#Ancientschampionau

[somegrumpynerd]

Nobody tell him

(@ancientschampionau your reply made me laugh, I had to draw something for it)

[a-whispering-echo]

Swoon~

the sillies <3 my boys <3

@ancientschampionau because we were talking about some of these little things, and i figured you like to see it, and this is like, a credit thing too <3

[mikimakiboo]

Surprise adoption

Once again based on @ancientschampionau 's Real Age AU

Soooo surprise surprise, I may have done a little something with your little something 👀

Quick summary: For some reason a Nightmare from a Dadmare au found baby Nightmare and decided he will be his fifth kid, the gang is not happy with that

Some notes at the end

How did Nightmare ended up in this AU ? Did he open the wrong portal again ? He wasn't at the supermarket, he was standing in front of a farm. Was he in Farmtale ? No, he had already been to Farmtale multiple times, he would have recognized the magical signature of the universe. A new timeline maybe ? One he hadn't explored yet ? Maybe... but he didn't have time to explore it, he left the castle to go grocery shopping for his four boys, and he couldn't just leave them alone for too long or else they would make a mess in the house again. He didn't want to clean up tonight.

He sighed, turning around, but as he lifted his hand to summon a new portal he saw someone, well, not someone, himself, he saw himself standing in front of him, himself from when he was six with his bright lavender eyelights and white bones... what was he doing here ? It wasn't his AU, why wasn't he in Dreamtale ? Did he get ejected from his AU ? Did the AU collapsed and this Nightmare found himself in this timeline as an outcode ? It wasn't his place, it wasn't a place for a child... he looked at his portal... the groceries will have to wait, he couldn't just leave him there, when he was his age he would have killed for someone to take care of him, if he could give that to this tiny version of him, he would do it, especially since the apple incident visibly didn't happen yet. No one saved him, but he would be the one to save himself.

The little Nightmare on the other side... did not expect to be grabbed by this adult corrupted version of himself, like, at all. It was a nice day today, Horror told him he could play in the backyard while he was making dinner, it was supposed to be safe, he was just behind the house after all. When a portal opened he quickly got up with excitement, thinking it was Error paying him a visit, but it wasn't, since he found himself standing un front of, well, himself, but an adult version of himself, a real adult version. He didn't know what to say. What did that mean ? Was their AU, their home, under attack ? Was this Nightmare's gang, if he had one, going to make an entrance too ? Did the multiverse simply replace him since he wasn't fulfilling his guardian role anymore ? He didn't understand. And what he also didn't understand was why the adult just grabbed him out of nowhere to cross the portal again. Was he allowed to leave this AU ? Probably not. But he also wasn't allowed to follow strangers and technically the adult wasn't exactly a stranger. Plus it wasn't his fault, he didn't even follow him, and he wasn't sensing any vile intention from him either, so he would probably be fine, it would just be a small trip, he would be back before dinner !

On the other side of the portal Nightmare recognized the castle, it was practically the same as his, which made sense because since they were alternative versions of each other it was logical for them to choose the same place to live. He wondered if the gang was the same as his or if he picked different versions, maybe they came from a Fell universe ?

- Boys I'm back !

The adult called, closing his portal with one hand, holding the child against his chest with his other arm. Nightmare turned to look as he heard rapid, and little, footsteps coming from the hallway.

- Dad !

An excited high voice yelled as a small skeleton entered the room, not older than six years old, he had tar leaking from his eyesockets. Nightmare recognized him immediately despite his surprise: Killer was a kid ? Another skeleton followed, arriving just as fast as Killer and bumping into him, this one had a hoodie on with mismatched eyelights: Dust, who looked the same age as Killer. The two children rolled together on the ground, none of them looked hurt and judging by the sigh the adult let out it was most likely an habit for them. Nightmare looked at them, now fully expecting everyone to be a kid, and his theory was soon confirmed as the two remaining skeletons entered, much more calm than the previous two: Horror, who looked older than the others, maybe eight, was holding a little Cross by the hand, he looked four. So this Nightmare's gang were kids... he had heard about some AUs where he would take care of his gang as children, Dadmare and Mommymare AUs, if he remembered correctly, and since Killer called him "dad" he was pretty sure this one was a Dadmare AU, which meant this was one of the safest AU he could have ended up in with Dadmares usually being pretty chill.

- Who's this ?!

Killer asked as he got up, spotting the tiny Nightmare in his dad's arm. The adult kneeled so all the children would be on the same level.

- He's your new friend, his name is.. uh..

- Night.

Night answered before the adult could come up with anything. He didn't particularly want to change his name, but two Nightmares would be confusing and he didn't want anyone to choose how people called him, this choice was his to make, and "Night" wasn't that far from his real name.

The four kids looked at him with different level of curiosity, out of everyone Killer was the most excited to have a new friend.

- My name is Killer ! This is Dust, this is Horror and this is Cross !

He happily introduced everyone, unaware that Night already knew them. He simply nodded.

- Did you found him like you found me ?!

Killer asked Nightmare, his dad.

- You could say that.

- Dad found you in the trash.

Dust added, looking at Killer. These two seemed to tease each other just like in Night's AU. Nightmare frowned.

- Dust, don't say that.

- But that is true ! You found him in a bin !

Dust argued.

- That... that is true but it is still not a nice thing to say.

Dust mumbled a "sorry", earning a little pat on the head as to show it wasn't a big mistake and that Nightmare wasn't mad.

- How old is he ?

Night didn't notice Horror and Cross getting closer. Horror was the one who asked the question, Cross hiding behind his leg.

- I'm six.

Night answered.

- Six ? But you're the same height as Cross ! And he's four !

Killer noted. Night simply shrugged, he didn't have an answer to that, at least he didn't have one that didn't involve malnourishment, near death experience or physical abuse, so he decided to not say anything, it wasn't worth it, especially considering he wouldn't stay too long in here, he had a home to get back to after all.

Nightmare put him down, and the moment Night was on his feet Killer grabbed his hand.

- Come, we'll show you our room !

And with that he pulled him to go to their room, a big room where they all slept and played together. Night let out a little yelp when Killer suddenly ran, he wasn't used to run anymore and he felt a pinch in his back, luckily the room wasn't far so he didn't have to run for too long. Horror opened the door, never letting go of Cross, and they all went inside.

The room was heavily decorated with lots of toys and posters, no doubt the children choose their decoration themselves and Nightmare didn't object. Killer let go of his hand to go stand in the middle of the room, his little arms stretched out to show everything.

- This is where we all sleep and play ! Dad doesn't let us bring food here but don't worry ! We found a way to sneak some food in here without him knowing !

- Dad knows, he just doesn't say anything because he thinks it helps us develop our skills.

Horror contradicted him, but Killer wasn't listenning, already looking through their box of toys. Night noticed Cross staring at him, he was the only one who hadn't said anything yet and stayed close to Horror, he couldn't blame him: Horror was a reassuring presence. He waved at him, making the small skeleton flinch but shyly wave back.

Killer finally found what he was looking for and brought back multiple little cars and action figures.

- Here ! All we need to play !

