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My eyes sleepily fluttered open as an odd mist surrounded me. I glanced around the new room which was filled with darkness. Huh? Um...what's this? Two large, warm arms draped around my waist pinning me down in place as the uneven ground beneath shifted slightly.
"Hm...Nightmare...?" Gray's husky voice sleepily questioned. I glanced back blinking as I spied his jaw and narrowed, sleepy eyes as they blankly scanned the new environment. Oh~ that's cute. Gray glanced down noticing my stare.
"Oh~ that's cute," a voice interrupted in a baby voice. We both jumped as I snapped my head up spying Nightmare floating a few feet from us.
"Nightmare?!" I gawked with a slight jump. I immediately struggled in Gray's grasp to undo the embarrassing position we were in but his arms held firm. "Ah, l-let go."
"No. You cannot go walking around on your foot even if this is the dream world." He answered rather harshly.
"Oh come on! I'll stand on one leg then." I tried to reason looking away from Nightmare with a slight flush.
"Rejected." He bluntly growled tightening his grip as if to reemphasize his words.
"Look, I know I said I'll do whatever you wanted but at least give me some leash!" I reasoned squirming in his arms. He huffed and tightened his grip considerably as he set he chin on top of my head as if to discourage me from moving. His eyes remained locked to Nightmare who held a cheeky grin and a .
"Oh ho ho~ what is this, my dear subordinate?" Nightmare teased covering his lips as though he was holding back on more to say. "Whatever you say?"
"Master Nightmare, please stop assuming things." Gray retorted as I huffed.
"But Gray, how can't I? We are here in the dream world so her foot -,"
"Please refrain from speaking Master Nightmare." Gray huffed with an ending note. Geh...I swear he is such a prissy little girl -! What kind of mother doesn't at least give her child some leg room?! Without warning Nightmare exploded into a fit of laughter as he crashed onto the ground in his mad hysterics.
"P-P-Prissy little girl -!" Nightmare raged holding his stomach from so much laughter. Oops...
"M-Master Nightmare please refrain from saying such things."
"Bwa ha ah ah ha ha ah b-b-but I wasn't the o-one who t-t-thought that -! Ah ha ha ha -!" He blubbered out between his laughter. It didn't take long for Gray to put two and two together.
"Jackie?" He said my name in disbelief as he loosened up enough to look me in the face. I guiltily looked back with an apologetic air.
"Well...it's only true though." I noted avoiding his heartbroken topaz eyes.
"P-Prissy...i-in what way?!" He cried, shocked beyond thought. I huffed and glared over to the motherly man.
"You're constantly in my face even though we just met, pretty much kicking and screaming for me to get some rest. I am practically an adult and I've taken care of myself for years before you came along. It's demeaning for you to take the role as a motherly figure and try to help me now!" I growled lashing all of my frustration out at the poor man. His mouth parted in shock as he digested my cruel words.
"M-M-Motherly?!"
"Yep. Just like a mother hen." I noted continuing to peel back the layers of his dignity. Calling him motherly seems to really bother him. Good.
"D-Don't say what Alice used to -!" He retorted with an embarrassed flush. My eyes narrowed. Huh. Once again comparing me to Alice...
"Well, she was right about one thing at least." I huffed looking away from the floundering man. I swear...it's kind of pathetic to get this flustered over my words. Does he really have that little self confidence that when someone calls him motherly he shrinks to the size of a bug? I snickered. Kind of cute. But more so annoying than anything else.
"A-And what was that?" He asked, apprehensive of the answer. I grinned knowing that I had him right where I wanted. I reached up and tapped him on the head.
"That you think that every foreigner is weak and needs someone else to protect them, Mrs. Ringmarc." I viciously teased watching as his blush of utter terror ripped over his face.
"I would not be so concerned if you hadn't gotten injured so easily! Not once but twice in the same hour!" He argued furiously flustered at my remarks. My eyes flashed.
"I've told you already I'm having a bad day!" I harshly retorted.
"My~ Jackie, you really do have no fears!" Nightmare cried highly impressed. My anger deflated slightly as I leered over to the incubus.
"What do you mean?" I'm just arguing with a mother figure. He snickered at my thought before coughing, clearing his throat.
"Not many people are willing to get into such a flurry of words with an assassin." He noted with a sly smile.
"M-Master Nightmare -!" Gray cried in a rather reprimanding voice. My slate wiped clean of emotion as I processed his words. Assassin? I turned back to Gray measuring his beat red face and worried lines as he looked back at me with concern deeply imbedded in his harmless topaz eyes.
"Him -?!" I incredulously asked, looking back to Nightmare for confirmation. He proudly nodded his head. In the next second I exploded with laughter gripping my stomach just so it wouldn't tear in half from my jerking hysterics.
"Y-Y-You're kidding -!" I howled slapping a hand over my eyes to hide my tears which dabbed the edges of my eye. Nightmare held no trace of humor in his empty smile.
"Not at all. Gray was once one of the most feared Role Holders in all of Wonderland." He eerily noted tilting his head to the side. I struggled to control the waves of laughter as my stomach ached from laughing so hard. I wiped away my laughing tears with some lasting chuckled ripping through my throat.
"Yeah, okay." I teased leaning back on Gray's supporting torso with snickers still tearing through my esophagus.
"Master Nightmare, please depart." Gray begged looking away with a very hurt expression. I glanced up to the pride injured man. Huh? He's...hurt? But that was funny! Who could ever picture someone like him as an assassin?
"Very well. Sweet dreams, my little subordinates." Nightmare crooned as he snapped his fingers.
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I sighed contently lying down on Nightmare's office couch and stared at the ceiling. Gray never said I had to stay in one spot now did he? I giggled at my own genius imagining his angry mother hen rage.
