No, I definitely didn't forget it was Cross' birthday-–

It's also my guinea pig's birthday as well lmao-

But idk enjoy I tried-

(Normal Crossmare)

"Can I open them now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"...How about now?"

"Cross, No."

The smaller monochromatic skeleton sighed and continued to slowly walk forwards with his eyes squeezed shut. He let the tentacle curled around his wrist gently pull him forwards, trusting that his husband wouldn't walk him off a cliff.

Actually that seems like something he'd do--

"Is this surprise going to kill me?"

"Maybe."

He suppressed a snort and huffed, a hand held out in front of him and swinging around like a radar to check that a wall wasn't coming straight at him.

"Neeaarly there." Nightmare hummed, glancing around himself to check he wasn't about to walk over the edge of the stairs or the side of the balcony.

Cross gave a little smile and let his radar hand fall, assuming that he didn't need it anymore. Yet that idea was proved futile as he felt his body collide softly with something cold and hard that came up to his waist.

"Wh--" He stumbled back and felt out in front of him, hearing Nightmare's horribly muffled snickers behind him. "Alright- I'm opening my eyes now."

"No." Cross ignored him and opened them, only to find that once he did, all he could see was blackness. "I-?"

Nightmare flicked him on the nose, a tentacle coiling softly round his skull and covering his eyes. "No peaking, remember?"

"But Nightyyyyy..."

"Shush, we're nearly there, birthday boy."

He grumbled as Nightmare pulled him along again, all trust lost. "What did you make me walk into?"

"The corpse of my brother."

"ExCUSE ME?!" He whipped around and tried to pull the tentacle off, only for Nightmare to drag him back round effortlessly, laughing all the while. "I'm kidding Cross- it was just one of those large potted plants you're obsessed with."

"Oh." That made sense. "...Well can I guess what you got me?"

"I'll answer no for all of them."

"Great!" He clapped his hands together and hummed, in deep thought. "Chocolate?"

"No."

"Food?"

"No."

"A new house."

"No."

"A new baby?"

"Ahaha, no."

"A new husband?"

"...No?"

Cross snickered and clumsily pet the tentacle around his wrist. "I was kidding, Nighty."

"I sure hope so."

The smaller hummed and stepped forwards faster until he felt his hand hit Nightmare's back, his fingers then sliding across his shoulders until reaching his arm where it gripped on tight.

The octopus gave his lover an amused look before finally stopping in front of a door and giving him a small nudge. "We're here, but you can't open your eyes."

"Am I ever going to be allowed to open them?" He slipped his own arm through Nightmare's and leant against him, sighing. He could hear the sound of the taller opening a door and then within a few seconds he found himself gently tugged inside.

"Depends on how badly I did this--" He glanced in the room and bit his knuckle anxiously, wondering if it was enough. Fancy celebrations had never been his thing.

Cross whined as his arm slipped from his grip, the tentacle leaving his wrist and eyes. Nightmare stepped back, staring at him intently. "Don't open them just yet."

Wrapping his arms around himself the skeleton sighed, glancing about the room even though all he could see was black. "If I open them and find you naked on a b--"

He found himself cut off with a gentle kiss, his lover's lips pressed against his softly for a second before he pulled back.

"You talk too much." He murmured, brushing his cheek with a hand and feeling it go slightly hot beneath his touch. "But you can open your eyes now."

Cross did so almost immediately, his gaze catching on his partner first who stood in front of him - fully clothed to Cross' disappointment - and staring down at him. He smiled up at him and giggled as Nightmare pressed a finger against his nose, the slightest smirk twitching on his own mouth. "Can I look around you?"

"I guess."

The smaller stepped to the side of Nightmare, eyes wide and expectant as he looked into the room he'd been dragged across half the mansion to get to.

The dark room had been lit up, a tall lampshade stood in the corner of the room and casting a red glow across the room from it's old fashioned sewn cover that gave it its iconic lampshade look. Adding to the light, two candles stood proudly and half melted with their flames casting dancing shadows across the walls.

There was a small table set up in the middle with two plates of food set up nicely, a dark tablecloth draped beneath. Additionally the curtains were pulled open, moonlight flooding in through the ajar balcony doors generously and illuminating the room. From his position Cross could see the full moon suspended in the air, still and cold, yet beautiful.

He gave a little gasp and gripped onto Nightmare's hand, feeling their fingers intertwine. Stepping forwards he rounded the table and stood at the balcony entrance, feeling the cold night's breeze wash over his face like a gentle ripple of water.

"Everything's so... beautiful..."

"Would it be too cheesy to say that it's not as beautiful as you?" He gripped onto his chin lightly, feeling his own face heat up as Cross blushed.

"Maybe... But I think it'd also be romantic."