Dust grabbed some pillows, putting them on the floor to lay on them so they would be more comfortable. Night looked at them settle before going next to Dust.

- Can I sit here ?

He asked. He wanted to be with Dust, he knew he was different from his own Dust, but he was still a Dust, he felt safe with him. He felt safe with everyone, but Dust was just.. special to him.. he couldn't explain it, he just felt it.

Dust looked at him for a moment before nodding and looking at the new kid settling down on the pillow.

It was nice, very nice even, to play with kids his age, especially when these kids were alternate versions of his family. For how long had Night wished to have friends ? For how long had he looked at the villagers, wishing that at least one of them would want to play with him ? He knew his gang would arrive soon, but he kinda wished they wouldn't arrive too soon, he wanted to play a little longer, to enjoy something that had always been denied to him. He felt good here.

- What do you mean he's gone ?! You were watching him !

Back in Farmtale, a scream emerged from the house, making the birds flee from a tree nearby.

- I mean he's gone ! He's not in the garden ! I looked at him, put the chicken in the oven, and he wasn't there anymore !

Horror screamed back at Killer, worried but also pissed that he was insinuating that he failed watching over the child. Killer didn't mean it like that, it actually came out meaner than he thought, but it didn't matter now: Nightmare was gone and they didn't know where he was.

- Who the f#ck would kidnap a random child ?!

Dust asked, clearly as mad and worried as everyone. Cross tried to calm him down, to reassure him, maybe Nightmare wasn't far, maybe he was in the vine field or the woods, he always liked taking walks in the woods before. But it wasn't like before. He wasn't as strong as before. If something happened, he couldn't defend himself.

- Don't you ever read the news ? Kids get kidnapped everyday !

- Killer, please, you're not helping...

Cross gently scolded him, they were already worried enough, no need to add such information.

- What if the Stars found him ?

Dust blurted out. They looked at each other, they all thought of that but no one dared to say it out loud, as if not saying it would prevent it from being real.

- We need to search the AUs.

- That would take ages to look through all of them !

Horror claimed. He was right, that would take long, especially when they didn't know which one to begin with.

- Do you perhaps have a better idea ?

Killer asked, losing patience. That's when Cross remembered something.

- I have one; when I went shopping with Nightmare Error opened a portal above us and told us he sometimes looks to make sure everything's fine, maybe we could try to leave a sign so that the next time he looks he knows something is wrong ? And then he can localize Nightmare's code in the multiverse ?

They thought about it for a moment. That could work, Error could find his code faster than they could, and even if Killer didn't particularly like the idea of seeking Error's help, he was their best and only solution at the moment.

- But how are we gonna leave him a sign ? We don't know when he's looking.

Horror asked before a glitchy voice interrupted their thoughts.

- No need for a sign, I heard you talking about me. What do you want ? And make it quick, I have other things to do.

It was late in the AU Night was in, he didn't know if time was passing at the same speed for him as it was for his gang, but here it was almost dinner time. Would it be okay if he ate here ? He was hungry, but he was already supposed to have dinner at home, would Horror be mad if he ate before dinner ? They were still so cautious about what he ate, what would they say if he ate something that his magic couldn't digest yet ? Maybe he shouldn't eat, but he was hungry... he would just ask for a little plate, not too much food should be fine, he would say his tummy hurt a little and he didn't feel like eating a lot. It would be fine, surely it would be fine.

- Boys, dinner is ready !

Nightmare called. The boys rejoiced and quickly abandoned their toys to get up, Killer left the room first, followed by Dust, Horror helped Cross getting up and looked at Night.

- You're coming ?

Night looked at him for a second before nodding and getting up. A pinch. His back hurt. He must have made a face because Horror was still looking at him, frowning.

- Are you okay ?

Night nodded again, he didn't want to worry them, his back would probably be fine, it was just a pinch. Horror didn't insist, Cross tugged on his arm, he wanted to eat but didn't want to speak, eyeing Night. He seemed shy. Night followed Horror in the dinning room to the big table. His back hurt when he walked, he just hoped his wound didn't reopen, because there was no one there to take care of it properly. He watched as they all sat at their respective seats and before he could ask anything he felt the adult grab him to sit him down on a chair.

- You can sit here, I hope you like cannellonnis ?

He asked as Night looked at the plate in the middle of the table, it looked like tube shaped pastas with meat and tomato sauce inside and grilled cheese on top. It looked good, but he still couldn't eat too much.

- Can I have only a little please ? I'm not very hungry and I don't want to waste..

The adult looked at him with some worry before smiling.

- Of course, you eat as much as you want.

Once the food had been served, they all started to eat, Nightmare helping Cross to eat and not make a mess but still watching Night to make sure everything was okay with him.

- What do you mean he's in a Dad AU ? What the f#ck is a Dad AU ?!

Killer asked, not satisfied by the localisation Error gave them. The Destroyer sighed, did he really have to teach them everything ?

- A Dad AU is an AU where Nightmare, usually called Dadmare, takes care of kids, with most of the time the kids being you but it can be anyone.

- Why would he be there ?

Dust asked, not satisfied as well but not yelling like Killer.

- How the hell would I know ? You asked me where he was, not how he got there !

Error responded, quite pissed with all the questions.

- Can you make a portal to this AU ?

Cross asked before they could start a fight that they clearly didn't have the need of right now. Error sighed before raising his arm in the air, focusing for a second to find the right line of code and tearing it open to create a portal.

Night was hiding. His back hurt. It was fine before dinner, hurt a little during, and started to hurt a lot when he went back to play with the others. He got scared, he wanted to go back home now, he liked playing here, he really liked it, he liked having friends, but his back hurt and he didn't want to be touched, he didn't want to be with strangers when it hurts, even if he technically knew everyone here, he wanted his gang, he wanted his family, he wanted Dusty...

- Night ? Where are you ? Come out please, we're not gonna hurt you..

He heard the adult version of himself looking for him. He curled up even more in his hiding spot, trying not to make noise as he felt tears forming in his eyesockets.

- Why are you crying ?

Night flinched at the voice and quickly looked on his left: Horror was sitting next to him, he didn't hear him arrive. He shouldn't be surprised, Horror had always been the best at finding things, of course he would have found him before the others.

- I wanna go back home...

Night sobbed, he was tired. Horror looked at him with sympathy.

- Why didn't you tell dad you had a home ?

He shrugged, he didn't know why, he was just curious to see what would happen.

- Dad brought us here because we didn't have a home anymore.

Horror explained.

- But if you have one then you should go back to it. Do you have parents too ?

Night nodded, he did have parents, he didn't know if they considered themselves as parents or simply as caretakers, but to him they were his parents, his family.

- Then you should go back, they must be worried. Come, we will talk to dad.

Horror got up, stretched out his hand for Night to grab and get up too. He didn't let go of the older child's hand, clinging onto it as he left his hiding spot. He followed Horror until they both stopped. There were screams, people were yelling, and Night knew these voices.

- Where is he ?!

Killer, the adult, yelled. Him and Dust were the first to cross the portal, Horror was in the middle of it and Cross was on his side. Nightmare was in front of them, visibly confused by the sight of the adult versions of his kids, worried for their safety and mad that these people broke into his house to scream some nonsense at him.

