#homesick au

[eclipse163]

Small bit of Homesick Lore!

After 4 months into the sickness:

🏠: -. --- --..-- / .... . / -.-. .- -. .----. - / .-.. . .- ...- . / .- -. -.-- - .. -- . / ... --- --- -. --..-- / -... ..- - / .... . / .. ... / --. . - - .. -. --. / .- / -... .. - / -... . - - . .-. .-.-.- / .... --- .--. . / -.-- --- ..- / ..- -. -.. . .-. ... - .- -. -.. / .--- ..- .-.. .. . --..--

[queenie-ofthe-void]

A Desperate Fool - Part 10

Part 9

Last time: Eddie and Nancy finish their long conversation on a heavy note

~~~

“Dustin, your phone’s going off,” Eddie shouts, hands shoved into the soapy dish water. He cocks his head around and watches the phone vibrate spasmodically across the table for the third time in twenty minutes. The only sounds filtering through the two-story brownstone are the phone and Dustin’s off-key singing in the upstairs shower. 

He sighs, grabbing the clean dish towel to dry his hands with as he crosses the kitchen to silence the damned thing. Dustin invited Eddie to temporarily move in with him while Suzie was out at Boston teaching a seminar for the semester. It’s been a nice change of pace since the paparazzi found the temporary rental he was staying in.

Eddie’s apology to Dustin had been quite long. Dustin’s swift forgiveness was shorter than Eddie expected. It almost hurt to be forgiven so quickly, but when it became clear it was conditional on never talking about Steve– or even Robin– Eddie couldn’t argue. It’s a fair compromise. Whatever it takes to have an honest to god friend again.

So when Eddie picks up Dustin’s phone, he genuinely considers throwing that friendship out the window. The screen says ‘King Badass’ surrounded by different sportsball emojis, overtop a picture of the two of them leaned up against the classic 1980’s maroon beemer. Steve’s got one arm wrapped tight around Dustin’s neck, a mint chocolate chip cone on the ground at his feet and a strawberry cone in Dustin’s outstretched hand. 

The picture must be relatively new. Eddie’s never seen that navy sweater, or those aviators before. His smile is as wide and gorgeous as he remembers, and Eddie only wishes he could poke his fingers into the picture and pluck the sunglasses off that pretty face to see those golden, hazel eyes look back at him. 

Before he knows what’s happening, before he can stop himself, before he can even think about anything at all, Eddie swipes right and hits the speaker button. He’s silent, frozen, and scared out of his mind as he listens so, so intently to the sounds of Steve breathing on the other end of the line. Knuckles white, Eddie turns the volume up as high as it goes and closes his eyes. The soft breaths wrap around him in the same familiar way an old, oversized sweatshirt does on rainy days.

Then a lot of things happen, very suddenly and very fast.

“Henderson? What the fuck, man– are you going to say anything?” Steve’s voice screams out, causing a tingling in his right ear where he’d had the phone smashed to his head. 

Eddie gasps, involuntary and ragged.

A pause. 

Then, “... Dustin?” Steve asks, knowing full well the person on the other end of the phone is not, in fact, Dustin.

A loud, indignant, ear-screeching squawk from the stairs stops Eddie from responding. Dustin’s standing there, across the room wrapped in a towel and dripping onto the hardwood, glaring at Eddie like he’s a cat with his hand in the cereal bowl. Which, he sort of is.

“I’m sorry.” Eddie’s not sure who he’s talking to when he says it, but he thinks it applies universally in this particular situation.

Dustin shouts, “put it down!” at the same time Eddie hears the faintest whisper through the phone.

“Eddie?”

He’s never heard his name uttered the way Steve breathes it in this moment. It’s a prayer at a funeral. Flowers at a graveyard. The edge of a cliff. A haunted house. It’s everything and it’s too fucking much. 

“Stevie–”

The phone’s snatched away from him as Dustin storms back upstairs, turning it off speaker. 

Heart pounding, ears ringing, head in a fucking fog, he swallows the acid flooding his mouth and moves back to the sink on autopilot, shoving his hands into the hot water to keep from pulling at his hair. Dustin's muffled bickering echoes down the stairs– he thinks he picks out something like won’t let you– but can’t make out the words.

He hums the melody he’s been toying with just to drown out the argument. It hurts in the way everything about Steve hurts, an ache he’s slowly but surely getting used to. 

Almost thirty minutes later, Dustin leaves with a quick ‘be back soon’ shouted over his shoulder, slamming the door behind him before Eddie can respond. He’s not sure where he’s gone to, but it feels obvious in the set of Dustin’s hunched shoulders and the redness in his eyes when he comes home again hours later. When Eddie asks if he’s alright, Dustin says he’s fine. 

They don’t talk about the phone call.

