As soon as he'd uttered the words, Cross heard Nightmare inhale sharply. His limbs all bubbled back and he snarled. His tentacles began to grow out behind him and he pushed himself up. "Get back to the New Tent. Quickly." Cross nodded. His legs were shaking and he had no doubt they would continue their discussion later.
He teleported outside, before collapsing against a tent with a cry of shock. He didn't understand. Why hadn't he been able to teleport all the way to the New Tent?? He could feel his bones rattling. Was his magic being affected?? He jumped as he felt confusion and concern. He looked up with wide eyes.
Lust was in front of him, his eyes wide. "Hey! What's wrong?? Cross, what happened??" He seemed frightened and Cross could slightly sense it. He began to struggle up.
"I-It's fine... I just..." He stopped. "No." He whispered, his eyelights having shrunk into small dots. "No... no, no, no..." He whispered, backing up. There was the sound of a car. Lust felt confused.
"The show definitely doesn't start for several days, so who is that?" He asked, seeming baffled. Cross felt rage and he knew who it was.
He felt his breathing speed up as he stumbled back. Lust cried out in alarm, pulling him up. People were starting to come out of their tents. Cross didn't understand. Did they also sense something was wrong?
Cross shook his head, purple tears already running down his face. He heard the sound of car doors slamming and broke out, sobbing. He curled up against the wall of a tent. Lust knelt next to him, wide-eyed. The gloomy layers of the Circus were being replaced by confusion. Then, Cross inhaled sharply. The cold feeling.
"What is going on?" He froze at Nightmare's voice. The crowd was moving back from him. He stared at the entrance, his entire body shaking. "Cross?? Why're you still out here??" Nightmare had changed, but he was still walking with an obvious limp and only had two out of his four tentacles back.
"...useless son of mine... good for nothing piece of shit..." They all heard a rumbling, grating voice. Cross gulped. He was so scared.
"How did they find me?" He whispered out. Lust blinked and Cross felt cold realization pulse from him. He watched as the other stood up and felt hostility spike from him. Two people appeared in the entrance. A skeleton and a dinosaur monster. Both clad in black and white. Cross shrunk back.
He blinked as Nightmare turned. He seemed to locate him again and he felt the coldness lift a little, being replaced with fierce protectiveness. He turned back. All of a sudden, Cross heard footsteps and felt someone lift him. He blinked and looked over at Reaper. He pushed him behind him, scythe out, his eyes locked on the two monsters.
He suddenly felt someone press against his other side and blinked. Blue, for the first time since he'd seen him, was scowling. "Don't worry, Cross, we won't let them take you." He whispered. He felt tired and Cross could see that he hadn't slept. He seemed like he had been injured. Cross felt hostility from almost everyone as monsters slowly realized who these two were. He blinked and looked around.
Blue was scowling. Lust was staring at them, a hateful look on his face. Geno had poked his head out from the Medical Tent. He was wide-eyed. Even Asy seemed to recognize them. He blinked as Asy started looking around. He seemed to spot Cross and freeze, twitching. Cross was breathing rapidly, shaking his head as he backed up once again. Asy seemed alarmed. Cross occasionally helped Asy by fixing the buckles on his straitjacket.
Nightmare finally met with the two. "May I have your name and business?" He stated. The skeleton hummed, bony hands floating around him before he scowled at Nightmare.
"Who's in charge?" He stated roughly. That seemed to piss Nightmare off and he lifted his head. His eye was burning. His tentacles spiked and he took a step forward, forcing the two back.
"I am. My name is Nightmare Joku and I am the Ringmaster. I will ask you one more time. Tell me your name and business." He said firmly. The skeleton's scowl deepened.
"My name is Dr. Gaster. This is my colleague, Dr. Alphys. We're here for my son, Cross." He rasped out. Cross' body trembled. The others slowly moved in front of him, shielding him from view. He heard Nightmare give a quiet scoff.
"I don't seem to know what you're talking about, doctor." He said calmly. His tentacles continued to wave behind him, occasionally twitching. The larger skeleton scowled.
