#nightkiller fan fiction

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Round And Round Till We All Fall Down (FINAL)

Round And Round Till We All Fall Down (FINAL)

Studio Nightkiller story. Part 4.

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

In a way a follow up to KillerNight(s) however you don’t need to read KillerNight(s) to read this one.

Synopsis: Nightmare and Killer’s relationship has been going round and round for years. With feelings becoming undeniable, will they fall together or, as always, fall apart? This is again before Ccino has entered their lives.

P4: After their last fight, Nightmare fights to try and save what is left of the crumbling relationship. But with Killer pulling away, is it to little to late?

Warning, contains some mature themes, and refences to drinking.

Credits

Studio verse by @zu-is-here

Based off of headcannons both me and @jann-the-bean came up with, thank you so much for all your help Jan.

Original nightmare by jokublog

Original killer belongs to rahafwabas

Enjoy :)

Killer got back to his flat late that day. His step was light and his smile wider and full of satisfaction. A freeing morning after a freeing night.

It was a feeling he could remember well even now, a month later. He'd been so happy… it was all so silly now….    

It had felt like a long time since he'd been on the walk of shame, walking out in the same clothes you wore the night before, messy and a little stanky. Perhaps bitten, bruised, and aching with that good pain.

Only, No shame came for him this time, he didn't feel like all eyes were on him, or in the know of what he'd been doing. As he breathed in the smog-filled city air, leaving the hotel, He felt greatttt.

It was like the whole outside felt brighter and more energetic, more alive and colourful than he'd seen in a long time. The city buzzed and bustled, and teemed with life and energy. Killer was like the protagonist in a musical right before they burst into song, hearing music in his head.

He felt like he could do anything he wanted, and anyone he wanted for that matter.

Though his enjoyment wasn't to last a long time.

As he got back to his flat he still felt great, cheerfully waving and cheekily winking at the doorman, as he walked past.

Walking into his flat felt great, the familiar scent of cats and cigarettes whipped his nose, as he shut the door.

It was really good to be home...

A patting of little paws alerted him to the arrival of his flatmates, and he cooed happily as his beloved fur babies came into view.

"Cheesy! Crackers! Aww, Daddy missed you" he said, pulling off his jacket and throwing it haphazardly across the living space.

The two walked up to him quickly, tales in the air, and sniffed his legs a few times.

Killer chuckled.

"You two are smart kitties, you can probably smell my new friend on me..."

The two looked up at him and swished their tails around. 

"Sorry I was out all night...we really should get you two some breakfast"

~~~~~~~

After Killer had made a choice between the various cat foods at his disposal and divided up the can into their bowls, he took out some salmon from the fridge and held it out proudly.

"How about a bit of a treat today to make up for being late"

A small chorus of happy meows followed as he smashed a small piece of fish on top of both of their foods.

Some people told him that he put too much effort into the diets of his precious felines and that the more expensive brands he used were pointless, but he didn't care. 

So long as his loves were happy and healthy, it was worth any cost.

It was when he set the bowls down, and the two started feasting, that his mood first started to change slightly.

He recalled an amusing memory or Nightmare.... from a few months back. complaining to the cats that Killer feeds them better than him.

"And he buys you fresh cuts of fish too! Oh! I really shouldn't be giving it away to him so easily..... if he's capable of treating you, surely your daddy could do the same to me."

"Pot noodles! He gave me pot noodles!"

It was back when they were just a fling. Back when there wasn't a need for labels, or strong emotions and confessions…

It was a memory that had often brought a smile to his face and a warmth to his cheeks. But today?

"...."

He sighed, no use dwelling on the past now, he couldn't change what was done...

A light mew brought him out of his thoughts, as Crackers rubbed up against his legs.

"Aw...I missed you too baby!" He said, stroking them.

"Daddy's sorry he's been in a bad mood lately....but that should all change now." His baby purred and rubbed up against his fingers. 

"Mew"

"Oh well that's easy Crackers " he smirked and leaned against the countertop.

"Daddy met someone new last night....and it was really good..."

Cheese stared at him blankly and twitched his ear slightly, before just going back to his food. Seemingly unable to care less.

Killer rolled his eyes and chuckled at his feline friend. 

"Handsome, funny, casual....energetic..."

The smile softened on his face at the warmness he felt. He stretched and clicked his neck.

"Mew"

He paused. 

"...."

"What do you mean 'what about Nightmare?'"

"......This isn't about him..."

A blank stare was all he got in response.

"It's not OK! The winey snob was always trying to prove I was a cheater...I just gave him what he wanted...."

"....."

It felt oddly quiet in the kitchen now, despite the mews. The two pairs of piercing eyes were on him now, looking right through him like a criminal in court. 

Tension was palpable.

Soul was pounding.

"Stop looking at me like that! I'm not going to feel guilty about it"

"....."

He could have sworn it was getting a little warm in the room, as some sweat formed on the back of his neck.

No....no no...he wasn't going to think about this. There was nothing wrong with it, nothing! And if he wanted to do it again then he would! Yeah...who cared if he did.

"Mew"

"Oh, what do you know Cheese!? You're neutered!!" He said before he stormed out of the room.

~~~~~~~~

Nightmare on the other hand had a very uncomfortable morning. 

He'd woken up on the living room floor that day, a mixture of wine and saliva spreading on the carpet beneath him.

His head hurt, his eyes were sore and his tongue tasted of vomit. 

Pleasant…

The smell in the room was strongly alcoholic in nature, and the evidence of one and half empty bottles on the coffee table explained why. His foot, still resting on the sofa, indicated why he ached so much.

With a groan, he pressed his palm to his head and sat up.

What a night.

He promised himself he'd take a break from the wine for a while, he'd just needed some way to let go of stress last night. After that fight.

He sighed and looked around his living room. It looked like the bins behind a bar, and smelt worse. 

His phone was on the table next to the glass, silent. 

"......."

Has Killer responded yet? He hadn't messaged him since he left after the fight.

"......."

Checking his phone confirmed his suspicions.

He didn't think so...

His text messages had been fuelled by wine really, and it showed as they contained a circus of grammar mistakes, miss-spelling, and random words that had been auto-corrected wrong.

All of them telling Killer to come back and that he needed to stop flirting with other people and be with him.

'Killer jm warnings yous '

'Comeba k and stop begins so unfair'

'You cnat go our with our me!!'

'I known oe what your doing!!@ you can't co trol yourself '

What toxic crap was this...

This wasn't OK....he couldn't remember being that drunk....but he clearly had been. 

No wonder Killer didn't respond. 

One thing was for sure though.

He'd messed up.

Night wasn't sure when this toxic cycle of anger and mistreatment had started, but he was up to his neck in it.

And now Killer was suffering for it. They both were.

At first, he'd just been trying to make sure Killer kept his attention on him and didn't flirt with random strangers, which he still believed he'd had every right to do, but he could see that he'd taken it a bit too far now. He'd crossed a line and started to hurt Killer. 

He didn't want this.

Peeling himself off the floor, he started to gather up the empty bottle and glasses on the coffee table, he still had some pride in his place after all.

After neatening things up and drinking some water to help soothe his aching skull, Nightmare sent Killer a new text.

'Killer, last Night wasn't really good for us. I think we need to talk about your behaviour '

'And mine of course.'

'We just need to talk'

There...

It's not like Night was going to type out a long apology for his nastier texts, he wasn't really that type. 

And despite being able to recognise that he'd crossed a line, he was still angry at how Killer had acted too.

Last Night was in part a blurry mess, but the more he remembered the more frustrated with Killer he got.

Killer had overreacted quite a decent amount last night, and Nightmare wasn't going to apologise when Killer had basically told him he was bored of him. That still stung.

Killer had never rejected him before...

"....."

His tongue once again craved the wine he'd been making quick work off in the recent weeks.

No...no..not after last Night.

"...."

Perhaps he had gotten a little used to Killer taking a lot of the lead in things. Whether that be dates, gifts...or...sleepovers…

Nightmare had just never been spoiled in such a way before, after years of fighting for attention, it had been nice to be treated that way.

"....."

Killer only really liked low and classless things anyway....clubs, bars, cheap fast food and crappy Rom Coms. Not stuff that Nightmare cared much about in the slightest, and things that Killer would be better off not wasting his time on right?

He wasn't so sure anymore...

His head hurt too bad for this...it was something he could think more on after Killer responded...

~~~~~~~~

Killer didn't respond all day.

It was odd in a sense, a kind of behaviour he didn't recognise within himself. 

He'd never just ignored a text, from anyone. If he did it would often be for a good reason.

His boyfriend had clearly been drunk last night….. such a fact would have made him laugh, had Night not spent the better part of the night insulting him.

'We need to talk about your behaviour '

'And mine of course.'

"……."

Ok but what about his behaviour did he have to talk to Nightmare about? He hadn't done anything other than reject him and tell him some hard truths, that was something he wouldn't apologise for.

So for that reason, he ignored Night's texts for a day and spent it doing the things he liked. Playing with his cats, ordering take-out (the super greasy kind) and watching all the cheesiest romantic comedies in his DVD collection. 

Just a happy, carefree, bachelor life.

Like he used to have.

It was a twinge of guilt at the start of the next day that finally got him to invite Nightmare over to have a conversation….

…..

….

…

Their conversation didn't resolve much… all it did was send Killer back into the arms of his booty-call, and Night to the bottom of a wine glass.

More days passed…

Things stayed the same…

It was a difficult time.

They were two opposing sides of a battle, and neither was giving….

Neither one had seen rock bottom approaching before they'd crashed right into it.

They were spinning too fast on the carousel and had been flung off.

~~~~~~~~~~

*ping*

The playboy picked up his phone, but it wasn't who he wanted it to be.

He'd been expecting a message from his agent this morning, as costume fitting for his new short was coming up. Despite mostly only being fitted in blue fur-collared jackets, a new one for each project he was a part of was often made.

But it wasn't that.

'Killer, can you come over.'

"...."

Nightmare….

He hadn't heard from his boyfriend for almost a week.

He sat up, letting the blanket slip off him slightly. 

There were no other messages, no other indication of what Nightmare was thinking. Did he want to fight again? Probably. 

Killer wasn't really in the mood for this yet, his throat was sore and his skull was aching. Why did the bed always feel like a toasted marshmallow in the mornings? When it was sometimes so hard to fall asleep, why was it so warm in the morning?

It wasn't often that sleep alluded Killer, once he nodded off he slept like a log and then some. 

Only last night, despite being exhausted, he found himself tossing and turning in the covers. There was no real reason he could think of to explain it on paper. He'd been perfectly warm and comfortable, and as before stated, tired. But despite that, he'd found himself laying on his back counting sheep. Perhaps it was due to being in an unfamiliar bed, though that hadn't been an issue before. 

With a sigh, he summoned the last of his willpower, swung his legs over the side of the mattress, and got to his feet.

His trousers were hanging loosely off the bedpost, and he had to pull them off carefully to make sure he didn't rip anything. 

As he pulled them on, he heard the sound of sheets rustling behind him.

"Hey, handsome, where you goin'.."

Killer sighed.

"Night texted me, he wants to meet"

"Oh that boyfriend of yours is so demanding… surely he can wait a few," His lover said, snaking an arm around Killer’s waist and pulling him back down.

The blank-eyed skeleton chuckled and let himself enjoy the sensation of kisses on his spine.

"Mm…you're naughty babe…but I have to go handle him.."

