Nightmare was above her in one of the lower branches, leaning back like he didn't have a care in the world. One arm rested on a raised knee, the other swung lazily down below as he looked down at her with his blue eye calculatingly.
He must have seen her confusion and shock because he snickered. "Relax little star, not hear to cause trouble…yet. I just wanted to talk." He shrugged. "Good thing about dreaming, hours can pass by in a flash here while the other world, your world, mere minutes or days could pass by. Depends I guess, never understood it myself." He glanced back down at her, seeing her opening her mouth repeatedly to talk but no sound coming out. "I do know Wing Dings by the way, both me and Dream do. We knew Gaster, or a Gaster, years ago."
*That makes this easier then* Frisk signed to him, not asking about the 'or a Gaster' bit. She figured that would just raise a headache she did not want to deal with right now. Nor about the nickname she was just given, everyone liked to call her different things, and this one wasn't so bad, she kinda liked it. *So…why did you bring me here? You said you wanted to talk?* Frisk liked using Wing Dings more than ASL. It was fun to use Wing Dings though she could almost see the funny symbols that appeared whenever she 'spoke' in it.
"You're…interesting little star." Nightmare said after a few minutes of just watching her. "You've had a bad time in your early life, believe me I know. Seen your nightmares, some things in those not even I approve of, and I'm a living nightmare myself. Spreading and causing hatred and misery is kind of my thing." He shrugged as if it didn't matter.
Frisk frowned at him when she heard him say that, she heard the underlying tones of sadness he probably didn't even notice he had. *I don't think you cause it bad things Nightmare…I think there's more to you than that. Besides, if you did do that, then wouldn't I be feeling that right now?*
The goop Sans look-alike stared at her before snickering, "Got a point little star…guess you're just weird like that. Even before…this" He gestured to himself. "No one would ever come near me most of the time. Preferred my brother after all, he was always the center of attention, smiling and happy with his golden apples. Everyone loved him, not hard to see why." Nightmare scoffed with a frown, eye far away in memories.
He leaned back against the tree and stared upwards for a moment, then glared back down. "Why did you do it human? You ate one of my apples." Nightmare reaches up and picks an apple, its tar mixing with his own from his hand as he looked at it, turning it one way then another. "Disgusting isn't it? Liquid poison in a vague apple shape. Dark, no light from them, like a smog filled night. All they do is cause misery and pain. Dream's apples? The ones he protected eons ago, those were bright, pure and golden, like sunlight. Delicious apparently from what I heard from others." Nightmare tossed the apple carelessly over to the ground, Frisk could see sadness in his eye at that and her heart broke a little. "Why would anyone even touch mine when they had my brother's apples to choose? Why would they come and speak with me when Dream was right there, spreading goodness and light while all I did was cause darkness and pain, a shadow to his light? I was only…doesn't matter now."
He was surprised when Frisk caught the apple, the tar covering her hand as she held it close. She placed it in her lap as she looks back up at Nightmare so she could sign to him. *I think they're perfect how they are, because they're different. There's nothing wrong with them, just like there's nothing wrong with you.*
Not being one to talk a lot, something Frisk did a lot was listen and watch. She had gotten very good at reading and hearing what others weren't saying, the hidden messages not even they knew they were talking about. She could see what Nightmare was truly saying, even if he didn't believe it right now.
Beyond the darkness and anger he showed to the world…he was sad and in pain himself. And Frisk being Frisk, well she was Determined to fix that.
Nightmare watched, fascinated and shocked, as the human child defended him and his apples. No one had ever done that before, bar Dream….so very long ago. He vaguely remembered his brother hugging him when he was devastated again and again when beings refused to even speak with him for the longest time, remembered him saying that his time would come and the he would always be there for him…He shook his head out of those ancient memories.
"I think…they're unique and special...like you are." Frisk said softly, staring at the apple in her hands. She heard and felt Nightmare descend from the tree slowly, moving to sit by her stiffly at first. Both of them were unaware of a certain skeleton on the other side of the tree, watching and listening with tears in his eyes, at what was happening to the human and his brother.
Nightmare was silent as he listened to the soft voice of Frisk, he thought she had a very melodic voice. A sentiment unknowingly echoed by his younger brother.
