Things calm down and Karma enjoys the quiet

——

Momma CQ

Asy had spent the last few hours trying to calm the little fluff down. He hadn't let them down once since coming back, as the sound of his SOUL seemed to calm them. He had walked around the house while holding them, kind of surprised how many kid unfriendly items were scattered around. He was usually better with this but he hadn't had to babysit anyone in a while, so he had grown careless.

His doorbell rang disturbing him on his search but he wasn't worried. Nova never gave the illusion that he had true privacy, so it must be someone from this universe. Opening the door he was surprised it was CQ, along with all her kids. He doesn't think he had planned anything with them today so was a tad puzzled why they were here.

"Hi-"

"Move aside, Asy. I brought some food over and the kids missed you"

Asy let himself be bullied into letting the small family in, watching the two eldest zip around the room, while Fresh oddly stayed next to him, just looking up at Karma.

"Don't just stand there. Come and look at what I brought.. when was the last time to bought anything? Your fridge is empty"

That was his que to try and not get scolded, for his less than stellar eating habits. A tug on his shirt made him look down at Fresh in question.

"What's up? Did you need something?"

"Is Karma ok?"

"Yeah he is, little man. Would you mind looking after him while I go help you mum?"

He wasn't worried about how Karma would react, as they had been looking at Fresh placidly, since he opened the door. Putting them down he watched in amusement, as Fresh started to drag Karma upstairs. Shaking that off he went to the kitchen, dreading the talk he had been expecting. When CQ saw Karma wasn't with him their expression got more serious.

"Fresh was worried about his new friend and after hearing the story so am i. What happened? Why didn't you call me to update me on such a major change in your life?"

He withheld the wince at the hurt in her tone. The main reason was mainly to protect her from ever meeting Nova. The insane monster would most likely have killed her for being near his 'little Godling'.

He was a bit shocked that Fresh already seemed attached to the fluff ball. Maybe it was the similarities between his other siblings? He could admit that Karma didn't look to be in the best of health.

"It was very sudden and I didn't want to add too many things to the kids' life. They barely tolerate me most days and i have been with them for a month"

His frustration leaked out into his voice and he could see the sympathy CQ was giving him. They would know better than anyone about living with children with certain needs.

"I need to take the kid out of school. I can see this happening again and i doubt they would tell me if they were uncomfortable"

"Does this have something to do with the scarf they were wearing?"

Let it never be said that CQ was an idiot. She could be sharp and very observant, when she wanted to be. He nodded and knew he didn't have to say anything else. This tiny Error had sensory issues as well, due to their pixilation syndrome. He was curious if Nova still had the issue with touch but had seen them hold Karma with no issue. He paled at the thought, realising how they had gotten even more dangerous after their exile.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine! J-Just wondering how the kids are doing is all"

-

Karma obediently followed Fresh up stairs, pointing to which door led to his room when asked.

"This a rather boring bedroom, mah dude"

Looking at the room he guessed the white walls with little decoration might be uninspiring. He just took it as a temporary place to sleep, not to have enjoyment in. Besides, Asy hadn't said he could change it, so he left it as is. It was more lively than the AntiVoid at least, which pleased Nova for some reason.

"What do you want to do, little dude?"

"What happened to your tooth?"

Karma blurted it out within no thought. He hadn't looked at their skull closely before but no that he did, he saw a massive gap where a few teeth should have been.

"Fell down the stairs"

"Will it grow back?"

"Of course"

Fresh sounded amused by his question but Karma knew how AU's could differ from each other. In his UnderFell AU, skeleton monster's bones were much more fragile and when damaged could take years to recover, if ever. This universe made it seem like skeleton monsters were similar to humans, healing wise. Maybe that is where the majority of the magic went in this world.

He squeaked when he was suddenly grabbed and placed in Fresh's lap. It felt nice being in their hold and he thought it could be due to how quite their SOUL was.

"You ok? Should I let go?"

Fresh smirked as Karma held on to his arms in response. It was nice being around them and their chill nature, even if they didn't meet the best way. All he could see at the time was Error in that position, in the playground and he had been compelled to help. His emotions might not be as strong as others but that didn't mean he didn't have morals.

Fresh spotted his eldest brother by the door, watching with a soft look on their face.

"I'm proud of you, Fresh"

An odd thump enveloped his SOUL and he felt a blush form on his face. He buried his face into Karma's shoulder, feeling happy at the praise. He was glad he was doing something right for once.

