Loyal Servant (Crossmare) (Rewrite)

Can't Help Myself but Think of you

Nightmare paced at his end of the table, the other gods all deep in thought. Coming up with a solution turned out to be harder than Nightmare first anticipated. Souls were a delicate matter, and every one of them knew it. How do you just separate two fused souls? His tendrils twitched and his eye narrowed. It won't be easy. None of our magic specializes in souls as unique as Cross and Chara's.

"I can always extract their soul," Error pointed out, standing further back than the others. He did so in order to lean against one of the pillars with his arms crossed. "Then after that we can take a shot at prying them apart," Error suggested. Nightmare cast the other god a glare. That was not a good idea. Error shrugged. "It's just a thought."

"Not the best one. It's far too easy to shatter a soul. We can't toy around like that," Ink pointed out, tapping his foot while he thought. Dream stood at his side, also thinking it through. Ink hummed. "We have a lot of friends who might be able to help. Unfortunately, there's too many for me to remember them all," Ink admitted, nervously scratching the back of his skull.

"Gee, thanks, dad. That really helps," Paperjam sarcastically muttered back. They currently flipped through the Book of a Thousand Souls, perhaps trying to find a solution within its pages. They sighed and slammed it shut on the table. Like the emotional teen they were, Paperjam essentially radiated angst. "This book would be a lot more useful if it actually worked. I would have been able to summon their soul's individually," They complained, gesturing down at it.

Nightmare felt a spark of resentment. If only you didn't force Cross's hand into destroying the original. He didn't dwell on the past. They needed a solution now. He glanced towards Reaper. He hadn't said a word, silently listening while he watched the floor. Nightmare was surprised to find himself understanding Death's distant behavior. Both our husbands are trapped behind a villain now.

Dream stood up taller, raising a finger. "I think I might know someone who could help," She told them. Nightmare turned her way, his tendrils perking up as he awaited an explanation. "He's a royal scientist who might just be able to come up with a clever solution to this problem," She told him. She then gave Nightmare a very serious stare. "But I'm going to need you to be tolerant, and to just trust him. Can you do that for Cross?" She asked.

"I don't even know who you're asking me to put up with," Nightmare reminded her, flicking one of his tendrils in a disdainful manner. She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. Nightmare sighed and rolled his eye at his sister's response. What choice do I have anyway? "Fine. I'll play nice, just this once," He reluctantly agreed.

"Then I'll head out with Ink and find him as fast as I can," She assured him. "We should be back by morning."

Nightmare hoped this royal scientist of her's would be worth whatever nonsense he just promised to put up with... I better not regret this...

...

Dust sat up against his bed's headboard, his hood concealing his expression. He held a bottle of straight whisky in his hand, idly tapping its glass with a finger as he watched Cross's ghostly form hover nearby. His mind swarmed with intrusive thoughts, many of which Papyrus's disembodied voice seemed to echo. If he drank enough, those voices would die down and he'd be able to understand Cross a whole lot better than he currently could.

"She said he was a royal scientist. I hope it's not someone who has anything to do with any universe's Gaster. I don't trust them," Cross told him, starting to pace alongside the bed. It was weird seeing him move yet almost appear still all the same. His scarf usually swayed behind him while he walked, but considering he wasn't affected by the air anymore, it sort of just remained stagnant aside from when Cross's legs would shift it. "Do you have any idea who Dream's friend might be?" Cross then asked him.