Work Text:
Once upon a time, the prince of darkness fell in love with a delicate princess who lived in a realm unfamiliar to his own.
She wasn't from a universe drowned in negative emotions, a place where he'd be comfortable in. She wasn't from a perfect world either, which his brother would love. No… hers was a mundane universe. A universe where monsters had peacefully integrated with humans after escaping the barrier. Sure there was some friction between humans and monsters, but nothing noteworthy to a being like him who liked to feed on the hatred they harboured in the universes where war between humans and monsters started anew.
Really. Her universe was nothing interesting. She shouldn't have been anyone interesting. A boring world that he'd only pass by because it was in the way.
And yet.
In this dull, boring world… she seemed to glow. It wasn't the kind of glaring light like the ones where everyone seemed to be happy. Hers was… gentle. Comforting. Even to a being like him who despises anything resembling good emotions. It was soft, like a little firefly in the night. Flickering… as if she was calling someone.
He was just curious. Like looking at an empty landscape and seeing one peculiar thing standing out. Hardly anything to focus his attentions on. He wanted to take a look, give the little thing a nightmare or two to feed, and go home.
He thought himself to be the most dangerous being in the multiverse. Able to bring down many monsters that have committed atrocious acts of violence down to their knees, at his mercy.
So confident… he didn't realize he had gotten himself entangled in the invisible spider web you've crafted. The sweet, soft thing that trapped his mind, unable to escape your charm. And you didn't even know he existed.
Eventually, the prince of nightmares had enough. This was what you did to him, distracting him from what he was supposed to do- supposed to be . You had a special, terrible kind of magic that brought all of his attention to you.
He made sure you'd pay for it; he revealed himself to you one night claiming you to be his bride, and stole you away from your home to his dark castle.
You fought and struggled. He found it amusing. He's defeated so many dangerous beings without breaking a sweat, darling, and here you were clawing and batting at him like a kitten.
He loved how easily he could just… squeeze you until it overwhelmed you and you begged for him to stop. He played with you like a toy, he adored your cries and pleas, squirming and kicking.
… But after a while… he found the taste of your fighting to be bitter. He loved playing with you, but you didn't give anything else to him. You'd look away from him when he came to see you. Your eyes were red from when you cried, wet and glossy. You stopped fighting after a while looking at him with fear, telling him to please don't … you were suspicious of when he was gentle with you.
He made a mistake, and he realized too late. He couldn’t enjoy your struggles when that’s all you ever give him. Your cries and squirming away… even when he tried to fix it, your light was still faded.
You weren’t happy.
And he realized, if you weren’t happy, neither was he.
So with a heavy soul, one day… he decided to return you. Such a gentle thing such as yourself didn’t deserve to be drowned in the misery of his darkness. You deserved something better… someone better than him.
You were confused when he led you to your bedroom, in your world. It looks exactly the same as it did when you left it. He held your face so tenderly, and apologized to you. He knows it can’t make up for what he did to you… but that was all he could say. He promised not to haunt you ever again. He took whatever darkness he could from your soul, so you could have a dreamless night. Before he left, he asked if he could have one last kiss… and to his surprise, you gave it to him.
It was so… soft. So warm. It was nicer than anything he’d ever had in his life- even before he fell into the unrelenting darkness.
It took incredible strength and willpower before he could pull himself away from you. The prince quickly phased into the shadows and back to his little pocket dimension.
He wailed for days on end, his soul crying for you, and he’d have to hold himself back from jumping straight through a rip in space into your room to embrace you. He couldn’t, not after what he’d done. He’d promise you that you wouldn’t have to see him again. He’s caused so much pain already.
The prince tried to forget about the princess. And after some time passed, he managed to convince himself that he didn’t care for her anymore.
But deep down he knew; he was lying.
That kiss…
The memory lingers. The feeling of your soft, sweet lips against his teeth… how your breaths fanned over his face, small like a bunny’s.
Even when you’re not doing anything, you were so cute.
