Once A Midnight Terror's Dreary
Genres: Angst/Drama Hurt/Comfort,Romance, and new Adult Fanfiction
Pairing: Nalu/EndLu,( Natsu x Lucy/ E.N.D. x Lucy)
Rating: T-M for disturbing imagery , language, mature situations and some adult sexual content (all consensual). Reader Direction is advised.(You've been warned!)
Summary: To sleep is to dream, to dream is to to be plagued by a horrible nightmare of epic proportions. To awake from such terror is to find some much needed record in the arms of a devoted etherious demon hybrid. The draconic fire demon comforts comforts his mate and queen (aka a certain celestial maiden) after she wakes from a nightmare while being haunted by gruesome memories of his own from a few nights prior. A two-shot and eventually upcoming future chapter for my (semi-au) fic The Draconic Demon Within. Nalu/Endlu centric (like said mentioned fic).
A/N: Hey lovelies, it's your girl millennial-star-gazer/Millennialstargazer back again with a new two- shot/Omake I'm still working on revisions (for previous Chapters on past accounts) and new chapters for my fics (among other works )— but thought I'd also take the time to post the one of the projects I mentioned. It's a -centred story which I eventually intend to include in one of the larger chapters for my semi au Nalu/E. fic The Draconic Demon Within (TDDW). When the time comes, I'll make sure what will be one or the chapters is in proper order. Anyway, Once A Midnight's Terror Dreary (OAMTD) is based off one of many idea that's beens in my head for months even during my recurring absences (summer to fall ) during my temporary hiatus (which wasn't by choice). Words can't even begin to describe how stoked I am to finally be able to post this!
Oh and while we're on the subject: many thanks to the lovely caandleworks, roguescribe, goddesofimmortality, lover-of-light-117 , and soprana-snap whose feedback and support was a tremendous help in writing this! Also special kudoos to caandleworks for her extra input on the quotes (not dialogue) you see featured below! You all rock ladies— thank you so much! Be sure to check them out on fanfiction and tumblr folks—- they're all incredibly talented writers/artists in their own right!
Sidenote: a list of my previous alias
Star-crossed-dragon Briefly on tumblr during July 2017
Dragon-shield-Maiden (on tumblr/fan-fiction) (late May to June 2017
Moonlight-Titania May 2017
Cosmicdragonwizard (Both Platforms) (November 2017-May 2018)
Celestialgeekmage (ditto) May-November 2017)
Originals (2012/2013– January 2017)
Twishadowhunter (Fanfiction)
TeamEdwardJace2/TeamEdwardJace(Tumblr)
Just so you all know that both chapters will be included in one post on tumblr (with designated dividers). Anyway, without further ado, here's the story— enjoy!
Disclaimer: Fairytail doesn't belong to me—but the most honourable Hiro-sensei!
Legend
Italics: Flashback/Nightmare Sequence
Bold: First Person Thoughts
Bolded Italics: empathized word
Bolded Italics: outside of main story): A/N
Chapter 1: Nightmares and Grisly Reminders
"Even if she be not harmed,
her heart may fail in her so much
and so many horrors;
and hereafter she may suffer - both in waking,
from her nerves,
and in sleep, from her dreams."
(Bram Stroker: Dracula)
"The thought burrowed into her heart as darkness fell.
It coiled in her guts as she wedges herself
amongst the boughs of a tree to sleep
And in the morning, it woke with her
and clung to her back, riding on her shoulders as she climbed down,
hungry and exhausted from the nightmares."
(Paolo Bacigalupi: Drowned Cities)
"My sleep wasn't peaceful, though. I have the sense of emerging from a world of dark, haunted places where I travelled alone."
(Katniss Everdeen: Mockingjay)
"No, please, no!"
The sound of Lucy's screams jolted Natsu out of his meditative state.
"Luce?" He questioned , voice laced with mounting concern ."You okay?"
" This can't be happening, just can't be... No, no, no!"
"Lucy!"
The dragonslayer's arms were around her at once, pulling his poor, distraught mate onto his lap.
"I...don't. No, I can't..." Lucy was choking on her words much to his panic-stricken dismay.
Shit... poor Lucy's struggling to say what's bothering her. Not to mention I can both see and smell the salty scent of her tears. Gotta help her...
" Lucy... it's okay... you're okay. Can you say what's on your mind?"
