Healing the Cracks (Nightmare x Trepidation [OC])

Welcome, Chaos Crew

They visited him in his dreams again. They always visited his dreams. His wife, Jasmine, and his daughter, Bree. He knew they were fake, figments of his imagination, but to see them every night when he slept was always nice. A mercy, in a small way. Unless they were nightmares, but thanks to Dream, they usually weren't. A constant beep interrupted his time with them, slowly making them fade from his arms as he started to wake. "No- no! Don't leave me again!" Trep begged his wife and infant child. This is why he didn't have an alarm clock in his room. He hated when he was torn from them. But wait, if there was an alarm going off... where was he?

Trep blinked his eye awake as the alarm was shut off by Dream. What was he doing in Dream's room? He was usually good about going to his own room? "Trep? What are you doing in here? I thought you had left so Nightmare and I could talk?" Dream asked in confusion. All at once, it came to Trep. Nightmare's rude words to him and how Dream just... let it happen. Trep looked away, feeling the betrayal all over again. "I don't know. I'll leave." Trep started to get up and walk away. Dream quickly caught his arm though. "Wait!" Trep looked back. Dream flinched a little at the look Trep was giving him. "I'm sorry about Nightmare. He's... not the best with his words. He meant well though..." Trep eased up a little, but tugged away. "It wasn't just Nightmare. You didn't even try to stand up for me." He sighed. "But, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, this time." Dream smiled in relief. "I'll be better next time! We are friends and I do value you!" Trep gave a soft nod and headed out to prepare himself for the others.

It wasn't uncommon for Trep to tap or whistle or hum. This was because he had sedatephobia. A fear of silence. Most of the time it was tapping, it helped him to keep the time. Considering the time now, he had roughly 900 taps until Nightmare came back. 900 seconds until he was stuck with that monster and his group. 15 minutes. He almost felt that he was trading one hell for another now, not that he would go back. He would rather deal with Nightmare than deal with Frisk and get the daily reminder of what happened to his loved ones.

"Hello Trep, I need to ask you something." Wine was straightforward with his wants and needs. Trep could respect that. "Hey, Wine. What's up?" Trep asked with a tilt of his skull. "I need your honest opinion on this merge. I know we all decided to give this a shot, but surely you don't like it? Even if he's Dream's twin?" Trep frowned. Everyone in the Star Alliance knew how close he was to Dream. He was almost always on Dream's side for everything. "Honestly? I don't like this at all. I got the 'pleasure' of meeting the guy and he was an ass." Wine looked pleasantly surprised for a moment. Then he narrowed his sockets. "But?" Trep shifted his position. Wine knew him well. "But first impressions aren't everything. As much as this sucks, we are kinda stuck with it now. We should go. Five minutes until they get here." Trep wanted to know how much worse it was going to get.

Dream was hoping everyone would be there to welcome Nightmare. Unfortunately, only a few arrived. Sans was one. Geno and Flowerfell were a couple others. Same with the Echotale crew, Aroace, and Sci. Trep made it too. Dream doubted they came here to actually welcome Nightmare and his gang, some, like Sci, were just curious. Some, like G, were made to. Some, like Echo, believed in second chances. And Some, like Trep, came to support Dream and he was grateful for it. Especially with how he acted with Trepidation earlier. Blue and Ink would've been here as well, waiting for the gang to appear, but they were currently trying to gather the rest of the alliance, so that they could all meet properly and hopefully hit it off. Dream felt a shift and a dark purple and cyan portal started to open. It was time for the moment of truth.

Killer was the first through, his smile widening as he saw who all was there. "Sup, goody two shoes of all ages! Oooh, Dream you have your own egghead? I bet he and Horror will get along well. Tell me, is your AU starving too? Going insane? How does it feel, knowing you abandoned all your loved ones for a better life?" Trepidation instantly hated this guy. "Killer, could you not antagonize Trep?" A hooded figure went through next. "Huh... I was expecting more people. Oh well." Killer seemed to ignore Dream as he turned to the hooded figure. "Dust! Look! They have a Horror too!" Now Trep had two of their group looking at him. It was unsettling. The next looked much like himself. As soon as their eyes met, the two had an understanding of each other.

