Karma is slowly growing used to being around other monsters again but there are still a few bumps on the way.

——-

Curse Multiverse

Karma changed his mind, this was absolutely awful!

He clung to Nightmare's side like a leech, puffing up his wings whenever someone looked at him, which was far too often for his liking.

...You know what, perhaps he should just become a hermit. Who needs people? He would be fine by himself and he would have Nix, so that would be great. Brother and dad could come visit him and he was sure he could find a lovely spot in the AntiVoid to stay in.

He hissed when he was pulled off his safe adult, still shaky even when he realised it was only Nightmare, who had lifted them up into their arms.

"It's fine. You are doing well. We only have two more guests and that will be it"

He wanted to cry, only Nix and Nightmares' presence helping him to stay even a modicum of calm. It wouldn't have been so bad if everyone wasn't constantly staring at him.

He let out an involuntary whimper when he saw a Reaper, his plan to be a hermit seeming much more tempting the longer he was here.

"Hey Nightmare! I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?"

" Why do you have to be so loud?! He is right there! "

"Oo! Who do you have there with you? New person!..Error! Stop being so antisocial and come over and say hello"

" Did you not read anything?! We were told about the- "

Karma zoned out, those voices being the final thing to push him over his fragile bit of calm.

Before he knew it he was in the corner of the room, wings draped around himself to hide. He didnt want to see anyone, especially not someone who looked similar to them. When Nix came near he grabbed them, listening to their SOUL beat, ignoring the outside world. Perhaps dad had been right and he should have stayed home longer....

He just wanted to prove he was fine, angrily wiping away his tears and feeling so very stupid. He let out an involuntary giggle as Nix licked his face, stroking their fluffy face in thanks.

He didn't know how long he stayed like this, until he felt some courage to lower his wings.

Nix was rubbing his face against their monster, constantly reminding them that the bad monster was gone and he would defend them. His fur bristled at the voices, settling down when he spotted them far away from his monster.

Karma shakily stood up, keeping Nix close and eyeing the two chatting monsters in the room warily. He slowly made his way to Nightmare, ignoring Dream entirely, as he lifted up his arms to the corrupted monster to be picked up. He hid his face in their clothes when they picked him up, feeling rather tired right now.

"Do you feel better now, little one?"

He nodded, letting out a quiet hiss when he sensed Dream try and get closer.

"None of that now. Just go to sleep. We can talk about it later"

He had no urge to speak about just what happened and was about to vehemently deny such a plan, but the gentle patting from their tentacles and their familiar magic lulled him to sleep. Only when he heard Nix meow did he let himself fully relax.

-

Karma was thankful that the next few days were much calmer but still hissed whenever Dream got near. He refused to be put down though, clinging tighter to Nightmare whenever they tried.

"You can't stay in my arms all the time, little one"

He was unsure why Nightmare said such silly lies, as he was very comfy where he was.

"..you are going to forget how to walk at this rate"

He flapped his wings in response, giggling as they sighed.

"Will you at least tell me why you don't like Dream? You know they don't mean any harm"

Karmas amusement fled, trying to avoid Nightmare's pleading gaze.

The next few hours were spent in silence, sitting in their lap while they dealt with some paperwork in their office. Just as they were about to grab another letter, he quietly spoke up.

"..they look too similar to someone i used to know"

It was their mannerisms that unnerved him, reminding him far too much like 'daddy' for his liking. He had tried his best to avoid those memories but Dream kept bringing them back and he hated it .

"Dream would love to get to know you, little one. I'm sure you would like them"

..he supposed he could try but he still had a line.

"Can they stop calling me 'little apple'?"

"Of course. I will make sure of it"

-

"Do you want to draw with me, little appl- one "

Karma barely suppressed the flinch at the endearment, warily looking at Dream before staring at the art supplies in puzzlement. He was sure this wasn't here before...

He tried to look at Nightmare but they were focusing on their paperwork, so he was left all alone to deal with this..apart from Nix of course, who was resting by his feet.

This was the third day he had voluntarily been with Dream and he sometimes felt it only got worse, the longer he looked at them.

He still tried his best and cautiously sat beside Dream on the couch, grabbing a colouring pencil, listening as Nix suggested what he could draw. He chirped as he was handed a sparkly pencil, smiling when he saw there were even more.

He hummed as he drew, absorbed into his activity, letting out a yawn once a few hours had passed. He rubbed his sockets to try and stay awake, gradually leaning more into Dream as time went on.

"Do you want to go and nap? We can do more later"

Karma whined unhappily at the thought of not drawing but supposed they had a point.

Turning to analyse Dream he quickly looked back at Nightmare, before lifting his arms to be held. He didn't want to be alone just yet and his usual adult was busy, so he guessed Dream would have to do.

He felt confused when they froze, watching as their eyelights nearly extinguished when he touched them. He was prepared to just go to the other twin, letting out a yelp as he was quickly put in their lap, gripping their clothes in bafflement. He waited to see what they would do next, relaxing when he saw them calm down, adjusting himself to a comfier position.

