Work Text:
(Third Person POV)
Nightmare had always found comfort in books. Right now, he was all alone. His brother was a statue, and he just... Well, he was just existing right now. Slowly, without much thought, he went from AU to AU. He could only travel through negativity, and this place had a lot.
Sometimes he broke into libraries to find new books to read, but not now. Nightmare had a book he was reading, sitting on a park bench in complete darkness. It didn't affect him because he could see in the dark. And that was probably the reason why he spotted a book sitting next to the bench.
He bent over and picked it up. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury? Nightmare had heard of this book before, it was referenced in media and stuff, but he'd never read it.
For some random, inexplicable reason, Nightmare felt inclined to write a note for whoever left this. It was left open face down in the grass, no bookmark. He could've just put a piece of paper in it to stop the person from losing their spot, but he wanted to include a note for them. He didn't know why. Maybe it's because he was so alone. When was the last time he even interacted with someone? He didn't want the book to get ruined because he liked books, and he could just mark the page and stop it from being destroyed by morning dew. That's all he had to do! But...
Nightmare stole paper and a pen from the nearest office building before he returned to the bench.
'I have never read this book before, but I hear it's a good one. I haven't read much sci-fi/dystopian novels in general. Anyways, I don't like seeing books get ruined no matter the genre. Be more careful with it next time. Signed - N'
He kept it dry and safe all night and then left it on the bench when the morning dew dried up. Then, he retreated to find a place where the sun didn't hurt his eyes. Nightmare almost completely forgot about that until the next night.
Once again, he returned to the bench to read. When he did so, he found a note. It was in the same spot where the book had been, in the grass pinned by a rock. Curiously, he picked it up.
'Thank you for saving my book. I didn't mean to leave it, but my thoughts tend to get scrambled sometimes. I quite like this book, I have recently found a lot of dystopian novels fascinating. This one is pretty good, it's essentially about a future where reading full books is illegal. I think you'd like it since you seem to like books so much. Sincerely, - G'
Nightmare found himself smiling. He hadn't had anyone talk to him for so long that he started questioning if he was even real, and this was nice confirmation. How could Nightmare not respond?
'That's an interesting idea for a book to discuss considering it's about books being illegal. Maybe I will pick it up sometime. I usually read more tragic books, gothic literature and such. A book I finished recently is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I picked it up many times, but for many reasons I dropped it each time. Not that Mary Shelley isn't a good author, but I was either busy or stopped reading to read another book with someone who was close to me. Books practically raised me, and it makes me happy to know there is another person somewhere out there with a love for stories. Wishing you well. Signed - N'
He left the letter under the rock when the morning dew dried up. What were the chances they'd leave another note? Nightmare guessed it was a 50/50 chance they'd come back to the park again. And he couldn't wait.
But much to his surprise, he came back the next night to find another letter. He never caught a glimpse of who it was. Whoever he was talking to was only here sometime at noon or sunset, perfectly missing him each time. Nightmare couldn't lie and say he wasn't curious, but he had two good reasons for not sticking around to see. Well, three.
One, the light was too much. He tried to stay as long as he could on the second night, but the light burned his eyelight until he had to retreat. Ever since he got corrupted, the sun was unbearable. It was far too hot and bright. The overwhelming ball of fire in the sky burned and seared away at the darkness that made up his body.
Two, Nightmare was loving the mystery. Who could this be? There was an infinite amount of people who could be his penpal. His imagination went wild, and it was very... odd. In a good way!
Three, why would anyone want to keep talking to him if they saw what he looked like? Nightmare was so lonely.
And so, the two kept giving letters to each other.
'When I was young, I had a very brief phase where I was super into gothic literature. But I was also too busy to read Frankenstein. I had to take care of someone. And so, I never got to read that book! I read many of the other classic books like that. I read some other Mary Shelley books. For a human far in the past, she seemed very nice and forward thinking. Books also played a big role in my life when I was very young, but as I mentioned before, that tapered off as I grew. Maybe once I am done reading Fahrenheit we could swap books? You read Fahrenheit and I read Frankenstein. Just an idea. Your penpal, - G'
'I love the idea of swapping books! I'll admit, you have made me curious about that book, and I would love to read it. As long as you promise not to leave my book at another park bench, I would be happy to swap with you.
