Slave To Torment

Trouble

Once Ink was gone, Nightmare turned to Horror. Before Horror could say anything he was slapped across the face. Horror gasped and placed a hand on the spot that had been hit, something that was soon to be a bruise.
"What was that? What did you say to Ink?"
"N-Nothing I swear!- I just wanted to- OW!"
A tentacle wrapped around Horror's poor aching neck, slamming him against the wall.
"What did you say Horror! Tell me or I'm gonna make it a hell of a lot worse for you!"
"Stop Nightmare!-"
Nightmare's head snapped in the direction his name came from, Dust being the one who said it.
"Why!?"
"Because- You'll make it worse!-"
"And!?"
"He'll take more time to heal!"
"He-... Oh...I...guess that would be the case wouldn't it?.."
"Ya...at least that's what Ink said..."
Nightmare grumbled something to himself before letting Horror go and looking back at Dust.
"Watch him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid...or bad-"
"I get it..."
"...Good...I'll be leaving now... But Horror..."
Horror didn't want to look up at Nightmare but did, knowing that when he got better he'd only be in more trouble if he didn't. Nightmare had a malicious grin on his face, that reasonably freaked Horror out.
"You are really gonna have hell to pay for this when you're better~"
Horror whined, wincing even a little when he saw Nightmare's hand coming close to him again. He thought he would get hit but instead his cheek was brushed in some sort of passive aggressive way by Nightmare's hand.
"I'll be back soon...but for now Dust will stay with stay with you... Bye Horror~"
Horror anxiously watched Nightmare take his hand off of his face, before slowly leaving the room. Once the both of them knew he was gone, they let out a sigh of relief.
"That was close Hor- Horror?..."
Horror was shaking, he was scared, he was always scared...why?.. What reason did he have to be scared at the moment?.. Every, or none... It was weird because he knew someone knew something was wrong...or at least he hoped someone did... He honestly couldn't be certain due to the piss poor job he did at alluding to the fact he was in danger...
"Hey Horror itself alright... You'll be ok soon-"
"I-I couldn't do it..."
"What?.."
"I tried...and he probably realized I need help... But I just could've do it...I knew Nightmare was somewhere...they were all somewhere... For the first time I was scared to be alone..."
Horror could feel tears form in the corners of his eyes, as he just let out all of the fear that had been festering in him when he was alone with Ink. Dust wanted to comfort him but didn't, knowing he had no clothes on under the blanket.
"U-Um I'll get you a shirt!- Ya I'll do that and um afterwards anything else you want- Like food, you have to be-"
"*Sniffle*...*Hic*..."
Dust knew that Horror really didn't want any of those things... So Dust just covered Horror some more with the blanket and pulled him into a hug. Yet for some reason even when he was locked in the comfort of Dust's embrace...all Horror could still feel was...
"Afraid..."
Ink made his way up the steps to the stars base, unlocking the door and then entering the house. He was able to see Dream...and Cross talking...Dream having a look of sadness on his face, which for him was a rare emotion to be having. He noticed Ink walking in and got himself together a small bit.
"Oh hello Ink! Blue's with the kids and Cross was just telling me more about the horrible thing that just happen to Horror..."
"Ya...just finished helping him..."
Ink could see Cross being rather...ok...after telling Dream these things, more so than he should've been... Ink didn't want to admit it but it kind of freaked him out, the smile...the okness...it was really fucking freaky...
"Um Cross I know a lot happened earlier back at your place... But I really gotta talk to my team alone...if you don't mind leaving..."
Ink watched Cross's face slightly contort into a look of slight anger. Dream some how didn't notice, even when Cross stood up with slightly clenched fists-... Wait, what was wrong with his hand?..
"Hey Cross, um..."
Cross walked up to Ink, him having some weird look that Dream wouldn't be able to see. Ink was minuscule compared to Cross from the way he was standing in front of him.
"Yes?"
"W-What happened to your hand?"
Cross immediately covered the hand that Ink as talking about, the hand Ink didn't even point out specifically yet. Dream being worried and confused, tried getting up and grabbing ahold of Cross's arm. Cross pulled away though before he could.
"I'm fine honey- And Ink I don't mind leaving!-"
Both Dream and Ink heard the sudden urgency to leave their home that time, it being only mildly concerning to Dream if even at all.
"O-Ok Crossy!- I'll call you la-"
"Yep, then!- Bye!"
Before Dream even had a chance to say good bye, Cross was gone... Dream sighed and sat back down in a chair with his head in his hands.
"There he goes...again..."
"Again?.."
"Oh um- I mean-"
"No Dream what were you saying?.."
Ink went over and took the place Cross had, sitting their across from Dream.
"I want to know, besides it might help me figure something out..."
"...Not so recently...but also kind of I guess?.. I don't know, but anyways um... We'd be hanging out and he'd get calls from some one and just get up and go... I'd never have a chance to stop him or normally say bye...it's been making me feel like I'm less..."
"You aren't Dream...and besides I've seen some strange behaviors from those guys myself..."
"Oh?.."
Dream's interests seemed to peak when Ink said that, Ink seeing this and continuing with what he was saying.
"Most of them were just acting weird...Horror even doing so... He seemed like he didn't know what happened to him at first... It was so weird..."
"But he was the one that-"
"I know...and even weirder was I'm pretty sure that he had some sort of lingerie on, I saw it balled up on the floor..."
"Lingerie?.. Ink..."
"Ya?.."
"Do you by some chance remember what company the set was from?.."
"Like what was on the tag?.."
"Ya..."
"Maybe, hold on I might've written it down"
Ink pulled his scarf off and started to read what he had written on it, after a couple of seconds of reading he stopped.
"I think most of the lettering was burnt...but I got the last part of it, Bella-"
"Is it BlueBella?.."
"Um...maybe it was?.. Can't quite remember though..."
Remembering that Ink had the memory of a goldfish, Dream grumbled.
"Wait here, I'll be back"
"Ok"
Dream walked off to his room, and came back out of it a few seconds later with a bundle of clothes.
"Do not laugh"
"Never said I would..."
Dream groaned, throwing the white ball of cloth onto the counter.
"Did that ball of clothes l-look like that?.."
"A bit darker...but ya...if it were stained and kind of burnt then that's what it'd look...like..."
Ink felt his words start to fade when he heard Dream laugh a little before saying-
"You never can remember anything that's told to you, but some how everything you see seems to be something easy to remember..."
Dream felt him self begin to cry, but before any tears could spill from his eye sockets he got ahold of himself.
"Ink, tell me what else happened... Is Cross cheating on me with Horror or something-"
"Dream I don't think it's that..."
"H-How? His hand is burned so he probably tried to help Horror when he got burnt, he has the same lingerie set I do, Cross and his phone call-"
"Dream..."
Dream stopped his rant when Ink put his hands on both of Dream's shoulders.
"Stop for a minute please..."
Not sure if he'd be able to stop himself from going off again yet still wanting to please Ink, Dream nodded, so Ink went on.
"Someone that loved Cross, or had others lying for him about someone like this wouldn't mouth the words help me as I left."
"Wait...Horror said he needed help?.."
"I think he was going to... But Nightmare and Dust walked back in before he could..."
"So...Cross isn't cheating on me?.."
"I don't know maybe? But something is clearly going on, with him and all the rest of those guys..."
At the moment Ink honestly could care less about Cross, only wondering what was going on at that castle of nightmares...
"What do you we do Ink?.."
"Well I'm going back tomorrow...I'll see if I can get anything else out of Horror then."
"Good idea..."
"Is there something else?.."
"Um not really, just want to know what you think is going on..."
"Honestly... I don't know..."