An old request from HatsuneMikuIsSenpi :) I hope you all enjoy and remember to brush your teeth while in quarantine and stay safe please! Someone really cares about you!

WARNING: Quite graphic. Not too bad though.

Exasperated - a feeling of intense irritation or annoyance

Disarray - a state of disorganisation or untidiness

Apparition - a ghost or ghostlike image of a person

"Night, are you okay?" Dream asked, repeatedly poking his brother in the cheek-bone. Nightmare grunted, batting Dream's hand away. He was extremely tired but he didn't dare sleep. Not after his recent dreams- nightmares actually. Night terrors weren't uncommon for him and he had slowly become used to them however recently they've been getting worse - more terrifying. Nightmare can't ever forget those wide, sad, petrified golden eyes of Dream.

"I'm fine." Nightmare grumbled, poking Dream in the forehead. Dream huffed, folding his arms at the action.

"Are you sure, brother?" Dream asked, glancing at him and the dark hue under his eye-sockets. "You look like you haven't slept in 29 years."

"That's oddly specific." Nightmare mumbled, chuckling slightly before turning to face Dream properly. "Don't worry, I'm okay Dream. I was just thinking about stuff." he assured.

Dream tilted his head at this. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just about how Keith hasn't been fed in a few weeks." Nightmare replied, glancing sideways. He perked up at an audible gasp and watched in amusement as Dream jumped up from the couch and ran to the kitchen to feed their pet rock.

Nightmare exhaled softly, leaning his head back against the couch and closing his eyes. The image of those sad, golden eyes flashed in his mind, causing his breath to hitch and his eyes to snap back open. He sat motionless for a few moments before his breath returned, tears welling up in the corner of his eye-sockets. 

"Nightmare! Keith has been fed!" Dream declared, stepping back into the room proudly.

Nightmare quickly wiped away the few tears, giving Dream a shaky smile.

"That's great." he stammered. 

Dream frowned. Something was wrong. Tentatively, Dream approached Nightmare, who was refusing to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Dream asked worriedly, sitting besides Nightmare. Nightmare spared him a glance, immediately regretting it when he found he couldn't look away from those concerned eyes.

"It's nothing." Nightmare whispered. Dream's frown deepened. Did his brother not trust him enough to tell him?

"Well," Dream started, choosing his words carefully. "Why don't you go to sleep? Maybe you're just exhausted- you might feel better in the morning."

That's the one thing Nightmare didn't want to do. He was about to open his mouth in objection however was interrupted by his brother.

"Yeah you definitely need to sleep, Night." Dream concluded. "I don't want you to pass out from exhaustion."

"I'm not going to pass out." Nightmare retorted.

"Well you look like you are." Dream argued back, folding his arms.

Nightmare prepared to retaliate before stopping himself. He didn't want to fight with his brother over this. He let out a long, exasperated sigh. 

Dream smiled slightly, oblivious to the internal struggle within his brother.

"Come on, bedtime." Dream said, standing up from the couch and gently grabbing Nightmare by the arm, leading him upstairs to his bedroom. Nightmare remained quiet, having no choice but to follow. 

Once they reached Nightmare's room, Dream opened the door for him and practically pushed him onto the bed. He face-planted the bed cover, mumbling something incoherent. Dream giggled, wishing his brother goodnight before exiting the room, closing the door behind him with a soft 'clink'. 

Nightmare stayed still, feeling a sudden eerie silence slowly begin to envelop him. It was like the embodiment of darkness was waiting for him in here- waiting for Nightmare to drift off into sleep just so it could torment his already damaged mind. He groggily stood up, glimpsing around his room with dull eyes, searching for anything unusual. The shadows seemed to loom over the skeleton, grinning wickedly down at him. Nightmare internally shivered, deciding to crawl onto his bed and sit there, hugging his knees for comfort. He didn't want to change into his pyjamas- what's the point if he's not going to sleep?

He vowed to stay awake; he wouldn't let the darkness get him.

Yet, as Nightmare blearily gazed around his room at the shadows, his vision gradually became hazy with sleep. He desperately tried to fight it, endeavouring to keep his eyes open, but it was becoming increasingly difficult by the minute. The last thing he remembers before succumbing to the darkness was the twisted shadows increasing in size, towering over him.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the comfort of his bedroom. His breath quickened as he hesitantly observed his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some kind of forest. A thin layer of mist hung over the ground beneath him, carrying a heavy sadness and a tension so thick you could cut through it. The trunks of the trees were warped into dastardly shapes, supporting the twisted branches that arched downwards- almost as if they were trying to reach for something to grab a hold of and taint with their corruption. The whole area seemed to be blanketed in a dismal shadow. The few remaining leaves that dotted the ominous trees were dancing in the wind almost mockingly. Nightmare could practically hear the taunting laughter of the inanimate entities.

