Loyal Servant (Crossmare) (Rewrite)

Between-Arc Oneshot: The Hidden World

"What did you call it?" Nightmare questioned. He hadn't looked up, rotating his mug to spin the black coffee within. "Posttale? Followtale?" He began to guess, which had a similar idea but were definitely not correct.

"Aftertale," Cross told him again. He made sure not to sound too short with him. Nightmare had only woken up a few minutes ago and was still hardly able to pay attention to any of his words. "I'm just being curious. PJ's notes specifically state that Ink is attempting to keep the world a secret from everyone and even they aren't sure why. It might be beneficial for us to explore," He explained again as Nightmare padded over to where he sat at the nearby table. They were in what was now considered their quarters, spending the morning with just one another.

Nightmare leaned an arm on Cross's skull, staring over him and at the faded artwork of some skeleton named Geno. He hummed, taking a sip of his coffee. "Everyone, you say?" He repeated, curious. Cross couldn't really nod while he had a chunk of Nightmare's weight on his head. "I suppose that would include Dream... How intriguing," He mused. "I wonder how my dear sister would react if she found out Ink was still the same old skeleton she knew from eons ago. A compulsive liar who deserves to have his secrets spilled."

Cross lightly pushed Nightmare's arm off of him. Nightmare moved away. "You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" Cross asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Nightmare played dumb, looking off to the side. He took a very long sip of his drink. Although that tactic may work on the others, Cross saw right through his deception.

"You're wanting to use this to try and break up Ink and Dream again," He claimed, folding his arms. Nightmare scoffed and hid his face in his mug. His tendrils twitched a bit. Thanks to that tell, Cross knew for sure that he had been right. "I know you govern negativity and absolutely love the taste of it, but you really have been going well out of your way to set up these plans," He pointed out.

"My last attempt was pretty straightforward. Hardly out of my way," Nightmare argued, rolling his eye. He then grimaced and sighed. "I was certain the Nintendo Switch would destroy them... I mean, imagining listening to Ink play splatoon for hours on end. That should be driving her absolutely mental," He growled.

"Yet apparently she's more tolerant than you gave her credit for," Cross replied. He looked over the page again. The rough sketch looked oddly pixelated, or in other words, glitched. He wanted to know more, but he'd need Nightmare's go ahead. He thought for a moment then slowly stood. Nightmare watched him as he walked closer. "I still think this world will be worth investigating," He told the king, coming to a stop before him. He reached forward and messed with the front of Nightmare's coat, making sure both sides were even. He then softened his gaze, giving Nightmare a long look of yearning. "What do you think, my lord?" He asked, purposefully dropping his voice an octave.

Nightmare took a sip of his coffee. "I think your attempts to seduce me are amusing," He answered, a smug look on his face. Cross only doubled down on his outrageous flirting, leaning forward in order to place a couple kisses along Nightmare's jawline. The king seemed content to watch him suck up for a few moments longer. "Alright, I'll bite. This interests me as well, but only so long as we make a deal," Nightmare finally gave in. Cross moved back to meet his gaze. "I'll have you go investigate Aftertale alongside whomever you desire... so long as I get to go let it slip to Dream that her stupid and selfish boyfriend is lying to her as per usual," He offered.

Cross thought about it for a moment. "Alright," He agreed.

"Wonderful. I'll need to borrow that page," Nightmare told him, pointing a tendril towards the book. Cross glanced back at it. "If I make claims without even a hint of proof, she'll never believe me. Since, well," Nightmare gestured at himself. Ah, yes. Being a compulsive liar had its downsides.