Chapter Text
Opening his eyes Cross is surprised from the sensation of fulfilful rest, a thing that he hasn't felt for a while. How? Had he overslept the alarm? No, it can't be.
Shooting into the sitting position with enough force that the mattress squeaks loudly, the skeleton's attention shoots around the room, searching for the obvious culprit of this. You. And what he sees surprisingly puts a halt to the anger that was starting to bubbling inside of him.
You are curled on the floor in a sad pose, hugging yourself because of how cold it is. Yet, it seems you managed to fall asleep despite sitting on the harsh, chilly carpet. The evidence of your sabotage lies right by your side, which is Cross’s phone.
Standing up, the skeleton takes back his device, staring at the thing with a mix of complicated emotions. To think you would go as far as to steal his phone and turn off the alarm? As if he even needs this rest. This was an unnecessary risk, foolish act.
His gaze drifts to your slightly frowning face, your hands grip into yourself, searching for an extra warmth. “...”
Without even thinking much of it, Cross reaches his hand towards the blanket, throwing the comforter over your sleeping form. The gesture of care that somehow feels completely natural to him. A small groan escapes you, but that doesn't seem to be enough to pull you out of this slumber. Your face finally relaxes, a peaceful expression settling in.
Letting out another sigh, Cross’s attention shifts back to the phone, checking how much time he wasted on unnecessary rest. 7 hours? Not too bad, but still too much risk. So many hours of you being unprotected without his stern watch, wasteful. Anything can go wrong in a glimpse of a moment. The worst always happens so quickly, and you were just sitting unprotected for all those hours, even going as far as falling asleep too. What if someone entered this chamber, what if you were in danger and he wouldn’t have been able to react in time.
Shaking those thoughts aside, Cross check the communication app. Is there any new information by any chance? Surprisingly, Nightmare is, in fact, summoning Cross into the office, which isn't anything new. However, the message itself looks quite ominous.
Obviously Cross isn’t afraid. After all, the respect and the feeling of loyalty towards Nightmare is far beyond anything one can even start to comprehend, they both have special bond, so Cross won’t be truly afraid of Boss no matter what. But, lately things have been… tense. Yes, surprisingly, the skeleton finds himself not wanting to go, to leave you alone and unprotected, to listen about the topic related to how you would be used. But, it's Cross’s duty to go. The duty he swore to fulfil and has no plans in neglecting, even if that might mean leaving you unsupervised.
The boss is the main priority.
…
The skeleton's gaze drifts towards your peaceful form. You, someone who he hated with his whole guts at the start. You're so foolish, reckless, but it seems to be impossible to keep the resentment going. Not when you surface some unusual feeling inside of him, an indescribable desire to make things right. You’re naive, but really persistent, something he himself was once.
With the long, tired sigh, Cross raises his hand, pressing the palm harshly against his skull. A grounding sensation that soothes those swirling thoughts.
When everything began to feel so messy?
What kind of ridiculous situation is this? No matter. He should go, meet Nightmare and get back quickly. You shouldn't stay unprotected for too long. Duty in front of the boss is the top one priority, but your safety is still a big concern.
Turning away, Cross simply shortcuts right to the front door of Nightmare's office. A sensation of unpleasant anxiety rises in the usually composed skeleton, but he simply ignores the feeling, knocking.
“Come in, Cross.” The neutral voice calls out. A tone that's a big contrast to the soft speaking front that was shown in front of you for those past weeks.
Pushing the door open, the skeleton steps inside, hands behind his back, the posture stiffly straight.
“Boss.” Cross bows his head politely, bracing himself for whatever this conversation might bring.
“How do you feel lately?” Nightmare glances at the skeleton, taking in his state. The question about Cross's well-being is one of the first things Boss clarifies about lately, but considering the state of still recovering, it's a natural concern to have.
“I'm stable.” Stiff answer, but it's the truth. There’s no need to be that worried. Cross is always the one to bounce back with surprising speed, to recover and run head on into the next battle, a truly proper warrior.
“Good.” The dark skeleton nods approvingly, shifting the topic. “I called you to discuss the details of the next mission regarding the artifact search. After some consideration I chose that you will be the one accompanying the human. The departure would be done as soon as the human feels ready, everything else was already prepared.”
“So quickly?” It's a surprising thing that the next trip for the artifact would happen so soon, too soon.