~~~

Part 11

Tag List!!!

@sadisticaltarts @5ammi90 @blacklegsanji21 @jaytriesstrangerthings @thewickedkat

@stripey82

[pastelitey]

Hello dear pastelitey,

I have been reading your Scar-centric Roayl AU fic since chapter 3 was posted, and I decided that AO3 comments weren't enough.

I love your writing so much, from the vivid images you create in my head to the suspense you bring to each chapter. Do I know what the spooky stuff is or what is up with that? No, but I cant wait to see what you're going to do with it.

And the way you write each relationship, like how Scar’s and Grian’s relationship changed over the course of the few chapters posted, to the early ones Scar has with the council and Pearl, and now, the last 2 chapters giving us a BOMB of a reveal with Scar and Cub and just. I am in awed.

I just wanted to say I love your writing so much, more than words can convey, just all the little hints throughout each chapter, you have my full admiration.

Have a fantastic day!

aaashfkshdkafksdksa hi!!! i was surprised to see an ask on here about my homesick au(still haven't figured out what to call it lol) as most of it has been centralized over on ao3, but believe me when i say that i was very delighted to receive this ask!! hi!! may i just say, your comments on my fic always make my day, i literally can't stop smiling while reading your comments, lol.

thank you so much for all of your kind words and for being such a dedicated reader + commenter. it's because of readers like you that i do what i do in the first place. when i first started writing homesick i didn't think anyone would want to read it, but i'm so happy to know now just how many loyal readers like you that my silly little royal au has.

again, thank you for all your kind words 😭😭😭 i'm terrible with words when receiving praise, if you couldn't tell. so, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

you have a fantastic day!! :D

[theraedar]

This is your home, too

[l-ii-zz]

🔸 🔸 🔸

Since I'm failing miserably to update the AU's summary, I made this post with an even shorter summary for those who still struggle to understand what the hell is going on xD, so I hope this will be helpful 💛

I just added the most crucial stuff involved to the protagonists, but there's more you can read in the 👉 extended summary 👈 (there are some tiny things that I must change in that post, but the main plot remains the same).

If you still have questions about the story you can always send your questions in the ask box 📬

🔸 🔸 🔸

A reminder that I have archived everything related to SJAU in this blog 👇👇 for you to find the files easily:

✨ @spacejunk-au ✨

🔸 🔸 🔸

🔸 🔸 🔸

Small music propaganda

I | II | III | IV | V | COMPLETE

🔸 🔸 🔸

[the-deep-dark-forest]

*points*

so creature

[hikaru4520]

Parent's day

MC,watching all of their friends talking to their parents as Grim lays in their arms:...

MC,thinking to themselves: Mom,am I still young?Can I please dream of you for a few more months?

Deuce: Perfect!Come over here join us-

MC,shakes their head as they sigh before smiling at him: Coming coming

[pendwelling]

yeseo!Werner AU part 2! (37k)

(+ a compilation of some other old and new sketches!)

But yes, Part 2 of the AU is finally out :'D

You can read it on AO3, it's 37k words and full of my agony sweat and tears wkdhdkkd (VENETIAAN KINGDOM HISTORY IS SO COMPLEX AAAHHH) 🥹✌️

Summary:

Wilhelmina has become the Duchess of Sneijder. With all this power at her disposal to begin turning the cogs of her plans, Werner’s presence, however earnest and light, seems to make things a bit difficult.

Moon Halo pollen stain her fingers dark, but her brother's hands were better off clean.

(Or: Six years have passed since Jung Yeseo has transmigrated into the body of Werner Sneijder. He still has much to learn about his new sister.)

[crabsnpersimmons]

What if y/n from have you eaten? Au had eating disorders?

oou! good question!

yes! that is definitely a scenario i would like to explore in the fic when i get to it. also why i want to write the fic with multiple different Y/Ns so we can explore different experiences and relationships with food

there is a "main Y/N" who is a glutton who likes to try anything and everything. i haven't done the research for it so i can't say whether or not they have an eating disorder, but they DO have an unhealthy relationship with food as a result of being shamed for their appetite. so that, coupled with their job that emphasizes appearances and first impressions, they eat smaller meals, seemingly healthier meals, safe meals. but when they're alone at the restaurant with the DCA boys, without having to worry about who sees them or how much they eat, they're able to enjoy their food openly and honour their body's cravings.

