Nightmare's POV a few weeks later

Nobody has figured out how to unlock the crate with all the required codes and stuff. Killer has been sticking around, staying near me. Even when I was asleep, I'd wake up to him protectively watching over me. I found it sweet. Apparently Outer has been too busy for them to meet up. But I know the truth behind that. Outer called me one day and said that yes, he was a bit busy but he also wants Killer and I to spend more time together.

That grew harder after a while. Nothing was wrong with him but the more I was around him the more my feelings grew. I've gotten over Cross by now but after he mislead me to think he cared for me, part of me doesn't want to take that risk with anyone again. Especially not Killer. I don't want to ruin our friendship. But boy does it get harder to hide that as time goes on.

One day, Killer was hanging out with me in my room. We were just talking and relaxing together.

"So? What do you feel like doing today?"He asks

"Just relaxing. I want no troubles. No drama. No fights. Just want to relax."I say

"How about a movie or something? Or see a comedy show?"He suggests

"Comedy sounds nice."I say

"I'll be right back."He says

As soon as he left, a portal opened in my room and a stranger on a phone walked through, carrying tools and papers.

"Listen, dude. I can't do that AU yet. I have a dozen other AUs north of that to do by the end of the month! I know you didn't do it, you've said it 50 times! But someone has to fix it and I'm too busy to! Where am I? I'm working on fixing one for Client #5498! When is it getting done? When JERRY decides to show up and do his part! And you can't cut the line with the other projects, Chad. You are client #6001."He says, going through his papers

"Umm, excuse me?"I say

"Hello, Nightmare 462. You're coming with me. NO, Chad I am not talking to you! Is your name Nightmare 462? No! So be quiet and let me do my job!"He says, grabbing me by the wrist

I tear away from him.

"Ugh, don't make this harder than it has to be."He tells me, ignoring the caller

"Identify yourself or get the hell out of my room!"I snap

"Oh right, you don't have a clue about the situation, do you? Well, my name is Reconstrui. My job is rebuild or fix AU's that are not completely destroyed. Usually ones with only a few characters missing, a glitch or location messed up, whatever it is. Someone has to clean up after your brother after all. Now come on, you are coming with me."He says

"NO I am NOT!"I say

I try to leave but a giant shovel or two plunged into the ground like bone attacks, blocking me from the door. He snaps his fingers and my feet got trapped in cement blocks, unable to move. He ties a rope around my waist.

"Yes you are. It won't even be that long. I just need you to take the place of Nightmare 578 until I can get my coworker Phil to make a proper replacement copy. Besides, in that form, you don't have much of a choice. Though I will have to edit it a bit for you to fit the role."He says, dragging me toward the portal

I hear knocks at my door.

"Hey, Nightmare? You in there? I just got us set for the comedy show."Killer says from the other side

"Killer!"I yell

The door bursts open, getting broken by the two shovels blocking it. Recontrui looks over.

"It is nothing personal. You will get him back in at least a week."He says casually, trapping my hands as well in cement.

Killer leaps forward, shoving him away but knocking me down as my body was basically frozen in place. I couldn't really move that much. Our heads went through the portal and I feel his arms wrap around me. I look at him to see that our faces were inches apart. My face burns up.

"You're not going anywhere Nightmare."He tells me

I look at him with a grin.

"I sure hope not."I say

I smile at him happily.

He leans in closer. And closer. And closer. My hands were weighted by cement into the ground.

"Killer?"I say, realizing what he is trying to do

Then I see him leave my sight, getting pulled off of me back through the portal. I get shoved through it and the portal shuts. I see someone bending over me.

"You're subbing in as well?"They say, their face darkened by the sunlight behind them

"Huh?"I say, then feel something start getting poured onto me

I see Reconstui pouring more cement on me.

