Karma is confused and angry, with no idea what is going on...and who is this being in his safe place?!

Thanks to Firehedgehog for writing this with me. Check out their part on Ao3 or Wattapad 😸

———

Between Omniverses- The Travellers space

Karma didn't move, even when he could tell he was no longer with Star. His wings had curled around him and he could feel his fingers digging into his palm again. His jaw tensed at feeling his anger rise and he snarled in frustration, throwing the item Star had given him earlier today in disgust.

How dare they! Why did everyone do this to him?!

His anger soon drained from him and he felt tears start to well up in his sockets. Why was he like this...

Sniffling he looked up and knew he was in his room his brother had made for him. He spotted the many pillows and coloured walls but it just wasn't as comforting as he wished. It wasn't what he wanted and he could feel his tears flow faster in misery. Trying to wipe away his tears failed and he soon gave up, instead gathering all the pillows and blankets he could.

Choking back another sob he left the room and tried to spread his senses, cringing as his magic complained at the action. From what little he could sense there was no one else here but that was fine. He could cope. He was lying.

Dragging all the items with him he headed towards his big brother's room and chirped at feeling the familiar magic on their door. Pushing it open he observed how it hadn't changed much from last time but that wasn't why he was here. Placing the items in the centre of the room he took off the covers and blankets from Travellers bed and added them to the pile.

He carefully placed each item down until he had made a comfy looking nest. He made sure to shut the door and took out his stuffed bear, before sitting in the middle of his new nest. It wasn't the same as them being here but the familiarity helped to soothe his aching SOUL and to lower his loneliness.

He lay on his front and buried himself with the items, uncaring for the complaint from his wings. He just wanted to hide and feel safe and ignore the outside world for as long as he could. When all the light was blocked he felt himself finally relax and went limp. Closing his sockets he hugged his bear and drifted to sleep. Hoping things would look better when he woke up.

-

Karma felt something warm near him and tried to move closer to it. He chirped sleepily and felt very pleased at his new position. It was as he was about to fall back asleep that his mind alerted him to something being wrong. Opening his sockets he was alarmed at seeing someone next to him and tried to push himself out of the nest as quickly as he could.

He cursed his stupid SOUL for affecting his magic like this, instead having to physically push all the soft items off him. It didn't help that his glasses had fallen off, so now he was stuck with an unknown blurry figure near him. He snarled at the intruder, flaring his wings in anger. Who was here?! He knew he had been alone when he went to sleep.

While his unexpected bouts of anger were annoying, he had learnt how it could startle others and keep them away from him. He hissed when he saw movement, feeling his feathers sharpen in threat.

"Karma?"

Karma was startled by the voice and slightly lowered his wings. He recognised that voice, he was sure of it. Squinting didn't help clear things up and he huffed in annoyance. He backed himself into a corner and looked to where the voice came from, trying to figure out what to do.

This reminded him too much of Moon and he didn't like it. Moon might have thought he was an idiot but it didn't take much to realise the truth. It hurt to know they pretended to be his brother and that they never planned to clarify the truth, even with all the trust he had put in them.

He might be weakened but that didn't mean he wasn't able to put together all the tells that matched Moon, who he thought was his 'brother' at the time. He was wary if this was really his brother or another monster trying to trick him. He could feel tears gathering again and hissed at the stranger.

"Stay away!"

"Karma...." The voice spoke again, sounding rather distressed for some strange reason.

"Oh my stars Nebula... what happened to your eyes!". The stranger then flared their magic, confusing him even further.

Karma finally felt their magic and lowered his wings, recognising it as Traveller. He hoped this wasn't another trick but he was getting to the point of not caring either way. He closed his sockets and looked away from the blurry figure, trying to control his anger.

"N-Nothing! They are fine. I just need my g-glasses"

He flinched as his SOUL throbbed in pain yet again but he tried to ignore that. He was fine. Everything would be ok. Why did everything hurt?

"Breath with me Karma, you need to calm down," Traveller said softly. They picked him up, spreading healing magic through his body and carefully slid his glasses on his face.

Karma tried to copy their breathing and was relieved he could finally see again, giving a shaky smile at Traveller. He twitched at the healing magic but forced himself to relax. 'This is big brother, he wouldn't hurt you'. He tried to repeat the mantra and eventually felt his breath even out. 

He adjusted his glasses and tried to avoid Travellers worried gaze. Error said the glasses wouldn't be needed permanently but never mentioned when he would be back to normal. Did he even want to anymore? No one seemed to want him..

"S-Sorry for t-that...when did you get back?"

Hopefully his brother would magically forget what just happened if he distracted them...maybe.

"As soon as I felt you at home and so upset I rushed home," Traveller said, they adjusted him in their arms

"It scared me, I could feel your pain a few Omniverses away."

