Chapter Text
Dust's bedroom tended to reside in a permanent state of shadow no matter how many lights were flicked on in within its confines. The air held a lingering chill as well, a problem that was never quite fixed despite Nightmare's numerous attempts to dispel the unwanted cold from Dust's quarters. It was the coldest bedroom out of the bunch-not that any of the others were particularly warmer in any regard-which was why, most nights, Horror simply held Dust close and shared his bed with the smaller. The larger's body heat was higher than most normal monsters, and any shivers that wracked Dust's body were quickly dispelled within minutes of close contact. It was nice to know that he helped the hooded skeleton on nights where the shivers weren't just from the outer cold of his rooms but from the frigid confines of his head, too, crimson pulling mauve beneath thick covers and chasing the whispered fragments away.
Despite the colder temperature of the atmosphere, Horror had insisted that they use Dust's room for their activities this particular day instead of his own warmer one further down the hall. "You sure you don't wanna go to your room?" The question prompted a firm headshake of denial, and Dust let out a soft sigh. "Ight, if you say so."
Both skeletons were sprawled out on the covering of Dust's bed, the sheets wrinkled and lopsided and more than a little untucked. The hooded skeleton was never good when it came to keeping his quarters clean, numerous stacks of clothing thrown haphazardly on the floor and blankets thrown to scatter their soft fabric out over any surface they came into contact with. One of the bedside lamps mounted on the wall didn't even work. The lightbulb had run dry weeks ago, but Dust had never bothered to replace it; why should he, when all he ever did was dart in to grab clothing before moving straight to Horror's room?
"So-" Dust looked up at Horror from his position in the larger's lap, "-how do you want to do this?" The question was soft and filled with a hint of curiosity, Horror shifting a bit to untangle his arms from around the smaller's waist where they had settled. "Up... to you." The careful response was enough to nudge Dust into action, exhaling through his teeth as he forced himself into a sitting position. "Sittin' up, then." Horror followed suit as his lover repositioned himself up against the old oak headboard that was darkened with age, the larger moving to sit facing across from him.
"Okay." Dust gave a shaky breath, multicolored eyelights finding Horror's crimson one with trust. "Are you... comfortable?" Horror's deep voice rumbled with concern that was quickly motioned away by a wave of his partner's hand. "Yeah, yeah- I'm fine. 'S just..." his voice tapered off with a clear of his throat. "I ain't never really done this before, so." The voiced nerves made Horror nod in slow agreement, clawed fingers looping and unlooping amongst each other in visible tension; "Me neither."
The subject of souls had been a rather hot topic around the mansion lately. The buzz had started with Killer and Cross, Nightmare catching word that the two of them had been helping one another with the small bumps and hassles of owning a soul that did not function correctly or at full capacity. The revelation had sparked a group-wide meeting in which Cross had sheepishly explained how Killer,the cocky bastardof all people, had been easing the irritation that XChara had been causing along the ragged edge of their shared heart.
The knowledge had caused great intrigue on Nightmare's part for a multitude of reasons.
One thing had lead to the next, and suddenly the Boss was researching unceasingly about the sensitive organ, asking questions and prompting consensual demonstrations to various members of the house. Each and every one of them held a soul that varied greatly from the other; Cross' was a fusion for starters, and Killer's little red target was so lacking that not even he considered it a true functioning system anymore.
It hadn't taken long for Nightmare to work his way around to Horror's. It had been just after breakfast not even a week ago, a brief moment in time where everyone save for Dust, his partner, and Nightmare had already slipped out of the dining room to go about their respective routines. The guardian had asked if Horror was comfortable enough to show him his soul for a brief once-over, nothing more and nothing less. The cannibal had simply shrugged and bared the small organ to the Boss upon request, the only sign of discomfort the brief flicker of shame present in his one working eyesocket.
The delicate organ was...small, to put it nicely.
Horror's soul had hovered weakly in his hand as he extended it in offer towards the king. The crimson heart was dull and cracked with muted edges and a fragile shell, and it flickered irregularly in the light filtering down from the ornate fixtures up above on the ceiling. Most noticeably, standing out against everything else, had been the sheer size of the inverted heart. It was much smaller than a typical monster soul, tiny and feeble and pounding off-kilter in a random beat that was so slow it was borderline concerning.
It had been the prettiest thing Dust had ever seen.
