How to Establish Your Gang and Take Care of the Children in It (On Hiatus)

Rule 23: Put a Little Trust in the People Around You

It was amazing, how much difference three weeks could make.

Actually, three weeks of unbroken sleep wasn't Nightmare's record. That award went to the weeks after eating the corrupted golden apple, when he'd gone a month and a half without waking up to recover.

It... probably said a lot about his personality that his only real sleep was done after life-threatening events.

But at least for now he felt good. He actually had usable magic, and wasn't constantly exhausted. He could now function well.

That didn't mean that these conversations weren't difficult, though. Just barely manageable.

Barely, Mare thought, holding back a sigh as the now familiar headache started setting in. This one, however, was his own fault, and had nothing to do with anyone else present in the room.

Except, maybe one of them.

"Will you fucking lay off?!" NIghtmare snapped as Shattered picked up yet another book off the shelf and dropped it on the table with a thud.

"Mmm... Nope!" Shattered said brightly, grinning at his brother with a grin that increased in dickish energy every time he looked over. "I told you, I'm completely remaking this collection whether you like it or not. Call it an early Christmas present."

"It's fucking September, and you don't celebrate any religious holidays," Mare snapped.

Shattered shrugged, still grinning. "So I just want to piss you off. What are you going to do about it?"

Absolutely nothing, Nightmare thought, holding back another sigh as he rubbed his temples. He couldn't do anything to his brother, or at least he didn't want to. Not only was it the fact that Shattered could win a fight between them most of the time, but also because he owed the golden skeleton. He'd unintentionally hurt Shattered, and that hurt was still there, that anxiety that Nightmare would disappear again and he'd once again be left alone in a multiverse where only a handful of people knew his name, let alone cared. For an eternity of nothing but aching loneliness.

Mare blinked, shaking his head. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that the emotions of the people around him weren't actually his, but it was often especially difficult to untangle himself from his brother's emotions. Shattered felt things at one hundred percent or zero, with no in between, and usually it was simply easier for Mare to let himself drift along without talking, sitting in the background and observing the emotions around him rather than jump in and make a mess of them.

Shattered gave a small snort, standing up. "Alright, tough crowd. I can see where I'm not wanted. Guess I'll leave you sentimental idiots to have your conversation in peace." He gave Mare a smile with somewhat less of a bastardous energy, then disappeared.

Nightmare nodded, glancing at the other four- who all looked some level of awkward, except Dust, who just stared blankly. "Now that he's gone, I... I think I owe you all an apology. I shouldn't have- ow! What was that for?" He yelped, glaring at Killer, who he was ninety percent sure had just kicked him in the shin.

Killer wasn't cowed in the least, instead giving Mare a glare that matched his own. "You! You stupid, idiotic- augh!" He threw his hands up in the air with frustration.

"I don't see what's stupid about it," Nightmare said, frowning.

"What's stupid is you trying to apologize to us for this," Horror agreed, tipping his head toward Killer. "Even if his way of saying so is a bit more aggressive than necessary."

"I don't..." Mare trailed off. That- that didn't make sense. Why wouldn't he apologize? "I kept secrets from you guys, and..."

"That's not what we're mad about!" Killer snapped. "Everyone has some secrets, and it's not like you're required to tell us yours. It's just- you're sick and you didn't tell us?!"