Chapter Text
XChara kicked a pile of snow as they walked through the heart of Snowdin, grumbling at the snow soaking into his scarf. Cross walked side by side with him, right behind their other two brothers, XFrisk and XPapryus.
Cross kept a keen eye on the crowd around them as they walked, glaring at anyone who stared at the mono-colored group for too long.
The AU they're currently in is notorious for being a shady part of the multiverse. An Underfell variant that was attacked by the destroyer, Error. Although the Star Sanses were able to fight him off, this place then became a hunting ground for Nightmare’s men. They often terrorize the people that come here, always starting fights with those unlucky enough to encounter one. Fortunately for them, the group of siblings never encountered Nightmare’s men. Unfortunately, considering how isolated Xtale is, that also means they don't know who to be cautious of. Hence Cross’s anxiety spiking with every glare sent their way. This place has become sort of a “loss cause” as far as AUs go. All the old residents have been either killed or evacuated to the Omega timeline, leaving it a prime spot for vendors and illegal sellers to set up shop.
“This place sucks.” XChara grumbled.
“Lets just focus on getting the job done and leaving,” Cross responded, glancing behind his back. They needed to keep an eye out for this skeleton that XGaster called “Ink”. Apparently, he has been trying to tamper with their timeline because he is “unsatisfied” with XGaster’s approach to world building. They were sent to gather supplies and information by XGaster, his father. XPapyrus and XFrisk were sent to engage with the locals, as they were the more approachable ones, while Cross and XChara stood as a look out. They were in the Snowdin of this AU, the prime business spot apart from the Hotlands. The stalls of vendors lined the worn pathway. The mix of normal items and horribly illegal items being sold always amused XChara. You could be looking to buy the most illegal magic enhancer you could find, but turn to your left and pick up some new clothing for your kid at the next stall. The place was truly random, with no coordination or anything. And it smelled like trash.
Their trip was almost complete, all they needed was more fabric for new clothes. XGaster would usually see this as frivolous and unnecessary, but XFrisk insisted on it, and who is Cross to question XFrisk?
XChara groaned loudly and turned away from Cross, watching their brothers walk into a nearby fabric store. Cross and XChara moved to stand more in front of the store when something caught their eye. A skeleton in a classic Sans attire was ducking around into shadows and snatching things off of people. Cross grumbled and turned to look away.
“Watch out, there's a pickpocketer…” XChara turned to Cross at the sound of his voice.
“No shit, there's gonna be thieves in places like this,” XChara grumbled. Cross turned away and continued to keep watch. He watched the figure jump around until he lost sight of him.
Cross shifted his weight on his one foot, feeling the snow under his feet crunch at the movement. This was the first trip outside of XTale in a while. The frequency of them often fluctuates, but this has been the longest “break” they have gotten in a while. XGaster seemed tense at the mention of the multiverse, probably due to the dispute with the “Ink” Sans character.
XChara glanced over at Cross, almost like he could hear his inner dialogue. He rolled his eyes at his brother's serious posture, and took to people-watching. Lately, the whole “family” has been distant. Frisk and him have been talking less, Cross and Papyrus are in the middle of a feud, but of course XGaster and Alphys were as buddy buddy as ever…
XChara groaned at the thought of XGaster and started pacing.
“This sucks.”
“You already said that.” Cross glanced at him from the corner of his eye socket for a second before going back to ignoring him.
XChara huffed and sat down on the steps outside the store. He took a nearby stick and started drawing in the snow.
“Stop messing around. We’re supposed to be keeping watch.” Cross huffed, turning to face XChara fully.
XChara glared at the snow when Cross said that. He reached down and scooped up some snow into his hand.
XChara ignored Cross’s attempts to get him to lock in. “Whatever…” Cross rolled his eye lights and turned back to face the crowd of people, but was hit by something cold and hard on the side of his skull.
“BAHAHHAHAHA!” XChara was rolling on the ground clutching his stomach from laughing as he watched the snow slide down Cross’s cheek.
Cross slowly turned towards him with a murderous expression on his face as XChara continued to laugh.
“You little-!!” He was cut off by his other two siblings exiting the shop and walking down the steps, making sure to step over XChara who was still on the ground laughing.
