Nightingale's Lullaby
Warnings: Twisted dream sequence, minor character death (like really minor, they don't really die, it's just a dream), Copious amounts of Russian without any translations, some genderbending
-.-
Amelia was not a very happy camper. The clock next to her and Ivan's bed shown the numbers 3:27 AM, bright enough to appear to even her bleary eyes, to tell her that she'd been awake for well over an hour, shifting irritably just about every five minutes. Unbeknownst to her, her boyfriend, Ivan, was awake as well, and had been for almost half an hour. He wasn't extremely happy either.
"Ugh," Amelia groaned quietly, turning around noisily only to stifle a gasp as she met Ivan's annoyed yet hazy violet eyes. His light ash blonde hair was ruffled messily, some parts sticking to his face until he blew it out of his eyes with a small huff. He had slight bags underneath his gemstone eyes, making the American feel somewhat guilty for keeping him awake.
"Подсолнечник, why are you awake so late? Even the stars have fallen asleep," Ivan said softly, fatigue making his soft baritone sound heavy and thick as he motioned toward the window with a slight shrug of his shoulders. The night seemed to almost be pitch black.
Amelia flushed a bright red at being caught, stuttering, "I-uh, I had a b-bad dream and I couldn't f-fall back asleep so…"
She continued rambling in a loud whisper for a few more moments, mentioning something obscure about monsters and ghosts before Ivan cut her off with a small chuckle, "That is all? You had a bad dream? Why did you not wake me up? It would have been easier than to just wake me with your loud turning."
"H-Hey! I don't turn that loudly…"
The Russian gave her a flat look, "Yes, милая, you do. The bed creaks every time you move." Ivan shifted and lifted a hand to pat Amelia's hair softly, then resting it on her hip. "Go to sleep, возлюбленная. I am here."
"B-But…"
"Sleep," he said firmly, pulling her small body closer to his own. "You are safe."
Amelia sighed softly, closing her bright blue eyes and trying to relax. Yet, on the edge of her thoughts, it was still there…
Ivan, dangling from the ceiling with a noose around his neck and a broken chair lying on the floor, kicked from underneath his feet.
"Amelia…" He croaked, his hands straining to get free from the rope that tied them, crying out loudly when a shadowy figure pulled the rope around his throat tighter, "Why are you…?"
"S-Stop!" The American screamed, yet no one could hear her—no one, except for the figure killing her loving boyfriend. "Stop, please!"
"Why should I?" The figure spoke, a deranged smile taking over its featureless face and causing Amelia to jump back in shock. Its voice, it sounded just like…
"Yours? Yes, Amelia, I am you. The you you could never be, the you that is better than you could ever be." The smile on the figure—no, creature's face grew, the rest of its features appearing to match its terrified counterpart.
"N-No! You're nothing like me! You can't be me!"
"You are right. Of course I can't be you, Amelia. There is only room for one of us in this universe. The only explanation for this is that you are me, yes?" Ivan continued to struggle before falling limp in the background, causing Amelia to cry out.
"No! Ivan!"
The other Amelia laughed, the sound coming out sardonic and artificial instead of what it would actually sound like had the real Amelia done it. "And to think, this is all. Your. Fault."
"No!"
"Amelia!"
The American screamed, the sound coming out more like a choked sob than anything else. Ivan held her in his arms, cradling her in his lap as he pulled them both upright.
"Amelia, are you all right?" Panic surged through her boyfriend, speaking more through his amethyst colored eyes than his mouth. "Дорогая, ты в порядке?"
Tears leaked from her eyes and sobs escaped from her throat, but she couldn't do anything else. Amelia burrowed her head into his chest, desperately listening to the Russian's heartbeat, trying to tell herself that he was alive, that she hadn't killed him, that he didn't absolutely hate her—
"Любовь, I would never hate you. Why would I do that?"
Had she said that last part out loud?
"I-The dream, you… you died and it was me, but not, and," Amelia practically blubbered, stopping when Ivan pulled her closer into a tight embrace and clutched her smaller form to his.
"Shh… It is okay…" he whispered softly, rocking back and forth, petting her messy hair gently. He pressed a kiss to her forehead to calm her down, but he could still feel her tears soaking into his night shirt, her sobs racking her shoulders and trembling against his body. Ivan started to panic, she wasn't calming down. What could he do?
A thought occurred to him, and Ivan wasted no time in following it. He had no other idea, so it was worth a chance.
"If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky," he sang softly, his voice slightly rusty from disuse. "You can hide underneath me, and come out at night…"
Amelia sniffed loudly, tears still streaming down her cheeks but without the sobs. "When I turn jet black, and you show off your light, I live to let you shine. I live to let you shine…"
Ivan continued to sing quietly, still rocking Amelia in his arms and petting her hair. She calmed down after a few more verses, sniffling and pressing her head into Ivan's chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I love you," she mumbled tiredly, snuggling up to him as he laid her back down on the bed and then settled beside her.
"I love you, too," Ivan whispered back, resting his arms around her figure and holding her close. "Go to sleep. I am here."
As her breathing evened out, the Russian continued, "And I will be, forever."
-.-
Yay, it's finished! I tried to make this super fluffy at the end, 'cause it got all crazy there for a little while.
The song is Boats and Birds, it's really cute. Can't remember who it's sung by at the current moment, but I'm sure it can't be that hard to figure out.
Please review! Any and all criticism is appreciated!
