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Dream smiles, big and bright as he sprints through the clearing. “You need to do better than that to beat me.” He yells.
Sapnap pushes forwards, hair bouncing against his neck as he tries to pick up speed. “I’m going easy on you, just you wait.” He shouts back.
“Oh, sure.” Dream smirks.
Sapnap grunts and quickens his pace, but the minute he goes to grab Dream his hand narrowly misses the back of his hoodie and he doubles back on himself, spinning around Sapnap before bolting in the opposite direction.
“Hey- no fair!” Sapnap huffs, trying to regain his balance as he turns to make chase.
Dream’s smirk widens. “This is entirely fair! I’m using my amazing skills to beat you. That’s like, the whole point of manhunt. You’re just mad that you can’t keep up.”
“Oh, we’ll see who can’t keep up.”
Sapnap shoots forwards, putting all his energy into running. Dream seems slightly taken by surprise but he keeps pushing on, skidding around the clearing. He’d been sprinting through the trees for ages, so the open space is a welcome change and makes for a much more interesting battleground.
George and Bad had seemingly held back, probably preparing some kind of trap for him or a new exploit for The End. He’s not even sure Sapnap was supposed to make himself known- he'd been perched up in a tree, likely meant to be tracking him- but the younger never could resist some good solo combat.
Dream swings his axe as Sapnap closes in, but he forgets to protect his shield and it’s knocked to the ground as Sapnap dodges and strikes with his sword. He goes in for another hit, Dream narrowly rolling away.
As he braces himself for another sweeping attack, Dream slides under the weapon and connects to it with his axe, sending it flying over to where the shield had landed. Sapanp gasps, stumbling back. “Hey-”
Before he can continue, Dream scrambles to his feet and tosses his axe aside, easing his hands as they ball into fists. “We don’t need weapons and defence right now, let’s settle this the old fashion way, with a proper brawl.”
Sapnap chuckles, quickly changing his own stance. “If you insist.”
The two charge at each other instantly, Dream quickly getting the upper hand. As Dapnap attempts to knock him over he focuses on keeping his movements fluid so he can easily shift out of his range. Hdhe tackles Sapnap to the ground, pinning him down.
“Still can’t get me down first.” He laughs. “You need to act faster, rather than trying to move faster. Hitting me with full force can be effective, but only if you have an actual plan for what happens next, or if that fails.”
“Yeah, yeah I get it, you’re better at fighting than me.” Sapnap huffs, trying to push him off. “No need to rub it in.”
“I’m not rubbing it in, I’m giving you advice. You’re just as good a fighter Sap, you just need to use your head as much as your strength.”
“Yeah well…” Sapnap throws himself up, catching Dream off guard and toppling him over as he spins around so he has the higher ground. “Sometimes strength is all you need.”
Dream rolls his eyes. “Very mature.”
“You’re just mad that I beat you.” Spanap taunts.
“Who said you’ve won?” Dream asks, grabbing Sapanp’s shoulders and bringing his knee up to kick him straight in the stomach. “It’s still all to play for.”
“Not for long.”
Sapnap forces Dream down further as he goes in for another kick. The older tries to pull away from him but Sapnap keeps him firmly in place. When Dream goes in for a punch he jerks his head away, pulling back just a little. With the relieving of pressure against him, Dream attempts to get up, but Sapnap is quick to move back towards hon.
He wraps his hands in the fabric of Dream’s shirt, pulling him towards him before slamming him down onto the ground with more force than was perhaps necessary. He expects the familiar thud of a body hitting into soil and mud, but it is drowned out by something much more striking.
A sickening crack echoes through the clearing.
Sapnap feels his stomach drop straight to the floor, his expression contorts from triumph to horror. With his hands shaking as he quickly pulls them away, he looks down.
Dream stares up at him but his eyes are already beginning to grow unfocused, pupils dilating. He reaches up but there is no motive, no attempt to fight back. Instead he grips weakly at Sapnap’s arm, clinging to him in a silent plea.
His lips move, but the words that leave his mouth are slurred and jumbled together, trailing off into a squeak and a breathlessly whine. He looks scared- really scared- and Sapnap almost forgets how to breathe.
“Dream…?” Sapnap whispers, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He moves back a bit, in a way that lets Dream still hold onto him without actively being pinned beneath him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Can you look at me buddy…?”
Dream rolls his head to the side sluggishly so he’s looking more in Sapnap’s direction, but no matter how hard he seems to try, his eyes won’t move the way he wants and keep staring hazily at some point beyond where Sapnap is sitting.
The younger swallows roughly, fear wrapping around his heart. “Okay… that’s okay that’s… fuck- oh fuck… what have I done…? I’m so sorry Dream, I’m so fucking sorry-”
Dream cuts him off with a slight tightening of his grip. “S’p…” he mumbles, slurred and half-incoherent. “S’okay… m’be okay…” The look of terror on his face betrays the reassurance of his words however, alongside the fact that his fingers are twitching where they grip at Sapnap’s shirt like he can barely hold on.
“You’re… you’re not okay now though Dreamie…” Sapnap says, and he drops his voice to a whisper so as not to startle him. As much as he wants to break down right now or apologise over and over until Dream yells at him to shut up (because that would show he’s okay, that he’s not slipping away beneath him) he cannot afford to wallow in fear or guilt right now. Dream needs him, and he needs him to be strong.