If I am being honest, I am surprised you continue to respond to me. I half expected to not hear from you again. Of course, I am glad you still respond to me. This may sound pathetic, but I don't talk to many people in my day to day life, I think that's why I left the first letter for you in the first place. Sorry for the long note. Sincerely, - N'
'Leaving my book here was an honest mistake, I promise to not leave yours around the place. But honestly, I am glad that I lost my book because I got to meet you. So to speak. Of course, I don't even know what you look like, but I quite enjoy our daily exchange of letters. I went out and bought a new notepad just to continue talking with you, hence the new pink paper. I am on the final chapters of Fahrenheit, I should be able to swap books with you tomorrow or the next day. Sincerely, - G'
'I am glad you enjoy our letter exchange as much as I do. I will leave my book here for you so you see it with this letter. Hopefully it isn't stolen by then, but then again, who steals books? Sincerely, - N'
The next night, Nightmare found the book sitting there waiting. Inside on the very first page was another note from his friend. His friend? Nightmare blinked in surprise before smiling. Yes, this must be what friendship feels like. He thought he forgot about this feeling many years ago.
'Hello again, I promise to take care of your book. I don't want to share my opinion at the end of the book because I don't want to influence what you think about it. There are so many more stories I could share with you if you want, perhaps ones you'd like more. But I am getting ahead of myself, I am sorry. I haven't had someone to talk to like this for a while. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. - G'
The two updated each other on where they were in the stories and what they thought about it. But also, G started including details about his own life outside of this. Nightmare didn't have much to say about his current situation, but he opened up about small things from his past. He enjoyed reading about G's life, about what his family and friends were getting up to. Apparently, he had two brothers. They were very busy helping with 'human-monster relations', and the younger brother was also getting his driver license. G talked about their friend's child and how they are doing on the soccer team, about getting invited to a party by their other friend but they declined because they didn't want to miss leaving a letter for Nightmare.
'My brothers are starting to mention how I seem different, happier they say. It's funny, because I am reading a sad book about madness and social alienation. But I think that's part of it. I was really just laying around before this, now I have something to do. I can't just lay around all day when N is waiting for an update on where I am in the story. By the way, I am at the part where the monster confronts the blind man in the cabin. I just have a horrible feeling this won't go well, and I feel so bad for the monster, so scared he'll be rejected because of how he looks. I have felt the same way before, it hits a little close to home. Signed - G'
'Frankenstein is relatable in many ways. I didn't realize it until now, but there are a lot of similarities between the monster's situation and mine. Living in the woods and scared to show myself to someone I consider a friend. It's interesting to know we are on equal ground in that regard.
I am at the part where the fireman captain confronts Montag about keeping one of the books he was supposed to burn. As I read, I can't help but feel like no good ending is possible for this man. A single man against society, his two options being to conform or pursue his curiosity. Again, this story's main themes feel poignant. Sincerely - N.'
Through the notes, Nightmare started to feel connected to G. He so badly wanted to meet them, and both of them brought this up subtly but never committed. They were fine with how things were. Even if the curiosity was infectious. Ok, maybe they weren't 'fine' with things, but they accepted that they were how they were for a reason.
G mentions doctor visits and medical trips a lot. They once apologized that they couldn't respond the next day because they'd be at the doctors. Nightmare found that crazy. Of course he wanted G to prioritize his own health! And he seemed to be in very poor health.
'Hello, my friend. I apologize for not responding for the past two days. A sickness hit our household and sent me to the hospital. As I mentioned before, my immune system isn't great. But while in the hospital, I finished the story! I left the book with my note. The whole story is tragic, Victor refusing to admit that he screwed the monster over. People don't tend to want to accept their own flaws and their mistakes. I enjoyed the story. Mary Shelley was a great author. Thank you for recommending this book to me. Signed - G'
'Are you out of your mind? Please, take care of yourself. I will live without you practically killing yourself just to respond to me. Please, friend, take all the time you need with your health.
