Chapter Text
“What do you mean, you're not going to the village today?”, Nightmare asked confused.
“I mean that I'm not going to the village today”, Dream stubbornly repeated himself. “I'm spending this day with you.”
“But.. why?”
“Don't you.. want me to spend some time with you, Night?”
“No, no, I- I'd love to spend time with you. I always do! I.. I was just wondering why. Why you're not going like you always do. You're needed there, aren't you?”
Dream could lie and say he hadn't heard the sadness in his brother's voice as he mentioned he'd like to spend more time with him, but he knew he had been neglecting the other in favour of the villagers and their demands requests. But that was why he was here anyway.
“They don't need me today”, Dream said, giving Nightmare one of his rare sincere smiles. “They have some kind of.. a special day of sorts. A day they spend with their loved ones. So I decided to spend this day with you! Because I love you!”
“I don't think-” Nightmare started. I don't think that's what they meant by it. But he decided to drop it. He loved his brother too, like brothers do. And he didn't care what kind of love the villagers meant, he didn't care for the villagers or their special days but if them having some kind of weird day dedicated to love meant that he got to spend some time with his brother then he would appreciate that.
“You're right”, Nightmare sighed. “I love you too. So tell me, what is your plan for this special day?”
Nightmare could watch as Dream's whole face practically lit up at his answer.
“You'll see, you'll see!”, Dream giggled and grabbed Nightmare by the arm. “This way!”
Nightmare knew Dream meant for it to be a surprise, but he remembered the way they were walking from their earlier days, from constantly walking it almost every day during summer and often enough even during the other seasons.
He remembered every single tree along the way – or, the footpath once only earth and grass, trampled by small feet now overgrown, signs of time as nature took back what was always hers.
He remembered the old tree along the way, halved by a lightning strike during the worst thunderstorm the twins had ever witnessed. He knew where they were going.
But he would pretend not to, complaining when Dream put his hands over his eyes and guided him the last few steps through the thicket, act surprised when Dream took his hands away.
“So, where are we?”, Dream asked once they stopped moving.
“Hmmm.. no idea”, Nightmare lied. He figured out how to be convincing long ago.
“Alright then”, Dream giggled. “I'll remove my hands now!”
And he did.
And there it was, the lake they played in so often. Clear water coming right out of a spring running over the stones of a tall mountain, it's path smoothed out by time. It was almost melancholic seeing it again.
Nightmare knew he was silent for too long the moment he heard Dream take a breath through his mouth.
“Night?”, he asked. “Are you.. are you okay?”
“I am”, Nightmare smiled at his brother. “It's just been so long or- it feel like it's been an eternity at least. But I'm glad. Glad to be back here, together with you.”
Dream nodded. “Me too.”
“It's a little too cold to take a bath in it though.”
“Hmmm”, Dream hummed in agreement. “But I wanted to come here again.”
“I see”, Nightmare hummed. “Yeah, me too.”
Nightmare leaned down and opened his shoes. “We may not be able to swim in it like we did”, he started, setting his shoes aside and sitting down on the edge of the lake, “But we can sit here for a while, just putting our feet in.”
Dream was out of his shoes before Nightmare even finished the sentence and sat down next to him. He flinched slightly the moment his toes hit the water but then he giggled, leaning his head against Nightmare's shoulder.
“Still as cold as I remember.”
“I missed this.”
And they sat there for a long time, their hands slowly finding their ways to each other, heads together while they talked or hummed old tunes.
They pulled their feet out of the lake again before they got completely cold, made their way back before it got dark and spend the rest of the evening cuddled close together letting the other's warmth and soft breaths guide them into dreamless sleep.