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Cross groaned as he flopped onto his bed. He was so tired. Physically and mentally. Today just hadn't been a good day for him. Nightmare had been sending him and the other Bad Sanses on so many missions as of lately. Something about "Dream being a little shit and spreading more positivity." He was honestly too tired to care. He didn't have the energy to argue or do anything besides take whatever assignments were given without complaint. Cross sighed deeply into his pillow. Maybe it would be better if he stayed in bed for the rest of the night. No one would bother him here. No one would care about him. Just let him sleep off his exhaustion. That's all Cross wanted anyway. Just sleep off his exhaustion. He closed his eyes and thought about everything that happened today.
There was suddenly a knock at the door. "Hey, Criss-Cross~!" called out a voice. An annoying voice. "What do you want, Killer?" Cross responded. Killer laughed, "Not much of an answer. I'm coming in~!" Cross groaned. Killer walked inside the room. "What do you want, Killer...? I'm not in the mood for shit..." Cross groaned. "Oh? Then why are you still awake then, little guy?" Killer asked. "Don't call me that. Why don't you go Nightmare?" Cross growled. "No can do!" Killer responded with an annoying grin. At least, Cross thought it was.
"Come on~! Nightmare wants to have a little chat with you~!" Killer exclaimed before grabbing Cross by the hood of his jacket and dragging him out of the room. Cross struggled against Killer's grasp, but there was no use. Even with all of his might, Cross couldn't fight back against the force of Killer's will. That and was to tired to give a fuck. So, he just let himself be dragged. Once they got to Nightmare's office, Killer released Cross from his grasp. Cross looked up at Killer angrily. "Thank you, Killer. You're dismissed." Nightmare said sitting at his desk.
As soon as Killer left the room, Cross kneeled like he usually did. "You needed me, boss?" Cross asked. "Yes. I've noticed you've seemed more sluggish. Care to explain?" Nightmare questioned. Cross shrugged, "Nothing to explain. I've just... been over-exerting myself during training." Cross lied. He hated lying to Nightmare, but it's easier than telling him the truth. "That is true." Nightmare commented. "You do tend to overwork yourself so you can be better. But that's not what the problem is. is it?" Nightmare questioned once more. Cross sighed. "I'm fine, boss. Don't worry about it, okay? There isn't any problem." Cross responded. Nightmare frowned.
"That's enough lying, Cross. I want the truth, and I'm going to get the truth. Now, as your boss and king, I'm ordering you to tell me what's wrong." Nightmare said in a strict tone. "Boss, I really don't want to-" Cross started. "I am your king and you will obey me. Now, speak!" Nightmare ordered. Cross sighed. This was harder than Cross thought. Cross could tell Nightmare wasn't going to drop this anytime soon. It'd be best if he just told him the truth. "Fine," Cross sighed. "I haven't been sleeping well. Nor eating well. The missions you give us have been more frequent and such. I also wasn't completely lying when I said I've been overtraining. I guess I've just been... tired." Nightmare nodded. "Have you taken any time to rest in the past week?" Nightmare inquired. Cross shook his head. Nightmare scowled. "Alright. That settles it," he said. "Settles what?" Cross asked. Nightmare glared at Cross.
"I need you to stop working so hard, Cross. Not only that, you're clearly putting more pressure than usual on yourself. You need to take a break. If not, I'll be forced to put you on some sort of mandatory break. Am I understood?" Nightmare asked. Cross nodded. "Understood, boss," he replied. "Good. Now get out of my sight," Nightmare said dismissively. Cross stood up and turned around. "Goodbye, Boss," Cross said before walking out of the room. Cross sighed again. Damnit. This was exactly why Cross was avoiding telling anyone about what was wrong. He hated resting. It felt too weird. Too unnatural. Cross knew it wasn't a healthy state of mind to be in but he couldn't help it. He was raised and trained to push himself. To be the very best he can be. He had to be perfect. But sometimes... he couldn't help the nagging thoughts in his head reminding him how weak he actually was. And even though Cross didn't ever show it in front of others, it was still there. He tried not to dwell on it, but sometimes, he found himself thinking about it more than he should be. Maybe... Nightmare was right. Maybe he did need a break…
Cross noticed something vibrating in his pocket and realized it was his phone. Who could it be? He didn't bother checking and picked up. "Hello?" Cross answered. He was met with the sound of a rubber chicken. "Hey! What's up, Bruh?!" Cross recognized that voice. "Hey, Epic. How are ya?" Cross said. "What? No "dude?" You down in the dumps or something?" Epic asked. Cross chuckled. "Something like that..." He mumbled. He heard someone laugh. "That makes sense! What's up?" Epic asked. Cross sighed. "Well.. you know what happens when we're assigned missions and missions." He said.
