#crossmareweek2022

[artsynoodles]

Hehehehehe-

Crossmareeeeeeee-

[aceofspadesblog]

Crossmare Week Day 2 - Past and Future

Nightmare belongs to Jokublog Cross belongs to Jakei

Crossmare Week

They were both abandoned.

He was seen as the bad guy for guarding what he was made to protect. They lashed out, ridiculed him, abused him. Every day was filled with either solitude or abuse. It was torture.

A part of him didn’t want to care about what they thought. Why should he strive for their approval? But at the same time, he was so tired of being hated. So he tried to prove them wrong. It didn’t work.

His touch was corruptive, burning away the golden and leaving only darkness behind. And they... they were angry. More angry than he had ever seen them before. And they were coming. 

He had had enough. If they thought he could only ever be bad, then that was what he would become. He would be the fuel for their nightmares. Well, if corpses could have nightmares. White phalanges reached for a black apple.

They screamed.

-----

He was seen as nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game. They manipulated his memories and realities, so even his family did not believe him. Every day was absolutely perfect. It was torture. 

A part of him wanted to fight. But how could he even dream of attacking his family and friends? They didn’t know anything was wrong, they would try to stop him. So he tried talking the human down. It didn’t work. 

The new scar burned his cheekbone as his family and friends attacked anyway. They thought killing the sociopath would solve everything. They didn’t know about the power he wielded.

He had had enough. If submitting was only going to cause more harm, then he would fight back and take what he wanted. Make a peaceful world for them all. Blasters fired as the white and red souls swirled together. 

It was silent.

-----

They had found each other, many years later. Superior and subordinate at first, but it eventually evolved into so much more. Building each other up, facing their fears together, overcoming their weaknesses. They had learned to lower their defenses and let each other in. 

And now, as they completed a ceremony which many had previously thought impossible, they were excited for the possibilities to come. All of the new experiences. Domestic life in the castle. Adventures throughout the multiverse. Bickering with the gang. Exploring new AUs. Cultivating the garden. Finally defeating the Stars. Simply enjoying each others company. (And maybe, just maybe, a soulling of their own one day.)

Whatever the future has in store, they will face it and embrace it. Together.

[aceofspadesblog]

Crossmare Week Day 4 - Morning Rituals

Nightmare belongs to Jokublog Cross belongs to Jakei Horror belongs to Sour Apple Studios

Crossmare Week

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Cross smacked at the alarm before opening his bleary sockets. Time to start the day. 

He quickly pulled on his uniform, adjusting every strap, then hustled out his bedroom door. Approaching the boss’s study, Cross knocked lightly, then poked his head inside. 

Nightmare was sitting in a large armchair by the fireplace, a book in hand. The guardian didn’t need sleep, instead preferring to pass the early morning hours by relaxing with a novel and a mug of tea. He glanced upward as the monochrome soldier approached. 

“New book?” Cross asked, taking in the cover. 

Nightmare hummed noncommittally. “It’s a reread, though I did just start an hour ago.”

“I can’t imagine liking a book enough to read it again.” Cross grinned, though not in an unkind way.

“That would be because you can hardly make it through a novel the first time,” the king retorted. It was a well-known fact that the soldier wasn’t a fan of reading. He much preferred spending his time being active, either training or on missions. 

Cross sighed. “You got me there. Need a refill?”

Nightmare handed him a mug from the small table by his chair. “Green tea, if you would.”

The soldier made his way to the kitchen. It would be a couple hours before Horror woke up to make breakfast, but Cross knew his way around well enough to boil water and steep the tea bag. He made a mug of coffee for himself. 

When the monster returned to the study, Nightmare had returned his book to the shelf and started organizing his desk for the day. Upon seeing Cross, he stopped shuffling through papers to accept the fresh mug and return to his armchair. The soldier plopped down in the chair beside him. 

The two sat and talked until their mugs were empty, simply enjoying each others company. When the drinks were gone, they shared a kiss before parting to begin their daily routine. 

Cross confiscated the guardian’s mug and returned both dishes to the kitchen. He then went to the training grounds, where he hacked at dummies until it was time for breakfast. Practice makes perfect, and he wouldn’t want his skills to dull.

Nightmare sat at his desk and began working on plans for future missions. Some were violent, genocidal rampages, or tactful assassinations of monsters who would be greatly mourned. Others were more subtle; sometimes even a simple note could generate a large amount of negativity over time. 

As the morning passed, the other residents of the castle awoke. Horror prepared breakfast, and the gang gathered at the table for a meal together.

[aceofspadesblog]

Crossmare Week Day 7 - Dreams

Nightmare belongs to Jokublog Cross belongs to Jakei

Crossmare Week

As the guardian of negativity, Nightmare didn’t need to sleep. However, he sometimes enjoyed laying in bed next to Cross, wrapping his tentacles around the other and just basking in his warmth. Cross seemed to enjoy the company; the touch-starved soldier loved being held, and more limbs made the experience better. 

Cross had just gotten back from a mission, exhausted, and Nightmare had gently ushered him to bed. The soldier had tried to resist, saying he still needed to give his report. 

“Unless there was something urgent, which would be a surprise, I can receive your report in the morning,” Nightmare had said, pushing Cross into a reclining position. The soldier still scowled at him, and Nightmare had laughed, slipping into bed beside his boyfriend. “Then why don’t we multitask. I’m here, give the report now.” As he said this, the guardian’s tentacles had begun to wind around Cross’s limbs, allowing his magic to seep into the soldier.

The monochrome had begun to give his report, but he quickly found it more and more difficult to speak as his energy waned. “...magic’s not... fair...” the soldier slurred as his sockets slipped shut, apparently noticing the supernatural effect on his ability to stay conscious. He had managed a scowl before sleep smoothed his features.

“I never claimed to play fair, love,” Nightmare mumbled. “Let’s continue our talk in the morning.”

Now, the guardian remained tangled around the guard, gently stroking his lover’s face with his phalanges. Even unconscious, Cross leaned into the touch. Cute.

The guardian found it easy to lose track of time like this, sometimes only realizing that hours had passed when Cross’s alarm went off the next morning. Tonight, what jarred his senses was the spike of fear he detected in the monochrome. 

A nightmare. How fitting. 

Nightmare gently pressed a skeleton kiss to the guard’s forehead, once again letting his magic seep into the other. He couldn’t bring about good dreams, but at least he had the ability to keep the bad ones at bay. As the spell took effect, the soldier’s emotions quickly levelled out again. 

The king smiled, gently pressing another kiss to Cross’s teeth before snuggling up for the night.