We're Not Toys

Chapter 17

TW: Verbal abuse, mentions of body mutilation, and Stockholm syndrome

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None of them wanted to go back to the courtroom, not after what happened the last time they had been there. Dream's issues, what happened between Night and Ink-that Cross still hadn't been told about. The case was basically open and closed within a week, there was just so much evidence against Nightmare and Killer that there was no coming back. Maybe the cameras weren't the best idea for them in the long run, but they did really enjoy watching their victims break down even when they weren't there. But Ink was the first to suggest it, being there for the sentencing. Well, he asked Cross if he could see them before they were sentenced, and that's what Cross decided. Even within that single week Ink had made so much progress mentally.

It was surprising that he could manage to get out of that terrifying mentality in only two months. Well, not fully, he still believed that he loved them. He would wake up some mornings and be excited for Nightmare to come in and take. care of him, only to be heartbroken when he remembered that he would never be walking through that door to be with him again. He-almost daily-had to remind himself that they were horrible people, and that they hurt Dream in ways that he would never be able to recover from. But that didn't mean that he wanted to see them because he cared for them. Sure, he did care about them, but what they did to Dream has turned him away from the love he so desperately wanted from them.

It took a while for Ink to convince the three men that protected him from Nightmare and Killer to let him go. He really only needed Cross's permission, since he was there only one of the three that had access to him and that could take him there. But he wanted to ask the twins if they were okay with it as well. Night and Cross ended up caving, but Dream stood strong despite his reassurance that it would all be okay. It took Cross promising to record the conversation and standing at his side to convince him, and-mere hours before they were scheduled for sentencing-they managed to be able to see them. Ink wasn't told that the conversation would be recorded, but he did want his lover at his side while he did this.

"Hey, Nightmare." Ink said as Cross pushed him over to their cell.

He watched Nightmare and Killer perk up and the former rushed over to the cells that separated him from the man he perceived as his lover. He greeted him with a smile, one that looked like a mixture of desperation and... maybe anger? Ink couldn't tell, neither could Cross to be honest. The man reached through the bars to try and take Ink's hand, but he was too far away, Cross made sure of that.

"What are you doing here, Love?" Nightmare asked.

"I wanted to talk to you. He finally let me." Ink said, leaning up into the hand Cross placed on his shoulder.

"Asshole." Killer muttered under his breath, referring to the police officer.

"How are you, Love?" Night asked, ignoring his friend.

"First of all, don't call me that. I'm not your 'love'." Ink said, his voice shaking front he fear of standing up to them. "Secondly, I'd be better if you didn't kidnap me."

"Wow, alright Ink." Nightmare said, dropping the smile and his face instead twisted in anger. "Real confident for once, huh? Do not forget who you belong to."

"He doesn't belong to you." Cross interjected. "You can't own people, Nightmare."

"Shut the fuck up. I was not talking to you." He spat.

Ink flinched under the harshness of his voice and dropped his head to the floor. His eyes refused to move from a crack on the concrete floor. Not even when both his lover and the man deluded by the idea that he was his lover said his name. He could hear Nightmare's screams and threats and she shrunk in fear under them. But he felt safe, his lover right behind him, and the bars of the cell holding him back. That didn't mean he wasn't still terrified. And that fear was proven correct when Nightmare somehow-though nobody in this situation, including Nightmare himself-managed to grab Ink by his shirt. He yanked him into the bars, holding him up since he couldn't hold himself up with only half of what a person would call legs.

It took less than a second from Cross to run to his side, and another few seconds for him to pry his lover away from the psychopath screaming at him. He dropped Ink back into his wheelchair, and fell to his knees to make sure he was alright. They could both hear Nightmare screaming in anger at him, something that even when he was in there Ink had never seen.

"Ink!" Cross repeated for the third time, trying to claim his attention, this time succeeding. "Are you alright?"

"I... I think so... he didn't hurt me." Ink replied, placing a hand on his chest and trying to calm his panicked breathing.

"Mentally? Are you alright mentally?" Cross asked.

"I... yeah. Maybe a little scared, but I'm okay."

"Here, let's go back. I'm really proud of you Love.'

"Please don't call me that." Ink insisted, it brought back too many memories for him to like it. "Anything else, just not that."

"Okay, I'm sorry Honey. Here. How about instead of going back to the hospital I take you out for some food or something?"

"I... yeah sure... maybe some ice cream?"

"Yeah, of course. Got any money?"

"Oh... no..."

"I'm kidding, I'll pay Lov- I'll pay, Baby."

Cross made sure that Ink was okay, was calm, and took him out of the room, away from the screams of his kidnapper. They instead went to the first store they saw, just a small grocery store and cross bought a pint of ice cream for each of them. It was shitty, not like an actual ice cream shop, but Ink was happy. He hadn't eaten anything other than hospital food or whatever Nightmare made him for the last three months. They just sat in Cross's car with plastic spoons and quietly ate the small tubs of ice cream at each other's side. Ink wiped the ice cream from his mouth with a sleeve and leaned over onto his shoulder, whispering a small thank you to his lover and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I don't deserve you... thank you Crossy." Ink whispered.

"Because you kissed Night...?" Cross muttered.

"I... I'm horrible. You're too good to me. I'm so sorry. I'm selfish. I'm horrible. Please forgive me." He said with tears forming in his eyes.

"You don't love me, not really. I'm sure you care about me, but I think you love Night, don't you?"

"I... I love both of you..." he whispered. "You're so amazing. You take such good care of me, how could I not love you? I love being with you, as a partner, and cuddling with you and doing partner things with you. I think I just also want to do all that stuff with Night as well..." Ink explained, nuzzling into his lover's neck. "I did kiss him... but I do still love you, and I am so sorry. I should've been better."

"No it's... as long as you're happy. That's all that matters to me." Cross said, leaning his head on his lover's.

"I am, or as happy as I could possibly be right now."

Ink smiled and Cross leaned down, placing a kiss to the top of his head. He giggled a little and started eating his ice cream messily once again, somehow managing to smear it around his mouth like a child. Cross smiled and placed his empty tub of ice cream in the centre console. They waited another few minutes for Ink to finish his ice cream before they drove off back to the courthouse, despite how they both didn't want to return there just yet. But they had a deadline to get back to the room by, and Ink did want to see their sentencing.

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1390 words

Have a good day/night and I hope you enjoyed :]