"Stop! Let me go! I didn't agree to mmh!"I snap, but they cover my mouth

"Ssssh, he promised that this well end soon. All will be explained soon. I hope. He has to explain to me still as well."The stranger says

The cement is poured over my head and seals me inside. I couldn't move. It took so long for it to dry. Then I could could feel that it got shifted. I hear a chipping noise and could soon see out again. Reconstrui was sculpting r chipping me out of the cement he made, but leaving some layers of cement on me. The stranger, who I now see is another Killer covered in cement, held my hands to keep me steady. Except they wore an outfit similar to a hero with a cape. I felt a weight on my chest. I look down to see that he had sculpted a female chest over mine and then sculpted it to look like I was in a dress with it opened at the legs.I felt really unsettled so when he finished, I hid my legs the best I could and put my hands over my chest to hide my obvious genderbent

"What's going on? What was even the point of this?"I ask

"This world is broken and you both are going to take the place of a lil boy's treasured statue until I can get my bud to sculpt new ones. I mean, they are technically your son so I thought you'd be ok doing it."Reconstrui says

Without another word the other Killer picks me up onto the pedestal and gets us positioned according to Reconstrui's orders. This was the result:

Thanks to the cement, it was easy to stay in this position. I was curious though so I glanced over to Reconstui.

"Is this a genderbent AU?"I ask

"No, but the little boy hardly remembers his parents and read about mothers giving birth to kids, like mother ducks hatching eggs, so he assumed that at least one of you were female and followed that example."He says

"What happened to them?"I ask

"Well, his parents got killed by AU and the culprit never found him. So he was left here in a basically empty AU with only his memories and what he builds to remind him of his family. Then some jerk cut the statue in half with a huge knife, not liking the sight of another Nightmare with a Killer Sans instead of him or something and left."He explains

I nod, feeling bad for the little boy. I can do this....It's not like it could get worse....I look back at this Killer. I hear footsteps.

"Mr. R! You did it! Thank you!"I hear a boy's voice say

"Nah, this is only temporary. I wanted to know what pose you'd like them in."He says

"Can you make them kiss? I want to see the love they had."The boy says

Wait what?!

"Sure thing."He says, snapping

Then the other Killer pulls me in, kissing me. I felt my face burn and had to restrain the urge tp react with movement or it will be clear that I am not a statue. Hopefully this is only temporary.

"That's perfect! Keep it just like that!"The boy says

You're kidding me!

He takes the boy away, continuing to talk, our orders being clear to do as he wished. But once they were gone, they did not return. This Killer seemed to get more passionate in the kiss, looking for more and feeling me up and down. I shove him away but couldn't leave the pedestal.

"What the hell? They're gone, you can sto-Mmh!"I begin but he goes in for another kiss

I hear a portal open and hear footsteps come close. I was trapped in the kiss but look to see who it may be. I see Killer there, wearing the same red shirt from earlier. He looks up at the pedestal and sees the "statues" that are the other Killer and I. The cement suddenly felt heavier.

"Lucky...."I hear him mutter

The one kissing me noticed that I was not focused on them and the cement was holding me in place. They notice Killer and what do they do? Expose the fact that we're alive by breaking the kiss.

"Tch, good luck with that heartbreak. Not a single Killer that I know likes their Nightmare, so I doubt he does either. Well, besides me. You're setting yourself up for heartbreak. Just be careful."He whispers

Then he shoves me off of the tall pedestal. I feel two arms grab me. I see Killer holding me in his arms with a grin. His eyes seem to glow, then the lights take form as red and light circles looking right at me while his cheeks glow a bright red. I felt my face burn. He looks up at the remaining "statue". He shakes his head, carrying me away. I don't take my eyes off of him. He sets me down for a moment, setting his jacket on me before chipping at the cement on my face.

"There you are."He says

"K-killer?"I say

"What happened to you, Beautiful?"He asks with a wink

"B-Beautiful? Killer! What has gotten into you?"I snap

"You feel so stiff."He says

"I am covered head to toe in cement, Killer. It isn't exactly going to be anything other than stiff."I say, chipping the paint off of my so-called clothes to reveal the dull-colored cement underneath

"And this is?"He says, feeling my chest

"Cement he sculpted to genderbend me in some form...."I say

He keeps chipping away at me, trying to reveal my real self underneath. I look at him as he sets me down, his gaze locked onto me.

