Nightmare's POV

"Hey, Nightmare.~"A voice says

I look around and see Tim towering over me.

"What do you want?"I ask

"To give you an offer called the easy way out. Join me."He says

"No."I say

"Welp, suit yourself. I'll make it as painful and hard for you as possible in my plan. You will assist me, wether you like it or not. Thanks to Renew."He says

"What are you talking about?"I ask

"That liquid you choked on was full of my code. Now, I can do whatever I want with you. So, let me tell your future."He says

All my friends and family appear. One by one, they get slashed and turn to dust. I watch in horror.

"But you already knew that didn't you? I mean, you did almost kill Killer. And you'll slip up again!"He says

"LEAVE ME ALONE! NO!"I yell

He comes close and laughs. He grabs me and I slowly turn to the other form. He tosses me and I no longer had any control. I watched them turn to dust. 

"No!"I shout

Then, I wake up, crying.

I wipe my tears, shaking.

It was just a bad dream.....Just a bad dream. Nothing more......I can prevent it.....I will prevent it.

"Nighty.~"I hear someone say

I look up and see Killer smiling down at me.

"You ready? We're home."He says

I look and see the giant front door. 

I smile and nod. I see the sun rise, meaning this is another day. I wipe my eyes again to make sure there are no tears. I notice the windows are covered, no lights on, but to be expected.

He places me on his shoulder and takes me inside.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Everyone cheers, leaping out at me

I jump, gripping Kills' hand from shock.

"Aww, he's so tiny!"Étoile says

Everyone starts commenting and wishing me birthday wishes. Dust's main concern was with Blue's worry and overthinking. Pfft, with my new size, he was worried about how the gifts would work now. Encre worried about the cake. But they also wondered what happened. Kills, Dream and Cross explained. Fell hops down, dragging Classic to where they won't get stared at or trampled on. Goth had to keep Shino from hugging tiny Raven to death. I look at Kills and he smiles. I look at them all and they pass me around curiously.

When Encre gets a hold of me, he smiles.

"I made a gift for ya with Ink's help! Come on!"He says, carrying me upstairs

I smile happily.

He gives me a box wrapped wonderfully. I have trouble opening it. It's twice my size. Triple even. I climb to the top and look in. I can't see anything. But then I feel myself get nudged into the box. I fall in and land softly. I feel some kind of cloth. It changes shape and then Encre puts some clothing over the shirt I already have on. He lifts a hood over my head.

"Ink got a message from Dream explaining what went down before ya came. Ink added something that makes this hoodie adapt with you. I hope you like it."He says

I feel it. It's nice and cozy. It's soft and warm already. It fits well and there are two strings to adjust the hood. I look up at Encre and smile.

"What are the eyes and mouth to show?"I ask

"A happy octopus!"He says

I chuckle.

"I see."I say

"Do you like it?"He asks

"Yes."I say

He smiles.

"Thank you."I say

"Oh, don't thank me yet! That's only half the gift!"He says

"Huh?"I ask

"You'll see! Now, let's get you downstairs! You have other gifts to open!"He says, carrying me downstairs

I get placed on a table by a box. Then more get placed around and onto it until there is  no way out for me. 

What the?! 

I instantly get flashbacks. The feelings come back. Fear, helplessness, loneliness, powerless, insignificant, all of it. So small, so alone. The darkness is not my friend. I fidget, remembering every moment. Every hit, every yell, every insult, all that fear brought to life, those moments I fought and failed to get free. All the moments I choked and thought This is it! Everything.

"You know I'm not gonna leave you alone. Unlike those others. Except I don't come to help."Tim says

I whip around and back up when I see him forming in the dark.

"No! Stay back!"I snap

"I'm afraid that is not doable with your code mixed with mine. Every moment you're alone in the dark, we'll see each other. Every dark spot, every place, every person, every shadow, you name it, I'm there. And I won't stop unti-"He says

"Hey, where is brother?"Dream asks

"He was in this room..."Fallacy says

I start to pound on the boxes.

"Get me out of here!"I yell

"You can't escape. Not until you give in."Tim says, grabbing my arm

I see my arm begin to morph. No!

I yank myself free from him and my arm goes to normal.

"You guys seriously buried him in those boxes? Brother! I'm coming!"Dream shouts

"No he isn't."Tim says

I slide down and sit, hugging my knees. I rock back and forth, trying to subside my fear. 

"No...Nonono, won't happen, too close, not now, not ever, nonono...."I mutter

I see a glimmer of light shine in. 

"Brother!"Dream shouts

I look up and right when Tim was gonna grab me, Dream hugs me.