Others came through after. Error, Ink's rival. Reaper, the God of Painful Death and Bill. Reaper already looked bored while Bill was already chatting some Alliance members up. Ccino, who didn't seem to fit the group, and Baggs. Ccino was the most approachable and had already started to talk to Sci. Baggs, on the other hand, stood quietly near Dust, simply observing his surroundings. Wiki and VHS, two scarier looking Sans's. Trep was curious, but didn't want to be rude. The others in the Star Alliance seemed a lot less curious and more uneasy. Yanberry and Yanbunny, two Blue's with a killing streak. He never knew there was such a thing as insane Blue's, but he supposed even he had a breaking point. Nightmare. Trep felt that Nightmare was staring at him, but every time he looked to the self proclaimed King, he was talking to someone else, introducing his group with Dream right by his side to do the same. Trep sighed and turned to leave. He did his part.

Trep stopped abruptly with Killer smiling up at him. "Does it hurt?" Trep didn't understand. "How big was the spear to make a hole in your head and in your face? I bet that hurt." Trep shrugged uneasily. "I don't remember-"
"Did you go ballistic? Kill them all? Are you one of us, pretending to have a perfect life?" Trep huffed and walked around Killer. "My life is far from perfect, or I wouldn't have to deal with you." Killer tilted his head, his smile never leaving. "Did I hit a nerve? You know, you looked pretty pissed when I brought up your loved ones." Trep paused for a brief moment. "I don't like to talk about them." He started walking again. "Is your brother dead? Is that why it's touchy?" Trepidation growled and lashed out at Killer. "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Killer didn't flinch, his 'gaze' instead directed to Trep's left hand. Trep glanced down. He's summoned his axe. Flowerfell came to Trep's side instantly. "Come on, buddy. Let's getcha away from here..." Trep was guided out.

"I haven't done that in awhile... I'm sorry..." Trep apologized, his head low. "I don' blame ya, Trepidation... I heard Killer bring 'im up. He was tryin' ta push yer buttons..." Flowerfell replied. "And Dream did nothing again..." Trep mumbled. "Hm?" Flowerfell didn't quite pick up on it, luckily. Trep shook his skull and summoned his axe. "It's nothing. I'm just glad to be away. Thanks, Flowerfell." Said skeleton nodded softly. "Of course... don' ferget ya can always come ta me if ya need ta talk about it..." Trep sighed as he looked down at his hands and flexed them. Then he looked at Flowerfell. "It's been three years since... since they passed on. I still can't seem to..." He hesitated a moment. "I think... I will go visit them..." Flowerfell nodded. "Mind if I join ya?"
"Please do."

The week Trep had moved in, they had given his family a plot of land for them to rest in peace. The same went for Flowerfell's lover. Anyone who had lost loved ones had them buried here. Trep got some jasmine for his girls and brother. They were pretty little flowers. Smelled good. Plus they were ironically Jasmine's favorite flower. "Hey guys... good afternoon. I, uh... remember that guy I told you about? The mean one that hurts people? Well, he and his people moved in today. I had a little outburst because of it..." He started to clean up the tombs as he vented to them. "It probably wasn't a good first impression, but, uh, I never was a fan of those anyway." He sighed as he wiped away dirt and leaves. "I don't know how this is going to work. Nightmare is such a rude asshole and Killer is pushy and- I... I met another guy today. He was like me... Hole in the skull and all..." He paused, thinking. "Maybe... just maybe this will work..."

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Nightmare wasn't surprised that Killer had already triggered someone. Even less so that it was Trepidation. He didn't seem like the normal type of Sans Dream would pick up, but then again, what did Nightmare know? "I am so sorry about Trep! He's not good with change..." Nightmare dismissed it quickly. "If I may ask, where did you find him?" Dream gazed at the doorway, as if debating on going after him. Instead, he turned to Nightmare. "Oh, well he was just someone we found who really needed help. So we brought him here. It took a while for him to adjust to that, and it will take a long time for him to adjust to this. Please, try to go easy on him, if you can..?" Dream requested. Nightmare could promise no such thing. "I may try." He responded to the request. Dream sighed. It would work out... somehow.

Nightmare let Dream take the lead in showing them around and where their rooms would be and such. They were walking down a hall to the library when Nightmare caught notice of something out one of the windows. It was a quaint little graveyard, barred off from the rest of the world. Trepidation was easily recognizable among the graves, seemingly cleaning them up. How curious. He would have to ask Dream about the graveyard at a later date. He didn't think the Star Base would have such a thing. He wondered who was buried within? Questions for after the library, he supposed. Nightmare left the window to catch up to the group, his thoughts still on that skeleton, Trepidation. 

"Welcome, Chaos Crew" written by SpiritWolfNura