One-shots [Reqs: 5]

Oops

Cross was furious. Nightmare sensed it as soon as he woke, and had yet to come across the monochrome. Curiously, there were no screams or fighting. Dead silence filled the halls.

The quiet left him uneasy. The day went by slowly with little to no excitement. Nightmare stayed in his study, forging signatures, focusing on his job, and occasionally glancing towards that ball of rage that was Cross. No, Cross wasn't with him at the moment, but his emotions were so negative that Nightmare could almost tell exactly where the other was.

What made this so abnormal was the fact that Cross's emotions were usually undetectable. The boy had mastered the art of shielding, so well that not even Nightmare himself could read him. And that's why Nightmare was so intrigued. Something had made Cross angry, badly enough that his shields had dropped and his rage gave Nightmare an incredible boost of power.

It was five in the morning when that little ball of negativity suddenly grew tenfold, making Nightmare jerk. The pencil he held moved with him, dragging a long, thick line off the paper and onto the table. The graphite snapped, little black bits scattering and the tip flying off to who knows where. He was frozen for a couple seconds, absolutely astounded at the intensity of pure hatred that sent waves of strength crashing over him. Then he snatched up an eraser and began angrily rubbing away the line. It only smuged the more he tried, annoying him to no end.

Finally, he cast the eraser aside and tossed the papers into the trash. In his violent erasing, he'd knocked over a tin of ink and the papers were drenched. Thankfully, the tin hadn't been completely full and had only spilled across the papers. There were a few small spots on the desk, however, that when Nightmare tried to wipe them, they spread and made an even bigger mess.

He forced himself to stop before he ended up flipping the table over. He took a few minutes to breathe, eventually calming down enough to take a new packet(he always had copies) and start filling it out again. He worked mindlessly, finishing two stacks of papers and putting them where they needed to go, until another burst of emotions startled him.

This time, his tendrils spiked and knocked over a bookshelf. Nightmare sat helplessly as the bookshelf tumbled over into another and set off a domino effect. He stood up as the last shelf fell with an enormous crash. His hands fisted, tentacles whipping and smashing the floors, and took a deep breath before teleporting, going straight for that hurricane of negativity. He didn't burst in like he wanted to, instead lurking in the shadows to observe.

He was startled to see that nothing was amiss. Cross was sitting calmly on the couch, a book in hand, and completly fine. He was smiling, talking to Killer and Dust, looking as if there wasn't a cloud of black swarming his soul. As Nightmare watched, Cross laughed and elbowed Killer, saying something that made the tear-streaked skeleton howl with laughter. He watched Cross attentively, trying to spot any signs of anger on the other's grinning face. He nearly stumbled as Cross's emotions grew worse. The air around the monochrome seemed to darken with his emotions, yet still he smiled. Dust snickered and whispered something to Cross, making him laugh.

Nightmare was shaken. Just how skilled was Cross in masking himself?? Why wasn't he trying to tear something apart?! And then he saw it. A brief moment, so quick that he nearly missed it. Cross's eyesocket twitched, his smile twisting. It was gone, fast enough that Nightmare wasn't sure if it had been real. Curious. "Okay, so I know I said I wouldn't leave after sitting, but Horror just texted me and he wants me and Dust to help him fix his bed." Cross shrugged, his response inaudable, and Killer hopped up, dragging Dust out of the room. Nightmare waited until they were out of earshot and warped into the hallway. Time to see how Cross acts once his emotions are revealed.

Nightmare schooled his expression, taking on his usual grin, and stalked into the room. "Cross." Said monster straightened, staring at Nightmare in rapt attention. "I can sense your emotions from my study." The soldier stiffened, his gaze immediatly darting away as he seemed to realize something. "I never expected such hostility from someone like you. I'm curious." Nightmare blinked as Cross's emotions suddenly disappeared. He'd thrown his shields up. The monochrome squared his shoulders and looked at Nightmare, expression stony and neutral. Like it always is. "What about, sir?" There was no commitment in his question. An empty query to move things along. "That hatred... I almost believed that you were going to slaughter someone." Cross remained impassive, even as Nightmare sauntered closer.