Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I didn't even expect this. I just knew that HH (A Hidden Heart) needed a change, and this turned out to be the best option. 

That being said, this is the new main story, and A Hidden Heart is now a prequel! 

You will probably not understand this without reading that.

Headcanon list:

1. Anyone can make portals.

2. Dream and Nightmare have some noncanon powers. 

3. Dream was conscious.

4. Canon Dreamtale says they were six years of age when the apple incident occurred. That carries over to here. 

5. Everything I've established in HH as canon is canon here.

6. I love alliteration. 

~~~~~

Credits for characters~

Toby Fox.

Dream and Nightmare ~ Jokublog 

Error and Blueberror ~ loverofpiggies 

Ink ~ Myebi/Comyet 

Dust ~ ask-Dusttale blog

Killer ~ Rahafwabas 

Horror ~ Sour-apple-studios

Cross ~ Jakei 

Error 404 ~ SHADIKALY

Underswap ~ PopcornPr1nce

Underfell ~ Vic the Underfella

Outertale ~ 2mi27

Fellswap ~ I have no idea. 

Ccino ~ Black-Nyanko

Robin ~ me!

Dreamswap ~ OneBizarreKai

Shattered Dream ~ ShatteredDreamsAU

Swapdream ~ Song_A

Empireverse ~ Lunnar-Chan

Accident!Verse ~ bd8saku, jasisbest, and lord-of-dust (as far as the internet can tell me?)

~~~

Started: May 26, 2024.

Finished: not yet.

Cover: 

Chapter Text

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Such a simple question.

The answer was anything but simple. 

A few years ago, he would have gone on a tangent about positivity and how he was meant to protect it. He was the Guardian of Positivity, the one everyone would look up to one day. 

Everyone would know his name and face. 

Everyone would know that whatever they asked of him would be granted. 

Everyone would take advantage of him. 

They would take and take and take and take and take and take and take and take and take and take and take and take and take

Until he would have nothing left to give.

And then they would take some more.

The villagers had been an introduction into a cruel world - one he didn't want. 

He didn't want to be the Guardian of Positivity. 

"Anything but my birthright."

Chapter Text

Hi, journal!

I turned ten yesterday! I'm not sure what makes it more special than all the other birthdays, but apparently "double digits" is a very special thing! Everyone gave me cool gifts, and I gave Nighty a pair of boots that I made by myself! Ccino took me to a place in his universe where they gave classes on leatherworking, and he was so proud of me when I finished them! I like Ccino's universe; there's so much there! Nighty loves the boots, too! He hasn't taken them off yet!

I really hope they aren't too small. I'm getting a little worried. He even slept in them.

Anyway, Ccino's universe does have a lot of cool stuff, and Nighty's been encouraging me to try new things! Not dangerous things, of course, but new things! I think he knew that I was sad after meeting that other me. The other me said he liked being the Guardian of Positivity, but I just didn't feel right when he said that. It felt like a half-lie. I think he really wants to like it, but he can't. I don't want that. I'm still trying to come up with a plan to do my job without doing all of it, but it's hard. I don't know how to spread positivity without letting people know I'm doing it. Maybe that won't even work out. I just don't want to be a target for the rest of my life. I have time to figure that out, though! Nighty talked to Blue, and Blue told him that he's okay with keeping pretending that he's the Guardian of Positivity instead! He actually likes it! I wish he could be the real Guardian instead of me. He would be great at it. He doesn't even need instincts to make him do it!

I wish Mama didn't make us like this.

Bye, Journal.

Dream sighed, looking over the entry. After a moment of staring, he turned the period at the end into an exclamation mark; it was always good to end on a high note, right? Maybe that was just his instincts talking again. They were getting a lot more pushy recently; was it because he was getting older? Dream hoped not, but he knew it probably was. He put his journal in its place, and he sat up, looking over to Nightmare's bed; his brother was still asleep, and that meant only one thing: he could steal cuddles! With a grin, Dream invaded his brother's territory, and he gave his big brother a big hug!

"Dream..?" Nightmare always woke up slowly; that meant that there was more time for cuddles!

"Good morning, brother!" Dream greeted, grinning. 

"Morning.." Nightmare yawned, turning over and trapping his little brother in a tentacle hug. 

"Hey!" Dream giggled, retaliating with tickles.

Nightmare, fortunately, was quite ticklish, and he released Dream instantly, fighting a laugh. 

"Regular hug!" Dream demanded, wrapping his arms around his brother again. 

"All right." Nightmare chuckled, hugging his little brother; he could never deny Dream. "Are you going to help Horror with breakfast?"

"Yes!" Dream paused. "Um..oops."

"It's all right; you'll get the hang of it. Think before you answer; do you want to help Horror with breakfast?"

Dream hummed, thinking. His instincts said yes, but they always said yes; he had to detach himself from them. He couldn't let them control him. But..Horror was making pancakes today..Dream loved making pancakes!

"Yes." He nodded. "I want to."

"That's good." Nightmare smiled. "You're getting better at that."

"I'm learning from the best!" Dream giggled. "I'll go now, then; I wanna make a ton of pancakes!"

"Good luck on your mission, brother!" Nightmare saluted, receiving a grin and a salute back. 

"Thank you! Good luck on, um, whatever you're doing today, too!"

"Thank you."

Dream left the room, oblivious to Nightmare's near-instant struggle; he loved Dream, but these boots were making his feet numb! He struggled for several minutes, eventually falling off the bed, but the boots still remained. Soon after that crash, a small bitty flew over, his red wings sporting a horizontal purple stripe through them.

"Uh, Nightmare?" Robin looked down at the other, sitting on Nightmare's bedframe. "Something wrong?"

"...I love Dream." Nightmare started, pausing in his struggles to get this infernal footwear off. "But couldn't he have checked my size first?"

"..Can't you just shapeshift your feet so they do fit?" 

"..."

Nightmare was an idiot. 

Robin giggled as the dark guardian slipped the boots off with ease, letting out a sigh. 

"Thank you, Robin.." Nightmare offered a smile.

"Sure thing, Nightmare!" Robin beamed.

"Dream's in the kitchen, if you want to join him."

"Thanks!"

With that, the bitty flew out of the room, soaring down the halls. When he had escaped from that stupid lab, he had imagined the best home he would get being a house with a backyard; he hadn't considered a giant castle with tall ceilings and secret nooks he could make his own! Sure, he missed the sky, but he had been kept indoors basically his entire life; he could deal with it. The visits to Ccino's world were nice, though, since Robin could fly around all he wanted outside; it was better than dealing with cats. Robin really hated cats..but he supposed he did resemble a bird; it was only natural that they would want to hunt him down. Robin made his way to the kitchen, where he found Dream and Horror making pancakes - delicious!

"Good morning, Robin!" Dream was always happy to see his best friend! 

"Morning, Dream." Robin yawned, leading on the counter.

"I made you a small pancake!" Dream giggled, sliding a little plate over to Robin; after a lot of trial and error, the two had figured out the best serving size for a bitty, and Robin was very happy about it!

"Thanks, Dream! Do you need me to take anything to the table?"

"Uh, the syrup isn't too full; can you lift it?"

"Let me see.." Robin hopped over to the bottle of syrup, finding that it wasn't too heavy. "I can get it."

"Okay. Thak you, Robin!"

"Sure thing!"

Robin flew off with the syrup, and Dream continued to flip pancakes with Horror. 

"Got any plans for today?" The adult inquired. 

"Nope!" Dream shook his skull. "Just some training with Cross and a little work, then I'm free!"

"Well, I hope ya have fun, kid."

"I will!" 

Dream and Horror continued to make pancakes for the next little while, and when they finished, Horror brought the large plate of pancakes out, while Dream brought out Robin's pancake (the bitty had decided to wait) and some plates and utensils. He set the plates and utensils out for the others, and when that was done, he sat down with them, since everyone was here! Even Error was here! Error came sometimes, and Dream was happy to see him! With everything ready, the family enjoyed their meal, and they spoke about their plans for the day, or lack thereof.

"I have to work." Error drizzled an inordinate amount of chocolate syrup on his pancakes. 

"Really?" Dream frowned. "I was gonna invite you to sew with me.."

"Sorry - can't say no to work." Error shrugged. 

No one could do that, it seemed - no one but Dream. Nightmare was a Guardian, and he was in charge of keeping the Balance of Emotions steady, just as Dream was..but Dream didn't really help. He was afraid of helping. It always made him feel wrong to think about this; he wished it didn't. Error was a Guardian, too, but his job was destroying universes; he didn't even have anyone to help him! Dream wished the balances didn't exist; why did his friends and family have to have jobs forced upon them? Why did he? If only he could change that..but that was impossible. 

"This is great, Dream!" Robin complimented, eliciting a smile from the child. 

"Thanks, Robin!" Dream responded. "Horror did most of the work, though."

"Lies - you did almost everything!" Horror rolled his eyelight.

"W-well.." Dream had no response ready. "You..made the batter?"

"Ya got the ingrdients out and mixed it."

Defeated again, Dream let out a sigh; okay, he had done most of the work! But it had been fun!

"Are you ready for today's training?" Cross asked, finally getting the chocolate syrup from Error.

"Yeah!" Dream liked this topic a little better!

"Good, because I've got something special today!"

Dream gasped. "What is it?" 

"It's a surprise!"

Dream giggled, eager to see what was in store; he loved surprises! He started to eat a little faster in anticipation. Dream's schooling was a little different from normal children, apparently; he alternated between knowledge and magic learning, depending on Nightmare's work schedule. Since Nightmare had to go out today for something called a "political negotiations meeting," Dream didn't have any of his usual classes, leaving him to learn magic with Cross! Dust also taught him magic, but he focused more on advanced things like portals; Dream was getting a lot better with those! Cross preferred to stick with making magical constructs, teaching Dream to learn the limitations of his magic, and helping him control it. At the moment, he was trying to help Dream explore the world of magical identification, which was something like an aura, but it was something all monsters had instead of a special aura! It was..a bit difficult to isolate the two different things, though. 

"All right, are you ready?" Cross asked, once he and Dream reached the training room. 

"Yeah!" Dream nodded, letting Cross blindfold him; sensing magic signatures was best practiced while blind. 

"Okay, now shut down your aura." Cross instructed. "And keep it down this time; if you can't use it someday, you'll need to be able to rely on this."

"Okay.." Dream took a relaxing breath before pulling his aura in; if it didn't spread too far around him, he couldn't sense anything with it. "Ready."

"Good. The others are going to come in now, and I want you to find them without your aura and identify them."

Dream nodded, and Cross signaled for Killer, Horror, and Dust to enter the room; the trio hid around the room, and Cross sent Dream to search for them. Cross leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he watched the ten year old search for the others. As expected, the little one found Horror first; he had been near him the most today, and his magic would lead him straight to the other without any struggle at all. 

"Hmm.." Dream, of course, didn't know that yet. "Are you..Dust?"

"Nope." Cross informed, making Dream sigh in defeat; the little one had really been trying!

"Horror." The other spoke up, patting Dream's shoulder. "You'll get it next time."

"Yeah!" Dream nodded. "Can we start over?"

"Sure." Cross nodded, and the others left the room once more. "Remember: everyone's got their own unique flavor of magic; if you feel exactly what you did a moment ago, then who will you find?"

"Horror!" Dream knew that! "I'll do better this time!"

"I know you will!" Cross encouraged.

Over the next hour, the group did the exercise over and over, and by the end, Dream was a little better at identification! It would take time to perfect it, but he would succeed!

"Well, you correctly guessed Horror sixty percent of the time, Dust seventy, and Killer..you're great at sensing Killer; you got him right every time!" Cross grinned.

"His magic feels like strawberries!" Dream giggled. 

"Am I basically a strawberry at this point?" Killer wondered.

"Probably." Dust confirmed. "You apparently taste and feel like one."

"Guess I'll get some strawberry-scented lotion to seal the deal!" 

"You would, too." Horror snorted.

"I will."

"I gotta go feed the prisoners in the dungeon." Dream informed, looking up at the clock in the room. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Want any help?" Dust offered.

"No, thank you!" Dream would be fine on his own, and he would be even better if Robin joined him!

Robin did end up joining the positive spirit, and the two made their way to the dungeon, where the prisoners of the King of Darkness were kept. Dream wasn't sure why his brother took prisoners, but they were treated well enough; maybe they were part of the "political" stuff his brother was always involved with! In any case, Dream was happy to make sure they were fed every day! He grabbed a cart filled with food (he believed that one of the others filled it, but he had never seen them do it..maybe he would perform a stakeout one day!) and started down the dungeon hall, making sure every prisoner got something to eat! As he did, he was met with many friendly greetings! As much as he would have liked to learn everyone's names and stories, though..he couldn't.

"Hello, Dream!" Someone greeted.

"Hi, everyone!" Dream replied.

"How are you?" Someone else asked.

"I'm good, thank you!" 

"Why didn't you come yesterday?" Another prisoner inquired.

"It was my birthday! I'm ten now!" Dream grinned, chuckling at the many birthday wishes that filled the air.

"December, huh?" An older prisoner sighed. "Another year gone by in this place..great.."

"..I'm sorry you have to stay down here; it's probably a lot worse than I see of it.."

"You don't have to pretend you don't get it, kid; I'm sure this is leagues better than what you got with 404.."

Dream looked down, before giving a small nod; it definitely was. Being 404's prisoner was the second-worst experience of his life, behind his five-hundred-year experience being trapped in stone. It had been almost a year ago, though, and he was getting better; that was..more than he could say for being trapped in stone. He didn't have too many nightmares about 404 anymore; instead, his nightmares were mostly about..being trapped in stone again. It wasn't as if he hadn't dreamed about that before; that had been his worst type of nightmare before the 404 incident. It was just..a lot more common nowawdays. 404's sensory deprivation had brought up soem horrible memories, and Dream was a lot more scared of it now that he knew there were more ways to experience it than just turning into stone. He really didn't want to experience it ever again. He wanted to be free of it..

"Dream, can you hear me?" Robin's voice made him blink. 

"Uh..y-yeah.." Dream nodded, looking down at the bitty. 

"Can you feel the material in your shirt?" Robin asked.

"..." Dream's gaze turned to his sleeve, where Robin was softly rubbing the material against Dream's bone. "Yes..I feel it. Did..did I zone out again?"

"Yeah. Can you see me?"

"Yes." Dream nodded. 

"Can you smell anything?"

"The food..I smell that." 

"Can you taste anything?"

"..Not food. I'm not eating."

"Good." Robin smiled at Dream. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." Dream nodded. "Thank you, Robin.."

"You're very welcome. Do you want to finish this up now?"

"Yeah..can we watch a movie after?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you."

Dream finished feeding the prisoners quietly, trying to stay grounded; he was okay, and once he was done with this, he would be even more okay! Dream finished his work, and as soon as all the prisoners were fed, he went to the living room to watch a movie with Robin; he was okay. He was with his family. 

Everything was going to be okay with them around. 

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean has an okay morning!

Yes, the entire subplot with the boots was planned, and I love it. Nightmare would totally forget he can shapeshift when faced with such a trivial matter.

Thanks for reading my domestic writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Do you have instincts, Error?" Dream looked to the other after carefully threading a new needle. 

 "Do I have what?" Error glanced at the child, setting his work aside.

"Well, you're a Guardian like Nightmare and I..and we have instincts that make us..well, mine make me want to help people all the time, and Nightmare's make him want to hurt people all the time. Do you have something like that?"

"..No. I have motivations for destroying, but I don't feel forced to do it. I wasn't aware stuff like that existed."

"Oh.."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to know if it was normal.."

"Well, it isn't."

"Thanks.."

"Wanna get back to work? That hat's starting to look really good."

"Yeah, I have to get home soon, and I wanna finish this first!"

 "Better hurry!"

Dream giggled, moving a little faster; he wanted to give this to someone special! It had been almost two months since his birthday, and now it was the day before Dust's birthday! The others usually didn't care about their birthdays, but ever since Dream had extracted the information from them, he always made sure to give them something nice! Dream didn't care if it was just his instincts telling him him to do it; he genuinely wanted to anyway! After a little more work, he finally made the last stitch, and he had a nice purple winter hat for his family member! He..wasn't sure how else to refer to the others, honestly. They seemed to regard Nightmare as a dad, but that would have made him their uncle, and they felt a lot more like his uncles; it was weird. All he knew was that they were his family, and he loved them! When he finished, he chose to watch Error's work; the elder's hands were much more skilled than his own, and Error's work just seemed to come together in a way that no one else's could. Dream supposed Error had had a lot of time to master his craft; he had been alone in the Anti-Void for a long time, after all, and he hadn't had many friends before..before Dream had met him? No..Dream decided to chalk it up to Nightmare's meeting Error. Error's friends weren't the direct result of Dream's efforts! 

They couldn't have been. 

Error decided to put his work on pause a little while later, deciding that it was time for Dream to get home.

"Do you think he'll like it?" Dream asked, double checking the stitching. 

"He'll like it." Error nodded. "Now you should get home; I don't want to have Nightmare hunt me down again for keeping you out too late.."

"Okay!" Dream chuckled; Nighty was a bit overprotective! Dream didn't really mind, though, considering what he'd been through. "Um, can I make the portal this time?"

"Portals to and from the Anti-avoid are harder, Dream." Error reminded. 

"I know, but you can check the destination from here, right?"

"..Right, so go ahead and try."

"Yay!" 

Dream closed his eyesockets and focused, slowly opening a portal home; he was getting much better with these, and he didn't need an insane amount of positivity to use them, anymore! When it was open, Dream looked to Error, who quickly checked to see if Dream had gotten the right AU; he sometimes messed up, still. This time, however, Error gave him a nod and a proud smile; he had gotten the right place! Dream said one last goodbye to Error, and he headed through the golden gateway, finding his home. He came out into the living room, finding Killer and Dust watching a movie together; Killer seemed more interested in it than Dust, however, but he was also the first one to notice Dream's arrival. 

"Hey, Sunshine!" He greeted, drawing Dust's gaze to the child. "Nice portal - ya make it yourself?" 

"Yep!" Dream grinned, nodding. "I'm gonna be super good with portals soon!"

"I bet! Nice hat, too; it looks a bit big for you, though."

Dream giggled, walking around the couch to sit with the two. "That's 'cause it's for Dust! I know your birthday is tomorrow, but here you go!"

 Dream held the hat out to his sort-of-uncle, receiving a quiet, surprised blink. Dust was always like this, though; Dream just had to wait patiently for the other to process it.

"Come on, bro; it's for you." Killer gave Dust a small nudge, not being one for waiting.

"Uh, thank you.." Dust said, accepting the gift gingerly. "It's soft.."

"I know you like soft things, so I made it soft for you!" Dream beamed. "Do you like it?"

"I love it.." Dust gave a small smile, putting the hat on under his hood. "Thank you, Dream." 

"You're welcome!" Dream went in for a hug, and Dust reciprocated gently. 

"That looks great on you, bro!" Killer complimented, idly rewinding the movie. 

"Thanks, Kills.." Dust pulled on his hood to make the outfit more comfortable. 

"I speak only the truth! So, got any plans, sport?" 

"I have big plans!" Dream confirmed, grinning. "Back when I was in that other multiverse, the older me lived in a really cool cabin in Outertale!"

"Gonna try to find it?" Killer assumed, smirking. 

"Yeah!" Dream confirmed. "It'll be the best clubhouse ever!"

"Well, who are you taking with you?"

"I'm gonna ask Nighty or Cross. Or both."

"Good luck then, kid - I hope you find it!"

"Good luck." Dust wished, smiling at Dream.

"Thank you, and we will!" Dream assured; it would definitely be the best clubhouse ever! 

Dream left Dust and Killer in the living room to watch their movie, and he went on the hunt for Nightmare and Cross. Neither of them had mentioned going out today, which meant that there was a good chance Dream would find them; he just had to figure out where they were. He searched through the castle dutifully, going from room to room and reaching out with his aura every so often in an attempt to locate them. Unfortunately, his aura wasn't as expansive as his brother's was; Nightmare could feel the whole castle, while Dream could only detect people from a few rooms away. Nevertheless, he eventually found his brother and Cross in a feat of great luck, and both were in Nightmare's office, talking about something that was undoubtedly boring. Dream knocked on the door, and Cross answered it, smiling down at the little one (he was growing, though, and someday, he would be taller than everyone else!).

"Hey, Dream, what do you need?" Cross questioned.

"Are you and Nighty busy?" Dream asked.

Cross looked to Nightmare, who thought for a moment before shaking his skull. "We aren't busy; what would you like, Dream?"

"Well, do you remember the other me's cabin when we went to the other multiverse?" Dream began his proposition. "I wanna find it if it exists here, and if no one's using it, can I use it as a clubhouse?"

Nightmare and Cross looked at eachother before letting out small chuckles; that was truly a task worth their full attention. 

"I suppose we can." Nightmare nodded. "But we need to be back by dinnertime."

"Okay!" Dream agreed to those terms. "Anything else?"

"You should probably grab a backpack; there might be something new for that rock collection of yours."

"Oh, right!" Dream gasped; he had left his rock collection practically stagnant since he had stopped going out with Nightmare and the others on their missions! "I'll be right back!"

"Take your time!" Cross called out, as Dream ran down the hall.

"He has so much energy.." Nightmare muttered. 

"And there's no telling if he'll ever grow out of it." Cross smiled, leaning against the doorframe. 

"Maybe someday..but I must admit that I will miss it if he does."

"He can't stay a kid forever." 

"I can wish."

"Yeah..do you want me to grab something for our space trip?"

"No, I don't think we'll be near the populated areas; the cabin in question was in the far outskirts there, and it's safe to assume the same for here."

"..." Cross's gaze fell a little. 

"Fine, you can grab some G for the minute chance we visit the town." Nightmare relented.

"Thanks, boss!" Cross was the perfect victim for tourist traps, and he wouldn't dream of denying it. 

Nightmare let out an amused huff as he watched his..associate run off to grab some money. He couldn't forget the first time Cross had been introduced to the multiverse; the monochrome soldier had a closet full of cliché t-shirts and a mug collection that took up a large portion of the cupboards in the kitchen. Dream had a few favorites of his own from that collection, as did the rest of the gang; there was no escaping the mugs. Five minutes later, Dream and Cross had both returned with their respective items, Cross having dawned a black and white satchel in which to carry any extra belongings and Dream having a yellow cat-themed backpack. Was Dream obsessed with cats after meeting Ccino? Yes. Was Nightmare going to discourage his obsession? Not in the least. As long as Dream didn't introduce any cats to the castle (Robin would object day and night to such an action), Nightmare would support him. 

"I'm ready!" Dream informed, holding the straps of his backpack tightly. 

"I am, too." Cross followed up. 

"All right, then." Nightmare took a step forward and prepared to open a portal, only to be stopped by his little brother.

"Wait!" Dream raised his hands. "Can I do the portal, please?"

Nightmare smiled, rolling his eyelight. His brother was eager to learn, if nothing else. He extended an arm forward, silently gesturing for Dream to go ahead. 

"Yay!" Dream hugged his brother, before closing his eyesockets and focusing on making a portal. 

Dream..had a lot on his mind. It was a bit hard to focus, with it all. He had thoughts of the cabin he wanted to find, and Outertale, of course, but he also thought about the other him he had met. The other him had been nice, but he had also been sad. Dream didn't like it when people were sad; it went against his very being, it seemed. Being sad was part of life, wasn't it? But then..why did it hurt? Why did the people in the dungeon have to be sad? Why did his brother have to make people sad? Why did bad people have to make others suffer? Why couldn't everyone just be happy? It seemed as if it would make things so much easier if everyone was just happy..

"Okay, let's go!" Dream grinned, dragging his brother and Cross through the portal he had made. 

Logically, Dream knew everyone couldn't be happy all the time; if they were, the balance would have been tilted, and Nightmare would have been hurt by the lack of negativity. People needed to be able to feel bad things to make the world a better place, even if it hurt..but Dream didn't have to like it. Negative emotions felt bad to normal people, but to them, they actually hurt. Dream wondered how Nighty could stand the positivity in the castle some days; he knew he wouldn't have been able to handle it if it were negativity. Nightmare did have more experience, though. Nightmare was strong, and he could probably handle anything! Nightmare was smart and strong, and no matter what, he was always the best!

Which was why it was all the more concerning when he fell to the ground, clutching at his sternum and breathing heavily.

"Nighty?!" Dream rush to his brother's side, trying to..he didn't know! Nighty was hurt, and he didn't know what to do!

"Dream, this isn't Outertale!" Cross stated the obvious. "Where are we?!"

"I-I don't know!" Dream started to tear up; he didn't mean to mess up this bad! He just wanted to be helpful!

"D-Dream.." Nightmare was straining himself to speak. "I need..I-I need you to back up..t-too much posit..p-positivity.."

"I'm sorry!" Dream jumped back, trying to pull his aura in; he didn't want to hurt his brother! 

"I-it's.." Nightmare took a deep breath. "It's okay..this is just..a very positive..where are we..?"

"I don't know.." Dream curled up; this was the worst day ever..

"I..I would tell you to..cheer up, but.." Nightmare rested his skull on the ground, trying to compose himself; he had been in positive AUs before, but this was something else entirely.. "It's okay..I just need a-a-agh!"

"Nighty?!" Dream flinched as his brother's form started to shake; there was something very positive coming their way..

"What is this?" Oh, no..

Dream looked over to the owner of the voice, finding another different version of himself; he had done it again. This version was so much more..everything than the other, though. This one had wings! This one was glowing! This one was-

"You need to rein in your aura!" Dream shouted frantically, realizing why his brother was in so much pain. "You're gonna kill him!"

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean does it again!

Yes, we are right into the plot again!

Thanks for reading my positive writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Huh?" The winged Dream took a couple steps back, and the positive aura dimmed considerably, giving Nightmare some breathing room.

"Dream.." The goopy Guardian gained a scolding tone.

"..Yes, Nighty?" Dream averted his gaze.

"When we get home, you're grounded for a month.."

"Yes, Nighty.." Dream sighed; he supposed he deserved that. He probably deserved more than that, honestly..

"..Who are you?" The winged Dream inquired, staring at the trio of newcomers.

"Uh, my name's Dream, and I..messed a portal up really bad?" Dream chuckled nervously. "Your wings are pretty! I should get wings, too!"

"I'm afraid it takes a lot of-" The winged Dream blinked in shock as Dream shapeshifted himself a pair of pretty golden wings just like the adult's own. 

"Yay, I have wings now!" Dream clapped, amused by the situation. 

"You..how did you..?"

"I can shapeshift?" Dream tilted his skull. "Can't you?"

"..No..?"

"Speaking of shapeshifting.." Nightmare groaned. "This place is very, very positive..I can't sustain this form.." 

"Oh, can you turn into a cat?" Dream hoped; he finally had a logical excuse to ask Nighty to turn into a cat!

"..Fine." Nightmare relented. "But only because I have few other choices."

And with that, Nightmare turned into a one-eyed short-haired black cat, feeling much more comfortable with this size in this positive atmosphere. He let out a sigh as Dream squealed, clearly happy to see his brother's cat form. He had four tails to mimic his tentacles!

"Uh, how are we gonna get home?" Cross was focused on the most pressing task at hand. 

"Fortunately, I was prepared for this." Nightmare sighed, flicking his new four tails idly. "Last time, I asked a few scientists to track down Dream using his portal's magic remnants, but I had them put in a tracker to pick up this sort of disturbance again; they'll contact one of our allies and send them after us."

"So we're not stuck here?" Cross was relieved to hear that!

"No, but we will have to wait a while."

"Yay!" Dream cheered; he didn't mess up as horribly this time! His brother was the smartest!

"..What in the world is going on, here?!" The winged Dream (well, the adult winged Dream, now) questioned, clearly confused.

"Uh, long story short, Dream over there is still learning how to create portals, and he somehow made a portal to a different multiverse - yours - for the second time." Cross informed. "We'll get out of your hair as soon as we can."

"..He's done this before?"

"Yep." Cross nodded. 

"I can't wait until he can actually control his portals.." Nightmare sighed, looking up at the other version of his brother. "Why is this world so positive, if I may ask? It's causing me pain even in this form.."

"..." The adult Dream (Dream would refer to him as Wish, since that seemed fitting enough) stood tall, putting his fist over his sternum and gaining a stance that screamed 'heroic.' "This world is positive because negativity is a burden upon all life and must be eradicated for the betterment of all sentient life!"

"..So negativity is illegal here?" Cross inquired.

"Yep!" Wish nodded, seeming quite determined to keep it that way. 

"That's weird." Dream commented, looking away from his new poofy wings (he was never going go give these up). "What about people who are sad for good reasons?" 

"Well..it's got a lot of nuance, but my job, along with my organization, the Justice Reigns, essentially seek to destroy all unreasonable sources of negativity and get our world to a state in which everyone can be happy! Of course, we can't persecute people for mourning over lost loved ones or things of that nature, but we can prevent people from becoming destitute and living on the streets! In this world, everyone has a home, and everyone has food! We don't deprive anyone of the basic necessities of life, here!"

"..That sounds nice." Dream admitted. 

"..That is an honorable cause." Nightmare hummed. "But you can't expect everyone to be happy; some people are just naturally depressed - what do you do, then?"

"Mandatory therapy!" Wish beamed. "We don't deny anyone of mental necessities, either!"

"Aren't there some people who would take advantage of that?" Cross thought.

"Well, yes, but.." Wish looked down. "We give a certain number of chances to a person before we have to give up on them and lock them up; I'm not an endless optimist.."

"..Do you have a brother, like me?" Dream wondered. 

"Ah, he's in our city's finest rehabilitation center!" Wish nodded. "He's making great progress, too!"

"..Your what?" Nightmare questioned, suspicious of the generalized name.

"Well..my brother has always been a bit of a downer, and I've wanted to help him for the longest time. I've finally been able to do it, though! So much time and effort, and it's all paying off! But, I'm clearly remiss! I should welcome you into my world with open arms; may I lead you to the Justice Reigns Headquarters?"

"..As you wish." Nightmare would allow it, as long as that positive aura of Wish's didn't get anywhere near him.

"Cross, how do I fly with these?" Dream wondered, jumping up as the group started to head through the town; if he was going to have wings, he needed to be able to use them!

Cross chuckled, starting to explain how winged bitties flew; he had learned a lot from Robin. For the whole trip, Dream and Cross focused on getting Dream in the air, while Nightmare stared down Wish. Something was up with that one, and Nightmare wanted to get to the bottom of it. He seemed nice on the outside, sure, and he had clearly done a lot of good..but if he had a negative counterpart who was like Nightmare, that counterpart must have been suffering..Nightmare couldn't handle the full extent of this world, even in a more-manageable form, and he was Nightmare! He had the power of the majority of the apples from the Tree of Feelings, and he still couldn't bear the positivity of this world! The temporarily-feline Guardian glanced over at his little brother, letting out a hum. There was a chance that this was a trap, and if it was..relying on Dream's erratic portal magic might have been their only way out of this. 

Dream's magic had been an enigma to Nightmare for some time; it was so strong, despite everything. Nightmare could only speculate that it was because Dream lived in the castle - the negative castle that would have instantly drained any other positive spirit, but did virtually nothing to his little brother. Dream had lived with that strain for so long that..his magic must have been pushed to strengthen itself exponentially to be comfortable there. Maybe that was why Dream had the power to cross multiverses in the first place: he was just naturally that strong from all the years spent in a negative atmosphere, and he didn't know how to control it. Although..if Dream was powerful enough to create a portal that could cross multiverses from an atmosphere in which he was weaker..what could he do here? This multiverse's atmosphere was so positive that Nightmare had nearly lost consciousness on the spot! Dream would have been stronger here. Dream was stronger here..but how much stronger?

"Well, this is it!" Wish spoke up, extending an arm to a giant building. "Justice Reigns HQ, where positivity is protected!"

The building was..elegant. It had a white exterior with golden trims, as well as a banner under every window - of which there were many - that contained what was undoubtedly the Justice Reigns' logo: a sun surrounded by golden sparks. It wasn't the most original, but it got the point across. In addition, the building was on a large estate as opposed to the normal city landscape; there was a large lawn around the building, as well as several trees and plants scattered about. In front of the building was a pathway, with a nice sun-themed fountain as the centerpiece before the HQ. 

"It's so big.." Dream gasped, looking up at the pretty building. 

"It's pretty nice." Cross complimented, nodding.

"Come on inside; you're all welcome guests of the Justice Reigns, after all!" Wish invited, smiling brightly. "I'd love to show you around!"

"Okay!" Dream held Cross's hand, and Catmare followed the group, sticking close.

Wish led them into the lobby, which appealed to Cross's interests greatly; there was a gift shop to the side! There were also various iterations of the sun scattered around the room, and everyone looked eerily happy everywhere Cross looked, but..there was a gift shop! This was great! Cross looked over to his boss with a pleading expression, and the cat rolled his eye, masking his amusement with exasperation. 

"Did you want to visit the gift shop?" Wish inquired, noticing the object of Cross's desires. "I mean, I guess we can start the tour there instead of ending it there like normal.."

"Boss?" Cross hoped.

"Fine, but don't go overboard." Nightmare sighed; he hoped this place could withstand Cross. 

"All right, then!" Wish smiled, leading the group over. "How does ten minutes sound? I do have things to do after this.."

"If you have to go, we don't want to keep you occupied!" Dream piped up, not wanting to intrude upon the other's day. "You can go do work, or whatever you have to do.."

"Well, at the moment, you are my work." Wish shrugged. "But I have to get some other stuff done today. You are my primary focus as of now, however."

"Oh. Okay! We'll be quick, then! Come on, Cross!"

"Right behind you." Cross's eyelights glittered with anticipation. 

The gift shop was covered with suns, which was clearly the Justice Reigns motif by now. Cross double checked the money he had brought, set himself a limit, and looked around, while Dream lokked around himself, supervised by Wish and Nightmare. Cross ended up with three mugs (sporting a picture of the sun, "Bee Positive" with a picture of a bee, and a painting of a stained-glass representation of Wish's wings respectively), two shirts (one with a star and another with a "I ♡ JR" image), and one snowglobe containing a sun, which Cross thought was hilarious. After paying for his items, he put them into his satchel and turned to find-

"Different multiverse, huh?" Ink..? "Fascinating.."

Ink..but definitely not Ink. This Ink had a giant paintbrush, sure, but he was wearing clothes that were..actually suited for combat instead of whatever he felt like wearing at the time. And he seemed..serious, as opposed to the typically carefree artist Cross was familiar with. 

"Uh.." Cross's gaze looked past the other, searching for his companions; he felt a surge of relief when he saw Dream's face pressed up against the gift shop's terrarium. There was a tortoise inside, but it was asleep right now. "How'd..you figure that out..?"

"Not hard to figure out, considering your friends." The Ink crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"..We got here by accident, and we're waiting for our way home." Cross replied, getting a feeling of great unease from this person..and not just from the fact that he was a different version of Ink..

The Ink hummed, narrowing his eyesockets at Cross. "I'll be watching you. Closely. So don't try anything stupid, hm?"

"..Definitely won't after that.." Cross let out a nervous half-chuckle.

"Good." 

"Oh, Ink, what are you doing here?" Wish came over, leaving Dream with Catmare. "I thought you were on a mission."

"You ca-" The Ink paused briefly, before starting anew. "I finished early; all is well, boss."

"Very well." Wish nodded. "I hope my right hand didn't startle you."

"Uh, the whole 'I'll be watching you' thing was a little overboard, but I'm okay." Cross shrugged.

Wish glanced at the Ink, who gave an earnest smile, before chuckling. "He didn't mean it; he's just a bit of a prankster at soul."

"..Sure." 

"Cross!" Dream called. "Have you ever seen a tortoise? This one's really cool!" 

Cross smiled fondly at the child's enthusiasm, coming over to look at the tortoise, and as he did, he exchanged looks with Nightmare. Something was up in this place, and Cross wanted to get out of here before anything potentially bad could happen. Dream seemed to trust Wish, but..he was a child. He didn't know better than to trust a different version of himself. Dream was undoubtedly trustworthy, but his alternate? Cross wasn't sure about that. Unfortunately, Nightmare couldn't help in determining the winged adult's intent; typically, he would have extended his aura to sense the other's emotions and use those paired with the other's words to determine what was going on, but Nightmare couldn't extend his aura! This place was too positive for that! Cross and Nightmare were left with only their suspicions. 

"Ooh, this is pretty!" Dream looked at a star-shaped ceiling lamp, completely oblivious to Cross and Nightmare's thoughts; he was too busy admiring this new world, which Cross couldn't blame him for - this place was awesome, on a surface level! 

After a bit more time in the store, Wish (now accompanied by this world's Ink) led the trio through the usual Justice Reigns HQ tour, which turned out to be a bit more exciting than Cross had expected; in addition to being the main base for an organization, there were also several mini-organizations stationed in the same building, and apparently, Wish and the Ink both lived here, for some reason.

"Of course, we have rooms available for scenarios like this, and we'd be happy to let you stay here for as long as you need, free of charge!" Wish said, as they passed through some living quarters. "My room is at the end of the hall, right across from Ink's! You three can stay here, if you'd like!"

Wish opened one of the doors in the hall, revealing a small but comfortable living space; it clearly wasn't meant for three, but he seemed to know better than to suggest splitting them up. 

"Thank you." Cross gave a nod, while Dream took a moment to look inside with Nightmare. "Are you sure we don't owe you anything?"

"Absolutely." Wish assured. "I entirely understand that your situation is an accident, and if I can help, I will."

That was..undeniably nice. Cross had to admit that. "Then..thank you. We appreciate that a lot."

"And I'm happy to help. However, I'm afraid I have to get to work, but I do hope the three of you will join me for dinner in a few hours; Ink will show you the way, if you'd like to come."

"I'll have to talk it over with the others, but thank you for the offer; that's extremely kind of you."

"Of course. I'll see you then, perhaps."

Cross nodded, and Wish turned to leave, while the Ink leaned against the wall outside the door. Cross recognized the posture.

"Guarding us?" He questioned.

"We might be nice, but there's no guarantee you are." The Ink replied.

"Fair." 

So Cross entered the room, and he closed the door.

This was going to be an adventure.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Beans in Dreamswap!

Thanks for reading my definitely-kind-and-not-suspicious-at-all writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

A couple hours had passed since Dream, Cross, and Nightmare had entered this world. Dream had initially thought that this place was interesting and exciting, but..Nightmare and Cross were both skeptical about it. They had told Dream that this place was wrong, but aside from Wish's desire to remove negativity from the world, Dream didn't see anything wrong with it. Wish's emotions were almost constantly eager and curious, and Dream couldn't feel the Ink's, which was normal. The Ink was weird, though; Dream wondered why he was so seemingly-negative in a world that was supposed to be entirely positive. Wish seemed fine with it, though; maybe it was because the Ink was different? Was he soulless, like the Ink from Dream's home? Dream knew that soulless beings had different emotional tendencies than regular people, but he didn't really know the full extent of them. Nevertheless, Dream trusted Nightmare and Cross, and he would do his best to stay on guard! 

"I'm bored." Dream sighed, lying on the couch in the temporary home the trio had been given; it was a small three-roomed pseudo-apartment, with one bedroom (only one bed, and a twin-size at that! Where was Dream supposed to sleep?), one bathroom, and a living area with one wall dedicated to a kitchenette, one couch, a small television on a stand, and a table with some chairs. 

"Wanna search for some cartoons?" Cross offered, looking over to the television; maybe there were some good shows in this multiverse.

"Sure!" Dream sat up, curious about the potential cartoons of this world.

"All right!" Cross turned on the television, flipping through the available channels until he found something that Dream wanted to watch. 

"Oh, that looks cool!" Dream grinned, stopping Cross at a show about a group of..prankster seagulls? Really? Cross shrugged; he could suffer through it if Dream wanted to watch it.

While Dream and Cross were busy with the cartoon, Catmare had his own plans. First of all, he really wanted to rid himself of this burning pain in his soul! He wished Dream could have at least accidentally led him and Cross into a more balanced multiverse, at least; Nightmare was powerless here, and if the local Dream was serious about his cause, there was no way he would have let Nightmare stick around for long. For now, he was holding back his aura, but if he let it loose, Nightmare would have been at his mercy; he hoped help would come sooner rather than later. In order to combat the pain he felt, Nightmare opened every cabinet in the space available to him, and his search was successful! At long last, in the bathroom cabinet, he found it: aspirin! He painstakingly opened the bottle and swallowed half of one of the pills, letting out a contented purr; soon, he would be free of a little pain! He just..had to wait for it to kick in. He wished he were in his normal form right now; magical skeletons had the advantage of processing pain relievers instantly. Cats, unfortunately, did not. So Nightmare went to the living area of the apartment, curled up between Dream and Cross, and closed his eye, hoping to get some rest. 

"Sleep tight, Nighty." Dream smiled, petting his brother's new fur softly; Dream was going to enjoy this as much as he possibly could!

Nightmare did get to rest for about two hours, but his nap was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. He did notice that he felt considerably better than before, though; that was a relief. 

"What is it?" Cross inquired, answering the door to find the Ink of this world.

"It's time for dinner; are you going to join Lord Dream or not?" The Ink asked.

"Lord?" Cross questioned; Wish hadn't referred to himself by that title..

"He is royalty." Ink huffed. "Are you coming or not? I don't have all day." 

Cross glanced back at Dream and Nightmare, receiving two confirmations. "Yeah, we're coming."

"Then let's go."

The trio followed Ink, who led them through the building. Nightmare and Cross paid attention to the layout of the places they went through, but Dream was content to just look around and admire the architecture; if this was going to happen more than once, it might have been good to teach the child the importance of memorizing the layouts of buildings. For now, though, he didn't know any better, letting the adult lead him around. The walk wasn't long, but it did lead the trio through a couple places they hadn't been before, granting some additional knowledge, just in case. Soon enough, however, the group reached the dining room, which was..definitely not what they had expected. With the title "Lord Dream," Nightmare had expected an old-fashioned dining hall with a long table and seats for a thousand guests. This, however..it was more of a small cafeteria. There weren't many people here, and those that were here just seemed to be workers in the building. He didn't see Wish anywhere, though; was this the right place? 

Apparently, it wasn't, since Ink led the trio through a door to the cafeteria's side, where Nightmare found something that was a little closer to his expectations, although not entirely. Wish was sitting at a large (but not too large) round table in a room with swirly yellow and white wallpaper. There were a few windows letting some light into the room, as well as several plants to bathe in the sunlight. It was..nice. Cross and Dream took their seats, while Catmare hopped onto one of his own, and Ink sat down next to Wish; he had to eat, too! 

"I'm glad you could join me." Wish smiled at his guests. "I must admit, I'm rather interested in the intricacies of your world, as I'm sure you are about ours. The food will be out shortly; we're a little early."

"All right..do you want to ask the first question, then?" Nightmare offered; he didn't want to seem too eager.

"As you wish! Let's see..well, I suppose..what is your world like? Generally?"

"It isn't this positive." Nightmare replied. "No one's outlawing emotions, for one."

"..Interesting."

"Ooh, ooh, can I ask a question?" Dream hoped. 

"Of course!" Wish gave the child a patient smile; he was nice! "What would you like to know?"

"Where's your brother? Is he okay, with all this positivity? My brother doesn't feel good in it, but I hope yours is okay!"

"Oh, I hope you haven't been worrying about that the whole time you've been here!" Wish wore a sympathetic expression. "My brother is just fine, and he's actually doing quite well! He's more than comfortable in this world's atmosphere!"

"That's good!" Dream grinned. "I wouldn't be able to stand it if my aura hurt my brother.."

"I feel much the same way. You care a lot about your family and friends, don't you?"

"Yeah - I love them a lot!"

"That's a great trait to have; I'm sure they love you very much, too!"

"What inspired you to make this place?" Cross questioned, attracting Wish's attention. "The Justice Reigns?"

"Ah, my organization?" Wish hummed fondly. "This is the fruit of my labors; it's what I've dedicated my life to. Once, negativity ran rampant in these lands, and I gathered a small group of friends - including Ink, my most loyal - to fight for the sake of positivity. As time passed, we grew, and we've changed this world for the better, in my opinion. Although, if you mean the building, I must admit I'm not a builder; I hired the best to construct this place, and they did great work with it. I love this place; it's my home. My turn, then - how old are you, Dream?" 

"Why do you want to know that?" Nightmare inquired quickly, but not quick enough, it seemed.

"I'm ten!" Dream responded. "How old are you?"

"I'm..a little over six hundred. I stopped counting, but someone always reminds me of the date when it comes."

"Wow! You're old!" 

Wish chuckled. "I suppose so!"

"Nighty, will I ever be that old?" Dream looked to his brother, who was still staring down Wish. 

"..Perhaps." Nightmare replied, watching Wish closely. "I believe you will be, one day."

"Cool!" Dream grinned.

As Nightmare prepared to ask another question, the door to the room opened from the cafeteria, and a few workers entered the room, setting down a few different foods. 

"Thank you." Wish smiled. 

"Will that be all, Lord Dream?" One of the workers asked.

"Yes, for now - you are dismissed."

The workers nodded and left as auickly as they had come, leaving he group alone. 

"Well, help yourselves." Wish invited. "Dream, do you need any help? This food is a bit out of your reach.."

"Uh, just a little.." Dream admitted, nodding. "Thank you."

The adults got their own food, and Wish helped Dream get his. Nightmare would have, but..he was a cat right now..Cross helped him by sliding some of the food closer to him. 

"Thank you, Cross.." Nightmare shouldn't have just turned into his brother's first request of a cat; there were so many better options..

"Sure thing, boss." Cross nodded.

"Thank you!" Dream smiled at Wish and started to eat. "This is yummy!" 

"I'm glad." Wish replied, starting to get himself a plate.

"Why do they call you 'Lord'?" Nightmare questioned, once everyone was settled.

"..They just started saying it one day. If you've ever been titled by the public, you'll know how hard it is to stop them. I gave up, eventually."

"..Yes, I'm familiar with that." Nightmare acquiesced.

"That's not what Ink said.." Cross muttered to Nightmare softly.

"Perhaps they hadn't met before that.." Nightmare whispered back.

"So, do you have any hobbies, Dream?" Wish decided to ask.

"Oh, I like sewing!" Dream informed. "And I like other crafts, too, and I like pranks, and-"

"Pranks?" Wish repeated, his grip on his fork subtly increasing.

"Yeah!" Dream giggled, before letting out a little yawn. "I didn't like pranks at first, but after I met Swapyrus, he taught me how to do ones that everyone likes! Like pretending to take off my fingers!"

Dream demonstrated, but it was clear that he had a lot of work to do before anyone would be falling for it. Nightmare..would never admit that he had fallen for it the first time. Ever. He hadn't fallen for it at all. He had just been pretending to fall for it to amuse his little brother.

"When did you meet Ink?" Nightmare asked, continuing the conversation.

"Ink?" Wish glanced over at his friend. "We've known eachother since..I think I was a teenager. Basically forever.."

"You were fifteen." Ink informed. 

"I suppose that's when it was, then..do you want any more, anyone?" Wish offered. "I don't want any of you to feel shy; my table is yours."

"Umm..may I have one of those cupcakes, pretty please?" Dream was eyeing the desserts. 

"Of course!" Wish chuckled, grabbing one and handing it to the child. 

"Thank you!" Dream started eating his cupcake, and it was delicious!

"Of course." Wish nodded. 

"When did you make the Justice Reigns?" Nightmare pressed a little further.

"Oh, I must have been.." Wish hummed. "About thirty. I didn't make it overnight, but once it got going, we never stopped, and the world is a better place for it."

"Indeed..." Catmare hummed.

A silence fell over the room after that, as Nightmare and Cross processed the information they had, Wish didn't have any more questions, and Dream was simply enjoying the meal. Of course, all things had to come to an end, and Dream broke the silence after five minutes with another yawn. 

"I'm tired." He looked to his brother, rubbing his eyesockets. 

"I suppose making portals to cross multiversal barriers is a difficult task." Wish commented. "Do you want Ink to escort you back to your room?"

"Sure." Cross stood; Dream wasn't going anywhere without Cross and Nightmare, no matter how appealing those chocolate cupcakes looked.

"Come on, then." Ink got up to lead the way, and Cross, Nightmare, and the tired child followed him.

The walk seemed long to Dream, but he was happy to see the door to the room the three were staying in. When they got there, Cross led Dream to the bedroom, helping the little one take his shoes off and tucking him in gently. 

"No..this is where..you sleep.." Dream was..really tired..

"Those are your instincts talking again." Nightmare informed, hopping up onto the bed to curl up. 

"I'll take the couch, Dream." Cross stated. "You sleep here."

"Oh.." Dream hummed, his eyesockets closing as he drifted off. 

Cross and Nightmare shared a silent exchange, looking at eachother with worry. Dream didn't typically get that tired, and he hadn't been as tired the last time..if anything, he should have been wide awake, with the innate positivity of this world. Cross finished tucking the child in, and Nightmare settled in on the bed as Cross took the front room. Something was going on here, and they weren't going to take chances. 

A few hours passed, and..nothing happened. It was nighttime, and Dream was sleeping, but neither Cross nor Nightmare would dare. At least, not until about one in the morning. Cross felt it first, the lulling feeling of..safety and warmth. That was nice, wasn't it? Everything was okay. Nothing was wrong. He could sleep well, knowing that everything would be okay. His skull dipped down slowly, and his eyesockets shut. 

Nightmare's experience was a bit less easy to handle. A positive aura flared in the night, and its victim writhed and struggled for several minutes before finally going limp. Dream slept peacefully through it all.

When Cross finally stirred, he found himself staring into violet eyelights.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Beans are uh-

Beans are definitely okay.

Thanks for reading my yummy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"You're new.." The violet-eyed skeleton before him stated. "Haven't gotten anyone new in a while."

Cross sat up, looking around before talking. He was..he wasn't in the room anymore. He was in a place that looked more like a hospital room, but a bit more spacey and colorful. There were a few beds in the room, which were a mix between hospital beds and normal ones, separated only by space and curtains, but there was also a more comfortable portion of the room across from them with books, beanbag chairs, and other forms of entertainment. There were no windows, but there was a clock..and Cross had to assume that the only door was locked electronically, judging by the keycard scanner. But..his real concern came from who was here. There were five beds in the room, but only he and this stranger were here. Where was Nightmare? Where was Dream?! 

"Wh..where are we?" He asked. "H-have you seen a little kid with golden wings?"

"..No?" The stranger shook his skull. "Just you and your weird cat - they took it out a while ago, though. Why?"

"Oh, no..this is horrible.."

That psychopath had Dream..who knew what he was doing to him! Neither Nightmare nor Cross were there to help him! He was probably suffering on his own!

"Hey, calm down!" The stranger half-shouted. 

"How can I calm down when that crazy positivity-obsessed egotist has the kid I'm supposed to protect?!" Cross would tear him apart if he so much as touched Dream! 

"Ah, man.." The other let out a sharp sigh. "Well, I can't blame you for that. But there's no way out of here; you're stuck, friend."

"There's always a way out." Cross asserted, sliding out of the bed and starting for the door. 

"It's locked, and the only way to open it is through a keycard and a magic-signature-reader."

"..How do you know that?" Cross asked, turning to the other. 

"Been here for years, pal - I know just about everything."

"..Who are you?"

"The name's Nightmare, former Protector of Negativity, but, uh, I think I failed at that, so consider me unemployed?"

"..Nightmare?" Cross blinked. "You're the Nightmare of this world?"

"..'This world'?" The other tilted his skull. "You..from a different one?"

"Yeah." Cross nodded. "And I gotta say, this place is crazy."

"..Huh. Well, you certainly ended up in the wrong place - just about the wrongest place, actually. How'd you get here?"

"..Our world's Dream is just learning how to make portals, and he messed up on the destination.."

"..So your 'kid with golden wings..'" 

"Our Dream. But he's not a maniac like yours - he's just a kid."

"Different versions of people..guess that means your name is Cross, huh?"

"There's a me in this world?"

"..Yeah. We used to be friends, until we got caught by JR and got locked up here." The Nightmare shrugged. "He and Error eventually got 'reformed' and were let out...I haven't seen them in years. You're the first person that's been sent here since us." 

"..Where is here?"

"Negativity prison." The Nightmare scoffed. "People who are too negative for Dream's liking are sent here until they're brainwashed into being positive forevermore. Since I'm kind of unable to do that, though.."

"You're a permanent resident.." 

"Yep."

"Are people allowed to visit you..?" 

"Just Dream and those he trusts.."

"And you've been here alone?"

"Well, not entirely alone; I've got Kevin!" The Nightmare grinned, his eyelights darting around the room. "He's somewhere around here!"

"Kevin?" Cross tilted his skull. 

"Yeah, Kevin! He's the best chicken in the whole world, and since he's negative, he gets to stay here with me!"

"You have a chicken with a negative spirit?"

"He ate one of the black apples." The Nightmare shrugged. "Dream wanted to get rid of him, but I expertly convinced him not to by performing an incredibly convincing mental breakdown when he tried!"

"..Are you okay?"

"Not in the least!" The Nightmare assured. "That happens when you're alone in a place like this for a really long time!"

"..Right. Do you know where they might have taken Ni..the cat?" 

"Uh, the cat?" The Nightmare hummed. "Probably to some positivity therapy place. They take me about twice a week, and they take Kevin once a week. Dunno how often they'll take you. Why?"

"..The cat is our version of you."

"..Your me is a cat?"

"Well, not really..he can shapeshift, and his normal form was too much to handle in this place, so he made himself into something smaller."

"A cat."

"Yeah."

"..Not the weirdest thing I've heard."

The Nightmare fell silent for a moment, thinking of something else to say, but he was interrupted by a squawk. 

"Kevin!" He grinned, looking under one of the beds. "I was looking for you!"

"How long do those therapy things last?" Cross asked, while the Nightmare worked on getting Kevin out from under the bed. 

"I don't know." The Nightmare shrugged. "Depends on how hard they go. If it's light, it can take about an hour, and if it isn't, it can go for over a day."

"..How hard they go?"

"What, did you think I mean the type of therapy where they sit you down with someone and tell you to talk it out?" The Nightmare let out a scoffing laugh. "As if. No, this type of therapy is the kind where they blast you with positive energy until you can't physically feel negative at all. Puts you in a daze that can last for..I don't know how long. It never lasts too long for me, since I'm special, but for my old friends..I don't think they got a single moment of clarity after the start. They were turned into zombies..they probably still are, wherever they are now."

"..That's bad." Cross wasn't..

"You're probably gonna be one, too, soon." The Nightmare put a hand on Cross's shoulder. "Enjoy the little time you've got left."

 This was bad. Nightmare was currently being emotionally manipulated, Cross was going to be, and Dream was alone! Cross could only hope that help would come soon; he didn't fancy being a mindless drone for the rest of his life..or at all. But..he had options. 

"Where is this?" Cross asked, looking around the room. "The building, I mean?"

"JR HQ." The Nightmare replied. "Dream wouldn't dare keep me too far away."

"..Then..I might have a way to get out of here."

"..There's no way to get out of here, aside from getting brainwashed; I already told you that."

"Maybe without help, but there's a little kid out there with a bright mind, and he's just about our only hope right now."

"..I don't think a kid can do anything to help us."

"Well, he saved himself from a kidnapper once, and he saved our entire family from prison, once, too; I'm willing to trust him to save us. I'm gonna need your help, though."

"...I..are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Will you help me?"

"..All right. What's the plan?"

Dream yawned, stretching as he woke up; he had been really tired last night! Thankfully, he had gotten a good night's rest, and today, hopefully, help would come! He sat up, finding that..Nighty wasn't here. That was okay; he was probably in the main room instead of the bedroom. Sliding out of the bed, Dream hummed, noticing that his shiny new wings had been messed up in his sleep; that wasn't any good! When Robin got up in the mornings, he had to straighten out his feathers..but Dream didn't know how to do that. Dream settled for just shapeshifting his wings back into perfect condition; that was much better! With a smile, he left the bedroom, finding-

"Good morning, little Dream!" Wish?

"Morning.." Dream's eyelights scanned the room. "Where are Cross and Nighty?"

"Oh, they had to go; they've left you in my care for the time being."

"..." Dream smiled, extending his aura out towards Wish; something wasn't right. He might have been young, but Dream wasn't stupid. "Okay! When are they coming back?"

"I'm not sure; they left in a hurry." Wish was feeling..happy. Content. Proud. There was no pity or concern at all.

"Oh, that's okay. They leave me alone all the time."

"Really?" Intrigue. Still no pity or concern.

"Yeah - they're always busy. The only reason they stuck around this long was because they had no choice.."

"That's..surprising to hear." No pity. No concern. Just a rising sense of justice. 

"I make do." Dream shrugged. "They felt bad about it that time I got kidnapped and taken advantage of, though."

"..You what?" Wish was surprised by that. Dream needed a better sample.

"I got kidnapped almost two years ago, and this really evil guy hurt me and made me do stuff for him. Nighty and Cross saved me, though; they're really great! They always wish they could stay around me longer, but they're forced to do work all day, so they can't."

"..They're what?" Remorse. 

"Oh, well, the guy who kidnapped me only gave me back because they made a deal with him; they do what he says, or he hurts me.."

"..." Remorse. 

Remorse. 

"Really?" Wish was mortified. He was practically drowning in regret.

"No!" Dream giggled. "They're just busy! I tricked you, didn't I?"

Wish took a moment to collect himself after that, blinking a few times. "So..they aren't..in a deal with an evil kidnapper?"

"No - the guy who kidnapped me is in prison!" Dream grinned; he hoped 404 would stay there. "But sometimes Nighty has bad dreams about what could have happened then, and that was one of them; I wanted to trick you! Did I?"

"..Yeah.." Wish nodded, dazed by the sudden turns. "You tricked me.."

"Yay!" Dream clapped.

Where did Wish take Nighty and Cross? Why did he lie about it? What was he doing here alone with Dream? The child did his best to mask his negativity. 

"So, if you're babysitting, can we go for a walk?" Dream wanted to explore; maybe he could find them. "Oh! Or we can play hide and seek! This place looks huge!"

"I don't know.." Wish didn't want him snooping.

"Oh, please? I haven't played hide and seek in.." Three days, but Wish didn't need to know that.

"..." Wish stared into Dream's puppy-dog eyelights. "Fine, but only for a little bit.."

"Yay!" Dream giggled. "Can you hide? I wanna find you!"

"..All right. If you don't find me in ten minutes, I win."

"Okay! Then we switch!"

"Deal."

Dream covered his eyesockets and started counting, extending his aura far but light; if he found Nightmare with it, he didn't want to hurt him, but he needed to be able to sense him. Wish left the room to hide, and Dream counted to one hundred before going to wander. Dream shouted taunts of "I'm gonna find you!" and "You can't hide from me!" as he searched, but not for Wish; he was looking for someone else. There was a chance that Cross and Nighty weren't in this building, but Dream couldn't exactly leave; he had to hope they were here. He searched every hallway he could, but he did have to turn around a few times because guards kept him out of "restricted areas" despite his pouting and his insistence that he had to find the bigger him. He only left when the guards assured him that Wish hadn't come through, since staying after that would have been suspicious, and Dream was the best at not being suspicious! After nine and a half minutes, Wish slightly extended a wing out of his hiding spot (behind a grandfather clock that Dream had passed about five times so far), possibly to test whether Dream was really looking for him or not. Dream had no choice but to find him. 

"There you are!" Dream laughed victoriously, clapping and hopping up and down. "I found you! My turn to hide!"

"Yep, you found me!" Wish chuckled, apparently content with Dream's decision to find him. "Should I count to a hundred like you?"

"Yeah!" Dream nodded. "And no peeking!"

"I wouldn't!" Wish assured. 

"Start..now!"

Dream ran off down one of the halls, to a hiding spot that he had discovered earlier; one of the vases in this hallway was the perfect size for him to fit inside, although he did have to get rid of his wings, unfortunately. That was fine, though; he could just make them again later! He shapeshifted his wings away, and he climbed into the vase, hiding expertly. Wish took a whole seven minutes to find him, but Dream's hiding spot was found, and he could accept it; he would just find a better one next time! Dream hopped out of the vase, giggling as he looked up to Wish, who was..disappointed?

"Where are your wings?" Wish inquired.

"They wouldn't fit in the vase." Dream shrugged. "Why?"

"..I think you look a lot better with them; they suit you."

"Oh, well, I can bring them back, if you want!" Dream offered.

"I'd appreciate it."

Dream shapeshifted his wings back, and Wish looked upon them with..pride? Why would he have felt pride? 

"You look a lot like a mini-me, you know!" Wish chuckled. "I bet some people would even think you're my son!"

"..Yeah!" Dream got his answer..although he was wishing he hadn't, now. "Your turn to hide, again!"

"All right!"

Wish went off to hide, and Dream covered his eyesockets to count to one hundred once more.

But when he finished..he felt a wave of negativity..from somewhere else in the building. He pretended not to notice it, starting his searching taunts again, but he "searched" in its direction.

"Lord Dream didn't go this way, and you can't pass." The soldier guarding this section informed, unaware that Dream wasn't going to be taking no for an answer this time. 

"Oh..did you see where he went, then?" Dream asked, with a grin of innocence. "Can you whisper it to me?"

"..All right." 

The soldier smiled, leaning down, and Dream put a hand over his mouth, acting before he could speak. Dream didn't like the way his positivity could affect others, but it was something he could use to his advantage if he had to, and right now, he felt that he had to. He only gave the soldier a small dose of his positive magic - enough to daze him. Once the soldier was blissfully ignorant of his surroundings, Dream passed into the restricted area without any further resistance, and he happily walked through the halls, getting closer and closer to the source of that negativity; it had faded by now, but Dream had taken close notice of its location. He eventually - with a few positivity-cured hiccups along the way - made it to his destination, which was a room with..a peculiarly-locked door. He jiggled the doorknob, but it was locked tightly, and he didn't see a keyhole. There was only a weird card-reader to the side and a weird panel of which he didn't know the purpose. He tried flaring his aura within a couple feet, and he attempted to shapeshift his hand into a card to put into the reader, but neither option worked. Eventually, he took the only remaining option available: turning into a bug and crawling under the door. 

