Suffocating Joy {Nightmare x Reader}

The King

I watched as the girl slipped backwards into a puddle and then desperately tried to fish money from her wallet. She then looked around before Jason came behind her and killed her. "Ugh, these humans are so stupid! They make all of us look bad..." Killer laughed and put his arm around me. "Don't worry, (Y/N). We know you're not that dumb!" I rolled my eyes and pushed him off me, much to Horror's amusement.

It'd been a couple days since I was taken, and honestly? They weren't that bad, like I thought before. Nightmare said he would return around noon, so Dust had been cleaning up around the place. I still hadn't learned much about their pasts, but it didn't bother me too much. They did tell me about their opposites, the "Stars". They said it was made of three main people who all had similar beliefs. I rolled my eyes at the vague response.

"I'm back, you morons. Where's the human?" A voice called from the foyer. A tall, dark, and tar covered skeleton walked into the room, tentacles swaying behind him. I looked up at him and his dark appearance. Nightmare. "Right here, Boss. They haven't really done anything ta try an' escape. They did help cook and do the dishes, though," Horror said, now standing. "I see. I apologize for the incompetence of my henchmen. I am Nightmare, the King of my realm and the Protector of all Negativity in the Multiverse." 

Nightmare held his hand out and I placed mine in his. It was cold and had a weird feeling to it- I can't describe it. "You poor thing, being taken like that. I'm sure your family and friends were worried. I'll place you back the moment you were taken and make sure nothing is ever different. I'll make this mistake up to you, make no mistake about that." I smiled and nodded. "Thank you, King Nightmare. I appreciate the kindness."

Nightmare smiled, tilting his head down. "No need for formalities...in any case, I find you...fascinating, human. You don't seem scared of me at all," he said, standing back up. "Horror thinks it's funny to scare me, so I'm all spooked out." Nightmare nodded, glaring at the skeleton. "I hope to see you again, soon, dear. You really do intrigue me." Nightmare's tentacle swiped downward, a cyan line portal to the alley appearing. I thanked him and walked in, the portal shutting.

The dog was still dead and I was still confused. Luckily Killer washed my clothes so I could change back into them to go home. I walked back into the theatre, acting as if nothing has happened. I didn't want to freak anyone out, after all. "Hey, Thys. You're back already?" "Yeah, Jax. I got hungry." Jaxin and Dani laughed, with Davin and Zain nowhere in sight. "Where are the two stereotypical jocks?"

Dani jutted her thumb towards the front counter, where Zain was flirting with one of the cheerleaders from school. Davin standing awkwardly behind him, like a kid behind his dad. "Well, let's get some snacks, yeah?" Jaxin and Dani agreed, coming with me to concessions. We all ordered separately, but Jaxin slipped his card in when I went to pay. "Jax!" I said, pouting. He just smiled and walked towards the other two guys.

I took a popcorn and popped it into my mouth, walking behind the other two. "Hey guys, ready to go?" Zain put his arm around the girl I recognized as Cate, Karlee's best friend. I rolled my eyes and took another piece of popcorn. "Yeah, Cate's gonna come with us, too." Davin awkwardly shuffled next to Zain and waved at me. I smiled back since my hands were full. We all made our way into the theatre and sat down, getting ready to watch a bomb-ass movie.

~Time Skip, Later that Day~

I flopped onto my bed after a long day...days? I was with the monsters for two days, yet no time passed in my universe. I would have to check if time dilation would be accounted for across planes of existence. A knock at my door shook me from my thoughts. "Hey, (Y/N). It's Cole. Can I. uh, come in?" "Sure," I said, sitting up. Cole walked into my room and shut the door, sitting beside me on the bed.

"Sorry I got home so late, traffic was killer," he said, smiling. "No worries, I was out late at the movies today. I saw that new horror flick with my friends." Cole smiled. "Really? How was it?" "Cheesy! But so good!" Cole laughed and smiled wider. "How was school?" I rubbed my arms and turned away. "I...may or may not have slept through most of it..." "Sounds like me in high school! Eh, I'm not you're mom, so no punishment here."

"You're pretty cool, Cole. Thanks." Cole pretended to flip his hair. "Pssh, duh. I'm the coolest." I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my knees, leaning forward a bit. "You wish. Anyways, tomorrow's Saturday...which meansssss..." "Ice cream!" we both yelled, laughing afterwards. Col was the coolest person and I wish I could be a little more like him. He was a fun-loving guy who didn't forget what it meant to be a kid.

"Well, I'll let you rest. G'night, (Y/N)." "Night, Cole," I said, watching as he closed the door as he left. I turned my light off and laid on my stomach, scrolling through my apps. "Why hello again, human." I jumped and turned around, seeing Nightmare in my room. "Oh, hello, Nightmare!" I said, smiling at him. He walked over to me and glanced at my phone. "You like books as well?" he said, cocking a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Yeah, this is the online version of 1984. I'm rereading it." Nightmare sat beside me and looked down at his feet. "I don't know what those numbskulls told you about me, so let me tell you about me. I'm the leader of a group of misfits with terrible pasts that wanted nothing more than a happy ending. We're fighting for that to the best of our abilities, against people who have no idea what we've gone through. It may be through bad actions, but it's all for a good cause."

"That sounds...complicated," I said, turning to him. He seemed deep in thought. "I suppose so." "You said I was fascinating...what did you mean?" Nightmare sighed and looked over, his singular cyan eye meeting mine. "You see, human, I emit fear in an aura around me. My presence is supposed to instill fear in anyone close by. I came to see if it would work now that you were away from Horror, but you didn't notice me until I spoke. You're...special."

I smiled and chuckled, looking at my lap. "I'll take that as a compliment, Nightmare. Anyways, you seem cool, but I'm tired." "I understand, human. I hope to meet with you again. Even if it did not seem so, this brought me immense joy. Thank you and goodnight," he said, disappearing into the darkness of my room. I got under my covers and put my phone under my pillow, closing my eyes. What a weird string of events, I thought.

Date: 7/22/22 00:02

Word Count: 1198