57: Endless Family Dinner (Temporary End)

On the mortal plane, Destruction wandered. He did so because he was tired. Utterly exhausted. Fed up, really, with the very concept that made up his being. Destruction was not a kind master. And while he was not so limited to just the act of destroying, it was all he'd come to be associated with.

Truthfully, it was merely one side of the coin. As all things must fade, so too must they shine into existence. Creation and Destruction went hand in hand. Destruction — like all of his Endless siblings — was spawned into being with the creation of, well… Creation. The Presence — Source of All — was not directly responsible for their existence but he was still the spark that started it all.

And with the Presence's Creation, Destruction knew creation as well. He and his Endless siblings sprung to be in a newly created existence. They were part of the groundwork, a core aspect of the foundation. Life would eventually come to mimic them but the Endless had always been.

Destruction didn't resent his purpose, the Truth of his being. At least, not at first. There were complexities to Destruction, nuance upon nuance for him to explore. In a way, he was quite similar to his sister Didi. In another, he was more like his brother Dream. In yet a third, he was his own being entirely.

Dreaming led to Creation, which led to Destruction and to Death. An interconnected cycle that defined the physical realm. All things had a beginning and all things had an end. Destruction was the herald to both sides, from nothingness and back to nothingness again. He was the Chaos of destruction and the Order that ensured it came to be.

Once Life emerged throughout reality, Didi and Dream dedicated themselves more toward such things. And Destruction was left with the acts of creating and destroying themselves. He saw the reasons for such but did not direct them. Not as his siblings did. He merely ensured they were possible, with all of the vague and muddled effects that entailed.

In time, he came to lean away from creation — the Dreaming inspiration for it was seen as more important than the act itself. The same could be said for destruction. He became the act and nothing more. The come and go of tides that formed the realm of physical reality. Nothing before, nothing after. Simply, what WAS.

Destruction grew tired with what 'WAS'. He grew to resent his role in ending things, beautiful things. And though he also had a hand in creating said beautiful things, that knowledge began to slip his mind more and more. Overshadowed by greater and greater acts of destruction that razed reality barren. The aftermath of a supernova seeded the universe with elements that would have never been without it. But few thought of such when the universe as they knew it was being torn apart by an exploding star…

Life itself played a growing role in Destruction's disgruntlement. It was one of those beautiful things. Yet it held so much potential to tear it all apart. With each inventive creation came the promise of destruction in turn. The inevitable march from one side of his being to the other wore on Destruction over and over again.

Eventually, Destruction reached a point where he no longer wished to continue. He needed a step back from his own Endless destruction. Bucking the inherent stagnancy of his siblings' Endless beings, he abandoned his duties. He'd always intended to return. His concept was an undeniable part of him — the Truth of his being. But before he could, Destruction felt the need to examine that Truth. To explore the possibilities of creation and destruction as he never had before. As none of his siblings had. He set himself to wander for centuries — a mere drop in the bucket of his Endless lifespan — and since, had spent much time creating to regain touch with that side of himself.

He was not an inspired creator. But few if any could match the breadth of his explorations. Everything he saw, he tried his hand at recreating. The copies were all inevitably relegated to destruction. Such was his way. Creation and Destruction. He drew the connection between both sides of himself again and again. And a certain understanding — a peace of mind — slowly settled within his Endless being.

He felt as if he was coming to accept himself again. It was slow going and he thought he might wander for an age or more to fully come to terms. Until recently, when a novel oddity came into his self-imposed exile and showed him Creation as he had never seen it.

Little Mew was fascinating. And clearly not of the Presence's Creation. It had shown Destruction as much. Its own version of the Presence (in a way) by the name of Arceus. An entirely different version of Creation it called its home. Even more versions of Creation it had experienced with its eternally reincarnating friend.

Dream would have liked the strange little guy. At least, as much as the aloof Dreamer could be said to like anything, that is. Little Delirium would have adopted Mew in a flash. She often had mixed feelings about the Horrors From Outside Creation but Mew seemed to be one of the good Horrors. Not like the Madness of Eldritch Invaders that little Del held the line against. Didi also seemed like she would love Mew for the sheer scope of Life the creature's impressively psychic mind spoke of. Though, perhaps that should be 'did love', considering they'd already met, with Mew being released into this reality by Didi's Prince Consort.

That itself — this 'Sean Caine' — was fascinating enough on its own. None of the Endless had taken anything like him before. Desire and Dream had had lovers in the past, but nothing on the same level as declaring someone their equal. Sean Caine was essentially that, an eternally reincarnating soul set equal to Death of the Endless herself.