It would have been nice if he hadn't had a chicken immediately try to eat him, but Dream knew how to shapeshift back to normal in times of stress.

"Kevin!" A..young-looking Nighty?

"Dream!" Cross! 

"Where's Nighty?" Dream looked around for the negative kitty. 

"Dream, make a portal!" Cross ordered, picking up..a blanket? 

"Where's Nighty?"

"Here! Make a portal! We have to get out of here!"

Cross showed Dream the frazzled cat; Nighty..felt like positivity. That wasn't right! Nightmare was supposed to be negativity! What had Wish done to him?! He looked like he was in pain! He needed negativity. Dream needed to take him to negativity!

"O-okay!" Dream nodded rapidly, closing his eyesockets and focusing. 

While he did, Cross looked over to this world's Nightmare, who was holding his chicken close. 

"Are you coming with us?" He asked.

"Wh-what?" The Nightmare was confused. "Why would you take me with you?"

"No one deserves this life; do you really want to stay?"

"..." The Nightmare went silent, thinking; he had a..choice?

Dream was breathing steadily now; the positive magic of this world was bending to his will, and it was..powerful. Negativity. Nighty needed negativity. 

"Make your choice soon." Cross propped a chair against the door, beginning to hum loudly; Dream didn't need to hear the banging against the door; he needed to focus.

So this was a world dominated by positivity. A portal began to tear through the air. Catmare's agonized expression turned to a more relaxed one the larger the rip grew. Dream's hands trembled likewise. Nighty needed negativity.

Negativity. 

The portal stopped growing, and Dream opened his eyesockets, looking back to Cross.

Within a few seconds, the portal closed again, and the door finally opened. 

"They're gone." Ink let out a hum, stepping into the empty room. "Lord Dream won't be happy about this.." The warrior looked to a lower-ranked soldier. "You tell him. I'm going to take my vacation days now."

So this was a world dominated by negativity.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean rescues friends!

Thanks for reading my rescuing writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

The instant the group crossed the boundaries of the world, they all felt the change in atmosphere. The previous multiverse had been positive, suffocatingly so; although, Cross couldn't pick up on the subtleties that Nightmare and Dream could. To Nightmare, the atmosphere had pressed in on him, slashing through his negative aura and pulling at his reserves, almost as if threatening to vanquish him on the spot. To Dream, the atmosphere had been warm and inviting, refilling his reserves in an instant whenever he had to use his magic, and it had even lent itself to him freely.

This place was the exact opposite. 

Nightmare, formerly agonized by the positive torture he had been subjected to before, now felt at peace in this new world, and he wasted no time in returning to his normal form, feeling much too constrained in the body of a cat now. His little brother, however..he had just wasted so much energy on that one portal. The golden wings he had entertained himself with vanished as his body tried to adapt to the atmosphere, but unlike Nightmare, he could retain his normal form - he just felt a lot more pressured. 

"Dream, are you all right?" Cross rushed over to help the suddenly-stumbling Guardian. 

"I-I'm okay.." Dream nodded, looking up at his family member. "This is a lot heavier than home..but I'm okay. I don't think I can make any more portals, though.."

"And you won't have to." Nightmare assured, doing his best to restrain his aura as Dream had done for him before. "The search for us may take longer than expected, though.." 

"..Where are we..?" A different voice spoke, from behind the group. 

"Somewhere else." Cross replied, looking back at the bewildered uncorrupted Nightmare. "We should be safe here, though."

"..It doesn't..feel safe.."

"Ooh, you look like Nighty when he was little!" Dream giggled, slowly regaining his bearings. "Except you're taller!"

"And..you look like my brother, but younger.."

"My name's Dream!" Dream held his hand out to shake.

"I'm..Nightmare..but I think he is, too.." The Nightmare looked at his alternate in confusion before moving to shake the child's hand.. 

And the tension in the air was immediately ruined by a cheap farting noise. Dream had brought his whoopie cusion, apparently. The small Guardian burst into giggles, and the uncorrupted Nightmare soon followed, finding the lack of suspense amusing. 

"Are you all right with sharing the same name?" Nightmare asked, once the laughter died down. 

"Well..honestly?" The other Nightmare hummed. "I think with all that's happened, it'd probably be best for me to change things up a little. Call me Catch."

"That's a cool name!" Dream complimented. "Why'd you pick it?"

"'Cause I got caught in a metaphorical dreamcatcher." The other shrugged. "Seemed fitting."

"That it is." Cross agreed, looking around for the first time. "So..where are we?"

"Well, according to my experience.." Nightmare took a few steps forward, examining the remains of the town that once stood here. "We're in a timeline that was abandoned long ago, and judging by the decor, I'd have to guess it was a Fell variant..I don't sense any other presences here."

"So we're alone here?" 

"It would seem so." Nightmare confirmed, before pausing. "Hold on..someone just entered the universe. Three people..I think.."

"Uh..universe?" Catch questioned. 

"Are you not familiar with the multiverse?" Cross wondered.

"No..?"

"We can teach him later." Nightmare informed. "Right now, we have company, and I can't tell if they're good or bad news."

"Aren't Nighty's powers cool?" Dream grinned, looking up at Catch. "He can do all sorts of stuff!"

"It certainly seems useful.." Catch nodded. 

"Four beings." Nightmare corrected. "One of them has a large negative aura, and the rest are normal. They're coming from that direction."

Nightmare gestured to the treeline, and Dream decided to hide behind his big brother; despite everything, he was significantly weaker here than he'd been..ever..and no amount of positive thinking could change that. While Dream hid, Cross and Nightmare prepared their magic, just in case, and Catch summoned a moon staff; he didn't want to be caught off-guard again. A moment later, four figures emerged from the forest: a Nightmare, a Killer, a Dust, and a Horror. 

And all of them froze at the sight of-

"Cross?!" The Killer stared with as much shock as his natural lack of eyelights allowed.

"Uh..yeah..?" Cross had expected..anything but that; he was traveling with two Nightmares and a small Dream (although, Dream was well-hidden right now), but he was the weird one?

"B-but..you.." The Dust was tearing up. "I-is it really..?"

"..He's not your Cross." Nightmare realized the situation quickly, shaking his skull softly. "I'm sorry."

"Oh.." The Horror's skull lowered, and the hope the four had felt vanished..something had clearly happened to their Cross.

"..What are you doing here?" The other Nightmare (there were so many Nightmares here) inquired, once the situation with Cross was ended. "This world is..not your own."

"We ended up in this multiverse by accident." Nightmare explained. "We had no time to choose a destination, and this is where the portal led. Can you tell us where we are?"

"Deadzone." The Killer replied. 

"Uh..what does that mean?" Catch wondered.

"This portion of our multiverse was exterminated in the Wipe." The resident Nightmare said. "But, assuming you mean no harm, you should come with us; he's no doubt sensed your presence, and it would be best to get out of here before he decides to come."

"He?" Catch was confused.

"Speaking his name in a Deadzone is one way to get yourself killed." The Killer twirled a knife around his fingers. "Summons him instantly, and you'll die instantly. He got the glitch to code that for him.."

"But we can talk somewhere else; the longer we stay here, the more dangerous it is." The Nightmare was eager to leave, opening a portal. "Come; we'll take you somewhere safer."

"H-how do we know this isn't a trap?" Catch didn't want to escape one captor just to fall into the hands of another..

"Kid, this universe is a trap." The Killer informed, walking through the portal first as a show of goodwill.

"I assume we don't have a choice?" Nightmare reached behind him, holding his frightened brother's hand - not the one with the whoopie cushion, thankfully.

"Not unless you want to become his next victim.." The Dust followed the Killer, as did the Horror.

"Let's go, then.." 

The rest of the group entered the portal, Cross following directly after Nightmare to keep the child safe; if this was a trap, Dream's safety was of the utmost concern. When the group was through, they found themselves in a much different-looking place. This looked like a meeting hall, but instead of hosting meetings, it hosted..anyone who ventured here. There were several groups of people just chatting amongst eachother, while others were sitting and enjoying the peace, but when the group entered the universe, things got quiet; it was understandable, considering the circumstances. 

"Cross?" A variant of the Classic Sans inquired, to which Cross shook his skull.

"Not yours.." He said, softly. "Sorry.."

"Oh.." The other sighed. "Who are you, then?"

"Multiverse travelers, it seems - they ended up here by accident, they say." The resident Nightmare stated. "They picked a hell of a place, too."

"This world is so much darker than my home.." Catch shuddered. 

"Speaking of this world..what happened here?"

"We lost our Guardian of Positivity, and he took the other Stars with him.." A Fell Sans summarized. 

"..Lost?" Dream couldn't help the question, finally leaving his hiding spot; what did that mean? 

He didn't receive an answer - only..a lot of stares. Everyone in the room was looking at him..and he really didn't like it!

"Quit staring at my brother like that!" Nightmare had had enough of it the moment it had started, picking up his little brother and holding him close. "What happened to your Guardian?"

"..He was subjected to a science experiment that went horribly wrong." The resident Nightmare said, after gaining his bearings. "He lost his sanity, and that caused him to take the Creator and Underswap's Sans with him..h-how is that child alive here?"

"I'm weak, but I'm okay..?" Dream didn't see why that was an issue. "Home's pretty negative, too, but it's not this bad.."

"..Take a seat." The resident Nightmare, whom Dream had decided to call Moon, gestured to the table. "We have a lot to talk about.."

"My brother is not going to save your world, so if you're talking about that-" Nightmare was interrupted.

"I'm not." Moon shook his skull. "But his presence will complicate things for you. Can you leave, by any chance?"

"We have to wait for a search party to come find us from our multiverse.." Cross informed, taking a seat next to Catch. "We're stuck here until then, since Dream is the only one who can make those crazy portals.."

"That is unfortunate. If it were just you three, there would be no problem, but..a positive spirit - a Guardian, no less.."

"What?" Nightmare wanted a reason.

"..If my brother finds out about him, he will hunt him down..he is a psychopath, and I fear for anyone who falls into his hands, but especially a positive spirit.."

"..I see." Nightmare had his reason..but he didn't like it.

"Oh, great." Catch sighed. "So it's my brother, but he hunts down positivity instead of negativity - what a joy. Do Dreams just generally suck everywhere?"

"I don't!" Dream pouted.

"..You're, like, the only exception I've seen so far. And you're a kid; who knows how you're gonna grow up?"

"..." Dream looked down; that was true..he might have grown up and been bad..but he didn't want to!

"Dream, you're going to grow up to be a great person." Cross patted the child's skull. "And no one's irrational fears are going to stop that."

"..Okay." Dream smiled; maybe they were irrational!

"So what can we do?" Nightmare wanted to keep his brother safe.

"Well, it would have helped if you'd gone through that portal quicker." Moon sighed. "Shattered can detect positivity better than I can.."

"Shattered?" Catch inquired.

"My brother changed his name when he went insane; he decided that Dream was dead."

"Oh..anything else we should know about?"

"..My brother is a murderer, much as I was, once." Moon looked down. "Although, he has a penchant for torturing his victims..as does Blueberror."

"Who?" Dream tilted his skull.

"..I assume you do not have the Star Sanses in your world?"

"No, we do not." Nightmare answered. 

"In that case..your original Underswap Sans?"

"Blue?" Dream asked. 

"Is he your friend?" Moon inquired.

"Not after he tried to kidnap me!" Dream shook his skull. "I like his brother better; he always brings me candy!"

"..I thought you said-" Nightmare was cut off.

"What happened to Blue here?" Dream was suddenly very invested in the story.

"..He was mind-controlled by Shattered for a time, but he broke free of it after a while." Moon decided to continue. "Shattered was angered by that, however..so he hunted him down and locked him in the Anti-Void until he became an error."

"Blue died in there.." The Dust added. "That glitch isn't him."

"..What did he do?" Cross wondered. "Isn't he capable of redemption?"

"..You're just like he was.." The Horror sighed. "Always seein' the best in people.."

"That glitch..he killed Cross, and he killed Error, too.." The Killer dug a knife into the wooden table. "I don't care if he's 'capable of redemption'; he murdered our brother, and I'll never forgive him for that.."

"O-oh.." Cross suddenly felt..very uncomfortable..

"Why would he do that?" Dream couldn't bear the thought of losing Cross..

"Who knows?" The Killer let out a growl. "But he's just as much of a psychopath as Shattered, and I'll be glad the day they're both gone."

"..What about Ink?" Nightmare changed the subject. "You mentioned him.."

"..He's a victim." Moon replied, simply. "They deprived him of his vials of emotion, and he became a husk; our current goal is to get him away from them, since he could be easily convinced to leave them..but Shattered always keeps him very close. Ink has no loyalties without his emotions, and we can only hope that once we find a way to return them to him, he can help us."

"I see..I wish you luck with your goals, but.."

"This is not your fight." Moon nodded. "You clearly did not mean to come here, and we will do all we can to keep you away from the bane of our multiverse until you can leave."

"Thank you." Nightmare gave a grateful smile. 

"So..why couldn't we talk about all this back where we came out?" Catch wondered.

"It was a Deadzone." Moon informed. "One of the many universes that Shattered hunted to extinction shortly after Blueberror's introduction. He claimed that the multiverse was too large - that we had too much space to run around. So he exterminated all the life from those universes one by one. I don't know why. I might have been insane once, but not even I can claim to know the mind of a psychopath. He left the rest of the multiverse standing, but he attacks the universes often as we once did, except..we are the only protectors left."

"That's why you all look tired?" Dream had noticed the exhaustion in the other gang's expressions.

"..He doesn't like to take breaks." Moon nodded. 

"Cross used to be the one telling everyone to get some sleep.." The Killer let out a humorless chuckle. "Now we forget, and there's no telling why they don't kill us when we fall.."

"..That is one thing I do know.." Moon admitted. "He thinks of us as game; we're fun to him..therefore, we get to live."

"Why didn't Cross get to live?!" The Killer slammed his fist down onto the table, his form trembling with grief.

"..I don't know." Moon sighed. "I can take you four to a dwelling somewhere relatively safe; you can rest there, if you need."

"..Thank you." Nightmare nodded.

"Nighty, I don't like this place.." Dream hugged his brother tightly.

"..I don't think anyone likes this place, Dream.." 

A dark portal opened up mere seconds after a different one closed, and three figures walked through.  

"..We missed them." A low growl. "This is your fault!"

"Wh-me?!" Static. "I just got done rebooting! What did you expect?!"

"When I tell you to come, I expect you to come."

"Maybe if you didn't decide to throw me around until I crashed, I would have been able to!"

"Drop the attitude; I sense something.."

"..What do you sense?"

"..There's something in the air here..something I haven't felt in.."

"Something special?"

"..Very. I want you to start a scan of the multiverse, Berror.."

"What am I looking for, boss?"

"Pure positivity."

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is in a wee bit of trouble!

Thanks for reading my fallen writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Moon had taken the group to a temporary dwelling, and it was definitely..something. Dream liked it, but of course he would; this house had once been used by someone similar to him. 

"This is the old Star Sanses' base." Moon informed, looking around the dusty house. "It's a little old, but the trace amounts of positivity in this place will help cover your brother's trail."

"Do you have a castle, like us?" Dream wondered, swiping the dust off a chair before sitting down.

"Yes, but I can't take you there; Shattered has the location, and he shows up whenever he pleases..you wouldn't be safe."

"Wouldn't he have the location for here?" Catch thought.

"Yes, but..he hasn't come here in ages; I doubt he wants to be reminded of his past. If he does happen to show up, however, your only course of action should be to make a portal and get through as soon as possible; do not fight him."

"Understood." Nightmare nodded. "Anything else we should know?"

"..In the event that something does happen, and a fight is the only course of action, my brother and Ink cannot be dealt with easily, but Blueberror can be coerced into a crash if you get him angry enough; it won't be much, but it may help to disable one of them."

"All right. Thank you."

"I'll check in from time to time, as well. Farewell." Moon disappeared, and the quartet were left to make themselves comfortable.

"I want first choice on a room!" Dream piped up, running for the stairs with a grin. 

Nightmare chuckled, starting to head after his little brother. "I suppose we should hurry, then; he is doubtless going to choose the best for himself."

"Hey, I want a cool room!" Catch ran after the youngster. 

There were four bedrooms in the base, and they spoke volumes of a time long since past. The first was a simple guest room, suited to accomodate anyone's tastes with an unintrusive beige wall and some faded blue decorations. The next..was something Dream had imagined would have been the perfect room. The decorations were yellow, of course, with a few scattered sun motifs (the same on his cape, he noted). The bed was soft, and in front of one of the windows was a daybed equally as soft. The closet held some dusty but bright clothes which were much too big for the growing skeleton, but he didn't mind that. There was a desk in the room, too, with the chair having been pulled back in a haste once and never put back. There were deep scratches in one of the desk's legs, and a black stain in the carpet not far away. Something..had happened here. Dream decided not to dwell on it. The rest of the room held shelves with some books, a few knickknacks, and several pictures of the former Star Sanses; they had looked so happy back then. At the end of the room opposite the bed was a door leading to a bathroom, which made Dream wonder if water ran through these pipes; he could have used a bath. 

The next room had clearly belonged to Blue, with all the blue decorations. His room was similar to Dream's, but it was more..bittersweet, in a way. Hanging on the walls were several trophies and medallions the Sans had collected over the course of his travels, as well as pictures of him with his friends and brother. It only made the realization that everyone in this multiverse considered Blue dead as a result of his corruption hit a little harder; these were essentially the last remnants of the Sans from Underswap - his life's work, and what he deemed important enough to put on display. The last room had been Ink's, clearly, with the paint stains in the carpet and the overly-colorful decorations. The walls were covered in art, any piece of which might have been considered priceless by now. This room felt the most lived-in, at least; Ink had left behind a mess, with clothes hanging from every conceivable point and stains absolutely everywhere. There were doodles on his bedframe, and..was that Ink's scarf? The version from Dream's world would have never gone anywhere without that..it made him wonder about the emotionless artist. He wondered if the other was okay..

In the end, Dream decided to take the former Dream's room, Cross took the Ink's room, Catch chose to sleep in the late Blue's room, and Nightmare was more than happy to end up with the guest room. Now, the goal was to..wait? They couldn't exactly go anywhere; there was nowhere to go. They had to wait for their rescuers to arrive. For the next few hours, the group read books, exchanged stories about their homes, and got to know eachother; Catch was a rather interesting individual, it seemed!

"What did you do next?" Dream wondered, grinning up at Catch as the other told a story.

"Well, we knew JR was coming for us fast, so we had to move faster; Cross saw a kid with a skateboard, and so he grabbed some G and traded for it, and we all got on that thing!"

"Woah!" Dream giggled.

"So we were shouting as we rode down the street to get everyone out of our way, but then Ink showed up and stood right in front of our path, expecting us to stop."

"Did you stop?"

"Heck no!" Catch grinned. "We ran him down! Of course, we fell off the skateboard then, but we got up and ran after that!"

"Was he okay?"

"Kid, Ink is basically a tank; he got up and started chasing after us with a vengeance! He was so mad that he was yelling all the stuff he was gonna do when he caught us, like 'I'm gonna boil you alive!' But then he remembered my brother's rule about threats in public, so he had to change it up a little, and he tacked on 'In whipped cream!'"

Dream burst into giggles; Catch had lots of funny stories! Wish and his Ink were hilarious, and Dream was sorry to know that they had gotten meaner after capturing Catch and his friends. However, he was happy to know that Catch was safe now, since Wish couldn't get here! This place would have been far too negative for Wish; it was taking quite the toll on Dream, after all! Dream didn't want to make anyone worry, but..the negativity here was beginning to get to him. His time at home had helped him get through it, but this place was a lot more negative than the castle; there wasn't much positivity at all for him to live off of. Cross was helping a lot, though; he was happy to be Dream's source..even if he didn't realize it until Dream spoke to him about it.

"Cross?" The child spoke up, looking at the monochrome skeleton.

"Yeah?" Cross turned his attention to Dream.

"Um..I don't really want to bother you, but..could you try to be a little more positive, please?"

"Are you in pain?" Cross's mood worsened a little, but Dream could bear it.

"No, I just..it's a lot; I really need everyone to be happy.."

"I'll do my best." Cross assured, pulling the little one into a hug and starting to think happy thoughts.

"Thanks, Cross." Dream exhaled slowly, feeling a bit more comfortable with the increased energy source. 

"Of course, Dream. Just, let us know if you start to feel worse; I'm sure there's something we can arrange to keep you comfortable."

"I will."

Dream lasted for a couple more hours after that, having found a storybook to read shortly after that, but eventually, he had to submit to his feelings.

"I'm tired." Dream informed, closing the book. 

"That portal must have taken a lot out of you." Nightmare commented, picking his sleepy brother up. 

"It did.." Dream yawned. "I feel really weak here, Nighty.."

"I know..I'll take you up, then."

"Thanks, Nighty.."

Nightmare took Dream upstairs to the room he had selected, and he tucked his little brother in, letting out a sigh as Dream fell asleep instantly; this wasn't good. Nightmare could barely stand the positivity of the previous world, even with all the power he had..he couldn't imagine how strong his little brother was, being able to bear this much negativity. He could only hope that rescue would come sooner rather than later; Dream needed to get to a more positive environment. Maybe he could spent the night at Ccino's to recover when they got back; Nightmare knew the cafe owner wouldn't mind, considering the circumstances. Nightmare rubbed his brother's skull softly before leaving the room; maybe it would be better if Cross stayed close to keep an eyelight on Dream; Nightmare wanted to, but the positivity gained from him would have been much more helpful to Dream than anything from Nightmare or Catch could ever be. Nightmare nodded to himself, leaving the room quietly and heading downstairs to find Cross and Catch in the middle of..an arm wrestle. 

"Who's winning?" He let out an exhale of a laugh.

"I am!" Catch grinned, pushing harder against Cross's force; both of them were quite strong, it seemed. 

"Dream's asleep; Cross, would you mind staying with him? I think he needs all the positivity he can get here." 

Cross's arm hit the table hard, and he looked up at Nightmare with worry. "Is he all right?"

"For now, I believe so, but this world is weighing heavily on him; he needs all the support we can give him."

"Why is he feeling so bad?" Catch wondered. "I spent my whole life in my world, and I never felt that bad until I got caught and they started that positivity therapy.."

"You could handle your world because you were used to it; you'd spent your whole life there. Don't you feel a lot stronger here?"

"Yeah, I guess so.." Catch nodded. "It's really weird, though; it's like this world is lending itself to me.."

"I feel the same way." Nightmare informed. "It's because the world is inherently negative, and we are negative spirits. However, since my brother is a positive spirit, it's pushing him out just as much as it's letting us in. The longer he stays here, the worse it will get; we just have to keep him in a controlled environment as much as possible, and that means keeping him around positivity." 

"Does that mean we should stay away from him?" Catch asked. "Since we're negative?"

"That would help if you can't keep your aura contained." Nightmare nodded. "If you can, however, then there should be no problem; I can teach you, if you aren't acquainted with the skill."

"Oh, I didn't think of that!" Catch admitted, and Nightmare and Cross both felt a significant decrease in the negativity of the atmosphere. "I'm sorry if I made things worse..I'll keep it down from now on!"

"Thank you." Nightmare approved; that would help Dream. 

"I'll go up to keep him company, then." Cross said. "You two going to sleep?"

"I could use a rest after that positivity-infested world.." Nightmare admitted. "I won't be down for long, though; I trust that you two can handle yourselves?"

"Sure we can!" Catch assured. "This place has a ton of cool stuff to look through, anyway!"

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Cross followed up. "I'm just gonna grab a quick snack before heading up."

"Very well." Nightmare nodded, 

Nightmare went up to take a short nap, letting out a sigh; this was crazy. A whole multiverse ruled by negativity, all because of a science experiment? It made him worry about the future of his multiverse..and about the past. For the longest time after turning his brother to stone, Nightmare had planned to turn the little one into a negative spirit, thinking that he would have magically been okay despite everything! It had always been a foolish plan, and Nightmare had dropped it quickly, but..what if he hadn't? What if he had succeeded? Would a world like this have been the result? A world where everyone was fearful of his little brother? Dream wouldn't have been happy in a world like this. Nightmare was glad he had abandoned that stupid plan of his. Dream deserved a happy childhood - he deserved a happy life. Nightmare couldn't wait to bring him back home. 

"Boss?" Cross knocked on the door to the guest room.

"Yes, Cross?" Nightmare sat up; he hadn't fallen asleep yet.

"Is Dream in there with you?"

"No, he's in the room he chose." 

"..No, he isn't?"

"What?"

"He's not in there."

Nightmare left his bed quickly, leaving the guest room and going to Dream's temporary room, looking around. Dream wasn't in the bed. He searched the bathroom, but Dream wasn't there either. 

Dream was gone.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Beans are not doing great!

Thanks for reading my negative writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Everything felt heavy. 

Dream shivered a little, hugging himself under the blanket; he felt so much worse than before. It was as if-

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" That wasn't a voice he was familiar with.

Dream opened his eyesockets in fear, finding..one golden eyelight, burning brightly. The figure was covered in goop like Nighty, but he was wearing Dream's crown. This must have been Shattered, as Moon had told them about. 

"Is that any way to greet a new pal?" Shattered grinned sharply, while Dream blinked. 

What was the best way to protect oneself from fears? Dream preferred distracting himself. 

"Um..sorry." Dream held out his hand.

"Well, that's-" Shattered's words died before they could leave his mouth. Dream's whoopie cushion was really coming in handy.

"You look funny!" Dream giggled; distractions were really a great way to forget that this person could kill him!

"..Do you want me to rip your soul out of your body and tear it to pieces before your very eyes?" Shattered snarled.

"..." Dream shrank, shaking his skull; that was one way to kill a moment..

Shattered went back to a grin. "Good - I see you understand now. You're a very interesting specimen, aren't you? Where do you come from? And don't lie; I will get the truth from you however I must."

Dream couldn't find the confidence to say anything; he was too scared, and this negative aura was too heavy upon him! He was scared..

"..Is this too much for you?" Shattered asked, after a moment. "I thought a Guardian of Positivity would be stronger than that. But, then again, you don't look like much at all, so why would you be stronger on the inside? I'll make it easier on you, I suppose."

The negativity in the air subsided a little, and it even..turned a bit positive? In any case, Dream couldn't argue, breathing easier as his trembles ceased. 

"Now, let's try this again; where do you come from?" Shattered repeated. 

"Um..I'm from a different multiverse.." Dream answered; the threat from before was still hanging over his skull. "We got here by accident, since we were running from some people from a different multiverse!"

"I see; who-" Shattered was interrupted by something Dust had taught Dream a while ago: oversharing. 

"The other mutliverse was really cool!" Dream continued, forcing Shattered to listen. "The Dream there had golden wings, and he seemed really nice at first, but he wasn't, 'cause he took my brother and Cross away when I was sleeping!"

"He-"

"But before that, he was nice, I guess, but his friend Ink was really weird, because he always seemed annoyed, even thought the multiverse they lived in was practically drowning in positivity - unlike yours, which is really interesting! Anyway, he took my brother and Cross, and he put them in a place that was scary, and in there was his brother, who looks like Nighty but younger, and there was also a chicken, for some reason; I think the chicken has a negative aura! The chicken is still at the house you took me from, I think, but your brother (who looks exactly like my brother, but tired) asked us to keep him outside, so he's outside, but he's okay! His mame is Kevin; have you ever heard of a chicken named Kevin? I haven't, but I like Kevin; he's cool! Uh, did I tell you about-"  

"Hold on." Shattered raised a hand to stop Dream's rambling; he needed a moment, as Dust had predicted anyone would.

Dust had taught Dream a lot about interrogations, and this was something that Dream found interesting: if he constantly shared too much true information and rambled on, his potential answers of "I don't know" would have been more believable. It was supposed to be used only when truthful answers would have been gotten no matter what, and it was a way to hide the most important information. After a few ramblings, whoever was asking the questions would have simply assumed that Dream just talked a lot and wasn't opposed to sharing information; why would he have hidden anything if he was such a talker? Killer loved to use that when he was interrogated, and he had helped Dream perfect it! 

"Okay." Shattered nodded. "That was very helpful. Now, how did you get here?"

"I made a portal to cross multiverses." Dream answered honestly. "I can do that, but I can't do it here because it's too negative; it's really heavy here, and it makes my soul hurt - I don't like it. Nighty didn't like the other multiverse either because it was positive; he turned into a cat so it wouldn't hurt him as much! He-"

"You can cross multiverses with a mere portal?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't make one here; it's way too negative, and-"

"I see." Shattered looked away.

"Are you-"

"You're a Guardian of Positivity, aren't you? Well-"

"No." 

"...You aren't?" Shattered narrowed his eyesocket. "Why not?"

"I don't wanna be a Guardian of Positivity; it seems like too much work, and I don't wanna do it. Nighty told me I don't have to, either, since he's good at taking care of the balance of emotions back home! He-"

"Biologically, are you a Guardian of Positivity?"

"Uh, I guess so? But-"

"That's all I need to know." Shattered informed. "Stop talking."

Dream decided to follow that order, looking down and crossing his arms; he wondered what Shattered could have possibly done with that information..

"How old are you?" Shattered asked, after a while. 

"Ten?" Dream tilted his skull. 

"Ten. Have you ever been trapped in stone, child?"

"..Why are you asking?" Dream didn't like these questions. 

"I wonder what a reaction I would get if I used a little spell on you.."

"..Don't..d-don't do that." Dream shook his skull. "I-if you're another me, you-"

"I know what it's like." Shattered wrapped a tentacle around Dream's shoulders, pulling the child closer to him. "I went through it, and it caused me nightmare after nightmare when I got out..it still haunts me, you know?"

"..." Dream didn't feel like speaking anymore, but..he didn't feel like being turned to stone, either. "Are you going to do that to me?"

"I'm considering it." Shattered admitted. "Unless you can give me a good enough reason not to."

"..I know how to reflect magic spells." Dream informed, looking Shattered in the eyelight. 

"..You're a very peculiar child." Shattered admitted, pushing the little one away with the same tentacle. "Consider that option disqualified."

"Why'd you kidnap me if you don't know what you're going to do with me?" Dream wondered. 

"Oh, I do know what I'm going to do to you; I just need to figure out how."

"..Then what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm going to use you for entertainment."

"Entertainment? Like..cartoons?"

"Perhaps a few of the darker ones...have you ever seen the cartoons in which characters are crushed, fall off cliffs, and always get blown up?"

Dream giggled. "Those ones are funny!"

"Yes, well, imagine yourself in their shoes."

Dream's giggles ended with a cough; what was Shattered implying? "Wh-what?"

"The way I see it, your friends care deeply for you, and I plan on letting them get you back!" Shattered patted Dream's skull almost comfortingly. "But they're going to have to work for it, and you won't like the pain you'll go through, poor thing." 

"..P-pain?"

"Yes, pain!" Shattered shrugged. "I had initially planned to turn you to stone and let your friends rescue you in their own time while you could just wait, having only a few mental breakdowns inside your stone prison..but since you don't want to be turned to stone, I'll just have to do something else! I'm not known for leaving my victims in one piece, child."

"..You're gonna let them rescue me?" Dream chose to focus on that.

"Of course!" Shattered chuckled. 

"When?"

"Oh, perhaps a few months or a year; it depends on when you get boring. I want entertainment, little one; I do this for fun."

"..How about we change things up a little?" Dream had an idea of his own. "And you let them rescue me...whenever our search-and-rescue team comes to take us back home?"

"And when exactly will that be?" 

"I don't know; we traveled through two multiverses, so it might take a while, but when they get here, I will have to go, since they can't keep that portal open forever..so if I make things really fun for you, will you let me go sooner?"

"...Depends on what you have in mind."

"You'll like it, Mr. Shattered; I know you will!"

Nightmare had seen enough in his life to know that there was little leeway for this to be worse. Dream was missing. Dream was missing in a multiverse full of negativity, and he was a positive spirit. He must have been in pain by now, and if the worst had happened - if the Dream from this world had taken him - Nightmare would have been safe to fear for his brother's life. This was the worst possible series of events. 

"I came as soon as I could; what happened?" Moon showed up at the house, finding Nightmare, Cross, and Catch in the living room of the former base.

"Dream is gone." Nightmare had been pacing endlessly; how could things have gone so wrong so fast?! "Someone took him.."

"I didn't think he would find out this fast.." Moon sighed, looking down. "A stupid, dangerous wish..I'm sorry."

"What can we do to get him back?"

"My brother is a difficult, unpredictable psychopath with an error and the Creator on his side..we must have a plan before we can even attempt a rescue..although, if we're lucky, he may be willing to release your brother on his terms."

"His terms?" Cross asked. "What does that mean?"

"..My brother is not unlike a bored Flowey, in a sense." Moon tried to explain. "He..he wants to be entertained, at any cost; he wants so see new things and experiment with them..and your brother fits that category, unfortunately. But if we can give him enough entertainment, he may choose to be gracious and let him go sooner."

"..That's crazy." Catch informed. "He's crazy. I don't know what a 'Flowey' is, and I don't want to know, but that's insane. How could someone live just to be entertained? And why do you seem to imply a darker version of that word?"

"I do imply it." Moon nodded. "He is a torturer and a murderer, and he thrives on those things. His entertainment is the only reason the multiverse has not fallen into utter ruin by now; he needs it, because it satisfies his sadistic pleasures. We are mere pawns in a game to him, and if we move out of line, he finds it interesting..but I can talk to him. I can try to..figure something out.."

"..Tell him Dream needs positivity." Cross requested. "He can't survive in this atmosphere without it.."

"I'll tell him." Moon nodded. "And I can almost guarantee that he will want to keep him alive; he isn't inclined to end his current fixations, even as insane as he is."

"Thank you.." Nightmare said. "For everything."

"It's my job.." Moon sighed. "I'll go talk to him."

"That sounds wonderful.." Shattered liked this child; he had such interesting ideas! 

"So you'll let me go when I have to leave?" Dream hoped.

"You've got yourself a deal, child." Shattered held out his hand, and Dream shook it properly, grinning; this had gone much smoother than he had expected at first! Shattered was very easy to deal with, actually!

After the deal was made, Shattered paused, looking down. 

"What's wrong?" Dream asked. 

"Ah, my brother is summoning me, probably to talk about you; I have to leave, but I'll be back in a moment. Perhaps you can take this moment to meet Blueberror; I'm sure he'll love you. Just make sure to keep your soul away from him."

"Why?"

"He experiments with them."

Shattered left on that note, leaving Dream to figure out what that meant on his own..great. Dream let out a hum, walking to the door and opening it to leave the room. On the other side of the door was a living room, where one emotionless artist and one glitch were sitting on the couch, one of them sitting quietly and the other weaving some strings together with his fingers.

"Hi, I'm Dream!" Dream decided to introduce himself, sitting on a chair instead of the couch; he wasn't quite ready to get that close yet, especially after that warning..

"Don't care." Blueberror didn't look up from his strings.

"...Okay!" Dream looked to the quiet artist. "Hi!"

...The Ink didn't say a word.

"Is he okay?" Dream wondered, tilting his skull and coming a bit closer. 

"He's soulless." Berror corrected. "He's only good as a glor-glorified encyclopedia."

"..What's two plus two?"

"Four." Ink responded, receiving a giggle from Dream. 

"Tell me about..stars!"

"Stars in the multiverse come in two forms; interuniversal stars and extrauniversal stars."

"What's an extrauniversal star?"

"That term is used to denote a star in the night sky which is actually a universe viewed from far away. Legend states that an inhabitant of this type of universe can immediately select and identify the star they originated from."

"Cool!" 

"..What are you doing?" Berror asked.

"You said he's like an enccyclopedia, and those have a ton of information! He must be really smart!" 

"Why are you wasting-wasting your time on that? Shattered's just going to kill you eventually, anyway."

"No, he isn't; we made a deal, and he's gonna let me go!"

"..You made a deal with him?"

"Yeah!"

"How-how in the multiverse did you do that?"

"I told him what I wanted, and he told me what he wanted, and we both agreed to give eachother what we want!" 

"..Say..think you could sweet-talk him into doing something for me?" 

"Uh, what is it?"

"I've wanted to look inside this corpse-corpse of a creator's bone's for a while now.." Berror pointed to Ink. "Think you could help me out with that?"

"Um..no." Dream gave his answer. "That's weird. You shouldn't look inside people's bones."

"What do you know about it?"

"Well, I've seen the stuff inside mine, and it looks a lot like anyone else's; it'd just be a waste of time." Dream shrugged, idly wondering to himself if he would have been comfortable with that question a year ago..probably not.

"..You've been tortured before-before?" 

"Uh.." Dream thought about it, noting his deep fear of sensory deprivation. "Yeah. It's not really nice. Do you want to talk about it? I'm getting some weird feelings from you, and talking's really helped me with a lot of my problems!"

"..Talking?" Berror blinked.

"Yeah! I can even turn into a cat while you talk, and you can pet me! Dust really likes it when I do that for him!"

"..."

"So, wanna try it?"

"..Everything's worth a try at least-leastonce, I guess..?"

"Cool!"

This was going to be great!

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is in no trouble at all!

Thanks for reading my dealing writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Shattered liked this kid. He liked this kid a lot. 

Shattered was good at manipulating people into doing what he wanted - at least, he liked to think he was. This kid, however? He was on a whole different level. Shattered could only imagine it was because he had been raised by his brother instead of being left on his own, as Shattered had been. This kid had spunk, and he wasn't afraid to stand up for himself..

He was the complete opposite of Shattered at that age. 

"Would you give-give me a hand with this?" Berror asked, following Shattered's orders.

"With what?" Dream wondered.

"My hands are stuck-stuck." Berror lifted his hands, which were wrapped in his red strings. 

"..Are you serious?" Dream rolled his eyelights. "It's your magic; just desummon it!"

"I don't know how." Berror lied, as Shattered had told him to. "I genuinely need help-help."

"No, you don't. And if you do, you should have thought twice before wrapping your hands up in strings; that's on you."

Dream simply walked away after that, and Berror glanced at Shattered before getting rid of the strings binding his hands.

Shattered had instructed Blueberror to do that multiple times, giving Dream the choice to help him with something that he clearly didn't need help with..and the child had declined every time. The one time Blueberror had actually needed help with something - hanging up a curtain that had fallen, which he had needed a ladder for - however, Dream had come to his aid. It was..weird. Shattered had never imagined himself actually saying "no" to things before..it was foreign to him. Over the four days Dream had been with the Fallen Stars, he had baffled Shattered a dozen times, and..Shattered couldn't deny that he liked it. He liked the thought of a ten-year-old version of himself standing up for himself..something Shattered had only done once before his corruption. It had ended horribly for him, but Dream was..different. Dream had success with declining things. He didn't let people take advantage of his good nature, and he knew where to draw the line; it was strangely inspiring. 

He was an amazing evil planner, too; Shattered would never have thought of the things this kid did!

"You have to be careful with this stuff; it's like.." Dream pondered it. "It makes people want more of it, when it runs out."

"Like a drug?" Shattered likened.

"What's a drug?"

"..You've never been taught about this?" 

"Nuh-uh - is it important?" 

"..Yeah."

Of course, there were things that Dream was lacking information about, such as what drugs were. Nightmare must have been sheltering him a bit. Shattered was happy to explain, however!

"Well, they're substances that alter how people's minds work." He started. "Some of them make people feel a high - that is, a feeling of joy or euphoria - while others can make people hallucinate, or other things. The main thing about them is that they're addictive - once you try them, even if it's bad, you end up wanting more."

"..Like power?" Dream inferred.

But this child, although sheltered, was quite bright.

"..Yes." Shattered nodded. "Power can have the same effect on people; you're very smart for your age."

"Thank you!" Dream grinned. "So, based on that description..this is a drug, and it's one of the ones that makes people happy; it doesn't work on me, though - it just gives me back the magic I put into it."

"Good to know. Are you aware of how addictive it is?" 

"..I think it's really addictive..people get violent when they don't get it."

"That's called a withdrawal; it occurs when people are unable to obtain their addictive drug for a period of time."

"..This one happens almost instantly after they stop being happy."

"..I see." Shattered hummed. "I'll have to keep that in mind. Anything else?"

"..Don't use too much. I don't know how much is dangerous, but if someone gets too much.." Dream shivered; he could still see the image of Error 404 twitching on the ground, cackling madly as he threatened Dream and the multiverse as a whole.

"I get it." Shattered put a hand on the child's shoulder. "That's called an overdose, and those typically lead to death.."

"This doesn't kill anyone..it just..it's bad."

"Understood. I'm surprised you're trusting me with such a powerful weapon.."

"I want to go home; you want 'entertainment.' This is all I have that will satisfy both of our desires.."

"..You really care about your home, don't you?"

"Yeah." Dream nodded, smiling. "I do."

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"..Having a home - a real one."

"Well..when I go home after a long playdate or something, I feel..safe. The entire castle feels safe, no matter where I am, and when I see those walls and that floor, I..know them. I know that I'm home, and that nothing can hurt me there."

"..But can't people break in?"

"They can.." Dream nodded. "But..I guess that's why it's so scary when it happens. Home is a place where you feel comfortable and let down your guard; it's the only place some people can do that."

"Huh.."

"Why do you ask? Haven't you ever had a home before?"

"..No, I haven't."

Dream frowned, looking at Shattered with sympathy. "That's..sad. I'm sorry." 

"It's no fault of yours that I've never had a home; you're just a child."

"Mr. Shattered, I.." Dream paused, looking down. "..I hope you get a home one day."

"..Thank you."

Shattered looked at the time; Dream had supplied him with his end of the deal, and now Shattered could test it out while he waited for his end to show up.

He privately wished that they would never show up; he liked this new..toy of his. Yes. Dream was just a toy to Shattered! Nothing more! There was absolutely nothing else to it. 

"Well, that's all, then; are you ready?" Shattered held out a hand to Dream, who chuckled and took it.

"Ready!" The child nodded; this would be exciting!

"Then let's grab Berror and Ink." 

Shattered held Dream's hand and led the child to the living room, where Berror and Ink (mostly Berror) were watching a movie; it was one of Dream's favorites, and he was glad it was in this multiverse, too! He had shown it to his new friends, and Berror was hooked!

"We're going to attack; get ready." Shattered ordered, as Dream bounced up and down beside him.

"Okay.." Berror paused the movie; he was only just starting his fifth rewatch. 

In truth, Dream had made a couple..changes around the Fallen Stars' base. For one, he had introduced them to cartoons, which both Shattered and Blueberror seemed to enjoy, but he had also just..listened. He had listened when they had ranted about their problems, and he had offered solutions or encouragement, too. He was..weird. He had told Shattered that he didn't want to be a Guardian of Positivity, but..it looked as if he was a better one now than Shattered had ever been. Maybe those lessons about surface history had been right: the best person for an important role like that was..someone who didn't want it. Someone who didn't want the fame or respect it brought - just someone who wanted to help, and to stop once the help was given. Someone who wouldn't let others push him around. Dream didn't let anyone push him around; he only relented when someone else had a good point (not often, with Shattered and Berror) or when Shattered used his aura to make him relent..and Shattered had mixed thoughts about that method. It just..made things too easy. Yep, way too easy. It wasn't worth the cheap satisfaction; Shattered wanted to get his satisfaction genuinely. 

Definitely.

This was bad. Moon had expected a plethora of things when Shattered had taken the newcomers' Dream, but..

The last thing he had expected - no, just..genuinely something he hadn't expected at all - was for the child to watch Shattered and his crew's chaos..and laugh. This child was almost-certainly either insane or brainwashed, and Moon wanted to figure out which. But first..

There was something different about this chaos. 

Instead of civilians running around screaming, they were..blissful? They were so sickeningly positive that Nightmare could have sworn Shattered had gone back to spreading positivity..but he was clearly not! Shattered was burning buildings, whipping his tentacles out at anyone who came close - except for the child? - and cackling evilly..no one could have been happy throughout this.

But they were.

The inhabitants of this AU were undeniably happy as they leaned against buildings, slowly ambled through the streets of town, and ignored Shattered's chaotic actions..but why? It was a mystery..until one of the other inhabitants showed up, screaming in fear. Ink tackled the monster to the ground before forcing a spoonful of some foreign yellow liquid into their mouth, and in an instant, the monster's fear was eradicated. 

"Brother!" Shattered noted Moon's presence, as well as his gang's, grinning as he gently wrapped a tentacle around the abducted child, who..waved at Moon? He didn't seem bothered by his situation..at all. "How nice of you to join us!"

"Shattered.." Moon took another look around, uneased by these unfamiliar circumstances. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I just thought negativity was getting a little old; I can still thrive on positivity, too, you know! It's how I started, after all.."

That was news to Moon. Bad news. If Shattered was still strong in this positive atmosphere, that meant that he..might have been stronger than Moon. Moon certainly felt weaker here..this was bad.

"I have to accomodate my little helper somehow, after all!" Shattered snickered, patting the child's skull. 

"What are you doing with him?!" Moon glared, clenching his fists; unfortunately, it looked as if Shattered had brainwashed the child. 

"Oh, I'm just teaching him a little bit about life; he's quite bright, you know! I wonder if he can hold his own in a fight.."

At that, the child looked up at Shattered, saying something that Moon couldn't quite hear, and Shattered..listened?

"Oh, right." Shattered gave the child a nod. "I almost forgot - thank you for reminding me!"

"..What was that?" Killer couldn't help asking.

"..I have no idea." Moon confessed.

A fight broke out before they could find any answers, but despite Shattered's words, Dream didn't join the fray; he just watched, and he giggled when Shattered dragged him into a portal to return to the Fallen Stars' base. And then..Moon and his team had to leave the AU, leaving all the civilians in their daze. They came out into the meeting hall, where, in addition to the newcomers, several judges were; they seemed eager to hear what had happened.

"Was he with them?" Nightmare asked, before anyone else could speak. 

"He was with them, all right.." Killer nodded, sighing. "Looked like he was having a blast, too."

"Uh..what?" Catch blinked; Dream was in the hands of this sociopathic version of himself. And he was..having fun?

"He was running around laughing when we got there; it was weird.." 

"Not as weird as the people.." Horror reminded. 

"What was wrong with them?" Classic inquired. 

"They were..happy." Moon replied. "They had some sort of drug that made everyone happy." 

"They what..?" Nightmare's composure crumbled, his expression turning into something akin to fear..

"They had a yellow liquid that made people unbearably positive." Moon repeated. "Do you know something about this?"

"..That's my brother's magic." Nightmare couldn't deny it; this was important information. "But he hates that power; he wouldn't give it away..not without a good reason."

"Then Shattered must have given him a good reason." Moon concluded. "I'll do everything in my power to get him back for you..but at the very least, he doesn't seem uncomfortable around Shattered.."

Nightmare gained a fond smile. "My brother is a brave soul; not many can put fear into him easily."

Dream would be okay; Nightmare was sure of it.

Maybe he would even rescue himself from those cruel, sadistic monsters!

"Got any eights?" Berror asked. 

"Go fish." Ink replied; he was good at this game!

"Oh, come on, I know you have eights!"

"How do you know that?" Dream asked, tilting his skull.

"'Cause I read the code surrounding the card!" 

"..That's cheating."

"What's 'cheating'?"

Dream sighed; he was being held captive by children - literally, in Blueberror's case.

"Is it really fun if we can't cheat a little?" Shattered asked. "I mean, seriously, what's the point in following all the rules?"

"..." It seemed Dream was outvoted. "All right..I'll make it more fun. Everyone gets three cheats, but no more! Use them wisely!"

"That's more like it!" Shattered grinned. 

"We gotta start over now, though, 'cause Berror cheated more than three times."

"Aw, man!" Blueberror sighed; he had been so close to winning, too!

Dream took everyone's cards and shuffled the deck as Horror had taught him how, since Horror had the easiest way to shuffle cards; Killer's way was too complex, and Dust's way was..probably a magic trick. Cross just didn't know how to shuffle cards, and neither did Nightmare or Error. Once the cards were shuffled, Dream dealt them out, before looking at the goopy Guardian across from him.

"Got any kings, Uncle Shattered?"

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is being utterly tormented by these psychopaths! Whatever shall we do?

Thanks for reading my adopting writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Buildings were burning, beginning to crumble as their foundations became more and more unstable. 

Red strings were surging through the ground and bringing up tidal waves of snow to trap innocent civilians. 

The screams that filled the air were getting quieter and quieter as their sources were snuffed out, one by one.

And everyone was..

Happy.

Dream had seen his brother's gang do the same to universes, and he had even watched Error destroy one before, but..the civilians had never been happy. They had never tasted Dream's positive magic..but these ones had. They were completely blissful as their homes were being destroyed, and..it made Dream's soul hurt. The first time he had watched the effects of his magic work during one of Shattered's attacks, he had cried, but..

"Hey, what's the matter?" Shattered knelt down beside Dream, putting a hand on the little one's shoulder.

"M-my magic, it..it's making them.." Dream shook, wrapping his arms around himself tightly as he shivered. "I-I hate it.."

"..." Shattered looked around at the happy inhabitants, before shifting his gaze back to Dream. "If you hate it, why did you give it to us?"

"I-I..I wanna go home..i-it was the only thing..I wanna g-go home.." 

"Hey.." Shattered sat on the ground next to Dream, offering him a small smile. "How about..we play a little game?"

"A-a game..?" Dream looked up, letting another sob escape him.

"Yeah, a game. How many Christmas lights can you see in the town, hm? I bet I can count all of them faster than you can!"

Dream turned to look at the town, focusing on the colored lights that covered evey building; there were more here than in normal AUs. He wiped his tears away as they came; they were only blurring his vision and making it harder to focus. Slowly, he started to count them one by one, and as he did, he didn't even notice that his crying had begun to subside. He eventually began to smile, focusing more and more on his game and focusing much less on the chaos surrounding him. By the time this multiverse's Nightmare's gang showed up, Dream was giggling happily; he had counted all the lights before Shattered could!

Maybe Shattered wasn't so bad, after all.

Shattered had helped him to calm down before, and he was more than willing to help Dream now. Although, this time, he was doing it in a little bit of a different way. 

"En garde!" Shattered grinned, holding a black staff; he hadn't summoned a weapon since before his corruption, but it seemed he still had the power.

"You're going down, Uncle Shattered!" Dream giggled, summoning his own staff and striking out with a wide grin. 

"Not if you don't put some effort into this!" Shattered parried the blow easily, countering quickly. "I'm not going to let you win, after all!"

"And I'm not gonna let you, either!" Dream assured, defending himself. 

The two sparred with experience and speed, Shattered's goopy feet flinging up snow with every footfall as Dream's boots nimbly danced across the blanketed landscape. Shattered might have had more years of experience, but Dream was more agile and lighter on his feet. Dream had also worked with Killer on this a lot, to the point that he had even beaten Killer a few times in spars! Killer might have been going easy on him because of his age and experience level, but Dream knew that his instructor had been impressed nonetheless! For twenty minutes, Shattered and Dream exchanged blows, until someone had to show up and ruin the fight!

"Shattered!" Moon yelled, from nearby, causing Dream to sigh as Shattered wrapped him up in his tentacles; the fun was over.

"Brother." Shattered rolled his eyelight; that had been so much fun, and now it was over..

"You cannot keep doing this!" Moon shouted, his gang walking behind him. "You need to release that child!"

"No, I don't!" Shattered forced a grin; he honestly just wanted to go back to sparring with Dream; his brother was so boring and serious about fights. "He'll never escape me!"

"It's okay, Uncle Shattered; we can spar more after this!" Dream comforted the goopy monster holding him quietly; he didn't need Moon to hear that.

"Right." Shattered nodded subtly, looking forward to it. "Well, brother, how do you feel, knowing you can't protect a single child from me?" Shattered let out a devious chuckle, lifting Dream a little higher into the air; Dream didn't mind - it was all part of the agreement.

"We will save him from you." Moon glared with silent promise. 

"Doubtful!" Blueberror entered the conversation, hopping down from his web of strings overhead. "But you can try!"

It had been three weeks since Dream had ended up here with the others, and although he wanted to get home as soon as possible, he was okay with waiting; he had even made some new friends! Berror was a really good friend, although he clearly wasn't the most sane (or intelligent) individual out there. He was..another kid, honestly. He was just a child with an adult's body. He liked cartoons, and he got giddy when he won games, and he was fascinated by the new things that Dream told him about every day! When he wasn't zoned out, crashed, or suffering from an LV spike (Dream had learned what those were recently, and he didn't like them at all..he never wanted to get LV), Berror was fun to be around! He was playful, and although he was hopelessly sarcastic, he made a conscious effort not to be too harsh, especially around Dream. He was fun, and Dream thought of him as..maybe a cousin. Dream liked the thought of having Blueberror as a cousin. It felt right.

Ink was..hard to relate to. He was emotionless, leaving little room for Dream to really get to know him..he didn't exactly have a personality. He was very smart, though! He knew a lot about the world, and he could make anything he wanted! He could even make unlimited cookies! Dream wasn't going to tell Nightmare about that. He didn't even think Shattered knew about that..

Shattered was..awesome? Honestly? After the very beginning, Shattered had been super nice to him, and Dream had grown..kind of fond of the goopy Guardian. He had told Shattered about his experiences with people wanting to take advantage of him because of his role, and Shattered had told him similar tales from his own past. They had both come to one conclusion: being the Guardian of Positivity was overrated and dangerous. Dream was better off without the status, and Shattered's tales had only cemented that opinion into Dream's mind. Dream had taken a small time after that to realize that..Shattered had no backbone. Metaphorically, at least. Shattered, before being corrupted, had been an absolute pushover, and he had probably never said no to anyone in his life; he said he had changed, but..Dream had his doubts. Dream had decided to help him out with his problem, slowly. He had taught Shattered about the wonders of having boundaries, and he had even helped him with his instincts; Shattered hadn't known about instincts before. Shattered was making progress, but it would be a while before he would be able to put his lessons into action.

Time..he didn't have. 

Dream knew that it would take some time for the rescue team to show up, but..that time was running out. One of these days, he would be going home, and he would leave Shattered, Berror, and Ink behind..he wasn't sure he liked that thought. Shattered was..

Shattered was like family now.

Dream didn't call him uncle to tease him; he genuinely thought of Shattered as family, and Dream didn't want to leave him forever..he had to at least visit, sometime! Dream just had to figure out how to make that happen.

Shattered, Ink, and Berror fought with Moon and his trio for a while before parting ways, both sides clearly having better things to do than to stick around and fight longer. Things such as sewing, playing games, or..sparring!

"En garde again!" Shattered grinned, once he and Dream were set up in an abandoned martial arts school. 

"What's 'en garde' mean?" Dream wondered, summoning his staff and preparing for round two.

"It's a term they use in fencing to signal the start." Shattered explained, making the first move. 

"Are we fencing?" Dream parried, moving to the side for a better angle.

"Somewhat." Shattered nodded, adjusting his own angle. "Fencing is a bit broad, though, and they use different weapons. It's quite a sport, but I think you'd be good at it."

"Really?" Dream lunged cautiously, hopping back with a parry when Shattered tried to counter. 

"Yes, I'd say so; you're quite good at this little game we have, anyway!" Shattered moved closer, knowing that he had the longer wingspan; Dream was good at staying out of reach, however. 

"Thank you!" Dream giggled, moving around Shattered to get closer to the center of the field. 

"Although, fencing is limited to only a straight line.." Shattered informed, closing the gap.

"Aw, that's boring!" Dream circled his opponent carefully. "I like moving around better!"

"So do I!" Shattered agreed, going for a lunge, but being skillfully blocked by Dream.

The two sparred for about an hour before calling it a day, going back to the apartment to relax; Dream and Shattered had lost track of how many points they both had, but they were close, anyway - they called it a tie. When they got to the base, Shattered exhaled tiredly, heading to his room; he hadn't been this tired in a while, but after that workout..he needed a rest. Dream, meanwhile, settled on the couch next to Berror, who was absorbed in a coloring book; he had found that he enjoyed coloring! Berror was basically a toddler - of course he enjoyed coloring. 

"What'cha makin'?" Dream asked, leaning against the larger child. 

"A dog." Berror replied, showing Dream his expertly-drawn..scribble of a dog. Berror hadn't learned to color inside the lines yet, and Dream doubted he ever would. 

"That's cool!" Dream encouraged, before looking over to Ink, who was sitting silently, as usual. "Hm..can I have one of those pages, please?"

"Um, okay." Berror flipped through the coloring book and pulled out a picture of a horse that he wasn't interested in coloring.

"Thank you!"

Dream grabbed a book from a nearby bookshelf and put it in front of Ink, along with the page. Ink's gaze moved down to the page, not exactly sure what to do with it. 

"Uh, just..make yourself some colored pencils, and do whatever feels right." Dream explained. "Even without emotions, you should be good at art, right?"

Ink said nothing, but he did do as he was requested, and he pulled out one of the pencils slowly, before looking at the page..

He would probably be okay from this point on. Dream hoped. 

With that, Dream let out a yawn; that spar had taken a lot of energy out of him. Resting against Ink's side, he closed his eyesockets and drifted off to sleep. 

He was blissfully unaware of the arm that wrapped around him soom after. 

Three weeks had passed, and there had been no progress in getting Dream away from Shattered. Nightmare certainly hoped his little brother had a plan, because the group's way home had to have been coming soon; yes, the trip to another multiverse had to have lengthened the time it would take, but it wouldn't be too difficult to find them here, despite everything. Nightmare hoped the boys were all right at home; surely Error would make sure they didn't burn the castle down..

Surely Error wouldn't help them burn the castle down. 

Of course, the moment that Nightmare had been waiting for had to come eventually, and it did..

A portal opened in the universe Dream had first led the group to, and..everyone felt it. Nightmare understood why their presence had been picked up so easily; it was practically a beam of positive energy in the negative world, and even though he wasn't linked to this multiverse, even he felt it.

"That must be your ride home." Moon mentioned, likely feeling the positivity much more than Nightmare. "Shattered will likely be there as soon as possible."

"Then we must hurry, it seems." Nightmare stated, looking over to Cross and Catch, who were both ready to get out of here, preferably with Dream. 

"Please don't leave!" Shattered pouted, practically on his knees begging Dream to stay.

Dream sighed. "Uncle Shattered, I'm sorry, but..I want to go home. I have people there who care about me just as much as you do..all my other friends are there, and my family..I can't just leave them behind.."

"But..but I need you.."

"I know.." Dream hugged his uncle. "But..you know, from there, I can make portals again, and if I work really hard, I can get better at it sooner, and once I do, I'll be able to come here to see you whenever I want! Or maybe you can visit me! I won't leave forever, Uncle Shattered - I promise."

"..All right." Shattered sighed, wrapping his arms around Dream. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

"I know you will!" Dream giggled. "Now, can we go?"

"Sure.." Shattered nodded, squeezing Dream one last time. "We can go."

"Bye, Blueberror!" Dream waved. "Bye, Ink!"

"See you.." Berror frowned; his playmate was leaving.

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" 

With that, Shattered opened the portal to the same universe as before, and he walked through with Dream, into a dense forest. He didn't want to complicate things with his presence; he would just watch from the forest. Dream gave him one last hug before exiting into the town, where the portal was. From his place at the edge of the woods, Shattered watched the happy reunion with Dream and his family, with Nightmare picking up his little brother and holding him close. Laughter and words were shared, and everyone in the area was positive; they had Dream back, and they were going home. That was..good. Dream was going home. After the reunion, the family went through the portal, and Shattered let out a sigh, turning around to leave-

He felt a sharp sense of fear.

Fear from..Dream?

Shattered acted before he could think.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean and family going home!

Thanks for reading my homely writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Surprise. 

It hadn't been fear; it had been surprise, and Shattered had blindly jumped through a portal between multiverses because of paranoia. Luckily, Shattered had instantly entered his shadow form, staying out of sight long enough to make the decision to turn back and-

The portal was closed. 

Oh, this was just great.

"Woah!" Dream giggled at the sight of all his friends; they were all here, from Ccino to Robin! "Hi!"

"Welcome home, kid." Swapyrus gave Dream a smile. "We missed ya."

"You scared the life out of us!" Error glared, before letting out a sigh. "But..we're glad you're back."

"Who's that?" Killer asked, looking at Catch. 

"Uh, I'm Catch, and this is Kevin." The uncorrupted Nightmare replied, holding his chicken. "They sorta saved me from literal torture..I guess." 

"They're going to be staying with us." Nightmare informed. 

"Oh, so he can have a pet-" Killer was cut off. 

"Kevin isn't a pet; he's a friend!" Catch informed.

"As long as he doesn't try eating me, I'm fine with him." Robin said, flying over and landing in Dream's hands. "How have you been, Dream?"

"Good - I made some new friends, Robin!" Dream beamed. "I can't wait to tell you all about them!"

"Let's get home, first." Nightmare suggested. "Ccino, Swapyrus, thank you for being here; there is no obligation to stay or to leave yet."

"I just wanted to make sure Dream was all right." Ccino said. "And I'm glad you are; you gave everyone quite a scare!"

"Sorry.." Dream chuckled sheepishly.

"Same here - I've gotta get home to my bro, but I'm glad you're good, kid." Swapyrus saluted. "I'll see ya when you aren't grounded anymore."

"Uh..about that-" Dream did not get to finish his excuse.

"Yes, he'll be seeing you after his month of being confined to the castle is over." Nightmare nodded. 

"Aw, man.." Dream groaned; that was the worst!

"Tough luck, kid - see ya when you're free!" Swapyrus chuckled.

