Aconitum

He Deserves Kinder Than That

Ink showed up very suddenly. It was completely in character for him, but it seemed different than usual. To start he was antsy as all hell, and on top of that he made an offer that Nightmare never expected.

"Would you like to see the Doodle Sphere?"

And while Nightmare was in no mood nor condition to be going out, he accepted. He understood this was a once in a millennia offer and he would be a fool to refuse. Even if he hadn't gone out in a few days.

It was worth it. The Doodle Sphere is beautiful. The colors seemed more vibrant than in any au Nightmare had been in before. It seemed like it was in a constant state of sunrise despite there being no sun, nor sky. There were these floating portals on floating islands. Each island representing a different au where the portal leads. It was the type of place you'd write poetry about.

Honestly everything surrounding Ink seems like it would be worth writing poetry about.

"What do you think?"

"Huh?" Nightmare was so in his head he didn't even notice Ink get uncomfortably close to him.

"I asked what you thought about," Ink put his arms out empathizing their surroundings, "about all of this."

"It's really lovely." His reply was soft, so soft Ink hardly heard him.

"Good! I was worried you wouldn't like it." Ink walked over to a hammock hanging between two trees and sat down.

Nightmare wasn't going to join Ink until he gestured for Nightmare to sit down. So there they were, calming sitting in a hammock that, swinging lightly back and forth.

"Told ya I didn't have a house."

"How would I have guessed that?"

"I dunno, magic?"

"Uh huh. That would have worked so well."

There was a pause before Ink looked at Nightmare with, well they weren't puppy dog eyes, but they were as close as Ink would ever get. It was more like how you look at your friend when you want them to offer you something so you don't have to ask in the end.

"What do you look like without magic?" Nightmare pulled away so fast that the hammock flipped, leaving them dumped on the ground near each other, "you don't have to show me if it's gonna affect you that much."

'what a horrifying prospect. I simply will say no.'

But Ink deserved better than that. He deserved kinder than that.

"How do you exist knowing people are suffering and you can't interfere?" Ink tilted his head in a silent question he never asks.

"I suppose I just exist for myself and the creators. I let myself love despite the fact I can't interact with what I care about. It's kinda like how I love the stars I guess. I can't touch them but I don't beat myself up about it. I just draw and write in my little corner and take what I can get. I also remind myself that there's good, and there's so much of it.... I live my little life for those who can't. "

Another pause.

"You didn't have to change the subject, I would have taken no for a answer. I honestly expected you to say no Night."

"I didn't say no because no wasn't my answer." And he shifted, back into his old self. The old self who's only there when there are pains of his past haunting him in the night. The old self who got hurt and could never recover. The self he didn't want to call the real self.

But it was his real self wasn't it? He was just a broken little thing.

"... how old are you?" Ink asked softly, clearly concerned.

"Multiple decades. I'm not aware of the exact years."

"You look nineteen at the oldest."

'I didn't know that.'

He didn't say that though. He had already essentially showed Ink his soul, he didn't need to give his thoughts on top of that.

'I never noticed. I only ever looked in the mirror and saw a victim.'

Ink pulled Night into a hug. He did struggle a bit at first, confused about what Ink was doing. Turns out that he was just a very awkward slow hugger. Though Night appreciated it anyway, he knew part of it was Ink giving him a chance to pull away and the other part of it was Inks past leading to his misunderstanding of what most people considered normal. Night couldn't bare to hate either part.

"You let me call you Night earlier, you know that right?"

"Of course I noticed."

"Feels like your lying but I will believe you this time."

"Mhm."

"Can I keep calling you Night?"

"Why not," Ink pulled away and smiled, "was there a reason you brought me here?"

"Ah, that. I've just been... Really spacey and forgetful lately. So if something goes wrong I just wanted you to know where my home was."

"Thank you Ink."

"No problem dude,"

Nightmare remained within Ink's home for another few hours. Just enjoying his time with his friend. At least until some au started to get destroyed and Ink had to go save it.

Nightmare should have gone to his home. He had one. He was happy there. There was this little tug though. Like a string tied around your waist, genuinely being manipulated by invisible hands with invisible intentions.

He could've gone home, he hoped. He had control over his own actions. But he didn't go home. He followed that little string. Back to that place. The story that couldn't put his name in the title. The story where he'd be the villain. Dreamtale.

What surprised him most was to not be greeted by a statue. That would have left him the same as before. No, the universe just had to throw him a curve all the second he found joy.

"Night?" His brother had woken up.

~~~

Cliffhanger real???

Also I hope y'all liked this one.