He unconsciously nuzzled their shoulder, purring as he absentmindedly fed on their magic. They felt like dad, causing his body to go limp and fall asleep easily.

"They aren't going to bite, brother. Stop imitating a statue or they will wake up."

Dream ignored his brother teasing, fully focused on the child in his arms. It had taken weeks to get to this stage and he shakily breathed out, when they curled into him in their sleep.

"It's just been so long"

"..I know. I truly do"

Nightmare had hid it well but he was still entranced that a child could touch them with no negative effects. The twins spent the hour silently watching the child, with Nightmare reluctantly breaking the silence.

"..we still have much more to do"

"That can wait until tomorrow. We just got them to tolerate me. Adding more today will not help. There is no time limit, brother"

-

Karma scrunched his face at the AU they had arrived in, holding the twins' hands tightly. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to go see a 'surprise', his magic suddenly stilling at what he sensed.

"Don't be like that. You liked Dream just fine. Just give them a chance as well"

He scowled harder, not feeling like this was similar at all. Dream he had mainly positive feelings for, Reaper was a different matter entirely. He was tempted to drag his feet in the ground when they walked forward, glaring suspiciously at the floating Death god nearby.

He twitched at their stare, hating how often this was happening. What was so fascinating about him?

"Hello Reaper. How have you been lately?"

"I'm good. Have you seen Ink lately? They had some issues with AU98-"

Karma grew incredibly bored with the conversation, feeling like they had been here for hours 5 minutes , wishing he was back in his room. He had quickly stopped paying any attention to their words, swinging the hand holding Dreams with frustration. He still had no clue why he was here, neither Guardian having told him and going by the dull conversation, he wouldn't find out anytime soon.

He spotted Nix jump around in the field nearby, deciding to just join them. The adults were being far too dull for his tastes..

Some time later he flopped onto the ground, tired after playing with Nix for so long. He really loved forests, finding them so calming to play in.

"I can see you had fun. This is one of my favourite AU's. Did you find the purple flowers? They tend to glow when you put magic in them"

...Karma tilted his head towards the sound, somewhat interested but at the same time wary at what this Reaper could want. His silence must have been taken positively, as they began to tell him more about this place, finding himself reluctantly intrigued.

He sat up and stared in fascination when he realised that their magic was lazily circling around them, never having seen a Reaper variant be so free with their magic before. He cautiously let his own magic out, trying to copy the shapes theirs seemed to be making unconsciously.

It was a struggle at first but he thought he was slowly getting the hang of it, chirping as he managed to make a brief shape before it collapsed. This was so much harder than it looked.

"Are you ready to go home now, little one?"

Karma looked away from Reaper, disappointed they had to stop their impromptu lesson. He felt he had been so close to adding feathers to his construct.

"Do we have to?"

"It's getting late but we can come back again, if you want?"

He eagerly nodded, waving goodbye as he walked through their portal, excitedly telling the twin Guardians all the new things he learnt.

-

"Now you see the edge of the blade? This is a perfect medium to add our magic to and it also helps to give it a greater distance in attacks. Watch this"

Reaper cheerfully explained, demonstrating with his own Scythe, making sure the babybones understood what he was saying. He carefully watched as they repeated his action, amused when their wings flared in surprise at the distance their magic travelled.

"Great job! Do you need something to eat to top up your magic before we continue? There are a few more tricks i think you will like"

He was enjoying teaching someone with his magic type, glad he had finally encouraged them to play with it more.

The past few weeks had been worth it, to see how playful they were acting, the Guardians no longer having to be present for the child's comfort.

The babybones had excellent control but it felt rather rigid, not allowing for simple flow of movement. Whoever had taught them he wanted to personally visit, having a few choice words for them. It felt like their 'teacher' and how he hated giving the title , wanted perfection and wanted the lessons over with as quickly as possible.

No child should look so surprised when he switched how he explained things, when he saw them struggling.

Karma giggled as he felt both of their magic playful poke at each other, it helping him learn how he could replicate their demonstrations easier. This was fun and he never knew that he could do so much with Death magic, rarely playing with it. This would add even more fun to the games he played with Blasty!

Nix's approval also helped him to silence the small voice, telling him to 'stop being so frivolous with his magic'.

"Karma? Do you want to continue?"

"Yep! Can you show me how to make the softer shapes again?"

He giggled as Nix suddenly sneezed out some Death magic, grinning as Reaper screeched in surprise. This was definitely his favourite variant by far.

~~~~~~~

*Karma happily being carried everywhere*

Nightmare: *Holding Karma for five hours and counting*...are you going to walk by yourself, at some point?

Karma: *Only clinging tighter* ✨No!✨
-
Karma: *Stubbornly* Im only fine with Nightmare. There is no way i will get along with Dream as well!

*Three days later*

Karma: *Cuddling up with Dream and Nightmare* I might be fine with the twins but anyone else is a step too far!

Nix: *Highly sceptical of this claim and patiently waiting for see the next monster to be cuddled by Karma*