Nightmare lays down on his throne the wrong way; with his middle in the seat, using one handle as a headrest and the other for his legs. It’s not especially comfortable, but Nightmare can’t find it in himself to care much. This feeling of… longing and aching in his chest, stubbornly clinging to him, was far more uncomfortable than his sitting position.
Once again his mind had drifted back to thoughts of you. He doesn’t remember how long it’s been since he’s sent you back to your own universe. He doesn’t keep count.
He doesn’t want to think about how long it’s been since he’s uprooted himself from your life.
There’s no use thinking about it. She’ll never see me again. I’ll make sure she won’t.
And he has no business thinking about you anymore when there’s no point.
… So why is he holding onto that necklace you ‘lost’...?
Nightmare sighs as he throws it into the air and catches it with his other hand, letting the little golden chains spill down his fingers.
He had taken a page out of Error’s book, and opened a window into your world. He promised himself it had nothing to do with his attachment to you. He just wanted to make sure you were alright, that you were recovering. It’s his fault he hurt you… so it makes sense that he’d have to make up for it by making sure you were safe. No, it wasn’t part of his original promise to you, but it was only fair to you. If anything happened, he’d be there to step in and help somehow. Even if that’d include him sending you off to his brother or something like that… he had to repay you.
But then the itch to see how you were doing kept creeping up on him, and he told himself, as long as I don’t interfere in her life, it’s fair.
And one day he saw you drop something on your way home and didn’t turn around for it. He took it, naturally. If you didn’t come back and pick it up, someone would. It might get thrown away. It was innocent enough, he didn’t steal it… he was just safekeeping it for you.
Then he started to notice you ‘losing’ more of your stuff and… now he has a little chest full of little trinkets of yours. Things you probably don’t care for too much because you never seemed too upset about losing it; though you did seem unhappy about losing the necklace.
(It fell under your bed. To be fair, Nightmare had waited for you to look under it, but you never did. He’s not stealing.)
Nightmare’s single cyan light glances to the side, where the black and gold chest sits innocently.
“... I’m a fucking disgrace.” He says to no one. All of his subordinates were either in their respective universes or hopping around them. They had been quite suspicious of his lack of motivation, but didn’t question him when he gave them this ‘extended break’.
“don’t look the gift monster in the tentacle?”
He’s been told the “Dream Team” had questioned his lack of activity as well, but no one knows the answer.
He can’t let them know. He’s an utter embarrassment to everyone, including himself.
He lets out a long drawn sigh, deflating in his throne and letting his skull hang back awkwardly over the support of his throne. His fist closes tighter around your necklace, and his fingers dig into the side of his throne.
Why can’t I stop thinking about you?
He’s itching. Itching to jump straight into your room and hug you. He can’t stand it- he needs to be with you.
I can’t. Stop that.
Nightmare kicks himself off the throne and almost throws your necklace on the floor out of frustration; but one glint of the golden locket and he sighs, putting it down on the throne gently before he starts pacing around the throne room. Now with nothing to fidget with, his fingers flex before he puts them behind him.
He’d tried to drown himself in work, but he was too testy to properly get anything done. He couldn’t even work towards a goal, and his behaviors were getting the attention of his subordinates. He tried going aimlessly from universe to universe to drown himself in negativity, but it did nothing to draw his thoughts away from you. He keeps thinking about the fear in your eyes whenever he feeds on nightmares.
Which is what led to now. The prince is reduced to a monster stuck in his own dimension, in his own uncomfortable body, longing for his princess but knowing he shouldn’t have her.
… Nevertheless, his will caves and he opens another window into your house. He always made sure that he wasn’t seeing anything he’s supposed to see by looking from the outside.
He could see you by your bedroom window. It’s night time and your curtains were closed, but he could see your silhouette dancing across it.