On another note, I completed Fahrenheit 451. And still, I don't have the highest hopes for the protagonist. Maybe I am pessimistic, maybe he did find happiness there, but I don't know how long that would last for them.
Anyways, I was thinking about which book I would recommend to you next. Have you read Animal Farm, my friend? - N'
Nightmare had been staying in a place in the forest. Or, the wooded area. He didn't know if he'd call it a forest because it was small and heavily populated.
Any campsite that wasn't being used was his home for the day. Anywhere that was covered by trees. Sometimes Nightmare caught a few hours of sleep, but he was too paranoid about people seeing him. He really needed to find a better place to stay, but he didn't want to leave and never see G again.
He sighed as he stood up from the picnic table he was sitting at. Nightmare had quite the walk back, so he decided to start when the sun was going down. Very rarely did Nightmare stray from the trail, only doing so when people came by.
The same as always, he walked down the dirt path back to the bench. When he was getting close, the sun had officially set. Crickets sang, the crowds of people were all but gone. Like always, he was nearly alone at the park except for the odd camper or night hiker.
Or so he thought.
When Nightmare was almost at the bench, he stopped walking. Someone was on the bench he left the note for G at. They were a skeleton too, and one of their eye sockets looked messed up. It looked... melted? And nearly completely sealed shut! Only the faint impression and splash of black let Nightmare know he had an eye socket at all. The other eye socket was closed and they slept relatively comfortably. A thick red scarf was around their neck and pillowed under their head.
Nightmare couldn't breathe. Was that who he thought it was? No, that couldn't be G, right?
Whoever was sleeping on the bench seemed to sense Nightmare's gaze. He blinked his eye open and yawned. "Shit..." He mumbled, stretching. "Papyrus is going to be so pissed..."
They stand up. Immediately, Nightmare retreats into the dark on an impulse to not be seen. It was an instinct at this point to hide from other people, but a second later he realized maybe he shouldn't.
Nightmare began to panic. Now he knew what G looked like, it would be weird if they didn't know what he looked like. But now he was standing in the dark watching them like a creep, he couldn't just step out and introduce himself! Oh god, he really fucked himself over.
G stopped and looked around. "Hello?" He called.
A second of mental screaming later, Nightmare decided to say something. "Uh, hi..."
Dear god, that hurt worse than he expected. When did he last use his voice? At least a couple years ago.
Now, G looked surprised. "Whoa, I almost didn't notice you there." He said.
"Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to be weird and creepy, but I was surprised to see you. Are you... G?"
"Mhm. But now you can call me Geno." He said. A relaxed smile appeared on his face. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Same. I am Nightmare, by the way." He said.
Geno's smile was so soft and beautiful. Nightmare felt his soul beat harder. The other sat back down and patted the bench.
"I am still recovering from my sickness and I guess I just fell asleep." Geno said with a laugh. Nightmare joined him, tentacles writhing behind him in excitement.
"You should head home then and rest." Nightmare said, concern suddenly returning.
"Nah, I am good. Don't worry about me, I am so good at sleeping I can do it with my eyes closed." Geno said. Nightmare was silent for a moment before he got the joke. He face palmed to hide his smile. "Oh come on, that was a good one."
"It's not the worst pun ever." Nightmare said.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Said Geno. He stretched again, popping his spine. "I guess there is no point in my letter anymore. Heh... Oh. Yes, your question about me reading Animal Farm, I did. My friend's kid had to write a book report on it, so I helped them out. Never been a fan of human politics, but the book is pretty good."
"Never been a fan either. But I read it a while back and it explained human politics far better than any human I talked to could explain." Nightmare said. Geno nodded. "Uh... What other books do I like?"