His partner didn't let go.

"Nah Kills, you can handle your boyfriend after you handle me~," he said before pulling Killer back into bed with a chuckle. 

~~~~~~~~~

*ping*

Nightmare was on his phone as quick as a dart. 

It was embarrassing for him to admit, but he'd been sitting by the phone with a cup of coffee, waiting for it like a nervous school girl.

'K'

K? K? Really? That's all Killer was gonna give him? 

Just K.

It would have taken less than a second to type out. He was really worth less than a second?

It stung, to say the least.

Things here had drawn them to the end of their ropes.

Nightmare was tired.

He was tired of fighting. 

The recent arguments the two had been having span them round and round in circles. No matter what they said, no matter how they tried, it always ended the way it started, a fight.

Not today. 

Clearly, the two of them needed to just move on from the situation and start fresh, reset and try again.

It had been a while since the two of them had gone on any kind of date, and today Night was going to take him on one.

Or at least that's what he hoped to do.

He sighed and corrected his shirt. In their last argument, Killer had called him a conceited sob, among other things…. And he'd had some time to reflect a little. 

Perhaps he was being a bit snobbish to dismiss Killer's interests so quickly. There was nothing outwardly wrong with fast food, other than the grease, so perhaps he could give one of the cheap burger joints another try. Even if it meant he'd need to wash his mouth out later.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a few hours later that Killer showed up, looking happy, but slightly distracted. 

Nightmare would be ashamed to admit how good it was to see him. But as Killer dodged Night's attempt at a kiss, his non-existent stomach dropped into a pit.

"So what'd ya call me over for Night?" The dark-eyed skeleton said, tapping out a text on his phone.

Nightmare was going to ask him to put the phone down, but he'd already promised himself he'd stop being so nit-picky.

"Well… it's been a while since we last talked Killer, and I wanted to see you.."

"Mhm" he answered, looking up for a moment "is that all?"

The purple-eyed skeleton felt a little on edge, his partner's blank stares and clean-cut answers were as cold as a knife blade and twice as harsh.

"Well no…"

"Our last conversation didn't end too well… and I was hoping we could move past it.."

"....."

"And….in light of that…I...I was thinking...I could take you out to dinner tonight? "

"......"

His boyfriend’s eyes stayed locked to his phone, typing out a message. It was as if Nightmare wasn't standing just a few feet away from him.

"Since you’ve treated me twice now...maybe I should…."

Night trailed off, seeing that Killer still didn't lookup.

The purple-eyed skeleton started to feel the nagging jealousy raise in his mind. It picked at him, asking who it was that Killer was texting right now? He should pay more attention to you, right?

He silenced it. 

No no....that was what had gotten him into this mess, it would probably just be Killer's agent. Yeah that's it, he was gonna be working on a new short, it made sense he'd be paying attention to that.

"Nah...all that fancy shit doesn't agree with me"

"....."

"I mean....we could go to a fast food place you like...or…."

"Night don't bother alright?... I don't wanna have to listen to you complaining about the 'greasy food' the whole time, alright?"

"But..."

"Just leave it...it's a nice thought but no"

Ok...Well, perhaps this was going to be more difficult than he'd expected. Their fights always resolved themselves it seemed. It wasn't common that they talked about what they'd argued about, or the words that had been said. No formal apologies came out of either of them, the fights just stopped stinging.

The two of them were both adults, not children on a playground. They both knew that it was important not to take angry words seriously, and after time had passed, they would always simply get over the arguments.

In the past Killer had always moved on from them faster, his flirtatious and sly teasing returning faster than a boomerang. But this time...

Was Killer still upset? It wasn't that bad of a fight for them, neither of them had ended up throwing anything...

"Alright..."

Nightmare cleared his throat and Killer looked up from his phone.

"Well that doesn't mean we can spend the evening together... you could show me some more of the places you used to hang out in?"

He was kidding right?

Killer snorted.

"What, so you can't stand in the corner in the huff because you were mad, and you didn't want to be there? "

The purple-eyed skeleton stiffened.

"H-hey! I only did that because it was really loud and...and I lost you and-

"So it's my fault?...of course"

*ping*

"What? That's not what I meant.."

Killer turned his attention back to his phone, as Night stammered out some kind of blame game he was sure. He had to stop himself from smiling upon opening the attachment he'd received. 

"Killer!"

He looked up.

Nightmare was trying to stay calm now, he'd promised himself he would. But surely it was fair that he was annoyed now. He was trying and Killer was just too busy on his phone. The envy gnawed at him and tormented the inside of his skull.

He took a deep breath. Stay calm, stay calm.

"Killer...I'm trying to talk to you...can you please put the phone down?"

"....."

"I know you have an important short to film, but please, I'm your boyfriend and I just wanna plan a date night..."

The only expression he got from the eyeless one was a numb stare. Killer internally rolled his eyes. Of course...Nightmare was his boyfriend, so of course, Killer couldn't talk to a single other person, what was he thinking.

"Fine," he said, putting the phone away.

Nightmare sighed. 

"Killer...look...I'm not trying to be snippy...

"I'm trying to make up for my behaviour in always doing what I want, really, I want to take you somewhere you want tonight...no complaining."

"...."

"No complaining?"

Now that was kinda sweet… Nightlights' eyes were soft now, a gentle violet glow. It was clear that what he'd said was genuine, and Killer wasn't enough of an idiot not to appreciate it.

Killer’s expression softened and he smiled.

"Really?"

It was definitely out of character for Nighty to be so soft-spoken, and it was nice for him to see.

Nightmare sighed and crossed his arms.

"Yeah...it’s my turn to be better..."

Killer stepped forward, suddenly feeling a flush of warmth in his chest and a desire for affection. 

"Thanks Nightlight, I appreciate that"

He gently cupped Night's cheek with his hand and pulled him in for a soft kiss, Which he happily returned, fluttering his eyes closed.

That's better…

It truly felt like too long since he and Killer had been like this, and he couldn't stop himself smiling against the taller's mouth. 

But just as Nightmare was starting to melt, Killer pulled away. 

His eyes were partly narrowed as if he were thinking over something really hard. 

"But uh..."

He glanced at his phone.

"I already have plans tonight..."

Oh...

"...."

Jealousy prickled in Night's bones.

"Doing...what..?"

"Does it matter?"

Nightmare stepped back from Killer’s partial embrace, farrowing his non-existent eyebrows. 

"Well...yes!"

The prickling was more like tiny stabs now.

"What are you doing?

"Going out to a bar and looking for- "

The moment he said it, he mentally slapped himself. He shut his mouth straight away as if hoping he could trap the words in before Killer heard them. 

More accusations…

Old habits die hard he guessed…

Killer narrowed his empty eyes and threw his arms up.

"Oh well that didn't last long did it?!"

"What a surprise."

"Killer..."

"Well, it's none of your business alright? I'm just meeting a friend for dinner, I'm sorry that I'm so untrustworthy"

Nightmare just shrunk into himself. 

"Why can't we get dinner though?"

Killer groaned and grabbed his jacket to leave.

"You know, I don't want to talk to you if you are just going to keep repeating stuff from that fight!"

"Well screw you then!" Nightmare snapped, feeling utterly rejected. "Go spend time with them, I'm sure they are soooo much more important than your boyfriend!"

Way to go Nightmare...making it worse again. You idiot! You should stop talking.

Killer stood and stared for a while, before pulling his jacket on.

"Fine"

And with that, he walked out.

~~~~~~~~

More days passed.…and then a week.

It was a pretty happy week for most, as the sun was out for most of it.

Happy families and couples filled the streets below Nightmare, laughing and smiling, enjoying the day.

The sight never used to bother him, but these days he watched them with a vicious poison in his eyes.

Nightmare spent most of the next week inside, with his only other comfort, his books.

Perhaps it was stereotypical to say, but Nightmare loved to read with all his soul, from his book he could be transported anywhere, and for once he could be someone else. Someone more liked.

As a child, he'd used to read to his brother at night, since their mother rarely did, and ever since he'd enjoyed it as a great escape. 

He wanted to escape. 

He didn't want to be him right now.

Every so often he'd attempt to call Killer, only for the phone to ring out or be manually disconnected. 

One time the playboy had picked up, and the two had chatted for 20 minutes or so, but it felt strange as if they were communicating through glass, and the oxygen was being sucked out.

It hadn't been a fight though, which Night guessed was progress. 

When they weren't talking, Killer was still on his phone though, his Instagram was full of photos of him and his cats, others of clubs and fancy cocktails. 

He was having fun without Nightmare.

Nightmare couldn’t even look at his phone anymore. He kept getting the feeling like Killer was with someone else.

Perhaps it was just his childish jealousy messing with his skull again. Trust in his boyfriend was important. He needed to trust him.

"...."

He missed him.

He missed his lewd comments and perverted words.

He missed the gentle touches, and the light nips and kisses. The smell of the cigarettes, Killer pretended not to smoke, and the cats he so dearly loved.

He missed Killer.

Stuff him.

Screw him.

"....."

He drew his blinds so he wouldn't have to see other people, and shut himself inside with his books.

~~~~~~~~

At this point in time, Killer didn't have a clue about Night's current state of mind, and right now, he couldn't care less.

So long he'd been trying to please Nightmare. So long he'd been suppressing himself to be what Night wanted.

No more!

The purple snob had been trying to call him repeatedly, but it hadn't been all that long since they last hung out, so Killer didn't feel the need to pick up.

They talked once through it all, though Nightmare was mostly quiet the whole time. For a moment it concerned Killer, but he figured it was probably his imagination. 

~~~~~~~~~

As the next week rolled around the two saw each other briefly.

Simply getting drinks at a bar before Killer left for rehearsals.

Or at least that's what he said. Nightmare didn’t know what to believe anymore. He felt like Killer was looking right through him the whole time as if he were only half listening to everything he said.

It was almost like Night was a chore for Killer to complete,  something he had to do.

That was ridiculous, right? If Killer didn't want to be with him, he'd have ended it.

Yeah…Killer still wanted to be with him… they were still together. 

"...."

