Days later, Lust's POV

"Happy holidays, Lust! You should find a gift on your front steps!"Blue tells me over the phone excitedly

I chuckle.

"Thank you, Blue! I'll go check on it in a sec."I say

"Did you like Horror's gift?"He asks

"What do you mean?"I say

"Oh! You haven't gotten it yet? I thought for sure you'd get it first."He says

"I dunno what you're talking about, Blue."I say

"Or are you just waiting to get under some mistletoe with him? You and your Horror Bear?"He asks teasingly

"Umm, well I uh, BYE BLUE!"I say before this became another call full of teasing

I hung up quickly. I go to my front door and find a present wrapped in a bow there. I pick it up, seeing that it was from Blue, take it inside and open it curiously.

Inside was a new set of pictures he took with us as well as new clothes that were clearly hand made. I smile and decide to show my appreciation for them by changing into them. I head out to see what's new with Grillby to see what's new with him. I walk in and he notices me.

"I see you got your gift from the innocent Blueberry."He says with a chuckle

I nod.

"How'd ya know?"I ask

"He came in the other day to ask if you were around. That is, before Dust pulled him out so his innocence isn't ruined. Yet that's only your first of three as far as I know from your friends."He says

"Huh?"I say

"Well technically one was done months ago and they may not count it as a gift but it's certainly something that works out well for you. Ya know Larry?"He says

I nod.

"He was always bothering me."I say, glancing over to his usual booth that he'd sit at

I was surprised to see his booth empty.

"Well I learned that he was the one who spiked your drink the other day and...I found his dust out back the other day. Someone got rid of him. Now he won't bother you again."He says

I smile a bit with relief. He probably pissed off the wrong person.

(Lust you have no idea :D)

"But speaking of gifts, I was told to keep this safe to give to you from someone special.~"He says

He lifts up a box neatly wrapped in wrapping paper. Telling by how he lifted it, it may be heavy or have something delicate in it. He pushes it to me but it didn't have any clues telling who it's from.

"They also left a wagon if it is too heavy to carry."He says, sliding a red toy wagon out from behind the counter

"Do you know where they went?"I ask

He shrugs.

"Probably hibernating for a bit. They put a lot of effort into it."He says with a wink

Hibernating?

He chuckles at my expression.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You better go open it privately, someone might steal it."He says

I nod, setting it in the wagon and pulling it away with ease. I go back home to open it, finding a wooden box with a lever. On each side there were words or intricate designs carved into it, looking very appealing. One side even had my name in it. So clearly they are from another AU or have knowledge of the multiverse names. I crank the lever in the circular motion that it would let me do and then paused. Three of the sides opened like flaps:The top, front and left side. In this wooden box there were little springs and parts for it to work in the corners of each flap. A boquet of flowers shot into my face from the lack of a top flap, the spring still attatched. I look at it and carefully grab it, finding roses and flowers tied with a nice bow.

ROSES?! Ugh, someone is messing with me, aren't they?

I look at another flap to see a box of chocolates. Then on the third opened flap there was a second box with a lever, just smaller and cottonballs to preserve it. I take it out and crank the tinier lever. This box opens to reveal a heart painted the same shade of blue as the one that would usually be on the shirt I wear. Music played from it, a tune that could always calmed me down. Not many know it....That narrows it down a lot. I check the bottom of it and finally see what I was looking for. A signature. On the bottom of the music box there was Horror's signature that he would carve into every single thing he makes. My face burns, connecting everything. "Hibernating"-He was teasing me about Horror Bear!

I look at the boquet again and grin. I pick it up and sniff them.

They smell lovely...Horror Bear....

I hear a knock at the door. I open it to see Farmer there.

"Hi. Just coming to check up on you."He says

"Heya, Farmer."I say

He peeks past me. Then he chuckles.

"Horror ya dork!" He chuckles

I look at him in confusion.

"You got his gift, huh?"He asks

I nod.

"I didn't think he'd actually send roses."He comments

"What do you mean?"I ask

"He never really gave gifts before or celebrated holidays. Especially when living with Nightmare. But he wanted to give it a try so he basically took some of the general gift ideas as well as his own and put it into one for you. He asked me what flowers people normally give others and I mentioned roses but I didn't think he actually do them! Sorry, Lust if this caused mixed signals from him."He explains

I chuckle.

Horror Bear is adorable!

"Nothing to apologize for. I'm just glad it's from him and not a creep. The gifts are nice and sweet regardless."I tell him

He smiles, then gets a call and leaves.

I wonder if he got my gift for him....I hope he likes it.

I smile at my thoughts. I put the bouquet in a vase, setting it on the table. Then a portal opens in my ceiling and Goth drops through it. I catch him and he looks around in alarm.