The sound of a sharp whisper made the skeleton yelp in surprise and he began to cower in fear, his blood running cold. He couldn't make out the distorted, broken voice that was carried by the wind though the disembodied whispering was enough to cause him to involuntarily shiver. The sound of his bones rattling could be heard resounding throughout the forest.

The whispering seemed to become clearer yet still completely mangled - there were multiple whispers. Nightmare whimpered, eyes wide with terror as he hopelessly tried to block out the voices. They became louder, more deafening until he could finally make them out. He wished he couldn't.

"You still don't see the monster within, do you?"

"You're here only to cause fear amongst people."

"You were born as a monster and you will die as a monster."

"I can taste the spectre of death clinging to you like a shadow."

"Negativity radiates off of you."

"Dream doesn't care for you. No one cares for you."

Nightmare didn't know when he began to sob; the whispers grew with intensity and malice. He backed up warily until he felt the pressure of tree bark digging into his back. Nightmare peered upwards at the blackened, sinister tree and hastily jumped away from it, hiccuping.

In an instant, Nightmare became completely paralysed. There before him was the illusion of Dream, staring at Nightmare with a horrified expression. Nightmare choked on his tears, feeling himself unintentionally move towards the apparition. He couldn't control himself.

"Brother?" the hallucination stuttered, the wide, sad, petrified golden eyes of Dream once again burning its way into Nightmare's plagued mind. Nightmare tried to pull away- tried to scream, cry, run.

He couldn't. He was completely powerless.

All he could do was suffer as his body moved by itself, summoning a bone and thrusting it into his brothers skull- right through the eye-socket. The illusion screamed, dissipating into dust instantaneously. Nightmare internally screamed.

Suddenly, he wasn't in the forest anymore. He was in the village of Dreamtale. The sky was a crimson red, the flickering, twirling flames swallowing buildings and throwing up smoke into the atmosphere. Villagers lay dead in pools of blood, their mutilated corpses malformed into the image of agony itself. Nightmare held up his trembling hands, gasping as he saw an inky, black substance oozing out from them. His vision soon became obscured as the viscous, putrid goo engulfed him whole.

The darkness had him.

Nightmare let out a loud, piercing cry of anguish as he bolted up from his bed, rapidly searching around his room. He was hyperventilating. He covered his mouth with his hand, attempting to muffle the distressed, heart-breaking cries that escaped. He couldn't hide them.

Dream burst through the door, rushing towards his hysterical brother in bewilderment. Nightmare was a mess; heavy, lilac tears cascaded down his cheekbones like waterfalls. His eye-lights were gone, leaving nothing but empty eye-sockets. He was clutching his head, breaking down. Dream felt tears of his own rise to his eye-sockets, wasting no time in climbing onto Nightmare's bed and pulling him into a warm, comforting embrace.

"Shh, shh, it's okay Night. It's okay- I'm here for you. Everything's okay." Dream whispered, yellow tears dribbling down his cheekbones. Nightmare let out a sound of absolute grief and heart-ache, burying his face into Dream's shirt, staining it with his tears. Dream didn't mind. He hugged his brother tightly, refusing to let go. He'd stay like this the whole night just for his brother. He hated to see him so distressed.

"Dream." Nightmare stammered, repeating his name between sobs. 

Dream sniffled, hugging his brother even tighter.

"I'm here, Night." Dream soothed. "I won't leave you alone, I promise."

Nightmare continued to cry, mumbling about voices, shadows and apparitions. Dream listened intently, trying to piece everything together however couldn't. All he could assume was his brother awoke from a night terror. 

Dream kept his promise, staying with Nightmare for the whole night. They'd both eventually fallen asleep- Dream holding his dear brother protectively. This seemed to help as Nightmare slipped away into a dreamless, terror-less slumber.

He'll never forget the screaming of his brother or the strange, black tar-like substance that could only be described as darkness and hatred.

--End--

3 oneshots in 1 day I am so tired I'm going to bed nighty night