He'd be back after work was finished. 

~~~~~~~~

A few more days passed.

The rehearsals for the new short would be officially starting soon, and Killer was beyond excited about the prospect. After a brief break, it would be fun to jump back into the world of scrips, makeup and movie sets. This short was sure to be good, he'd already met his new co-star Colour, and the guy seemed pretty professional. 

The rest of the cast and crew were very welcoming as well, though it was strange in places.

In the place of his violet-eyed boyfriend, a different actor was playing Nightmare this time. Now this wasn't something unusual. Even if Killer and the others were known for their renditions of the au characters, other people would often play them in minor parts.

Killer and Night would sometimes enjoy watching other people playing them and finding slightly more awkward portrayals very amusing. In fact, one of those times had been the last time he'd heard Night really laugh.

Heh…

It would be odd not having him around… but also it was a good thing! Yeah… a nice break…

~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't too long after Killer made a tweet about the new short, that he received a Dm from someone he hadn't spoken to in a while.

He'd been so wrapped up in all his current business, that he almost hadn't realised how long it had been since they last spoke.

Cross was his best friend! How could he be so careless like that? This situation needed to be rectified straight away.

Happily, he arranged to get coffee with him after a rehearsal. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"A vegan? Seriously…"

"....."

The dismissal in his friend's voice hadn't been what Cross had hoped for, even if it was what he expected. Killer could be extremely blunt sometimes, and it was that which got him into the most trouble. As much as it was sometimes extremely frustrating to deal with, Cross had been missing his friend's snark a lot lately. 

Killer had been quite a lot busier than normal, and at first, Cross had just chalked it up to the new short he'd been rehearsing. However, it had been at least three weeks since they had gone out for drinks or sat down for coffee.   

Now on a surface level, this wouldn't be considered strange at all, especially since the two of them both had obligations to their boyfriends now. However, it was definitely weird on Killer’s part. He was often very keen to drag Cross out for a night on the town, whenever Dream allowed it. So for Killer to go from trying to get him to come out every Friday, or having coffee a few times a week,  to hardly talking to him for three weeks….

Well, it was a little strange, to say the least.

The last of contact was why Killer had till this moment been unaware of Cross' recent decisions.

"Yep, I feel like I wanna try it, don't wanna be eating anymore cow meat...ughhh"

Killer stared perplexed at his friend, sipping his coffee. 

"You're pulling my leg"  

"No"

"Then what about that milky, triple caramel, birthday cake, frappe latte, with extra whipped cream you are drinking?" Killer asked, gesturing to the sugary concoction sitting on the table in front of him. His companion gave Killer the impression of a child being caught sneaking out of bed and staring at his cup.

"Uh…. Cheat day.." he stated, defensively grabbing his drink away from Killer. 

The eyeless skeleton burst into a low chuckle, placing his cup down.

"righttttt"

"a vegetarian then! Just no more meat"

"because you're scared of-

"I'M NOT SCARED OF COWS!"

Killer laughed again, poking his tongue out.

It really had been too long since they had sat down like this, but things.... had been busy in Killer's life. Things were hard to keep on top of these days. Lines to learn, boyfriends to tolerate, hickeys to hide. It was stressful.

His duel coloured companion huffed from the other side of the table and proceeded to sip from his drink.

"Why does everyone keep saying that anyway..."

"Maybe because of a certain viral video on YouTube.." Killer replied, trying to suppress a laugh remembering it.

"You have to admit, it was hilarious"

Cross, however, straightened up, his fists clenched.

"That cow was a demon....a beast..."

He shuddered.

"It had murder in its eyes...I swear!"

His companion couldn't suppress his laughter any longer.

"Sureee whatever helps you sleep at night Criss Cross"

He was rewarded with a glare sharp as a sword.

"Shut ittt!"

It wasn't long before their friendship fell back into its normal place. Teasing, laughing and joking... talking about how things had been in recent weeks. Nothing out of the ordinary...until.

*ping*

Killer’s phone.

The dark-eyed skeleton only glanced at it this first time. He sipped his coffee.

*ping*

Hmm...

Again he ignored it and turned his attention back to the bi-eyed skeleton.

"I still don't know about this whole vegan thing...you sure your boyfriend isn't trying to change you?"

"No no...I just want to try something new," Cross replied, sipping his drink again. As he tasted the sweet milky liquid again, he considered that maybe being a Vegetarian would be easier.

"In the end and it’s my choice, not yours"

*ping*

Cross noticed it this time.

Hmm? That's strange. Probably just Nightmare, it was nice to see in a way, the two of them being in a relationship after so long. The texts, all the late nights and love marks on Killer that Cross acted like he didn't see. It was nice...really nice...

"Fair point... you wanna be healthy and strong for Lil light don't you?"

"Oh shut-

"...."

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to be attractive to my man"

Killer laughed and picked up his coffee again.

"Of course not!" He said chuckling as Cross, flushed face "I'm just messing...bet Lil Light loves seeing you drenched in sweat after a workout though~"

"Killer!"

"...you always have to twist it, nothing can be innocent with you can it?"

Killer simply shrugged and shook his head.

*ping*

Killer's face stayed neutral, Cross raised an eyebrow.

The eyeless skeleton was pretty sure who was texting him now. They had a habit of sending short and quick texts, whereas Nightmare normally texted in full paragraphs. How dangerous....the desire to check what his sneaky companion was after made him purr. It was so baddd...and for that reason...kind of fun.

But also, he liked this guy. He was funny and...Well, he was attractive...

Not to mention he didn't want anything other than Killer's body, a quick romp and goodbye. No pointless talking, no spooning which overheated your bones, no stupid feelings...

*ping*

He smiled and picked up his phone.

"You don't mind if I answer this do you?"

Cross smirked at his companion.

"Aww, can't wait to get back to texting your beloved Moonpie?"

"How cute"

"....."

His smile dropped fast.

"Yeah...something like that"

His fingers tapped a tune onto the sides of his mobile, before typing out a response. Cross tilted his head in a dog-like fashion.

"You alright mate?"

'No not really’ he thought to himself.

'I'm lying to you'

"Yep...fine..."

Cross played with his straw.

"Well it's nice to see you so eager to text"

"Yeah...sorry I'm still getting used to the relationship life," Killer said, clicking his phone to standby.

"It's fine, I'm happy for you, you know"

"Glad you finally met someone you like"

"....You took your sweet time searching around..." he said with an implied laugh in his voice.

"......"

A flicker of anxiety flew through Killer’s chest. The guilt curled and suddenly wrenched a small amount.

"Sure did..."

"I just never thought I'd be happy in a relationship..."

There was a kind of weight in his chest now, he'd always been open and honest with Cross during their whole friendship, and now the lies were spilling out of him like water.

"Sometimes I miss the old days...heh...it was a lot less work"

The old days, back when it was so much easier. Back when he and Cross would stay up late watching bad romcoms and then mess around on the sofa for a while. It wasn't so much his physical relationship with Cross that he missed, such thoughts and fantasies were something he'd moved on from, but it was more the emotional side.

Cross was very different back then, a lot more laid back and less judgy of the sleep around lifestyle. The two of them had been able to tell the other anything, there wasn't much room for privacy with FWB roommates...

But now he was hiding his lover from his best friend.

Stiffness in the air was clear now. An awkward film was covering the both of them now, and the two said nothing. Cross could see something was bothering Killer... he didn't want to pry too much, so some gentle prodding might help Killer talk on his own.

"..."

"Oh...Well, you seem happy now, even if I took a little.."

Or maybe not... Killer had been smiling when his phone went off. Maybe Cross was overthinking things. Killer glanced at him.

"Does it show?"

A smirk formed across his face. "You could say I found a way to....spice things up~"

He inwardly purred, thinking about all the bad things he could do later.

Cross on the other hand recoiled slightly and waved his hand. "Please spare me the details, I'm dating his brother.."

Another phone notification pulled the blank-eyed skeleton out of reality, and back into the web of lies. Despite answering the message, he hardly paid attention to it.

"......."

"Cross...I need to tell ya something..."

"Hmm?"

Cross raised a non-existent eyebrow from across the table and sipped his drink again. Ok, this was new, but mostly expected. As he'd noted before Killer wouldn't talk if you tried to press him into talking. However knowing Killer, Cross chose to clarify:

"It's PG right?"

Killer smirked. It was pretty understandable that Cross would wanna clarify, based on his track history.

"Yes Crisscross, don't worry it's PG"

"......."

His fingers dexterously twisted his phone. For a moment he hesitated. Was he really going to tell Cross this? Surely the more people know the more likely that he would get caught. But now there was something, a strong compulsion to lay his sins bare here.

"Cross....I've met someone..."

"....."

It was almost laughable how quickly his friend's face turned confused. A perplexed tilt of the head reminded Killer of the dogs Cross loved so dearly.

"Met someone....what do you mean?"

"Someone new!" Killer answered with a smile.

"Been talking to him for a while now"

Cross still looked confused.

"......"

"You've....made a new friend?"

Oh, classic Cross, just as naïve as ever. Despite having a long friendship with Killer, he really believed what he was trying to say was innocent.

"Heh...oh yeahhh"

"He's become a very good friend"

"You could say we've really.....bonded.."

Silence.

The taller skeleton gripped his cup tight, and did nothing but stare at it. He gave his friend no acknowledgement, just muttered:

"Killer...what are you saying?"

A chuckle fell out of Killer, as he drew his phone to his chest and tapped his fingers against it.

"Oh you know...he's been great Crisscross"

"Doesn't have a stick up his ass like Night does, so much more chill and doesn't nag me"

"He has a different kind of stick up there if you know what I mean"

A laugh is what he'd expected from that comment. A chuckle at least. But no, all he got was a silent stare.

"....."

"Awe c'mon you aren't gonna give me anything?"

"That was a good one".

Still nothing.

And then.

"You're kidding me right."

What?

Cross' look of confusion had shifted into something that appeared to be anger, frustration. But surely it couldn't be?

"Huh?"

"You. Are. Kidding."

"Right?"

"....."

"Oh don't be such a tight ass CrissCross, I've made it work so far"

Cross' knuckles tensed on the table.

"Killer..."

"Are you cheating on Nightmare..?"

Cheating...

Cheating.

That word made Killer recoil into himself slightly. Cheating was such a nasty word... made him feel guilty, like how he was feeling was wrong. He wasn't really doing anything wrong...really...

"....."

"As I said, it's fine... just a new friend-

*bang*

Cross slammed his hand down on the table, causing both drinks to shake.

"ARE YOU CHEATING ON HIM, KILLER!?"

"Yes. Or no."

"....."

The dark-eyed skeleton would be ashamed to admit how much that had made his soul thump. Cross was so quiet most days, calm and collected, especially in his partner's presence, that Killer had long forgotten what it was like to see genuine anger flash across those purple eyes.

"..."

He stared at his lap, like a child in the head teacher's office.

"Yes..."

"......"

He looked up again. "But keep your voice down.... people are looking "

His friend rapidly tapped his fingers on the table, most likely an anger management technique. Killer sighed.

"What Night doesn't know won't hurt him.... anyway it's probably better for us in the long run."

"How?" Cross asked.

"Surely you aren't stupid enough to think that."

Killer sagged his shoulders. "Night was suffocating me! This guy takes all the pressure off!"

"I feel like my old self again!"

"Oh...so you feel like a lonely playboy again? Good for you"

Cross hadn't looked up, he just watched his fingers.

*tap tap tap*

*tap tap tap*

*tap tap tap*

It was rattling Killer's skull.

"I'm not lonely. I'm finally happy again.."

"Oh yeah...so long as you’re happy it doesn't matter who you hurt.."

Ok, that wasn't fair...the phone in his hand pinged again. Of all people, he was sure his brother would understand...right?

"Cross you are meant to be on my side here..."

"I'm always on your side!!" The bi-coloured skeleton snapped, finally making eye contact again, "I'm always sticking up for you!"

"All I want is the best for you! You just never seem to see that".

Cross grumbled and ran his hand across his face.

"What am I gonna tell Sunshine...." he muttered.

"....."

It hurt...Cross just didn’t understand! It wasn't like that... It wasn't his fault.

"Nightmare pushed me to it!"

"I'm doing him a favour by sneaking around! He's impossible to put up with otherwise!"

"Killer..."

Cross' eyes were narrowed.

"Did you think about what it would do to him when your boyfriend finds out?"

"Well it won't find out will he?!" Killer hissed across the table, his eyes darkened with pent up frustration.

"Unless...... you're gonna snitch on me?"

....

Cross didn't answer him.

Killer shook his head in disbelief.

"Some friend."

Cross grit his teeth.

"Killer!! Do you have any idea what kind of a bad situation this puts me in?"

"Do you not care about Nightmare at all?"

A genuine look of hurt fell across his face, and worry set in around his eyes.

"Do you not care about me? Or the fact I'm dating your boyfriend's brother? Who, by the way, wanted to tell Night to stay away from you."

"But I stuck my neck out for you! I convinced him to tell Nightmare to confess his feelings! Because I thought you actually cared for him."

"....."

He locked his eyes back on his coffee cup.

"Guess I was wrong huh?"

Ok...that was slightly infuriating.

Those words made it pretty clear that Cross didn't care about Killer’s relationship with Nightmare. He simply only cared what his little golden angel would think of him. Dream had changed Cross... got him thinking that everyone needed a relationship like he had, that he knew better. Killer didn't need this! He didn't want Cross to medal.

"Well, I never asked you to stick up for me! And I never told you to say that to Dream! I never told you a relationship with him was something I wanted. You assumed!"

Killer downed his coffee in a single swig.

"And you don't care what happens to me, all you care about is what you're little Sunspot thinks."

Cross got to his feet, standing over Killer.

"Don't talk about him like that!! He just wants the best for his brother! As I do."

"I was trying to help you!"

"All I've been trying to do is get you out of this toxic cycle you've trapped yourself in"

"Because I care about you, Killer! I know you aren't happy..."

"....."

Killer put his coffee cup back on its plate and let out a long frustrated sigh. After collecting a few pounds in change and tossing them on the table for tips, he got to his feet.

"Wellll.. this has been fun...but I have a date with my lover, so bye."

He slipped his jacket off the back of his chair, as Cross continued to give him a look of pure judgement.

"You are so selfish.....and an idiot...you know that?"

Killer glared.

"You don't know what's been going on, Cross."

"You have no idea how shitty Night has treated me, so don't act as you understand-

-Then why not leave?" Cross asked, cutting in "if you hate Nightmare so much, then why not leave him? Why keep stringing him along hmm?"

