❤️💜17k mmmmmm💜❤️

"Nigh--"

Before the word could even fully leave his 'lips' the taller whipped around, pointing his crossbow at him and shooting.

Cross shrieked, his legs buckling and falling to the floor just as the arrow sank deeply into the tree behind him in the position his head had been in less than 0.25 seconds ago.

"Missed."

The smol looked up at Nightmare in shock, his soul beating so fast that it was about to send him into cardiac arrest if it wasn't careful. "Y-You tried to shoot me!" He gasped, clutching his chest.

"I realised." Nightmare smirked a bit, walking over to him and holding out a hand for him to take. "Good thing I've got a shit aim."

"Oh shut up." He wheezed, gladly gripping his hand and letting himself be pulled to his feet. "If I hadn't ducked you would have killed me!"

"Yeah? Better safe than sorry, you could have been Dream or someone." He shrugged, staring at the smaller.

"I guess." He mumbled, rubbing his scratched arms and sighing.

"Might I say, I'm incredibly surprised you're still alive."

"Join the club." He glanced at him witheringly, just wanting to collapse onto the floor and fall asleep. Or his arms. Those might be comfier. "I've lost count of how many times I've almost been murdered."

"Yeah, I know. I had to save your ass from that psycho couple, remember?" He raised a brow.

"You were just a blur at the time. Blue had to tell me about your valiant save - and thanks, by the way." He coughed, his throat dry. When was the last time he'd even drunk water?

"No problem. We had a deal, right?" He grinned.

The smol offered him a weak smile, nodding. "Y-Yeah..."

Nightmare stared at him for a moment before glancing over Cross' shoulder. "So, is Blue hiding back there now? Waiting for the all clear and for you to tell him I'm not going to kill him?"

Cross immediately stiffened, a hard lump forming in his throat and the burning sensation of tears building up in the back of his eyes. It was then that Nightmare noticed Cross' tear stained cheeks and large bags under his eyes. He'd been crying. Lots. "I--"

"He's d-dead." He sniffed, wiping his nose for the umpteenth time with his filthy sleeve. "E-Error killed h-him... I-I tried t-to help but I--"

He cut himself off with a sharp intake of breath, gulping down the giant lump in his throat. "I-I couldn't save him!"

Nightmare stood there awkwardly, watching as Cross fought back more tears, constantly wiping his eyes and just smearing mud and leaves all over himself. "Stop-"

He gently gripped onto Cross' wrists and pulled them away from his face, shaking his head. "You're covering yourself in mud." He muttered using his own sleeve to wipe away any tears and mud streaks that covered his face.

The smaller kept his eyes down on the floor in embarrassment and shame, sniffing. "S-Sorry, I'm s-so pathetic..."

Nightmare muttered something under his breath before groaning and stepping back. "No you're not, you're fine Cross."

"I-I am?" He asked softly, pressing the palms of his hands together tightly.

"Yes. You're fine." He nodded and glanced around at the tree line. "Now c'mon, we're kind of exposed right out here in the open."

Cross nodded meekly, trudging after Nightmare as he started to walk off upstream. But then within seconds he collided with the taller's back. He yelped, looking up at him in surprise. "Nightmare? Why'd y-you stop?"

The teen held up a hand, his blue eye scanning across the bushes and trees. "Something's not right..."

He blinked, his fingers instinctively slipping around the hilt of his knife and slipping it from his sleeve. "Not right?"

"Someone's here." He growled, pointing his crossbow at the tree line in front of them and letting one of his tentacles slowly curling round the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his back.

"I-I don't see anyone." He whispered, stepping to Nightmare's side instead of hiding behind him.

No sooner than he'd said those words, something launched itself from behind the bushes, a pair of hands gripping onto Cross' shoulders and slamming him to the ground.

Cross shrieked, struggling and lashing out at whoever his attacker was. He felt his blade stab into their left hip, but they didn't flinch and sunk their barbed knife into Cross' leg.

He let out an anguished scream of pain and brought his knee up, connecting it with their chest and forcing the breath from them.

