Horror

~~~~~

"Daddy?" I had been crying. "Are y-you okay?"

"Don't be scared.." My daddy held my hand. "It's okay, just look away.."

"Wh-why?"

"Shh, look away, please. I'm going to run off so fast that I'll leave a trail of dust, eh?"

"R-really?"

"Yep..it's a magic trick..just look away for a moment.."

"Okay.." I looked away.

"I love you, my little horror.." He let go of my hand.

When I looked back, there was a pile of dust.

"Daddy?" I was frightened; mommy had run away like that, too, but we didn't find her.. "Daddy?!"

There was nobody. Mommy and daddy had run away fast enough to leave dust behind..but they left me. I cried; I'd never see daddy again! I wanted my daddy! I cried over the dust he left; why'd he have to go?

"Horror?" Someone touched my shoulder. "Horror, you're having a 'me.'"

"H-huh?" I opened my eyesockets; Dad was there. "Oh..s-sorry.."

"It's all right." Dad hugged me closely. 

"I hope I didn't wake you.."

"I was up..do you want to talk about it?" 

"No.." I shook my skull.

"All right, then. Do you want a midnight snack?" Dad always knew how to cheer me up.

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Do you want something healthy, or do you want something that'll keep you up?"

"Keep me up? I don't wanna sleep.."

"All right; I'll stay up with you, then. Get into your day clothes, and I'll come back with a snack."

(My brother threatened me to leave the typo I have just made: "I'll come bacc with a snacc." Okay, enjoy the rest of the story.)

"Okay, Dad." I nodded, getting out of bed.

Dad left me to change, and I did so. Dad knew how bad nightmares could be, and he would sometimes let us stay up if we went bed early the next day; I didn't want to dream about my parents. I loved my parents, but..I had to move on. Nightmare was my dad, now, and although he would never replace my old parents, he was my new one; I loved him just as much. I decided to wear a red and black sweater and some jeans; they would be comfortable. When I was dressed, I went into the living room; we were in the lower house tonight, which meant that the couch was larger and more comfortable. I grabbed a blanket and curled up in it while waiting for Dad; it was so warm. Dad knew that I loved warm things; they made me forget about the hole in my skull. The hole made it drafty, and I was often cold without a blanket covering it. Sometimes, I wished I had never fallen out of my crib; that was stupid of baby me to do, and it would have saved me a lot of cold nights. When Dad came back, he sat on the couch next to me and handed me a piece of pie; it was chocolate flavored! 

 "Thanks, Dad!" I smiled, accepting the pie.

"Of course." Dad returned my smile and wrapped an arm around me. 

I started to eat my pie in silence. Dad was a really good dad; he did all sorts of stuff that normal dads didn't, like staying up all night when one of us had a nightmare. Dad didn't need to sleep as much as normal people, since the multiverse was his boss; he could stay awake for weeks if he needed to! I didn't really like the multiverse; it was mean to my dad, but Dad never really said the same. Dad always said that we should respect the multiverse, but I sometimes felt like he was being forced to say that; he was afraid that something bad would happen if he didn't. I was scared of when Error would have to do a job, too; he would only be ten. I was eight, at the moment, but I knew that I wouldn't have been able to do a job like that in two years. Dad said that he would teach Error how to be a good servant of the multiverse, since he would have been hurt if he wasn't; I didn't want my little brother to be hurt..

"Something on your mind?" Dad looked down at me, recognizing the look in my eyelights.

"Does Error really have to do it?" I was worried that he would be hurt.

"Unfortunately."

"Can't you ask the multiverse to not make him do it?"

"I'm afraid I can't.." Dad shook his skull. "If I were to try something like that, someone would probably be hurt.."

"Why is the multiverse so mean?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you a Guardian?"

"Because it's my fault that the balance is off. I suppose I deserve this.."

"No, you don't! You deserve hugs all day!"

"I'm glad you think so, but not everyone sees it that way."

"Why is the balance off?"

"Because I offset it.."

"How?"

"That's a pretty long story.."

"We have all night." I held up my piece of pie.

"Well, all right. I'll give you the short version; is that okay?"

"Yep!"

"All right, then. It was a long time ago; I don't know exactly how long. My brother and I guarded the Tree of Feelings, protecting it from those who wanted the fruits it bore; they lived in a village nearby, mainly. When they realized that my brother was the embodiment of happiness, they started to just want to take him instead of the fruits. They would take him off to play every day, leaving me alone to guard the tree. After a while, they realized that I was the complete opposite of my brother, the embodiment of sadness. Now, that doesn't mean that I was sad all the time; I was actually quite happy in my early years..but they decided to believe that I was evil. They started blaming me for anything and everything bad that happened, from floods to deaths! I wasn't to blame..but they wouldn't listen. It started out as verbal abuse, but..somewhere along the line, they became hostile..they would attack me on sight if my brother wasn't nearby. One day, they tried to kill me; I was immortal, but I didn't know that, at the time. I was afraid that they would kill me, and I ate the fruits of the tree. The balance was offset that day, and my life was never the same."

"That's sad.." I frowned.

"Yes, well, not every story can be a happy one.."

"Why can't the people who hurt you take care of the balance? They made you offset it."

"No, Horror; they didn't deserve that. They didn't force me to take the fruits; I did that of my own free will, but..I don't regret it."

"Why not? You lost everything.."