“BROTHER? WHY IS YOUR FACE COVERED IN SNOW?” XPapyrus questioned. Cross turned away from him, composing himself.
“I tripped.”
“Don't listen to him, I was teaching him how to have a snowball fight.” XChara laughed.
Cross grumbled and wiped the snow off his skull.
“Are we ready?” XFrisk signed.
“Yep, looks like we got everything.” XChara started walking ahead, closely followed by XFrisk and Pap. Cross lingered for a second, but followed quickly after his siblings.
Cross glanced at his watch, they were about 30 minutes ahead of schedule. They started making their way back through Snowdin to the rendezvous point over in Ruins while XChara started loudly complaining about his back. All this walking had him beat, and he was letting the world know it. Pap reminded him to keep his voice down while they walked, filling the silence with a small amount of bickering as they made their way back. Cross rolled his eyeslights for what felt like the millionth time that trip and trugged along behind them.
Keeping an ear out for new information, and also trying to ignore his siblings bickerments, he heard some shady figures discussing prices on various outlawed materials. Some other people near him where talking about some group, some kind of "Star sans"? maybe something to do with Outtertale. He at least knows about that AU. Sometimes Gaster will send them there just to keep them busy when he doesn't want them around, which isn't often enough for him to know that place too well, but still often enough for him to recognize the theme.
Too lost in his own thoughts, Cross didn't realize he was walking right into someone.
"Hey! Watch it-"
“Sorry man, my bad.”
Cross cut himself off and looked up to the source of the voice. It was the thief from earlier, the one with black goop dripping from his eyes and a target on his chest. The skeleton snickered before turning to jog away, pushing past Cross’s siblings.
“Watch it!” XChara stumbled and cursed after the guy. Cross went to wipe the dust off his chest and realized his locket was missing. Quickly he turned around and caught sight of it in the stranger's hand. He lurched forward and grabbed the stranger's shoulder, his kuckles cracking from how hard he was squeezing the stranger.
“I think you have something of mine, buddy.” Cross glared at the thief as they stilled and slowly turned their smug expression towards him.
“Is that so?” The black-eyed thief smirked.
Cross felt his soul speed up for a fraction of a second as the thief's smirk turned predatory. He reached for this knives, cursing himself for getting lost in his own thoughts ealier. He should have been more alert. He should have been ready for anything. He should have been-
DING
Cross’s soul lit up with blue magic and he was thrown into a nearby tree.
“BROTHER!?” Papyrus yelled in surprise. His siblings sprang into action and posed to attack the thief, but was met with a horde of bones suspended in air, sharpened to a point. On the other side stood the thief, and further back, Cross.
The thief stepped in front of Cross’s view of his siblings
“If you want it so badly, then come get it.”
XChara reached for his knife, ready to just force his way through while Frisk and Papyrus stayed on the defensive side, ready to block any attacks that came his way.
Cross pulled himself out of the tree and stared at the skeleton. His vision locked on the pendant the thief was swinging back and forth in his hands. Taunting him to come get it. Trying to get him to take the bait. It felt like that necklace was a piece of juicy meat.
And Cross was a starving mutt.
Cross lunged forward, knocking the skeleton back in the snow. His knife cut through the cold air and aimed for where the skeletons head should have been at, but in a second, he was gone. He reappeared behind Cross with that same stupid taunting smirk plastered on his face as they entered a dance of lunging and dogging as Cross became more and more desperate to get his locket back. While the thief was distracted, XChara made his move.
The next moment the annoying stranger appeared, XChara slammed the hilt of his knife into the strangers back, making him stumble forward, giving cross enough time to grab the locket. Cross gripped it and snarled at the stranger as the thief tried once more to lunge forward and reclaim it.
The stranger stopped short as XPapyrus as he summoned a wall of bones between them, blocking any attacks.
“THATS ENOUGH! WE GOT IT BACK, LETS JUST GO ON OUR OWN WAYS, AND FORGET ABOUT THIS, OK?” XPapyrus shouted at the thief, trying to defuse the situation, but clearly on edge from the fight. XChara silently challenged the stranger, making mock fighting threats with his body language before Cross elbowed him in his gut. After a moment, the thief shrugged and turned to walk away. Cross stood, glaring at the thief, not daring to turn his back until the dude was gone. Cross breathed out a sigh he didn't realize he was holding in, relieved that it didn't escalate into a full out fight. His siblings seemed to share the same sentiment, exchanging uneasy glances before turning to head back on their path. Cross lingered for a second, staring at the trees in a dramatic fashion before turning to catch up.
