now enjoy this story of LV 20 Himbo getting his daily hugs and cuddles from his boyfriends
it gets just a little bit spicy towards the end, but it's all strictly fluffy
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Cross's day started at 4 am, at the same time Nightmare's day started. Nightmare always got up early, at the exact same time every day. Before, he would wake up and spend the next four hours enjoying the quiet solitude. Now, though, he couldn't do that without waking Cross up first. Nightmare used to try his hardest to get up quietly, but Cross's horns, being made of sensitive magic, always felt the air dispositions, and he'd wake up with a quiet rumble.
Nightmare had given up after the first month, instead lightly poking Cross's shoulder to wake the sleeping beast. Nightmare always enjoyed watching Cross wake up. Sometimes, if Cross had been sleeping deeply, his horns would spark and he'd stretch like a cat.
True to habit, Cross's horns gave a few flashes and his spine arched up. His claws left light indentions in the ground, his shoulders bunching up, then he slumped on his side, mumbling incoherently. His eyelights were bright, slightly blurry from sleep, but shining like beacons nonetheless.
Nightmare patted Cross's skull, making sure to rub at the base of Cross's left horn before he stood up and took a moment to stretch. Cross shifted onto his knees, rubbing his eyesocket, huffing as his right eye started to water. Like it always did, magical fluid streamed from his eye, to his never-ending annoyance. He swiped at it tiredly, doing nothing but sending droplets everywhere.
Nightmare watched, frowning slightly. "Cross, you're making a mess." Cross yawned in response, his jaw creaking a bit and tongue curling like a cat's. His canines clicked when he closed his mouth, much to Nightmare's growing amusement and Cross's annoyance.
Cross's voice used to be somewhat on the high-pitched side, like a teenage boy going through puberty. Killer would tease him endlessly over it. Now, he was more on Nightmare-level deep, but where as Nightmare could make high-pitched noises, Cross couldn't. Killer liked to make jokes about the 'orgasmic quality' that Cross's new voice had, which always made Cross flush and glare at him.
Cross didn't talk a lot now, though, and with how Killer would fake moan when he did talk, Cross was considering going mute. He gave a soft snort, shaking his head. The weight of horns felt odd, no matter how used to it he was. He was constantly hyper-aware of them, of the way they cut through the air or would brush against things
His overall awareness of his own mass had expanded to the horns, so they weren't much of a problem, unlike when he'd first gotten them. A shiver ran up his spine at the memory of them scraping the ceiling. It made him think of those videos where humans would scrape their nails on chalkboards or rusted metal just for fun.
Despite having just woken up, Cross's mind was already running away from him. He shook his head, blinking a few times to focus on Nightmare. The boss had started undressing, cursing to himself as his tentacles tangled up in his sleepshirt. Cross shuffled over, quietly saying, "Hold still." Nightmare shuddered, taken off guard by Cross's voice
He was quick to cover his reaction up, going still. Cross carefully picked at Nightmare's clothes, his teeth clicking in concentration. Nightmare's spine began aching, his shoulders tensing the longer he stood still. Finally, Cross muttered something and pulled away with Nightmare's shirt bunched up in his hand. Nightmare sighed, relaxing. He patted Cross's chest, "Go on and wait in the hall."
Cross set the shirt down, scooping Nightmare up and nuzzling the darker. Nightmare chuckled, "Alright, alright." He pecked Cross's check in a quick skele-kiss, allowing Cross to hug him a bit longer before he squirmed. "Cross, I need to get dressed."
Cross huffed, but let him go, stepped back to lean against the wall, growling slightly. "Stay." Nightmare tipped his head back, squinting at Cross. "Stay? What?" Cross waved his hands around, "Stay. I wanna.." His teeth clicked, his cheeks going faintly purple. Nightmare saved him from his flustered silence, suggesting a possible ending to Cross's unfinished sentence. "You want to watch?"
Cross's silence was confirmation enough. Nightmare sighed, "That's alright, I suppose. But no hugging this time, okay?" Cross deflated a bit, but he nodded. He'd gotten his hug from Nightmare for the day.
---
Cross flipped his knife over, angling it to catch the light and then wiggling it back and forth. It started flashing rapidly, a grin twitching on his face as he continued to play with the light. Nightmare's pen was near-silent, only occasionally making a noise like rattling plastic whenever Nightmare turned his papers over.