"See you then.." 

"Come along home, Dream; we have a new roommate, and I doubt you are devoid of stories to tell." Nightmare tempted.

"Okay.." Dream nodded; he did have a lot of stories!

Nightmare did the honors of opening the portal home, and the gang walked through, followed by an unseen plus one. They sat down in the living room, where Dream started to tell the rest of the gang about the group's perilous adventure! He told them about how Wish had pretended to be nice, only to turn out to want to brainwash Nightmare and Cross, and he detailed how he had just barely been able to make a portal before the door to the room that the others were held in was broken down! He told them about meeting Moon and then being kidnapped by Shattered, who-

"If I never see that hotheaded sociopath again, it'll be too early.." Nightmare groaned in distaste.

Dream made sure to carefully avoid the fact that Shattered was his unofficially adopted uncle, but Berror was-

"And don't even get me started on that glitched-out Blue.." Nightmare followed up.

Dream avoided the topic of both of them! He had definitely been held against his will. Horribly. It had been just horrible. There was no adoption at all, and he did not care about Shattered or Blueberror. At all. After Dream told his family the abridged story, it was time for Catch to pick out a room to stay in, since he would be living here now, and Dream volunteered to show the other around!

"This is the hallway with Killer's, Horror's, Dust's and Cross's rooms!" He said, walking through the familiar hall; each of the four doors had the names of their owner on them, all of them having been carved in with a knife, it seemed. 

"What's so special about it?" Catch wondered. 

"It's just where Killer picked his room; the others chose rooms in the same hallway so they could be closer! And to not get lost when they were new, too!"

"Makes sense - this place is huge.."

"It is, but you can get used to it!"

Dream led Catch through the castle, showing him all the important places and making sure that Catch wouldn't lose his way. In the end, Catch chose a room near the gang's rooms, but one with a better view from the window.

"That's a good choice!" Dream encouraged, grinning. 

"Thanks!" Catch smiled. "It'll probably take me a while to get it set up the way I'd like it; in a few months, though, this place is gonna be looking great!"

"Why's it gonna take that long?" 

"Well, I'm going to need to take a lot of time to learn about this new world; I won't have whole days to devote to decorating a room.."

"Oh.."

Dream looked at the generic room; it was just one of the many guest rooms in the castle, with neutral walls, a bed with a mattress that wasn't too soft or hard, and a couple extra pieces of furniture such as bookshelves or a desk. It was nothing special, but..with time, it could be something better, and that gave Dream an idea. When he and Catch parted ways, Dream went to Nightmare with a mission.

"Nighty?" Dream addressed his older brother.

"Yes, Dream?" Nightmare was currently looking over some paperwork; three weeks of no work meant that there was a lot more to come back to, unfortunately.

"Can I have my own room?"

Nightmare chuckled. "Finally getting too cramped with me?"

"No, but..I wanna decorate a room my way! Your way is dark and boring!"

"Fair enough." Nightmare nodded. "You can ask Killer, Horror, and Dust to help you once they finish building that chicken house."

"Thank you, Nighty!" Dream hugged his big brother; he was going to make the most of being grounded, and that meant room decorating!

Killer, Horror, and Dust did not sign up for repainting a room after building a small house for a chicken named Kevin. They hadn't even signed up for building a house for a chicken named Kevin! But they had built the house, and now they were going to repaint a room anyway, because they were too weak to resist Dream's puppy-dog eyes. At least Dream was helping. Despite his best efforts, Cross was also roped into the painting at some point, and Error had only narrowly avoided it with a quickly-manufactured excuse. Nightmare and Catch were busy with multiversal history, while Robin was just too small to help.

"Ooh, that's pretty!" Dream commented on a star Cross was painting. 

"Glad you like it." Cross smiled. "So, what else do you have planned, after this?"

"Well, I'm gonna figure out how to change a carpet!" Dream replied, carefully moving his paintbrush across the walls; he had experienced a bit of trouble with the typical paint roller, leading to something smaller and less harmful in his hands. The carpet was going to have to go, anyway. 

"Well, it's unfortunate that I have no experience with carpets." Killer said, letting out a bored sigh. "I would have loved to help you with that if I could, but I am unfortunately banned from doing anything involving carpets for the rest of my life..since the incident."

"Yep, that was horrible." Horror joined. "I'm also banned from carpet-related things."

"Really?" Dream tilted his skull; was he going to have to do that by himself?

"They're just trying to say that they don't want to help without hurting your feelings." Robin informed, rolling his eyelights. "They're not 'banned' from carpet-related things."

"Oh..you could have just said you didn't wanna help." Dream tilted his skull; was he putting undue pressure on his family?

"I'll help you with it, Dream." Dust volunteered. "Don't mind those two."

"Thank you, Dust!" Dream had a helper! This would be great!

"Great, now I feel bad.." Killer whined.

"Serves you right." Cross commented.

"Are you gonna help, too, Cross?" Dream gasped, grinning.

"If I'm not needed elsewhere, of course."

"Thank you!"

"And I'll be moral support!" Robin cheered.

"Yeah! You're the best at that, Robin!"

"Well, that's the only thing I can do, with a job this big.."

"That doesn't change your skill level!"

Over the course of the next two days, the walls were finished, and the carpets were painstakingly replaced. In the end, Dream had a room with vibrant yellow star-speckled walls and a pastel yellow carpet that wasn't too intrusive. It was perfect! Now, all that was left was furniture, which Nightmare even let Dream pick out himself! The trip to the store was brief, but Dream enjoyed it nonetheless, and..

He had fit the decorating of a whole room into a two-day timeframe. 

He had expected that to take longer.

Well, he had his room done, and it was exactly how he had envisioned it, at least! He had a big cozy bed that was covered by a comfortable canopy curtain, which was his brother's favorite shade of purple (Dream's star projector wouldn't have shown up as well on a yellow curtain, unfortunately). He had his own nightstand to the side, which would house his journal, as well as a lamp to light up the dark at night. Across the room from his bed was Robin's house (he couldn't leave Robin behind!), just the same as ever. Between them was a window seat that overlooked the forest below; Dream had always enjoyed the view from this side of the castle. Along the rest of the walls were a few bookshelves, a desk, and, of course, a toy chest to hold all of Dream's toys; now he wouldn't have to go to the living room for them! He also had a walk-in closet near the door that was fairly large; he could fit all his clothes in it, as well as anything else he wanted to put in there! He may or may not have wanted this room specifically to hide in there if he had to..but that wasn't important right now! Right now, Dream's room was done, and he wanted to spend some time familiarizing himself with the place!

Robin was taking a nap, which was great for Dream's first course of action: writing in his journal! He had had a lot of fun in those other multiverses, even if it had gotten him grounded for a month..so he grabbed his pencil, dated the page, and started to write. 

Hi, journal!

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote here. For one thing, my portals got messed up again! I got grounded for a month because of it, but I had enough adventures for two months, so I'm not too sad about it. I can't see Swapyrus or Ccino until I'm ungrounded, though - I don't like that part. Maybe they can visit. I'll have to ask Nighty if they can. Anyway, my portal that was supposed to go to Outertale accidentally took me, Nighty, and Cross to a different multiverse, and it was weird. Everything was so positive there, and it was because the version of me there was a little evil. He wanted to destroy all negativity, and he even tried to hurt Nighty and Cross! He was kind of tall, and he had really big shiny golden wings, which I really liked! I gave myself wings while we were there, too! He wore a yellow jacket, and his voice was 

"We meet again, little Guardian!" A voice spoke, from beyond the foot of Dream's new bed..his voice. "I had to wait quite a while to get you alone.." 

Dream's eyelights widened, and he dropped his pencil. How did he get here?! How could he be here?! 

"Oh, don't be scared to see me; I'm not gonna hurt you." Wish put his hands over his chest, as if he were holding his heart. "I'm here to help you."

"Y-you tried to kill my brother!" Dream glared, starting to shiver. "Stay away from me!"

"Little one, don't be like that-" Wish flinched, feeling another presence.

"How about you do what he asked, and stay away?" Another-

"Uncle Shattered..?" Dream blinked, his fear turning into confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I..I have a better excuse than he probably does!" Shattered defended. "When you left, I felt your surprise, and..I thought you were scared, so.."

"You followed me.." Dream sighed, before turning his gaze to Wish; Shattered could probably beat Wish in a fight, especially in this negative environment, and that eased most of Dream's fears. "What about you?"

"..I..came to take you home with me.." Wish said, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself as Shattered stared him down. "But I see that isn't happening, so..if you would be so kind as to make me a portal home, I'll be going..?"

"..I would, but I can't." Dream shrugged. "I'm grounded for a month."

"Uh..I won't tell anyone?"

"Plus, I dunno how to make another portal to your home; I'd probably mess it up."

"Ah..so I'm stuck here." Wish's hands dropped to his side as he realized the situation he was in.

"We both are." Shattered realized, letting out a sigh. "This is going to be just fantastic."

A sleepy Robin emerged from his little home, not happy that his nap had been disturbed by..two very different versions of adult Dream?

"Who in the world are you?!" 

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean has a lot of work to do!

Thanks for reading my awkward writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"..What is that thing?" Wish inquired, looking at Robin.

"Robin isn't a thing!" Dream glared. "He's a bitty, and he's my friend! Unlike you!" 

"Well, excuse me!" Wish rolled his eyelights. 

"I'm gonna tell Nighty you're here!" Dream started to get out of his bed. 

"No,  you aren't!" Wish scowled, but he took a step back when Shattered moved between him and Dream. "Because this freak isn't supposed to be here, either, apparently, and if you turn me in, I'll turn him in! Got it?"

Dream had to pause at that; Wish had a valid threat, unfortunately. Nighty wouldn't be happy to see Wish, but he would have probably been less happy to see Shattered..that wouldn't have been good. 

"..You're very mean." Dream huffed. "Fine, I won't tell him.."

"Good. Now, do you know a way I could get back home?"

"No." Dream replied. "You're stuck here, just like we were stuck in your world, unless you want to go through a portal to somewhere random."

"..And that brother of yours would be able to sense my aura clearly if I left the universe.." Wish glared at the floor. "This is just great.."

"Why'd you come here, anyway? What do you want from me?"

Wish looked at Dream, before crossing his arms. "..You..you're just.."

"Spit it out!" Dream didn't want to waste time on this!

"I wanted to make you my heir, okay? I like you, and I think you'd be a pretty good prince! That's what I wanted!"

"...What a psycho.." Shattered muttered.

"..What's an heir?" Dream tilted his skull. 

"It's a person who's in line to take the throne of a monarchy, typically." Robin piped up, flying over and landing on Dream's shoulder. "Usually a child of the current monarch. Now, would someone tell me what in the world is going on?!"

"..They're stuck here." Dream informed. "And we can't tell anyone about it, because I don't want Uncle Shattered to get caught.."

"Uncle?" Robin asked. "I thought you said he kidnapped you."

"Well..he did, at first..but we got to know eachother a lot, and he's my uncle now! I really like him!"

"..Well, I guess I can't fault you for that." Robin sighed, crossing his arms. "What about him?"

"He's mean, and if we tell on him, he'll tell on Uncle Shattered, so we can't tell on him."

"That's called blackmail." Robin enlightened. 

"And it's surprisingly effective." Wish interjected.

"..Okay." Robin nodded. "So how are we going to hide them?"

"..I don't know." Dream admitted. "Maybe they can stay in the closet? I can get some sleeping bags.." 

"I can blend in with the shadows." Shattered informed. 

"But Nighty does that, too; what if he sees you in shadowland?" 

"..I've been in the shadows constantly for the past few days, and he hasn't seen me."

"But what if he does?"

"..Fine."

"Thank you!" Dream moved up to hug his uncle. "I'm sorry you're stuck here.."

"It's fine, Dream; I-" Shattered froze midway down in a motion to pat Dream's skull. "Oh, hell.."

"What?" Dream wondered. 

"Did you have to say that?" Robin was unimpressed.

"I left Berror alone at home.." Shattered remembered. "He's gonna..I don't even want to think about what he's gonna do.."

"..That is definitely a reason to say bad words." Dream nodded; this was serious.

"Who's Berror..?" Wish decided to ask.

"Uncle Shattered's toddler." Dream replied, sighing. "He's gonna hurt himself.."

"Good thing he's immortal.." Shattered hummed. "Well, he might raze a few universes, but he'll be fine..probably."

"..He'll what." Wish was unfamiliar with these concepts.

"You two get in the closet; I'll get some sleeping bags for you." Dream directed. "And don't be too loud; someone'll catch you if you are."

"All right."

"I'll be a lookout.." Robin sighed; how did he manage to get dragged into these types of things so often?

With a nod, Dream left the room to obtain teo sleeping bags..and a couple pillows. Meanwhile, Shattered and Wish entered the closet, the latter letting out a hum.

"This is bigger than my closet.." He commented, leaning against one of the walls. "We'll both have space to sleep, at least."

"Good." Shattered responded. "The farther away from you, the better."

"Am I really that bad?" Wish smirked.

"You're lucky I'm not killing you now." Shattered flicked his tentacles. "I could use a little more LV.."

It's not surprising little Dream picked you as a family figure, considering who's raising him - if only I could show him the better way..he'd drop you and the others like the trash you are."

"Oh, really?" Shattered scowled. "And what exactly is this better way of yours, if I may ask?"

"Living with me as my heir, of course." Wish smiled at the thought. "He's got courage and confidence, two important traits for rulers. He's crafty, too, and I adore that..but most of all, he's genuinely kind..even I can't claim that about myself. I'd treat him like the royalty he's meant to be, and I'd help him figure out his true purpose in life; his talents are wasted on being 'normal.'"

"Do you even know why he wants to be normal?" Shattered glared. "Do you know anything important about him?"

"He's destined for greatness; you can just tell, with some people." Wish leaned his head forward with intent. "He's not meant to be normal, no matter how hard he may want to try to avoid it."

"Well, he wants to be!" Shattered clenched his fists, taking a step closer to Wish. "And anyone who can't respect that opinion, including you, can-"

"Back!" Dream opened the door to the closet, interrupting the conversation; he was holding two sleeping bags and two pillows. "..You two look mad. Are you okay?"

"..We're fine." Shattered regained a normal stance, crossing his arms, though his tentacles wiggled angrily. 

"Well, I hope these are okay." Dream brought the sleeping bags into the closet. "There should be enough room.."

"That's fine, thank you." Wish gave a pleasant smile, as Dream passed by, before glaring daggers at Shattered when Dream's gaze passed..and receiving the same from Shattered. 

"So..do you guys wanna play cards?" Dream offered. "It'll probably be pretty boring for you two in here, so I'll play with you; Robin can join us, too!"

"..All right, but only so I can put this loser in his rightful place." Shattered gained a competitive grin. 

"Yes, putting yourself in last place would benefit the world as a whole." Wish chuckled lowly. 

"..How about we start with Go Fish?" Dream had a bad feeling about this.

Shattered, Wish, Robin, and Dream gathered in the closet to play Go Fish, and..it wasn't a total failure. Sure, Shattered ended up throwing his cards into Wish's face, and Wish tried to retaliate by summoning a broadsword, which led to Shattered tackling him, but after Dream and Robin managed to separate the two, they continued to play normally, albeit with a few harsh remarks scattered amid the game. In the end, Robin won, leaving both the adults at eachother's throats and demanding another game. Unfortunately, it was time for lunch, which brought up a subject that Dream wasn't sure how to handle.

"What are we gonna eat?" Shattered inquired. 

"Uh.." Dream thought about it. "I could..um.."

"I've been taking leftovers from the kitchen; it's loaded." Wish shrugged. 

"..That won't work forever." Robin informed. "Dream, you just say you're a growing boy and that you need a giant serving to account for that, and when you can't finish the ridiculous portion, claim that you'll finish eating in your room; the others will think you're protecting your pride and consider it a phase." 

"..Okay." Dream nodded; that would work. "Thank you, Robin!" 

"That's what I'm here for!" Robin chuckled. 

"I'll bring you guys some food soon, then!" Dream assured. "Please don't kill eachother while I'm gone!"

"Fine.." Shattered sighed, crossing his arms. "But I won't like it."

"I shall refrain." Wish shrugged. 

So Dream went down to the table to eat with the others, and he did as Robin had instructed, but he still had to wait through the meal..and hope Shattered and Wish were all right.. 

"Well, I'm sure we're all glad to be back home after so long; I know I am." Nightmare smiled. "And I'm especially happy that Catch is settling in so well; you're a wonderful addition to our little group, Catch, and we're glad to have you." 

"Thanks.." Catch gave a small smile. "You guys have been really nice to me, and I'm grateful for it.."

"Well, we're grateful that you're here." Cross returned. 

Dream didn't know Catch quite as well as Nightmare and Cross did, but he still liked him; Catch was a bit jumpy at times, though, and he didn't like pranks at all..Dream wondered why. He had been so scared when Dream had done the littlest prank, and Nightmare had asked Dream not to pull pranks around him, either. It was weird, but..maybe he had a bad past with pranks? Dream hoped not..although, Wish didn't really like pranks, either, it seemed, and Wish had held Catch hostage for a long time..Dream hoped Wish wasn't the cause of Catch's fears. The last thing Dream needed was for someone to find out that he was harboring two alternate versions of himself in his closet.. 

"Dream, are you all right?" Killer looked down at the child seated next to him, speaking quietly; the others were still stuck in conversation. "You're seeming kinda distant.."

"..Yeah, I'm okay." Dream nodded, before looking at his plate; he had an excuse on hand. "Can I finish this in my room? Because I will finish it..in my room. I just..um.."

Killer chuckled, falling for the carefully-laid trap. "All right, Dream; go ahead, and I'll answer any questions you leave behind."

"Thank you!"

With that situation having been expertly avoided, Dream took his plate to his room, where the others would have thought he would do anything but give the remains to the two adults living out of his closet. One was..much hungrier than the other, it seemed. 

"Don't take it all, Wish!" Dream scolded. 

"Who?" Wish tilted his skull.

"Oh..that's what I call you in my head." Dream informed. "I didn't wanna call you 'other me' all the time, so I made you a nickname!"

"..Thanks, I guess?" Wish wasn't sure how to take that.

"You're welcome!"

"It's fitting; you don't deserve the name 'Dream' anyway." Shattered thought.

"And why exactly not?" Wish glared. "You shared the name once, too."

"I was different back then. I'm not fit, either; I just realized it on my own without having to be told. You just Wish you had, now."

"Don't mock me, murderer."

"Oh, I highly doubt you're devoid of LV."

"Um.." Dream interrupted. "Can you at least try not to fight, please?"

"..For you." Shattered looked down. "But if he lays a finger on you.."

"He won't." Dream assured. "I'll be okay, Uncle Shattered; this is my home, after all!"

"..And it is a nice home." Wish complimented. "Although, I think you're meant for much greater."

"Wish, please stop." Dream requested. "I don't want anything greater, and I don't want to be your heir; I want to be here, with my family."

"..All right." Wish elected to remain quiet..for now.

With that, Dream, Shattered, and Wish quieted down, and Dream decided to go finish his journal entry. He had a bit more to add, now, and after writing his adventures down in great detail, he started to write about his current predicament. Despite his wisdom for his age, Dream had no clue how to handle this; it was crazy! He had two different versions of himself to hide from his family! One of them was his uncle, who everyone thought had hurt him horribly after kidnapping him, and the other was a real kidnapper who was blackmailing (whatever that meant) him! Dream really wished he had a book to tell him what to do; he could have done with some instruction. But he couldn't have that. Instead, he had to figure everything out on his own, unless Robin had some way to help him! Robin was older than he looked..maybe he would have some ideas. Dream would have to ask him once he came up from the meal. If Robin couldn't help with instruction, maybe he would have a different way to help? It was worth asking, to Dream! Maybe everything would be okay, and maybe Dream would end up just fine until he could get Wish and Shattered back to their homes!

Dream could hope, at least..

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is unsure about everything!

I would be too in his position, honestly..

Thanks for reading my wishful writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been five days since Dream had started hiding Wish and Shattered from his family. So far, things were going smoothly; no one suspected a thing, and Wish and Shattered were suceeding in keeping their fights quiet. Despite everything, things were working out. Dream was still grounded, of course, and he hadn't made any progress getting the two back to their homes, but they were living as peacefully with him and eachother as possible, and that was all Dream could ask for. Of course, there were times when one of them needed a break from the other, and those times were quickly remedied withone of them barricading himself in the closet and refusing to come out or let the other in unless there was a chance of being caught; since everyone in the house always knocked and asked for permission before entering Dream's room, that worked. This morning, unfortunately, Shattered and Wish had gotten into another heated argument (perhaps the thirtieth since meeting eachother?) about something that could have been easily avoided, and Shattered had stormed into the closet to cool off, leaving Wish with Dream. 

"Well..that's unfortunate." Wish commented. 

"You shouldn't have said that; LV isn't a joke." Dream glared. "Saying stuff like that hurts people inside."

"It was only the truth." Wish scoffed.

"Sometimes it's better to say nothing at all than to tell truths all the time. And thinking about others instead of yourself all the time would do you some good, too." 

"..I believe in honesty."

"I believe I'm going to be glad when you're gone." Dream sighed, leaving his room; he needed some time, too - for adults, the two acted like more like children than Dream did sometimes.

Maybe a movie would help him get his mind off things..

Wish crossed his arms as the door closed, glaring at the floor. He didn't see why his views were frowned upon while the literal murderer's were taken seriously! And he didn't think about himself all the time! He just happened to be so good at decision making that he didn't need anyone else's input! It had been his idea to outlaw negativity, and that had done wonders for his world! It had been his idea to eradicate homelessness, and now everyone had a place to stay! It had been his idea to organize food drives and several different charities for the people who needed help! He had been thinking of others then! What was different now? Why were people disgusted by his words and actions?

Did the truth really hurt so bad?

Shattered was a murderer! He had killed countless innocents, and he had said several times that he would have killed Wish, if Dream's words weren't stopping him! He was no stranger to death or violence! If it hurt the murderer to be called a murderer, he shouldn't have made those choices! Wish might have had LV, yes, but his kills were practically forced upon him; he hadn't known better when random townsfolk had titled him the "Angel of Justice" and instructed him to strike down their foes. He knew better now, and he didn't do stuff like that anymore! He was better now. He had learned from it. Shattered certainly hadn't moved on from his killing! Wish was different; he knew right from wrong, and he tried to keep himself in the right, always. Was that so wrong?

"What's up with you?" Robin spoke from across the room, noticing Wish's glare; he had likely stayed inside his house as long as he could, with the argument earlier.

"There's nothing wrong with me.." Wish replied. "Right? I mean..either all of you are crazy, or..I can't be, right? I'm doing the right thing; am I not?"

"..There's a difference between being a good person and doing the right thing." Robin decided to say. "There's are times when they're the same, and there are times when they couldn't be further apart. It's up to everyone to decide for themselves where the overlap is. You..may be looking at things completely differently from anyone else. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you, necessarily - just that you have a different point of view."

"What makes it different?"

"..You'll have to figure that out for yourself."

Robin gave Wish a solemn look before leaving the room in search of Dream, leaving Wish to ponder. The adult had one question that gave life to a thousand more.

Why?

Why weren't being a good person and doing the right thing the same? Why did everyone hate him for doing what he thought was right? Sure, maybe calling out a murderer on his deeds wasn't the nicest thing to do, but Wish believed in retribution for one's actions, and Shattered certainly wasn't getting any other than Wish's words - it was the right thing to do. Wish couldn't just forget about it - that "Angel of Justice" hadn't left him entirely. Taking that Nightmare and Cross to the rehabilitation center had been right - they were negative, and negativity was bad. Everyone knew that - everyone had told Wish that, ever since..forever, so it must have been true! And his kingdom was very happy and content after his action against negativity; it was the right thing to do. The thought of taking Dream as his heir was..

Was that it?

Was that his supposed "wrong"?

His subjects had practically begged for an heir! They wanted Wish to set a standard, and he wasn't opposed to the idea..it was just that none of the potential candidates from his world were..right. Most of them were more thrilled by the thought of having power than anything else, and those who weren't..he couldn't take all of them. There was no way he would choose just one of those poor children and leave the rest..but he couldn't take them all, either. It would have been too unfair to those who weren't chosen, or he would have had dozens of children clamoring for his attention every waking moment. It wasn't practical. When Dream had shown up, he..he was perfect. Wish could have made up a little story that would imply Dream to be a biological child, and everything would have been perfect. His kingdom would have their standard, Dream would have been free of the negative people in his life, and Wish..could have had someone to raise. Someone he could teach and nurture and care for above all others. 

What a silly notion.

Now that Wish had spent more time around the child, he knew that Dream wouldn't enjoy life as a prince; he had already been born as something much higher, and he was running from it. Wish didn't know why, but he had seen how Dream acted, and he had received enough scoldings for his behavior that he understood Dream's standpoint.

But..Dream was wrong.

"Is Shattered still in there?" Dream asked, when he came back a few hours later. 

"Yep." Wish nodded. "But..it gives me a chance to talk with you."

"..About what?" Dream gained a suspicious look; that was to be expected.

"I..wanted to say that I'm sorry." Wish sighed, and Dream blinked, losing his suspicion. "I've had some time to think..and I understand your standpoint on your life. It's not mine; I can't force you to do anything."

"..So you're not going to ask me to be your heir anymore?"

"No, I'm not." Wish looked down. "But I would like to talk to you about your future, in a very polite and understanding way. I know I've been pushy in the past, and I'm probably the last person you want to talk to about this, but..I am older, and, in a way, I'm you..I'm just a you who took advantage of what you're running from. May I speak with you?"

"..All right." Dream came over, sitting on the edge of his bed next to Wish. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well.." Wish looked at the child beside him. "We can start with the basics..and the fact that destiny..is a very real thing."

"..What do you mean?" Dream wondered.

"There's a general concept in the world, that some people are born to do great things, while others are born to be the witnesses thereof. We can call them..the 'chosen' and the 'witnesses.' I'm a chosen, and you are, too. Few people are chosen, and more are witnesses, but most people..fluctuate. There are some people who don't do anything considered 'special' by the world, until they do, and then they're special. Some of them fade into obscurity, while others don't. Some people are just what the world considers 'normal.' You don't hear about these people in history books; they're just the people who witness what others do, and people who continue the long line of generations by being a part. An important part, but not one that warrants great praise, because it's 'normal.' Those are the witnesses. Then there are the chosen. The chosen..are born to do great things. It's not something you can just..escape from. Many call it fate, but..I call it destiny, because no one ever says you are fated for great things..they say you are destined. And we are, little Dream..we are."

"..But I don't want to be."

"But you are. You have no choice. You're a child now, and you have someone to protect you from the dangers of the world, but when you grow up..the world may conjure something that only you can deal with..or it may give you a role in which you won't even realize that you're doing what you never wanted to."

"..How do you know this?" Dream folded his hands tightly.

"..I think everyone tries to run at least once, Dream."

"..What did you do?"

"..It was a long time ago. After I gained my wings, the villagers began to call me the 'Angel of Justice.' They put it into my head that I was something to be 'worshiped,' but..they were never clear on what that was. They presented it as an..exchange. I did as they asked, and they gave me food and shelter, and they were always exceedingly kind to me. They conditioned me to think like that, and I did whatever they asked, whether it was helping with chores, or..killing. I lived like that for years, until I finally broke free of it, at the young age of twelve. A traveling group of knights from a nearby kingdom that was looking to expand its borders came by, and they found the village..although, it was more of a cult by then. They stayed for a few weeks, and they saw what I was put through. They taught me right and wrong, and I finally realized what I was doing. They offered to take me with them, and I accepted, and they took me to their kingdom. I thought I was free. I thought I could be a farmer; I wanted to be a farmer. But the king of that kingdom..he made me his commanding knight on a whim. I was twelve, and he did that because he could. So I, understandably, ran. And they caught me..and I learned not to defy destiny. Sure, I tried a few other times, but..I'm destined for greatness, so I must be great. I don't even have to try, at this point; I'm practically forced. I don't like to admit it, but Shattered is, too; he's just great in a different way. You're destined for greatness, Dream; you're not going to escape it in the long run."

"..I don't want to be." Dream looked down. "I want to be normal.."

"..You have a good support group." Wish admitted. "That's something I've never had. You have people who want to help you abide by your wishes, though the very world itself demands greatness from you. You have a good start, Dream, and..though I opposed you before, I..I do understand you now. I'm rooting for you, for as much as it's worth. If you ever need help, I'll try to help, since it'll probably be pretty dire if you're asking me." 

Dream let out a chuckle, smiling at Wish.

"But, seriously.." Wish smiled back. "You have to know this stuff."

"I get it, but..why did you tell me this?" Dream tilted his skull. "Why'd you change your mind?"

"..Your little bitty friend is destined for greatness, too; his words sparked something in me, and I reflected. Then I thought about you. You, the one trying to escape greatness..Dream, you and Robin have been great today, whether you realize it or not; you two made me think, and I'm starting to realize that..I might not be the best person. I have a lot of skewed morals, and..you've helped me realize that. You did your job today, Dream..you helped me." 

"..If it's like this every time, I might not mind.." Dream joked, trying to mask the emotions that phrase gave him. 

"It won't be all the time, but..sometimes, it will be. Sometimes, you'll do your job just by being yourself. The trick is..staying yourself. Time changes people, Dream. I used to be like you, and now I'm me; I'm fulfilling my destiny best by being myself, because that's how destiny has shaped me. Don't let it shape you, Dream..you might become a bit of a monster, like I did.." Wish sighed. "Be yourself, Dream. Know who you are..but know who it wants you to be, too."

"What does it want me to be?"

"I don't know. According to what I've heard of Shattered's past, it wanted him to be a total pushover and slave to the people. It wanted me to be an apathetic ruler. It might want something completely different from you..try not to let it have it."

"..Why warn me? Why not just take advantage of that, like you've tried to do with everything else?"

"..Because I don't want to be an apathetic ruler, though I must be. You've changed me from that, and you've given me care..care about you. If I took you as my heir, Dream, you'd grow up to be a hero. Destiny would rewrite itself to suit your new condition, and you'd undoubtedly turn into someone like me, or someone similar. Maybe you'd be a more benevolent ruler, someone to teach me empathy and show me new ways..but destiny would be behind that. Fate is something written in stone, unable to be changed despite how we try. You were born as the Guardian of Positivity - that is your fate. How you treat it is up to you. Destiny..is something that can be changed a million times; it adapts to your surroundings and influences you constantly, instead of only at certain points, as fate does. But one thing remains constant: if you are destined for greatness, you will always be destined for greatness."

"..What can I do, then?"

"Short of lying in your room all day doing nothing for the rest of your life..probably nothing. It'll just happen; you have to be prepared for when it does happen. Dream, you are not going to be able to be normal all the time. You may have periods of your life when things go your way and you get to do as you wish, but there will come a time - perhaps many times - when you will have to accept that you have to do something great, or else people will suffer. There will be times when you realize that you've done exactly what you were born for without even knowing it. The fact that you are not actively going out and making people feel positive doesn't exclude you from destiny; it just means that destiny will rewrite itself with that decision in mind. You will have to be prepared."

"..I will be." Dream nodded. "Thank you for telling me all this; it really means a lot."

"Thanks for showing me how much of an idiot I've been!" Wish let out a small laugh. 

Dream smiled. "You're welcome, Uncle Wish."

"Uncle what?!" Shattered came out of the closet.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean learns.

Thanks for reading my defying writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Two weeks of hiding Shattered and Wish had passed, and Dream had his hands full. Shattered and Wish...didn't like eachother very much. When the three played games, they always tried to one-up eachother, and when they had conversations, arguments were likely to sprout from the littlest things. Dream loved his uncles (both of them), but..this was getting a little tiring.

"It's no wonder you can't understand; it's something that takes real thought, not whatever goes on inside your head." Wish scoffed. 

"Oh, so it requires absolute apathy?" Shattered hummed. "I guess that's your strong suit, isn't it?"

"...Guys?" Dream sighed.

"Oh, maybe you don't get it because of all the colors; you're just too used to being in gothic castles instead of getting out and experiencing a full color palette." Wish smiled pleasantly.

"Am I supposed to take that from the one who hasn't changed his color scheme since birth? Blue and yellow? Really? Even Dream has moved on from that. I'm just ahead of the curve." Shattered inspected his..fingernails? Which he didn't have?

"Guys.." Dream rolled his eyelights. 

"I just prefer to stick to my roots." Wish gave a look of distaste. "And why are you bringing Dream into this? He's only just learning to expand his horizons; trying new things is part of that."

"I only used him as an example; don't make a big deal about it!" Shattered returned the look. "And calling them roots? Really? Sounds like mommy issues to me!"

"It's a rubix cube!" Dream shouted, gaining Shattered's and Wish's attention. "The game is to spin it until all the sides are of one solid color! That is what this is! That is all it is! Do you really have to fight about that?!"

"I.." Shattered blinked.

"We just.." Wish didn't know what to say.

"You two fight every single day, and you never stop!" Dream's fists shook as tears formed in his eyesockets. "Why do you have to fight like this? Why can't you get along?! You're not that different! You could try to be nice to eachother! Why can't you..?"

Dream dropped the toy, heading for the door.

"Dream, we-" Shattered was cut off. 

"I want to be alone.." Dream left the room, and Shattered and Wish were alone.

"Good going, one-eye." Wish scowled. "You made him cry."

"Me?" Shattered glared. "I think that was you, chicken wings."

"As if, octopus."

"..." Shattered's gaze fell to the floor, landing on the abandoned toy. "Wow, we're horrible.."

"What?" Wish wondered. 

"He literally just started crying about our fighting, and we just kept going.." Shattered sighed. "We're actually the worst."

"..Shoot." Wish hummed. "You're right.."

"..I think we need to come to some form of a truce, at least until we're back in our homes and never have to see eachother again." Shattered proposed. "Then we can go on hating eachtoher again, and Dream won't be hurt by it."

"..All right." Wish nodded. "It'll be hard, but I'll try." 

The two stared at eachother for a minute. 

"He's going to be suspicious if we just change for some reason by the time he gets back." Wish informed. "I guess we should spend some time together without fighting to practice.."

"..." Shattered sat down, picking up the rubix cube. "Wanna see if we can solve this before we kill eachother?"

"Sounds better than small talk!" Wish chuckled, taking a seat next to the darker spirit. 

"So.." Shattered started to fiddle with the cube. "What do you think he meant when he said we're 'not that different'?"

"..No clue." Wish admitted. "Although, we're both definitely good at fighting!" 

Shattered rolled his eyelight. "Yes, that's a given; we can both fight, verbally and physically. I don't think he meant that, though.."

"We both have yellow eyelights?"

"..You could be onto something." Shattered hummed. "Although, I'm missing one, as you have so dutifully pointed out.."

"..May I ask why?" Wish requested. "I have to assume that being corrupted will do some things to you, but..losing an eye? Really?"

"..I can't really answer that." Shattered admitted. "It's something I've wondered about. My brother is missing an eye because half his skull was caved in before his corruption..and I'm missing one because..I'm weird?"

"..Could be because it was his magic that corrupted you." Wish offered, taking the rubix cube for a turn. "I'm not a scholar, but I know a little about magic; it likes to parallel things. It's like..it's like how water created with magic always has the same fluidity as real water; it's paralleling a precedent."

"..Where did you learn that? I can't imagine you went to school." 

"Being a ruler of a kingdom means that I get invited to a lot of lectures; I can't say no to them all, so I learn stuff. And..you're right about the school; I never got a real education. Unlike this world, apparently, mine doesn't have different universes with different time periods; I had to live through the middle ages, as well as everything afterward. It was..kind of cool."

"..So when were you born?"

"Around the year 1400." Wish shrugged. "It's a hassle learning how to deal with each generation as they pass. Every generation wants something different, but they all think of me as old, because I'm over six hundred years old - but, of course, they're all smarter than I am! I was only there to witness everything their knowledge is based upon; why would I know anything?"

"Oh, people." Shattered scoffed. "Absolutely ridiculous - I don't know how you've managed to deal with them for so long. It's always 'do this,' 'do that,' 'do my chores,' 'you did that wrong,' 'you' better come back later and fix this,' and on and on and on!"

"Oh, don't even get me started!" Wish scoffed. "I had a ten year old berate me for not knowing what an 'electron' was when he was presenting his science project at the city's science competition! I'd never heard of such a thing before! I'm not a science person; it changes way too often! One minute, we have caloric determining what heat is, but the next, it's actually something else! It just changes over and over, and I've given up on trying to understand it; when they finally figure everything out and finalize everything, then I'll look at it!"

"At least you didn't get flung into the modern world instantly." Shattered groaned. "You spend five hundred or so years trapped in stone, and what do you get for it? 'You need to learn how to use a vacuum cleaner!' 'You've never heard of a phone?' 'You haven't ever had modern plumbing?' Seriously, I'm still trying to figure half this stuff out; what is 'online shopping'? People say it like everyone knows what it means, and I've always been too stupidly timid to ask, so I'm just nodding my head like an idiot; they say 'it comes to your door!' What is it?! Is it a summoning ritual? It sounds like one!"

"Oh, my stars!" Wish giggled. "You, too?!"

"You don't know what it is?" Shattered gasped.

"I spent twenty years trying to figure out what a 'television' was! How should I know what 'online shopping' is?"

"Exactly!" Shattered shouted, grinning. "Someone gets it! And you know the worst part?"

"What's the worst part?"

"I tried to get into school! I was a little six year old, fresh out a a five-hundred-year sleep, and I  wanted to familiarize myself with my world. But, no, child, you have to go fight your brother, who also happens to be a monster now; deal with it. And that's the story of how I lost it."

"That is so..so similar to my story. In the middle ages, school was for nobles and religious figures - no one else. Unfortunately, I didn't qualify. When the more modern ages came around, I tried to get into a college, or just something that would teach me something useful, but they would not let me in! I don't know why! It was just constant rejection! About thirty years ago, I tried again, and they still wouldn't let me get an education! I'm literally their ruler!"

"It's almost like they're afraid a little education will change us." Shattered snickered. "I know that's why they wouldn't let me; I wouldn't have been their perfect little servant if I had the chance to learn a few things about the world."

"I get that." Wish nodded. "I don't know exactly why they keep it from me, though; I'm rarely invited to sit in on kindergarten classes, and I actually learn stuff when I do it..it's crazy. I'm probably the dumbest ruler a kingdom has ever had; I didn't know how to do basic math until the 1900s."

"Oh, I still don't know how." Shattered admitted. "I can add a little, and subtract, but I've never learned more; Blue taught me how to read when I had small breaks between fighting my brother and being a servant, and it honestly changed my world..there are so many things modern people take for granted."

"At least Dream's getting an education.." Wish sighed. "He deserves that; his brother's a good person. He's lucky he has the chance."

"..Hey, Wish..?" Shattered looked at the other. 

"Yeah?" Wish looked up from the rubix cube.

"Do you think Dream has any old textbooks lying around?"

"..We could ask."

"Maybe I'll finally get to figure out what multiplication is!" Shattered grinned at the thought. "I've always wanted to figure things out on my own; it's pretty boring, having everyone tell you the answers without telling you how to get your own.."

"I get that." Wish nodded. "I was the same until I was about three hundred; I literally had to run a hundred miles away just to break into a schoolhouse, grab a few books, and hide in a cave for two weeks trying to teach myself to read, which I did not, just to get taken back home before I could figure it out. It was infuriating. Eventually, I ended up locking Ink in a room with me and forcing him to teach me, which was..interesting, considering his past. It was a second-grader teaching a kindergartener, essentially. I finally got it, though; I was so proud..and then they started giving me paperwork."

"I would've cried." Shattered took the rubix cube back. "I literally would have cried if they'd done that to me."

"I made it through, but it turned me off learning much else; more knowledge means more work. It is helpful, though; I'll never deny that."

"Hey, look at this.." Shattered turned a side of the cube on last time, and.. "We did it."

"We're the best." Wish chuckled. "We solved the cube; all must bow to us, now."

"Yes, and then they'll stop calling us old!" Shattered grinned.

"Huh..I guess we can get along, after all.."

"Ah, man.." Shattered sighed, but he was smiling. "Dream was right again; we're just actually that dense."

"Yeah, he was.." Wish nodded, before looking at Shattered. "I, uh..I'm sorry..for everything."

"Hey, you're not apologizing first; I'm apologizing first! I'm sorry for-"

"No, no, I'm sorry-"

 "For calling you-"

"For for being mean!"

"How dare you?" Shattered crossed his arms. "Apology not accepted; you have to start over and try again. I'm sorry for-"

"I'm sorry-"

Dream lay quietly in his brother's arms, resting his skull against his brother's ribcage and listening to his soulbeats; neither had moved for at least ten minutes by now, but it had been helpful. The quiet was comforting; it helped Dream sort his thoughts. And..there were a lot of thoughts to sort.

"Are you ready to tell me why you came running into my office crying?" Nightmare asked, after a while.

"..No." Dream replied. "I just wanted you.."

"Okay." Nightmare rubbed Dream's skull softly. "That's okay. Will you want to tell me sometime in the future?"

"..Maybe. Dunno yet.."

"All right. Do you want to stay a little while longer?"

"Yeah.."

"Would you like me to read you a story?"

"..Yes, please."

Nightmare nodded, reaching over to a pile of books on his desk and grabbing one that Dream would like, before quietly reading it aloud. He didn't know what had his brother so upset, but he wouldn't pry; Dream was getting older now, and he was entitled to a little privacy, as long as it didn't go too far. This was hardly going too far; for all Nightmare knew, Dream had just taken a nap and woken up from a night terror. It couldn't have been too bad, anyway; the castle was feeling more positive right now than it had been in quite a while...

Why was that?

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean's uncles bond.