Karma was unsure what to even say to that. Words seemed hard to come by, so he just relaxed into his brother's arms and hummed at the heat they were giving off.

"..S-Sorry. I don't know how to s-stop it" 

That was a lie but he was sure his brother didn't want to listen to him, suggesting they just remove the main issue. He was pretty sure that was frowned upon...or was it? There were a lot of soulless Creators and they seemed fine!

He hid his face in his brother's clothes, annoyed how his memory wasn't working as he was used to.

"I'm sure there's more to it, but... just rest nestling," Traveller whispered, pulling them both back into the nest.

Karma let himself be taken back to the nest and reached for his bear, feeling drained and just wanting more comfort. He flopped into the centre of the nest and chirped when he felt Traveller's arms wrap around him. He blankly stared at the ceiling and took off his glasses, feeling numbness settle in. At least it was better than anger.

"A-Are we napping?"

"If you want, or we can just lay here. We can even talk," Traveller responded...

"Like why you barely have any SOUL left..."

"IT'S FINE!"

Karma screamed out and felt his magic try and lash out but it soon spluttered out, leaving him limp yet again. He shuddered at the pain in his body and closed his sockets.

"...it's fine"

"No it's not, no one should have their SOUL shattered..." Palette said softly taking over, remembering those moments of their own shattering, only Goth's SOUL becoming one with him kept them from non-existence.

"It's okay to cry..."

Karma stilled at their words and felt tears start to fall down his face. He shuddered and weakly held onto Traveller. Why was this happening to him? He had been trying to open up to others and they only hurt him....Was he that unloveable?

He refused to make a sound, instead trying to focus on his brother's SOUL. He tried to purr but it sounded harsh and grating, making him stop in alarm. He let out a sob and cried harder.

"I don't like t-this, brother"

"Shh... just rest love, we'll figure something out what we can do," Palette said kissing his forehead, eyes gentle.

"Also.. just tell me and we'll smack down who hurt you. You're our beloved baby brother."

That startled a laugh from Karma, as he struggled to cuddle closer to Traveller. He finally managed to tuck himself under their arm and felt himself start to relax. The thoughts of speaking more made him huff and for now he just wanted to sleep while the pain was low.

"N-Nap, please.."

"That's alright, nap away," Traveller said softly, with Karma quickly falling asleep.

-

Karma woke up and could feel something was different. He pushed himself up and was bewildered that he could see clearly. Touching his face he couldn't feel his glasses, making his confusion rise. Just what had happened?

LOVE/LITTLE BROTHER/LOVE

... did that come from his SOUL? He was pretty sure it was a bit too broken for that but the feeling still persisted. He lightly touched his chest and was in awe when he realised he wasn't in any pain. He tried to test his magic but it felt a tad sluggish, almost as if it was just waking up from a long nap. He whined at all the odd things happening and just wished it made sense. Maybe Traveller would know?

"Brother? Where are you?"

"Kitchen!" came his siblings' reply.

Karma perked up and stood up, quickly pushing all the covers off him. He stretched his wings and was surprised that they looked nicer than before. Bringing his right wing closer he looked it over and was pretty sure it looked shinier than before he went to sleep. He pushed open the door and headed straight for the kitchen, glad he still remembered the way.

He chirped at seeing his brother but paused as he looked at them closer. They looked like his big brother but still something wasn't right about them. Hesitantly he walked to be beside them, before he grabbed their hand. He frowned as his senses tried to tell him something but he was still feeling too tired to focus, even after that nap.

"..are you ok?"

"Just tired," Traveller smiled, "I was... very busy last night."

Karma was feeling confused, slightly wondering just what they had been doing. He felt his senses get louder, making him wince at the feeling. Trying to ignore it he hugged his brother, nuzzling into their chest. 

"Missed you"

He was unsure why he was feeling so calm but he tried to enjoy it while he could. Who knows how long it would last.

"I missed you too nestling," Traveller said, hugging back.

Karma could feel a purr start to build up and was surprised when it came out sounding normal. He cut it off abruptly and looked up at his brother in puzzlement. He hadn't felt this good in a while and he doubted just being in this space was the reason.

"Brother. What did you do?"

A sheepish look crossed Travellers face.

"There are ways to create new SOULS... you just need someone to agree to donate parts of their own."

Karma might have been blank faced but internally he was horrified. That couldn't mean what he thought it did. There was no way they did that. He knew how much it hurt just having parts of your SOUL fall off but to do that voluntarily?!

"Tell me you didn't do it....Please brother"

He did not care he was basically begging at this point, he just wanted his brother to say this was a joke. He whined when he saw the look on their face, feeling his wings twitch in anxiety.

"Unlike others, my SOUL will heal... when I said your my brother I meant it. You're my family, a few weeks of extra sleep and food to heal means nothing to help my adorable beloved baby brother," Traveller told him.

