You woke up in the middle of the night screaming for your life. What felt like death knocking at your door was just a nightmare. You were trembling and crying as you reached for your phone. You were panicking and fear was taking over as you quickly called Jason.
'What's up, angel? I'm on patrol,' he said. He heard your sobbing and immediately felt sick to his stomach. 'Hey, what's wrong?'
'Nightmare...' you whispered through your sobbing. You gripped the phone as you continued to panic. 'I feel like I'm dying.'
'I'm on my way, stay on the phone.'
Finally Jason arrived and jumped in through your window. He took off his helmet and rushed to your side. He wrapped his arms around you as tight as possible.
'I'm here, I'm here. It's okay, you aren't alone,' he whispered. You continued to sob your heart out as you grip onto him for dear life.
'Don't let them take me, please,' you cried out. Jason's heart broke as your terrified pleading. He held onto you tighter and ran his hand through your hair. He hated how terrified you sounded, like you were facing death itself.
'No one will take you, I'm right here,' he said. He pulled away and made quick work to take off his suit. He was left in an undershirt and shorts. He climbed into your bed and pulled you into him. He knew you needed as much affection as possible. He laid on his side with you cuddled into him as he played with your hair. You continued to cry and tremble in fear. 'You're safe, I've got you. I won't let anyone hurt you,' he whispered.
After about an hour of sobbing and panicking you'd finally calmed down a little. You were still holding onto Jason tightly as he continued to comfort you. He glanced down to see your eyes open and you staring forward at his chest.
'I thought I was going to die,' you whispered.
'I know, angel. I wouldn't let that happen. Were you dreaming about the league again?' he asked. You nodded a little and he pressed a kiss to your forehead. He knew how awful your past was and the horrors you had seen being apart of the league of assassins. 'They won't find you ever again, Y/N. You've got me to protect you. Not to mention the entire damn bat family that loves you more than me,' he said. You chuckled softly and looked up at him.
'It's not my fault I'm so sweet,' you said. He smiled softly and was glad to see you were back to joking around. He reached down and gently held your face.
'You okay?'
'Yeah... I am now. It just really got to me. I hate that crushing sense of fear. I felt like I was going to die,' you said. He ran his hand through your hair and you stared forward again.
'Do you want to talk about the nightmare?'
'No, I don't think I can,' you whispered. Jason nodded and tilted your chin up so you looked at him.
'Do you want to take a bath with me?' he asked. You smiled and nodded.
'Yeah, that sounds good.'
You sat in the tub with Jason behind you. The warm water was helping you forget about the nightmare. Jason ran his hands over your body and gently cleaned your skin of the sweat that had built up. 'Hey, Jay...?'
'Yeah, angel?'
'I love you... A lot,' you whispered. He smiled and nuzzled into your neck and pressed a kiss to your skin.
'I love you too... A lot,' he said. You smiled as well and he held you tightly. 'I won't ever let them take you from me, I promise.'
hurt/comfort, nightmares, Bucky/reader, no smut, spiraling thoughts, lack of communication, abandonment issue, no beta we die like Tony
Description: Bucky has a nightmare and refuses to talk about it.
_________
As I rest my head on Bucky’s chest, I think about our time together. He’s my whole world, the reason I let myself love, my everything. Eventually, my mind drifts to his frequent nightmares. After letting my mind wander, I realize that his nightmares may not only be about what he’s done.
Even though that’s the main reason, he also worries about me and what would happen if I changed my mind about him, or what I would do if he hurt me during one of his nightmares. He worries about what would happen if someone hurt me. Would he become The Winter Soldier again? If he became The Winter Soldier again, how many innocent lives would he end?
I realize now, that these thoughts are running through his mind at any given time. I’ve tried time and time again to show him that I’ll stay, that he won’t hurt me, that I trust him, but he doesn’t believe me. He needs to learn to trust himself first.
Just then, I’m ripped from my thoughts by the sound of heavy breathing and soft, repeated “No…”’s. I stroke his hair, which usually helps, but this time, it doesn’t. “Hey, Buck? Baby, wake up.” I say, my voice soft. I gently put my hand on his leg, “Bucky,” I insist, my voice sharper, “Wake up.”
