Chapter one

Kris felt absolutely awful. His limbs felt heavy and numb, his stomach felt like one giant knot. And if he didn't know any better, he would have thought that there was someone driving a jack hammer into the side of his head. And his chest…

He scrunched his nose, trying to pinpoint exactly what the feeling was… His chest just felt empty. Like every emotion had been ripped and torn to shreds.

"Well of course you feel that way, Child," Kris groaned. It was the voice that had plagued his mind all day yesterday. The teen sat up and his blanket slid down to his waist. The aches in his body momentarily forgotten, he searched the darkness of his room searching.

He fell back against his pillows and sighed. He turned around in his bed, to try and get a few more snippets of sleep before his mother came to get him for school.

"Wow, not even going to wonder how it is that you got into your bed?" asked the voice. Kris growled and curled into his blanket. But now that he actually thought about it, hadn't he fallen asleep on the carpet?

"What you didn't think your mother would hear you carrying on like that? You made an obnoxious amount of noise." Even if he couldn't see the person the voice belonged to, he could still tell that it was smirking. He lifted a hand slightly and gave his room the middle finger. The voice laughed lightly.

"Well good morning Mr. Grumpy face." came a voice from right beside him. The teen jumped, however he instantly regretted it as every muscle in his body protested the movement. He groaned softly.

"Oh my poor Child," the voice soothed. A warm hand caressed his forehead. He leaned into the touch, greedily accepting the comfort.

"Mama…?" he whispered, using his childhood name for his mother. A dip in his bed let him know that he was correct in his assumption.

"Hush, Dear," his mother said. "Everything is alright now. You're safe, I'm here." Kris turned into his mother's body. He soaked in the warmth of his mother's fur for a few seconds before remembering the floating soul that was floating in his birdcage. How in the seven hells was he supposed to explain that?

He froze, trying to come up with some excuse as to why it was there.

"Fortunately for you, it seems as though your mother cannot see me," chimed in the voice. Huh, so the voice was coming from the soul… He winced inwardly. Well, even if she hadn't been able to see it, such a loud voice was bound to get her attention. He blinked and looked up at her when his mother gave no reaction to the body-less laughter.

"I wouldn't worry about that either," it said. "Unless, your mother is capable of hearing your thoughts as well." He cringed.

'You can hear my thoughts?' he asked, trying hard not to look toward the corner of the room.

"Yup, sure can. How else do you think we've been communicating all of this time? It's not like I can speak out loud."

Well, wasn't that just dandy. Kris shifted uneasily. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was around a being (if you could call it that) that only he could see and hear.

"Aw, don't be like that," cooed the voice. "Just think of me as your super special secret friend." Kris scrunched his nose in distaste.

"I would rather not be friends with something that can control my mind, thanks," he sneered. The soul seemed unaffected.

"There's no need to be so rude, it's not like it was my choice to occupy the mind of a teenage boy." Kris just barely stopped himself from responding out loud with a few choice words of his own.

"Yes, yes," the soul said sarcastically. "I'm a satanic demon. Perhaps instead of being petty with me, you could answer Toriel, she's trying to get your attention." Kris pursed his lips, realizing that the stupid thing was right. His mother had been talking to him and he'd pretty much been ignoring her until right that minute.

"Kris?" she said. "Are you with me Dear?" The boy looked up tiredly at her and nodded slightly in reply. His mother smiled widely at him.

"There you are, My Child," she said. Kris yawned and pulled away from her, stretching his arms high over his head.

"Morning, Mom," he greeted. His mother laughed and tousled his hair.

"Good morning, My Child. How are you feeling?" she asked. Kris thought for a moment, rolled his stiff neck to get rid of some of the kinks. He sighed as it gave a satisfying pop. He took a long look around his room in the dim morning light from his small window.

"Like I've been training with Officer Undyne for three years." he replied. "I'm so exhausted; I could sleep for 900 years."

His mother's laughter rang in his ears. "Well, I have already called and spoken to Ms. Alphys," she said with a gentle smile. "It's been a while since your last attack, so I also called Dr. Mettaton as well." Kris blushed and shrank into himself. It wasn't that he was embarrassed about his condition. His parents, brother and therapist had all assured him that PTSD was nothing to be ashamed about; especially considering what he had gone through before being adopted by the Dreemur family.

But it wasn't like he enjoyed it being brought up.

"Uh, right," he mumbled. "I'm uh, sorry that I woke you up last night. Thanks for not letting me sleep on a carpet."

He jumped when he felt his mother's arms slide around him in a tight hug. He returned it just as hard, burrowing his face in her purple blouse.

"Of course, My Child," she whispered into his hair. "You know I would do anything for you."

Not for the first time, Kris thought about how amazing his mother was. It couldn't have been easy for her to have such a messed up kid. And she managed to handle his moods and issues with such grace and support. He couldn't have asked for a better family to be adopted into.

"I love you Mom," he said.

"I love you too, Kris, so very much." she responded. "Please don't ever forget that." They hugged for a bit longer before the teen started to pull away. His mother let go, making sure to caress his face as she did so.

"Get some rest Dear," she said, getting up from the bed. Kris laid back against his pillows once more and nodded tiredly. "We'll talk more when I get home."

She turned and started walking out of the room. "Remember, I'm only a phone call away, don't hesitate if you need me."

Kris sighed as the door closed with a sharp click. "Well, I guess I'll just go back to sleep then..." he murmured and closed his eyes.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea." The boy jolted. He had completely forgotten about the soul.

"No one asked your opinion." he thought. The soul laughed yet again. Kris growled. Why did the only being who found him funny have to be a disembodied soul?

"I know for a fact that I'm not the only one. But you probably should sleep. I can see from the circles under your eyes from here."

"How do I know that you won't just possess me again?" he asked, feeling his eyes drooping in exhaustion. He really was very tired.

"Not how that works, I'm afraid. But seriously, you should sleep. I can explain more when you wake up."

Kris mumbled in agreement before slowly slipping back into dreamland.

Ch/end