You may call him...

Dream. Bastard Dream.

This is actually pretty old? It's technically another WIP. There's more to it, but that's a bunch of skipping around in time and it doesn't entirely make sense. If I ever decide to get back to writing this, I might make it a full book.

Fun fact: This story is where I got the nickname 'Cobalt' from, which my friends and I used as DS Blue's nickname when we came up with the All Stars poly and it's huge crossover MV. The one I wrote 'Twinkle Toes for Moon' and 'French Lessons and Art' for?

Yep

Btw, I know it's not really obvious, but this first bit is from OG Nightmare's POV

I've seen it.

It makes me sick.

He has every right to do what he wants, but it makes me sick.

How his eyes light up when he feels their heartbreak. He loves it. He thrives on it.

And with that dangerously happy aura, paired with his 'clueless' flirting, it never goes away. He still gets to see the pain in their eyes when they see him, when he 'fights' them.

It disgusts me.

And now his eye is fixed on Blue.

And Blue's just as entranced as all the others.

He might be clever, but Dream has played this game all too often.

They can't see it, but this round of Dream's favorite game is going to be much more suspenseful than all the others.

And what will Dream do if he loses?

What will he do if Blue sees through him before he can make him fall?

This will be very interesting indeed.

I want to see the bastard fall from his throne.

See if he falls for another. Or if Blue can tear him off of it.

...I don't think Blue is enough.

He's clever, yes, but he's still a monster, like all the others.

There must be someone who can match him in his games.

And I know exactly who can help me find them.

"Hey, Dream!"

Dream turned, and smiled at his friend.

Blue's eye lights were brother than usual.

"Good morning, Blue!" He said cheerfully. He knew exactly how to smile to make Blue's soul flutter.

No reaction.

But it was early. He knew that. The trick was to keep it up. Make them feel special.

He would know best, after all.

"How has your day been?"

Blue grinned. He held up three tickets.

"Guess who got tickets to Mew Mew 4~" he sung happily.

Dream gasped. "No way!"

For once, his excitement was genuine.

If there was one thing he loved, it was Mew Mew Kissy Cutie.

It was so stupid, but it was funny and endearing.

Blue's grin widened. "Yes way! I gotta go tell Ink; I really want the three of us to go together!"

Dream's smile sharpened for just a moment, but it passed.

Ah. The sweet scent of never forgotten heartbreak.

What a wonderful thing to pair with a movie.

"I think he's keeping an eye out for Error right now," Dream said. "I can go tell him, if you want."

"Why don't we go together?" Blue offered.

"Sure!" he said happily.

The beginnings of a familiar spark grew inside his friend.

Blue had no visible reaction, but that was fine.

Romance doesn't grow overnight.

Nightmare had told him what he knew, and his plan. Then, he asked the important question.

"How hard is it to create a timed portal?"

Ink, who was upset that he'd been played for a fool for so long, grinned devilishly.

"Depends. How long can you stall them for?"

Nightmare smirked.

"Depends. Do you have a jar of spiders?"

Ink wasn't a total fool.

Enough for Dream to push his emotions around, yes, but he also knew how to cover his own up.

His vials were more effective than anyone gave them credit for.

He could cover his anger with what he usually felt when he saw Dream. Bittersweet happiness.

He knew the exact color combination for it.

And once his and Nightmare's plan went into action, Dream wouldn't ever give him an 'apologetic', 'simpathetic' glance again.

He pretended to watch for the Destroyer, waiting for his friends to arrive.

"Ugh," Blue's voice groaned behind him. "Who the hell did that?"

"It's alright, Blue," Dream's voice laughed.

The same laugh that Ink used to love to hear.

And with the emotion-stimulating paints in his system, he still did.

He turned, and smiled at his friends. "Hey, guys! What's up?"

Blue looked antsy, and he hand kept twitching towards his flamethrower.

"S-someone," Dream laughed, "Someone dropped a jar of spiders on us-"

Blue shuddered. "I think there's still one crawling on my spine," he whined.

Ink laughed.

Blue glared at him, but there was no real anger in it.