"c-can't lose..."
"Shit Luce— you're trembling!" Natsu was truly alarmed now, frantic in his attempts for the woman in his arms to open up." Tell me what's wrong , please. 'Lose what?' Did ya' have another nightmare?"
"Y-y-eah" came Lucy's reply, her brittle voice coming out so raggled the dragon slayer couldn't help but wince at the sound.
"Aw jeez—- I'm so sorry, sweetheart ",was what Natsu had to say in response. His words soothing in a way meant to ease the fears of someone who just awoke from a terrible nightmare just as Lucy did. Also known as that soft, dulcet,tender undertone in his voice he only reserved just for her . "It's not real though— just a bad dream, however scary it might be— I promise.
"I know—but it was still horrible !" Lucy wailed, the anguish colouring her tone enough for the dragon-demon's heart to clench with an almost execruciating force
"Do you wanna tell me what happened?" Hands were sifting the astral mage's blonde hair with stroke that Natsu hoped would be gentle enough to appease her By his touch. "No pressure or anything—- just whatever you can remember."
"Ok... I-i remember being lost somewhere in the woods , exhausted and cold," she continued, seemingly encouraged by his prompt somewhat. "Not to mention being soaked to the bone from hours of trying to find my way back in the freezing downpour. Pretty sure I was terrified out of my mind too seeing how dark it was and still hadn't the faintest idea where I was."
"Sounds like that must've been pretty scary . Then what happened?"
"Started calling out for everyone including through my spirits as I trekked through the forest , hoping someone, anyone ,would hear me . "
"And then?"
"No one answered which really worried me and then I saw why ... it's cuz... everyone was dead ! But that's not even worse of it . No, more like the fact you and happy were too. Just lying there on the ground, not breathing . You were all gone... and I was alone..." Lucy's already desolate voice broke on the last word; at the same time a shudder passed through Natsu's frame from the gruesome flashes of images from an eerily similar nightmare flooding his mind.
Flashback
The celestial's wizard's lifeless form with a light long faded from glassy, honey -brown, eyes that stared at nothing. Not to mention the tell-tale remanants of a stain of dried blood from a throat slashed on pale skin ice-cold to touch beneath the dragonslayers hands. The sound of tortured sobs escaping the throat of a grief-stricken man rocking the broken angel in his arms as if he was somehow able to revive her with sheer will power alone.
"No, no, no, Luce! You can't be gone... you just can't be! Please come back to me sweetheart... Please! Whatever gods might be listening, please her—- bring my Lucy back to me! I can't lose her—- not again! She's my soul mate, my everything! Already lost the other once—- I can't lose this one too! What about the others , huh? Don't they deserve to have her in their lives too?! I couldn't stand to see them go through this kind of pain! She's too far good, too pure! So please bring her back— not just for my sake, but for hers and everyone else's too! Please!
"Ahh ...calling out to a higher power, I see" Natsu heard Kyoka's chillingly, pensive voice muse from somewhere behind him. "It's so often what your kind do in times of loss or suffering isn't it? Begging and pleading with whatever gods and other deities they might believe in, bargaining with them for the lives for of their loved ones? Typical. Such a human thing to do, if you ask me. But you never were quite human, not really. Still, your—"
"Shut up! the hell are you even doing here, you mutinous old hag?!" Came the incensed fire demon's lord bleak snarl by way of greeting. How much his blood was boiling for the intrusion, words couldn't even begin to describe. not to mention how not in the mood he was for the ramblings of a
pathetic second-rate chump who's clearly deluded herself into thinking she's being profound with that banal, philosophy drivel of hers .
" You of all people in this gods-forsaken- shit - hole you call home , should know when not to disturb me and this counts as one of those times. The love of my life ... she's dead. "
"Yes, quite. Shame the life of the one you claimed as your mate and queen had to expire the way it did though. I honestly tried to explain the perpetrators responsible that resorting to such barbaric methods wasn't necessary— but you know they are.
Cold-blooded murders , the whole lot of them. They were so thrilled by the prospect of such brutality ti the point of being worked up into in a frenzy. Imagine their delight once the blood of your celestial wizard was finally spilled , the slice a the cold blade across her throat. Light slowly fading from those soulful eyes as she gasped for her last dying breaths. Poor Lucy spent her final, fleeting moments in agony I'm afraid. Dying, suffocating, frightening, maybe even wishing you were there to hold her as she—".
