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Dream was a patient man.
It made sense. He had to be, after all, considering that he was an immortal whose only friends were two time travellers whose visits were far and few between.
He was accustomed to waiting. Dream often would simply sit and wait for Karl and Ranboo to visit him again. When Karl, without Ranboo, showed up at his door, sobbing and unable to get the words to tell Dream what happened, Dream waited for him to calm down.
He still remembers, to this day, the sharp horror he felt when Karl told him what had happened. The dread as he described the confusion in their little brother’s eyes as he called out Ranboo’s name. The feeling of the world falling out from beneath him as Karl told him that Ranboo had forgotten him, that he’d forgotten Dream, that he’d forgotten himself, even.
He remembers the way he had argued with Karl, their first real argument in a long, long time. How Dream insisted that they have to go find Ranboo, that he was out there, that he could’ve been hurt, that they had to help them, even as Karl explained, in a tired, defeated voice, that they had zero idea where Ranboo could’ve even gone. He could be anywhere, anytime, after all. It was pointless, and Karl didn’t want to risk what happened to Ranboo happening to himself. Dream had reluctantly accepted, unwilling to lose Karl too. (Dream still spent hours searching, desperate to find some clue Ranboo was still alive. What Karl didn’t know couldn't hurt him)
He had waited until Karl left to let himself break. He couldn’t believe that Ranboo was gone. Ranboo was gone. Ranboo could be stuck anywhere with no memories of who he even is or how he got there. He could be injured. He could be dead. He swore then and there, as he lay sobbing on the floor of his home, that he wouldn’t let the same thing happen to Karl.
The years passed as he waited for Karl to visit again. He waited for Ranboo to visit, hoping against all odds that, one day, Karl will appear again with Ranboo at his side, waving cheerfully. (He knew deep, deep down that it wouldn’t happen, but he couldn’t bear to let his hope go.).
And eventually, the same thing happened to Karl. Karl’s memory, just like Ranboo’s began to fade. At first it was small things. He’d get Dream’s favorite color wrong, or he’d mess up Dream’s name, or even occasionally get lost on his way to Dream’s home. And then it was big things. Forgetting Dream’s name entirely, forgetting his face, and eventually, forgetting Dream himself.
He remembers that day too, just as vividly, if not more, as the day he found out what happened to Ranboo.
He’d at first been overjoyed to see Karl again, although he couldn’t help but notice his hoodie’s reversed colors. He’d beamed, walking up to Karl and quickly pulling him into a hug, expressing his concern at Karl not having visited in a while. He was too wrapped up in his rambling, he didn’t notice the lack of Karl hugging back.
At the time, Karl had gently pushed him away, nervously rubbing his neck and laughing, “Uh.. sorry to ask but.. Wh-who are you?” He’d asked.
Dream stepped back, at first the thought of this being a sick joke Karl decided to play. But he knew Karl wouldn’t do that to him.
He’d stared at Karl, frozen, for long enough that Karl laughed nervously again “Sorry if I knew you.. I’m bad with names, y’know? I have a horrible memory.”
Dream stared, just a bit longer, and had hesitantly muttered out his name. Karl had grinned, waving at him, telling him how nice it was to meet him, before quickly walking away.
Dream collapsed onto the ground. He’d lost his only other friend. He’d failed. He was unable to stop Karl from losing his memory too, from forgetting him too. He had stood up, tears still streaming down his face, and went home. And so he continued waiting. Waiting for Ranboo to come back. Waiting for Karl to come back. Waiting for them to remember.
Dream would not consider himself a patient man.
Although he had waited, and waited, and waited, he knew that Karl and Ranboo were not coming back, not if he simply sat in his home and did nothing. So he left. And he amassed his power, and built his nation, surrounded by the people who were the closest things he had to friends. He let Wilbur’s ridiculous nation have its “independence” and he continued to grow his own nation, although he couldn’t help but keep an eye out for an enderman hybrid or a bright multi-colored hoodie.
And then Karl showed up. He still didn’t remember Dream, but in that moment Dream was satisfied with the knowledge Karl was alive. And so, now that he had at least one of his friends back (he ignored the voice at the back of his head that screamed That’s not Karl, that’s an imposter, Karl would never forget me, Karl would never forget Ranboo. ) he could relax again, and he did. He stepped out of the spotlight and continued waiting, waiting for Ranboo to show up, waiting for Karl to remember.