Nightmare waved his hand, the scenery shifting into the bedroom with you. You looked so comfy and cozy… settled in your fluffy blanket that squished against your cheeks. It wasn’t that late yet, you shouldn’t be sleeping yet; he guesses you probably just got home from a long day and are just laying in bed for a while.
He wanted to be in that bed with you… N-not in a sexual way or anything. He just… wanted to feel how warm it was, under the covers with you. Maybe he could have you against his chest, his arms surrounding you, and he could watch over your shoulder what you were doing with your phone. Kiss the side of your face, your neck… nuzzle into your back.
Nightmare sighs longingly, not realizing his eyelight had embarrassingly turned into a heart.
Even if you were the one causing all these conflicting emotions, this aching in his chest, he wasn’t angry at you; not like he was before. Who can blame a monster like him for falling in love with someone as lovely as you?
You’ve stopped scrolling through whatever it was on your phone ( What were you doing? Social media? Chatting with a friend? I wish I was a part of your life.) and now you’re standing up and walking out the door.
He watches your back get further and further into the hallway. It’s as if with each step, you’re tugging on his soul.
Before he can stop himself, he’s reaching out through the window that has turned into a doorway, and now he’s standing in your room.
No. Stop this right now. He tells himself as he steps into the middle of the room. You haven’t ruined anything. You can go back right now, before she realized you were ever here.
But Nightmare doesn’t turn around. The ring of darkness shimmers for a while before it shrinks into nothingness, and he looks around your room.
He takes a deep breath… starting to shake. He can smell you in this room, that sweet fragrance that smells like a field of flowers to him that somehow persisted despite him having you captive in his dreary castle. He runs his fingers over your blanket. It’s still a bit warm under it, where you were laying on the bed.
I really shouldn’t be doing this. He thinks as he picks up your pillow and presses it to his face. I’m being a fucking creep. This is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do, dickhead.
He puts it back down and turns to your shelves by the window. There are worn books slotted in, some pictures. Despite the anguish in his soul, he still smiles when he sees your face. There are many cute little trinkets adorning the top, some of which glimmer in the light. Boxes of various colours, with a hint of a letter sticking out. Your walls are decorated with various posters, hanging plushies and origami. His single socket lids, and he sits down on your bed, admiring how homey you’ve made your room. He could see a piece of you in everything you put here.
… Maybe… maybe he should put the things he found back here to surprise y-
“Nightmare?”
He stood up so fast he almost knocked his skull against your shelf, turning around in the blink of an eye.
The sight of you actually seeing him, he-
“I’m sorry.” He says emphatically, accidentally kicking your shelf, turning around and awkwardly positioning himself away from it. “I didn’t mean to… I know I shouldn’t be here. I promised I’d never bother you again, and I broke that promise. I’m so… so sorry, I- ... I’ll leave now.”
He turns around and almost throws himself into the corner, starting to melt through the fabrics of space, but your cry caught his attention.
“W-wait! Don’t leave!”
He stops.
“P-please… don’t go.” Your voice almost goes too quiet for him to hear- luckily for you, he’d always give attention to every word you speak. “Stay.”
… Maybe it’s because Nightmare was so desperate to cling to any chance he’d have of being with you, that it overpowered his guilt and will to stay away from you. Or maybe he’s just the same terrible monster he always was, and he’s staying here just to torment you.
What’s wrong with me.
“Y… yes..?” He says, turning around to you again, holding his hands like a chastised schoolboy.
He can’t feel it through all the sludge dripping down his body, but he’s sure his palms are sweating.
You approach the bed, your arms out, trying to calm him down, eyes making sure he’s standing.
It’s ridiculous. Here you were, approaching him like he’s some kind of scared animal that’s going to scamper away if you move too fast. As if he wasn’t the multiverse-spanning terror of a monster he was- like he couldn’t end your life in a fraction of a second.
… Honestly, though… you could end him if you pushed away right now; while he’s secretly hoping that you actually want him to stay, that you… want to see him .
Really, you’re the one holding power over him.
