404 had been alone for a very long time and had been close to giving up on life..that was until he found the perfect child~

———

Ḁ̷͈͛n̶̜̻̳̑̎̕t̶͓̋̽ȉ̴̭͎͉V̵̧̮̫͝o̶̲̱̓̈́̕ǐ̴̭̬͜d̸̡̘̆̌̐

404 had been alone in the AntiVoid for a very long time. Time seemed meaningless when all attempts to create his home had been useless. He had watched the Omniverse blankly, just waiting for it all to end, feeling he had nothing left to look forward to.

He was unsure when he started to look at family's but by the time he realised he was unable to stop, watching several small family units almost obsessively. Every time he tried to look away he would suddenly be entranced by what a certain family member did, making him hooked yet again.

404 thought that would be it, just watching family units for the rest of his existence but suddenly an idea was planted in his mind. What if he started his own family? He might not have his AU but he could start a new life, even if his chosen mate was no longer with him. His SOUL ached in grief at the pain he feared would never leave him but he persevered.

He might be unable to even consider choosing a new mate..but a child ? Now that was much easier to handle but it couldn't just be any random one, they had to perfect . His search lit a new fire in him, making a spark of life return to his once dull eyelights, with finally having a goal in mind.

It could have been decades he sat in the white place, searching relentlessly through the Code for the perfect child but he suddenly paused when he found the one. He opened a window to get a closer look and instantly fell in love when a single bright white eyelight lit up for the first time, focusing on their surroundings in interest. He was unsure why this one, out of the millions of others, caught his interest but he did not mind, merely watching as the newborn drank magic from their carrier in interest.

He watched as they grew in fascination, spending all of his time watching them. It was a good thing he was powerful otherwise he would have died long before he got the chance to meet them. His SOUL grew warm as he watched their achievements but so did the longing. He had been very tempted to just take them but seeing how young they were he hesitated. He knew how much care babybones needed and this one was still far too young to be away from their carrier.

With one last look he forcibly closed the window, even if it felt like he was ripping apart his SOUL to do so. How could he consider ripping the child away from their family? He knew his mate would have been disgusted with him at the mere thought, so he held back and looked away, feeling as if the AntiVoid was filling his SOUL with nothingness.

Time passed and his self imposed restraint weakened, causing him to open a window to check them over again. He paused when he saw them and checked over the Code, very sure it had been longer than a few years. He frowned when he realised how long it had been, looking back at the babybones in puzzlement.

...Why did the babybones look only slightly bigger than before?

His frown deepened as he observed how their day went, confused where their carrier was. Surely they still needed magical feeding but as he watched, nothing changed. They rarely interacted with others and when they did he was unnerved at the blank expression on their face.

Where was the babybones he had first seen? The one who was full of life, not this ghost of a shell that seemed to be going through life on autopilot. This reminded him more of a monster on the verge of Falling Down than anything else. That caused a momentary source of panic until he looked at their Code and found no such issue, but he blanched at their stats..not to mention their HOPE value.

404 slammed the window shut, throwing his magic around in anger and despair. Why was the one being he was invested in, looking close to dusting?!

404 remained still for an endless amount of time, fearful to even look at the babybones again. What if they were hurt? What if they were dead ?!

He could feel his mental state deteriorate, logically knowing he was unfit to care, let alone raise a child but unable to think of anything but the tiny Goth.

He shivered in remembrance to all those multiverses he collapsed with little care, due to his anguish of his home being destroyed by that thing . He might have killed it in the end but the damage was done, leaving him alone in this wide Omniverse.

The next time he looked at the child he was startled at where they were. This was not the babybones original multiverse, the Codes did not match and who was that monster near them?! He took a deep breath, not wanting to act on his anger and instead started to check what he had missed.

He stared in disbelief at what he found out, looking at the tiny Goth in panic. He left them alone as he thought they were safe, how did he miss so much?!

His previous thoughts of his beautiful mate and their likely disapproval of his actions vanished, to be replaced by the need to know everything.

404 was once again obsessive with his watching but still held back from directly interfering, no matter how easy it would be. He was pleased they had parental bonds now but with how often these 'parents' lost their child it was driving him insane!

