Cross watched from the corner of the tent as Geno took care of Ink. Both, Blue and Killer, seemed really concerned, watching from their beds. Lust had moved aside and was next to Cross.

"Did he ask you to break Killer's arm?" Lust asked quietly. The other four skeletons were focused on Ink.

"Yes.." Cross sighed. "Has.. Has that happened before..?" he asked carefully. He recalled Killer saying something about it.

Lust nodded sadly, "It has happened multiple times to many of us.. One time you're the one doing it and the next time you're the victim.. The Ringmaster really is a monster.."

The flap flew open, catching everyone's attention. Chara, who had entered, seemed to really dislike all the attention they were suddenly getting.

"Uh, Dance asked me to come get someone.." Chara mumbled, glaring back at everyone who was looking at him – excluding Cross, he got a curious look from them.

"Is it Bird again?" Geno asked, looking worriedly at everyone on the beds before glancing back at him.

"I guess," Chara shrugged, slowly moving closer to Cross.

"Reaper!" Geno called out to the room in the back. Soon the said God peeked his skull out.

"What is it? Oh, there are a lot of people here," Reaper frowned taking a look around.

"It's Bird again," Geno answered. Reaper looked between him and the room he had come from. Geno seemed to understand his worry. They shared a look. "I'm busy.." Geno whispered, gesturing towards Ink, Blue and Killer.

Then they both shifted their eyelights towards Cross. Everyone was surprised by this, especially Cross himself.

"Cross, could you come here for a second," Reaper spoke carefully, a bit hesitant.

"Sure," Cross nodded.

He moved to Reaper, who gestured for him to come to the room in the back. Everyone watched curiously as the door closed behind them.

-----

     The first thing Cross noticed in the room was Goth sitting in a cradle. He was curiously watching the two who had entered the room.

He whined and reached towards Reaper, who sighed and picked him up before turning towards Cross. "Could you watch him here for a while? Geno is busy and I have to go look at Bird. We don't like leaving him alone when he's awake and you're the only person apart from Nightmare who knows of his existence," Reaper explained as Goth tugged onto the chains of his clothes.

"It's been a few years since I've last dealt with a baby.. But I'll try my best," Cross answered.

"You've dealt with toddlers recently," Reaper reminded. Cross froze. Right, Reaper knew about that. "You're more experienced than Geno and I. I trust you with him," he hummed and handed the young one to the monochrome skeleton.

Cross took him and immediately correct him to the right position. He knew how to do it and it was natural to him.

"I'll be back soon. Please don't leave the room with him. Geno will be outside the whole time," Reaper instructed as he made his way towards the door. "All his stuff is around this room, feel free to look around," he added before leaving.

Cross turned to look at Goth. "Guess I'm stuck with you now buddy," he said, examining the young one.

Goth curiously stared at him, reaching to touch his face with his little finger. Cross allowed him to do so while taking a look around the room. It seemed to be Geno and Reaper's bedroom, and also Goth's.

The noise from the other room didn't make it through the tent fabric. It was the same with all the tents. There was magic to make all the fabric noise proof.

Goth yawned, leaning against Cross. He took this as a sign that the young one needed some sleep. He began rocking him carefully on his arms, humming a familiar tune. It was a tune that he had heard also in the circus. Error played it often from the Big Top.

It didn't take long for Goth to fall asleep. It reminded Cross of somethings. He smiled a bit as he looked at the sleeping baby.

-----

     When Reaper returned Goth was still fast asleep in Cross' arms. The God looked at them a bit surprised. He floated to them and stared at his sleeping son, dumbfounded. Cross found this amusing.

"How long has he been sleeping.?" Reaper asked as Cross handed the boy back to him. He struggled a bit to adjust Goth in his arms, so Cross easily just helped him. "That's what I meant when I said that you have more experience. I've never dealt with children and Geno has only dealt with his younger brothers, who are two and four years younger than him. There's no Internet here in the middle of nowhere, so we're basically on our own," he explained, sighing.

"If you need some help, ask me. I can help with something and I have knowledge and experience," Cross hummed. His SOUL ached, but he ignored it.

"I'll definitely do that. You can go now, I'll watch after him," Reaper answered. "Thank you for watching after him," he added.

-----

     Everyone turned their eyelights on Cross as he returned to the medical space of the tent. Geno had moved from Ink to Killer and Chara had disappeared.

"What didja do there?" Killer immediately inquired from Cross. Geno stiffed at this, snapping his eyelights to Cross.

"Not my business to tell," Cross shrugged. Geno visibly relaxed at this. Killer seemed a bit annoyed that he still did know what Geno and Reaper were hiding.

"How are you doing Ink?" Cross asked, frowning. Ink's emotions were still really confusing. Cross was starting to question if he even had them.

"I'm alright.." Ink mumbled. He was still really distant, staring at the ceiling.

Cross looked around. Everyone seemed uneasy and worried, no one believed Ink. They all knew that he wasn't alright.

"What did you do?" Killer was the one to cut the silence and ask the question everyone had in mind.

Ink immediately looked down. "I couldn't answer a question he had.. I didn't know the answer, but he insist that I knew.. Or maybe I do know and have just forgotten.."

"What was the question about.?" Blue asked carefully.

