One-shots [Reqs: 5]

Oh, Boy

The padlock clinked against the chains it held together, tremors running up and down Cross's spine at the almost painful chill of the metal. The lock clanked open, and he quickly undid the chains, opening the doors and slipping into the darkly lit room. The door slammed shut behind him. A̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶a̶r̶r̶i̶e̶r̶.

Cross sucked in a breath, ice in his throat and metaphorical lungs. He blew hot air into his hands, rubbing them together before looking around the room. A wink of magic was all it took to light up the room, magically fueled torches lighting up one by one. It only took a second for it to end.

Cross peeled off some layers, and went to take off his shirt as well, going to grab his collar. But he stopped. He'd made that mistake before. It led to a lecture about modesty. He sighed, dropping his arm. This'll have to do.

Time ticked by quickly as he lost himself in his training. Nightmare insisted that he didn't have to train every single morning, but Cross knew that. It was just a hobby of his. I̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶g̶e̶t.

That warning in his gut was starting to grow louder and louder until he was counting down the seconds. It was only a matter of time. Only a...

His hand slipped, and suddenly, there was a gash in his arm. His knives clattered to the floor, a hissed curse pushing through his teeth. "Fuck-!" Touching it made it hurt more, moving made it hurt more, breathing made it hurt more. He slumped to his knees, gritting his teeth against the burn in his eyes. He wouldn't cry over a tiny scratch. It wasn't that big of a deal. But god it hurt so much.

He focused on his turbulent breathing, each controlled breath easier than the last. And then he was fine. Sure, there was an alarming amount of blood, and sure, it still hurt like hell, but now he could think. He grimaced as he stumbled to his feet, his mind spinning. His mind failed to record the trip to and from the first aid room, instead skipping like a broken tape. He came back to himself standing at the edge of his mess, arm wrapped and mind still woozy.

He sighed quietly, and then Killer's voice was filling up the silence with an unwelcome cheer. "Morning, criss cross!" Cross winced as the door slam echoed through the room. It made his arm throb, he absently noted. Another skip of that broken tape, and Killer was standing in front of him, frowning. "Hey, what happened?"

His fingers twitched, curling into tight fists. He hated talking. For a reason he never understood, his voice was higher than the others. More pitched. M̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶m̶i̶n̶i̶n̶e̶. Maybe it was because he felt like he needed to remain secretive. Maybe it was because he was wrong about everything. Still, Killer would only get more worried r̶i̶d̶i̶c̶u̶l̶o̶u̶s̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶o the longer he was silent. So Cross sucked it up.

"..was an accident. 's nothin, jus.. just tryna figure out how to clean up." He wanted to scream. Killer's frown tightened. What did he know that Cross didn't? Did he know Cross was lying to them? Did he even suspect it? "It's not that hard, Crossy. Just? Mop it up?" Cross swayed. His arms were heavy. Weightless. Disconnected.

And then he was floating. He barely felt himself be moved away from the mess, hardly even flinched when Killer shouted for Horror to clean the mess. Like a puppet without strings. Killer guided him into sitting, gingerly taking Cross's arm. The bandages were soaked through. For a moment, Cross wondered if he'd even cleaned the wound before wrapping it. It burned as the air hit it once more. I̶g̶n̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t.

Killer paused, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Oh.." No. He didn't want to hear that tone. That pitying tone, that worried tone. It wasn't right. I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶.

"Cross? You with me?" He wished he weren't. "Fuck- Dust, go get boss, s̶h̶e̶'̶s gonna pass out." I̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶g̶e̶t̶.̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶.̶ ̶I̶g̶n̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶ ̶M̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶m̶i̶n̶i̶n̶e̶.̶ ̶I̶g̶n̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶. Cross's vision fluttered. Guess he'd lost more blood than he realized, huh? He welcomed the shadows eagerly.