Killer didn't answer, he just pulled his jacket on.

"And on that note, why do you keep pulling him back to you? He had wanted to move on, he had a girlfriend"

"Why go over and get him to sleep with you?"

Killer still said nothing and grabbed his phone off the table.

"Why can't you just leave him alone!?" Cross asked, "Why keep dragging yourselves back into a confusing dysfunctional relationship?! Why can't you just let him go!?"

"SHUT UP! WHY DO YOU KEEP BUTTING INTO MY LIFE!?"

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST ADMIT YOU LOVE HIM!?"

...

...

...

Love...him?

The words hang in the air thickly, sticking, lodged like a nail in the wall. Something so simple, but so out of place, something no one could ignore once they saw it. 

For one skeleton, he was slightly mad at himself for letting that question slip out, knowing that the anger had pulled it out of him. For the other, his throat was dry and blocked by an unknown item, like he'd swallowed one of his cat's hairballs.

Then all of a sudden, it was gone.

The shock was slowly running its course and running off him like shower water. If he'd not been so angry, it might have found it amusing. Such a notion was completely ridiculous.

"I don't catch feelings."

"Killer..."

"And I don't need to explain myself to you, you're not my real brother."

His tone was flat and factual, with no emotion reading from his voice.

The anger in his system clouded his senses just enough that he couldn't feel the gravity of what he'd said just yet.

At this point, his skull was swimming with so many different frustrated thoughts and conflicted feelings, that he just couldn't care anymore. He stuffed his phone in his pocket, as Cross sat back down at the table. He didn't even pay attention to the hurt in his friend's face.

All he wanted was to meet his 'friend' and blow off steam.

No...

That's what he needed.

And he wasn't selfish in fulfilling a need.

Cross swallowed his inner pain and steadied his tone.

"I guess I was stupid to think you'd even acknowledge your own feelings..."

Killer didn't reply and started walking out.

"...."

"You're going to end up alone Killer...."

"And when that happens you'll have no one to blame but yourself..."

The playboy paused at the door of the coffee shop for a moment. Still as a statue. For a moment Cross thought he was gonna say something back.

But then he simply left without a word.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Another day passed…

And then…

When Nightmare had heard a knock on the door, he'd been confused, to say the least. A warm swirl of hope curled through his soul, thinking it could be Killer.

But he shouldn’t have been surprised when it turned out not to be him.

He opened the door, a half-drunk glass of wine in one hand, and a slightly scuffed up physical appearance.

It was Dream.

"Oh..."

"It's you.."

"...Hey....."

The last person he wanted to lay eyes on right now.

How could he face them at the moment, when his own relationship was at a breaking point. How could he look him in the eye, knowing that he and Cross were so much better?

He didn't want to take it out on Dream. He was too tired to repair yet another broken relationship, and right now he didn't trust his own mouth.

"Dream-

But before he could say another word Dream tackled him with a hug. After so many years, you'd think that Nightmare would have learnt to expect Dream to greet him this way, but clearly not.

He inwardly groaned as his wine split all over his arm.

"...."

"Nighty!!!" Dream said, pulling back and smiling.

"It's been way too long brother!"

Nightmare gave him a look as dry as his tone.

"You made me spill my wine..."

He rolled his eyes and drained what was left in the glass. He didn't seem to even notice the growing red stain on his shirt. Dream stared at it, waiting for Night to react to it. But he didn't, he didn't seem to care.

"I'm uh...sorry I'm a bit out of it right now.."

"Perdóname, no he dormido bien......"

Oh brother...

Dream couldn't read his mind, but he could see Night wasn't OK right now. Was it possible that Nightmare was already aware of what Dream had come to tell him?

"Oh...that's quite alright Nighty.."

"Is Killer around?"

His twin visibly flinched.

"...."

"I haven't seen him since Tuesday..."

Ok...maybe Nightmare didn't know yet... Dream was not looking forward to this conversation, but it wouldn’t be right to keep such info to themselves. When Cross had told them...Dream couldn't remember the last time they'd felt so angry.

Deep down, he felt like he shouldn't have been surprised, his opinion of Killer had never been a good one. 

Killer was like some kind of parasite to Nightmare, he'd latched and sucked his bones dry with all the empty promises and drawn out heartbreak.

Round and round for years. Back and forth like a dance which neither seemed able to escape from. Every time Nightmare seemed to get the message that Killer was a no-good heartbreaker, every time he tried to move on, Killer pulled him right back to bed.

At first, it was harmless...but they weren't getting any younger.

Dream had been set on being a bit firmer with their brother. After the playboy had gotten Nightmare to cheat on his girlfriend and then left him, Dream had really started to feel like it was enough. He'd told Cross that he was going to talk to Nighty, and give him the push to dump Killer for good.

"Mi Amor...I wouldn’t...isn't Night in love with him?"

"So?... That's all the more reason why.."

"Sunshine...I think it would be better to convince him to tell Killer how he feels"

"I know Killer...he loves him...I know he does"

Cross...

Dream took a deep breath, this wasn't about him...

One problem at a time.

"Ohhh, I take it Killer has been busy recently?"

He stepped past Nightmare into his flat.

"Perfect! We can talk without worrying about being interrupted!"

His brother sighed. "Yeah...I suppose so.."

Dream smiled, but then his face switched to being more serious

"I wanted to talk to you about something important"

"Something Cross said..."

Nightmare sighed and found himself rolling his eyes. "Oh yes, wanna tell me about your perfect boyfriend?"

"How's he doing?"

His brother's eye twitched for a second, and a large stretched-out smile was suddenly across his face. It looked almost painful to keep up.

"Yeah...greattt" they said, failing to keep their voice chipper "he's great"

Nightmare blinked and felt confusion rush him. That was strange, had something happened?

"Is everything OK with you two?"

"Yep," they replied, a little too quickly.

"Dream?"

"It's fine Nighty....we aren't here to talk about me"

"....."

The plastic smile was still unmoving, but his eyes showed something deeper behind them, something he didn't want to talk to Nightmare about. Night was torn for a moment, between pressing the issue, and not. But in the end, he concluded that the drama with Killer had been draining him too much to get involved in his brother's problems.

"Alright...if you're sure."

"I am"

"It certainly has been a while since we last talked Nighty!" Dream smiled for real again, as the subject was changed.

"How have you been? Got any new scripts to revise?"

"No, not really, I've mostly been focused on Killer" Night responded.

"Oh...that's good..."

"...."

"How are things going with him?"

"....."

Well, they weren't good in the slightest. But did he really want to tell him that? For years and years he'd watch his brother. Always showing up to an event with a man on his arm, smiling and laughing. For years he'd been watching his brother's long term relationship grow and move on, while he just stayed alone. And after all the trouble he'd been through getting into a true relationship of his own, it was failing spectacularly.

He couldn't bear to admit it to Dream.

"Oh...it's great yeah"

"Lots of dates, lots of sleepovers..."

"...."

"Yeah...Good..."

Nightmare was a good actor. He had to be to make what was currently a successful career out of it.

But Dream was his twin brother and they were an empath. They could read him like a book.

"Night...."

"Are you sure? You said you haven't seen him-

"Working." His twin interjected, "he's working with a new script so...he's been away for a bit"

His brother's golden eyes were piercing him like sunlight. He couldn't look directly at him.

"It's fine"

He didn't believe him at all, and Nightmare could tell.

"We had a small argument...but it's fine."

His brother went to say something, but Night quickly cut in with. “Dream you had something you wanted to talk to me about… something Cross said?"

"Let me guess...he's asked ya to marry him?"

Oh, that would really just be the icing on the cake wouldn't it?

"¡TRANQUILO! I don't wanna talk about him!"

"This isn’t about us!"

Silence.

It had been a long time since his twin had been tightly wound enough to snap at him. All Nightmare could do really was stare at him.

Dream looked to the floor bashfully.

"lo siento solo....."

They sighed deeply.

"I want to talk to you about something he said about Killer. Alright?"

Oh...

Sometimes he forgot how close friends Cross and Killer were. It felt like a movie plot that his boyfriend's best friend just happened to date his brother. But it was a small world sometimes…

If he was going to factor a guess, he'd say that Killer had been complaining about him again, and he'd said something offensive that Dream didn't approve of.

"Are you here to tell me he is insulting me behind my back? Because we insult each other to the other's face plenty..."

The words weren't outside his mouth for a second before he realised how bad that sounded without context.

"Uh, I mean..."

"We banter and joke with each other, so it's probably just that"

"Brother..."

Talking to his brother wasn't making him feel better in the slightest. Nightmare just wanted to read a good book with a glass of white or red, free from all this mellow drama. But he also wanted to be held by Killer again. The way he always did when they slept together.

It was just...

"Dream...things are fine, I'm sure whatever it isn't a big deal"

Dream shook his head.

"Hermano... por favor escucha..."

Nightmare sighed "fine, you aren't going to drop it...what is it?"

His brother looked stuck for a second, and moved his mouth open and shut like a fish, trying to find the words.

Surely it wasn't something that was that hard to say.

"Well spit it out then"

"Um"

“Dream… estás jugando conmigo? Seriously messing around with me??"

"Because I'm really not in the mood for it"

His twin sighed.

"Night...Lo Siento, I hate to be the one who has to tell you this."

"But Killer is cheating on you".

"......"

It was strange to say that all he felt was numb.

Odd how at times of great pain, like a broken leg, or a red hot poker, you feel nothing at first. It's the shock of it, mixed with the adrenaline, which created the ideal pain relief- even if only temporary.

"......."

It was uncertain how long he stood there absorbing the blow, as his brother anxiously awaited a response.

It was still. Silent. Cold and numb. A still pressure coming in from all sides until…

He took a breath and felt relief.

It was like he'd come to the surface after a month underwater. It was a huge weight off the non-existent lungs.

"Oh!"

He took a few deep breaths and doubled over.

"He....he..."

He'd known it...he'd known he would! It had been so obvious, it was strangely relieving. He straightened up and took another breath.

Cheating...

And then it hit him.

What that really meant.

Killer was seeing someone else...

No..no.... no

No, he couldn't.

He...

"No..."

Dream sighed and shifted his feet.

"I'm sorry brother...I really am.."

No...he couldn't do this, it wasn't real.

"But I'm here for you.."

Killer wouldn't! He couldn’t! Dream just...

"......."

Dream...

His eyes locked on his brother. His perfect little twin. His brother was here to tell him that his relationship, the one that had taken years of struggle to come together, was going to end like this? Most disrespectfully and cheaply.

"I...I can't believe it..."

No...no...he refused.

"I can't believe you'd spit this crap!"

The golden-eyed skeleton practically jumped back.

They'd been expecting tears, They'd been expecting anger. But even in that case...he hadn't expected anger directed at him.

"What..."

Nightmare’s expression was shifting all over the place. Confusion, anger, frustration.

His twin narrowed his eyes.

"You really expect me to believe that Dream?"

"Killer is really stupid enough to tell the guy dating my brother he's cheating??"

"Best friend or not...you really expect me to believe that?"

His voice was still, but his eyes told a different story. They were wider and running around trying to make sense of things.

Dream took a breath. Night was clearly just dealing with a lot at the moment...

"You really think I'd make this up?"

"....."

"Yes. I don't believe you"

That hurt...

"...Brother...."

The purple-eyed skeleton avoided all eye contact. The situation was making his twin feel like crap. After all the years they had been back in contact. All the movies and shows they'd been in. Every single time Night had blamed and criticised him for stealing the spotlight and over-shadowing him on purpose.

"......."

"Are you...kidding me.."

Dream didn't want to get angry, that wouldn't help. But the frustration hissed and spat as his brother walked over to the table, and refilled his wine glass.

"Night..."

His brother ignored him and loudly sipped his wine.

"Fine. Why believe your brother who loves you very much, when you can stay with a playboy who has run you around for years."

"Dream." Nightmare said, before draining his glass and setting it down, "My boyfriend is my business....you just don't like that you aren't the only one now".

The golden twin shook his head slowly.

"No creo esto..."

"You're in denial! I'm trying to help you"

"Rubbish!" Night snapped, his eyes flaring with a vibrant purple, mouth pressed into a small grimace. 

Despite the rough shape Nightmare was in, he embodied an aura of superiority around himself, something that made Dream often feel like a small annoyance. On occasion, Dream struggled to see if Night left his character on stage. It brought back rough memories of when Night had discovered Dream's old 'modelling' career...

But now wasn't the time to think about that.

Dream took a step towards his twin.

His brother was a cold and closed off man, but Dream wanted to help him more than anything. They were the only family the other had.

"Nightmare please...you aren't in a good way..."

"I just want to help-

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!"

The rise in volume caused Dream to flinch. Looking down, he sighed.

"....."

"Dream...you..... you should go...."

"But-

The look in Night's eyes told him not to bother. Nightmare wanted him to leave... and he didn't have the energy to try and argue with him anymore.

"Alright....."

Dream walked himself back over to the doorway.

Nightmare followed and took hold of the door. They stood in silence for a moment. The purple-eyed one was still as a stone pillar, one thousand thoughts swimming through his mind. His figures gripped the wood of the door harshly. He was a dam of emotion. All blocked behind a still face. A desire to let it leak floated across the surface....but.. he couldn’t.

"Oh brother it's alright...it's just not meant to be.."

"You'll find someone else!"

"You'll be happy just like me and Crossy!"

He could hear his brother saying...

It made him feel sick...

"....."

"I appreciate you coming over..... but I'm fine ok?"

Dream reflected Night's frown with a soft smile.

"I know brother....."

"But...I'm here for you...ok?"

"......"

"Mhm..."

And with that, he shut the door.

.....

Dream stood face to face with the door for slightly too long... feeling strangely rejected.

"...."

It wasn't long into walking away, that Dream heard a shout and the sound of the coffee table being kicked over.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.....

......

“Killer, I need to talk to you, come over now.”

“Kinda busy rn babe”

“Killer, I do not care. Come here now please.”

“Fineeee whatever :-P”

....

Killer left him waiting.

Night knew he shouldn't have expected more, it's not like his boyfriend was considerate in the slightest.

Cheating...

He shouldn't have yelled at Dream like that, but reality had slapped him in the face hard. He wasn't able to contain the influx of emotion. Feeling like an idiot, he'd just lashed out.

But Dream didn't matter now.

All that mattered was Killer...

