Sweet Dreams, Beautiful Nightmare (Bill Cipher x Reader)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

Bright pulses of light streaked across your closed eyes, the intensity almost seared into your mind—flashes of reds, yellows, oranges... pulsating vividness as a roar of thunder broke through the air, giving way to a world that was—in your mind, falling apart at the seams.... The heat from nearby fire licked at your body as you lay on a hard, unforgiving surface.

"Oh–Oh dear," you gasped, slowly bringing your hands down towards the wound in a last attempt to save yourself. But as smoke flooded the edges of your vision while your energy practically drained out of you, you knew the effort would be wasted.

Screams, you heard, the screams of your friends were coming at you from all angles, sending a stake straight through your heart.

The chaotic energy around you felt far away as you slipped in and out of consciousness. All your energy felt zapped—drained—as your life slipped away from you, slowly, slowly.... Everything began to fade away, your last thoughts fleeting as you wondered where the one person you wanted near you was, and why they weren't there right now.

Slowly, each beat of your heart grew fainter, until it stopped altogether... and you sat bolt upright in bed. Sweat beaded on your brow as the morning light came pouring in through your curtains, blinding you. Taking a deep breath, you rubbed your face with your hands, wiping away the sleep from your eyes as your heart raced from another night of horrible dreams.

"What the fuck," is all you could say. "What... the fuck?"

You stared at the ceiling a bit longer, bringing up your hands to rub tiredly at your face again... You didn't... You didn't even know who 'they' were, or why you even thought that in your nightmare to begin with, and, and...

"Stress," you reasoned with yourself, groaning. "Just... chill out... You're going to Oregon, damn it, not hell..."

You would have given anything to stop these nightmares from happening, but nonetheless, they persisted. Which was why you were leaving the big city for a slower-paced life in a small town in Oregon. And that meant today was the big day—moving day.

Flopping back down on your mattress, you groaned loudly, knowing you couldn't very well spend it in bed. Sighing, you got up and dressed, having a quick breakfast and coffee, hoping to improve your sour mood as you scrolled through your social media pages as you ate. A notification popped up, a message from a friend interrupting your scrolling.

Hey! Hope you are doing well on your big day!

You texted back. I wish. Had another nightmare.

Sorry to hear. :-(

Yeah, just wish I didn't have them at all.

Same semi-apocalyptic weirdness?

Same one. Wish I knew what it was trying to tell me. And why I can't just have regular sex dreams like normal people?

LOL! It's probably just stress-related. Try not to dwell too much on it. We have a busy day ahead of us!

You smiled sadly as you read your friend's message, the full realization of what was happening hitting you. It wasn't like you would never see your friends again, but you were moving a few states away to accept a decent job offer, and you knew you would miss them terribly. Not to mention you were dreading the actual leaving part and the crying that was sure to follow with it.

See you later then. You replied.

Getting up to clean your dishes, you looked around at the small kitchen of your mom's house, knowing how hard it was going to be for the both of you. This job had been a great opportunity, and one you didn't want to miss. And while your mom understood, it didn't make it any easier.

You heard her coming into the kitchen as you were finishing cleaning up. She kissed you on the cheek, a somewhat sad smile on her face.

"Are you all finished packing?" she asked, stroking your arm.

You nodded, thinking of everything you owned packed into boxes, some of which were already stored inside your Uhaul. "I think so."

"Don't worry, if you missed anything, I can always send it to you."

"I know, mom."

She reached around with her arms, giving you a big hug, which you gratefully returned. The safety and security provided a welcome change, taking your mind away from the recurring nightmares—and the fear of everything changing...

∆∆∆∆

You rubbed your temples as you looked at the map again, making notes here and there to ensure you had the correct coordinates, not wanting to end up lost in some new state. Outside, your friends and mom were chatting, having a few good laughs., but you had excused yourself from the merriment, claiming you needed to take a call, but in actuality, you had to step back. An overwhelming feeling of sadness engulfed you, and nothing you could think of could make the feeling any better. You were leaving everything you knew behind.

Your friends had come over to help you pack up the Uhaul and have a little going away party for you. And while it was appreciated, you grabbed a soda from the kitchen and made your way to the backyard—to wallow in some self-pity—sitting down on a lawn chair as you drank your soda.

Looking around the backyard where you had so many wonderful memories, you smiled a bit at the thought, committing the good times to your memories. But the silence was broken when your mom came out to join you. She didn't say a word. Instead, sat down next to you and just enjoyed the quietness with you.

Calm washed over you and you smiled gratefully at her.

∆∆∆∆

"Don't forget to text!" your friends yelled as the Uhaul slowly made its way out of the driveway.

"Please call me every hour!" your mom yelled.

You stuck your arm out the driver's side window and waved as you took off. "I promise! You guys are gonna be sick of hearing from me!"

Their friendly faces grew smaller and smaller as you drove further away, soon disappearing entirely as you turned a corner, making your way past city limits. The sky overhead was no longer dotted with skyscrapers and buildings, eventually giving way to clear skies and trees. Birds chirped in the distance, the peaceful, calming nature putting you at ease.

A/N:

Thanks for reading! Unfortunately, updates will be sporadic as I work two jobs, so finding time to post (much less sleep, lol) is a challenge, but hang with me and you won't be disappointed, I hope. :-)

Fic is cross-posted to my AO3 and Tumblr also.

Buy me a coffee at: https://ko-fi.com/schez