How to Establish Your Gang and Take Care of the Children in It

Rule 13: Check Your Sociopath for Rabies ASAP

Nightmare felt like he was two seconds away from falling back asleep by the time he finished his spell.

It wasn't even a difficult spell. Renewals always took less magic than the original. And yet this time Mare was already tired, even though it had only been a simple use of magic. His magic reserves felt about empty, which was odd. Maybe he'd just accidentally overdone the seal- which, when he thought about it, made sense. Chara had been resisting more than usual, so to compensate he'd used more magic to make sure the seal worked properly.

Nightmare closed his eye, rubbing his temples. He hadn't overdone it too badly- he was too experienced to ever get to the point of danger in magic overuse. But he did have a headache, and would like nothing more than to take a nap and sleep the rest of the day away while he recovered his magic. However, as much as he would like to do that, there were things to be done and he had no time to sleep. Instead, he reached over and uncapped one of the magic restoral potions Madam Toriel had given him.

Energy coursed through his system, and he sighed quietly in relief. He'd crash eventually, once the artificial magic ran its course, and of course spells would work less efficiently using replacement magic than real magic. But for now it would keep him awake and not in danger of crashing from exhaustion. He'd deal with the consequences of using a magic booster later. For now he had things to do.

Cross tilted his head, worried but trying not to show it. "What... is that for?" He asked.

"It's sort of like magical coffee," Mare explained. "A magic booster for my system. I'd meant for the supply to last longer, but I suppose I overestimated myself. Whatever."

Cross hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something. Rather than stop himself, he actually did say it.

"I... I'm sorry," He said. "I don't- you've used so much time and energy on me, and-"

"Cross."

For once, the monochromatic skeleton just continued, unheeding of the unspoken warning. "I'm sorry that- that you have to do this- and that I can't just do it by myself. I-"

"Cross."

The iciness in Mare's voice stopped the monochromatic skeleton mid sentence. However, once he had Cross' attention, all Nightmare did was speak in a softer- but still firm- tone of voice.

"Don't ever apologize for needing help," Mare said. "I don't care if- if you think I'm wasting my time, or that you're not worth helping. I don't care if you've already decided you're a lost cause or what. Do not apologize for needing help."

"But you-" Cross started to protest.

"Me? What about me? I help you because I feel like you deserve it," Nightmare said sharply. "I may be wrong. Maybe you're a despicable person who has barely any right to live." At this, Cross became noticeably more fidgety, glancing away guiltily. "I don't care. I don't care who you were in the past. I don't care if Cross was a mass murderer and sociopath. I do care about the Cross in front of me. I do care about the Cross who needs help, and cares about his friends. I do care about the Cross who loves chocolate and hates cows and sits next to Dust for hours to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. I care about you, Cross. And I don't care if I have to go a week without any sleep or use up my entire stock of potions to help you. It's worth it, you hear? You are worth it. So don't apologize for needing help."

"I..." Cross trailed off, staring down at his hands. He clenched them into fists, then nodded. "I need to go talk to Horror," He said, rather than answering. But, while it hadn't quite sunk in, Mare could tell he was seriously considering accepting the words as true, which was a giant step up from before.