Upon hearing the news (his wanders kept him woefully out of the loop from the rest of his siblings by design), Destruction felt his interest piqued. Didi was generally considered by the Endless to be the best of them. Though they were all equally Endless, she took on the role of the 'older sister' and was loved for it. Even by Dream, in his unique way of things.

Didi's Prince Consort was the motivation Destruction needed to bring his self-imposed exile to a close early. Well, that and meeting Mew. Destruction was feeling positively inspired by the out-of-context pink cat-creature. A first in his Endless existence that allowed him to peek past the act of creation to catch a glimpse of the spark that came before it. For a brief moment, Destruction saw outside his concept to the inspiration of his brother's Dreams. If Mew alone could do that, what could the man behind him do…?

It was slow going but Destruction began his trek to the Dead End. A return to form, to duty, to the domain he'd abandoned. The final journey of his self-imposed exile. He felt, if not fit to return to his Endless role, then at least willing. For that, he had Mew, Sean, and Didi to thank.

Along the way, Destruction got to know Mew better. The little being never left his side, a constant lantern of energy day or night. It was a mischievous fellow, intensely devoted to doing whatever it pleased, whenever it pleased. Absolutely no force in the known universe could stand against Mew's reign of mischief and chaos, Destruction found.

Much of their time together was spent pursuing a specific goal of Mew's. The little creature wished to recreate its descendants in this reality. Destruction couldn't begrudge the cat that task. It must have been lonely being the only… 'Pokemon'… So with Mew's direction, Destruction took to creating as they trekked, leaving breeding pairs of Pokemon behind to inhabit the world. As Destruction understood it, that little side activity of theirs had already begun turning the world on its head.

Soon enough (by Destruction's Endless standards), they found their way to Gotham, home of the Dead End and Didi's Sean Caine. Immediately, Destruction could tell they weren't alone. While he'd gone to great lengths to obscure his presence from his siblings, they hadn't done the same in return. And as he and Mew approached the Dead End, he sensed… all of them already inside.

"Did you arrange things this way, friend?" Destruction asked, glancing at Mew as he stood in front of the Dead End.

He'd learned not to underestimate the little creature despite its diminutive size and unassuming cuteness. Mew was, while perhaps not up to his siblings' Endless standards, a force of nature unto itself. As exemplified by the fact that Mew simply struck a pose, holding two of its paw-fingers out in a peace or victory sign.

"Very well," Destruction chuckled. "It seems 'reunion' is the name of tonight's game."

Yet, even having said that, Destruction hesitated. It had been a long time since he'd spoken to any of his siblings, much less all of them at once. What was happening within the Dead End seemed to be one of Didi's familial gatherings. None of the Endless had ever been able to refuse her periodic calls for such. If she'd been able to contact him, her call for 'family dinner' would have even temporarily pulled Destruction from his wanders.

That didn't, of course, mean it was easy for him to suddenly meet with everyone again. At least, it wouldn't have been. If Mew didn't give him a mighty psychic slap on the back that set him on a direct course through the door of the Dead End and into their midst regardless of his hesitation.

Destruction was shoved into the Dead End. Within, he found a star-studded cast from the top tier of existence. Every one of his Endless siblings was there, as he'd sensed. But Lucifer was also inside the bar, with his 'side of the family' as Didi liked to call it. Which meant his wife/right-hand demoness Mazikeen, his Demiurgic brother Michael, and a young woman Destruction was unfamiliar with. The Presence didn't make an appearance, but then, he rarely did. Not even Didi could pull the Source of All from his 'retirement'.

Then there was a third 'faction' at the family gathering. Didi seemed to be as much a part of it as she was a part of the Endless. Heading it was the man who couldn't be anything but Didi's Prince Consort. A young woman stood between him and Didi, leaning into both of them for parental support. Additionally, behind Didi's Prince Consort, a false angel acted as his shadow. And finally, Infinity in a tiny adorable package 'slept' at the bar.

Immediately upon his involuntary entrance, Didi welcomed Destruction with a blinding smile, expressing unexpected joy, "Destruction~? You've come to join us tonight~? Wonderful~! How simply splendid~! The whole family's here~!"

"Surprise, darling," Sean shot Didi an amused little smirk.

"This was your surprise?" Didi asked, just about melting with happiness when Sean nodded. "Oh, Sean… You're so sweet."

"I didn't do it alone," Sean admitted. "Mew was the one to kick it off. It's been subtly — or maybe not so subtly — herding your brother this way for a month or two now. Took their sweet time, of course. But with you inviting your family over, I figured it was a good time."

"Mew Mew~!" Mew chimed, floating circles around Destruction's head.