The light on his blade was tinted green, thanks to the dark green lamp shade. Cross glanced up at Nightmare, catching sight of his boss's cyan tongue. Nightmare had the tip of his tongue poking out in his concentration, something Cross was now mentally fawning over. Nightmare must've felt his eyes on him, the king meeting his gaze. He grinned at Cross, "Something catch your eye?"
Cross only turned away and pretended he hadn't been staring. Nightmare snorted, stretching out a tentacle to pat Cross's head. Cross purred, the pencil cup on the desk rattling a bit with it. It was all so domestic. Nightmare glanced at the clock, his mind going through the math quickly. "Killer'll be up any soon."
Cross absolutely did not perk up, nor did he look to the door excitedly. Nightmare only smiled at Cross's eagerness, "Well, aren't you excited." Cross faltered a bit, his face warming. He gave Nightmare a glare, silent in his denial. Nightmare shrugged, "I dunno, you looked pretty eager there."
Cross pouted, turning away to glower at the carpeted floor. The feeling passed quickly, his glinting knife stealing his attention once more. He tapped it with a claw, tilting it to get the effects from earlier. A long silence fell over the two, Nightmare refocusing on his work and Cross playing with his knife.
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Cross was laying on the ground in the living room when Killer showed up. His eyes had started to slide shut, his magic slowing as he dozed off, when the air shifted. His eyes opened the instant he felt it, eyelights focusing much faster than they did when he first woke up. His mouth twitched. Killer was crouching beside him, his usual sneer on his face. "What's up, himbo?"
Cross blinked, and Killer laughed, standing up. A smell hit his nose, the familiar tang of blood. Cross's face scrunched. He gave a low hiss, ambling to his feet. Killer craned his neck, smirking up at him. "Arentcha gonna say hi?" Cross's eyes narrowed.
He shook his head, his shoulders stiffening as the smell of blood hit him again, this time mixed with a bit of chocolate. He sniffed the air, turning in a full 360, his brow furrowed. He didn't recognize that smell. It wasn't Nightmare, or any of the others. Nightmare had a spicy-citrus smell with a bit of lavender, which Cross would never admit to actively looking for. Killer always had a sharp metallic scent, and Dust smelled like, well, dust and death. Horror smelt of blood and smoke.
They weren't pleasant smells, if Cross was honest. But, after these long years, he's found them to be comforting. This new smell wasn't any of the others, and he didn't like it. Killer trailed after him, his voice fading into the background as Cross traced the sent. His path led him to the front door of the castle. Killer had stopped talking, Cross noted absently as he pulled the door open. The door hinges squealed, the sound grating on Cross's nerves.
Cross stared down at whoever was standing there, his eyelights dilating. Killer blinked at the sudden change in Cross's aura, the behemoth's magic weighing heavily on Killer's soul. "Uh, Cross?"
Cross didn't answer, not really. His horns had sparked, growing as magic was fed into them. Cross was slowly hunching over, baring his teeth and growling lowly. Killer stepped back, "Cross?" Cross's growl deepened, the only warning Killer got before Cross launched himself out of the door.
Killer stared at where Cross had been with wide eyes, frozen in shock. A glitched shout startled him, Cross's snarling growing more and more feral. Killer peeked out of the door, his eyes widening. He'd looked in time to watch Cross harshly pin Error to the ground and growl in his face, his breath heavy.
Error swore loudly, kicking Cross off, the other hissing as he was forced off. He lunged for Error again, only this time Error shot out millions of strings, tying Cross up. The larger monster howled, thrashing wildly, ferally twisting his body around. Error backed up from the deranged soldier, breathing harshly, his clothes in disarray.
Error swallowed dryly, running a hand over his skull. He turned around to face Killer, snapping angrily, "Where the hell is Nightmare?!"
---
Nightmare yelled as he was tackled, his tentacles thrashing in surprise. His first instinct was to attack, but the moment he moved his arms, a snarl reverberated against his sternum. It took him a moment to realize it was Cross who'd grabbed him. He looked up in confusion, blinking as Killer walked in looking sheepish. Everything clicked when Error walked in.