"Well, I guess I Dream and I can go to Mew Mew 4 without you," he huffed.

Ink stopped laughing. He gaped at him. "W-Wait, seriously? You're not pulling my leg or something?"

Blue showed him three tickets.

Ink puked ink.

His friends laughed.

"It's tomorrow," Blue said. "You wanna come?"

"Hell yeah!" Ink said.

He saw Nightmare behind the other two. They subtly nodded to each other, then Nightmare vanished.

The portal was ready.

All they had to do now, was wait and see what hell it brought over.

Dream woke to digital screaming.

Stupid alarm clocks. He groaned, turning the unholy thing off.

"Good morning," called a dead-sounding voice. Ink.

Dream made himself get out of his warm, comfortable bed. His dream was already fading.

"Are you sure we're not dead?" Dream joked. "It feels like I woke to the screams of the damned."

Ink gave a short, humorless laugh. "Tell me about it."

"Have you had your vials yet this morning?" Dream asked, frowning. He didn't honestly care that much, but knew that he, like Ink, had to pretend.

Ink nodded. "Yep. Just waiting for them to kick in."

Dream shrugged. That was all he could do.

"Is Blue up?" He asked.

Ink shrugged. "He left early. Didn't see him get up."

Dream frowned. That was...unusual. Blue always made sure he got exactly 7 hours of sleep, no more no less, and he'd gone to bed at the usual time.

If he got up before Dream did, then he must've had something important to do.

Hmm. A shame.

What Ink didn't tell Dream was that he'd told Blue the night before what Nightmare told him. Blue had acted like something he'd been beginning to suspect was confirmed.

He told Ink that he was going to talk to Nightmare in the morning.

See if he can help with the plan at all.

He did not like to be made a toy, and he had seen the same look on Dream's face that he'd given everyone else who ended up falling in love with him.

The look of a child who'd gotten a new game.

"oh FUCK-"

The purple-clothed guardian swore as he dodged a paint spike.

"Do you MIND-"

The emotionless assassin's eyes were as hard and cold as ever. He said nothing, only attacked again.

He dodged another one, almost running into the monochrome skeleton. Said monochrome skeleton tripped and fell on his face.

"Ow-"

"You two are hopeless," their glitchy friend announced. He'd been sitting to the side with the guardian's winged 'brother', watching them spar .

"Shut up," the guardian sighed. "You okay, Cross?"

Cross sat up, rubbing his face.

"My pride," he complained.

"You have no pride," the skeleton in brown said flatly, dismissing his brush.

"Oh, let them dream," the glitchy one said, standing. "My turn."

"I want a rematch, Ink!" The guardian announced, holding his spear out to Ink.

"Oh, get over yourself, Nightmare," Ink said. "Let Glasses pick a fight if he wants to."

'Glasses' raised a bone brow. "Call me that again," he warned, "And I'll show you first-hand exactly how I kept getting my idiot friends out of your high-security cells."

A collective 'oooooh!' Rose from Cross and Nightmare.

"Get him, Error!"

"Avenge us!"

Nightmare's 'brother' stayed silent, watching the shenanigans unfold. They were such idiots.

He was glad he'd found a way to reach his goal and keep Nightmare alive.

Before Error and Ink could start their practice fight, however, a dark, inky disk opened between them.

"Uhhhh..."

"That looks like one of my portals?" Ink questioned. "That's weird."

The winged skeleton frowned. "It's not a normal portal. It doesn't seem to be going to any AU."

"Dream, how the hell do you know that without even going through?" Cross demanded.

Dream sighed. "Well, for starters-"

But a blue tendril of magic shot out of the portal, and into another.

There was a crash and a familiar yelp from the other side of the new one, and the blue thing began to pull back. There was a scrambling sound, and Blue was pulled out of his own house, his hands gripping the doorframe of his bedroom.

"What the heck-" He sounded genuinely scared. "Get me down-"

But with a yell, the was pulled in.

The black swirl didn't disappear however; instead, another tendril came out, holding a note.

Ink, closest to it, took it and read it allow.