Didi gave the little cat a smile as well, "Thank you, Mew. This means a lot to me. 'Someone' has been incommunicado for far too long."

Destruction laughed sheepishly at the look she sent his way, "Ehehe… I had a few things I felt I needed to figure out for myself…"

"And have you resolved your inner worries, brother?" Destiny asked, his voice exactly as grandstanding and imperiously overdramatic as Destruction remembered.

"Yeah, yeah~! Have you~?" Delirium added, practically hopping in place with her usual manic energy.

Destruction nodded slowly, "Yes… I believe I have. It wasn't easy. But I think the time alone, without my duties, has been good for me."

"Good," Dream rasped with his usual level of care for propriety and empathy (that is to say: none). "We're tired of picking up after you and your braindead irresponsibility. Get back to work, you bum."

"I missed you as well, Dream," Destruction rolled his eyes.

"Don't mistake my modicum of care for concern or emotion," Dream snapped dryly.

"Dream…" Didi frowned, a slight warning in her tone.

"Oh, shut up, bastard," Desire rolled their eyes even harder than Destruction had. "You never have anything nice to say. You're better off just not saying anything at all."

Dream scowled, "As if any of you would survive without my wisdom and advice. I swear, I'm the only one with any sense for the bigger picture these days."

"Oh… Your words… hurt, brother…" Despair murmured. Her voice was soft and sad on the ears — a tragedy of sound. Paradoxically, there was always macabre beauty to be found in her constant pain.

"If you make Despair cry, I'll kill you," Delirium glared harshly at Dream, her manic mood turning in an instant.

"And I'll make it HURT," Desire added, coming to their twin's defense.

"Peace, siblings," Destruction naturally found himself trying to mediate.

"I won't have any killing in my presence tonight," Didi said sternly. "We're here as a family. FAMILY. Am I clear?"

"Tch," Dream looked away sharply.

"The Endless are as dysfunctional as ever, I see," Michael observed plainly.

Lucifer snorted, "As if they're alone in that regard, brother."

Michael raised a stoic eyebrow, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

A dagger suddenly flashed through the air, sinking deep to the hilt in Michael's shoulder. He didn't even flinch. Mazikeen twirled a second dagger through her fingers as if nothing was wrong.

"Why, I wonder," Lucifer deadpanned.

The unfamiliar young woman who had been sticking close to Michael recoiled at the sudden violence, "What the fuck…?!"

"He deserved it," Mazikeen shrugged without care. "He always does."

The other young woman in the room shook her head with exasperation, "You get used to it."

"I-I don't think I want to…!" The first young woman exclaimed shakily.

"Here, I'm Alice," Alice introduced herself, taking pity on the other teenager. "Stick with me and you'll make it through tonight alright."

"Elaine…" Slightly shocked, the first girl introduced herself in turn before shaking her head hard and hissing, "T-This is ridiculous! I mean, I've met Uncle Lucifer before but this is the first time I'm meeting the rest of the family. Including my literal fucking father! Who still hasn't said a word to me! Yet he was just stabbed! How could anyone adjust to this?!"

"For shame, Michael," Lucifer tutted at his brother.

Michael simply stood there stoically, "It is still not yet time for my daughter to be brought into the fold. This dinner invitation does not change that. I shall-…"

"Michael, you will treat your daughter like your daughter or I swear to your Father, I will be very cross!" Didi spun on the Archangel with a glare that got the first reaction of the night out of him.

Michael flinched, "I-It is not so simple, Didi. She has a greater purpose wait-…"

"Tough," Didi cut him off bluntly. "Tonight is about family, not some 'greater purpose'. Introduce yourself and get to know her as a father should or I'll do it for you!"

It was always a wonder to watch Didi work, Destruction thought with amusement. The Archangel quailed and gave in under her glare. He turned to his daughter, trying to regain his usual stoic nature.

"Hello, Elaine. I am your father," Michael said, apparently meeting her for the first time.

"Yes, I'd gathered," Elaine snarked. "How else was Uncle Luci supposed to be my uncle?!"

"Yes…" It was the damnedest thing. The Archangel Michael was hesitating. "Perhaps… we should take this conversation to the side. Just… you and I?"

"Fine," Elaine snapped. "I have questions. You'll answer them, correct?"

Michael seemed to struggle internally for a moment. The continued expectant glare from Didi made up his mind, "… Yes. Yes, I shall."

The father-daughter pair excused themselves from the main group, talking quietly.

"So…" Michael began awkwardly, his voice fading into privacy. "How is… school…?"

Mazikeen grunted slightly, "She's got fire in her. I think I might even like her despite the fool's blood in her veins."

"High praise from you, Maz dearest~," Lucifer smirked.