“Y… you’re not going to run away, right?” You ask carefully, trying to reach for him. His single eyelight watches your hand as if it were holding a knife.
Nightmare swallows. “Not… if you don’t want me to go.”
“Good, because I want you to stay.”
He gasps when you’ve reached his side on your bed, and grabbed his wrist. It’s so… small compared to his. The warmth of your skin sent sparks through his bones and into his skull, so intense it almost makes him dizzy. He’s as compliant as a puppet as you move him towards the side of the bed closer to the door, and sit him there.
He almost whines when you let go of him.
“Do you want some tea…?” you ask awkwardly, nervously. “I just started boiling the water, if you wanted some.”
There’s a few beats of silence as Nightmare breaks himself out from his stupor, shaking his head.
“I think-” Nightmare coughs after his voice had embarrassingly cracked. “I think that sounds nice.”
His soul pounds a bit harder when you give him a small, shy smile, turning your back to him as you go down the hallway.
… His grin falls after you leave. Even though you were the one calming him down and currently trying to show you were fine, he could tell you weren’t exactly ok. He saw the ways your hands shook in the slightest, the knitting of your brows. The sight of him must’ve been a shock to you, just standing there in the middle of your room. The literal monster of your nightmares. You were scared of him, and yet you made him stay. Why…?
Because you’re an angel, of course you’d want to make tea for your tormenter. Your light was always so vibrant, even a monster like me couldn’t stay away from you.
He squeezes his hands and grits his teeth, thinking about all those times he’d laugh cruelly while you struggled in his tentacles, declaring how helpless you are against him, that you could never escape him.
He covers his face in shame. He can’t believe you’re- making tea for him , any sane person would’ve thrown that kettle of boiling water to his face, screaming for him to go away. You’re just too good for him, and he’s horrible for being so desperate for you.
His soul just won’t listen to him and leave you be…
He hears your soft footsteps back in the hallway, and the smell of hot jasmine tea. He peeks through his fingers, seeing you walk carefully so as to not spill the tea.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t ask what tea you liked, or if you like it sweet… I brought a sugar cube if you want?” You say, as casual as you would to an acquaintance.
He doesn’t understand how you could be as relaxed as you are right now.
“I don’t think I deserve sweetness,” Nightmare jokes, reaching for the tea.
“Um… does that mean you want it, or..? B-be careful, it’s hot,” you fluster when he reaches for the cup, holding it by the body, away from your fingers on the handle.
“I think you’ve forgotten that bones don’t feel temperature like you do- especially ones covered in black gunk like mine does.” Nightmare smiles, taking a sip.
He doesn’t remember tasting something so.. delicate. He can taste a sweet floral, and he inhales the aromatic steam. It starts to calm his nerves a little, just focusing on the smell and flavors while you sit on the bed next to him.
He hasn’t exactly eaten the best things while he lamented his loss. In fact, he’s barely eating at all, just gorging himself on misery.
“You seem to like it.” Nightmare opens his eye at your comment, taking another sip and glancing at you.
“It’s nice. I haven’t tasted something... nice in a while.”
Not since you…
He sees your brow furrow again, your smile slipping away a little. There’s a bit of a distance between you and him on the bed, but you were still sitting closer than he expected. Nightmare isn’t sure what he imagined when he wondered how you’d react if you ever saw him again, but this isn’t what he thought.
“So… do you sneak around my room often?”
Nightmare almost spits his tea, saving his cup from tilting too much and spilling it all over your floor.
Words spill out of his mouth like a waterfall. “I-I don’t- I promise I wasn’t- I didn’t mean to, it was just this time, it was an accident, I promise I’m trying to stay away fr-!”
“H-hey! It’s ok Nightmare, it’s ok…” you set your tea on the bedside table. “I wasn’t trying to accuse you of anything. I just, really want to know.”
Those eyes. Those damn eyes.
They were looking at him with so much concern he… he doesn’t know what to make of it.