This only made Karma whine louder and hold onto them tighter.

"I would have lived! Didn't that hurt?!"

Karma narrowed his gaze at them, nearly snarling the words out. His finger clenched in their clothes, disbelief flowing through him. He took a shuddering breath and pulled up his scarf to hide his face. This was too much. Who just does that?!

"I don't understand.."

"A little pain means nothing if it means helping those you love, and living... doesn't mean you were living if you were always in pain or unable to feel joy or happiness," Traveller whispered curling their wings around them both "And you don't have to understand, I did it with free will."

Karma sniffled and whined at his brother, feeling way too many things to process. He had almost forgotten how varied his emotions could be and he wasn't sure he liked it. The pulsing of his SOUL, that was proof of how much his brother loved him, just made him want to cry even more.

"L-Love you, big brother" 

"Love you to little Nebula," Traveller said, clutching Karma closer, tears in their eyes.

"Call me, no matter where you are... if you need me I will come. Doesn't matter if I can stay long or not, no one can block me from you," Traveller promised.

Karma chirped in agreement, glad he had someone who went so far for him...even if he still thought his brother was an idiot for doing it. Pulling back he lifted his arms, wanting to be held.

"Cuddle time!"

"Always," Traveller purred.

Karma happily hummed in his brother's arms, resting his skull on their shoulder. He started to feel hungry and remembered all the chocolate and sweets he had in his inventory. Grabbing a bar of chocolate he presented it to his brother.

"You should eat it! The AU I bought it in was weird but It felt very nice to my senses"

It was not a suggestion, no matter how he phrased it. He could see his brother flagging and if they refused he was not above stuffing it in their mouth. He had done it with others, he doubted his brother would be quick enough to stop him. 

"I do like Chocolate," Traveller hummed taking one with a grateful smile"A nice snack while dinner finishes cooking,"

Karma grinned and took another bar out for himself. He nibbled on it and purred at the taste. He was definitely buying more later. Finishing it off he was pleased to see his brother had eaten theirs, making him chitter in pleasure.

"Dinner now?"

"I'll have to put you down to pull it out,"

Traveller grinned, they put Karma down and pulled a wonderfully smelling baked pasta from the oven using magic to cool it down to an edible level as they set up plates for both of them. They set up the table, placing a large hot chocolate by Karma as they did and a tea for themselves.

Karma nearly started drooling at the smell of the food and looked over at the hot chocolate in greed. Dragging his gaze away he decided to eat the pasta first and felt his wings flutter happily at the taste. He easily finished and pounced on his drink, feeling his eyelight change to a star at the first sip. He slowly drank the rest and placed his empty cup down.

"Thanks for the meal! It was really good"

He could feel his sockets wanting to shut but he kept them open, waiting for his brother to finish eating.

"Bed time then," Traveller said finishing, shoving their dishes in the dishwasher. They picked Karma up and walked back to Travellers bedroom and Karma's nest, crawling inside making sure both of them were comfy.

Karma loved his nest, especially now that he would appreciate it more, due to not being in pain. Pulling the covers over them he curled into his brother, feeling himself start to drift off but not before he said a few words.

"Night night..be good"

He had to make sure his brother knew not to try anything else, after all. They had such silly ideas. Nuzzling closer he fell asleep, purring at no longer being alone.

------

Traveller hummed as they readied pancakes for breakfast, listening to Karma groggily walk towards the kitchen a few weeks since they arrived.

"Morn-ing"

Karma slumped onto the kitchen chair, swinging his legs back and forth. He cracked open his sockets wider, watching his brother finishing off breakfast. He bit back a yawn and chirped at the smell of the pancakes. When the plates were put down in front of him he paused before eating.

Looking at his brother he was glad they felt much better than before. He fiddled with his scarf, feeling a tad nervous to tell his brother how his SOUL had gotten so bad. Would they be angry at him for being too trusting? His wings drooped at the thought and he focused back on his pancakes, slowly eating them but glancing over at his brother every so often.  

Traveller gently rubbed Karmas skull "You don't have to tell me," they promised, understanding Karmas thought process.

"Just be aware, if anyone tries to mess with your SOUL they won't like what happens as it's based on my magic which doesn't like people playing with it. It also has the same healing ability as mine," Traveller said, sitting down for their own food.

Karma relaxed at their words and finished his food but still looked over at them. Before he could lose his confidence he spoke up.

"It was by accident!"

Karma snapped his jaw shut, shivering at the phantom sensations of his SOUL cracking. He didn't think any of them meant to hurt him but it was still painful.

"T-They wanted to check my SOUL but it was still so fragile from before. They didn't mean too.."

He was unsure who he was trying to convince here but it felt more like himself. He paled at the thought of ever meeting those monsters again and knew these unpleasant memories would be stuck in his mind for years to come.