The two of them sat in silence for a while. It was a nice quiet moment, both thinking about their favorite books. He wondered what Geno thought about him. Nightmare knew most people looked at his goopy body and drippy tentacles and were repulsed. He understood why Geno was apprehensive to show himself to Nightmare with his eye socket like that, but truly Nightmare didn't mind. It was a lot less noticeable and easier to hide than Nightmare's entire body.
"Is Metamorphosis a novel or is it considered a short story?" Geno asked suddenly.
"Pretty sure that's a novella." Nightmare said, coming out of his thoughts. Geno huffed.
"You've already read that one too?" Geno asked.
"Yeah." Nightmare said with a laugh.
"My school made me read that. It was kind of fucked." Geno said.
"Kind of? The main character literally turns into a bug and is therefore rejected by his whole family." Nightmare said. Geno laughed. It was quiet for a moment. "I never went to school."
"Really? You have a very high reading level for someone who never went to school." Geno said.
"Thanks I guess." Nightmare laughed.
"Do you know what book I have been meaning to read? Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." Geno said. "I hear it's good, but I never had the time to read it."
"I heard it's good. You want to read it together?"
"Yeah, that'd be cool. Can you get your hands on a copy?"
"Uh... the library might have one."
Geno was quiet for a moment. "Nah. I will buy two copies."
Nightmare was surprised. "You'd buy one for me?"
"Of course. We are friends after all."
He smiled warmly at Nightmare. It was almost too much to bear. Did he deserve such kindness after...?
Nightmare's soul clenched. What he was feeling for Geno should be impossible, and yet he could feel it in his chest as if it was a physical sensation. And it was real, genuine. He felt this way before he knew anything about Geno. Before he knew his gender or appearance, before he knew his name. All they connected through was a mutual love of reading, and Nightmare loved reading their interpretations of books. So smart, and so understanding. It was something Nightmare day dreamed about as a child while reading romance books.
"I was worried you'd be scared when you saw my appearance..." Nightmare said quietly.
Geno huffed. He set his hand right on top of Nightmare's. His touch sent jolts of warmth up Nightmare's arm.
"Not in a million years." He said. Nightmare couldn't move, for one breathless second he stared at Geno. And then, Geno sighed and stood up. "I should go home. My brothers are probably going to report me missing if I am any later than this."
"Oh. Right." Nightmare said, collecting himself. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
"You too. Bye."
"Bye."
Nightmare wished he had the words to describe how he felt about Geno. They met at the at bench every night. They'd talk for hours. Sometimes about books, but recently it's been more and more about their lives.
Geno's laugh, god his laugh, it was so full of warmth. Each time he laughed, pleasant shocks of warmth hit Nightmare's soul. He was very chill, very calm. But that didn't mean he was unfeeling. It was so easy to work Geno up into a blushing mess, and it was adorable. Between the two, Geno was more of an optimist than Nightmare, but that was only by a fraction. They were both, as Geno would say, realists. It was nice to have someone to talk with, someone who wouldn't get mad at him for being needlessly somber. They just worked together.
"Did you know all the constellations have stories?" Nightmare asked.
"I have heard that before, but I don't know many."
The smaller was shivering. The chill came earlier and earlier in the night as winter fell. Nightmare wasn't affected by the cold. He moved closer instinctively to try and provide warmth, and then froze up. He was scared Geno would be grossed out by the texture, or maybe his body temperature was too low and would chill him even more.
But Geno didn't complain. He moved closer too, eyelight at the sky. Nightmare put his arm around Geno's shoulders.
"Up there is Gemini." Nightmare said, pointing at the constellation.
"I don't... oh. Is that the twins?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"Doesn't really look like twins to me..." Geno mumbled. Nightmare laughed.
"Yeah, I don't know." Nightmare said. "Their story is that they were twins with different fathers. One's father was Zeus and the other was the king of Sparta. These twins were inseparable all their lives. But one was mortal and one wasn't. The immortal twin, Pollux, begged his father to make the other immortal. Instead, he put them both in the sky so they'd forever be immortal together."
"Oh... I see. Brothers who didn't want to be separated by death." Geno said, something very somber in his tone.
