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topazshadowwolf · 10 months

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GoopTales Part 16

Nightmare returns home from his mission with Sci

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16(you are here)

AO3: Ch 1 (1-4), Ch 2 (4-8), Ch 3 (9-12), Ch 4 (13-16)

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With Sci feeling like he had a better grasp of the potion and how to reverse it, Nightmare dropped the scientist off in his lab. The over-the-top display of hugging and kissing his lab and equipment while apologizing for being gone for so long was mildly amusing, at best. Rolling his eyelight at the scene, Nightmare left for home.

It was silent in his castle. He thought for sure he would have heard Killer at least…

He looked at his pocket watch and saw it was past 1300 or 1 pm. Perhaps it was so quiet because they were still having lunch? Testing this theory, he went to the kitchen but saw it was empty. There was evidence that someone had been there, as some dishes were soaking in the sink, but that was all.

Frowning, Nightmare stepped back into the hall. Where were they? He trusted Lyra but couldn’t help but worry… for her and his boys. Searching for the nearest source of emotions, he found them. They were all outside. The bitterness of positive emotions resulted in a soft “tsk” even if he was happy they were feeling good.

Melding into the shadows, he made his way to them and reformed a short distance away before walking up. Before him, he saw that Lyra had set out a large blanket she was sitting on. Horror was cuddled on her lap, napping. Ferrous was curled up with Dust snuggled against him, though he was awake and watching Killer and Cross running around. Those two were chasing those blasted butterflies the boys had insisted on bringing home from a dying AU nearly a year ago.

“Be careful not to damage their wings,” Lyra said. The two chimed back that they would be careful at the same time.

It was… cute… domestic…

He hated to ruin the scene, but he needed to let her know he was back.

“It would be an acceptable loss if they did damage a few… those things have started taking over,” Nightmare huffed.

Dust looked at him with wide eye sockets, a hint of fear was present until he recognized who was speaking. He started fidgeting with the striped tee shirt Lyra had dressed him in. Looking around, he saw that Killer was in red and white, Horror was blue and white, Dust was green and white, and Cross was black and white. That would be far easier to figure out which is which.

“That just means you need to rebuild the ecosystem of your home,” She chuckled softly.

Nightmare hummed thoughtfully, then grinned. “Are you hinting that my home is out of balance?”

“I may,” She said with a smile.

“Once things have… settled, perhaps I will consider making this a proper ecosystem,” He replied.

“In the meantime, would you like some lunch? There is plenty left over, as the boys were hoping you would be back in time to join us,” Lyra said with a smile.

“mr. night!” Two young voices yelled as Cross and Killer came running over. Dust snuggled tighter against Ferrous, and Horror yawned before he nuzzled his face against Lyra.

“you’re back! we missed you sooooooooooooooooooooooooo-” The “o” just kept going for a surprising amount of time from Killer.

“you gotta have some lunch! you are hungry, right?” Cross said as he grabbed Nightmare’s hand and “pulled” the dark guardian over to the blanket. “here, sit, i’ll make you a plate!” He happily announced as Killer started gasping for air.

“-oooo… much!” Killer finished between gasps.

“I did not think I was gone that long,” Nightmare replied with amusement in his tone.

“you were gone for-e-ver!” Killer stated while accenting each syllable.

That made Nightmare chuckle as he used a tendril to pick up the exaggerating child. “If I truly were gone for-e-ver, then I would not be back now,” He said as Killer squealed and started laughing.

Lyra helped Cross get food on a plate as Nightmare sat down with Killer playfully climbing and wiggling around his tentacles like a jungle gym. Dust then crawled over and leaned against Nightmare with a contented sigh. “we did miss you….” He said softly. “we only just met… but it’s like i’ve known you longer.”

“uh-huh!” Killer confirmed as he wiggled his way to Nightmare’s shoulder. The wiggly child then flopped over Nightmare’s shoulder like a towel.

“What are you doing?” Nightmare asked Killer as Cross handed him a plate. “Thank you, Cross.”

“just hangin’ out… oh! try the potato salad! it’s really good!” Killer said as he wiggled around more, standing on a tentacle while leaning over Nightmare’s shoulder to watch what he ate.

“Hmmm, I suppose I will, but not with you leering over my shoulder,” Nightmare replied before a tendril wrapped around Killer’s midsection. He lifted the child off of himself and placed him on his back on the ground. Nightmare started to eat as another tendril then started a tickling assault on the child, remembering that those areas on the feet and under the arms were very ticklish when he and his brother would get into tickling fights.