- Where is our kid ?!

- I don't have your kid ! How many times do I have to tell you ?! Get out of my castle !

Night tightened his grip on Horror's hand.

- They're my family...

He said quietly to the older child who seemed pretty confused by the strangers and why did they look like them. Horror still nodded, he knew universes existed, since their dad brought them all from different places, but he had never seen other versions of himself. He wasn't supposed to, as they weren't allowed to leave the castle without Nightmare and he never took them with him when he made his portals. They got closer, just enough for the adult version of Dust to spot them.

- Nightmare !

He rushed to his side, but before he could get close enough to grab him a tentacle blocked him, impaling the floor in front of his feet between him and the child who grabbed Horror's arm for more reassurance. They were fighting because of him, he didn't like that.

- You are NOT taking him away.

Nightmare growled, his corruption dripping. When Night still had his corruption it would sometimes drip too, usually when he was really angry or too sick or tired to maintain it in place.

The other kids were on the doorstep, alerted by all the noise and scarred for their dad.

- You were the one to take him when he was in our backyard !

Horror accused him.

- Because he belongs here ! He needs someone to take care of him ! To protect him ! I need t- He needs to be safe !

Nobody responded. Cross looked at Horror to see if they understood the same thing. They did. This Nightmare was still a Nightmare, he had his own bagage of trauma, and he found himself in front of his kid version, of course he would want to protect him, how could they not figure that out before lashing out on him ? He faced terrible things, and he faced them alone, he didn't have anyone to protect him, he must have thought that protecting this tiny version of himself would help him cope with everything he went through... he was not a monster, he was just hurt and nobody ever saw it, nobody ever tried to understand what he felt and to help him...

Horror took a step forward, Nightmare tensed but didn't attack, he knew his boys were there, if a fight started he couldn't protect them alone against four. Could he even fight them ? Could he fight when his opponents had his kids' faces ?

Horror spoke, calmly.

- He is safe. We can assure you that he has everything he needs and is being taken care of by all of us. He is not in any danger.

Killer didn't understand what he was doing, why was he so calm when their baby clearly got kidnapped ? He was about to say something when Cross made a quick hand gesture to tell him not to, to let Horror manage it.

- No one is gonna hurt him, no one is gonna approach him like that again, he isn't in danger anymore. He is safe now. I promise.

Nightmare's gaze locked on him as he was speaking, his corruption dripped less and his tentacle relaxed a bit.

- We just want to take him back home, we don't want to fight, I'm sure you can understand that.

Nightmare felt a tug on his shorts. He looked down: Cross, his baby, was looking at him, his eyesockets filled with tears. He bent down to hold him against his chest, standing back up with his kid in his arms. He couldn't imagine his life without them, without his children, his little gang as he called them, if anyone tried to take them away from him he would tear up the whole multiverse just to take them back. These four adults seemed to have done just the same for their kid. He didn't have the right to take him from them. He retracted his tentacle.

Dust quickly grabbed his baby and pulled him against his chest, returning with the others as he looked at the black skeleton. Night looked at them too.

- Can we come back some times... ?

He hesitantly asked Dust. He liked his new friends, it was fun to play with them, at least when his back wasn't hurting. Dust looked up at the others, Killer didn't seem to like this idea, but it looked like he was the only one as Horror and Cross both seemed okay with that and the group of kids was looking at them expectantly. The little Horror went back to his dad's side.

- The kids liked him...

Nightmare simply said, gently rocking his baby Cross in his arms. Horror smiled softly, this Nightmare wasn't dangerous, he could tell he really took care of the children and they all genuinely liked and trusted him. This castle was a safe place.

- Of course, we're happy he made some friends.

He agreed, shushing Killer before he could protest. The kids looked happy, and a quick look at their own baby comfired he was pleased too.

- We have to go now, we can't be gone for too long.

- Of course, I'm sorry.. for what I did..

- You better be.

Killer spat before crossing the portal again, rapidly followed by Dust, he needed to check Night's wounds.

Horror nodded at Nightmare, and he too returned home with the others, Error closing the portal behind them. Their baby was safe, it was all that mattered at the moment, that he was back in their home...

It mattered so much that no one noticed that the chicken burnt in the oven. Good thing Nightmare already ate.

- the end -

●●●●●●●●●●●

I'M DOOOOOONE

So many characters it was hard to keep track sometimes :')

The baby got kidnapped, but he made some friends ! So it wasn't that bad

Dw about Killer he was just very worried for his tiny baby, Horror did explain everything to him afterwards and, yes, he did feel a little bad, but not too much, because this other Nightmare still stole his baby, and that is unforgivable

@ancientschampionau here's your surprise ! If you're wondering why I asked you about Cross's and Horror's age/responsibility it was because I couldn't decide which one should be 8 and which one should be 4, but I didn't want to spoil so I asked the question like that ;3

Also i HAD to put some angst I love writing angst SO MUCH so here you go, a little bit of angst sprinkled on the fic

Was Nightmare projecting his trauma onto baby Noot ? Yes, yes he was

Hope you'll like it !

I proof read this at 3am so there is a HIGH possibility that there are still mistakes left

[spotaus]

Soooooo for anyone who isn't aware, @ancientschampionau found one of my random Thinking Out Loud posts and basically is in the development of a fic and keeps tagging me in all the posts and I'm losing my mind (/pos) so I figured I'd return the favor and tag them for once!

I've been rotating the fact that Dust and NM were the first to actually bond, and Dust looking after Night is just peak. So I doodled the sillies! Night's grumpy and Dust is 2 seconds from nap time himself.

All I'm imagining now is that Dust's guilt from killing Paps gets rewired eventually into protecting his Little Boss or smth 🙏 (sorry, I'm a Dust truther frfr...)

[krossheadquarters]

Cat Gay Panic au Masterpost!!

Cat Anon asks!

Where it all started (First Ask)

Killer finds out? (Second ask)

Killer names Cross! (Third ask, Cat Anon earns their nickname <3 )

I DON'T LIKE GUYS!! (Cross is panicking, Forth ask)

Killer rambling (Ask number 5, i don't know how to count dbfjkshfkjsdk)

Fellow ramblers asks!

Killer's soft side (First Blackdragonfire ask)

Cross's little secret

Bath time! (Blackdragonfire's ask)

Cross's Jealousy( ancientschampionau's ask)

Cat au parallels! (etho-selunar-eevee's ask)

Ideas for how it started

Cross gets cat toys!

Cross gets caught! Oh no!

Cross has the zoomies

Fanarts and media!

First Fanart!!

Second fanart!!!

Kitty Cross submission!!

Cuddling time!!

Fanfics!!

Our very first fanfic (by Cassia156 on AO3)

This Post will be regularly updated to be always accurate and up to date with the au news!

You can also now Search for the tags #Cat Gay panic au or #CGPAU to see the content!

Feel free to submit your own asks and art for the au! Everyone is welcome to enjoy the fun!