"Um, was it a good idea to invite her, considering she seems to be rather ignorant of all of us?" Destruction spoke up considerately.

"Yes," Didi nodded firmly. "She's family. And Family is Family, no matter how unused to us they are."

Desire snorted, "If we're gonna have the Dreaming Bastard, we might as well have the kid too."

Dream glared at them. Desire glared right back. Two Endless beings, locked in an Endless blood feud. The original reason had been lost to time. Didi sighed. She was sure even her siblings didn't remember at this point. They just hated each other's guts. Desire hated Dream's emotionless Mind. Dream hated Desire's fiery Heart. It was likely they'd never truly get along. But in Didi's presence, they were at least supposed to 'play' nice.

Sean cut in, distracting from the Endless feud, "How about we all sit down and eat? We did promise you dinner, after all."

Despair shrugged, "I could eat…"

"Always~!" Delirium chimed happily.

"I don't know about 'always'…" Despair mumbled.

Didi sent love her sister's way, "It's okay, Despair. Sean's cooking is practically guaranteed to make you feel something."

"That'll be a feat…"

Sean clapped his hands twice. A table appeared in the center of the Dead End. It was long and rectangular. A feast was already laid out atop it. The food was simple and… not… A salad. A whole bird, waiting to be carved. Then the dishes started to grow strange and esoteric. A soup made entirely of concepts that Destruction barely recognized, steaming with feelings of Home and Family. Bread baked from flour of dreams and nightmares. A tentacled pasta dish of alien Madness, distilled for mortal consumption.

"Simmy? Could you help set the table?" Sean asked.

The false angel acting as his shadow dinged and Destruction blinked at the strange, melodic, data-ful language she emitted, "[Content affirmation]."

"Bullshit," Dream growled, his emotionless expression never shifting an inch.

"No, brother," Didi said, smirking slightly. "His name is Sean Caine."

"Mew!" Mew clapped its little paws together in excitement.

"Yes, I made you poffins. Magikarp-flavored," Sean confirmed.

"That thing…" Dream spat. "Shouldn't exist. Not here, at least."

"Well, it does," Despair said simply, a hint of cruel sadism to her voice. "So clearly, you're wrong…"

"Sit, brother," Destiny tried to soothe Dream's bristling Mind. "I see peace and happiness in our future. There are no enemies here."

Glaring at everyone and everything around him, Dream was still the first one to take a seat at the table. The rest of the Endless followed his lead. Mazikeen and Lucifer sat as well, not a care in the world between them, shown in their own unique ways. Didi smiled at the cooperation on display. They may have been a dysfunctional family but they were still a family. It warmed her heart to see everyone gathered together like this.

"Come on, Ophy," Sean prodded the sleeping Infinity. "Time to meet the family."

"Mm," Infinity awoke, opening her eyes to stare at the now-sitting Endless. "… Hello."

"Hello…" Despair responded to her flat greeting in kind.

Ophis nodded, turning to Sean, "Food? Sweets…?"

"After you finish your dinner," Sean promised.

That was enough to get Ophis moving. The world flickered and she teleported into a seat next to Delirium. Delirium grinned wildly at her. Ophis' lips twitched minutely.

"'Lo, Infinity~!" Delirium greeted.

"… Hello, Madness."

"Are you excited for dinner~?!"

"… I am excited for dessert."

"Good enough~!" Manic energy giggled in Delirium's chest.

"What are we waiting for?" Mazikeen drawled, lazily picking at her nails with her dagger.

"Let's let Elaine and Michael rejoin us and then my side of the family will introduce themselves as we're served," Sean proposed.

The father-daughter pair soon did just that. There was still some uncomfortable distance between them but it was somewhat lessened now. They sat at the table between Lucifer and Alice. Michael pointedly kept his brother between himself and Mazikeen. She was already eying him like she wanted to give him another impromptu piercing.

Alice gave Elaine a little, commiserating smile, "Welcome to the family. It's… unique."

Elaine snorted, "You can say that again."

Didi smiled proudly at Alice for including the other young girl, turning to address Elaine herself, "We're very glad to have you as a part of it, Elaine. I am Death but you may call me Didi. I insist, in fact."

"Nice to… meet you…" Elaine said slowly, visibly boggling at the fact she was casually speaking with Death. "You're Alice's Mom?"

"Yes," Didi happily confirmed. "Adopted but I don't think that makes any difference. She is mine now. I have claimed her and I won't be letting her go any time soon."

Alice blushed brilliantly and groaned, "Moooooooommmmmm~…"

"And the rest of you…?" Elaine asked, fishing for introductions.