"Oh thank goodness! Here you are! Are you ok?"He asks

"Y-Ya...Just having a lil chat..."I say

"With who? Nobody is here."He says

I look around and see nothing but shadows.

"Oh dear....Brother, what did they do to you?"He asks

"Can we not talk about it?"I ask

"But-"He begins

"Please?"I ask

He sighs.

"Whatever makes you happy, brother."He says

"Thanks."I say

He takes me out of this pyramid of boxes. Everyone apologized. 

Then the gifting process began. Many boxes had to be opened with assistance.

The kids made me these crafts, except Shino and Radier who made me a scarf. 

Error made me a puppet. Cross and X!Chara gave some chocolate up.

E!Pap made me a scrapbook. 

Dust made me a secret weapon that I could keep in my pocket, while Blue made me this book of motivational things. 

Brother made me my own cape like his, except mine had a moon pattern.

 E!Gaster just gave me an IOU. 

Suave gave me a quick list of what makes me good, which I really liked to hear at a time like this. He also said his gift was a clean place. He cleared his throat and says also that he kept SOMEONE from wrecking the place, while giving a glance to Jasper.

Science gave me a book of all the scientific reasons black holes can be useful. Yeah....Thanks....

Swap!Geno gave me a jokebook and Swap!Reaper made a blanket of some kind.

"Hey, if your kids are gonna be taking all the blankets to make tents, you should have a special one."He says

I get his point. 

Geno made this coded screen that he claimed was full of my happy memories in case of me being down. 

Reaper gave me some coupons, hand-made telling by the sloppy handwriting of his. But some of them were useful. Heh, maybe I could give them to Geno when he needs a break. I tell Geno this and we shake on this.

"Thanks, Allsun."He says

I nod.

Ya, those leave ya alone for an hour ones are gonna go fast........Free joke? Hmm maybe. Keep a secret? Pfft, good luck with that. Confide in or chat? Ok. Heh, these are nice though.

They all gave heartfelt gifts, well, mostly. Looking at you E!Gaster and Science.

I still smile and thank them all. They shut the curtains, making darkness fill the room. Fallacy carries his gift, the cake, in. The candles burned bright. They sing happy birthday and I smile. They then let me make a wish. I think on it. I look up and see Tim's face looming over us all on the dark ceiling. I know exactly what.

To be out of this hell trap and with everyone safe!

I blow at the candles and get each one out. But one goes back on.

"Okay, who was the wise guy who put in a trick candle?"Fallacy asks

Jasper chuckles.

"Jasper!"Fallacy says

Jasper smiles.

I blow it out and Fallacy takes it out. Everyone cheers. I look up and see Tim grinning. But to them, I'm just looking up at them. Only Dream knows that something is up. He runs over to me and hugs me, taking me out of my trance. 

"Brother, you have to tell me."He says

"O-Okay."I say

He takes me by the hand.

"We'll be right back! Just gotta handle something."Dream tells everyone

We go into the kitchen, where light was shining in. I smile, feeling safe. He snaps and the doors going to the other rooms shut and lock.

"Okay, what's wrong? Something is clearly wrong."He says

I sigh.

I really should tell him. Someone. Before things get out of hand.

I whisper everything to him, explaining. He looks at me in shock and hugs me. He tells me that he will protect me and everything will be okay. 

"I'll find a way to get you out of this, brother. Just you wait. You're gonna be okay."He says

"O-Ok."I say

"Now! How about you have your cake?"He says

I nod. 

But then in a blink of an eye, I'm taller than him.

"Heh, knew it was only a matter of time."He says

I pick him up in my hand and put him on my shoulder. He unlocks the doors and they open. I walk through and smile. I sit down and we all enjoy the cake. Fallacy smiles proudly at this feedback. Encre smiles at this too. Guess this was the other part he talked about. Everyone finish and go to the kitchen to clean up, while the kids go to play. Others go upstairs. Suave starts sweeping. Some stay in the room, including Kills. 

Kills is all red in the face and I could tell he's thinking. Dream keeps snapping at him, though I can't hear what they say or what he's snapping at Kills about. But soon, it was as if they were privately collabing on something, secretly whispering and nodding. Then Kills gets up and comes over to me.

"Hey Nighty."He says

"Heya Kills."I say with a smile

"I hope you're enjoying your birthday."He says

I nod and smile at him. 

His face gets brighter. 

"Oh stars...."He mutters

"Hm?"I say, wondering if he's ok

He grabs the strings of my hood. He tugs at them and my hood tightens. I could no longer see.

"Kills, what are you doing?"I ask

He doesn't answer.

What is going on?

