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As Epic made his way out of town and into the forest, he was practically giddy with excitement. Toriel had seen it on his face when he left, he was sure. He would have to come up with an excuse for her later.
He looked for a secluded area in the woods, as he always did. He tried to make sure it was a different spot most times, and that he was far enough from the road and people that he wouldn’t be seen.
He used a shortcut, exiting his universe like it wasn't insane to think about. He knew better how to get to the Doodlesphere specifically than he did before, at least since Cross had moved there.
It wasn’t supposed to be any different this time around.
He knew Ink had made Cross’ house, so it wasn’t as sterile and white as Cross might’ve wanted it to be, but Epic thought his house had character. He walked right up to Cross’ front door, up the for-some-reason-purple concrete steps, and knocked twice. Twice, and then he spammed the doorbell.
Their (very) secret code.
He heard a small crash. While loud noises were not unusual while Epic had visited in the past, mostly because they were usually caused by him, he was a tiny bit confused. But then, he saw him.
Cross had slid into view from his living room, which sat on the right of the forked hallway coming from his doorway. He had a huge grin on his face.
“DUDE,” Epic could barely hear him through the glass.
“BRUH!” he yelled back.
Cross stormed down the short hallway and threw open his door, dressed in his casual wear.
“Dude!” Cross threw his hands in the air in greeting.
“Bruh!” Epic mirrored him, and then tackled his friend to the floor. They laughed there for a moment before they got up and shut the door, Cross then leading Epic into his living room.
“So, whatcha got in here?” Epic asked him as they walked in, his hands in his pockets.
“Well, I was playing Kario Mart, which I was totally winning, as usual, and then you knocked right when I was about to switch to something else,” he explained, sitting on his small couch. It was a bit low to the ground for Epic’s taste, but he had to admit, it was a very comfortable seat.
“And what was that big crash I heard, then?” Cross flushed, and Epic snorted.
“In my defense, my floor is slippery- you of all people should know that!” his face was getting brighter by the second, a pretty pale red that Epic had always admired. He wasn’t wrong, though, Epic had been victim to slipping and falling many times thanks to the smooth flooring of Cross’ house.
Epic laughed, and dropped onto Cross’ couch with a light ‘umph’. Cross huffed in amusement, and then got up to crouch before his console.
“Okay, I picked last time, what do you wanna play?” Cross asked him, a smile on his face. Epic grinned.
They ended up playing Digcraft for the better part of the next hour, adding to their main world and playing a few minigames. Before long, another hour passed, and Cross pulled out his laptop so they could play Firegirl and Waterboy together.
Epic yawned. They had just beaten the last level of the Forest Temple, and he was slumped next to Cross, neither of them having moved much in a while.
“I’m gonna go make some food. You want anything in particular, Dude?” Epic blinked his eye open.
He hadn’t realized that he had closed them. That was dangerous.
“Uh, yeah. You have the stuff for those enchiladas you always make?” He rubbed his eye.
“Yeah, Dude! Do you want cookies?” Cross’ voice was warm, and Epic looked up at him. His expression was so kind and dare he say fond that he thought he might just implode. Of course, it would be physically impossible to implode just because he felt like he might, but that was irrelevant.
“Always,” he grinned up at his friend.
They meandered into Cross’ kitchen, which was on the other side of the forked hallway. As per their usual, Epic sat at Cross’ island counter as Cross made their food, while they chatted about everything and nothing.
“You good there, Dude? You’re seeming a little spacey today,” Cross asked once the enchiladas were cooking.
“Oh, sorry Bruh. I guess I’ve been busy.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Dude, I know you.” And the look Cross gave him then, even if he hadn’t already known it for a fact, made him wholeheartedly believe it.
He had such a nice smile.
“And I know you have trouble sleeping sometimes. So, just try to get some sleep when you get back, yeah?” For only a moment, Epic tried to come up with an excuse as to why he wouldn’t be able to. Something that wasn’t the truth.
He didn’t say anything. He stared into Cross’ eyes and he gazed back, and Epic didn’t make a sound. He couldn’t lie, not like he usually did. Maybe he did need sleep.
The beep from the oven interrupted their eye contact, and cut through the tension like a blaster. Cross sighed, and turned to take the enchiladas out.
“I…” Epic started. Cross paused, and turned his head to look at him, waiting patiently. “I’ll try. When I get back.” He felt embarrassed, and dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back. Cross was smiling.
“Thanks, Dude.”
They ate their enchiladas in silence. Not because of tension or awkwardness, but because both skeletons were lost in their minds. Cross, a contemplative silence, and Epic, a sleepy quiet.
“You wanna watch a movie?” Cross’ voice brought Epic back to his surroundings.
“Yeah, sure.”
Cross picked out the movie, an old anime movie that somehow neither of them had heard of before. It was interesting, but Epic didn’t even notice when he started to drift.
Cross smiled at the head snoozing on his shoulder. He waited, and when he figured Epic had really fallen asleep, he shifted his friend into his lap and threw the couch blanket over him.
He needed a good rest.
_______________________________________________________________
“EPIC!” A voice, a familiar voice nearly echoed through his skull. He gasped and opened his right eye, feeling the magic still burning in his left.
He was panting. Sweat dripped down his skull, and made his sweater uncomfortable against his back. His eyes swept the room.
He almost didn’t recognize where he was. It was Cross’ living room. Cross’ house was like a second home to him, but he had never fallen asleep there before.
It took him a moment to register the two hands cupping his face.
He looked up at Cross, who was staring very intensely at him. He looked so worried, Epic just wanted to wipe the look off of his face.
A finger wiped away at a stray tear on his face. They weren’t unusual, but he was always surprised by them. Epic’s eye finally stopped burning out his socket, and he closed it. Cross pulled him into a hug. He couldn’t help but bury his face into his friend’s shoulder.
At some point between starting the movie and waking up, Epic had been laid down and covered in a blanket. It was always hard to tell what time it was supposed to be in the Doodlesphere, but the lights were off around them. Cross’ phone sat on the coffee table, a paused movie on the screen. The TV was off.
They sat there for a short while before Epic couldn’t sit there anymore, and gingerly pulled away from his friend. He turned away from Cross.
He could feel Cross’ eyelights on him, boring into his soul and being.
“Are- are you okay, Dude? I won’t make you talk, but tell me if you’re okay, please,” Cross finally said, his voice soft. It still shattered the quiet that had engulfed them.
Epic didn’t speak for several moments.
“I… I promise I’ll tell you everything eventually. I’m okay now.”
Cross didn’t respond for a moment. He heard him shift, and felt the cushions sink closer to him than before.
“Can I hug you again?” Cross’ voice cracked, and Epic’s soul squeezed painfully. He leaned back against the couch cushions and dragged Cross with him.
“Hey Bruh?” He asked once the silence had again settled over them.
“Yeah Dude?”
“Thanks, Bruh.”
“Always, Dude.”