Thanks for reading my bonding writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Layout of Dream's room for reference:

~~~~~

"This is called long division, 'cause it's long." Dream explained, pointing to a page in his textbook. "You know how multiplication is just really fast addition?"

"Yes?" Shattered followed. 

"Well, division is just multiplication backwards!" 

"Woah." Wish hummed. "How does that work?"

"I'll teach you the same way Nighty taught me! It'll be super easy once you get the hang of it!" 

It had been three weeks of hiding. There had been a couple close calls with Killer recently, but after Dream had asked him to not burst into his room without warning, things had gotten a bit easier; Killer was just a bit more hyper than the others were. Overall, thigns were going smoothly; Shattered and Wish were getting along much better (Dream had done his job again, but he wasn't too upset about it this time), and they were even study buddies! After hearing that neither of his uncles really knew basic..anything, Dream had volunteered to teach them all he knew! That was a lot, of course, but first, he needed to teach them the basics. He had taken a few books from the library to help them out, as well as a few of his old textbooks, and he was giving Shattered and Wish daily lessons! Of course, that was a lot, considering he had his own lessons to focus on, but he could do it; he was determined to..help. 

Helping. He was helping. 

The thought of giving in to his instincts and doing everything he could to help everyone, without any care for his own needs, without any desire to keep himself away from starvation or desolation..it was a bit overwhelming. Dream had to find his limits, and he had to stick to them, as much as it made him feel off. He liked helping people; he wanted to help people...but he couldn't help everyone. He didn't want people to use him or abuse him, and he didn't want to help the wrong people..but he did want to help people. Shattered and Wish needed his help, because they had never been educated properly, and they couldn't be educated anywhere else because no one would teach them. So Dream had to do it..he had to do it. 

He had to do it.

"..I need a break." Dream said, putting down his pencil. "Can you two try these on your own for a while?"

"Sure, Dream." Shattered nodded. 

"Take all the time you need." Wish encouraged. "We understand."

"Thanks." Dream smiled, moving over to his bed and lying down. 

Shattered and Wish knew about Dream's instincts; Wish had once been plagued by them, although they didn't bother him much anymore, and Shattered had struggled with them until being corrupted, at which point, they switched to be more like Nightmare's instincts. Both of them knew what Dream was going through; both of them were willing to help him through it. They were both so understanding..

"Dream, I'm coming in!" Nightmare called, before opening the door. 

That..wasn't a lot of time. Dream sat up with a start, and Shattered and Wish bolted for the nearest cover they could find, which happened to be..under Dream's small desk. The closet had been too far away. Dream stared at his two uncles with shock before quickly summoning a neutral expression as Nighty turned the corner to see him. 

"Hi, Nighty!" Dream smiled, carefully making sure not to look at Shattered or Wish. "What do you need?"

"Sorry to walk in on you like this, but I just..I just want to ask if you're okay." Nightmare said, coming closer to stand next to Dream's bed. "I've felt a lot of stress from you lately, and I want to know if there's anything I can do to help you with whatever you may be going through; is there anything?"

Dream opened his mouth to speak, before looking down; his brother really was the best, wasn't he? 

"If..if being grounded for so long has made you this upset, I'm not opposed to letting you go out again; I really just wanted you to take some time to study the logistics and minute details about portal travel so something like that won't happen again." Nightmare explained. "But I understand that portals are a difficult magic to learn, and experience only comes with trial and error; I just fear for you..our little adventure wasn't exactly a safe adventure..do you understand?"

"..I understand." Dream nodded. "Thanks for caring that much, Nighty; I love you."

"I love you, too Dream." Nightmare smiled. "So..is there anything I can do to help you?"

"..I'd like a hug." Dream admitted. 

"Well, I can arrange that!" Nightmare chuckled, holding his brother close as Dream put his skull over his big brother's shoulder..and moved his eyelights between Shattered and Wish and the closet, silently motioning for them to get into there as fast as possible! 

Shattered and Wish took the hint, quietly getting out from under the desk. Shattered retracted his tentacles to ensure that they didn't bump into anything, while Wish pulled his wings in close, crawling out from under the desk slowly. After they were out, they tiptoed across the room and made their way to the closet, all while Nightmare had his back turned. Now, it was time for the hard part: the sliding door. Wish slowly fingered the edge of the door, sliding it open with as little force as he could muster; if the door made any noise, Dream was going to have to come up with a good explanation for it. When Wish had the door half-open, Nightmare started to pull away from the hug, causing Dream to pull him back.

Nightmare looked down at his brother with worry. "Are you sure there's nothing else I can do?"

"I'm sure." Dream nodded. "I just really want you to stay here a little longer."

"..How about I grab-" Nightmare started to turn-

"No!" Dream shook his skull rapidly, giving his brother a great deal of extra worry. "I just.."

"..Are you having nightmares about it?" Nightmare guessed. "I can help with those, you know; you don't have to deal with anything on your own."

"..It's just.." Dream looked down, trying to display hesitation instead of contemplation; what was he supposed to say?!

Wish got the door open far enough for the two to get through; now, he just had to close it! At least Nightmare could turn around a little, now, without the two being spotted..

"My instincts have been harder to deal with since we got back.." Dream came up with a logical excuse for his behavior; it wasn't even a lie! "I'm sorry for not telling you.."

"Ah.." Nightmare sighed, holding his brother close and not turning around, thankfully. "I hadn't considered that; you've been occasionally isolating yourself because of that?"

"..Sometimes." Dream wouldn't exactly have called it 'isolating..'

"Perhaps.." Nightmare looked down. "How intense is it? Compared to our last check-in?" 

"..It's louder." Dream shrugged. "Sort of. It doesn't say words, but..at the same time, it does..?"

"I understand. It does that; it will only grow stronger, unfortunately. I wish I could spare you from this, but.."

"It's natural." Dream filled in. "It's just..how Mama made us."

"Yes, it is..and you're very strong for your age in dealing with it."

"Thanks, Nighty.."

"I speak only the truth." Nightmare let out a sigh, smiling down at his little brother. "What do you think about getting some nice cream together in a surface AU? It might help to take your mind off things."

"..That'd be nice." Dream agreed, hugging his brother. "You make the portals, though."

"Oh, trust me, I will." Nightmare chuckled. "Shall we go?"

"I'm gonna grab a jacket; I'll be right back!"

"All right."

Dream slid off his bed and went towards the closet, opening the successfully-closed door as Shattered and Wish ducked behind some boxes; Dream was glad that he had some extra things to store back here.

"Why are there two sleeping bags in your closet?" Nightmare asked, from behind Dream, and Dream turned his gaze to the sleeping bags; that was..explainable.

"Robin and I are gonna use my star projector in here tonight." Dream excused. 

Nightmare let out a hum. "A sleeping bag that big for Robin?"

"..I didn't want him to feel left out."

"..All right." Nightmare let it slide. "I hope you have fun, then."

"We will!" Dream nodded, grabbing a green jacket with frog eyes on its hood and putting it on. "I'm ready!"

"Very well!" Nightmare opened a portal to the surface AU he had in mind, and Dream hopped through. 

Nightmare narrowed his eyelight at the closet, but..he didn't see anything. He closed the sliding doors halfway, stepped through the portal a moment later, and closed it promptly. 

"Stars, that was close.." Wish let out a breath he had been holding for..probably the entire time.

"Can't believe we forgot to put these away.." Shattered groaned, sitting down on one of the sleeping bags. 

"Yeah, that was dumb.." Wish agreed, sitting next to the other. "We're stuck here until they come back, too - they might just portal into the room."

"True - we'll have to stay quiet, too." 

"Studying, then?"

"Uh..we left our books out there." Shattered reminded. "I'll get them."

Shattered left the closet for a moment before grabbing the duo's books from the desk and bringing them back into the closet, shutting the sliding door quietly behind him. The two uncles then began to study. 

"So..how exactly does this work?" Catch wondered, holding the controller. 

"It's..you just move the joysticks and press the buttons at the right times." Cross hummed, trying to figure out how to explain this. "Once you get used to it, it basically comes down to muscle memory."

"We're skeletons." 

"..Marrow memory." Horror corrected

"I'm not sure I want to try this; it took me longer than I'd like to admit to adapt to using computers, and I can still barely navigate those.."

"You'll be fine, Catch!" Killer assured. "Besides, this is a super simple game - it's just a farming game, basically, and we turned the monsters off, so you don't have to worry about them!"

"There are monsters?"

"Not until you're ready for them." Dust informed. "Now, let's get you through this tutorial."

"What..is a 'vac'?" Catch was so confused..

"Short for vacuum - you'll get the hang of it."

"I will?"

"You will!" Robin chuckled. "I really like this one; even I can play it..with a bitty controller, at least."

Ah, the world of video gaming. Catch had been so stressed out recently; he had moved to a new multiverse, gotten a whole new group of people who cared about him, and even started to get over his traumatic past! It was a new beginning for him..

And yet, he couldn't help but feel his brother's influence. 

He knew his brother wasn't here; that would have been impossible, and if his brother were here, he would have shown himself by now! His brother didn't like to wait; he would have done something by now...but he hadn't. Of course he hadn't - he wasn't here. He was back home, ruling over his kingdom with his precious Justice Reigns. Catch was in a whole different universe..why would he have felt his brother's presence? It was probably just paranoia. A lot of paranoia.

Of course, the gang weren't strangers to fears that stemmed from nowhere, and they had prescribed things to take Catch's mind off that fear of his - reading a book series, playing board games (no one was too old for board games), taking up a hobby, learning a new skill, and..playing video games. Catch had made the dire mistake of asking what a "video game" was, and that had led to his current state, with the television having been turned into a game..? He didn't understand it, but he was willing to learn. Slowly, he learned how to walk, jump, and run in this "game," and for a short time, he actually started to enjoy himself...

Until he felt something that was more than just paranoia.

From somewhere in the castle, Catch could feel..frustration. The same type of frustration he had felt when he and his old friends had messed with the Justice Reigns and Dream. The same frustration he had felt when Cross had spray-painted their HQ pink overnight, or when Error had cosplayed as Dream and parkoured over the rooftops of government buildings, or when he had realized Catch and his friends had eighty-two overdue library books taken out which had never been returned because they couldn't enter the city without needing to go undercover. 

No one else's frustration was so prominent..so strikingly sharp in the air that it made Catch feel guilty after one pulse. There was no mistaking it.

His brother was here.

"This is so stupid!" Wish groaned. "I don't understand this.."

"Just..try it like Dream showed us; it supposed to be easy..although I'm not sure how..." Shattered was stumped, too. "Maybe we should wait for him to come back; he'll be able to explain it in a way that won't be..weird."

 "I hope so.." Wish sighed. "Long division, or a long waste of my time?"

"Apparently, this is important to know in the modern world." Shattered shrugged. "The more we learn, maybe the easier it'll be!"

"Yeah..gotta keep things positive..thanks."

"Ugh, when did I start being moral support?"

"When Dream made-" Wish paused, hearing a portal open. When he spoke again, it was in a whisper. "They're back."

Shattered nodded, moving back into a thick gathering of clothes, and Wish did the same. 

"That's funny..I could have sworn this door was open when we left." Nightmare's voice hummed, from outside. 

"..Was it?" Dream asked, feeling tense. 

"He's in here!" Catch-

Oh, no.

"I felt him, and he's in here!" Catch informed, before knocking on the bedroom door. "Dream, there's a monster in your room!"

"Th-there's a what?" Dream was not ready to deal with this - not at all!

"We're dead." Shattered whispered. "We're just dead. They're going to kill us."

"..Wish it weren't with you, but..there are worse people to die with, I suppose." Wish whispered back, with a smile.

"..I don't know how to take that, so..ditto."

Nightmare opened the bedroom door, and Catch led the rest of the gang in. 

"I sensed my brother, coming from this room!" Catch said. "I knew I wasn't being paranoid!"

"Dream.." Nightmare looked down to his little brother. 

"Y-yes, Nighty..?" Dream was forcing a smile; he could still get out of this!

"Do you have anything important to tell us?"

He wasn't getting out of this.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is put on the spot!

Thanks for reading my spotty writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

This was bad.

Everyone except Error, Ccino, and Swapyrus was here, and Robin wasn't going to help Dream out of this mess. At least Wish was going to be found, and after that, Shattered probably wouldn't have been far behind. Dream could have tried to hide them, but..that would have been stupid, and his family would have jumped to conclusions and thought Dream was being forced to say those things. That really only left..

Telling the truth. 

If he didn't straighten things out now, there would be a lot more trouble for Wish and Shattered, and Dream didn't want them to go through that. He had to tell the others about his uncles.

"..They're not bad anymore.." Dream prefaced.

"They?" Nightmare inquired.

"..Shattered and Wish."

"Who?" Catch wondered; he didn't recognize that second name.

"..Your brother's named Wish now.." Dream fiddled with his fingers. "And both him and Shattered are nice now..I'm sorry for not telling you.."

"Where are they?" Nightmare wanted an answer.

Dream pointed to the closet, where two adult skeletons knew they couldn't hide any longer, coming out to face judgement.

"..." Nightmare sighed. "How long have they been here?"

"Since we got back.." Dream replied, looking down. "I wanted to tell you, but you wouldn't have liked them, and they can't get back home without help, so I hid them.."

"Dream, do you know how dangerous that was?" Nightmare tried to stress a point. "These people hurt others..one of them even hurt you!"

"No..he didn't." Dream admitted. "Uncle Shattered's really nice, actually.."

"..." Nightmare's eyelight twitched as he looked up at Shattered, who took a couple steps back. "Uncle Shattered?"

"..I didn't make him call me that." Shattered defended himself. "He did it by himself. He made Wish his uncle, too, so it's not all me!"

"Hey!" Wish was not happy with being outed like that.

"Dream..are you kidding me?" Nightmare held his skull in his hand, letting out a long sigh. 

"..Nighty, they're not bad.." Dream said, softly. "..They didn't have their brothers when they were little, like I do..people were mean to them, and they grew up mean because of that. I'm teaching them to be nice..and how to do math!"

"What?" Catch blinked. "Math?"

"They weren't allowed to go to school, or anything!" Dream explained. "So I'm teaching them everything I know!"

"You didn't have to mention that!" Wish's face was a lovely shade of yellow. 

"..What if they're taking advantage of you, Dream?" Nightmare questioned. "Tell me you've at least thought of that."

"I have." Dream nodded. "And they're not; I know they aren't! They're just..they never had people to care about them like family..so I wanted to do it!"

"Hard to care about someone like family when they're hunting you down, brainwashing your friends, and tormenting you endlessly." Catch glared at his brother, whose gaze fell to the floor. 

"..I'm sorry about that.." Wish admitted. "I have excuses, but I don't think you'd want to hear them.."

"He was brainwashed." Dream shrugged. "So was Shattered. I'd probably be brainwashed, too, without Nighty! People are mean; I don't like them."

"What do you mean brainwashed?" Catch inquired. 

"He was in a cult that brainwashed him when he was little." 

"..You were what." 

"Yeah.." Wish sighed. "Dream's done a lot of work to help me get out of that; he's really the best."

"It's not their fault they were evil." Dream stated. "Wish was brainwashed, and Shattered went insane because people were always mean to him and did things that were traumatizing to him!"

"..I'm in no mood to argue with you, Dream." Nightmare admitted. "Let me talk with them, and if I see fit, they can stay until we can figure out how to get them back home, okay?"

"You'll see fit, Nighty; I know you will! They're really not bad at all now!"

"..I'm sure. Now, you and the others wait outside, and I'll talk with them."

"I'm staying." Catch informed. 

"..Catch and I will talk with them."

At that, Dream sent a hopeful glance at his uncles and left the room with Killer, Cross, Horror, Dust, and Robin, the former four of which started pelting him with questions. That wasn't Nightmare's concern right now, however; his current concern was the two skeletons that had apparently been living out of Dream's closet for the past few weeks. 

"What do you want?" He asked, to start. 

"..Nothing..?" Shattered shrugged. "I got here by accident."

"And what 'accident' was that?" Nightmare narrowed his eyelight. 

"Well..Dream sort of grew on me when he was with me, and because of that, we bonded. He actually..started calling me that before you guys left my world, and..because of that, I was staying close when you did leave. And when you went through, there was that big surprise, and it startled Dream, but I thought he was scared, so.."

"So you followed us?" Nightmare sighed. "Well, I can't doubt your care for my brother, in that case, but any trust you want to receive will have to be earned from the rest of us; you're on thin ice - you both are. What about you, 'Wish'? How did you get here? Why are you here? What do you want?"

"..I think it would be best to phrase this in a way my brother would understand." Wish started. "..I'm on a redemption arc."

"..You're on a what?" Catch blinked. 

"I came here intentionally, intending to kidnap Dream, but when I found out he couldn't actually make a portal back to my home, I blackmailed him to keep quiet about me, and as we spent more time together, the kid grew on me, and now I've realized how much of a jerk I was, and I'm sorry. He didn't deserve any of what I did to him, and he still forgave me..and now he's teaching me how to do math."

Nightmare narrowed his eyelight at Wish, before looking back to Shattered; he was thinking. While Nightmare thought, Catch had a few questions of his own.

"Don't you know how to do math already?" Catch thought. "You literally rule over a kingdom."

"..Yes, I do..and said kingdom has something against educating me." Wish shrugged. "I had to lock Ink in a room to force him to teach me how to read, and that wasn't even that long ago.."

"..Then..then how'd you get all that technological equipment? Didn't you make that stuff?"

"No..I asked other people to do it for me."

"..Are you telling me you don't even know what the machines you used to put me in did?!"

"..I sort of knew.." Wish shrugged.

"Tell me, then." Catch demanded. "Tell me what you asked for, when you had them made."

"..I just..asked for something that would help you fit into the world without making other people negative." Wish replied. "Like..something to make your aura a little less heavy on everyone? And to help the posititivity in the air to not hurt you, too!"

"..What did you ask for when it came to Error and Cross?"

"..Therapy?" Wish tilted his skull. "That was why it was called 'positive therapy'?"

"...You're an idiot." Catch let out a long sigh. 

"What?"

"You didn't ask to watch your therapy sessions?"

"They said it would be intrusive!" Wish didn't want to be intrusive!

"You didn't even watch mine?"

"Should I have..?"

"..." Catch took a deep breath, before exhaling. "So you're telling me..you truly thought your 'positivity therapy' was real therapy, and that the machines they used on me..you thought they were helping my magic to adapt to your world so I wouldn't be hurting?"

"...Yes?" Wish had the sneaking suspicion that he was wrong about that.. "Th-the doctors told me you were making good progress..?"

"...Well. Here, I thought you just hated me and everything I stood for, but you're really just a naive idiot who can't even do math, apparently. Great."

"..It wasn't therapy, was it?"

"..No. It wasn't."

"If you're an ignorant buffoon, why did you drug my brother and kidnap Cross and me to take us to your 'therapy' room?" Nightmare inquired; something wasn't adding up..

"..Okay, that wasn't really ignorance." Wish had to admit that. "You see, I have the bad habit of judging people as soon as I meet them, and I judged you and your Cross to be bad, since both of you have LV, and you just..gave off really bad vibes. I sent you to get what apparently wasn't therapy, although I thought it was at that point, and..I intended to raise Dream myself. It wasn't the smartest thing ever, but..I had good intentions. You just didn't strike me as people who should have been around a kid.."

"..." Nightmare sighed, looking back to Shattered. "So, what's your story? What happened to you?"

"..What do you mean?" Shattered asked.

"If I'm right, there should be a pattern here. Something happened to you, so you're a psychopath; what happened?"

"..Are you asking for some sort of traumatic past?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, pardon me if I don't feel inclined to share that information!"

"Just tell me if you have a 'traumatic past.'"

"Why?"

"Because if you do, I'll let you and him stay here."

"..Okay. According to some people..I might have some trauma."

"'Some people'?" Wish snorted. "That's the whole world, bud. We're both messed up."

"..This is just fantastic." Nightmare sighed, putting a hand up to his skull. 

"What?" Catch wondered. "That these two kindergarteners managed to grow up fully traumatized and stupid?"

"..Moreso the fact that I think we can expect more in the future."

"What do you mean?" Wish questioned. "We're the only two here.."

"..It seems the world has decided on a place for my little brother.." Nightmare stared at Shattered and Wish. "Instead of being a Guardian of Positivity..it's looking like he'll be dealing with all of you poor traumatized folk."

"..What?" Shattered didn't get it.

"He's met three of his alternates so far." Nightmare informed. "He left the first alone, but it seems the world has adapted to that decision, and it's allowed both of you to follow him.."

"..Destiny." Wish realized. 

"Some call it that." Nightmare nodded. "In light of that new information, you two are free to stay; it seems that I have to have a long talk with my brother about his future..and he will not like it."

"He really won't.."

"Wait, I don't get it." Catch admitted. "If he's not your Guardian of Positivity, then who is?"

"..I don't know." Nightmare admitted. "Maybe there isn't one; I may be the only keeper of the balance of emotions in this multiverse, but that isn't something that bothers me - I've done that for nearly five hundred years alone by now. What bothers me is the fact that my little brother is being forced into a role that may be worse than his original one.."

"..I might not like talking about my past, because it was bad..but I don't think anything could be worse than that." Shattered admitted. "How could anything be worse than.."

"Being forced into a role, not only by destiny, but by people?" Wish filled in. "Being abused by those people? Being threatened and prevented from getting the necessary tools to escape? Having everyone you know lie to you to keep you in the dark? I don't know what they did to you, brother..but it wasn't my intention for you to be harmed. If you were..it wasn't on my orders."

"..I get that now." Catch nodded. "As much as I hate it..I get it. You were led to believe that everything was just as happy of a world as you imagined it, and that made you easy to control..I hate it, but you're an idiot, so I can't hate you.."

"..If we ever get home..will you help me fix it?"

"..You don't know how bad it is, do you?"

"..No..but I can hope it isn't that bad..right?"

"..We're gonna have a lot of talks."

"With that out of the way, what exactly could be worse than being the Guardian of Positivity?" Shattered wanted to know.

"..Wish was misguided and prevented from finding the answers to any questions he might have had." Nightmare answered. "You..know what happened to you. Neither of you are exactly..bloodthirsty. But..there must be multiverses where this isn't the case. My brother could be in danger in a wide array of multiverses, and I doubt all Dreams are like you two..and it wouldn't even be the Dreams he'll have to watch out for, most of the time..I'll have to prepare him, if this is going to happen in the future." 

"..So..he's not the Guardian of Positivity anymore?"

"No, he is not."

Swapyrus lounged boredly on the couch, watching another rerun of some random surface show he hadn't bothered learning the name of. He couldn't wait until Dream could come over again; Swap had some great pranks planned! He just needed his little assistant to help him pull them off! Alas, the child was grounded - that tyrant had confined him to the castle for a whole month! That left Swapyrus with the only pastime of sitting on the couch watching tv with a bag of chisps..and suddenly, he felt happy about that!

"Blue, tone down the aura, will ya?" Swap requested. "This is the saddest part..I think." 

"Oh, uh, okay!" Blue nodded from the kitchen. "Sorry, Papy!" 

Pretending to be the Guardian of Positivity was..an experience. Blue was a good actor, but even he couldn't live a double life perfectly all the time. He usually took off the aura-infused amulet when he was home, but he sometimes forgot to take it off. He just had to shove it into a drawer or something, and then everything would be fine - no more blinding happiness! He reached a hand up to his neck, where-

He wasn't wearing the amulet.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

The beans have some fun!

Thanks for reading my fun writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been one week since Shattered and Wish had been revealed to the family, and..things weren't great. Dream and Nightmare had had a long talk the day after about Dream's future, and Dream hadn't taken it well. He had spent so much time trying to avoid one thing, only to find that life had something else in store for him - something that might have been worse. Sure, Wish and Shattered were nice, and Star had been seemingly-harmless, but..what about the next one? Would Dream be in danger next time? He couldn't help his fears. He had decided not to make portals anymore, at least until he knew more about them..he didn't want to end up in another bad situation. He wanted to be normal, but..he couldn't be. After that talk, Dream hadn't been in the best mood; his entire point of view had been shifted, and..he didn't see the point anymore. He had successfully run away from being the Guardian of Positivity, just to be put into a new role..what was it even called? The Guardian of Guardians of Positivity? That sounded stupid. It all sounded stupid. He hadn't wanted to be taken advantage of by others; now, he would just be the one who had to salvage what was left of those who had been. He didn't even know if that was what he was supposed to do.

What if he was meant to do something else?

What if his new role was to save other Dreams from their horrible lives? He was ten! How was he supposed to be able to do that? What if his role was to help the other Dream with their jobs? He didn't want to do that!

...

What if he was supposed to hold them accountable? To make sure they did their jobs?

He couldn't imagine doing that to someone. 

Of course, the others had picked up on his line of thinking rather quickly; it wasn't hard, with the way the usually-bubbly Dream had become quiet and solemn within the span of an hour. They had tried waiting it out, but when Dream's mood hadn't lifted, they had decided to help him. Everyone had invited him to cuddle at some point, but he had only been lost in thought during them. Horror had made a few of his favorite desserts, but those had only managed to lift his spirits for a few minutes at best. Killer and Dust had played a few games with him, trying to get his mind off the existential horrors he was dealing with, but those had only worked until the games were over. Cross had taught him a few stretches that might have helped with relaxing his mind, but whether those worked or not was up for debate; after that, he had decided to do a little training with the child - that might have helped just a little more. Robin had encouraged him constantly, giving Dream some moral and emotional support. Shattered and Wish..tried not to talk about it. They were reminders of his new job, after all; he was supposed to help Dreams, and he had already helped two! They had mostly stuck to cuddling. As for Nightmare..

"I-I don't wanna do it, Nighty.." Dream's small frame trembled in his brother's arms, and Nightmare slowly rocked his brother back and forth.

"I know..I know.." Nightmare whispered, gently wiping away Dream's tears. "It's hard to come to terms with, Dream, but..I know you can do it. I love you.."

"L-love you, too.." Dream sobbed, taking shallow breaths in the midst of his crying. "'M sorry.."

He didn't know how Nightmare put up with him. He had been nothing but a burden for the past week. He had barely done any chores at all, and he had cried over a dozen times..he was so stupid. He shouldn't have put all this stress on the others; they didn't deserve that. He should have just been his normal self; why was that so hard? Why couldn't he just pretend everything was fine, like Shattered had once done? Was it because he was just bad at that, too? Ironic..he had been born as a Guardian of Emotion, but he couldn't keep his own emotions in check? He was such a failure. That was why he was in this situation in the first place, wasn't it? He was so selfish that he didn't want to help others, just because of his fears about what might have happened. Now, he had a new job - one that suited his selfish personality. He should have just been grateful. He was lucky he'd had a choice at all. He was lucky his family had put up with him for so long. Maybe..maybe he should have spared them this. They didn't deserve the pain he was putting them through.

"..You have nothing to be sorry about." Nightmare sighed, gently rubbing his little brother's skull. "..But I sense a lot of..negativity from you..is there something you'd like to talk about? Maybe we can find a satisfying middle ground."

"..I don't wanna talk about it." Dream whispered. 

"Do you feel that you should talk about it, anyway?"

"..No."

 "..All right."

Nightmare continued to rock his little brother back and forth, trying to offer solace, but..Dream's transition wasn't going well. The Guardian of Positivity had felt the need to help everyone; Dream's past negative thoughts had mostly been fears or disappointment. Now, Nightmare was feeling something that he had never felt from his little brother before: self-hatred. Whatever Dream's role was now..it came with a change of mindset, and it had hit his little brother like a truck. The others believed it was dread or fear of his new role..but Nightmare knew what it really was, and it hurt. Guardians often received mindsets to suit their roles. The Guardian of Positivity was typically naive and trusting, seeing the best in the world. The Guardian of Negativity was cautious, and in Nightmare's case, he had been spiteful for the longest time..he had had to break free of that thought process slowly. Error's role as the Destroyer came with a jealousy for those who had worlds of their own. Ink's role came with unending imagination. 

Dream's new role..came with self-loathing and regret. 

And Dream just couldn't handle it. 

Nightmare had wanted to tell him, but...he had never had the right moment.

"Dream..?" Nightmare addressed. 

At this rate, that moment would never come.

"Y-yes, Nighty?" Dream tried to compose himself. 

"..You aren't a burden.."

Nightmare would have to make the moment himself.

"..Those are your instincts telling you that you are." Nightmare sighed. 

"...My instincts only tell me to help people." Dream shook his skull. "And they don't feel like this; they feel like..like someone pushing me, but lightly.."

"And how does this feel? Please, be honest with me."

Dream looked up at his brother, before nodding. "..This feels like a strain in my chest..like I'll..like I'll be a horrible person if I don't help. It feels like my soul's trying to escape me, as if it's already going to help..like it'll go without me if I don't. And when I don't..it hurts..like it does when you say you're disappointed in me.."

"I've never told you that, Dream.."

"..It feels the way I feel when I imagine you saying it..I know you think it sometimes."

"I don't, Dream. Those are your instincts and insecurities teaming up on you."

"..My instincts don't feel like that."

"Mine don't, either." Nightmare revealed. "Mine..feel like someone leaning over my shoulder and whispering into my ear. That's nothing like yours do, but it's still how my instincts work. You need to fight them, Dream..you are not a burden, and it hurts me to see you think such things." 

"..But I haven't done any chores." Dream was grasping for reassurance or rejection; either would suffice.

"And you don't need to; this castle is big enough that it'll live without you." Nightmare offered the former. "I only let you clean the place because you seem to enjoy it, but if you ever stop enjoying it, you need only to say the word. The same goes for all the other chores; I used magic to do them before you started living here, Dream, and I'd do it again." 

"..I've been unbearable all week." Dream grasped again.

"We all have periods when we don't feel good; you've seen everyone in this castle go through rough patches, and you helped all of us as best you could when we did - it's only our turn to help you, now."

"..." Dream leaned his skull against his brother's sternum. "What if I get worse?"

"Then we'll continue to help you, Dream." Nightmare gave his assurance. "We will never turn our backs on you."

They should have.

"..It's my instincts again?" Dream exhaled quietly. "They just feel different?"

"Yes." Nightmare nodded. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this, brother.."

"..Thanks for telling me, Nighty.." Dream let out a hum. "I..would have done something stupid if you didn't."

"..You would have? What..exactly do you mean..?"

"..I understand now." Dream stated. "My instincts were pushing me away from you so I'd make a portal and run away..that's what they wanted. I'm sorry, Nighty.."

"..." Nightmare wrapped his arms around his brother, holding the little one close.

This world was too much.

"..I feel lighter now." Dream smiled. "I think it's giving up..I won't make a portal, Nighty. I'm not gonna leave."

"..Thank you, Dream." Nightmare replied. "I'm glad..but, please..tell me if you start feeling anything abnormal."

"I will..and I won't make any more portals, Nighty."

"I'll make sure the processes to track your magic are still working, just in case."

"Thank you, Nighty."

"..How about we go out for a while? I think we could all use a trip out."

"Can we go to Ccino's?" Dream hoped; the light his emotions typically shined was back..it was a good feeling, in Nightmare's opinion. 

"Of course we can." Nightmare smiled at his brother. "I'll grab the others."

"Thank you, Nighty!"

Nightmare felt as if he had just dodged a bullet.

One hour later, Dream, Nightmare, Robin, Shattered, Wish, Killer, Cross, Horror, and Dust were in Ccino's cafe, all enjoying Dream's new demeanor. The three adult Guardians and Robin were worried about Dream, while the others were blissfully unaware of anything but his changed personality; they would be informed later. With the way Dream's instincts had backed off as soon as he had realized they were trying to coerce him to do his job..there was a lot to fear. If his instincts had hit him that hard that fast, there was no telling what else they might have done to convince him to open that portal. For now, however, Dream reported no strain; he was his old self again, and he didn't feel off at all! The thoughts he had suffered from had been his instincts, and only his instincts. He was fine, now..and that made it all the more terrifying. Dream wasn't included in the conversation that surrounded his instincts, and he wasn't indulging the others in their games with the other cats; he was sitting at the counter with a milkshake, talking with Ccino about two new cats. 

"These two showed up about a month ago, and they did not like eachother at first!" Ccino chuckled. "They loved Sunshine, though, so I assumed they were friends of yours, and they eventually got used to eachother, too, which I assume is your handiwork?"

"Yeah, and they're my uncles!" Dream nodded. "Shattered and Wish!"

 "Well, these two are Jet and Gold." 

 Jet was a black cat with one yellow eye, similar to Moondrop. Unlike Moondrop, Jet had a ring of golden fur around his head, which Dream quickly realized was supposed to represent his crown; Shattered had kept the crown..it was an interesting detail! Gold was a ginger cat with two yellow patches of fur on the sides of his back, which clearly represented Wish's wings!

"They're so pretty!" Dream giggled. "Do they like being pet?"

"Not by me, but they should like you, considering their counterparts."

As if on command, Jet and Gold took their rightful places on Dream's lap, and the child giggled as he took another sip of his milkshake; this day had gone from horrible to great! 

"This universe is quite the scientific wonder." Someone a few seats down from Dream said.

Ccino sometimes had customers from different universes aside from the gang and Dream, and since his universe was technically neutral considering Nightmare's relationship with it, others felt safe coming here, although most tended to avoid the cafe when Nightmare was there, for obvious reasons. There were still a few brave souls, however, and one of them was here now, drinking a coffee and petting Doodle; Ink must have liked this person, then..or Doodle hadn't gotten his daily allotment of pets yet - it was a toss-up. This brave soul was a Sans, one who seemed to be an Undertale copy. Those weren't uncommon. 

"I get that a lot." Ccino snorted.

"Hey!" Robin squeaked, flying out of the way of one of the cats - Bullseye. "I'm not lunch!"

"Huh?" The other customer turned around to view the scene, and his eyelights locked onto Robin. 

"Bullseye!" Ccino raised his voice at the hunting cat, who quickly turned his attention to a cat toy instead, clearly believing himself to be sneaky. "Sorry, Robin!" 

"It's fine; I just need to be more careful.." The bitty let out a sigh.

"Does this mean I'm a naturally-born hunter?" Killer grinned, making the others groan. 

"Is that your bitty?" The Sans from down the counter asked. "Robin?"

"Uh..he's my friend?" Dream tilted his skull. "Why do you ask?"

"..He's quite a unique bitty, isn't he? How long have you had him?"

"..." Dream had a bad feeling about this person; he didn't approve of lying, but.. "Five years."

"..Longtime friend, then?" The Sans gave a kind smile. "It's nice to see kids bonding with bitties; that promotes kindness towards more people statistically, you know?"

"..Oh." Dream chuckled; maybe he had been anxious over nothing. "Yeah, I guess so.."

"Good name, too; there are some awful people out there - it's nice to know you aren't one of them."

"..Thank you." Dream smiled, petting Jet and Gold; he had just been paranoid.

"Well, it's been nice talking with you, but I've got work; thanks, Ccino." The Sans put some money on the counter before leaving.

"He seemed nice." Ccino mentioned, picking up the money. "And generous..wonder what his rush was."

"Maybe he's late for work?" Dream shrugged. 

"..Maybe. Well, how's that shake?"

"It's really good!" Dream grinned. "Thank you!"

Everything would be just fine.

 ~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean accidentally got hit with the self-projection ray! Oops!

Thanks for reading my projecting writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"You're late." A Gaster reorganized some serums, putting a few to the side to wait for their reactions to complete.

"Sorry, boss, but I think there's something more important at hand." A Sans pulled a protective lab coat on, before grabbing some safety goggles.

"What would that be, exactly?"

"You remember that lab breakout a few years ago?"

"Yes? We've recovered almost all the specimens from that incident."

"And I think I've found the last escapee."

The Gaster's hands paused in their work. "..Phoenix?"

"Phoenix."

Robin's morning routine was fairly standard: waking up in his bed, taking a warm shower (his house was the best bitty house in the multiverse), putting on some custom-made clothes that had holes big enough for his wings, preening said wings if they needed it, doing anything else that needed doing, and leaving his small home to join Dream before breakfast. He liked that routine, and he tended to stick to it most of the time, although there were days when he needed a bit more time to himself. This wasn't one of them. Today was a beautiful day, and Robin intended to make the most of it!

It had been two weeks since Shattered and Wish had been found out, and poor Dream had been through a lot in that time. With his new role, his instincts had one goal: convincing him to open a portal. Before, his instincts had only tried to get him to help others, since the Guardian of Positivity's job was to help others..but that wasn't his job anymore. Now, he was plagued with the urge to create portals..and those urges weren't exactly subtle. After Dream's week of depression, his instincts had backed off a little, but now his magic had started to flare up every so often; it was trying to make a portal without his consent, and it was getting a little too dangerous. The last time it had happened, a portal had opened, and Dream's startled scream had been the only thing that kept him from being pulled into it, having attracted the attention of Killer and Dust to help him.

In light of that, Nightmare was looking into magic suppressors. It wasn't a solution he wanted to use, but it was better than letting Dream be forced into a portal to a different world! Until then, Robin was to stay with Dream as much as possible, and the others stuck close, too; if Dream was going to be dragged off, someone else would be joining him to keep him safe!

"Good morning, Robin!" Dream greeted, when he noticed Robin leaving his house; the child was lying on his bed, writing in his journal - he had enjoyed doing that, it seemed, and it had really helped him with his troubles. Writing was so much easier than talking.

"Morning, Dream!" Robin flew over, landing short of the journal; he wouldn't read it without permission, and since that permission had never been granted, he wouldn't break that trust now. "Have you been up long?"

"Not really." Dream replied, looking over to the bitty. "Are you hungry?"

"Just a bit." Robin shrugged. "I can wait."

"Just one minute - I'll be done soon."

"All right."

Dream finished up his entry, and he soon closed the journal, putting it away. He then slid out of his bed and waved for Robin to follow him. The two went to the dining room, where Horror and Dust were bringing out breakfast: pancakes! Soon after the pancakes had arrived, the last stragglers showed up for food, and the meal began. 

"That's a lot of syrup.." Cross hummed, looking over at Catch's drowning stack of pancakes.

"Hypocrite." Catch looked at Cross's similar pancakes. 

"..Mine's chocolate syrup."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"You've never tried it before! It's good!"

"Dream, I've contacted a laboratory that specializes in magic-related equipment." Nightmare mentioned. "I believe they can help with your problem, but they will need some data regarding your magic's properties; would you be willing to go with me there after lunch?"

"Uh, sure." Dream nodded; the sooner his magic was taken care of, the better things would be.

"All right, then; I'll finalize those plans."

"Thank you, Nighty."

"It's a shame we can't go to my multiverse.." Shattered mentioned. "Ink could make you some pretty suppressors."

"As long as they work, I don't really care.." Dream shrugged. 

"It wouldn't do to have them look like real restraints, though." Wish reminded. "That might give off some negative connotations."

"..That is a thought." Nightmare admitted. "I think the technology can be held in custom-designed shapes, though."

"I bet they'll look great on you, Dream." Cross assured. 

"As long as they don't go around your neck." Killer stipulated. "Those ones itch like crazy.." 

"Yeah, Ink's a weirdo for having those." Dust agreed. 

"Your Ink has magic suppressors that go around your neck?" Catch tilted his skull. "That's weird.."

"That's pretty much his whole personality." Horror scoffed. 

"I'll be sure to ask if there's something more akin to a bracelet." Nightmare stated. "I doubt Ink's kind is the only kind."

"That sounds good to me!" Dream grinned. "Robin, do you wanna come?"

"Uh..let me think about it." Robin requested.

"Okay!"  

The topic of the conversation turned to something more lighthearted, and Robin let out a soft hum before taking another bite of his small pancake. Truth be told, Robin wasn't thrilled about the thought of laboratories. He had lived most of his life in them, and while it hadn't been too bad in the moment..Robin had learned what life was supposed to be like since then. People weren't supposed to be locked away in laboratories to be experimented on; they weren't supposed to suffer if one of those experiments went wrong. Robin hadn't known that when he'd been there; now, he did, and the mere thought of going to a laboratory..didn't sit right with him. He'd taken a big step when he'd gone to welcome Dream and the others back to the multiverse, but he had been joined by those he trusted then, and there had been a lot of them; he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk it now, with only Nightmare and Dream to be there with him. What if someone recognized him? The last thing he would have wanted was to be sent back to his old room..if he'd even get that, after his escape. But..

Robin looked up at Dream. Poor, frightened Dream. 

Dream could deny it all he wanted, but he still had fears from not long ago. He still got jumpy about his senses from time to time, and although he tried to hide it, everyone knew - Shattered, Wish, and Catch had figured that out quickly enough. More than once, Robin had found Dream curled up and scratching lightly at his arms to make sure he could still feel, or clicking his fingers next to his skull to make sure he could hear them. He had walked in on Dream as the child was quietly taking comfort in the scent of a bottle of vanilla extract he kept hidden in his nightstand. Robin knew Dream's midnight snacks were more to ensure that he could still taste rather than to fill him. Dream's nightlight had a clear purpose. Dream was also afraid of more niche things, such as some laughs. He was afraid of people's reactions to dangerous substances, because his magic was one such substance; he had worked with Shattered recently to overcome most of that fear, though; the two had shared long talks about magic, intent, and drugs, and now Dream had almost reached a happy medium regarding his magic's capabilities. Dream..wasn't afraid of stepping out of his comfort zone, as long as someone was there to guide him.

Robin could do that. 

Nightmare and Dream were both incredibly strong; they would help him through this short trip to a laboratory, and everything would go smoothly! Robin just knew it. Between breakfast and lunch, Robin focused on mentally preparing for what would come..although, a little advice wasn't going to hurt.

"Hey, Catch?" Robin approached Catch, who was reading quietly in the corner of the living room; Dream was sitting with Horror, Dust, and Cross on the couch, playing a game with them - he would be okay without Robin for a moment.

"Yeah?" Catch looked up from his book. 

"Could I ask you for some..advice?" Robin landed on the arm of Catch's chair, sitting down on it.

"Uh, sure." Catch closed his book and put it to the side. "Not sure I'll be able to help, but I'll try.."

"Well..you know how Dream and Nightmare are gonna go get those magic suppressors later? In a laboratory?"

"..Yeah?"

"..I'd like to go with them, but..well, you see, I'm..I used to.."

"Lab rat?"

"..Crude term, but..essentially.."

"I knew someone once with a similar past." Catch shrugged. "But sorry - it's just the easiest term to get everything out quickly. What do you want help with?"

"Well, I'm still afraid, but I want to go to support Dream..so I want to ask..how exactly did you handle getting over your fear of your brother? You used to be..a lot worse about that than you are now.."

"Ah..well, it was difficult at first, but once he told me that he wasn't the cause of all the stuff I went through, I started to separate the two - my brother and the psychopaths who tormented me for all that time. It helps that he was never actually there, during any of it.."

"Oh..okay." Robin sighed; that wouldn't help him.

"But, hey, I understand the fear.." Catch continued. "I've been in a few labs in my life, and they're pretty bad, but..if you just remember that it's the people there that you have to watch out for, instead of the place, it makes things a lot easier..a white wall isn't going to snatch you up, Robin. And you're agile enough to avoid whomever you want - you're a fast flier!"

"..Yeah, I am.." Robin gave a little smile, nodding. "I can do this.."

"Yes, you can." Catch gave the bitty a reassuring smile. "I'll see you when you get back, Robin!"

"..Thanks, Catch." Robin stood up, still smiling as he took flight.

"Sure thing, Robin."

With that settled, Robin rejoined Dream, and he started to give the child tips on how to win the game against the adults; Dream would definitely win this! After winning the game, Robin joined Dream for a few morning chores, and after a quick lunch, the time arrived to head to the laboratory. Nightmare opened the portal, and Robin took a deep breath before following the twins into it. 

This laboratory was..different. Instead of white walls, this one went with black..that was a nice change of pace. Robin settled on Dream's shoulder as Nightmare spoke with one of the d̶o̶c̶t̶o̶r̶s̶ scientists, a Gaster, about magic suppressors. 

"Yes, we spoke earlier." The scientist nodded, waving the trio along to follow him.

Robin tried not to look around; the walls might have been darker, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be machines he might have recognized..maybe even ones he had experienced. Since he was immortal, the experiments he had once gone through weren't always the most pleasant..sometimes, he had even dusted. He had thought it normal back then..but he knew better now. He had learned more in his three and a half years in the outside world than he had ever learned in the centuries he had spent in laboratories. 

"I think these might be what you're looking for; we've prepared a few discreet designs, for your convenience." The scientist gestured to a table with several different designs of magic suppressors. "Please, take your time."

"Oh, that one's pretty!" Dream took a step toward the table, and Robin decided to dismount, hovering nearby. 

The designs weren't bad, really; science wasn't a total evil in Robin's eyelights, despite everything. They were mostly bracelets, to Dream's relief, and some were very inconspicuous! The one that stood out to him the most, though, was a gilded bracelet that matched his crown's style; it was perfect! 

"I like this one, Nighty!" Dream informed, pointing to the bracelet in question. 

Nightmare let out a chuckle. "I knew you would."

"I'm not that predictable!" 

"Yes, you are." Robin joked. 

"Let's see if it works before we make a decision." Nightmare suggested.

"Okay." Dream nodded, putting the bracelet on. 

The child closed his eyesockets and tried to make a portal, which should have been easy, considering his instincts' wishes. 

"Hold on, it-" The scientist was too late.

As soon as Dream tried to pull on his magic, he-

"Ow!" Dream flinched. "That hurt!"

"..It's not attuned to your magic yet." The scientist let out a sigh. "We need to calibrate it first."

"Oh..oops." Dream took the bracelet off, giving it to the scientist.

"It won't leave any lasting effects - don't worry." The scientist spun the bracelet around his finger. "It just stings if it isn't programmed right."

"Sorry.." 

"No need to fear, little one - once we get it tuned correctly, it will be entirely harmless, aside from the magic suppression."

"Okay!"

"If you'll follow me, I do have to take some magic samples from you."

"Okay.." 

"It'll be all right, Dream." Robin offered some support, smiling at his friend.

"I know." Dream nodded in return.

The scientist led the group to a small room with a chair in the center, which he helped Dream onto. Nightmare leaned against a wall, watching the scientist closely, while Robin sat on the edge of a counter while the scientist prepared his tools.

"Now, I'll need four samples of different types of your magic." The scientist informed, picking up a syringe. "It will sting, but I think four small stings now is preferable to the unaltered magic suppressors, yes?"

"Yeah.." Dream agreed. 

"I'll make this as quick as I can."

"Please do." Nightmare didn't want to stay here any longer than he had to; he didn't hold many positive memories of laboratories, either, unfortunately. 

Over the span of five minutes, the scientist took the four samples of Dream's magic that he needed, and..it wasn't the most comfortable experience, but Dream had made it through it! He was strong and brave! He could handle anything the world could throw against him! 

Well, maybe not everything, but..his point still stood! He was strong!

"One more moment, and.." The scientist held up a fully-calibrated magic suppressor. "Try this, now."

"Okay!" Dream accepted the bracelet, putting it on and trying to open a portal.

Like before, the requested portal didn't open, but unlike before, Dream wasn't hit with pain; he just felt a little heavy, and that was much better than pain! 

"It works!" Dream grinned. "It works, Nighty!"

"Good." Nightmare smiled, helping his little brother out of the chair. "How much will that cost me, then?"

"Twenty thousand G." The scientist replied, as if it were a paltry sum. 

"Reasonable." Nightmare inclined his skull in the same manner. "I'll have that to you by tomorrow afternoon, then?"

"As you wish." The scientist agreed.

"Then, we're off." Nightmare looked down at his brother, holding the little one's hand.

"Come on, Robin!" Dream called, looking around.

...

"Robin..?" 

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Robin bean has reasonable fears.

Thanks for reading my reasonable writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Where is the bitty with the red and purple wings?" Nightmare very politely asked a scientist in the third laboratory of the day, holding the other up by the neck with a tentacle in the nicest way possible.

"I-I don't know!" The scientist whimpered, starting to hyperventilate when Nightmare dropped him.

"That's very unfortunate." Nightmare informed. "But, you know, if you had to wager a guess..where would he be?"

"I..I think.."

"Do not think; just tell me."

As Nightmare took a step closer to his.."interrogation buddy," Dream paced outside the door, arms crossed.

"I feel so stupid!" He confessed. "I knew Robin was scared, but.."

"Relax, Dream." Shattered rubbed Dream's shoulder. "Your brother has a way with words; we'll find him."

"..I hope so." 

"He'll be fine." Wish informed. "He's strong. We'll probably have him back within two hours."

"..Right." Dream nodded; that was a comforting thought.

They would get Robin back, and everything would be fine!

He just had to wait.

Robin felt horrible.

His bones felt so heavy, and his wings were irritated..probably just needed preening. He let out a soft groan, pushing himself up to sit and opening his eyesockets slowly. He found..grass? Robin blinked, looking down; he was sitting in a patch of grass..but where was he? He-

"Phoenix?" He knew that voice. "Are you all right?"

His neck nearly cracked with how fast he turned his skull to look at the source of the voice, finding..an old friend. A large humanoid figure mostly covered in white fur, with thick metal shackles around his wrists, connected to equally-thick chains that slunk deep into the grass, into a..forest? But..not a forest. Robin saw walls. Robin saw..walls. This was..a mini-habitat. Robin had been in these before..back before the escape.

"..Yeti?" He couldn't believe it..he wouldn't.. "Wh-where..?"

"..They brought you in an hour ago." His old friend said. "We'd..hoped we'd never see you again.."

"..." Robin lowered his gaze. He was in a laboratory. "I.."

"..We missed you." Another voice he remembered well: Fae. 

Fae was a..well, a fae. Humanoid, female, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and skin so pale that it was clear the scientists had never allowed her to enjoy the light of the sun since she had arrived. She had more discreet cuffs around her wrists that were meant to suppress her magic..but they weren't calibrated to her magic - they likely never would be.

"I..missed you, too.." Robin tried to focus on that. 

He wasn't in a laboratory; that would have been crazy! He was just..sleeping. This was all just a figment of his imagination. He was sleeping. He was safe at home in his bed! This was just-

"Are you all right, Phoenix?" A third voice that he knew: Naga. 

Naga, a half-human, half-snake. His human half had dark skin and hair, with piercing yellow eyes, as well as sharp fangs, while his snake half was a mix of red and black; despite the old saying, he certainly did not lack venom - it was why he was muzzled. 

Robin didn't respond; he was too invested in the thought of ignoring his circumstances.

"I think we were all put here for a reason." A fourth voice, whose owner gently lifted Robin up.

Dryad, another humanoid, but one with green skin, eyes, and hair. She never left one very specific mini-habitat, as her tree lived there - here. She wore cuffs similar to Fae's. 

"Why, then?" Yeti inquired.

"To help him." Dryad answered. "He's afraid."

A whine came from below Robin's new perch, emanating from a small blue dragon: Dragon. The scientists were great at names. Dragon was the only one without any current magic suppressors or restraints (aside from Robin himself, who didn't have much magic to suppress in the first place - a trade he had made long ago for immortality, albeit unwillingly), but the little one had felt muzzles before; she hated them. 

"Oh, you poor thing.." Fae came closer, gently straightening Robin's wings for him. "I remember being scared when I was brought back, too.."

"Phoenix, it's going to be all right.." Dryad sighed, looking down at the bitty. "It..at least you're healthy.."

"..I saw the sky.." Robin whispered. "I..it was so.."

Was this really his fate? To be a lab experiment again?

No.

"..I made friends." Robin realized. "Th-they can get us out.."

"..Phoenix, the lab has-" Naga was cut off.

"My friends are stronger." Robin let out a hopeful chuckle; he wouldn't be here for long! "They'll come for us; I know they will. We just have to wait!"

Dream and Nightmare would notice his disappearance immediately. They knew Robin's past, and considering the place in which Robin had gone missing, they would have suspicions that would lead them here. They would come for him; Robin was sure of it! 

That was the only thing keeping him from freaking out, anyway, and he would take that any day!

"Phoenix..." Fae clearly didn't believe that, but she didn't want to ruin his mood. "I'm sure they will.."

"They will." Robin smiled contently; he would be fine!

Dragon chirped, happy that Robin was happy. The humanoid figures subtly exchanged glances, believing otherwise. All of them had escaped that day, save for Dryad, who couldn't escape if she tried (stupid tree), and all of them had been brought back, one at a time. Yeti had been the first, found in a nearby forest by some campers. Dragon had been second, but..she had really had no chance, being a young inexperienced dragon. Fae had been third, caught by some pesky fairy hunters. Naga had been fourth, found only because his stupid tail had been caught in a hiker's nature photo, and he had been tracked by location within three months. Phoenix was the last of their little group. 

"So, how'd they catch you?" Naga wondered. "You were pretty well-hidden, getting away for nearly three and a half years.."

"I was off-universe." Robin replied, knowing his friends were familiar with the phrase. "Found a really nice family to adopt me - and they're gonna save us, so we don't have to worry about a thing!"

"..Right." Yeti didn't believe it. 

"It's true!" Robin assured. "They're gonna save us, and then everything will be fine! They're very nice, too! There's a little boy who's my best friend, and his name's Dream! He's got an older brother named Nightmare, and they-"

"Hold on.." Dryad hummed. "Dream and Nightmare..? Those names..are they related to a Nim, by any chance?"

"Uh..I think so..why?"

"Tree spirits!" Fae chuckled. "They all know eachother. It's so weird!"

"Poor Nim passed some time ago.." Dryad sighed. "But it is good to know that her..children? I think they're her children..they live on. But..if they are..Phoenix may be right. They may be able to rescue us from this place!"

"Really?" Naga questioned. "You're saying we might have a ticket out of here?"

"They'll be coming." Robin grinned. "Soon. For now, though, how have you guys been? I've been great! The outside world is so wonderful! I've seen so many skies and worlds - it's amazing!"

"Well, you deserved to see it." Yeti smiled, before sighing. "I can't believe they hid it from you for so long."

"Yeah.." Robin nodded.

"But..we'll see it again, soon, Phoenix." Naga comforted. "Your friends are powerful, right?"

"Very." Robin confirmed. "I have no doubts that we'll get out of this place."

"I can't wait to see the sun again!" Fae grinned. "It's been too long!"

Dragon yipped in agreement, hopping up and down in an attempt to see Robin. 

"All right, all right!" Robin giggled. "I'll come down!"

Robin stood in Dryad's hands, jumped into the air, flapped his wings, and-

Fell onto the grass.

"Ow!" Robin yelped. 

"What was that?" Naga inquired.

"Ugh..that's, uh..never happened before.." Robin chuckled as Dragon licked his arm. "Guess I'm a little slow - forgot how strong those sedatives are..."

Robin stood back up, flapped his wings again, and...

...

Nothing.

Robin let out another nervous chuckle as he flapped his wings faster...lifting himself only half a foot off the ground before falling back down. 

"..Are..you okay?" Dryad was worried.

"..I'm fine." Robin said.

He was fine.

He didn't have to look at his wings as he tried again to leave the ground. 

He just flapped as fast as he could, and..yes, he was fine! He was leaving the ground! It was just-

"Ow.." Robin was not fine.

"Let me see those wings.." Fae gently knelt down, cradling Robin in her hands and lifting him up before inspecting his wings. "Oh...oh, my.."

"What is it?" Yeti questioned. "Can we fix it?"

"..They..they've clipped them.." Fae brushed a hand over Robin's wings. "They've clipped his wings.."

"..They what?" Naga hissed, quite literally. 

"Wh-why would they do that?!" Dryad glared at the door. "That's- that's not fair!"

"..Phoenix?" Yeti looked down at his small friend, who was processing the information..and shaking.

They had clipped his wings. 

He knew bad things happened to specimens who escaped and were caught again. Yeti had been bound permanently with chains the first time. A siren's voice box had been surgically removed once. Many times, more restraints or smaller enclosures had been utilized. He had expected any of those..

But not clipped wings.

Anything but clipped wings.

He needed his wings to fly! He needed his wings to protect himself from danger! He had learned to rely on his wings for centuries, and now..now he couldn't. The scientists had taken that from him. The one thing he had always taken care of, the one thing he had always loved to use: his wings. His independence. With flight, he could move from place to place with no help at all! If there was something in the way, he could fly around or over it, and he could get from floors to counters in seconds! Without wings..he wouldn't be able to do that. He would have to walk from place to place. He would have to climb cabinets (he was a horrible climber) or ask for help. He would have to avoid any type of animal that wanted to eat him because he resembled a bird; he couldn't visit Ccino's cafe anymore! He would need help to get into and out of his house every day. He would need help to get food. He would need help to do..just about everything.

Those scientists really knew how to hurt people.

It was what they were best at, after all.

By hurting Robin, they would ensure that he would never try to escape again! They would break his will and force him to become dependent on them, because now he couldn't do anything by himself! He didn't know how. 

He had really taken flight for granted, hadn't he? 

Not that he'd had a choice, with the scientists always making his room a flight-required zone..

Despite not having been in there for years, Robin still knew the layout of his room: a nest made of small bitty blankets and pillows on a shelf by the ceiling (inaccessible without flight or help), a table where he did almost everything, from eating to playing (at the scientists' level, of course, which rendered it inaccessible without flight or help), and several perches hanging from the ceiling, just in case Robin wanted to swing from different spots or talk to the scientists at eye-level (inaccessible without flight or help). He'd never had to walk, but he'd always had to fly. 

And now he couldn't.

He wondered if forcing a rebirth would fix him.

"Hey, Phoenix..?" Dryad's soft fingers rubbed Robin's spine gently. "It's..it'll be okay..these things..they'll grow back.."

"Yeah!" Fae nodded, her small fingertips wiping away Robin's tears; she was the only one with hands small enough to do that.. "It won't take long at all! Just..a year and a half, at most.."

"If I didn't have these chains.." Yeti let out a deep growl.

"I would love to make them pay.." Naga agreed.

"..Let's just wait, for now." Dryad suggested. "I'm sure that we'll get our chance to pay them back soon enough."

That was right. Even if Robin was horribly maimed, Dream and Nightmare would be coming to bring him back home. They would take him back to the castle, and they would even bring all his friends, too! Robin knew that Dream, especially, wouldn't leave Robin's friends behind! They just had to wait. More than likely, the scientists wouldn't even move them out of the mini-habitat before Dream and Nightmare arrived! There wouldn't be enough time.

Robin was sure of it.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Robin bean is not having a good time!

So I uh..

I drew them.

My descriptions weren't the best, so I drew them. 

And I completely lost steam when I reached Yeti. Just..ignore him. Dragon is mid. I literally copy-pasted Robin into the thing because I was so done at that point. It took me over four hours to draw characters that will probably not get much screen time at all (if any) after this arc (except maybe Dragon because reasons).

I like how Fae turned out though. She cool. And, no, Fae does not have wings; the original versions of fae don't have wings, so mine doesn't either. 

Naga doesn't have his fangs because I couldn't get them to look right. But he does have fangs usually.

..I think I burned myself out by drawing that picture..sorry. 

Thanks for reading my maiming writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

The fifth laboratory of the day happened to be the one which held Robin. They didn't know that at first, of course, but the group would know soon enough. Dream stayed a little behind while Nightmare, Shattered, and Wish cleared the path of potential dangers toward the little Guardian, which mainly consisted of security teams and scientists. Dream slowly walked behind them, looking around for any sign of Robin; he hoped the bitty was okay. Dream knew that Robin was afraid of laboratories; after this, Dream wouldn't ever ask Robin to go near one again! He would just go with Nightmare alone, if he had to! After walking down another large hallway, Dream felt something that struck him hard: fear, anger, and sadness; even if this wasn't Robin, Dream wanted to help! And if it was Robin..

"That way!" Dream pointed down the next hall. 

"I feel it, too." Nightmare confirmed. 

"That's pretty strong negativity.." Wish winced.

"A beacon is a beacon." Shattered started to make his way toward the source of the emotions.

The group headed down the hall, stopping at a door with a sign overhead that read "Dryad Habitat."

"Dryad?" Nightmare hummed. "Interesting." 

"Don't go in there!" A scientist yelled.

"Shut up." Shattered picked the scientist up with a tentacle and sent the man flying down to the end of the hall, where he crashed into a wall.

"Let's go in!" Dream didn't dwell on the violence; he just wanted his friend back. 

"All right." Wish nodded, opening the door. 

Inside, the group found a menagerie of beings. Some looked human, while others were anything but. One of them, however..

"Robin!" Dream gasped, jumping for joy before running inside the room. "We found you!"

"Dream?" Robin looked up from the ground. "Dream!"

"Oh, he's so cute!" Dryad spoke up, giggling.

"What?" Dream blinked; he wasn't cute! He was cool and strong!

"Dream, I'm so happy to see you.." Robin was..crying..

"Robin, are you okay..?" Dream knelt down on the ground as Nightmare, Shattered, and Wish entered the room behind him. 

"..Not really." Robin walked over to Dream, climbing up his arm and onto his shoulder. "Can we just go home?"

"Sure, Robin.." Dream nodded.

"Are we taking all of you?" Nightmare was willing, if Robin so wished. 

"Would you?" Robin brightened a bit at that thought. "I'd..they're my friends..from before..I'm sorry; I'm just not in the best mood."

"It's fine." Nightmare nodded. "Let's get home, then."

"Well, guess I'll be seeing you guys..or not." Dryad let out a hum. 

"Oh, you're coming, too." Nightmare let out a laugh. "We're not leaving anyone behind."

"..I'm a dryad, sir; I can't go far from my tree."

"So we'll take the tree." 

After a quick uprooting, Nightmare had a yeti, dryad, fae, naga, dragon, and a familiar bitty in his living room along with everyone else. 

"This feels so weird.." Dryad admitted. 

"Tall ceilings." Yeti was looking on the bright side. "I like it."

"So, you're Robin's friends?" Nightmare asked; Dream was sitting to the side with the bitty, who wasn't keen on speaking - Nightmare was afraid that something had happened..

"Yes, we are." Fae nodded politely. "Thank you for rescuing us! Although, we call him Phoenix.."

"I'm aware of his old name; he has since changed it, however, likely to stay under the radar." Nightmare replied. "And you're very welcome; you may stay in our home as long as you would like, and you are all welcome for visits whenever if you choose not to stay."

"Thanks for the offer." Naga smiled, his fangs catching the light. "But I'm afraid we can't stay. Most of us are sick of the indoors; we're meant to be outside, if you understand."

"I understand completely." Nightmare nodded. 

"You're a nature spirit, too, aren't you?" Dryad questioned. "Child of Nim?"

"..You knew my mother?" Nightmare tilted his skull.

"Oh, yes! She's my eighth cousin thrice-removed's daughter's boyfriend's aunt's mother's cousin's neighbor's step-brother's wife's sister's-"

"He gets it." Fae assured, before rolling her eyes. "Tree spirits.."

"Oh, I understand that." Nightmare remembered his mother's friends..or, at least, the way she knew them. "Where would you like to go, then? Do you have portal capabilities?"

"I do." Fae nodded. "I'll have to find a safe place for us, though; it may take a while. I hope we won't impose by staying a few days?"

"Of course not; you're welcome to stay as long as you need."

"If this is going to take a while, can I get planted again?" Dryad hoped. "I'm getting dehydrated.."

"Absolutely - let me get my boys to help."

Nightmare assembled his gang, who were a bit surprised to meet so many mythological creatures at once, but they elected not to say anything out of kindness..and shock. There were "fae rules," right? So it was better not to say anything, just in case, right? The gang were in the middle of moving a tree when Dream practically screamed. 

"They what?!" His shout was followed by silence; everyone was staring at him, and then they stared at Robin. 

"What's wrong?" Nightmare took a few steps closer, wanting to help. 

"..They..clipped my wings.." Robin sighed, curling up. "I can't fly.."

"..Oh..my.." Nightmare wasn't sure what to say. 

"I'm gonna kill someone." Wish said, with..frightening certainty. "I don't care; I'm killing someone. Who the hell touched you? I'm killing them."

"..Y-you don't.."

"I'll just murder them all." Wish settled. "I'll be back before dinner."

"Hey, I'm coming, too!" Shattered didn't want to be left out of this!

Wish opened a portal back to the same laboratory, and Shattered followed him through eagerly. The portal closed a moment later.

"You have some scary friends.." Fae hummed. 

"I know." Robin replied, looking down. "I'm sorry, Dream.."

"Don't be sorry!" Dream held Robin close. "They hurt you! They should be sorry!"

"I think they're about to be dead, so.." Catch was staring at the spot his brother had left from; that had been..something. 

A whine came from the floor beside Dream and Robin; Dragon wanted to comfort her friend, too! 

"You're so cute!" Dream complimented, moving down onto the floor to sit next to Dragon; the little one started to nuzzle Robin softly. "It's gonna be okay, Robin; your wings will grow back, and then you'll be able to fly again!"

"..Yeah." Robin sighed. 

That was true, of course. Robin's wings would heal, eventually, and he would go back to normal..but that would take time. He might have been a few centuries old, but a year or two without flying? That..seemed like such a long time. If it were a week or two, it would have been a temporary struggle. Even a month, he would have accepted. But..not more than that. Robin didn't know how to live without flight; he had become so dependent upon it! Maybe too dependent, even..but that was what he wanted.

Normal bitties had little to no independence. They were tiny, and their only hope of getting around in a timely manner was getting help from others, whether it were by being picked up and put somewhere else or being given the necessary tools to move around. Winged bitties were a lot different in that..they didn't need that. Bitties with teleportation abilities didn't need that, either, but those were rare at best. Winged bitties could fly. They could move around on their own, and there was no need for much help at all from others. They had independence..as long as their wings worked. And now, Robin's wings didn't work; they were clipped, and he could barely get off the ground! He felt..helpless. 

"I know it's gonna be hard, Robin, but..if there's anything you need, just let us know, and we'll get it for you!" Dream assured. "You have us.."

"..That's the thing, isn't it?" Robin sighed. "I like independence, Dream.."

"Oh.." Dream looked down, realizing the point of conflict here. "Uh..well.."

"Normal bitties were created to be helpless, Dream; there's nothing I can do on my own until my wings grow back.." 

"I'm sorry.." 

"There's no reason for you to be." Robin shrugged. "It's not your fault; I just have to wait.."

Wait..or do something drastic.

"At least it'll give you some practice, if you're ever left without your wings for a time in the future." Catch offered a valid point. "You'll be prepared."

"..Yeah." Robin couldn't deny that. "That's true. Thanks, Catch."

"Of course. I get how it feels..the independence thing." 

Robin nodded, leaning against Dragon's snout. Maybe..he could do this.

He just needed a little help along the way.

"I can't believe it!" Wish growled, slamming a hand against a wall.

"I can't believe you got my hopes up." Shattered rolled his eyelight, stabbing another scientist with a tentacle. "You're really letting me do all this work, after that dramatic exit.."

"I was mad, okay?! And..I'm doing it in spirit!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever floats your boat, Wish. I'm getting all the satisfaction out of this!"

"I just..you wouldn't understand how much I can relate to him. If you have wings, you know how it feels.."

"How what feels?"

"Having them clipped. Even if it's never happened to you personally, it's something you understand.."

"..Have you?"

"..A few times." Wish admitted. "It's not fun. It's horrible, being earthbound after touching the sky..once you soar through the skies once, you're always there in spirit. It's just..part of you. Even losing that for a day can be.."

"I think I get it." Shattered came closer, leaning against a desk. "The concept, at least."

"It'd be like someone taking your goop, I guess."

"Eh, that's really not that bad." Shattered shrugged. "I've been hosed off before; it just takes a day to come back. And I'm strong without it, too; I can only assume, but..you winged folk don't consider yourselves strong without your wings. They're your key strength; you don't consider anything else."

"..You make that sound so shallow.."

"Maybe, to normal people, it is shallow. We can't understand how it really feels, after all." 

"..I have half a mind to hose you off myself to see if you're telling the truth."

"Oh, I am." Shattered let out a chuckle. "I'll prove to you that it really doesn't matter all that much."

"..Not a word to Robin, though.."

"I have a feeling that being three inches tall makes wings a little more important practically." Shattered nodded. "But you happen to be a lot bigger!"

"All right, where's that hose?!"

The castle's garden was, admittedly, a bit small for a tree, but it would do until the group found a new home. Once they did, everything would be okay; Robin would even visit from time to time! 

"Why don't you come with us?" Yeti asked. "We'd be happy to help you with whatever you need.."

"It's..not that easy." Robin shook his skull. "This is my home, now; I've made a place, here, and I want to stay. I want to continue my life here.."

"Well..you're always welcome with us, Phoenix." Naga reminded. "And, besides, we aren't leaving just yet; we have some more time to spend together."

"That we do!" Dryad nodded, with a grin. 

Robin smiled; despite everything, seeing his friends again was making everything so much easier to handle. He had missed them, and he was glad that he could see them again, even if they were going to leave soon. And it was nice that they would; they deserved to be free from that laboratory, and Robin hoped that they would stay free. That was likely, anyway, considering what Wish and Shattered were currently doing at the aforementioned laboratory..Robin decided not to dwell on that.  For now, he would enjoy the company of his friends, and he would try not to focus on his wings too much; that would have just led to hardship. He needed to focus on anything but those clipped wings..he wouldn't have been able to keep himself composed otherwise.  

He had a feeling that the next few months would be difficult.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Robin bean is not happy!

Thanks for reading my overwhelming writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been two weeks since the incident with Robin, and..things were okay. No one was doing great, but things weren't bad. Dream's magic hadn't been acting up, with the new suppressor, which made things a lot easier to handle. Sure, Dream couldn't use magic, but he could deal without it for as long as he needed. Robin was..not doing very well. His friends had stayed for a few days before finding a home for themselves, and Robin had visited them a few times since then, but he was having a lot of trouble dealing with his loss of flight. His wings meant a lot to him, and he was having a lot of trouble adjusting to life without them. His new family had done everything they could to make his life a little easier, whether that was by setting up little staircases or elevators to help him up to higher places or carrying him on their shoulders. But..~~~Robin was really considering taking some drastic measures to get his flight back. He wanted his flight back. He wanted to have his independence back. The only thing keeping him from taking it was..Dream.~~~ Dream was so strong, being able to face the world as he did, even with all that was opposing him! Robin could be strong, too..he knew he could be.

As for the rest of the family, they were getting along all right. Although, two weeks ago, Shattered had made an unfortunately grave mistake which had cost him much. 

"Stay away from me!" Shattered shouted, bolting down a hallway. 

"You said it 'doesn't matter all that much'!" Wish cackled, chasing the other with an oversized water gun. 

"I was talking for a day!" Shattered whined. 

"Wish, are-" Dream let out a sigh as Wish ran past him; unfortunately, Wish was obsessed with de-gooping Shattered every time the substance came back, and Shattered was definitely sick of it by now. 

"He, uh..never got the chance to be a kid?" Catch shrugged, from his spot beside the child. "That's the only thing I can think of."

"He should leave Shattered alone.." Dream really needed to talk to his winged uncle.

"Yeah, he should.." Catch really needed to talk to his brother. 

Well, there was no stopping the chase now. Dream and Catch continued their walk through the castle, intending to make their way to the library; Dream had some studying to do, and Catch had ageeed to help him with it. Dream's family had grown a little recently, and although he had spent a lot of time with Wish and Shattered, he hadn't quite spent as much time with Catch; that was something he wanted to remedy! Studying was the perfect way to get to know his third new uncle, too, since he could get quality time and do well with his studies! When the two got there, they sat down at a table, and Dream opened a textbook about multiverse history; it was long and a struggle to get through sometimes, but it was important..and Nightmare and Error were both in it! Dream wondered how old he had to be to get into a history book; he would have probably needed to be very old. Someday, though, he would make it!

"So, what did you need my help with?" Catch asked. "I'm not exactly an expert on your multiverse's history, you know.."

"I know." Dream replied. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"Oh..okay. Mind if I grab something to read, then?"

"I don't mind!" 

Catch got up for a moment, looking through the shelves for a book before sitting back down with..a comic book. Interesting.

"Do you like comic books better than novels?" Dream inquired.

"I don't really care which, if I don't have a choice, but..I like comics." Catch shrugged. "It balances out, since a picture paints a thousand words, right?"

Dream giggled. "Yeah, I guess so!"

"And, anyway, it's..it's just something I really enjoy. Having the power to choose is something I haven't always had, and it's nice when I can, you know?"

"I understand that.." Dream nodded. "Getting forced into stuff is no fun."

"Yeah. Have I ever told you about my friends?"

"Your Error and Cross?" 

"Yeah. They were both..just the best. They were the first people to treat me like a person instead of just the Guardian of Negativity, the constant evil in the world..it was nice to be seen as something more than that. I..really miss them."

"..Maybe when we find a way to get you back to your world, we can help them; Wish won't want to leave them the way they are now, surely!"

"Yeah, he won't. It's kind of weird, knowing the person who hunted me down for basically my whole life is..that."

"I haven't been in dozens of multiverses, or anything..but in basically every world I've seen, the different versions of us..are never happy." Dream let out a sigh. "It'd be nice to see a world where we are happy.."

"That's what the world's pushing you to do, isn't it?" Catch questioned. "Helping the different Guardians in the world to not be so..sad? I hate to bring it up, but..you've helped Wish and me, and you've helped Shattered..things used to be bad for us, but it's not, really, anymore." 

"..It is." Dream nodded. "I do feel pushed to do that, but..I don't really want to. It might be selfish, but I wouldn't have minded if I'd never met you, Shattered, or Wish; I wouldn't mind if I didn't feel myself being called to leave my home. But I can't change the past, and I'm happy I know you guys..it's just.."

"I get it." Catch nodded. "You'd rather stay here with your family and live on your own terms."

"Yeah..I really would. But..I know I can't. One of these days, something's going to happen, and I'm going to end up doing my job again..and I can't really do anything about that."

"That just..really sucks." Catch stated. "You're ten; can't it wait for you to grow up, a little?"

"I wish.." Dream leaned his skull against his arms. "But it's like Nighty says; Guardians are made for a purpose, and that purpose doesn't care how old you are or what you want. I'd like to be normal, but I can't; I wasn't born that way."

"Yeah..I feel you. It's like..you can run as far as you want, but at your core, you'll always have those instincts telling you what to do."

"Mhm." Dream flipped the page of his textbook. "But..I can handle it. It might be hard, but I can. I just..really hope I can get home every time. I can't control the destinations of my portals, yet.."

"So..you just open portals, and you have no clue where they'll take you?"

"..Pretty much." Dream shrugged. 

"That's pretty scary.."

"Yep.."

"But..maybe there's some sort of pattern that you just haven't noticed yet; maybe you just haven't looked for it."

"..That's possible, I guess, but..I don't really know what that could be."

"Well..I'm sure you'll figure it out someday; you're really smart, after all! For now.." Catch moved his chair closer. "How about you teach me some of this history stuff? That guy looks familiar; do we know him?"

Dream let out a giggle. "That's Nighty!"

"You know, he'd look good with a mustache!"

"Say you're sorry." Nightmare let out a sigh, looking at the two 'adults' in front of him.

"I don't wanna!" Wish huffed.

"Wish." 

"Fine, I'm sorry!" Wish crossed his arms. 

"Good. Shattered?"

"I'm not forgiving him!" The de-gooped skeleton scowled. "I'm soaking wet! Again!"

"This isn't going to stop unless you two make amends."

"..." Shattered looked down, before letting out a long sigh. "I..forgive you.."

"Good. Wish?"

"..Thank you." Wish held back a huff.

"Wasn't that easy?"

"No." The two harmonized, huffing.

"..How about you two try doing something together that isn't fighting? I've seen you get along before; can't you try to do that again?"

"..Like what?" Wish inquired. 

"Like..maybe you two can try to bake cookies? That's fairly easy to do, and I trust that you won't burn anything down."

"..I do like the sound of cookies.." Shattered admitted. 

"Same..okay, let's do that." Wish nodded. "We'll prove that we can get along! Again!"

"Yeah!" Shattered smirked, although it was a lot less menacing without the goop..at least his outfit hadn't been reverted to its previous colors; that would have been embarrassing, after all that teasing he had done before.

Nightmare let out a sigh as the two manchildren made their way to one of the kitchens in the castle. Dream had certainly picked two..interesting uncles. Well, it wasn't really Dream's fault that they were here now; that was their own faults. At least they weren't as dangerous as they had seemed, at first; they were just eccentric and childish. Once they were out of sight, Nightmare strolled to the living room, where his four boys were gathered for a board game. They were, of course, happy to see him after that talk.

"You finally catch 'em?" Horror assumed. 

"Yes, I caught them." Nightmare nodded. "And, hopefully, they should stop with that 'de-gooping' business."

"Does soap and water work on yours, too, boss?" Killer inquired, curiously.

"No, it does not; don't try it."

"Aww.."

"I bet you look like Catch under all that." Cross speculated. "Did you look like him, once?"

"..Once." Nightmare admitted. "But that was before a group of angry vilagers caved half of my skull in; it's best that we don't try to find out what's under all this."

"..Is that why you're missing an eye?" Killer tilted his skull.

"..Yes, Killer, that is why I am missing an eye."

"That's pretty cool!"

"It probably wasn't cool in the moment.." Dust reminded. 

"Yeah, I've been there before; that hurts.." Horror joined. 

"It was five hundred years ago." Nightmare waved it off. "I barely remember the pain, anymore."

"So, um..boss?" Cross spoke up.

"Yes, Cross?"

"Any progress on getting Wish and Shattered home?"

"Unfortunately not - are they bothering you?"

"No, they're just.."

"Weird?" Horror supplied.

"Chaotic?" Dust ventured. 

"They don't really belong here." Killer stated.

"..Kind of all of that." Cross shrugged. "I mean, they can be cool, but..they've got to have their own lives, right?"

"That's true." Nightmare nodded. "One of them is a ruler, and the other is..I'm not sure, but he has people to take care of. Although, it's a wonder he was able to take care of those people for this long, all things considered..I'll see if I can do anything about them. For now, just continue to welcome them."

"All right, boss."

They could do that, at least.

Robin sat on the edge of Dream's desk, looking down at the floor below. For a normal person, this was but a table's height; for a bitty, it was a small cliff. Robin ran his hand across the bottom of his wings, feeling the edges from where he'd been clipped; the feathers all felt wrong. It was ironic, though, in a way; he was supposed to be a phoenix, but he didn't know how to deal with loss of flight. That was the one thing he didn't take from them, and he was glad about it; he didn't molt. If he did, maybe this would have been easier to handle, though. It would have just been a longer-than-averge molt, and once he rebirthed, everything would be fine again. That was so hard to think about, though. His next natural rebirth was due in almost two years, after all. At that rate, his wings would probably grow back before then. Six to eighteen months, huh? And he had lasted two weeks. He was never going to make it. 

He might have been created as a normal bitty, but that first year of life hadn't been easy. In that first year, every normal bitty was taught how to climb, to run, and to maneuver around the world, as well as other things. The point was..being a normal bitty came with drawbacks. Robin had never been good at climbing; he had never excelled at..anything. That was probably why he had been taken to the laboratory in the first place; he was lacking, by normal bitty standards. But..with his wings, he could suddenly maneuver the world just as well as any big person! Better, even! He could do so much more than a normal bitty could do, and he could even help normal-sized people with some things! Normal bitties couldn't do that, unless it was something niche, such as reading small text! Being a normal bitty..was just hard. Normal bitties got used to it, though, because they didn't know any other way to live. Robin knew another way..he had lived in another way for over three hundred years!

~~~

Maybe..

Maybe...

Robin stared at the floor that seemed so far down. If he were to..accidentally fall..no one was going to question it. Nightmare wouldn't bring it up. Wish certainly wouldn't (Wish had been through this before and waited it out, but he'd had no choice - Robin had a choice). Shattered wouldn't touch the subject. Dream..

Dream would understand, right? 

But Dream was going through something, too..and he wasn't taking the easy way out. In comparison to Dream's troubles, Robin's were..basically nothing. Did he even have the right to make this choice? What if..he just made Dream sad? Would it be worth it?

But it was so tempting..

It wasn't as if he'd be gone forever - just five hours, and then everything would be back to normal! He'd have his flight, and he'd have his independence back!

His wings never should have been clipped in the first place. 

Normally, a fall from this height wouldn't do more than break a few bones, but..Robin could arrange for it to be a bit more effective. Or he could try somewhere in which he could be more certain about the result. There were a million ways he could do this.. 

But..Dream would have been disappointed.

Dream would know what he did, if he did it. Dream would know. Every time he looked at Dream, he would know that Dream knew. And that feeling would be horrible..

But Dream would understand, right? 

Of course he wouldn't. Dream had given up his magic for a chance to live a normal life; Robin could give up his flight for a while.

But his flight was the only way he could have a normal life! 

That was such a selfish thought. Plenty of bitties lived perfectly fine lives without flying.

They needed help, though. They couldn't be independent.

Was being dependent for a few months really all that bad? It would show trust, if he could do that.

He'd already shown trust. It had nothing to do with trust. This was about a part of him that had been taken away.

