#lcitn asks

[snowfires]

Oooh man, is it bad that I found blue's reaction to the kidnapping (ie nearly killing someone?) Kinda cute? I love their fucked up little family dynamics, it seems more complicated with dream and idk if ink even cares tbh but Blue and readers little chosen sibling relationship is so cute. And so sad. Ik it's way off in the future rn but it would be so fucking funny if Blue just like. Mid fight pauses to give the opposition the shovel talk lmaooo.... the potential family get together hijinks of it all...

Lol more family dynamics to come.

Any potential family get together would be a complete nightmare.

Nightmare and Dream have their problems, Blue has his own personal enemies among the bad sanses, and Ink and Error, while capable of tolerating each other in a room (Ink loves teasing him), always end up arguing or fighting (Ink instigates it usually).

[snowfires]

SINCE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IFS.. Kinda curious how it woulda gone if it were one of the other Bad Sanses that Reader healed instead of Killer! I have a feeling Cross will be one of the nicer ones and maybe Dust as the most hostile?

Ahh I’ve been waiting to answer this ask! I wanted to cover the events up to and including chapter 10 for this.

Major spoilers for chapter 10 under the cut! Go read that first.

Dust:

Having a human walk in when he is severely injured would incite a violent reaction in Dust. He’d lunge at you, trying to use the last of his strength to summon bones and kill you. You would have to wait until he knocked himself out to heal him.

Of course, seeing how dangerous he was, you wouldn’t heal him completely as you had for Killer. Instead, you’d heal him only enough so he would live before leaving.

Months later, when the Bad Sanses come for you and you flee to find Muffet, Dust recognizes you. He’s still aggressive—you are the enemy. But… he doesn’t choke you. Doesn’t play. Dust completes the mission as ordered, delivering you to Nightmare in his own arms. While he is still aggressive with you afterwards, it doesn’t take nearly as long for Dust to start liking you.

Horror:

Horror is the only member of the MTT that wouldn’t instantly attack you. You aren’t underground, so this is probably a pacifist timeline. Allowing you to approach is okay. You heal him completely and, like with Killer, end up passing out. While Killer was initially fascinated by your sacrificial healing, Horror is endeared to it right away. He stays with you until you rouse and insists on bringing you home.

When you hear his name, you’re overcome with fear, something that Horror takes note of. Of course, if you’ve travelled the multiverse you would have heard the rumours. He leaves you alone for a while, but when Cross ends up hurt around the time chapter five takes place, he brings the soldier to get fixed up by you.

Afterwards, Horror begins to visit more often, but not nearly as much as Killer. He slowly breaks down your walls, and you’re able to start liking him for who he is now, rather than fear his actions in the past. His crush on you isn’t something Horror will act on, not without you having met Dust first, but he’s a patient monster. He can bring you into their family eventually, convince Dust that you’d be good at their side.

When he and Cross find you in the alleyway, Horror is angry. You must have known the entire time and declined to tell him. How much had he told you about his family that you could use against them on behalf of the Stars?

Muffet helps you escape, and like in the fic itself, Killer captures you. But Horror takes a long time before he visits you in the dungeon. Eventually, he realizes how little you knew, and regains his affections for you.

Cross:

Fun fact about Cross—he’s only been in the gang five years and is still learning the complicated process of shortcutting between AUs. In this scenario, Cross would be so injured he jumps randomly, hoping to go back home but landing in an unknown world.

He is an absolute mess when a beautiful woman comes to heal him and hurts herself for him. He insists on taking you home himself.

The only problem is… he is stuck. With no way to call the others, because Cross hates phones and doesn’t bring them on missions. You offer him to stay at your home (which freaks him out), and the two of you end up living together for a whole month before the other’s find him. Why did it take them so long? Because Cross is in absolute bliss, rarely feeling anything negative. By the time they do find him, you’ve already started dating.

Cross leaves without telling you. That kind of life… it isn’t good for you.

He caves and comes back two weeks later, assisted by Killer. You continue your relationship (with Killer also starting to fall for you). When Nightmare sends them to find Dream’s healer, and Cross finds you in the alleyway, he realizes what’s happened. Unlike all of the others though, he doesn’t believe for a moment that you did this on purpose. Dream left you in the dark. This is his fault. He tries to help you leave, but you are ultimately caught by Nightmare.

Safe to say, Cross has a lot of explaining to do when they get home.

Nightmare:

Nightmare rarely gets injured. As mentioned in chapter ten, his corruption pieces him together after any attacks other than those from Dream. You find him in the woods, writhing in pain, and though it takes you a while to figure out how to heal his wounds, you eventually do.

Nightmare is… surprised. You must have a significant amount of power to be able to heal his wounds. He too returns you to your home, delighting in your collection of magical encyclopedias. He can bring you more. Teach you how to really use those powers.

Unfortunately, gaining favour from an eldritch being is not always a good thing. He starts to dump his boys in your apartment whenever they’re injured for you to heal, testing the limits of your abilities. His plan to take you in as their personal healer is solidified when Killer and Horror begin to like you.

The problem arises when he brings Cross to you. Unlike the MTT, Cross exclusively refers to Nightmare with his actual name. You realize just who you’ve been helping, assume Nightmare also knew this entire time, and are terrified.

Your fear and the weird behaviour that follows is all Nightmare needs to realize who you are. But of course, you didn’t know who he was all this time. He’s never sensed deceit from you. Perhaps there is a chance yet that you become their healer. He acts as if nothing has happened, insisting on spending more time together. He picks apart every assumption you ever had about who he is until you trust him again.

By the time Dream realizes who you’re spending time with, it’s too late. Nightmare has taken you from this AU.

What he wouldn’t know, however, is just how willingly you went with him.

Error:

No thanks. Absolutely not. Error does not want anyone touching him when he’s injured, let alone Ink’s anomaly. Any attempts to help him end with you wrapped up in his strings and booted to the Doodleverse for Ink to find. He’ll fix himself up on his own.

[snowfires]

I doubt we will get him in the fic as the fic is focused on the Bad Sanses though may we get your headcanons on Death himself if you have any? I always enjoy seeing how people envision or headcanon the god of death!

I can definitely provide some info on our lovely god of death, Reaper, who is extremely exhausted by all of his fellow ‘gods’ at this point:

-Reaper has always been a god of death, though just like in the original Reapertale, he shared the responsibility with his brother once upon a time.

