I'm thinking about Ernest again.
Imagine you grow up surrounded by a loving family (we'll ignore the kind of fucked up things going on there as well). Then your mother dies and your older brother leaves for university and sure that’s sad but eventually live goes on. But a few years later your younger brother gets murdered, seemingly by the housekeeper who is also your cousin's best friend; someone you thought you could trust. She gets executed for it, maybe you think she deserved it, maybe you wonder if she really could have done it, especially since your brother and cousin are convinced she didn’t.
A while after that your brother's dearest friend, who you likely know very well –he visited so often during your childhood that your house is probably like a second home to him– gets murdered somewhere in Ireland. Your brother is accused of the murder and ultimately aquitted, but when he returns he is like an empty shell of his former self. Maybe you wonder what exactly happened back in Ireland, but even of you do, you will never know.
Your brother and cousin get married as your parents had always wished they did but on the wedding night your cousin gets murdered as well.
Shortly after your father dies broken-hearted.
Now you and your brother are the only ones left. You should stay together, work through all the grief and support eachother after everything that happened, right? Afterall you only have eachother.
But your brother leaves. Packs his bags one day without telling you why. Maybe you ask him to stay, maybe he leaves at night when you're sleeping and you wake up to him being gone.
He never returns. The house is empty, you're the only one left there. Halls that used to be filled with laughter are now echoing the sounds of your footsteps as you wander around them feeling lost and alone.
Maybe you find out what happened to your brother. Maybe one day you receive a letter from Russia or England, signed by someone called Robert Walton, telling you your brother died up in the arctic on his ship.
You wonder what brought him there, what was there that led him to desert you, was there any reason he left or did he just run to leave everything behind, to even leave his only living brother?
Maybe you find out, maybe the letter tells you the entire story, your own brother's narration of a horrifying tale, you wonder if you can even believe it. Maybe he has truly gone mad, but it fits with the events perfectly. You don’t know what to think.
But maybe you never find out, maybe you never even get that letter. Maybe you'll spend the rest of your live wondering what happened. What went wrong, so that you are now alone on this earth, robbed of all those you loved? Maybe you'll never know, maybe you'll never find your peace.
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Contentment
(1,485 words)
Evan has a nightmare during a sleepover with Gregory and accidentally wakes him up in the process. Gregory, of course, offers him comfort. Even if he is delirious from sleep and spouting nonsense.
Evan doesnt know what time it is when he gasps awake from his nightmare. Its sometime late, if the pitch blackness of the room and faint sounds of cicadas and crickets outside are any indication. Gregory is still sleeping soundly adjacent to him on his bed as he huffs for air, unfiltered fear gripping his lungs.
He props himself up on his air mattress, trying to calm his hammering heart as the fluffy throw blanket Gregory had given him to cover up with slides off of his shoulders. Flashes of the frankly offputting nightmare appear over his eyes in the dark, and he tries to rub them away with his clammy, shaking hands.
It's not the first time Evan's had nightmares like these. Far from it. Sometimes, he'll shoot awake in his room and think he sees shadows of what monstr of the week he'd dreamed about in the corners, and his stomach will be so on fire he'll be shaking intensely, unable to fall back asleep.
That's what's happening now. Allthough its frustrating how much his brain seems to hate him, Evan cant find it in him to be annoyed right now. He almost never can. The fear that he'd experienced in the dream has clung to him like a tick, and it makes his breaths shaky and harsh.
Sweat clings to his clothes, soaking theough and making his skin sticky. Albeit shakily, he moves off of the air mattress, too paranoid to stay on top of it lest he somehow gets the bed Gregory's family had generously donated to him dirty. He shifts near the middle of the side of Gregory's bed, sitting on his carpet and curling up as small as hes able.
He tries really hard to stay quiet for Gregory, but this is a particularly bad one. That feeling he always gets when he has a nightmare, and wakes up feeling off and disoriented is sticking with him. His heart thrums uncomfortably in his chest, and he clutches his knees he has pulled up to his chest, trying to will the anxiety away.
Despite how hard he tries, his eyes blow open when he let's out the smallest whimper, the terror and the dark getting too much. He holds his breath, staying completely silent for what feels like hours as he strains his ears for signs of Gregory waking up.
His heart has long since stopped when he risks a glance behind him. It's the exact same time Gregory stirs just enough to land a hand on his shoulder, and Evan startles hard, gasping harshly.
After he wills his heart to stop almost imploding, Evan breathes out, trying to calm down. Guilt curls in his stomach when Gregory raises his head from his pillow, eyes bleary and hair sticking up. His face is just visible over the edge of the bed, and Evan's only able to see his expression because of the moonlight shining through the blinds.
The hand squeezes a bit tighter, and then "Ev'n?"