Maybe he deserved to have it taken away.

~~~

"Robin?" Dream's voice; he flinched, but he was too close to the edge and lost his balance. "Robin!"

Robin yelped, flapping his wings, but..his descent, as short as it was, wasn't being stopped by flight.

He only had half a second to register the blue magic that saved him from hitting the floor before watching a portal form behind his friend to swallow him.

Dream was gone.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Robin bean is not having the best time, and now neither is Dream bean!

At least I didn't forget Catch! He got a whole scene! I'm so generous lol-

Thanks for reading my contemplative writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dream felt sick.

He had been pulled through a portal, and he had fallen onto the ground with a thud, but that wasn't what was making him feel bad right now. Right now, he was feeling..

Positivity. 

So much positivity. Too much. 

If this world had a balance, it had long since collapsed, and it had definitely fallen to the positive side. The positivity was drawn to Dream as if he were a magnet, desperately begging him to take it in and use it for whatever he wished. He felt his bones rattle with the amount of magic that was being funneled into him, and he took in short breaths, looking for anything that could help him. And he did. About two feet away, on the ground next to him.

His magic suppressor.

He had taken it off to..to help Robin. Robin had fallen, and Dream hadn't wanted the bitty to get hurt. Robin was safe, but Dream..he would have to figure that out on his own. He crawled over to the magic suppressor, and he put it back on, the magic that wanted to be absorbed by him now being repelled instead. Dream's breaths slowed down, and he started to feel painfully lightheaded. His limbs buckled beneath him, and with one last slow gasp for breath, Dream blacked out. 

He hated this place already.

Blue wasn't sure what to think. 

For a little over a month, his magic had been doing some odd things. Every so often, people around him would act happy, even if he wasn't wearing the amulet with Dream's aura. Sometimes, his attacks would have a golden outline, even though Dream wasn't there to make that happen! He had passed it off as visual hallucinations (he was grasping for straws, okay?!) and coincidences, but..

He had to admit that there was something wrong when his stats started to increase on their own. 

He was hitting harder without meaning to, and he was taking hits much easier than he had used to. The other day, he had sparred with Ink, and he had actually managed to knock the wind out of the Protector! He had never been strong enough to do that before! With all this happening, he had to ask someone for help, and..the only person he could think of that would have been able to help him was..

"Are you okay..?" Blue probably should have popped in at a different time; Nightmare seemed stressed right now.

"As a matter of fact, no!" Nightmare growled. "Dream's disappeared! Again! What do you want?!"

"Uh..my problem suddenly seems very unimportant; I should come back later.."

Nightmare let out an irritated sigh, but he shook his skull. "No, no, it's fine, it's fine; just get it over with. What do you want?"

"Um.." Blue was suddenly unable to speak.

"I don't have all day, and I did not give you the location of my home for friendly visits; is this important?"

"I-I think there's something wrong with my magic." Blue said, quickly, suddenly regaining his voice. "It's doing weird stuff, and I don't know what to do!"

"I'm not a soul doctor; I'm not equipped to handle magic-related illnesses!"

"I-it's not like that! It's just, um, it's..I-I think my magic's doing something, like..like it's..like Dream's?"

Nightmare paused at that. "..Like Dream's?"

"Um, y-yes, it..is he okay? Or, was he, before he disappeared? This has been happening for about a month, now, and I wouldn't have come, but I wanted to check on him, and-"

"I see." Nightmare interrupted. "Well, it seems you're quite the unfortunate soul, Blue. But..I'm afraid I can't ignore this, as much as I want to. How do you feel, in the castle?"

"Well..I feel pretty bad, actually.." Blue admitted, looking around. "I thought it was just nerves, but..is this place always this..pressuring?"

"Tell me about your magic." Nightmare ordered, crossing his arms. "What's happening, exactly?"

"Well..sometimes, it glows gold. And sometimes, people around me are happier than usual. And..and my stats are going up, but I'm not training harder than I normally do, or anything!"

"..Indeed. Are you wearing that necklace?"

"No, I'm not."

"..The time frame does match up.." Nightmare sighed.

"With what..?"

"..Dream is no longer the Guardian of Positivity. He managed to change his destiny, although I'm not sure how. It seems..you are taking his place."

"..I'm what?" Blue blinked.

"..The multiverse does need a Guardian of Positivity, Blue..and I think it's chosen you."

"..You mean..I'm really doing this, now?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Nightmare confirmed. "It's been happening to my brother, too, but I haven't had the soul to tell him; he's had enough to worry about."

"He's changing, too? What's happening to him?"

"Stat increases, like you. I told him it's because he's getting older..but it isn't. His role in the world has already exceeded the power of my own, and you're taking his birthright. I..fear for him. Especially now that he's gone and disappeared again.."

"Dream's stronger than you?"

"Dream's stronger than Ink or Error right now, Blue." Nightmare stated, to Blue's shock. 

"But he's only..what, ten?" 

"I told you: he has gained some new role. I'm not sure what it is, but it's definitely something to be wary of. In the same way that outcodes are naturally stronger than incodes..Dream is stronger than all of us. I worry about the reason why."

"..Sorry to disturb you, then.."

"There's nothing to be sorry about; you had a problem, and you knew I had the answers you needed. It's good to know that this is happening, though; we may be opposites, technically, but I'm not going to pretend I hate anyone because of something they can't control. You didn't ask to be the Guardian of Positivity, just as Dream didn't ask to be flung across multiverses for some obscure reason. But you can't come to the castle anymore, if this is progressing how I believe it is."

"..Why not?"

"Because my castle is so inherently negative that normal positive spirits would die in its atmosphere. Because you haven't fully transitioned into your role, you can handle it, but you won't be able to last for long. You will also find it harder and harder to travel into and out of more negative worlds, and you should start developing empathetic abilities any time now. You may also start absorbing positivity for power, while negativity will drain you, and so on. And these are just off the top of my head. You are very early in this transition, Blue, as my brother is early in his. I'm not sure when it will end, but if I'm right, the most superficial details should develop last - your normal check doesn't say your role yet, does it?"

"No, it doesn't.."

"Keep watch of that; it should signal the end or near-end of the transition, if my guess is correct."

"Um..may I ask why you think that?"

"Dream's check still reads 'Guardian of Positivity.' And he clearly isn't, anymore."

"Huh..interesting. Well, thank you, Nightmare..I hope Dream comes back safe."

"I do, too.." Nightmare sighed. "Because, for some reason, our tracker to find him isn't working..we can't get to him."

"..And no one's with him, this time.."

Nightmare nodded. "He's on his own, as much as I hate it.."

When Dream woke up, he found himself on a couch, covered with a blanket. The positivity in the air was still undeniably pungent, but this time, Dream was protected by his magic suppressor and a weak negative aura. The aura was probably coming from the skeleton across from him..

The one who looked like an exhausted, done-with-everything Catch. 

"Not again.." Dream whined. Why did he have to go multiverse-hopping? He wanted to stay home with his family!

"You awake?" The other hummed, not catching Dream's words, but hearing his whine. "Good. You're practically bait for Dream, kid; what were you doing sleeping in the middle of the road?"

Dream blinked at hearing his name used to describe someone else, before sitting up on the couch and looking at his new companion.

"..Huh.." The other skeleton stared at Dream, and the child noticed that this one's voice was a lot rougher than Catch's.. "Uncanny.."

Dream looked around the room, shrinking a bit when he realized that..there was no one else here.

"Was..was there anyone with me?" The child hoped. "When you found me?"

"Nope, just you." The other shook his skull. "You know who you look like?" 

Dream sighed. "Have you ever heard of the multiverse?"

"Yeah?" The other skeleton shrugged. "Everyone has. What's up with it?"

"There's more than one." Dream said. "And I'm from a different one. And I'm tired of my stupid magic taking me to other stupid multiverses!" 

Dream let out a long groan as the other began to understand the situation.

"..So you're a little Dream?" He asked, once the groan was over.

"Yes." Dream replied. "And I was passed out on the road because I accidentally made a portal to here and fell in. The positivity in this world is unbearable, and that's saying a lot after the last positive world I was in. How can you stand this? I'm literally a positive spirit, and I can't stand it!"

"You seem pretty okay right now. And how do you accidentally open a portal to a different multiverse?"

"I'm okay because I'm wearing a magic suppressor. And I accidentally made a portal here because I took it off for a second. My magic is on the fritz, and it decided it was portal time, so I'm here."

"You seem less than thrilled."

"I've been through a lot." Dream sighed. "Some guy tried to forcefully adopt me, another wanted to use me for entertainment, and before all this, I was kidnapped and used as a supply of mind-altering drugs, and I was also trapped in stone for five hundred years conscious, and even before that I was drugged and used as a source of happiness for an entire village of evil people, so I think I have the right to be sick of it all by now." Dream huffed, burying his face in his hands.

"..That's rough." The other skeleton looked down. "..How old are you?"

"Ten. Five hundred ten if you count the stone, but I don't.." 

"..Man, that's really rough." The adult exhaled. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm called Nightmare, although I guess you have your own 'version' of me, huh?"

"Yeah." Dream nodded. "He's probably worried sick about me.."

"I guess that's a little confusing, huh? If you'd like, you can call me Dee."

"Dee?"

"Yeah. Like, short for Demon. People around here don't really like me, and I don't like them, so they call me Demon, and I embrace it."

"..That's..interesting." Dream wasn't sure what else to say to that.

"Right..well, I hope you have a way home, kid."

"They can track me with machines, since this has happened before; they'll come get me, eventually."

"That's good. Sorry for asking, but..is your name Dream?" 

"Mhm." Dream nodded. "You have one here, too?"

"Yep. A crazy, self-obsessed maniac, but he's named Dream." 

"..Great." Dream sighed. "Anything I should know about him?" 

"..He's insane." Dee shrugged; it wasn't the best name, but it was better than calling him Nightmare (there was only one Nighty, to Dream!). "When he ate those apples, he lost it. Like..literally. He should be in a mental hospital. Unfortunately, his aura is..intoxicating. Normal people practically worship him because of it - they call him 'Angel.' And..I'd recommend stayng away from him. He's crazy, and if he finds you even the least bit interesting..he'll do whatever he wants with you. He finds me interesting, and..well, I'm currently running from him, so that should tell you all you need to know, huh?"

"..Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine." Dee waved him off. "After the first few centuries, I got used to it. But..I wouldn't go near him if I were you, kid. He'd adore you..and probably do a lot of other stuff, too."

"I'm not sure I have a choice.." Dream leaned back against the couch. "Those types of people seem to gravitate towards me.."

"Well, best of luck, then. If he does end up taking an interest in you, the best way to make him lose that interest would be to pretend you're just another mindless worshiper - he's tired of having everyone fawn over him. I can't do that, since he knows the best way to crack through my act and get under my bones, but he doesn't know you. Hopefully, though, you won't meet him. Be careful, though."

"I will." Dream nodded. "Thank you for the warning; you're very nice!"

Dee chuckled. "You're welcome, I guess. You're pretty nice, yourself." 

"Thank you!"

"Well.." Dee put a backpack on the coffee table in front of the couch. "I hate to make this so brief, but I've stuck around in this place longer than I should have." 

"Why?" Dream wondered.

"Like I said - I'm on the run. My negative aura's practically a homing beacon in this place, and he's constantly getting closer..it sucks." 

"Oh..I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it; you needed help, and I was in a position to give it. You got money, kid?"

"Uh.." Dream checked his pockets. "Nope. Why?"

"Well, you're either coming with me or staying here. And without any money, you won't be staying here long."

"Can I come with you? Do you want me to?"

"If you wanna come along, you can." Dee shrugged, beginning to fill the pack with things that were sitting around. "But you should know that Angel's fast; he'll catch up with us, eventually. If I had any G to give you, I'd suggest that you stay in this town, but since I don't.."

"I'm okay with that. I'll go with you! It'll be fun, like camping!"

"..Sure." Dee breathed out a chuckle. "Like camping, but we'll be walking all day, if you can handle it."

"I can." Dream nodded. "And if I can't, I can just turn into a kitte or something, and you can carry me!"

"..You'll what?" Dee blinked.

"..Can you not shapeshift?" 

"..No. Would make running a lot easier if I could.."

"Huh..weird. I can shapeshift." 

"..Good to know. If Angel comes around, maybe you can turn into a bird or something and fly away."

"I could also turn into a dragon or something and carry you away to safety!"

"Angel's got wings, kid - he's fast with them, too."

"Him, too?" Dream hummed. "Lots of other me's get wings, it seems..I can shapeshift myself to have wings, too, though! I'm not sure how to fly with them yet, though..but I can fly as other things!" 

 "Cool." Dee commented. "Can you carry a bag, then? We'd be faster if we can split this weight."

"Sure!" Dream nodded, walking over and trying to lift the heavy backpack.

"Not that one, kid." Dee shook his skull, chuckling at the child's enthusiasm. "I got a smaller pack you can handle."

"Oh, okay!"

Dee finished packing, and he pulled out a smaller backpack with less weight to it which was easily-handled by the ten year old. With Dream situated, the two left the building that had served as their temporary shelter - a vacant apartment in an abandoned and crumbling apartment building on the edge of a town - and started walking. Dream wasn't sure where they were going, but he would follow Dee's lead; the adult seemed to know what he was doing, at least!

"So..is this what you do all day?" Dream wondered, after a few minutes of walking beside a road.

"Yep." Dee nodded. "I walk along the roads and hope for a ride to get me farther before Angel inevitably finds me again.."

"What happens when that happens?"

"..He scoops me up, flies me all the way back to his castle, and keeps me there until I escape again." 

"What does he do that's so bad? Why do you run?" 

"..He's obsessive. I don't really want to talk about it." 

"Okay." Dream nodded. "So..got any stories?"

"I've got a million." Dee smiled. "Guess we can start at number one, huh?"

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean makes a friend, and Blue does not!

Thanks for reading my traveling writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Dee, wait up!" Dream giggled, running after the adult. 

"Gotta catch me, kid!" Dee grinned, running faster. 

"Oh, I will!"

Dream gripped the straps on his backpack tightly and picked up his pace, happily running after the adult. 

Dream had been here for a month, and he had learned a lot. Dream wasn't sure why this had been his destination, but he was certainly enjoying his time here, and he was sure that Nighty and the others would come to get him back any time now! Dee was a fun adult to be around, though; he had tons of stories, and he knew how to survive in the wild! He had taught Dream a lot of important stuff about living outside, and it had been a blast! Dee was very resourceful, even though he was limited to only one universe.

"If you know about the multiverse, why don't you just go to a different universe?" Dream had asked, once. "You could hide better there."

"I did that, for a while." Dee admitted. "But the multiverse has got protectors - at least, one - and he wasn't fond of Angel. You see, he's got vials that give him emotion, or something, and Angel's got the power to change them up so the guy can't think logically. He banned Angel from the multiverse, and I had to be locked up here, too, since I'm his brother."

"That's not fair.."

"Life isn't fair." Dee shrugged. "It's a struggle every step of the way. The key is to learn how to keep your cool in any situation and to get through those struggles without letting them get to you too much."

"I wish I could do that.."  

"You can. It just takes a lot of patience and work; you can do it, though. You're already pretty tough, for your age."

"I am?"

"Yeah. I was a scrawny little thing at your age - you're strong, and you're pretty smart, too, kid."

"Thank you!" Dream beamed. 

Dee was also very strong; he could use some advanced magic, and he knew a ton of stuff about..everything! Dream enjoyed spending time with him, even if he did have to walk all day. Dream didn't think he had ever walked this much in his life..

"All right, let's set up camp here for the night." Dee said, long after the sun had set. 

"Finally.." Dream groaned, collapsing onto the ground; his bones were burning from all that walking.. 

"Tired, kid?" Dee chuckled. "We've got more to go, tomorrow."

"How far did we go?" 

"Well, let's see.." Dee hummed. "About thirty miles, kid. We didn't stop much today, did we?" 

"Nuh-uh.." Dream sat up, shrugging off his backpack and starting to make room for a fire; it was getting cold, and he wanted warmth..

"Well, I think there's a town a few miles ahead; we can stop there tomorrow and maybe grab a hot meal, okay?"

"Okay!" Dream nodded; that sounded great! 

A couple minutes passed, and Dream soon had a fire going; he and Dee sat by it, with Dream leaning against the adult tiredly.

"Can you tell me a story?" The little one requested, watching the flames dance into the air. 

"All right." Dee nodded. "A few decades ago, I was..about a hundred miles farther down the road. That way, there are lots of mountains, and they're tall ones. I knew the best way to pass through them, but..I decided to climb one of them, just to see what was up there. It took a few days, and Angel caught up to me a little while after, but..it was worth it. I reached the top on a clear day, when there were no clouds or anything, and I could see for miles..it was like another world. I could see everything from up there - the roads I'd been down dozens of times before, and all the places I'd passed by but never seen. I could see a river in the distance, one that I hadn't known was there. We'll be meeting it, soon; I like walking by that river. When you're so high up, you start to realize how big the world really is. How small you are. There are so many things that you pass by that were under your nose the whole time - things you'd see if you strayed from your course just a little. Even since then, I haven't taken the same paths over and over; I change it up a little every time, just to see what I passed by the last dozen times."

"Why don't you go..in the other direction?" Dream wondered, letting out a yawn.  

"Someday, I will." Dee assured. "But there's so much I still haven't seen this way. I used to come down a completely different road than this - one about fifty miles to the east. I thought it'd be the best, when I started out; it's got more towns around it, and it's been around a lot longer. But seeing new things is really all I've got, these days; this road isn't so bad, after all."

"..I like seeing new things, too.."

Dee let out a light chuckle, noticing Dream's slow drift off to sleep. 

"Get some rest, kid." He whispered, holding the little one close. "You'll need it."

Dream fell asleep a few seconds later, breathing softly as Dee held him. 

Blue's bones were burning. 

He knew, logically, that he was supposed to be the one who was eager to get up and go, and he was the one who discouraged lying around all day..

But he hadn't accounted for anything like this. 

According to Nightmare and Error, this was normal. Blue was turning from a regular mortal to a Guardian of Positivity. His body was going to change accordingly. Since he couldn't previously harness the power of a Guardian, he had to adapt. And adapting hurt. A lot. Blue hoped Dream wasn't going through anything like this; the child didn't deserve any such thing. Thankfully, according to the experts (Nightmare and Error were the closest things to experts on this subject, anyway), this part would soon end, as Blue's potential magic storage was almost nearing Nightmare's, and since Nightmare would be his equal soon (it was so weird, thinking of being an equal match to someone so powerful), his power levels wouldn't be going too much higher. Being bedridden was no fun, though; Papy thought that Blue was having a bad bout of an illness, when really he was..doing the complete opposite? Blue didn't know. Thinking hurt. He wanted it all to just end already. 

He wanted to get on with his life..

When Dream woke up, his body was aching. That was about the usual, these days; all that walking was giving him greater endurance, but it definitely hurt. He didn't bring it up too much, though; Dee was running because his brother was a lunatic, and Dream didn't want to get in the way of that!

The two got up, had a small breakfast of some fruit that Dee had "obtained" a couple towns back, put out the last remains of their fire, and started down the road again, as they had done many mornings (sleeping inside wasn't always an option, with Dee's lack of many funds) together. The walking really wasn't so bad, sometimes; it was nice to have company. 

"Did you ever have anyone else come with you?" Dream wondered. 

"When I was in the multiverse, briefly." Dee nodded. "But I haven't seen them in ages - this universe is locked down, which means no one gets in, and no one gets out. It's a wonder you got here."

"Maybe because my portal went through multiverses instead of universes." Dream theorized. "What were their names? Your friends?"

"Killer, Horror, and Dust. Like yours. They were similar to the ones from your stories, and they were really nice..they were pretty much the only people who were nice to me.."

"I hope you meet other people who are nice to you!" Dream gave Dee a smile. "You deserve that!"

"..I hope so, too, kid. And, hey, I found you, I guess."

"Yeah! I'm super nice!" Dream giggled. 

"Yeah, you are."

Dee paused, looking back down the road. 

"There's a car." He said. "They're getting more common."

"Do they ever offer to give you rides?" Dream wondered.

"Nope." Dee shook his skull, continuing to walk. "Someday, I'm betting there'll just be so many of them that walking will be faster, anyway." 

"Cool.."

Dream and Dee continued to walk, and the car zoomed by, the driver not giving them a second thought. A few hours later, nearing lunchtime, the two reached a new town, and Dee checked his bag. 

"Well, we've got eighteen G." He said; the little money the two had was just money they had picked up off the ground, since Dee couldn't exactly make money on his own, and Dream didn't have any. "That should get us a nice meal, eh?"

"Yeah!" Dream nodded, grinning; that sounded great!

The two started to walk through the town, looking for a place to grab a meal. Dream didn't really need to eat, in this world; the positivity in the air was more than enough to keep his magic reserves topped off constantly. But with the magic suppressor, he was only taking in a very-filtered amount of that magic, and it just wasn't enough to keep him going alone. Food would definitely help him, and he liked eating! Dee..needed to eat. There was practically no negativity for him to absorb, even when people were actively hostile to him; it was just drowned out by the overwhelming positivity. He assured Dream that he was used to it, though; he just couldn't use much magic, and he had to rely on food for energy instead of the emotions of others. After a short search, the two found a small diner, and they entered, sitting down at a table. Somehow, everyone in this world knew who Dee was, and they knew who his brother was, too; it was weird, considering Dee's nomadic lifestyle.

"What do you want, Demon?" A waitress sneered.

"Well, a menu would be nice." Dee requested. 

"You got money? We don't serve non-paying customers!"

"Yeah, I got money - chill." Dee presented the meager funds the duo had picked up along the way here.

"..Fine." The waitress gave Dee a menu. 

"Thanks." He nodded, feigning politeness.

"Whatever." The waitress walked away to allow Dee and Dream decide on what they wanted to get. 

"Well, we can get a decent amount with eighteen. Anything look good to you, kid?"

"Uhh.." Dream stared at the menu; this was a rare treat, and Dream wasn't about to waste it! "How about pancakes?"

"Good choice. How about a drink?"

"Grape juice?"

"All right, kid - now we're talking!"

Dream giggled; Dee was silly! When the waitress came back, a while later, Dee ordered the food. Dream would get pancakes and grape juice, and Dee would get a big bowl of soup with some water; soup was great for magic intake, and the water here was free! That left the duo with six G left over for their next treat. An hour later, when the food came (the people here really did not like Dee), Dream grinned at the portions. 

"This is bigger than my head!" He gasped. "And there's two!"

"Syrup, too." Dee nodded. "And crackers with the soup - nice."

With that, the two hungry emotion spirits dug in, enjoying their first real meal in..about a week. Over 150 miles ago, too. They really had gone far, hadn't they?

"So, you like seafood?" Dee wondered.

"Yeah?" Dream nodded. "Why?"

"When we get to the river, there'll be a lot of fish. We won't have time to use fishing rods, or anything - I don't even have fishing rods - but I can teach you how to make a wooden spear to get some good meals out of there. And, from then on, we'll have fish every day. So..I hope you like fish."

"I do!" Dream nodded. "What's after the river, Dee?"

"..I don't know." Dee admitted. "Never made it that far. The river stretches for at least a couple hundred miles, though; it's long."

"That sounds fun!" 

"It's a good escape from the heat, too; I know it's been rough on you, kid."

"..I'm okay."

"I know, but I'd like it if you were better than just 'okay.'" Dee gave him a smile. "You deserve more than 'okay.'"

"..Thanks, Dee."

"Sure thing, kid. Those pancakes good?"

"Yeah, they're really good!" Dream confirmed.

"Well, good, 'cause whatever you don't eat, we're taking along - those should last a while." 

"Okay!" Dream liked the sound of that!

A little while later, the duo finished their meal - what they could finish, at least - and packed the leftovers away. With their meal paid for, they left the diner, where-

"It's the Angel!" Someone shouted, from down the road; a crowd started to form, and Dream could feel a powerful positive aura approaching.

"..Aw, man." Dee gripped Dream's hand. "Time to run, kid!"

"Okay!" Dream could do that! 

Dream gripped the straps of his backpack with his free hand, and he and Dee started to quickly leave the town. As soon as they left the city limits, though, someone hit the ground in front of them, catching his fall gently. The skeleton with golden wings rose to his feet, slowly backing Dee and Dream into a corner. He wore a blue shirt reminiscent of Dream's old outfit, but he wore a long orange coat to contrast it. He had Dream's crown, too. He opened his eyesockets slowly, revealing an odd red and yellow combination - a yellow eyelight in a red socket in his left, and a red eyelight in a yellow socket in his right. He grinned widely as Dee moved Dream to hide behind him, letting out a giggle.

"Well, hello, brother!" He spoke, chuckling lowly. "I see you made a little friend!"

~~~chapter end woot~~~ 

Dream bean and Dee bean talk.

Thanks for reading my talking writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dream groaned, shifting under the blankets he was under. They were so warm..so nice. It had been a while since Dream had slept somewhere nice. Where had Dee and he stopped, again..?

...

Dee and Dream hadn't stopped for the night. They had been found by-

"Well, look who's awake!" Angel.

Now, Dream didn't know a lot about Angel, and he didn't want to pretend that he did, but..Dee had told Dream some things about his brother. He had told him about Angel's narcissism, the winged skeleton's favorite activities, and..a lot of things about his castle. Dream was in a large bedroom right now, lying in a bed that was bigger then the one he had at home. Notably..this room didn't have any windows, and the only door was undoubtedly locked..Dream didn't like this. He sat up slowly, looking over to his new captor (because someone like Angel wouldn't have been anything but a captor). The adult was sitting by the bed, watching Dream curiously. Dee was nowhere to be found.

"You're not on your knees worshiping me.." Angel noticed, resting his skull in his arms. "That's odd, isn't it? Yes..yes, it is..what makes you so special, Sunshine?"

"..You're weird." Dream didn't like the way Angel was talking to him. "I'm a person, just like everyone else. Just like you, too."

"..." Angel took a deep breath, his fists clenching. "You..dare compare me to those wretched vermin you call people?! Who in the stars do you think you are?! I'm an angel, you little brat! What makes you think you have any right to say such a horrible thing to me?! I ought to..I ought to have you-"

"Sir, please." Dream sighed; Dee was right - this guy was crazy. "I'm ten years old; what do you expect?"

"I expect you to get on your knees and worship me! Now! And beg for my forgiveness!"

"No." Dream rolled his eyelights. "I'm not going to do that, because that's stupid. You're not a god."

"..." Angel blinked, stunned by the complete disregard for his authority. "Wh-what did you say?"

"I said no."

"..I'm the ruler of this world..and you refuse to bow down to me?"

"Yeah."

"..." Angel chuckled lowly. "Well, well, well..what has my dear brother dug up this time..?"

"Where's Dee?" Dream wanted to see his friend.

"Dee?"

"Your brother - he told me to call him that. Where is he?"

"Oh..I left him there." Angel shrugged softly. "I knew he'd try to stop me from getting close to you, so I left him. He should be grateful; maybe he'll start giving me more treats so I'll spare him! I like that thought. I like the thought of getting to know you, too. What's your name, Sunshine?"

..This was just great. Dee was probably over a thousand miles away, traveling on foot, and Dream was stuck alone with Angel. What a situation.

"My name's Dream." The child introduced. 

"..Dream?" Angel looked down, tilting his skull. "That sounds..vaguely familiar. Have we met before? I doubt it; I would have remembered someone like you.." 

"..That used to be your name." 

"It was?" Angel hummed, trying to remember. "Oh! Yes, it was! That was so long ago, though; I didn't think anyone would remember that! Do they teach that in schools?"

"I don't know." Dream shrugged, feeling..a little bad for Angel; he hadn't remembered his own name?

"Interesting. Well, now..if you won't worship me..what shall we do? Maybe we can play dress-up; I think you need some new clothes!"

"..." Dream looked down at his clothes; they had definitely seen better days, but he didn't really want to indulge Angel..in anything.. "No, thanks."

"Little Dream, there's something you must know about me." Angel admitted. "When I make a direct order, you may occasionally refuse, if you think I might be okay with it. If I say maybe..you don't get to say no. It's fun, isn't it?"

"..No."

"See? You're getting the hang of it, already!" Angel giggled. "Now, let's see about some new clothes for you! This way!"

Angel grabbed Dream's arm - rather roughly - and dragged the child off the bed, ignoring Dream's startled yelp. The adult led Dream to a dresser with clothes of all different sizes, and he pulled out some outfits that might have fit Dream. 

"How's this one?" Angel hummed, flicking the makeshift angel wings; all of the outfits had makeshift angel wings.

"..You really like wings, don't you?" Dream deadpanned. 

"Yes!" Angel nodded. "You see, I'm the only person in the world with golden wings, and that makes me exponentially more special than anyone else! Why, if anyone else had my wings, I just..wouldn't be as special. But no one else does, so I'm just the most exceptional being in the world!"

Dream pulled up his sleeve, tugging his magic suppressor just far enough away from his bone to annoy this adult with some shapeshifting. He totally deserved it.

"How are these?" Dream asked, spreading out his new wings. "Still feel special?"

"..." Angel stared at the child's golden wings in shock. "H-how...but..wh-where did you get those?!"

"I can shapeshift." Dream replied. "Does that make me cooler than you?"

"..." Angel twitched, his expression turning into a glare. "Get rid of them. Now."

"No, I think I'll keep them; they're really pretty, aren't they?" Dream smiled innocently.

And Dream got a painful reminder of whom he was talking to. 

Angel threw the outfit he had been holding to the floor, and he snarled, kicking the ten year old to the floor before Dream could react. Dream had no time to react before Angel had pinned him face down, starting to violently tear at the child's new wings; he was trying to rip them off!

"If you won't get rid of them, I will!" Angel assured, growling madly; he sounded like an animal.. "You insignificant insect!"

"F-fine, stop!" Dream screamed, struggling under the adult's weight.

He managed to distance himself from the magic suppressor just enough to make the wings disappear, breathing a bit shakily as Angel got off of him. 

"That was a good idea, Dream!" Angel approved, straightening out his coat. "I'm glad we understand eachother; I'm the only one who gets real wings in this world - you'd do best to remember that."

Dream just sat up, shaking as he backed up against the wall. How..how did that happen..? One second, he had been a little annoyed, and the next..but now he was fine, again? Maybe Dee had been understating the threat..Angel was a loose cannon, it seemed. Dream needed to back off - no smug comments.

"Oh, did I scare you?" Angel chuckled, grinning darkly. "Good. There's something you should know, little one; people in this world love me. Then there's my brother, who hates me. And, you know what? I think a change would be nice. How about we make you..fear me? I like the sound of that; I like it a lot. We're going to have a blast, Dream! Aren't you excited?"

"..." Dream didn't like the sound of that. "..N-no?"

"You're so good at this!" Angel giggled. "Good, good, good! Well, back to the issue of your clothes..I don't think any of those outfits will do..I'll go grab a tailor. For now, you sit and relax; you're going to be here for an awfully long time, little one! I hope you hate it!"

With that, Angel left with a grin, and Dream let out a sigh when he heard the lock click. He wished he knew how to break down doors; that was one thing that he should have paid more attention to when Killer had been talking about it. He wondered where Dee was; would the adult come to save Dream, or would he keep running away? Dream wouldn't have blamed him, if Dee chose to keep running..but he really hoped Dee was coming for him. For now..Dream could rest a little, he supposed. At least until Angel returned. Dream's bones were still sore from all the walking he had been doing, and the weight Angel had put on him earlier had likely left a bruise on his spine, if the pain was anything to go by. So the child got up and went to the bed in the room, lying down with a wince; he hoped it was just a bruise in his spine..

Angel returned too early for Dream's liking. That was to say..he returned at all. Dream had gotten some more sleep by then, but it was hardly enough; the pain in his spine was still there, as well as the aches in his bones. 

"You're a heavy sleeper." Angel commented, resting his skull on the bed. "I've been here a whole hour, and you didn't wake up..I don't like that, Dream. It makes me feel ignored. Don't ignore me, Dream; I don't like being ignored."

"I'm tired." Dream replied, sitting up. "Everything hurts, so I need sleep."

"I don't particularly care what you need." Angel informed. "I care about what I want."

"Have you ever cared about another person in your whole life?" 

"Yes, I have, and that's why I know it's so boring!" Angel giggled. "Thinking about myself is much more fun! That said, I did get you some new clothes, so be grateful!" 

Angel held up an outfit with a grin, and to Dream's surprise..it wasn't actually that bad. It was just a light blue t-shirt with some matching sweatpants. For some reason, Dream had expected something less comfortable, but he certainly wasn't going to argue with Angel about it!  

"I wanted more, but this was all the tailor could make while you were asleep, unfortunately.." Angel sighed, before smiling; well, that was lucky, then. "But we'll get you something better soon enough! Now, let's get you out of those rags.." 

Dream took off his worn shirt, trying not to wince at the pain in his spine, and put the new one on, letting out a hum; it was definitely comfortable! Unfortunately, the sleeves ended rather high up.. 

"Jewelry?" Angel looked closely at the magic suppressor. "Interesting..but that certainly doesn't match with this style; maybe let's get rid of that, hm?" 

"..That's something I need." Dream..didn't think telling Angel about the magic suppressor's function was a good idea. 

"I don't care." Angel responded. "Take it off; it's just a big contrast to the outfit's style, honestly. It makes no sense." 

"I'm..not going to take it off." Dream informed, tensing; he didn't really want to experience another of Angel's outbursts..  

"Oh, stop acting like a baby." Angel scoffed, reaching for the magic suppressor. "It's just an arm band." 

"It's important to me!" Dream turned to avoid Angel's hand, keeping his magic suppressor behind him. 

"Don't you raise your voice at me!" Angel glared. "Take it off!" 

"No!" 

Calling Angel a loose cannon was an understatement. The adult took advantage of Dream's smaller size to drag Dream closer to him, gripping Dream's left forearm so tightly the child would have been afraid the bones were going to snap.  

Would have been, at least. 

If Angel hadn't ripped off Dream's magic suppressor, the child probably would have cared about his arm a lot. Unfortunately, he was more worried about the positivity that was once again invading his body, letting out stifled sobs as the sheer positivity in the air begged him to use it. 

"..I didn't do that, did I?" Angel let out a hum, watching as Dream convulsed from the pressure he was under; he examined the child's arm curiously. "No..didn't break his arm. Huh.."  

Angel glanced at the supposedly-normal arm band he had taken, before sliding it back onto the child's arm. Dream took in a deep breath and coughed it out as his magic levels stabilized, and he promptly lost consciousness, much to Angel's interest.  

"Oh..this little arm band really is important, isn't it?" Angel giggled. "That's very fun! I like it..I like it a lot." 

Angel took the arm band off once more, and Dream started to shiver and whimper in his sleep, but he didn't stir. Angel smirked, standing up and holding the arm band in his hand, glancing down at the pained child. 

"I'm going to see what this thing does to you..and after that, we'll have some fun, little Dream..just sleep tight for now, and everything will be all right..for me, anyway."

With that, Angel left the room, magic suppressor in hand.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is not going to like this.

Thanks for reading my crazy writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dee had never been more worried about another person in his life.

Dream was a little ten year old who didn't need to interact with people like Angel..but what had Angel done? He had "accepted his brother's sacrifice" of the child, flung Dee to the side, and made off with Dream! And Dee, nearly two thousand miles away, was reasonably annoyed. He had to get back to his stupid brother's castle and rescue that child..but walking back wasn't going to cut it. 

Dee pulled up his hood as he reentered the town, letting out a sigh. It wasn't as if he were averse to committing crimes (he couldn't have cared less, and the people who lived in this world deserved it), but..he had never driven a vehicle before. There was no time to consider that, however; Dream needed to be rescued, and using a mode of transportation was the only viable option to get back to the castle before Angel could do anything stupid. Besides..driving a car couldn't have been that hard..

Dee could hope, at least.

Angel was brutal.

He had figured out what the magic suppressor did, and he knew why Dream needed it. And, because of that, he had found himself with almost-total control over the child. And Dream was starting to realize just how much he valued his autonomy. Because Angel's previous plan of making Dream fear him was long gone. Now, Angel wanted to play in a different way. He wanted to test Dream's limits, to see just how far he could push the child until he'd snap. It was no secret; he had told Dream that he wanted to break him..but that didn't make it any easier to bear. Angel wanted to see if he could make Dream lose it, and since Dream was a variant of himself, he knew just the way to do that!

Taking everything, by giving everything. 

Exactly what Angel had gotten..but a lot less fun. 

If Dream wanted to eat, he had to let someone feed him. If he wanted to sleep, he needed to be tucked in. If he wanted to get up, someone would hold his hand to help him up. A game? His opponent would let him win. It was so, so frustrating..but it was Angel's world. He knew Dream wouldn't last much more than a day or two. Because he hadn't lasted three days! It was so thrilling to watch Dream's increasing frustration..but it was even more thrilling when Dream acted up. 

"Leave me alone!" Dream glared, ripping his hand from Angel's grasp. Because of course Angel was the 'someone' in every scenario; he wouldn't let his servants ruin his fun this time (those wretches always managed to mess things up).

"Oh, but, Dream.." Angel let out a hum, tilting his skull as he lightly rubbed Dream's arm - his right arm, where his magic suppressor was hidden under his sleeve. "That's not a nice thing to say.."

"..." Dream pulled away from Angel, not liking the contact. "S-sorry.."

"Much better. You're developing those manners nicely." 

"..Thanks."

Angel hadn't had to punish Dream much after the first few hours. But he had done it a few times, disabling the child's magic suppressor and letting him scream and cry on the floor, writhing in pain as power he couldn't handle permeated his body. It turned out that, if Angel increased the strength of his aura, poor Dream's suffering increased exponentially. But, of course, ripping the magic suppressor off the child's arm wasn't practical; Angel had a remote control - one that Dream didn't know the location of. But the punishments didn't last too long, and Dream had gotten much better at handling himself after the first few hiccups had been met with merciless discipline. He had forced himself to get better, because he was terrified. Angel could feel his fear, even in the dense positive atmosphere, and that was something that made him ecstatic. 

Although it had only been a day and a half, Angel had gotten a lot done with little Dream. For one thing, Dream had gotten a better wardrobe - he was only wearing the blue outfit that Angel had gotten him before he had passed out that first time, though, since he didn't like the idea of Angel dressing him. He didn't like the idea of Angel doing any of this, really, but..that was the point, wasn't it? He was supposed to hate it. Hate it until he broke, just as Angel had broken. 

"Are you hungry, Dream?" Angel asked, smiling sweetly at the child. 

"..No." Dream was very hungry; Angel could see that. But if Dream wanted to eat, he would have to let Angel feed him, and he wasn't quite so hungry enough for that.

"A game, then?" Angel offered. "Or perhaps a bath?"

"I'm fine." Dream stared at the blanket he was under, trying to zone out to get his mind off the situation at hand; Angel wasn't going to let him do that.

"I don't think you are, Dream. So you're lying. And lying is bad, Dream. Don't be a liar. Do you want something, Dream?"

"..I would like it very much if you would go away." Dream informed, keeping his head down as he gripped the blanket with both his hands. 

"Oh, I'm afraid that's one thing I can't do; try again." 

"..." Dream let out a sigh; Angel was going to force him to request something. "Do you have any books?"

"A wide variety." Angel nodded, giving Dream a wide smirk that the child didn't care to turn to see. "What type would you like?"

"..I don't care." Dream shrugged apathetically; he just wanted Angel to shut up for a little while.

"Well..let me go find one you'll enjoy."

Angel, eager to see what would happen next, left Dream for all of two minutes, and when he returned, Dream had lain down in his bed, which was fine by Angel; if Dream had taken the chance to get out of bed himself, he would have been disciplined again instead of receiving a story. Angel strolled over, sitting next to the bed with the book he had chosen. 

"Now, are you ready for your story?" Ange, inquired.

Dream nodded, reaching for the book, but Angel kept it just out of reach. 

"Oh, Dream, what do you think you're doing?" Angel chuckled, shaking his skull "You don't have to read on your own; I'll do it for you."

Dream sent him a death glare, but Angel decided not to comment on it, opening the book to its first page. 

"I think you'll find this an interesting read, Dream; it's a topic that I think you'll like." Angel informed, grinning darkly. "It's called 'Independence.'"

Angel had picked out an informational book about how to live an independent lifestyle, and now he was reading it aloud to Dream, pretending not to notice the child's twitches. The rate of Dream's crumbling wasn't unprecedented, of course; Angel remembered being the same way when he had first gotten his wings, with people clamoring to worship him and do everything he asked. He hadn't been sure whether he liked it or not, at first, but he had quickly accepted it; he had really had no choice. The only difference now was that this wasn't going to be Dream's permanent lifestyle; this was torture, and Angel loved every second of it! If there was one thing he could do on his own, it was driving someone else mad. 

"Stop it.." Dream's wavering voice begged, the child trying not to cry; he was hating this. He had been independent for so much of his life, and now he couldn't be if he tried. It was surprising how fast Angel could break someone down this way.

"Oh, all right." Angel put the book away. "Would you like to eat, now? You haven't eaten since you got here."

Dream just started to weep, turning over in the bed so he wouldn't have to look at Angel. The adult smirked, beginning to tuck Dream in. 

"Sweet dreams, little one; I hope you enjoy your nap." Angel let out a devious chuckle, caressing the child's skull.

While Dream cried himself to sleep, Angel just rubbed the child's skull, offering all the unwanted comfort he possibly could. Dream would feel so loved..so smotheringly, unconditionally loved. Just like Angel. 

Maybe he'd even understand-

No. No, he couldn't. This was just..playing with a toy. Angel would just play with this one until he got bored of it and then throw it out. Angel certainly didn't think his toy would..empathize with him. That was ridiculous. Angel was special; no one could understand his problems. No one could understand him. That was why they worshiped him.

...

"You still awake?" Angel inquired, after a moment; Dream was silent, likely asleep by now. "..Good."

Angel sat on the edge of the bed, continuing to gently caress Dream's skull. 

"..Of course I'd know the best way to break myself." He let out a soft exhale. "I lasted two whole days..you're only half a day away. Will you last longer than I did..? I doubt it; you're crumbling already. I know I'm going hard on you..but they went hard on me, too." Angel removed his hand from Dream's skull. "..Maybe..you'll understand."

Angel let out a humorless chuckle, looking down. 

"Who am I kidding?" He shook his skull. "You can't understand..no one can."

He stood up, looking at one of the blank walls in the room.

"..Your wings were pretty." He admitted. "I just..got scared. It was all just so fast..you should have warned me first."

Angel let out another sigh before leaving the room; he would have some time to pull himself together while Dream was napping. He couldn't afford to be that emotional when Dream was awake; that would ruin everything! And Angel didn't ruin things..he made them better. He always made things better. 

Dream waited until Angel had locked the door before daring to sit up.

That..was something helpful. And Dream would use anything he could get his hands on, if it would help him get out of this situation. The knowledge that Angel was projecting his inner struggles onto Dream was something that the child could definitely utilize, even if Angel was mostly insane. He just had to ensure that he didn't mess up. He definitely hated what Angel was putting him through, but..if he could take control in this situation, he could live with it. He wasn't going to let Angel hold all the cards any longer. And so, when Angel returned several hours later, Dream refused to let the dependence get to him; he had a plan, and Angel wouldn't know what hit him.

"Oh, you're awake!" Angel smiled politely, coming over to Dream. "I didn't sense your waking."

"I don't mind." Dream replied, with an equally-polite smile. "I didn't sleep long."

"Well, I hope it was a good rest, even if only a short one." Angel sat down beside Dream's bed. "Are you hungry?"

"..No." Dream..still wasn't going to let Angel feed him. "There is something I'd like, though."

"Oh, really?" Angel hummed. "What would that be?"

"I want to teach you something." 

"..." Angel blinked, not having a response for that. "Um..teaching me something..? That's..that's an odd request, isn't it?" 

"Yes." Dream nodded. "But you did say you'd let me have whatever I want, provided I stay here, and I don't have to leave this room to teach you things." 

"..And what exactly do you think you know that I don't?"

"How to use a vacuum cleaner."

"..." Angel stared at Dream with heightened confusion. "What?"

"Well, do you know how to use a vacuum cleaner?"

"..No, but..that's servant work! I'm far above using such a pitiful device! I have legions of servants to do that work for me! I don't need to use a device like that!"

"But I want to teach you." Dream reminded. "And you're letting me do whatever I want, aren't you?"

"..I guess so." Angel admitted. "I..suppose I shall get a vacuum cleaner..but I will be the only one using it! You will only be facilitating the instruction! You will not be even touching it!"

"Okay." Dream nodded. "I'm ready when you are, Uncle Angel."

Dream was going to bring this angel down a few notches.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean hatches a plan!

Thanks for reading my occasionally-lucid writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Just keep going in circles; you don't have to do it too hard." Dream coached, before pointing at a spot. "There's a spot there; make sure to get that."

"No touching!" Angel reminded. "I'm doing it myself!"

"Not touching, just pointing." Dream assured. "That looks clean enough - good job, Uncle Angel!"

"Really?" Angel inquired, looking at the floor; it looked..shiny. "I did it?"

"You did it!" 

"Yes!" Angel grinned, grabbing the air with his fist. "I'm the best at cleaning floors!"

"You're definitely not the worst!" Dream nodded.

It had been four days since Angel had kidnapped Dream, and Dream was certain that he had everything figured out by now. Angel was suffering from a severe lack of independence; if he wanted things done, someone else would do it for him, and if he needed anything, others got it for him. Dream didn't blame him for being insane or narcissistic; he had simply been raised to think that way. Dream was breaking those beliefs down slowly, though. He had to go slowly..Angel was still a crazy person, after all, and he could and would snap at the smallest things. 

"Well, where is the best person in the world at doing it?" Angel inquired. "Is there a way to challenge them for the title?"

"No..but you can always get better at it! I've been cleaning floors since..forever, and I've gotten a lot better over the years!"

"..Since forever?" Angel inquired. "You're only ten, aren't you? Who would make you clean floors your whole life?"

"...Well, first it was the villagers; didn't they do the same with you?"

"No." Angel tilted his skull. "They revere me; they always have. Was it really so different with you?"

"..They viewed me as a slave, so..probably not." 

"What dreadful creatures.." Angel hummed. "Are they dead?"

"Yes, they are.."

"Good - I'd have half a mind to execute them if they still lived."

"..Really?" 

"Well, of course!" Angel rolled his eyelights. "I must admit that I'm not fully certain what this 'uncle' word means, but it has something to do with protection, I think; so I would logically protect you if someone tried to treat you in such a way again."

"..You're a good uncle, Uncle Angel." Dream smiled, coming over to hug the adult. "Thank you.."

"..What are you doing?" Ange, looked down at the child in confusion.

"Hugging you! Haven't you ever been hugged?"

"..I have occasionally hugged others; it's a form of torture, isn't it?"

"..No?" Dream let out a small chuckle. "It's a way to express affection and love."

Angel took a moment to ponder that; his previous belief had been shattered, and he was now realizing that all the past victims of his hugs had likely been more confused than terrified. Or maybe they had been terrified, just because it had been Angel. And..when other people hugged him, it..it didn't feel as if they had been trying to express affection or love..it had felt as if they had been trying to invade Angel's space and make him as uncomfortable as possible. Dream's statement made no sense..but..Angel certainly did notice that this hug felt different from the ones he had received in the past. It felt as if Angel could just slip away at any moment, and Dream would let him. And..when Angel pulled away, Dream did let him..

Wait..a way to express affection and love?

"..You hugged me because..you care about me?" Angel inquired.

"Yeah?" Dream nodded. "That's usually why people hug eachother."

"..Can..can we do it again?" 

"Sure!" Dream chuckled, giving Angel another hug. 

Slowly, Angel wrapped his arms around the child, showing his own..affection and love. Did he care about Dream? Dream was supposed to be a new toy to play with, but..he was just so much different from anyone else. Others would have been broken down by now, or they would have been dead because Angel had gotten bored of them..but Dream had turned the situation around and made Angel..not want to hurt him. Angel didn't want to hurt Dream; he..wanted to make Dream happy. Dream was nice, genuinely nice..no one else had ever been nice to Angel like this. No one had said nice things to do anything other than worship him. Dream said nice things..because he wanted to say them. Because he believed them. Dream had even turned this twisted torture around to help Angel learn a few things, and-

He had what?

Angel blinked a few times, before realizing that Dream had..Dream had effectively canceled out his torture! He had made Angel stop worrying about Dream's torment by having him focus on learning things! And..Angel liked it. Angel had enjoyed learning these new things. 

..Dream understood him. 

Dream knew how to make him happy, and he had used that knowledge to his advantage.

"..You're a smart little cookie, aren't you?" Angel let out a soft laugh.

"Huh?" Dream tensed just a bit, not knowing if that was good or bad. 

"You made me care about you by caring about me first.." Angel looked down at Dream. "Clever. That makes me want to break every bone in your pathetic little body."

Angel breathed out a chuckle when Dream started to tremble in his arms.

"But..I also don't want to." Angel admitted. "Because you've tricked me into caring.."

"..I'm sorry." Dream loosened his grip, but Angel didn't let him leave the hug just yet. 

"I know. That's part of your plan, isn't it? Making me pity you as a failsafe? I'm not stupid, Dream, but I'm also not going to pretend that you haven't made a difference. I've always wanted a family member who actually cared about me, after all; let's make that a reality, hm?"

"...What?" Dream..didn't think he liked where this was going. 

"To put it simply.." Angel picked up Dream, booping the ten year old's nose ridge with a grin. "Angel's got a nephew, now. I know the nickname was meant to make you seem more endearing so I wouldn't hurt you, but..I wonder how you'll fare in the real world."

"What are you going to do..?" 

"Well, after I figure out what exactly an 'uncle' is, I'm going to be one! And you, my dear little nephew, will get to see what it's like to be in the public spotlight. I'm sure you'll hate it, but since you seem so eager to be part of my family, you'll just have to get used to it! Our first order of business is to get you some new clothes; the nephew of an angel needs fancier clothes than those, after all! And, as a little treat, I'll let you have your independence back..although, the public probably won't let you have much.."

"..What does that mean?" 

"You'll see, little one..you'll see."

The next eight hours were a blur.

Angel had dragged Dream out of the room and led him through the halls of the castle, proclaiming that he had a nephew..and the public went wild with that information. At some point, Angel had taken Dream to the castle's tailor and exchanged his casual clothes for something..a lot less casual. Dream had been outfitted in an uncomfortable golden collared shirt and some tight golden slacks. Honestly..Dream wanted the t-shirt back. He couldn't have the t-shirt back, though. It was frustrating, but Dream made do with the outfit; at least it fit okay. After that, Angel had made a lot more announcements, and Dream noticed that everyone seemed to have come to the same conclusion: Dream was Dee's child. It made sense, considering the fact that Angel was proclaiming Dream to be his nephew..but that didn't seem to make a difference. The people adored the thought of Dream's existence for about ten minutes before coming to the realization of what a nephew was..it seemed that Angel was the only one who was oblivious. 

"..I thought they'd be more excited." Angel admitted, lying across his throne (because of course he had a throne - he was a ruler..).

"..You really don't know what an uncle is, do you?" Dream asked, standing next to the throne and facing Angel. 

"No..I thought it was family, or something." 

"It is." Dream nodded. "It's, um..a dad's brother. They think I'm Dee's kid."

"..." Angel blinked. "Oh."

"..." Dream glaced around awkwardly.

"That..makes sense." Angel hummed. "I should have told them you were my son instead; being my brother's son just makes you completely normal, doesn't it? I'm loved, and he's hated, so you're right in the middle.."

"..Yep."

"Well..do you think of my brother as a dad?"

"Uh..what?"

"Do you think of my brother as a father figure?" Angel repeated, looking at Dream curiously. "Does he mean that much to you?"

"Um..I-"

Dream's reply was cut off by the sound of a door being kicked in. 

On the other side of the throne room..Dee was there. He had kicked the door to the throne room in, and he looked..very mad. He was covered in dirt and dust (normal dust, Dream believed), and he did not look happy..he probably hadn't slept since Dream had been taken. 

"Angel." He growled.

"Dee!" Dream gasped, smiling; his..his protector? Sure. His protector was here!

"..That was fast." Angel let out a soft chuckle. "You know, I think this dynamic could work; he's definitely got the protectiveness down." 

"Let him go, Angel!" Dee demanded. "He's just a kid!" 

"..You really care about this child that much, brother?" Angel chuckled, sitting up in his seat. "That's surprising. Why do you feel the need to protect him? Why did you feel the urge to cross nearly two thousand miles in only a few days to get back to him? Could it be..that my brother cares about someone other than himself?"

"..Let him go, Angel." Dee hardened his glare, slowly coming closer. "Or I'll make you."

"Oh, this is rich!" Angel let out a cackle. "You do care! You know what? I'll let you have him..under two conditions.."

"..What are they?"

"First, you stay here, in the castle, for as long as I desire." Angel rested his elbow on his armrest, holding his skull in his hand. "Second, you adopt him."

"..What?" Dee paused, not understanding what Angel wanted.

"I've told everyone that he's my nephew..that makes him your son. Let's make that official, shall we?"

"..." Dee looked over to Dream, unsure of the agreement.

"You'll be his sole guardian." Angel informed. "I'll even stay away sometimes, if you want.."

"..Fine." Dee wanted to protect Dream at all costs; this was nothing but an easy way to do that, with the alternative being battling his brother again..and losing again. "What do you want me to do?"

"Perfect!" Angel clapped giddily. "First, let's get you two settled in! I'm sure Dream's eager to have a room with windows.."

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Dee snapped, clenching his fists. 

"Temper.." Angel chuckled. "He's fine; I've only tortured him a little." 

"A little?!" Dee was not happy with that answer. 

"Let's get you back to your room, brother!"

Angel stood up, and he waved for Dream and Dee to follow him; Dee knew the way already, but Dream certainly did not. Dream decided to walk with Dee instead of Angel, though; he was happy to see Dee again, even if he..wasn't sure about the whole 'dad' thing.

"I'm glad you came for me.." Dream admitted. "Thank you, Dee.."

"Of course, kid.." Dee sighed, giving Dream a soft smile. "You're worth coming back for." 

"..I hope so." Dream looked down. "The others should have come for me by now.."

"I'm sure it's just a mechanical error on their end - nothing to do with you." 

"..Thanks, Dee." Dream smiled back at the adult. 

"..When we get to the room, I'll chase him off..then you can tell me what happened while I was gone." 

"After you take a nap." 

"A what? I don't need a nap!" 

"You didn't sleep since I got taken." 

"I can go months without sleep, kid." 

"But that isn't healthy; you should get some rest. I'm tired, too, anyway." 

"..You are?" 

"Yeah." Dream nodded. "I'd like to get some sleep before dealing with him again.." 

"Did he hurt you?" 

"..." Dream just nodded, and Dee knew all he had to know. 

"..We'll take that nap, then." Dee decided. "I guess we both need it, huh?"

"You two hurry up!" Angel called back to them. "I know bonding is fun, or something, but seriously, you can walk faster!"

"Cool it, bird boy; we're coming!" Dee rolled his eyelights, and Dream let out a giggle.

Maybe..Angel might have been right about one thing.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is a master bamboozler!

Thanks for reading my parental writing!

Bye! 

Chapter Text

It had been almost a week and a half since Dee had shown up, and..things were definitely interesting. Dream had only been in this multiverse for a month and a half, but..he had found that he cared for Angel and Dee..a lot. Dee was his favorite of the two, of course, both since he had known him for longer and because he hadn't tortured him. But..Dream did care about Angel, too. Angel had reasons for being the way he was. They weren't the best reasons, and he was still a horrible person, but he did have reasons. Namely..people treated him differently. While people hated Dee and liked to make him suffer, they loved Angel, and the thought of making Angel suffer was..practically considered treason. It just didn't happen. That was why Angel was so thrilled to be washing dishes; he had never done it before, because it was considered servants' work. Dream had been happy to teach him, though, when no one had been watching. 

Dream had free reign of the castle, now, as well as the grounds. That had been one of Dee's demands, and Angel, having already intended to let Dream wander, hadn't argued. Dee was also permitted to move about the castle and grounds, as long as he didn't try to escape, and, with Dream being intent on helping Angel to better himself, that wasn't going to be happening soon. Dee didn't enjoy being in this castle much, though, and Dream definitely understood why. Dee was a soul that liked to explore, to travel, and to see new lands; this castle..was probably a place he had explored hundreds of times over. It was nothing new; Dee couldn't have been too happy here. But..he made do. His son was helping a lot with that.

"Dad, you look silly!" Dream giggled, looking at Dee's highly-stupid outfit. 

Another reason to hate this castle? All of Dee's clothes suited a prince..and Dee hated his role as a prince. He agreed with the modern day's fashion; he liked loose jackets, t-shirts, sweatpants, and sneakers - not button-ups, slacks, and work shoes! Sure, he didn't have to do any real paperwork or other princely activities..but this outfit was more than enough reason to hate anything and everything to do with this place. 

"I know.." Dee sighed. "You look good, kid."

Dream, thankfully, was spared from the uncomfortable clothing almost immediately after Dee had arrived; Angel wasn't sure where Dee had gotten clothes that would fit Dream, but he had, and Dream was more than happy to wander around in t-shirts and shorts. 

"Thanks, Dad!" Dream giggled, hugging his..dad.

Angel had made Dee legally adopt the child, and Dee had just considered himself lucky at first that he wouldn't have to go through a million hoops just to give Dream a good life, but...Dream had practically clung to the thought of having a dad. The kid missed his brother and all the other parental figures he had at home; he needed someone to help him through this. And Dee was happy to help the ten year old with whatever he needed, even if it meant that he would be called "dad" about fifty times a day. He..was starting to like it, honestly. Maybe Angel had finally had one good idea in his life. 

"I taught Uncle Angel how to make pasta!" Dream declared, happily grabbing Dee's hand and leading him towards the dining room. 

"Got around the servants again?" Dee chuckled, letting Dream lead him on. 

"Yep!" Dream nodded proudly. "Uncle Angel really likes learning new things, and I know tons of stuff!"

"Well, I'm glad; just make sure you let me know if he snaps at you, okay?"

"I will!"

Despite Angel's affection for the child..he was still mentally ill; not even Dream could deny that. Nearly dozen times since Dee had arrived, Angel had been upset by one thing or another, and Dream had ended up taking whatever Angel had decided to do at the time, whether that was just yelling, or..turning off that magic suppressor. Dee had been terrified the first time he had watched his..his son scream out in agony, doubling over and bawling as the full force of the positive atmosphere lay into him. Dee knew that the atmosphere was positively-charged, but..he had grown so used to it that it just didn't affect him. It affected Dream, though; it affected him greatly. Dee made sure to keep a good eye on his son; he knew of more than just a few servants who wouldn't have minded taking a pretty golden bracelet for themselves, even if it were from Angel's nephew. Dee also tried to stick close to his son and Angel, as much as he hated his brother, but, of course, he couldn't always be there..Angel had ways of disappearing when he wanted to. Most of the time, though, Dee was around when Angel snapped, and he made sure to knock some sense into his brother, whether it were verbally or physically - Angel might have been able to beat him in a fight every time, but Dee knew for a fact that his attacks still hurt the winged beast.

"Good, you're here!" Angel smiled happily when Dream led Dee into the room. "Come and eat, my dear brother and nephew!"

"Smells good.." Dee hummed, coming closer and sitting at the table with Dream; there were three bowls of pasta, but whatever had been added to it certainly made the food seem much more appealing..

"It's my recipe!" Dream grinned. "Plain pasta's way too bland!"

"What's wrong with blandness?" Dee chuckled. "You picked just about the blandest guy in the world as a dad."

"You're not bland, Dad!" Dream giggled. "Bland stuff is weird and icky! You're not weird or icky!"

Dee let out a hum as Angel began to talk about how much fun he had had making the pasta; apparently, Dream had taught him how to make it from scratch - Dream was a great cook! Dee did have his concerns about the kid, though; Dream was definitely..off. Not in a bad way, exactly, but..Dee just had the feeling that something bad had happened to him. Well..he knew something had..Dream had told him during their first meeting. Dream had been though a lot of bad stuff..and here he was again, going through something that no child should have had to go through. He undoubtedly had some trauma from the past, even if he assured Dee that he was fine; Dee had a feeling that his "weird and icky" opinion of bland food was more than just an opinion. Most people who disliked foods didn't just go out of their way to make their own recipes to counteract why they didn't like certain foods. Most kids who were afraid of the dark didn't freeze up and start hyperventilating in pitch black. Dream wasn't "most people." He wasn't "most kids." He was Dream, a kid who had been through way too much for Dee's liking; he didn't need to be abused - physically or verbally - by Angel, too.

"I have to agree!" Angel commented, enjoying his pasta. "This is delicious!"

"It.." Dee paused, surprised; Dream had turned pasta into..something a lot more flavorful - something sweet, and maybe even a little spicy, but..a good spicy. "It's way better than normal pasta.."

"Thank you!" Dream beamed. 

"What'd you put in there, kid?"

"That's a secret!" Dream giggled. 

"Well, if you ever want to talk, I'd be happy to learn all your recipes!" Dee joked.

Dream laughed harder, and..it was just the sweetest sound Dee had ever heard. How anyone could have hurt this child was beyond him; Dream was..Dream was just a little angel (not that Angel), to put it bluntly. But to know that so many people had tried to hurt the kid...it made it so much more inspiring to see him laugh and play just as if he were any other kid. Dream deserved the world; Dee just hoped that he could do right by the ten year old. That, of course, started with controlling Angel and his followers. 

The rest of the meal passed quietly, and when the trio were done eating, a group of servants invaded the room and took the dirty dishes before Angel could think to ask Dream to join him for some delightful dishwashing; Angel was currently excited to do mundane chores, for some reason, and Dee wasn't intent on asking why. 

"Well..shall we go for a walk in the garden, Dream?" Angel offered.

"No, thanks - I wanna spend time with Dad!" Dream decided.

"But, Dream.." Angel whined - the precursor to a potential psychotic rage, Dee knew. Dream was still learning to recognize Angel's signs, though.

"I spent a lot of time with you already today; I want to spend time with Dad, now." Dream informed, getting up out of his seat; Dee followed suit. 

"Dream, I want to show you around the garden!" Angel huffed, crossing his arms. 

"I'm sure Dream's just tired from his busy day, brother." Dee had to fight not to gag upon saying that vile word. "Maybe some less-tiring activities will be good for him."

"..Fine." Angel acquiesced, the growing fire in his eyes being extinguished. "How about after dinner, Dream?"

"That sounds good!" Dream nodded, agreeing. 

"It's a plan, then; I'll be looking forward to it!"