-Reaper was chosen alongside his Toriel (‘Life’) to take over from their predecessor, a being who guarded the cycle of life and death through the whole multiverse.

-Reaper and Life had little choice in the matter, and inherited their roles smack in the middle of what is known to outcodes as “the Virtueless Era”; the time when Nightmare, newly corrupted, was wreaking havoc on the AUs and Dream was in stone, weakening the levels of positivity in the multiverse. Not exactly a great time to start their job.

-Reaper lives with Life under the Tree of Circuition, guarding the cycle with her.

-No longer sharing his role as the god of death with papyrus, Reaper had to shift his approach on reaping souls. Papyrus always had a gentle touch when it was time for people to go—especially towards the righteous and sick. Reaper was much more… ruthless. Now he needs to balance the two, which is difficult when he’s always too damn tired for his job.

-Reaper is the only one of the ‘gods’ Nightmare fears.

-Reaper doesn’t mind Ink, who never interferes in the cycle.

-He’s indifferent to Dream. On one hand, Dream often interferes in the natural course of events. But on the other hand, isn’t that itself natural? Dream is a key part of the multiverse, and it is his role to maintain the balance of emotions. Besides, it’s not as if the other outcodes don’t go around messing things up. So long as he doesn’t try resurrecting people, it’s fine in Reaper’s book.

-Reaper has mixed feelings on Error. He loathes his actions, especially when he sees Life’s reaction to yet another AU being senselessly lost… Yet Error reminds him of a friend, so he leaves him be.

[snowfires]

i think i remember you saying somewhere reader will have a hard time getting on some of the boy’s good sides and that much is obvious but will it be easy for them to get on her good side? i’m hoping not i really like my favorite characters suffering ☺️☺️

… except cross though he doesn’t deserve anything bad happening to him ever and i apologize to him on muffet’s behalf. everyone else though can kick rocks 💗

It will be easier for some than others. They certainly couldn’t treat Reader poorly now and gain immediate love and forgiveness in the future.

[snowfires]

The 180 from current Dusts ''she killed one single person she's clearly a demon and should die'' and future Dusts ''damn she looks so fine killing that guy 10/10 would watch again'' is so funny to me.

The hypocrisy, the audacity. He really fell all the way down that enemies to lover pipeline

Several of the Sanses are huge hypocrites, but Dust may take the crown.

Dusts journey from “I hate her so much when are we going to kill this human” to “there’s our lovely wife, look how beautiful she looks using deadly weapons” is going to be a wild one.

[snowfires]

What would happen if one of them accidentally injured reader after getting into a relationship with her?

Ooo. Definitely lots of hurt/comfort if this happened from all of the boys.

Killer accidentally hurts you no matter how many years you’ve been in a relationship. It’s the unfortunate reality of having a soul filled with LV and stage 4. While experience would help you learn to get to his soul before he slices you up with a knife (and the other boys would certainly help restrain him), accidents still happen from time to time.

Killer’s always as doting as he was in chapter 5, cleaning your wounds and giving you healing items, tucking you into bed and staying to ensure you don’t hurt during the night.

What Killer hates, however, is that you don’t ever blame him for it. You fill his soul with that intoxicating affection and then follow him around for days to keep him happy.

Overtime, he would start to hate himself for it. The others don’t hurt you this often. They don’t need you to exhaust your magic just to get control of their emotions. You’re his mate, his wife, his other half and he can’t even prevent himself from hurting you! Killer doesn’t get insecure often, but it starts to eat away at him. Is he your worst lover?

One time he would hide himself away after it happened, going off to some distant AU and refusing to answer calls. When you find him, he’s curled up in some woods with at least a dozen random cats that he’s picked up. You lean your head against his and remind him that you always knew this would be part of dating him, and you aren’t angry with him. If it bothered you, you would’ve cut him off when you first met.

What you are annoyed about is that he now wants to add another twelve cats to the fifty+ ones he already owns.

Cross would be most unlikely to accidentally injure you. His LV is much lower than the others, so he doesn’t suffer from LV rushes, and he’s extremely disciplined during combat. His swords and magic attacks always land where he aims them. Once you’re in a relationship with Nightmare, you’re his Queen. He takes his role guarding you very seriously.

So if he were to injure you, it would likely be because you changed positions unexpectedly during a fight. In the moment he sought to protect you, he grazes you with his sword—harming the one he swore to defend at the cost of his life.

The way you cry out, eyes momentarily filled with betrayal, shatters him. He teleports you both out of the situation, calls Nightmare to pick you up, and brings you home cradled in his arms. He’s tearing up the whole time you’re being fixed up by Horror, sobbing when Error comes to give you stitches, and hiding his face in his hoodie when you look up across the room at him.

“It’s okay Cross,” you whisper, but he doesn’t believe it. If he’s not perfect at protecting you, then what good is he? Why would Nightmare allow him anywhere near you? He destroyed his entire family, his world, and now he’s destroying you… what if you don’t love—

“Cross.” You open your arms and he falls into them, apologizing over and over. You stroke his head, hushing him. It was frightening, but you know your sweet soldier would never do that purposefully.

While you’re recovering, Cross tends to you with absolute devotion, not leaving your side for a second.

The beginning of Dust’s relationship with you was wrought with violence. It’s in the past, but never forgotten. He notices how you flinch away sometimes on his bad days. He knows he’s not allowed to roughhouse with you the way he does with everyone else.

When he accidentally hurts you again during a LV rush, he’s terrified you’ll get rid of him. The way you scream, the scent of your magic flooding the air as you try to defend yourself… it’s the first time the relentless urge to KILL has just… stopped. But the damage is done.

You won’t let him touch you, or carry him home. Horror says it’s better he stays out of the infirmary. Cross refuses to eat at the table with him.

Dust assumes your relationship is over.

A few days later, however, he’s brought into the infirmary by Horror. You stare at him from your place nestled among soft blankets Error has prepared from you, and slowly ask if he meant it. Dust says he didn’t, and turns to leave. What more is there to say? Look at you. He did that to you. He doesn’t deserve to be your lover anymore.