Dream mumbles something inaudible and his free hand moves towards the back of his head (and the action seems to demand a lot more focus and precision than it should, his muscles don’t seem to be cooperating well).
Sapnap snaps free from the shock of seeing his usually coordinated friend struggling with a basic movement and quickly moves to stop him blurting out a panicked: “No, no you’ll hurt yourself more-” but by the time he hates Dream’s wrist, shaking fingers are already brushing over the wound.
Sapnap guides his arms away and just as Dream huffs out what sounds like “s’wet… why…?” Sapnap catches sight of deep red staining his finger tips.
“Oh- oh god. No, please no I’m- oh my god-” Sapnap gasps. He didn’t mean to raise his voice but the words came out loud and panicked and Dream whimpers beneath him at the sound. Sapnap inhales deeply, trying to compose himself, at least a little bit. “Sorry, I’m sorry I’m just worried. But it’s okay… you’ll be okay Dreamie…”
Dream mutters something, more to himself than to Sapnap, turning his head to the side and staring off at some distant point. The younger swallows roughly, looking around the clearing. There’s no sign of the others yet, and they’re so deep in the forest it could take ages before they’re found. He glances back at Dream, watches his lips move silently as his skin pales. He doesn’t have time to wait.
“Hey, Dream.” He says softly, giving him a few seconds to process. “I’m gonna lift you up okay? Gonna let you lean against me so I can get a look at your head. Might wanna close your eyes…” He thinks he remembers seeing somewhere that head injuries can cause disorientation. Or maybe it was nausea. Knowing their luck it’s probably both, and either way it’ll make sitting up a difficult experience.
He waits a little longer, until he sees Dream’s head bob in a small nod as his eyes squeeze shut, before he carefully wraps his arms around Dream’s middle and pulls him up to lean against his chest.
Dream whines as he’s moved, nausea still hitting even with his eyes screwed closed. Sapnap coos gently, trying to keep him calm (even with his own anxiety only increasing at the sight of his brother in so much distress). Once Dream is settled against him, Sapnap coaxes him to reopen his eyes. He feels mean doing it, because it’s obvious when green irises are uncovered that the lights around them are overwhelming and confusing; but he had to make sure Dream stays awake. It’s the only thing he’s really certain of now.
Dream’s head lolls against his chest and Sapnap gently manoeuvres him so he has a better view of the back of his head. He inhales sharply at the sight, feeling nausea rolling in his own stomach.
Sapnap has never been much affected by the sight of blood- as a hunter it’s something he’s had to become a custom to as it’s difficult to shoot down an animal without ripping some form of hole in its flesh. But it’s always different when it’s a person bleeding, especially when that person is your best-friend-turned-brother who is suffering at your hand. The sight of deep red matted in Dream’s hair steals air from his lungs as he chokes on a sob. He can barely see the wound itself beneath the mess, but it’s not difficult to imagine it. It’s not farfetched to assume it is just as ugly.
Sapnap is probably the least experienced in the group when it comes to medical treatment. He knows the basics, and he’s been told and shown how to deal with more serious wounds and sickness; but in the heat of the moment memories seem to escape him and he feels about as useful as a fish on dry land. He can’t afford that right now though- Dream can’t afford to wait as he stews in panic and uncertainty- so he tries to piece together some kind of course of action.
Holding Dream carefully against him, he reaches out for his satchel. (He’d thrown it off somewhere during the fight, and he’s grateful now that they hadn’t ended up too far from it). He rummages through as quickly as he can with in hand stills supporting the weight of another person in his arms, eventually opting to just dump everything out.
He curses as he realises there are no potions left. He’d used one earlier when he’d scraped his arm running through trees, and the rest had gone to George when they’d split up since he was planning to explore a cave and they tended to be a lot more dangerous than the surface.
The lack of potions does little to quell his fears, so he opts to scanning over the rest of the contents. The first thing he grabs is his communicator, shifting himself into a better position to be able to use it (and apologising softly to Dream when the movement tears a cry from his throat). “Hey, it’s okay Dreamie. Gonna message Bad and Gogy, gonna get you help.” It’s all he can do but hope that they respond quickly.
Sapnap whispers to BadBoyHalo and GeorgeNotFound:
Sapnap: gyus
Sapnap: callin off manhunt
Sapnap: dre is hrt bad
Spanap: sending our coords, pls help. he’s bleeding badly, it’s his head
GeorgeNotFound whispers to Sapnap: we’re on our way, stay where you are
BadBoyHalo whispers to Sapanp: keep him still and put pressure on the wound. We’ll be there soon, ten minutes tops.
Sapnap sets the communicator down next to him so it’s easy to grab and turns back to the pile of supplies he dumped on the ground. He finds a few cloths stashed for situations like this were there was blood that needed staunched (though when they’d all agreed to take some they had expected them to be used for scrapes to the knee or small slashes across the face, not a deep wound bearing into the back of the skull).
He grabs a couple and folds them together into a thicker cloth- because he’s not sure the thin material of one would be enough for this much blood- and presses it to the back of Dream’s head with deft and careful hands.