That is when he started to make small edits, barely noticeable but just enough to keep the tiny Goth, now 'Karma' alive. So many times he wanted to act but knew it was not his place. This was not his child, no matter how much he wished they were.

He tried to help the 'parents' to find Karma, not always successful and sometimes missing the changes Karma went through. He would have been impressed how Karmas Code could almost hide from him, if it didn't make it an even larger pain to keep watch over them.

-

It had seemed every time 404 looked away they disappeared, soon appearing in a new place, just as dangerous as the last. The danger only seemed to worsen as time went on but 404 felt something within him shift, when he watched an XGaster meet them.

404 felt rage but this was cold, calculated as he made sure to systematically destroy the waste of space, so tempted to erase the Code of all Gasters in existence. When he focused back on his child he was pleasantly surprised to see them in better health, their wings had also changed to resemble a beautiful starry night.

When he heard the name 'Traveller' he was at a loss, never having heard of a being called that before. He didn't think his child was lying but instead feared the possibility of an imposter, stringing his poor little babybones along.

Searching for the monster turned out to be impossible but he was still compelled to try. Watching his child became even more vital after that but sometimes he had to look away or go out, realising that if he truly wanted the child with him he needed to get out more. The AntiVoid was no place for babybones, so he searched for a new location but was never satisfied with what he found, ending up destroying swaths of multiverses in his displeasure.

When he first did that, he was horrified with himself but now he did it as easily as breathing, as now he had only one care.

Karma

... That pretty little trinket on his child's scarf was an annoyance though but a small part of him was so very thankful for it, as it seemed to guide his little one to safer areas. It sadly wasn't perfect, as he knew when he heard the terrifying sound of a SOUL cracking.

404 wasn't proud to admit how long he froze after hearing it, not to mention what he did to the culprits. He sadly couldn't do anything obvious, not wanting to tip anyone off he was watching but subtly adjusting the guilty party's Code in retaliation was perfectly valid in his mind.

Once he saw the one named 'Oneiro' take his child to a Deity controlled multiverse he looked away and prepared for obtaining his child but he still hesitated. There was a small part of him still screaming that this was wrong, that Karma was unlikely to even want to be with him, considering how shy they were around others.

He didn't want to crush their spirit, not since he could see it just started to blossom again. Whoever this 'Traveller' was they did a good job of breaking his childs barriers, causing 404 to smile in joy at the happiness his little star now showed.

When one day he saw his little one close to breaking he reached forward, letting out a cry when they vanished, startled when they suddenly appeared in full health. What had just happened?

Checking them over he could see their SOUL was now healthy, perhaps even the best condition he had ever seen it in before. He wished he was in person to look them over but still feared their reaction to him. He might know them but he was a stranger to them. He screwed his sockets shut as mind screamed at him to grab his child, now . That feeling was occuring far too often for this liking and he knew his control over his LOVE mindset was cracking.

Monsters were supposed to meditate, get to know their magic often but especially if they accumulated any LOVE . It could control a monster, make them do things they never dreamed of before. Just seeing the many Killertales was proof enough of what could happen.

404 knew he had been lax on that for a rather long time but he couldn't focus on anything apart from his child. He had to keep them safe even if that was from himself. His mind was shattering, sanity so close to breaking .

404 tapped his finger on the 'ground' watching as his child was now surrounded by so many Guardians. He often found this variant so amusing to watch, so different and yet the same at the very core of their being. He laughed as 'Oneiro' finally arrived but felt something was wrong, when he heard Karma call them 'dad'.

Why wasn't he happy for his child? That should be him there! They were finally admitting what they thought of 'Oneiro'. My place! I deserve that title! Surely this is what he had always wanted for them, just for them to be happy? Only with him would they ever be safe!

SoMeThInG WaS wRoNg!

.

..

..

...

..that's right. Only with him would they be safe. No one else deserved to even be near his child. His grin stretched and a manic laugh escaped him.

" I'm coming for you, my child!"

