Massacre (villain Tommyinnit AU)

Chapter 26 - Care

It was cold.
But not dark.
The torches still glowed with a red flame, even if it had died ever so slightly since it was lit.
Tommy looked around trying to gather his bearings.
The pain wasn't too bad now, it just made his head feel fuzzy.

"Nightmare?"

'Yeah I'm here kiddo...'

Nightmares voice was barely above a whisper. It was unnerving to Tommy to say the least, was nightmare hurt too?

"Are you okay?"

'...I'm not in any pain.'

"That isn't what I asked."

'I know kid, I know.
I just don't want to worry you right now, you have enough to worry about without my issues added in.'

Tommy reached for the mask on the floor and carefully put it on his face, it took a second for him to get used to the weight again.
He turned his head side to side trying to see nightmare but he couldn't.

"Nightmare?"

'You don't want to see me right now kid.'

"Please."

'Kid...'

"Please nightmare?"

Tommy whimpered slightly, he needed comfort, he needed to know he wasn't alone.
Nightmare gave in and sighed.
'Okay.'
As he said that his form finally came into Tommy's field of vision.
Tommy gasped.
Nightmare had a huge gash running across his face, it looked like it had torn through muscle and bone alike. He had a hole in his stomach that you could see clean though. Black blood dripped from the injuries and out of his mouth, fading into non existent mist before it could touch the ground.

"What happened?"

'This is what I look like. It's the way I died.'

"Why are you showing me now?"

'I didn't want to.
Whatever happened earlier weakened me enough that I can't hide this part of me right now.'

'Are you alright though?'

Nightmare hesitated, he could just lie, if he lied then the kid wouldn't have to worry, but should he really deny the kid the truth? After everything that happened?

Yes.
Yes he could, and he would.
For Tommy's sake.
For his sake he will never know.

'I'm fine kiddo. Please don't worry about me, I'll get better soon.'

"Promise?"

Nightmare hesitated once again.

Tommy say cross legged on the floor and held his pinky out to him similar to what a small child would do.
And in that moment he stopped.
He didn't see massacre, he didn't see a killer, he didn't see the loud, obnoxious boy that the SMP hated so much.
He just saw a small, broken child who was never given the chance to be one.
He had no idea what Tommy's life was like before he went to the SMP, but looking at him now...

Nightmare didn't think the kid ever had a childhood.

He never had someone to trust.
He never had someone to care.