Horror hauls Dust to your bedside, dumping him next to you. To his surprise, you reach out a hand to take his. When he realizes you’re forgiving him, he curls against your side, murmuring quiet apologies. He doesn’t deserve your forgiveness, and he’s terrified it might happen again… but you want him, and you deserve everything you want.

Horror most likely would hurt you indirectly. There are times he forgets where he is or that the famine is long behind him, wandering the castle grounds and setting up traps. If you went off the usual path, deep into the woods to forage together, there’s a high likelihood you stumble into one of those traps.

It’s not terrible—a few deep cuts on your ankle, nothing Error can’t stitch up. You know Horror doesn’t mean to set these things up. Really, they need to make a better system of dismantling them.

But Horror feels sick, especially considering you are exactly the prey he set those traps for. He hangs around the infirmary, bringing you your favourite flowers and sweets and special meals only for you. You keep telling him that he doesn’t need to look so upset; you’re alright, and you’re not mad at him. It’s not even that bad! Still, he feels better taking care of you.

Error doesn’t go around using weapons or killing specific people. He deliberately destroys AUs. Though sometimes he does it slowly—corrupting the code piece by piece to avoid Ink noticing and causing a fuss.

The important thing is, there’s absolutely no way he’d hurt his wife like the others.

At least Error thinks that, until one day he’s messing around with you, hoisting you up in his strings to get a view from a large tree in an AU you went to together. Some animal ends up crawling along his leg, and he glitches out from the sudden contact. But the strings glitch too—into you. They should have stayed wrapped around your arm, but they cut into the skin, drawing blood.

Error immediately starts fixing you up, grabbing monster food from an AU and stitching you back together. He hadn’t meant to harm you. He didn’t even know that could happen.

He spends the next few days reappearing in your room in the castle with offerings, including extra soft bandages sown by hand and new movies and games to play together.

Nightmare is neither human nor monster. He possesses power far beyond what is normal—it is the reason many call him a god. At his heart, however, he’s a romantic. Tales of soulmates and lovers who would sacrifice anything for each other fascinated him from the time he was child. He believes one should treat their lover with the utmost reverence; doubly so for his Queen.

Hurting you was never something Nightmare wanted to happen—but in the midst of a fight, when his focus is split between many opponents, you lift your bow to the sky, sunlight reflecting off the notched arrow… and for a moment, he thinks Dream is there.

Nightmare’s tentacles lash out by instinct, picking you up and tossing you across the battlefield. He sends Killer after you, but Killer can shortcut—he lands without any pain. And when Killer looks down, it’s not Dream lying there but you, arms limp and a thin trail of blood dribbling from where you hit your head on a rock. The wound isn’t fatal, but could have been.

It’s the first true fight Nightmare and Killer have had in decades—Nightmare wants to rush you home and care for you, but Killer won’t let him anywhere near you. How can he trust Nightmare won’t freak out on you and hurt you again right now?

Once Killer gets you home and has Error help him tend to you, he relaxes around Nightmare. Killer knows he didn’t mean it.

Nightmare comes to you in the dead of night, wrapping a soft blanket around Killer—who is fast asleep in a chair in the corner—before running a tentacle through your hair. You stir, and he feels your fear, and your worry.

He apologizes profusely, speaking near-poetry into your ears of his reverence for you, and what a grave mistake he has made. Nightmare is incredibly ashamed—he believes it was unforgivable, what he did to you, yet he still wants you to forgive him. He wants to remain at your side.

Naturally, you do forgive him, though you insist he gets you a new bow—one in a colour starkly different from Dream’s.

[snowfires]

Confirmed horrordust? Tell me more 👀

Combining this with your later ask because I am very behind on my ask inbox!

The later ask being: “Horrordust is canon for this fic?! YES. Can’t wait to see ur interpretation of their 'relationship' together. So who made the first move? Bet it was horror right?”

Horror and Dust are unspoken datesmates—they’ve never had a proper conversation about it and don’t call each other that (at least… not often and never in public). Their relationship just naturally evolved, and they had a special bond since Dust joined the team.

Nightmare of course knows of their romance thanks to his empath powers. But Cross and, to a lesser extent, Killer, don’t know the full extent of it.

Horror was both the first to make a move and the only reason Dust even joined the team.

The Backstory: Nightmare recruited Horror a decade before he attempted to recruit Dust. When they stumbled upon an empty genocide timeline with the only survivor being a Sans, Nightmare figured it would be a good time to get another like Killer. Horror wasn’t keen on high-kill missions from the get-go, and as the years passed and he started to heal from everything that happened in Horrortale, he wanted to dedicate most of his time to supply runs.

So, getting a new skeleton to assist in careful assassinations and outright genocides of overly-happy AUs made logical sense.

Except, Dust wasn’t like Killer.

Dust’s AU had stopped resetting after a while, leaving him completely isolated. He had defeated the human, but could never restore his AU and its people. He had killed them all, permanently.

When Nightmare offered Dust to join his team, Dust refused. Firstly because he believed he deserved to stay in his AU and rot after what he’d done. Secondly because there was no way in hell he was giving an encore of his actions, not to save his home or fuel his addiction to LV, but in service of some ‘king’.

No matter how many times Nightmare, Killer, and Horror returned, Dust’s response was always the same.

At first, Horror disliked Dust. But the more he saw him, the more he softened up about him. While Horror would never kill anyone from his Snowdin, let alone Papyrus…. He couldn’t remember resets. He didn’t know what it was like to live the same scenarios hundreds of times. And the more Dust spoke—usually in conversations with his ‘papyrus’—the clearer it became that Dust never wanted this outcome.

If Horror could consider Killer family, why should he turn away someone who was actively atoning for his sins? Besides, it’s not like he had never wronged. Never killed.

So while Nightmare gave up on recruiting Dust, Horror returned. Over and over. Eventually, he convinced Dust to leave his AU for a short trip. Naturally, he brought him to the one place every Sans adores—OuterTale.

Dust broke. He’d never seen so many stars before—and they were in space. It was the first time he’d felt happiness—true happiness, not the rush of LV—in hundreds of resets.

After that, he welcomed Horror’s visits, until Horror eventually convinced him to join Nightmare. They aren’t Nightmares servants—they’re a family. He looks after the broken and ‘evil’ as his own, and they support his quest for negativity to reign supreme.