“My brother has been quite active lately. Even despite the lack of Blue in their command he doesn't seem to sit in one place. Reckless, but Dream isn't known for his patience.” A slow sigh escapes the dark skeleton, but there's no venom in his voice, only a glimpse of disapproval. “It is better to not allow him any time to rebuild the group and gain enough strength to be a proper threat. We should act while he's busy. It's safer this way. So, guard the human and try to be ready as soon as possible. If necessary, suggest she act quicker without any extra delays. I know that the human will trust your judgment.”
The news about who exactly will escort you eased the tension in Cross's shoulders. He would be your guard, he will be the one to be sure you're safe, the reliable protector. That's simply the… right choice, proper order of things. Cross knows you the longest, you trust him, to some extent, and he is quite capable as a fighter too. It's just a good choice to send him with you. Why was he even worried you would go with someone else? Now it seems like a ridiculous idea!
“And I would like Horror to go as well.” Nightmare added, destroying Cross’s confidence with ease, which doesn't go unnoticed. “He is capable enough to not cause unnecessary commotion.”
“Understood. Yes, Boss.” There's no arguing from Cross. Because as much as Cross hates to admit it, he understands that it's safer this way, that it is better for you to have an extra guard around. And even though Horror dislikes you, he won't go against Boss’s order. Cross hopes that he knows his comrade well enough to guarantee that…
There's a small pause, as Nightmare simply stares at the skeleton, carefully considering the next words. “You know, Cross… I must say, it is surprising to see you getting attached to this new addition to this place.”
The mentioning of you and Cross's unusual behaviour towards you makes the skeleton feel a great sense of unease.
Nightmare hums, not turning away his persistent stare. “After all, you had the opposite opinion towards her before. But now I see a change.”
“I'm simply following the order of making sure the human won't get harmed before fulfilling her role.” Despite the excuse, Cross himself is aware that his actions scream that there's something more than that. A sense of responsibility, perhaps, an attachment?
“You do? Well, it's sad to hear such a dishonest answer.” Slowly, the dark skeleton walks around the table, shortening the distance. “For someone telling me that you're following the order, you tend to intervene quite a lot when she's being involved.”
Nightmare stops right in front of Cross, staring into his eye lights. Despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, Cross doesn't withdraw his gaze, which is a quite amusing sight to Nightmare. “Well, one thing should stay clear. Do not forget that the human is here temporarily. No need to get attached, Cross, that won't do you any good.”
“I'm not attached.” The words came out quick, defensive. “I'm not…”
Turning his gaze away, a frown appeared on Cross's face. Does he look that soft from the outside perspective? Attached, overstepping the order of things for your sake? No, he can't! He isn’t… Maybe?
Suddenly, Nightmare speaks up in a gentlier manner. Not a pretend one that he uses with you, but something keen to sincere curiosity. “Why? Why do you feel that way about this human?”
Cross wished with his whole soul that he knew the answer to this seemingly simple question, he truly does.
“I… I don't know.” A true confession that simply hangs in the air.
“Well, I'm sure that whatever the reason might be, in the end, it's temporary. This feeling of… empathy. But, I must admit, that surprises me, Cross. To think you would get attached to someone who stole your body and trapped your soul in the darkness? Putting you back in the position you desperately tried to escape.” Nightmare's words don't seem to be empathetic, if anything, it's more of a simple surprise to such a turn of events. Maybe there's a hint of pity too. “But that will wait. I'm gonna discuss the human with you some more later. Now just remember one thing, she won't stay here forever, so don't make any decisions you might regret later.”
There's no answer from Cross. What can he even say? That's the truth, you're just a tool who would be sent away after you either fail your task or succeed. In the end, you're a disposable member who won't stick around. He knows it all too well.
“Alright, now about the mission details.” Nightmare steps back, moving towards the table with the numerous papers consistent with all the details about the needed and suitable rank of artifacts and the nearby AUs possessing them. Clear fruits of thoughtful research. “Listen closely to all the nuances of this mission. Firstly you should know that-.”
Your eyes shoot open as the disorientating sensation gets a hold of you. Where are you!? Ah… this is just your new room. Everything is fine. No need to panic like that.
A tired groan escapes you as you rub your eye while glancing around. But the sleepiness gets smacked out of you the moment you realise something, Cross is not here. The only aftermath of his presence is a blanket thrown over your form. Where's this damn skeleton?!
Jumping to your two, a pain shoots through your body, but you ignore the sensation, quickly taking out your phone. Your hands move before your mind can even catch onto how you might be overreacting. For all you know he can even be away to change the dirty clothes or get some food. But it seems all that you can sense is worry.