"Yes, I lost everything..I was partly insane, a murderer, and I had done my own brother wrong. But I don't regret it. If I hadn't done it, I never would have found you."

"We would have survived.."

Dad sighed. "Honestly? I don't know if you would have. Maybe you would live, possibly taken in by some nice family. Killer might have lived, if he wasn't killed by his abusers. Cross almost definitely would have lived; those scientists didn't show any signs of wanting to kill him. Dust? No, Dust would be dead. He was in prison when I first met him; I didn't have the soul to tell him that they weren't kind enough to simply send him to a reform school. Error? Error wouldn't even exist; Ink only created him because I was adopting children. Don't tell them that; Dust would be more paranoid than he already is, and Error would probably be sad for a while, and you know what a sad Error is like."

"I won't tell them. I promise."

"Thank you, Horror. Are you done with that pie?"

"Uh-huh." I nodded, holding up my plate. 

"All right. Do you want to overcome the sugar and go back to bed, or do you want to stay up and watch a movie with me?"

"What movie?"

"I'm not sure; perhaps a pirate movie, if there's a good one."

"Okay, I'll stay up."

"All right."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Horror."

Dad turned on the television at that point, and we watched a movie about pirates; I liked pirates. When the movie ended, it was still night; it was three in the morning, technically, but it was dark. I was scared..

"Is something the matter?" Dad could feel emotions, and he knew that I was scared.

"I-it's three.."

"Yes?"

"Killer said three in the morning was when the gh-ghosts came out.."

"Ah, I see.." Dad hummed. "Well, he's right."

"H-he is?!"

"Yep, all the ghosts come out at three o'clock, and they leave at three-oh-one."

"They do?

"Yes, they do."

"They're only out for a minute?"

"Indeed, and they don't like to harm people, either; they just say good morning at that time, since everybody else is sleeping, and they want to be the first ones awake."

"That's silly!"

"Yes, well, ghosts can be silly. Are you still scared?"

"Nope! It's silly to be afraid of ghosts!"

"That's right! So, what else shall we do on this wonderful night?"

"Can we just cuddle?"

"Sure."

I moved closer to my dad, wrapping myself in the blanket tighter; that was very comfortable. Dad's goop was actually soft and warm when he wanted to cuddle with us; he was an awesome dad. We cuddled for a while before some footsteps approached us.

"Dad?" Error peeked around the corner.

"What are you doing up this early, Error?" Dad didn't feel his having a nightmare.

"I heard sounds.."

"Ah, that might have been us..sorry."

"It's okay..can I cuddle with you?"

"Do we have room for one more, Horror?" 

"Yeah." I confirmed.

"Yay!" Error came up to us and joined our couch cuddle. "Cuddles!"

"He's so adorable..." I couldn't contain my glee while running on pure sugar.

"I'm not adorable!" Error pouted.

"Then what are you? 

"I'm precious!" Error smiled, giggling.

"I'll take it." 

"You're both precious." Dad stated. "I love you, boys."

"We love you too, Dad!" We harmonized. 

"Error, I think you should get some sleep, now." 

"Can't I stay up, too?" Error whined.

"Sorry, you can't. Off to bed, now."

"Can you tuck me in, again?"

Dad sighed playfully. "All right, but you have to go to bed."

"Okay!"

"I'll be back in a minute, Horror."

"All right, Dad." I nodded.

Dad walked Error back to his room, and I was again alone on the couch. I pulled my blanket over my skull a bit more, cutting off any draft that had made its way into it; that was cold. I looked at the clock; it was just past four in the morning, and I was hungry. The blanket was so warm, though..I didn't want to move. When dad came back, he found me snuggled into my blanket.

"Horror, are you tired?" He wondered, sitting next to me.

"No..just hungry.." I hummed, leaning into Dad's arm.

"Would you like another snack?"

"Please?"

"All right." 

Dad picked me up along with the warm blanket. I cuddled with him happily as he carried me to the kitchen; sometimes, being light was a free ride. As we reached the kitchen, Dad set me on the counter and started to make a snack; he always made the best midnight snacks - or four A.M. snacks. When he finished, he handed me a plate of fruit.

"Thanks, Dad!" I ate an apple slice.

"You're welcome, Horror." Dad rubbed my skull. "Well, we have less than two hours until Killer wakes everyone else up.."

"Can we make a super special breakfast?"

"Hmm, I suppose so. What shall we make?"

"Blueberry chocolate pancakes!"

"All right, let's get to work!"

"Yay!"

We started immediately, getting the pancake mix, eggs, chocolate, blueberries, and everything else we needed to make this breakfast the best breakfast ever! Dad was a really good cook, and he knew exactly how long to cook the pancakes, which meant that his were the best! When the pancakes were done, it was six in the morning, which meant that Killer would have been getting up around now. Dad and I waited for Killer to come see what we were doing, which he did right on time! He walked into the kitchen to see Dad setting the pancakes on the table while I plated the pancakes.

"Good morning Dad and Horror!" Killer waved.

"Good morning!" We returned. 

"Have you been up long?"

"Not really." Dad shrugged; it was never long for him.

"Do you want pancakes?" I offered.

"Ooh, pancakes!" Killer grinned. "I'll get everyone else!"

Killer ran off to let us finish preparing breakfast.

I loved my dad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Horror bean doesn't sleep.

Thanks for reading my restless writing!

Bye!