make a portal out and destroy universes. However, he almost certainly must have issues with his LV like Dust does. He must be hated, destroying much of anything was never looked up to, let alone worlds.

Nightmare set his eyelight, and prepared to make his offer. "I agree to a proposal of allyship, but do you have anywhere to stay outside of the.. Anti-void, was it? It seems rather cold there and we have plenty of room and supplies here should you want them."

Nightmare could feel his team staring at him, he could feel some uncertainty from them but knew they trusted his judgement. He kept his eye on Error. The other seemed to contemplate Nightmare's offer. "ֆǟʏ ɨ ɖօ ǟƈƈɛքȶ ʏօʊʀ օʄʄɛʀ, ƈօʊʟɖ աɛ ֆɛȶ ʊք ֆօʍɛ ȶɛʀʍֆ?"

"Of course, anything in particular from your side?"

"ռօȶ ʍʊƈɦ, ɮʊȶ ɖօռ'ȶ ȶօʊƈɦ-ƈɦ ʍɛ. օʀ ȶʀʏ ȶօ ʍǟӄɛ ֆʊʀɛ ɨ ӄռօա ʏօʊ'ʀɛ ɢօɨռɢ ȶօ ȶօʊƈɦ-ƈɦ ʍɛ-ɛ-ɛ, ɨʄ ʏօʊ ɦǟʋɛ ȶօ. ɨ ɖօռȶ ȶɦɨռӄ ɨ'ʟʟ ɮɛ ֆքɛռɖɨռɢ ʍʊƈɦ ȶɨʍɛ ǟʀօʊռɖ ɦɛʀɛ, ֆօ ɨ աօռ'ȶ ʊֆɛ ʊք ʏօʊʀ ʄօօɖ օʀ ǟռʏȶɦɨռɢ-ɨռɢ, ɮʊȶ ɨ ɖօ աǟռȶ ֆօʍɛ աǟʏ ȶօ ƈօʍʍʊռɨƈǟȶɛ." Error was trying to be non abrasive, it seemed. 'Darn, it's going to be hard to get close to him..'

Nightmare looked to his teammates and gave a nod, "We can do that, but don't worry about food. We have plenty of supplies here, you won't be bothering anyone. If anything just throw a pillow at us if we're being too loud at unreasonable hours."

Killer was the one to speak next. "You wouldn't think that needed to be said, but you'd be surprised."

Error cracked a smile for the first time since they'd seen him. "աɛʟʟ, ǟȶ ʟɛǟֆȶ ɨ ӄռօա ɨȶ աօռ'ȶ ɢɛȶ ɮօʀɨռɢ ǟʀօʊռɖ ɦɛʀɛ."

Nightmare smiled back at him, and he was glad to see his teammates do the same around him. He hadn't expected this meeting to go this well, or for it to happen so soon, but it seems like it'd be okay, thankfully. Nightmare stood, and went to offer his hand instinctively but thankfully remembered and pulled back before Error could notice.

He walked to the stairway, and turned to call for Error once he reached the banister. "You coming? The rooms are upstairs."

Error hurried to catch up, and subtly felt for the edge of the stairs. The first few steps were tentative, but he walked up the stairs confidently once he got the hang of it. Nightmare hadn't noticed, preoccupied in trying to figure out which room Error should get.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Nightmare led him to a room a few doors down from the rest. He wouldn't mind if he wanted to change rooms, but for now it was best to give him some space and get him out of Dust's range. He was sometimes prone to sleepwalking, and although incapable of handling doors when he was in the zone, it was more than a little startling at first. He also wasn't sure of how Error was with certain noises, and if he was going to open portals in his room, it may be best to keep portals away from the others.

Nightmare opened the door to reveal a room with little furniture, a bed, a bedside table, and two shelves. It was backed with a neutral blue tone, and he looked to Error to see if he had any objections.

"ʀօօʍ ʟօօӄֆ ʄɨռɛ, ȶɦɛ ɮʟʊɛ ɨֆռ'ȶ ȶօօ ʍʊƈɦ ȶɦǟռӄʄʊʟʟʏ-ʟʏ."

"Alright, there are a few other things I wanted to mention. Dust can give you a phone, he'll put our numbers in it, and he can help you out if you aren't familiar with it. We also do go on raids, which I think you might know about, but that's how we go 'shopping'. I can update you on battles and such with the rest of the team. I'd also prefer if you opened portals outside the house, but it's alright if you forget. Other than that, just let me know if you need anything."

Error responded, his emotions tinged with caution, but he was curious. "ɨ'ʋɛ ֆɛɛռ քɛօքʟɛ ʊֆɛ քɦօռɛֆ, ɮʊȶ ɨ ռɛʋɛʀ-ɛʀ ɖɨɖ ɢɛȶ օռɛ ʄօʀ ʍʏֆɛʟʄ. ֆɛɛʍֆ ӄɨռɖ օʄ ʟɨӄɛ-ӄɛ ɦօա օռɛ-աǟʏ քօʀȶǟʟֆ աօʀӄ, ɦʊɦ?"

Nightmare wondered what his capabilities were like, portals weren't easy to make even two-way. "Yes I suppose they could be a bit similar. Phones just take less mana, plus they can have inventory space."

Nightmare observed for a few moments more before he continued. "Well, you're free to go where you wish. The other rooms are a few doors down, along with my office, but feel free to join us in the living room."

"ʍǟʏɮɛ ɨ'ʟʟ ȶǟӄɛ ʏօʊ ʊք օռ ȶɦǟȶ օʄʄɛʀ."

Word Count: 2,789

Pages on Docs: 7

___________________________________________________­­­­­­­­­­­

Also sorry bout this chapter being late, school sucked up all my time and motivation'дゞ