STURNIOLO TRIPLETS-one shots

Nightmares- Nick

       300 VIEWS ON THIS STORY?? What?? Ily sm
I totally thought this would flop royally lmao

Anyways this is one in which Nick has nightmares and is comforted by his brothers.
TW: Homophobia, Kinda dark/ gross dream, nightmares (??)

                                           *

         The ghastly pale figures of Chris and Matt slowly inch towards Nick. Their eyes, black marbles, set in unnaturally taut skin pulling over skeletal faces. They were bent over, like trees against the wind. Nick wanted, no, craved to run from the horrific images of his brothers. But his feet seemed stuck in one place. Not even his arms would move to defend himself.
        " Guys, please." He pleaded, the words breathy with fear.
        " How could you, Nick? How could you do this to us?" The two bodies spoke in eerie unison.           
          Their voices sounded like the echo of nails on a chalkboard.
      " Do what?" Nick cried, raking his mind.
       " Being gay. Everyone hates you for that now and it tarnishes our reputation."
       A horrible, seeping feeling of guilt trickled through Nick. They were right, of course. It was all his fault.
       " Matt. Chris." Nick tried hysterically. " Do you really mean that?"
       The pair began to laugh in a manic tone. The sound climbed down Nick's throat, choking him.
      " Oh, poor Nick." They mocked. " You think we are your brothers? No, my boy. They are dead."
         The laugh continued loudly as the lookalike Chris and Matt began to split in half, skin sagging away from bone, sinew tearing loudly.
          A nauseous feeling filled Nick. He couldn't move, couldn't think. He felt frozen on the spot.
The cackle was still ringing, Nick realized. But where was it coming from? The figures were gone, reduced to piles of bones.
          That's when he realized his mouth was open.
         And the laugh was his alone.

                                     *

     " Sleep well?" Chris joked when Nick hauled himself down the stairs and flopped on the couch. His hair was wild, matching the look in his eyes.
       " Yeah, just great." Nick muttered sarcastically, accepting the bowl of cereal Matt passed him.
       " We need to get packing to go to LA-'' Matt started.
         But the words slowly dissolve into Nick's thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare he'd had last night.
And every night that week.
         Could it mean something? Repeating dreams were pretty normal, but the same horrifying nightmare six days in a row? That was pushing it.
          Nick could feel the oddly cold breath of the skeletons as they spoke the words. The questions Nick sometimes wondered to himself in the dead of night.
         Chris was laughing at something Matt said. All Nick could hear was the shadow of the crazy cackle, his own horrible laugh. Just underneath the surface madness hidden in everyone. How close were his brothers?
How close was he?
       He couldn't escape the nightmare, sleeping or awake. As he packed his suitcase the laugh seemed to settle between his lungs, a disturbing lightness weighed down by shadow.

        The boys and MaryLou boarded the plane to LA hours later. Chris and Matt quickly fell asleep, but Nick didn't.
Couldn't.
Wouldn't.
        He couldn't face the nightmare waiting for him, held at bay by a dwindling rope. So he blasted music in his ears, drank water, and watched a movie to keep him awake. While his brothers slept peacefully, Nick sat in silent torture.

       They eventually arrived and went to the house they'd rented for their stay. They went about their day and Nick didn't give the nightmare another thought.
       That was, until he woke up in the middle night crying hysterically.

                                      *
    " F-fuck." Nick muttered shakily. The clock beside his bed read 3:28 AM. Tears coursed down his face, his back slick with sweat.
    What had awakened him, you might ask?
That fucking nightmare.
       Nick watched from his twin bed to the one across the room that Matt and Chris were sharing. Sobs shook his body.
      Suddenly, Matt shifted over.
       " Nick?" He mumbled. " What the hell are you doing?"
    " N-nothing. Go back to sleep. It's fine." The words sounded strained even to Nick.
      Matt slipped out of bed and padded over to Nick's bed, sliding in beside him. He wiped a tear off Nick's cheek and held it up to the moonlight so Nick could see it.
    " What's this about?"
    " N-nightmare."
     Matt put a comforting hand on his back.
     " Do you want to talk about it?"
      " I-it's ok. It's fine."
      " And now the truth?" Matt prodded gently. He knew exactly how un-fine the nightmare was.
     " You guys d-d-d- fuck. You guys died. And said some stuff..."
       " Like what?" Matt asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry.
       " You were embarrassed of me. Of, you know, me being gay." Nick cringed at the words waiting for Matt to laugh, make a joke.
      Instead he leaned in to embrace him tightly.
       " Nick," He whispered. " I can't speak for Chris, but I would never be embarrassed of you."
        " And I can speak for Chris," Another voice came, as the weight of another boy settled on the other side of Nick. " And he would never be embarrassed of you either."
       " You heard the whole thing?"
        " Every word." Chris smirked. " Didn't want to interrupt your intimate moment together, though. Should I be worried that you're making a move on my boyfriend-who-doesn't-know-it Nick?"
        Matt rolled his eyes as Nick sighed.
         " Stop saying weird shit like that, Chris." Nick protested with a small smile. He then realized that the tears had stopped. The nightmare fading away with the warmth of his brothers.
       " What are you all doing up this late?" The voice scared Nick from his thoughts.
      MaryLou was standing at the doorway, one hand on her hip.
     " Nick had a nightmare." Chris piped up.
     MaryLou softened immediately.
       " Oh, my boys." She made her way over to the bed and pulled them into a three way hug.  " You're so sweet to each other."
       Nick finally began to drift off, sandwiched between his family.

And he slept, nightmare free, until morning.

                                     *

Thanks for reading loves <33
As always, if u have a request feel free to lmk