"'Hello, other multiverse. I'm sorry we took your friend, but we sort of need him to try and teach our version of Dream a lesson.'"

Dream frowned.

Cross snickered. "I don't know what they'd need Blue for, but I really want to know."

"There's more," Ink said. "'It turns out he's a bitchass playboy. Whoever we ended up pulling should be able to match him so we're going to have some chaos. Feel free to come; just make sure you bring popcorn. Oh, and chocolate. Need chocolate. Have a nice day.'" Ink squinted at the bottom of the page. "...and it has a weird version of my signature. Then, 'PS we're not telling whoever got pulled in that it happened on purpose so if you come just pretend you got pulled in too."

"I don't know half of what that meant," Nightmare announced, "But I heard the word 'chaos' and want to see so I'm going to go."

"I heard the words 'Chaos' and 'Dream' with 'Blue' and I am definitely not missing this," Cross said.

"I absolutely want to see if Blue gets humiliated," Error agreed.

"I don't know what's going on but I'm going anyway," Ink said with finality.

They all turned to Dream.

The winged skeleton felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Chaos, chaos," Nightmare began to chant. Cross and Error soon joined him.

"Are you saying you don't want to see whatever shenanigans are going to go down? In an alternate multiverse?" Ink asked. "I'm surprised."

Dream sighed. "I don't think I want to meet whatever strange version of me is on the other side."

Three of the four skeletons 'awwww'ed in disappointment.

"I'll  send you with popcorn, though."

Four skeletons cheered.

"Hey, can we go to the Doodle Sphere for a minute?" Ink asked. "I think something weird just happened."

Dream frowned in concern. "What kind of weird?" He asked.

Oh, nothing. Just the timed portal to another multiverse that he created is about to spit up whoever it brought.

"I dunno," Ink lied. He hadn't taken his fear vial, so he wasn't anxious to get there. Dream would not sense his lie. "But I want to hurry in case it's Error."

Blue met his eyes. "We should hurry, then," the small Sans said.

Dream narrowed his eye sockets, but when Ink turned his attention back to him, he looked only concerned.

It was becoming more obvious that what Nightmare had said was correct.

And Ink was well aware that almost everyone Dream knew, besides Nightmare and Blue, had been rejected.

The more he looked, the more he saw, and the more he wanted to see this happen.

It would be gratifying.

And once he and Nightmare told everyone...

It would be beautiful to watch whoever they dragged here beat him at his own game.

The slightly glitchy skeleton opened his eye sockets.

Where on earth-?

Where had that portal dragged him to?

He looked around. He was in a strange realm of floating islands.

The one he was on had a sign on it.

'Undertale'.

Strange. Were all these islands supposed to represent the AUs? What would happen if he were to touch the large door here?

A portal opened on a nearby island.

"Ok; like I said, I have no idea what we're looking for; just something out of the ordinary."

He turned. That voice sounded strangely like Ink.

...That was Ink. A shorter, less grumpy looking Ink with a much shorter and wingless version of Dream and-

Oh.

God.

Was that...him?

The other him, dressed in a Swap Sans's classic battle body, met his eye lights first.

They vanished.

"I found it."

The Ink and Dream turned.

Dream stared at him.

He stared back

He saw something.

Something very, very interesting.

Before anyone could say anything, four more bodies fell on top of him.

Well; only one actually fell on him.

Error shot to his feet immediately, glitches covering his entire body.

"Fuck, my popcorn-" Nightmare swore. The bag fell out of his pocket and bounced once.

"Why do I always land on my head-" Cross groaned.

"Why do you always complain?" Ink snapped back. He'd fallen under Cross, and the smaller's legs were keeping him from standing. "Also, get off me."

Cross didn't move. "I've had too many head injuries, I can't see straight-"

Nightmare sighed, retrieved his popcorn, and pulled his best friend off of Ink. "You're not straight anyways, so I don't see the problem," he said.

"I'm dizzy," Cross protested.

"Yeah; falling through a portal spinning will do that to you."

"Nice of you all to drop in," the blue-dressed skeleton said.