Evan's brows furrow, the feeling of fear and guilt mixing together into an ugly poison in his gut. He shakes his head, trying to will the unease to fall away. This, undoubtedly, is worse than before.
"Its me." He replies, after a moment, soft as ever. He swallows thickly, before, "I-- I'm sorry I woke you up. Just go back to sleep, please. I-- I promise I'm okay. You don't need to worry about me."
Despite Evan's attempts, it seems even through Gregory's barely-awake state he can still call Evan's bluff. Evan watches Gregory's form under his blanket shift, rolling out of view from the edge of the bed to closer to the wall.
"No you're not." Gregory tells him, voice rough from sleep. His words slur in that way that tells you the person you're speaking to isnt fully aware. "I h'rd you. Just... if somethings wrong jus... come up here."
Evan's eyes widen, and panic grips his insides at that. "No, no!" Evan attempts, waving his hands even though Gregory probably cant even open his eyes enough to see him. "I dont need you to do that, I swear. I'm fine. You take your bed and I'll have mine."
Evan has calmed himself down from nightmares plenty of times before. Even if it did take almost an hour or more each time. He doesn't need Gregory to offer his own bed to him.
But Evan should know by now that Gregory wont allow him to suffer in silence. No matter how much he insists. So really, when Gregory flails a hand around and off of the bed, tugging at Evan's sleeve and mumbling things about 'Not leaving you to be scared', he shouldn't be suprised.
Still. When Evan eventually climbs into Gregory's bed and tucks himself under the thick comforter, the sheets coming pre-warmed, its almost like the unease and anxiety of his terrifying nightmare melts off a little. Especially since he can feel the almost personal heater-like warmth of Gregory's back pressed up against his side.
Gregorys bed is just a twin, so it takes some squeezing, but they both fit. Before, Evan would just have Fredbear to tuck under his arm when he inevitably had to try to fall back asleep in his own house. Never in a million years did he consider going to his Father or Michael for comfort. The idea of having a person to keep him company never crossed his mind.
When Evan has calmed down significantly since climbing in bed, he relaxes some more, finally feeling more fit to sleep as he says, "Thank you, Gregory." Evan shuts his eyes, body still faintly trembling but feeling more relaxed. "...I do feel better. A lot better."
Evan thinks Gregory may have nodded off already when he doesnt respond right away, but then he shifts slightly. "T'ld you." He mumbles. "...You gotta stop being scared of bothering me. I want you to feel better more than having m' bed I sleep in every day."
Evan chuckles slightly. "Night, you mean." But warmth overcomes the last bits of chill in his stomach when he smiles earnestly into one of Gregory's pillows, tugging the comforter above his chin. "And... I will. From now on. You just might have to knock some sense into me first."
"I will." Gregory replies. He's still awake somehow (if you describe this as being 'awake') despite being dead still against Evan, as unmoving as a boulder. Then, to Evan's amusement, he mumbles, "I gotta learn to knock sense into things somewhere. H'w'll I be able to join the... the laser force if I dont?"
It takes a moment for Evan to process it, but then he cant help the giggle he stifles into Gregory's comforter. "The laser force?" He prompts.
"Mhm. Theres... laser guns, and I have to track down three targets bef're theyll let me join."
As Evan's eyes grow more and more tired from how comfortable hes becoming tucked safely into Gregory's bed, Gregorys comforting presence at his shoulder, and warmth surrounding him and pulling him more and more under, he just smiles, cheek smashing into the plush of Gregory's pillow. "Heh. You can do it, Gregory. I believe in you."
"Mm. I'll st'll come visit you... even after I'm deployed." Is the last thing Gregory says before his words trail off and his body goes completely slack against Evan, signaling hes asleep.
Evan has one more round of quiet, silent laughter before his eyelids slip shut, as heavy as iron, and his body relaxed. He falls asleep himself, smile on his face and any remnants of terror from his nightmare wiped away.
Evan's last thought is how much more being in Gregory's bed, in his room, in his house, feels like home than his own room, where he could really never fully relax. Where the threats were real.
When they wake up that coming morning, any of Evan's previous unsettled feelings are completely absent, replaced with amusement and contentment when he peels his eyes open to sunlight peeking through the blinds and Gregory's face smushed into his pillow, drool stained into the case. Gregory wakes up to Evan's giggles, and after realizing what, or who hes laughing at, grabs one of his plush pillows molded like something and begins pelting Evan with it.
Naturally, Evan shrieks, throat dry in that way that only happens when you've slept good, and shields himself. When he throws the comforter off of himself, falling onto the air mattress and bouncing, he laughs even more.
Evan grabs his own pillow from what was supposed to have been his bed for the night, and strikes back, getting a few hits of his own in.