"Are you okay, Goth?"I ask

He looks at me and sighs with relief.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay...The Owl House crew got back home safely but portals have been appearing randomly lately."He says

"Why do I get the feeling that it isn't so random?"I say

Then after I said that, something in me told me to grab something quick. I grab the music box and my phone.

"Would you like anything?"I ask

"Sure, why not?"He says nervously

I cook up some food and we both start eating what would be considered breakfast. But then a portal sucks us through it. We both hit the ground roughly. I glance around and check to ensure that Goth is ok.

"That was NOT random."I say

"Right and it won't even let me open exit portals."He says

"I bet you anything someone is pulling the strings to cause this."I say

We get up but then notice that we were shrinking and appearances were changing.

"Let's keep moving before another portal comes."He says

I nod and we take off running.

A little while later, Horror's POV

I arrive in UnderLust and shut the portal behind me. I walk with a little bounce in my step, excited to see Lust. I want to thank him for his gift but also see if he likes the gift I gave him. I reach his house and find Palette waiting outside it for some reason. But I could tell that he also looked worried.

"Hey Palette. Is something wrong?"I ask

"The portals seem to be going after Gothy! I tracked him down to here but nobody is answering!"He says

"Maybe nobody's home."I say

"But Gothy's phone rings there and I saw his scythe inside. He goes nowhere without those. What if something happened?"He tells me

"Well then we investigate."I say, unwilling to risk there actually being trouble with Goth and Lust

"I don't want to break in though, we may get in trouble or Lust's brother may get upset with us."He says

"I'm sure he will understand. Lust gave me a key after all."I say with a smirk

I take out the keys, unlocking the door and going inside.

"Lust? You home? It's Horror! Goth? You here?"I shout

No response.

Palette grabs Goth's scythe and phone, determined to hold onto them and return them to him. I stroll to the kitchen to find two meals on the counter with forks stabbed into the center. The food was still warm so it was recent and the stove was still hot so they certainly weren't gone very long. But it looked like they weren't planning on leaving and yet they're gone. I tell Palette these facts but he denied it and started checking upstairs. I glance around and notice that there were no signs that someone forced their way in and no evidence of an intruder. Hopefully nobody attacked them, but maybe a portal got him.

I notice the bouquet I got Lust in a vase on a table. Beside the vase was a selfie he took with me and the picture I took with him, Blue and Classic. I noticed the selfie with me was positioned in front of the vase so it would be seen first. I smile, knowing that this meant that he liked the bouquet. Then I see on a different table the gift I got him. It was still open, left as if it was just opened. The chocolates were there and most of the springs were still in place. But one thing was missing. The music box. I hope he has it and not some stranger that might have broken in.

I try to call him multiple times but instantly a portal threw his phone at me, landing in the hole of my skull. Yeah, that vibration was unconfortable. I reach in, taking it back out and glance at the phone screen. There was a note on it saying:Doesn't match universe. I set the note aside, curious to see if there was any activity on it.

Awww! He has that picture for his lock screen! That's what he saved me as? I like it....FOCUS! Clearly he has gotten none of my calls! Where could he be?

I notice the portal didn't shut. I reach through and see my hand turn into a human one. Odd....I alert Palette to this and we try to investigate what it could mean or what to do.

"Let me try something."He says, getting his paint roller out

He tries to whack the portal but it would just close, popping up somewhere else or dodging his swings.

It took a while and was entertaining to watch. Eventually he got it and expanded it, allowing us to see more.

"What do you think we should do now, Goth?"I hear Lust say

"I dunno."Goth says

"Well we were put into a school so that may be a place to go."Lust says

"How do you know?"Goth asks

"There were papers with our names on them for a school. Wait, do you have your phone?"He asks

"No...."Goth says

"Let me check if I do....What the? Did it change the phone too? The contacts are different! I don't even know these people! *sigh* Let's just go."He says

"Ok. Let's try to figure out a destination first."Goth says

I try to spot them, looking around the extended portal. Then I spotted them. I spotted Lust. He looked different but it wasn't a bad thing either. Cause my soul still skipped a beat seeing him.

"We seem to be in a world mixing genderswap, humans and some kind of NAJ AU."Goth says

I watch Lust carefully, my mind going blank. Two strangers grab them and take them away, seperating the two. The portal zoomed out as if to distance us from them. I could tell Lust was panicking and struggling to get away.

"LUST!"I shout

He looks up at the portal. His eye-lights shrink.

"Hor-"He begins but the stranger tosses him into a car and drives off

I look at Palette and he seems to get the same idea as me, especially after hearing Goth shout in fright. We both leap through the portal.

Lust's POV days later

I wander around a bit from "home". Apparently the person that grabbed me was my legal guardian in this world. I want to find Goth or anyone else possibly stuck here. But at least it's clear that escaping here is possible. Horror Bear had a portal open in the sky after all. I hear humming and peek around a corner to see a familiar face as the source.