"Shut up, Blue." Ink snapped. "I'm blaming you for us getting dragged in too."

"Where are we?" Error asked. He turned and spotted the trio of clones. He blinked several times.

The other Ink put his hands together and took a deep breath.

"Okay!" He announced. "I have no idea why five random people just randomly existed here-"

Nightmare and Cross snickered.

"-but I have several questions-"

"Ink," the other Blue warned, "we talked about this."

The other Ink pouted.

The other Dream had torn his attention from Blue to Nightmare. He seemed curious. How different was this multiverse's Nightmare?

"But- but they're obviously from another multiverse-" the other Ink protested.

"You can ask questions later," Blue's shorter clone said. "They probably have several of their own."

"Ink, what the fuck."

Eight skulls turned. Floating in the air, Error's hobo twin had just came to visit.

"Hey, Error," Other Ink said cheerfully. "Another multiverse popped in to visit."

The other Error glared at them. He was not happy about this.

"Great," he grumbled. "More abominations."

A chorus of offended 'HEY!'s from the five skeletons were ignored.

"They better be leaving soon," the hobo growled to the other Ink.

Other Ink shrugged. "Dunno. I can try to make a portal. But you can't kill them."

Other Error grinned. "Is that a dare, Squid?" He said, his mismatched eye lights bright with insane delight.

"Error, please," Other Blue said. "I'm like 95% sure that killing someone from another multiverse will cause more problems than just destroying an AU."

The Error Blue knew frowned. "Did- did you just say 'destroying AUs'?"

"Wanna make something of it, glitch?" The other growled.

"Look who's talking!" Nightmare snapped. "Fuck off, you hobo!"

The other Ink snorted and started laughing.

The other Error began to glitch angrily. "Call me that again, you stupid grape, and I'll tear  your skull off your neck," he snarled. Suddenly there were strings tied to his fingers, coming from somewhere they couldn't see.

Nightmare, it turns out, did not like being called a grape. His spear was suddenly in his hands, the crescent moon tip blazing a brilliant blue.

The temperature around them seemed to drop ten degrees.

Blue decided that now would be a good time to leave.

Seeing as how gravity seemed to work weirdly here, he decided to fall down to the island right below them.

It appeared to be Outertale. Perfect!

He touched the door, and he was in his favorite AU.

Dream noticed the other Blue leave, but said nothing.

He was much more curious on how a fight between Error and this other Nightmare would play out.

At first glance, it was obvious that 'Grape', as Error had called him, didn't let his aura work most of the time.

The fact that everyone suddenly seemed chilled, despite the large spearhead of negative magic being unable to actually give off those same effects, showed that he was pissed enough that he wasn't paying attention.

His friend Cross, however, nudged him and muttered something. The Nightmare huffed, put down his spear, and the cold feeling lessened. He still glared at Error with the intensity of a bonfire.

"Call me a grape," he growled, "one more fucking time-"

"Aww, how cute."

Dream turned, and his own Nightmare was standing behind him.

"What's that?" He laughed. "A toothpick?"

The other Nightmare stared at him.

"Guys, there's a talking octopus."

Dream's brother grinned. "Oh, I think we'll get along just fine."

Dream frowned. "That sounds like a terrible idea."

Nightmare glared at him.

An unspoken accusation that Dream always saw but never quite understood in his single real eye light.

"Who asked you again?"

Dream sighed and crossed his arms. "You know what? I'm leaving." He glanced at his friends, hoping they would keep him from killing the strangers.

Ink gave him a thumbs up.

He went into Outertale, where the other Blue had gone.

Ink waited. He heard the sounds of the portal closing.

"Okay," he said clapping his hands together, "I guess you all got my note, seeing as how you didn't let your Blue know that you came voluntarily.

The four of them blinked at the sudden change in attitude.

Nightmare relaxed slightly. "I'm guessing there was a fifth person who came first?" He asked.

The four blinked again.

They glanced at where the other Blue had been.

"Your Blue left like five minutes ago," Error said. "You don't pay attention to much, do you?"

"You don't either," Ink cheerfully reminded him.

"I will strangle you," Error warned.