Sure enough, Killer started to squeal in protest before bursting into unstoppable laughter. He tried to get out a “stop,” but Nightmare sipped his juice casually, “Hmmm? Sorry, I did not hear that.”

Both Cross and Horror watched with giant smiles on their faces, but Dust tugged on his jacket. “please, mr. night… don’t hurt him anymore….”

worry, concern, fear

“I am not hurting him, Dust,” Nightmare said while putting an arm around the small child.

He ended his ‘merciless’ attack on Killer, and the child wheezed and lied there, dazed from laughing but with a smile. Cross then jumped forward and grabbed the tentacle with a laugh. “don’t worry, killer! i’ll avenge you!”

“Oh, will you?” Nightmare mused as Cross pinned down the tentacle and tried to tickle it. He wasn’t expecting to feel much, but those tiny fingers did send a ticklish sensation traveling through the odd limb. It flinched and then started to squirm. That will not do, so Nightmare grabbed Cross with another tendril and proceeded to give him the same treatment he did Killer.

Horror excused himself from Lyra and ran over to help cross. Unfortunately, he forgot there were more tendrils, and another grabbed him. The two children were now squealing and laughing as they rolled around on the blanket.

The positive emotions they emitted stung… but he enjoyed watching them so happy and carefree. Even Lyra started to laugh at the silly little scene of childish joy. All the while, Nightmare casually ate his lunch. Dust grew more curious, but that concern was still there as he didn’t understand what was happening.

“oh no! it’s the tickler!” Killer wheezed as he started to stand up.

“That I am,” Nightmare replied as he pinned Killer down again. Killer seemed prepared and wiggled free and began to tickle the limb.

“Ah! A crafty one we have here!” Nightmare grabbed Killer from behind with a different limb, which started its own attack. Killer still held to the tendril he caught but was so distracted he could not begin tickling. Good… they didn’t need to know he was apparently ticklish after all.

“dust! help!” Squealed Cross. And that did not settle any of Dust’s nerves.

“mr night?” Dust softly pleaded.

Nightmare began to set his plate aside, but Lyra offered to take it. Handing it over, he used the arm around Dust to pull the child onto his lap. Dust squeaked, and Nightmare smiled down at him.

“I think it is time for you to learn what tickling is. I would say to relax, but you will naturally try to wiggle and squirm. Such is the game of tickling. But I will say, you just need to trust me. Do you?” Nightmare asked.

When Dust slowly nodded his head, Nightmare got a slightly fiendish grin as he wiggled his fingers and then began to tickle Dust’s feet. Sure enough, the child squeaked again and then started to laugh as he began to kick and wiggle. “No escaping, not yet,” Nightmare teased as he moved his fingers under Dust’s arms, allowing him to better hold the child in place.

Once each child seemed exhausted entirely from laughing, Nightmare eased up on all of them and then took his plate back from Lyra. “I suppose that is one way to calm a roundy group,” She mused, and he just grinned as he started to eat.

“It was how I would get Dream to settle down at times,” Nightmare replied.

“Is that so? And what about you?” She asked.

“I am no longer ticklish,” He replied.

She coaxed a tendril to curl around her hand, then softly touched it with her other. Again, Nightmare felt a ticklish sensation travel through it and to his spine. They have always felt so numb to touch before. He was aware of touch but nothing so delicate and nothing like that.

That’s when it dawned on him. Intent! No one has intended to tickle him in years. Most physical contact he has is limited to violent attacks and what gentle interactions he might have with his gang or Lyra. Something as playful as tickling, he has not experienced since he was very young.

“I do not know, Nightmare, this limb is squirming like the children were,” She teased. “You might not be squealing and laughing, but I can see you feel something.”

Annoyed she was reading him so well, Nightmare pulled the limb away. “Nonsense. It is simply reacting to a new sensation,” He huffed.

“Hmmm, I am not sure I believe you. I suspect this will be something to investigate further… at a later time… when you least expect,” She teased.

He inwardly denied he was blushing at that, even if his face was warm, “Here I am, trying to eat my lunch, and I am being threatened with assault in my own home?”

“Does seem that way,” She said as she scooped up Cross to place on his lap next to Dust. She then picked up Killer and Horror to sit on her lap.

…

This…

It was nice…

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