"By the way, mum says to come down. We are eating here. Uncle Asy can't be trusted apparently"

Fresh was reluctant to move from this position and decided to just lift Karma, so he could keep cuddling them. He walked past Geno and headed to the kitchen, where he smelled the food coming from.

Karma was so tiny he had no issue with holding them and the brush of their feathers against his arms, brought a smile to his face. He would be interested to see if they wanted to be his friend, especially if they ever learned about his SOUL condition.

So many called him a freak when they learned what his condition was, including Error. His brother may have stopped saying the hurtful comments but some lingering hurt was still there, that made Fresh a bit less open towards the other. He put Karma on the seat that had a booster for it and sat beside them, at the kitchen table.

He swung his legs, glancing at Error who was oddly quiet. Even their pixels were not that severe, so perhaps it was a good day for them.

Food was soon placed down and he was unsure why Karma was only given some oddly coloured milk to drink.

"Why is Karma havi-"

Geno's hand on his mouth stopped him and the look on their face made him realise he must have missed a social clue again. Emotions were so confusing but he knew he was getting better. Even his mom told him so. He was looking forward to spending more time with Karma, no matter how short it would be.

-

Karma was told that he would get to stay home for the rest of the week. He was a bit confused as to why but didn't complain. It was much quieter and also had the benefit of him hiding the odd coughs he had been getting. He blamed it on being turned human but it still hurt when he randomly coughed out dust. He didn't bother telling Asy, as doubted they could do anything to help.

Nova was solving the issue, even if it was unintentionally. They often brought SOULS in many different colours and after eating them, he felt his body feel sturdier. He had really missed eating them but between jumping between multiverses, he barely had any alone time to grab some. It was also a hassle to find, so he was rather pleased at just being gifted them.

It was Saturday today, meaning that they would be visiting mini Freshs home. Asy seemed very close to the small family and as long as he wasn't made to eat their food, he had no problem visiting them.

CQ was a very bright human and he was unsure what to think of her. She seemed friendly enough but kept reaching to touch him, which displeased him. Thankfully she stopped but kept giving him odd looks after. Asy told him it was nothing to worry about but he was doubtful. Killer types were not the most trustworthy, even if this one acted differently, compared to his variants.

He was led into their living room where the other kids were drawing. He smiled when Fresh invited him to join in and he eagerly did so. He saw that the adults were sitting nearby but was more focused on drawing a phoenix. He wondered what a real one would look like?

" Fresh can't feel emotions well "

Karma stopped drawing and looked up in bafflement. Where did this come from? Looking at Asy, he was hoping to get some idea what he should say to that.

"It's true, fluffy. It doesn't mean he doesn't care though"

....That was obvious information, even he could tell you that. Even Parasite Fresh had some cares, even if they were unconventional. He felt a gaze staring into the side of his skull and after following it, he saw Fresh watching him with no expression on their face. He merely shrugged at them and went back to drawing.

"Ok"

He grinned at his finished picture and showed it to Fresh, ignoring how quiet it had gotten in the room. He preened at the praise and listened intently, as they said that his brother liked unicorns.

" It's called a stab horse! They are awesome and i want to have twenty when i grow up "

Now Karma wanted to see a stab horse as well. He was in awe at all the qualities they had.

"What did you draw Fresh?"

He was confused when they scrunched up their hands on the paper but then showed him a drawing of a huge furby. It was very colourful and matched what mini Fresh was wearing.

"I will add it to the list of what i want to see"

He had no idea why this made the adults laugh, as he was deadly serious. If he was going to be thrown around like a rag doll in the multiverse, he wanted some benefit.

Error saw how happy Fresh had looked, since Karma had come over. He felt slightly guilty for blurting out his brother's condition but he wanted to see how they would react. The instant acceptance followed by Fresh look of gratitude, made him jealous. He could feel his glitches act up and breathed deeply, to try and calm down his anger. He knew what happened when he let it overtake him and he refused to act like that again.

Karma got on well with mini Fresh and they had many repeated visits to each other's home. It was nice being around someone who also got confused at what the right emotion being conveyed meant.

Karma wasn't unobservant and knew he sometimes got it wrong but it was so hard sometimes. The easy comradeship was a break from the confusing world.

~~~~~

CQ: I can help you know

Asy: *thinking about Nova and their possessive as over Karma* I'll be fine

-
Karma: I will see all the cool animal's!

Asy: *laughs but secretly scared he will have to house more creatures*