☽ Troublemaker ☾《Nightkiller》𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱

☽ Chapter 16: Rehabilitating Rest ☾

"Mmmm... so what you should right now is to breathe in deeply..." Dream murmured, holding his lower abdomen as he let in a long, steady breath. "Hhhhh..."

"HhHHH-" Killer gagged, then let out a huge cough. "Sorry-" All of this "meditating" was a new concept to him. He always saw these types of exercises as boring and unnecessary so when he was told to learn it, it was tough.

SMACK!

"You made me unfocused," Cross complained, crossing his arms. "I was just about to start!" Oh, right. Cross was also meditating with them, and unfortunately, he was a "professional" at it; every time Killer messed him up, he made sure to let him know.

"Cross!" Dream scolded, opening his eyes. "Don't be mean to Killer. He has only been here for four days." During the four days, the crew had been using all types of activities to help aid Killer with his feelings. Today was for "stress-relieving".

"Okay, but- only for you," Cross grumbled, looking away. However, he added, "But tell Killer how to breathe without choking a metaphorical dick." He got up, slowly opening the double oak doors. "I'm hungry. I'll come back when I finish eating breakfast." Then he slipped through the crack and disappeared.

Dream faced Killer with pity in his eyes. "I'm so sorry about him Killer. He has been really on edge lately, and I can't fault him for that." But suddenly he smiled, sending positive energy through his aura. "But how about we continue? If you can complete the deep breathing before Cross comes back, you can stick it to him."

"Yeah, sure-" Killer hissed sarcastically, "-he'd definitely be proud that I learned how to do the skill given to me at birth." Was this supposed to relieve his stress? He felt more stressed than when he first came here. "I don't think this is for me, Dream. I'm not used to doing all of this feel-good crap."

Before the guardian could respond, he got up, about to walk away. There was no way he could keep up with all of this. Maybe this just wasn't his strong suit. He rested his hand on the door handle, but before he could pull it, Dream said something.

"That's because you've been brainwashed by Nightmare," he muttered, expression darkening. Killer froze, then whipped around, about to blurt something. "Whatever you say, it doesn't matter. It's not like you know what he's doing." Dream gave him a blank stare. "How would you know how much advantage you get when you can literally control the emotions of the people around you?"

Killer was about to say something but was cut off again. "No, you don't." Dream started pacing around the sanctuary. "You'll never know how any of us feel because you're just a mortal. All you know is that we have power, and it must be sooo nice. Well, we have responsibilities too, and we try to help people while balancing those responsibilities. Of course, some people like Ink bitch about it and can't handle the pressure- and- and-"

"Dream you're rambling again," Cross called out while munching dry cereal. Yes, a bowl of cereal with no milk. Revolutionary. 

"Oh!" Dream squeaked, snapping out of his trance. He regained his original posture, now smiling. Clapping his hands together, he chirped, "Now, now. Let's go onto the next exercise!"

---

By the end of the day, Killer was extremely exhausted. Who the hell works out for the whole day? He huffed, sitting down on a random bench by the wall of the castle. Well, probably Cross. He then made a mental note to never underestimate the couple. Of course, he didn't do much underestimating because it was a stupid tactic, but he should be extra careful around them.

Dream wasn't a pushover. There was a reason why he's still alive and equal with Nightmare. What a bunch of lunatics... it probably runs in the family. Lost in his thoughts, Killer didn't realize that Cross was next to him.

"I'm glad you have enough wits," he grunted, tying a long wrap of bandages around his fists. "I can see you're second-in-command for a reason."

Killer jumped, finally noticing his presence. "Uh- yeah, but why all of a sudden?" Letting out a triumphant huff, he laughed. "Are you finally proud of me mom?" Cross just gave him a weird look. "Okay, fine. I know I'm weird."

"You know, Nightmare is pretty weak without you," he stated out of the blue, leaning against the wall. "I'm sure he's keeling over the fact that you're not home yet." 

Killer accidentally let out a noise of pure confusion. "Um, I don't remember Nightmare being on life support. Am I supposed to bring back some medicine for him?" If it was true, then he should probably pick up any plants he finds. That would include destroying Dream's garden, but the thought of Nightmare sitting in a hospital bed with an IV made him laugh.

Cross breathed out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, maybe you're just a little draft." Turning so he was face to face with Killer, he asked, "Has Nightmare ever romantically interacted with you?" 

"Uh, no?"

"Really?" Either Killer was lying through his teeth or he was really not fit to be second-in-command. "Don't you guys have sex or something?"

"Oh yeah! Best friend sex, though," Killer sighed, shaking his head. (If you know this quote then kudos to you.) "It's different, man." Cross gave him a 'really' look.

"So if he proposes to you, you're going to become newly wedded 'best friends for life'?" he asked, letting out a scoff. "C'mon."

"Oh, well that does make sense!" Killer smiled. That did make sense, right? Then he let out a dark laugh. "We're not even friends, though. Just co-workers." The last sentence sounded like he was in pain. Waving his hands, he grinned. "Well, it doesn't matter, though. Would you have romantic feelings with someone you had a one-night stand with?"

"Make that fifteen-night stands," Cross grumbled, adding, "I've lost sleep because of you two." It was honestly worrying that he was that dumb. Or maybe he was just ignorant. Yes, that's it. "I'm not forcing you to accept anything, but just think about how Nightmare treats you." Getting up, he walked away, but not leaving before he said one more thing. 

"Dude, he keeps calling you 'his'. Either he has major possession problems, or you actually mean something to him." Then, he left.

Killer watched him leave, frowning. Well, that honestly sucked. He didn't want to think of Nightmare. Did he really miss him? It seemed irrelevant to the problem at hand- his soul- but maybe he was hurting too. "Two murderers hurting, huh. Ironic." 

The topic was bugging him for a while, so he decided to shake it off. Besides, he could always just think about it tomorrow. But he needed to plan ahead. To be honest, he didn't want to ask any one of them about gushy problems. It was his soul they were trying to fix. 

But maybe they'd help?

---

Words: 1.2k

Another choice! Heehee- This one won't really be important to the story, but it will help me write "Chapter 18: Perturbed Philantrophy".

A) ASK CROSS FOR HELP

B) ASK DREAM FOR HELP

This will most likely build their relationship together. Killer and Nightmare, but also Killer and Cross/Dream. Decide randomly, it's kinda filler ngl. I'll vote too cuz I have a preference-

The deadline is 12:00 AM 10/8/20 Eastern Time (ET)~

I will also be working on the next chapter right away, so look forward to that today/tomorrow!~

~ ethereale 💜