Showtime (A Sanscest Story)

The Real Questions

The next day, the entrance to the Gadget Tent rustled. Blue looked up from his desk to see Dust. He perked up. "Hi! I'll be over in second! I just need to finish this!" He turned back to his project. He began to add the finishing touches. He jumped as he felt arms slide over his shoulders and hug him from behind. The other was shaking. Pretty badly too.

Blue blinked before setting down his tools. His project could wait. He turned to Dust and the other twitched, keeping his head down. "Does your head hurt again?" He asked softly in dismay. Dust twitched and gave a quiet nod. Blue stared up at him in dismay. He nodded back. "Okay. Come here."

Dust knelt down in front of him, sitting on his knees. Blue settled on the ground too and reached out, slipping his gloved hands into the sides of Dust's hood. "Can I push it back?" He asked softly. Dust gave a quiet nod and his hands twitched in his lap. Blue slowly hooked his thumbs on the fabric and pushed it down.

Dust stared at him with dull, yet glowing eyes. Blue kept his hands up and they pressed themselves to either side of Dust's head. Dust closed his eyes as they began to glow. He held him like that for several minutes. Finally, one of Dust's hands trembled as it reached up and gently gripped Blue's.

He closed his eyes and tipped his head to the side, pulling the other's hand down to his neck. Blue understood and quietly began to soothe Dust's neck wound as well. Dust leaned into his touch. His body was quivering. "Do you want to stay and sit with me for a bit?" He offered quietly. Dust twitched before giving a shaky nod.

Oh no. Blue recognized that face. He gently reached up and pulled Dust down so he was leaning his head against Blue's shoulder. "If you need to cry, you can." He encouraged softly. "It's not healthy to bottle it up." Dust twitched and his hands raised to gently hold Blue's shirt.

He heard the first muted sob and Blue's SOUL broke a little. He quickly fought back the tears rising to his own eyes, knowing it would be no good for anyone if they both were crying. He rubbed Dust's back. The taller trembled against him.

"Why won't you let Reaper heal it? It's causing you so much pain." Blue asked softly. Reaper could heal scars. He would be able to heal Dust's throat and Blue would be able to hear his voice. He'd never heard Dust's voice.

Blue's voice trembled a little as he spoke. To his dismay, Dust shook his head. He didn't know why Dust never wanted to heal his throat and it hurt him. He gulped. "I... I want to hear your voice!" Blue blurted out, a faint blue tinge on his cheeks.

Dust seemed taken back and stared at him with wide, teary eyes. Blue gulped and looked down. "I've never heard your voice. When I met you, it was already gone. Why won't you let Reaper heal it? Why can't I hear it?" He asked, shakily. Dust stared down at him.

He closed his eyes and his magic flickered to life, purple words writing themselves in the air in front of him, glowing.

W H Y
D O
Y O U
W A N T
T O
H E A R
I T

Blue stopped and stared at him. He looked down. That was a good question. Why DID he want to know?? He furrowed his brow and apologized, looking away. He didn't have a good answer for him. He gave a weak shrug. He sighed and turned his body away, only for Dust to catch him. The other seemed confused and tipped his head, twitching. The words shone brighter.

W H Y
D O
Y O U
W A N T
T O
H E A R
I T

Blue gulped and stared at him. His blush had deepened. "Because I think I would like it. I'm just curious. I'm really sorry if I struck a nerve..." He stopped as Dust shook his head. The other quietly signaled that it was fine, wiping away the last of his tears.

N O
O N E
A S K S
A B O U T
I T
A N Y M O R E

Blue stared at him before looking down. "But I want to know. I want to hear you." He said quietly. He felt a little odd. Why was he so upset about this? "If you have the opportunity to fix it, then why don't you?" Dust's gaze darkened and Blue gulped. He hated asking questions that upset people.

B E C A U S E
H E ' L L
T A K E
I T
A W A Y
A G A I N

Blue felt a shiver go down his spine. He stared at Dust. He knew who he was talking about. The Ringmaster. He always heard awful stories about him and he had seen him do some questionably cruel things once or twice, but other than that, he knew next to nothing about him. "Why would he take it away again?? He already punished you..."

Dust looked down. The words appeared again, but they were shakier and less bright.

B E C A U S E
I
S A W
I T
A L L

Before Blue could stop him, Dust twitched and screwed his eyes shut.

I
S A W
W H A T
H E
D I D

Blue reached out and hugged him, quickly apologizing for making him upset. Dust shook his head and when the words came again, they burned with a soft, pink tint.

Y O U
C O U L D
N E V E R
U P S E T
M E

Blue felt heat rise to his cheeks again as he gave a quiet nod. "I... are you sure?" He asked, uncertain and a little flustered. Dust stared at him with a soft warmth before giving a quiet nod. Blue gave a happy smile. "I'm glad."

Dust went a little purple as he reached out and gently tapped Blue's cheek with one grey-stained, twitching finger.

I
L O V E
W H E N
Y O U
S M I L E
L I K E
T H A T

Blue didn't know why but that was a shot straight to his SOUL and he went dark blue. He stared at Dust, who seemed to realize what he'd said and went a little purple. He turned his head away, seeming apologetic.

S O R R Y

"N-No! It's okay! I thought it was really sweet!" Blue tried to reassure him. Dust glanced up at him and twitched. He seemed embarrassed before opening up his arms and Blue understood. He got between Dust's legs and hugged him tightly, his arms wrapped around his torso. He felt Dust slowly hug him back.

They stayed like that for several minutes and Blue could feel his SOUL pounding. He was reassured by the fact that he could also feel Dust's SOUL pounding. Finally, his grip loosened and Blue began to pull away. He was stopped as he suddenly felt Dust began to rub his back.

He blushed and looked up at the other. Dust's eyes were unfocused as he twitched and stared blankly at the ground. Blue knew better than to try and move while he was like this. He shivered as Dust's hands gently caressed his shoulder blades and he flexed them quietly. This felt nice.

Blue made a soft noise as he bit his gloved thumb, feeling Dust's hands dip in between his shoulder blades and slide down his spine. His cheeks were burning. Dust continued to rub his back, his touches light and gentle. Blue hadn't realized how much he needed this.

He could feel the tension in his shoulders seeping away and he slowly relaxed against the other, his gloved fingers curling gently into Dust's hoodie. He closed his eyes and quietly nudged Dust's chest. He had been quivering, but even that was calming itself. He soon was completely pliant against the other, his face flushed.

Dust soon stopped rubbing his back and simply held Blue close to him. Blue didn't protest. He liked being held like this. Especially by Dust. Dust sighed after a few moments and released him. New words lit up in front of him.

I
M I S S
T H E
R I N G M A S T E R

Blue was immediately taken back. "Nightmare? You miss Nightmare?" He asked, confused. Dust shook his head and there was a heavy pain in his glowing eyes. Two words lit up around him.

N O T
H I M

Blue was confused. If Dust didn't mean Nightmare, then who else could he possibly have meant?? He shook his head before letting out a soft noise of dismay as Dust began to cry again. He pulled him into a hug once more. A few more words lit up.

T H A T
I S
N O T
M Y
R I N G M A S T E R