Then, he leans in and kisses me. 

My face burns up. I jolt. But he does not do anything else. He just holds the kiss. He also holds the strings to keep my hood like this. I give into it though.

He releases the strings and picks me up.

"K-Kills?"I say, unaware of what he's planning

"Come on, I wanna show you something."He says

"Kinda don't have a choice when ya pick me up!"I tell him

He chuckles.

I hear the door open and the snow crunch. After a while, he puts me down. He holds my hand, though I could feel it shaking nervously.

"Everything ok, Kills?"I ask

"Y-ya. You can take the hood off now."He says

I lower my hood and look at him. He gestures ahead. I look and see a tree with a carving. It was a heart-shaped carving. Curious, I go up and gently feel it. My soul pings, appearing. Then my name gets carved in the heart. I look at Kills. He smiles, placing his hand on the carving and the same thing happening.

"Now, we will always know no matter where we are how the other is doing. We just have to touch the carving."He says

I smile and hold his hand again.

"It's awesome."I tell him

"Happy Birthday!"He says

"Thanks, Kills."I say

He smiles and I notice the sun going down now. It's getting dark. He notices this too. He lifts the hood back on me and tugs the strings, making me unable to see again.

"Kills!"I exclaim

He picks me up and kisses my cheek. I feel my face warm and soul pound. He carries me away with a happy hop in his step. I grip onto him and smile. He lays me down. After a few minutes, I feel something shift. Then blankets are lifted over me. He loosens my srings and lowers my hood. I'm in bed under a blanket, tucked in and all. Killer lays beside me with a smile. I feel my face warm again. He grabs my hand under the blanket and holds it.

"Surprise! I'm going to sleep with you to make sure you stay safe!"He says

I smile a bit.

"Heh, thanks Kills."I say

"My pleasure, Nighty!"He tells me

I close my eyes, dozing off. I smile, feeling him pull me close. 

But this is just the start of a chain of nightmares. I woke up from one that very night. I climg out of bed quickly and go downstairs. I take a lantern sitting on the counter and light it. Then I go outside, finding a dummy and practicing on it. I train myself the best I can the rest of the night with everything I have. But then I get another idea. I go to the forest with the lantern lighting my way. I find an open space where the moonlight shone down. I smile, this is the perfect spot. I find some logs laying nearby. I begin to build until I have made a log cabin. I hidden, secure, place to stay. Little did I know what this cabin would become.

I see the moon going down. Dawn begins to shine out. I head back to the house and make breakfast for everyone. That being now Encre, Fallacy, Suave, Kills and the three kiddos again. I eat my food and just take a breath. Ghastly comes over to me. He eats his breakfast and gets dressed. 

He smiles at me and takes me outside. He gets real excited and we train. I train him, showing him everything I know. I even showed him what he could do in his new form, though did not dare go in mine. 

Throughout the weeks, this becomes a cycle. I train the kids, Palette coming over to join. I teach them as much as I could. But I hardly rest anymore. Too many nightmares, bad dreams. Tim kept to his word, not leaving me alone. I'd go to the shack and write on the walls what he calls me or says in order to keep it out of my head. Then I'd train at night when everyone is asleep. I will protect them. I must protect them! 

But soon, I stopped training Ghastly. Not because he was ready, but because I made a mistake and hit him. And Tim was there to see it. Étoile hugs Ghastly protectively. Ghastly was not crying, he was smiling and tellling me it's ok. Étoile was trying to heal him. Neither of them were upset.

"Oh, they're lying. This is what they really think."Tim says

Their expressions change and Ghastly was crying. Étoile gave me this grim look, full of anger. 

"Look at his fear, his rage! Is this how children should feel for their father? If you have any worth, this should have never happened. If you are worthy of love, you should have done better. But you didn't. But you're not."Tim says

I drop to my knees and bow my head. I cry, apologizing to him profusely.

"Woah, woah! Papa! Papa! It's okay! Why are you crying? It's nothing! It's gone!"Ghastly says

"Father, please don't cry."Étoile says

I look at them and find them hugging me. Ghastly's wound is gone.

"But aren't you guys mad at me?"I ask

"No! It was an accident!"Étoile says

"It's called training! I can't learn or train properly if I think that my foe is gonna go easy on me! I gotta be ready! It's ok, Papa! It's ok!"Ghastly tells me

Tim is once again gone.

But he has made his damage. I am finding it harder to believe their words.

"Ghastly....I'm not gonna mentor you anymore. I can't."I tell him

He is shocked, but complies. Now Dream trains him.

After 5 days, I stopped training all of them in order to not risk hurting anyone else. Dream trains them now. He understands.