Cross growled at the glitched monster, holding Nightmare protectively to his chest. Error scowled in response, "Nightmare, you better fucking explain." Killer rubbed his hands, stepping back with a nervous laugh. "I'm just.. gonna.." He teleported as soon as Nightmare nodded, leaving Error and Nightmare alone.
Error watched Cross with disgust, which Nightmare didn't like very much. "Error. You've met Cross before." Error visibly did a double take, his glitches even pausing for a second. "That's Cross?! There's no fucking way." Nightmare absently petted Cross's skull, snorting at Error's reaction. "Check him, if you don't believe me." Cross stiffened as Error did just that, his invisible hackles rising. He snapped the other with a loud hiss, his grip on Nightmare tightening. Error ignored him, staring at the check with disbelief.
Cross (Xtale Sans)- LV 20
-Don't Touch His Mates
-Tread Carefully
-Who Are You?
He gawked at the level, eyelights going back and forth between Cross and the checkscreen. Finally, he blurted out, "So you're telling me that your guard dog is suddenly an actual danger?" Cross snapped his teeth, glowering at Error.
Nightmare smoothed his hand over Cross's skull, lightly scratching Cross's left horn. "Well... I wouldn't put it like that."
---
Error left, to Cross's joy, claiming that he needed a moment to process. The moment he was gone, Cross hunted down Killer, finding him with Dust in the training room.
Dust waved at him when he saw him, Cross tipping his head. He ambled over, loosely draping his arms around Dust's shoulders. Dust snorted at the unannounced hug, tapping Cross's palm with a click of his tongue. "Killer told me what you did, Cross. That wasn't very nice of you."
Cross leaned down to rub his face on Dust's hoodie, rumbling quietly. There was a threat in his home, how else should he have reacted? Dust tsked, "Perhaps I shouldn't let you hug me." Cross whined, feeding into Dust's entertainment. His arms tightened around Dust, holding him properly. Dust hummed, "Maybe if you ask nicely, I'll let you."
Cross mumbled stubbornly, tugging on Dust. Killer watched the two with an amused grin, fully planning on giving Cross the cuddles he wanted later on. Dust repeated himself, "Maybe if you as nicely, Cross." Killer's grin twitched up. Cross huffed, letting Dust go. Fine. He grabbed Dust's shoulders, yanking him into a hug and muttering a faint, "Please?" Dust snickered, giving in with a pleased sigh. "Alright, if you insist."
Cross pressed a light kiss on Dust's skull, careful to avoid scratching him with his oversized teeth. Dust purred contently, giving Cross a kiss of his own before teleporting back to his feet. Cross blinked at his now empty arms, his gaze surprised. Dust patted his arm, "Horror wanted me to help cook lunch." Cross nodded, gingerly patting Dust's arm as well.
The smaller vanished through the doorway, Cross staring after him sadly. He perked up though, turning to look at Killer hopefully, only Killer wasn't there anymore. Cross frowned, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. He kicked at the floor, hobbling out of the training room.
---
The kitchen door was smaller than Cross liked, he always had to bend over to even get through, and sometimes his horns would catch on the door's weird box with the arm.(those things that make the door close slowly) Horror stood at the stove, mumbling to himself, his dead eye closed. Cross let out an affectionate chuff, Horror glancing at him with a crooked grin. "Heya, Cross." The stove dials clicked as Horror twisted them, setting the flames to a simmer and wiping his hands on the towel hanging from the oven handle.
Horror tugged him down to steal a kiss, carelessly deepening it to Cross's ever-present anxiety. Though, Cross didn't get kisses like this much, so he shoved the worry down and returned the kiss. Horror pulled back, holding his arms out. "Daily hug?" Cross sank to his knees, hugging Horror around his middle with a quiet purr. Horror hummed in response, kneeling down as well and letting Cross nip at his neck.
Eventually, Horror had to get up, nudging Cross one last time before stepping back. Cross stood up as well, moving over to lean against the counter. Horror settled back at the stove, a small smile on his face now. A comfortable quiet fell, the sounds of sizzling and bubbling adding to the calmness. Cross's eyes shut, his head rolling back a bit as he relaxed against the counter.
Of course, something always had to interrupt. Cross jolted as the door opened with a slam, that along letting him know who it was. Killer sauntered in, smugly sidling up to Horror, hugging the other from behind. He hooked his chin over Horror's shoulder, "What's cookin, good lookin?" Horror sighed, waving his free hand over the stove, "Dunno. Sausage?" Cross winced. Horror didn't realize his mistake, still stirring at the potato soup.