As he turned around, he hit something solid and stumbled back. Before he could glance up, the thief grabbed his shirt again and pulled him face to face.
“You should really think twice before you challenge someone twice your LV.“ Cross paled and dropped the locket out of surprise. He glanced behind the thief to see his brothers running towards them once again. Silently cursing his past self for not paying this guy more attention, he reeled back his fist to knock this guy off of him but his collar was dropped and his fist was caught as the gooey eyed stranger geared up to teleport them away from the group. Right before the thief was able to teleport him and Cross away, XChara grabbed onto the thief’s hoodie and was teleported with them. As soon as they landed in a secluded area in the woods, XChara tossed the thief off of Cross. He turned to Cross, only to see the thief appearing right behind his brother again.
Cross whipped around and pointed his knife at the thief while slowly backing up to XChara so he could get them out of here. The thief stood with his hands in his pocket as black goo bled out of his eye sockets.
“Does someone need their little brother to protect them? How cute.” Cross ignored the taunt and reached for XChara’s shoulder, just as the thief charged at them. Cross jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife thrown at them, but instead it lodged itself into XChara’s shoulder. XChara fell to the ground clutching his shoulder in pain.
“FUCK!” he yelled out in agony.
Cross charged at the thief and lurched his knives into his abdomen and twisted. The thief grabbed his arm and kneed him in the stomach before tossing him to the side.
Now clutching his waist, the thief summoned another wall of pointed bones like earlier, but double the amount, and aimed it for XChara. Cross threw himself into the thief's side to knock him off balance as the bones lurched forward, knocking off his aim and giving his brother a chance to dodge. Cross ran towards XChara, determined to get the fuck out of there. XChara didn't seem ready to back down, but Cross grabbed him by the collar of his cape and teleported them back into the middle of town. Panting and exhausted from the fight, XChara collapsed into the snow, clutching their shoulder in pain as he tried to spot the bleeding. Cross stood there in shock at what happened in the last 30 minutes, and rightfully pissed. He turned to his brother and helped him off the ground, and they quickly made their way to the meeting point where his other two siblings where already waiting.
They fell to the ground panting, just in time for a portal to open up before them. XAlphys was waiting for them on the other side and gave little attention to the state XChara and Cross were in.
“Good, you're on time. Lord XGaster will be pleased to hear the results of your mission.” XAlphys turned to walk further into the portal. XFrisk and XPap helped the two up off the ground and through the portal. Once on the other side, XFrisk ran ahead to give a mission report to XGaster, while XPapyrus stayed behind to help patch them up.
“HERE… FRISK WAS ABLE TO GRAB IT…” XPapyrus handed Cross the locket, before turning to walk XChara to the infirmary. Cross lingered behind, and glanced down at the locket. He was cursing himself over starting that stupid fight over this locket. He could have just let it pass, he could have just forgotten about it. Causing that scene was 100% gonna come back to bite him in the ass, he just knows it.
Groaning at his misfortune, he followed his two siblings down the hall where they were patched up and sent to their rooms to retire for the night.
While laying in bed, Cross thought back to the encounter and shuddered. The dude gave him the creeps with his LV and his freaky eye goo. It felt almost uncanny. The whole "different dimension, different versions of you" really gave him the creeps. He didn't feel like any of the "Sans" he saw in those words where really anything like him, but this guy was a whole other story, creepy eye goo and all. XChara shared the same thoughts from his own room. He was peeved at how off guard the thief was able to catch Cross. Silently cursing Cross and his stupidity at confronting the situation, and even being that distracted in the first place, he rolled over and watched his brother enter the room.
XFrisk has been on edge and more distant than usual, and it's been making XChara worried. He asked a few times if everything is alright, but his brother refuses to open up. Anxiety pooled in XChara’s gut, feeling like something bad was about to happen.
XChara mumbled a “Goodnight, king,” to his brother, and got a hum in response. He turned off his bed side lamp and pulled the covers over his shoulders, trying to sleep the anxiety away.