"Why'd he make you a statue?"He asks

"To replace one that was broken."I say

"Were you really kissing someone then?"He asks

"U-Um, y-y-yeah....Didn't have much of a choice."I say

"Did you like it?"He asks

My face burns brighter. I did like the idea of who I was kissing, it just wasn't my version of Killer.

"Well it was forced so not exactly enjoyable."I say, glancing away

"Shall we go then?"He asks

"Ummm, I just gotta ask. Since when did you get eye lights or start calling me those things?"I ask

"Hm?"He says

"You keep looking at me with shiny red eyes and you called me beautiful. What's up with you?"I ask

"Interesting, I didn't realize they were back. I simply called you what you were. Can't you handle the truth?"He asks

My face has to be boiling now. Then I recall the little boy. The poor little boy left here all alone.

"I uh, gotta go do something real quick! Be right back!"I say, running off

"NIGHTMARE!"He shouts

I find a small house with only one candle lit in the window.

"HEY KID! YOU IN THERE?"I call out

I see the boy peek out the window.

"Mom?"He says

"Umm, no. I'm not your mom but I am another version of her. Can I come in to explain?"I ask

He nods. I climb through the window and lean against the wall.

"My name is Triton. My parents named me after one of Jupiter's moons since I'm a Pisces. I know about other timelines and some multiverse stuff. Now, what do you have to explain?"He asks

Quick, think of a story. I am not leaving him here by himself.

"Well then you know about the dangers, don't you?"I ask

"Yes, they warned me about bad people to watch out for like my uncle. Especially the black and goopy one who came to visit them the last day that I can remember my parents being here."He tells me

Shattered.....He must have killed them.

"Well, let's just say that they had a plan in case something bad happened to them. You would eventually get taken under someone else's care. And, stuff happened to them and now I am here to do that."I say, twisting the truth

His eyes lit up with joy, shining brightly.

"I get new parents? New family?"He asks

"Well I am not with anyone yet but you'll have me. And there is a version of your dad here with me. You'll be with all of your parents' friends, just my versions of them. I promise that I won't let anyone hurt you."I tell him

He grabs my hand, in tears and smiling up at me.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"He says

"No problem. On a different note, are there any tools here to remove this cement on me?"I ask

"Oh, let me help you!"He says, leading me down a hallway to a bathroom

I was a bit confused on why to go here.

"My parents kept doing projects to fix the place up."He says, having me sit on the toilet lid

He and I talked while we worked to get the cement off of me.

"What can I call you exactly?"He asks once we got all of it off of me

"Whatever you're comfortable with."I say

"So can I call you Mom?"He asks

"Sure."I say with no shame

If anyone gives problems about it, I will handle them.

"NIGHTMARE WHERE DID YOU GO?!"I hear Killer yell

"Go gather your things, Triton."I say

He nods, running off. I get up and step into the hallway. I felt a tile lower under me. Then something spilled on me.

"Triton did you leave pranks for your parents?"I ask

"No, but my parents set up traps in case of intruders when the goopy yellow man came! Why?"He replies

"Something just spilled on me."I say, checking myself

I see fur growing on my arms and already had a tail. What the?

He comes over.

"Oh yeah! That was the animal chemical trap! I thought it was broken since when I stepped on it, nothing happened!"He says

Then a ceiling tile fell on him, I shove it off of him only to see his soul remaining. I shrank smaller and smaller as the chemicals morphed me. Once it was complete, I was covered by Killer's jacket that was now bigger than me. I look at Triton's soul and hug it close, hiding it in my new fur that hid it like throwing a ball into thick bushes to the point that you can't even tell it's there. Then I went down the steps outside blindly with the jacket stuck on me and blocking my view.

"Nightmare?"I hear Killer say

The jacket is lifted off of me and I could see Killer putting it back on him.

