These Lonely Depths

Part One

The bitter wind is biting into his exposed bone, numbing him to the cold. The piles of snow he plods through are only disturbed by one other trail. These prints are accompanied by a slow trail of leaking blood.

Horror wished it were his. All he can do is follow along and watch. Horror is a big monster, with a frightening appearance and hunched shoulders. His one working eye light is a bright red. The gaping hole on one side of his head says enough about what happened to his other eye. The edge of the axe on his back is coated in a rusty red color. These features usually keep others from approaching him. It's suiting him well enough now. Most other monsters are taking one look at him, a glance at who he's following, and run.

The smaller monster in front of him stumbles, and Horror almost reaches out to steady them before pulling back. They won't let anyone touch them. Horror cringes at how ill-equipped they are for this weather. They both have a certain tolerance to the cold, but they must feel it if Horror can. The other wears a purple-pink vest with only a thin tank top underneath. The fluff around the edges of the vest's collar are becoming stained in blood. Horror has been following Hearts from AU to AU for days now. Hearts isn't actually strong enough to open portals in his condition, but Horror is afraid that a True Reset might harm him. Whenever he feels one coming, Horror opens a portal right in Heart's path.

Horror doesn't eat or sleep. He only sits down when Hearts succumbs to exhaustion for a few hours. Horror has stopped trying to talk to him. Hearts never responds. He only continues this meandering death march. Horror has tried everything he could think of to get Hearts help. He's probably opened portals to more than twenty versions of the Ruins, seeking a Toriel's healing magic. Horror has even walked Hearts through Medictale a few times. That AU is generally hostile to him. Anyone who tried to help Hearts ran into the same problem: he won't let anyone get close to him.

The first Toriel that approached caused Hearts to absolutely loose it. Horror even tried to hold him down that time. Hearts screeched and wailed and flailed so violently that Toriel could never touch him. When Hearts purposefully bashed his skull against the stone floor, Horror let go. He thought Hearts had killed himself right there. It might have been better if he had. It might have been better if he died immediately to his injuries. It would be better if Horror had taken the blow that was meant for himself.

Hearts, still referred to as Lust back then, ran the first time he saw Horror in his AU. That was the normal reaction. Horror had the odd tendency to wind up in Lusttale after escaping from a battle with the Star Sanses. Horror and the group that took him in are hated by most of the Multiverse. Horror is no god or even close to it like Nightmare. He'd often get injured since he has the least combat experience of the group. After a particularly nasty spat, part of his upper arm was nearly crushed. The mess of fractures bled and stained his whole coat sleeve. Horror only planned to rest in Lusttale just for a little while before heading home.

He was half asleep when Lust stumbled upon him. Lust didn't run that time. When Horror later asked why, Lust just replied with "You were hurt". Lust patched him up in silence, and Horror left soon after. They were just friends at first. More and more, Horror found himself in Lusttale whenever he could give Nightmare the slip. Horror wouldn't go into town. He would stay out in the forest, hoping that Lust was around that day. Horror didn't want any other residents of the AU to know that he was hanging around. It was during one of these little meet ups that Lust confessed to hating his name.

Hearts is a very gentle monster. Horror had a hard time understanding him at first. Everyone in the gang is all hard edges and wicked smiles. Hearts is very different from anyone he had ever met before. Hearts enjoys the small moments of joy that life brings. Horror had simply never seen those moments for what they are. How can anything be joyous after his bother was killed? Hearts thought to point out these instances to him: the way a pond shimmers in the sunlight, the chirping of nighttime insects, or even the bright smile of a friend. That last one became easy for Horror to understand. He likes it when Hearts smiles at him.