Ghost Stories (A Sanscest Story)

A Tender Toll

Cross returned late at night. He collapsed to his knees, his magic almost thoroughly spent. That teleport had taken what little he had left. Even Chara seemed sluggish next to him. He sat back for a few moments, taking the time to breathe. The entire house was quiet. He couldn't feel the sad aura anymore, but he wanted to see.

He pushed himself to his feet and managed to move towards the hallway. He fell quiet for a moment, trying to sense. There. He could feel Nightmare's aura. He followed it to the room at the end of the hall and pushed open the door.

He stopped and Chara moved past him, leaning on the edge of the bed as they tipped their head. Dream and Nightmare were sleeping quietly, facing one another. Dream looked like he'd been crying. Cross felt a small warmth in his chest as he watched them.

He looked at Chara and held a finger over his teeth. They nodded and scrunched their head down, peering at the two from the edge of the bed. Cross moved forward and fetched a blanket from the end of the bed. He draped it over the both of them. Nightmare nuzzled his cheek against the bed and Cross felt a soft purple glow spread across his face.

He turned away, beckoning to Chara. Chara nodded and scrambled after him. He shut the door quietly before continuing down the hall. He emerged into the living room and stopped. Chara had begun weakly growling. Dust blinked at him from the couch.

"Heya." Dust said quietly. Cross nodded back. Dust dispersed the wisps of magic he'd been messing with, beckoning with one, bony grey finger. "How are they?" Cross managed to get himself to a chair and sat, sighing. Dust twitched, but other than that, he seemed fine.

"Both asleep. Think Dream may have cried himself to sleep and Nightmare fell asleep watching over him." Cross said softly. Dust nodded. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. Cross could hear the whispering of his spirit over his shoulder, but oddly enough, Dust didn't seem bothered.

"It won't be the same without him." Dust mumbled.  It didn't sound like he was talking about Dream or Nightmare. Cross looked up and gave a silent nod of agreement. They both sat quietly and Dust gave a quiet chuckle.

Cross raised a brow. "This is all so fucked, Cross." Dust mumbled. Cross gave another silent nod. He figured Dust was having that moment of clarity. His mind was clear right then.

It wouldn't last long. Not with how fierce the whispering was becoming. "You couldn't sleep?" Cross asked, leaning back. Dust's eyes flicked to him before he nodded, his fingers twitching.

"You ran off somewhere. You go back?" Dust asked, tipping his head to rest on the back of the couch. Cross looked down and gave another quiet nod. "Did Freak take care of him?" Another nod. Dust chuckled. "Good." It was odd seeing Dust so calm.

Usually, even when the other gave a straight face, one could sense his chaotic energy underneath. But Cross didn't sense that. "I hope we can keep everyone safe, Cross." Cross glanced up at him. Dust seemed pained as he spoke. "I care about my friends, unfortunately." He gave a soft, little, crooked grin.

Cross gave a quiet chuckle. "I do, too. I'm sure we'll all try our best. We cannot allow this to happen again." He stood up, Chara sitting up next to him from laying down on the floor. "Goodnight, Dust."

He moved away and Dust gave a quiet chuckle. "G'night, Cross." Cross continued down the hall to his temporary bedroom. He opened the door, Chara having already fazed through it, to collapse on the bed. Cross didn't even bother taking off his extra layers of clothes.

He was exhausted. He laid on the bed, closing his eyes and picturing that Nightmare was there, his tentacles wrapped around him. That soft heat was back on his face and he curled up on the bed quietly.