Showtime (A Sanscest Story)

The Wrong Crown

Reaper had disappeared and Geno had ducked back behind his curtain as Cross sensed a cold feeling approaching the Medical Tent. Reaper had bandaged his ribs to alleviate some of the pressure off of the newly repaired bones. Cross glanced over as the first of a few black tentacles pushed themselves through the flap of the tent.

The flap was held open and Cross blinked as Nightmare ducked his head in. He saw Cross and Cross felt a gleam of dismay underneath his cold stature. "Cross." He said, approaching the other. Cross managed to sit himself up. "I felt pain from this tent. A lot of pain."

"Reaper had to realign all my ribs. They weren't connected properly." Cross explained. Nightmare blinked and his tentacles waved behind him. He gave a quiet nod.

"That didn't happen here, did it?" Nightmare asked quietly. Cross blinked and shook his head, quietly responding that it hadn't. Nightmare seemed relieved, but Cross didn't sense anything but that cold aura. He gave a shiver and Nightmare seemed to notice. He blinked and seemed disappointed.

"Ah. Is my presence bothering you again?" He asked quietly. Cross stared at him and opened his mouth to quickly protest, but Nightmare continued to speak. "I'll leave you be." Cross was slightly dismayed.

"No!" He said quickly. Nightmare stopped and Cross felt sharp surprise cut through the cold feeling. Nightmare turned to look back at him with a raised brow. "I mean, your presence doesn't bother me." Cross corrected himself. "I'm sorry for startling you, Ringmaster." He blinked as Nightmare suddenly seemed to let off a warm feeling through the cold.

"It's alright, Cross. I don't want to cause you any discomfort." He said quietly. Nightmare's tentacles waved behind him and Cross was momentarily distracted by them. Nightmare seemed to notice and Cross felt more warmth, along with some amusement.

Cross blinked and shook his head, quickly refocusing back on Nightmare. "You don't cause me any discomfort." He said, ducking his head. He jumped and looked up, yelping as Nightmare tipped his head, having moved in front of his bed.

"None at all?" Nightmare asked quietly. Something about that statement sent shivers down Cross' spine and he gulped, a slight heat passing over his face. He gave an almost silent nod.

"N-None at all." He confirmed quietly. Nightmare nodded. He seemed intrigued and Cross wasn't sure how he felt about that. Nightmare finally tore that paralyzing gaze away from Cross and the monochrome skeleton let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"I see." Nightmare said softly. Those two words also made Cross shiver a little. Nightmare smiled. "I just came to see if you were alright, and it appears you are. Take care." He bowed quietly and turned away, moving back towards the entrance to the Medical Tent.

"Thank you, Ringmaster." Cross said, making Nightmare pause. There was another soft flash of warmth, despite him not turning to look at Cross.

He continued forward and disappeared through the flap once again. Cross let out another breath, though he couldn't tell if it was in relief or not. However, he did sense relief, confusion, and shock from Geno's bed.

He glanced over as the fragile skeleton pushed his way out of the curtain. He seemed shocked as he stared at the entrance to the Medical Tent. "Cross, you might be in danger. Nightmare seems to have a fascination with you." Geno warned uncertainly. "And Nightmare isn't the kind of guy you want fascinated by you."

Cross stared at him and he could tell from Geno's emotions that the other was being completely serious. He furrowed his brow. "What? Why?" He asked, absolutely baffled. Everyone seemed so scared of Nightmare, but Cross hadn't seen anything to justify that fear.