And then the attacker was suddenly torn off of him, tackled to the floor by Nightmare where they scratched and stabbed at each other like wild cats.

Nightmare wrapped two tentacles around their neck before promptly slamming their skull to the rocky ground, a sickening crack ringing out.

The attacker screamed and struggled, thrashing in his grip before their skull was slammed into the floor for a second time. They lashed out blindly with their knife, succeeding at nicking Nightmare's arm before the taller drove a tentacle deep into their chest.

They let out a choked gasp of pain, twitching and thrashing beneath the taller as he stumbled off of him. Nightmare panted softly, staring down at the Tribute. He recognised him quickly. It was Ink, the boy from District Five.

He wheezed and gasped down air, rolling onto his side to point accusingly at Cross. "You! Y-You killed Error!"

The oreo clutched his throbbing leg, staring at the boy in surprise. He knew Error? He watched as Ink tried to drag himself over to him, spitting curses and threats.

Nightmare glanced between the two of them and, noticing Cross' distressed expression, decided to finally put and end to this.

Ink struggled as Nightmare pressed the sole of his boot against his skull, hissing. The teen laughed coldly, his boot pressing down with immense pressure that caused it to start to crack. And then suddenly the skull went splintering and shattering across the floor and causing Cross to scream as well.

"Calm down drama Queen." Nightmare grunted, a grin forming on his face as a cannon shot rang out. "He's dead now."

Cross watched in horror as Nightmare's shoe crunched down on a fragment of skull, grinding it to dust beneath the heel. He lurched onto his side, gagging once before suddenly retching up whatever food he had left in his non-existent stomach.

"Lovely."

——————

"Now for the love of God, please don't throw up on me."

Cross hissed weakly at the dark skeleton, his fingers digging into his arms so much that his knuckles were starting to hurt. He stumbled along by his side, hopping weakly along with his bleeding leg dragging behind him. Ink had stabbed him hard. And it hurt.

Nightmare grunted, his tentacles curling around Cross' waist before gently lifting him in the air and earning many panicked protests.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?! P-Put me down!" He yelped, struggling.

"Shut up, this'll be faster then dragging your crippled ass all the way to my hiding spot." He said, rolling his eye. "By the time you'd have limped over five more tributes would be dead."

"Wouldn't that give us an advantage?" He asked, squirming uncomfortably and watching the ground move beneath him without him actually doing anything.

"Two of those Tributes would be us, Cross."

"Oh."

Nightmare sighed in despair and continued walking upstream until they came across a large rocky overhang, vines and long grass hanging from the top and covering up the rocks beneath.

"What's so good about this spot?" Cross asked, staring at it with narrowed eyes.

"My point exactly." He laughed, removing his grip from the smol with one of his tentacles and brushing the leaves and vines away. "You're not looking close enough."

Cross blinked in surprise, watching as the entrance to a cave came into sight. "Oh."

"Yeah, I'm hoping if you're to blind to see it, the others will be as well. I mean, it's worked for me so far." He hummed and carried Cross through the cave entrance, letting the vines brush back over it behind them.

The two descended down a steep ledge where Nightmare then placed him down on the slightly damp floor.

Cross mumbled a weak thank you, pulling his rucksack onto his lap and clutching it to his chest tightly. He sunk his face into his scarf, staring down at the fluffy fabric. He didn't really want look at the taller male stood in front of him.

The cave was quite small, being about four metres by three metres. In one corner of the cave, three backpacks were piled up, their contents looking filled to the brim with all sorts of supplies.

Nightmare stared down at the smaller, dropping his sword to the ground and making a loud clatter that made the oreo jump in surprise. He slumped down to the floor rubbing the back of his skull with a hand.

"So..." He started, stretching his arms above his head. "Let's take a look at that leg."

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Mshdhsjsiudhsjwjdudjejjs bye ink lmao

uwu Crossmare

Got lots more where that's coming from :3333333333333

Will be changing some things up soon so be warned I guess. It's not too much but still :P

Idk

Kréme soon

-Jess-