~~~~~~~~~

As he heard the front door open and shut, Nightmare took a breath. He chugged the wine in the glass he was holding and placed it on the countertop. After wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he made his way into the living room.

"Finally! We need to talk!"

At first, Nightmare entered the room with anger behind his stride, emotionally volatile thrashing behind him like tentacles. He wanted nothing more than to give this man in front of him hell for everything he'd been doing.

But...when Killer came into view...

Nightmare felt strangely still.

In a second Nightmare's feelings were scrambled. Like a record scratch on his emotions, the second Killer was visible to him. His boyfriend...his first boyfriend.

The object of his affection and fantasies for years....was slipping through his boney hands quickly like grains of sand, leaving him stuck in quicksand. Frozen, and sinking.

"Killer..."

Killer inwardly groaned, upon hearing Night's scathing tone when he entered. So he was in a mood again...of course.

When was Nightmare not upset with him about something? It was the very base of their relationship, dating all the way back to their first meeting... Their first hook up… Back then, he'd enjoyed Night's snippy and feisty behaviour, and to an extent, he still did. It was fun to have someone to challenge. Someone to tease and play with.

But when it was like this… When it was just him always complaining about small and insignificant...

It grated on him.

"Seriously that's why you brought me here? to yell at me?"

He folded his arms. "What have I done now?"

"......"

Before that moment, Nightmare had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted to say.

But his mind was blank.

"...I...."

"You...."

"...."

"You know!"

"....."

He sounded like an actor who forgot all their lines, looking to the side hoping for someone to prompt them. He never had a hard time remembering what to say...

In response, he got a raised eyebrow and a very blunt. "What... I know what?"

It just wasn't worth it was it...

For the last month, he'd been trying...and he'd been yelling.

Nightmare spent so much of his time giving himself emotional distress....it was truly draining.

"I...."

"....."

"Why didn't you just break up with me Killer?"

He hated the defeat in his own voice but could be bothered to mask it.

What?...

Killer hadn't been expecting that. It was such a shock actually, that it caused his defensive front to waver slightly… It was when his irritation at being called here to get scolded dissipated, that he fully took in his smaller boyfriend.

Nightmare looked...awful...

His lover was a person who always prided himself in appearance. He would always make sure his shirt was ironed and his shoes were scuff free.

On basic days he'd slip into a hoodie with a smart jacket over, but still, everything was kept clean and neat.

But now?

He looked exhausted and done. His clothes looked a bit messy and peppered with wine stains.

How long had he been like this?

"What?! What are you talking about..."

"I don't understand....why would you say that..."

His boyfriend straightened himself up a little and tried to keep his voice clear.

"If you are planning to break up with me....just do it.."

"I'm just sick of this..."

But despite that, his shoulders slumped again and his eyes locked on Killer’s feet.

"We don't go on dates....we don't sleep together..."

"You hardly speak to me..."

Their relationship was a joke, a shamble, but after so long of stubbornly telling himself that it was fine, Nightmare was taking a look at the mess behind him, and hurt...

"You don't even call me Moonpie..."

That shouldn't have been the thing that made him want to cry, it was the most stupid. It was just the memory that hit him. All the times Killer had gently held him to his chest...or kissed his hand. The soft gentle Killer...

The one Nightmare had pushed away...

He'd screw it up...

And now Killer was apparently done enough with him to want someone else....and supposedly already found them.

"I...."

Killer felt stumped... since when did his Nightlight act this way?

Nightmare was always so brash and strong-willed, spiteful and ready to fight, determined to have the last say and passionate when he felt he was being wronged.

But it was like someone had pressed him, like apples to juice, all the fight was gone...and he was just a shell of his former self.

"You..."

"You're overthinking things....I've just been busy..."

Busy...

He'd been busy being a two-timer.

He'd been cheating...

"....."

It was almost as if that train of thought was a button which opened the floodgates.

The guilt.

It hit him with the force of a baseball hat to the head. It had been a month of nothing more than petty and spiteful sex with a stranger. Short unbothered texts and calls he'd ignored.

Nightmare had been a complete nag and control freak… But why had Killer wanted to hurt him so badly....? Killer didn't want to hurt him so badly!!

Nightmare felt tears forming in his sockets which he tried to will away.

"I've been trying!!! I know I was crappy! But I wanted to try!"

"I'm sorry-

The tears threatened to fall. "C-can't I do anything to bring you back??!"

Killer's hands took his hands and held them gently.

"Moonpie....I.. "

"I didn't realise you..."

Nightmare’s response was just a shake of the head.

Nightmare would hate himself tomorrow. Nightmare hated himself now. He would have slapped himself if he could, but instead, he felt like crying, his voice cracking, as he couldn't get words out. At that moment, he didn't care anymore. Was he crappy to Killer? Was Killer crappy to him? Was he cheating?

It didn't matter.

His relationship was crumbling and shattering down in a spectacular disaster. Years of hopes and dreams and hook-ups and broken promises...all a mess at his feet. Was he never allowed to be happy? Had he been cursed from birth to live in a bubble of negative feelings for his whole life.

He couldn't take it anymore...

"I..."

"I was just so scared to lose you!!"

"¡¡No quería que te aburrirás de mí!!"

Killer felt almost awestruck.

Nightmare was basically coming to pieces in front of him, layers and layers of masks slipping down to reveal something raw and bleeding.

Guilt stabbed him straight through the chest and lodged itself. It was almost like he was looking at Nightmare with clear eyes for the first time in weeks.

Before him was someone venerable, someone hurting, someone he cared about. He cared about a lot.

What had he done...

How could he have been so selfish....he had to stop this all!  How could he?

"P-por favor... quédate c-conmigo esta noche!" Nightmare begged, pulling Killer by the shirt into a desperate, yet anxious kiss.

Oh...no.

Killer felt like the worst person alive at that very moment. He felt like he deserved nothing more than to be hated by everyone. Yes, Nightmare had really hurt him in the previous months, but he hadn't deserved to be treated this way.

He slowly closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Night, to draw him closer.

He was such a piece of crap...

Killer had never been that good with words when they were to do with feelings. He knew that about himself, but he knew he needed to comfort Moonpie at that moment...show him affection...softness.

So, Killer opted for the easiest way he knew how.

His hands gently slipped their way under Moonlight's shirt, as the kiss became even more desperate, and he directed his boyfriend to his bedroom.

It was scummy of him to start such a thing, especially when Nightmare was so emotionally damaged.

But he didn't know how to say what he wanted to... and with Nightmare nodding to him as Killer gently lay him against the sheets...he kissed away the tears....he just took him

Nightmare melted under him that night. The warm gentle feeling of Killer filled a deep need in his soul and brought comfort in many ways. It was soft, and close to his heart, and felt like the first time at that moment.