"Don't give me that! This is the only place that little brat was actually appreciative of us taking him!" He suddenly spat out violently. Cross flinched. Nightmare gave a cold grin.
"You sure make it sound like he's an awful kid." Nightmare said quietly, tipping his head and raising a brow. XGaster and Alphys both seemed to agree on that as they nodded.
"Ungrateful, that boy is." XGaster muttered. Cross screwed his eyes shut. "This is the one fucking thing he's left his room for!" He continued to mutter.
Cross blinked. Anger was building up around him. It wasn't his. Someone else appeared in the corner of his vision. Killer! The other was scowling. Already, he had one hand over his belt, the knives glinting. He was ready to attack the second something went wrong.
Nightmare chuckled. "You will not find your son here." He stated. Cross gulped. He inhaled sharply. Alphys was staring right at him, squinting. She seemed suspicious, trying to peer through the others. XGaster scowled as Alphys got his attention. She pointed towards him. He felt the rage grow bigger as it mixed with cold realization.
XGaster followed her finger and he snarled. "Liar! He's right over there!" He roared. He turned. "Cross! Get over here NOW!!" He snarled. Out of habit, Cross pushed himself up and started toward them, crying uncontrollably.
"No!" He'd just pulled away from Blue and Lust as he heard Reaper. Reaper appeared in front of him, dropping his scythe and holding his shoulders. "No, Cross. You're not going back." He said, his eyes boring into Cross'. Cross slowly came back to reality, still crying. He nodded, his entire body shaking.
"CROSS!" He shrieked at his father's booming yell again. He felt Reaper wrap an arm around him. He clung to Reaper's arm, eyes wide and panicked. He peered around to see his father staring at him furiously. He whipped around and approached Nightmare. "You're a liar! That's him! You have no right to keep him from me!" He snarled.
Nightmare remained calm and Cross blinked in confusion as he felt amusement. He gulped. His father called for him again and he bit his tongue, making blood trickle down his chin. He cried out in pain. Nightmare reached into a pocket and pulled out... Cross blinked. That was his contract.
"Sorry, but he's no longer yours. He is mine. He is part of the Circus. He read the terms and conditions. He signed the paper." He held the paper up and pointed at one line. "Once you are in the Circus, you may not leave."
His father stared at him in shock. "How DARE you!! I'll sue this entire place!" His father spat. Nightmare chuckled.
"Go ahead. Not a thing out of place. Nothing you can sue me for. Nothing you can do. I suggest... you get back in that car and drive away. The way he showed up, I wouldn't even allow you to take him back." He leaned forward. "You shouldn't enjoy hurting your own child that much... Doctor."
His father stared at him. All of a sudden, he lashed out, punching Nightmare. Cross flinched back, a cracking sensation in his cheek. He became aware of horror growing from everyone around him. Nightmare seemed unfazed.
"Wasn't that aggravated assault? Any chance you had of suing me is gone." His eye narrowed as he growled. "Now get the fuck out of my Circus before I leave your dust at the gate"
Cross watched, feeling a pressure lift off of him as the two backed up. His father had left, muttering how this wouldn't be the last Nightmare saw of him, but Alphys stayed a moment longer, staring at him. He turned away, trembling. He felt their presence leave and let out a shuddering gasp of relief. He dropped on his knees, shaking as he curled up in a ball. He heard footsteps.
"Reaper. take Cross to the Medical Tent." He heard Reaper inhale to speak, but Nightmare cut him off. "This is not a discussion. Go. Cross, I'll deal with you later." His tone had softened and Cross felt slightly better. Not that much better though. He felt Reaper help him up. He watched as Nightmare turned to the crowd, tentacles waving.
"The threat has passed! Please carry on with your normal activities! We have a big show coming up! Let's go!" Cross watched as everyone started to hustle. His head hurt. His vision was slipping in and out of focus. Finally, he blacked out completely, dropping to his knees and hitting the grass.