"Stop! I don't wanna hear how much my Luce suffered. Why are ya even telling me all this?! just leave us alone for gods sake! That too much to ask?!"
All I want is be alone with Lucy— maybe try to find a way to bring her back without some out throwing the cosmic balance or whatever out of whack. And even if that turns out not to be possible , then at least I get a chance to hold her just one last time before the next life. After that—
" I would but how else are you going to hear an accurate account of the events ? What about the rest of your friends? Surely, you'd want to hear what become of them as well ?"
"Luce was more than—-
"Oh?! So you don't wish for me to tell you ?"
"Goddammmit—what about em'?!"
"Well, they finally managed to bust in you see. Everyone from Fairytail and those other guilds you hold do dear. Most likely in the form of a rescue mission though they were stopped short by the gruesome sight of your their fallen's comrade mangled corpse on the ground.. Quite the shock to say the least. Athough it wasn't long until it turned to grief-fuelled rage and thoughts of avenging her death. Alas, it was for naught! They all fought valiantly — as did Lucy of course. Just wasn't enough to prevent their lives from being snuffed out. Even those poor little exceeds whose bodies may or may not have been already added to the funeral pyre."
Dear God not them too!
Get. Out was all Natsu could manage to bite out through grit teeth. I can't... no..
"As you wish, m'lord'. Kyoga finally seemed to clue into Natsu's less-than-friendly demand as her cue to exit; who by now was far too too lost in a sea of grief to respond any further. "I'll take my leave now."
"You see, Natsu?" Zeref's rueful voice echoed in the back of his mind once she was gone. Everyone you ever loved, dead— your soulmate included. Dare I say you're just like me in that sense."
No! I'm nothing— Natsu was about to rail against his brother only for the Jackal's taunting to break through his reverie.
"Wow, those degenerate freaks really did a number on the guild wizard scum didn't they? Wouldn't ya' agree, Rayan? Oh well! Least they can't stink up the place with that godawful stench if theirs anymore!"
The other demon's callous words were already far beyond insulting. More like the single most degrading Natsu heard someone ever speak about the life of his comrades.
Bastards... the whole lot of them. I should slaughter them like the wild animals they are..
It was what Rayan uttered next, however, that had the fire demon really seeing the most red.
"Yes, though really a crying shame about the celestial wizard," came said swarmy's scum voice, bland disinterest bleeding into his words as if Lucy's death was only some minor inconvenience that had since bask resolved; as opposed to what it truly was, the life among those most precious ti the dragonslayer extinguished.
"She really was more than just easy on the eyes, as they say. It'd done her well to consider my offer of being a concubine .Perhaps, she could have survived. Well,too late now."
The next thing Natsu knew he was gently setting Lucy down before rushing at the man with rage-induced adrenaline pumping through his veins; that manifested in the strangled roar he set loose . Trembling hands outstretched with the deadly intent to inflict a colossal amount of damage on the bastard who dared—
Just for the fire wizard to awaken with a jolt in the real world next to the love of his life. It took every ounce of will power to remind himself that the woman sound asleep in his arms was in fact still alive , still breathing; unlike the version in his dreams , unlike future Lucy.
Get it together Dragneel! She, Happy, and the others are all fine. It was only a bad dream after all. Just relax and enjoy the feel of having your beautifulmate sleeping safe and sound in your arms.
That being said, the demon still found content in keeping his wire trained on his angel's exquisite face until finally falling back into the realm of far more pleasant dreams.
Still Natsu didn't disclose any of this to Lucy though. Not when he didn't wish to inadvertently shift the focus away from her when she so desperately needed him at the moment . Not when it was more satisfying to let his fingers continue carding through her silky locks with ease which he couldn't help but marvel at instead.
Her hair, her scent— My God...
Focus! Luce's safety and well-being is my number priority right now. My minor discomfort is nothing in comparison to what she's been through and can wait. Right now, this woman's clearly in need of my undivided attention and support which I'm more than willin' to give...
"Natsu, I don't wanna lose you or anyone else." The celestial wizard's desolate sobs broke through the dragon slayer's reverie ; and God do ever they tug at my heart strings.
" I can't."
"Shh... I won't let that happen." He vowed, pressing a solid kiss of reassurance against her crown.
"Promise."
A/N: See you in the next chapter!