❤️💜35k my goal yayyyayayayayayyaya💜❤️

It was seven in the morning when Nightmare woke up, a groan leaving him as he rubbed his eye tiredly. He sunk back into the pillows, feeling the gentle rocking motion of the train and listening to the constant ticking sound the wheels made as they rolled down the track. It felt soothing, letting him relax and just take a minute to breathe.

Beside him, a sleepy murmur rang out and someone's skull nuzzled itself into his shoulder, pushing persistently. Nightmare looked down to stare at the sleeping teen, a smirk forming on his face as he let Cross situate his head on his chest.

"You awake, precious?"

"...No."

"Thought so."

Cross hummed sleepily, gripping onto Nightmare's shirt and pulling himself a bit closer. "Hey, Nightmare..."

"Hm?" He looked down at the smaller, gently pinching his cheek. "What is it?"

"I was just wonderi--"

Suddenly the door swung open and Cross yelped, light pouring generously into the room. "Wh--"

Nightmare blinked rapidly, sitting up and pulling the blanket to his chest as he stared at the silhouettes stood in the doorway. Whoever it was marched over until they were stood right in front of the bed, staring down at them. "Uh..."

"You two up, were nearly at District Twelve." The familiar voice of Horror grunted, his red eye staring down at them intently. "We'll be there in less than twenty minutes."

"Alright, alright." Nightmare waved his hand agitatedly, shoving him back. "We'll get dressed in a second, go."

"Get dressed?" Lust raised a brow, a sharp grin forming on his face.

"No- don't be perverted, I'm talking about a change of clothes." He hissed, flushing slightly. "Look, you can clearly see clothes here." He indicated to his shirt and Cross' hoodie.

"Is that your hoodie Cross is wearing?"

"Jshzhsjjsjs- Just get out!" He shoved the two of them with his tentacles, ushering them back to the door.

"Fine, fine." Lust giggled, grabbing Horror's arm. "We'll leave now." The two shut the door behind them and left, their snickering voices coherent as they whispered to each other and waited outside.

Nightmare huffed under his breath and flung the blankets off of the two of them, which earned a whine from Cross as he pulled the hoodie down over his exposed pelvis. "C'mon, let's get dressed."

"I don't wanna..." He grumbled, sitting up and pulling the fabric of the hoodie up into his face.

"So you want to go home to your family in nothing but my stained hoodie and no pants?" He laughed, pulling on a pair of his old shorts. "I don't judge people too much for their dress code, but yours is weird."

"Oh shut up." Sliding off of the bed, Cross trudged over to the chest of draws where Nightmare was stood. "I'm keeping your hoodie."

"Really? It's filthy from...last night." He looked down at it in amusement, shaking his head. "Besides, I think there's a few more here, spares. In fact, it looks like they nicked both our entire wardrobes from home somehow."

He looked through the draws, humming as he tugged out another practically identical hoodie. He tossed it at the smaller, smirking as it hit him directly in the face. "Take that."

A muffled yelp sounded and Cross stumbled back a bit, glaring at him. "Thanks."

"No problem." He looked through the draws, pulling out a pair of black shorts and a pale grey coloured turtleneck sweater. He tossed off his current shirt, fighting his way into the new one and slipping into his shorts. Then he grabbed a black unzipped jacket with a hood, pulling his arms through and fitting it snugly. "How do I look?"

"Like a posh boy from District One." Cross joked, having got his new shorts from Em on and putting on a long sleeved black top before wriggling into Nightmare's hoodie. "And how do I look?"

"Uh, a boy not from District Twelve."

"Aha, very funny." He slapped him with the sleeve of the old hoodie playfully before shoving it into the draws behind all the other clothes much to Nightmare's amusement. "Oh wow they'll never find it there."

"Shh, we'll be gone long before they find it." He grabbed his hand, bouncing up onto his toes to even out their height a bit. "So, should we go and cut Horror and Lust from their misery of waiting?"

"Sure." Nightmare shrugged boredly, letting Cross lead him out and to the door and into the corridor where Horror and Lust were both stood next to each other, arms crossed over their chests and muttering softly.

Lust looked up at the sound of the door clicking open, immediately nudging Horror and forcing his frown into a smile so quickly that Cross could have mistaken it as not even being there in the first place. "Oh, you're out."

"Yeah, hope we didn't keep you waiting too long." Nightmare rose a brow, resting his chin on Cross' shoulder from behind and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"No, no not at all." He shook his head, a slight laugh resounding. "But anyway, let's get prepared for the trains arrival, okay?"

"Sure whatever." Nightmare detached himself from Cross and followed along behind the two adults as they walked, said smaller trailing along beside him and fiddling with the strings attached to his hood.

As they walked, he turned to face the oreo. "Hey, what were you going to say earlier? Before we were interrupted in the bedroom."

"O-Oh, yeah, um..." He glanced down at the floor, thoughts rushing through his mind like river rapids. "I had just been thinking a-and, the thought suddenly came to me of what would happen to--"

"We're here!"

Poor Cross was cut off once again as Lust called out excitedly, the countless views of mountains and forests disappearing and replaced with the familiar sight of none other than District Twelve. He debated whether to bring the subject up again, but Nightmare seemed distracted by pressing himself up against the window and staring at the giant crowds that had surrounded the station.

The train grumbled to a slow halt, the screeching of the brakes being heard even from within the carriages. Lust and Horror pushed them gently towards the door, glancing about them. "Now, you're sure you haven't forgotten anything?"

"Uh, pretty sure." Nightmare nodded, watching intently as Horror fiddled with the door handle and forced it down. Cross watched too, nodding as well. "Yeah."

The door swung open and instantly the sound of cheers and screams blasted them, people stood on the platform and waving frantically at their two winners. It had been so long since District Twelve had a winner that this was now like a giant celebration. A rather morbid one at that. Celebrating twenty two deaths for the sake of cherishing two.

The two winners stepped out slowly, staring at all the crowds and blinking rapidly. Nightmare grinned, pulling a few bows and waving at everyone. It appeared he liked the attention. Cross stood by his side, giving a few shy waves as well. But his focus wasn't on the entirety of the crowd, he was more busy occupied scanning the crowds desperately for any signs of his family.

"CROSS!"

He jolted as something slammed into his side, flinging it's arms around him and gripping on incredibly tightly. Stumbling backwards, he looked down to see whatever had attacked him.

"Wh-- Chara?!" He instantly wrapped his own arms around his brother, pulling him in close to his chest and burying his face into his white fluffy hair.

"G-God, y-you scared me s-so much idiot!" Chara cried, only hugging tighter and sniffling as Cross rubbed his back.

"Sorry." He whispered, sinking to his knees with Chara clinging tightly in his arms. "But I-I kept my promise, didn't I? I won it, f-for you..."

The boy nodded weakly, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at his older brother. "It was th-that good luck charm I gave you..."

"Yeah." He smiled weakly, feeling tears prick in the corner of his eyes. "It probably was..."

————————————————————————

uwuwuwuwuwuwu I was gonna make this the last chapter, but I decided I'll drag it out to fifty chapters lmao-

Plus that little bit there seemed like a good place to end the chapter, ngl

Oof Cross gets to see Epic next chapter I wonder how that'll go-

1,405 words uwu

-Jess-