Horror and Dust’s relationship turned romantic very slowly. Dust suffered from intense nightmares, hallucinations, and LV flares—moments where he needed to kill. Horror was the one who be found the most comfort with.

Overtime, they began sleeping together every night (to the point where Nightmare had to get them linked bedrooms), spent movie nights curled against each other, and began to leave the castle just the two of them. Eventually, they had accepted each other as datemates.

The only time they actually call each other datemates/mates is when they are alone after one of them has had an especially bad day or is sick. But they are datemates nonetheless.

[snowfires]

i kind of want something fluffy after that last chapter (if you’re up to it of course). how would they take care of reader when she’s sick or needs a mental health break? (great chapter as always, thank you!)

I’m always up for writing some fluff! I’ll focus on how they’d care for reader when she’s sick (for the mental health break, you can see another ask from earlier today)!

I can’t discuss the first time Reader gets sick, but when she gets sick in the future things are much calmer.

The MTT think you’re adorable when you’re (mildly) sick. Those little sneezes, your clinginess to them, the way you whine for them to return your side and care for you. You’re vulnerable like this… but so trusting of them.

Unfortunately, they don’t get to be in charge of caring for you. After the first time, Cross is unquestionably deserving of being “in charge” of your care. He is, however, more than willing to allow them to help.

Cross is very doting when you’re sick, fussing over every sneeze or cough. He’ll hold a glass of water as you sip, set up a steamer to clear your sinuses, change the sheets every few hours so you don’t have to sit in sweat if you’re feverish. He gets you ice packs and lays them on your forehead, stroking your hair. He sleeps at your side and gets up in the night to give you medicine when you need it.

He’ll set up a spot for you on your balcony, a couch laden with pillows and blankets for you to get fresh air and rest while he dusts out your room and removes anything that might irritate you further.

But if you’d prefer to go somewhere else in the castle, he’ll set that room up for you instead and carry you there bridal-style (an action that the MTT privately tease him about later).

Horror is in charge of your food when you’re sick. Not just because he enjoys making sure you’re well fed, but because he worries when you get sick. You need the right balance of nutrients to help your body fight off the illness, and yet you also lose your appetite… why is human illness so complicated?

He mixes you hearty stews and soups that he spoon feeds you (even if you’re more than healthy enough to still eat it yourself). But he also recognizes that when you’re feeling like shit, sometimes you just want to eat junk. He’ll spoil you with soft milkshakes topped with thick whipping cream, and plenty of little snacks throughout the day. When Cross is busy fussing over your room, he sets up a little charcuterie board for everyone to enjoy on the balcony.

Besides food, Horror likes to make sure your space feels nice. He’ll bring beautiful flowers to cheer you up, mix home-made oils into the steam to fill your room with scents that will put you to sleep, and lets you pick out ingredients for a herbal tea while Nightmare fetches stronger monster food and plants to treat you.

Dust is rarely more than an arms length away when you’re sick. He is also more than happy to cuddle with you while you sleep it off. His magic makes him warm, which is great if you’re shivering… but if you’re too hot, he kneels at the bedside instead or curls up at your feet.

He will leave you to go grab some of your favourite movies or video games to occupy your time with. And for a more serious illness, he’ll take a sample and run it to a doctor in one of Nightmare’s AUs. He’s the fastest, so it should only take him half a day to go and ask (threaten) them to test it so Nightmare can find an appropriate medication for you.

Killer likes to talk to you when you’re sick, stroking your hair and whispering while you rest your eyes. He does think you’re adorable when you’re sick… but he also gets worried. Yeah, you’re human and this is normal… but he doesn’t like seeing you so weak compared to your usual lively self. For monsters, sickness is a rare and life-threatening thing. It takes him a lot of getting used to.

Cross is so busy that Killer actually gets to be the one to run you a bath when you’re sick. He’ll tie your hair into a (very bad) bun and make the water overflow with bubbles. Don’t tell Cross, but he used at least 7 bath bombs this time. But they had little flowers and things inside!! It would be boring using only one of them.

He is with Dust on “we should just cuddle you all day and watch movies”. If you can’t keep your eyes open, he’ll narrate what’s happening on screen for you. Sometimes he even calls Nightmare over to read to you all. What can he say, Night’s got a calming voice. It’s perfect for you to fall asleep to.

Nightmare will get you settled in your quarters and nestled in amongst his finest pillows and blankets before he sets off into the multiverse or the infirmary to find the perfect blend of monster herbs to help treat your symptoms. Once he has them, he’ll get Horror to help him brew a healing drink or meal for you. For more severe ailments, he may also find human-made medications to help. It’s a lot more difficult to know how you’ll react to those, however, as they’re from different universes than you.

When he returns, he’ll set a chair at your bedside and wind a tentacle around your arm. He doesn’t mind whatever activity you want to do today. If you need to sleep, he’ll use his powers to lower your perception of pain and discomfort. If you would like to watch television, he’ll watch along. He’s an avid participant in charcuterie and tea on the balcony, and more than happy to read a book out loud to you as you rest your eyes.

When the others have momentarily left the room or he’s certain they are asleep, Nightmare will sing gentle lullabies in your ear and kiss your forehead sweetly. How it pains him to see his Queen in such a state, so vulnerable to their enemies. Although you’re as safe as can be in his realm, he still longs to keep you close in times like these.

Error moves a hammock into your room, hanging off to the side of the bed, so he too can stay and watch you. One time he tried editing your code to increase your T-cell production to fight a viruses…. But the major scolding from you was enough for him to reverse it and never mess with your code again. So now he has to ‘take care’ of you in a much less effective way.

As soon as you show signs of illness, he sets to work weaving his strings and soft fabrics he steals from various worlds into new pyjamas, sheets, and pillow covers for you. You should be comfortable during this time. Eventually, when he realizes you often feel too warm when you’re ill, he gets fabric infuses with a cooling spell and whips you up the perfect set of long sleeved pyjamas that instantly calm your sweating skin.

In the night he too keeps an eye on you, and in the day he watches TV with you all or sets up a window so you can watch interesting events in different universes.

While Error struggles to touch you when you’re ill, he does eventually get comfortable enough to hold your hand… even if it’s strangely clammy when you’re like this.

[snowfires]

who likes seeing reader dress up the most? i’m guessing cross but what about the others?