‘Where are you?
Is everything alright?
Sorry for turning off the alarm
But you needed this rest!
Are you mad at me?
Did something happen?
Hey
Why haven't you woke me up?
…
Is everything okay?’
You send one message after another while pacing around. Each second without the answer feels like eternity, the messages aren't even being read. Did something happen!? Your fingers already move to the keyboard, but a small mark of the message being read forces you to pause. Finally, he can tell you if everything is alright!
“Ha!?” You huff in frustration from the response that you got. A simple thumb up that turns your worry into honest annoyance. How can he!? Cross can be laconic with anyone, fine! But you? You're worrying here, and all that you got as a response of him being alive is a thumb up emoji! You can’t with this man.
“Tsk.” At least he is fine, that's something.
After more time of anxious waiting, the door clicks open, and you see no other than Cross who had changed his dirty clothes into something normal. Finally he is back!
When he opens his mouth, you're the first one to speak up, stepping closer. “Are you alright? Something happened? Why did you leave without saying anything? To change clothes? Are you feeling alright? You should have woken me up, Cross!”
You sound like a worried mother hen, probably acting not like what would have been appropriate for your kind of relationship. For your… companionship of a sort.
However, Cross doesn't have any time to answer, as suddenly a new yet familiar figure appears behind him. It's no other than Horror. The big fella doesn't say anything, but even his presence is enough for the worrying atmosphere to change into something more cautious.
You hesitantly make a few steps back, too surprised to see someone else in this safe space of your room. “O-oh, hi, Horror! It's been a while.”
He doesn't give you any response, simply staring at you.
“What brought you here?” You try again, glancing at Cross for some explanation or reassurance that everything is alright. But, your friend doesn't seem to be able to even meet your gaze properly. What happened?
Suddenly Horror speaks up, turning your attention away from stiff Cross. “Mission.”
The answer is short and empty, this tone forces you to shrink in yourself slightly. Oh, he is definitely still mad at you, probably for breaking the promise and attempting to meet Reishu, which almost got you and Cross killed in the process. An unpleasant yet familiar sensation of guilt swirls inside of you, weighting in your stomach like a ton of bricks.
“M-mission, which, uh, one?” You try hesitantly, only to receive a huff of annoyance in return. Your posture becomes more rigid, as your hands start to itch for some self soothing fidgeting, but you just press them against your sides, trying your best to not appear that nervous.
Cross, as a knight in a shining armour that he is, or rather, awkward mediator, steps in. “The boss approved the plan earlier than we anticipated. We can go get the artifact when you are fully ready to go.”
Your gaze drifts to your naked bandaged feet, which, combined with the lack of any underwear makes the idea of immediate departure an impossibly bad one. No, you can't go like this! You should ask Nightmare for a few extra things. “Oh, that's… I actually should-”
“Just let's go… now.” Horror suddenly cuts mid sentence, the voice is harsh, impatient.
“But I cannot go like this.” You try, gesturing to your shoeless feet.
“You… won't die from … that.” Those words seem to have a clear hint of judgment, as if the sheer idea of you postponing the mission is selfish. “Do you want to… to keep all of us waiting? Just for… you?”
“No.” You say right away. He is right, you won't die from walking barefoot, your wants are not priority here, the mission is. “We can just go-.”
“Stop that.” Surprisingly, Cross steps in front, shielding you from Horror's judgmental glare. “She should get some shoes, that's non-negotiable.”
“Why?” Horror's voice has a hint of hurt at the fact that Cross takes your side.
However, the Cross’s posture doesn't falter even for a moment. “If something goes wrong, she won't be able to run barefoot. It's more work for us then.”
It sounds harsh, as if you're the burden here.
Horror holds Cross's gaze for a long, silent moment, there's a hint of surprise in his eye. It seems Horror wasn't expecting such an intervention. But it seems he won't push this any further, probably for Cross's own sake.
“Whatever.” Horror steps back.
Cross’s attention shifts to you, stretching his hand. “Let's go to my room, you can borrow my shoes.”
When your hand stretches towards the skeleton, Horror speaks up once again. “Doesn’t the …human have already enough of your thing? How much more should she… take?”
Your hovering hand withdraws as if it was smacked, but Cross doesn't allow you to refuse the offer, simply taking a step closer to grip your hand against your will, startling you. Despite the quick action, the hold is gentle, hesitant even.
His gaze doesn't meet Horror's, but even without it the tension is noticeably harsh. “She would not go barefoot.”