"You and Dream…are like dark and light…night and day. Very different, but both needs the other for balance." Frisk said, a little faltering in her words. She really did not like to talk but felt that spoken words were more important right now and continued for him. "You can't have one without the other…There isn't anything wrong with darkness, or light. They're both beautiful to me. You and D-Dream are like that… Daytime to play and spend with others, nighttime for reflection, peace and…stars." She glanced up at the night sky, Nightmare following her gaze. Above them was a sea of stars in a cloudy sky, eerie but peaceful. He turned his gaze back to her while Frisk was staring at the apple in her hands, still leaking tar onto her.
"There isn't anything w-wrong with your apples Nightmare. Sure, they're dark and a little goopy…but they remind me of a cloudy, moonless night. I like those…types of nights too…good for cuddling with my brothers." Frisk leaned a little against Nightmare, to her delight he didn't push her away still mesmerized by her talking. "Besides, I think they t-taste good. Like dark chocolate and apples mixed together w-with something...I can't quite name. The goop just adds to their uniqueness." Frisk finished with a grin, smiling at Nightmare.
The dark Sans was shocked, no one had ever described his apples before, or described him like what Frisk did. No one ever smiled at him like that…no one other than Dream long ago. For the first time in a very long time…Nightmare felt something other than pain, jealousy or anger.
He felt sorrow for what happened…he felt peace from Frisk's words and tone…he felt happiness…he wished Dream was there to share this with him. With a start, Nightmare realized what he had just thought…he missed his brother.
Dream placed a hand over his heart, his soul. He felt the faint ping from his brother and gasped softly, golden tears falling faster now. He hadn't felt anything from Nightmare's side of the bond in so long he had forgotten how it felt. He felt faintly his brother's awe and happiness at Frisk's words and desire to share that unconsciously with him. He stepped closer to them, wanting to be closer to his big brother again.
Frisk just smiled at Nightmare, seeing the emotions flash in his eye as he stared at her, jaw slightly slacked in shock, eye wide and rapt on her. Her stomach grumbled a little though so she went to take a bite of the apple in her hand. The other's hand though covering it stops her. Confused she turned back to the dark skeleton, a question in her eyes.
Nightmare gently took the apple from her hands. He was surprised though, as was Frisk and Dream behind the tree, when they notice that his hand wasn't dripping tar anymore. It looked more like a solid black skeletal hand. "Here…don't eat it like that. I want you to truly taste my apple." Nightmare said softly, giving a little smile at her.
He went to wipe off the apple but started a little when the goo started to evaporate at his touch, his unconscious wish for the apple to be how it once was. They watched as the true apple shone through. It held the solid shape of an apple now and shone with a dark purple-black light with flecks that looked like stars on it. It looked beautiful. Smiling bigger, Nightmare handed Frisk the apple who eagerly took a bite out of it.
The human hummed, happy to truly taste the apple for the first time. The weird texture from the goop was gone, the faint taste of pain and misery was as well. The taste now reminded her of darkness, peace and something she couldn't quite put a name too, along with the familiar taste of dark chocolate and apples. *It tastes even better now that I don't have to wipe off my hands.* Frisk laughs, finishing it quickly and leaning even more into Nightmare who cautiously put an arm around her, smiling softly at the human. Frisk looked up at him and gave what Alphys dubbed Chibi Eyes. *May I have another?*
Nightmare blinked and started to snicker, "Little star those eyes of yours could be considered lethal weapons, you don't have to do that." He started to cry though at the end of his teasing words, hugging Frisk to his side. Faint purple/blue tears fell down his left cheek. This special human…liked his apple and wanted more! He felt so bad now for before for how he treated and scared her. Holding her close again he nodded and was about to use his tentacles to reach for more apples higher up in the tree.
Only to find his tentacles weren't there.
Gasping in shock Nightmare sat up and kept whipping his head back and forth to look over his shoulders. The tentacles, which had been there ever since his transformation, a part of the taint that corrupted him, were gone. He couldn't feel them anymore, couldn't manifest them. He was a little scared of the sudden change.
Before he could say or do anything though, a warm voice came out from beside them. "Here brother, allow me."