[eclipse163]

He sick

[queenie-ofthe-void]

A Desperate Fool - Part 11

Part 10

Last Time: Eddie accidentally answered Dustin's phone

~~~

To say the past few months have been difficult would be putting it lightly. He wasn’t surprised like the rest of the Party had been when Eddie used a PI to track him down and show up on his and Robin’s doorstep unannounced. However, Steve was surprised when Eddie decided to stick around. It’s impacted the Party in ways he didn’t expect.

Everyone tip-toes around conversations with him in best attempts at not mentioning Eddie casually. Sure, that’s partially Steve’s fault since he’d initially asked them not to, but now that Eddie’s home it’s frankly ridiculous how Nancy will side-eye Jonathan during a story, forcing him to back track and say they had a ‘dinner guest’ over. Or the way Dustin stops mid-sentence and completely changes the subject.

He’d thought the worst part about Eddie sticking around was how it’s clearly split the Party into factions, which– according to horror movies, DnD, and Dustin– is never a good thing. Mike barely talks to Nancy or Dustin, who’ve both been banned from Steve and Robin’s home on Robin’s orders. It’s cordial between Max and Lucas and Dustin, but can be awkward at times. Wedding planning is the only exception to a cordial get together. 

Becky’s barely noticed a change, which he supposes makes sense since she doesn’t know about his history with Eddie. A pang of guilt strikes him every time the thought crosses his mind. He wishes he felt comfortable enough to open up to her about Eddie, about his parents, about his sexuality. Steve knows it isn’t fair to keep his cards so close to his chest, but he can’t help it. So he can’t really expect her to notice when he hasn’t given her all the information.

All of that bullshit was hard enough, but he’s adjusting. He’s made good progress at mending the Party factions, specifically with Dustin and Mike. Everything was fine. It’s just another part of Eddie he could shove away into the corners of his mind, and force everyone else to do the same. It was fine, he was good.

But then his Teddie’s voice rang through the phone like wind chimes on a summer breeze.

“‘Stevie?’”

Steve swipes his hands up his face and into his hair to pull tight at the strands. He’s surprised there aren't any wear marks on the floor he’s been pacing for the last half hour as he waits for Dustin to get here, even though he’d told him not to come. At least Robin isn’t home, neither him nor Dustin could survive her fury if she knew what was going on.

There’s a pounding on the front door that sets his teeth on edge. He’s told that twirp a thousand times he’ll knock the whole door down that way.

“Dustin,” Steve says exhausted and annoyed, “I thought I told you I wanted to be left alone.” Yet Steve leaves the door wide open behind him as he heads back into the living room.

“You hung up on me. You never hang up on me.”

Dustin plops down into his usual spot on the soft blue sofa. He’s holding one of Robin’s favorite blue, white, and green decorative pillows to his chest, his eyes just peeking out over the top like he’s hiding. 

He wants to sit next to the kid and comfort him, but Steve’s thoughts and emotions are a whirlpool he can’t navigate. So he continues to pace and avoids Dustin’s painfully apologetic glance. “I just need some space ok?”

“Steve, I know we all agreed a long time ago, but I really think you need to talk to someone about Eddie.”

Steve cringes at the name. It’s been so long since he’s heard someone say it out loud that his ears are ringing. “I do talk about it– him– what happened. I do talk about it, just not with you.”

Dustin flinches like he’s been slapped, but doesn’t retaliate, much to Steve’s relief. He can’t help lashing out. His hackles are up and Dustin knows it. “I don’t think Max is–”

“What’s wrong with talking to Max?”

The kid scoffs, exasperation apparent in his squinted eyes, and argues “it’s not like she’s going to give you an unbiased opinion. Max doesn’t like Becky, never has and probably never will. At least Robin and I finally gave her a chance after you proposed. So explain to me how talking to Max is better than literally anyone else?” He slams the pillow down next to him and the movement sets Steve off.

“Max,” Steve snaps, “is the only person who’s willing to hear me out and actually listen to what I’m saying, even if she doesn’t agree. She’s the only person who doesn’t act like they know what’s better for me than I do. I can talk about the bad and the good times with Ted– Eddie–  without scoffs and eye-rolling, or someone telling me I’m wearing ‘rose-colored glasses’. So don’t bullshit me about Max not liking Becky. You’re just jealous I’d rather talk to her instead of you.”

Fuck. 

Steve freezes in place and tugs at his hair again. He can’t make himself lift his gaze from the floor, stuck in a fog of panic. This entire situation is fucked, but he can’t bring himself to take it back. Maybe he could’ve worded it better. Maybe he can still apologize before he fucks up another good thing in his life. Before he pushes another loved one away because he’s too scared to have a hard conversation.

“You shouldn’t pull your hair.” Dustin says it by rote. His broken voice is enough to force Steve out of his daze. He sits next to him and wraps Dustin tight against his chest.

Dustin sniffles. “Are you mad he’s living with me? Because I’ll kick him out if you’re–”

“No,” Steve interrupts. “No I’m glad he’s back in your life, I know how important he is to you and I’m glad you’re getting that back. He’s my ex, but he’s still everyone’s family, and for that I’m happy he’s home. The Party deserves to have him around.”

“Eddie’s a friend, but you’re my big brother. I love you, and you’re my family, no matter what.”

Steve’s eyes mist over. He kisses the top of Dustin’s curly head, and holds him out at arms length to look him in the eye. “I love you too. And I’m sorry I snapped at you, that was super shitty.”

The kid smiles at him. It’s a small thing, but it’s genuine.