It had been a long time.

Killer felt strange the whole time. The enjoyment wasn't as strong as he normally felt it, as sadness ached through his bones with each movement. It had been so long...he almost didn't recognise Night, as he sighed below him. It had been good, but it had felt wrong and fake. As if he were tricking Moonpie with a lie. A false promise that he wasn't going to hurt him anymore.

"......"

As they lay together afterwards, Nightmare fell asleep quickly, his head resting against Killer's chest. The sound of his soul, soothing him.

Killer, however, stared at the wall behind Nightmare. With his hand gently stroking Nightlight's back, he became lost in deep and regretful thought. He'd screwed up.

Their relationship had hit a bump, it had become rocky, and Nightmare had hurt him. But...he knew now where his soul lay, he knew where he wanted to be. The feelings of being trapped were no excuse for such a horrible thing.

"......"

He kissed Night's skull.

He could never tell him. From here, he'd try and do better...

Sleep didn't come easy...

It must have been hours before Killer was finally able to drift off.

As such it was no surprise when a few texts pinging on his phone the next morning didn't end his sleep…

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They slept late into the morning. The sun was almost halfway across the sky before they awoke.

Nightmare was the one who woke up first. The second he saw the face of Killer he felt shame ripple through his bones.

It felt just like the first morning...it was so similar.

Waking up face to face with the playboy after sleeping together for the first time...it had been...Well, it had been strange.

Now it felt so silly, but that one beautiful night had been the cause of all of this, the craving, the shame, the need.

Just the memory of how Killer had looked above him that night sent shivers down his spine, and warmth across his cheeks.

It had only been a one-time thing back then...now look at him.

Pathetic.

"Killer...."

The purple skeleton shifted closer and rested his head against Killer's chest again.

Killer didn't want to wake up. It had taken so long for sleep to claim him, that when he felt himself waking up it was slightly frustrating. He didn't open his eyes, at first he felt like he couldn't.

Quickly, he became aware of the movement to the left of him and a low murmuring, indicating that his companion was awake. He could feel Nightmare’s body pulling on the sheets as he moved, and the strong warmth his bones gave off being close. His head rested on Killer's chest again.

"....."

With a low groan of sleepiness, Killer moved his arm to loosely wrap around the purple-eyed skeleton, and rest against his ribs.

"Hmm..."

Night kept his eyes closed, and sighed in turn. He shifted himself to snake his hands around Killer’s body, and rest them on his hips.

Close.

Saying nothing, Killer mirrored him, and placed his hand on the small of Night's back and the other on his arm, pulling him to him slightly.

"....Morning Moonpie..."

It was a while that they stayed like that. Nightmare didn't respond to Killer or move at all, he just kept his eye sockets softly closed, and fingers slowly running across the surface of Killer's hips. He felt how Killer did the same with the grooves on his lower spine, and across the top of his arm.

There was no carnality behind this, no hidden intention. It was something kind of alien to them both, just to hold the other. It felt like a long time since it had been so soft...

"......"

"....Good morning Killer...."

"......"

With his eyes still shut, Killer kissed Night's skull and continued to rub his arm.

"How are you feeling..."

Nightmare yawned.

"Mierda...."

"Like crap...."

"How about you?"

If Killer hadn't been so exhausted, he would have laughed.

"....yeahhh same..."

He finally managed to force his heavy eyes open again and give Nightmare a light squeeze.

"But...do you feel a little bit better than yesterday?"

Oh...yesterday.

Why did Killer have to remind him about that, when he'd been reduced to a crying mess? It was embarrassing.

But....he couldn’t deny that last night had improved his mood, even if only slightly.

He stretched and pushed back, out of Killer's embrace a little. Till it was at a point where he could look him in the eyes again.

"Maybe..."

"....."

"Last night was...Nice..."

Now Killer wasn’t gonna deny that.

Even if he'd felt awfully conflicted and full of self hate the whole time, he couldn't deny that it felt good to just be with Moonlight again...

Just looking at him after waking up? He found himself smiling lightly.

"Yeah, it was..."

"It's always good with you.."

Nightlight offered a rare half-smile in return, but he didn't hold eye contact long. He gently placed his hand against Killer's chest and ran his thumb against it absent-mindedly.

".....yeah..."

Killer sighed. "I..."

"I'm going to try harder...and try to be better..."

Nightmare met his eyes again. "Killer I was awful to you..."

In response, Killer sighed deeply.

“Either way…. I shouldn’t have treated you like that…I was being overly defensive"

That was putting it lightly. He'd not just been defensive, he'd been downright disgusting.

“Let’s just.. forget that happened yeah? And move on..?"

Yeah...forget it all. He wasn't going to tell Nightmare what he did, he was just going to let his lover slip among the memories of the countless others he'd been with in the past. He was going to let go.

"........"

Nightmare stared at him. "You want to forget it all?"

With a yawn, Killer nodded and pulled Nightmare closer again.

“Yeah…."

“As in… I won’t bring up the things that you did that upset me....and you could do the same…"

"We just let it go and move on..."

“……."

“If you want that is…?"

What did Nightmare want?

Yesterday he'd wanted nothing more than to scream and curse at the playboy. But then...like many times before, he'd let Killer take him to bed, but had this been a one last night kind of deal? Despite sleeping with him, had Night still been planning to yell at him? He couldn't really remember now...

And......as he lay with him now, feeling Killer’s hands resting on him gently and hearing the softness in his voice, it was starting to feel like a beautiful dream again.

"...."

"Start fresh.."

"Forget it all"

"Yeah…"

Killer couldn't help but smile a bit, knowing that things didn't have to be brought up now and that he and Nightmare could forget it all.

What Night didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

“……. "

“Yeah… a fresh start....you and me.."

He leant over and kissed Nightlight's forehead once again.

“I’ll be better…. And as a way to start fresh…"

“How about I take you out for brunch?"

Nightmare sighed.

With his busy life, breakfast often felt like a novelty, rather than a daily meal. But if there was one thing that Killer often insisted on after a heated night, was that Nightmare ate breakfast.

Even now he could still fondly remember Killer making pancakes for him, and getting the thin thing stuck in the pan.

"That might be nice..."

"So long as it's not burger king"

Ah there they go again...Nightmare being a picky eater. Killer chuckled this time, he was happy to hear it.

“Fiiine just for you Nightlight"

“But I might stop there on the way back to my flat"

He'd pecked his mouth. “But you should probably shower first...."

Oh no no...Nightmare wanted a better kiss than that.

Nightmare rested his hand on Killer's cheek and lightly rubbed his thumb against it, before pulling him in for a proper kiss.

But his heart stung, this morning felt way too nice to him. Killer was being way too soft. He felt uneasy as if the floor was going to collapse at any moment.

He pulled back from the kiss and didn't break eye contact.

"Me vas a romper el corazón Ojos bonitos..."

“…………."

Killer sighed a little and cupped Night's face

“………"

Softly he said “As beautiful as you sound speaking it… You know I don’t understand Spanish…"

"Maybe that's the point..." Nightmare replied with a sigh.

Night’s face was hard to read now, just a second before he'd been so much more positive, but now? Something was shadowing his eyes.

"...."

"If you wanna go shower, I'll hang out here...alright "

Night nodded, and with a bit of difficulty, finally broke the magical embrace. As he sat up and the sheets fell off his bones, some heat rose to his face.

"L-look away"

Killer rolled onto his back and smirked.

"But babe I've seen everythinggggg"

"Y-yeah but! I don't want you to stare at me!" Moonlight responded, blush deepening.

A chorus of laughter fell out of his partner, as he dramatically covered his eyes with his hands.

"Thereeee"

Though he was absolutely gonna peek. Nightmare rolled his eyes, knowing Killer was going to do that, and while his eyes were covered, he picked up the edge of the blanket and tossed it over him.

"Ahfg! Hey!" Killer said, fighting his way out from under it.

As he freed himself from the fabric trap, Nightmare grabbed his dressing gown and slipped it on.

"I knew you were gonna peak," he said, pulling some clothes out of his drawer, and straightening up.

"I know you"

"No control....."

"...."

"Uh I'm going to have a shower"

He made his way to the door and walked out.

Killer watched him go with a shallow smile that soon faded.

He glanced at his phone.

Dealing with this was going to take some careful planning on his part. Now this wasn't something Killer wasn't new to, quite far from it. He'd spent many years balancing relationships with many different men, and when the time came to cut them off, he always tried to leave people satisfied. However, this was a situation he hadn't been in before.

He didn't have the time or luxury to end things without hurt feelings. He needed to slice away the bad branches if he wanted any hope of his relationship blooming further.

As he picked up his phone and clicked it on, he was confronted by a collection of texts and more photos to make his mouth water.

He inwardly cursed upon seeing that his lover was not going to make this easy.

"I've made my mind up. It's over"

"Are you sure?"

Yes...of course, he was. He wanted Nightmare...

That didn't mean this would be easy though.

If there was one thing he couldn't deny, was that he was definitely still attracted to the guy. The thought of him would send a hum of lust through his system even now, even after confirming Night still did the same.

What was wrong with him?

He sighed and clicked the phone off. He could deal with self-loathing later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nightmare took a bit longer in the shower than normal, though it wasn't long. It had been a while since he'd taken the time for self-care, and last night’s activities needed to be washed away. What he spent the majority of his time doing though, was simply watching the water run down the drain, lost in his thought.

As much as he tried to ignore it, he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling on his back, the one telling him Killer was spouting pure bullshit. The one telling him to believe Dream….

Well... he did believe Dream…..

But he didn't believe Cross' word...or at least that's what he was going with.

Maybe Cross and Killer had fallen out, and Cross had decided to spite him with this, sending Dream to do his dirty work.

But was Cross really like that?

"...."

Sure...Maybe? Well, he hardly knew the guy...

As Nightmare dressed himself and left the bathroom, it became clear that Killer had left the bedroom. He now stood in between the kitchen and living room, leaning on the counter that divided the two.

He was dressed only in the blanket he was holding around himself loosely, and his eyes were locked on the screen of his phone.

"¿Ojos bonitos?"

His companion would have jumped out of his skin if he had it.

"Moonpie!"

He looked like a teenager being caught sneaking out of bed.

"....."

"I'm going to make some coffee, want a cup?" Night asked, walking over to the kettle and putting it on.

Killer stared for a moment, then sheepishly placed his phone on the counter face down.

"Instant?"

"Do I know how to make anything else?"

Killer smiled and walked over to him.

"Why can't I date someone who owns a French press?" He purred, standing behind him and resting his chin on Night’s shoulder.

A purple blush followed.

"Hmph!"

"Well, I'm sorry my cookware isn't adequate sir".

"Perhaps you should start sleeping with baristas".

Killer chuckled and hummed. "Nah...I suppose your instant crap will do"

He nuzzled the purple skeleton’s neck slightly, however, he only tensed in response.

It was soft...affectionate.

Too affectionate.

The nagging feelings were rising and falling with each passing second. Despite the good feelings he was having with Killer being so close, one question plagued his mind.

"Are you compensating for something?"

"Are you compensating because you chea-

"Get off..." Nightmare muttered, shifting himself away from his boyfriend's touch. It was all too much, and he just couldn't let himself enjoy it.

