My Crazy Years

To mend that which is broken

The morning came far too quickly for you. The Nightmare King was a really cool guy to be around. You couldn't understand why the others refused to tell you about him or why Grimm himself wanted to keep the two of you apart. During the conversation, he was silent as a statue, not even Grimmchild able to pull him out of his stubbornness. You had to ask him to teach you one day how to do that.

Ghost was happy with just sitting in your lap and listening to your talk, munching on some chocolate cookies from time to time, passing some to the child perched between their antlers. The Nightmare King went far and beyond to accommodate you and make your visit as enjoyable as possible, preparing your favorite tea and sweets, delighting you with stories of the nightmares he had visited. They were eerie at first, but the way he was telling them, it was just so captivating and besides, who doesn't enjoy a good scare from time to time? He told you about bugs running scared through empty tunnels, hearing creeping noises and steps following them, always right behind yet never making a grab for them.

"And when they trip and fall! The look of horror on their face is just the best!" he said, before exploding in laughter.

Meanwhile Grimm was shooting him menacing stares, his body all tensed up, but when he saw that you weren't scared of him, he allowed himself to relax. To have you be afraid of him... it was his own personal nightmare. James might have accepted him, but he could see the fear in his eyes during the first days, once he learned what Grimm really was. Too scared to tell him no, always on the edge when he was around. It was... his fate, to be hated and bring fright to all that crossed his path. It wasn't a destiny many would enjoy and neither did he, but he made his peace with it. He had no other choice and because of that, he clung to those who didn't know about him with all his strength, trying to keep them in the dark about his true nature. You were one such being.

Pure and innocent, he despised letting you know the secret he so desperately wanted to hide. Would you hate him? Would you look at him as if he was a monster? Those questions ate him on the inside. He couldn't stand it, wouldn't bear it. You were like his child. What parent would want their child to hate them? However, seeing you now, laughing as the Nightmare King was telling you those horror stories... was... could you accept him for what he truly was? He didn't have the courage to test it yet, not now. Let this moment last a little longer.

When you felt yourself being pulled back to the waking world, you truly felt sorry and wanted to refuse the calling, but the Nightmare King didn't agree with your wish.

"It's ok, my dear. We can talk tomorrow night as well." he said and kissed your forehead.

He carried you princes' style to your room and placed you on the couch, caressing your cheek as you slowly closed your eyes. If his voice wasn't so hoarse, you may have asked him to sing you a lullaby, but maybe another time. You took advantage of his kindness enough for that day.

When you opened your eyes, your mother was hovering over you, her face filled with worry, her cold hand pressing against your forehead.

"Are you ok?" she asked. "You're burning."

"Really? I feel perfectly fine." you said and removed her hand, stretching your feet and body in the meantime. "Though I guess it wouldn't hurt to open the balcony door for a minute. It feels kind of hot in here."

"Are you sure you're fine?" she asked again.

"Yeah. Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No. Go ahead. I'm going to wake your dad and send him out to get some snacks. Do you want anything?"

"Something salty. That's all." you replied as if you haven't eaten sweets the entire night. You won't gain weight from those, will you? Because, oh boy! were you in trouble if you did.