Nightmare And The Babybone Sanses

Author's Note (Y'all probably knew this was coming)

I want to start out by apologizing for taking so long to update this. I know that I kept saying in the comments and stuff (on AO3) that I would update it soon, but then months would go by without an update. This past year or so I haven't been in a good head space. There's been a lot of stuff troubling me and just demotivating me, making it harder for me to write. And no, I'm not talking about the spiky round boy; I'm referring to stuff that I've been struggling with even before spiky round boy showed up. To top it all off, I recently had problems with my computer that caused me to loose some of what I had written for the next chapter, so that demotivated me even more. So this may not be a surprise to some, but I've decided to put this fic on Hiatus.

Now, I don't want you to think that I'm abandoning this fic, because I'm not. I do want to come back to this. I just don't want to leave you in the dark, wondering when the next update will be and another year or so goes by with nothing. I still have so many ideas for this that I want to write about, but for now, it might be for the best if I just put it to the side. I still have been making posts on my twitter, so if you still want to see stuff from me, you can follow me there: https://twitter.com/Sirsen_nohope.

I know you're probably wondering "why did you come back after all this time just to not give an update?" So, I'll give you what I had written so far (or what's left of it anyway after I had problems with my computer and lost some of it), and I'll give the chapter summary I had to go off of.

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It was dark and cold, and the concrete underneath them was slightly damp. The nights Cross and his gang of little skeletons have spent out on the streets have be rough... well, no, they've been hell. How long has it been now? He can't even remember. Most nights are spent wondering when their next meal will be or if they will have to go a day without food and wondering if Error is doing ok back at the orphanage - It has to be better than this. Cross has often wondered if they should go back, if this is really worth it. At least they had food and a warm place to sleep at the orphanage... No, it wouldn't be like this forever. They would find a home – a home that will be better than the orphanage. A home like the one he lost...

The stirring of little bones caused Cross to glance to his side, where the other three in his group were curled against each other, trying to stay warm in this dark alleyway and get some sleep. Red and blue eye lights were shining in the dark from one of them. It was unmistakably Dust – he was the only one in the group who had blue in his eye lights. Seems like he's having trouble sleeping as well. Horror had his head on Dust's lap, sleeping peacefully as Dust lightly pet him. Those two have been nearly glued to each other ever since the pizza incident. At least Dust is trying to be more careful and considerate of his brother.

The mismatching eye lights shifted towards Cross when they noticed him looking at them. Dust made a little smirk, "can't sleep either, Stick?" Cross narrowed his eyes at the nickname. Dust has taken to calling him that sometimes because it's short for "stick in the mud." The other ignored his glare, "you worrying again?"

Cross gave a frustrated sigh but dropped the glare. "How can I not worry?" He gestured around them, "look at where we are. We have to sleep out in the cold streets, and we never know when we'll get to eat again."

Dust hums and nods in understanding but gives him a lazy smirk. "Be that as it may, you shouldn't be so tense all the time. It's not good for you."

Cross rolled his eye lights at that. "That's easy for you to say. You're never stressed or worried about anything, and besides, someone has to do it. If none of us think about a plan of action, then we'll just end up lost or worse."

The hooded gave a soft chuckle at the worried one. "Always looking at that bad... Maybe instead of always looking at the bad side of things, you should shift that energy into seeing the good too."

The leading skeleton stared blankly at Dust, "the good? What good is there in this?" He gestured around them again for emphasis.

"Well, we're not on that orphanage anymore, right? And while we may be stuck to sleeping outside, at least we can go wherever we want. And more importantly, we're all still together, and none of us are hurt."

Cross looked down at his lap. Dust had a point, as always, but he couldn't understand how he's always so calm about everything and always smiling. "Is that why you always have a smile on your face? Because you always see the brighter side of things?"

Dust gave a laugh at that, but for some reason, it didn't seem very humorous. When the silence stretched on, Cross realized that Dust wasn't going to answer, so he decided to try again. "...why do you smile so much?"

The hooded skeleton didn't meet Cross's gaze when he answered, "if you smile, they won't hurt you so bad."

The worried skeleton tensed at this. Why would he think that he needs to smile in order for people to not hurt him? This made him wonder about where Dust came from... "Dust... what was your life like before we ended up here?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Cross narrowed his eyes at the hooded skeleton. He's had trouble connecting with all of the other little skeletons, because none of them want to talk about where they came from. He just wants to know more about the others who've suffered the same horrible fate as him. "Why won't any of you tell me about your past?"

Dust gave him a grin, but it didn't seem very happy. "Because it's not worth remembering. Not everyone got to have the happy little life that you did, Cross." There was a little spite in his words, but it didn't feel like it was directed at Cross.

The leading skeleton decided not to pry anymore. Instead, his mind drifted to a different topic. "...if you won't tell me about your past, then could you at least tell me something else... do you... hear it too? I mean, after the... incident... have you been hearing something like... someone else's thoughts?"

The hooded skeleton chuckled a little at that, "it's funny how you're talking about it as if it's not you."

"Because it's not..." Cross tried to argue, but he found himself doubting his own words.

"Maybe you think that because you're in denial. I've already accepted my demons. Maybe you should do the same."

Cross gave Dust a confused look, which Dust only grinned at. "There's a reason the people at the orphanage referred to us as demons."

Cross seemed to suddenly realize something, like a puzzle piece was just put into place. "...if that's the case... then do you know what your name is... your REAL name, I mean."

Dust gave an amused scoff, "'course I do. My name is Pride."

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Present Day

(This is where I lost what I wrote from the computer problems)

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Chapter Summary:

Cross dreams about a memory with him and Dust, asking why they don't tell him about their past. Dust tells him that it isn't worth remembering. Present Day: Dust is upset with Cross for not trusting him (it hurts his pride). With Dust not talking to him anymore, Cross only has Killer and Horror to talk to now. While Cross is trying to figure out how to fix things with Dust, Nightmare is looking for someone to look after them when he's not around, since he doesn't plan on sending them on anymore missions anytime soon, meaning he will have to do the work himself and leave the boys with someone he can trust. He decides to trust a Horror!Farm sans with them, since his farm is secluded and there are plenty of things on the farm to keep the boys entertained. Horror!Farm doesn't mind having the kids around, since he misses having company ever since his brother went off to college. After talking with Killer, Cross discovers how observant he actually is.