“And I am glad you’re talking to Max,” Dustin adds on. “But if you talk about it with more people, maybe it would help? Like, different perspectives and stuff.”

“I know. I just– I’m not sure I know how to do that with other people. It’s been a while since I’ve tried.”

“Well, why do you want to talk to him?” Steve should’ve known the kid couldn’t help but ask, especially with how their phone call ended. Months ago, when he’d told Max to get in contact with Eddie, Steve just thought he wanted closure.

After hearing his name whispered soft and broken from Eddie’s lips, a deep-seated craving rooted within him burst out as he pleaded with Dustin to give the phone back. He’d been drowning for over a year and Eddie’s voice was like a forced breath of fresh air into his lungs, a crushing pressure on his chest that leaves bruises and broken bones but brings life. 

Steve felt alive. 

That was the moment the panic set in. Anxiety, self-loathing, and shame crested higher and higher until– he was back in their home, screams ripped from his throat as he swung Eddie’s guitar into the wall over and over and over until their bedroom walls were littered with holes, scraps of wood scattered across the floor, slivered into Steve’s bare feet.

Except now it’s not despair or anger that haunts his dreams– that’d be too easy. The dreams that linger into the light of day are always soft and mundane. They’re dreams of him tucked into Eddie’s side as they watch TV, or Eddie smiling at him across the kitchen while they cook. Moments Steve knows he can never have again.

Unless. Maybe.

Dustin might not be able to read his mind like Robin, but Steve’s never been able to mask his emotions well when they bubble to the surface. “Steve, no, he’s not–.”

“But he’s trying, right? Everyone seems happy he’s home, like he’s getting better.”

“Better doesn’t mean he’s good enough for you, Steve! Sure, yeah, he’s genuinely working on himself and he really is changing, but that doesn’t undo what he did to you. None of us have forgotten that, and I don’t want you to either.”

He pulls his hands away from Dustin’s shoulders to wipe his sleeve across his face and sure enough, it comes back wet. 

“Fuck,” Steve chuckles, tone dark and self-deprecating, “didn’t know I could still do that.” Sniffling into his sleeve, he lets out a ragged laugh, long and heavy until it morphs into an angry, choked off howl of frustration.

Dustin’s quick to pull Steve into him, arms wrapped around any inch of him he can reach while Steve heaves deep, uneven breaths. Without someone’s eyes on him, it’s easier to open the floodgates, but he’s held back the truth for so long that the whole dam bursts. 

“Dustin, I miss him so fucking much. That’s why I don’t know how to talk about this with anyone. No one wants to hear how I still wear his old guitar pick necklace to bed every night, or how no one’s ever made me laugh harder than he has. I never thought I’d see him again, but now that he’s home, there’s nothing I want more in this world than to hold his hand, to hear him say my name again or see him smile. I want to be with her– I know she loves me. But it’s not the same. I miss him and I hate myself for it. I hate how much I’m still in love with him.” 

Steve’s not sure how long he hides with his face pressed into Dustin’s shoulder, but by the time he shifts away, the sky is painted in cotton candy pinks and blues as the sun slips below the skyline. Worried he’ll find pity carved into Dustin’s features, he avoids his gaze altogether as he stands to move. 

The sound of padded footsteps follow him across the living room, down the hall, and into the galley kitchen just wide enough for two. Steve pours two glasses of water and sets it down next to the dishwasher, directly across from the oven where he sets his own. They hop up in unison, kicking their feet so they end up between the other’s knees on the outswing. A calm familiarity washes over him, like instead of dreading Dustin’s response, they’re just waiting for the next batch of cookies.

“He’s writing a new album,” Dustin says softly, even if it echoes in the hollow of Steve’s chest. “On the acoustic.”

Steve’s neck cracks with how fast he turns to look at Dustin, who smirks lovingly at the shock that must be written in his eyes. “Mike’s acoustic? He pulled it out of storage?” 

Dustin nods, eyes still shining wet in the light with his eyebrows raised like he can’t quite believe it either. “I’m trying to convince Mike to come over so he can see for himself.” He clears his throat and wipes his eyes before saying, “sometimes I can hear what he’s working on and– it’s different. Softer.”

Steve smiles as Dustin tells him everything and anything he can about Eddie since he’s been home. Finally, he’s found another person he doesn’t have to pretend with, someone who won’t tip-toe around the Eddie-sized elephant in the room that Steve constantly wants to ask about. 

An hour later as he walks Dustin out, one foot on the welcome mat, a last confession pours from his chest. “He’s not the only one that fucked up. I– I did too. Made mistakes.”

“Well,” Dustin says, plain as day, so normal and even-toned that Steve feels his lungs sigh in relief, “Max and I are here to talk about that too, whenever you’re ready.”

Steve goes to bed early that night. He crawls under the covers and reaches all the way to the back corner of his nightstand drawer where his fingers clutch the small, plastic triangle. The worn leather string slips over his neck easily. It sits lighter on his chest than normal. 

There’s still a roiling sensation in his gut, but instead of burying his face in his pillow he reaches out for his phone, pulling it under the covers with him. His fingers move without his permission, automatic and self-indulgent. The light is bright against his eyes as he stares back at the string of numbers he wishes he didn’t have memorized. He contemplates long enough for the screen to dim, then eventually turn black. Taking it as a sign, Steve rolls over and is plagued with soft, mundane dreams.

