Aconitum

Knife Juggling and Mortality

Killer shook Nightmare awake. Normally Nightmare would be the first one to wake up, with Killer being the last.

Judging by the sunlight that peaked through Nightmares curtains Killer was the first to get up this time. The sun had barely started to rise.

"Why are you awake? You averagely stay in bed much later than this,"

Killer held up his hand, which in the faint light seemed too be too dark. Too wet.

"Knife juggling," Killer joked, "Gone wrong. Figured you'd help me out,"

"Is that blood?"

"Yea, you aren't squeamish are ya Boss?" Nightmare wasn't. He didn't like looking at blood and wounds, but it didn't make him nauseous.

"Turn on the light and let me look at it," Nightmare rose from his bed, still in his pajamas, to grab a medkit from one of his drawers.

"You have one of those just layin around?" Killer flicked on the light with his none-injured hand.

"Because you are all idiots," Actually because they were all painfully mortal. Killer, Dust, Horror, all of them. They all could bleed out, they all could be hurt. They all would die.

Nightmare didn't like thinking about the possibility of one of them being hurt mortally. He liked thinking about one of them falling down even less.

"Glad to know ya think of us Boss,"

"Don't be sarcastic," Nightmare gestured for Killer to sit down on his bed, "Let me see how bad it is,"

Killer rolled down his already stained sleeve and held out his hand. Nightmare glared at him.

"How would this even happen?" There was a cut from the center of Killers hand that went down to the top of his wrist. Dangerously close to major arteries. Despite the relative shallowness of it, it should have been bleeding. Yet it wasn't. Killer waited for it to stop bleeding before coming to Nightmare.

"Well sometimes a guy will catch a knife by the blade without thinking about it,"

"Why were you playing with knives in the first place," Nightmare grabbed some antibiotic ointment out of his medicine kit.

"Ya know how it goes. Can't sleep? Do something dangerous," Killer hissed through his teeth as Nightmare applied the ointment.

"However you usually don't get hurt when you take stupid risks," Nightmare wiped the blood that ended up on his hand on Killers jacket sleeve.

"Funnily enough I only got hurt because I dropped the knife," Killer looked away as the bandages were applied, "I didn't think and tried to catch it,"

"Your foolishness worries me," You worry me.

"I don't mean to concern ya. It kinda just happened. Figured you'd be less mad then Horror,"

"Horror would not be mad,"

"Just disappointed? I know. That's why I came to you instead,"

"You're done," Nightmare rolled Killers sleeve back down after tying the bandage off.

Killer testingly bent his wrist back and forth, seeing how tight the bandaging was.

"You're really good at this Boss," Killer patted Nightmare on the head with his good hand. Nightmare look of distain could have killed him, "Didn't ya come from a medieval au? Where'd ya learn about Neosporin? Or was it one of those weird aus where it's medieval but not,"

Nightmare pointed at his bookshelf, "You often interrupt me when I read but you benefit from me doing so,"

"Neat. Anyways I was gonna head back out then,"

"Give me the knife," Nightmare held out his hand expectantly.

"You are not being the the mother aligations today Boss," Killer handed over his weapon without any fights.

"I'm not mothering you. You idiots worry me," Nightmare set the knife on his side table and pinched his nose, "You do understand I'm not much use if you get injured badly yes?"

"Yeah, I get that,"

"And you know that Horror cannot heal you either. I'd assume Dust is much the same as well. You'd die if you were hurt fatally,"

"Fatally? Boss is that what this is about? You're worried I'm gonna die?"

"Nothing of the sort. I need you to remember that, though. I wouldn't be able to save you,"

"Why not? What's stopping you from learnin healing magic from your books? If ya can learn about Neosporin you can learn healing magic,"

"I suppose, that there's nothing stopping me. You just shouldn't have to rely on me to keep you alive,"

"Why wouldn't I though? Honestly Boss I think you're gettin worked up bout a whole ton of nothin. It's not like your gonna  just leave us. So what if I depend on ya a bit? Who am I hurtin?"

Killer was right. A sentence that no one has ever thought before. Killer was right that Nightmare wasn't planning on leaving, but the thought of Killer relying on Nightmare left a bad taste in Nightmare mouth.

"You aren't goin to leave are you?"

"No I am not,"

"Then why worry? Why not learn the healin magic and all that. Why not let us throw you a birthday party and care for ya and all that?" Killer shrugged, "It just makes sense,"

What if I get too attached, do too much, become part of them, of you. So much so you become part of me. Then you disappear and that parts still there? What then? that wasn't what Nightmare said.

"I suppose you may have a point. That still doesn't excuse carelessness,"

"Ha. A point. Like a knife pun, good one," Killer knew he won, "I'm actually headin out now. Knife to talk to you though, have a good one,"