"Is this why you ran off? Cause you were changing? You don't have to hide that from me. I don't care what's done to you. I'll stand by your side."He says, crouching down

I felt something moving and glance to see my tail was wagging when he said that. I sit on it but it just kept going. This tail is going to expose me, I just know it.

He picks me up with a smile.

"You're adorable, Nightmare. Outer called me to hang out, so you're sticking with me for the time being."He says

He puts me in his jacket and walks through a portal. I shift a bit in this new position. I find myself right up against his chest, held in place by the zippered jacket. It did feel cozy and it was a bit relaxing to feel his soul peacefully beating in a tune with Triton's. Killer pets me on the head.

"Relax, we're not going to OuterTale. Everything is going to be ok."He tells me

I honestly liked the sound of that. His reassurance that everything is going to be okay.

"Hey Outer! What did you want to talk about so badly?"Killer says

"I was looking through notes I took on a conversation with Nightmare and thought you should hear them. But first, I gotta ask what has been going through your head."He says

I see Outer standing there with a notepad and crossing his arms. Oh great...They're having THAT conversation.

"What do you mean?"He asks

"Have you even thought before you acted around Nightmare? Cause I have some evidence of some really stupid actions that gave Nightmare mixed signals about you."Outer says

"Like what?"He asks

"Ranting about me to him all the time! There are other topics you can talk about can't you? He told me how much you do it and how you acted! You're screwing yourself up because when you rant about someone as much as you did, it usually gives off the sign that you like them! He thought you were into me because of that! It never crossed his mind that you could be into him! Have you even dropped any hints to him? Or were you too busy talking about what my favorite color was to do that?"Outer explains

Killer is silent. I look up at him to see that he is shocked, his eye-lights gone. I lower my head and shut my eyes to pretend that I'm asleep. Killer would probably hate it if he knew that I heard this conversation.

"Anyways, let me read you my notes and findings. I'll speak more on that later. I started the topic off by commenting about how he isn't dating you and he looked at me in shock. This was around the time that he was dating Cross. He replied that he was surprised that I wasn't. He told me what you do, how much you rant. I muttered that you were screwing yourself up and he heard. He got defensive and snapped at me about the comment. He honestly thought you were into me and told me how great he sees you or how lucky I'd be to have you. He even threatened to kill me if I break your soul by rejecting you. I found it adorable since you'd react the same way whenever someone spoke ill of him behind his back. Let's see if I wrote the quote down from him. Ah yes, he said He is the best fucking guy ever and you'd be lucky to have him! So if you dare break his soul, I'll literally break yours! I commented on how protective he just got and he basically pouted and told me he has no regrets, repeating the fact that you're great. Any comments yet?"He says

Killer is very quiet but his soul starts pounding.

"I ask him why he isn't dating you if you were so great and here's where it was made obvious that you confused him with mixed signals into thinking that you were into me. He said How much of a turd would I have to be to actually do that when he is into you? Why do you even think that he'd be into me? He didn't even have the slightest idea that you were into him, Killer. What have you been doing since then? Because back then you screwed yourself up! You were ruining your chances! Why do you think I was always so busy? I was trying to get you to spend more time with him so that you could fix that and maybe make it a bit clearer to him how you feel! Especially after his break-up with that lying cheater Cross!"Outer says

"WHAT?!"Killer exclaims

I could feel his soul racing, skipping beats.

"Someone had to help you. You weren't helping yourself. I basically summarized the fact that you rant to me about him, how you act defensively with him, and even tell me your dreams about him. We talked a bit about Cross that day too and I exposed some truths about Cross like how I'd catch Cross cheating on him with Dream and stuff. But I also got answers to your questions. I'm sure you'll want to hear these. Shall I?"He says

Killer is silent but I'm guessing he nodded because Outer continued talking.