~~~

Part 12

Tag List!!!

@sadisticaltarts @5ammi90 @blacklegsanji21 @jaytriesstrangerthings @thewickedkat

@stripey82 @a-lovely-craziness

[the-doodle-cave]

You'd think with all the character development he went through he's understand sarcasm, no, he's still a beloved oblivious idiot

This one's featuring future versions of both Wanderer and HomeSick that's why they look different :)

[starry-bi-sky]

I'm so annoyed. @kingcrow01 tumblr ate your ask about Danny's opinion on the League. tumblr i pressed 'save draft' why didn't you sAVE DRAFT.

ANyways I'm making a post instead. For everyone else, the ask was in summary:

What was Danny's opinion on the League now that he's left it? If he missed the familiarity of it, if he recognized the cult-like behavior inside it, and if he now detested his grandfather.

And to answer (again, grrr): It's complicated! We love complicated <3. Yeah, Danny does miss the familiarity of the League, it was still his home for the first ten years of his life and he has a lot of memories there. Plenty of good along with the bad, and while he's less homesick than he was when he was 10, it still hits him like a truck at random intervals.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz are great, and he likes the Drs. Fentons enough that he's contemplated murdering Vlad for his meddling, but if he wants to eat the same food his mother used to make him and Damian, he has to do it himself and he can't get the taste right. No one knows arabic so he speaks it to himself because he doesn't want to forget his mother tongue, and he has a few books too. Frankly? He genuinely misses training.

Getting to use Sam's gym helps with his restlessness, same with training with Maddie, but he has no one on or above his level to go against other than his mother. And he only sees her twice a year at most. He knows that he's getting stagnant and he fucking despises it like a bad itch he can't scratch.