I hope you all have an awesome day! <3

[0p1er0]

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------------Single/Series favorites ✨

You Don't Have a Choice - MariusAngelicaSue (X)

You Might Be Evil but You're Not Too Bad - ScreechingReptoids (X)

Black Apple Blues - theunknownthey (X)

Whispers in the Dark - Kei (adakie) (X)

Building your own Emotional Intelligence Toolkit with Blue - Hstaya (X) @hstayafanart

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Feel Free to (please please please do) recommend books!!

Read everything on this list? Don't worry! You can ask @undertale-fic-librarby for more recommendations or even submit fics !!

Ps. Have a fic you just can't find? Try using this!

[undertale-fic-librarby]

Any fics with undersail sans

or with Farm sans as a character and not just a love interest?

Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!

Firsts and Seconds by skerb (Mature, Incomplete)

Sans (who goes by 'Sticks') has had a good life; he and his brother inherited their grandfather's small farm and things are going well. There's nice people around, no shortage of things to do, and the satisfaction of seeing the land flourish to life every year is a reward itself... ... ...that is, until he stumbles upon something no one ever expects to find in their field one autumn evening while Papyrus is in town. [[General CW: this fic deals with starvation recovery, so please take care as you proceed. 💗]] (rottencrop slowburn recovery fic ♥)

Compost for this Rib Cage Garden by WrittenNovelty (Not Rated, Complete)

The mythos of death would always be associated with melancholy and loneliness. Of loss, coldness, and grief. Mortals would look to it with fear, Gods with begrudging acceptance. Death itself, at least one-half of it, saw himself as the necessary evil all else claimed him to be. The one good thing he’d ever touched in his life, the one person who’d believed in him… Was gone. --- What the world had become when she’d… There was a grunt below, causing Reaper to refocus as the skeleton below cracked his back and peered up at the hazy orange ball the sun had become. Their gazes almost seemed to lock, the soft green held within the mortal’s a painfully familiar color. They seemed to stare right at him. “Uh… Howdy there stranger. Watcha doin’ way up there?” The other called. Reaper’s chest filled with ice as he turned to see who the other could be speaking to. It couldn’t be him. Yet, he was as alone as ever. He twirled back around to see the other had waved his hands around, seemingly just as startled.

Tapping the Font by skerb (Explicit, Complete)

“Say,” Sans murmurs, his voice roughed out. “Might’ve forgot to ask… Hey’tap. It’s just a spice, right..?” It’s not like Axe had been hiding it. It’s right in the name. “Heat tap,” he corrects, careful to pronounce both T’s this time. “Brings heat.” Sans blinks at the simplicity of his answer, then finally grins. “Wow,” he snickers almost amicably. “That’s one way to do it.” Axe returns his grin. “Said you could handle it.” -- Wherein a miscommunication results in Axe (enthusiastically) weathering Sticks's heat. :)

Two And A Calf Men by silverryu25 (General Audiences, Complete)

Sans and Papyrus bought a farm when they arrived on the surface but despite Papy’s hopes it didn’t help Sans feel better. Could a “temporary” addition to their little family help both brothers heal and live happier lives?

RealAgeAU by @ancientschampionau (Not Rated, Incomplete)

A series of drabbles covering the events of Nightmare being reverted to his uncorrupted form while the gang tries to raise him.

[utdrmv-confession-box]

Transcript: What do people consider to be 'rarer Sanses'? That one anon mentioned Farm! Sans, but maybe I'm looking in the right places because I've seen some fics that have him as one of the characters, though maybe not a main one. (Shout out to @ ancientschampionau for setting part of their series in Farmtale!)

[blueshystargazer]

@ancientschampionau

Cross and dust staring at the new baby

[somegrumpynerd]

:)

Connected to the story I made of your comics.

(I hope you know Encanto otherwise this will make little sense reference wise)

Dream in Nightmare's body staring at the large stairs and many hallways: ... that is a large area to search. Luckily I have a friend-

Tentacle he had been talking to twists around and hides behind his own back.

Dream: ... nevermind. Well here i go!

two hours of searching later.

Dream: Nightmare your castle SUCKS!

-----

Nightmare as Dream somewhere else stops and frowns: ... why do i get the feeling soemone is insulting my things?

Pfffffffff- XD

I have seen encanto! I've only seen it once but I think I remember the bit, and yeah god help Dream trying to search for anything in that castle.

I can just see them meeting up at the end but instead of trying to fix things it's like

Nightmare: you need to learn to say no to peo- Dream: Why do you live in a fucking castle with THREE floors?? Do you have any idea how long it took me to find the front door?? I'm amazed you have 15 sitting rooms when I never see you sit!! Nightmare: ...actually it has a basement so there's four floors- Dream: STOP!!

This is the ending where they don't return to their bodies they just stand around strangling each other lol

[mikimakiboo]

Muffins

Inspired by @ancientschampionau 's Real Age AU, in which Nightmare loses his corruption and goes back to his six year old form and the gang takes care of him as they all live in a farm (there's more things happening but I ain't gonna spoil lol)

I have already done fanarts, headcanons and comments, all that was left was a fanfiction ! (I think it's the first time I have been so invested in a story) Hope you'll like it and hope I got their personalities right :')

I've been everywhere in your asks and comments lmao I hope I'm not being annoying :')

English still isn't my first language so please excuse the grammatical errors ♡

The moon was high in the sky, it was very late, or very early depending on the point of view, everyone was sleeping, the four adults piled up on each other. Nightmare looked at them before slowly getting out of bed, the small skeleton had a mission and he needed everyone to be asleep. He carefully walked to their pillow nest to grab his giant bat plushie, Batsie he called her, and walked to the bed again, sitting Batsie near the edge in front of the sleeping pile.

- You watch them for me.

He commanded the bat. If anyone saw him talking to the plush he would never hear the end of it. Batsie fell over. Nightmare sat her straight again and put pillows on each side to prevent another fall. Once the bat was secured and after making sure no one woke up the small skeleton left the room, slowly closing the door behind him. He needed to be fast, Horror and Cross usually woke up quite early, he needed to be done by that time.

He could feel the cold floor through his socks, it was an old house, they hadn't install everything yet and for now their only source of heat was the fire place, so Nightmare had to wear socks in and out of bed so he wouldn't get cold.

He went to the kitchen, grabbed a chair and dragged it next to the counter before climbing on it and standing up slowly, he didn't want to fall after all. He grabbed the big cooking book, a gift from Crop as he never used it, and opened it to look through the pages until he found the recipe he was looking for: muffins. He wasn't allowed to help around in the house or with the farm work, everytime he tried they would grab him and put him back in the nest, but he couldn't just stay there and do nothing ! They all worked so hard to protect him, to take care of him and to renovate this house, he felt bad about not doing anything for them in return, so he decided that he had enough, he will bake them muffins and they will enjoy them because he will make them with love ! And chocolate. Cross loves chocolate, so if anyone says anything he could turn to Cross, he will surely stand on his side.

He rolled up his sleeves and gathered everything he needed to bake: two bowls, a whisk, a spoon, muffin molds, flour, sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips, baking soda, yogurt, milk, vegetable oil, an egg, and vanilla ! He stopped for a moment to make sure there wasn't any noise coming from the bedroom but all he could hear was silence. All the ingredients were there, good, because climbing up and down the chair was starting to hurt his back, and even if it hurt less thanks to the care Dust was putting into cleaning his wounds he still needed to be careful.

