Asylum [Dust X Horror] (Collab with me and BlueTechLunatic34)

Chapter 7 (P. 2)

"Please don't lie..." Dust said softly, sounding guilty and sad.

'I'm really high-key failing at the whole parenting thing, huh...' he thought guiltily.

"Uhhmm...fine. B-but...you'll be mad..." Lea whispered, feeling fear build up in her soul at the idea of being thrown out...again.

Dust shook his head, "I won't be mad at you. Promise," he said quietly.

 "O-ok... I feel...sick.....PLEASEDON'TBEMADI'MSORRYI'LLLEAVEIYOUWANTI'MSORRY!!!!!!!!!!!" Lea said, crying. 'I don't wanna leave, I don't wanna leave!!!!'

Dust hesitated, then reached over to pull Lea into a soft hug.

"That's all..? Sweetheart, you could've said..." he said gently, rubbing her back softly. "It's okay, I'm not mad... I don't want you to leave..."

"But....I thought you'd be mad cause I was being a bother and getting in your way. And I thought you'd get annoyed, so you'd tell me to leave..." Lea whispered, looking away.

"You're not a bother, Lea... And I'm not annoyed with you. I don't want you to leave," Dust said gently.

"Really?!" Lea asked, seeming confused in this situation, as well as nervous.

"Really," he responded softly, gently rubbing Lea's back.

"Oh..Ok...?" Lea answered, seeming very relieved and confused.

Dust sighed softly, wondering at Lea's confusion, but deciding not to ask.

"I'm sure we have something somewhere that could help..." he said quietly, looking to Red and Sci anxiously.

"Hmm?" Sci asked, looking up at Dust in confusion, while Red seemed too focused on his food to hear.

"Do we..? Have any medicine, or something like that," he asked timidly.

"Oh? Um, yes! I have all kinds of medicine available. What do you need?" Sci asked, standings up and beginning to clear the table, while Red and Lea both watched quietly.

Dust stood as well, helping Sci clear the table.

"Something to help with indigestion. I think Lea might've eaten... A little too fast," he responded.

Sci nodded, and turned to Lea. "Hey Lea, how old are you? I need to know, if I'm going to get you pills." He smiled at her, walking towards the kitchen.

"Umm.....I'm 6 in skeleton years..." Lea timidly responded, glad to have changed the subject slightly.

Dust waited at the table patiently, trusting Sci with this, seeing as he had next to no medical knowledge.

"Ok. Let me grab some things. One sec." Red stood up to put away dishes, while Sci went to go find medicine.

Lea looked over at Dust nervously. "Um...D-dust?"

Dust looked over at Lea worriedly, noting her apparent nervousness.

"Yea, Lea..?" he responded softly.

"Did you....dislike my first dad. The doctor?" She asked timidly.

Dust hesitated, then nodded.

"That's an understatement... But yeah. You're right," he said slowly.

"Why is it an understatement?" Lea asked, tilting her head in childlike curiosity.

"I... Would just use a stronger word than dislike..." Dust said, giving a soft, bitter laugh.

"Why though?" Lea asked, immediately regretting being so pushy, but still wanting to know.

Dust looked down slightly, his eye sockets dark.

"Because he hurt your mom," Dust said quietly.

"What, really?! How? He used to keep me and Mommy apart, but that was about it. He always told me he was taking care of Mommy, that he was keeping any of the bad guys away..." Lea murmured, looking down. She obviously seemed surprised.

"He... I.... H-Horror..." Dust trailed off, trembling slightly, not wanting to recap events again, the image of Horror dusting in his arms making him feel cold.

"..." Lea looked away too, looking kind of sad and just broken-hearted.

Sci walked back into the room, a happy smile on his face. However, when he saw Dust and Lea looking so upset, he stopped, and slowly backed out of the room.

Dust glanced at Lea's face, feeling guilt weigh on him for causing her heartbroken expression.

"I'm sorry..." he said quietly.

"No need. It's not your fault Daddy. I'm sorry for asking." Lea whispered, looking over at Dust again.

Dust bowed his head slightly, feeling more guilt pile onto him.

"It is," he said quietly. "It is my fault."

Lea shook her head, getting out of her seat and coming over to Dust. "No, it's not daddy. Mommy loved you, and that's what matters. And besides, Mommy's still out there."

Dust bowed his head more.

'It's all my fault. How can it not be? Everything is my fault,' he thought dejectedly.

Then, he looked up at Lea curiously, realizing what she said.

"What do you mean he's still out there..?" he asked quietly, curious.

'Does she mean his dust? His memory, maybe..?' he theorized internally 

"I mean he's still here. He's always calling to me. Telling me where to go. He says he's not gone. That I can help." Lea explains, seeming very intent to talk about Horror.

Dust's eye sockets widened slightly, his soul beat quickening fractionally.

"I... You can hear him...? Is he talking to you now? I..." Dust breathed, seeming desperate for anything from Horror.

"Yes..." Lea nodded, stopping as if to listen and confirm it. "Yes, he is."

"What's he saying..?" Dust asked, desperation and love etched onto his face.

"Um....mommy's telling me to find the sunset roof. I don't know what that means though." Lea explained, looking clearly upset and confused.

Dust felt tears building up, but he forced them away, not wanting to cry for something like the tenth time in twenty four hours.

"That would... Th-That would have to be the place were he died..." Dust said quietly, smiling sadly.

"Are you going there daddy?" Lea asked, looked excited.

Dust hesitated slightly.

"I'd... Like to, but..." Dust trailed off for a moment before continuing.

"If I do, would you come with me..?" he asked, wanting the other with him on something like this.

"Yes! I just didn't know where Mommy was talking about. Of course I'll go help you. I want to find mommy." Lea nodded, hugging Dust without thinking, beaming.

Dust smiled slightly, hugging back gently.

"Sounds perfect," he said softly, missing Horror more than ever in that moment, wishing that he could be with them.

Sci walked in again as Dust finished talking, a smile beaming on the Sans's face. "So you're going on a bit of a scavenger hunt?" He asked happily, walking over to Lea and helping her to take her pills. Her face was rather amusing to see, as she gagged at the bitter taste.

Dust hesitated, then gave a small nod.

"I guess we are," he said quietly.