The Reaper Child: Book II [Child!Reader Protagonist]

~Chapter 12~

Just before your hand could make contact with the cold metal knob, you halted at the very last second and retracted your arm.

You just remembered that not only is Grell in there, but Will too. It didn't matter whether or not he personally minded you crashing in on their bed. It was the idea of you having to share a bed with Will that made you shudder.

The nightmare you just had was bad enough, but the thought of having to wake up seeing Will's face in the morning wasn't too much better.

It looked like you were destined to sleep alone tonight after all.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, you turned and started to head back towards your room. But just before you entered through your door, you noticed some light coming from downstairs. Though the majority of the place, especially the hallway, was still dark.

You carefully walked down the stairs, aiming most of your focus on making the least noise as possible. When you made it to the bottom of the stairs, you took a peek into the living room.

The source of the illumination was the TV, which you could hear the closer you got. On the sofa, Grell could be seen lounging on it fast asleep.

She looked deeply asleep and very comfortable. It made you hesitant to want to wake her.

All you needed was to not be alone for the rest of the night.

You quietly padded over towards the sofa and climbed up on it. Just before you had a chance to lay down, the shifting on the couch woke Grell up.

"Hmm...?" Grell opened her eyes, but just barely.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Grell asked sleepily when she saw you by her side. "What time is it...?" She stood from the couch, stretched, then disappeared in the kitchen for a moment.

"I'm actually glad you came down here, darling," Grell said when she returned. "It's two in the morning. Long past the time I'm supposed to be upstairs. Your father would never admit this but he gets quite lonely if I'm not upstairs with him in a timely manner. Don't tell him I said that though." Grell laughed softly and plopped back down on the couch next to you.

As nervous as you were before, you had to say that you were pleasantly surprised at Grell's reaction to you being up this late. She hadn't barked at you to go back to bed. She didn't lecture you or seem upset in any way. If anything, her demeanor was more relaxed than you have ever seen for as long as you've known her.

"Let me guess." Grell leaned back on the sofa with her arms crossed behind her head. "You had a nightmare."

"Yes..." you replied sadly. "It was a very bad dream."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Grell looked at you.

You wanted to describe all the details of what you went through. But when you tried, your throat paralyzed itself and just the images of the dream got you worked up.

So instead, you just responded by shaking your head.

"That dream must have been just awful if you can't talk about it," Grell said sympathetically. "Well, the nice thing about nightmares is that they aren't real. And they last only a short time. No matter how bad they are, they always come to an end."

"Also, do know that you can always talk to me, darling. I AM your mother after all." She smirked.

You couldn't help but smile at that.

"But for your nightmare remedy, I'm afraid you can't sleep in our bedroom. It is and always will be a child-free room. Perhaps I'd be more lenient if it was just me, but I know your father wouldn't like it."

Every time Grell referred to Will as your father, you inwardly flinched. But luckily she didn't seem to notice your irked reactions.

"But you can sit with me for a bit out here," Grell continued. "But you will have to go back to bed when I go back upstairs. Do you understand, (Y/N)?"

"Yes, mother," you agreed. Just being out here with the redhead made you feel better. Your nightmare was already beginning to feel more like a distant memory.

"Glad to know we are on the same page." Grell smiled. "Now lay down, darling. Try to relax."

"Okay," you said. You laid on your side. Grell grabbed a nearby blanket and bundled you up in it. You scooted up until your head lay comfortably on your mother's lap, which she allowed.

"Ew, how did you get so sweaty?" Grell said when she noticed that your hair was slightly damp. It was from that leftover cold sweat you produced earlier in your sleep.

"I'm giving you another bath first thing tomorrow," she added. But even after her initial grossed out reaction, she continued to stroke your hair with your fingers. It was soothing.

"Since we can't always do this," Grell eventually spoke up again. "I'll tell you something that may help you if you have another nightmare again: If you wake up after a bad dream scared out of your mind, turn on the lights in your room and look at the red.

"I personally painted all of your walls red in that room long ago back when it was still a storage room," Grell explained. "When you see all that red, that means that I'm nearby and you're safe and whatever monster chasing you in that dream can't get you. Because I am known to be both a deadly and efficient reaper after all." She grinned proudly.

Both of you lounged in silence for a while. The TV was still on. There was another show that replaced the one you were watching with Grell practically all day. You weren't sure what it was. Grell never mentioned anything about it. But that didn't matter. Because within minutes, your eyelids became heavy. The battle to keep them open soon became impossible.

It wasn't long until you drifted off for the final time. The rest of your night was dreamless.

Long before dawn came, you were back in your own bed.