Chaos Couple Multiverse

404 was irritated. His child was never alone lately and 'Pale' was constantly on watch, which severely decreased his chances to do this discreetly. At this point he was tempted to just dust everyone and grab Karma but his mind reminded him that his child had parental bonds with two monsters here and it would be incredibly painful to sever that.

He stilled when he saw Oneiro leave his child's room, with only Pale and his child sleeping peacefully left. Now was his chance!

He pinned 'Pale' to the wall with blue bones, making sure none of their dust got near his child, using his hand to silence the monster. While he could tamper with their Code he was wary of what it would do to the bond they shared with Karma, so simply threw them in the AntiVoid to deal with later.

Discovering them to currently be low on emotion was a lovely surprise, making this so much easier. He took a moment to look at his child, feeling like this wasn't real. He walked to their bed and crouched down, pausing before he touched them.

He let out a low growl at the toy bear in their arms but his eyelights grew as he saw it shake, watching it shift. He quietly murmured next to Karma's skull, hoping this would work, not wanting to wake them up.

"Karma. Can you put your bear away? It's going to get dirty"

It was a tense few seconds before relief came over him as they sleepily did so, before curling up on the bed, grumbling about it being way too early to be awake. His gaze softened, the madness that now constantly present almost falling away before it returned with a vengeance, when he heard 'Oneiro' about to open the door.

404 whisked his child away with a manic expression in his face, concealing his magic with ease. He had finally won but there was still so much to do. He couldn't wait~.

Ḁ̷͈͛n̶̜̻̳̑̎̕t̶͓̋̽ȉ̴̭͎͉V̵̧̮̫͝o̶̲̱̓̈́̕ǐ̴̭̬͜d̸̡̘̆̌̐

Now that 404 had them in his arms he was almost at a loss on what to do. He stiffened as Karma suddenly clung to his coat, nuzzling his chest in their sleep...right, he would need to get used to touch again, he had forgotten how tactile children were.

Carefully placing them on the pillows he had gathered he took a step back and merely looked at them. This close he could sense the magic on them, especially from their scarf. He would love to burn it but rembering how they acted without it nixed the idea. He wanted his child healthy and alive..even if that meant compromise on his part. Sneering at the item he crouched before his child and carefully unwound it, unsure why they had slept with it on.

404s hand hovered over the tiny chest, feeling the SOUL hidden behind but stilled before he could summon it. What are you doing?! Don't touch them! Leave them alone. YOU ARE GOING TO HURT THE-

404 pulled his hand back as if scalded, his gaze unintentionally landing on the pure white bone of their neck. He felt it was a bad idea to be near their SOUL and felt sick at the thought of altering their Code so directly..but a slight illusion tied to their vessel and mind? That would also slowly influence their magic? He could work with that.

404 summoned magic to his finger tips and lightly traced Karmas bones, watching as black ink like marks appeared wherever he touched. His magic should gently integrate into the babybones vessel, but he made sure not to add too much so as not to awaken his child.

When he pulled back he admired the mark and knew there was one final piece that needed to be done to complete it. With a final pulse of his magic he smiled as the illusions was set, now to wait to see if it would take.

-

404 was growing worried. It had been days since he had Hurt Karma. Why was he still near them?! He only ruined everything he touched added his magic to his child's bones but they still hadn't awakened. He was alarmed when they started sweating magic but it grew worse when he saw the black marks shifting to red, as if burning his child. Being rejected . He was being rejected!

The sounds of pain coming from them only alarmed him further, fearing to touch them in case he made it worse. They weren't even accepting his magic for feedings! He was starving them. He really was a demon like all claimed!

When a week passed he was close to removing his magic from them..maybe he should just give them back?

When he had put their scarf near them it had seemed to calm them and he had never been so glad they had been near Destroyers before then now, as they seemed to unconsciously start to relax in his presence now. He took a shaky breath when they lay peacefully...now it was for the true test to begin. His child was much more powerful than he expected but so far his magic was holding true. It would take time to fully work how he wished but the hardest part was over at least.

He had of course tested this on others but he had been much more gentle for his child, as he didn't want to hurt them after all. It was far too late for that.

