Work Text:
When Nightmare and Error finally figured out how to express their feelings to one another like the (supposedly) mature, centuries old monsters they were…
Honestly Cross had expected to feel jealous. Not… whatever this warmth bubbling up in his soul was.
He felt… happy. Sickeningly so, as the half of his soul that had once been Chara supplied - which was odd, the second identity had long since merged into his completely. Well, almost completely, he supposed, if Chara actually had a separate voice in there still.
Cross wasn't jealous when he entered the dining hall, not when he sat a few seats away from the head of the table, where Nightmare was saying something too soft for Cross to hear and Error was sitting to his left, making a noise entirely reminiscent of old computer pop ups that would tell you your device had crashed, blushing bright yellow.
Hatchet really was amazing at cooking and breakfast was as good as always. Cross sometimes felt bad that Hatchet did most of the cooking but… uh… it wasn't like Cross would be any help at all with that, and Dust was, so he didn't worry too much. Hatchet didn't tend to overwork himself like Nightmare, who Cross glanced over to. Nightmare was actually blushing and Error looked proud of himself.
Cross wasn't jealous at all when he passed the couple in one of the hallways - and in such a ridiculously big castle the chances of that were slim - holding hands. Error and Nightmare were holding hands. Cross couldn't bring himself to be anything but pleased to see that.
Though they'd pulled away from the contact quickly. Too much contact for Error, Cross supposed, since the glitch hadn't exactly noticed Cross yet at that point.
And while Cross wasn't about to admit it, entering the throne room and. As an aside, Cross was still struggling to understand why they needed such a big place. He chalked it up to Nightmare's eccentricities, of course, but like… why.
Back to this particular encounter, Cross entered the throne room and rather than an oddly goopy skeleton on the throne, it was Error. Error was chatting happily away about the latest overly dramatic development from undernovella. Nightmare was sat at the head of the table in there with a lot of paperwork around him. Cross would probably have been concerned about the size of the piles except that he'd seen Nightmare with a lot more and knew Error had convinced Nightmare to sleep last night. By using Nightmare's lack of sleep to excuse his own. To which Nightmare had pouted and agreed to sleep - if only to convince Error to do the same. It had also taken a considerably large chocolate bribe.
Cross had been playing some videogame with Killer in the lounge this had taken place in at the time, and they had both weighed in that two of the oldest outcodes … definitely needed to sleep for once in their lives.
Anyway, back to how not jealous Cross felt. There was definitely a hint of it, but the distance Cross had made prevented Nightmare sensing that. Well, if his happiness hadn't drowned it out. Because again, it was such an insignificant amount of jealousy.
… Wait
Nightmare, who could sense emotions.
There was no way Nightmare didn't know that Cross…
Oh stars-
Nightmare had to know Cross loved him. He had to. Cross was careful to bury as much of it as he could but Nightmare could feel everyone's emotions. That was kind of one of his abilities for fucks sake.
Cross was officially an idiot, Nightmare definitely knew. Nightmare knew Cross loved him. Nightmare had just looked up from his paperwork to smile at him.
Unsure how to continue existing and somewhat mortified, Cross sat down on the floor. And one of Nightmare's tentacles? Tendrils? The appropriate word for Nightmare's extra limbs escaped most people it seemed. One reached all the way across the massive room to pat Cross on the head fondly.
"Uh… how's the- paperwork?" Cross said awkwardly. Idiot. He'd nearly asked about the weather.