“... No I don’t usually sneak around your room- I’m being honest,” he adds when he sees your brows pinching at his statement. To be fair to you, he wouldn’t believe him either. With his reputation, and what he’s already done, he’d also suspect he’d snoop around. Especially after finding him, in your room , it’s hard to prove his innocence.
Though… he wasn’t completely innocent before that either.
“Ok… I believe you.” You say, to his surprise.
You’re always full of surprises.
“But… then can I ask what you were doing here?”
Nightmare sighs, knowing that answer was going to come sooner or later. Actually, he rather rip the band-aid off now.
“I guess I’ll have to confess don’t I?” Nightmare deflates, his tea sloshing in his cup. “I don’t know if you know this but, I can open windows to other universes.”
He sees your eyebrows raise out of the corner of his socket.
“I’m sorry, but I… I just couldn’t resist. I took a peek at your world, your life. N… not while you’re doing anything private of course,” Nightmare assures you, “I’ve already invaded your privacy as it is.”
When you don’t immediately answer him, Nightmare feels pressured to explain more.
“It’s just… I… wanted to see you. I know, I shouldn’t, but… there’s something in me that just can’t stop. I see you go through your day, what you do at work, when you get home… I watch TV with you from next to you on your sofa,”
What am I… stop stop stop, stop talking
“It’s like I’m there with you.”
…
“I… also like to watch you sleep.”
Shit.
“And earlier I was looking at you through the window, and, I don’t know, something took over me- my hand reached through and I was in your room. I promise you, I was trying to leave, but- but I stayed to look at your room. I wasn’t planning on letting you see me. … No, not that watching you through an interdimensional window is a good thing, that’s still bad… right?”
He’s making it worse.
Watching you in secret and making sure you can’t see him?
He looks so much better now.
“... I’m sorry, I know that wasn’t what you wanted to hear. I’m sorry.”
He could’ve just explained he was traveling through universes and happened to land in your room and was waxing nostalgia or something.
If you didn’t kick him out before, you definitely will now, because he’s such a-
“You’re lonely,” Your blunt statement snaps him out of his anxious thoughts. “Aren’t you?”
Nightmare’s too stunned to answer immediately. He only sits there with his mouth agape like a moron before he manages to eke out the word “Y…. yes.”
He looks at you out of the corner of his eye. “Are you… upset…?”
“Not really.” you shrug, shocking him again with your nonchalance. “You’re a monster made out of darkness and nightmares who kidnapped me without really knowing what to do with me.”
“Exactly.” Nightmare pointed out. “Aren’t you upset that the monster that… hurt you… was watching you after I promised I wouldn’t bother you?”
You thought about it for a while. “I’m sure this isn’t the normal reaction, but… when I thought about it more, it was really weird. Yeah, I was scared out of my mind but… I thought about why you did it. If someone kidnaps someone, it’s because they want something. It wasn’t for ransom. I wasn’t sure what you wanted me for, because you kept talking about enjoying my torment, but you never actually hurt me. It was like… you kept posturing a lot.”
Nightmare rubbed the back of his skull awkwardly, wishing he could go back in time and stop himself from kidnapping you.
“But then I realized… it must’ve been because you wanted company.” you turn to him. “You didn’t really want to hurt me. If you did you would’ve done it. You looked upset when I cried, you were so distraught that you actually put me back in my world, without any weird caveats. You wanted to have me, but you didn’t know how… or what to do really, once you did.”
Nightmare finally turns to you, to see your expression. You had your eyes closed, taking a decadent sip of your tea.
“... You’re not wrong.”
Nightmare has never felt more shameful. Not only did he terrify the poor girl, you also know his stupid, childish reasoning for the whole ordeal. He was like a toddler that found a sparkly pretty thing that didn’t belong to him and stole it, without knowing what he wanted to do with it.
Now he knows. But how can he pursue you when he’s already messed up beyond imagination…?