His stared in hope when he saw Karma start to move, their sockets opening to reveal a single eyelight which was a very pale blue. While not what he was used to, he was sure he could make it work. He cooed as they whined in pain, hoping to calm them down.

"Oh little raven. You are looking so much better but you still need to rest"

"Dad? I don't feel well.."

404 was so happy this was going so well, thankful he had studied Oneiros mannerism, which it seemed he would need until his magic could hide everything better. How did it work?! He was sure it was going to fail!

He couldn't resist lifting his child into his arms, purring as he felt them nuzzle him again. He could get used to this.

"It's ok. I'll be here when you wake up. You can go back to sleep"

404 was happy to hold them but struggled to hold in his laughter as they complained about being sick again. They aren't sick! I did this! Such a MONSTER-

"It doesn't quite work like that, little crow"

He idly hummed, walking around the AntiVoid, his child held safely in his arms. Karma awoke sporadically, quickly going back to sleep but seemed rather out of it. They would call out names of monsters he knew they had met, making an uncomfortable feeling start to gather in his SOUL.

He tried to ignore it but the feeling only grew, making him put them down on the pillows again...was he even doing the right thing anymore?

He waited, looking at their chest almost fearing they would suddenly disappear if he looked away. He twitched when he saw them wake up but hesitated to touch them. What if he hurt them? It had been so long since he had done gentle contact..what if last time was a fluke and he accidentally dusted them this time?

"Dad. Are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine. You should focus on getting better"

404s fear was great and it grew as he saw them push their body up, hearing the creaks of their bones, magic straining to keep his little one stable.

"L-Little raven, you need to lay dow-"

"I love you, dad. I'm not scared of you"

..they loved him? His smile grew and he easily lifted them in his arms, enjoying the way they started to purr. His child really was precious. He picked so well. He ignored the fact they had no idea who he was, with them actually seeing someone else in his stead. This was enough for him..for now.

He snorted at the way they refused to be put down and simply adjusted them in his hold.

"While I am enjoying this, you still need to rest. You caught a rather bad cold, little raven"

It was a decent enough excuse and not even a full lie. Their body was trying to get rid of something that didn't belong there. Why was he even near them?! Look what he did! Why won't someone STOP HI-

-

404 had no clue when but he fell asleep, which was rather rare for him. His dreams were never pleasant and this time was no different. He woke up suddenly, disorientated, staring at the endless white with dread in his SOUL...was is all a dream?

"Dad?"

His tension fled once he spotted Karma, still safely in his arms.

"..you are still here." Awe filled his tone, looking at them as if they were a rare treasure.

"Of course!"

"You won't leave me will you, little raven?"

404 logically knew what he was asking was impossible, feeling it would only be time before they realised but when he felt his magic work as he wished, letting his child be able to send emotions to him..he almost forgotten he had added that feature.

LOVE/AFFECTION/CARE

While not able to form a true bond he was pleased this temporary one was doing so well. So pleased in fact that he thought going outside should be safe to do so now. He would still need to keep a watchful eye on them, as he didnt want their magic to rise too high. The possibility of it fighting against his.. temporary restrictions would be far too high. He had to keep his little one safe and that was also from themselves too.

"Dad, are they upset with me?"

"Who?..oh. Of course not, little raven! They understood why we left but we can still have fun." 404 hadn't looked over the Gaster variants much, but hardly expected them to be an issue.

"B-But what about the surprise?"

404 smirked in amusement and nuzzled Karams skull, enjoying his child's laughter.

"We have all the time in the world, little crow. I have an even better surprise for you though"

404 had many plans for them but they would have to wait, as Karma looked close to falling asleep again. It hardly helped that he could feel how low their magic was. It was a good thing he had prepared for this.

Standing up he walked over to one of his strings that was restraining a rather powerful DETERMINED SOUL. It had been a pain to find but it would be worth the energy his child would gain from it. Easily cutting his string he grabbed the SOUL, before handing it over to Karma, amused at the confusion on his child's face.

"It's for you to eat silly"

"..I thought I should only do this in an emergency?"