"1.Were you into anyone at the place Killer found you at? A: NO, those are just a bunch of alternate versions of us. They were just friends. He noticed that I was taking notes and asked about it. I told him that I will show these to you at some point and that seemed to make him word his answers more carefully. Anyways, 2. Reasons behind dance lessons? A:While there the others gave me love advice you can say. They told me about things people may do on dates since I didn't know anything about that, which included dances. I learned from them in hopes that I could do it with....He clearly hesitated, looking like he was thinking deeply on this question. I pushed for more and he finished with quote WITH SOMEONE LIKE KILLER. Dude, you were this close and missed the shot. 3.Why did he look disappointed or upset when Cross manipulate your words to make him think that you were going to date me instead? Let me find the page."Outer says

Wait, he's going to tell Killer that answer! I could feel my soul starting to pound as well. I shifted, zippering up the jacket more and hiding from his sight.

"Here it is! A:I....Had feelings for Killer and thought I lost my chance. That was pretty much the thing that convinced me to say yes to Cross, as wrong as that may sound. I thought that if Killer had you, it would only hurt me to keep feelings for him and that it was best to give chances to people who supposedly had feelings for me.... Killer, you see what I mean now? He had mutual feelings for you! I don't know about now but he did then! You could've asked him out like you planned and he would've said yes! What were you thinking? You were right at the finish line but made a big U-Turn and tripped at the end! That's how bad things went!"Outer says

Killer is silent. He unzips his jacket to check on me and I pretend to be asleep, not hearing any of it. He pets my head again and my tail wags.

"4.What did Cross have that Killer did not for you to say yes? A:I think I answered it. Nothing. I probably would've said no since I was unsure about having a relationship, with anyone, not just Cross, and was uncertain about my feelings. But since he convinced me that the person I had the strongest feelings for was not into me or available, I said yes to him. Then we went to a fortune teller that he saw and his fortune was to be with a crying man instead. So I gotta ask, how do you feel towards Nightmare?"Outer asks

"I think it's obvious Outer. I love him from the very bottom of my soul. I told you before and nothing has changed. But that crying man is lucky, whoever they are."Killer says, affectionate honesty dripping from his voice

My head pops up, shocked. It took every bit of me not to wag my tail.

"It seemed like your little pooch liked hearing that. Or they had a nice dream. Where'd you get it anyways?"Outer asks

"I hope it's the latter.....This would be an awkward way to find that info out...."I hear Killer mumble

"Hm?"He says

"Uh, I got him from an empty house...."Killer says

"Have you dropped any hints to Nightmare?"Outer asks

"Hints? How?"Killer asks confusedly

Outer takes me out of Killer's hold and sets me down.

"Let's go talk elsewhere. I will show you. You can leave your pup here."He tells Killer

"B-But-"Killer begins

"Relax, this is a dog park."Outer says, leading Killer away

I glance around and once I was sure they were gone, I took Triton's soul out just in time for him to take form again.

"Hewwo, Mom."He says

I smile. We play in this park and if anyone asked, he'd pretend that he was the owner of the puppy that I appear to be. But after a few minutes he seemed alarm and took me to one of the dog houses. He crawls inside and I follow him.

"I saw the scary man."He whispers

He cuddles up against me, having nothing to do but wait for Killer to return. He changed his code or something, going back to a soul form out of fear. It hides in my fur and then I hear a voice calling for me. I walk out, looking around to see that Killer had returned and was searching for me. I notice a stranger in the distance, seeming to watch to see if anyone comes to Killer. That's Shattered. He matches the description that the other versions of me gave weeks ago, plus the description that Triton says of the dangerous person that took his parents away. I just promised him that I'll protect him and be the family he lost, I'm not breaking my word to this scale this soon. I am not putting him in danger with Shattered either. I go back in the doghouse and shut the tiny door as well. A few minutes later there was a knock at it.

"Is there an adorable puppy in here?"I hear a voice ask

I don't answer.

The door opens and Killer peeks in.

"You can come on out. We have to head out."He says

I whimper, not wanting to go. Shattered may target us. Killer didn't know this though, so he picks me up with a grin. I look over to see Shattered watching. My ears lower.

