(ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS)

Cross adjusted his crutches as he pushed himself out of the car. He managed to reach his front door, his clumsiness making his lack of practice on the crutches clear. Emma, who had offered to drive Cross home, walked with him to the door.

"Is Dream home?" She asked.

Cross shook his head. "He should still be at work."

"I'm sure he'll be very delighted to see you again. See you later, yeah?"

"Yes. Thank you, Emma."

"No problem, mate. Get well soon, the animals miss you."

Cross managed to wave goodbye to Emma as she drove off. Taking in a deep breath, he made his way inside. Everything was just how it was before the accident. Not a thing had moved from its original place. That fact comforted Cross in some way.

The recovering skeleton made his way to the bedroom and sat down. He undressed, then examined his own body. Three broken ribs, five others fractured. His leg had snapped during the night of his journey back home after the accident. His upper arm had also sustained a deep crack upon impact, and his hip has been chipped.

Cross remembered how scared he was that night. The pain, the blood loss. He was convinced he would die. He remembered waking up in hospital with Dream sobbing beside him, and that he too had begun to cry. He told him that he was determined to have Dream be the last person he saw. He almost was.

Cross laid down on the bed, his limps spread over the covers, staring up at the ceiling. A familiarity of home was welcoming and comforting. He realised just how much he missed that place.

Something caught Cross' eye. The bedroom door creaked open. The injured skeleton sat up suddenly, alert as he had not heard anyone enter the house. Pain shot through him and he hunched forward, groaning.

"Oh stars!" It was Dream. He rushed into the room, dropping the metal rod he had been holding as a weapon. "I'm so sorry! Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," Cross grunted. "I didn't hear you come in."

"The front door was unlocked, so I thought... Never mind." Dream took Cross into a firm yet gentle embrace. "I'm so glad you're home."

Dream and Cross laid side by side in bed. The smaller skeleton's eyes scanned over the taller's broken body. It could have been worse, Dream told himself. It could have been so, so much worse.

"I visited Nightmare a couple days ago," Dream mumbled. "He seemed... fine."

Cross rolled onto his side and gently caressed his cheek. "Did he get to you again?"

"I think he's right. He has every right to be mad at me, because he's right."

"Perhaps..." The taller skeleton planted a kiss on the smaller's foreskull. "That doesn't mean you're a bad person, and that doesn't excuse him for what he's done."

Dream leaned in, putting his foreskull against Cross' chest and holding him close. He wanted to stay in his injured lover's arms forever. Letting him go, letting him free to danger, didn't feel like an option.

"I love you so much," Dream whispered. "So, so much."

"I love you too, Dreamy. So much."

The two skeletons exchanged a tender kiss. They savoured the warmth of the other- Felt their souls beat faster, in time with their lover.

A soft hum rumbled from Cross' throat before he pulled away. "You know, I've totally recovered enough to make love with you, if you wanted," he purred.

"Oh my god, Cross!" Dream covered his face.

Cross giggled placing another kiss on Dream's jaw. "You're adorable."

Dream groaned, very much flustered.