The Endless went around the table introducing themselves. Destiny did so pompously. Despair mumbled just her name. Desire purred theirs in a way that set mortal nerves tingling. Dream just grunted. Delirium chimed her introduction like a bell, halfway spinning into a meaningless ramble as she went.

"Delirium~! Oh, but not 'that' delirium. 'That' Delirium~! With an emphasis on the 'Del' and a wibbly-wobbly on the 'iri' and then a hard 'um'~!"

Destruction smiled sympathetically at the young girl as her eyes just about spun from Delirium's introduction, "You get used to her-… Well, you don't, really. But we love Del anyway. She helps keep things interesting. I'm Destruction. Nice to meet you."

"Speak for yourself, fool," Dream scoffed. "I don't need to love anything."

"Sanctimonious Crab-Dick," Desire growled at him.

Dream glowered darkly, "I will smite you."

"Bring it, Dreams-For-Brains!" Desire shot right back.

"Nightmare~! Nightmare~! Nightmare~!" Delirium giggled, her bell-like tone not matching with her words at all.

Elaine stared at all of them and Michael just sighed, "Please don't corrupt and confuse my daughter so much. She is rather new to all of this."

"And who's fucking fault is that," Mazikeen's words were as sharp as her blade.

"Now, now, Maz~," Lucifer teased. "Michael may be a fool…"

"… But?" Elaine asked when he didn't continue.

"Hmm?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "No 'but', that was it. 'Michael may be a fool'."

"Always a pleasure, brother," Michael deadpanned.

Elaine couldn't help but giggle at their byplay before moving on to the 'unintroduced' side of the family, "And the rest of you? Are you all also personified concepts of reality?"

"No, not as such," Sean smiled.

"Dad's worse," Alice snarked.

"Worse…?" Elaine asked, confusion and horror blooming in her eyes.

"Perhaps," Sean chuckled. "First, let me introduce my girls. The little bundle of Infinity is Ophis. She's somewhat like the Endless. Only… not really."

Ophis gave a little half-wave, already focusing on piling as much food on her plate as physically possible. Such a small being should not have been able to consume that much food. But all of them except Elaine had seen much stranger. Like the little pink cat who was quite literally swimming in the salad bowl of 'poffins' specifically prepared for it.

Sean continued, "My lovely throne likes to call herself Simmy. Contrary to appearances, she is not an angel. More accurately, she would be called a Shard of crystalized intelligence. Alien Mind with a spark of Heart to give her Life. Say 'hello' Simmy."

Instead of a seat at the head of the table, Sean was sitting in Simmy's lap. She seemed perfectly content with the arrangement. Maybe even more than content, Destruction thought. Ecstatic and satisfied. Her arms subtly 'holding' Sean in place seemed to say as much, at least.

Simmy dinged in that alien but perfectly understandable language of hers again, "[Greetings]. [Preferred Designation: Simmy]. [Purpose]."

That last 'line' of hers said quite a lot. It spoke of [Data] and [Purpose] and [Freedom]. A summary of Simmy's story, the path that led her to the here and now. Destruction and the others quickly came to understand why she was so devoted to Sean. And for some reason, Desire was looking even more smug than usual as Simmy spoke.

"Her Mind is fascinating," Dream admitted begrudgingly, looking as if he wanted to be saying anything else.

"Heh," Desire gave a sinfully smug smirk at their brother's 'pain'.

That was all it took for Dream to spin onto her, glaring like a nightmare, "What did you do?"

Desire simply smugged back at him, "Heh."

"Yes, what did you do, Desire?" Sean asked knowingly. "Would you care to share with the family?"

"Desire?" Didi furrowed her brow in concern.

Under Didi's expression, Desire quickly caved, looking away with a huff, "I just opened the door for Simmy. Didn't even mean for Ophis to follow her… And maybe I pulled a few strings here and there, directing a few of Sean and Didi's relationships from behind the scenes — which were already blooming on their own, by the way! — but nothing bad."

Destiny gasped in grave, shocked offense, "You would pull the strings of Fate?! How-! How-! How-!"

"Oh, shut up," Despair cut him off, rolling her eyes hard enough to be felt.

"Yeah," Delirium frowned, her mood shifting surprisingly serious. "You always act as if you're the only one of us who can affect reality. It's unbecoming, brother. Just because everything has a 'destiny' doesn't mean you're the only one who can ever do anything."

With his usual stuffy composure broken, Destiny's protests went ignored. He was left sputtering at his sister's uncharacteristic criticism, "I-! Wha-! Del-! N-No-! T-That's not-!"

