Loyal Servant (Crossmare) (Rewrite)

The Uncovered Past

"Any more damage and you'd have been down a rib," Nightmare noted, tenderly running the back of a finger along the bandaged bone. His careful touch didn't hurt, so Cross let him be. He paid more mind to the shirt he actively sewed, gracefully stitching the gashes it had received during the fight. Nightmare watched his every movement. "I should have kept a better eye on you during the battle."

"Whose the royal guard here? Me, or you?" Cross chimed back with a soft smile. Nightmare gave a small sigh as if that's all it took to defeat him. Cross cast him a loving glance. "Leave the coddling to me," He told him. He lifted a hand, running it along the length of a smooth tendril which hovered nearby. "Besides, I would have been alright had Error not gotten involved," He pointed out.

"Yes, which was a sure way to make an enemy of me," Nightmare replied with a growl. "He even snatched your book," He added with a displeased huff. A moment later Nightmare shuddered. It was quite the powerful shiver, as it shook him to the very tendril tip Cross currently ran his hand along.

"You alright?" He asked.

After a moment of silence, Nightmare replied. "I'm fine," He assured him, tendril slipping away from Cross's touch. "I just need to sleep after all that excitement," He explained with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I'll join you as soon as I've finished this," Cross said, picking up the pace. He too was eager to get some much needed sleep. Especially alongside Nightmare.

...

Cross had never woken up so abruptly before, nor in any way quite like this. He tensed immediately, finding Nightmare hovering over him. That alone wouldn't have been too frightening. He would have just assumed Nightmare had stirred awake and was seeking attention. It was the tendril slowly snaking its way around the vertebrae of his throat which made him so uncomfortable. Nightmare knew he was sensitive around his neck, and Cross didn't appreciate him so blatantly ignoring a set boundary. Especially not when he had woken to it.

"Nightmare, what are you doing?" He questioned, only for the tendril to slither further around his neck. When he met Nightmare's eye, the malice he found within set off an alarm. Something's not right. He went to sit up but the tendrils which now grappled his entire body pinned him right back down to the bed and held on painfully tight. His breathing faltered, and he grabbed at the thick coil which continued to compress. "Nightmare!" He hissed, only to find the king smiling further. Am I being betrayed? Cross furrowed his brow, now struggling for any breath at all. No. He wouldn't turn against me. Not after all this time.

He searched his lover's expression in hopes of finding answers whilst trying to remain calm. There was something eerily familiar about Nightmare's twisted smile. He wasn't baring fangs like he usually did when upset, and his one eye looked wild with excitement. I've seen that face before, but not on Nightmare. With a burst of speed he slammed his fist into Nightmare's chest, sinking past the thick waves of black. The acidic components within his body burned the bone of his hand, but he didn't back down. He knew where to find Nightmare's soul, and a little pain wouldn't deter him. Once he found it, he dragged it into a battlefield.

Cross glared at the sight before him. The soul itself looked fine, the black apple still darker than the night. However, black wasn't the only color he could see anymore. Blue strings wrapped around his soul, squeezing so tight the soul could hardly pulse. There was no denying these strings belonged to Error. Nightmare's armor is built to prevent things like this. Error shouldn't be able to have direct access to his soul! Cross didn't have time to figure it out, the pressure around his throat starting to leave him light headed.

Cross used his legs to shove against the mass of Nightmare's waist, hardly putting any distance between them. The numerous tendrils grappling his body didn't help in the slightest. Either way he managed to summon enough strength to form his twin blades. Sorry about this. He plunged them deep into Nightmare's chest, aware his coating would protect him from serious harm. Given that Error currently controlled the dark god, he reacted as though the stabs could have been fatal. He reared back, giving Cross all the time he needed to free his blades and sever himself from the prison of tentacles. He didn't stick around to watch Error realize his new body was fine, teleporting right out of Nightmare's quarters.