The effect is instantaneous. Dream lets out a strangled cry and tries to pull away from Sapnap, rambling desperately in an incomprehensible tongue. His body refuses to cooperate however, so it doesn’t take much effort for Sapnap to wrap his arm around him a little to better hold him in place.
“It’s okay, you’re okay.” Sapnap says softly. “I know it sucks a lot, I’m really, really sorry Dre… this is gonna help though, I promise.” He hopes he won’t prove to be a liar. “Bad and Georgie are on their way, they’ll be here soon and they’ll be a lot more help. We’ll get you home and fixed up and then you can rest as long as you need.”
Dream lets out a soft hum, but his body is tense and there are tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. They sparkle in the light of a slowly setting sun like little stars that would almost be pretty were it not for the fact they were the consequence of unrelenting pain. If he had another free hand, Spanap would not hesitate in reaching up to wipe the stars from the paling sky of Dream’s face.
Dream rarely cries, and more often than not he’ll try to hide it if he does. So the fact he’s letting himself spill out in Sapnap’s presence means it must be too much for him to handle and hold back, and that shatters Sapnap’s heart into shards.
They sit in near-silence for a while, Sapnap wanting to reassure the other but never sure of what to say and Dream breathing heavily as the little clear awareness he still has tries to keep him composed.
Eventually though, the quiet veil of the clearing is pierced. “S’p…” Dream slurs, slumping more into the younger as his limbs grow fuzzier, too heavy to hold up properly. “Mmm…” he struggles to articulate, tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth like it’s cotton stuffed, like his words are moving through molasses. “M’ti… tired…”
Sapnap pulls him closer, trying to move him to a more comfortable position. “I know buddy. But you can’t sleep just yet, m’sorry. It’s… it’s dangerous to sleep ‘cause your head is really hurt and… and if you sleep now we might not be able to wake you up…” And Sapnap knew from the start that this was one of the biggest risks of all of this, but he’d been trying to ignore it, rationalise it in his mind with ignorant hope. Voicing it aloud makes it real. It makes the possibility so much more terrifying.
“Oh… ‘kay…” Dream says quietly. The effort of talking is much more exhausting than it should be, and it’s hard to focus on forming words when the world won’t stop spinning around him. He curls into Sapnap’s hold as much as he can, seeking comfort in the grounding presence of his friend. “Mmm… head h’rts…” He chokes out, to no one in particular.
“I know buddy…” Spanap tells him. “It looks pretty painful.” He doesn’t mention that it sounded painful too, how he can still hear the sickening crack echoing in his ears and can tell from that alone that it must have hurt like hell. He’s glad Dream’s still awake- it reminds him that he’s still here with him- but part of him wishes he’d passed out with the impact, so he wouldn’t have to feel it now.
“Wan’ go ho.. home…” Dream whispers against Sapnap, burying his face in his shoulder as best he can. “Wan’ to… to… mmph…” His voice trails off, eyebrows furrowing. He’s not sure what he wants, what he was trying to say. Everything feels wrong, it’s getting so much harder to concentrate. He wants to tell Sapnap, wants him to try and fix it in some way, but the best he can manage is a desperate groan as he falls into him more.
Sapnap glances at him, trying to get a better look at his face. “Dreamie? Hey, stay with me, yeah? I know it sucks, we’ll get home soon. Just try and stay with me for now. You don’t have to talk but just tap my arm yeah, one for yes, two for no. Same as always.” He waits until he feels Dream reach up to grip his arm. “Do you feel nauseous?”
One tap.
“Okay, okay. Do you think you need to throw up?”
Two taps.
Sapnap let’s out a small sigh of relief. It isn’t much but it’s something. “Okay, good. That’s good. If you feel like you’re gonna be sick at any point though… squeeze my arm really tight yeah? It’s not a bother if you need to, you must feel awful right now.”
One tap, Sapnap could almost laugh. “Yeah. I’m sorry buddy…”
“Ngh… not y’fault…” Dream forces out, and Sapnap wants to cry.
“It- it is though! This is entirely my fault! I got so caught up in winning I forgot this is just meant to be a fun game; no one is supposed to get hurt. But you did- I hurt you!” Tears prick his eyes, and he can’t stop a few from slipping out. “I hurt you…” He repeats, softer this time. The quiet little clearing seems to get quieter, still, as Sapnap tries to fight back the sobs bubbling up in his throat. “You’re allowed to be mad… this is all my fault.”
The silence persists.
Two taps. No.
Sapnap breaks.
Tears run down his face, hot and stinging his eyes. Ugly sounds escape him and it makes him cry harder. He isn’t supposed to break now, drowning in guilt will do nothing to help. But Dream is still trying to reassure him and Dream isn’t mad and Dream is hurt badly and he is utterly useless to help and it’s all too much. And it’s all his fault.
He feels selfish, for not being able to believe Dream’s words because he owes it to Dream to accept it and move on. But he can’t shake the feeling that is suffering because of him. Dream could die. Because of him.
A sudden pressure around his middle snaps Sapnap from his spiral. Looking down he finds Dream half-wrapped around him in an attempt at a hug. His fingers curl weakly in Sapnap’s shirt, murmuring something out that sounds like reassurance.