Didi turned her attention back to Desire's confessed meddling, frowning slightly, "I suppose 'opening the door' and a bit of healthy meddling is fine… But I would much prefer if you would consult with me first, Desire."

"But that takes all the fun out of it~!" Desire giggled. "You've finally settled down and you're so happy now, Didi~! I just wished to help in my own way~!"

Didi blushed, glancing at Sean, "I am rather happy…"

"I think we can let Desire off the hook this time," Sean reasoned. "She didn't mean any harm. And I'd rather not start a feud with your siblings on our first meeting, darling."

"Good," Didi smiled at that. "Now, finish your introductions, Sean. We seem to have gotten slightly sidetracked."

"Of course," Sean nodded, turning back to the rest of the table. More than a few of the others waited in anticipation to learn about the man who'd won Didi's heart. Some in earnest curiosity like Destruction and Michael. Others out of icy disapproval like Dream, just waiting to coldly lash out if given the chance.

"Sean Caine," Sean introduced himself with a smile. "I'm quite familiar with Death, as you might have realized. Intimately so, even before becoming Didi's Prince Consort. As for why… well, I'm retired now but before meeting Didi and opening the Dead End, I was a serial reincarnator. I've lived many lives, each different and unique. And when I died, my soul passed on to another reality in a seemingly endless cycle. Of course, after drifting into Didi's lap, the only thing I could do was settle down here."

"That-…" Elaine began, her voice slightly strained. "That's possible…?"

"I've never heard of anything like it," Michael mused with clear interest.

"You are Endless in your own right," Destiny declared seriously.

"In a way, I suppose," Sean considered. "There certainly didn't seem to be an end in sight for my wandering soul before I met Didi. And knowing the Infinity of existences beyond existence, I could have very well wandered without rest for eternity. I consider myself lucky to have happened upon Didi when I did."

Destruction nodded in sympathy, "Ah, I understand. Even endless wanderings and constant new adventures can become trying."

"Wait, wait!" Elaine seemed to realize something, pointing at Mew. "Is that an actual Mew?!"

"Mew!" Mew popped up from his bowl of poffins to answer for himself, sounding as if he was offended she could ever think otherwise.

Elaine paled, "Sorry! I didn't mean to imply anything! I just thought you were another stupid powerful being that happened to like Pokemon or something! Wait… how did I even understand that?"

"You're half Archangel, little one," Didi gently reminded.

Dream scoffed, "Granddaughter of God and she thinks she wouldn't understand a creature."

He ducked just in time for a dagger to whiz through the air where his head just was, buzzing locks from his spiky hair. Mazikeen snarled at him, "That's my niece you're insulting, Nightmare. WATCH IT. Next time, I won't miss…"

Dream sniffed, sitting straight back in his chair, "You will try."

"Luci?" Mazikeen growled. "Help me kill him."

"Didi would be very cross with me if I did that," Lucifer casually pointed out. "You know how I don't like Didi being cross with me."

Mazikeen turned her snarl on her king and mate. Impressively, Lucifer didn't flinch an inch. Didi sighed and Sean chuckled. Elaine shifted nervously in her seat at the fighting 'over' her.

"This is… normal…?" She leaned over to ask her father.

"Painfully so," Michael said stoically.

"Perhaps we should, uh… eat?" Destruction said, trying to be reasonable and maintain the peace between the most prickly members of both sides of the family.

"Yes, wonderful idea," Didi agreed, relieved. "Thank you, Destruction."

Despite the meal starting soon after, Dream and Mazikeen locked themselves in an intense glaring contest. Surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprising for those who knew Maz), the Endless seemed to be losing the match. The rest of the table easily ignored them, Alice even initiating a conversation with Elaine to help her do so since the half-angel was out of her depth.

Dream's glare lasted up until he bit into the bread baked from dreams and nightmares, "… Fuck. Fuck, that's fucking good."

He seemed more pissed off than pleased by that realization. Sean smirked, "Thank you. I'll take that as your compliments to the chef."

Though the Dreaming Endless glared at him, he couldn't stop himself from taking a second bit, "… Fucker."

Desire cackled at their brother's expense. Which, of course, made Dream turn his glare onto her, his eyes flashing with nightmares. Desire shot back pure emotion with fiery fury. Dream flinched, Desire's Heart clashing with his logical and not-so-logical Mind. The other Endless largely ignored them, well-used to their Endless feud. In the 'chaos', Delirium tried to sneak a strange shadowy creature with glowing pink eyes of Heart food from the table.

Didi quickly caught her as Delirium was unable to contain her manic giggling, "Del, no shadowy unknowable horrors at the dinner table."

"Awwww~, but Didi~," Delirium turned to her 'older' sister with puppy dog eyes. "Heartless Shadows need to eat too~!"

