Misery Loves Company

Released From Service

You’re momentarily surprised to wake up facing a sleeping Cross, until you remember last night that is. When you shuffle out of the bed, Cross doesn’t stir and curls around where you were previously laying, making your soul warm.

You pull the cover, which had fallen down a bit due to your movement, back over him and tuck it under him. The way he nuzzles into your pillow prompts you to press your teeth to his skull with a quiet purr.

The purr continues to rumble in your throat even as you pull away, you let your corruption fall away as you step out of the room. It showed how safe you felt because you were allowing yourself to be vulnerable but, at the moment, you merely wanted to seem nonthreatening.

You teleport to the first floor in the living room in front of a couple of your less trusted people. “have any of you seen geno, sci, and medic?” you inquire, they pause their conversation and sit silent for a moment. “i think sci and geno are in the infirmary, boss” a sans guard speaks up when the others don’t.

You hum and teleport without thanking him, feeling their relief even when you pop up in the medbay. Low and behold, there are Geno and Sci, working on the still unfinished machine. You clear your throat, catching their attention. They look at you after exchanging a look.

“where’s medic?” you ask, and they look at you warily, making you sigh, remembering that none had seen you in this form. “it’s me, nightmare” you say, letting a little corruption form one tendril to show them.

Geno hums as both of them radiate surprise, “library” he says, and you nod. “stay here, i’ll be right back” you say before disappearing once again. You grab Medic with no warning, a bit tired from teleporting so much, making him screech in alarm as you teleport again.

Once he’s back on the ground, he calms down and looks at you. “who-?”, you cut him off, “it’s me, nightmare” you say, raising the tendril you had yet to dissipate. “i am no longer in need of your services” you reveal, making the other two turn away from where they were working on the machine.

“wh-what do you mean?!” Geno inquires, browbones furrowed and his pixel stuttering. “i will , of course, fulfill my end of the deal but i no longer need the machine, please ask your requests one at a time” you answer. It seems to calm Geno a bit, but not fully as you feel his pensive emotions, it makes you wonder.

Science Sans, who is feeling suddenly confident, goes first. “u-um, can-?”, you feel his confidence start to recede and hum as you think about what he was trying to ask for. It hits you suddenly and you nearly laugh, “yeah, you have full access to my upstairs workshop that you’ve been snooping in, i don’t use it often anymore anyway” you permit.

His eyelights spin into stars and you can’t help but look on in interest, you thought only Swap Aus or you and Dream could do that. You don’t get to voice your wonder, since Medic decides to voice his request next, “I would like a couple of books from your library” he says and you chuckle, aware of the rarity of the books in your library.

“go ahead, i have at least one copy of each and have memorized every one” you comply, looking over to Geno who was still deep in thought. “geno?” you interrupt his thoughts, not admitting that you were a little worried. He looks over to you and you feel his apprehensiveness as he parts his teeth, “i want to be able to leave the save screen without dying” he says and you chuckle, summoning a mechanical bracelet you had Dust prepare for this.

“i had a feeling that would be your request, this bracelet will allow you to do as you wish without the magical restraint, as long as you wear this, you’ll be fine” you respond, giving him the bracelet. He quickly clips it on his left wrist before you help him remove the magic cuffs.

You quickly remove the cuffs Killer had placed on them and open them each a portal, except for Geno. “i think reaper is waiting for you, geno” you say slyly as you open a portal for him to Reapertale, you think they’re best friends and it’s so wholesome, Geno and Reaper need more friends, maybe you should throw Dream up there, they’d love him for sure.

You close the portal as soon as Geno is gone and turn around, coming face to face with Dream. “Brother, let’s do something together!!”.