“Wait-!” Horror's voice gets cut off as everything starts to swirl, consuming you into the darkness.
This unpleasant moment passes as quickly as it came, as opening your eyes, there's a familiar space of your- Cross’s, room. It looks almost the same as you left it, if we don't count the lack of cringe comforter with wolves from Killer’s prank.
Letting go of you, Cross steps towards the closet, opening the thing to search for some shoes. While he does so, your hands anxiously clasp together, fidgeting slightly.
“That was, something.” You say, unable to squeeze out anything more.
That was not what you were expecting. Obviously it's your problem for expecting a warmer welcome, but such an open hostility is something new. Horror never was like this with you, not when you were Cross… He was different, softer, more understanding, with a funny sense of humour. This? This is a version of him you didn't know about. The stranger.
“Don't think about it too much.” Cross says dismissively, not meeting your gaze while stretching to you his hand with some shoes in it.
You take the thing, moving towards the bed to try it on. “I can't? It isn't something I can just, just not care about.”
“...” Cross doesn't say anything, not finding the right words. But, communication never was his strong side anyway.
You try to put the shoes on, the thing doesn't fit at all, yet you still push your foot into it, not giving up. “I really would like to not care, but it isn't… isn't something I'm good at.”
No matter how you try, the shoe clearly won't fit. With the groan, you push the unfitting thing aside as if the shoe itself did you some wrong. “Damn it!”
The shoe doesn't fit you, nothing does. Those clothes, as Horror said, aren't your own, and bluntly there's nothing that can be considered truly yours. Your phone is from Dust, or more so, Killer’s prank, your clothes from Cross, your right to be here is from Nightmare, your body was brought back thanks to Error, and all that you have is your pathetic self.
“I’m sorry, I just…” Your breath becomes ragged, a weird reaction to something you were expecting to happen anyway. Of course Horror won't be happy to see you, and in the end, you might be able to fix it, so there shouldn't be any need to be that lost and frustrated. But the situation stings regardless.
“Calm down.” Cross says without looking at you, desperately searching even deeper into the closet in an attempt to find something that fits. His usually neatly folded clothes start to fly around, creating a mess, but he doesn't seem to care, too focus on finding something that you can wear.
You simply sit there, staring at the skeleton who seemingly puts his all into helping you, yet, you do not feel any better. And the worst part? This feeling of not appreciating Cross’s attempt in helping surface only more guilt inside of you.
This mission hasn't even started yet, but you already feel done.
Suddenly the door to Cross’s room got pushed open, revealing breathless Horror. The big skeleton has a few droplets of magical sweat on his forehead, it's clear that he was using numerous smaller shortcuts to get to this room as soon as possible.
“Cross.” The big skeleton starts, not even looking at you. “Don't shortcut … on me.”
His voice is frustrated, but there's also some underlying hurt in the tone, enough so that you can't help but feel your blame in this situation. Cross senses this as well, his body goes stiff for a moment, but it passes as quickly as it came.
Without saying anything, Cross simply searches deeper into the closet, ignoring this situation. While he does so, Horror's attention finally shifts to you. Your form becomes rigid while you quickly look away. Time stretches in heavy silence, the only sound is clothes getting thrown on the ground in this desperate search. But Cross himself starts to slow down this chaos, realising that there's simply nothing that will fit you. Yet, he doesn’t move away from the now empty closet, staring at the thing as if it will magically spit out the shoes of the right size for you.
Surprisingly, Horror is the one to speak up. Less out of care for you, and more out of desire to get it done over with. “We can inform… Farm about the clothes issue.”
Which quickly gets Cross’s attention. There's a hint of hesitation in him.
He knows that Farmtale isn't the place that you should visit, Nightmare won't be pleased with this decision. But Cross can figure out how to break the news. The boss should understand that it was necessary… “Right. This is part of our route anyway.”
The grumpy skeleton finally abandons the empty closet, moving towards you while still looking at Horror. “Contact Farm. Make sure to ask about Dust before giving any details. Do not report to the Boss, he allowed us some freedom in this task, so it won't be an issue anyway.”
Or Cross certainly hopes so.
“Alright.” Horror says.
While Horror is taking out his phone, Cross stops right in front of you, hands stretched towards your form, a silent question if he help you so you won’t hurt your feet while walking barefoot. The usual regular act that now doesn't feel that mundane, not with the audience.