Seconds later, he sits up panting. “Hey, babe, it’s okay.” I coo, my voice soft and sweet again. He just grabs my hand gently, like he’s trying to convince himself that I’m real. I take deep breaths, and he follows suit. For a moment, we sit in silence, “Did I hurt you?” he asks nervously. “No, I’m okay.” I reply, but he still checks me over, lifting my chin to make sure that he didn’t choke me. After he’s satisfied, he sighs and pulls me closer.
“Baby, do you want to talk about it?” I ask, already knowing the answer, “No, I’ll be fine.” he says, not trying to be outright rude, but still hating the idea. ”You know I won’t judge you if you do, right?” I speak into his shoulder. He responds with a simple, “Yeah, I know.”
I don’t want to pry, but I want to know if I can help. I stay in his arms anxiously, hoping he’ll trust me enough to tell me what happened or if I can help. I understand that he doesn’t know if I’ll leave, always assuming the worst, but he’s already told me so much, why won’t he tell me this one thing? I just want to help, to comfort him and reassure him, but he always refuses.
Over the course of the next week, he has worse nightmares, typically multiple each night. It’s obvious whatever it is has been taking a toll on him. I’ve tried to be there for him, tried to understand, but I can’t really help unless I know what’s going on. He won’t listen to reason and he’s been pushing me away, but I don’t leave. I make a point to stay, even if he doesn’t want me to, or he tries to start a fight.
“Baby, please…you know I just want to help.” I plead. “Just stop.” Bucky hisses and my gaze shifts from pleading to something pitiful. I know he just expects me to leave, but I’ve tried to prove myself, he just doesn’t see it. I wish he would see how much I love him, that I’m not leaving, but no one’s anxiety is logical.
“Why won’t you tell me? What is scaring you so badly you won’t even try to tell me?” I sigh, frustrated. “I’m scared of loving you!” He spat. I furrow my brows, leaning forward on the couch, “What?” I ask, my voice a breathless whisper. “It’s just…you make me feel loved; like I’m more than a toy soldier…” Bucky pauses, finding the right words, “like I’m on top of the world, and that’s a long way to fall.” My heart shatters at his words, “You’re not- I-” I hesitate, not knowing what to say. If I reassure him, it might make him feel worse, but I can’t do nothing. “You deserve to let yourself heal and be happy…I’ll be here the whole time.”
“Hydra broke me. They made sure I can’t be happy without worrying about losing it.” His words linger in the air for a moment, seemingly silencing the world around us. “Buck, you don’t have to worry about that; You aren’t him, not anymore. I’m here- with you. No matter what.” I murmur soothingly, pulling him closer so his face is buried in my chest. Tonight, there are no nightmares.
Astoria had decided that she wanted to get out of the manor for a bit, taking a walk in a small forest nearby. Everything had seemed normal, up until all of the wildlife went quiet. Every living thing seemed to be frozen. Astoria felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she turned at the sounds of a maniacal laugh to see… nobody. Astoria stood her ground, hand slowly shaking to her pocket where her knife was. The moment her hand made contact with the handle, she felt a burning sensation on both of her wrists. She looked down quickly to see glowing green strings wrapped tightly around them. Astoria tried to saw through them with her knife, but all she succeeded in doing was nicking herself. Every time she touched them, she would get shocked. A harsh tug on the strings made her stumble backward, and she felt somebody leaning down behind her, pressure slowly building on her throat. Astoria reached up to feel a string. She immediately tried to claw it off, but she was feeling sluggish, tired. It felt like there was fog settling over her mind.
“There ya go,” a voice mocked. Astoria could register that it was Anti, but she couldn’t move her body anymore. She was seeing her actions through her eyes, but unable to do anything. She felt Anti’s influence and tried to shove him out of her mind, managing to wrestle herself back into control of her body.
“Give me back my body, you-” Astoria began, but with the addition of more strings she was shoved out of control again. It was like a thick, heavy blanket had been draped over her face. She couldn’t see what was happening anymore. Distantly, she heard a familiar voice.