"Whatever helps you brother."He says

Heck, Cross has even started training them how to use a weapon or the nearest item as a weapon.

I haven't gotten sleep for 20 weeks straight, but I don't care. I hide it and just empty out my problems into my secret shack. And I takepower naps once every 4 days. I'm fine....I guess. I just keep training, practicing, preparing. One night, I blindfold myself and train, anticipating a possibility. I focus my senses and fight with everything I got, just like how I would in an actual battle. 

I feel my soul get pinged.

What's happening now?

I get pulled back until I'm on my knees, pressed against the front porch. Blue attack for sure. I stay quiet. I hear someone sit, their legs at my sides. I feel a hand hold my chin.

"Hey, Nighty.~"Kills' voice says quietly

I blindly wrap my arms around him.

"Hi Kills."I say

"What are you doing outside blindfolded at this hour?"He asks

"Umm, training."I say

"Why not in the day?"He asks

"Kids are playing or training."I say

"Aren't you tired?"He asks

"No. I'm a night owl."I say

"It's 5 AM. Dawn is at 7."He says

"Then I'm an extreme night owl."I say

"How long have you been doing this?"He asks

"I dunno, but Suave does."I say

(Suave:about 6.9 months, which is equal to 30 weeks or 210 days.)

"Ok, I'll ask him-wait. You lost track, so that's gotta be a while. Nighty, have you even slept?"He asks

"2 hours yesterday which I find as a new record."I say

"NIGHTY!"He exclaims, worry in his voice

"What? I'm ok..."I say

"That is not ok! Why are you doing this to yourself?"He asks

I'm silent, not sure how to answer.

Options:

LIE, SAY NOTHING, BE HONEST.

.

.

.

*SAY NOTHING

"Nighty..."He says, lifting my blindfold

I look at him.

"See? You even look exhausted!"He says

I just look down.

"Is this because of Renew and those jerks?"He asks

I nod.

"I just want to be able to protect you all..."I say

He sighs.

"But who will protect you?"He asks

"I can be ok."I say

"Nighty, let me do my job. Please."He says

I look at him.

"I can't lose you, not again. It's my job as your boyfriend to keep you safe. You're my cute Nighty and must be kept safe."He says

I feel my face warm.

"O-Ok...Kills."I say, smiling

"Now, there's your adorable smile!"He says

"Wait, what are you doing up?"I ask

"Fallacy&Encre's room was getting noisy. It woke Suave&Étoile up. Ghastly woke up when Étoile left the room. Suave came in and woke me up to help get those two back to bed. I had to introduce Suave to headphones. He's now listening to his music, most likely classical."Kills explains

(-Suave meanwhile is sleeping while listening to rock XD-)

"Oh...Well, good job."I say

"OIE! KEEP IT DOWN! SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP FATHER!"I hear Jasper yell

There's silence.

"THANK YOU!"Jasper shouts

"Why don't I take you inside and let's have some fun to cheer ya up?"He asks with a wink

"What kind of fun?"I ask

"An idea."He says, picking me up and tossing my blindfold aside

I remember his idea back at that stupid academy. My face burns up.

"MISTER KILLER DO NOT TRY ANYTHING NEXT!"Jasper yells from upstairs

He chuckles.

"Okay, kid. Not tonight.~"Kills says

My soul pounds. My face becomes a blushing mess.

"THANK YOU! WAIT WHAT?!"Jasper exclaims

"Just go to sleep, M'Lord. You're waking everyone up now."Suave says

(Yes, he heard this over the rock he was listening to. That's how loud Jasper is.)

It becomes nice and quiet again.

Killer puts me down on the couch. He wraps me in the blanket Swap!Reaper gave me. He sits down and gets the screen Geno made for me. He has it hover in front of us. He sits down beside me and has me lean on him. We begin to watch all these memories replay themselves. I look at Kills with a smile. 

"Thanks, Kills."I say

"Anytime, Nighty."He responds

Soon, the memories finish playing morning light shines in. Fallacy comes downstairs. He has his big grin on.

"What were all those noises last night, huh?"Kills asks

"Heh, we had a special kind of fun and that's all I'm saying."He says

"Fallacy!"Encre shouts

"I said nothing!"He says

Fallacy goes to the kitchen. Encre comes downstairs, pulling his sleeves on in a rush.

"What the heck did he tell you?"He asks, his face a rainbow

"You guys had fun."Kills says

"Yes, a pillow fight! He has bad aim and kept throwing pillows into the walls."Encre says

"Nah, I was doing that on purpose to mess with the others. Seeing how much they can hear."Fallacy says

"Pfft, I'm sure Jasper really appreciated that!"I say

The 2 chuckle.

