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The door slammed open without a single care of the people who could be on the other side. Dream couldn’t care. Not after what he’d just found out. It didn’t matter that he was soaked from the rain, it didn’t matter that there was blood running down his face and soaking into the collar of his dress shirt. It didn’t matter that his gun had lost all its ammunition. It didn’t matter that the members of his gang were looking at him and backing from his path as he stormed through the building towards the back where his office sat.
He needed out. He needed something he knew. He needed to plan. To think. He needed a moment of silence and peace so he could effectively plot to ruin the people that had crossed him. Rage didn’t do much to explain what he was feeling. His office door closed hard enough to rattle the entire wall with it.
He’d wanted to work. Wanted to throw himself into the pile of papers on his desk and shut out everything else. Focus on the feelings of working the law system and bending it to his will. That was simple. Business was simple. He wasn’t meant to get invested. Wasn’t meant to be attached; he was Dream. He was the leader of the Dreamon army. The leader of one of the largest gangs his city had ever seen. He hadn’t meant to form an attachment outside the gang. Hadn’t meant to fall for someone who was hunting him with the rest of the police.
He wasn’t meant to catch on so closely. Hadn’t meant to let himself feel something after so much had gone wrong for him. It was an accident. And now it was one that he was paying for, dearly.
He’d barely even been left alone in the office for two minutes before the door was being opened again. His hand found one of his throwing knives before he heard the voice of his intruder.
“No need to stab, it’s just me.”
Sapnap shrugged at him as he moved into the office and closed the door again behind him. Dream sighed and ran his hands over his face. Sure it was one of his brothers but that didn’t mean he suddenly didn’t want to be alone anymore.
“What do you want?”
“What’s wrong? What happened? The boys are all out there talking about how you stormed in looking on the verge of war. Do I need to call us a family meeting?”
“No,” he shook his head again. “This isn’t anything any of you need bothering with.”
“Yeah, too late for that.”
As soon as the words left Sapnap’s mouth the door for the office was being opened again. In came George and Puffy with Karl and Quackity staying just outside the door to ensure the family was granted privacy. Dream and Puffy were the only ones actually related but Sapnap and George were both considered to be his brothers by everyone. The trio was close enough that it didn’t really matter if there was blood between them or not. They had each other, and Dream’s aunt to watch out for them if they needed it.
Dream rolled his eyes as soon as he saw them. His mask long since abandoned on his desk to allow him to breathe easier through the rage.
“Come in.” He said while gesturing to his office with an exasperated face.
George scoffed at the antics.
“Come on, talk to us.”
“You’ve got yourself wound up and anything that gets to you like this means it's our business as well.”
Puffy said it with such certainty that she was right but George and Sapnap both saw the issue as soon as the comment was made. Wrong thing to say to Dream. Very wrong thing to say to him. Anger came rushing back up in his veins. Flooding into his eyes and making them light with the fury of hell itself.
“Anything that I say is your business is your business. You do not get to involve yourselves in my business unless I said so. Leave.”
She huffed at him and stood her ground.
“Last time I checked, Dream, this was a family business. Not just yours.”
“It has nothing to do with the business. None of your concern. Now get out.”
He wasn’t going to talk to her. That much became more clear with every passing second. And if they didn’t get him talking about it soon they never would have him talking about it. Puffy reluctantly turned to leave the room. Sapnap and George stayed not long after, they knew when to push and when to wait. If Dream needed them he would come to them. Pushing him before he was ready for it would make sure he never gave anything to them. They could wait.
It took a few days after that for things to start going wrong. Dream would leave and stumble back in the early morning hours. They let him do it. None of the members were going to question the king. None of them were wanting to challenge his thoughts or orders without the fear of repercussion. It wasn’t that he didn’t take the others into consideration or that he hated any other thoughts from his men. It was that Dream’s plans were often so far ahead of everyone else that even when they made no sense to anyone other than him, following his orders would bring them nothing but victory.
It was why it was so jarring when the door opened for the late night shift and their leader came stumbling in from the rain just to collapse into the wall. The door stayed open behind him and members rushed to his side. They couldn’t see his expression with the mask but that didn’t stop any of them from worrying. They were all in the crime life for one reason or another. And Dream at the very least treated his people like they were just that. People. He didn’t do what other leaders did and treat his men like they were nothing but meat and bodies to toss away as cannon fodder.
The moment he was touched he was fighting them away. With all the rainwater and the dark color of his suit and coat already they couldn’t tell if he was hurt. They didn’t see any blood on him but that didn’t mean anything. People could be hurt in more than one way and it wouldn’t be uncommon for someone to use a creative method to try to take out the leader of the Dreamons.