He read the instructions out loud to himself.

- First, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl...

Carefully, he measured his ingredients and put them in his first bowl: flour, sugar, baking soda, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. He looked up.

- Oh, I forgot to heat the oven !

He had seen Horror using it before, so he knew which buttons to turn. The oven biped, making Nightmare flinch and turn to the bedroom, but no one came out. He sighed in relief, he wanted this to be a surprise, if they woke up now and saw him then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore ! Also they might forbid him to finish baking.

He went back to his recipe, now mixing the wet ingredients in the second bowl: the yogurt, the milk, the egg with some parts of the shell that he had to pick out, the oil and the vanilla extract, before adding it to his first bowl and mixing again. He had to take a few breaks, the mix has started to thicken and it was hard stirring it with his little arms. Horror would have done that effortlessly, but the big guy was sleeping and Nightmare didn't want to wake him up for that, he could do it himself ! He was a big boy ! He has lived for five hundred years ! His body and mind got stuck at six though, but still ! He was perfectly capable of baking muffins for his parents gang.

The mixture finally got smooth after ten minutes of stirring to get rid of the lumps, he could now pour it into the molds with the spoon as to not make a mess. He filled each mold equally, opened the oven's door slowly, put on the thick oven mitts and carefully put his molds inside the oven, closing the door again.

- Twenty minutes.

He said, looking at the time on the oven's clock. He had a timer, but he didn't set it because the noise would wake up the others, and he obviously didn't want that to happen.

- Have to clean now.

Everything went well ! The muffins were in the oven and no one woke up ! Now all he had to do was put the dishes in the sink and the ingredients back in the cabinet, easy ! He grabbed everything and put it back in place, feeling proud of himself and very excited to show his surprise to everyone. He grabbed the bag of flour, the last thing on the counter, and got down of the chair. He tripped.

Danger. Something happened. Dust's soul clenched in his chest, waking him up in a jump, his breath fast and eyelights frantically looking around. Horror was under the others, Cross had his head on his chest, Killer was taking all the space as usual, Batsie was sitting at the end of the bed, Nightmare wasn't there. Nightmare wasn't there. Dust looked again, Horror, Cross, Killer, Batsie, no Nightmare. Panic started to take over, where was Nightmare ?!

He jumped out of the bed, looking everywhere in the room, maybe Nightmare was reading in a corner ? But there was no baby in sight. He stormed out of the room, quickly spotted light in the kitchen, and immediately teleported there. What was he doing this early in the kitchen ? Horror wasn't even awake yet !

A mess. Nightmare had made a mess. There was flour everywhere, from the floor to the cabinets and even himself. He sat on his knees, looking at the mess he made. Of course he made a mess. He always made messes. Back in Dreamtale he always made messes, that's why everyone hated him, because he couldn't do anything right, and now he had made a mess again in the kitchen when he was supposed to make his family a gift. He felt... terrible, his soul hurt, his arms hurt and his cheeks burned. They were going to be mad at him, so mad, he knew he didn't have to right to be alone near the kitchenware, it was too dangerous, he could hurt himself, and not only he did just that, but he also made a mess with the flour.

He heard a teleportation noise behind him. Oh. Oh no. He didn't want that, he didn't want to wake them up, it was supposed to be a surprise ! It was supposed to be perfect ! Why did he have to trip and fall ?! Why did he have to be such a good-for-nothing ?!

- Nightmare ! Are you okay ?! What happened, are you hurt ?!

Dust rushed to his side, kneeling in front of him, not caring that he just stepped in the flour, his baby was on the floor, not responding, he couldn't care less about what he stepped in. He quickly but gently made him look up, a hand on Nightmare's chin, looking for scratches, and was deeply relieved to find none.

- What were you doing here ?

He asked, but Nightmare just looked at him, his eyelights and little lips trembling, he sniffed. Dust quickly pulled him against his chest, sitting correctly to put his baby on his lap as he began to sob, grabbing his shirt with his tiny fists.

- It's okay, I'm not mad, I promise.. I'm not gonna yell at you.. I'm just worried..

He gently pat his skull, avoiding his back as he didn't know yet if Nightmare hurt himself there. The small skeleton pressed his face against his chest, he didn't want that to happen... his surprise was ruined now...

Dust looked around them, letting Nightmare calm down at his own pace, he noticed the bag of flour on the ground and the oven turned on with something inside of it. If Nightmare was hungry, why didn't he just grab a snack ? Why didn't he call him or the one of the others ?

- I'm sorry...

Nightmare sniffled. Dust looked down at him.

- What happened.. ?

He asked again, calmly, still peting his skull.

- I wanted t-to make muffins... for-for when you wake up...

He choked on his tears. Dust hated hearing him cry, he hated it so much, he wasn't supposed to cry, he was supposed to be happy, not hurt.

- It-it was supposed t-to be a surprise...

- You should have called us...

- No.. ! I-I wanted to make it myself.. ! You always do everything an-and I never do anything...

He protested. Of course it was the reason. Dust knew Nightmare felt like he needed to do something in return, to thank them, no matter how much they told him he didn't have to he kept insisting. The adult sighed.

- Night.. it's very sweet of you, really, but we are not here because we expect something from you, we are here because we love you, because we care about you, and love isn't something you need to be thankful for..

Nightmare sniffed, wiping off his tears has he listened to Dust. All his life he had been a burden, he just couldn't imagine that a whole group of people got together and collectively decided to unconditionally love him... it was just... too good to be true... they were too good to be true...

- If you wanted muffins we could have baked them together, it would have still been a surprise for the others...

Nightmare simply nodded, looking down. He felt Dust's lips against his head. A kiss.

- Did you hurt yourself.. ?

He nodded again.

- My arms and back hurt...

- Okay, stay here then, I'm going to clean up..

Dust got up with Nightmare to sit him back on the chair, giving him one last pat before grabbing the bag to put it back on the counter, he then took a broom and began cleaning the floor. Nightmare still felt bad, but not quite as bad as a few minutes ago, Dust wasn't mad, he didn't yell, and the others were apparently still sleeping.

Twenty minutes passed.

- I'll take them out.

Dust said before Nightmare even had time to lift his arms. He took the muffins out of the oven and put them on the counter to cool off. It smelled so good, and they looked good too ! Nightmare smiled as he looked at his creation, he was happy.

Now all he had to do was wait for the others to join them and then they could all enjoy some warm muffins made with all the love he had in his little body.

Some things didn't go as planned, but... it was still perfect to him, everything was perfect... and the muffins were delicious !

- the end -

[a-whispering-echo]

Baby Goth

for @ancientschampionau because i said id draw these two <3

this is for THIS fic, which you should all totally read! ;)

r.e, the hood: so.. this is slightly embarrassing i MAY have forgotten which sans i was drawing, and i only realised it wasnt supposed to be there until after i started shading and rendering, so, Geno gets a slightly translucent hood now, cus, yeah

I very almost drew Reaper in too, but i forgot, cus i couldnt get a good ref for how i wanted him, oopsies

anyway, isnt Goth a little cutie?! <3 spitting image hehe

GO READ THE FIC YOU LOT!

