Night Terrors

Nineteen

"Why do you want me to sleep with you?" Killer asked as he climbed onto the large bed of his boyfriend.

"I just... it's what lovers do, right?" Nightmare blushed a bit, not wanting to say it's because he feared having a nightmare. "It was really nice when you were cuddling me a while back too, so maybe..."

"Aww, you're so cute, Princess!" The taller chuckled, getting closer to his lover for cuddles.

"If you call me 'Princess' again, you're sleeping in your own room!" The king huffed, laying down under the blankets. He pulled them down for Killer to join him, so they could both be under the blankets.

"Whatever you say, my Queen." The killer smiled, loosely wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Why do I have to be the queen?" Nightmare grumbled.

"Because you're beautiful, sweet, smart. You're better at giving us a good appearance. Not to mention that you have a rocking female body, and you look amazing in dresses."

"For the last time, my nightgowns are not dresses!"

Killer snickered. "They're dresses. They have 'gown' in the name."

The king turned around, hiding his face in a pillow. "Good night!"

"Goodnight, my Queen," Killer held him close, nuzzling his neck gently. He closed his eye sockets, holding his lover close.

The stained skeleton smiled. Even if what he said embarrassed him, he adored his boyfriend. Golly, it was so amazing to have a boyfriend. Especially when it was Killer. Only when it was Killer.

He closed his eyes, comfortable and safe in his lover's arms.

For now.

Nightmare opened his eyes, laying against a familiar apple tee. He stood up, stumbling forward a bit, seeing his hands weren't stained, and not goopy. He was five hundred again, so young and pure. So broken and hurt. His hands were not stained, yet his ribs and limbs held fresh bruises and scrapes.

He hated this form the most.

"Nightmare," a voice called. That horrible woman's voice. It was sweet like apples, soft as cotton, warm as sunshine, but she used it like a rock, to beat down on him.  He was paralyzed with childlike fear. "Nightmare, don't ignore your mother."

Slowly, he turned around.

Behind him, his mother stood. Her eyes were empty and opal. Her skin a light green. Her hair was a deeper hue, wavy and only curling near her soft heart-shaped face. Under her styled, short curls, laid a golden crown, wrapped around her single wooden horn. Why, she looked just heavenly, stunningly styled in complementing reds and shimmering golden jewelry, but Nightmare knew what she was and what she was like.

She was a monster. A beautiful, godly monster.

She was so obsessed with the idea that everyone and everything else was rotten and disgusting that she didn't see how rotten she was herself. She was just a horrid monster. Her life was the only one he didn't regret taking for a moment.

"Come here, son." She opened her arms, her deep red cloak falling off her shoulders as he arms were lifted and extended. Her lips pulled into a smile, looking as motherly as everyone believed her to be. "It's been so long since I've seen you. Give your mother a hug."

Nightmare gulped. "No."

Her smile tightened as her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean... no? I'm your mother; you must miss me!"

"You just want to steal my soul, don't you?" Nightmare pressed his hand against his chest, remembering all those nightmares he used to have. Despite his form, he still had the one black apple where a heart would anatomically be placed. "You'll steal my soul, and you'll kill me from it." He looked up at her, finally finding the strength to stand up to her. "And you won't stop with me, will you?"

Nim opened her eyes, her smile faltering. Her button nose scrunched up, and her eyebrows arched with anger. Her arms dropped suddenly. "You will not disrespect your mother like this! Now come here, Nightmare!"

"No! I won't let you win! You never cared about me or Dream! And I won't let you ruin everything!" The son clutched his fists, not even walking forward to make his point. "You're only going to take this chance to hurt us again! And I won't let you! Respect is earned, and nothing you've done means I have you give you any! Being my birth mother means nothing!"

"You little brat!" She screeched, lunging toward to try to attack him. Suddenly, golden chains materialized, cuffing her wrists, holding her close to the tree. She fell, her arms pulled back behind her. She sat up, grumbling as she looked at her cuffs.

Nightmare stared in shock. Of course. She was stuck to the tree. She was after she physically died, so if her spirit was back after balance was brought to the Dreamtale brothers, she'd still be trapped in the tree.

She needed their souls to come back to life, to have a real body. After all, they were only born when her body died. And them dying, and her getting their souls, would mean she got her body back, and could be Nim, Goddess of Emotions.

"Nightmare, dear, won't you help your poor mother up?" Nim tried to extend her hand for her son to take, but she was much too close to the chain's end.

"No! You'll kill us! You just want our souls!"

The spirit growled, standing up. "THEY ARE MY SOULS!"

A large black tentacle encircled Nightmare before grabbing him, lifting him up from his feet. He struggled, yelling out as he tried to be free. No one was there to help him, and no one would if there was.

"OBEY YOUR MOTHER, NIGHTMARE!"

Nightmare lurched forward, screaming. His momentum was interrupted when he smacked his head, causing him to fall back onto the pillow.

"Ow! Jeez, are you okay?!" Killer exclaimed, looking down at his terrified, sweaty lover. "You weren't waking up, I-I was worried!"

"It... it was a dream..." the moon god began to calm his breathing. "She can't hurt me; she's just in my dreams."