"Yes, I understand it's hungry but unless you can quickly teach it the appropriate table manners, I'm afraid it will have to be excused," Didi reasoned, stern but fair. "That goes for you too, Dream."

Dream scoffed and Didi turned her stern disapproval onto him, "Don't take that tone with me, mister. Do you think I didn't notice the Mind Reaper lurking around Sean's head in the Dreaming?"

Dream scowled and Sean tutted, smirking with amusement, "Tsk, tsk, it's just impolite, is what it is."

"Should we be concerned for your dad?" Elaine quietly asked Alice in the background.

Alice waved dismissively, "Eh, it's Dad. He'll be fine."

Sean's jab just made Dream scowl more petulantly. Reality wavered with his frustration. A writhing being of too many questing tentacles and too many slavering jaws was reflected as a ghostly image from the Dreaming. It lingered above Sean's head, unknowably terrifying and grotesque even as Sean seemed utterly unconcerned.

Alice paused and reconsidered her quick dismissal, "… That is certainly fucking horrifying though."

"Oh, God, I think I'm going to be sick…!" Elaine physically gagged at the sight of the Mind Reaper.

"Excuse it or I will give it its final rest," Didi sternly chastised Dream.

"Fine," Dream spat, dismissing the Mind Reaper with a negligent wave of his hand. "Not like it was doing any harm."

"Except for my daughter's mental health," Michael frowned imperiously, a warning in his tone.

"Well, well, look at that, brother~," Lucifer smirked. "You 'CAN' show love and concern for your only daughter."

Mazikeen snorted, "He always tries to play strong and stoic but we all know he's a big fucking softie at heart."

Michael didn't acknowledge their teasing, simply sitting straight and strong-backed as he stared intensely at Dream. Elaine blushed, looking away and muttering, "… Thanks, Da…"

"You are welcome, my daughter," Michael nodded, maintaining his cool demeanor. "Never let it enter your mind that I do not care for you. I may struggle to show it but that does not mean my Heart is not there."

"Oh, yeah," Desire confirmed. "The big guy definitely loves you. He's just shit at expressing his emotions."

"It's why I only ever try to stab him and nothing more," Mazikeen added, her tone flush with sarcastic amusement.

"Wonderful. Simply wonderful…" Didi muttered under her breath to Sean. Her honest smile could have been seen from space. "Look, Dear, they're all getting along~…!"

Sean smiled at her hushed happiness, "So I can see, Didi. It seems tonight is a roaring success, even if not the most traditional one."

"[Additionally], [Sustinance] [Quality: Premium]," Simmy added with a hum, ravenously absorbing the [Data: Good Meal] that Sean had made specifically for her consumption.

There was a light clink as Ophis set down her utensils and immediately turned to Sean, "I have finished… my veggies… Sweet and just desserts…?"

"Dessert~?" Delirium perked up at that word.

Wildly sparkling eyes stared at Sean. Her Heartless (not so heartless anymore) was stored back within Delirium's Heart at Didi's request. Didi had said she couldn't feed it from the table but Delirium still subtly slipped the Shadow of Heart scraps of Love and Emotion from the sustaining conceptual and emotional broth of Endless Family Dinner. Still, the prospect of desserts on par with Sean's dinner grabbed Delirium's attention and wouldn't let go.

"Oh, boy," Sean chuckled. "I suppose I brought that on myself. Ophis, how do you feel about something a little different for your sweet fix? I think I might just have something Mad enough to satisfy both of you…"

"Mm!" Ophis nodded, emoting just about as much excitement as she could with her usual impassive expression.

"Goodie, goodie~!" Delirium clapped and cackled.

From there, Sean summoned a pair of round candies for the pair of them. Gobstoppers, charmed to be Ever-lasting and flavored by a wonderfully Mad man — Wizard, really — who used candy and magic to spread joy to the world, even the unsuspecting Muggles… A fittingly Endless treat for Endless Madness and Infinity Personified. Of course, neither Endless Madness nor Infinity was so easily predictable as Delirium and Ophis immediately chomped through the magically 'endless', impossibly hard candy with a single bite. Even Sean was momentarily taken aback by that… Up until he was forced to scramble in search of another dessert to satisfy Endless Madness and Infinity Personified.

IIIII

Hours later, Didi sighed contently. Then giggled as she was already fondly reminiscing about the night that had just ended. A silly smile hadn't left her face, even as everyone excused themselves. There was just too much for her to be happy about. Goodness, she loved her family, no matter how difficult they could be at times.