Killer's grin grew, "Sausage, eh? Sounds like a treat." Killer's voice dropped into a whisper, lower than Cross could pick up, but he must've made some innuendo, because Horror sputtered loudly and flushed brightly. He took a wooden ladle, smacking Killer with it. "Keep yer filth outta my kitchen." Killer finger-gunned him, "You got it, sausage master." Horror hissed, pointing at the door, "Out!" Killer snickered, only grinning wider and slapping Horror's rear.
Cross stared, both amused and exasperated at Killer's antics, doing nothing to save him as Horror beat him with a wooden spoon. Of course, his presence didn't go unnoticed by Killer, the smug bastard winking at him, "If I'm honest, I think we all know who the sausage master is."
Cross grunted, grabbing Killer by the hood. He nodded at Horror, who was huffing angrily, and dragged Killer out of the room with him. Killer gave Horror another set of finger guns just as the kitchen doors closed. Horror let out a harsh breath, cursing Killer as he went back to the stove.
Killer wriggled free of Cross's hold, skipping around to walk backward in front of Cross. He opened his mouth, prepared to make more dirty jokes, but all that came out was a yelp as Cross lifted him off the ground and threw him over his shoulder. Killer wheezed, thumping Cross's back, commenting with a laugh. "Talk about sweeping me off my feet."
Cross tightly gripped Killer's femurs, silently telling him to shut up. Killer only groaned, much to Cross's chagrin. Killer snickered, "C'mon, master, grab me harder-" Cross jostled his shoulders to make him shut up, his face hot with embarrassment. Killer yelped, finally falling silent, the rough movements making him dizzy. The trip to Killer's room went by quickly, the familiar black door a welcome sight. Cross opened it with a huff, closing the door with his elbow.
He unceremoniously dropped Killer on his bed, crawling onto it after him. Killer grinned up at him jubilantly, "Need something, big boy?" Cross tugged at his shirt, glaring at him. Killer's grin took on a sultry edge, "I don't understand, Criss-Cross. You'll have to speak up." Cross glowered at him. He'd already spoken once today, why did he have to do it again! Killer smiled wider, the knife happy skeleton singing, "I'm waiting~"
Cross growled, getting angry. "Take off your clothes, Killer," he hissed. Killer faltered slightly, finally sensing that he'd teased too much. His smile softened, his soul aching with weak guilt that he covered up, "You'll need to get off of me, sweetheart." Cross sat back on his heels, giving Killer room to sit up. His teeth clicked together as he waited, his horns flickering with impatience. Killer shrugged his coat off, tossing it aside. He already looked smaller, Cross thought to himself. His jacket was bulky, made him seem bigger than he really was.
Killer grabbed the back of his shirt collar, pulling it over his skull and dragging the rest of his shirt off with it. Cross shifted, his cheeks getting warm. Killer threw his shirt down next to his jacket, hooking his thumbs under the waistband of his shorts. Cross stopped him and gently took his hands, pressing light kisses to his knuckles. "This is ok." Killer snorted, "I look perfect, what do you mean okay??" Cross huffed, shaking his head. He ducked down to leave a few kisses on Killer's ribs, pulling him close and nuzzling him.
Killer set his arms around Cross's shoulders, relaxing into the oreo's embrace with a content smile. Cross laid Killer on his back, shifting around to take his own shirts off. Killer held back his comments, instead waiting with a sleepy purr. Cross set his shirts aside, slumping on his side and dragging Killer back to himself, curling his body around the smaller. He felt his own purr start up soon after, his eyes going lidded. "Love you, Kills." Killer shivered, whispering his own declaration of love into his pillow, his face a soft red.
Later, when Nightmare came to get the two so they could eat, he found them sleeping soundly, still tangled together. Cross had a relaxed smile, Nightmare noticed with his own smile. The dark king could feel Cross's happiness, as well as Killer's, and couldn't make himself disturb them. He didn't want to ruin whatever this was, so he closed the door and went to tell Horror that Cross and Killer wouldn't be down for dinner.
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SIMPING OVER MY OWN STORY BUT ALSO NO REGRETS
i fucking loved that last scene, it was so c u t e
cross is a puppy confirmed