He watched as Karl married Sapnap, and then as he married Dream’s enemy. He watched and couldn’t help but notice the hints that the old Karl was still there, when Karl would sit peacefully by his side and clean his mask seemingly without thinking, when Karl would bring Dream his favorite food, despite Dream having never told Karl what it was after he forgot. And he couldn’t help but cling onto those hints that Karl was still there.
And then Ranboo showed up..
He was at least a couple years older than when Dream last saw him, and Dream was certain he was at least a foot taller than before. Ranboo, much like Karl, still did not remember him, and Dream, upon realizing how close he was to regaining his family and who had long since grown tired of waiting, began to grow impatient.
He pushed at everyone in the server harder than he ever had before, trying to shove them into being a big happy family, just like Ranboo, Karl and he had always wished for. So that when Karl and Ranboo regain their lost memories, Dream would already have achieved their Dream for them, and wouldn’t that just make them oh so happy?
Even if Ranboo looked at him with fear, disgust, and rage in his eyes as Dream forced Tubbo to exile Tommy, even if Karl avoided Dream as much as he could, even if they both sided with his enemy, even if they both were afraid of him and hated him now, even if they don’t understand now, he’s sure they’ll understand when they remember. They will , they have to.
Dream knew what he had to do. He knew he needed power. With power, he could have his family, he could help Karl and Ranboo remember, he could stop them from forgetting. If only Karl and Ranboo understood that.
It’s okay he’d reassure himself They’ll understand. They will once they remember.
No, Dream was not a patient man anymore. The lonely years had not been kind to him, and the longer Karl and Ranboo stubbornly refused to remember him, the more impatient he grew. The more desperate he grew. And a desperate man is a dangerous one.
…..
He’d been so close.
He’d been so close to his big happy family. To putting the troublemaker, Tommy, into prison. To getting Karl and Ranboo back. And then the majority of the server flooded through his portal, led by Karl . He’d given up easily, easily outnumbered and knowing when he lost a fight and got pushed to the ground, hands tied behind his back.
Karl stood above him, his face cold, sword drawn. His body language screamed anger, and remorse that it had to come to this, his mouth drawn in a thin line. Staring down at Dream, he looked every bit the executioner he never should’ve had to be . Nobody commented on how his hands shook.
‘Karl- please, I don’t want to die-” Dream pleaded, not wanting to die right when Karl and Ranboo had finally remembered him.
“It’s too late, Dream. You had your choice.” Karl cut in, his voice cold and hiding barely restrained anger.
Dream freezes, and for once in his life, truly, fully felt a genuine, sick fear .
Karl was still going, “What happened to you?” he asked, his voice full of sorrow, “You didn’t used to be like this. Even when I first showed up. You were still… good. Granted, more unhinged than before, but you were still.. My best friend. My brother. God.. you.. You still are.”
He paused, sighing, looking into Dream’s eyes. He was crying. Dream opens his mouth in an attempt to talk, but nothing comes out. He knows he can’t fix this.
Karl stood straighter, stepping closer, wiping his tears. “And then ‘Boo came back. You went off the deep end. Fucked it all up.”
Dream looks behind Karl, at Ranboo. Ranboo, who, if he closed his eyes, he could still see the smiling face of a small child, clinging to Karl’s hoodie. Ranboo, who he’d once viewed as his little brother, who he still viewed as his little brother.
Karl snarled, nearly yelling, “And then you hurt all of us. You hurt children who had done NOTHING to deserve anything you did to them. You hurt me. You hurt Ranboo. You hurt Sapnap. Fundy. Tommy. Tubbo. George. Every. Fucking. One. And for what ? So you could have your fucked up little “family”? Our old dream? What did any of them do to deserve this?”
Dream looked around at everyone watching their exchange with bated breath. At everyone that he’d hurt. At Sapnap and George who he once thought of as friends, who he’d used as tools. At Tommy and Tubbo, who, before all the wars, all the fighting, had almost viewed them as little brothers, who he had manipulated and hurt over and over again. At Ranboo, who he manipulated and used and tried to turn Ranboo’s own friends against him.
He did not try to apologize. It would not mean anything. It would not fix anything. He wasn’t even truly sure if he was sorry.
“I love you, Karl.”
Karl nodded, closing his eyes, not quite forgiveness but, rather, acceptance, “I know.”
“I love you too” He said, so soft Dream could barely hear. His hand was shaking. He could barely hold his sword.
Dream closed his eyes, knowing what was to come. The sword plunged into his neck.
A horrible, gut-wrenching wail echoed through his ears right before his body fell to the ground.
[ Dream was slain by KarlJacobs ]