The Project

He saw this coming. The constant fights, whispers, nightmares and attacks that Cross seemed to have being the flaring warnings. He tried to convince Nightmare, hell, everyone tried. But his boss wasn’t in the mood to take care of another broken toy, not anymore. Something had changed about the Lord, he looked more tired and annoyed, like he hated being with them and the thing that they represented. 

Killer was angry. At Cross for leaving. At Dust, Horror and Flare for giving up so easily. At Nightmare for not trying hard enough. At himself for not expressing his feelings better, for insulting Cross when he left, instead of saying how much he wanted him to stay. 

They were some sort of family…right?

And while Killer would admit that thinking that was delusional, he needed to believe that. He needed…

What did he needed?

He threw another knife at the wall, landing in the head of an image of Cross. His thoughts spiral into despair. It also didn’t help that Nightmare’s aura was so suffocating.  Like drowning in a cold, deep ocean.

- You good?

A deep broken voice got him out of his self pity. Horror stood in the entrance of his room, carrying cookies on a plate. They seemed just baked. 

- Flare was hungry, so Horror made cookies - said the skeleton with the cracked skull

- Thanks, I’ll…I’ll eat them later - Killer managed to say without stuttering

With a shrug, Horror left the sweets on the bed, getting out of his room at a slow pace. Before he left, Killer thought he heard him say something. 

- Black goo on Killer’s face again - said in a soft whisper 

Killer just continued to throw knives, letting his black oily tears drench his clothes. 

This couldn’t continue. Cross left because his problem became a nuisance for Nightmare, what will happen to the rest of them? They were all broken in a way or another, if they were pieces that could be easily thrown away, Dust wasn’t gonna let them crash even more.  

Because they all knew that Killer would be next. Nightmare had begun to exclude him from missions and to seclude him to his room, just like he did with Cross. And while Dream had defended the Knight, managing to take him from the heavy hold of the Lord of negativity, the rest of them weren’t so lucky. 

Nightmare would tear their souls apart and Dust wasn’t gonna allow it. 

Their poor sanity depended on them taking care of eachother. Monsters bonded by the shared pain. Cross absence had already shown problems, making Flare more quiet, Horror having more craving attacks and Killer being more aggressive. Dust himself was smoking four times more than normal. They were drowning in anxiety. They had to leave. 

The only problem with that was that Nightmare wouldn’t let them. 

There was some sort of pride in collecting sociopaths and making them do his work. Nightmare didn’t see them as companions or employees, he saw them as things. Dust still asked himself what Dream traded in order to get Cross the hell out of there. That was how the Lord worked, eye for an eye, soul for a soul, AU for an AU. 

The sound of footsteps made him throw away his cigarette. Horror appearing from a corner, trying to avoid the branches of dead trees (a garden according to Flare). 

- Killer is gooing again - said the taller skeleton - Dust…Horror thinks that this is not safe anymore

This had to stop, they couldn’t continue this. Even if Dust needed to sacrifice himself, he was going to get them out. 

- Gather everyone, I’m going to face the bastard - said Dust, swallowing his fear

- Things?

- No, bringing luggage will only make us go slower in case we need to escape. Stay close to the entrance, If you feel his shitty aura get stronger, run away without me

 It was time they had a fucking break. 

Traitors. They were all traitors. They had promised to stay and now they wanted to escape? No one would leave him, they would have to perish first if they wanted peace. They were HIS, he had already lost Cross, he couldn’t let another one go. Not anymore. 

- I will not allow it, Murder. You are tied to me - said the Lord, not even bothering to look at Dust, focusing on the window instead

- We aren’t your fucking pawns, when we accepted to help you it was because you offered peace of mind. You broke the deal first

Deal? As if they were equal to begin with. They were easily bribed with promises of death and despair. The fact that they started to play pretend and be a family wasn’t his fault. 

- You are naive if you think that was a deal instead of an order. You have no freedom, even if you leave, who would want you?

The bicolor eyed stayed quiet. 

- Wherever you go, my presence follows. Everyone will hunt you down for your sins and, even if you manage to hide, you are filled with hatred, you will tear each other apart. 

Dust didn’t want to believe that, there had to be a way. 

- You were made to suffer and to cause suffering, the only place that you will ever be yourselfs is with me. You need me. You belong with me

No, they didn’t deserve this. Even if they weren’t saints, they also needed closure. They had each other, they could work this out, they could be a family. 

- There is no happy ending for the likes of us

Happy ending?…Dust suddenly had an idea. 

- What if we do a deal? Our freedom for something else 

What was he intending?

- Cross left because Dream offered you something, right? Certainly we can do the same - a loud laughter interrupted him

- And what can you possibly offer me?

- Silence 

Like if I needed their silence, even if they divulged his plans, the Star Sans were too weak to even try to stop him. 

- Not about your stupid actions - said smugly Dust - Silence about Ccino

That made Nightmare hold Dust in the air with one of his tentacles, choking him. 

- How do you-

- You think I didn’t notice? Your sudden prolonged disappearances, the lack of your negative aura, the AUs that you avoided. It was all connected to him. A pathetic, useless, traumatized Sans working in a lame cafe. A nobody

- DO NOT REFER TO HIM LIKE THAT

- Who could say that the Lord of negativity can fall in love? I wonder what the rest of the multiverse would think about this. I wonder what Reaper could do…

The God of painful death had been looking for a certain soul who should have been recolected a long time ago. Every time they met, it was getting harder and harder to avoid the subject. Trying to hide Ccino from Dream and Ink was hard enough, he couldn’t imagine what would happen if death arrived to the door, once again, to the one that he loved the most. 

- I could just kill you right now to avoid problems

- Nah, I don’t think that will work, the rest know too and they are ready to leave as soon as you shatter me

Is this the price of feeling? Being threatened by a low being?

- What do you say, Nighty? His safety or our suffering?

This fucking motherfucker son of a-

Nightmare released Dust, making him fall and crushing him to the ground, causing him to break an arm, leg and a few ribs at least. 

- You have one minute to get the hell out of my AU, if you are still here after that, I will make your souls fill with the most horrible pains of all and you will be the last to witness their suffering!

Dust teleported immediately after those words. Feeling a throbbing sharp pain of something in his body bent in an unnatural way. He couldn’t even breathe correctly. The image of the concerned members of his family greeted him after a few attempts of getting his magic to obey him correctly. 

- Dust, you-

- No time to spill bulshit, OPEN A DAMN PORTAL FLARE

The skeleton had smoke coming out of his cracks, visibly shaken, but managed to obey the command. Choosing a location of comfort. 

In less than a minute, Nightmare was left alone.