Lapdog

Sad Dog

They fell into a routine.

Nightmare left Cross completely alone in blinding darkness and deafening silence, turned his dreams into the worst night terrors until Cross was afraid of even thinking about the Stars.

The only interaction Cross had was when Nightmare would bring him food scraps. Sometimes he used these 'visits' to examine Cross limbs and, occasionally, rebreak a bone when he saw it necessary for what he had in mind. That was the only time Nightmare would unchain Cross' wrists.

Cross grew touch-starved and became more accepting of Nightmare's touch and the pets, no matter how degrading and humilating they were.

He caught himself leaning into Nightmare's hand on his skull and feeling a spike of anxiety whenever the touches left.

He hated himself for being so weak, for yearning and craving for the pets. They were contact.

They meant he wasn't alone.

The darkness sometimes felt suffocating and he began panicking when he thought too much about how helpless, vulnerable and alone he was.

His body started to act on its own when it came to tolerating, no, accepting, Nightmare's touches.

It was like when Chara gained control over their shared body and his own mind had been shoved to the passenger seat, forced to watch the other do whatever with his hands and strength and even Magic.

Only, he always had gained back control from Chara in the past.

Here, he had no chance of ever gaining control of the situation on his own.

The only choice, he had, was to either keep up the fight and endure this torture or give in and let Nightmare have his will.

Fighting became harder the longer this went on. Cross had given up hope to be freed by any outside forces, the fact that even thinking of the Stars made him uncomfortable not mentioned.

Maybe... giving in wouldn't be that bad? It couldn't get worse, could it?

And he could feel his will slip, the fight seeping out of him like blood from an open wound.

There couldn't be anything worse. At least he couldn't think of anything. And he had been trapped with Chara for an uncertain amount of time.

Nightmare just wanted him to give in. He was just sore that Cross hadn't come back when he was captured by the Stars.

He just wanted Cross to return to him. Even if it was as his pet.

When he submitted to Nightmare's will and accept him as his superior again, he would let him get out.

Right?