~ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ~ {𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓}

Chapter 5: Mission

After only a few days in the Castle, you were trusted with a mission.

Nightmare had called you up to the throne room, saying it was urgent. At this point you had (surprisingly) nailed the location of most rooms, including your own.

In the few days you had spent here, the Papyrus servants had already begun to fear you. One time, you caught a Papyrus talking bad about Cross. You slapped him hard and crushed his tibia, threatening him by saying that if he ever blabbed about any Sans behind their backs they would pay.

Now they all stayed out of your way.

Of course, not all of the servants and guards were terrible. Some were nicer than others, some more helpful, some more defensive. Not one was perfect, and it annoyed you in a satisfying way.

Stalking down the halls, reinforced (F/C) hoodie protecting you from any stray weapons or magic, you bumped into a familiar figure.

A beat passed before Dust's face split into a smile and he hissed playfully, "(N/N)! I almost impaled you! You really need to be more careful, you know."

You returned the laughter as the two of you walked did the long hallway. "Kinda hard to believe that a few days ago you were trying to kill me, huh?" he chuckled, twirling a bone between his fingers. Every Sans, you learned, did that to keep their fingers busy. They especially did it around you, but then again you hadn't seen them do it not around you...

"Do you miss your brother sometimes?" You asked, curiosity getting the best of you. He grimaced and turned away for a second, and you could have sworn you heard him whispering to someone.

After a minute, he finally rasped, "Yeah. Every day. We really got close, being brothers and all. He... He did it for the Underground. They all did."

Seeing it was a touchy subject, you quickly backed off. The two of you walked the rest of the way in silence until you were right in front of the throne room's entry.

"Ladies first," he smirked, making an extravagant gesture to the huge door. You stuck out your tongue and walked through the door, sliding through so the door closed right behind you.

A muffled shout was heard from behind the barrier, and you laughed at Dust's misfortune. "Bold of you to assume I'm a lady."

Nightmare, slouched in his throne, looked stressed. You immediately lit up with concern. The two of you had grown together a little over the past days, usually meeting him in the library or on the throne.

"Finally, (N/N)," he teased lightly, although there was some restraint on his voice. "I thought I was going to die of boredom." His posture betrayed the coolness in his remark, almost like he had fought something.

Before you could ask any questions, he teleported to your side. Walking away, you kept up. Eventually you got lost in your thoughts of home, missing everything about it. Well, not everything, but enough. A few corridors later, the king finally spoke.

"Birdtale will be next," he grimaced, bringing you back to reality. "We must save it."

"Yeah, uhm, about that," you casually slid in, pulling your sleeves down a bit more. "Why do you guys 'destroy' the AU? Why not just hide it?"

Nightmare sighed and his tendrils flicked slightly. "If we put it into hiding," he said, "Then one of the Star Sanses—Ink—might be able to relocate it. If they relocate the universe, they'll find the Castle. If they find the Castle..."