Epic hummed. "Tired?" he asked. "Yeah. Pretty much." Cross admitted. "Wanna hang out? Maybe the amusement park?" Epic suggested. Cross hesitated. "Nightmare wants me to rest. Get some sleep and stuff." Cross explained. "But Bruh, you hate resting," Epic said confused. "Yeah, I know," Cross responded. "Well, how about, I come visit you? It'll be like a sleepover!" Epic suggested again. Cross thought about it. It wouldn't hurt to have an excuse to have Epic over. "Sure, dude. I'd love to." Cross agreed. "Awesome! See ya later, Bruh!" Epic cheered excitedly before hanging up. Cross rolled his eye lights at Epic's antics. But he did appreciate his dude's support.
Cross had played Minecraft with Epic, as well as binge-watching an anime Cross was interested in, watching movies with popcorn, and other things you'd do at a sleepover. Cross and Epic ran down the hallway, laughing. They had put salt in Killer's orange juice as a prank. They quickly went back to Cross's room and collapsed onto the bed, laughing. "Bruh, that was amazing!" Epic exclaimed. Cross chuckled. "It was pretty fun, dude." He said, nodding in agreement. The two boys laid in silence for a few minutes.
Finally, after Cross had calmed down, he spoke. "Hey... Epic?" Cross called. "Hm? Yeah, Bruh?" Epic replied. "Thanks for hanging out with me today. I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to sleep well tonight. Or, well... I hope I get lucky enough to fall asleep." Cross chuckled. Epic grinned. "No problemo, Bruh! Anytime." He said. They were quiet for another few moments before Epic decided to break the silence. "So... you wanna talk about it yet?" Epic asked quietly. Cross hesitated for a bit before finally sighing. "Not really," Cross groaned. "But it's better if I do." Epic and Cross sat against the headboard of Cross's bed before Epic broke the quiet. "You got the floor, Bruh." Cross nodded and took a deep breath.
His eyelight darted around the room before landing on Epic, who gave him a reassuring look. Cross closed his eyes, trying to focus. "It happened a few days ago," Cross began softly. Epic nodded for him to continue. "We were doing one of those missions Nightmare gives us. I was with Horror on the mission. He was able to hold his own against Dream. Meanwhile, I was getting my ass kicked by Blue. We had to retreat because of me..." He said sadly. "...I was exhausted when we got back. All I wanted to do was lie down on my bed. I just wanted everything to end. So, I took a shower and crashed into my bed. I tried sleeping but... as per usual, I had those nightmares again..."
"The ones about X-Gaster?" Geno asked. Cross nodded and continued. "They woke me up... and they weren't letting up.And when I woke up, I could feel his presence crawling up my.... I couldn't stop shaking, Man. It felt so real. It feels like every nightmare I had came true. It almost made me believe... that X-Gaster was here with me. So, I avoided sleeping. And... I also started skipping meals again so I could keep training. And that lead to overworking myself. And... that's really what's been happening these past few days."
Epic nodded. "Damn, Bruh..." he mumbled. "Man... I mean, hell, no wonder you're tired! Those nightmares must have seriously messed with your head. Especially considering how strong your willpower is... If that's how bad it has gotten... then maybe you really need to rest." Cross sighed. You know I hate resting. I don't like not being useful." Cross said. "Dude, you aren't useless. You just need to relax once in a while," Epic argued. "And stop overworking yourself. You've never been good at taking breaks. Heck, you haven't even been taking breaks recently!" Epic pointed out.
Cross sighed. "I have a hard time falling asleep." Cross pointed out. "No worries, Bruh. Allow me to take care of it," Epic stated. "You sure you're comfortable doing that, dude?" Cross asked. "Of course I am! After all, you're my friend. And friends help each other out when needed. Right?" Epic asked. "True," Cross admitted with a shrug. "Cool. Be right back," Epic said before teleporting away. Cross sighed and laid down in bed. He stared up at the ceiling. Soon, Epic teleported back into the room. He had a few items and began placing them. He handed Cross a cup of hot green tea, placed a weighted blanket on his shoulders, and a white noise machine on his bedside. "What exactly are those for?" Cross questioned.
"To calm you down. It helps you fall asleep faster." Epic explained. Cross nodded, accepting the items. "Thank you." He murmured. "No prob, Bruh," Epic replied. Cross sipped his tea and sighed. "Do you mind if I stay awake and watch TV with you until you fall asleep?" Epic asked. "Go ahead," Cross told him. Epic smiled. "Cool," he said. Epic turned on a random movie and wrapped himself in a different blanket as he watched the movie. Within 30 minutes, Epic felt Cross lean on his shoulder. He looked down and noticed Cross was out cold. "Aw, Bruh," he said gently.
He gently pulled the blankets tighter around him. "Sleep well, Dude," he whispered as he took Cross's cup and set it next to the noise machine. He set the noise machine to "soft thunderstorm sounds" before slowly laying Cross down and tucking him in. Once he was done, he turned off the lamp and lay down beside Cross. He then cuddled up next to him. After a couple of minutes, Epic drifted off to sleep.