]Sanscest Oneshots[

Imperfect [Cross x Nightmare/Crossmare]

Requested by jenniedraft

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Never ever in all of his years of being alive, or at least as alive as a skeleton could be, has Cross been this determined. His boots were thumping hard against the floor, loudly announcing his plans to everyone in the castle, but what's more important, to Nightmare. Once in front of the door, he took a deep breath trying to gather some composure in order not to appear hot-headed. He was rarely in a mood such as this one, however now that it occurred, he simply needed to utilize it.

He knocked on the door and not waiting for the answer barged in. The owner of the room did not look amused, though a small fraction of sadness could still be seen in his facial expression.

"Nightmare."

"Cross."

"I need you to come with me."

Nightmare sighed in slight irritation, massaging his temple with one hand.

"You know that it won't change anyth-."

"Just let me have it!" Cross' angered voice interrupted the other, making Nightmare's eye widen in surprise. Oh, the previous royal guard was livid. "Please, I swear that I'll leave you be this time if this doesn't work." Despite his emotional state, Cross' voice faltered at the end of the sentence. "...Please."

"...Are you sure you are capable of promising me that?" Nightmare, whose emotions also lessened, looked at one of his gang members whose impeccable posture became disturbed by slouching. There was some sort of almost unnoticeable regret in his voice.

"Yes, I swear." Cross vowed, his tone abundant with urgency.

"Alright then."

Nightmare merely observed as the other skeleton used his red, oversized knife to open a portal. Surprisingly, Cross didn't wait for him per usual, simply stepping through, apparently trusting that the guardian would follow. Unsurprisingly, he was correct. The other came after, but not before exhaling slowly through his teeth. He wasn't nervous, stressed, or annoyed, just simply expectant. He had to applaud Cross for his patience, although judging from his behavior he was running low on it, which he couldn't be blamed for.

On the other side of the portal Nightmare could observe what appeared to be an infinitely wide field, with no sign of civilization whatsoever. In the middle of the area a simple red and white picnic blanket was unfolded, a few books laying on top of it along with a basket, however, the item was noticeably barely filled. There was one aspect missing though, Cross' reached out hand. Instead, the monochrome skeleton was sitting on the blanket, patting the seat next to himself.

Following the inaudible order, Nightmare took the place. Funny, usually he was the one to shout commands.

"I like this place, it's quiet, peaceful."

"Yeah." Cross agreed, not gracing the other with his gaze.

For at least a few minutes silence reigned between the skeletal monsters, disturbed only by the flicking of tentacles from time to time. The two were just simply being, getting used to sitting close to one another, even if there was no need to. Still, their minds raced, one with questions, the second one with anxious ideas.

"So," Cross started, turning around to at least gaze in Nightmare's general direction, "I guess I should explain."

"It would be greatly appreciated." His listener confirmed, catching Cross' eyes with his singular one, making the other look away.

"I love you-."

"I know, but-."

"For fuck's sake, shut up!" Cross' irritation came back tenfold, but Nightmare didn't comment on it. He could count on the fingers of one hand the monsters who could speak to him that way without any bigger consequences. The fact that his loyal soldier almost never reacted with this particular emotion ensured that he just had to listen at the moment. "Shut up, let me finish. I know. I'm aware that you literally can't love me. You're the guardian of negativity, you are unable to love, I get it." Cross forced his eyes to pierce the other, with less effort than he thought he would need. "But it still doesn't solve my... no, our problem. In addition, I'm pretty sure that this 'I can't love' argument is only half of the true reason. The other one is you not believing that anyone could feel that emotion towards you."

"I-."

"No. Just... no." Cross was getting weary from this whole display, it was easy to tell. His words became less frantic with each sentence, his shoulders gradually drooping. He once again sat away from the other, this time his stare pierced the blanket underneath. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the anger was just hiding the real feeling, especially for Nightmare. "I got you these." Cross reached out for the scattered books, quickly handing them to the taller who eyed them curiously.

Upon closer look, the three books seemed to be about healing: raw magic, food, special potions, basically everything you could imagine. However, the publications had one distinctive difference compared to the ones that Nightmare saw before. These were far more advanced, it almost seemed unfair to use them. In other words, an easy and great advantage once you master the knowledge inside.

"Where did you acquire those?" The goopy king asked in a wondering tone, riffing through the pages. One thing was for sure, those weren't from any ordinary AU.

"Ink." Cross answered flatly.

"That piece of crap?!" Nightmare's tentacles sharpened, clearly aimed at the skeleton in question.

"I know, I know!" Cross cut in defensively. "I didn't interact with him much, just enough to get some knowledge out of him which was easy, he's an idiot after all."

"He is." The other snickered, his body relaxing.

A moment of silence followed. It wasn't awkward, yet not comforting either. Eventually, Nightmare decided to be the one to disrupt it.

"Let me guess, those were, scratch that, these are your last hope?"

"..."

"Cross, I'm full of admiration, and I admit that despite not being able to love, I appreciate your company more than anybody else's. In other words, I like you." Nightmare paused once his eye landed on his gangmate. The other didn't show any signs of previous fury, instead, his expression seemed incredibly pained. "But then again who said that a person unable to love can't date?" Oh, Cross' attention was definitely grabbed. "You may be onto something saying that I'm afraid of being loved." Nightmare coughed a few times, attempting to keep his demeanor calm. "But I see and feel that this whole situation pains you."

Cross' expression changed every couple of seconds in wonder. What was the guardian exactly planning to imply in this mess of topics?

"...So?"

"So, I want to strike a deal of sorts. We will start dating, calling each other lovers, all that disgustingly mushy stuff." Cross' eyes widened, his mouth in an 'o' shape. "But if you ever feel like I am not being a good boyfriend, please inform me about that. I know that it is not exactly a good ending, however the best I can provi-."

Apparently, Nightmare's sentence was never destined to be finished, cause it got interrupted by Cross squeezing the life out of the speaker.

"Yes, yes I agree! Fucking finally!" Cross' eyelights sparkled, him burying his face into the other's shoulder. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but having known for a long time about his king's inability, he prepared himself for complete rejection, not that. The happiness clouded his judgment, but he just so desperately wanted to be with that goopster.

"Alright then. I am guessing you are simply a masochist." Nightmare gave a deep chuckle. "However, it would be a shame to waste such a peaceful day along with beautiful surroundings. So, what do you think about a date here and now... love?" He winked at the other, making him blush and hide his face in the white scarf.

Cross stayed quiet for a little while, partly due to being flustered, and partially because his mind still didn't fully comprehend what has just happened. He took a slow breath. It wasn't perfect, but nobody said it would be.

"I'd love to... dear."