All of the boys prioritize your comfort, but some of them definitely enjoy picking out pretty things for you to wear or seeing you dressed up in general.

Cross loves dressing you up the most, but gets flustered when anyone points it out. You are the most precious person in the world to him, you deserve to be given the most beautiful outfits to wear. It’s embarrassing, but he really does love seeing you in ball gowns. It reminds him of life in XTale, befits you as their princess/Queen, and feeds into the part of him that desperately wants to be your knight.

Nightmare thoroughly enjoys seeing you dressed up, and spoils you with the finest selection of clothes. Whatever you desire—thick ballgowns laden with patterns of stars, silken pajamas as soft as clouds to wear on movie night, plush jackets and the finest pair of shoes for hiking, designer pants for lounging around the house and gardens. You are his, after all. No matter the style of clothes, you deserve only the best.

He is partial to seeing you dressed in the finest jewels and custom ballgowns he had made for you—to see a crown adorned with moons settled on your hair. But in everyday life, he finds joy in quite a few of your more simple outfits—when you show up to the library in a skirt covered in flowers or sneak into the gardens in soft cardigans or overalls. How lovely it is, to see you at your most authentic, living a simple life in the home you share.

Killer lovesssss seeing you in different outfits and buying you outfits. He would pick up interesting new clothing items and accessories from random AUs and bring them home for you to try. Killer is so observant of you that he knows what clothes you like the avoid and the exact styles you prefer—nearly all of the clothes he ‘buys’ for you are perfect fits and exactly to your liking. His datemate is way too beautiful not to spoil. You deserve only the comfiest (and expensive) of clothing.

He’s also an expert at finding outfits that will have the others swooning over you.

Horror doesn’t have a particular preference. He does always enjoy seeing you in flower-themed items—you look so sweet. He also loves seeing you in your gardening clothes, because it means spending the day together.

Dust also has no preference. Wear sweatpants and a hoodie, it doesn’t matter to him. Though he does love when you wear super soft fabrics he can cuddle up to, and he gets flustered seeing you show up for dates in literally any outfit.

Error likes your simple clothes—soft sweaters, cardigans, pajamas. The textures are pleasant to the touch, which means he can get closer to you without glitching out. Come cuddle in the antivoid with him.

[snowfires]

There has been not enough angst asks I think, what would Reader’s husbands do if she died? I thrive off angst hehe

Angst? In my hurt/comfort fic? 🤨🧐

Well, at least I know someone will enjoy when the characters are suffering 😭 (😂)

Don’t expect this kind of thing from me often though 😭 I will generally avoid asks on dark what-if topics.

I can’t say too much about Reader’s mortality, but safe to say… were she to die, having two near-gods as husbands and another as a brother-in-law gives one a certain level of… leeway against Death.

But the fic itself will never have Reader dying.

I shall nevertheless answer what would happen before the boys found a solution to the problem (aka until Nightmare found the solution), as a what-if ask.

Vague spoilers under the cut! Also generally very angsty, but with a happy ending. If depictions of death upset anyone or you’ve just been having a bad day, I would recommend avoiding this one!

Killer is most likely to have been there when it happened. He and Dust are the most accident prone—it’s useful to bring their wife along to fix them up on particularly fight-heavy missions. They probably have another race as per usual—and Killer, naturally, cheats and shortcuts straight back to Reader to get a few minutes of alone time to nuzzle his wife.

Except when he gets there, she’s not alone.

Nightmare cradles her in his tentacles, quickly moving one to cover her blood-covered torso. He felt it when it happened. Her panic, and the moment her ever-constant presence disappeared.

In the forest clearing is the body of whoever did it—some monster hoping for free EXP covered in Reader’s arrows.

But it wasn’t enough.

She’s…

She’s…

Killer can’t cope with the thought. He ends up in stage four and lashes out at Nightmare, who has no choice but to hurl Killer into a random universe as he used to before Reader joined them. Nightmare’s first priority is his Queen’s safety, no matter how much it pains him to discard his right hand man at his most difficult moment.

By the time Dust gets there, Nightmare is alone. He can tell something is wrong, but Nightmare insists that Reader was just tired. She’s resting at home now.

Killer? Well, Killer is on another mission.

Dust tries to go see Reader when they get home—he’s got a few scrapes she could heal up—but Nightmare refuses to allow him into the Queen’s Quarters. Nightmare already lost Killer, he can’t deal with Dust melting down after this as well. So he hides it. Puts a barrier around her bedroom to keep Dust from shortcutting in.

But Dust knows something is wrong when Horror comes to their bedroom that night weeping and continually saying that he loves him.

Cross is the first Nightmare brings to see Reader. Cross is reliable, loyal, and Nightmare knows he will aid in helping him return her to life. What he wasn’t expecting was for Cross to break down and blame himself. He runs to Reader’s side, desperately running his hands through her hair, on her face… He’s supposed to be her lover, her protector, her knight. He should have been there! And now he’s going to lose her because of his mistakes, just like he lost XTale…!

Nightmare wants to take the pain away, but Cross refuses his help. So Nightmare leaves him to mourn until Cross drags himself up to Nightmare’s study and insists his King put him to work on the solution. She can’t really be gone forever right?

Cross seems calm, focused… but underneath, Nightmare senses a grief even worse than when Cross lost his home all those years ago.

Horror is brought to see her next. Nightmare knows he is familiar with death, perhaps even more than the others. He also knows that no magical barrier can keep out Horror’s keen senses. He would deduce something was wrong quickly.

Horror knows by the second waiting room in the Queen’s quarters and stops, refusing to go another door before Nightmare answers whether this is forever or not. Reader completes their family, without her…

He pulls Nightmare into a tight hug when he confirms that it isn’t. Still, it’s many more minutes before he gathers the strength to go look.

She’s in her bed as usual, sheets of starlight covering her torso and the soft frill of a dress surrounding her collarbone. Her hair curls around her shoulders, freshly washed by Cross’ hands before she left on the mission. She could be asleep, but he can’t hear her heartbeat.

It’s far from a normal death though. In a rare moment, Horror lashes out at Nightmare, asking what the fuck he’s done to Reader. Her body is stagnant, frozen, as if she’s sleeping. Her skin is pristine, without signs of discolour and decay.