404 hummed in agreement, but due to all the stress their tiny body had gone through this was the quickest way for them to recover. Sure magical food would work as well but it would take far too long in his opinion to work. He was so glad that Karma was a Death god, meaning eating SOULS was trivial, easy for them to digest.

"It is. You were asleep for a week and you were not accepting any magic from me..it was rather w-worrying, little crow"

More like terrifying. He even had a brief thought they might dust from what he had done. He had never been so pleased that they were powerful, even if it caused many issues in the long run. He watched with intensity, making sure they ate it all, pleased when their magic went back to the more usual levels. He would be sure to grab some more SOULS as a backup. It's a good thing he knew where to find many.

Destroyers really were useful to have around~.

Written Out Multiverse

404 had known that Oneiro was planning to take Karma here and it was one of the few things he approved of. It was calm and peaceful and the other babybones should get along splendidly with his child.

He squeezed Karmas hand, as he saw the wings puff up in displeasure. He had double checked and this multiverse had developed no new issues since the last time he looked.

"It's ok. I've checked and this place is still stable even if some of the Star Sans are.. unique "

To be honest he thought they were the same as most other multiverses but he had to acknowledge that Karma had been in some truly bizarre situations. Far too many for his liking . He had to grab Karma other hand, stopping them scratching the Code inked around their neck, hiding a wince at how irritated it still looked. He would use some healing magic on it later, hoping it would settle down.

When Karma wanted to be picked up he easily obliged, making sure to subtly use his magic to 'persuade' everyone near to give them a wide berth. It didn't take long to reach the meeting place, the school where the other Goth babybones would be.

"Why are we here?" His child muttered, watching them warily look at the building.

"We are here to meet your surprise of course. Talking of, i see one of them over there"

404 smirked at the sound his child made when he put them down. He would love to hold them longer but that would not be conducive to meeting their new potential playmate. He stood still as the Goths' parents arrived, amused at the stutter in their steps when he was spotted.

He knew he usually cut an intimidating figure which paired with his magic, made most fear him but he tried to tone it down....At least for today. It was rather fortunate that Alter had never met Oneiro before, so he only had to use his magic to tweak a few things to how they would perceive him.

"..Are you Oneiro?"

"That's me. You must be Alter. Is Goth still ok for today? I don't see them anywhere"

404 was very pleased when after their chat Alter crouched to be at the same level as his child, happy they were acknowledging them as their own being.

"Why hello there. I'm called Alter. What's your name?"

"Karma.."

"That's a lovely name. Would you like to meet my son? They look to be a bit older than you but I'm sure you will get along. They love meeting new people"

404 felt like his SOUL was breaking at the fear his little one had. He tried to show full support in his gaze, knowing he would do anything to remove that look in Karmas eyelight. He smirked when he saw the Goth arrive, unable to stop himself comparing the two babybones.

Would he have been attached to them, if he saw them first?

"Dad! You are never here this early. Is something happening today?" The wingless Goth spoke, 404 noticing the gloves they wore. He did remember Alter mentioning their issue controlling their magic but with Karma having the same magic he wasn't worried.

He did narrow his gaze when Alter shushed their child, spotting the almost nervous expression when they looked at him. It seems he might have to keep an eye on this one, to make sure they didn't notice anything odd.

He gently pushed his child to be closer to the other babybones, rubbing their back in encourmagnet. He was proud when they said their name, offering to play with the other child.

"R-Really? Are you sure?" The Goth spoke. 404 saw how Goths anxiety vainsh at the affirmation of Karma wanting to play, having to intervene when he saw the overwhelmed expression on his child's face at the barrage of information Goth started to give.

"Why don't we head off to Goths home, then you can decide what to do. We are staying the whole day, little raven." He lightly suggested, pleased when no one showed any objections to the idea.

The walk to Goths home was peaceful and he was pleasantly surprised when Karma took the initiative to get closer to Goth, even going so far as to hold their hand. His child had come so far from the despondent little monster from so long ago.

How times change..

He had no issue when Alter suggested the children play outside, as he would still be able to monitor his child with the 'bond' they shared.