Her Endless siblings had left the Dead End for the moment. Some of them were sure to return, Didi suspected. Delirium, of course, as much as it was possible to predict her future decisions. Desire's return was likely as well, simply to stir things up in their very unique way. And Didi had a premonition that Dream wouldn't be able to help but show his face again as well. As prickly and difficult as he could be — truly unfriendly at times —, Didi knew that Sean and more specifically Simmy had piqued his professional interest. He did so like to be 'Mindful' of new, inspiring novelties like them.

Despair hadn't come out of her shell much. She was always a hard egg to crack. It was unlikely for her to visit unless Desire managed to drag their twin along for the ride. Destiny was quite stuck-up and usually preoccupied himself with his usual 'business' (read: toying with Fate all high and mighty).

It'd been wonderful to see Destruction again after so long. Sure, his self-imposed exile was more like the blink of an eye to their Endless existences but that could only be said looking back at it. At the time, every moment he was missing brought aches to Didi's heart.

The exile was good for him though. He was simply… more stable now. His time away had grounded him in a way that was unique for the Endless. He was calmer, more reasonable, and much, much less pessimistic. That had been becoming a problem before, one that Didi hadn't been able to help but worry over. Didi knew a thing or two about the weight of inevitability. It warmed her heart to see such thoughts no longer bothering Destruction so much.

Mew had seemingly played a significant role in Destruction's peace of mind. It acted as a sort of artificial font of inspiration for Destruction's creation, as far as Didi could tell. Without the playful little creature, Didi's brother might not have come back for another several centuries. Even though Destruction had left again, he promised to keep in touch as he slowly worked himself back up to reassuming his Endless duties. Just in case, Didi had asked Mew to keep an eye on him for her.

Lucifer's side of the family had left on a similarly positive note. Cousin Luci and Maz always kept things interesting. Michael had his issues but Didi was proud of him for 'sucking it up' when she told him to properly reunite with his daughter. Meeting her niece — little Elaine — had Didi jumping for joy on the inside, even as she tried to play the 'cool aunt' role outwardly. She'd even made friends with Alice! Didi was simply ecstatic to see her entire family getting along~!

But of course, all nights must come to an end. The Endless Family had departed for their own homes (or what passed for such). Alice and little Ophy had been put to bed. Simmy technically didn't need to sleep but was updating her Shard with [Data] from the night. For the sake of privacy, if nothing else. Which left Sean and Didi alone with each other, reclined and cuddling atop the Dead End's bar as dawn peeked in through the windows.

"Tonight went well," Sean commented almost absently as he stroked lazy patterns that left a trail of pleasant shivers on Didi's skin.

"It did," Didi hummed, smiling. "About as perfectly as I could have asked for, despite the usual difficulties my siblings present."

"Do you think they liked me?" Sean asked curiously.

Didi chuckled, "Each in their own unique way, yes."

"We'll have to do this again soon."

"I'll never complain about excuses to see family."

They lapsed into silence. A comfortable one. Didi had never been more content, never more happy to simply lie there and let the universe turn around them. Family and Sean. Truly, the only things Didi needed from existence. Everything else was simply wonderful cherries atop this utter satisfaction.

Didi smiled softly, breaking the silence but not the mood with a clear expression of her contentment, "… You drifting into my lap was the best thing to happen in a long, long time, Sean."

"I could say the same thing right back," Sean said, squeezing her shoulder slightly and pulling her into his chest. "Of course, that's not to say I don't still want more."

"More~?" Didi asked, her eyes flickering closed in bliss.

She felt him nod with her head resting on his chest, "What's retirement without a few vacations here and there?"

"'Dates', some might say~?" Didi teased knowingly.

"I do still have things to show you," Sean mused. "And it's not as if either of us will ever lack for time."

With her eyes still closed, Didi's hand sought out his, holding it lovingly, "Not if I can help it. I suspect you feel the same."

"I do," Sean intertwined his fingers with hers and pressed a nuzzling kiss to the top of her head. "To an Endless existence together?"

"Together," Didi agreed with a blissful sigh. "Always."

"Until Death do us part."

IIIII

[AN: And that's it. The End… for now, at least. I do plan on returning. I've only told stories from about half of Sean's lives. And the interdimensional dates have a lot of potential as well. But before I even think about those things, I need a break from this story. Expect new Goth Girls Galore chapters first while I work out the details for my Worm story. I haven't quite decided how I'll be handling both of those stories at once but I am going to try and give them both at least somewhat equal attention. So until next time, folks. It shouldn't be too long, maybe a week or so as I take a break and spin my mind and attention onto something new.]

[P.S. This story did end up wrapping up at 420k words from my software's count. Just a fun little 'funny number' easter egg :]