Sapnap laughs wetly at that, at how even now Dream is the one hugging him. “Thank you…” He tells him softly. “Sorry I shouldn’t… I’m okay I just… this is a lot. I know I’m being a real idiot right now… I’m really sorry. But I’m okay, and you’ll be okay. It’s… it’s okay.” He pulls Dream against him. “It’s okay.”
“S’o… okay…” Dream echoes, voice barely above a whisper. Sapnap rubs small circles into his back, the motion calming himself as much as Dream. He blinks back tears, cries ceasing, calming down.
Dream gives his arm a tiny squeeze, reminding him that he’s okay, that he’s still there. Sapnap breathes, long and deep.
In and out.
Calming down.
“Thank you Dreamie.” He says again. “Now, as much as I’m enjoying this hug, I need to move you back so I can put proper pressure on your head.” He shifts him in his hold again until he’s leaning against his chest with his head in the crook of his neck. He flips the cloth over and presses it back to Dream’s head.
“Mmm…” Dream shudders with the return of the pressure. Pain flares across his skull, a pounding shiny wrapping right around to his temple. It’s unpleasant, dizzying and nauseating and impossible to ignore. He leans into Sapnap, trying to listen for his heartbeat to have something to focus on (as difficult as concentrating is right now) to keep him grounded.
He rests his hand on Sapnap’s arm again, running his fingers along the fabric of his shirt. His hand is barely cooperating now, limbs feeling detached from his body. The world seems to be slowly tunnelling into a small slit right in front of him, the edges of his vision darkening. It feels wrong. He feels so, so very tired.
Sapnap keeps dabbing at the wound, pressing down a little harder each time to try and get more of the blood. He pushed down a little harder than intense, pulling back quickly with a rushed apology as Dream whimpers.
The black of his vision suddenly spreads, engulfing the world in front of him entirely. He feels his stomach lurch, head spinning, the world touting on its axis around him, as the darkness shoots up to engulf him entirely.
Dream suddenly grabs his arm with an iron grip, but before Sapnap can ask if he feels sick, the pressure disappears entirely as Dream’s arm goes limp by his side.
Sapnap feels fear claw at his heart. “Dream? Dream…!” He shifts him in his hold to look at his face, just in time to watch as Dream’s eyes roll back into his skull. “No- no, no Dreamie you have to stay awake, you- Dream, please-”
Dream doesn’t respond, his head lolls to the side against Sapnap’s chest, body limp and expression taunt. Sapnap feels the air steal from his lungs, hands shaking. “Dream…” It’s quiet, a silent plea. “Please… I’m so, so sorry, please don’t… please come back to me Dreamie…” He doesn’t expect a reaction, and his expectations are met. He gathers Dream up on his arms, cloth being discarded as he holds his brother close to him. “Please…”
The world seems to slow down, water slowly soaking into Sapnap’s pant legs from the marshy ground beneath him. The breeze brushes against his cheeks, trailing along eyelashes speckled with tears. He can barely breathe, and the blood on his hands feels like acid.
Sapnap carefully lays Dream down in the grass, taking the hoodie that had been stashed in his backpack and holding it under his head. Once he’s sure he’s comfortable, he moves to grab his communicator, to message Bad and George for help because he doesn’t know what to do. His hands shake as he picks it up, struggling to even turn it on. Tears blur his eyes as he scrolls for their contacts and tries to clear his mind enough to actually think of what to say.
(How can he tell his best friends that their other half passed out because of an injury he inflicted?)
He stares down at the screen, hands hovering over the keyboard as he composes himself. He glances back at Dream occasionally, silently hoping that he’ll see green irises blinking back at him.
(He doesn’t.)
He’s about to hit send on the- rather rambling- message he’s typed out when he steals one last look at Dream. He’s about to turn back when he sees a small twitch in Dream’s fingers. It’s barely noticeable, but Sapnap feels his heart leap at it.
“Dream…?” Another twitch., Sapnap sits up straighter. “Hey, Dreamie…”
The next tremor shoots throughout his whole hand, fingers lifting off the ground. Sapnap stiffens, eyes growing wider. “Dream?” He repeats, it’s more desperate this time.
Dream’s fingers curl and Sapnap throws the communicator to the ground, moving back towards him. Dream’s arm jerks, the movement short and erratic. Sapnap feels sick, he feels really fucking sick. “Oh… god…”
Dream’s back arches.
Sapnap swears he feels his heart actually stop for a second.
He’s snapped from his initial shock when a small whine keens from Dream’s throat, shoulders tensing. He shoots over the bag, grabbing a small watch kept in the front pocket and glancing down at the time before he moves to kneel next to Dream’s head. He knows better than to try and grab at him now, but he needs to protect his head if his neck jerks at all.
“Dreamie… I dunno if you can hear me but… it’s gonna be okay. I’m right here, not gonna leave you. Gonna stay with you through this. I’m right here… right here.”
In all the time he had known him, Sapnap has rarely seen Dream sick. When he has, it’s usually towards the end of the illness, when Dream is too exhausted to hide it any longer. The worst it’s ever gotten was when Dream had an awful fever and kept pushing himself to hunt until the point of collapse. Back then, it was the most terrifying thing Sapnap has dealt with, he didn’t know that things could get worse beyond collapsing. Fate seemed to like to prove him wrong, however.