"So Oneiro, when did you adopt Karma?"

404 turned to Alter looking at them in curiosity. Was this an interrogation?..How amusing. His smirk widened, relishing the flinch they gave. While it may not be his preferred form, 'Oneiro' did strike a certain image as well.

Sadly his fun had to be cut short when he felt distress from his child, teleporting to their location. He relaxed when he saw no injuries, just Goth clinging to his child, looking like they never wanted to let go.

"What wrong, little raven? I could sense your distress"

"They are crying and I have no idea why!"

"...Little raven, he can't usually touch others"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

404 pointed to the direct contact his child had. He loved his child but sometimes they really did miss the larger details. It's a good thing he was here to make sure they were ok.

-

Written Out Multiverse

404 was thrilled how well the children got alone, as his child really needed to socialise..not to mention so did he. He was so much rustier than he expected but talking with Alter had been a very large help. After the first meeting they had gotten along rather well, even receiving some tips for dealing with an energetic child. It was a novel experience but he very much appreciated it.

They had been visiting Goth daily for the past week, so were currently on their way to their home, when he felt a slither of dread at his child's question.

"Did you get shorter?"

He threw them in the air and quickly caught them, tickling them to distract them.

"How mean! I think you will find you have gotten bigger"

"Noooo. Sthap! Ti-kles! Dad!"

He eventually stopped and turned their skull to face him, looking at their blue eyelight in worry. He knew he was slightly shorter than Oneiro but the illusion should be perfect. Was his child managing to break his magic? Maybe he should add some more magic to it later..

He smiled and nuzzled Karmas skull, putting the worry to the back of his mind. He was overreacting, he knew he would feel if that had occured.

"Such a silly babybones~"

"Dad!"

Today he would be following his child as they had insisted they needed help with a 'very important task'. He had tried to ask for clarification but he was given a cheeky grin saying it was a 'surprise', mirroring his response to when he had taken them to this multiverse. His child was such a little spit fire.

The day had been eventful and getting to play harmless pranks on two of the Star Sans was surprisingly helpful. Using his magic for delicate tasks instead of brute force was a challenge, but one he very much enjoyed. It was 'fun'.

404 could not remember the last time he had fun and smiled softly as the two babybones who were laughing on the ground, watching what their pranks had done to their targets.

"That was very impressive babybones but it is time for us to go, little crow"

404 internally winced at the pleading look Karma gave him but held strong. It was not safe to stay in one place for long, not when Karma's parental bonds were still alive. Not to mention the others that had grown to care for his child. He would sort them out later.

"B-But why?"

"Goth still has school and other daily activities. Alter can only take them out of school for so long"

He watched Goth hug his child, both of them falling to the ground due to the enthusiasm.

"..I'll miss you. Make sure to text!"

When his child stood up he rested his hand on their shoulder, squeezing it for comfort.

"It was nice to see you, Karma!..even if your dad is weird"

404 smirked at the response, even if Alter looked mortified by their child's bluntness. The babybones had good instincts, it would keep them alive. He had spotted the puzzled looks when looking at him, trying to subtly keep his child away from him on a subconscious level. It was rather cute, even if it was futile.

Forming a portal he walked through with his child.

"Don't worry, little raven. There is still much more fun to be had

~~~~~~~

404: *Barely sane* I should stay away from Karma. I am unfit for childcare!

*A psychotic break later*

404: *Crazed smiling* I need to grab them now! Only i can give them the care they need!
-
404: I would never hurt Karma!

Also 404: *Writes Code on their bones to 'convince' them to stay with him*
-
404: *Worriedly watching Karma wake up* This was a terrible idea. I should give them back right no-

Karma: Love you dad

404: *Conveniently forgetting they are seeing Oneiro and not him* Love you too, my child!
-
*Karma busy playing with Goth*

404: *Subtly trying to grill all information pertaining to child care from Alter*

Alter:..im sorry, did you just suggest feeding a child SOULS?!

404: *Badly lying*..no?

Alter: *Thinking this is another multiverse difference and pushing it far back into his mind*