“...Astoria?”
It felt like hours stuck alone, unable to see, hear, or feel anything. When she finally felt Anti's influence fade and she was able to control her own body again, the first thing she felt was blood. The sticky substance made her want to scrub it raw until the offensive texture was gone. At first, the former attorney thought the blood was hers, but as she looked up, she felt her world begin to crumble. Celine laid unmoving a few feet away, blood staining the suit she always wore. The star necklace that Astoria had gifted her was now red instead of gold, and Celine's ashy gray skin looked even paler than normal. Astoria quickly got to her feet and kneeled next to her girlfriend, fingers searching for a pulse, any sign of life. There was a huge stab wound in her stomach, her arms looked like they had been sliced to ribbons, and her throat? There was a gaping wound so deep Astoria could see the bones and muscle. She felt bile rising in her throat and turned to the side, throwing up. She coughed, wiping at her mouth as she stared at the body of her beloved. Another sickening realization hit Astoria: Damien was gone, too. After all, the twins shared a body. She'd killed Damien, too. Astoria let out a gut-wrenching scream, tugging violently at her hair before cradling Celine close to her. Twigs snapped underfoot as somebody approached, kneeling opposite of Astoria. She clutched the body of Celine close to her, all but growling at the newcomer. He giggled, the sound ringing through the trees.
“Oh, that was just delightful! You should have seen her face! ‘Astoria, it's me!’ ‘Astoria, please, stop! You're hurting me!’ ‘I love you, Astoria.’ Your girlfriend put on quite the show, and so did you.” At Anti's mocking, Astoria gently set Celine's body down before lunging at the demon, only to land on the ground as he vanished and reappeared in front of her. Anti gently tilted her chin up with his hand.
“You make a good puppet.”
“Oh, don't be sad! Cheer up! It only hurt her like hell,” he taunted. A jagged sob tore itself out of Astoria's chest as she shoved his hand away, cradling Celine close to her once again, shaky hands brushing the hair out of her eyes. Anti leaned down to whisper in Astoria's ear.
Astoria woke up in a panic, immediately getting out of bed and opening her door as quietly as she could, slipping down the hallway. She practically jumped out of her skin as Iris wound around her legs, the cat wanting attention. Astoria knelt and picked up the furry bundle close to herself as she sneakily opened the door to Celine's room, more than relieved to see her girlfriend sound asleep and unharmed. As Astoria shut the door and walked back to her room, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than a nightmare. It had felt like a premonition… a warning.
Summary: Celine ( @divine-ceo / @jacksepticeye-simp ) and Astoria have had a pleasant relationship so far.
What changed?
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Lots of Gore, Violence, Organ Removal, Torture, Strangulation, Stabbing, Horror Elements.
Astoria slowly woke up to an uncomfortable pressure on her throat, making it a bit hard to breathe. She blinked a few times, trying to see through the darkness of the room. She was beyond shocked to find Celine's hands wrapped around her throat. Her girlfriend smiled, tilting her head as she saw Astoria's eyes quickly fill with panic and dread.
“Jesus fuck- Celine, what are you doing?” Astoria wheezed. It was hard to get the words out. The only response she got was a laugh. Astoria clawed at Celine's hands, blunt nails chewed down to stubs, not doing much damage. Celine squeezed tighter, a look of annoyance flashing across her face. Tiny spots started to eat up Astoria's vision, the already dark room becoming darker and darker. Astoria couldn't breathe. Her attempts at getting Celine's hands to dislodge became weaker and weaker, and Astoria could barely find the strength to lift her arms, her ears beginning to ring, vision nearly black. The pressure was quickly removed from her throat and Astoria gagged, nearly throwing up. She propped her body up with her elbow, wheezing and coughing as she sucked greedy lungfuls of air in. Celine stood, watching her girlfriend with a passive, almost bored look on her face. Astoria panted, adrenaline coursing through her shaking body.