Watching Dream now, he feels that same fear from then, feels it tenfold. It feels like the world around him is frozen in this one moment as he’s forced to watch his brother suffer (because of his own actions.)
Sapnap doesn’t dare move from Dream’s side, hands hovering above his head in apprehension. All he can do is watch as his best friend loses control of his body, limbs jerking sporadically. It is horrifying, and Sapnap would do anything in his power to stop it. To ensure nothing like this ever happens again.
He sits for what feels like hours (though a quick check of the watch tells him it’s been just over a minute) until Dream’s body seems to calm down a bit, the seizing gradually subsiding to the few twitches that began it.
Once Dream’s body seems mostly stilled, Sapnap carefully rolls him onto his side, moving his arms above his head. It’s one thing he remembers, from the training Bad had given him, and he’s never been more grateful that he listened to his nagging lectures. He keeps one hand on Dream’s arms, rubbing it gently, and uses the other to check him over. He feels around his wrist for a moment. (Dream’s pulse is quick, but it’s there). He hovers a hand over his mouth and nose. (Dream’s breathing is laboured but it’s there). Dream is still there, still alive. Spanap hasn’t lost him yet.
Sapnap breathes a tiny sigh of relief, though the pit of anxiety is still welled in his stomach. Nothing about this can possibly be a good sign, and he keeps his gaze half-locked on Dream’s fingers in fear of another tremor. He sits quietly for a minute (or two or five) before he gently moves Dream so that his head is resting in his lap. He grabs a new cloth from the bag and pushes it back to Dream’s head, hands shaking significantly more than before.
His communicator lies discarded on the ground. He doesn’t think he can dare tell George and Bad what just happened over message, doesn’t think he can find the right words. He’ll tell them when they come. (At least then if he breaks during the explanation, one of them can hold him together. At least then there’ll still be someone left to help Dream).
He wonders quietly how long it’s been, if it’s anywhere near ten minutes yet. Everything that happened felt agonisingly long, but in reality he knows it all happened in mere moments. And that somehow makes it all even scarier, because it happened so fast. And he was entirely helpless to stop it.
(And really that’s what all of this boils down to- things happening too fast. Sapnap acting in the heat of the moment without pausing or slowing down at all is what led to Dream getting hurt in the first place. If he’d just stopped to look for a second he might have seen the stone peeking out from between tall blades of grass; might not be sitting here now with his brother's head bleeding out onto his trousers. Hindsight, of course, is a fickle concept and it mocks Sapnap unrelentingly as he mulls over how different things could have gone.)
Dream stirs a few times in his arms, nothing more than a slight shift in his sleep or a furrow in his brow, but it quells Sapnap’s fears the smallest bit. It’s the only obvious sign that he hasn’t slipped away yet, and Sapnap can only hope he doesn’t go entirely still in his hold.
He still has one hand on Dream’s arm, rubbing it up and down and tracing shapes on the back of his hand. He whispers to him quietly, gentle promises that he’ll be okay, that help is coming; and when he starts to get choked up on his own words, he switches to humming under his breath.
It’s a simple melody, one he’s known since he was old enough to walk and talk, and it’s one they all know. They sing it to themselves to ease their nerves, or to each other to calm the other down. It offers him some small slither of comfort now, and he hopes that it does the same for Dream.
The song loops a few times, verses merging and rhythm a little fast; and just as he’s about to start it up for the third or fourth time, Sapnap hears yelling behind him.
“Over here!” He yells, craning his neck as he tries to discern which side they’re coming from. He hears one voice shouting to the other, and after a few seconds the sound of speeding footsteps revs up in the distance. “Over here.” Sapnap calls again, just to be safe. They’re so close now, he needs to be sure they find him.
A rustling of trees to his left prompts him to turn, just in time to see Bad emerging from the foliage, George not far behind. He blinks and they are at his side, Bad kneeling next to him while George stands over them protectively, assessing the clearing.
“You came- fuck I’m so glad you’re here.” Sapnap practically sobs as Bad pulls him into a small hug (pointedly ignoring the swear).
“We’re here, we’re going to help. You don’t have to deal with this alone anymore.” Bad tells him softly, rubbing a hand along his shoulder as he pulls away.
“Good, good I- I don’t know what to do he- he passed out. I tried to keep him awake but he…” Sapnap swallows, thick and heavy. He shuts his eyes at the memory, a shiver arching along his spine. “He seized. It- it was a minute, two at most but he- I- I don’t know what to do…”
“It’s okay… it’s… we’ll figure this out, yeah?” Bad tries to sound confident, but the shake in his voice betrays any notion that he is succeeding at keeping calm. “That… that isn’t good though… I’m sure you know that… can I have a look at his head?”
Sapnap nods, carefully pulling Dream up against him so Bad has an easy view of the injury. George takes a few steps towards them but doesn’t dare look, doesn’t so much as best Sapnap’s eye as he fidgets with the hilt of a dagger strapped to his hip.