“Wha- N-no Cross. I can uh, walk barefoot for a bit.” You don't know who this Farm is or how far away he is, but you do know that there's no way you will be carried around for anyone to see. That's embarrassing on so many levels! And definitely not suitable for this tense atmosphere.
Though Cross doesn't seem to catch the hint. “Why are you being stubborn again?”
“I'm not!” You hiss in a whisper, anxiously glancing to the side in hope that Horror is too busy to see this scene. Nope. Horror's eye light is staring right into your soul, which almost forces you to yelp from such a scare. Your attention snaps back to the grumpy skeleton, silently pleading for him to read the room.
Sadly, Cross still can't understand what is exactly wrong in his actions, as he steps closer with the tired sigh, as if you're being difficult for the sake of it. “You shouldn't walk around barefoot. I wouldn't want to bandage your legs again. What's the problem? I carried you before just fi-”
As Cross says it, you suddenly stand up, unable to let him continue this nagging. Your face is practically burning! You quickly slam both of your hands over Cross’s mouth.
Why can't he just shut up!?
Thud!
A loud sound is heard, as if someone stomped towards you in a few short steps. There's no time for Cross to react, as suddenly Horror harshly pushes you away from Cross. The sensation is like a punch that shoots pain through your already injured body, forcing you to lose the footing and fall back on the bed, hitting the wall with the back of your head in the process. A yelp of pain escapes you as you curl in yourself, gripping your head while your body injuries protest loudly. “Aghhn-!”
“Shit.” Cross rushes to your side, trying to check if you hit your head too hard, but your hands just won't move out of the way, not allowing him to take even a glimpse at the damage. His head snaps to Horror while hands don't leave your stiff form. “Why did you do that!”
“She's… fine.” Horror's harsh dismissal seems to only fuel the tense atmosphere, but all of this is more of a background noise to you. “I didn’t even… push that hard.”
“You can't just-…” Cross starts, but it's hard to even choose his words correctly.
No, there's no time to pay that much attention to something that can't be fixed so easily. So, his gaze shifts to you.You're clearly in pain, got hurt even more while on his watch. How did that even happen? The boss said that everything should be fine, that Horror is stable enough. But this? This doesn't look that stable. No, Cross can't just keep shut about that.
“What if Boss finds out about you harming the human?” While Cross speaks, his hands don't leave your curled pained form even for a moment, bringing some steady comfort. “You know that this human is important for his plan. You can’t just shove her around.”
“...” Horror doesn't seem to find any response to that, simply looking away.
Finally, you start to come back to your senses, slowly letting go of your head. Though the moment you do so, Cross's hands shoot towards the painful spot, checking if there's any blood. Gladly, there's none, which doesn't change the fact that it hurts. A muffled whine escapes you, as you try to push Cross’s hands away, which he allows you to do.
“I'm fine, it was an accident.” Your reassurance feels empty even to yourself. “It's okay.”
“How is your head? Do you want to go to the medical room?” Cross's concern would have been sweet, if this whole situation wasn't that frustrating to you. What even happened? It was all so quick.
Horror huffs. “She said… she's fine.”
Of course he doesn't confirm that it was an accident, after all, everyone here is aware that it was, in fact, not. Yet, you bite your tongue, standing up while ignoring how Cross shoots to his two, hands worryingly hovering around you. Gladly, you're able to stand firm despite the nagging pain, not requiring any help.
“I’m fine. And I can walk some distance barefoot, you don’t need to do anything extra, Cross.” The words come out harsh, annoyed. No, you shouldn’t allow your frustration to be shown.
Taking a deep breath, you try to go more clinical about this trip. More detached. None of that would have even happened if Cross was not babying you to begin with. Though you aren't angry at him, more frustrated at the situation. “What are the details of this task? Where are we going, and what is the process of getting the artifact gonna look like?”
Horror, as expected, doesn't say anything useful. “You will… see.”
However Cross, bless his heart, is more helpful this time. “We are gonna visit the safe AU with the goal of changing our clothes to blend in at the end destination. The same place can provide you something to wear too. Then we will travel through another portal, appearing at the place where one of the suitable artifact craftsmen was seen the last time. If we fail to find this person, there are a few other AUs that we have coordinates for.”
“Understood.” You nod, slightly wincing at throbbing pain at the back of your head. “Let's get this over with.”
The words came out in a tired murmur, already regretting that Horror is the one who's part of this mission. If only it was Nightmare instead…
Suddenly, two hands fall on your shoulder, a gentle Cross’s one, and a harsh, almost piercing into your shoulder Horror's.