[spotaus]

Hello guys! Today I'm posting a super self-indulgent lil drabble based on @ancientschampionau 's RealAge AU! (This is non-canon!! Just a silly concept!!)

This is 90% just me playing around with the idea of the boys story from the perspective of a random monster who lives in town! Light is a flame elemental who runs a small garden of their own, but mostly works for Grillby in his restaurant. They don't know nearly *half* of the gang's story, but they're fascinated by what they do learn over the course of a few weeks.

Uhhh. No proof-reading or anything here since it's just me being silly- Thank you Ancients for not minding me butting my grubby lil hands in and doin a goofy with it!

...

   The day wasn't too busy. At least, it was never too busy in town, but sometimes it got busy in the little restaurant that they called their home away from home. Grillby's was the go-to spot for everyone in town, and some nights they'd have to bring out extra chairs just to seat everyone. Those nights were always the most charming, hearing all the familiar voices of their neighbors rise and fall like waves as they recounted their weeks.

   Of course, Light liked unbusy nights just like this one too. Nights when they only had a few customers getting a drink or a late-night snack before they went home and hit the hay.

   Right now there were just a few regulars who Light recognized. A bird monster, and a dog specifically were sat not far from them on the otherside of the counter. Light was awful with names, but knew that these two were here every night. ...And they knew the two always had some sort of drama they were eager to share. Grillby was less inclined to let them spread rumors in his earshot, but Light was always curious and willing to humor them.

   "Ladies!" Light greeted the pair as they sidled up to the space before them, only the counter separating them. "How're you two doing tonight?"

   Both monsters looked up at the excitable greeting, and they both seemed to perk up a bit at Light's presence.

   "Oh, we're doing just swell, dear." The dog monster replied eagerly, her smile growing a bit. Light didn't miss how their flames reflected and highlighted the Grey that was growing around her muzzle. "We were worried we'd be stuck with your spoil-sport boss all night!" She teased then.

   Light knew everyone was fond of Grillby. He was just likable like that. So when the bird laughed a bit, Light joined in.

   "Hardly! Couldn't imagine a nice night like this without a good chance to hear the tea." Light assured them, which made them perk up even a bit more, "What do you have for me tonight?"

   The ladies looked between eachother, before the bird monster made a little sing-songy whistle. It drew Light's full attention.

   "We have a few newcomers to town!" She chimed, and the dog monster nodded her head in agreement. "They're staying with Sans at the moment. At least, that's what my son says he overheard!" She added. "That boy overheard a phone-call that nice Papyrus boy took from his brother, and it sounded sudden!" She sounded proud.

   Light had to admit, they were surprised. Normally the ladies would tell them of a new batch of sheep brought in or a baby foal being born. On the more exciting days it'd be a scandal having to do with some young strapping man coming to town, but often that just ended up being the plot of a movie they'd watched that day.

   Hearing names, though? Sans and Papyrus lived a little ways away, but Light knew of them. Hell, everyone in town knew them. The ladies had never tried to make a fake story about them, and Light was interested. New people staying in town with the brothers? Light had moved in from the city a few years back and they remembered being lucky they knew people here. If these newcomers were real, they were lucky to have the brothers to watch out for them.

   "New folks you say? Have they been into town at all?" They asked curiously.

   The two ladies shook their heads a bit, "No. Sounded like they just moved a few days ago." The bird monster answered.

   The dog monster leaned forward, "I heard from the grocery that Sans was definitely buying a few extra things, though. Seems like they'll be staying a while." She deduced.

   Light wasn't quite sure how right the ladies were, and they could tell they were going to try and dive into a guessing game that would most likely end up more insulting than insightful, so Light laughed a bit.

   "Well, we'll just have to do our best to make them feel at home, right ladies?" They insisted a bit pointedly, and recieved nods of agreement that Light hoped were genuine.

 

   They sighed, glancing around, already losing their focus as the women started thinking of exactly how many visitors there were, how they knew Sans, why they'd moved. The whole nine yards. And, admittedly, they too were curious. Light imagined they were probably just old friends stopping by to see the town before they headed on their way again.

   It felt like hardly a minute had passed when they felt a hand pat their shoulder. It jolted them from their thoughts, and they realized that Grillby was back. They didn't need him to say anything to know it was getting close to closing time, and they scurried back towards the kitchen so they could start cleaning up for the night. And among their chores, the thoughts of newcomers in town faded, overlapped by just how many dishes they had piled up.... curse their laziness.

.

.

.

   It'd been a month or two since the ladies in the restaurant had brought up Sans' new house-mates. At first Light had been sure they were temporary, but the assumptions of them staying seemed to be true. Light had heard just about every update on them directly from the ladies, anytime Grillby gave them the chance to ask.

   Apparently it was five new skeleton monsters, all of them staying with Sans. Or, Crop. They were calling him Crop now, something about skeleton naming conventions. Four of them were adult guys, and from what Light had been told, they were a bit imposing. The fifth, though? A babybones. From what they'd heard, it was a little boy that the four adults had showed up with. That kid seemed to be their pride and joy, and maybe even what brought them to stay with Crop.

   Light had seen a few of them out in town a few times, just in passing. The one with the hole in his skull was the first one they'd spotted out in the wild, helping Crop with errands. Then there was the one with the dark magic leaking from his sockets. His soul being on display was a bold choice, but Light hadn't had much time to oogle him, as he'd just been walking out of the market as Light was walking in.

   They heard a rumor about the one that always seemed serious, a red scar under one of his sockets, but Light hadn't had the opportunity to spot him yet, and they'd seen the babybones across the street once, tucked in the arms of the one who always seemed to wear a hood.

   Light really didn't like to pry into people's private lives, but there was just so much talk swirling around that it was hard to not get at least a hint of new news daily. Like, when they were shopping for a new shirt (they ripped their old one trying to climb up a tree and grab a piece of their laundry that had escaped the drying rack) they heard the shop-owner talking about how adorable the new little family in town was to the person in-line before them. When they were hanging out with some pals, their buddy said the hooded one had fixed his janky-ass cash register in just a few minutes. That thing had been broken longer than Light was in-town! And just lately they'd heard that Gerson was giving all of them high-praises.

   Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. No one knew where they came from, and they didn't tell either. Some people were weary, monsters with injuries like those? With the tired looks on their faces when they weren't really thinking about it? Monsters like that surely spelled trouble... but Light wasn't there to judge. They felt like an outside observer just piecing things together haphazardly as new information was thrown their way.

   ...and then they broke their lights.

   Okay, in their defense it wasn't actually the lights themselves. Something in the wiring had fucked up while they were at work, and they came back to a pitch-black farmhouse and a shitty housemate who'd scared the hell out of them by jumping out from under the table as they passed by.

  

   N, their awful (or Funny, as she'd put it) housemate had apparently gotten back from her own work and found the house like that, and she'd changed out all the lightbulbs before sunset. But, they didn't keep matches. Or lanterns, really. And she didn't know where to find the flashlight or her phone in the pitch black, so she'd decided waiting in the dark for her walking-torch of a friend to return was the best plan.