Angel left the room promptly, and Dream held Dee's hand, humming a cheery tune as he led his Dad through the halls once more. Unlike Dee, Dream had no clue how to handle or prevent Angel's outbursts; the child likely thought they were random. Dee knew better, though, and he knew how to prevent a portion of them (although, sometimes, Angel really did just snap). Compromises were good, but..Angel loved it when Dee called him "brother." It was practically the monster's favorite word. Dee had been using it a lot recently to protect Dream; it didn't work every time, but more often than not, Angel would back off temporarily. It was like giving a vampire blood. 

"Dad, what do you like to do when you're here?" Dream wondered, looking around at the vast halls of the castle.

"..Mainly escape." Dee shrugged. "I don't really like this place, honestly.."

"..You wouldn't like my home, then."

"Why not?"

"It's a castle, too. But a lot more purple; Nighty loves the color purple!"

"Is your castle a lot like this one?"

"Yeah, a lot like it - but mine has taller ceilings."

"How tall are they?"

"They're super tall! You could fit a whole dragon in them, if the dragon was super skinny!"

"..That's pretty tall, kid."

"Uh-huh!" Dream nodded. "And it's got three whole floors!"

"..Wow."

"I know! I thought it was super crazy when I first got there, too, but I got used to it!"

"I guess that's good for claustrophobia, huh?" Dee chanced a guess.

"Yep!" Dream nodded, before blinking. "Uh..I mean, it would be, if I had that. Which I don't. I don't."

"..Okay." Dee did not believe that one bit. "Well, what do you like to do when you're at home?"

"Oh, I like to do tons of stuff! I like board games, coloring books, talking with my friends, sewing, cooking, cleaning, and lots of other stuff!"

"..You like cleaning? That seems pretty boring."

"Not to me." Dream shrugged. "I like doing it."

"Do you know why?"

"..It's familiar." Dream replied, softly, before looking back up at Dee. "Do you want to color with me?"

"Sure, kid. I'll find us a coloring book."

"Thanks, Dad - I love you."

"I love you, too, kid."

Dee took Dream to their shared room (Dream had insisted on it), and he left Dream for about ten minutes before returning with a jumbo coloring book and some crayons; he also skillfully avoided all questions about where he had obtained them. For the next few hours, Dream and Dee colored together, and Dee let himself relax for once. He might have been more of a free spirit who wanted to travel the world, but Dream seemed more than happy staying in one place for the time being, even if he had seemed to greatly enjoy traveling with Dee for that month. It had passed so quickly, hadn't it? Dream and Dee, traveling miles and miles on foot every day..it had been tough, but the two had grown close in their time together. Closer now, too. Dee wasn't exactly sure when it had started, but..every time those yellow eyelights looked up at him, he felt a sense of peace, joined by a type of love that he'd never felt before - parental love. Was this what parents felt for their children? Dee had never thought of having kids before, but..he liked having Dream around.

He would protect this child with his life.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dee bean has become a dad!

Thanks for reading my fatherly writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dream had been in this multiverse for two months, and he was beginning to wonder if the others were coming for him. He had only traversed one multiverse, after all, and last time, he had crossed two - it hadn't taken the others this long to find him last time. That wasn't to say that he wasn't having fun, though, because he was having fun; it was just..he missed the others. He missed Killer's pranks, Horror's food, Cross's spars, Dust's quiet companionship, Error's sewing time, Ccino's friendship (and his cats), Swapyrus's games, Robin's support, Catch's understanding, and Nighty's..everything. He missed Shattered and Wish, too..he hoped they were okay without him. He hoped Robin was okay without him, too; he missed Robin a lot, especially after that last interaction. But..Dee and Angel were still good company. They just weren't his normal company. 

They were still family, though.

Dee was a great dad, and Angel was an okay uncle! Angel needed to learn that violence wasn't always the answer, though.

"Infernal contraption!" Angel tossed the remote at the television, growling lowly as the screen shattered and sparks flew.

Dream sighed. "Good job, Uncle Angel; you broke another tv."

"..Why do I sense that you are not being entirely honest with your thoughts?" Angel inquired.

"You really think so?" Dream hummed, giving his uncle an innocent smile. "I wonder why."

"..I hate you."

"I love you, too, Uncle Angel!"

"Is everything okay?" Dee asked, popping his skull into the room. "I heard-" His gaze reached the shattered television. "Oh..again?" 

"Again." Dream nodded, getting up and running over to give Dee a hug. "Hi, Dad!"

"Hey, sport." Dee returned the hug comfortably. "You doing okay with Uncle Angel? He treating you right?"

"I am!" Angel huffed.

"He is." Dream agreed. "Barely."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Dream giggled, circling around Dee to put the adult between him and his uncle. 

"Well, you did yell at the tv.." Dream reminded. "And you weren't nice about it! You took the remote out of my hands!"

"..Angel, why'd you do that?" Dee sighed.

"He was-" Angel clenched his fists, getting up and stomping his foot. "The stupid thing wasn't working! It's not my fault!"

"Not your fault that you threw the remote at the television?"

"I-" Angel let out a long whine, glaring at his brother. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Angel summoned a sword, and Dee regretted his choice to provoke his brother (it had been so worth it in the moment, though). The caring father picked up his ten-year-old son and bolted down the hall, doing his best to dodge his brother's varied and powerful attacks. Dream, meanwhile, giggled at the chase, holding onto Dee tightly; he may have started this, but..he doubted Angel would really kill Dee - despite his rage, Angel cared about his brother..he just didn't show it..ever. After a long chase, Dee finally shook Angel off his trail, and he made his way to his room, setting Dream down. 

"That was fun!" Dream giggled, clapping his hands. "We should do it again!"

"..Maybe after a couple nights of sleep, eh, kid?" Dee was worn out; Angel was a tough guy to evade.

"Sounds good!" Dream gave a nod; that was a plan, then!

Dee went over to collapse on his bed, and Dream hopped onto his own soon after, lying down and watching his dad. Dream..liked having a dad. He had never really had a parent before, with his mother being..a tree. It just wasn't the same. With Dee, Dream could really feel..loved. It wasn't that Nighty and the others didn't love him, but..this was a different type of love - a parental love. The type of love that made Dream feel as if he had someone to not only enjoy the company of, but..to look up to. Dream looked up to Dee probably more than the adult knew; he finally had a role model, and Dee was a great one! Dee showed him lots of things, and he helped Dream understand things a lot better than he had before; for example, he had taught Dream about the many uses of sarcasm! Dream had noted that Angel hated sarcasm, and since that was the case, Dream was morally bound to use it every so often. 

Dee had also taught Dream about..life. 

Dream..had never really considered what he wanted to do with his life. He had initially thought he hadn't had a choice, but..now, he realized that he did. He had a choice, and he was getting to choose whom he wanted to be. It was..a little frightening, honestly. He was only ten, after all, but..he didn't have much time to make his decision.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Dee asked, looking over to his son. 

"..." Dream thought; it was such a simple question, yet.. "Anything but my birthright.."

"Why's that?"

"..I want to help people, but..I don't want them to know my name or my face. I don't want them to seek me out as if I'm the answer to all their problems. I don't..I don't.."

"Don't want them to take advantage of you?" Dee understood, gaining a nod. "I get that."

Dee came over, sitting next to Dream and wrapping an arm around him. 

"Being a Guardian's a pretty big job, and it honestly sucks that we start as kids." Dee shrugged; it was the truth. "It makes you feel like you've got no time - that you have to make all the important decisions now, or else you'll be trapped forever." Dee gave a soft smile to his son. "But you don't."

"..What do you mean?" Dream wondered, leaning into the embrace. "Don't I?"

"Nah."

"..But..m-my magic, and-"

"Your magic's a problem, yes, but..it doesn't mean you have to step up and decide who you're going to be immediately. You have time, Dream; you're ten years old, and you deserve to be a kid, no matter where you are or who you're with."

"..But what if it makes me?"

"..I don't know; I don't have all the answers. What I do have is experience, and my experience tells me that if you want to do something with all your soul, and you focus on achieving that goal..you're gonna make it. As much as our magic wants us to think otherwise, we're just people. We're small people in a huge world, Dream, and..none of us alone can make too big of a difference, no matter what our Guardian status tries to tell us. The world could go on without us, and it will, if we make it. No one is so special that the world would cease to exist without them; the world existed before us, and it will exist after us..that's just the way things are."

"..Thanks, Dad." Dream hugged Dee. 

"Of course, kid." Dee smiled. "I've been telling people they aren't special for a long time; it's kind of my specialty by now."

Dream let out a giggle. "Well, you're very good at it!"

"Well, thank you - I was afraid I got rusty!"

Dream burst into laughter, and Dee held his son close with a smile.

"But, really, kid.." Dee rubbed Dream's skull comfortingly. "The world can wait for you to grow up."

"I sure hope so.." Dream nodded. "I kind of don't want to grow up, either, though.."

"I get that.." Dee let out a soft chuckle. "But it happens all the same..we just have to accept that some things are gonna happen..but don't forget what we can control, kid - you have the power to choose, so don't let anyone take that from you."

"I won't, Dad..thanks."

"Of course. Now, what would you like to choose to do right now?"

"..Can we go walking?"

"Sure, kid." Dee nodded, sliding off the bed and helping Dream hop off. "Where are we off to?"

"Outside!" Dream decided, gripping Dee's hand and leading him on. 

"All right!"

Dream led Dee outside the castle, which was a journey in and of itself (the castle was big, after all), but they soon made it. To Dee's relief, the castle grounds were big; the fence that he crossed when he left was over a mile away from the castle doors, and that gave him and Dream plenty of space for long walks. Dee felt the itch to run again when he saw that familiar fence in the distance, but..one look at those golden eyelights reminded him why he couldn't. Dream needed him, and that was just a fact. So, instead of running, Dee would stay..as long as he had to. 

"The clouds are pretty today!" Dream commented, looking up at the white puffy clouds above. "Do you think, if we could walk on clouds, they would be soft or bouncy?"

"..I'd say soft." Dee decided. "Like..standing on marshmallows."

"I like marshmallows..do they make those big enough to stand on?"

"I doubt it, but some of them get pretty big."

"I wish I could stand on a marshmallow."

"It would probably be sticky."

"That's what baths are for!" Dream reminded.

"Eh, true." Dee nodded. "I guess technology is only one step away from standing on marshmallows."

"Yep!" Dream confirmed; clearly, that was the case.

The two continued to walk through the castle grounds, eventually stopping to sit by one of the few ponds in the area; this was the biggest, with a fountain spraying water into the air. Several ducks were sitting in the pond happily, quacking contently and enjoying the cool water as opposed to the summer heat. Dream slipped his shoes and socks off, wading a little into the water. The pond wasn't supposed to double as a pool, but..Dream didn't really care. Angel didn't mind it, at least, and that meant that no one else could do anything about it! Well, they couldn't do anything but glare at the child, but Dream wasn't going to be discouraged by mean looks!

"The water cool?" Dee asked, sitting by the edge.

"Yeah!" Dream confirmed, sitting in the shallow water; it went halfway up his spine, which was just enough for Dream! "Are you gonna come in?"

"Eh, not today." Dee shrugged, pulling at the collar of his tight dress shirt; it was way too hot for stupid clothes like those. "You have fun, though."

"Okay!" Dream relaxed, enjoying the cool water.

Despite everything, Dream's time in this world hadn't been too bad; he was having a good time, and although Angel was unpredictable at times, he wasn't too much to deal with. Dee was a great dad, too. Dream was glad he had ended up here, even if the only thing he got out of it was a dad. Having a dad was nice, and Dream had definitely gotten used to it; he sished he could stay with Dee forever. Maybe Dee would be able to come home with Dream, whenever he figured out how to get home! Dream certainly hoped so; he wanted to introduce his new dad to all the rest of his family and friends! He hoped Nighty would like Dee, but Dream believed he would; Nighty liked a lot of people, and Dee was very nice! Dream and Dee sat in and by the pond for about half an hour, before a familiar shadow loomed overhead. Dee raised his gaze to the sky, before letting out a sigh.

"Think he's still mad?" Dee wondered.

"I dunno." Dream shrugged. "Maybe he wants to take a bath, like the ducks."

Dee snorted. "That's certainly a thought."

Angel did not, in fact, want to take a bath like the ducks. He swooped down from his aerial position and landed on the ground next to Dee gracefully. 

"Do you two know how long I've been looking for you?!" Angel pouted. 

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell us." Dee responded.

"An hour and a half!" Angel informed, glaring. "How dare you run from me like that?!"

"You said you were gonna kill us." Dream reminded, splashing some water Angel's way as he truned to face the adult.

"Hey!" 

"Hey, let's just calm down.." Dee spoke in a softer tone, trying to assuage Angel's rage. "He didn't mean it; it's just water."

"Just water?!" Angel growled. "I'll show you 'just water'!"

Angel stomped his foot and glared at Dream.

...

A moment passed, and..nothing happened. 

"..Oh, wow." Dream deadpanned. "I'm so scared."

"..Why isn't it working?" Angel asked, seemingly confused. 

"Why isn't..what working?" Dee questioned.

"The thing!" Angel huffed. "I turned off the bracelet thing! Why aren't you writhing in pain?!"

Dream paused, letting out a hum and looking down at himself. "Huh..that's new."

"What's new?" Dee inquired.

"I don't feel bad here anymore.." Dream smiled brightly. "I feel pretty good, actually!"

"Well, I'm glad." Dee smiled lightly. "Let's get you inside and dried off, then; I figure we've got about a minute before he flips his lid."

"Okay, Dad!"

Dee helped Dream out of the pond, and the two went inside while Angel seethed.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is fine!

Thanks for reading my seething writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It had been two and a half months since Dream had ended up in this place, and..his magic wasn't acting up anymore. He could handle the strain of this positive atmosphere, and the magic in the air wasn't begging him to use it, anymore. It would let him use it, though, and he did, a lot..it just wasn't uncomfortable anymore. 

Speaking of using his magic a lot..

Dream might have been a little restless from his time without magic. He had missed out of his daily magic training for quite a while, and he was itching to spar with someone! He couldn't fight Dee, though, since his magic was weak in this atmosphere, and no one else had the magic capabilities he wanted to go up against..

Except Angel. 

Unfortunately, Angel didn't understand the concept of spars; he had never sparred anyone in his life, and for every fight he went into, he looked to a goal, whether it was to kill or to maim. And Dream definitely did not want to be killed or maimed! Because of that, Dream had spent the last two weeks carefully educating Angel on the concept of spars..and he had finally drilled the core factor into Angel's head.

"..So I don't try to kill you or injure you severely?" Angel understood.

"Exactly!" Dream nodded.

"..So..what is the goal?"

Dream sighed; he had explained this over fifty times already. "The goal is to pin the other person - to get them into a position where they can't fight back. And once you do that, you stop fighting, and you win. Either that, or getting them to surrender because they're tired or they don't want to go on anymore."

"..I see." Angel hummed, processing the information. "And..what if I do accidentally hurt you?"

"Then we stop immediately." 

"Why? Shouldn't you know how to fight with a broken leg? I can fight with a broken leg."

"..You have wings."

"Yes, and that makes fighting with a broken leg quite easy!"

"..If I broke both your arms, would you want to keep going if you had the choice?"

"Well..no."

"Well, here, we have the choice - both of us do - and if you break my leg, I'd like to stop."

"..Interesting." Angel nodded, humming. "And you say this is a normal thing?"

"Yes, lots of people spar." Dream confirmed. "Soldiers and warriors spar all the time." 

"..Let me recap this." Angel requested, to which Dream nodded. "We fight, but we don't try to kill or seriously hurt eachother, and we can both call an end to it whenever we want?"

"Yes!" Dream grinned; did his uncle finally understand?!

"..That's stupid." Angel rolled his eyelights, and Dream let out a sigh. 

"Can we at least try it? Please?"

"I have the feeling that I will kill you if we try."

"..What if Dad watches us? So he can call it off if he thinks you'll kill me?"

"..Good idea." Angel smiled. "And then I'll only paralyze you!"

"..." Dream blinked, his smile faltering a little. "Yeah.."

"Well, let's get going! My brother should be around here, somewhere!"

Dream gave a small nod, before following Angel. Maybe, on second thought, sparring with Angel might not have been the brightest idea, but..oh! 

"Uncle Angel?" Dream addressed. "How about, if you're too strong for me, Dad can help me spar against you, so you definitely won't hurt me!"

"..If that's what you want. Is that allowed?"

"Uh-huh!" Dream nodded. "My uncles do three-on-ones when they spar, sometimes! So a two-on-one should be easy enough, I think!"

"Sounds good - you might stand a chance."

Dream definitely hoped he would stand a chance. Angel and Dream walked through the castle's halls in search of Dee, who wasn't too hard to find, really. With his magic back, Dream could sense Dee's faint negative aura in the castle, and he could understand why Dee relied on food to survive; his negative aura was barely strong enough to affect anyone, and even if it could, he wouldn't have been able to absorb enough energy in return to make the expenditure worthwhile. Nightmare's aura was a lot stronger than Dee's; he could make people sad with his aura and get enough power back in return to last a while without needing food. Dream's aura was the same, but..he preferred not to manipulate other people's emotions for his own gain; it felt wrong. It felt..forceful. Unless Dream had a good cause, there was really no reason to force anyone to feel positive..not even if they wanted it. It..felt as if he were taking away someone's free will..

Something a lot of people had taken from him in the past.

"Brother!" Angel called, his singsong voice trailing down the long hall and reaching a familiar skeleton.

"What?" Dee turned around, letting out a sigh and crossing his arms. 

"Dream and I are going to do something called 'sparring,' and you need to watch so I don't accidentally kill him!"

"..You're what?" Dee looked at Dream incredulously, receiving a small shrug and a nervous smile in return.

"Dream has informed me of these things called spars, where people fight, but they do not try to kill!" Angel grinned, as if this were a revolutionary idea. "Of course, with my unparalleled strength, I may do that anyway, so you have to make us stop if you think I'm going too far!"

"..Dream asked you to do that?" 

"Spars are really fun.." Dream looked down, fiddling with his fingers. "I wanna do magic, though, so.."

"..So Angel is your literal only option.." Dee sighed. "All right..but what I say goes, okay?"

"Okay, Dad!" Dream beamed. "Thank you!"

"Yes, you shall be able to stop us at any time, provided we can hear you." Angel nodded. 

"And you will be able to hear me." Dee assured.

"Let's go, then!" Dream bounced. "Do you have a training room, or something?"

"We have..the outdoors?" Angel shrugged. 

"..Okay, but try not to fly too high; that would be unfair."

"Is fairness a rule in spars?"

"Only when it's stuff like that. Since I can't fly, you have to make it fair by giving me a chance."

"..I see." Angel hummed. "In that case, I see why people like spars - they may defeat opponents who would normally crush them."

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, there isn't going to be any crushing today." Dee informed. "We're going to be nice and safe, and no one's going to be hurt badly."

"That's what you think.." Angel muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing.."

The trio made their way outside, where they located the perfect area for a spar: a mostly-flat portion of land with no trees and no tripping hazards. Angel wanted to start immediately, but Dee wasn't so sure. After ten minutes of assuring Dee that he would be fine and reminding him that the fight could he stopped at any time, though, Dee finally relented and let Dream step onto the battlefied. Upon seeing Dream's eagerness to get started, Angel summoned his weapon of choice. He lifted a hand to the sky, and a cyan thunderbolt materialized in his hand. From one of its ends, cyan chains began to form, the links materializing one after the other as they extended the chain's length gradually. The chain kept going for several feet more, before stopping with another cyan thunderbolt...

And Dream realized that Angel was partial to ranged attacks...while Dream preferred close combat. Wonderful. This was going splendidly - Dream had just assumed that Angel would have had a sword or something alone those lines, but, no, he had a weird cyan chain whip thing. Absolutely perfect. 

Dream let out a sigh, summoning his bow; unless Angel wanted to come closer, daggers wouldn't do anything to help the ten year old. That was unfortunate, considering the fact that Dream really preferred close combat to ranged. But..that was why he needed practice, he supposed! He summoned an arrow in his free hand, letting out a content hum; it had been a while since he had used his magic for this, and he was ready to spar once more!

"Are you sure you're sure about this, Dream?" Dee asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yeah!" Dream nodded. "I'm ready!"

"..All right." Dee nodded. "I'll be watching closely."

"Thanks, Dad!" Dream grinned at him, before turning to Angel as Dee backed away a little; for now, he would only be a referee. "Are you ready, Uncle Angel?"

"Oh, I think the question is..are you?" Angel smirked confidently, his halo glimmering in the light. 

"I am!" Dream assured. "Let's start!"

And then it started. 

Dream fired an arrow at Angel, missing his shot only because Angel sidestepped it; the other was giving Dream a chance, limiting himself to the ground for now. As soon as he avoided the lone arrow, Angel spun and extended his arm toward Dream, creating the needed momentum to fire his..lightning chain? Sure. To fire his lightning chain at Dream.

And, boy, did it fire.

Dream was lucky he had been in the process of dodging the attack before it had come, because..that lightning bolt wasn't just for show; Angel's attack came at Dream like a lightning bolt - a horizontal one - and clipped his arm. Vaguely, Dream sensed heat from the weapon, but..it was all too fast for him to tell. Fortunately, it was just a clip, and Dream was hardly in need of medical attention from the slight cut. Unfortunately, that was Angel's normal attack speed; Dream was going to need a little more than a bow for this. With his magic, however, he knew exactly how to counter Angel. If his opponent was going to be hurling these quick ranged attacks at Dream, Dream had to take this out of Angel's comfort zone, much to Dream's joy. He fired an arrow in Angel's direction before sprinting toward Angel, making use of predictive thinking and those nifty combat rolls Killer had taught him to get closer while avoiding Angel's lightning-fast strikes. And while Angel had already preemptively dodged the arrow in question, this one was special. 

Dream was able to make it halfway to Angel - with his arrow only a few seconds until impact - before he pulsed his magic, specifically in Angel's direction. When he did, his arrow did something that Cross had recently - as in, before Dream had gotten his magic suppressor - taught him: homing. The magic arrow locked in on Angel, defying all laws of physics to imbed itself into Angel's arm - specifically, the one he was using to swing his lightning chain. Angel hissed at the pain, which gave Dream a little hope; maybe he could beat Angel! He used Angel's surprise as cover to get closer, and when he did, he summoned his daggers and-

Found that the lightning bolts on the end of the chain also served as melee weapons. 

Angel had switched hands, but he did seem angry enough to make up for any potential weaknesses fighting with his offhand might have posed. Dream used his daggers to block Angel's rapid slashes, and when he saw an opening, he struck before going back on the defensive. Angel's attacks were definitely strong, though; it took a lot of Dream's strength to defend against them. After Dream managed to hit Angel a couple more times, Angel got..even more heated. He jumped back, rose his weapon into the air, and twirled it around a couple times before sending it at Dream. 

Dream anticipated the attack, of course - Angel was generous to give him two seconds to think before striking - but..the attack didn't come in the way he had anticipated. Instead of a lightning-fast strike, it was a sweep. A low sweep, but a sweep nonetheless. Dream jumped to avoid it at the last second, but he wasn't fast enough, yelping as the chains wrapped around his ankles and grounded him. Dream winced at the sensation at the points of contact.

Angel's weapon really did burn..

"I think I win." Angel decided, pointing the end of one of his lightning bolts at Dream. "Unless you think you can get up and fight now?"

"..Good job." Dream nodded; he wanted this burning chain to get off of him as soon as possible.

"Thank you!" Angel beamed, his rage gone as he desummoned his weapon. "You..didn't do too bad. Thought that last attack might have killed you, though; you really made me mad..good job living."

"Uh..thanks..?" Dream blinked in confusion as Dee ran over.

"Are you okay?!" Dee..was clearly worried about Dream. 

"Yeah?" Dream nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?" 

"Angel's weapons are, like, ridiculously hot..only our Ink's ever touched them and lived.." Dee informed, inspecting Dream's ankles. 

"Oh..well, now I did, too!" Dream grinned. "And..it burned, but it wasn't unbearable.."

"..Are you serious?" Angel inquired, letting out a hum. "Maybe I'm losing my touch.."

"Let me check you..these burns look pretty bad." Dee requested.

"Okay.." Dream tilted his skull; what was so special about Angel's weapons? Sure, they burned, but, surely, it wasn't that-

Dream, Guardian of Choice

LV - 1

HP - 486,021/500,002

ATK - 4,579 [No weapon]

DEF - 10,421 + 100 [Well-Worn Cape]

Attributes -

- Burned.

- Would like a hug, Dad.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean fights!

Thanks for reading my fighting writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"I thought you were a Guardian of Positivity.." Angel let out a hum, crossing his arms as he observed Dee's check. "And..why are your stats so high..?"

"Uh..what?" Dream inquired. "I am a Guardian of Positivity..?"

"Not what this says.." Dee informed, waving Dream over to take a look.

The ten year old tilted his skull before coming over to see what-

Guardian of Choice?

"I've..never seen that before." Dream admitted. "And..my stats weren't that high last time I checked.."

"When was the last time you checked?" Dee wondered.

"Uh..before I got here. Nighty said they were going up because I was getting older..but it was only a few points for each. This is.."

"Sorta insane." Angel finished Dream's thought. "No wonder I didn't eviscerate you; your stats are ridiculous."

"..Were you trying to eviscerate me..?" 

"..Yeah." Angel shrugged. "A little."

"..You're lucky your stats are so high; Angel would have hurt you a lot worse if they weren't." Dee informed. "But, since you're mostly okay, let's get you to the room; that last attack really burned you.."

"..Yeah." Dream nodded; his ankles really did still hurt.. "Sounds good."

Dee picked Dream up carefully, and Dream leaned against his dad, who held him close. Angel decided to go do something more fun; watching someone else's healing process wasn't the most entertaining thing to do. With the winged Guardian gone, Dee took Dream to their room, where he set him in his bed and took off the little one's shoes and socks to get a better look at the injuries. He winced when he saw the charred bone.

"You sure this doesn't hurt too bad?" Dee wondered, worried. 

"I've felt worse.." Dream shrugged. "It..does hurt, though.."

"Well, I'll patch it up." Dee decided, grabbing a medkit; he always had one in his room, just in case. "I doubt any medics would come to help if I asked, so you're stuck with me, sport."

"Thanks, Dad." Dream smiled. "I love you."

"Love you, too, kid."

Dee started to treat Dream's burns to the best of his ability using only medical supplies; he couldn't use healing magic in this atmosphere, and he wasn't too good at it, anyway. As Dee healed, Dream..thought. His check had called him the "Guardian of Choice," instead of the Guardian of Positivity, as it always had before. What..did that mean? Being the Guardian of Positivity was clear enough to understand; he just had to keep positive emotion alive and well within the multiverse. But..choice was a constant, right? That was just..something people had on a daily basis. What to eat, what to wear, where to go..those were all choices, and people made them every day. Why did choice need a guardian? Dream's gaze fell on his dad..and he wondered.

"Dad?" He addressed.

"Yeah?" Dee responded, looking up from his work. 

"What's a Guardian of Choice?" 

"..I don't know." Dee admitted. "I don't know why your check says that, or why it changed."

"..I don't know, either." Dream sighed, crossing his arms; why was everything so confusing?

"Well..what's a Guardian of Positivity?"

"Someone who keeps positivity alive. Someone who protects the Balance of Emotions from tipping."

"Okay..so maybe..you're meant to keep..choice alive..?"

"..But that's stupid." Dream admitted. "Choice is alive; everyone makes choices every day. You're making choices right now! Why would I have to do that? What's the point?"

"..Well.." Dee hummed. "Maybe it's referring to bigger choices, instead of the little things. Like..picking a job, or deciding what to do with your life - those kinds of choices."

"..People make those choices every day, too." Dream shrugged. "I just..don't understand what I could do. What am I expected to do?"

"..I'm not sure." Dee replied, before snorting. "Guess you could say..it's your choice."

Dream let out a laugh, before pausing. He stared at Dee, who tilted his skull in question.

"You okay, kid?" Dee inquired. "Is this too tight?" 

"..Your life." Dream said. "You've..been forced to stay here, instead of doing what you want to do."

"..Yeah?" Dee nodded; that was true. "What about it?"

"..Uncle Angel's been forced to be..an angel..no one lets him do what he really wants to do." 

"..I guess that's true."

"Uncle Shattered was forced to be the Guardian of Positivity when he was little, and he really didn't want to. Uncle Wish was forced into a position of power, but he didn't know that people weren't doing what he wanted; they were using him."

Star hadn't had a choice, either. None of them had. 

Dream knew exactly how that felt. 

"I think..I understand." Dream looked at Dee thoughtfully. "It's not..about choices."

"Then what is it about?" Dee wondered.

"It's about the freedom to make them!" Dream grinned. "That's what it means! I'm supposed to help people have the freedom to make the choices they want to make, instead of letting them be forced into lives they don't want!"

"And..do you want to do that?"

"..I think I do." 

What a concept choice was! The freedom to make one's own decisions, even if they inevitably led to failure..just the freedom to choose. The freedom to fail and to start again. The freedom to succeed. It was..something Dream valued. It was..what he had been fighting for, his whole life. The villagers had taken his choice away, and 404 had taken his choice away, and the judges had tried to take it when they had kidnapped him, too. Even Nighty had done it at some point, thinking that it was for the best; it had been, but..still. The freedom to choose was..something Dream felt was worth protecting. And..Dream was willing to protect it, at the moment. He didn't want others to be subjected to what he had gone through..he wanted to help others have options - to be able to make choices.

And he knew the first two people he could help. 

Angel and Dee were two very different people, but..they shared a common struggle; neither of them had much of a choice in their lives. Angel was reverenced as an angel, and Dee was scorned as a demon. But..it went so much deeper than that. Angel found joy in the most mundane things, because they were new to him. He had been kept from doing those things because he was above them, but that wasn't fair. Angel deserved to be able to choose whether or not he wanted to wash his own dishes, and he deserved the right to clean his own room and cook his own food. He also deserved the freedom to walk the streets without being mobbed by worshipers. But..that was difficult. Angel seemed to like his life, even though he did delight in those "forbidden" activities. His situation was nothing like Dee's..but Dream couldn't solve Dee's problem without first showing Angel a better way..

Because Angel was the one taking away Dee's choice in the first place.

Dee was a free spirit; he wanted to travel the world and see everything he could. He didn't want to spend his life stuck in the same place his whole life, and he didn't want to be told how to live his life. When he was here, Angel dictated everything. Angel chose his clothes, what he ate, and..just everything. Dream could understand why Dee wanted to run; he had no say in his life, here. But if Dream wanted to get Angel to ease up on Dee, he would have to show Angel how his own choice was being taken away..

Somehow. 

The only thing Dream could think of that Angel really truly had a problem with was..independence. Angel had servants at his beck and call every second of the day, and they would do whatever he asked of them, whether he asked for a perfectly-tailored outfit or a feast fit for a king. They cleaned, cooked, and managed the castle, leaving Angel with free time to do whatever he wished. It..had definitely made Angel dependent on them. But how would Dream show Angel that? How could he have possibly shown that as something bad? It wasn't as if Angel saw anything wrong with it; he thought it was normal. He delighted in skirting past the servants' watchful eyes and doing their tasks before they could get to them, as if it were a game! It was a game to him. Everything was. 

And that gave Dream an idea.

"..Hey, Dad?" Dream spoke up, as Dee finished wrapping Dream's wounds.

"Yeah?" Dee asked. "Too tight?"

"No, it's perfect. Dad, I have an idea..but it's going to be dangerous."

"..More dangerous than sparring with Angel?"

"..Maybe."

Dee sighed. "What do you have in mind?"

"..Well, if we showed Angel how little choice he has in his life, then he might let you do more things, because he'll value having options more."

"..And how do you propose to do that, exactly? He's a king."

"Well, if we went to another universe, he wouldn't be." Dream reminded. 

"The universe is locked off from the rest of the multiverse, kid."

"I could probably make a portal out." 

"..What would the point be?"

"You deserve to live the life you want to live, and so does Angel. But we have to get him first, because he's the one holding you back."

"..If I say no, are you going to do it anyway?"

"..I feel like I want to, Dad. I want to do this; I don't feel like I have to, and..that's new. I like it."

"..All right, tell me your plan."

"Thanks, Dad!"

Two days passed, and when the planning stage of Dream's job was complete and Dream's injuries were healed enough for him to carry those plans out, he and Dee approached Angel. This would probably be the hardest part, convincing Angel to leave the castle and his life behind for a few weeks, but-

"Okay." Angel hummed. "Sounds interesting."

"..Really?" Dream blinked; he had thought that would have been harder.

"Sure, it sounds fun." Angel nodded. "Besides, it's been a long time since I've been in another universe; I wonder what it's like.."

"It'll be great!" Dream assured, grinning. "Let's get ready, then!"

"What should we bring?" Dee asked, as Dream had requested him to.

"Clothes and hobby stuff." Dream replied. "I'll handle everything else."

"Sounds good to me." Angel smiled, turning to go pack.

With his plan in place and everything moving along at a good pace, Dream followed Dee to pack their things, as well. In the end, Angel just packed some clothes and miscellaneous things. Dee did much the same, on Dream's request, and Dream packed clothes, some coloring books and art supplies, and enough G to last the trio..a little while. Angel was not aware of that fact, however, thinking that this was just a simple vacation. When the three regrouped, Dream opened a portal to an AU he had checked beforehand to ensure it would suit his needs, and the three came through into a small town. 

"How quaint." Angel hummed. "It's definitely quiet enough for a vacation."

"And no one knows your name, here." Dream added. "So you're on your own with us."

"Another interesting challenge, I'm sure!" 

"I know a place where we can get a place to stay; follow me!"

"I hope it's not too run-down.."

It was a perfectly-normal apartment building, but Dream called it a hotel to keep Angel sated. Dee made the arrangements for Dream, since the ten year old was too young to rent an apartment, and the trio were set..for a week. The building's owner led the three to the apartment Dream had selected, and the three were left to their own devices.

"A week?" Angel inquired, once they were alone. "What does that mean? Didn't we buy the room?"

"No, we rented it." Dream informed. "Like normal people do."

"..What?" Angel tilted his skull. "What does 'rent' mean?"

"It means we've sort-of bought it, but only for a limited time - after the week, we'll have to find somewhere else to stay." Dee answered.

"All right, then; what's up next on our vacation?"

"I dunno." Dream shrugged. "That's all the money I brought."

"..." Angel thought about that for a moment. "Why did you only bring enough money to last a week?" 

"Couldn't find any more. But don't worry; there are ways of getting more money."

"I regret to inform you that the people of this universe don't worship me; where do you expect to get that money?"

"You and Dee are old enough to get jobs, right?"

"..." Angel blinked. "What is..a job?"

Angel was going to love this.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean has a plan!

Thanks for reading my decisive writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Angel hated his life.

No, that was a lie; he actually loved his life. His old one. The one he had foolishly let his little nephew tear him from. The life he hated was the one he was living now..and he had only been here for three insufferable days. When Dream had suggested that Angel get a job, afterwards explaining what a job was, Angel had thought about something such as a doctor or a soldier in an army. Unfortunately, he had to have something known as a "degree" to be a doctor, and the army wouldn't take him, for some reason. It turned out that he really didn't have very many options at all, despite how his brother had managed to seamlessly get work at a local park as a gardener. His brother knew about plants, apparently (it wasn't really like he had much choice, with the limited activities the castle provided during his stays), and that had landed him a nice job with plenty of time to think as he worked, and he could even take little Dream to play at the playground while he worked around the park. 

...

Angel didn't know much about plants. Or how to drive. Or..how to clean..or build things. 

Okay, he'd had two options, and he was not going to throw newspapers at people's houses at three in the morning..leaving..

"Welcome to WonderBurger, may I take your order?" Angel was going to murder someone if he was held here one minute past his shift's end.

"I'll take, uh, three number fours, a number eight, five ginger ales, six kids' meals, and..three large fries." The next customer ordered.

"All right, then-"

"Wait..no. Make one of those fours a number two instead, and add a medium vanilla milkshake with extra whipped cream, no cherry."

"..Sounds good, we-"

"Oh, and another large fry. And an extra plain cheeseburger."

"..." Angel took a deep breath. "Okay. We'll-"

"You know what? Nevermind, just go back to the first thing I said."

Angel stared at the scribbles on his notepad. This customer was so lucky he was safe outside in his car, where Angel couldn't strangle him or memorize his facial features to strangle him later.

"..Would you repeat that, please?" Angel..was not going to survive another day of this.

"Oh, come on, can't you remember a simple order?" The customer scoffed. "Service, these days! You stupid kids can't do anything right! Now listen closely: three number fours, a number nine, five ginger ales, six kids' meals, and four large fries."

"Got it. That'll be fifty-eight G at the first window. Thank you, and have a great day!"

"Ugh, prices are ridiculous these days.."

Angel wanted his adoring followers back. He wanted his throne room and his servants. He'd renounce his cruel ways and be nicer, if only he could go back!

"Are those fries ready yet?" His manager inquired. "We've got eight orders waiting on them; pick up the pace!"

"Of course!" Angel forced the fakest smile of all time onto his face as he went about his work.

He started to put the fries in the bags they needed to be in, making sure to start a new batch as soon as possible, and as he finished the last bag and sent it out, he took a couple seconds to lament his existence. 

Well, that was his two seconds of relaxation up; it was time to continue this hellish day of work. 

The park was beautiful at this time of day. The plant life was already looking much better with Dee's work, and with everything that was going on, Dream was happy to take a few days to just relax and enjoy his life instead of worrying. Worrying was..not fun. But he couldn't really help it; he wanted to know what was going on back home, and..he was worried that his magic's developments might have made locating him harder. If his stats and title had changed so much, did the tracker that the others used to locate him just..not recognize him anymore? If that was the case, that..really only left one way for him to get home. 

One very unpredictable, scary way. 

"Dad, um.." Dream let out a sigh, looking down.

"Yeah, kid?" Dee responded, carefully tending to some bushes. 

"Well..after all this is over, and, hopefully, Uncle Angel won't be so mean..I want to go home. And..I'm gonna try to use my own portal powers to get there."

"..All right." Dee nodded. "Whatever you think is best, Dream."

"..Dad, I was gonna..I mean, um.."

"Hey, no need to be shy about it - what do you want to say?"

"..Would..would you want to come with me? To my home?"

"..." Dee let out a sigh. "That'd be a pretty big commitment."

"I-I know, but-"

"And I'd love to take it."

"..." Dream blinked. "You would?"

"Of course I would!" Dee chuckled. "Dream, you can't honestly tell me you think I like living in this place."

"Well, I didn't think you did.." Dream gained a small smile. 

"I hate this world, Dream - I think I'll like yours better no matter what it's like." 

"..Then you'll come with me?"

"I'd be happy to, Dream." Dee patted Dream's skull, eliciting a giggle. "Just tell me when we're going, and I'll follow."

"..Thanks, Dad." Dream hugged Dee tightly, giving him a big smile. "I love you.."

"I love you, too, kid." Dee hugged Dream back, before getting back to work. 

Dream sat on the grass, watching his dad work, and he just..thought. Dee wanted to come with him. Dee really, really wanted to come with him! And that was all Dream could have really asked for, wasn't it? He wanted his dad to meet the rest of his family; he wanted..he wanted his dad. He wanted to have his dad around. Dream really liked having a dad..it was one of those things that he had always thought of as something that wasn't necessary; he had believed that, since he hadn't had a real parental figure (Nighty was his brother, and he would always be his brother) before, he hadn't needed one..but after having one for even this short time, he wondered how he had ever gotten by without Dee. It was different from having a friend, brother, or uncle; having a parent was..having a guide. Having someone to protect him out of something more than just love (although, that was a big part of it) - it was..something Dream couldn't really explain. All he really knew was that having Dee in his life made everything seem a little less difficult..

He felt as if he could actually be the ten year old he was supposed to be. 

Dream..hated his role as a Guardian. He might have felt a sense of duty, and he might have felt that he was doing good when he did things related to his job..but he was also a kid. He felt as if there were two parts of him fighting for control: the guardian inside him, who wanted to help others and make the world a better place..and little ten year old Dream, who just wanted to play games and have fun with the people he loved. When Dee was around, Dream felt more like a kid instead of a guardian..and that was such a breath of fresh air. It wasn't that Nighty and the others didn't try, but..Nighty was definitely a Guardian of Negativity, and his life was greatly affected by that fact. He took it seriously, and even though he didn't say anything about it out loud..his actions were loud enough. Dream felt..a little bit pressured, when he was around Nighty. It wasn't his brother's fault, of course..Dream just couldn't help it. Dee was..different.

Dee didn't care that he was the Guardian of Negativity in this world; he cared about what he chose to care about. And that choice was something that Dream..wished he could have felt the same about. Dee cared more about his own wants and needs than that of his birthright, and that was something that showed - something that his actions spoke loud and clear. There was no pressure to be a guardian when Dream was around Dee; there was no pressure at all. 

"Well, that's my work done for the day." Dee mentioned, a few hours later. "Should we get back and see how Angel's doing?"

Dream giggled at the thought. "Yeah!"

Dee lent Dream a hand and helped him up to his feet, the two holding hands as they made their trip back to their temporary home. When they arrived, they found a rather amusing sight: Angel was still dressed in his work uniform, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling.

"Oh, brother?" Dee smirked, leaning on the side of the couch. "How was work?"

"Never speak to me again." Angel was clearly in a great mood!

"Don't worry, Uncle Angel; it'll only be for a few more weeks." Dream assured. "Then we'll get back to the castle."

"..We have been here for three days."

"Wanna play a game with me?"

"No."

"Aw, come on, please?"

"I want to go home."

"..Well, if you want to go home early, you'll have to agree to something.." Dream said, gaining Angel's attention; the winged skeleton sat up straight, seeming a bit suspicious of Dream's intentions.

"..What do you want?"

"After we get back to the castle, I'm going to be going to my home." 

"Sounds great - let's go."

"That's not it!" Dream halted Angel's movements. 

"..Then what is it?"

"..I want Dad to come with me."

Angel paused, one of his eyesockets twitching. "...You what?"

"When I go home, I want to take Dad with me."

"You want..to steal my brother?"

"I didn't say that." Dream crossed his arms. "You can come, too, if you want, and you can visit whenever you want, too, and Dad can come to visit you, too. But I want Dad to come with me."

"No!" Angel shouted, gritting his teeth. "You're not taking my brother anywhere! He stays here, and that's final."

"Then we'll be staying here for a few more weeks."

"..Then I guess we will." Angel narrowed his eyesockets. "I know what you're trying to do, you little brat. But you won't break me that easily; I'm stronger than you in every way, and don't you forget it."

"I think there are more strengths than you care to consider." Dream gave Angel a soft smile. "Dad will be coming with me; he wants to, and I fully intend to let him make his own decisions. Just like I'm letting you make yours. If you want to stay here longer, that's your choice."

"..I hate you."

"I love you, too, Uncle Angel!" Dream beamed. "Do you wanna draw with me, Dad?"

"Um..sure." Dee wanted to escape the tension in this room.

Dream giggled, grabbing Dee's hand and leading him to the bedroom the two were sharing; Angel had his own room to sulk in. Dream lay down on one of the two twin beds in the room, pulling out some crayons and paper, and Dee let out a sigh, sitting on the other bed. 

"You're crazy, kid." Dee breathed out a laugh. "You know how many people have talked to Angel like that and lived?"

"Me." Dream smiled innocently. 

"Yeah, I'm inclined to agree." Dee chuckled. "You're pretty stubborn."

"But you love me, anyway!" 

"Yeah..yeah, I do. You might be a crazy kid, but you're my crazy kid."

"Uh-huh! And you're my cool dad!"

"Don't know about that.."

"You are!" Dream giggled. "I love you; now let's draw!"

"All right. How about you tell me more about your world, hm? What should I expect when we get there?"

"Oh, there's tons of stuff!" Dream grinned; he knew Dee would love his home!

He just had to convince Angel to let Dee go with him, and after that, everything would be all right! Dee would be able to meet Nighty, Wish, Shattered, Catch, and everyone else, and Dream would be able to see what had happened in his absence! He hoped everyone at home was all right; he wouldn't have been able to bear it if they had gone through trouble while he was gone. But..he had hope that everything over there was fine, and all he had to do now was convince Angel..and, hopefully, his portal powers would work well enough to get him home. 

He just had to stay hopeful.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean torments Angel bean! Sort of!

Thanks for reading my tormenting writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"I give up!" 

Ah, right on schedule. 

After managing to get through a whole week of working at his very first real job, Angel stormed into the apartment in a rage, throwing his stupid uniform's stupid hat onto the stupid floor of the stupid apartment.

"Take him, I don't care!" Angel stomped his foot and glared at Dream, who had been relaxing with a cartoon. "Just let me go back home!"

"Okay." Dream munched on a piece of popcorn. "You know, I did say you could visit."

"I hate you!" Angel sat down next to the child. "I wish you'd never come here, you worthless brat!"

One week of fast food, and he had devolved into this..Dream almost felt sorry for him. 

"I just wanted to show you that choices matter." The child informed. "And isn't it nice to have the choice to go back home? Most people don't get that choice, in your situation."

"..." Angel crossed his arms, his rage dissipating for the time being. "You really put me through all that just to give me a stupid lesson that you could have just told me in the first place?"

"No, you chose to go through that just to end up getting this lesson. You wouldn't have listened, if I'd just told you."

"..I hate you, and I hate that you're right. I'm a jerk, aren't I?"

"Yeah." Dream agreed. "But at least you understand that, now."

"..I guess you're living up to your title." Angel sighed. "Giving people choices - is that really what you want to do with your life? To just go around showing people that there's another way? That's bound to get repetitive."

"It's not just that.." Dream leaned back in his seat, offering some popcorn to Angel. "It's also teaching others that life is weird sometimes, and that things aren't always straightforward. Like..my choice to not help someone is valid. Your choice to be a beloved icon is valid, too, even if it is really questionable. Having a choice is.."

"Something you didn't have a lot in your life?" Angel let out a sigh before downing his popcorn.

"..Yeah." 

"That's so cliché. But..I get it. You want to give others what you never got; it's the classic hero story, or whatever. Your methods aren't very heroic, though."

"..I'm not sure I really want to be a hero." Dream shrugged. "That life seems pretty dull; I'd rather..make my own decisions. I don't want to help everyone..just the people I want to help."

"Like an anti-hero, then?"

"Like a what?"

"An anti-hero. Someone who isn't bad, but isn't necessarily good, either."

"..It sounds bad when you put it like that, but..I guess so. I don't want to be pushed around to help people.."

"Ugh, after this week, I get that.."

"..So, do you want to come with us? You can stay over for a few days or something, if you want. I think, if I can get home, I can definitely get you back here without any problems."

"You aren't certain that you can get home..?"

"Uh..my portal magic isn't the best..but I should be able to do it! I've been doing a lot of studying!"

"..All right, I guess I'll go along with you and my brother..just to make sure you two don't get yourselves killed."

"Thanks, Uncle Angel." Dream smiled gratefully. "And..I'm sorry for putting you through this."

"Don't worry about it - you put me through the first real problems in my whole life, and I failed miserably. There were teenagers there doing better than I was. I guess..you did me a favor; hardship's supposed to be a good thing, right?"

"It makes you stronger." The child nodded.

"You would know, huh?" Angel smirked darkly.

"..." Dream let out a sigh; he really did know, didn't he?

"..Sorry." Angel looked away, before glaring at the floor. "Man, I guess this taught me a little empathy, too; why'd you have to put me through this torture?"

Dream giggled a little. "It was definitely a choice!"

Angel snorted. "Really?"

"Yep! And you're a lot nicer than you were a week ago!"

"..Can't deny that. When are we leaving, then?"

"Today." Dream replied, taking another handful of popcorn. "As soon as Dad gets home and you two are ready, we'll go."

"All right, then." Angel nodded. "The sooner we get out of this place, the better, I guess."

"Uh-huh! And, um, the atmosphere of the castle's probably going to be negative; do you think you can handle that?"

"Um..should that pose a problem?"  

"..Have you ever been in a negative atmosphere?"

"I don't think so; what is it like?"

"It's like..being a little colder than usual. It might be painful if it's strong enough, though.."

"My brother's been just fine in our world; why isn't he hurt by the positivity, if it's supposed to be painful? Or is it different, for us?"

"He's just used to it." Dream set his empty bowl aside; the popcorn was gone, unfortunately. "If you're used to a very specific atmosphere, adapting to a new one could be hard. Dad should be fine, but you..might not be.."

"..I'll be fine." Angel decided. "I'll just prepare mentally; that might help, right?"

"..For us, it's more of a physical thing, but..you could try?"

"..Keep the portal open in case you have to drag me back, I guess." Angel compromised. "Not really intent on dying today."

"Okay!" Dream nodded. "In that case, we'll go back to your castle before leaving."

"Sounds good."

Angel looked over at the television, looking at the cartoon Dream had been watching. It was..honestly, something that Angel wouldn't have expected from Dream, if he hadn't seen the little one watching similar programming before. It was just..a group of fictional characters going on silly adventures - something meant for children. And..despite how he acted, Dream was a child. He seemed so much older, but he was still clinging onto his childhood. He had wisdom way beyond his years, and he could navigate situations better than Angel could, sometimes..but he still colored dumb pictures, laughed at the stupidest jokes, and watched these childish cartoons. It was..something Angel could admire..and think about.

"Hey..Dream?" Angel adressed the child, twiddling with a feather that he had lost when he had caught a wing on something earlier. 

"Yeah?" Dream looked up at his uncle. 

"..I'm only saying this because my brother isn't here. And, if you ever say a word to him about it, you're dead, got it?"

"Uh..okay? What is it?"

"..I'm sorry." Angel sighed. "For..literally everything. You're what, like..ten? And I've done some really messed-up stuff to you. So..I'm sorry. Sorry for yelling, and hurting you, and trying to kill you, and..and trying to rip your wings off..I'm sorry for all that.."

"..Really?" Dream asked, quietly.

"Yeah..I am. I can't promise that any of that won't happen again, but I'm sorry that it happened before. I know I'm not exactly stable..but I'm sensible enough right now to feel bad about stuff, so..I guess I just wanted to say that. You didn't deserve any of that stuff..you were just trying to help. And..thanks for helping."

"You're welcome, Uncle Angel." Dream smiled, slowly moving to hug his uncle. "And thank you for apologizing - I forgive you."

"..You're such a crazy kid." Angel let out a soft chuckle, wrapping an arm around the little one. "But I guess that's just what I needed.."

"I love you, Uncle Angel."

"I think I love you, too...right now, at least. I'll probably change my mind later."

"That's good enough for me!" Dream giggled. 

At that moment, the door opened, and Dee walked into the apartment, pausing when he saw Angel and Dream sitting calmly on the couch. Of course, Angel was quick to remedy that situation.

"Ew!" He pushed Dream away from him. "How dare you invade my space like that, you little brat?!"

"Brother.." Dee let out a tired sigh. "Leave him alone, would you?"

"Oh, brother, you're home; I hadn't noticed." Angel hummed, brushing off his sibling's words, while Dream extended his arms to his dad. "How was work?"

"The usual - how about yours?" Dee asked, coming over to oblige Dream's silent request for a hug. 

"Horrible."

"We're leaving today." Dream grinned, hugging his dad. "And Uncle Angel's going to come with us!"

"Oh, really?" Dee gave his brother a smirk. "The service life not for you?"

"Not a word." Angel glared.

"We're gonna to go Uncle Angel's castle first, though." Dream continued. "In case there's anything you wanna bring."

"Sounds good to me." Dee nodded. 

"So..wanna go now?"

"Please, get us out of this stupid universe!" Angel had had enough of this.

Dream giggled. "Okay, Uncle Angel!"

With that, Dream expertly crafted a portal that led back to Angel's castle, and the three emotion spirits went through. Angel let out a relieved sigh at the sight of his home, before turning to his brother and nephew.

"I'm going to change out of this stupid uniform." He announced. "And grab a few things. And..I'm also going to take a bath. I'll be ready in two hours."

After that announcement, Angel walked off, presumably to do exactly what he had said he would do. With Angel gone, Dee looked to Dream.

"Well, we've got two hours." He said. "What do we do?"

"Hm.." Dream thought for a moment, before making a decision. "A bath sounds good. I'm gonna do that, and you can..do whatever you wanna do!"

Dee chuckled. "All right, sport; I'll wreak havoc while you're gone!"

"Sounds good!"

Dream giggled before running off to take a bath, and Dee let out an amused sigh; he really had the best kid in the world, didn't he? Well, he only had two hours before it would be time to leave this place; it looked as if he had some work to do. The negative spirit headed to his room, letting himself smile as he looked at the room for what he hoped would be the last time. He went over to his dresser, opening the bottom drawer and pushing aside the generic dress shirts that his brother had forced him to wear. Underneath them, safe from harm, was his jacket - the one he only wore when he planned to escape. A long purple jacket with a light teal inside, but not nearly as extravagant as his brother's - Dee's was much cozier, though. Maybe it was stupid, dressing in the same identifiable outfit every time he ran from the castle, but..Dee loved this thing. He couldn't imagine leaving it behind. He pulled it out and put it on, before lying on his bed. The same soft mattress. The same incredibly-comfortable blanket. The same plush pillow.

He hated this.

He preferred sleeping under the stars..he preferred breathing the night air. He preferred traveling every day of his life for the smallest chance that he might have seen something new behind the bushes up ahead. He hated being brought back here. And now, he was going to leave this place for good, and it felt..bittersweet. Despite not liking this place very much, he..had to admit that it was home. There was nowhere else that fit the bill. And that was probably for the best; if there had been anywhere else, Angel would have taken it, just as he had taken everything else over the years. Dee could allow himself to enjoy this moment, though..the last time he would have to be here. He had thought this day would never come. 

The two hours that Angel had allotted flew by quickly, and by the end of them, Dee, Dream, and Angel were gathered in the throne room, where Angel was making the last preparations for the servants to care for the castle in his absence. He..had already done that a week ago, but it was better to be safe than sorry. With the castle staff ready to deal with Angel's absence, Dream took one last look at his dad and uncle before closing his eyesockets and preparing to create a portal. Before coming here, creating these portals was..difficult. It took a lot of magic out of him, but Dream could typically handle the strain. He only needed some rest to recover from making these types of portals...

This portal wasn't hard to make at all.

Dream let out a hum when the portal opened, and he looked at the golden gateway with hesitance. With any luck, this would lead home. Without that luck..it wouldn't. 

"Let's go." Angel decided not to let Dream's anxiousness stop him, entering the portal first.

"..Well, let's see what your home looks like, sport." Dee gave his son a smile, holding his hand.

"Yeah.." Dream smiled back, nodding; everything would be just fine..

The two stepped through the portal, finding Angel..

Ah..this was definitely home.

"Dream!" Shattered and Wish had found Angel, it seemed..and they were getting along just about as well as Dream could have hoped, with the two already-present uncles having pushed the newest one against the wall.

"Hi, Uncle Shattered and Uncle Wish!" Dream grinned, waving at the two. "That's Uncle Angel; please don't hurt him."

"Oh..fine." Shattered uncoiled his tentacles from the newest addition to the family.

"Dream, are you okay?" Wish knelt down next to the little one, checking him for injuries, and the little one giggled.

"I'm okay, Uncle Wish!" Dream assured. "They took good care of me!"

"Who made that portal?" A voice that Dream had been longing to hear came from down the hall.

"Nighty!" Dream gasped, breaking free of Wish's concerned hold to run up to his brother, instantly being scooped up in a hug. 

"Oh, Dream!" Nightmare held his brother closely. "You made it back; I'm so happy to see you again!" 

"Yeah! I'm okay, by the way! I have so much to tell you! How is Robin? Is he okay?"

"He's doing well; you saved him from a nasty fall.."

"I'm glad; I didn't want him to be hurt!"

"Well, I see we have two newcomers.." Nightmare mentioned, looking at Angel and Dee. "I suppose introductions are in order..again. My name is Nightmare, and I am Dream's brother; this is my castle, and..we have a lot more people living here than you see here."

"Finally, someone with a little bit of hospitality." Angel crossed his arms and shot a quick glare at Shattered and Wish. "You may call me Angel. This little brat has been nothing but a bother to me since the second I met him, and I am eternally grateful that you have come to take him off my hands."

"I love you, too, Uncle Angel!" Dream grinned widely.

"Dream, have you been tormenting this man?" Nightmare snorted.

"I guess you could say I was bone to be wild." Dream smirked. 

Nightmare chuckled. "I see..a lot happened while you were gone, then?"

"Oh, it was a very marrow-ing experience." Dream put a hand to his forehead, before giving in to the urge to giggle uncontrollably.

Nightmare rolled his eyelight, before looking to the other skeleton in the room - the one who had spent his time taking in the castle's feeling. Dee would never say it around Angel, but he believed this place might have been bigger than his brother's castle..

"And who is this?" Nightmare inquired.

"My idiot brother." Angel waved him off. 

"His name is Dee!" Dream informed, catching Dee's attention. "And he's my dad!"

"..." Nightmare stared at Dee. "Your what?"

"Uh..hi." Dee let out a nervous chuckle.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is finally home!

Thank you for reading my homely writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"..My dad." Dream smiled at Nightmare. "Dee adopted me; I love him a lot, so..please don't freak out about it."

Nightmare stared at the other. Dream had disappeared for nearly three months, learned how to make a portal home, and gone through who-knew-what with this "Angel" character, and..

He had gotten a parent? A dad?

Nightmare had been fine with another uncle - Dream had been getting a collection of those recently - but..a dad? Nightmare..

Nightmare had been raising his brother just fine, hadn't he? Or..had he not been? Was he not a good caretaker? He thought he had been all right, but apparently not! Well..that was logical, of course. Dream had been in a different world for several months, and it was only expected that a ten year old like him would have needed a guide to navigate the world. Of course. But he was home now, in familiar territory. Now that he was home, surely, Dream would realize that Nightmare was-

"Nighty?" Dream tilted his skull. "Are you okay?"

"..Yes." Nightmare replied. 

"Wow." Angel let out a chuckle. "Someone's jealous.."

"I-" Nightmare sent a light glare at Dream's newest uncle. "I am not! I am just..thinking."

"Hey, uh.." Dee sighed, taking a step closer; Nightmare took a step back. "Look, I'm not trying to 'intrude upon your territory,' or anything..I just think Dream's a really cool kid, and..I just want what's best for him. And from what I've heard of you, you're a pretty great guy..so.."

"So.." Nightmare didn't feel like chatting with Dream's new 'dad.'

Dream winced at the tension he felt, deciding that maybe it would be best to separate these two for now..he hadn't considered this as a possibility. 

"Uh..would you mind if Uncle Angel and D-Dee stayed here for a few days?" Dream requested. "Or something?"

"Or something." Nightmare hummed. "Very well."

"..Yeah. So where are the others?"

Nightmare looked back at Dream, allowing himself to give his brother a smile. "They're scattered around the castle, but I'm sure they'll be happy to see you; there's a lot you've missed."

"Let's go see them!"

Nightmare took Dream down the hall, leaving the four foreigners to chat amongst themselves.

"So, you have surpassed the uncle role?" Shattered hummed, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall. "That's quite interesting.."

"What's more interesting is that Nightmare doesn't like you." Wish commented. 

"I don't think he likes any of us." 

"Well, maybe not, but he really doesn't like him." Wish pointed at Dee. "He didn't even say hello!"

Dee let out a sigh, straightening his jacket. "Par for the course."

"Aww, I love you, brother!" Angel chuckled.

"You don't count."

"Oh, and why not?"

"You're a self-obsessed maniac. Duh."

"...I no longer love you."

"So..cool wings." Wish hummed, spreading his own wings out a little. 

"..." Angel's gaze panned over to Wish, and he looked over the other for a moment, before letting out a hum. "Thanks. You also have nice wings."

"..Thank you." Wish nodded, also scanning the other's wings. "Do you, um.."

"Yes."

"..What are you two talking about?" Shattered squinted.

"Nothing." Wish waved the goopy one off. "We're going to..talk."

"About stuff." Angel confirmed.

"You just want to play with eachother's wings, don't you?" Shattered crossed his arms.

"No!" The two huffed indignantly in sync. 

"..Man, I'm done with this; do you know where we can get some food, or something?" Dee didn't want to continue watching these stupid birds fawning over eachother's wings.

"This way." Shattered pointed down the hall, leading Dee along.

One the negative spirits were gone, however..

"Oh my stars, your wings are so soft!" Angel squealed, touching Wish's feathers.

"And yours are just so pristine!" Wish gasped, running his fingers over Angel's. 

"We should preen eachother!"

"Yes!"

Dream..had a lot to process. A lot had happened in his absence.

"So..Blue's the official Guardian of Positivity now?" He gathered.

"Yep." Cross nodded. "And he's trying to get Ink and the rest of the judges to understand the Balance of Emotions. It's..coming along."

"You should see him in battle, though; he's got his new magic down pat." Killer leveled the air with his hand.

"We're happy to see you again, though.." Dust gave the child a smile. "Did you have much trouble on your own?"

"It was crazy, but I'm okay." Dream assured. 

"Do you need healing?" Horror inquired. "Did you get hurt?" 

"Dad healed me whenever I got hurt; he's really good at that! He uses conventional healing instead of magic, though." 

"Why?" Nightmare inquired, his arms crossed. "Can't he spare the magic points for someone he loves?" 

"The other multiverse was super positive, Nighty." Dream sighed; he hadn't expected his brother to react like this in response to Dee.. "He couldn't use any magic at all."

"Hm."

"You're wearing some new clothes." Error noticed. "Who made them?"

"Oh, Uncle Angel decided to get his tailor to make me a bunch of clothes, and my old ones got really dirty and messed up, so I had to change, and I don't know where he put them. He let me keep my cape, though, so I'm happy!"

