Chapter Text
“WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME?!”
Nexus cried out, their entire body engulfed in the flames of Sun’s fireball.
The agony was unbearable-they felt their metal melt off of their endoskeleton, the plastic of their faceplate oozing off as they desperately clawed at the ground, trying to escape the ever burning blaze that had taken over their body.
All they could see through the fire was Sun’s face, tears streaking down as he watched his handiwork play out with a look of horror.
“NEXUS!”
The lunar animatronic jolted out of her sleep, falling off of Lunar’s bed as she did so.
“Nexus, please let me come in…”
As Nexus slowly came out of the horrific daze that was her nightmare, she realized that it was Sun who was talking to her.
She took a moment to ground herself. She was in Lunar’s room-
Well, it wasn’t really their room. More so just where they slept when they were here. The bed was really just an, admittedly comfortable, couch. It was a game room, so there was no room for a bed, anyways.
“You can come in, Sun.”
Nexus said, adjusting her voicebox slightly as she spoke.
Sun opened the door to the room.
He walked in with a concerned expression, though, he was still wearing his gray pajama pants and cat sleep shirt, which made Nexus suppress a smile.
“Are you alright, Nex? It’s, like, 3 in the morning…”
“Is it?”
Nexus checked her internal clock, and, well enough, it was 3:07 AM.
Huh.
“Have you been up this entire time?”
Sun asked, clearly worried.
“What? No. Sun, I’m not Moon. My sleep schedule isn’t that fucked.”
Sun sighed, rolling his eyes. Nexus could see a hint of a smile, though.
“Well, I heard yelling, so I came downstairs, and Solar and Moon were about to come down-”
“Buuuuuuuuuuut you convinced them to go to sleep and do it yourself.
Because that’s what you always do.”
Sun sat down on the floor, next to Nexus.
“Nightmares?”
He asked, speaking softly, as if he raised his voice, something would break.
Nexus looked at Sun for a second, weighing telling her brother of her dreams.
Finally, she nodded.
Sun sighed, nodding along.
“Me, too.
...What’s yours?”
“Me if I was still…
You know…”
Nexus cut herself off.
“…You?”
Sun considered for a moment.
“…July 16th.”
Nexus winced. She knew that day was a sore topic for Sun, but having nightmares of it…at least hers were made-up fantasies. She never stayed with Dark Sun, she never actually killed anyone.
But Sun…
Nexus leaned onto her brother.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not like it’s your fault. You were never even there.
You came after that.”
“Still sucks.”
Sun gave a small, tired laugh.
“You know it’s not real, right?
The nightmares?
You’re here now, not wherever your dreams say you are.”
“I know, I know.
It’s just…
It feels so real.
Like I could have…ended up like that.
If I hadn’t come to you.”
“I think we came to you, Nex.”
“Same difference.”
Sun smiled, rolling his eyes.
“In all seriousness…
You aren’t that person.
You’re my sister.
You’re getting better, you know?”
Nexus glanced at her crutches, leaned against the bed.
“It doesn’t feel that way, though.
It feels like I’m the same person.
Like I could hurt you again.”
“Cause you could.
If you wanted to.
So could I.
And Moon, and Solar, and Monty, and Lunar, and Earth.
The important thing is that we all choose not to.
We choose to protect each other instead.”
Sun held Nexus’ hand in his, rubbing her thumb with his soothingly.
“And we always will.”
Sun stood up, pulling Nexus up with him, and helping her maneuver onto the bed once again.
“Get some sleep, Nex.
I’ll see you in the morning.”
Nexus smiled softly.
“G’night, Sun.”
She drifted off to sleep almost as soon as Sun closed the door to the game room behind him.