Nightmare confesses it is a suspension spell, keeping her as she was in case it is required to revive her. Horror doesn’t like how unnatural it is, but backs down. If it brings Reader back… so be it.

Error is absolutely pissed. How the hell did this even happen? Those idiots were supposed to keep Reader safe, and now this…! He gets into an intense battle with Nightmare, refusing to listen to him until Nightmare has him restrained. It’s fine. She’s not gone forever.

Error is a near-god of destruction.

Nightmare is negativity itself.

All they have to do is show the multiverse exactly what happens when two gods lose their wife, and Reader will be returned to them in mere days.

Error has never heard Nightmare be so open about destruction before. And since he knows more than anyone that everything is constructed of code… he doesn’t doubt that she can be returned to them, though the fact that she currently doesn’t exist on the same plane as them… the thought causes Error to crash.

But when he reboots, a cruel smile crosses his face.

Why don’t they show the multiverse exactly what happens when you hurt their wife?

Before Reader gets back, however, Dust finds out what was happening. Horror’s been visiting Reader’s quarters frequently, Boss and Cross left and haven’t returned, Killer’s gone…. He needs to see her.

He sneaks in after Horror, hiding in one of the waiting rooms until Horror leaves.

When he gets to her bedroom, he’s relieved. There she is, fast asleep and as beautiful as always. His perfect starlight. He crawls under the covers on her massive canopy bed and places his head on her chest as he always does to hear her—

… her heart.

That can’t be.

It’s stopped. Worse, there are bandages wrapped around her torso.

How… Surely Horror would have told… or Nightmare…

He tries to coax Reader’s soul from her body, because maybe this is some weird fucking human coma. She’s always fainting all the damn time. This is just… really advanced fainting…

But it isn’t there.

When next Horror returns to visit Reader, Dust is there, eyelights small and distant, curled against your side. He thinks he deserves this. After everything he’s done, of course the multiverse wouldn’t let him have her.

Horror tries to reassure Dust that she’s not really gone… but it’s difficult to get him to believe it.

Then one day, Reader’s body isn’t there anymore. Dust and Horror are teleported into Nightmare’s chambers and… there she is. Curled in his tentacles with Cross kissing the top of her head and Error clinging to her arm in a surprising display of physical affection. Her eyes are open—she looks so scared and confused and relieved—and they light up at the sight of her lovers.

No one wants to let her go for even a moment, but Killer still needs found and Reader is the only one capable of helping him. They manage to track him down in a (now) desolate AU, and Reader works her magic to coax him back to stage 1. Killer clings to her, wailing, and doesn’t let go while Nightmare brings them home, or all night. All the next day. The next week.

The following months are difficult. Reader is technically untouchable now, they don’t need to worry. She can be brought back. But it was a traumatic experience for the whole family, and they prefer to stay home and among themselves.

Nightmare, through everything, seemed unfazed. Sad, yes. But he worked so confidently, kept everyone together… and now that Reader’s back he’s let them all spend time with her and busied himself with work.

Killer knows just how afraid Nightmare actually was. It’s why he brings Reader to Nightmare’s office immediately after her first trip outside, only for Nightmare to wrap himself around her, crying. He can’t keep her locked away in his palace forever…. But he was terrified he wouldn’t be able to bring her back to life.

That he’d lose her, the love his life, forever.

Reader spends many days privately with him after that. Nightmare doesn’t need to grieve her or fear her fait. She’s here with him now.

She’s alive and well. And will remain so forever.

What none of the boys would ever know is that it was really Dream who convinced Death to return Reader. She is the thing that makes Nightmare happiest… that healed pains he suffered for a millennium. He needs her. The multiverse needs her. And Dream, too, needs her, his dearest friend.

[snowfires]

their reactions to reader drawing them 🎤

Cross gets really emotional. He has a complicated relationship with art. When his world was gone, drawing with Ink was the thing that brought him back to life and gave him hope… only for Ink to rip that hope apart. He’s occasionally started to draw in secret over the years since he joined Nightmare, but still doesn’t find as much joy in it as he once did.

So when the love of his life gives him a drawing she made of him??? He just starts crying. Something he gets very embarrassed about afterwards.

He keeps it safe in his room, and starts leaving little sketches for you in the letters he loves to write. Eventually, he would ask to draw together. Making pictures with his head pressed against yours… it lifts a weight from his shoulders at long last.

Killer is very pleased. You made this for him? That’s so sweet. He’ll carve something for you—anything you want. He’s incredibly talented.

Dust is a little worried, when you tell him you’ve made a drawing of him. Sometimes when he looks in the mirror and sees himself looking no different from when he was Sans… it sends him spiralling.

But the way you draw him… mysterious and powerful and nothing like who he used to be. You don’t care about his past lives at all.He likes it a lot, and also keeps it stored safe in his room.

Unlike the others, he never really adopted an artsy hobby that he could use to repay you with. But he’d like to take you to his observatory, show you the stars that remind him of your soul… If you want.

Horror smothers you in cuddles and nuzzles. It’s nice, knowing you love him as he is. He’ll make you a truly lovely topiary in the garden in return.

Nightmare is positively tickled. You can draw, and created something of him? He has dabbled in painting over the years (he will refer to it as dabbling, but he is incredibly good) and also enjoys commissioning pieces from the universes he calls his. If you’re deep in your relationship with him, he’ll have already made several of you, but he’ll paint an especially lovely portrait in return for this gift.

He would adore taking painting/drawing lessons with you. It’s a good hobby for an immortal—something that takes time to master, and which is always changing and developing over time. Doing it with his beloved is an added bonus.

Error scrutinizes the gift thoroughly before deciding he rather likes it. You know he’s telling the truth when he keeps it in the antivoid instead of his room at the castle. He knits something for you return—if he hasn’t already, he’ll make little plush doll versions of you and him for you to sleep with, out of the finest fabric he can steal.

[snowfires]

So since Cross speaks spanish, can Killer speak arabic? And can Dust speak korean? Like their creators 👀

Yes, they can! Dream and Nightmare can also speak Spanish.

[snowfires]

If your Killer, Horror, Dust, and Cross, fought who would win? Like who’s the strongest among them?

Any one of them theoretically would have a chance of winning, especially if you tossed them into a room and just said “fight”. Battles are tapestries woven of moves and countermoves; a single action taken by one of the boys could unravel any chance of them winning, but the correct sequence of events could assure their victory.