Beside him, Sapnap hears Bad inhale sharply. “That’s… oh, okay yeah that… isn’t really what we like to see but I should be able to treat it enough here for us to get him home safely.” He’s already shrugging off his bag and rummaging through, calling George over to empty his own supplies to see what they have between them.
George sits down reluctantly, grimacing when he catches sight of the blood matted in Dream’s hair. “That looks awful.” He mutters, blunt as ever. “What happened…?”
Sapanp feels his body tense, turning away slightly as he swallows uncomfortably. He knew this question was inevitable, and though he hoped it would come up later rather than sooner, he owes them an explanation. It’s only fair, and it’s necessary information for them to work out how to act moving forwards.
“We… we were caught up in a fight…” he begins, talking around the lump in his throat. “We ended up on the ground trying to overpower each other, nothing serious at first it was all pretty tame. But then… then we…” He casts his gaze to the ground, Bad giving him a little hum of encouragement to keep talking.
“We started to get more rough and we were egging each other on and I got caught up in everything… kinda started to get genuinely kind of intense and then…” He feels sick at the memory. “I got on top of him in the tussle and I grabbed his shirt and… I slammed his upper half down. I didn’t see the stone I didn’t… didn’t realise it was there but… his head bounced off it. Hard. And now he’s… and I…” he trails off, throat fully closing over as sobs threaten to bubble up yet again.
Silence befalls the clearing once more. It wraps around Sapnap’s mind, deafening.
George is the first to pierce it.
“You what?!”
The words come out harsher than he intended, but there is an obvious fire behind them as he stops dead in searching through his pack. Even Bad, for all his natural composure, lets out a slightly horrified gasp at the admittance. “Wh… what…?”
Sapnap pulls Dream closer. “It was an accident!”
George scoffs. “You don’t accidentally slam someone’s head into a rock.” He mutters, tone bitter.
“I told you, I- I wasn’t thinking- I was caught up in the heat of the moment. I don’t expect something like this to happen.” Sapnap rambles, trying to keep his voice quiet as Dream tenses in his arms.
He has never felt more guilty about anything in his life, but the regret was much easier to deal with when he was the only one berating himself. Now, with George suddenly angering with him, he feels the overwhelming need to defend himself a little. He couldn’t bear it if they thought he ever wanted to intentionally hurt Dream.
Spanap could almost cry at the sheer venom- disappointment, even- in George’s voice, his own desperation spiking. “I- I would never do something like this on purpose. You know I wouldn’t!”
“It doesn’t matter if you meant to- you will fucked up Sapnap!” George practically yells.
“You think I don’t know that?! You think I haven’t spent the last ten minute hating myself for letting this happen? I don’t need you to tell me all the ways in which I was a fucking moron, I am well aware! I just need you to know I didn’t do this on purpose! I just- I don’t want to fight right now-”
George leans back, laughing desperately. “I know you wouldn’t do this on purpose. I’m not trying to be patronising but I think I have a right to be angry at the fact that one of my best friends just cracked my other best friend’s head on a rock during a light hearted training game-!”
“It was an accident- I didn’t fucking mean to-” Sapnap half-screams, half-sobs. He doesn’t know what else to say, needs to make sure George knows it, believes it.
“I know, I believe you, but I’m not sorry for getting mad but he’s still hurt! He could still… this is serious Sapnap. Let me be concerned. Let me be angry.”
“You can be angry without fucking yelling at me.” Sapanp is crying openly now. “I know I fucked up.”
“Then stop arguing with me!” George huffs.
“Stop attacking me!”
“Both of you stop yelling, this isn’t helping anyone!” Bad’s voice cuts through the screaming match, quiet but firm. “You’re scaring Dream…”
Both men turn to their injured friend, only to find his brow furrowing, lips drawn into a tight grimace as he unconsciously curls more into Sapnap’s chest to hide from the sounds around him.
“Oh... oh gosh Dreamie... I’m so sorry.” Sapnap murmurs, pulling him close.
George bites his lip. “Yeah- fuck. Sorry...”
Bad sighs. “Looks, emotions are all pretty high at the moment. We can talk about this properly once we’re home but right now we have to focus on Dream. He’s not... in a great condition right now. He needs our full attention.” He reaches forward to posh back Dream”s bangs, tucking loose hair behind his ears. “He needs us.”
“You’re right.” Sapnap whispers. “You’re so right, I... I’m sorry. For yelling, for all of this really.”
Bad’s face softens. “It’s okay, you’re stressed. Something like this was bound to happen eventually, we all have a tendency to get a bit reckless. It’s a learning curve, for all of us. I absolutely think you should know better, but it could have happened to any of us in the heat of the moment, you just got unlucky.”
George half-snickers, half-huffs beside them. “Really unlucky...” He mutters.
“George, please, cut him some slack. He clearly feels Bad and he’s taken good care of Dream while we were coming. Don’t act like you’re incapable of messing up like this; like I said, it could have been anyone. Being bitter won’t help.”
“I know...” George sighs. “He’s... Bad’s right.” He turns to Sapnap. “I’m sorry, I’m just really worried. Never seen a wound like this before... never seen Dream go down before. It’s scary, but it’s not fair for me to get mad at you ‘cause I’m stressed... I’m still kind of pissed at how much of a dumbass you were but... I’m sorry, for snapping.”