"I..." Ink trailed off. His eyelights shifted to Killer for a second, but that was enough for everyone to see. Now the attention shifted to Killer, who looked shocked and confused.

"Was it 'bout me.?" he asked hesitatedly. Ink quickly shook his skull.

"It doesn't matter.." the artist mumbled. He clearly didn't want to speak about it.

Geno sighed and turned toward Cross and Lust. "The curfew is getting closer. You two should probably leave unless you want to spend the night here," he pointed out.

"Right!" Lust exclaimed. "I have still a lot to do! My stars I forgot!"

-----

     Lust and Cross left the tent together after saying goodbyes to everyone there. Outside was already dark. The ocean of fairy lights was the only thing lighting up the circus.

"Oh! You said that you and Blue were looking for me earlier, didn't you?" Lust suddenly remembered. "Was there something you needed?" he asked, tilting his skull.

"Yeah, new pockets," Cross grimaced, tugging at the holes in his trousers.

"You finally met Ace, didn't you?" Lust sighed. "Don't worry, I have spare pockets for everyone. Come stop by my tent tomorrow and I'll fix them!"

"I'll do that," Cross hummed, nodding.

Soon the two of them parted ways and Cross headed towards the newcomers tent. He still hadn't gotten his own tent. On his way there he saw a familiar human who came to join him.

"The show is in two days. Did you remember?" Chara said before Cross could open his mouth.

He stiffed, "I didn't.." That meant he would end up in the Ringmaster's bed in two days. He hadn't even thought about that.

"You aren't going to be performing yet, but the Winter Wonderland will be not many weeks after it." Chara kept their eyes on him the whole time as they spoke, examining his reaction curiosity. He didn't have much of a reaction though.

"I know," Cross hummed. He was still stressing about the upcoming show because of his promise. "Why are you following me? Isn't your tent on the other side of the circus?" He shifted the attention to the human instead. The ocean of lights was starting to dim around them, signalling them that the curfew would arrive soon.

"I punched a hole through my wall and now my tent is cold," Chara answered and walked into the newcomers tent before Cross, who stared at them dumbfounded.

"Why?" Was all he could ask. They just shrugged. "Is someone going to fix that?" he asked, concerned.

"I actually don't know who I'm supposed to complain to. Logically it would be the Ringmaster, but we all know that it wouldn't be a good idea, so I'm guessing Ink or Blue," they answered, shrugging again before flopping onto the bottom bunk bed opposite of Cross.

"Are you allowed to spend the night here?" Cross asked. He really didn't want the young human getting beaten by the Ringmaster for doing something wrong.

"The Ringmaster doesn't care where we are as long as we are in a tent and not wandering outside," Chara answered. "This is currently the only tent with spare beds, so I'm staying here until I get my tent fixed," they announced and laid down on their back.

Cross shared a look with his own Chara. The two of them just shrugged to each other. It wasn't even their tent so they couldn't really complain, plus neither of them minded this.

"So, why did you exactly punch a hole through your tent.?" Cross asked from the living human.

"I just felt like it," they hummed. "And I don't even regret it, at least not yet."

"Do you think Nightmare will be mad?" the monochrome skeleton asked, a bit worried. He didn't know how Nightmare reacted to the performers breaking stuff.

"Since it's my own tent, I don't think he'll care as long as someone fixes it at some point. Or then he does care and I get whipped," they shrugged. They casual way they said it made Cross' froze. They were used to it.. They were used to getting whipped as a punishment.. Everyone here was.. And soon also he would be.. The thought horrified him.

"Oh.." he whispered, stunned.

That was where their conversation ended. Shortly after that both of them fell asleep on their own beds.

-----

     "No, no! Here, let me show you how to do it!" they chuckled and helped him adjust the skeleton on his arms. "There you go! Now be very careful!" They laughed at his horrified face.

"I don't know if this is a good idea.. What if I drop her..?" he frowned, looking at the small skeleton worriedly.

"Don't worry, you won't do that. I trust you," they hummed, wrapping their arms around him from the back, watching the little one on his arms with a smile on their teeth.

"Are babies always that ugly?"

"Don't call her ugly," he warned, looking up at the floating human beside him.

"What did he say?" they asked, not being able to see the human.

"He asked if babies are always that ugly," he sighed.

"Maybe he's just jealous about the attention she's getting," they suggested softly, trying to find the human with their gaze, but not succeeding.

"Or then he's just being annoying," he answered, glaring back at the human who was glaring at him.

"Now, now, let's not say anything mean," they hummed, burying their face into his back. "Be nice to him or I will be upset!"

"Fuck you!"

He chose to ignore the human and instead focus on the little skeleton sleeping on his arms. He smiled at her.

"I think she looks beautiful," he said.

"Of course she does!" they exclaimed quietly, smiling brightly at her.

-----

     That night Cross woke up multiple times in the middle of the night. Memories of the past kept haunting him until suddenly leaving him alone.

Unknowns to him, outside someone was collecting the nightmares to himself, wondering what they could be about.

Words: 2047

[26.12.2022]

It's 1:38 am–

Anyways, another chapter. You've been getting more chapters lately. Now I have to also start working on my other stories as well since for the past two days I've been just focusing on this one.

Thank you Official_Cross for coming up with the chapter title!