“You’re just so… perfect.” Nightmare smiled, even though his soul aches, knowing it wasn’t meant to be. He sees you giving him a weird, questioning look, and he laughs at it. “No, you know what I mean. You’re so perfect… with your imperfections. You have a sharp tongue, and you don’t take well to people treating others badly… you have a laugh that you’re embarrassed about, but you have no idea how much it makes me smile when you giggle.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“You don’t even realize how much you light up my life.”
In his dreary castle, on those miserable… non-existent times of the day. When he’s at his lowest, when he’s cried enough to get sick of the taste of his own tears, you’re like a warm fire when he’s sheltering from the rain. Even though you didn’t know he was watching, it felt like you were with him. When you smile in your sleep, it felt like it was for him… as selfish as that is.
A soft pink blush blooms on your cheeks, and when he sees your hand press to your chest, he remembers something.
“There’s something else I have to confess.” a tentacle slips into the shadows, and you lean forward to see what he’s doing. “I’m being honest that I don’t usually snoop around your bedroom… physically… but sometimes, you drop things. And you never seem to find it, so I keep it for you, and…”
He sees your eyes sparkle when his tentacle pulls out his- your chest. He opens it, and lets you peruse its contents.
“Oh wow, I haven’t seen this picture in ages!” you grin, picking out a photo of you with your family when you were a baby.
“My prism…” you held it up against the light, casting a rainbow light on your face.
You look through the other knick-knacks in the chest, putting them on the bed between him and you. You seem happy, looking through all of your lost items with fondness, even thanking him for finding them for you, but Nightmare notices it seemed like something wasn’t there.
“Wait. That’s not all I had for you.” Nightmare looks at the empty chest, as if expecting that item to appear out of thin air, before remembering where it was. He turned away from you, taking a small peek into his throne room- finding what he was looking for and reaching in.
“This was… the first thing I got from you-”
“The locket!”
Nightmare drops the necklace into your hands when you enthusiastically reach for it.
“I’m sorry... I promise, I don’t want to steal anything important to you. But… you dropped it on the street while you were walking home. You didn’t notice it either… it’s bound to be taken by someone, or stepped on, or something, so I took it.”
Nightmare rubs the back of his neck. “I hope you’re not upset. I wouldn’t take something you cherished on purpose… I should’ve just left it on your table or something, but I was worried if you’d notice-”
“You’re worrying too much Nightmare. You didn’t do anything wrong,” you cut him off before he goes back to his self-loathing. “Actually, you worrying proves to me you are as respectful as you say you are- not that I didn’t believe you! But… you didn’t open the locket, did you?”
Nightmare’s a bit confused as to what you’re trying to tell him, but he answers instantly. “Of course not. I told you I wouldn’t invade your privacy so carelessly,”
Nightmare stops talking when you open the locket, dropping it in front of his face to show him it… was empty. There was nothing in it except the placeholder “Image Here” paper.
Nightmare turns to you.
“I don’t… understand.”
Your giggle that follows melts his soul and his anxieties. You smile at him. “I lost that locket necklace the day I bought it. To be honest, I saw a sale at this jewelry store. It was an impulse buy. It was real cheap. Cheap enough that the plastic bag they gave me broke on the way home… I wasn’t upset when I lost it, I was just. Really annoyed.”
You laugh, even harder when you see blue tinting his cheeks.
“I keep forgetting, you can blush.”
“What?” Nightmare startles, rubbing at his cheeks and covering his face. “No, don’t look, it’s embarrassing.”
The KING OF NIGHTMARES! … Whittled down to a blushing, flustering mess.
A real nightmare.
“No, it’s cute.”
… Nightmare doesn’t need confirmation to know his blush is only intensifying from your words.
His first instinct is to blow up and tell you no , but… he reels it in. You deserve better than his immature behavior in the past.
“If you say it is, sugar.”
You shake your head incredulously, but then gasp when you feel the unused sugar cube being nudged against your lips. You’re so surprised you take the treat almost automatically.