Each of them do have their strengths and weaknesses, though, which make some outcomes more likely than others.

Killer could arguably be labelled the strongest. Give him a knife and he has the highest possible ATK out of the four, and his magical attacks are nothing to underestimate either. He is also the most versatile of the bunch. Typically, he prefers close-range combat with his knives, overwhelming opponents by shortcutting around them and slowly wearing them down. Battles are ridiculously fun for him; at times, he gets so lost in them he forgets everything else, including to utilize his other magical attacks. This may create a short opening to catch him off guard, but it also makes wearing Killer down a nonstarter.

When Killer does add his blasters and bone attacks, bolstered by his high LV and excess of magic, it becomes obvious why Nightmare refers to him as his General. 

Anyone fighting him can only hope he forgets to use them and slips up; otherwise, things won’t end well for them. Throw him into a room with the other three, and he’s most likely to win.

Dust has a high ATK, purely based on his magic. He has a larger reservoir of magic to work with than Killer, and far more control, able to use more simultaneously and send them further. For that reason, he typically acts as the long-range fighter of the group, watching from the sidelines of the battle or a high vantage point and meticulously cutting down enemies. When the enemies he’s facing are weaker, he enters the thick of the battle, but he rarely gets too close unless it’s to land a killing blow. His DEF is simply too low to risk it with stronger enemies.

The exception is when he’s having a LV rush—his judgement is impaired, replaced by an overwhelming desire to kill. In those times, Dust is far more likely to put his own life at risk.

Dust would have a fair chance of winning, provided he can catch Killer off guard or stay far enough away to overwhelm him.

Horror has the lowest ATK in the team; however, his short-range attacks with his axe are heavy. He may not kill them, but he can incapacitate most enemies, whether by breaking something critical or knocking them out, opening up the opportunity to finish them if needed; though nowadays, he often avoids combat. Between Killer, Dust, and Cross, that area is solidly covered. He much prefers supply runs and diplomacy missions—and Nightmare appreciates he won’t run his mouth or instigate fights on said missions. Still, Horror does engage in combat more than the average person and keeps up with his training.

He is less likely to be able to win against Killer or Dust due to his low levels of magic placing him at a disadvantage; though, if he got lucky and could land a hit on them, he’d be able to knock them down long enough to win (not that he would ever raise his axe against Dust). 

It’s a similar situation with Cross, though Cross is far newer to the team. Horror had already swapped to doing fewer combat-based missions by the time Cross joined, so Cross doesn’t know all of his strategies or typical moves; therefore, his chance of catching Cross off guard and hitting him is significantly higher.

Cross is the youngest of the bunch. His LV isn’t as high as Killer and Dust, nor does he have the insane number of experiences the MTT have had in combat. However, he is the only one with formal training in both combat and strategy. If the MTT’s attacks are wild and undisciplined, Cross’ are elegant and precise, amplified by his keen eye for predicting and dodging attacks. 

While in his day-to-day life he struggles with anxiety, he finds a certain clarity of mind on the field. Perhaps it’s just the familiarity of it—a reminder of happy times in Xtale, training with the royal guard.

Without even shortcutting, he can seamlessly avoid blow after blow, moving so naturally it’s like he’s dancing. He slips in quick cuts with his twin daggers and blows with his blasters that, while not as powerful as Killer and Dust’s, are less haphazardly used, landing precisely where he wants them to at the most optimal time to maximize impact.

Unfortunately, that same discipline would make him predictable to the MTT. He may mix things up against the Stars, but they’re his family—they’ve watched him in near every battle, and Killer is often the one encouraging any updates to his combat style. It’s not impossible—especially if he could get in close to Dust or stay out of Horror’s range; however, it’s unlikely he’d beat Killer one-on-one.

[snowfires]

How would they react if Reader had to kill someone but out of self defense? 👀

There are many people out there in the multiverse that would stand to gain from attacking Reader—whether simply to increase their LV or to enact revenge on the likes of Nightmare and Error. The boys would never ask Reader to kill—she’s their healer, it’s not good for her to gain LV—but… what if she was left with no choice?

Dust knows that this is upsetting for you—that you feel guilty, even though it was to protect yourself. He’d try to be comforting, snuggling against your side, nuzzling his face against yours. Do you know how agonizing it would have been if anything were to happen to you? He’s thankful you’re alive. You did what you had to.

But there’s another part of him, that LV-ridden part that desires to constantly gain more, that can’t shake the image of you killing from his mind. The curve of your arms pulling the bow back, the blood and dust falling before you… that expression of focus, your complete determination to stay alive…

You looked so beautiful.

Killer has always adored how caring you are—how you would heal even murderers like him rather than leave them to suffer. It’s an attitude so incredibly different from his own, and really from his entire family. And that’s great—you balance out their most sadistic tendencies, fill the role of their healer and Queen perfectly.

Killer knows you understand when violence is necessary, and you’ve never admonished him for defending you out on the field. Still, it’s better for you not to engage in that violence yourself. Killer loves change, but he would rather not see you lose who you are. He loves the woman who healed him in the woods—not the empty hearted murderer you could become if they forced you to help with missions.

He’ll show off his particularly exciting kills, put on displays of violent magic for you, and offer to kill people who inconvenience you. But he’ll never ask you to do it yourself.

When it does happen, Killer’s not too worried. It was just one kill. A self defence kill! And you did a great job—arrow straight to the heart. Just like in training. In fact, he’s proud of you, excitedly shortcutting to your side and starting to congratulate you before he gets a proper look at your face.

You’re crying, shaking… your eyes don’t even seem to be looking at him. You stumble back, dropping the bow, and Killer catches you, drawing you into his arms and letting you sob into his shoulder. It’s alright. You can be upset about it. He’ll take care of you.

Killer isn’t really possessive. But he insists on being the one to carry you to the castle and get you settled in your quarters after Horror and Nightmare tend to your wounds. You should get nice and comfy while he finds something fun for you to do! How about your favourite movies? Or binge-watching tv? You don’t look like you’ll be sleeping tonight, which is fine. He’ll be there, helping you focus on something else. Not the healthiest coping mechanism in the long run, but when you are ready to talk, he’s there for you.

