When the Stars Die

Chapter 19

(The more I write this book... the more I want to change the story. Like the more I elaborate on this long stretch of happy moments, the less I want to change that. It's a real struggle. This book is supposed to be angst and death-ridden?? Not happy and fluffy and wholesome??? What is happening.)

"BROTHER NO!!!!"

Nightmare took a step back, absolutely mortified by the scene he'd walked in one. It would've been much worse if they'd been in a bedroom, late at night, under the sheets together.... he quickly shoved that possible scenario out of his head. Just the idea of his younger brother being in such a relationship with anyone was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach. But the situation that was at hand was already bad enough.

The scream by itself was enough to deter the other two skeleton monsters from each other's embrace. They quickly pulled away from each other and Cross even took a few steps away from Dream, both of them blushing madly. The Guardian of Positivity was sensing a whirlwind of differing emotions from his brother, which was pretty unusual for someone who was always sarcastic and grumpy.

"Nighty--" Dream tried to call out to his brother, who was speaking incoherently.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nightmare continued to whine, his eye wide as he couldn't tear it away from the scene.

Dream looked down at his lap, covering his face with one of his hands. He gave Cross a sideways glance, pursing his mouth together. Cross returned the look with a small smile, but it didn't do much to lessen the awkwardness of the situation. When he looked back to his brother, the Guardian of Negativity had managed to tear his gaze away. But he was walking towards one of the chairs in the room, sitting down on it and pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Nighty...." He tried again, this time a little louder.

"You! Him! HERE!" Nightmare cried out, his hands clutching his face around his eye, as though he'd been scarred for his entire life. "I NEED A MOMENT!"

Dream stared at his brother. He had never expected that someone like Nightmare would be so overdramatic about this. They hadn't even been doing anything! Okay, well, maybe that wasn't true. Maybe they had been about to kiss, but Nightmare didn't see that and didn't know that! Nightmare's tentacles wrapped around the chair, turning it around so that he wasn't facing the couple. Not that he knew they were a couple, but still.

Nightmare's entire posture had become slouched and pushed forward. His tentacles had dropped from their usual position, now looking limp and like they would drag behind him, more like a hindrance than a natural weapon of his. The way that his body had become slouched reminded Dream, although just for a few seconds, of animation styles and how cartoon characters sometimes had comedical little movements when they were being dramatic. That was the comparison that the six year-old in his mind made, anyway.

There was an awkward, uncomfortable silence that followed soon after Nightmare turned his chair around. Cross had taken the opportunity to move a bit closer to Dream, seeing as Nightmare was too distracted by his own struggle to get a grip of reality to notice. Dream bit his lip as he heard the small sniffles that came from his brother. He wanted to go over there and comfort him, but he was pretty confident in what he said. That he needed a moment.

"I'm an adult." Nightmare's voice was still a bit shaky. "I can handle this."

Dream and Cross shared a concerned look with each other. They both knew how old Nightmare was, even if Cross had difficulty believing they were the same age as each other. But for someone who was over 500 years old, a king (though a self-proclaimed one, but neither of that would ever say it to his face), and responsible for upholding a part of the Balance, he was being absolutely ridiculous with this one discovery.