"What's wrong? What are you looking at-Oh. Oooh."He says

I look at him.

"Don't worry, you're going to be okay, Nighty."He tells me

I look at him, catching on to the nickname. One nobody called me before.

"It does catch attention...."I hear him mumble in amazement

I nuzzle my head under his chin, liking the nickname. Part of me wished to hear it again.

"I'm taking you home."He says

He carries me through the portal and the moment he did he shut the portal and the chemicals wore off, making me turn back to normal.

"Ummm...Soo, did you happen to hear anything Outer and I talked about earlier?"He asks

"I dozed off after you greeted him. Then I woke up and you went elsewhere with him, leaving me in the dog park. Was I supposed to hear anything?"I tell him

He looks relieved.

"No."He simply says

"Okay...."I say as he sets me down

"I'm going to go alert the others that you're back, that Shattered was spotted, and go train probably. Bye!"He says, even kissing me on the cheek before running off

I see something fall out of his pocket. I pick it up to see that it was a list.

hints to drop list

-Kiss him on the cheek and hug them goodbye, instead of just saying it.

-Touch him, casually, on the arm or knee when you're talking to them.

-Make up a nickname for him. Be the only one who calls him that.

-Be genuinely delighted every time you see him - make no effort to hide it.

-Offer to hold his things or give your coat when cold.

-Make sure to get pictures of the two of you when you're out together.

-Don't leave without saying goodbye.

-If he takes your hand, squeeze it or run your thumb over his knuckles.

-Just talk to him. About anything. Whenever you get the chance.

-Compliment him on something you think other people might notice about him.

-Pass him a note during class/a meeting/at a crowded bar.

-Flirt!

-Open up more so he sees who you are!

"Killer! You dropped this!"I call after him

He froze in his tracks. I run up to him and hand him it. He tries to hold my hand once tucking it away properly. I hold his hand with a grin.

"Be more careful, Kills. You don't want to leave the wrong info around for just anyone to take.~"I say, squeezing it gently

"K-Kills?"He stutters, his face turning a bright red

"Mhm.~ You like it?"I say with a wink

"Y-Yeah..."He says, his face burning a bright red

I give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Good, cause it's yours."I say, then head inside

I go to grab a snack, greeting my friends. Then I head into my room to find a boquet of violets on my bed. I sniff them and smile. I take out the soul that had slipped into my pocket when I transformed. It turns into Triton again and I smile. We sit and chat as we wait for everyone to go to sleep. And planning ow he will live here.

"Are you hungry?"I ask

He nods.

"Let's get you some food."I say, picking him up and putting him on my shoulders

I carry him through the dark halls with a candle to light the way. I see a light up ahead in the kitchen. I sneak down to investigate only to find a child sitting on the counter while Error is searching through the fridge, asking the kid what he likes to eat. I chuckle at the irony of the situation.

"Seems like we both got kids that want a midnight snack, huh?"I chuckle

Error jumps, turning around quickly.

"I swEaR ThErE iS aN eXpLaNaTiOn! I tOoK hIm fRoM aN aBuSiVe vErSiOn oF mE!"He says, grabbing the child as if I'd do something to hurt it

"Relax, I got a similar situation. Besides, I wouldn't hurt a child anyways. What's his name?"I say

"GrAdiENt. WhaT's thAt litTLe b0y's naME?"He says

"Triton."I say, setting him down

"How oLd?"He asks

"Five."I say

"He Is SeVeN."He says

"Who were the parents?"I ask

"AnotHeR I-InK aNd I."He says, his face glowing yellow

"I can see that."I say

"WhAt AbOuT TrItOn?"He asks

"He was the son of another version of Killer and I. But someone bad hurt them and his sis is who knows where in the multiverse. So I'll take care of him."I say

We both grab a snack for the kids and return to our rooms.

I smile, dozing off with Triton in my arms, ideas brewing in my head. But I had no clue what was coming.

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"What's wrong, Nightmare? Are you scared? I'm just going to have some fun.~"
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TBC