"At least, that's how I remember the story."
Geno leaned against him. He looked so tired. "Mhm. I am sorry if I fall asleep, I am not bored, I have just been working hard."
"You don't need to stay out here with me, you can go home and sl-"
"I want to stay with you." He said. "I want to stay out here all night and hear about constellations as long as you're telling me."
"Stubborn as always."
"Mhm." Geno said proudly. "I have just been working on-... something. So I am tired."
"Ok..." Nightmare said. He rubbed Geno's arm.
Inevitably, Geno did fall asleep. Nightmare could go on and on about the stars, but he spared Geno from that fate by saying he was out of stories. Geno was tired and staying out here all night would make him sick. Eventually, he agreed to go home.
"Thank you for spending time with me." Geno said. He leaned a little closer. Nightmare's face grew warm. "I love every second I am here with you."
"I love it too." Nightmare said breathlessly. Geno moved closer, and when Nightmare didn't pull away or object, he kissed Nightmare.
Explosions of warmth ran through his soul. He closed his eye sockets and leaned into the kiss. It didn't last long in reality, but to Nightmare it lasted years in all the best ways.
And then, Geno was gone.
Nightmare came back the next night and waited until dawn. Geno didn't come back that night. That's ok, he might be in the hospital.
He came back the next night and then the next. Geno didn't come back. Nightmare didn't feel his hope faded for a good two weeks. He kept thinking 'Tonight he'll come back!'
But Geno didn't.
After nearly a year of talking with whom Nightmare was convinced was his soulmate, he suddenly disappeared. Slowly, Nightmare felt his soul begin to get crushed. He knew so many bad things could've happened to Geno, the other was sickly after all.
Every night, he waited. The whole time, all he could think about was what happened to Geno. He tried tracking Geno's emotions after two months, but there was nothing. Nightmare knew what that meant. The only people he couldn't track were dead people and disembodied souls.
And yet still, Nightmare waited. A year has passed. 365 days of returning every single night and waiting until dawn.
But Nightmare knew it was useless.
Something bitter began to grow in his chest. Losing a soulmate wasn't easy. It hurt, it hurt so bad that Nightmare thought he was dying.
Just another person to leave him. Death claims everyone who he cares about! Why did he think this would be any different? Selfish, he was selfish.
If he just left Geno alone, he'd still be here. His family would still have him. The world would still know that bright smile. But Nightmare was cursed, anyone he got close to died. Or turned to stone.
Bitterness and hatred bloomed where love used to occupy. It wasn't until years later that loneliness reared its ugly head. Nightmare was a very, very lonely person. And he realized one night that loneliness would kill him if he didn't do something to stop it.
Nightmare tried his damnedest to stay emotionally distant from Killer. It was easier when Killer remained emotionally distant from him. Plus, Killer was a danger to himself and others when Nightmare found him. Truly, taking his emotions was for the best.
Horror though, he was a bit of a different story. The other was so... good. Life fucked him over, and Nightmare felt deep sympathy for him. That was already a bad sign. He should have never invited Horror to work for him, but he did anyway. And something about that gentle giant softened him up a little.
Dust was the next to join them. Not without a bit of coercion, but he joined. With these two, it became hard to keep Killer emotionless.
But also, he didn't want to.
Killer was far more stable with emotional support in his life, and forcing Killer to not feel anything for his friends was cruel. So Nightmare let his leash on Killer's feelings slip. Instead, he distanced himself even harder. Physically and emotionally.
After all, this curse only killed those he cared about.
And he didn't care about these idiots. No, not at all. They were just henchmen, pawns, martyrs. Nightmare had to treat them like pawns because he had to see them as pawns. If he didn't they were as good as dead, just like everyone he cared for.
But god damn it, do you know how hard it is to treat someone like expendable cannon fodder when they cut your sandwiches into the shape of stars because you accidentally let it slip that you like constellations?
But the most annoying relationship he tried to ignore was his relationship with this new guy, Error. It seems like he came out of nowhere. One day, he destroyed an AU, completely wiped it from existence. And ever since then, he has been deemed the Destroyer of Worlds.
