Work Text:
You woke up before Dream did, which wasn’t often seeing as he was a early riser. You were still tired from the night before, your sore muscles and bruised hips evidence of last night’s event. You already knew Dream would fuss over the bruises he left, caressing them with his fingertips in a gentle manner that always made your heart swoon.
You pushed aside the thoughts of last night and instead focused on the man in front of you. His hair had grown out perfectly from the last time he cut it. You liked running your hand through it, pushing the hair back or to the side to let it frame his face. It was short when you met him and he regularly cut it until he stopped one day. You never knew why, but you guessed it was from how much he secretly loved it when you touched it.
He had that scar on his face, one you never could take your eyes off of. It wasn’t like you thought it was ugly. No, all you ever thought about was how that scar was the first of many scars on his body. You never asked about them, not wanting to pry into whatever business he used to be involved in.
You knew he was a good hunter and fighter from how good he was when you both went out to hunt. Even through the loose shirt he wore, you could still see how his body moved with grace when his sword struck a zombie or how his aim hardly ever missed when he shot down a spider from the top of a cave. He seemed like a different person until he would come back to you, laughing and smiling.
There were other times when he’d wake up in the dead of the night, eyes glazed over while mumbling words you could never decipher. Those nights were tough, especially when he would flinch under your touch. It broke your heart just a bit to see him cower from you, as if you would hurt him.
Eventually, he’d calm down and finally collapse into you, burying his face into your shirt, which was really his, but smelled like you too much to be his anymore. Then, in the morning, he’d smile at you and bring you breakfast in bed as if last night never happened.
He never spoke about what made him so scared some nights, what made him double check the locks on the doors and windows at night before bed. You didn’t feel like prying into it would make things better, but you secretly hoped he’d tell you what got him so worked up.
He hated being rough with you, always treating you with calloused, but kind hands and speaking to you as if your thoughts and voice were all that ever mattered to him. You’d seen him with Patches, the small cat he came back with when he’d gone alone on a hunt, handling her like she was his baby. When he’d come home, he’d envelope you into a hug and kiss your temple, then pick Patches up and plant kisses on her face until she’d cry and push him away with her soft paws.
He hated seeing bruises or cuts on you, even worse when he was the one to do them. On the nights when he lost himself in you, you’d wake up with bruises on you and an upset Dream. You told him countless times you didn’t mind it, knowing that he didn’t do it intentionally. But there was something about the look in his eyes when he’d close his eyes and trace his fingers over them, as if doing so would make them go away.
He was sweet, sometimes too sweet in ways that didn’t seem real to you.
You were alone before he came into your life. You moved out further from the village which you had come upon in your travels. It was a nice village with decent people, something which came in handy when you moved out to a small cottage in the woods. You lived there for about a year until he came along with his choppy haircut and patched up clothes, wooing you with roses and his secret smiles.
Before Dream, you didn’t mind being alone. It was a sort of state that you were always in. But once Dream came into your life, everything changed. It wasn’t like you hated having company, you were just used to being on your own, having no companion or friend to keep you company.
Your bedroom was still dark, with the barest hint of sunlight peaking through the window. The morning was still quiet, the life outside still on its way to waking up. Patches was most likely still curled up on your couch, waiting for the first sign of Dream being awake to cry and meow at the door until he opened it for her.
Beside you, Dream did not stir. He had his arm slung over you, gripping you protectively even as he slept. You couldn’t help the warm bubble of affection welling up inside of you at the sight of your beloved.
You couldn’t help the smile that graced your face as you reached out to trail your hand over his cheek, grazing the three day stubble you convinced him to keep for at least a week.
You stayed there for awhile, wanting to remember this moment where time didn’t exist and all that mattered was the man in front of you. It wasn’t until Dream let out a deep breath, stirring in his sleep. It took him quite a bit to open his eyes, but when they did, you loved every second of it.
He reminded you of an old dog, the kind that would slowly open their eyes, blink a few times to get used to being awake, then lift their head up to look at you fondly.
“What are you doing awake?” He asked, voice scratchy and low from sleep and too much use.
“Nothing much,” You answered him. “Just looking at you.”
“Why?”
“I dunno,” You said, shifting your body to face him “It’s sort of nice, especially with that pretty face of yours.”
“Hm, really?” He closed his eyes, trying to hold back a smile. He failed to do so. His cheeks were flushed, something that always made you go a bit
“Of course, no need to be so humble, dear.” You teased, your fingers reaching up to caress his cheek. You traced over his freckles, darkened from the amount of time he spent out in the garden or hunting. He had more on his shoulder, chest, and his arms, and more that only you had the privilege of seeing.
“You’re silly.”
“Oh I’m silly when I say you have a nice face, but when you say it, I apparently need to look in a mirror and get my eyes checked out.” You scoffed, poking your index finger into his muscle of his arm.
“It’s true, you just don’t realize it.” Dream said before proceeding to pull you to lay on him, the blanket you shared coming down to only cover both of your waists from the sudden change of position.
It brought on a fresh set of chills, bringing you closer to Dream, who was always so warm despite the cold air of the morning.
“Oh shut it, you dork.” You mumbled as you buried your face into the crook of his neck.
He laughed a bit before quieting down and letting the silence wash. Eventually, Dream’s hands found themselves trailing down your back, to your sides, then eventually, to your hips. You grimaced when he applied the smallest bit of pressure, one that you hoped he missed, but didn’t by the evident frown on his face.
“What’s this?” Dream asked as he suddenly sat up, pushing down the blankets in an attempt to see your bare hips. The sudden change of position and cold air made you gasp, one Dream mistook as sound of pain.
Judging by his dark expression, he already caught sight of the bruises. He let out a huff of anger, one directed not at you but at himself. You could already see him crumbling, spiraling into a mess of emotions like those nights when he’d wake up and hide his face into his hands.
“I’m sorry.” The way he said it, so pitifully, made you want to cry.
“Dream, it’s okay--” You tried to gently pull his hands away from his face, to let them rest on you and ground him back to reality. His strength left him, leaving you to grab him like some kind of doll. You used the opportunity to put his arms around you and hold his ducked head up.
He shook his head in your hands, squeezing his eyes shut. “No, it’s not.”
“Dream, listen, it’s okay.” You murmured, planting soft kisses on his face to bring him back. He was quiet, letting out deep breaths until the tension in his body dissipated and he was limp in your hold. He dropped his face into your shoulder, arms carefully wrapped around you.
“I hate it. I don’t like it.” Dream muttered, fingers caressing your exposed skin. You sighed, knowing there wasn’t anything you could do to stop him from beating himself up.
Shifting in your spot, you managed to get the man to lay down on his back while you resumed your position on top of him. He looked so small when you did, especially when he looked like a sad dog.
“I know you do, honey.” You said, “How about you let me take over next time? How’s that sound?”
Dream remained silent for a moment before finally answering, “That’s okay.”
You sighed a breath of relief and settled down next to him, letting him cuddle you from behind and bury his nose into your hair.
“Can we stay in bed a bit longer?” Dream asked, his voice slightly muffled from his face in your hair. You smiled, knowing when you wouldn’t be able to escape his warm hold until he let you go, “Of course.”