“Sorry.” Nightmare says again. “I’m just trying to tell you, you’re… sweet.”
And I love you.
He sees you blushing again, your cheeks as ripe as a strawberry.
He’s glad that even with the things that happened in the past, he could still somehow make you smile in the end. Even though it didn’t make sense to him why you were so calm about meeting him again… he’s glad to have this moment with you.
Nightmare can only smile.
“I thought tonight was going to be a disaster, but you proved me wrong. You’re always so surprising, I can never read you… thank you, (Y/n). I’m glad my presence hasn’t somehow traumatized you again.”
Your eyes widen as he stands up. “I think tonight is, and will be the best night of my life. Thank you for everything, my dear… you’ve changed my life. Goodbye, (Y/n).”
He starts walking off to the hallway.
“... Um.”
You raise your brow at him. “Where are you going?”
Nightmare pauses by your door, hand on the frame. “I’m going back to my realm.”
“Why? Why are you making it sound like a farewell?”
That throws him off.
“Because… I need to go. I need to let you forget about everything- forget about me. You won’t be haunted by… me anymore. You’ll be free. I have given back your things, I’ve… finally talked to you about things that kept me hanging on. I think we can go our separate ways now… you’ll be happy.”
Nightmare’s looking at your hallways, staring at the shadows. Too distracted to see you leaning your head forward and fixing him with a disbelieving expression.
“I… what?” he hears you scoff. “Why do you keep thinking I want to kick you out?”
Nightmare finally turns around to see you staring at him with a mildly annoyed look to your face.
“I-I mean… I thought-”
“In your state?” you wave at him. “You look heartsick , Nightmare.”
Nightmare flushes again, trying to dispel your worries. “Well, y-yes I am, but I think I’ll be-”
He gasps when your hands lash out to catch his.
“I told you to stay.” You affirm. There’s a fire in your eyes, and… an emotion Nightmare’s too afraid to name.
“... Please.” you give him these… doe eyes- how do you even do that?!- “Cuddle with me?”
“Cuddle-?!”
His black skull is now lit a bright blue as you pull him to your bed.
He watches you wiggle under the covers to the other side of the bed before you open your blanket and pat the area next to you.
“Are you sure… you want me here?” Nightmare asks again. “I know you’re very kind and too forgiving but.... you don’t have to do this for me if you don’t want to.”
You give him a pout that makes him weak in the knees, you were just so cute .
“Would you do it if I said this is for me?” you ask, tugging him by the sleeve. You had him wrapped around your finger, he instantly buckles onto the bed, scooting nervously under the blanket.
He makes a choked sound when you snuggle right into him and nuzzle his chest. HIs breaths are light and shallow as you bring your arms around him and your legs brush against him.
“I’ve been… a bit lonely, if you haven’t noticed through your ‘windows’.” You sound a bit muffled against his jumper. “And… I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
Y… you’re so small… a-and warm… your tiny hands on his back are-!!
Nightmare’s hands shakily land on your back, too scared to pull you closer but desperately wanting; wanting to feel the pulse of your soul above his.
“It’s hard to believe but… I think I want to give you another chance.”
Nightmare takes a shaky inhale at your words, and lets his face dip down to your head, pressing against your hair.
So lucky.
To have a human like you…
“Thank you, angel.” He whispers.
Your reply is a muffled hum and more nuzzling.
“Besides, it’s cold right now. And you’re warm.” You smile at him.
He didn’t even realize he’d done that. He’s usually so cold.
His socket’s hooded and he grins tiredly at you, bringing a hand to cup the back of your head, starting to pet.
“I love you.” he breathes. “You don’t have to say it back.”
He slowly leans into your forehead, letting you pull away if you needed, but he lets you come closer, and he gives you a small peck.
“Good night, Nightmare.” you yawn, resting your head against his chest.
A tentacle moves behind him to flick the lamp off.
“Goodnight, (Y/n).”
He hopes one day he can make your dreams come true, as you did for him.