The guy was a prick. Annoying, glitchy, arrogant, childish, haphephobic, reckless, and sexy as shit. And now Nightmare felt like a gross, repulsive cheater for finding Error attractive!
In short, he hated the guy.
But, they started teaming together occasionally. They needed the raw power Error could provide and Error needed medical attention and support. That didn't stop Nightmare from staying as far from the guy as possible.
Nightmare hated himself so much. Why did he find Error so attractive? He already had someone he loved more than anyone else and they were dead. Besides, he didn't know anything about Error. How fucking shallow has he gotten over the years to like someone just based on appearance? Geno would be disappointed in him, and he should be.
"Why does your douche of a boss hate me so much?" He heard Error ask.
"Eh, he's always like that with new people." Horror said.
"No... no, this is different." Killer said. "He hates you so much that he's gone off on tangents about how much he hates you six times. Are you sure you didn't like... kill his pet or something crazy like that?"
"No, I didn't do shit to him!" Error said. "Whatever, I don't care. I can be an even bigger hater than him. Just watch!"
Nightmare rolled his eyelight. See? A prick.
They didn't interact for months at a time. Error was giving him the full blown silent treatment. It was undercut somewhat by the fact that before Nightmare was fully out of earshot, he'd always hear Error ask if the others think he is getting under Nightmare's skin.
The next time they interacted was because Error didn't have much of a choice. Whatever it was, Error couldn't handle it alone, Nightmare could tell that much from his aura. Arms crossed, Error waited for Nightmare to talk to him first, just looming in the doorway like a cryptid.
"Yes?" Nightmare asked, annoyed. He moved his arm and accidentally knocked over a pile of stuff on his desk. It scattered across the ground loudly. Nightmare swore and bent to pick it up.
"I have been meaning to talk to you about something." Error said. His eyelights scanned the mess but he didn't even try to help pick it up. "I-"
Error stopped suddenly. Nightmare had grabbed some papers from the ground, exposing his old copy of Frankenstein. When Error didn't speak, Nightmare looked up, confused.
He stood there, wide eyed, mouth half open in speech. His hands were twitching, but otherwise it was like someone hit the pause button on him. Nightmare was confused. Bending down to pick up the copy, he suddenly heard the most god awful computer crashing sound ever.
It was 50/50 if Error would fall over or freeze when he crashed. It was just Nightmare's luck that he fell this time. Quickly, Nightmare reached out a tentacle to catch Error.
This one was a bad crash. It looked agonizing and there were sometimes when it looked like Error was going to wake up only to go right back into the crash. At one point, his body tensed up so hard it looked like he was having a seizure. A few non-glitch noises left his mouth, choking noises and half formed words. Besides all that, this crash lasted an hour and a half.
Right when Nightmare was scared Error straight up died, Error stopped making those terrible computer sounds and was dead asleep. Weird. Nightmare wondered why the crash was so violent this time around. He knew that this was a random crash, but something in the back of his mind was starting to doubt that.
Eventually, the glitch sat up.
"Finally awake?" Nightmare asked. Error looked completely frazzled.
"Uh... Yeah. What happened?"
"A really bad crash."
"Oh. Yeah, I can't-... I remember wanting to ask you something, but now I can't remember what it is." Error said. "I don't remember anything before coming to the door."
"Strange. Well, you can leave now."
Error rolled his eyelights. He stood up and grabbed his head in pain. Suddenly, he lost his balance.
Nightmare reached out to catch him. "Don't crack your skull open now." He said.
"Piss off..." Error mumbled.
Only when Nightmare had helped Error through a portal did he realize something. He just touched Error. The glitch didn't panic, he didn't yell at Nightmare for touching him. It's not like he didn't register being touched, it's like he didn't mind it. Huh.
Nightmare sat down. "Well..." He said to no one. "He did just have a bad crash. Maybe it had something to do with that." And so, he brushed it off. Soon, he forgot about it.
After all, he had too much work to do.