"Celine?" Astoria called, watching as her girlfriend opened the drawer of the nightstand near the bed. A sharp object caught the light of the moon that filtered in, and Astoria felt her heart drop as she saw a wickedly sharp blade held tight in her lover's hand. Before she could even think of doing so, her body was on autopilot. She scrambled off the bed, throwing the door open with so much force that the handle became embedded in the wall as she ran down the halls of the manor, hearing footsteps following behind at a leisurely pace, like Celine was walking. The walls of the manor seemed to warp and shift, and she tripped on a loose floorboard, falling straight into… the kitchen? The tile floor was not a pleasant surface to land on, and Astoria lay there for a moment as she adjusted to having been thrown into a completely separate room. Her bedroom was on the second floor, and she had ended up on the first… How? No matter how confusing it was, she needed to keep running. Astoria pushed herself to her feet, trying to open the front door. No matter how much force she used or which direction she pulled, it wasn't budging.
“...some call it stalking, I say walking just extremely close behind…” a melodious voice sang, not too far off. It was unmistakably Celine. Astoria froze for a moment. Where should she go? The living room? She could try to snake back up to the second floor and hide. Astoria chose each step carefully, not wanting to step on a creaky floorboard and give away her position. What in the world was happening? What was Celine doing? As she got through the living room, she heard Celine begin to sing again, but the song was distinctly different this time.
“You can run, you can try, you can run but you can't…” The verse was left unresolved, and Astoria froze as she felt a presence behind her, a hand clamping around her shoulder.
“Hide.” Astoria felt a sharp, stinging pain in the shoulder that Celine had touched, whirling around quickly. She felt something hot and sticky roll down her back, and it took her a moment to process the fact that it was blood. Her blood. The knife that Celine held now had a dark sheen to it.
“...Celine? What's going on?” Astoria asked nervously, one hand going to her injured shoulder. Her beloved didn't respond, at least, not in a way that Astoria could understand.
“Oh, ma chère, tu n'as vraiment pas vu à travers ma façade? Quelle idiote.” The words were distinctly French, and Astoria wished that she had gone to the library and checked out a book on the language like she had planned to do. However, it had slipped her mind.
“Celine, you're scaring me,” Astoria replied, a nervous laugh bubbling up. The floor seemed to fall out from underneath her, and she yelled in surprise as she felt her back hit the cold floor of the basement. A week prior, they had cleared it out, leaving nothing inside. Nowhere to hide. The manor was warping and shifting to Celine's will, and now Astoria was exactly where her girlfriend wanted her to be. Celine leaned over Astoria, a hand gently lifting her chin.
“Une fois que tu étais proche de moi, si désespéré pour mon amour, je savais qu'obtenir ta confiance serait facile,” Celine softly cooed. Astoria looked into her eyes, trying to figure out what had happened. Had Mark gotten to Celine? Was he possessing her somehow? Astoria was so caught in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Celine's blade lodged itself into her stomach until the pain kicked in. She shrieked, instinctively going to try and remove the source of pain. A soft hand held her wrist, pushing her hand away in an almost caring way.
“Oh, no, no, no. Don't you know that it makes the blood loss more-” Celine ripped out the blade, the curved edge tearing flesh and causing blood to spray across the floor and both of their faces. “-severe if the object is removed?” Astoria tried her hardest, but she couldn't hold back the tears of pain that spilled down her face as she shoved herself into a sitting position, one hand pressed tightly against her torso as she tried to move backward. She could taste blood in her mouth, mixing with the tears on her face.
“Celine, stop,” she pleaded tearfully. Celine tilted her head like a dog, crouching down in front of Astoria and placing a bloody hand on her cheek in a mocking gesture of affection. She pressed a light kiss to Astoria's forehead, smiling softly down at her.
“No.”