"That's good; I'm sure he isn't ready to see you when you don't have that!"

"Yeah, you're scary when you lose that thing.." Catch let out an amused huff. "I guess I'll go do recon and check on the newbies - don't do stupid stuff without me!"

"We won't!" Killer cackled lightly.

"So..with Blue being the new Guardian of Positivity.." Dust mentioned.

"Yeah..I've got a new title." Dream smiled, nodding.

"Really?" Nightmare reentered the conversation, seeming interested. "What are you, now?"

"Oh, let me guess - Guardian of Donuts?" Error smirked sharply.

"Nuh-uh!" Dream giggled, shaking his skull.

"Guardian of..Inquisition?" Cross guessed.

"Nope!"

"Resilience?" Horror tried. 

"No!"

"Righteousness?" Dust assumed.

"Not even close!"

"Impulsiveness?" Killer grinned.

"That's you, Killer." Error reminded.

"No, try again!" Dream laughed.

"Hm..Guardian of Maturity?" Nightmare wagered a guess.

"No, you're all wrong!" Dream smiled. "I'm now the Guardian of Choice."

"Choice?" Horror hummed. "Is that something that needs a Guardian?"

"It is to me." Dream nodded. "And I'll tell you why later, but for now..where's Robin?"

"I think he's in the kitchen." Killer replied. "That's the last place I saw him, anyway."

"Okay! I'll go see him!"

Dream hopped to his feet and made his way to the kitchen, humming as he went. When he got there, he found not only Robin, but also Shattered and Dee! He grinned, running up to see the one he had been so worried about all this time!

"Robin!" Dream exclaimed, coming closer. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"

"Hey, Dream!" Robin chuckled, walking over to climb into Dream's hand. "I'm all right; you saved me. I'm glad to see you again."

"And I'm glad to see you, too!" Dream gave a nod. "How are your wings?" 

"They're healing.." Robin sighed, but he kept his smile on. "The others have been working on finding ways to help them heal faster, and currently, they should be as good as new in a couple more months, thanks to some advanced healing magic."

"I'm so happy to hear that!" Dream beamed. "I hope you feel better super soon!"

"..I will."

It had been tough, after Dream had been pulled away. Robin had struggled, but..the only other winged being in the castle had offered to help the bitty through it. Wish was definitely difficult, at times, but..he had really helped. He had talked about his own experiences and offered healthy coping mechanisms that had brought Robin's thoughts out of the darker places. It was nice, having another winged being around; Robin would miss him when he had to leave.

"So, this is the Robin I've heard so much about?" Dee assumed. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Dee."

"Yep!" Robin nodded. "Nice to meet you, too. I assume Dream brought you home with him?"

"Yep!" Dream confirmed. "He's my dad; he adopted me!" 

"Really?" Robin let out a light chuckle. "Well, it's even nicer to meet you, then!"

"Likewise." Dee smiled. 

"Well, there you go; someone likes you." Shattered snorted. "Although, I'm pretty sure Robin likes everyone, so maybe it's a fluke." 

"Clearly." Dee shrugged. 

"It is not!" Dream rolled his eyelights. "You're crazy."

"Have I ever denied that?" Shattered grinned sharply.

"Nuh-uh, which means it's true!" 

"Can't argue with that logic!" Robin chimed in. 

"Exactly!" Dream nodded certainly. "And..I'm really glad that you're okay, Robin; I love you.."

"I love you, too, Dream." Robin smiled. "I'll be okay soon."

"I know! I can't wait!"

Catch strolled through the castle's halls, hands in his pockets and aura spread out. He had initially wanted to search for Dream's new "dad," but the allure of figuring out why his brother had decided to be alone with the one called "Angel" called out to him in the middle of his searching. With his new goal in mind, he went to his brother's location to find..

Two winged Dreams, preening eachother's wings and giggling like schoolgirls.

That, of course, stopped when he entered the room. 

"..Hello, brother." Wish tried to pretend that what Catch had walked in on hadn't happened.

"What are you doing?" Catch inquired.

"..Preening."

"I'm not talking about that.."

"What, you want to join?" The one who must have been called Angel, judging by that halo, offered. "It was just harmless chatter."

"..All right, what are we talking about?" Catch took a seat next to the two winged skeletons. 

"Right now?" Wish hummed. "Just talking about our worlds and what they're like."

"I see." Catch nodded. "And what else?"

"..Dream's brother."

"Why?"

"Oh, he's so jealous of my brother!" Angel chuckled. "I wonder if everyone will be like that.."

"..Yeah, I saw a little of that." Catch admitted. "He's just not used to it; he'll adapt soon enough."

"Maybe not." Wish shrugged. "You never know.."

"Too bad I won't be sticking around long enough to watch." Angel sighed. "Wasted opportunity."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I'm only staying for a few days, then Dream's going to send me back home."

"Oh, has he gotten his portals down finally? Maybe he can get me and Shattered home, too.."

"I think that's in the plans." Catch nodded.

"..Will you be staying here, then?"

"..I haven't decided." Catch sighed. "Maybe." 

"Oh..but we can't leave yet.." Wish looked down.

"Why not?" Angel questioned.

"Well, Dream's bitty, Robin..he had his wings clipped a few months ago, and he's been really struggling. I wouldn't feel right leaving before he's healed.."

"Who would do something like that?"

"Some cruel scientists, apparently." Wish shook his skull. "I've been talking with him about it, and I just..don't want to leave him alone. He isn't in a good place.."

"Of course he isn't - that's a horrible thing to go through!"

"Have you ever?"

"Once..it was unbearable."

"It really is." Wish agreed. "Would you want to stay, too? I'm sure Nightmare wouldn't mind, especially if it's for Robin's sake.."

"Well..I think I would." Angel admitted. "If I can help..I would certainly like to."

"I'm glad to hear it." Wish smiled. "I think Shattered is planning on leaving as soon as possible, though; he has a toddler to get back to, apparently.."

"That goopy yellow one? A child?"

"Not biological, but a child nonetheless."

"Interesting..very interesting.."

Shattered really didn't stick around long. He had been absent from his home for about four months, and despite the friends he had made..he needed to get back more than Wish needed to get back to his home. As for Wish and Angel, Nightmare agreed to let them stay until Robin's wings recovered, but after that, the two would be going back to their homes. As for a certain parental figure..

"Are you sure you want him to stay here?" Nightmare asked. "Perhaps it would be best if he found a home more..suited to him."

"I'm sure, Nighty!" Dream gave his brother a firm nod. "I really, really want him to stay here!"

"..Fine. That's..fine."

Dee felt Dream's grip on his hand tighten a little, and he let out a sigh; he didn't really want to be a source of conflict between Dream and his brother, but..he wasn't going to leave Dream alone. His son might have been home, but that didn't mean that he didn't need him..Dream did need him. Maybe Dee didn't know exactly why, but..his son needed him, and as long as he did, Dee would be there for him. Even if it meant putting up with Nightmare. It wasn't really that bad; Dee had been hated before, and he would be hated again. He was used to it. For now, though, Dream had a job to do.

"All right, I think I'm ready." Shattered let out a breath, smiling at his nephew. "Let's get home.."

"All right!" Dream nodded firmly, closing his eyesockets as he channeled his magic for a portal.

Making the portal to Shattered's world this time wasn't a hassle; it was rather easy, with Dream's familiarity of the place and its general feeling. Shattered's world was negative, but it had a sense of latent hope that was undeniable. Dream did notice that the hope he sensed was a bit more noticeable now, though..that was interesting. The portal opened soon after Dream started the process, and soon enough, he was holding Shattered's hand to escort him through.

"Whenever you're ready!" Dream giggled, gesturing to the portal.

"All right." Shattered nodded. "Thank you, Nightmare; you've been kind and giving, and I appreciate the gift of your hospitality."

"Of course." Nightmare smiled, nodding. "Good luck back in your home."

"Thank you. And Wish, you've been..something." 

"What a compliment." Wish snorted, rolling his eyelights. "Go home, Shattered."

"All right..let's go."

Shattered held Dream's hand, and the two went through the portal, being met with..

"Ah.." Shattered..probably should have expected this. "Hello, brother.."

"Brother." Moon deadpanned. "You're coming with us."

"..Can we talk this out?"

"No." The local Killer replied. "Thanks for bringing him back, kid." 

"Uh, you're welcome, I guess." Dream hummed. "Where are your Ink and Blueberror?"

"Blueberror is being well-cared-for at a mental hospital, and Ink is at my home." Moon replied. "And, Shattered, you're coming to my home, too. Don't resist."

"..I escaped prison and the asylum?" Shattered hummed. "How kind. What brought you to that decision, brother?"

"We spoke with Ink..we'll talk more at the castle. Come along, Shattered."

"Interesting.." Shattered was intrigued. "Goodbye, Dream."

"Bye, Uncle Shattered!" Dream waved. "I'll visit!"

"I know you will; I'll see you!"

"See you!"

With that, the two parted ways, and Dream went back home, where he found his family waiting for him once again. 

He loved them so much.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean is home again.

Thanks for reading my inviting writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dream was ten years and eight months old now, and not much had changed..except for one very notable thing. 

"Yes!" Robin grinned as his wings lifted him off the floor. 

Robin's feathers had finally grown back, and after a few tries to get used to flight again, Robin was zipping around the room, just as he had used to. The rest of the family watched him enjoy having his flight back, and everyone was just fine..for the most part. 

"Well, I guess I should be getting back home soon, then." Angel decided. 

"I'm sure you won't want to go alone." Nightmare chimed in.

"Nighty, Dad's staying.." Dream let out a sigh; his brother had been a bit unbearable lately..

"Well, I would like to have him around, but I doubt he'd come without being dragged away." Angel smirked. 

"That could be arranged." Nightmare informed.

"Nightmare." Dream scolded.

"..Or he could stay. I suppose." 

Dee decided to remain quiet; it was for the best, at times like this. Nightmare had stopped trying to hide his jealousy after a mere two days of living with Dee, and..Dee had mostly just tried to avoid the other. It was clear that Nightmare had fully intended to raise his brother alone, and Dee's presence made the other doubt his abilities..which wasn't Dee's fault. Dee couldn't help it if Nightmare couldn't handle the knowledge that Dream had someone else to rely on; all Dee cared about was caring for Dream, and right now, Dream needed him. The ten year old didn't need his brother constantly degrading his father figure, but that was unavoidable, it seemed. Dee had considered removing himself from the equation a few times, but..he could see that his boy needed him. Dream's family were good at helping him grow and learn..but they put too much of a focus on those things. Dream felt as if he had to meet expectations when he was with them, even if he was just playing games with them; Dee made it clear that Dream was being held up to no such standard. And, sure, the little one had friends he could relax around, but he didn't see them that often. Dee needed to be a constant, and he would be a constant. 

Even if it meant taking Nightmare's constant degradation.

"Well, personally, I'm going to be happy to get home." Wish picked up the topic. "I have a lot of work to do.."

"I think you mean we have a lot of work to do." Catch joined, giving his twin a smile.

"Huh?" Wish blinked. "You.."

"I'm coming home." 

"You are?" Wish gasped, his wings raising a little in excitement. 

"Yeah. I can't let you try to fix everything by yourself, after all; you'd clearly mess it up."

Wish let out a small chuckle. "Clearly. I'm..glad to have you, brother.."

"I'm glad I can be there for you." Catch moved to hug his brother, and Wish's wings wrapped around him. "Ooh, these are soft..good job, Angel."

Angel and Wish both blinked, looking at eachother completely inconspicuously. Did everyone know about their super-secret preening sessions?

"..I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." Angel decided to say, looking away and crossing his arms.

"Sure." Catch chuckled. 

"Do you really have to go?" Robin asked, landing nearby - and, oh, how he was glad he could! "Can't you stay for just a little longer?"

"I'm afraid not." Angel shook his skull. "I've been gone too long already."

"My Ink can only stand in for me for so long.." Wish sighed. "And there's a lot of corruption to fight that I didn't even notice before.."

"Hey, we'll get through it." Catch gave his brother a reassuring squeeze. "I happen to be a great judge of character!"

"Well, we wish you all the luck in the world." Nightmare smiled. "And I'm sure that Dream will schedule countless visits with you."

"Lots of sleepovers!" Dream nodded, grinning. 

"Well, I can't wait for them." Robin sighed. "You two were a big help..thank you."

"Hey, we winged beings have to stick together!" Wish pointed out.

"..Going through that stuff isn't fun." Angel shrugged. "And this stupid kid gave me some sort of disability where I actually care about people, now, so thanks for that!"

"You're welcome, Uncle Angel!" Dream giggled.

"That wasn't a real thank you! I hate you!"

"I love you, too, Uncle Angel!"

"So, when are you leaving?" Dee asked, not missing the glare that got him from Nightmare. 

"Uh..probably whenever Dream's ready." Wish admitted. "There's not really anything keeping us here, now.."

"I just have to pack a few things." Catch informed, getting up and leaving the room; Wish followed him.

"Are you feeling up to making portals?" Angel asked, before glaring at the floor - his stupid empathy had struck again!

"Yeah, I can do it." Dream nodded. "Do you want to pack anything?"

"I don't have to; I don't have anything of value here. And if I do, it isn't as if I won't have the chance to get it again in the future."

"True. Do you want to go now, then?"

"Yeah, that'd be good." Angel confirmed. 

"Okay..bye, Uncle Angel."

"Thank you, Angel." Robin waved.

"You're welcome, Robin; fly safe." Angel wished.

"You, too." 

With that, Dream opened the first portal of the day, and Angel took a breath. 

"Thank you, Dream..for everything.." He said, before going through; he didn't want to deal with the mushy stuff.

"Wow, Dream..I don't think I've ever gotten a thank you out of him.." Dee hummed, blinking.

"I'm just special like that." Dream grinned, before descending into giggles. 

"Yes, you are." Nightmare agreed.

Wish and Catch didn't take long to show up after that, ready to be sent back to their home as well..but they had a couple things to say, too.

"Well..thank you." Wish smiled at the others, but mostly at Dream. "Uh, it might have been a rocky ride, but..without all of you, we'd still be exactly where we were before.."

"And now we're not." Catch chuckled. "So thanks. A lot." 

"You're welcome!" Dream beamed. "Do you want me to take you through?"

"That would be preferable." Wish nodded. "Thank you."

 "You're welcome!"

"Don't forget to visit; you're always welcome." Nightmare reminded.

"Hopefully, that communication system will work out.." Wish hummed.

"It'll work; Shattered's called a couple times." Dream assured. 

The communication system that the family had set up was rather new and prone to occasional interference, but it was good enough, and it was worth it, despite being expensive; it had been something Nightmare had commissioned from a few science-based AUs, and despite the laws of the world working against them, it worked well enough, providing stable contact between multiverses. It was small enough to be an add-on to the family's preexisting communicators, too, which was a great help! After a short series of goodbyes, Dream opened the portal to Wish and Catch's multiverse, and Catch decided to lead the way, with Wish holding off for a moment. 

"Um, Dream, I do have something that I'd like to give you." Wish admitted, before pausing. "And, no, this is not a kidnapping attempt. I genuinely have a gift at my home. Can I give it to you?"

"Uh, sure." Dream nodded, before looking to Nightmare for permission.

"I suppose - just don't take too long, okay?" Nightmare didn't like the thought of Dream staying there for longer than he had to, but..he trusted Catch, at least.

"Thanks, Nighty!" 

Wish smiled gratefully and went through the portal, and Dream followed him, deciding to close the gateway for now. After explaining the plans to Catch, the three went to Wish's headquarters, ignoring the stares and comments from the public - Catch was still considered a public enemy here, but that would be changing very soon! - as they went. Honestly, Dream wasn't sure what to expect, but..he did wonder. What would Wish have had for him here?

"This was, uh, something I was going to give you if the whole kidnapping thing worked out..heh.." Wish rubbed the back of his skull before opening the door to his room. "It's not really much, but..I thought you would like it."

Wish went into a drawer and pulled out..a simple yellow bracelet.

"A friendship bracelet?" Dream tilted his skull.

"..Um, it was supposed to be something a little more than that, but..now, I guess that's what it is. These are common, in our world, but I've noticed that yours doesn't have this custom..which makes it kind of hard to explain.."

"It's like..you know how in some human cultures - especially in those darn romance movies - married couples sometimes wear rings or other accessories to express their love?" Catch tried to explain it. "It's sort of like that, but for whole families. But you don't have to wear it, of course - it's just a gift, and the giving of it is the most significant part usually, not actually making use of it." 

"But it does show some significance when you wear it, since it's laced with my magic..and you wearing it shows that you're not ashamed of being related to me.."

"Huh..that's cool!" Dream commented, putting the bracelet on. "Thank you, Uncle Wish!"

"You're welcome, Dream." Wish smiled, chuckling when Dream moved to hug him. "I take it you like it?"

"I love it!"

"I'm glad..thank you, Dream. I, uh, guess you should get home now.." 

"I will." Dream nodded, before humming. "Can I pick a couple of the flowers you have in your backyard here? I saw them last time I was here, and they're super pretty!"

"Um, I suppose the gardeners won't mind if you take a couple..just not too many."

"Thank you, Uncle Wish! Bye, Uncle Wish and Uncle Catch!"

"See you, Dream." Catch waved.

"Goodbye, Dream - you're always welcome to visit!" Wish assured.

"I'll visit super soon!" Dream nodded.

After that goodbye, Dream left the building and went to grab a couple of the golden flowers that grew here. They had definitely been chosen to compliment the building's design, and-

"That's a cool bracelet!" Someone spoke up, likely a child, judging by the pitch.

"Uh, thanks..d-" Dream's words died in his mouth when he looked up to see who had spoken to him.

It was Ink..

But not Ink?

This definitely wasn't the Ink from this world, and it wasn't the one from Dream's world, either! This Ink was a little shorter than Dream was, and..he was wearing a purple and green striped shirt that had been stained with every color imaginable. His pants were neon pink, but they had also been stained so much that it was hardly noticeable. He wore a brown scarf, but there were no notes on it, rather having been stained as well - it must have been a fashion statement. The large paintbrush on his back was the only indicator that he was an Ink, aside from the obvious face stain and ever-changing eyelights. The other had started out with a wide grin, before tilting his skull and blinking at Dream, looking at him oddly.

"You're not from here." He noticed. 

"You aren't, either." Dream pointed out. "Who are you?"

"Uh, I'm Ink!"

"I'm Dream. Why are you here?"

"I'm studying; why are you here?" The other crossed his arms.

"I'm picking flowers before going home. What are you studying?"

"Stuff..like that bracelet."

Dream looked down at the bracelet; the other was here because of that?

"Uh..why?" He wondered.

"Because it's a sign of a relationship!" The other informed. "And that's my thing - relationships!"

"Your thing..?"

"Uh-huh! Friends, enemies, frenemies, and families! That's what I protect!" 

"Protect?" Dream hummed, looking closer at the other. "Are you..a guardian?"

"Ding ding ding! Oh, but don't tell anyone; that's supposed to be a secret!"

"You just told me."

"..I'm not good at keeping secrets!"

"I can see that. How old are you?"

"Nine! Ruru threw me a big party when I turned nine, and it had a ton of balloons! I like balloons!"

"Ruru?"

"That's my nickname for Error! He's my dad! Well, he denies everything, but I know he is! He's really cool, but when other people are around, he pretends he doesn't like me! He calls me 'Squid,' which I don't like - it makes me mad! But he does it 'cause it makes me mad so that people think I don't like him either, but I don't know why!"

Dream let out a hum. That..was a bit similar to what Nighty had done with him at the beginning. He was beginning to understand what was going on with this strange Ink.

"So, you're not from here, so you must be from a different multiverse, too! Are you a Guardian, too? I never met another omniversal Guardian!" The other Ink inquired.

"Well.." Dream supposed it wouldn't do too much harm to tell him.. "I am."

The other gasped. "You are?! That's so cool! What do you protect? Oh, tell me, tell me!"

"Tell me your title, and I'll tell you mine." Dream compromised.

"Okay! I'm the Guardian of Connections! That means I protect the bonds between people, or soemthing like that! Now what are you?"

"I'm the Guardian of Choice...I protect the freedom to make decisions."

"That's weird."

"Your role is weird, too."

"Doesn't make it any less important!"

"Ditto."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"It's weird that we've both got the same name as a ton of people. We should give eachother new names."

"Uh..why?" Dream happened to like his name..

"'Cause it's confusing! I've met, like, a bajillion Dreams! You need a name that makes you special!"

"..Well, what do you propose?"

"You name me, too! And then I'll think of something for you!"

"Um..all right.." 

Well..this wasn't what Dream had envisioned from this meeting, but..it was better than a brawl. He watched as the other devolved into giggles as he thought of undoubtedly stupid names, and Dream resolved to think of an equally-stupid name for the other. Of course, it had to be something that would appear completely normal at first! A joke only he would know! Well..this Ink hated being called 'Squid'..and cooked squid was called calamari..he just needed to tune that up a little bit, and that would be perfect!

"I have one!" Dream informed, stifling a couple giggles.

"So do I!" The Ink cackled. "What's yours?"

"I'll call you Mari!" 

"And you're Merrick!"

...That was a strikingly..normal name.

The two looked at eachother oddly, before thinking.

"I thought for sure you'd give me a funny name." The Ink hummed. "I like Mari."

"..I thought you'd give me a funny name, too." Dream shrugged. "Merrick is cool.."

"So..we both have cool names now!" The newly-dubbed Mari grinned. 

"Yeah!" Dream chuckled, nodding. 

"We should be friends!"

"Okay!"

Mari tapped his chin, before grabbing Dream's hand. He closed his eyesockets and seemed to..focus on something? After a moment, Dream felt an odd tickle in his soul; what was Mari doing..?

"All done!" Mari informed, letting go of Dream's hand.

"What'd you do?" Dream wondered.

"I made a soul bond! Don't you know what those are?"

"Uh, no?"

"..Oh. Well, bascially, I linked our magic a little so our souls know we're friends! It's weird that you don't know about soul bonds, though; they're everywhere.."

"I don't think my home has them.." 

"Ooh..I should totally give your multiverse soul bonds! That would be so cool! Then you could do them with everyone!"

"Uh..do you wanna come to my home?"

"Can't right now - it's almost time for dinner! And Ruru won't be happy if I miss dinner!"

"Then how will you know where I live?"

"Through the bond, silly! I can teach you all sorts of stuff about them, but later! I'll visit! Bye!"

And with that, Mari hopped through a portal, leaving Dream behind. That was..definitely something. Certainly something to mull over while lying in bed. Maybe Dream needed a nap..

A long one.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean meets Mari bean!

Thanks for reading my squiddy writing! 

Bye!

Chapter Text

Yesterday, Dream had met Mari. After the confusing meeting, Dream had decided to take a nap, and he had decided to wait for a bit to tell his family about Mari; he..wasn't quite sure how to explain the other, anyway. Mari was another Guardian - one only a year younger than Dream - and..he was interesting. Apparently, his dad was the Error of his world, and he was the Guardian of Connections - something to do with relationships? Not to mention the fact that he had done something to Dream's soul? Dream had checked it after returning home, and..it had some sort of odd rainbow-colored string coming out of it when he thought of Mari, but it had disappeared as soon as Dream's mind had drifted elsewhere; it had returned again when Dream had again thought of Mari. Also, Dream..had been sensing feelings that definitely were not his own or from those around him. He had sensed bursts of joy when he had been competely alone, and when he did, he could only connect one person to them: Mari. Somehow, he knew instinctively that he was sensing Mari..but how? His emotion-sensing powers didn't work like that! 

It was all just so confusing..he didn't really want to talk about it yet. He needed more time to think about things and to process..everything.

This morning, Dream had decided to spend some time with his dad, and although Nighty had been a bit upset about it, he had no choice but to respect Dream's decisions. Honestly, Nightmare was a headache to deal with right now; he was letting his jealousy get in the way of his relationship with Dream, and Dream was sick of it! At least Dee didn't fight back; Dee knew that Dream would have just been more hurt by that. 

"So, does this forest go far?" Dee wondered, looking around.

"I'm not sure; I've never gone this far before." Dream admitted.

Nightmare's castle was in an abandoned AU, but..Dream didn't exactly know how abandoned it was. It wasn't as if the world was completely dead; there was still an ecosystem, and the castle was on a planet, not floating out in the void somewhere. It was in a forest, and Dream, admittedly, had never explored it much. Horror had taken him camping a couple times to teach him survival skills, but he had never truly explored it..until today! Dee was an explorer at soul, and when he had seen this vast forest, he had been itching to see what lay beyond it. So, right after breakfast, he and Dream had packed a few essentials and gone out to find out! Dream just hoped that there were no civilizations left around here..that would have been bad, considering the fact that they no doubt would have been affected by Nightmare's negative aura for all those centuries..

"I love the shade a forest provides." Dee commented, helping Dream scale some rocks. "It's like..a home, almost."

"Our mothers were trees." Dream reminded, snorting. 

"I suppose you're right." Dee nodded, before waving at a tree. "Hey, Aunt Judy! Love what you've done with your hair!" 

Dream burst into giggles, and Dee lifted him up before sliding down the side of a hill. This was what Dream needed after yesterday: family time and a chance to relax. There were no matters that needed to be tended to, no uncles making nuisances of themselves, no random guardians popping out of-

"Merrick!" ..Well..there were no uncles making nuisances of themselves.

"Huh?" Dee went on guard, but Dream just put a hand on his arm, shaking his skull.

"That's just Mari.." Dream sighed. 

"Who?"

"Greetings!" Mari cartwheeled into view, grinning widely as he looked over the two. "You're Merrick's dad!"

"How'd you tell that?" Dream wondered.

"Magic!"

"..Seriously, who are you?" Dee wanted answers.

"I met him yesterday.." Dream let out a sigh. "Apparently, he's another guardian..and his name is Mari."

"You met another guardian and didn't tell us?" 

"I was gonna." Dream shrugged. "But it was just a lot.."

"I can be a lot!" Mari admitted, putting his hands on his hips. "But that's just how I am, and being myself is a very important thing to do!"

"So..another guardian?" Dee asked.

"Yep." Dream nodded.

"..One of, uh, your status?"

"I think so."

"..I see. How old are you, Mari?"

"Nine!" Mari replied. "How old are you?"

"..Old." Dee chuckled.

"You're not Merrick's bio dad, are you?"

"Bio?" Dream tilted his skull.

"I can't say the bigger word!" Mari admitted. "It's too hard!"

"Biological?" Dee asked, receiving a nod. "Okay..who's Merrick?"

"He named me that." Dream enlightened.

"Ah..then, no, I'm not his biological dad.."

"I can tell." Mari hummed. "Your bond is really strong, though; it was hard to tell!"

"Why are you interested in our bond?"

"'Cause I'm the Guardian of Connections, and relationships are my job to know about!"

"That's..interesting." Dee admitted. "Where do you come from?"

"Another multiverse! You should visit sometime, Merrick! I told Ruru all about you, and he'd be happy to meet you, he said!" 

"Maybe some other time." Dream decided. "Why are you here, Mari?" 

"To give your multiverse soul bonds, duh!" Mari giggled. "I said I would, so I am!"

"..What is a soul bond?" Dee wondered.

"I don't know." Dream shrugged. 

Mari tilted his skull. "Didn't I tell you yesterday?"

"No..you didn't."

"..Ah." Mari blinked. "That's awkward."

"What's a soul bond?" Dee wanted to know.

"Well..a soul bond is when two people decide to solidify their relationship by making their souls recognize eachother magically! It's used with friends and family, mostly, but sometimes, even enemies make soul bonds! It's a way of keeping contact, even when you're multiverses away! You can send emotions across them, or even messages, but messages are harder. And you can sense where the other person is, unless they cut you off from sensing that - enemies do that a lot. But..I like them, because they're..not really limited. If I were on the edge of unconsciousness and completely out of magic reserves, I could still call for help, and my Dad would come save me from the bad people, and he would string their souls up in his super-cool strings and make everything okay again!"

Dream hummed; that..was useful. If he ever needed help in a pinch, he could just call out with his soul? That was undeniably useful..but there was one question that he had..

"Do you have a soul?" Dream inquired. "The Ink from this multiverse doesn't, so I have to ask.."

"Oh!" Mari blinked, before chuckling. "Well, I have half a soul..I used to not have any of a soul, but my dad didn't like that, so he gave me half of his! You can look at it, if you want!"

Mari, without considering the severity of his actions, just..let his soul out for all to see. It was half of an upside-down heart, colored by pastel splotches that moved around the soul's exterior in ways reminiscent of a lava lamp. And..Mari didn't seem bothered at all that he was showing off his soul to two people whom he didn't know well at all. Even Dream knew that it was dangerous to show off his soul to anyone but the closest of friends and family! 

"Isn't it pretty?" Mari seemed unbothered by his actions. "It used to be glitchy, like Dad's soul, but after a couple years, it started to look like this, and it's totally mine now!"

"..Kid, it's not safe to show off your soul to strangers.." Dee informed. "Didn't your dad ever tell you that?"

"..Oh, yeah." Mari let out a hum, before bringing his soul back into his body; after that, he tilted his skull and squinted his eyesockets at Dee. "Hey, how'd you know my dad said that?"

"Because any good parent would."

"..Oh. My dad is a good parent, so he did! I just forgot; I forget things sometimes!"

"We can see that.."

"Your soul was very pretty, though." Dream commented. "So, do you have a lot of soul bonds?"

"Oh, yeah, I have tons!" Mari nodded proudly. "Like..two!"

"..That's just me and your dad."

"Yeah!" Mari nodded. "And that's double what I had before!"

"If you know so much about them, why don't you have more?"

"Well..I don't have a lot of friends..at all." Mari sighed. "My multiverse is dangerous, so I usually stay at home, and there aren't a lot of friends to find when you're home all the time."

"Oh..well, do you want to meet my family?"

"Isn't this your family?" Mari inquired, pointing at Dee.

"He is, but I have a lot more!" Dream grinned. "I have tons of friends and family!"

"Like how many? Two?"

"Like.." Dream hummed, counting on his fingers for a moment. "Fourteen!"

Mari's eyesockets widened in awe. "That's a lot!"

"Yep! Some of them are in other multiverses, since they live in other multiverses, and a couple are just in other universes, but most of them are here! Do you wanna come meet them?"

"Yes!" Mari jumped for joy, bouncing happily at the mere thought. 

"Well, then.." Dee let out a chuckle. "Guess we'll have our hike another day."

"Sorry, Dad." Dream hadn't wanted to end this early, but..

"It's fine - we've got tons of time for that, but not quite so much time for this.."

"Thanks, Dad." Dream hugged Dee tightly, before taking his hand and Mari's and leading the two back to the castle.

Mari was excited to see the castle; it was evident from his expression. 

"I've never seen a family up close before!" He mentioned, skipping alongside Dream.

"Really?" Dream wondered. "Why not?"

"Well, Dad won't let me get too close, because he's scared people will hurt me."

"Why?" Dee asked. "Will they hurt you?"

"Depends on who it is." Mari shrugged. "Some of the people in my multiverse are really mean and would hurt me, while others won't. That's why I go to other multiverses to study families - they're usually not as mean!"

"..Why's your multiverse so bad, exactly?"

"Our Nightmare rules over it; he's not nice, so no one else is, either."

"..My Nightmare's not like yours." Dream decided to say. "He's nice."

"Oh, I know!" Mari assured. "I watched you through portals while you ate breakfast! He's really nice!"

"..You were watching us?" Dee blinked.

"Yeah! My dad told me to, so I'd know what to expect! He's watching us right now, actually! Hi, Ruru!"

"..That's not alarming at all." Dee let out a sigh.

"My dad's very protective!" Mari giggled.

"Huh.." Dream shrugged. "Well, I'm looking forward to meeting him!"

"He'd like to meet you, too!" Mari beamed. "For now, though, he'll just watch, 'cause he's shy!"

Mari then started to laugh to himself, for some reason..Dream wasn't going to ask. A bit more walking followed, and eventually, the trio reached the castle, where Nightmare was sitting outside the door; he was likely worried about Dream..even though he didn't have to be, because Dee could perfectly handle watching a ten year old! The goopy guardian straightened when he saw Dream, and he squinted when he saw Mari.

"Hi, Nighty!" Dream waved, running up to hug his brother.

"Hello, Dream..who is that?" Nightmare studied Mari carefully.

"That's Mari; he's a Guardian, too, but like me instead of normal ones!" Dream explained. "He's nine!"

"Oh.." Nightmare's gaze softened a bit; Mari was just a child. "I see."

"He wanted to meet you, so here we are!"

"Hi, Mr. Nightmare!" Mari held out his hand to shake, and Nightmare took it, giving the little one a soft smile. 

"Good morning, Mari..why exactly are you here right now?" Nightmare inquired. "How did you meet my brother?"

"I met him yesterday; we're friends now!" Mari informed, shaking Nightmare's hand rapidly. "And I'm here to give your multiverse soul bonds!"

"..To give us what?" Nightmare was confused, which was to be expected.

"We'll explain inside." Dream assured, gesturing for his brother to enter the castle.

Dee, Dream, Nightmare, and Mari went inside at that, and Mari began to explain soul bonds once again..and when the group came across Killer and Horror, he started again. And when Dust came along, Mari explained it once more..and after Cross joined the group, Dream ran off to get Robin so Mari would be spared from repeating himself too many times. 

"Okay, so what are we doing?" Robin flew over (and, boy, was he glad he could do that!) curiously, landing on the arm of a chair.

"Oh my stars!" Mari's eyelights turned into stars, and he squealed. "You have a bitty!"

Robin let out a laugh. "Uh, yeah, I'm a bitty."

"I've always wanted a bitty! But Ruru said I couldn't have one 'cause the Anti-Void is dangerous and it would glitch them out, which is sad, 'cause I really really would be a good caretaker, but I can't be because of the Anti-Void! I don't like living in the Anti-Void - it's super dull and boring, and I don't like it, but I can't live anywhere else 'cause it's so dangerous, so I gotta deal with it, even if it's the most boring-est place in the whole wide world!"

"..You live in the Anti-Void?" Robin tilted his skull.

"Different multiverse." Dream reminded.

"Right.."

"So, these soul bond things are a good thing?" Killer asked.

"Yeah!" Mari nodded, before hugging Dream. "They're super cool, too! I made one with Merrick, and now our souls know we're friends! And now I'll give your whole multiverse the ability to make them, so you won't have to be jealous or anything!"

"Who said I'm jealous?" Nightmare questioned sharply, before blinking as the context behind the word clicked. "..Nevermind, carry on."

Dee snorted, and Mari let out a small giggle before continuing. "Well, once I give all of you this power, you'll be able to make soul bonds with anyone else you'd like, even if they don't have the power to make them by themselves, yet!"

"That'll be helpful." Horror commented. "And you said we can talk through them?"

"Yep! But you'll have to practice that, because that's harder than sending just emotions! It took me a whole year of work before I could send messages to Ruru, but now I can do it super easy!"

"What do they sound like?" Dream wondered.

"Well.." Mari stuck his tongue out mischievously.

Like this!

Dream blinked, looking at Mari. Had that been..

It's spooky, right?

"..Yeah." Dream let out a hum. "That is spooky.."

"Hearing messages is super easy, but sending them is harder." Mari informed. "But after enough practice, it's easy!"

"So, you said we can feel emotions through it, right?" Cross questioned. "How does that work?"

"Well.." Mari tapped his chin, trying to think of how to say it; after a minute, he shrugged. "I dunno. But it sorta feels like..you can feel what the other person feels, but you can tell that it's them and not your own feelings."

"..Is that why I've been feeling happy all day?" Dream inquired. 

"Yep!" Mari giggled. "I've been sending you happiness since yesterday!"

"Can you send emotions other than the ones you're feeling, or just what you're feeling?" Dust asked.

"Just what you're feeling, when you're new to them. But once you get better at it, you can send emotions as comfort, too! Like..my dad always sends me feelings of calmness and stuff when I freak out, but I know he doesn't feel calm at all when I do! That's a lot harder than sending messages, though - I still can't do that much, yet, but I can do some.."

"So..is that, like, a special power you have?" Robin wondered. "Making soul bonds between people?"

"Huh?" Mari let out a laugh. "Nuh-uh! They're normal in tons of multiverses! Yours is just one that didn't get them for some reason, and I want to let you have them, too!"

"Ah..so it isn't a special power?" Nightmare looked down.

"Nope..why? Did you want it to be?"

"Dream is the same type of guardian you are, Mari." Nightmare explained. "And he's only just gained his role..we're wondering if there are any special powers that come with it. Because..right now, it is only a title.."

"Oh, you mean like that!" Mari understood, nodding. "Well..I have no idea! I've only been the Guardian of Connections for...about seven months! And you're the first other one I've met like me, so..I dunno! I don't think I have any super-secret cool powers.."

"Do you have any cool powers, Nighty?" Dream wondered.

"..A couple." Nightmare admitted. "But let's not focus on me for now; let's get back to these soul bonds. Are they painless?"

"Oh, yeah!" Mari nodded rapidly. "They don't hurt at all! You might just feel a little tingly in your soul for a little bit!"

"Is there any risk involved?" Dee wanted to know.

"Uh, I don't think so! At least, I've never seen anyone get hurt from them! And that's saying a lot, 'cause I've seen millions of people with soul bonds!"

"..Sounds safe enough." Killer was willing to risk it. 

"Mine hasn't hurt me so far." Dream nodded. "Let's do it.."

"Okay!" Mari nodded, grinning. "I just need to..oh! This might be a special power, since I can give soul bonds to multiverses that don't already have them! So maybe Merrick has a cool special power, too! Anyway..I'll get them into your multiverse!"

Mari pulled out his paintbrush and hummed, looking around.

"Is this the first floor?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?" Dream wondered.

"I have to be on or near the ground to do this right, or else it just won't work! Is there a basement under here?"

"Oh, there is..should we go outside?" Nightmare offered.

"Yeah, we should." Mari nodded, hopping to his feet and resting his giant paintbrush over his shoulder. "Onwards!"

The group started walking, and most of them were focused on getting outside, but..one was thinking of other things. Specifically..

"Did you name your paintbrush anything?" Cross had to ask.

"Uh..why would I name a paintbrush?" Mari tilted his skull. "That's weird - naming in-manimate objects is weird."

"..Really?" Dream let out a hum. "Why not? Our Ink named his Broomie, and I think others might, too. Why don't you?"

"..'Cause it isn't alive?" Mari shrugged. "I've seen other me's with named paintbrushes, but I don't see the point; it's just a paintbrush."

"..Right. So, we can block the soul bonds off, right? Or something like that?"

"Oh, yeah, you can do that, if you get overwhelmed, or something! I can teach you how - it's really easy! And if you don't get the hang of it today, I can just stop sending you emotions for a while until you learn; some people find that a little overwhelming..I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you."

"It's okay; I just..like having control over things like that."

"I understand; Ruru's the same way! He likes it when I send him emotions, but he also likes having the power to turn them off if he needs to!"

"Yeah..thank you." 

"You're welcome!"

The group reached the outside after a small walk, and soon enough, Mari had grabbed his paintbrush again, putting its tip against the ground and letting its handle point towards the sky. He took a deep, slow breath before starting to channel his special brand of magic through it. Black paint began to seep fron the tip of his brush, forming a puddle on the ground below, and it grew until it went far past his feet, almost reaching the group behind him..but it stopped just short. Mari's eyesockets closed, and color began to spread throughout the paint, swirling together into a spectrum of color, but not mixing at all. After the black paint had turned into a rainbow of color, the paint began to..float. Droplets lifted out of the puddle, rising up into the sky before shooting up into the stratosphere. Drop after drop rose up, going farther and farther into the sky, and the family watched in awe. It continued until the puddle of paint was gone, and once it was, Mari opened his eyesockets, turning to smile at the awed family.

"All done!" He announced. 

"That was.." Nightmare didn't know what to say.

"That was awesome!" Dream's eyelights shined brightly, and he bounded over to hug Mari, who let out a giggle and hugged him back.

"It was just the easy way to do it!" Mari stuck his tongue out. "I could have just gone through every universe and splashed some magic paint into them manually, but this way is so much easier!"

"It was definitely a sight to behold.." Dee mentioned.

"Thank you! Now, I'll show you how to make them! Let's go back inside!"

"All right!" Dream nodded, running back into the castle with Mari.

This was a good day.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Mari bean gives soul bonds!

Thanks for reading my bonding writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Soul bonds were confusing. 

After a month of having these new connections, the multiverse was..still adjusting. Some had taken to the new bonds well and learned how to better use them with ease, while others..still didn't understand them at all. Despite that, the whole multiverse had agreed that they were a good thing to have, and despite the difficulties some had using them, they still enjoyed feeling closer to their loved ones. Dream was..somewhere in the middle of the crowd. He could block others off, and he could send others his emotions, and, probably because of his natural state as a positive spirit, he could send reassuring feelings to others with ease (Mari had been a little jealous about that, since he still couldn't get the hang of that), but he was licked when it came to sending messages. Dream was good with emotions, not words..words were confusing. Of course, everyone learned at different rates, and Dream would take his time with it; he had all the time in the world to work on it, after all!

Breakfast's ready.

Everyone had their strengths; Horror's strength was communication, apparently, as he had managed to figure out how to send messages within a week of receiving soul bonds - faster than just about everyone else in the multiverse. It was nice to have one member of the family who could communicate long-distance without the need for a communicator so far, though. Dream and the others were still struggling with that, though. Dee and Nightmare, also emotion spirits, had been able to send reassuring emotions with the same ease that Dream could, though, which was definitely a plus! Dream stood up from his desk and set his schoolbooks aside, glad he could do that; he had been having a rather crazy couple of years, and..honestly, he appreciated having the time to work on something a little more normal. School was important, and Nighty was glad that Dream could stick around to do it; Dream wasn't being dragged around to other multiverses where he couldn't do his schoolwork!

...

Guardian of Choice. 

Dream's brilliant idea of evading his duties as a Guardian had just landed him with a different job - one that he had no idea how to handle. He had succeeded, in a way; he was no longer the Guardian of Positivity..but now he was the Guardian of Choice, and he had no doubt that if he tried to run away again, he would just get a different title..it was hopelessly ironic. What choice did he have, exactly? The only one he could see was the obvious: giving up and just accepting his fate. Sure, he could have run again. He could have just ignored his job. He could have willingly suppressed his magic - and, effectively, his instincts - for the rest of his life and tried to live a normal life. But, honestly? It felt rather hopeless. He was tired of running, and he..didn't want to anymore. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do as the "Guardian of Choice," but he was sure that he would find out someday soon, and he would just accept it. Whatever it was, it would probably have been better than being the Guardian of Positivity. At least, he hoped so..he hoped his job came with the ability to choose. He didn't want to help every single person who asked for his help, and he didn't want to do anything that he didn't want to do. 

This guardianship would be by his terms - no one else's.

"Hey, Dreamy!" Cross smiled at the ten year old as he entered the dining room and sat down. "You've been quiet this morning."

"Schoolwork." Dream replied. "I didn't have enough time to study last night, so I did it this morning."

"Did you get enough rest?" Nightmare inquired.

"Yeah, I'm okay." 

"Well, when you're done with school, wanna join us for a gaming sesh'?" Killer offered.

"Use full words, Killer." Nightmare let out a sigh.

"Wanna?" Killer asked again, ignoring the glare he received from his employer.

"Uh, sure." Dream nodded; that sounded like a good way to relax. "I should be done about noon today."

"Sounds good." Dust smiled. "We'll see you then.."

"I'll win." Horror informed, smirking.

"In what world?" Cross rolled his eyelights playfully. "I think we know exactly who's going to win!"

"Yeah, me!" Killer agreed. "Glad you're on my side, Crossy!"

"I meant me!"

"I think Dream will kick your tailbones." Dee offered his two cents.

"No way!" Horror chuckled.

"Oh, you're asking for it!" Dream giggled. "I'm gonna win, and none of you will stop me!"

"Eat your food; it's getting cold!" Nightmare let out a laugh, shaking his skull at his family's mini war.

Now, video games weren't exactly Dream's strong suit (he had spent five hundred years trapped in stone, and he had only been free for nearly five at this point - he didn't know as much about the modern world as he would have liked), but he wasn't terrible, and he believed in the power of positive thinking! That was why, after a day of hard work with his schooling, he settled down on the couch next to Killer, Dust, Horror, and Cross, ready to do his best. And Robin and Dee were there to cheer him on!

"All right, are you guys ready?" Killer asked. 

"I'm ready!" Dream smirked; he was definitely going to come out victorious!

"You've got this, Dream!" Robin cheered.

"I've got it better!" Cross chuckled. 

"Let's start." Dust was ready.

"All right.." Horror started the game, and everyone began to do their thing.

The game was rather straightforward; it was just a collection of minigames that everyone had to go through, and the one who won the most minigames would win the round: simple! Killer started out in the lead, but Dream was determined to catch up with him; he had to pass Cross and Dust first, though! Horror wasn't much for fast-paced games like this, but he did his best; he was best at games that gave him more time to think out his actions. As the minutes passed, Dream focused on winning these games (and having fun, but..winning was fun!), and after some time, he was one point in the lead! That didn't mean a lot in this game, but it was enough for him! 

"I'm totally gonna win!" Dream giggled. "Looks like your only choice is to give up and let me win!"

"Yeah!" Robin clapped, offering some moral support. 

"Eh, you're right." Killer shrugged, leaning back and..putting his controller aside?

"Yeah, you've got us licked." Dust..did the same.

"Good game, Dream." Cross gave the ten year old a thumbs up.

"I'm gonna get cooking." Horror decided, getting up.

...What was that? They weren't even halfway through yet..

"Uh..guys?" Dream tilted his skull. "What are you doing?"

"Giving up." Killer replied. "You did great, Dream."

"That was a pretty good performance, although..I don't really know much about these 'video game' things.." Dee admitted.

"..We aren't done yet, though!" Dream gestured to the game. "We've still got a lot left! Why are you giving up now?"

"It's..pretty much over." Dust commented. "You've won. Well, I've got stuff to do; I'll see you in a bit."

"..." Dream nodded as the others left.

What was that about? Did they just not want to play? Was he not being fun to play with? He just wanted to win, but..why would they just give up like that? Was it something he said? He had only..

"Looks like your only choice is to give up and let me win!"

..He had said that.

"I'm going to the kitchen." Dream announced, getting up and running towards the kitchen.

He ran past Horror, who was still making his way to the room, and he arrived first. He looked inside the fridge, finding a wide variety of foods; Horror always made sure to keep things stocked, and he did a great job. Letting out a breath, Dream closed the door to the fridge and looked to the door of the kitchen, smiling at Horror when he arrived.

"Hey, kiddo - wanna help me?" Horror offered.

"Sure!" Dream nodded. "Looks like our only choice for lunch is mac and cheese, though; we don't have the ingredients for anything else."

"Ah, that's too bad." Horror hummed. "I'll have to make sure we get more stuff while we're out."

..Horror would never have believed that coming from anyone else. He would have run to the fridge and checked it, before giving the perpetrator a stern talking-to about lying about such a thing. To Dream's utter bewilderment, Horror..just went with it. He got out the ingredients for mac and cheese, completely disregarding all other foodstuffs, and he waved Dream over to help. Dream let out a hum before nodding and going over to help Horror. 

Well. He had a special power. 

This was completely unexpected..but it was what it was, and Dream apparently had the ability to limit others' choices..and they were completely accepting of it. That was..frightening. He could severely hurt someone's decision-making process just by saying the wrong thing..but what else could he do? Could he do the opposite? Could he make people see all the choices they really had? He liked the sound of that power much more than what he had seen so far! 

"Hey, Horror, there are so many different choices for side dishes; what do you think would be best?" Dream asked.

"Hm..could do roasted vegetables - broccoli, carrots, green beans, potatoes - or some meats - you like drumsticks, right? How about a salad? Haven't had one of those in a while. Oh, or some crackers - could dip them in the cheese. What do you think?"

"..Yeah.."

"..Which one?"

"Uh..whichever one you want." Dream shook his skull. "Sorry, I was thinking."

"I get that!" Horror chuckled. "Let's see.."

Well, that basically proved Dream's theory: he could make people see choices, all right. That had been more than Dream had been expecting, honestly. But..it was good to know. Now, he had the knowledge that his words, quite literally, had power, and he would forever have to watch what he said. Maybe banning the word "choice" from his vocabulary might have been a good idea. But..if he did have this special power..then maybe Mari had one, too.

After lunch, Dream went to his room, grabbed his walkie talkie (he had given one to Mari, of course!), and tuned into Mari's frequency, waiting for an answer. He didn't have to wait long, of course!

"Who's this?" Mari inquired. "Merrick?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Dream giggled. "Hi, Mari!"

"Hi!"

Dream heard a glitchy voice from the other side of the walkie-talkie, but it was too far away for Dream to clearly hear what the other was saying.

"It's just Merrick, Ruru!" Mari said. "Do you wanna talk to him? Aw, okay!"

"Was that your dad?" Dream wondered.

"Yeah, but he can't talk right now - he's busy.."

"Okay..can you come over today?"

"Uh, I think so! Why?"

"I think I have an idea about what your special power might be!"

Mari gasped. "Really?" 

"Yep!"

"Ruru, I'm going to Merrick's! Bye!"

Mere seconds later, one of Mari's portals opened in Dream's room, and the little Guardian bounded through, a wide grin on his face.

"What's my special power?" He asked, bouncing in place. "Tell me, tell me!"

"Okay!" Dream giggled, grinning himself. "Well, today, I was playing with the others, and I said 'your only choice is to give up and let me win!' And they did! We weren't even halfway done! And then I told Horror that our only choice for lunch was mac and cheese, and he just accepted it!"

Mari gasped. "That's cool! What's it got to do with me, though?"

"Well, I started thinking - if I have a special power, and we're both the same type of Guardian.."

Mari's eyelights widened. "Then I do, too! But what is it?"

"I dunno, but I have an idea! Follow me!"

Dream led Mari to the living room, but the two stayed out of sight, hiding behind some shelving. Nightmare and Dee were sitting on the couch, with Dee relaxing and Nightmare seeming a bit uncomfortable with the seating arrangement; Dream had asked both of them separately to meet him in the living room about now, and he knew both of them would stay, as long as he had asked them to! With him out of sight and his aura and soul bonds with them suppressed a little, they had no clue where he was! He looked over to Mari with a smile, before starting to tell him the plan.

"Try using your magic, and focus it on them." Dream whispered. "Try thinking about them having a nice conversation and getting along well."

"Okay!" Mari whispered back, nodding.

This would be a good test of whether their abilities were solely verbal or whether they could use magic to acheive the same results. Mari started to channel some non-physical magic, aiming it at the two, and Dream watched.

"So..read any good books, lately?" Dee asked.

Nightmare glared for a moment, before letting out a sigh and shrugging. "Not really. I've been busy."

"I get that. With Dream and Mari and everything, it's only bound to get a lot more complicated."

"Yes..it is."

"..You have a lot on your plate, don't you?"

"You're trying to-" Nightmare paused, looking down. 

"I'm trying to what?"

"..Dream is my brother; I love him more than anything and anyone else in this world."

"..I love him, too."

"I don't even know you; I don't know what happened while my brother was in your world. Am I so wrong to assume the worst?"

"..Nah." Dee shrugged. "I probably would, too - it's in our nature, I guess, being negative spirits. We're always the 'glass half empty' type."

"..Yeah."

"But..you know, Dream needs us. To him, we're both important..and I intend to be there for him in any way I can. I'm not trying to usurp your brother; I just want what's best for him..he really needs us. So.."

"..So I haven't really been there for him." Nightmare sighed. "I've been worrying so much about your stealing my brother away that I've been neglecting his feelings.."

"..." Dee didn't think it would have been appropriate to say anything right now.

"I..I'm sorry." Nightmare crossed his arms into a loose hug around himself, looking down. "I just..judged you as soon as I met you, and..that was wrong. You're right: Dream needs both of us..even if I'm not used to sharing him with alternate versions of myself."

"Apology accepted." Dee smiled. "I'm..glad we could talk like this. And I'm really glad that you didn't just get up when I came in here.."

"I was tempted to." Nightmare admitted. "But Dream asked me to meet him here, so I decided to stick around." 

"..Dream asked me to meet him here.." Dee blinked, looking at Nightmare.

"Ah..it seems we have been set up."

"And it looks like it worked.." Dee breathed out a laugh. 

"Clearly, he knows us better than we know ourselves..we just..or, I suppose..I just needed a little push."

"Well, I'm glad about it. Shall we go find the little mastermind?"

"Sounds like a plan."

The two stood and left the room, and Dream and Mari grinned at eachother; Mari had special powers, too!

"That was awesome!" Mari whisper-yelled. "Did I really do that?"

"I think so!" Dream nodded. "Good job!"

"Thank you!"

"No, thank you!"

Maybe it wasn't the most honest or straightforward way to get Nightmare and Dee to get along, but..Dream wasn't arguing. It was much easier than any of the alternatives, anyway, and it just got the two to the ultimate goal a lot faster! This was just a test, of course; Mari wouldn't abuse his powers..probably.

This was just the first step in a long path.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean and Mari bean have powers!

Yes they did tell the others after this dw.

Thanks for reading my powerful writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"So..you're telling us that you've been testing the limits of your 'secret powers' for a whole week now, and that you two have just..not told us?" Nightmare tilted his skull.

"Yep!" Mari nodded. 

"Pretty much." Dream confirmed.

"Forgive me if I have trouble believing that."

"Your only choice is to believe us."

"..Although, now that I think about it, that does make sense.."

"Did you hear what I just said?"

"Well, you said-" Nightmare blinked. "Oh."

"That's scary." Cross commented. 

"But cool." Killer shrugged.

"Is that why I've been making all your favorites this week?" Horror squinted.

"..Maybe." Dream chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his skull. "We've found that our powers work well on others, but not as well on eachother - it's only more of a strong compelling force on us, but it's pretty easy to use on.."

"People who aren't omniversal guardians.." Dee let out a hum.

"Yeah."

"Well..thank you for telling us." Nightmare smiled. "It..might not have any effect on our future actions, but it is definitely good to know.."

"You're welcome!" Mari beamed. "Now we should go tell my dad!"

"In that case, have a safe trip, Mari."

"Oh..can't Merrick come, too?"

"Isn't your multiverse dangerous?" Dream thought.

"Well, yeah, but not in the Anti-Void!" Mari pointed out. "And it'll only take a minute, and Ruru wouldn't let anything bad happen to you!"

"Um..all right." Dream smiled. "If Nighty and Dad will let me.." 

"I don't see the harm in it." Dee shrugged. 

"I..suppose it will be okay." Nightmare allowed. "But don't take too long."

"We won't!" Mari assured, opening a portal. "Come on, Merrick!"

Mari grabbed Dream's hand and led him through the portal to..

This wasn't..an Anti-Void.

"Uh, that's weird." Mari let out a hum, looking up at the blue sky; the two had come out into a field. "This..doesn't feel like home."

"..." Dream let out a long sigh. "Fantastic."

"What?"

"Do your portals do this often?"

"Nope! This has never happened before!"

"Then it means, most likely, that we're here for a reason..probably a stupid one." 

"What do you mean?"

"You know how I told you about all my adventures through multiverses?"

"Yeah? Those are fun!"

"..They all started like this." Dream glared at the grassy field. 

"Ooh.." Mari gasped. "Does that mean we're going on an adventure? I wanna go on an adventure! I never went on an adventure before!"

"It's not as fun as it sounds.."

"But it's still an adventure, and I want in!"

"..It'll probably be hard."

"Toughness makes adventures cooler! Come on, can't we be happy about this?"

"I like staying home..I want to go home."

"..." Mari frowned. "I guess you're right..I like being home, too.."

Dream let out a sigh, looking at his friend; Mari really wanted to go on an adventure, huh? "..How about this? If we can make portals to our homes, then we can do the adventure - I just want to be able to go home when I want to..I don't like staying overnight in places I don't know."

"Okay!" Mari's grin returned. "I'll do mine first!" 

Mari opened a new portal, mentally saving the location of this multiverse before stepping through with Dream. This time, the duo came out into Mari's Anti-Void, and Dream shuddered; this place was..negative.

"Ruru!" Mari beamed, running up to hug the nearest adult (and only adult) - an Error.

"Ink?" The adult only had a moment to take note of Mari's presence before he was tackled with a hug. 

"Ruru! I'm going on an adventure!"

"What?"

"I made a portal, and I wanted it to go here, but instead, it went somewhere else, and Merrick told me that's because I have to go on adventure to help people!"

"He what?" Ruru blinked, processing the information; he soon caught sight of Dream, slowly piecing things together. "Merrick?"

"Nice to meet you." Dream nodded. "And, uh, yes..that did happen."

"Uh, nicr to meet you, too..and your magic malfunctioned?" Ruru looked to Mari.

"Only a little!" Mari waved it off. "It's 'cause I'm a guardian and have to help people!"

"It doesn't seem to be holding us captive, though.." Dream informed. "We can still go home.."

"Yeah! Merrick said if it let us go home, he'd do the adventure with me, so he will! Isn't that fun?"

"I..what kind of adventure..?"

"I dunno! A guardian adventure, I guess!" 

"It shouldn't be life-threatening, or anything." Dream assured. "We'll be okay."

"But..are you ready for something like that?" Ruru questioned. "I don't know.."

"Yeah!" Mari confirmed. "Both of us got cool new powers!" 

"What..kind of powers?"

"Like..I can make people be friends, just by using my magic on them! And Merrick can make them see choices and stuff! And, if anyone tries to hurt us, he can just say 'your only choice is to not hurt us!' and they won't be able to, 'cause that's his power!"

"..Does that work on everyone?" Ruru looked to Dream.

"Everyone but us." Dream nodded. "We've been practicing for the past week with it, so we know it works!"

"Oh.." Ruru let out a sigh. "All right, you can go..but you stick by Merrick the whole time, and you come home for dinner every night - I don't want you out too late."

"Yes!" Mari grabbed the air. "Thank you, Ruru!"

"Don't make me regret this decision.."

"I won't!" Mari giggled. "Come on, Merrick!"

"We have to ask my dad and brother, too." Dream pointed out. "Then we can go, I guess.."

"Lead the way!"

Dream opened a portal to his home, and a strikingly-similar discussion happened with Dee and Nighty - they wanted him home for dinner, too, but they would understand if he couldn't make it for some reason, unlike Ruru. Bedtime at home was essential, though. After assuring his family that he would stay safe and keep Mari safe, too, Dream turned to Mari, who opened the portal back to the strange new world. The two stepped through, coming out in the same place as before, and Dream looked around, humming as he thought.

"Where do we go?" Mari wondered, grabbing Dream's hand. 

"We should look for a road." Dream decided. "Then we can see where it leads."

"What if there's no road?"

"Then..I don't know." Dream shrugged. "We'll run into someone."

"How do you know?"

"We're here for a reason, right? It would be pretty bad if we couldn't find the reason!"

"Ooh..that makes sense! Let's go, then!"

Dream chuckled and nodded, starting to walk with Mari. The two might have been in a field, but there was no road of any sort in sight; they would have to search for one! The two talked about flowers as they walked, looking for a road, and Dream felt..anxious. He wasn't sure if he really liked these "adventures." Sure, they had given him his uncles and dad, but..going through more of them..was this really what he wanted to do? He wasn't sure. He..did want to look out for Mari, though; Mari had never done anything like this before, and Dream couldn't just ignore his friend and leave! He wanted to help - he was certain of that now. So the two walked across the field, eventually reaching a forest, and after a bit of walking through that forest, they found what they had been looking for: a road. Well..a dirt path that was clearly used as a road, at least.

"There's a road!" Mari shouted, pointing at the path. "Now what? Where will it take us?"

"I'm not sure, but hopefully, civilization." Dream shrugged. "Let's follow it."

"What's civlizatin?" Mari butchered the poor word.

"People and buildings." Dream chuckled. "Roads are made by people to get from places to place easier, so if we follow it, we'll find one of those places that they made the road to get to!"

"Ooh!" Mari took in the knowledge with a grin. "That makes sense! You're smart!"

"Thank you! My dad taught me that!"

 "He's really smart, too, isn't he?"

"He is." Dream smiled. "He's the smartest! Except for Nighty."

"I think Ruru's smarter than them both!" 

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nuh-" Dream paused; the forest around the road had cleared, and now the children could plainly see...

A village.

A medieval one. 

Smoke rose from the stone chimneys as the villagers used fire to prepare their meals, and villagers milled about the streets. The dirt path turned into gravel, and just beyond it, the people lived. A well was the centerpiece of the village, visible from the path, and several villagers were getting water from it. Others were carrying firewood or tools around, while others were hard at work. Gardens were everywhere, and fields lay just outside the village boundaries, growing crops that would be harvested soon, by the looks of things. Some children ran around the streets, while others worked with their parents. A few varieties of livestock were being led through the streets, too. And..Dream could only stare. He knew every facet of this sort of life, from the hard days of work to the short nights of rest on straw-stuffed mattresses..or just straw. He could envision his younger self running around doing "chores." They had called them chores. They had sent him out to do work that the adults struggled with when he had been under six years old. And he just..couldn't stop thinking about it.

That was what Dream saw, at least. 

Mari's eyelights were glued to the castle behind the village - the one off in the distance, with a larger town undoubtedly hiding behind its walls. It was at least a mile or two away, but it was so..big. It was a bit menacing, really. The stone walls had been painted white, and the castle's turrets rose high into the air, visible from great distances. It..wasn't quite like the castle Mari had caught glimpses of in his world; it wasn't as dark or gloomy. But..it definitely wasn't non-threatening. It was big, and it screamed power. And, quite frankly, he didn't want to go anywhere near it! He had always been told never to go near the castle in his world; why would he have wanted to go near this one? The only castle that was nice was Merrick's brother's castle, because Ruru had let Mari watch Merrick and his family inside the castle, and he had adjusted to the thought of it. Mari had no clue what was inside this castle! He..didn't like uncertainty. Ruru had always made him feel comfortable..he wanted Ruru.

