My Friend Over the Phone

Chapter 25 (Pt. 1)

    It was silent that night. They were in the country, in a place where not many people lived, so it was to be expected. It's not like the duo weren't used to the silence outside, considering they lived in the middle of a forest. Nightmare liked it that way. Complete silence. It reminded him of the good things he missed about his hometown.

    But he couldn't sleep. He never really did at this time of day. No matter how many times he tried to fix his internal clock, he would never be tired at night, and he would be miserable and sluggish during the day. Maybe it was because something in him always preferred the night over the day. Or maybe it was because he used to watch over the Tree at night while Dream slept. Either way, it got annoying when you have plans, which he did almost every day now.

    He eventually got sick of the boredom, so he decided to sneak out and see if there was anywhere else he hadn't seen yet. Then again, everywhere can look different at night. He got his coat, and lightly patted Cross' head before teleporting outside.

    He stuck his hands in his pockets as he strolled the mostly empty streets. Some of the street lamps were out, and others were flickering. A boom of thunder sounded, echoing off of the graffiti-covered walls of the buildings, stores and apartments. Nightmare hoped that it wouldn't rain tomorrow. That wouldn't be good for him. He couldn't propose if it was pouring outside.

    It wasn't long before he felt a raindrop fall on his head. Then another. And another. They fell down in a light sprinkle. Nightmare considered heading back to the hotel, but the rain didn't seem to be getting worse than this. And the level is was currently at was nice. So he continued down the street.

    He heard gangs and rebellious teenagers that were supposed to be at home whispering to each other in the dark alleyways about him. They really think he can't see them in the shadows. What a laugh. They were very quiet, and they quickly shut up when he did as much as glance in their direction. They really ought to learn some manners. It was very rude to talk about someone who's listening, after all.

    The few people who were outside in the open crossed the street or began speed walking to wherever they were going when they saw him coming his way. He sighed, getting rather sick of this treatment. But he brought this on himself. It was better than getting beat up or having large stones thrown at the back of your skull anyway.

He sighed again, this time in contentment. The rain was nice when your bones didn't boil from the contact with water. Although he looked more threatening and was more powerful when he was covered in negativity, the goop was quite the handicap. It would melt when it was too hot, it froze, rendering him as stiff as a statue when it was too cold, and it boiled and burned as if he was dumped in acid when he touched water. So in a way, being permanently stuck in his 'weakened' form was nice.

He looked up at the moon. He really did love the night. It was a wonder why so many preferred to be out during the day instead. But if they didn't, it would ruin the nice silence, so he wasn't really complaining.

He got too lost in it's beauty to notice something glowing.

His magic was reacting to something. His feet and the terrain around it was glowing a blue-purple colour, it growing a darker shade as it extended away from it's source. His orbits glowed brighter than normal, and he could've sworn he felt himself getting taller.

He saw a tentacle move behind him.

He whipped around, sockets wide, but saw nothing. He hesitantly felt his back, trying to locate what he swore he saw behind him, but it's just as flat as it was when he restored the Tree with Dream. He didn't have any tentacles. Maybe he was just seeing things. It was very dark out.

He sighed, slightly disappointed if he was being honest with himself, and teleported back to their hotel room. He smiled as he heard a small snore come from his lover, who was still sound asleep. He looked over him to see how he was doing.

    He was making grabby hands in his sleep towards the spot where Nightmare was sitting before he decided to take a walk outside. He grinned at the motion, flattered by the fact that Cross wanted him around even when he wasn't aware of himself.

He hung his damp, slightly oversized fluffy coat on the rack provided near the door, and stripped the wet layers, leaving him in his undershirt and shorts.

    He slowly and quietly slid himself under the warm covers, lightly grabbing at Cross' fingers to let him know he was there. He hummed, contented by the contact that he wanted.

    Nightmare pulled Cross into his chest, wrapping his arms and legs around him. He really did feel taller than he was before. He stroked Cross' skull, slowly letting his sockets close.

He has a feeling that everything will be alright.