"You keep saying that but you've never been able to catch me."

Error snarled at him.

"Okay this is friggin weird," the other Ink announced.

"I brought the popcorn," the other Nightmare said.

Blue, Nightmare, and Error all turned to give Ink looks of 'did you really?'

"I thought it would be a good idea!" he said.

Error sighed. "It's too early in the day for this shit," he muttered. "I'm leaving."

"Actually~" Nightmare said, grabbing his strings before he could go, "I have to talk to you about something." Ignoring the swearing Destroyer in his grasp, he nodded to Ink and Blue. "You two explain, will you? I need to make sure everyone knows about this."

Ink grinned.

"Make sure to call Reaper and Outer." he said.

"I already did," he said, turning into a puddle of goop and disappearing; with Error in tow.

The other Nightmare stared at the spot.

"I am both jealous and horrified," he stated. "What's this about your guys' Dream being a hoe?"

Ink and Blue jumped onto their island.

"Sit down, this is going to take a while."

They sat.

"Okay. Here's what's up..."

"I had a feeling you would follow me."

Blue turned to see the small Dream looking mildly surprised.

"Oh really?" He asked, sounding amused. "Are you psychic or something?"

Blue chuckled. "No; not at all."

Dream came and sat next to him. "Ink may seem like a dork, but he'll be get you and your friends home."

...'Friends.'

He shook his skull. "They're not my friends," he told the other. "I'm not sure why they came with me."

Dream looked surprised. "What do you mean? The Blue here is my friend. Actually, he's friends with pretty much everyone. You aren't friends with any of them? At all?"

"Well, I like to think I am. But I think they don't always enjoy my company."

Blue waited to see what the other would think of this.

His immediate reaction was confusion.

His yellow eye lights were bright and full of life.

How different from the Dream he knew, who's eyes were guarded and stoic.

It was almost cute.

But he could still see it.

That...that desire that he had. A desire for entertainment. For trouble.

A dangerous game was unfolding.

And he was being invited to play.

"Since I am most likely going to be staying for an extended period of time, you can call me 'Cobalt'." He held out his hand.

Dream smiled. A genuine-looking smile, but behind it Cobalt saw the excitement. He didn't see that he was aware of the game, but he saw that his invitation was accepted.

It was duel.

A game of emotions.

Who would win?

The skeleton who could twist your emotions with a smile and a thought, or the master of manipulation?

Ink finished explaining the situation to the other four.

For a moment, it was silent. Then the Other Cross spoke.

"I'm starting to appreciate the Dream we know," he muttered. "He might be a jackass, but at least he's not an actual hoe."

Nightmare rolled his eye lights. "He's just an idiot," he told his friend. "Are you ever going to get over it?"

"No. I'm not."

Nightmare sighed.

A portal opened. The corrupted Nightmare and his team, plus Error and Reaper stepped out.

"You four all caught up?" He asked.

Cross and his clone immediately spotted each other.

"eyYYYY-!"

"You, sirs," the smaller Nightmare said, "Are both idiots."

"Takes one to know one," his friend said cheerfully.

The Destroyer Error eyed the four of them with a little more respect than he had previously. "So. Your friend is going to play his game with him?"

Their eyes darkened. The other Error was the first to say, "He's not our friend."

This was a surprise. After all; the Blue and Error Ink knew were good friends.

"Don't ask," the smaller Nightmare said.

The other Ink looked annoyed that they'd called their Blue his 'friend', but said nothing.

The other Error had glitches covering his eye sockets. His fists were clenched, and he grit his teeth, like he was remembering something unpleasant.

"To answer your question," He said as calmly as he could, "Yes."

"If he's not your friend, why did you come with him?" Killer asked.

They all grinned.

"If your Dream is as much like our Blue as your implying he is," the other Cross said, "Then you can probably imagine."

"And nothing even remotely interesting was happening back home," the other Ink grumbled.

The Bad Sanses all grinned. "Oh, you want interesting?" Dust chuckled. "Yeah; we're going to have lots of fun with you four."

The other four were immediately concerned for themselves.