Rejected, Killer took a step back from his partner. Nightlight's body language had turned 180, but he wasn't sure what he'd expected. It wasn't gonna be that easy to get back to what things once were, after how he'd acted for the past month. Nightingale was a proud creature, and after last night it would probably be a while before he wanted to let his cold mask slip again.

This would be a lot of work...

"....."

"Uh Moon- Nightlight "

"I think I should take a shower...hold off on mine"

Nightmare nodded and poured his cup. As he stirred, the clinking of the teaspoon was loud in his silence.

"....."

"Alright...don't take long.."

Killer gave him a nod and pulled the blanket around himself more, walking out. Nightmare stayed still in the kitchen, sipping his coffee.

What was all that...

Was this really what his mind was going to be reduced to? Unable to enjoy the simple warm affections that Killer offered him? Forced to question everything, every second they were apart.

Stupid brother…

He would have been much happier without knowing, he was sure, without hidden demons tormenting his soul over the unknown. It's not like he could ask his partner, he wasn't a stranger to lying, and he wasn't sure if he'd believe either response.

As the distant sound of the shower came on, he attempted to get his mind to clear. 

Only...

*ping*

A text?

The purple eye lights fixed onto the source. His boyfriend's mobile was lying face down on the counter a few feet away. He set his cup down.

Who would be texting Killer right now?

No...

"This is your chance isn't it?"

No.

He wasn't going to be involved with such a cliché… Nightmare was above such a childish practice like that. He was a smart and classy individual. He wouldn't-

*ping* 

Killer who wants to contact you so much....?

*ping* 

"I hate to have to tell you this..."    

Came his brother's voice echoing in his head, as he turned his attention fully to his boyfriend's mobile. 

"But Killer is cheating on you..."

"....."

No...no he said he wasn't going to be like this anymore. Start fresh and new.

*ping*

Who would be texting him at this time?

"You really think I'd make this up?"

No...no he didn't, but he wanted to...

Dream had always been such a good brother to him, considering all Nightmare had done to hurt him. After so many years, he'd always been a reliable and honest family member. He wouldn't want to hurt him...

Unlike him, his twin wasn't a spiteful person. He wouldn’t have said a word unless he had a good reason to accuse Killer of that...

But...as Night felt his soul contort in his chest, he wished that Dream could be wrong.

*ping*

It was surely just his agent, right? It had to be...he would have given anything for it to be...

Maybe...

"....."

No...he wasn’t that stupid. It was painfully obvious what it was, he just didn't want to admit it.

Last night he'd crumbled like a house of cards, and fallen helplessly into his bed with Killer again. The playboy had flooded his senses and flushed out his dignity. 

He'd was hiding like a child who didn't want to go to school, one who didn't want to show their parents a bad grade on a test.

It was almost as if he entered a trance, going over to the phone and picking it up. 

Maybe he should check...if it was Killer’s agent, then he'd be able to move on with his boyfriend...if it wasn't...

"......"

He could have sworn that his soul was beating 1000 times a second threatening to burst. From how loud it was hammering against his ribs, he could hear the thumping in his head 

As his hand neared the other’s phone the pounding in his chest only grew stronger.. faster.. louder.. it vibrated throughout his whole body.. in his skull. 

It was like the backing track in a horror movie, right before the masked murderer jumped out.

Por favor... por favor... demuéstrame que estoy equivocado...

He clicked the phone screen on.

Silence. 

At first, he didn't respond, he didn't know how to.

"......"

"But why would you pick that insecure dick head over me? All you've done the past month is complain about him."

Killer...

"Come on now Killer... You'll be back, no use wasting your energy on him"

How could you...

"You said it yourself, he's just a narcissistic loner..."

And it went on...and on...the more he scrolled back, the more and more was revealed. Words that made his head spin, and pictures...

Pictures that made his non-existent stomach churn.

It was almost as if time had stopped around him, the sound of the shower slowing to a simple white noise. 

Eventually, the texts were all blurring together as he was no longer taking in a single word. All until...he stopped. Nightmare froze, hand gripping the small device mercilessly, shaking as the screen turned to stand by.

He wanted to scream.

He wanted to cry.

He wanted to curl up and never leave the flat again.

But he stood still, like a mannequin in a shop window. 

All the past month he'd tried to...

Last night he...

"....."

The mannequin finally moved, his arms falling limp down at his side.

Nightmare liked to consider himself a more artistic type. As such he would have loved to describe his current feelings as a riving nest of snakes in his chest, hissing and spitting like a hydra. A sense of sharp acidic poison was injected into his very soul.

He would have wanted to describe this relationship as a poetic tangle of limbs and tongues. A bright flame of desire, and scorching fire of lust, all hidden under the blanket of night and bedsheets of moonlight.

Perhaps those words would allow him to mask his basic carnality, as being a sweet affair of the heart. The kind that people read and act about.

But no...now it was nothing like a romantic fantasy, it was shameful, humiliating and now...

The combination of all of that had all led to this.

He was blatantly an idiot, as trusting as an ass lead to water, or perhaps more like a pig lead to slaughter.

Cheater...

Raging cheater...

He'd known from the start, he wasn't surprised. Killer was a liar... Killer never cared, it had all been a trick.

Last night was a con, all to bring Nightmare away from the truth.

Despite expecting this, the blow hadn't hurt any less. The shock was still rippling through him.

But it was dying down.

The sadness turned to anger...

The shower was off now. The journey ended here.

He heard the bathroom door open and shut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Killer walked into the living room, stretching his arms a bit. Everything felt a bit sore.

He wasn't really a person who took long showers on the regular, but from the moment he got in he hadn't wanted to leave the place. Every drop of water hitting him had felt like heaven, with all his sinful actions crawling across his back, his body had felt unusually dirty. 

Even after the shower, he didn't feel much better and having only last night’s clothes to change into didn't help.

As Nightmare came into view, Killer's soul twisted. Moonbeam had put on a brave front since they had woken up, but the memory of how broken he'd been last night was haunting Killer. 

The blank-eyed skeleton kept going round and round in his own head, circling back to guilt and self-loathing. But it wasn't himself he was sorry for, it was Nightlight.

Plastering his classic smile across his face, he finally spoke.

"Hope you don't mind, but I used some of your skull scrub"

Nightmare said nothing. 

"...."

"So...I was thinking that I should take you to Muffet's? I think they do those posh little French pastries and coffee you like."

"Mhm.."

Killer walked a bit closer.

"Moonpie? You feeling ok"

It was that nickname that was the last straw.

"...You..."

Nightmare hardly whispered, turning to face the playboy.

"You bastard...."

His voice was cold with a vicious menace that Killer had only ever heard on set. It sent a chill up his spine.

"What.." 

Nightmare hissed at him.

"I knew you were a playboy...I knew you slept around...I knew you had no standards.."

"But...I wanted to believe that you weren’t this much of a scummy person..."

Killer narrowed his eyes slightly. 

"Nighty...I don't know what you're talking abou-

"They tried to tell me"

"My brother warned me over and over and over"

"They said you were un Sin vergüenza.. un Descarado....I should have listened"

He laughed.

"Soy un idiota!!"

Killer was still just staring at him, confusion spread across his face, the smile gone.

"What?"

Nightmare's laugh turned icy.

"And you have the nerve. The audacity to play dumb!?"

"Acting like you don't know!!!"

His smile disappeared. 

"I KNOW WHAT YOU DID! I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING!"

At first, Killer was confused at the sudden burst of hostility, but then his eyes flicked to the phone gripped tight in Night's hand.

A phone…

Wait… but that was his phone…

Oh no...

Killer wasn't the sharpest knife most of the time, but the events here were so clear they were borderline cliché.

Killers soul felt as if it had sunk deep to the ground, and was trying to pull the rest of him with it. In some ways he wouldn't have minded if the floor swallowed him whole, the pending fight was hanging over them like a guillotine blade.

His mouth went dry and his mind ran amok, millions of thoughts bouncing throughout his skull.

“Moonlight….” He barely croaked out.. he had to say something... the silence would only make it worse, and now the guilt was written all over his face.

But what could he possibly say?

Was there a single word that could do anything besides dousing their bones in gasoline?

The low flame in Night's eyes was a clear warning. 

"....."

“Moonpie…. I…..” 

Wrong words.

“DON'T CALL ME THAT!!”

Killer felt a breeze brush against his cheek, so suddenly that he didn't even see the movement. But he heard it... Something slammed against what he assumed was the wall.

At first, he wasn’t sure what it was… but then he saw Nightmare’s now vacant hand.

Nightmare had thrown the phone against the far wall, hard enough for the screen to shatter against the plaster, before dropping to the floor in defeat. It was almost frightening how fast it happened, and how close it had been to him. Prickles of anxiety ran across his bones, as he stared at the dead device. 

Nightmare hadn't been aiming for him right?

As for Nightmare, the small skeleton's chest rose and fell quickly, as tried to control his breathing without much success. Throwing the phone had been wildly childish, but he didn't care much about being a sophisticated grown-up at this moment.

He was done, he was flatly done with everything.

How Dare He Call Him That.

He was so enraged.. he was so humiliated.. he was so frustrated with himself. 

How could he have let himself fall so low? How could he have missed the obvious cliff at the end of the river he'd jumped in. 

Oh, how he wished he could go back in time. Slap that pathetic excuse for a skeleton after that first kiss. All Killer had ever done is think for himself, from the first kiss it had all been Killer chasing a lay with anyone.

The spiralling chain reaction… endless pursuit for pleasure to the point of madness. 

All for it to lead to this moment.

He was done with it all. He couldn’t be bothered to care anymore. 

“Es que Deberás no te podías aguantar?! Do you really have so little control over yourself?!”

“Night… now hold on..”

“Eres un pinche adicto!! You just really can’t go without it can you! Es todo lo que tu pequeño cerebro piensa en verdad?!”

“That’s-“

“Espero que hubiera valido la pena maldito!! But you still don’t get it, do you? I’m sure you think you've done nothing wrong like always! Porque siempre es mi culpa!! 

“NIGHTMARE!!! Can you just fucking speak in English!! You’re pissing me off!”

Killer’s voice boomed in the small room. He knew it wouldn’t help the situation in the slightest. But, he couldn’t dismiss how the frustration and anger prickled at his bones with every word Nightmare spat out. 

How was he supposed to defend himself or explain if Nightmare wouldn’t even speak in the language he knew?

Just like usual... His boyfriend refused to communicate with him. At this moment, Killer had been fully prepared to bear the brunt of Night's rage. But this? This was just frustrating to the very core, it brought forward nagging thoughts in the back of his mind and reminded him why he'd gone to the bar alone that night. 

Nightmare just always expected him to know what was wrong. Most days, never gave him one measly hint before just lashing out like a snake attacking its prey. The small skeleton never talked to him…

And even now, when he was prepared to take anything Night hit him with, he'd chosen to do it in a tongue he couldn't even understand!

But even so, he tried to calm himself. Getting mad wasn't helping anybody...

Nightmare froze on the spot at those words, his eyes widening slightly at the audacity. Is that really what Killer cared about right now?

The language!?

"The constant flip-flopping between the two is giving me a headache," Killer muttered.

Oh really?

Well, maybe Nightmare was being inconsiderate...

A smirk formed on his face.

“Oh… entonces esto es lo que molestas más verdad?! No que me fuiste infiel maldito carbón?!”

If going back and forth between the two was confusing…

“Pues yo hago lo que se me dé la gana fíjate! Si yo quiero hablar español entonces voy a hablar en español estupido engreído!”