He feels conflicted about missing the League, however, since by now he recognizes the flaws and what was wrong with it, and he recognizes that it was cult-like. But even that is kinda, hrm, complicated? If this was a fic I would be able to go better into depth about what he has and hasn't unlearned because cult deprogramming is hard and Danny's doing most of this on his own.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz have helped with the more obvious stuff: like the ecofascism, the disregard for human life, his emotional constipation; the more obvious stuff that shows in his behavior and personality. But none of them are professionals nor do they actually know the full extent of what Danny's life in the League was like. They only have snapshots since Danyal is very tight lipped about it. So they can only help with what they see themselves through Danny's behavior or word of mouth.

But in summary: He sees, for the most part, what's wrong with the League and disagrees with some of the stuff they do now. But he's very conflicted, and trying to dissect his feelings on the League confuses him. His protests about it whenever Sam and Tucker joke about it have at this point become mostly empty (altho it still causes him some discomfort), and its an inside joke between them three.

As for Ra's? Despises him. If only because Ra's wanted him to kill his little brother -- thinking about his motives with the League confuses Danny, cognitive dissonance and stuff, -- a lot of his hatred stems from "He wanted me to fight my baby brother to the death. I destroyed my relationship with Damian because of him, I had to fake my death and leave my home, and I will never meet my father or see my brother again because of him. Fuck that guy."

[nyatbinary-81]

@vulpixisananimal sifstem art jumpscare!! more specifically i got bored and decided to mess around with sif and mal's outfits.

[l-ii-zz]

Part 10 of ?

Prologue 1 | Prologue 2 | Prologue 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

More pages under the cut 👇👇

[spotaus]

Hi guys, this is usually what a doodle page ends up looking like <3 (oh, and @ancha-aus thought you might like this! Not writing but certainly fuel to my fire lol-)

This one is New Age filled!!! (Close-ups abd Lore beneath the cut!)

1) Night and Cross!

Night is actually very clingy once he's a teen. He doesn't usually realize it, but around the castle he'll snake to be closer to his Knights so long as there's no one he needs to keep his composure infront of is nearby. Cross is the one who's not used to physical touch (when it's not Ink ofc) so Night in his personal bubble makes his heart melt but also scares tf out of him <3

2) Error and Night's Meeting!

Error was carrying his whole life on his back and trying not to get arrested for unintentional property damage at this point, so when he saw the chance to get back at his brother and prove he was strong enough? Yeah, he got that on chance instantly. And was VERY smug when Nightmare chose him. (Also, Error is wearing gloves, so less Haphephobia)

3) Dream and Blue designs!

I think these are good tentative designs! Dream probably has a more regal fit, but he likes to play up that rugged exile look- He's inspired by Archers, while Blue takes on that classic Knightly-vibe. Their equipment is mostly stolen from Night's troops or brought with them from Blue's home kingdom.

Also, Dream is approx Killer's height at this point, shorter than Cross and *much* shorter than Apple!Nightmare. (Hc that Skeletons tend to be tinier in stature thanks to weird monster beauty standards. Horror and Geno's fam are outliers.)

4) Horror and Dust designs!

Horror is naturally a very *large* monster. He's very malnourished when Nightmare meets him, but by the time he's a Knight Nightmare has made sure that's no longer the case. He actually loves comfy, simple clothes, but to play up the whole 'strong mysterious' bit he wears a more barbaric Knight's garb. He doesn't mind acting scary, it's more fun that way :]. Dust is very very small, and envies horror sometimes for his size, but his tiny stature let's him control his body and move a lot quicker. He's very much based on a rogue, and usually covers the lower part of his face w/ a black cloth, and the upper part w/ his hood or mask. Dust only removes both to bathe, eat, or relax in a safe location. (Ignore that I can't draw the stupid gaster blaster lmao-)

These last two were space-fillers, but Cross and his Borzoi (Windmill, otherwise known as Milly (Killer named her-)) and really bad first wips of Ccino! I think Ccino was a chubby, happy toddler, but lost a lot of 'weight' (bone mass? Magic?) due to stress and pressure and bad eating habits. So it isn't until a while after the Coronation that he starts to relax abd feel safe enough to eat normal meals (Nightmare used to guilt him into eating snacks together, but as his boss (and younger brother) he can encourage it more often). By the time Killer shows he's still not quite healthy, but he's better. As more weight is lifted off his shoulders, the better he is. (That 'beauty' most people saw was a more stereotypical slimness, but Killer never stopped seeing Ccino as beautiful-) I think he never looked traditionally underweight, so no one noticed, and it was only much later that Night processed it. (And maybe it's why Dream hardly recognized him later on-)