"Hey Blueprint!"I say

"Hiya Lust! Nice new look. You got stuck here too, huh?"He says

I nod.

"And Goth."I say

He nods.

"Do you know where the school is? We should go to the school so we don't get in trouble."He says

I nod and lead him to the school. It is for monsters and humans, which I had to explain to him as well. I went through my classes like a regular day, spotting Blueprint. But before I could head back "home" or meet up with them after school, my bag was torn off of me and someone dragged me behind the school to a pick-up or drive-off area. I see a girl pulling me by the arm. I recognize her. She introduced herself as Holly and looked like Horror but a human girl, especially with the eye colors. But I wasn't willing to jump to conclusions.

"What are you doing?"I ask

"Forget school! We're going to have some fun!"She says, putting a motorcyle helmet on me

She puts me on the seat and before I could protest, she was speeding down the streets. I had no choice but to hold on.

This cannot end well at all......But I hope it does.
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"So she took you to a carnival and did WHAT?"Goth asks

"Won me this doll....I couldn't say no.....Plus I like how it resembles Horror Bear.....Just as a literal bear...."I say, feeling my face burn

"You're kidding me right?"Blueprint says

"....."

"Wow you're really easy to win over. Soul on your sleeve and all."He says

"Hey! It's not like I fell for her over some doll! I fell for my Horror Bear!"I say

"Plus it could've been worse. We have no clue what Holly could've done if she had ill intentions."Goth says

"Pfft, did Horror give you a head dog and you fell for him or something?"He asks teasingly

"I'm not that easy!"I say

"Says the one easily won over by a doll."He says

"Yeah! Of Horror! The most sweetest, cute and caring, honest person that I've met! I've hung around him for months to let the feelings develop, not just impulsively falling for him."I say, hugging the doll closer

Blueprint opens his mouth.

"Cut it out, Blueprint. You fell for my brother after all so you're not one to talk. Besides, he clearly isn't so easy since out of all people that tried to take him, only Horror has won."Goth says

His face burns up.

I head home with my guardian from Goth's house and run up to my room. I pull a drawer open and snatch the music box. I crank it and listen to the beautiful tune. I set it on the nightstand and doze off snuggling the bear in bed.

A few days later I was at school and packing up to leave. Boys were getting immature and inappropriate with girls here lately, so I was prepared for anyone who tried to target me. I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

"Hey.~ Why don't we go home?"A voice coos

In less than a minute I flipped the stranger over and knocked him to the floor.

"Nice try mister. You can't get me so easily.~ And I'm not interested."I say

He gazes up at me in wonder and looked lovestruck.

"Quit giving me that look, weirdo. I'll be on my way now."I say

I march off to go home and make it there safely. Early the next morning I woke up to a knock at the door. That knock soon became banging. I sleepily how to answer it with my bear in hand and see the same kid.

"What the hell are you doing here?"I say

"I'm here to take you home."He says, then notices my bear

He chuckles.

"What?"I snap, hugging it tighter

"You were literal with that nickname for me, huh?"He says

My face burns brighter, making the connection. Plus now I see that he has a scar where the hole would be on his skull.

"H-Horror Bear?"I say

He extends his hand to me.

"Hey, Lust.~"He purrs

I hold his hand and he pulls me into a hug. He hugs me tightly with a big grin. Then he lifts his head, seeming to perk up. Then he looks at me.

"Do I hear music playing?"He asks

I nod, then run to grab the music box. I bring it back down and he seemed even happier seeing that I had it.

"T-Thank you for giving me it..."I say

He smiles even wider.

"Lust, when we get back I have to tell you something....I just don't think now is the right time...."He says hesitantly

"Okay..."I say

I let him inside, getting some waffles that pop up from the toaster. I notice he has a huge knife out.

"What's that for?"I ask

"It's in case your kidnapper comes back."He says

"Oh....Turns out that person wasn't a kidnapper but some legal guardian this world paired up with me. It made me look like a kid after all. Besides, they are at something called jury duty and won't be back for a while."I say, handing him a waffle

"And Goth?"He asks

"A block away at a house while his guardian is at jury duty as well."I say

I munch on the waffle, setting the other things aside. Once I finished, I felt someone lift me up. I see Horror is the culprit of course and he smiles at me. I smile back at him. He shifts me to face him and I take the hint, wrapping my legs around his waist.

"Something up, Horror Bear?"I ask

He just gazes at me, not responding. He places a hand on my cheek softly. He tosses the knife away. He carries me to a couch and slams me onto it with him on top of me.

"Horror?"I say, unable to get up and curious on where this is going

He has never acted like this before.

"Screw it."I hear him mumble, leaning closer

His gaze seemed super focused but at the same time dazed, as if he was in a trance.  His grip was firm and tighter than usual.