"Ah...you're quite the little vixen Jackie...," Nightmare commented with a paler than usual face. "Break...I need a break...," he begged. I gazed evenly at his lips which were paler than his complexion. I sighed, relenting.
"Fine. You get an hour break."
"Yay~!" He cheered as he hopped up and came to my side. I glanced up and moved for him as he approached singing, "Time with the foreigner~."
"Huh?" I asked as he swung around with a cheerful smile.
"Ah, well when I went on my breaks with Alice here she let me play with her hair." He hummed contently as he sat down, placing a pillow on his lap and set me down.
"Hm...I don't believe it." I hummed as he tugged on a few strands of hair. I otherwise let him do as he pleased; I like having my hair played with. I closed my eyes enjoying the gentle tugs and manipulation of my hair.
"Jackie?" He began after a few minutes of braiding a few loops.
"Hm?" I hummed not bothering to open my eyes.
"Why are you so mean to my subordinate? He means well." He noted. I sighed. Ah, I knew he was up to something...I paused thinking of a way to word it that's not too cruel. His nose scrunched up as I came up with one in particular before I dispelled it from my head.
"He forces me to do things. I don't like those kinds of people." I finally answered after some thought.
"It's for your own good." He defended, helping his subordinate's case.
"Hm...," I hummed not really wanting to dignify that with a response. I know it is but...I looked away. I don't want him to think of me as a child. I'm older than Alice who's still like what, 12? And I don't like it when people view me as weak. Weakness is...I cringed as my mother's hair flashed in my mind. Weakness means being beaten repeatedly and I-
"Jackie?"
"Hm?" I answered happy to be pulled out of my thoughts.
"Please treat my subordinate nicer. He, by no means, thinks of you as a child." Nightmare playfully noted pulling on my red bangs.
"Why?" I stubbornly answered as the doors slammed open.
"Jackie!"
"Ugh...," I groaned, preparing myself for a scolding. So annoying...
"Why aren't you resting in bed?" Gray demanded as he spied me on the couch, unfazed by me lying in Nightmare's lap as he childishly played with my hair. My eyes narrowed as my earlier annoyance overcame my somewhat pleasant mood.
"You never specified where I could lay." I smartly responded.
"You didn't eat the medicine!"
"I didn't want to die." I shot back. He staggered back, once again sufficing a blow. I cringed at my own cruelty. If I was Gray I would have thrown my butt right out the window. I hate brats but I literally can't stop myself; I want him to leave me alone and being mean is an automatic response to that said feeling.
"D-Die? But it's medicine!" He argued carrying in a cup of coffee and a bowl. My stomach churned at the mere smell of the chemical infused crap in a bowl. Gross. I would rather eat my own arm.
"I'm not eating anything you make after seeing you butcher eggs and toast." I relentlessly picked trying to weaken his defenses.
"Huh? But that's how you're supposed to eat them!" Oh just leave me alone you cook illiterate idiot...
"Toast from a microwave and shells in my eggs? Not a chance." I heartlessly replied. He grimaced, hurt by my comment. My gaze softened. Ah...why am I being so mean to him? He went to all the trouble to try and make me a fresh breakfast even though he can't cook for crap. And even before when he was restraining me; he didn't want my foot to get anymore hurt. I know this...I know this and yet my emotions are screaming at me to rip him a new one. Why? Why am I so bothered by him trying to help me?
"Y-You promised to do as I say." I pouted with a hurt expression while he was trying to be firm, gripping the arm of the couch. I sighed and gazed into his topaz eyes.
"I did didn't I?" I said with a lazy smile which translated to try-and-get-me-off-this-chair-and-I'll-rip-your-balls-off. Without warning his head flicked towards the window suddenly very interested as to what was outside. What? Is that the end of our conversation -
"Go." Nightmare said.
"Yes, Master Nightmare." Gray quickly bowed shooting me a quick glance before hurrying out the window. Huh? I jumped up in shock as he leapt right out without any hesitation.
"H-He just -!" I cried, flabbergasted as I hurried to my feet. Nightmare pulled me back forcing me to sit.
"It's fine; it's just an emergency, that's all." Nightmare said waving off any concern.
"What kind of emergency is so urgent that he needs to jump out of the window and kill himself?!" I demanded, horrified at his nonchalant reaction.
"Ah, Jackie...you shouldn't underestimate Gray so much. It's demeaning to such a grand subordinate and ex-assassin." Nightmare noted still tugging at my hair.
"Underestimate him? He jumped out of a freaking window!" I cried anxiously glaring at the opening in the wall. He could have seriously injured himself -!
"Gray is not weak, Jackie. And he is by no means a 'mother hen'." Nightmare chuckled musing with the idea as he lounged on the couch.
"Are you kidding me?" I asked as I stared into his grey eye. Gray is as harmless as a fruit fly!
"If you don't believe me...," he trailed off leaning towards me and slyly smirked, "then why don't you go find Gray and personally see if he's alright?"
"Don't think I won't." I growled calling his bluff. Nightmare smiled and raised his arms submissively, allowing me to leave without trouble.
"Just be sure to handle Gray's rage when he sees you running about." He noted as I stood up testing his offer.
"Ha. Like that's a problem." I rolled my eyes and hobbled out of the room with a chuckle. Please; more like how is he going to handle me when I find him? Still can't believe he jumped out of a freaking window...no matter what the emergency is it doesn't mean he can risk his life for it!
"Good luck~," he sang as I closed the door. Good luck? What do I need luck for?
All I'm doing is going out to find mama hen.
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Uh oh~ what do you think Gray's reaction is going to be seeing Jackie? And what do you think is going to happen? PM and leave a review to tell me what you think and 10 reviews over all for the next chapter. Thank you!