   And, apparently, N had somewhere to be in the morning, but she'd already phoned in an electrician to come figure out where things had gone wrong and fix it by the time Light was awake to find the note she'd left about it. Joyous day, Light loved those electricians. Not.

.

   One dreamless sleep and a tired morning. Light was in the kitchen, dressed in their work uniform and tiredly shoving a piece of fresh cantaloupe in their mouth, when their door knocker banged against the wood of the front door.

   Weird, the electricians always dragged their feet. One glance at their phone revealed that this one was only a few minutes behind schedule.

   They wandered to the door, gulping down their hasty breakfast before swinging the door open, and-

   That was not a big city electrician. That was, in fact, the new guy in town with the hood that fixed Gerson's, like, entire house. Wow. Light wasn't expecting him, N could've at least warned them!

   "Oh, good morning!" They unwittingly shifted gears, turning up their energy levels a bit, as to be welcoming. "I'm guessing my friend N called you about our electricity issue?" They questioned, holding the door open.

   It felt like they towered over the skeleton. They couldn't see his eyelights from under his hood, but he seemed tired and slouched. Unenthused to be here at the very least, and at the most he seemed deeply offended by having to stand on Light's rickety old porch. His vibe check was not passing.

   "Mm, yeah. Something about the wiring." He confirmed, seemingly begrudgingly. His voice was a little... quiet? That could've just been Light, though. They were used to the loud hollers of country-folk these days.

   Light sighed in exasperation. "Yep! I'm sure she probably told you all about it, but the entire lighting set-up went dark yesterday while we were both at work." They agreed, stepping to move out of the entrance to their house, "Come on in, I'm sure you'll know better than either of us did."

   The guy slipped in past them with a slight hum of confirmation, and Light noticed the toolbox clutched in one of his hands.

   They trailed him after closing the door, and watched as he honed in on the nearest light-switch. Unsurprisingly he toggled it, clicking the switch on. Off. On. Off again.

   Something felt a bit surreal. Light was convinced this guy and the other folks Crop was hosting were something like a urban legend, or a celebrity. They'd never been so close to them, and maybe it was a bit silly of them that they'd thought the guys were so imposing. I mean, this guy was in their house, and in just a few minutes he reminded Light more of a wet cat than anything the rumors about him or his friends had conjured up.

   He seemed tired, and he did everything with this off-putting systematicness. He'd seemed fine with Light trailing him through the house, pointing out where the wiring went and connected and which switches did what. It'd just given them more of a chance to observe him.

  

   In hindsight that was a little weird, but Light wasn't exactly the most normal monster in the world, so whatever.

   But truly. This guy seemed small, and a bit thin compared to the others they'd seen from afar. He was ultra quiet, probably the quietest person in town, and even though Light never saw his eyelights, it constantly felt like they were the one being scrutinized, and not the other way around.

   And, just like that, the skeleton had hummed and begun unscrewing a lightswitch plate just outside of N's room. Light watched curiously as he peeled the old cover back from the switch, and he poked at something with a nod to himself.

   "The wires here are frayed, messed up the circuit." He voiced, and his words made Light jump a bit. The only sound for at least 15 minutes had been their steps and the crackling of Light's flames.

   "Oh, seriously?" They asked meekly, seeing as he was already pulling some stuff out of his tool kit. Wires, it looked like. Maybe electrical tape too?

   "Yeah. Rat probably chewed through it." Was all he responded with, and Light was once again left in that silent gap as they watched him work. And he was skilled, that was for sure. Light had half expected him to dismiss them so he could fuck around for an hour to waste their time like the city electricians used to, but in about 5 minutes flat he had the wires attached, and in a few more minutes the cover was screwed back in place.

   A simple flick of the switch had the hall lights on in a split second. The shadow that fell on his skull darkened, but Light was too busy being impressed by his handiwork.

   "Holy shit, they don't even flicker anymore!" They said in mild amazement, missing as the skeleton packed his supplies back up and seemed already prepared to go.

   He led the charge back to the door, double-checking each light as they went, but they all worked better than ever now.

  

   "Here, your pay!" Light suddenly broke their silence, digging into their pocket before producing a roll of cash that N had left behind. "Thank you for the help, man." They added, though they swallowed their need to offer him a cup of coffee or a quick snack. It seemed to them he wasn't compelled by the need for a classic southern-farewell.

   He plucked the cash from theur hand, slipping it into a pocket on just jacket with a mumbled 'No problem.' before he was already on his way back out the door.

   Thirty minutes or so, that was really all it had taken. He was like a spectre, in and out in near complete silence. Not abrasive, but not friendly... cautious? Yeah. In hindsight he did seem cautious.

   Light decided in that moment that they'd be asking Grillby to give that man and his friends a discount the next time they stopped in.

.

.

.

   They were really moving into Gerson's old farm. Light hadn't seen that one coming in the slightest, but when Dani had driven past them with a load of lumber in her truck, with another few following her, Light had realized they were heavily out of the loop.

   Luckily for them, their boss knew what was going on already, and he was already telling them before they got two steps in the door with the latest crate of their supplies.

   "A delivery?" Light questioned the fire monster as he heated the crate out of Light's grasp. Light was young and spry, but Grillby was miraculously strong.

   They eyed him curiously, eyes skimming his flames, listening to the crackling pops that danced away from him. Was he really...?

   "Gerson's old place? Those guys really moved in there?" They questioned, though they knew that Grillby wasn't one for gossip. He was dead serious when he said he needed them to run an order out to the place.

   Apparently, Ellie had insisted Grillby contribute to their little gathering, celebrating the new neighbors and helping them settle in for good. Of course, he'd obliged, but he didn't want to leave the restaurant unattended for too long. So, Light would be taking the orders that way instead.

   "Alright, okay!" They laughed a bit as Grillby nudged them using the crate in his arms. All the supplies were stacked out back, and it seemed all the food was ready in the kitchen.

   Light gathered the food carefully, stacking it securely in their passenger's seat as Grillby kept moving in and out of the building, each time with another load of supplies.

   And then they were off. With only a slight detour past their own place, they made it no problem to the place they were meant to be.

   ...Luckily, the crowd wasn't big, and it wasn't hard to find a place to park on the driveway. Light could see a small group gathered in front of the building, and found that a few more were already on their way back to theur trucks. The Sun wasn't quite setting, but Light hoped they hadn't taken too long.

  

   Swinging out of the driver's side, they rounded to the passengers and gathered the food along their arms... having four sure did help them with the load.

   They kicked the door of their truck shut and moved as hurriedly as they could towards a familiar bunny monster. She and her partner were the only reason they were out here.

   "Food delivery, still warm!" Light called out when they got close enough that it felt appropriate. Only once a few faces had turned did they grin and continue, "Fresh from Grillby's, he sends his regards to our new neighbors!"

   One of the few of the group that was gathered was that skeleton with the magic leaking from his eyes. Light had, once, wondered whether they were tears but had since dismissed that idea. He always wore a wicked grin whenever they crossed paths.