"..why? Why did they take it out? Isn't a SOUL personal?"

Or did that fact only count for others? Karma noticed the trend of him being outside normal expectations and it usually didn't end well for him. Touching his chest he shuddered at sensing his healthy SOUL, having to forcibly remind himself that he was ok now.

Ever changing eyes blinked, before Traveller shifted in their seat and pulled Karma into a comforting hug. "SOULS are only supposed to be pulled out for healing and SOUL checks, the magic used for those do no damage. I don't know why it happened accident or not, but remember.. you can always say no." Traveller promised.

They took a deep breath "If anyone ever tries to pull your SOUL out like that again, call me, you may be better now but pulling souls like that is wrong."

Karma still felt like he had so much more to learn about being a monster. It almost felt never ending and he was so glad his brother was here to tell him so much useful information. He hoped this never happened again but doubted his luck was that good.

"...I didn't like it. They were so quick and their magic hurt...what if they come back?"

It was probably an unfounded fear but the thought still lingered in his mind. He liked being small but it meant everyone was so much bigger than him and that could be very dangerous. He had learnt that the hard way after all.

"Hmm... want me to teach you a trick, it reflects the person's magic back at them if they try to summon your SOUL without permission. It's actually linked to judgement magic," Traveller offered, it wasn't a common or well known part of the magic and Traveller had only seen it in a few multiverses actually.

"Yes. I would like that"

It sounded perfect and would hopefully keep him safe. His new SOUL might be stronger but he still didn't want to test its durability anytime soon.

"And if they come back, go to your guardian or call myself. I'd... like some words with them," Traveller told him "Or.. you come here. Or if you have to allow your soul to go directly to me, I might have built an automatic shield into your soul so you have time to jump ship you could say if you end in a multiverse or Omniverse poison to you."

Karmas eyelight grew at all this information. He felt warm inside from all the care he was being shown and felt his wings puff in shock, at all the things his brother had done for him. He felt so much safer now and he allowed his body to melt into the Traveller, chirping happily.

"Thank you for loving me, brother"

"What's not to love nestling," Traveller purred.

Karma loudly purred in response, feeling his SOUL show him the truth of that statement. He shifted to sit more comfortably in Travellers lap, stroking the bead that had his magic on his brother's Gaster Blaster pendant. He was glad they still had it and sighed happily at how well things had gone.

Traveller kissed his skull, then began the process of teaching their sibling the rare bit of judgement magic.

Karma made sure to pay close attention to his brother's words and was surprised how simple it was to do. When they stopped speaking he enjoyed the companionable silence but twitched when he felt his magic try to pull him back to where he had been before. He grimaced at the thought of leaving but knew he still had some things he needed to do.

"I'm being called back again"

"Oh..." Traveller said, sounding a bit sad "You take care, and if you're lucky you'll meet Fable. I saved him and before he left, he mentioned he wanted to meet you."

Karma was curious about this 'Fable' and wanted to ask more but felt his magic get more insistent. He huffed in amusement and stood up. It almost felt like a dog begging to go out for a walk. 

"I look forward to it. I hope he has better luck than me...I'm glad we got to stay together for so long, brother"

Traveller gave another loving hug to Karma, wishing they could stay. "So do I nebula, I just wish it wasn't due to the SOUL issue. You're always welcome here, to call upon me or to come to me."

Karma hugged back tightly, knowing he would see them again but still saddened at having to separate again.

"I will. Take care of yourself, brother. Try and not get into any more trouble!"

He wondered how long it would take his brother to find the multiple piles of chocolate bars he hid in their room. He internally chuckled at the face they would make when they found them all. 

"Love you, big brother"

He gave a cheeky grin and grabbed onto his pin before vanishing from sight.

~~~~~

Traveller: What happened to your eyes?!

Karma: *Trying to play dumb, hoping to distract them* What are 'eyes'?

*Traveller sockets twitching in stress*
-
Traveller: You are in so much pain. How can i help?

*Karma mentally thinking of destroying their SOUL*

Traveller: *Sensing Karma is having a stupid idea and hugs them closer*..just go to sleep
-
*Traveller creating a new SOUL for Karma using parts of his own, making Karma his SOUL child*

Oneiro: *Twitching* Why do i feel like Traveller has just done something i can never hope to compete with?~
-
*Karma almost dying from their SOUL shattering, only saved thanks to Travellers intervention*

Karma: I was fine! There was no need for you to do that

Traveller:..I think our definitions of 'fine' may not be the same
-
*Karma passive aggressively feeding Traveller chocolate, still annoyed about what they did*

Traveller: I-I think i've had enough

Karma:*Smiling sweetly* I'm sorry. Did you say you wanted even more?! I can do that!
-
*Karma explaining how his SOUL got into this state*

Traveller: *Smiling while emitting murderous aura*..what did you say their names were again?