You feel confused by that, but only for a moment. The big skeleton takes out his phone, clicking a few buttons. Right, the magic infused into the thing will allow you to travel through universes.
A big dark portal of familiar magic manifests itself underneath your feet, consuming all of you into the darkness in one, big gulp.
Opening your eyes, the first thing that you notice is snow, a lot of it. Actually, your legs are ankle deep into the chilly thing. The space around you looks like some kind of spaceful farm in the winter season. The quite pleasant view, if only it wasn't that damn cold. The chilly sensation forces you to sneeze, which results in pain shooting through your injuries that didn't appreciate the sudden movement. “Ugh…”
Cross's hand leaves your shoulder, and before you can even say anything, the warm scarf plops around your neck. His scent gives you some comfort in addition to this warmth. You glance at Cross, giving him a small nod of appreciation.
A small huff escapes him as he returns the nod. His gaze quickly moves away, scanning the snowy landscape. “I forgot that it's giftmas season here. We should hurry to the Farm’s house.”
There's indeed a cozy looking house that's not so far away. The thing has smoke coming out of its chimney and very warm looking Christmas lights. A very welcoming image.
“Let's … shortcut.” Finally Horror says something good for once. And you can’t help but agree, because walking barefoot is one thing, and walking barefoot through snow is the completely different one!
“Right.” Cross agrees right away, taking your cold hand in his.
With one, quick shortcut, your trio reappear right in front of the closet door of a cozy looking place. While Cross doesn't leave your side, Horror knocks at the door with the surprising casualty of a man that has been here a million times.
“Coming!” A nice, new and somehow familiar voice called.
As the door cracks open, the one you see in front of you is clearly a Sans variation, a very soft looking farm version of him. His eye lights widen in surprise for a moment when your eyes meet, but the welcoming relaxed smile doesn't leave his features.
“Come in. It's flake-tastic to see new guests around here.” The joke, despite sounding clever, doesn't bring you any amusement. You're too cold and in too much pain to appreciate it.
You step inside, making sure to tap your snow covered feet at the welcome mat so as to not create any mess. Then you move deeper into the warm house while this awful chilly sensation starts to melt away. This place is so warm and comfortable, even without getting far from the entrance you can already see a living room with a sweet looking fireplace in the corner and some Christmas decor. Such a striking contrast of warmth to Nightmare's castle. Not like you judge it, but this cozy house is such a beautiful change of pace.
While you’re busy gawking around, Horror and Cross step right behind you, closing the door after themselves.
“So.” Farm starts while gesturing for you to follow, leading all of you towards the kitchen that already has some snacks placed on the table. “Clothes, huh? Wouldn't the ‘you yourself know who’, be against you two bringing a new company here?”
Despite the casualty, there's clearly concern in Farm’s tone. He glances at you, awkwardly scratching his cheek. “No offense though. It's actually good to see a new company once in a while.”
You just stiffly shake your head, pushing down the familiar sensation of being a burden. “It's alright.”
Farm nods with the hint of appreciation, focusing back on the other two from your company.
Horror simply goes right to the table, taking one of the cookies instead of answering the question. How can he even eat in this situation? He looks like he's at his own home or something! Though, judging by how Farm’s smile became wider, he doesn't mind it even one bit.
Cross is the one to answer this question though. “Boss said we can go through this mission our way, just have to make sure to be careful. The human doesn't have any shoes or clothes to blend in. And since we would have visited this place regardless, I don't see why we can't bring her too. It's… for the sake of our task.”
A thoughtful hum escapes Farm as he glances at you. “Well, welcome to our little home. Me, my bro, and some other fella are the main folks taking care of this place. It's a Farmtale AU. Locals call me Sans, but please, call me Farm, so there wouldn’t be any confusion.”
The greeting is so casual, so normal, that it catches you off guard. When was the last time you saw someone like this…? Just someone saying hello without thinking you already know them, or without hating you.
“I, uh! My name is Y/n, nice to meet you, Farm!” You say with a bit too much enthusiasm. Do you look desperate or weird? You certainly hope that is not the case.
Stepping closer to the cozy skeleton, you try to shake his stretched hand, however, the moment your hands touch, a sound of a wet fart appears in the silent room. “...”
Your face slowly starts to get red. What happened?! You certainly didn't do anything! Was it him? Should you say something…? No, it won't be polite!
Suddenly, Farm starts laughing at your panicked expression, gesturing to his hand. “A good old trick that never fails to amuse.”