Cross is devastated. They were all there with you when it happened. He didn’t need to be out on the front lines—Killer and Horror had that handled. He should have reacted in time to protect you.

He wants to comfort you, but he’s ashamed. He can barely look Nightmare in the eyes, let alone you. Besides, what could he do that the others couldn’t? Killer is great at keeping morale up, Dust fills the quiet comfort role already, Horror is better at cooking and finding nice scented candles… and oils… and flowers…, Error has already sown you a plushie by the time you’re back in bed, and Nightmare is their King! He always knows what to do (Cross believes). 

It is Killer who snaps him out of his self-loathing. This isn’t about him. You aren’t disappointed—you’re terrified. There’s not anything any of them could have done to prevent this. It was bound to happen eventually. But you’re covered in dust and your hair is a mess, and none of them are good enough at styling it. At least, Killer claims at much.

His excuse works, because Cross rushes back to your side. A good thing, too. Cross understands human needs better than the rest of them, and still understands how horrifying it is to take someone’s life. The others can comfort you, but even Horror, who has faced most of his past, doesn’t value life the same as he once did. Cross is younger—he rarely kills. He understands.

Horror focuses 90% of his effort on making you comfortable. Cross is shaken up, so he’s the one who deals with first aid for you, with some assistance from Nightmare to find the right materials. You have quite a few scratches yourself. They’ve got to make sure they don’t get infected, okay?

It took some getting used to, but by the time this scenario occurs, Horror is used to you wanting to avoid meals after a traumatic event, and over-indulge in your favourites. He’ll find something light on your stomach, and something sugary you can keep down. He doesn’t love seeing you not looking after yourself, but the excited expression you make when he brings in a massive tub of home-made icecream sure makes up for it. You don’t worry about nothing. This’ll pass. And when Killer and Cross’ constant fussing gets too much, he’ll be there to whisk you away into the gardens for a bit. 

The other 10% of his effort? Keeping Dust from looking so damn infatuated with you.

Error knows as soon as he pops in the castle and takes a look at you. He is the only one who can read code itself—he sees your EXP has gone up, and that you’re even more stressed than usual.

Error is not good at comforting people. Intense emotions are difficult to deal with, and as a human you have so many. Navigating your quickly changing feelings feels like walking through a minefield. Nevermind trying to talk to you when you’re like this—his bluntness about the nature of the multiverse, along with his belief that the person you killed was just some abomination anyways aren’t exactly comforting. But he can do other things for you.

Error sneaks back in through a portal when the others have cleared the room for a bit, carrying what you realize is a care package—a new plushie, sweets, your favourite soaps and cake from OuterTale… 

Error squeezes your hands, simply remarking that out of everyone in the multiverse, you are still the best person he’s met. This doesn’t change that.

Nightmare is displeased. Not with his boys, no. They tend to you well, as they should to their Queen. Not to you, never you… you should never have been placed in this position. He is furious with the AU they were in when it happened.

He helps Horror patch you up, whispering loving words in your ears and ridding you of the worst of your distress—just enough so Killer can get you settled in your chambers. Then he leaves, back to the world where this happened.

They were supposed to gain that world as one of his own—a hub of negativity, sworn not to accept help from his brother or any other outcodes, and to supply him with offerings, just as all of the other worlds he “owns” do. But this? Attacking his own on arrival, harming his Queen….

Unfortunately, there won’t be an AU to own when he’s finished.

When Nightmare returns, he plucks Killer from the bed with a tentacle and sends him away from your room. It’s nearly dawn. What you need is to read a calming book, then get some sleep. He’ll help keep your thoughts and bad dreams at bay. And though he struggles to understand other beings, he will do his best to support you in recovering from this. Perhaps he can find a book on guilt to consult…

[snowfires]

Horror’s been with Nightmare for decades? I’m a little curious on how old everyone is then cause DAMN. I know Horror is older than the rest of the MTT and Cross in canon Horrortale but that’s it.

There are a few aspects to consider when thinking about the boys’ ages:

1. How old they are physically. Aging is different for monsters than it is for humans. Many monsters can live extremely long lives already, but the boys are all boss monsters, which makes them essentially immortal. They don’t have parents or children of their own, so they don’t physically age. Only one of them did, but Nightmare dealt with that “problem” quickly.

2. How old they are actually.

3. How long they’ve been alive for if you also consider resets. For Dust, Killer, and Cross this is difficult to answer because their lives kept resetting/getting overwritten. Dust and Killer lived the same days/couple of weeks hundreds of times never aging until the resets stopped.

Killer has been with Nightmare for 3 quarters of a century. He was picked up after around a year of no resets occurring, and has been with Nightmare ever since. Physically, he’s in his mid 30s. Whatever that means for a skeleton 😆

Horror has been with Nightmare for half a century. The MTT all stopped physically aging in their mid-late 30s, but Horror appears slightly older due to the physical strain he put on himself in Horrortale and his injuries. Since Horrortale as a timeline was allowed to keep going past the “ending” of Undertale, he’s older than Killer in a literal sense as well despite joining Nightmare later.

Dust has been with Nightmare for around 37 years. He’d spent a few years in his empty AU before they found him, and it took another year of convincing before he went with Horror.

Cross is 29 years old, close to 30, same as canon. However, in LCITN, he was only 24 when XTale was destroyed and spent a year in the void before being found by Nightmare at 25. He’s been with him for nearly five years. Physically, he’s around 26.5 years old, which will forever annoy him as he’s now stuck as the youngest.

Error has zero idea how old he is. He’s been around in the multiverse less time than Nightmare, but longer than Dream’s been free of stone. Several hundred years probably? Does it matter, when his ultimate goal is to destroy all anomalies in the multiverse, including himself eventually?

Nightmare is 1008 years old in LCITN (the apple incident happened when he was 8 in LCITN’s version).

[snowfires]

Ok so ik this gets into spoiler territory, so really up to you abt answering it... but I'm so damn curious abt how readers datemates, future ir current, feel abt how their life was with the stars (for lack of better phrasing). Killers definitely been very annoyed abt it even b4 he knew who they were, does finding that out change his opinion any or is he still lowkey pissed.

Definitely venturing into spoiler territory with this one… but we will eventually get to learn their opinions. As for Killer… chapter 12 has some hints to the answer.