"Childish Father and his lover!"Jasper yells, coming downstairs

"Good morning everyone! Nightmare, how was day 211?"Suave asks, ratting me out

"Actually, we spent the night watching the memories. Kinda like a movie night."Kills says, though gives me a look that said what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-that-for-so-long?!

"Ah, alright. Good to hear."Suave says

There is a big crash outside.

"What the hell?"Fallacy exclaims

"FUCK!"A voice shouts from outside

"Oh, Fell....What did he do now?"Kills groans, shaking his head

"What lovely language to wake up to."Étoile says, making Ghastly keep his headphones on

There's a knock at the door.

"I'll get it."I say

I open the door and find Fell standing there. Except he has Classic on his back. By now everyone was tiny are back to their usual sizes.

"Hey, Fell."I say

"Hello, Nightmare."Fell says

"What was that language for?"Étoile asks from inside

"Well ya see, my buddy here has this weird sleeping habit. He doesn't just sleepwalk, but fricking sleep teleports! Bad combo if you ask me! I've been going around keeping him from becoming one of our buddy's stupid name. And you know where I find him this time? Up in a freaking tree! Then this stupid bitch walks right off the branch and nearly fell! I have every right to yell that word in a time like that!"Fell explains

"And why are ya here?"Jasper asks

"Son, be nice."Fallacy says

"I want to lay him somewhere that it's not just me keeping an eye on him. Your place was closest."He says

I let him in. When I shut the door, Classic woke up.

"Huh? Oh, hey everyone. Red, why are you carrying me?"Classic asks

"Morning asshole!"Fell says

"Oi! None of that language in front of kids in this house!"Suave says, gesturing to the three

"Oh sorry. Good period of time between midnight and noon, especially from sunrise to noon, asshole!"Fell says

Suave leaves the room, sighing. Then comes back with a spray bottle and sprays Fell.

"No! Bad!"He says

We all either facepalm or chuckle. Mostly chuckle, including Classic.

"That does not answer my question, Red."Classic says

"He says you sleep-teleported into a tree and sleepwalked off the tree branch. He took ya here to rest properly."I explain

"Aww, Red! You saved me? And you say you don't care!"Classic chuckles

"Shut the fuck up."Fell says, but gets sprayed by Suave again

Classic keeps messing with Fell.

"Guess we'll be on our way then. Thanks and good bye."Fell says, carrying Classic back outside

We all chuckle.

Suave blows the tip of the water bottle sprayer like he just shot a gun and it was smoking or something, then he puts it in his pocket proudly. This makes Jasper chuckle. I look around and see Tim nowhere in sight.

About damn time I got some space from that bitch.

I smile and then feel a large amount of energy get sucked out of me again. Now I know it's Tim taking it from me. I sit down, feeling dizzy and sleepy. Kills looks at me and pulls me close. I fall asleep.

When I woke up again, I am by myself. It's morning still.

"Ah, you're up. Good morning, Brother."Dream says, coming over

"Huh? Dream? What's going on? How long was I out?"I ask

"Oh, Suave brought you here. Killer was getting concerned with how long you've been asleep. You slept for 2 weeks straight now."He says

"Heh, better than 211 days asleep..."I mutter

I do the math in my head. Now I am just missing 197 days of sleep. Progress.

"Are....Is it getting worse?"He asks

I sigh and nod.

He sits beside me, getting serious.

"Tell me and don't leave anything out."He says

I open up and explain everything to him again. Well, almost everything.

"Oh dear.....Brother, that sounds like what...."He says

"Agni did. I know. But I am preparing to fight. I won't be an energy source. I will fight to keep you all safe. I couldn't keep him in me. That's on me. I couldn't keep the darkness in properly and so he was made. ANd now he's causing danger for you all....I'm causing trouble for you all."I say

"Don't compare yourself to him! You aren't like him!"He tells me

"He is literally a part of me on the loose."I say

"Ya, that apple part!"Dream snaps

"Still..."I say

He hugs me.

"Please, brother. It's gonna be okay."He says

I sigh and nod.

"Now, let's get you a glove."He says

"For what?"I ask

"Your purple hand."He says

I look and see that my right hand has turned to the other form. A message forms in the palm.

You useless skeleton. You're running out of time. I'm gonna take over. You can't stop me.

"Brother?"Dream says

"Huh? Oh, right. Ya. Ok."I say

He goes upstairs and comes back down with a glove. I put it on and he gives me some food. I know one thing now.

I must protect them wether they like it or not.

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TBC