Chapter Text
“Heh, kinda bummed that he passed out before we had the chance to fight.”
“Well, there’s a chance when he wakes up, but where is Nightmare anyway?”
“He said he’s getting some supplies for our guest right here.”
Dream felt like he was falling, despite being on the ground. A rusty cemented floor that is. He listened in on the conversation, trying to identify which voice belonged to whom. Judging by the voices, it was probably Nightmare’s gang. He was facing away from them, slowly inspecting the area, which was a prison cell. A filthy one. It only had a bed, a sink, and a small window near the ceiling. Does anyone even clean the cells?
The others kept talking about who knows what until one noticed him.
“Look, our toy is up!” That sounded like Killer’s mischievous voice.
Dream turned his head towards the gang, trying to reduce the stinging pain in his head. He saw all of them; barely any positivity was left in them. He didn’t even want to think about what they would do to him.
He was able to see the blood lust in their eyes. He was the guardian of positivity, god damn it, why was he scared of them now? He has fought them numerous times in the past. Well, he was in enemy territory, and he barely had magic. He had a great disadvantage compared to Nightmare’s gang, which terrified him. If anything, he should be scared at a time like this.
“Aw, is the sunshine here spooked?” Killer teased.
His goop dripping from his eye sockets has always left an uncanny feeling in Dream, but now he was able to get a good look at them when Killer walked up to the bars.
He gripped onto them, taking his knife and making a neck-slicing gesture. Was he mocking Dream? Killer's broadened grin seemed to answer the question. Killer’s eyes kept glaring down at him like he was telling Dream that he was the weak one. That he doesn’t even deserve to be in their castle. At this point, it was a staring contest with Dream being extremely wary about the littlest thing.
Killer was the first to break eye contact by backing away, turning to talk to the rest of the gang. Dream only heard mutters with words including, “not now” and “Nightmare said to do so.” Was Nightmare saving him for later? What did Nightmare tell them to do?
Then he heard footsteps by the stairs, getting closer within time. By the situation, it had to be Nightmare.
“Well, little spurt, we have to go. Hope to see you later, if you make it, that is!” That damn Killer.
The rest of the gang left one after another, leaving Dream alone with Nightmare.
His other half stepped towards the cell, with his tentacles swishing as goop continued to fall. His grin was broad as daylight, terrifying Dream. It was a wonder how they remained shiny with all that goop in the way.
“Hello, Dream.” Nightmare greeted.
The average person would think of that as a friendly salutation, but Dream knew better. Those words were filled with spite. He could tell Nightmare wanted him dead. It was a wonder how Nightmare managed to control himself, but he did have around 400 years to practice.
Despite the tension around the twins, Dream had to reply out of politeness.
“What do you want?” He spat.
Nightmare folded his arms onto one another with his sadistic smile enlarging.
“Well, that’s not how you respond to a greeting. Can’t even say hello before I murder my dear brother? The one who didn’t bother to stand by my side?”
Those words struck Dream like a cord. He already knew that the incident was his fault, and he was trying to make it better. Sure, he didn’t know how to exactly solve everything, but he was genuinely trying.
His eyes landed on the floor below him, with his arms trembling on his knees. He was on the verge of tears, in front of his own brother. Unfortunately, Nightmare seemed to notice.
“Such a shame, after all, I’ve been through. How dare you cry after everything. Pathetic.” The insults continued to spew out of his mouth, relentlessly taunting him.
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This felt amazing to Nightmare. After everything, he had Dream below him, with nothing left. He could kill him at any point, but he intends to make it excruciating. Wouldn't it be a lovely gift for the dear guardian of positivity?
Sadly, he would have to continue his trail of thoughts later as he had to focus on what to do now. After all, he still needs to figure out how to make it awfully painful. Maybe he could damage Dream’s pelvis, or maybe the tailbone? He had so many options laid out to him, but he should play some “games” with Dream first.
He slammed his tentacles onto the bars, glaring at Dream. Dream flinched back against the rusty wall, which pleased Nightmare. It showed that he was superior and that Dream was at his mercy. He could do anything he desired, but he had to make sure his other half wouldn’t escape.
“Wait here. If I hear you are trying to escape, I'll make sure you won’t be able to move.”