Astoria wasn't prepared for the knife to be driven into her stomach again. She screamed in pain, and despite her sobs and pleas, Celine kept cutting deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until the sound of metal scraping against the concrete wall was heard. Astoria was woozy from blood loss and the excruciating pain, her whole body leaning to the side. Celine tutted, propping her girlfriend up so she was sitting straight again. With Astoria being properly incapacitated with the severe blood loss, Celine could get what she really wanted. She marveled at the blood on her blade, at the tears running down her beloved's face. It was all so beautiful. Celine placed a hand on Astoria's chest, preventing her from moving as she made a large, deep cut. Astoria only managed a few choked whimpers of pain and sobs as the audible snapping of bone was heard, her ribs cracking as Celine found her prize. Yanking hard, blood sprayed all over her face and body as well as the surrounding floor. Held gently in her cupped hands was Astoria's heart. Looking at her girlfriend, Celine sighed as she saw the blood pooling around her, leaking from her mouth. She'd stained the brand-new dress she'd just bought! Astoria weakly reached up a hand, but it fell as quickly as she had tried to reach for her lover, the light leaving her eyes. Celine walked calmly upstairs, shutting the light off and closing the door to the blood-soaked basement as she went.
Sky is surprised it took weeks to have a nightmare while travelling with the Chain; normally they happened much more often.
Rated T for suggestive themes and scary imagery/fear.
LU Sky & dreaming of Ghirahim
Also on AO3
IIII
Honestly Link was surprised it was weeks before he had a bad nightmare with the Chain; at home, it seemed like he woke his Zelda in their shared rooms on the surface every few nights. But here, the changed setting he supposed helped.
But they'd been swimming and visiting hot springs, and Link supposed that was bound to cause problems.
The worst part was the touch.
He was, at least, mostly aware he was dreaming -- at least his worst dreams gave him that much. He knew it wasn't real, knew it was a twisted memory, knew Ghirahim wasn't really there and wasn't touching him... but he could feel it clear as day, nails wound around his aching throat. He was choking on the smoky air, despite knowing that wasn't possible. The earrings protected him -- had protected him ever since he got them from that caustic air.
"How did such a fragile, worthless little bird destroy me?" Ghirahim purred. "It doesn't bear thinking about, does it? You and your miserable tendency to always be in my way."
Link jerked away and those biting nails let go. He stumbled, reached vainly for the wall of the pit before him and fell onto the steep, sandy rock before him. He thought he'd grabbed the lip -- maybe he did.
If he did (he still wasn't sure) Ghirahim ensured he failed. That pale boot slammed down on his fingers and Link let go with a scream as he tumbled onto a slope he couldn't escape. He struggled to control the slide but it felt like everything he tried to do went wrong.
And the further down he went, the more patches of that gleaming silver water appeared.
His heart pounded in his throat. Wake water.
Sometimes it woke him up.
Sometimes it woke Guardians into his dream instead.
There was a pillar, somehow, right before a pool of it so deep he could drown appeared. Link seized it and clung on, even as his arms burned and Ghirahim appeared above him. He reached down again and wound fingers into Link's hair, nails teasing his scalp in all-too-familiar a way.
"I didn't know you were so desperate for my company," he mocked. "You don't want to leave me so soon? I'm touched."
Link ground his teeth rather than answer, but it grew harder as Ghirahim (as unaffected by gravity as he had always been) appeared next to him instead of above and bent to flick that awful tongue over his ear. The tip wound around the shell and tucked itself not into the ear but the edge of his mouth. Teeth grazed his skin, sharp enough he felt blood trickling along the curve.
It's a dream, he repeated. If I just let go I might wake up.
Or I might drown with Guardians hunting me again.
As Ghirahim's hand walked down his spine, the choice grew harder and harder to make. What was worse? Was anything worse? If he let go, Ghirahim might 'save' him, too, and he didn't want that either. He didn't...
Please, he begged, and someone slapped him across the face.
Linke woke gasping. He lunged for his sword, as if it were still where he kept it by his bed at home, and felt the scabbard be shoved against his chest. He curled up around it, around Fi's comforting heat and sobbed into his knees.
After a few seconds, he finally realized someone was talking: someone had woken him up.
"It's okay," Warriors said, in the tone of someone repeating words over and over. "It was just a dream."
Okay, I like how the conversation goes, nothing to add there, now they are making out on the couch and I don't know where to go from here kaoakapkaaokaoakapalala
Okay, I think I found a middle ground with the nightmare fic, it's not as dark as the first try and they seem to be heading to a cool little middle of the night getting together.