Gregory's room is filled with laughter that morning, between Evan and his best friend, and later, when he has time to reminisce on the night, he realizes he had gotten no more nightmares.
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ive made some playlists i thought i would share if anyone might like some bjr tunes! i have a serious one, a silly one, and one for the nebulous modern au tht lives in my brain
the last two i'll most likely still be adding songs here and there, but the 1st playlist is complete! i'll add the 1st playlist's tracklist+some lyric excerpts in the read more
black black heart - david usher
Something ugly this way comes
Through my fingers sliding inside
All these blessings all these burns
I'm godless underneath your cover
Search for pleasure search for pain
In this world now I am undying
I unfurl my flag my nation helpless
Black black heart why would you offer more
Why would you make it easier on me to satisfy
I'm on fire I'm rotting to the core
I'm eating all your Kings and Queens
dark entries - bauhaus
I came upon your room, it stuck into my head
We leapt into the bed, degrading even lice
You took delight in taking down my shielded pride
Until exposed became my darker side
dissolved girl - massive attack
Shame, such a shame
I think I kind of lost myself again
Day, yesterday
Really should be leaving, but I stay
Say, say my name
I need a little love to ease the pain
Need a little love to ease the pain
It's easy to remember, when it came
on the bound - fiona apple
You're all I need
And maybe some faith would do me good
I don't know what I'm doing
Don't know, should I change my mind?
I can't decide, there's too many variations to consider
No thing I do don't do no thing but bring me more to do
It's true, I do imbue my blue unto myself, I make it bitter
i think i'm paranoid - garbage
I think I'm paranoid
And complicated
I think I'm paranoid
Manipulate it
Bend me, break me anyway you need me
All I want is you
Bend me, break me, breaking down is easy
All I want is you
symphony - dorian electra
Something's funny when I grab my guitar
Feeling lonely like a dead shooting star
I'm not the only one who's crashing your car (crashing your car)
Need something louder just to drown out the scars
(Make some fucking noise)
Come on, baby, can't you see? (Can't you see?)
I'm gonna need a symphony (symphony)
And I'm gonna need to hear you scream
lecher bitch - genitorturers
I am the Lecher Bitch and I call on all who feed on danger
Taste of the whore. Suffer my seed
Crawl with the heretic and the world outside gets a little bit stranger
the bondage song - london after midnight
Innocent child, how you thought you knew me
Understood my ways, my dark needs
The hunt is not the thrill I'm after
I want the kill, the conquest, to be your master
Wrap your arms around my pale skin, it's too late to back out you're in
On your knees and praise your new lord, deeper now
And here's your reward, take me to bed and rip me apart
mercy - hurts
Fill me with rage
And bleed me dry
And feed me your hate
In the echoing silence
I shiver each time that you say
Don't cry mercy
There's too much pain to come
touch myself - genitorturers
I love myself, I want you to love me
When I feel down, I want you above me
I'll search myself, I want you to find me
Forget myself, I want you to remind me
I don't want anybody else
When I think about you, I touch myself
nihil - 3teeth
Bound by flesh
Freed by blood
this s*it will fcuk you up - combichrist
I am a bitch
How do you want me?
From behind
Or on my knees?
I am a slut
Please hold me down
I'll be your noise
This shit will fuck you up
you spin me round - 3teeth
I set my sights on you
And no one else will do
And I
I've got to have my way now, baby
All I know is that to me
You look like you're havin' fun
Open up your lovin' arms
Watch out, here I come
closer - nine inch nails
(Help me) I broke apart my insides
(Help me) I've got no soul to sell
(Help me) the only thing that works for me
Help me get away from myself
you've seen the butcher - deftones
I wanna watch the way
You creep across my skull
You slowly enter
'Cause you know my room
And then you crawl your knees off
Before you shake my tomb
hey - pixies
Hey, must be a devil between us
Or whores in my head
Whores at the door
Whore in my bed
But hey!
Where have you been?
If you go, I will surely die
And the whores like a choir: Uh-uh
All night
And Mary, ain't you tired of this?
Uh, is the sound
That the mother makes when the baby breaks
hail mary - skating polly
She got hit so hard she just got up from the ground
If she ever hits back, I won't tell
Hey Mary, follow me out and we'll never walk back
Hey Mary, tell me honestly you'd never want that
Hail Mary, trust me, don't look back or it's gonna end badly
if you really love nothing - interpol
When I find my home
The next artery
Splendid I bled my whole life
So it's probably a kiss
Goodbye then
tangled up in plaid - queens of the stone age
Come, lets play along
And let each other lose
A win would cause an alarm
Don't matter to me, don't matter to you
spaceboy - smashing pumpkins
And spaceboy, they'll kill me
Before I'm dead and gone
And any way you choose me
It won't be wrong
And any way you choose me
We won't belong
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