He chuckles while you get only more embarrassed. How you didn't notice this thing right away!? You got tricked like a fool!
Cross glances at you, surprisingly petting your back for some reassurance. “Most people get caught the first time.”
You glare at the skeleton, your face is still a red mess. “You knew that there would be this, and said nothing? Such a betrayal!”
“I'm sure you will survive this.” Cross said with a huff, though there's a hint of something light to his tone. You also notice that he doesn't withdraw his hand, keeping the soothing sensation.
As you open your mouth to joke in response, a harsh push forces you to take a step away from Cross.
“Ah-!” You manage not to stumble when Horror suddenly intervenes, hitting your shoulder once again. Your lost gaze moves to the big skeleton, he simply positions himself between you and the shocked Cross. Horror’s gaze turns to a shocked Farm.
“We better… not take too long. The human… just needs some… clothes and shoes. And we plan to just pick up… our usual stuff.” Horror says, ignoring the harsh glare that Cross gives him or a lost look on Farm’s face.
“Uh, yeah, sure. No tea time then. A cold welcome, but I get it, work calls and all.” Despite the casual voice, Farm's smile tightened at the corners.
At that, Horror's demeanour changes so slightly. Something you almost missed. “I… will visit again later.”
It sounds like a sincere, warm promise. A quite shocking contrast to the harshness you experienced just a moment ago.
“I will make sure to let bro and Paps know.” Farm says with a nod of approval, stepping closer to you. His voice is gentle with you, careful. “Let's go choose something for you, pal. I bet there are some really good looking boots hidden in this house. A top fashion model that was newly brought like… five years ago.”
“Mhm.” You just nod, not reacting to the joke, rubbing your throbbing shoulder. The poor thing got hit twice today, and you can say for sure that it's gonna be bruised, which won't look pretty on top of all the other injuries. You already look like ugly bruised and cut Christmas light, and now there would be only more marks. “Let's go.” You murmur under your breath, staring at the ground.
“Wait, I will go too.” Cross says, already stepping towards you.
A guilty strong desire to be selfish, to just let him go together swirls inside of you, but also… Horror so far has shown you that he doesn't like when you and Cross are being too close to each other. He will get only more frustrated, angry and hostile. That will cause more troubles for Cross, and you can’t allow that to happen. So, even if you desperately want to say yes, all that you can do is refuse.
“It's alright, you better go with Horror. I'm gonna be quick.” At your words, a hurt expression crosses Cross face, but you don't even dare to look at him, stepping away while your jaw clenches. A familiar stingy sensation appears on the corners of your eyes, but you suppress the urge to let it get a hold of you, taking a shaky breath.
The mission hasn't even started, but you already want to just crawl back to the castle and curl into the ball of pathetic sadness.
Farm’s expression doesn’t leave your face while he leads you through the house. After a few silent moments, he speaks up.“Hey, don't let it get to you. I snow that you clearly aren't having the best day, but I swear that the boots that I'm about to give you are so cool that your mood will brighten right away. Snowy but surely you will get a new outfit, there’s snow many choices.”
With those awful jokes, slowly the tension in your shoulders loosens a bit, just a fraction. Which doesn't seem to go unnoticed, as the cozy skeleton continues. “You know what folks call a skeleton who likes winter?”
“W-what?” Your voice comes out much more hesitant than you intended to, forcing you to stiffen once again. Do you look awkward? Unwelcome? But, it seems that Farm doesn’t even notice it, continuing those jokes.
“Nope, not what. He is called chill-tone.” Farm winks at you, delivering this terrible pun with such ease and confidence, that you can't help but snort. Quickly covering your mouth with the back of your hand, only to pause at the fabric around your neck. Ah, Cross's scarf, you still have it. But, you can give it back some later, it's alright.
Finally, you're the one to speak up this time. “Chill-tone? Sounds more like a skeleton who likes to laze around rather than one that prefers winter. Chilling all day long.”
Farm chuckles. “Nah, there aren't any lazy skeletons in the house. Maybe one, but I don't see this cool fella often. Only a few times per day, when I look in the mirror.”
He winks at you again, surprisingly getting another chuckle out of you, this one noticeably louder.
“That’s a good one.” You murmur, unable to hide a small smile from appearing on your face.