Sapnap nods. “Thank you Georgie, I’m sorry for being such an idiot.” He looks at Dream as he curls up in his hold. “Let’s help our brother now.”
Bad smiles fondly, feeling the air clear a little. “Thank you, both of you.” He says, before turning his full attention back to Dream and slipping into medic mode. “Now, George, I need you to grab some cloths and potions, maybe a water bottle if it’s still pretty full. Spanap, can you try and get Dream to wake up? He seemed to stir a little bit, just try and coax him, it’d be better if we could see he’s still with us. Plus, I don’t wanna try giving him potions while he’s unconscious.”
Two heads nod as one, George turning back to his backpack as Sapnap buries some stray hair out of Dream’s face. “Hey, Dreamie, need you to wake up for us okay? Bad’s here now, he’s gonna sort you out, but we need to to wake up yeah?” He gently pays Dream’s face, relaxing a little when the action gains him a small whine- a sign that Dream is at least a bit more aware.
George comes back over after a short while with the supplies for Bad, as well as a hoodie he’d taken off midway through the manhunt that he drapes over Dream to fight the cold spreading through him from the blood loss. Bad rolls up his sleeves and starts to put a little water on the cloth, folding it over a few times. “Sapnap?”
“He seems to be coming back to us, slowly but surely.” The younger says, earning small sighs of relief from the other two. “He’s really never been a morning person.” He chuckles.
“Not in the slightest.” George huffs, no malice to his tone. He moves in closer so he can see Dream’s face. “Hey idiot, gonna wake up for us?”
Dream lets out a soft groan, a string of incoherent words spilling from his mouth.
“‘Atta boy.” Bad chides, gently pressing the cloth to the back of his head. “Open your eyes for us, I bet you wanna yell at me and George for taking so long.”
Dream shifts again, murmuring something again. He presses further into Sapnap, a muffled “I’m tired” escaping him.
“You pass out of me and you’re gonna complain about being tired?” Sapnap teases. “Come on, you don’t have to stay awake for long.”
“I’m sure you’re exhausted.” Bad comments, lightning his touch just a little as Dream tries to pull away from the pressure on his head. “Sapnap told us you seized, that must have been really draining…”
“Mmm… wasn’ fun…” Dream grumbles.
“Didn’t look it.” Sapnap chuckles. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. You seem to be more aware now; you wanna open your eyes?”
Dream shakes his head. “Bri… s’bright…”
“I know buddy,” Bad cooes, “you don’t have don’t have to keep them open for long if you don't want to. But can I just need to check them really quick?”
Dream lets out a disgruntled sound but slowly cracks his eyes open, just a little. George moves so he’s blocking him from the sun as much as he can, kneeling directly in his field of view. “Hey there sleeping beauty, nice to see you.”
“…hi.” Dream says sheepishly, offering George a shaky attempt at a smile. “You’re here…”
“Yep, Sapnaitus got us straight away. Bad’s here too, can he check you over really quick?”
Dream swallows, then nods (a tiny bib of his head, too much movement is still Turing and dizzying). “Yeah… s’okay.”
Bad smiles. “Thank you Dreamie.” He notions for George to swap with him, the brunette unusually deft as he holds the cloth in place. Bad gently takes Dream’s chin in his hands, tiling his face up towards him. He studies the younger’s eyes carefully, biting his lip. “Okay… pupils are still pretty dilated… Can you try to follow my finger, Dreamie? It’s okay if you can’t.”
He holds up his hand and slowly moves it side to side. Dream does his best to follow but his eyes don’t seem to want to cooperate and he lets out a soft whine when he loses track. Sapnap rubs his arm soothingly.
“Hey, hey, I said it’s okay. Don’t worry about it Dreamie, you did better than expected. Thank you for trying, you did really well. Can you tell me where it hurts the most right now? Is it just the back of your head?”
“Back… back is w’rst but… front hurts too… head h’rts all over…” He mumbles, eyes squeezing shut.
“Okay, do you feel sick?”
“Kinda… really dizzy…”
Bad nods sympathetically. “Alright, you can keep your eyes closed now but I’m gonna get you to drink a potion for me. Just a little bit of health and regen yeah? We’ll take it nice and slow.”
He looks across at George who passes the bottles over with his free hand. “Health first.” Bad decides. “Should help with the icky feelings and make the regen less overwhelming.” He brings the bottle up Dream’s lips, letting him process and take it in first. “This okay?”
Dream swallows, inhaling deeply. “Yeah… I c’n take it…”
“Okay,” Bad moves in closer. “Tell me if it’s too much, if you need to stop. Even just pull away. We’re gonna take this slow, you’re doing so good.”
He presses the rim of the glass to Dream’s mouth and Sapnap helps to tilt his head back. Some of the liquid dribbles down his chin and he pauses every few sips to catch his breath, but eventually he manages to drink enough to satisfy Bad. He reaches out to wipe Dream’s face as he lowers the bottle, offering him a string of praises.
“Good job.” Sapanp tells him quietly.
“Let’s give that a minute to settle, yeah?” Bad announces. “Then we’ll get some regen in you to help with that nasty wound. Speaking of which- how’s it looking George?”