"Well in that case, it's not as beautiful as you..." He smiled and rested his chin atop Cross' skull, having to push up on his toes a bit to do so - much to his annoyance - and sighed.

The smaller glanced up at him and purred in content, sinking into his lover's embrace as he wrapped his arms around him. "I love you, y'know?"

"I know Cross, I know. And I love you too." He pressed a soft kiss against the top of his skull before glancing back at the table. "So uh, do you want to eat?"

The question cake out shyer than he'd meant it to and he mentally cursed himself for always becoming weak around the smol oreo. Lord even the smallest smiles sent his soul in summersaults sometimes.

"Of course." He beamed up at him and squeezed his hand tightly, facing the rather fancy room with a frown. "But you know what I was thinking...?"

Nightmare forced out the most fake, dry and corse laugh he thought he'd ever laughed and swallowed. "It's too fancy isn't it--"

"No, that's now what I said. But yeah, I mean, a little--"

"Wanna go downstairs and stuff our faces full of junk and ice cream while watching Scooby Doo--?"

"I never thought you'd ask--" The two grinned at each other and laughed, quickly slipping to the table and grabbing their plates of food before dashing to the door.

"Race you to the bottom!" Cross yelled, launching himself onto the staircase banister and sliding down it like some Olympic snowboarder.

"You'll drop the food everywhere!" He wheezed, stumbling after him and rushing down the stairs - fulfilling their actual use - and trying to keep all the food on his plate at the same time.

He staggered into the large royal living room just in time to see Cross fling a blanket over himself and peer up at it from under him, giggling away.

"Think you can hide from me?" Nightmare snickered and placed his plate down next to Cross' on the coffee table which, surprisingly, still had food on it.

The oreo let out a squeal as Nightmare prodded his side with a tentacle and fell over, eyes full of childish delight.

Shaking his head and patting him on the head, Nightmare stepped towards the kitchen. "You set up the TV, I'll get the ice cream."

"Sure thing Nighty!" He called from behind, earning a weak smile from the octopus. God he was just so perfect; full of life, playful and fun. Yet he could be serious in those rare moments, and those also counted for so much.

He swung the freezer door open and blinked, feeling a chilly wave wash over him. Searching through it for Cross' favourite frozen treat he thought back to the summer heat wave they'd had last year. He could remember searching the whole mansion for the small skeleton before eventually finding him starfished out on the kitchen floor with the fridge and freezer doors wide open. That summer had resulted in them eventually needing a new fridge, unsurprising really.

Turned out the ice cream was wedged right at the very back of the freezer, his fingers feeling like blocks of ice when he finally managed to pull it free. He dropped the tub on the kitchen counter and shoved his hands into his pockets in an attempt to warm them, his tentacles shutting the door and grabbing two spoons from the cutlery draw. They also snagged a bar of chocolate for Cross, seeing as he knew that the male would ask for one later if he didn't now.

"Nighty! It's ready!" Cross yelled from the living room, breaking Nightmare out of his little phase and turning his attention to the exit.

"Okkkaaaayyyyy, I'm cooommiiiinngggg." He walked out and back over to his husbando-waifu and flopped down next to him with a loud sigh.

Cross grinned and reached out for the ice cream only to have his hands lightly slapped away. "Hey!"

"It's frozen solid, silly. We need to let it defrost, and we can do that by eating actual food that isn't pure dairy and sugar first." He handed him his plate of food and sunk back into the sofa, his eye focusing blearily on the TV screen that currently displayed that ginger chick that was too full of herself and always fell into the dumbest of traps. Diana? Delphine? Daphne? Yeah, something like that.

Cross grumbled softly under his breath but nodded, taking a bite of his food and pressing the right side of his body into Nightmare. "Y'know, I was almost disappointed that I didn't wake up to see you naked on a bed."

He almost choked at the casualness, forcing the limp of un-chewed food down his throat. "I- Is that so?"

"Mhm." He wrapped the blanket firmly around himself and smiled softly, vision hazy as he stared at the screen displaying the show he probably should have grown out of by now, but hadn't. "It's the one thing that would have made this perfect birthday that 1% even more perfect. I mean, all the gifts you gave me are wonderful, and I love them almost as much as I love you. But that would have just been the icing on the chocolate cake."

"Well I mean, you're the birthday boy." He brushed the back of his hand over Cross' and watched as a wide grin spread across the smaller's face, blinking.

"Well in that case- we'll watch three episodes of this, and then we can, y'know, cuddle."

"Cuddle?" He snorted. "If that's all you want."

"No- you know what I meant--"

"Did I?"

"Yes Nightmare, you did."

He rolled his eye and pressed a quick kiss on his cheekbone that had already gone hot and stained. "Alright, I did."