Title: Fearless

Rating: M for Language, Violence, Grotesquerie, and General Trippiness

Summary: A girl suffers trauma to her temporal lobe. The result: no fear. ~ Uh, I guess you don't have to squint for romance anymore. 1000 words per drabble.

Disclaimer & Important Notes: Don't own Freddy; don't own the rhymes. You know the drill.

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Forfeit

(Night 114)

"You're leaving Cody alone?"

He glowered at her from across the workbench. "Well, now that you reminded me, bitch…"

"Mm," she protested wordlessly, moving closer to him. He inched back, eyes wary, and she smiled softly. "Sure," she said quietly. "It's okay for you to invade someone's space, half-naked and sexy with your sweater off—"

"What?"

"—but the minute I take even one step toward you—"

He was on her in a second, his blades pointed at the hollow of her throat. There was a faint pop, and she felt a narrow ribbon of blood stream over her collarbone and between her breasts. He'd just broken the skin.

"I'm not scared of you," she whispered.

"Your pulse is going a mile a minute," he sneered.

She smiled. Her eyes were alight, but with something unidentifiable.

"That's not fear," she said.

He blinked. Her fingertips rested lightly on his burned wrist, not pushing away but just kind of holding him there. "You're leaving Cody alone?" she repeated.

"You're not afraid for him?" he challenged mockingly, his voice rasping with smoke.

"No," she said frankly. She fixed him with a look of such seriousness that if he'd had a heart, it would have turned itself over in his chest. "But I'd miss him. And I'd really rather you—not."

He pulled his hand away slowly, letting the fine points of his blades graze over her flesh lightly. Goosbumps rose on her skin. He turned from her.

"He's a pitiful runt," Freddy sneered. "His soul's not even a snack."

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up got Jack, and home did trot
As fast as he could caper;
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

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This drabble is dedicated to Xoomis for the prompt, "Forfeit."

It is 259 words long.

The first half was actually prompted by the word "family," but when I started 'storming off "forfeit," it blossomed. Because this drabble isn't just about Ash's brother; in fact, it's not actually about Cody at all. It's about what Freddy is surrendering (albeit unwillingly). It's not just that he's not carving up her brother's soul: there's a lot of things he's not doing. Because of her. I'm not entirely sure if I like this aspect of his personality suddenly in flux (because of a girl, no less; yeesh), but this is what the characters are telling me to write.

At any rate, a special thanks to Xoomis for shedding the light on the deeper truth of this exchange, and for encouraging a deeper understanding of the underlying tones of the situation.