The brunette offers a placating hum. “Still… not great. Pretty gross to be honest- woah.” George has always been the most squeamish of the group. “But uh, the bleeding seems to be slowly down? A bit? Definitely doesn’t seem to be quite so bad.”
“Good, that’s really good.” Sighs Bad. “Head injuries tend to bleed a lot and for quite a while so it’s good it’s slowing down. Really good. Keep applying pressure, you’re doing a great job.”
George nods and goes back to focusing on his task as Bad looks Dream over again. “Hey bud, think you can stomach some regen now?”
“Hmm… yeah, just a lil’ bit.” Dream responds sleepily.
“Alright, just a little bit.”
The process is repeated: bottle raised, head tilted back, potions drunk slowly and chin wiped when it’s down. Dream sagas back into Sapnap when Bad removes his hand, panting softly. “Bleh…”
Bad chuckles. “It isn’t the nicest, I’m sorry. But that’s the lot so it should start to take effect. We’ll give you a little bit of time to rest and let the potions start working their magic, then we can head home.”
And Dream’s face lights up at that. “…home.” He whispers, and he sounds ready for it.
“Home.” Sapnap echoes, and he’s just as desperate for it. He needs to get away from here, this spot in the clearing that will now forever be a reminder of his recklessness and the price of such. Exhaustion hits him all at once and he lets his shoulders slouch a little as Dream sinks into him.
“You deserve a good long sleep now Dreamie.” Bad says. “You did really well, thank you for holding on so long, I know you’re hurting a lot right now.”
“S’alright.” Dream murmurs. “I always bounce back. Like… like…” His face screws up in concentration. “Like a sponge!”
“Ah yes, our little sponge.” George he snickers.
Sapnap snorts. “Oh, he is never letting you live that one down.”
“S’not fair…” Dream whines, lips turning down in a small pout.
“Come on now George he can’t think well right now. Don’t tease him.” Bad scolds, though his tone is light and there’s a smirk across the face.
“You’re so mean.” Dream huffs. “Big mean idiot.”
George gasps, clapping a hand to his face dramatically. “I’ll have you know I’m highly intelligent!”
“So why d’ya never win at manhunt?”
“I mean didn’t we technically win this one?” George quizzes.
“Sap split my head op… open. Not sure that… counts s’winning…”
“I think it’s a tie at best.” Says Sapnap, grimacing a little at Dream’s words. “Yeah I’m… really sorry about that dude.”
Dream title his head to look up at him. “S’fine, really, please don’t beet yourself up ‘bout it.”
“We don’t need to see you grovelling.” George muses.
“George!”
“What? Bad what?”
“Shut up Gogy.” Dream mumbles. “But really dude, I don’t blame you just… don’t do that again… please…?”
Sapnap leans back. “Oh, trust me, I won’t.”
“Good…” Dream stifles a yawn. “Can we leave now? S’getting dark here…”
“Yeah, one sec, lemme just check your head again.” Bad replies. He moves back beside George, notioning for him to pull back the cloth. When he does, Bad is relieved to see that the blood flow has slowed almost to an entire stop, and the skin is beginning to slowly stitch itself back together, bit by bit.
“It looks a lot better.” George observes quietly.
Bad nods. “The potions are doing their job well.”
“So we can go?” Asks Sapnap, hopeful.
“Yes, I think we can go.” Bad smiles. He takes one last look at Dream’s head then let’s George press the cloth back to it. “We’ll clean it properly once we’re back and bandage it up, but for now let's just focus on getting home.”
“Sounds nice.” Dream murmurs sleepily.
Bad looks at him and Sapnap. “I think we could all do with some rest, you two especially.”
“I can carry Dream.” George offers. “I’m sure your arms are getting tired from holding him up for so long, Sap.”
Sapnap shakes his head. “No, I can take him, I think. We can swap on the way if I need it but I’m probably the best cut out to carry him. No offence George but you have spaghetti arms.”
“I take great offence to that.” George pouts.
“He’s not wrong.” Bad whispers.
George scowls, though he can’t hold back a fond smile. “I hate you all.”
“Love you too Gogy, no help me lift Dream up.” Sapnap commands, already trying to push himself to his feet. George holds onto Dream and guides the two up until Sapnap is standing with him carefully in his hold. Even then, George hovers close, keeping a close eye on them.
Bad packs the supplies back into his and George’s bags, handing the latter over to the brunette as he pulls his own satchel over his shoulder. He looks up at the sky, watching the sun as it slowly sinks into the horizon, before pulling a compass from his pocket and turning towards the south.
“Off we go?” He offers.
“Off we go.” George replies, looking towards the trees and already planning the route back, how long it will take. He’s impatient, ready to leave the outdoors for a while and sink back into the safety of their little cabin deep in the woods.
“Off we go.” Sapanp echoes, and it’s the most confident he’s felt in the past twenty minutes of hours it’s been since arriving in the clearing. He holds his brother close, relieved to feel his breaths against his neck, strong and even. His arms are slowly going numb, but he’s not ready to give up just yet. He‘ll rest when they’re actually at home, when the danger is fully gone.
“Off we go.” Dream whispers, carefully audible, and he has never been more excited to get to a bed. He thinks he’s okay with the manhunt ending in a tie.
Just this once.