Keeping following Farm to the second floor, your gaze starts to take in the numerous pictures hanging on the wall. A happy Farm Sans with his brother who's holding a comically large pumpkin. A picture of both of them dressed as a fisherman with a familiarly looking child in between, this world’s Frisk. And some that looked like both of the skeletons in Christmas outfits with another, very, very tall looking skeleton that you do not recognise. He looks similar to, Paps, was it? But different. Though you don't have enough time to take a better look, as Farm keeps moving through the stairs, which forces you to catch up.
Reaching the second floor, a weird sensation appears inside of you. This house is so… opposite to the castle. This place is warm, welcoming and homey. Previously you desperately wanted to stick to Nightmare and the gang, but if Horror hates you so much despite knowing you for a few months, what will happen once you meet Killer? Or Dust.
In the past you truly wanted to stay with them, consider this option as the preferable one. But now the idea of fulfilling your purpose and finding some sweet, cozy AU doesn't seem that bad. Yes, just, do your task and leave.
Suddenly, the warm scent of a borrowed scarf pulls you away from those thoughts. Different place… it won't have Cross in it.
“So, here is the end destination, pal.” Farm gets your attention, gesturing at the door that has numerous colourful stickers placed all over it, with the big sign that says ‘The coolest room’. That looks funny, childish in a way. Yet you can't stop yourself from cracking a smile at such a cute looking space. But, the smile doesn't stay on for too long.
This is the room that belongs to someone full of personality. Someone having a place that can be called home and folks that are their family. You don't have either of those things. And there’s no guarantee you will have it in the future.
…
Why do you envy someone you never even met? Such an ugly feeling that shouldn't have any place in your heart. Yet here we are.
Shaking those thoughts aside, you look at Farm. “Let me see those sick five year old boots that are definitely from the newest collection.”
He chuckles at your joke,
“Yep, the first class fancy booths. You won't find anything like this, trust me.” Farm plays along with this joke, leading you inside. “Probably because they got discontinued or something.”
The moment you and Farm step far enough for Cross to not be overheard, his head snaps to Horror. “If you do anything like this again, I'll report it to the Boss.”
Horror frowns, though he doesn't look surprised by those words, as if expecting such a treat. “She's fine, I didn't… push that hard. It's not like this human would die from… that.”
“She's injured, you don't know how low her HP is. She has already been through a lot, and this mission definitely will take a toll on her. Yet here you are, acting like-.” Cross takes a deep breath, attempting to calm down his frustration. The act does nothing since the image of your hurt face is vivid in his mind. The face of someone who he keeps failing, just like anything in this damn life of his. “That's beside the point, Horror. I stand by my word, you're here to escort Y/n, not to harass her. Understood?”
“Are you… out of your mind, Cross?” Horror steps closer, hovering over the skeleton. Though despite all the frustration and threatening swirl of magic, Cross is aware that there won't be any physical fight. Horror would never harm anyone from the group, and Cross won't start anything physical either. At least this weird level of trust between those two skeletons is unbreakable even in the heat of a moment.
Horror leans forward. “This human, this creature, they… harmed you. You can't just … brush it off and act all friendly with it.”
“I'm not, I'm just fulfilling my duty!” Cross snaps, but the big skeleton doesn't seem to be amused by it.
“Are… you now?” Horror huffs, staring right in Cross's eye lights. The gaze is harsh, heavy. “Don't seem… like it to me.”
Cross's expression falters, but only for a fraction of a moment. He himself knows that this attachment is something else, something more. Yet, he can't admit it to himself, let alone someone else.
Stepping back, the skeleton turns away, not meeting Horror's persistent glare. “If you keep bullying the human, I will inform the Boss.”
“For fucks sake…” Horror murmurs, frustrated at you, at Cross, at this ridiculous situation, at everything. But he knows better than to let emotions control him. “I … won't do it, okay? Happy?”
“...” Cross doesn't answer.
A silence settles in, yet, a soft chuckle echoes somewhere from upstairs, getting both skeletons' attention.
Cross sighs heavily, trying to put the mess in his head back together. At least you're the only one who got some happiness here. Good, you definitely need it. The sound of your laughter is something the skeleton can appreciate. Even if Cross himself isn't the one making you laugh.
All that he has done so far has failed to react in time to keep you safe. A pathetic excuse of a guard, no wonder you refused his attempt to go upstairs with you.
Alright, it seems you will be back soon. Cross should hurry, not with just a change of clothes, but this whole ordeal. Get this mission over with, and then everything will click back to the proper order of things. He will go back to guarding you from everyone who might hurt you. Be a better guard, the one that you can rely on.
Perhaps this desire truly is born not from a pure sense of duty…