Shattered Souls [sequel]

(Can't Be) Worried About You

Nightmare isn't sad.

He simply can't be.

Nightmare is always crabby, always angry, always annoyed, always vengeful, always disappointed, always dissatisfied.

But he is never sad.

Nightmare hasn't been sad for a very, very long time. And he won't be sad anytime soon either.

This is simply fact. And it is a fact his gang should know by now.

Only they don't seem to get it.

Nightmare wants to tell them but telling them is admitting there is something they can be concerned about but there is nothing and there never will be anything.

Nightmare is not sad. He is not sorrowful or dejected or downcast or unhappy- well, he's always unhappy. Just not in a sad kind of way.

And even if, hypothetically, Nightmare was sad (ridiculous, I know, but just imagine), it wouldn't matter because he has no idea why- he would have no idea why... Hypothetically.

Imagine Nightmare, Lord of Negativity, and guardian of all negative feeling in the multiverse... being sad.

How pathetic would that be?

But even so, Killer keeps looking at Nightmare with a pitiful gaze, and Horror keeps offering to refill the coffee, and Dust has stopped asking him about their next job, and Rive keeps tidying up things that are already tidy; keeps making everything a little neater.

But this is good, actually.

Because now Nightmare is snappish amd irritated at everyone walking on eggshells around him. Which is funny, really, because now that Nightmare is angry they really do have a reason to be wary.

Nightmare is also angry because Cross hasn't been back for at least two days, after he was sent to gather intel on a brand-new AU. It wasn't everyday something entirely new cropped up.

What was it called again? Nightmare couldn't quite remember, but it probably ended in 'tale'; most AU's did.

Like, come on Creators, consistensy is good and all but really?

Regardless, Nightmare decided that he should probably go and check it out himself, and hopefully drag Cross' sorry butt back here in the process.

If he was still sulking about his and Nightmare's 'talk' last week...

A knock on the door jolted the guardian from his thoughts.

Well. He wouldn't have to go all the way to that AU to yell at Cross after all.
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Ink wasn't sad.

He wasn't, well, anything really.

Simply put: he left his emotions at home.

No. Literally. He left his sash of vials at home and waited for the last of them to run out because otherwise Ink would be feeling all kinds of sad right now.

Nightmare's house had a very, very effective anti-intruder system that pretty much unloaded the equivalent of a thousand years' worth of The Big Sad onto anyone trying to come in un-invited.

So yeah, it was very effective... Unless that intruder happened Ink. Which it was.

Sucks to suck I guess.

Ink blinked his frighteningly focused eye-lights and tried to concentrate. This was important. He didn't need his feelings to know that.

One boney hand raised to knock on Nightmare's surprisingly normal-looking door and for a moment Ink just waited, until the door was thrown open as if in rage.

"Cross, you better have a damn good reason for-" Nightmare began, but cut himself off when he noticed it was Ink, and not Cross, who was standing infront of him. "Wait, Ink? I-"

"Hello Nightmare," Ink said plainly; in a sort that matter-of-fact way Blue said he spoke without his paints, "Your brother is currently trying to tear apart the multiverse, is probably trying to kill Blue, and we kind of need your help."

"Wh-"

"Oh and we're pretty sure he killed Cross."

Nightmare blinked again- or was it a wink if he only had one eyelight? No. Probably not. Ink decided you'd probably have to have the intention for it to be a wink.

"I- well-" Nightmare spluttered for a second, and Ink titled his head to the side, trying to remember the last time he'd seen Nightmare so surprised.

Luckily the spluttering stopped because it was kind of time-wasting anyway. A grave shadow crossed the other skeleton's face and he furrowed his brow.

"You'd better come inside, Ink. Tell us everything."

And that was how Ink managed to get inside Nightmare's house (caslte? Base? Evil lair?) for the first time in forever, and he couldn't even celebrate.

He didn't have the soul to.
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777 words

'Nooooo!' You cry as I switch between present and past, 'tense has to be consistent!!'

Well guess what? I like it. Adds a dramatic flair. So there ;p

Sincerely, cold pot noodles