The hooded skeleton made sure Horrorknewit, too. He wanted to see all traces of that flickering shame and doubt disappear completely from his lover's eye. The moment they left the dining room with Horror's small soul in tow, Dust had been on the larger fast enough to make the cannibal's skull spin with dizzying denial. "It's such a pretty shade of red." He'd murmured, "Perfect. Perfect, jus' like you." The shower of compliments had ended with Dust showing Horror just howmuchhe adored the other's soul, gloved hands and mauve body drowning the larger in praise until he could no longer breathe without inhaling the essence of his partner and the sheer wave of love felt towards every aspect of him.Honestly, who could say that they weren't the same thing?
Several days had passed since then, hours trickling away with small little kisses and cuddles behind closed doors as it always had been. When Horror had approached Dust with a slight flush upon his cheeks and a stutter in his voice earlier that morning, the smaller wasn't entirely sure what to expect when the larger had finally opened up his mouth to speak. "I... wanna hold it. Your soul." The request had been so softspoken that Dust had almost missed it entirely, and he'd nearly lost his grip on the scalding cup of coffee he'd clutched between his hands. "You wanna dowhat?" Asymmetrical eyelights stared disbelieving at Horror as the larger laced and unlaced his hands together before hooking a pair of clawed fingers through his broken eyesocket in embarrassment. "Your soul."
Like everything that came down to Horror, Dust had obliged instantaneously.
All of those small events had led to this particular moment; the two of them alone in a cold little room. The remaining inner scientist of Dust found it fascinating how every little action sparked something greater in the aspect of time, but the hooded skeleton merely shook the train of thought away and focused on the task at hand. "I'll be gentle." Horror murmured, his eyelight betraying the vast sense of nervousness that was ebbing and flowing as Dust shrugged off the arms of his tattered jacket. "Nah, I know." He shot the other a lopsided grin, "I trust ya' more than I trust myself, H. 'S okay."
His hooded words were solid truth if the gentle laying of a gloved hand upon his ribcage was any indication. Dust trusted Horror more than anyone and anything in the entire multiverse, trusted him to keep him safe and keep him stable. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He muttered, a faint glowing outline already visible through the white fabric of his t-shirt. "It ain't pretty." Horror bit back a comment about how his soul wasn't exactly prime merchandise either, simply swallowing down the words and placing all of his available focus solely on his partner.
Waving his hand a bit to coax out the illusive organ, Horror watched with bated breath as Dust's soul finally bared itself to the world. The heart hovered tentatively above a gloved hand, pulsing in time with Dust's shaky exhale. It was a dull lavender color that grew more faded towards the center, the surface riddled with countless scars and cracks from breaking and healing after every LV rush and level gained. There was a tinge of yellow mixed in the longer Horror looked, eyelight wide with appreciation that was impossible to fake.
"Here." Dust extended his hand towards his larger lover, the odd colored soul floating after the offered appendage. "Take it." There was indescribable amount of trust present in just those two words, Horror's own soul fluttering weakly in response. Horror wasted no time cupping clawed hands gently around the organ to cautiously corral it towards it towards his own torso. He moved painfully slow to ensure that nothing happened to it, eventually sitting back entirely once organ was secure within his hold.
"'S... beautiful." A crimson-laced voice rumbled in appreciation, "One of a kind." The words drew a shudder from Dust as clawed fingertips traced along several of the deeper markings on the battered surface, Horror bringing the soul upwards to gently nuzzle his lover's essence against his cheek. "I love you." He whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the small heart with a purr.
"I l-love you t-too,fuck-" The gentle kiss against his soul, his verybeing, felt true enough to bring the faintest shimmer of tears to Dust's eyes. "You should... take this back." Horror held the pulsing soul back up to the smaller's chest, and the organ sank back into his ribcage with a happy flutter after a few moments of hanging idly in the air. Both of them had agreed to take things slow and in small steps, and Horror felt more than happy to merely cradle the dainty essence against him for a few minutes.
"You okay?" The question was routine, and the larger purred happily as Dust fell into his lap with a shaky inhale. "Yeah. I jus' didn't expect it to feel like that." The larger offered a silent nod to convey his understanding, wrapping his arms around Dust and pulling him close into his lap. "I meant it when I said that it was beautiful." The reminder of flattery made the smaller snort, a gloved hand lightly knocking against Horror's upper arm in mock irritation. "Yeah, yeah; I still think yours is prettier though." His ever-classic lopsided grin make Horror's cheeks flush a faint crimson, muttering beneath his breath that Dust needed to stop being so attractive for just one singular minute.
As the two of them leaned into one another, the room didn't seem so cold.