   It was that skeleton and Ellie who approached them, breaking off from the little group who'd seemingly been helping out. Though, Light suspected by now that it might've become a social hour as the sun kept dipping lower.

   "Huh, today is just full of pleasant surprises," the skeleton voiced as he got within rang to stop and stand before Light, "And to think this is just in time for dinner. Now Horror won't have to cook!" He... seemed to be thinking aloud.

   Ellie came up beside him, smiling at Light, "Oh I was worried that stubborn monster wouldn't send anything at all!" She voiced, "Thank you, Light, for bringing all this up here." She was already moving forward, and Light let her scoop one of the covered plates off their arm.

   "It's no trouble at all. Least I can do to return the help is ferry some food to you hard-workers." They replied easily, though they didn't miss how the skeleton was looking at them now.

   I mean, he'd been looking before, but now Light felt that same weird feeling of being watched as they had at their house. A glance revealed that the skeleton had an eyebrow quirked at them.

   "Return the help?" He questioned idly.

   Oh, right, "Yeah! Your hooded friend was a big help to me a few weeks back. Fixed up my house's entire lighting circuit in a fraction of the time the city folks usually take." They said honestly, "But, based on what I've heard I'm probably not the first one to say that." They laughed a bit.

   The skeleton seemed to relax a little. When had he even tensed? Light hadn't noticed there was any tension in his form until his shoulders slumped a bit.

   "Ohhhh, right. Geez, Dust's met half this town and doesn't tell us anything." He mused. Light just tried to file away that the hooded one was Dust. "Well, speaking of Dust, he's probably already inside with the others." He said then, tilting his head towards Ellie, "You mind fielding the rest of these guys? Meet us back inside for dinner?"

   Ellie assured this guy that she could handle it and passed off the plate she'd taken to him.

   Light wasn't exactly informed on what was happening, but the skeleton just nodded for Light to follow him, and they did.

   They passed the last few folks catching up and cleaning in the lawn before climbing some steps onto a porch. Then the skeleton swung the door open, and Light slipped in behind him easily. It felt like any other delivery to any other residents of the town. Familiar and practiced, even though they'd never even gone past the drive on this old property.

   Inside the house was a bit barren, and pretty quiet, but that serenity only lasted for a few seconds before there was a call from the skeleton who led them inside.

   "Guess who brought back the grub?" He called, recieving various voices hissing the name 'Killer' in various levels of frustration to his calling.

   Light traveled into a separate area, a kitchen/dining room it seemed, following Killer with the meal, and they suddenly understood why they had so much.

   Sat and stood in the space were the other three skeletons who'd moved in, along with Crop, Straw, and Dani. It felt like a family-reunion of sorts. The skeletons all seemed to be leveling Killer with frustrated and exasperated looks as he sauntered inside and set his one plate on the table before him.

   "Killer, you gotta be more careful, Night was trying to get in a nap." Scolded one of them quietly, the one with the red scar under his eye.

   And stood in the doorway, Light spotted exactly what he was talking about. Killer moved quick to approach the hooded skeleton, Dust, and Light initially missed what was curled up in Dust's lap. No, not what. Who.

   There, tiredly blinking up towards the approaching Killer, was the babybones. He looked so comfy tucked in Dust's arms, and Light didn't envy him when Killer leaned and gently poked at one of his cheeks. "Sorry tiny boss, but we've got dinner to eat." He seemed to quietly amend as the little guy seemed unphased by the prodding.

   Light had been a bit shell-shocked. Maybe it was the kid being so cute? Maybe it was exhaustion from a long day? Most likely it was just that they felt like a bit of an intruder on a nice family meal. Like there was an invisible wall separating them from the fondness permeating in the room.

   Of course, that wasn't the case, and their arms were still keeping a few plates Wirth of food warm as they stood idly by. Watching as the room seemed to grow warmer at the presence of the babybones reawakening.

   "Oh, Light! Should've known Grillby wouldn't come himself." They were jolted out of their thoughts by Crop. He acknowledged them, which brought a lot of eyes directly onto them. They hoped their flames didn't burn brighter in embarrassment.

   They took a few steps inside, which brought them to just before an open seat at the table. "Great to see you again, Crop! You know how he is anymore about leaving the place un-manned." They voiced, trying to shake the gazes they could feel digging into them as they expertly laid the plates across the dinner table, sliding a few down the way with a practiced arm. "Besides, I would've been bummed if I hadn't gotten to greet the newly-moved in folks properly!"

   They stepped back once the food was all arranged, but finally took a moment to meet the stares watching them. Killer seemed unbothered, already moving to sit. Dust would've likely been uninterested, but Light could see how the little one was staring at them. And the other two? The big one was alright. He didn't seem to mind once Crop had greeted them, but the one with the scar still seemed weary.

   "Of course, I'll get out of your guys' hair so you can eat, but I heard people were bringing gifts, and my farm's not in season right now, so I had to improvise a bit." They said with a nervous grin as they popped open their inventory. A moment later, a simple black vase settled in their hands, and the room was lit up just a bit more.

   They hadn't expected the surprised hum of surprise from one of the skeletons.

   "Are those flowers, but on fire?" He asked, and Light caught that it was the one with the scar. They hoped that meant they could woo him a bit and make things less awkward.

   "Basically!" The agreed. "Flame flowers, they're my speciality item I grow in my garden. They'll keep burning as long as you leave them in the sun and don't water them." They explained, before holding the little bundle of them out above the table. "They're non-flammable and the flames don't get hotter than an average spring day. The vase is stone too, better for them to last longer." They almost got lost in a rant about how exactly the plant worked, but reigned it in as they realized just how long they'd been talking.

   "Mm, they seem pretty neat. Thank you." Came the voice of the one with the hole in his skull. "Would ya mind setting them on the counter there?" He gestured towards the counter behind them, and as they turned to place them, they realized Dani had begun talking about something. Maybe them, even? But they'd overstayed their welcome.

   Dani or Ellie would get the plants back to them to get back to Grillby's, they knew that much.

   They passed Ellie on their way out, only exchanging quick pleasantries before they split ways. The lawn was dark now, vacant besides Light's glow against the grass abd trees, abd their truck was the last one, parked a few paces from Crop and Dani's trucks.

   They stopped by the restaurant to check in on Grillby, but he dismissed them for the night, so they simply went home. But, those guys... something about them was oddly familiar. Or, oddly unfamiliar? They couldn't place it, not with words, but all that really mattered was that they seemed to really have found a home here, just like Light had.

   The town, with its many faults and troubles, seemed to attract the strangest people to call it home. That's what it was meant for though, right? This town looked out for its own. Maybe that was why it felt so right to have those five skeletons now living up on that previously vacant plot after so long.

[spotaus]

Me frfr ^

I've been reading a fic today as a treat for finally being on vacation, and when I say I've just been entranced I mean it. (Also. The fic in question is @ancientschampionau 's well, Ancients & Champions fic lol! It's captivated me >:])

[blueshystargazer]

I'm out of practice. I draw around 20 pictures . And only 2 are any good

@ancientschampionau

Spoilers under the cut

This sketch could go with a couple chapters

We will say chapter 12

An this one is chapter 66