Dream's POV the next day
I hear a knock at my front door and that sets off a dinging from the alarms. I turned them off once checking to make sure it wasn't an intruder. Then check the door to find Nightmare on the other side. I smile, this being the first time in a while he has visited me. I open the door, then notice how worried he is.
"Hello, Brother! Is everything okay?"I ask, letting him inside.
"Ummm...Sort of?"He says, fiddling nervously with his hands.
"What's wrong?"I ask as he takes a seat on the couch.
"Umm, you're going to be an uncle. Error told me yesterday..."He says, suddenly unable to look at me.
I quickly connect the dots.
"Awww! Congratulations, Brother! That's wonderful news!"I say, smiling at him
I notice that he doesn't share my excitement. How odd...I know this was something he desired...
"Brother? It is wonderful news right?"I ask, sitting beside him.
He hesitantly nods.
I catch onto this and he refuses to look at me still, finding the floor more interesting. My smile fades.
"Brother, was this planned? Or is this a Reaper situation?"I ask
"Why do people keep saying that?"He asks
"He does have a reputation."I say
"Of course it was planned, Dream. You know Error and I better than to think it wasn't. It's just....I'm not sure I can be a parent."He tells me
"And you are just considering this now?"I ask, crossing my arms.
His tentacles hang low, giving me my answer.
"Don't you have three kids already? And aren't you a family role model to Fell?"I ask
"That's different! They were already screwed up by being raised wrong and I just remedied it by giving them something better! Here I'll have to do the actual raising from square one! I don't want to screw up and screw a child up! I mean, what example of parenting do I have to look to? Nim? A distant to a non-existent parent that only had unreasonable expectations for either of us and entitlement? That only came around to be a pain in the ass? I don't want this to be a case where the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And I don't want to repeat the cycle of Nim's behavior..."He tells me
I pause to think about it, then sigh. I understand his concerns and they are quite reasonable.
"Brother, you won't be like Nim. I can promise you that you won't screw up."I say
"How are you so certain?"He asks
"Because you're not Nim. And you certainly don't think like Nim. This is going to be your child, Nightmare. Your child with Error that I know you love and have wished to have. Just the fact that you're thinking of this and not dismissing your concerns tells a lot about you. Do you think Nim was ever concerned about how her actions harmed us? No! Besides, you're very good at raising those boys you call your gang and sons no matter what timing it has. If you can handle someone as chaotic as Killer, I think you'll do just fine."I explain to him
He sits there quietly as these words sink in. Then his body relaxes and his tentacles raise up. I even see a smile on his face for a moment. I chuckle.
"I'm sure that Error told you the same thing already. It's shocking that it took me to tell you that with how quickly you'll agree or take his advice to soul as the truth."I say
His tentacles drop down and his body tenses up again.
"You did discuss your concerns with Error, riiiight?"I ask
He glances away from me.
"Well...."He says, fiddling with his hands
"OH MY STARS NIGHTMARE!"I snap, facepalming at him
He is silent and I shake my head.
"At least tell me that you showed some joy at the news and gave him something reassuring when he gave you the news!"I tell him
"...."
"NIGHTMARE!"I snap
"I didn't know how to react or process it, okay? My mind was full of concerns!"He says
"Yeah, and I bet he is just as concerned as you! Hence why you both made a PLAN for this! He at least is showing his joy for it despite the challenges! Brother, I've been to many AUs. I've met many people, some even when going through this stage of life. This isn't going to be easy for either of you, least of all Error. A developing soul takes a lot out of a parent. Error is going to be drained of energy a lot and has mood swings or cravings. In addition to that, he will get more anxiety or even depression and panic over the baby or other things. It is a normal thing but can grow to something concerning if left unchecked. He will look for and need your support so giving him a shaky response to put it nicest when he gives you the news isn't the best starting point. The only way you get through this is TOGETHER, and that means not running away or hiding when you have a concern, Nightmare."I tell him
He nods after taking a few moments for my words to sink in.
"Now what are you going to do?"I ask
"Call him to reassure him."He replies
Before I could say anything, there was another knock at my front door. I open the door, seeing Dust at my front steps.
"Do you know where Ink is?"He asks
"No, I don't. Why? What has he done now?"I ask
"Well Probe locked Error away for his safety and the keys are items that are described in riddles. One riddle sounds like it refers to Ink and the rest we have trouble solving."He says
"Well that's stupid. Ink is the most clumsy or forgetful person ever to trust with a key. And why would Probe trust Error's enemy with a key item?"I ask
"Good point..."He says
"And Dust, you are literally dating Error's best friend who is a riddle enthusiast. Let him have a look at the riddles. I am sure he can solve them."I say
He nods, opening a portal to leave.
I glance at Nightmare and see him fiddling with his fingers.
"I am assuming you got the news over the phone then?"I ask with a better understanding of the situation now.
He nods.
"Well then I'm sure you know what to do now. You got this, Brother. I know you do."I tell him
He nods.
This family sometimes...
TBC
YOU ARE READING
The Ties to a Soul:The Threequel to Errormare
FanfictionThis is the Threequel to what seems to be becoming my Errormare fanfic series. The first is called A Blind Deal of Destruction with the sequel called A Destructive Family. Please read those if you haven't already for better context and thank you. Pl...