"Screw it"? Screw what?! What has gotten into him?

Then I hear the back door unlock.

"Lust! You home? I came over since they're at jury duty and I feel uneasy home alone! I used the keys they gave me! Hello? Where are-Oh."I hear Goth say

I look over and see Goth in the doorway, looking at us in shock.

"Uuuhhhh, Lust? You okay there?"He asks

"Yeah, I-OOF!"I begin to reply

Horror seemed to pass out, crashing onto me with his head buried in my chest. His back rose and fell slowly as he let out muffled snores. Surprisingly his grip remained tight even in his sleep.

"Hey Goth...."I say, softly petting Horror's head

"Mine....."He sleepily mumbles, gripping me tighter

My face burns hearing that.

"Who is that?"Goth asks

"Horror......"I say happily

The doorbell rings before anything could progress.

"I'll get it."He says, quickly exiting the room

He returns with another boy hugging him. His face was burning brightly.

"Gothy!"The boy cheers happily

Ah, it's Palette.

"Looks like everyone is regrouping. Now we just need to find my brother and Blueprint. But if the sleeping dragon doesn't wake up we have to figure out how to carry him."Goth says, referencing Horror

"Huh?"Palette says, then glances over

He sees my situation and chuckles.

"Why am I not surprised? Let me help you get out of there, Mister Lust."He says

He tries to pull me out from under Horror but Horror started to growl in response, not opening his eyes. And the more Palette tried, the louder he growled and the more hostile it was, his grip getting tighter to keep me there. When Palette took my hands to try a different strategy, he pressed me deeper into the couch until I let go of Palette. I try to wake him up but he's a heavy sleeper. I released Horror but he responded by forcing my arms back in place. Goth and Palette try to pull him off but he shook them off, growling and flipping over, locking his arms around my neck and legs around my waist now. He then rolls over so that I'm under him. his eyes open but didn't have the usual shine. He glares at Goth and Palette.

"MY LUST! BACK OFF!"He growled, then buried his head in my neck

He seemed to doze back off and let out little purrs and happy noises when I tried to calm him by petting his head. His breath tickled my neck and I knew my face was burning extremely.

"Well, those strategies didn't work......Hmmmm......Oh!"He says, then runs to the kitchen

A minute or two later, a ringtone starts to play on repeat. Horror started to get up, holding me close and preventing me from leaving him. He starts to walk carefully in the direction of the sound, but still seeming to be asleep. Goth follows behind him. I glance over to see that Palette was leading Horror away with a phone.

"What's that tune?"I ask

"His phone's ringtone for when you call!"Palette says

Goth grabs my bear and music box on the way out and they actually managed to get to Blueprint's house with Horror still following. Palette leads him upstairs into a guest bedroom and has the ringtone stop. Horror crashed into the bed with me still in his grip and under him again. Palette chuckles, pulling the blanket over us. He leaves us there. I sigh, giving in and dozing off.

I wake up hours later to a groaning noise. I see Horror waking up on top of me. He looks at me and our faces burn up.

"Hey Horror Bear..."I say

"Hey Lust.~"He coos

"Sleep well? You refused to let me up."I say

He smiles wider.

"Well I don't want to lose you again."He says, scooping me up as he leaves the bedroom casually

I hold onto him gently. He sets me down but holds my hand.

"You wanted to tell me something if I recall correctly....What would that be?"I ask curiously

He froze.

"Curious?"He asks

"Well you kept mumbling things in your sleep like Mine or My Lust, so those things kinda get a person wondering."I tell him

His face turns a bright red.

"Well, Lust, I've been keeping something from you and can't anymore. Lust, I-"He begins

Then I hear screams and shouts of alarm. He looks at me in alarm.

"Stay here."He says

"Okay...."I say

"BLUEPRINT!"Raven yells

"GOTHY!"I hear Palette yell

I suddenly feel the ground leave me but not in way that I was picked up. I find a portal under me and quickly grab onto the edge of the floor.

Nonononononononono! Not again! Not again! I'm not getting trapped in anoher world! I'm staying with Horror Bear! I'm going home! We'll regroup and go home!

I glance into the portal and see a terrible world, worse than this one. At least, not the kind that I'd want to be in or visit. It's going through some bad times and seems very unfriendly. I feel my grip start to slip. I glance away from the world below and try to pull myself out, but that felt harder than fighting against gravity. As much as I pulled out, the portal would drag me back in.

"Where is Lust?"I hear Palette ask

It grew harder to hold on and each time I tried to pull against the portal the forces would get stronger. I summon a bone attack and stab it into the floor, pulling on it to get out.

"HELP!"I yell as even the bone attack starts to slip out

I hear running footsteps. Then the bone attack broke and the portal pulled me in. I fell through it, only seeing Horror running over.

"LUST!"He yells

But then I hit something and blacked out.

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TBC