[fanfic fifty] [heart no kuni] Prompt 30. Gone
Title: In Sleep
Author: spicy_diamond
Fandom: Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Nightmare Gottschalk / Alice Liddle
Table: Four
Prompt: 30. Gone
Rating: PG
Challenge: fanfic50
Summary: [Heart] Somewhere along the line she'd grown accustomed to having all of her dreams be his.
Word Count: 504
She didn't understand what was going on.
Shifting uncomfortably in place, Alice stared at the muted haze of dreamlike colors surrounding her. The space was was the same - vast and empty. But, for the first time since she'd come to the mad world that was Wonderland, it appeared that she was truly sleeping alone.
“Nightmare?” Alice took a tentative step forward, spinning around in a slow circle, half expecting the incubus to be simply floating somewhere nearby. “Nightmare, are you there?”
The faint, endless ticking of an unseen clock was her only response.
“Nightmare!” She called again. Louder this time. Her hands fisted tightly in her apron, bunching the fabric into knots as she waited for a reply.
Nothing.
Releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in a slow sigh, Alice ducked her head. Suddenly feeling far more lonely than she had ever expected she would at the prospect of empty dreams.
“Honestly...” Alice shook her head lightly at herself. A soft, humorless laugh forced it's way past her lips. The sound of her own voice disturbingly loud compared to the hush of her surroundings. “I'm hardly a child. I should be able to sleep on my own at the very least, shouldn't I?”
The stark emptiness of the dreamscape remained as it was, stretched mockingly before her. And, pressing her eyes closed, Alice wondered for a wildly, desperate moment if insomnia wouldn't be the lesser of the two sins.
“Alice?”
Her head snapped up. Skirts flaring about her knees as she turned, whirling.
“Nightmare?!”
“Sorry about that.” He gave a sheepish grin, one hand tucked behind his head shyly as Alice regarded him with a wide eyed stare. His cheeks a tad more pale and his voice a tad more breathy than she normally would have liked. “I seem to be running a little bit late this evening. Were you wait-”
The girl hit him at a run, arms outstretched, nearly bowling him over with the force of her hug. She buried her face in his chest.
Oh, thank goodness.
“Alice?” Catching her awkwardly, Nightmare's good eye widened in surprise. Arms tightening instinctively around her, he peered down at the girl in concern. “Did something happen?”
Still pressed against his chest, she gave a tiny, negative shake of her head. Not quite ready to let go, she stayed as she was, leaving him free to cypher through the thoughts left buried under the churning jumble of her emotions.
Nightmare set gently down on his feet. Lowering himself from where he'd been floating, scant inches above the ground, to wrap his arms more securely around her.
“It's okay. You're not alone.” Pulling back far enough to see her face, he bent down. One hand coming up to cup her cheek, he leaned in to kiss her softly. His voice lowered to a whisper against her lips. “As long as you'll have me, I'll stay in your dreams forever.”
Author: spicy_diamond
Fandom: Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Nightmare Gottschalk / Alice Liddle
Table: Four
Prompt: 30. Gone
Rating: PG
Challenge: fanfic50
Summary: [Heart] Somewhere along the line she'd grown accustomed to having all of her dreams be his.
Word Count: 504
She didn't understand what was going on.
Shifting uncomfortably in place, Alice stared at the muted haze of dreamlike colors surrounding her. The space was was the same - vast and empty. But, for the first time since she'd come to the mad world that was Wonderland, it appeared that she was truly sleeping alone.
“Nightmare?” Alice took a tentative step forward, spinning around in a slow circle, half expecting the incubus to be simply floating somewhere nearby. “Nightmare, are you there?”
The faint, endless ticking of an unseen clock was her only response.
“Nightmare!” She called again. Louder this time. Her hands fisted tightly in her apron, bunching the fabric into knots as she waited for a reply.
Nothing.
Releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in a slow sigh, Alice ducked her head. Suddenly feeling far more lonely than she had ever expected she would at the prospect of empty dreams.
“Honestly...” Alice shook her head lightly at herself. A soft, humorless laugh forced it's way past her lips. The sound of her own voice disturbingly loud compared to the hush of her surroundings. “I'm hardly a child. I should be able to sleep on my own at the very least, shouldn't I?”
The stark emptiness of the dreamscape remained as it was, stretched mockingly before her. And, pressing her eyes closed, Alice wondered for a wildly, desperate moment if insomnia wouldn't be the lesser of the two sins.
“Alice?”
Her head snapped up. Skirts flaring about her knees as she turned, whirling.
“Nightmare?!”
“Sorry about that.” He gave a sheepish grin, one hand tucked behind his head shyly as Alice regarded him with a wide eyed stare. His cheeks a tad more pale and his voice a tad more breathy than she normally would have liked. “I seem to be running a little bit late this evening. Were you wait-”
The girl hit him at a run, arms outstretched, nearly bowling him over with the force of her hug. She buried her face in his chest.
Oh, thank goodness.
“Alice?” Catching her awkwardly, Nightmare's good eye widened in surprise. Arms tightening instinctively around her, he peered down at the girl in concern. “Did something happen?”
Still pressed against his chest, she gave a tiny, negative shake of her head. Not quite ready to let go, she stayed as she was, leaving him free to cypher through the thoughts left buried under the churning jumble of her emotions.
Nightmare set gently down on his feet. Lowering himself from where he'd been floating, scant inches above the ground, to wrap his arms more securely around her.
“It's okay. You're not alone.” Pulling back far enough to see her face, he bent down. One hand coming up to cup her cheek, he leaned in to kiss her softly. His voice lowered to a whisper against her lips. “As long as you'll have me, I'll stay in your dreams forever.”