Thankfully for them Sapnap hadn’t left for the night either. George and the others had gone back to the homes Dream had purchased each of them to rest for the night but not him. The second in command had stayed behind to talk to his brother when he got back. Sapnap had suspicions about what was happening and he wanted answers. He’d given Dream process time, now he had to decide if he was going to lock them all out or if he was going to talk about it like a normal person.
Dream’s thrashing had only stilled when Sapnap kneeled in front of him and the hands vanished away.
“Dream, look at me. Look where you are. You’re safe.”
He waved away the hovering members from fretting over their leader. Sapnap would take care of him. He just had to wait until Dream made the first move to show he was alright. He didn’t have to wait long either. Dream pushed himself up the wall to stand shakily before Sapnap tucked into his side and quickly guided him to the upstairs. They’d used to live and work in the same place before getting enough money for the houses. One more night in the old rooms wouldn’t do them too bad.
He got Dream situated back in the room and on the bed. When he made no move to pull the mask off his face Sap decided to do it for him. As soon as his fingers grazed over Dream’s temples he froze. Out of the three of them Dream usually ran the coolest temperature, but the skin under his knuckles was hotter than anyone should be. Quickly he tugged it off and found Dream’s unfocused eyes staring straight ahead. Immediately Sapnap was grabbing his shoulders and putting himself between Dream and the floor. He squeezed until green eyes focused again and came to land on him.
“Hey, you with me?”
Dream just nodded. Sap saw him lick his lips and swallow before reaching to grab a water for him. Something was going on. And if Dream was going to just show up in this condition then he wasn’t getting out of explaining. He waited until Dream was finished with his drink before interrogating him.
“What the hell happened?”
He expected a fight. Expected Dream to lash out at him and demand that he was fine and kick Sapnap out. Instead Dream just started talking in a smallish voice that Sapnap hadn’t heard since they were kids, since before everything.
“I loved him.”
Any answer would have caught him off guard in this situation but to hear that Dream, Mr. no attachments, had fallen in love with someone completely threw him for a loop.
“Who?”
“The son of our enemies. The fucking banished son of the Arctic Sleep. I..I didn’t know. I had no fucking idea who he was. He just..just showed up and I...he caught my attention and I…”
Sapnap let him go, he had so many questions about what the hell was happening but he would let Dream get it out first. Then clarify. Dream took a steadying breath before continuing.
“Fundy. Wilbur’s kid that ran off to join the police. He’d been marked up to infiltrate us and take us down from the inside. And I fell for it. I fell for him. I thought it was real. I thought I was alright to just fucking feel something again but then I found out and,” He paused again to consider what he was going to say. “And now I’m here. He didn’t tell the cops. I’ve been following him. He went back to his dad. Said he wanted back in. But he didn’t tell anyone about us. That has to mean something right? Or am I just falling off like the rumors say. Am I weak?”
Sapnap felt his heart break at the story. The fever and look made sense now. Dream had been running himself thin because he thought he’d made a mistake by feeling. He thought he had to do this to protect them. It wouldn’t be the first time, and sadly he was sure that it wouldn’t be the last time either.
“When was the last time you slept? Or ate?”
Dream just gave him an incredulous look.
“That doesn’t matter I-”
“It does matter, Dream, your health matters. You didn’t make a mistake for feeling. And honestly if Fundy hasn’t told the police or his family what happened then he felt something too. You’re going to have to figure that out but you aren’t going to be alone. Now answer my question.”
It didn’t matter that Sapnap was younger, it didn’t matter that he was the second in command in the rank. If he needed to he could and would boss Dream around when he was being an idiot.
“I can’t remember.”
“Exactly,” Sapnap huffed.
He stood up and paced the room quickly to gather blankets and a spare pillow for the bed before digging for some dry clothes and finding none.
“You need to sleep. And in the morning you are going to eat a proper meal and let the rest of us take care of you.”
Dream went to argue but he was never given the chance.
“You’re burning up as it is. This isn’t a debate. Puffy and George can get you some medicine on their way in but you, sir, are resting.”
He managed to pull the wet jacket off of Dream and shed his own in turn. Getting both their shoes off and pushing Dream backwards into the bed. Both of them were fairly prone to nightmares but with how exhausted Dream was Sapnap doubted his brain would even have the energy to conjure any for him. If he did he wouldn’t wake up alone. His brother would be there. They’d figure things out. As a family. He laughed slightly into the back of Dream’s shoulder when he pictured everyone’s reactions to what happened.
“And tomorrow we are going to have one hell of a family meeting.”