He better stick with one then!

“No es mi culpa que tu cerebro es tan pequeño que no tiene la capacidad de entender lo que te estoy diciendo!”

“Si te enfada tanto entonces aprende el idioma bola de mierda!!”

“STOP IT !!” 

Killer’s voice shook the room as he yelled before shoving nightmare back.

He almost felt dizzy, his head being attacked with a flood of words he couldn’t understand.

They banged around in a loud chorus, and he couldn’t stop it. But what he did know was that he was being insulted. Knowing Nightmare and the poisonous look in his eyes, he knew it was hate being spat.

“Don’t be such a pretentious prick.”

"You're conceited and a snob and just such a-

"At least I'm not a cheater"

Killer had to stifle a laugh at that.

What a hypocritical twat, it would have been amusing if Night wasn't so self-righteous. 

Nightmare had to be kidding right? He wasn't going to sit there and act like he'd forgotten about that night they had shared, like many others, tangled up in sweet agony. Oh, it was one Killer remembered, Nightmare hadn't been slow to give into him, girlfriend or not. 

That night like many, he'd seen the small skeleton in unflattering angles, in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

Every memory, every touch, every feeling...even now.

Such pleasurable torture on his mind.

"Oh yeah...of course, my bad," he said, before putting a finger on his chin, in an exaggerated fashion.

"Hmmm...that's funny though"

"Say did you ever tell your ex-girlfriend about that night between us?"

A delightful look of dread fell across Nightmare's face in a second, the smug pride taking a blow. The satisfaction gave Killer a quick high, as his smile cut across his face.

"I guess you could say it takes one to know one hmm? And she was nothing but good to you... it's quite hard to respect-

"SHUT UP!"

Night's eyes were rimmed with blue, the purple being taken over as Night's anger revealed itself more and more. How dare Killer spin this round, the cocky bastard was trying desperately to drag Nightmare to his level.

Killer, however, was letting Night's words wash over him now, staring. The blue was strange. 

It was rare that the blue showed itself, an outer reflection of inner turmoil. He'd seen it many times, times of anger, times of frustration, sometimes even during their most sensual moments.

He remembered a night, a press event, they'd been each other's date, for a casual affair. 

Killer's past wasn't exactly something he liked to venture into. One too many questions from a noisy reporter, and Nightlight was demanding an apology from the guy. His eyes had lit up with that beautiful cyan, and his vicious tongue had got to work with a bitter barrage of insults.

What a night...

Killer found it strangely beautiful, staring...

Until Night's harsh voice cut through. 

"You've never done a single good thing for me! You've never cared about anyone but yourself!"

"All you ever do is draw people in for momentary pleasure, and screw with us like toys!"

"We're all just playthings right?"

"...I wish I had never met you..."

Killer blinked, snapping to his senses. 

“Wait.. what?"

“What the hell are you going on about??"

“I’ve never lied to you about what I wanted! That there were no emotional attachments involved!!"

"YOU ASKED ME TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

Nightmare’s breath was ragged, as the end of his sentence strained slightly, the words too painful to understand, the memory of Killer's sweet confession, gashing his very soul.

" 'just you' "

"T-that's what you said to me..."

His eyes ran to the broken phone, and part of the anger faded to a bitter hmm.

"Well, the proof is right there isn't it? All lies!"

Killer hissed under his breath and dismissively folded his arms.

“Oh just drop it already!" He said, waving his hand slightly.

“I mean that’s all you damn well say!"

“It just has to be all about you! Just- screw it!"

"It gets so tiring! It’s always just about what you want, and how you feel, your rules!"

"I WAS TRYING!!" The other basically screamed out, voice cracking from the force of it.

"While you were out getting humpy I was racking my brain trying to find ways to bring you back!!"

Violet tears flooded his eyes and spilt over before he had the will to stop them.

"But you never cared!!

"Lust is all you feel!

On any other day the tears in Night's eyes would have ended Killer's drive for a fight, but today nothing changed.

“YOU ONLY TRIED WHEN YOU FINALLY PUSHED ME AWAY!!"

He lunged forward slightly, the weight of his words pulling him, feeling no desire to spare Night's feelings a second longer.

Now he'd done it. He'd pushed and pushed and pushed, trying to force Killer into the role of a villain, so naturally, he could run to the people for sympathy. 

“You can’t even imagine how it felt being constantly berated and yelled at!"

"Treated like your property! Trapped!"

But he wasn't. Last night the guilt had almost eaten him from the inside, but now they need to care was gone. It was nothing but a hollow space.

“I tried too! To be better! But it was never enough for you!" He wanted him hurt. He wanted him to know just who's fault it was.

“You know what??? it felt good to finally get away from your overbearing controlling suffocating ass!"

"It felt good being with him." 

It was a sharp knife now, the blade burning as it plunged into his chest. Nightmare felt like he couldn't breathe, if he'd had visible lungs he would have been worried for them. 

His breath was fast.

"I hate you"

It was all Night's scrambled mind could bring to the surface. 

"I hate you!!"

Words he'd said to the playboy many times, but never meant till this one moment. 

"I HATE YOU!"

He'd never felt like this before. 

"¡DESEO QUE NUNCA HAYAS NACIDO!"

He grabbed a pillow from the sofa behind him and threw it at full force.

"Tu diablo hombre!"

The tears became faster, as it became hard to just speak in un-shaking sentences. His boyfriend wouldn't even look at him now, he didn't look like he could care any less if he tried.

"You done?"

"......"

In a way Nightmare was.

The man before him was a stranger. Eyes as empty as the words he spoke.

"And you still can't speak English?" Killer asked.

"Yet you can't understand why Dream is in a long term relationship and you never have been"

Nightmare grabbed another pillow and threw it weakly onto the ground.

"You!! You-

"No Nightmare." The playboy stated. "You. It's all you."

"No one else is gonna say it, so I will."

"It's.Your.Fault."

Another pillow was thrown, this time hitting Killer square on the face. It didn't really hurt, but as it fell the hurt in the eyes of the skeleton before him was revealed.

Nightmare wanted to hurt him. He wanted Killer to feel the pain, the humiliation, the misery. He wanted to strike where it would hurt, then kick the wound till the playboy could feel every fraction of the agony currently spreading through his heart.

He fixed a sharp glare into Killer's eyes.

"Well, I should be grateful right!?" Nightmare spat "I'm lucky that you wanted to screw me."

"Because you think you're a drop-dead gorgeous dreamboat right!?!"

He grit his teeth as the anger hissed in agreement.

"Well, the truth is you're not!"

"You're an ugly blank-eyed freak!"

...

...

It was like someone had shot Killer.

His body felt like it had experienced blunt force trauma. He was numb and full of rippling pain all at once.

The words bounced around his skull and reverberated off of every single painful memory from his past before it settled down like a low bitter hum.

Nightmare had never been one to stray from insulting Killer....he'd done it many times, he'd called him every name under the sun. Every time, Killer had completely brushed it off, but this?

"You....."

He said numbly, in a voice that almost sounded alien to him.

If it hadn't been Nightmare... It would have hurt so much less... But Moonpie.....

It made him feel like someone had ripped out his very soul and stomped it into the ground.

"you of all people..."

Nightmare's heart stopped. As angry as he was... As full of hurt as he felt, he hadn't meant to say that...

That was over the line. He didn't know how far over... But he knew it was a lot. 

In his anguish, he'd been wanting to cause Killer as much pain as he could possibly muster, nothing had been off-limits to him. That had struck a painful nerve in Killer’s soul, he could almost sense it.

But...the satisfaction never came, upon seeing the dejected look in his eyes.

Nightmare felt suddenly torn between throwing the cheating, lying, scumbag out, and hugging him and apologising.

Surely it wasn't fair that he felt suddenly horrible... He was the wronged party here.

"I...."

Killer shook his head and turned to the door. He couldn't even look at him anymore. All his strength and drive to continue the argument was gone in an instant. This argument was over. This relationship was over.

It was all over.

He walked to the door silently and opened it. Nightmare still said nothing. The shock and pain Killer had been feeling run through him was suddenly met with a burst of anger.

"This is why everyone likes your brother better than you," he stated, before leaving, slamming the door hard.

Silence...

~~~~~~~

……

And this is where the story started. We'd started at the end.

As all the memories completely caught up to him, Killer froze in his spot and stared at the wall. He couldn't think of anything anymore, his mind was locked on the memory of Nightmare's last words to him.

Those words were a way to open a wound that never fully healed... They always felt like his soul had been ripped out and become nothing but a target for people to stab at...

How ironic.

The city seemed to fall silent outside his window. Cars no longer zoomed past, people were no longer walking on the street.

At least he was free now... He could go sleep with anyone he wanted...

"....."

He told himself to stop feeling sorry for himself... It wasn't anything he hadn't heard before... It was nothing new. It was normal, Nightmare was just... Like them...

"......"

His sofa sighed as he leaned back on it, his face hardly moving, still and frozen in a numb expression.

“Come on Killer....snap out of it... It's not that bad!” He tried to tell himself.

"you just need a good lay... That will make it all go away..."

It wasn't long before he had the number of one of his old 'friends' tapped in...but he didn't call. His finger moved to the power button and simply switched it off. He didn't want that... Not really.

A warm trickle running down his cheeks startled him and caused him to widen his eyes slightly.

Tears?... But he never cried. 

Yet even as he thought it, the tears filled his eye sockets and poured down at an uncontrollable rate.

A soft mew pulled him back to reality and he turned to see Crackers and Cheese standing on the sofa to his right.

"Hi..... babies......." he said, lifting his hand up to stroke them "Daddy's fine... He's... I'm fine...

But he wasn't, and soon the two were stood in his lap mewing.

He could say nothing else, and just stroked them in silence. His tears were quiet and didn't want to make a show of themselves. 

Killer felt it now. He was alone.

The flat was empty other than the two fur babies before him now.

In a way, both skeletons were, just as they always had been.

As Nightmare lay in a crumpled heap on his living room floor, Killer did the same on his sofa. There were no words left to say to anyone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

After days had rolled into weeks, the two skeletons licked their wounds and came out to the public on the state of affairs.

The media was in shock and the questions flew in. Everyone wanted to know every detail, but neither wanted to tell it. After the truth did come out, both were pushed into interview after interview, hoping to never have to see the other again.

Nightmare returned to his brother's flat and was pulled into a hug before even saying a word. Killer stayed alone.

Cross said nothing to him when hearing Night's side of it.

Things moved on, but both found more comfort in their solitude than anything else.

Maybe it would be for the best.

Maybe they should just stay alone.

In the end, after falling, sometimes it was easier not to get up again. 

For now, that is…

.

.

And heres the ending! its been a long time comic, so i hope you all enjoyed it.

A HUGEEEEEE thank you to the amazing @jann-the-bean who helped me while writting te spanish section of the final scene. THANK YOU SO MUCH

and also thank you to @yuriyuruandyuraart because you've been such an amazing support.

purely because i have no idea of i’ll ever write what happens next, i’ll say it here. Killer and Nightmare do get back together again, long time followers of me will know they form a poly relationship with Ccino.

that takes place just under two years after this break up. It takes a little over a year for Night and Killer to talk again, and after apologising, and sorting things out, Killer and Night go back to just sleeping together. About 5 months later Cross and Dream are engaged and Ccino starts working on the darkcream set.

maybe ill write it, maybe jan would. But for now

thank you!!!!!!