Of course Nightmare had to get arrested. Of course he had to get dragged to JR on Nova's birthday, of all days. Nearly two decades of staying out of jail, and the most simple mistake of stepping into view of a single camera. 

At least Cross is with him, Nightmare thought miserably, staring at the ceiling above the stiff cot. Of all the cells Nightmare had been in over the course of his life, he could at least say this one was fairly comfortable; there weren't any weird stains or puddles on the ground, and the cot, while stiff, had clean sheets, a pillow, and a blanket. 

That wasn't to say he wanted to be here. If Nightmare had a choice, he would never have been here. He had a son to worry about, after all. A son he'd managed to stay out of jail for for all nineteen years of his life. 

All it took was one camera, and that was over. At the very least he'd seen Cross dragging Nova through a portal before he was tackled to the ground, which meant Nova was safe. And to Nightmare, that was all that had mattered in that moment. 

Didn't mean it made the terrified look in Nova's eyes any easier to see, or remember. 

Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, and Nightmare sat up. They didn't sound right; the guards of JR were perfectly trained, their steps slow and methodical, unless there was a damn good reason to speed up. These footfalls were the sound of someone sprinting as fast as their legs could take them. Faster than the average human should be able to run.

Nightmare knew what he was going to see, but the sight of Nova (in a very good illusion, but Nightmare would always recognize his son) sprinting down the hall towards him still made his stomach drop. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" He demanded, rushing to meet Nova at the cell door. "Where's Cross?" 

"She's distracting them," Nova said, tugging out the lock picks Nightmare had given him a few years ago. "She said she'd be better at it than me." 

The dodging of the first question wasn't lost to Nightmare, but he disregarded it for now. He could tell Nova how stupid of an idea this was (and chew out Cross for letting Nova help) once they were both out of here. Distracting his son seemed like a bad idea, so Nightmare tried to focus on keeping watch instead. 

It was hard to stay calm when his son— his son— was standing inside JR, eyes narrowed as he worked. If Nightmare had a choice. he never would have seen this. Nova should have happily spent his life far from Dream's influence, never having to risk a face-to-face meeting. 

I'm a fucking idiot for getting caught. If I hadn't gotten arrested, he wouldn't be here right now.

The click of the lock turning made Nightmare twitch out of his mental spiral. Nova jumped to his feet, wings fluttering quietly under the illusion. With the magic suppressors down, Nightmare could sense excitement and anxiety in equal measure. "C'mon," he said, darting out of the cell. His hand wrapped around Nova's wrist and he started to drag him down familiar hallways; at the very least, he knew these never changed in JR. Not without good reason, at least. "Where's Cross?"

Nova stumbled after him, but quickly recovered and kept pace easily enough— the advantage of being tall as shit, Nightmare thought. "She— she said she was going to the other side of the compound." He paused to gasp for breath as Nightmare continued to move as fast as possible through the maze of cells. "Said it'd be easier if she distracted them and I came to get you." 

Smart, Nightmare thought, even if he didn't like the . Nova was fast and strong, but Cross was indisputably more experienced in actual combat, which her distractions tended to turn into. And with his illusions, Nova was infinitely more likely to get to Nightmare and get him out without drawing attention. 

Now they just had to get out. Which was looking decently possible, given the lack of people around; Cross' distraction must be working wonders. So long as she doesn't get arrested, Nightmare thought. We'll be fine. 

And then alarms started to blare. Nova stumbled in surprise, but Nightmare just tightened his grip on the boy's wrist and continued dragging him, putting on an extra burst of speed. 

The exit door loomed before them, and Nightmare shoved it open so hard the heavy metal door slammed against its hinges, dangerously close to breaking. 

A handful of guards were at the entrance, who all straightened and readied weapons when Nightmare and Nova burst out. Feeling his magic surge back into his body, Nightmare summoned his staff, and saw the sparks of Nova summoning a short sword. And then the guards were on them, and Nightmare's mind went blank. 

There was no time to think, barely time to react. Nightmare kept one eye on Nova, trying to take the brunt of the fight on himself; seeing Nova fighting for his life like this was making his blood roar in his ears, every movement feeling both spontaneous and carefully planned to keep the attention on him. 

And then, while his staff was holding back one guard's spear, Nightmare caught a glimpse of golden wings. Dream, he thought as his heart leapt into his throat. Dream was here, and he was coming for Nightmare. 

Nightmare didn't have time to move his staff, and even if he did the guard's spear was still a threat at his front. A curse slipped from his mouth before he could think. 

Another flash of golden feathers, this time striped with black. 

Nova's sword caught Dream's with a flash of magic sparks and a screech of metal. "Leave my papa alone!" Nova shouted, wings flaring wide to make him seem even bigger than he already was. It took all of Nightmare's self control not to step back from the rage rising off Nova like the heat off a fire. 

Nightmare couldn't see Dream's face on account of trying not to die to the other people he was fighting, but he could feel the confusion, the long moment of blank thought that seemed like the perfect place for a what the fuck? Dream was of course too proper and too frozen to say that, though. 

He managed to stay frozen while Nightmare kicked the guard he was fighting away, darted to Nova, and yanked him back. "C'mon!" He shouted, bolting away from the wheezing guard and the frozen Dream.

As soon as they were far enough no one could catch up in time, Nightmare threw open a portal. Him and Nova tumbled through, and he instinctively tried to take the brunt of the fall. It didn't work very well, considering Nova was about half a foot taller and also had giant wings, but the attempt was there. 

It took several minutes for Nightmare to calm down enough for a portal home, and about ten more before Cross came racing through a portal of her own, hair disheveled and the light of adrenaline in her eyes. Nightmare noted the blood on her jacket and walked away to grab the medical supplies.