But..Merrick would do.

Mari looked at his friend, who was staring at the village in the same way Mari had stared at the castle, and he winced; this..wasn't going to be easy, was it? Merrick had once lived in a medieval universe..

"Maybe we should go the other way.." Mari offered a solution. "Do you want to do that?"

Merrick let out a shaky breath, before looking to his friend and nodding. 

"Okay..let's go that way, then!"

Mari grabbed his friend's hand and started leading him in the opposite direction, starting a game along the way.

"I spy with my little eye..something purple!" Mari announced.

"Huh?" Merrick shook his skull a little, trying to break loose from his thoughts. "You..see what?"

"Something purple! You guess what it is!"

"Uh.." Merrick looked around. "That flower?"

"Yep! That was an easy one! Now you do one!"

"Okay..I spy..with my little eye..something blue."

"Ooh.." Mari squinted and began to scan the area, humming as he tapped his chin in thought. "That bug?"

"No.."

"Uhh, the sky?" Mari looked past the leaf cover of the forest.

"Yeah..was that too hard?"

"Nope! My turn!" Mari stuck his tongue out and looked for something out-of-the-ordinary. "Oh! I spy with my little eye something red!"

"Red?" Merrick looked around curiously; what was- oh! "That cardinal!"

"Yeah! Good job!"

"Thanks!" Merrick smiled; that was good.

The game of I Spy lasted for quite a while, but after about an hour of walking down the path, the two found something..strange. The path forked, with one way going straight and the other leading-

To another village.

"This way!" Mari grabbed Merrick's wrist tighter and went down the straight path; his friend wasn't going to suffer if Mari had anything to say about it!

Mari didn't know exactly why Merrick had frozen at the sight of a medieval village, but he knew enough to keep Merrick away from them! Just like Merrick would probably soon find out about Mari's discomfort with castles! So the two continued their game, eventually branching out into different variants of the game to keep themselves occupied as they ventured down the path. And, after another hour of walking, the two found themselves in..a predicament. 

This path didn't connect to anywhere that would have made either of them comfortable, since, at this end of the path, there was..another village..and another castle, this time painted black. 

That was..not the way Mari had wanted his first adventure to go. Merrick couldn't go into villages, and he couldn't go near castles..and their only options were castles and villages. That was a bummer. Well, luckily for them both, they could leave! So Mari turned around to shelter Merrick's sensitivities, and..

"I spy with my little eye something purple." Mari mentioned.

"You do? Wh-" Merrick froze. 

A figure was walking down the path they had just come..one that looked a lot like Merrick's dad, but much younger..

And Mari could sense that he wasn't from here.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Mari bean and Dream bean adventure!

Thanks for reading my adventuring writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Dream looked at the newcomer curiously, tilting his skull and wondering if he was the Nightmare from this world..he was certainly dressed right. The purple outfit reminded him of what Nighty had used to wear, but it was a bit different from that - more..decorated. He had yellow trims on his shirt now, as opposed to white. But he did still wear his crown..interestingly. Well, it wasn't that interesting, really - Dream still wore his, after all..but Nighty and Dee didn't seem to like to. It seemed..that the newcomer wasn't surprised to see the two, despite everything. But they were definitely surprised to see him..

"Uh, hi!" Mari initiated conversation. "Who are you? You're not from here, are you?"

Dream glanced over at Mari, before remembering that Mari could know those things..somehow. Dream was glad that one of them could, at least. 

"..You live here?" The newcomer asked, dodging the questions; he stopped a few feet away from them.

"Nope!" Mari informed. "We're from other multiverses! How about you?"

"..I see." The other crossed his arms, letting out a sigh. "Please tell me you're normal people."

"Uh..what do you mean by that?" Dream inquired.

"Guardians..tell me you're not, please." The other pleaded. "I've already met too many; there are just too many."

"..How many have you met?" Mari inquired.

"Three. Four including myself."

"Well, make that five!" Mari grinned. 

"..Great." The other rolled his eyelights. 

"Why are you so opposed to the idea of meeting more Guardians?" Dream wondered. "Are the others you've met..mean?"

"No." The other shrugged. "They're just..adults. They don't take me seriously.."

"Oh." Mari nodded, understanding. "I get that! There are lots of mean adults, but you don't have to worry about that with us, 'cause we're kids, too! I'm nine, and he's ten! How old are you?"

"Twelve..and you're..really kids?" The other seemed to relax a little.

"Yeah!" Mari confirmed. "My name's Mari, and he's Merrick! What's your name?"

"..My name is Cal. How..old are you?"

"I'm ten, and he's nine." Dream spoke up. "Couldn't you tell we were kids?"

"..Most versions of Dreams and Inks I see are just really short adults, so..not really.."

"Really?" Dream hummed. "Most of the other me's I've met are tall.."

"A few of them are." Cal crossed his arms, leaning against a tree. "So..you're Guardians, too? Like, omniversal ones?"

"Yep!" Mari nodded, hugging Dream. "We're best friends!"

Dream chuckled, hugging his friend back. "Yep! What are you the guardian of, then? I'm the Guardian of Choice!" 

"And I'm Connections!" 

"Balance." Cal replied. "Those are interesting titles, though.."

"Thank you." Dream smiled. "You mentioned knowing others - what are they?"

"Ugh..Mind, Hope, and Failure." Cal rolled his eyelights. "You'll probably meet them at some point, but just..be prepared for them to say stupid stuff - they don't think kids can be good Guardians."

"Well, that's stupid." Mari pointed out. "My dad doesn't like me being a guardian, either, but that's different, 'cause he knows I can do it; he just wants me to be safe!"

"I wish I didn't have to be one.." Dream sighed, looking down.

"Why?" Cal wondered. 

"I don't want to, but apparently I'm not allowed to not be, so I have to.."

"..I never tried not being one."

"If you do, you just get a different title.."

"Oh.." Cal hummed. 

"So, what are you doing here?" Mari changed the subject. 

"I'm here because I felt called. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Uh..my magic just made a portal here instead of where I wanted to go, so we got here instead!"

"Oh..you haven't been guardians like this for long, have you?"

"No..how long have you been?" Dream questioned.

"Two years. At some point, you start feeling called to places instead of just taken there, so your magic won't just malfunction like that. It takes a few months, though."

"That's helpful!" Mari beamed. "So..why are we all here?"

"It's a team mission; I've done them with the others before." Cal enlightened. "I try to avoid them whenever we aren't forced to be together, but..it'll be nice to do my job with someone new..and younger than me."

"I guess that makes you the team leader!" Mari decided. "What do we do, then, team leader?"

"And..how do these work?" Dream wondered. "I've never gotten instructions before.."

"Well, it's pretty complicated." Cal shrugged. "But basically, this multiverse has a problem that requires all our specialties to solve, and we've got to figure out what it is and solve it! You say you've been on missions before? How did they go? Did people have problems that you solved?"

"Um..sort of?" Dream shrugged. "For the most part, I..made friends..and stuff?"

"..You must have been doing something subconsciously. But that's okay, because I've got tons of experience with this stuff, and I'll teach you how to do it! The first step is to meet the locals!" Cal started toward the village.

"We can't do that part." Mari pointed out, stopping Cal in his tracks.

"Why not?" The older wondered.

"Merrick is afraid of villages, and I'm scared of castles." The nine year old informed.

"..." Cal looked at the two current options for destinations. "Would it help if I held your hands?"

"..." Mari glanced at Dream, before shaking his skull. 

Cal sighed. "Okay..how about I take you into the village and we get information, and I'll take Merrick to the castle? Is that a good compromise?"

The two younger children looked at eachother, before making their decision.

"That'll work!" Dream wasn't stepping a foot into that village if he didn't have to!

"Good." Cal was happy to find a working solution. "Merrick, uh..stay here, I guess?"

"You can just go home, and I'll call you when it's your turn!" Mari proposed.

"Sounds good." Dream nodded. "And I'll call you if it gets too close to dinnertime."

"Okay!"

"Dinnertime?" Cal questioned.

"Both our families want us home for dinner every night while we adventure." Dream informed. "We'll come back after breakfast, though!"

"Uh..all right. I'll..see you later, then?"

"Yeah! Bye, Mari!"

"Bye, Merrick!"

The two friends waved, and Dream opened a portal home before going through - it was now just Mari and Cal.

"So.." Mari hummed. "Do you have to leave at dinnertime, too?"

"No, I don't.." Cal shook his skull. "I..typically just live in multiverses while I have missions in them."

"Don't you have a family to go home to?"

"..No. Let's get to work."

"Okay, lead the way!" Mari grabbed Cal's hand, and Cal only hesitated for a moment before leading the other on.

Cal and Mari entered the village, where they found many people going about their daily lives..but Mari wasn't sure what to do. It was good that Cal was here, since he seemed to know exactly how to approach this situation! He was going around asking people about the world, claiming that he and Mari had come from a different village from far away, and he was getting results! Over the course of about three talks with strangers, Cal had gotten the information that he needed about this world. 

"It's an Empireverse." He informed.

"A what?" Mari tilted his skull; he had never heard a name like that before..

"You know how every AU has a name?"

"Yeah?"

"Multiverses do, too." Cal enlightened. "But only a few select people can figure them out - the Guardian of Mind is one of them, and he's got a huge list of them."

"Ooh..that makes sense." Mari nodded. "Which multiverse am I from?"

"I'm not sure; we Guardians tend to come from more..unique multiverses, though, so..it might not even have a name, yet."

"Cool!" Mari hopped. "So, why's this one called Empireverse? Is it 'cause of the castles?"

"Pretty much." Cal shrugged. "I've seen a few of these. Basically, the Dream and Nightmare here both have separate empires, and they're constantly at war with eachother, but they fight with armies instead of fighting normally like most do."

"Huh..but Merrick doesn't fight with his brother."

"Some don't - most do."

"Do you?"

"..For different reasons than most." Cal let out a sigh. "Come on, let's see if we can find out anything that might relate to our mission."

"Okay! What would that be?"

"Something that's probably messing with the emotional balance of this world, but also requires the help of..Connections and Choice, apparently. Keep an ear out for anything about unrest."

"I don't have ears." Mari informed. "And I don't know what 'unrest' means. Is it like insnomnia?"

"Insomnia. And, no, it's not. It relates to people being unhappy with their lives and grumbling about it."

"Ooh..you're smart!"

"Thank you. Now, let's search for some information. We can't ask these people, because they don't seem unhappy, so.."

"How about them?" Mari pointed to two armored knights on horses. "They look pretty unhappy!"

"..Can you use combat magic in case things go bad?"

"I can just make them like us!" Mari had a different plan. "That's one of my special powers!"

"That'll help - let's see if they know anything."

The two walked over to the knights, who looked down at them, but the moment they laid eyes on the two children, the knights were drained of any hostility; Mari made them entirely receptive and welcoming of the interaction. He was so glad he had practiced his magic! The knights were still on big horses, though, and they were wearing very dark suits of armor...was this the Nightmare's kingdom? It certainly felt like it..

"Hello, there!" Cal greeted. "How's life?" 

"It's fine, I guess." One of the knights replied. "What do you two want?"

"We'd like to know if there are any significant problems in these areas; is there anything that's particularly..troubling going on?"

"..Other than the war between the kingdoms?" The other knight questioned.

"Yeah, other than that."

"You two are kids." The first scoffed. "You don't need to know anything more than that."

Mari squinted, trying to heighten the effect of his magic; he needed these two knights to feel comfortable enough to spill the information they needed!

"Eh, it's not..really that much of a secret." The second decided. "The, uh..neutral territories.."

"What about them?" Cal inquired.

"They're not gonna be neutral much longer. One of the kingdoms is going to take it."

"Our kingdom, that is." The first interjected.

"The neutral territories.." Cal let out a hum. "Why? Can't you allow them to be neutral? Why do they have to pick a side?"

"They're the only territory in this land that isn't ruled by kingdom, boy - they don't have any security against attacks or the like. We just want to protect them; outside enemies may attack their lands to gain a foothold between the empires, and we can't let that happen."

"..I see." Cal narrowed his eyesockets. "Have a nice day."

"You, as well, children." The second wished, as Cal and Mari moved away.

As soon as the two were out of earshot of anyone else, Mari spoke up.

"What's a neutral territory?" He wondered.

"In these multiverses, it's typically a land that lies between the two empires, serving as a safe haven for those who don't want to pick a side." Cal explained. "And if I'm right, we have our mission.

"We do?" Mari tilted his skull. "Do we have to save them?"

"Essentially. The best way to do that would be to talk to the leaders of the neutral territory and then talk to the kings."

"I think we passed that neutral place a while ago!" Mari gasped, remembering. "We were at the village all the way over there, but we got scared so we went this way, and about halfway down the trail, there was a village with no castle near it!"

"That would be our destination, then - let's get moving."

"Okay!"

So Cal and Mari headed for the path, and Mari..thought about things. This Cal was a very interesting person! He was not only a Guardian, but he had been one for a long time, and he knew exactly what to do on these mission things! Mari and Merrick never would have gotten this far without him - that was for sure! But..Mari didn't really know a lot about Cal. He had asked a few things about the other, but Cal really didn't seem too eager to talk about things. Maybe..if Mari used a little bit of-

"Don't use your magic on me." Cal warned, continuing to walk. 

"You could sense that?" Mari inquired. 

"You start to get a feel for it once it happens to you enough." 

"..Did the other guardians use their magic on you a lot?"

"That's the understatement of the century." Cal scoffed. "They're just like all the rest of the adults - they always think they know best, even when they don't."

"..Not all adults are bad..Ruru's really nice, and Merrick's family are, too!"

"I know." Cal sighed. "There's a difference, though; there are adults who really care, and there are ones who just try to make you think they do. They always try to make you do things you don't want to do, saying it's 'good' for you, and most of the time, it's not."

"..I don't get it." Mari admitted. "Why would people do that?"

"Because they don't see us as people; they see us as things. They've all got their own ideas about how we should act, and if we don't do what they expect, they get mad, as if it's my fault that I'm an individual! It's always 'you should smile more,' or 'you should be more analytical,' or 'you aren't going to get anywhere with that attitude.' I hate it; I hate them."

"..That's not fair. They should let you be who you wanna be."

"..I wish they would." Cal crossed his arms. "But I've gotten this far with adults who don't treat me right; I can deal with them. At least I don't have to see them outside of work.."

"Where do you stay when you aren't working?" Mari wondered. "Do you live in your own multiverse?"

"No." Cal seemed fine with talking about his multiverse if the people weren't brought up..good to know. "I live in a pocket multiverse."

"What's a pocket multiverse? I never heard of that before. Is it like a pocket universe?"

"Sort of. It's basically just a random universe that lays outside the boundaries of any large multiverses, but it isn't exactly just a universe, either..it can be a collection of a few pseudo-universes - like, five or ten - where sentient life doesn't typically exist. I've got a cozy one with seven."

"Pseudo?" Mari tapped his chin; that was a new word!

"You know how regular universes typically have a world, then space, then a border to separate them from others?"

"Yeah?"

"A pseudo-universe is just a patch of land with no real purpose. There's no sky or space before the border. They're just..floating islands. Some can be a couple miles long, and some have trees and flowers and atmospheres..but nothing else. It's a good place to hide away from people, though."

"That sounds cool..how do you find them?"

"..I found mine by accident, but they have a certain sort of feel that's different from normal multiverses. I could let you visit, if you promise not to tell the adults where it is; the last thing I want is for them to come around my home.."

"I wouldn't do that!" Mari assured. "I promise!"

"Then maybe I'll invite you over, sometime..but maybe not soon."

"Okay!" Mari nodded. "Thank you! And, um..I noticed that you have the capacity to make soul bonds..maybe not right now, but..do you think we could be soul-bonded-friends? Merrick and I are, which is why we can talk over long distances! Would you be interested in doing that? Even if it's just for the communication?"

"..Soul bonds?" Cal let out a hum. "I've heard of them..never had one, though."

"..You've never had a soul bond?"

"..No. I've..studied them a little, though. The communication would be convenient, but I'm not interested right now; thanks for asking."

"You're welcome! You're lucky I met Merrick first, though, because he's the one I learned that lesson from!" Mari chuckled sheepishly. "We're okay, though.."

"You forced one on him?"

"It was stupid, looking back on it, but..I learned. And Ruru says that learning is good! Making mistakes now is a good way to make less mistakes later!"

"..He's your dad?"

"Yep! He's the best dad ever! Unless you ask Merrick; he thinks his dad is the best, which is totally definitely wrong!"

Cal breathed out a laugh. "Definitely."

The conversation continued all the way down the path to the neutral territories, with Mari and Cal learning bits and pieces about eachother, but..neither got too much. Mari spoke about Ruru, but not much else about his home aside from Nightmare's rule, while Cal avoided the topic of the people in his multiverse with a practiced ease..but that wasn't bad. Both of them had boundaries, and they tried to be respectful of the other's. Cal wasn't bad; he was just different, and being different wasn't a bad thing! 

Mari had a feeling that he would be a friend.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cal bean joins the mix!

Thanks for reading my balanced writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

The neutral village was beautiful. 

Unlike the other villages Mari had seen, this one seemed tailored to support the people living in it, as opposed to only inhabiting them. There was a central garden that all the villagers seemed to tend in turns, and all could take of its harvests if they so needed. The buildings were all in good condition, and they were warm and inviting from the outside, giving the feel that this village welcomed all. The paths were easy to walk, and Mari and Cal used them to learn more about this village and its inhabitants, for, while the architecture and feel of this village was inviting and peaceful, its inhabitants were..not quite the same. 

"What do you children care about these things?" A villager shook their head. "You should be tending to your chores, not worrying about these matters - leave us to handle this."

Cal let out a sigh, taking Mari's hand and turning away; they wouldn't get any information from that one. These people were..tough. Even when Mari used his influence, they didn't open up much at all; they all firmly held the belief that children shouldn't have been involved in these matters, and..Cal and Mari were children. But, after a long while, the two finally pieced together some things from the villagers' words. 

"The neutral lands have been a safe haven for decades..we wish to have peaceful relations with both empires, not to ally with just one."

"I have family from both kingdoms; I don't want to be separated from them."

"I wish they weren't trying to make us choose.."

"I've seen soldiers at the forest borders..watch yourselves, okay, kids?"

"I don't know what's going to happen; I just know my family will be long gone by the time it happens..and if your parents have any sense, they'll take you far away, too."

"..I think something bad is going to happen soon."

It was becoming rather obvious that something was going on. The two kingdoms were eyeing the neutral territories, and the neutral inhabitants weren't happy about it. There was a clear fear that one of the kingdoms was going to attack, and if that was going to happen..it was probably what the guardians had been called here for. Once Cal and Mari had the information they needed, Mari sent a message to Merrick through their bond, telling him about everything, and in return..he received an emotion. Merrick couldn't send worded messages just yet, but he could send emotion-based responses (Mari wished he could do that!), and this one was..hunger. It must have been time to go home.

"It's dinnertime." Mari informed. "I have to get home."

"What?" Cal turned to the other child. "But we've only just started!"

"My dad wants me home." Mari shrugged. "Do you want to have a sleepover at my place? Or Merrick's?"

"..No." Cal sighed, crossing his arms. "When will you be back?"

"Uh..in the morning after breakfast. It'll be a while." 

"How will you be able to find me?" Cal wondered. "I'll definitely have made some progress by then.."

"Uh.." Mari paused; that was..something to think about.

Mari considered his options. There were soul bonds, of course, but Cal didn't want a soul bond yet. Maybe Mari could just ask him to stick around this village, but..Mari didn't think Cal would do that. Hm..the best way to track someone would have been with a tracker, but Mari didn't have any trackers, and Ruru would have had to access Cal's code to get what he needed, and Cal certainly wouldn't be coming home with Mari even for a moment..so what did that leave?

"Oh!" Mari held up a finger and grinned. "Merrick always wears a tracker so his family can find him if he ever needs help! Maybe they have an extra one we can give you so we can find you tomorrow, and you can just give it back when we're done with our mission!"

"..All right." Cal nodded; the idea was straightforward enough, and he wouldn't be trapped by it..he would accept it. "I'll stay here until you get it, but come back soon."

"Okay! I'll only take a minute!"

Mari disappeared through a portal for a couple moments, and when he returned, he gave Cal a small metal tracking device that he could hide under any flap of fabric he had; it was convenient, and it would help! 

"Merrick says he can't wait to help out!" Mari beamed. "But I gotta go eat now; Ruru's got it all ready, and I can't miss it!" 

"All right." Cal nodded. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See ya!"

Mari went home for the night, leaving Cal alone in the "Empireverse" world. Mari did wonder how Cal managed to stay in all those multiverses during his missions; if Mari did that, he would have gotten homesick fast! He had already gotten a little homesick in that village, but he knew he could get home easily, and Ruru would have come to get him if he couldn't! But Cal was..different. He didn't have parents, and he didn't really seem to have..anyone, really. He was alone, and that was..sad. Mari was determined to become Cal's friend, because if anyone needed a friend, it was definitely Cal! And Mari certainly wouldn't have declined having another friend, either! But he had to take it slowly; not everyone made friends instantly, and Mari was just lucky that Merrick was someone who liked making lots of friends. Mari wouldn't have had such an easy time if Cal was his first friend. But Mari was learning, and soon, he would get on Cal's good side and be friends with him! He just had to take it slow. Mari ate dinner with Ruru, recounting the tales of the day and telling him all about Cal, and soon after, he went to sleep. In the morning, Mari ate breakfast with Ruru, and before he set off to follow the tracker that Merrick's brother had taught him how to use yesterday, Ruru gave him a big lunch! That was perfect! Mari wondered if Cal had eaten; he certainly hoped so, but if he hadn't, Mari would share; Mari was great at sharing! With his lunch stored in a backpack and his tracker in hand, Mari opened a portal to Cal's location, finding the other..

In a castle's dungeon.

Cal had really done a lot during the night, hadn't he?

Mari took a step back, but his portal was closed; he ended up backing into one of the stone walls, and it felt..

..So familiar.

A chuckle. "Well, even the mighty have to fall at some point, Ink. Just accept that you're stuck here..your friends did a long time ago." 

"I'm not letting you win!" He was backed up against a wall; there was no way out. He had tried and tried and tried, but there was no way out. He couldn't let that deter him. "As long as I'm still around, you'll never take the multiverse!"

"And isn't that the truth?" His captor nodded, letting out a small laugh. "Yes..you keep inspiring hope in those pathetic masses; I'll admit that. It's a shame, really, how hard you try - if you had joined me,  you would have been a wonderful ally. Alas..I've kept you here for almost a decade, and you're still the same Ink whom I caught so long ago. It's admirable, honestly..you've held onto yourself for so, so long..and you just won't break."

His captor didn't turn his back as he backed up a few steps; he knew that his prisoner would attack at any sign of weakness. 

"But..I finally have the upper hand, Ink." His captor stated. "I've been doing some research on the nature of..souls. Do you know what happens when someone gains a soul of their own?"

"..I'm not going to let you bribe me, Nightmare. I don't need a soul."

Dream flinched, the milk from his cereal flying off his spoon. He had felt a lot of emotions through his new soul bonds, from happiness to sadness to mischievous joy..but now, he was feeling pure fear, coming from..Mari. Dream needed to dee what was going on.

"Dream?" Robin looked over to his friend. "Are you okay?"

"I..I think Mari's in trouble." Dream set down his spoon and abandoned his cereal. "I have to go!"

"Wait, what if-" Dream didn't stay long enough to hear the rest of Dee's words; he had already gone through a portal to Mari's location.

When Dream arrived, he found himself in..a dungeon - a castle's dungeon. It looked remarkably similar to Nighty's, but it was considerably darker; he could still see what he had to see, though. Mari was pressed up against one of the walls in the cell, and Cal was panicking; he didn't know what to do! Dream took a few steps closer to his friend, trying to figure out what was happening. The emotions felt..odd. Dream didn't have time to analyze them, though, and he just had to accept the overview; Mari was feeling fear, dread, and..a little bit of reminiscence. That wasn't the most telling of emotional combinations, but at least Dream could help..he knew he could help.

"Mari?" Dream spoke softly. "It's Merrick. We're in a room. You and I are in a room with Cal, and there's no one else, okay? There isn't anyone else here. Can you hear me, Mari?"

"..M-Merrick..?" Mari's voice was quiet and afraid. 

"Yes, Mari, it's Merrick; can you see me?"

"..Y-yes...I see you.." Mari nodded slowly, staring into Dream's eyelights. 

"Do you want me to take you home?"

"..Yes.."

"Okay, I'll take you home..just keep looking at me."

Dream opened a portal to Mari's home, and he helped him through. Mari's dad was there, and Mari ran over to him, starting to cry. Ruru took Mari into his hold gently, looking over to Merrick for information. 

"I think he got scared because he teleported straight to our friend, and he was inside a castle..he's scared of castles, isn't he?" Merrick inquired. 

"Oh..yes, he is." Ruru sighed. "Thank you for bringing him home, Merrick."

"Of course." Dream nodded. "Can I come visit him later? To check up on him?"

"Sure..thank you."

After one last look at Mari, Merrick went back through his portal and into the castle dungeon once more, finding a concerned Cal.

"Is he okay?" Cal asked. "I don't know why he was so scared..he just showed up, and..then he was just really scared."

"He's scared of castles." Dream reminded. 

"I know, but..I didn't think he would be that scared."

"Everyone's different with their fears." Dream shrugged. "Mari just really doesn't like castles, and that's okay!" 

"..I guess so." Cal nodded.

"So..how'd you get here?"

"Oh..well, I decided to go to the Nightmare's kingdom to talk to him, but his guards caught me before I could get to him; they're really strong."

"And they put you here?" Dream touched the bars; they were just metal.

"Yep."

"I don't sense any magic-restricting magic here; can't you just break out?"

"I can, but I'm hoping that if I stay here long enough, I'll be able to just talk to the Nightmare, since he's got to come down here at some point, and when he does, if he ignores me, then I'll break out and make him listen!"

"Ooh..okay!" Dream nodded. "That sounds like a plan, then! Why'd you choose the Nightmare, by the way?"

"I figured that, if either olf them were to attack first, it would be him." Cal shrugged. "Nightmares are more violent overall, from what I've seen in the multiverses."

"Really?" Dream tilted his skull. "Huh..from what I've seen, Dreams are."

"Everyone's different, I guess; I could be wrong, but I hope I'm not. So, are you going to wait with me?"

"Sure! After I tell my family that I'm okay - I sorta ran off!"

"Well, I'll be here." Cal gestured to his cell. "See you then?"

"Yeah, see you in a couple minutes!"

With that, Dream hopped through a portal, leaving Cal behind for a short while. Aside from that hiccup with Mari, they would be fine. And Mari would be okay, too; it was just a hint of fear that had caught him by surprise.

That was all.

"A bribe?" His captor let out a laugh. "Oh, no..I'm not going to bribe you with a soul; I'm going to force it on you, Ink." He came closer, wrapping one of his tentacles under Ink's chin to hold his skull. "Because..when someone gains a soul..they become a whole new person. Ink will die, I'll have my rule of the multiverse, and you'll be just another frightened soul. All I need now is a volunteer..and I've already got a candidate. Your life won't last much longer, Ink; savor it."

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Mari bean gets a scare!

Thanks for reading my scary writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

It was no secret that King Nightmare's dungeon wasn't the most normal place. Many prisoners had been arrested and put here for one reason or another, while others had been placed here for other reasons, and from them, stories had spread across the land about the horrors that occurred in this place. Some spoke of hidden and deadly booby traps that threatened to stop prisoners from escaping. Others spoke of magical happenings, such as beings who weren't really there popping up or the ceiling giving way to a starry sky (unfortunately, this world hadn't yet heard of the phenomenon known as "hallucinations"). Some of these happenings were misinterpretations of events by the prisoners, while others were..unexplained. Some of them could be written off as insane ramblings or had other explanations, and some were..unverifiable. But..there had never been a recorded case of one prisoner being brought in and put in a cell alone..but being joined by another when no one was looking. That, of course, warranted investigation..

If anyone were actually brave enough to investigate it. 

It was a little offputting, with the conversation the now-two prisoners were having..

"So the Nightmare ate a golden apple?" Dream tilted his skull. "But how? Wouldn't it change after he ate it to be a negative apple? How would that work?"

"Apparently, from what I saw, the Dream cut his finger off and put it inside the apple!" Cal explained, raising his arms into the air as if he were telling the scariest story known to the multiverse. 

"Ew!" Dream made a disgusted look, because that was disgusting! "He ate it?!"

"Yeah!" Cal cackled, as if this were funny! "He ate it whole, and he turned positive because of it!"

"That's gross! Don't you have any nice stories?"

"Well..I could tell you about that one Dreamswap where I joined the Meme Squad to help the balance! It was super fun, especially since they couldn't tell me from their Nightmare after a costume change!" 

Dream giggled; now that sounded fun! He could imagine Uncle Wish's reaction to that! "I never met a Meme Squad before; what are they like?"

"Don't you have a Dreamswap uncle?" Cal recalled.

"It was a, uh.." Dream paused, trying to recall the correct term. "Far future? I think that was what you said?"

"Oh, yeah, that explains it." Cal nodded. "So the Meme Squad broke up?"

"Yeah, sort of." Dream let out a sigh. "Who made up all those terms?"

"Guardian of Mind." Cal shrugged. "It's a lot, but you'll get them down eventually; I'll help you, so you don't have to worry about it."

Dream, when he had first gotten his new title, hadn't considered everything that he would have to learn for it. For his old job, it had been mostly common-sense stuff mixed with knowledge of the multiverse a bit later on..but this was a lot different. Hardly anyone in all the multiversee knew about the omniverse, and those who did didn't have a lot of information about it. Only the guardians did, really - especially the Guardian of Mind, it seemed. Like universes, there were specifications for multiverses: normal timelines, which were what most were like, time-differentiated timelines, taking place before or after the most common timelines, role-differentiated timelines, with different people in different roles, and so..so many more. For example, Dream's own multiverse was, in Cal's words, "a storyline-altered near-past balance-dependent"..something. The whole thing had gone on..and that was apparently the technical term for Dream's home, which was stupid, in his opinion! He was going to have a talk with this Guardian of Mind when he met him, because he didn't want to learn all this technical gobbledygook! He preferred the simple names for things that Cal had, such as "Dreamswap" and "Fallen Stars"; Wish and Shattered came from those ones, respectively! Dream..wasn't sure he wanted to ask what multiverse he was from yet; maybe Cal wouldn't even know, because apparently only a few different types of people could see that type of information. For now, he would just lament the omniversal jargon; that seemed safe enough. There was no need to cause any existential crises!

"I really hope it doesn't get harder." Dream sighed. "Does it get harder?"

"..For some of them, like ours, yeah." Cal nodded. "But not for the most part."

"..I guess I can take that."

 "Hey." A new voice came from outside the cell (well, not really a new voice, since some voices of the same people were the same across multiverses, but it was a new person here, at least); it seemed to be..this world's Killer.

"Hello, there!" Dream hopped to his feet with a smile. "We've been waiting for you!"

"Uh-" The Killer took a step back, having been put a bit on-edge from Dream's eagerness. "You have?"

"Yeah!" Dream nodded. 

"You took long enough." Call rolled his eyelights, joining Dream at the cell's bars. "We want to see your king."

"..No." Killer declined, pointing at Dream. "Not until we find out how he got here."

"..You really want to know?" Cal donned a dark smile.

Cal hadn't been here for long - less than a day, actually - but he knew enough about this world from talking to all those villagers. He knew enough from being in other Empireverses, too. They were typically similar enough, and this one didn't seem to be much different from the others. And one of their most-defining features, of course, had to be their outlooks on life. They were medieval; their inhabitants knew nothing of modern conveniences, and many of those people spent their whole lives working and nothing else. It was so easy to pinpoint ways to penetrate their minds. And the best one? Superstition.

"..I very much would." Killer decided. "Why and how is he here?"

"..I'll let you in on a little secret." Cal smirked. "We're not just children, sir; we're spirits."

"..." Killer blinked, taking another step back. "You're what?"

"Spirits of the past. You know who we look like. Your king used to look a lot like me..and I must say, if you don't comply with our wishes, we..won't be very merciful. I trust you understand."

"You..have come here to haunt the king?"

"I have." Cal put his arms up in a wide shrug. "Would you like to join him?"

"..No. I will not be hindering you, spirits..stay away from me!"

"Bring your king here; we'll wait, and if he refuses to come, we shall go to him."

"..O-of course, spirits.."

The Killer ran off, spooked by Cal's lie; the fact that Merrick had shown up out of nowhere was definitely the selling factor of that claim. Once Killer was gone, Merrick tilted his skull, letting out a hum. 

"You.." He paused, rethinking his words. "That was..interesting."

"They're all superstitious." Cal explained. "Medieval people are superstitious."

"..I see that."

"You'll understand someday; it takes a lot of work to figure these people out, but when you do, it's easy to get what you want."

"..Did it take you a long time to figure them out?"

"I'm still learning a lot of them, honestly, but medieval types are easy; superstition is, like, their way of life. Ghosts and spirits are just..things they're terrified of, and it's easy to use."

Merrick looked down, letting out a hum before crossing his arms. "Why, though? Why use something that scares them? Isn't there a better way? A nicer way?"

"Merrick..what do you expect, really?" Cal asked, leaning against the metal bars. "We're guardians, not superheroes. I don't know if you know that yet, but you're going to learn it at some point anyway; we're here to do our jobs in any way possible, and if that involves inciting fear, then we do it. Besides, it's not hurting anyone if I use someone's superstitions to get an audience with someone I may be here to help."

"But what if it does?" Merrick questioned, looking Cal in the eyelights. "What if it triggers trauma, or what if it just really hurts them to think about that type of stuff? What if this world's Killer had some sort of bad experience with superstitions? What if you've scared him really badly?"

"..That's not my problem." Cal let out a sigh. "Merrick, this job isn't all happiness and sunshine; sometimes, you're just going to have to hurt people, and that's the way it has to be. If you don't..then more people will suffer."

"..I refuse to accept that." Merrick shook his skull. "Maybe it's different for you, but I make my own decisions, and I won't hurt people because of this job."

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't. What makes you so sure I will?"

"Merrick.." Cal rested his skull against the bars, gripping two of them tightly with his hands. "You will. Whether it's because you feel threatened, or because someone else is threatening someone you love, or because you just see no other way to resolve a conflict..you will. And..I get how you feel now; I can tell that you're..you really care about people. You care..and that's great. But..the longer you spend in this life, the more you start to see reality. I've been the Guardian of Balance for two whole years, Merrick, and it..it changes you. I..I know I said I don't like the other guardians, and I really don't, but..I have spent a good amount of time with them. The Guardian of Mind has been around for about five years - he was the first, as far as we know. Failure and Hope both turned up about three years ago. And..I know them. They're not friends, but they are coworkers, I guess, and because of that, I know..more than I'd like about them. The Guardian of Failure used to be the Guardian of Success, you know..he was for a year and a half, but this..this life is just so grounding..maybe too grounding. He just..got really depressed, you know? His title changed with his attitude."

"That sounds..horrible.." Merrick looked down. 

"..You'll get used to it. We guardians are constantly faced with reality, Merrick; after a while, you start to realize that morality is just..really hard to maintain. Sometimes, hurting people just happens..and you just kind of accept that fact, after a while. I didn't like it at first, either, but..what can we really do?"

Merrick was quiet for a while. He was obviously trying to come up with options - something that they could do - but he just..couldn't. Or maybe he could, and he just didn't want to tell Cal..but Cal doubted that. The Guardian of Choice? He had to have had some power linked to decision-making, and based on his personality, he would have voiced his ideas if he'd had any. Cal knew that he didn't, because there just weren't any. This situation was something Merrick and Mari would have to come to terms with, and Cal wasn't going to baby them through it; they might have been kids, but..he was one, too. He could handle it; they could, too. Although..maybe Mari might have needed a hand. The kid was so..different; Cal just wasn't exactly sure why. Mari just seemed so..accepting. When Cal had idly mentioned some of the less-than-noble things he'd done for his job, Mari hadn't made a fuss about it. At first, Cal had chalked it up to innocence and childish assumptions..but Merrick was only a year older than Mari, and he was devastated at the mere mention of some of these concepts. Maybe it was because Mari's dad was an Error? Cal couldn't be sure, but he did know one thing: Merrick was far more mature than Mari, but he was also far more invested in his moral code. Cal..wasn't sure Mari had a moral code..but Mari was only nine years old, and he was being raised by an Error, of all people; that was excusable, and it would have probably just helped him in the long run.

The cell and adjoining hall were silent for a decent while, but eventually, Cal and Merrick were met with the person they had been looking for: a goopy Nightmare, dressed in royal garb. The king was an imposing figure, at least until one sensed his emotions (which both Cal and Merrick could do, of course), at which point, they realized..he was just as scared as the Killer had been. Cal let out a huff - medieval people were all the same, no matter how strong or important they were.

"King Nightmare." Cal addressed. "Took you long enough."

"..What do you want, spirits?" The king tried so hard to appear threatening, but Cal could see right through him. "What have I done to deserve this?"

"Oh, actually, we just wanted to talk to you about those neutral lands." Cal figured that this would be a piece of cake from here on out.

"..What about them, exactly?" 

"Don't mess with them." Cal ordered. "Or else we'll haunt you for the rest of your life and make it a living..nightmare."

"..For what purpose have you-"

"Quiet." Cal interrupted. "We offer no bribe or persuasion other than what we have already promised: you let the neutral lands be, or we will haunt you. There is no third option. There is no negotiation. What will it be, king?"

"I.."The king was rather offput by this request, but Cal had expected that; it wasn't every day that two ghosts showed up and demanded that one stopped his main conquest at the moment without giving any reasoning. "I..demand proof that you are spirits."

"Oh, that was a mistake.." Cal let out a chuckle, solely to frighten the king. "But I'll oblige!"

Cal teleported outside the cell, apearing in front of the king, and ever-so-carefully moved closer to the frozen king. He ran up to the king, as if about to tackle the adult, and he teleported through the other, using some emotion magic to feign a physical feeling inside him. To a modern monster with knowledge of Cal's abilities, there might have been some suspicion as to the legitimacy of this stunt, but to a medieval king who was highly superstitious? The Nightmare was convinced enough.

"Is that enough proof for you, king, or shall I do something a little more-" Cal was interrupted.

"I believe you!" The Nightmare put his hands up in surrender. "I believe you, spirit! I will leave the neutral territories alone! I give you my word!"

"Good." Cal gained a grin. "Then we'll be on our way. Rest well, king."

Cal teleported into the cell and grabbed Merrick's hand before teleporting out with him, appearing on the path that joined the two kingdoms. Keeping his grin, Cal began to lead Merrick down the path; he might as well have checked on the neutral village on the way, and Merrick could wait outside for him.

"..That was crazy." Merrick informed.

"Yeah." Cal nodded. "But it was easy, too. It's like I told you: medieval people are superstitious."

"I didn't think they were that superstitious.."

"They are. Now, we'll just head over to the Sun Kingdom and do the same thing to the Dream. He might listen to you more, though, since you look like him; are you willing to do that?"

"..I..don't really want to." Merrick shook his skull. "It feels wrong to think about it."

Cal let out a sigh. "That's the type of thinking that fails missions, but whatever; I'll do it, then, and I'll just be really convincing."

"We can fail missions?"

"No one's perfect; we can fail, and it sucks when we do, but it happens. The Guardian of Failure, ironically, is a good example for that. It's..one of the reasons his title changed."

"..I don't think I like this job."

"Welcome to the club." Cal rolled his eyelights, before gaining a soft smile. "But..it's nice when we succeed, you know? When you see that you've made people happy..it makes all the bad parts seem a little less bad."

"..I hope so." Merrick let out a sigh. 

"You'll see; we'll finish this job easy, and then you'll see."

"This one's easy?"

"It's looking like it. A lot of the easier jobs are just knocking some sense into people and calling it a day; the harder ones are when we've got to knock some sense into someone who doesn't care or is opposed to having sense."

"..Okay." 

"We're getting close to the neutral village; I just want to check in on them, okay? You can wait outside."

"Why do you have to check in on them?" Merrick wondered.

"To make sure none of the Nightmare's soldiers are attacking it or anywhere near it."

"Oh..that makes sense." Merrick nodded. "I'll wait for you, then."

"Say, uh..why are you scared of these places? Villages?"

"..The village I lived next to wasn't nice." Merrick answered vaguely, but Cal got the hint; from what he had seen, a lot of villages in Dreamtales had been cruel to both of the guardians in their youth..it was disheartening.

"I get it." Cal didn't press; he..knew what the villagers could be like to both twins.  

After a few more minutes of walking, the two came up to the neutral village, where..it was rather loud. Cal could hear screams and shouts..had the Nightmare really had the guts to attack them after Cal's attempt at stopping him? After ordering Merrick to stay behind, Cal ran to the entrance of the village to find knights in white armor..attacking the villagers and taking control of the city. This..wasn't the Nightmare's army.

It was the Dream's.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cal bean and Dream bean talk!

Thanks for reading my conversing writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Merrick!" Cal shouted, making Dream jump a little. 

"What?" Dream inquired, as the other boy ran up to him. "Is something wrong?"

"Something wrong?!" Cal glared. "Can't you hear? The Dream's army is attacking the village! We have to do something!"

"O-oh, uh..what do we do?" Dream wasn't prepared for this! He'd never dealt with armies before!

"We have to fight them and defend the people here!" Cal informed, a bit too certainly for Dream's liking. "They need-"

"Why do we have to fight them?" Dream didn't want to fight people!

"Because we're guardians! It's our job!" 

"I'm not going to hurt those people! They're just doing their jobs! They just have bad jobs! We should try to convince the Dream to tell them to stop, and then they will!"

"Do you know how long it'll take to get to him and to convince him, and then to have his message be passed on to these soldiers? Hours, Merrick! Hours!"

"But it's still better than hurting people!" Dream asserted. "And it's what I'm going to do, and if you don't want to do it, then I'll do it myself! I'm not going to fight in a war!"

Cal clenched his fists, clearly annoyed by Dream's decision, but..he ended up just shaking his skull. "I'm going to defend these people; you do what you want."

Cal ran off, and Merrick let out a sigh, teleporting down the path towards the Dream's castle. This was definitely more difficult than he had hoped it would be. But..he could do this. He just had to..first, teleport past the village at the end of the path, for one. That was easy, though, and soon, he was on his way to the light-colored castle in the distance, where he could sense a particularly-positive aura inside. And, for the first time in a while, he found himself alone as he trekked towards the castle. Alone to..think. He found that, first of all, he was glad that there were guardians already; they knew what to expect, and he could rely on them for advice..but they also didn't have the same opinions he did. Cal had been so quick to resort to violence, even if it was for an arguably-good cause; Dream just..couldn't see himself doing that. Violence wasn't the answer to every situation, and it never would be..for him, at least. If Dream had the option to deal with a situation without violence, he wanted to take it! He didn't like the idea of getting into fights, even if they were ones he would win with no question about it. He..wasn't a fighter. His self-defense training and practice spars were for just that: self defense! He didn't want to believe that violence was the only answer..and he hoped this job wouldn't change him to think it was.

Cal had been doing this job for..two years, he had said? That was a long time; that was half the time Dream had been out of stone...

And wasn't that a shock? 

Dream had only gotten out of the stone four, almost five years ago! And he had done so much in that time! He had gotten friends, uncles, and a dad! He had a new family and..everything he had ever wanted. He had family, friends, and the assurance that he wouldn't lose them easily. And..this job just had to come in and change everything. How often would he be sent out to new multiverses? Would he have long breaks to spend with his family and friends, or would he be forced to work most of the time? Could the omniverse force him to work? Dream didn't know, and he really didn't want to; he just wanted to help people..and have enough time to dedicate to his family and friends. Maybe missions were rare? If that were the case, Dream would be happy to do them when they came up! He hoped that was the way things were. He..really hoped so. He also hoped that this job wouldn't change him..or Mari. Dream understood that people changed, but..there was something bitter about the thought that this job had the potential to change him..to make him into someone else. He-

"Howdy!" A high-pitched voice yanked Dream from his thoughts. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

"Huh?" Dream blinked.

"Flowey. It's not a hard name."

A Flowey? Here? Dream knew of Floweys, but..he had never actually met one..weren't they supposed to be evil, or something? Maybe this one wouldn't be, since there were no resets or anything here? Unless there were..but Dream doubted there would be any here, honestly. Instead of dwelling on that thought process, Dream conjured up a small smile for the stranger. 

"Hello, Flowey..I'm Merrick." He introduced. "Um..sorry about that; I was thinking.."

"Oh, no worries!" The flower chuckled. "I think all the time about stuff! What were you thinking about?" 

"..Stuff I probably shouldn't tell a stranger."

 "Fair enough..where are you headed to? The Sun Kingdom? That's the direction you're heading, anyway! Got family there?"

 "..Why do you want to know?" 

"Call it curiosity." The flower tilted his..head? "It's not really safe for a kid like you to be wandering all by yourself, is it?"

..Well, now. Dream..wasn't sure what to say. On the one hand, sure, it would have been weird for him to wander on his own if he were a normal child..in the modern age. But here, in medieval times? It wouldn't have raised too many questions..especially not from locals. Perhaps the occasional query of where someone lived, but..definitely not like this. Not in this time period.

"..I'm in a rush." Dream decided to say, striding past the flower.

"Oh, that's no trouble!" The Flowey assured, ducking under the surface to move with Dream's course and popping up a few steps later. "I can keep up! So, are you going to the Sun Kingdom? Because if you are, that sure is a coincidence, because I am, too!"

..Of course he was. Of course the weird flower was heading to the same place Dream was going. 

"Why do you care?" Dream let out a half-irritated sigh, trying not to appear as annoyed as he really was.

"Well, you look an awful lot like the king there!" The flower responded. "I was wondering if he's a relative of some sort. You two even radiate the same type of positive aura, so I had to ask!"

Ah..now things made more sense. Floweys were typically soulless, and as a result of it, mostly emotionless, or something, right? And since Dream radiated a positive aura, which must have been affecting the flower..Dream had a tagalong. It wasn't exactly the best thing to happen to him, but at least this flower probably wasn't thinking of doing anything cruel to Dream - just soaking up some positivity. The Dream of this multiverse probably dealt with the flower a lot, if that was what the Flowey was after, anyway, and it did explain why the plant monster (were Floweys plant monsters..?) was heading to the Sun Kingdom in the first place. 

"You're going to meet the king?" Dream decided to ask.

"Golly, you're a good guesser!" The Flowey grinned happily. "I am! Are you?"

"..Yes, I am." 

"Why?" 

"Business. Why are you going to meet him?"

The flower let out a soft hum. "..Business." 

And, so..the two made their way to the Sun Kingdom, with Dream walking and Flowey..tunneling? Sure, that sounded right. In any case, the two made it to the kingdom soon enough, and by the time they did, Dream had resigned himself to his fate of being followed by this flower for the time being. The Flowey had been a talking companion, but that had come at a cost; Dream had no idea what to say to the king here to convince him to stop his offensive on the neutral village..or just to give it back to the people. Well..Dream would just have to wing it, he supposed. That would be easy enough; he never typically had time to plan things out, anyway!

"Well, we're here!" The flower exclaimed, as the two reached the gates of the castle. "Are you ready for whatever you came here for?"

"Yes..are you?" Dream inquired.

"Sure am!" 

The guards at the gate of the castle asked a few questions, but since the king of this kingdom liked children and encourged them to visit every so often, Dream was let in without too much fuss, and Flowey..sneaked in. Well, talking flowers had perks regarding stealth, Dream supposed. 

"Do you mind if I go about my business first?" The flower requested. "I won't take long - I promise!"

"Um..okay." Dream shrugged; he supposed that, if it wouldn't take too long, it would be okay..Dream had time.

"All right! I'll only be a few minutes!"

The flowey disappeared into the dirt, and Dream was soon met by one of the castle's staff and led to a waiting room. As Dream sat on the medieval sofa he had been guided to, he thought..mainly about what he would say. There were so many things to consider in an argument like this, and although Dream could just use his convincing magic, he..really didn't want to. He wanted the king here to hear his words and make a decision based off them, not to just obey the orders of some random child without hesitation! He had to be convincing..he had to make a good point. Maybe he could mention how the neutral village wasn't hurting anyone at the moment? Or perhaps he could make an argument about how the Sun Kingdom was already big enough? Or maybe something about how the Nightmare had been warned by a ghost not to attack the village? No..Dream wanted to be honest about it; telling the king about ghosts haunting his brother wouldn't have been very honest, because Cal wasn't a ghost! Although, he could mention how the Nightmare had decided not to attack the village and how that meant that the resident Dream shouldn't have done it, either. That sounded a lot better than some other plans..

Dream sat and considered his words carefully for a while, making sure his arguments were good and would be convincing; he needed to make the king see that conquest wasn't the right option! It would be difficult, but Dream was up to the challenge! After about twenty minutes, (which was longer than Dream would have preferred to wait, but he would take it), the king of the Sun Kingdom came out into the room and spoke briefly to one of the soldiers in the room, who left quickly for whatever quest the king had decided to send him on. Idly, Dream wondered what type of quest it would be, but he had other things to worry about at the moment, such as convincing the king to leave the neutral village alone! Speaking of the king, he soon came over to Dream, and the child noticed that the adult version of himself was wearing..attire that was rather overwhelming to look at up close. There were so many sparkly gems and too many layers of clothing to focus on..Dream just decided to look at the king's face instead, which was thankfully gem-free. Dream would never understand some people's obsession with jewels.

"Well, child, what brings you to the castle?" The king seemed nice, at least; he wore a warm smile and gave off the impression that he was happy to see Dream, even if the child was a total stranger. "Would you like a cup of tea, perhaps? Or just to talk?"

"I'd like to talk." Dream started. "You attacked the neutral village, and-"

"The neutral village?" The king let out a hum. "You're the second one to talk to me about that today." 

"..I am?" Dream tilted his skull; the attack hadn't started that long ago..had it?

"Yes, you are, and..truthfully, I've realized that it isn't what's best for my kingdom."

"..You have?" Dream blinked; did..did that mean all his planning had been for nothing?

"I have. I just sent out some soldiers to call an end to the attack, and I shall work on bettering my kingdom's relations with the neutral territories instead of viewing them as land to be conquered..that was a grave mistake on my part. It was..definitely something that needed to be changed."

"..."

"Was that really what you came to speak with me about? Ending hostilities with the neutral territories?"

"..Yeah..it was.."

"Oh..I see. Well, I'm sorry that your trip appears to be for naught, but..I can still offer you some tea, or just a place to rest for the night? It's getting a bit late, if your home is all the way in the neutral village; you may not make it there before dark."

"I..no, thank you..I can make it home. But thanks.."

"All right, then, and you're welcome. Feel free to come by anytime, little one."

"Thanks.."

"Of course."

Dream stood up and took a few steps away from the king, before pausing and turning back.

"Who..convinced you?" He asked.

 "About the neutral territories?" The king smiled. "A little flower monster did. He was quite convincing."

"..I see."

Dream left the castle soon enough, and he looked around, finding no trace of the Flowey he had traveled with earlier. The Flowey who had apparently convinced the king to end hostilities with the neutral territories..Dream's job.

This was..odd.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean makes plans for nothing!

Thanks for reading my natural writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Several hours after the problem had been resolved in Empireverse, Cal and Merrick had sat down to talk, and..Dream wasn't thrilled about the beginning of it. Cal had basically scolded Dream for his decision to talk the problem out for the first twenty minutes of it, but when, at last, Cal allowed him to speak, Dream recounted every detail of his mission..including the part in which the mysterious Flowey had done his job for him.

"..A Flowey?" Cal looked down at the mention. "Like..a generic yellow Flowey? No visible alterations from the original?"

"No, just a Flowey." Dream shrugged. "Why?"

"I..know a Flowey who sounds like that." Cal admitted. "An omniversal traveler like us, but I don't think he's a guardian..I've never seen any signs of it. Although, sometimes, he does just waltz in and fix all the problems around him..it's a little irritating sometimes, honestly."

"You think he could be the same Flowey you know?"

"Probably. He doesn't always show up to fix things, but he just..does, sometimes. It's annoying, sometimes."

"But he did convince the Dream here to change his mind about atacking the neutral territories."

"Yeah, and the attack was 'stopped' two hours after the village was conquered, so the soldiers had to un-conquer it. Do you realize the political ramifications of that?"

"..The what?" Dream..didn't know what those words meant.

"..The Nightmare's not gonna be happy, and the only hope we have of him forgetting about this is the whole ghost schtick."

"..Ah. But what if the ghost thing makes him okay with it?"

"Then we're lucky. We won't always get that lucky."

"..Okay." Dream shrugged. "Then..I'm gonna go check on Mari." 

"Oh, yeah..I hope he's all right."

"Do you want to come along? I don't think his dad will mind."

"Well..sure." Cal smiled, nodding. "That sounds good - let's go. You know the way, right?"

"Yeah, I've gone there before." Dream hopped to his feet and opened a portal to his friend's multiverse, leading Cal through.

The portal brought them out into the cluttered white expanse that Mari and Ruru lived in, which was..honestly, really cool! Since the multiverse was at Ruru's disposal (whatever that meant?), he always brought Mari some awesome toys, and over time, those toys had turned the blank white Anti-Void into a more colorful place, with several bounce houses, bookshelves, tables, couches, and so many toys and other things making navigating the place a bit difficult, but the blue-stringed spiderweb overhead always led to the main living area of the Anti-Void, which made things a little bit easier. Dream's portal had led Cal and him to an area a little bit off from the central living area, landing the two children behind one of the many bounce houses in respect to the center.

And, unknown to them at first, that was a blessing. 

"Uh, this way.." Dream directed, using the blue strings overhead to find where the center was.

"..Merrick?" Cal addressed, with a hint of tension in his tone.

"Yeah?" Dream inquired, tilting his skull. "What's wrong?"

"..This place is really negative.."

"Yeah, it's like that; the Nightmare here rules over the multiverse, so it's pretty negative everywhere."

"It shouldn't be this negative. I sense a strong negative aura in that direction.."

Dream took a moment to reevaluate, letting his own aura sense the emotional spectrum around him more in-depth..and he found that his feelings agreed. Someone else was here. Someone with an aura so negative..it might have been stronger than his Uncle Angel's positive aura.

"You're right..there's a negative aura over there..a really strong one." Dream nodded. "Maybe..let's go over there slowly.."

"Agreed." Cal gave a sharp nod. "And rein in your aura; you'd stick out like a sore thumb if we got any closer with that."

"Got it."

The two emotion spirits tiptoed around the bounce house and sneaked through the maze of toys, furniture, and other things carefully, silently making their way towards the center of the Anti-Void. Soon, they began to be able to hear voices, and once they got close enough to listen without being easily noticeable, they hid behind a tall bookshelf and started to take in the words they heard..which weren't exactly the most inspiring things to hear.

"And you don't find it the least bit disturbing that half of your soul now rests in that idiot's body?" A Nightmare's voice said - probably the Nightmare who ruled this multiverse..but why? Why was he here? 

"He is a child, Nightmare." Ruru asserted; Ruru was talking to him..

"Don't take that tone with me, Destroyer." 

"You are-"

"I am what, Destroyer? We may have been allies for centuries, but I don't think you understand exactly how powerful I am now. The entire multiverse is akin to a battery for my personal use; negativity reigns supreme, and I am negativity. Perhaps I was weaker than you before, but now? Now? Do you really want to find out which of us would come out victorious in a battle? I doubt you do; you always were a coward."

Ruru said nothing.  

"I see we have an understanding." The Nightmare let out a soft chuckle. "You said the brat was supposed to show up sometime to check in on his friend, correct? When he does..you know what to do."

"..I know." Ruru let out a sigh.

"Just remember, Error: this is for the good of our multiverse. Don't let me down."

"..I won't."

A portal opened nearby, and the Nightmare must have walked through it, leaving the Anti-Void. Suddenly, the heavy negative aura that had made the Anti-Void less bearable for Dream lifted a little, and he let out a breath of relief. This..was bad. 

"We..have to do something about this." Cal decided, much to Dream's surprise.

"Are you crazy?!" Dream whisper-yelled back. "We can't fight them!"

"Shh! We can fight them, Merrick; I'm stronger here, and if you get into trouble, I can help you."

"No. It..we have to get out of here, Cal."

"Don't tell me you're scared; Mari could be in danger!"

"Ruru won't hurt him." Dream knew that much. "Whatever's going on is because of the Nightmare, not because of Ruru. And we can't fight this Nightmare."

"Maybe you can't, but I-"

"He's more negative than my Uncle Angel is positive, and when I fought my Uncle Angel in a purely positive AU, he beat me without trying much; we can't fight him right now!"

"Maybe neither of us alone can, but if we work together, we might have a chance!"

"If we fight together, he'd take me down first and threaten me to force you to stop fighting, Cal.." Dream shook his skull. "We can't do this by ourselves."

"..Do we really have a choice? What other plans do we have?"

"We wait until we're sure Mari's awake and okay, and then I will go out alone to check up on him; he doesn't know you can get here, and we need to keep him unaware. Ruru won't do anything if Mari's watching."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I do, and if I'm wrong, I can make things go smoothly."

"..That's true." Cal nodded. "But are you sure we can't take the Nightmare now?"

"I'm certain, Cal; our stats don't make us invincible."

"..." Cal let out a sigh. "Maybe you're right..in this specific situation."

"I know I am. You should get out of here, just in case, and I'll wait until Mari's awake to show myself, okay?"

"Got it. Um..how do I know if everything goes smoothly, though?"

"Well..you still have that tracker, right? Just keep it on and wait for me; I'll come to you after I finish up here."

"Sounds good..I hope this works."

"It will."

"..Stay safe, Merrick."

Cal opened a portal and left the Anti-Void promptly, much to Dream's relief; if anything bad happened to Dream, Cal would be okay and prepared to pick up the pieces. And..honestly, there was a fair chance that something bad would happen to Dream, whether it were because of the Nightmare picking up on his presence or Ruru being less careful around Mari than Dream hoped he was. But..this was still the best option right now. Dream needed to make sure Mari was okay, but in order to ensure his own safety, he needed to know that Mari was present and conscious..and at the moment, Dream had neither of those things confirmed. He just..had to wait and see. 

And wait Dream did.

If Mari was asleep right now, he must have been sleeping deeply, because he was silent for hours. Dream waited for his friend to say anything..for Ruru to say anything, even..but time continued to pass, and Dream had no luck. Dream wondered how Ruru and Mari had met; he wasn't sure that they were exactly the happy family that Mari thought they were..but he couldn't very well ask. Dee had spent time with Dream and bonded with him before the thought of adoption had come up, and by that point, the two were happy with calling each other family. Dream..wasn't sure that Mari had had the same experience. He didn't want to assume, but..a large part of him definitely wondered how the two had met. Dream hoped Ruru was genuine..he didn't think Mari could have taken it if he weren't.

Five hours of waiting passed before Dream heard what he had been waiting to hear for so long: Mari's voice. It started with a long yawn, followed by a few tired words.

"Ruru..?" Mari addressed, clearly sluggish from whatever had happened to him before Dream had gotten here. "Is it morning..?"

"Hey, Ink.." Ruru's voice was laced with care..and Dream wondered if the adult meant it. "You okay?"

"What happened..?"

"You came back from your adventure suddenly, Ink; what's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh..I remember..saying goodnight to you and going to sleep.."

"Really?" Ruru let out a hum. "Merrick told me you hit your head; I'm afraid you've forgotten a bit, but I don't think it's important."

"I forgot stuff? What time is it?"

"It's almost time for dinner, Ink; I have to go work on that, okay?"

"Okay..is Merrick okay?"

"I think so; only you hit your head, Ink."

"All right.."

Well, this was as good a time as any..Mari was awake, Ruru was on-edge, and Dream was ready to make himself known. He opened a portal and closed it a second later, just in case Ruru was paying attention for portals now, and he made his way into the central living space of the Anti-Void. The timing might have been suspicious, but Ruru kind of deserved it, honestly.

"Mari?" Dream called out, looking around as if he didn't know exactly where Mari was.

"Merrick!" Mari gasped, grinning as he got up and ran over to Dream; when the two got close enough to eachother, they engaged in a big hug. 

"Hi, Mari!" Dream smiled, happy that Mari was still his energetic self, even after all that had happened. "Are you feeling good now?"

"Yeah, I'm super good!" Mari confirmed. "Did you and Cal save everyone without me?"

"Yeah, we made sure the kings didn't try to conquer the neutral village, and now everyone's okay!"

"Awesome! I wish I could'a been there.."

"It's okay; you'll be there next time!"

"Yeah, I will!"

"..Merrick." Ruru spoke, breaking free of the silence that had overcome him temporarily; Dream supposed he had practically come out of nowhere. 

"Hi, Mari's dad!" Dream waved. "I'm glad Mari's okay; you must be a really good caretaker!"

Was saying that dangerous for his cover? Absolutely. Was that going to stop him? Not at all!

"Ruru is the best caretaker!" Mari nodded quickly. "He took care of me once really long when I was sick for a long time!"

"Cool!" Dream grinned; that was the part of Ruru he was counting on..

"..I'm glad you came right now." Ruru said, after a small pause. "Mari only just woke up."

"Really?" Dream let out a hum. "I guess I have good timing!"

"..I guess you do." Ruru smiled, and Dream could feel a wave of relief wash over the adult; maybe this would work out..but Dream still had to be careful. 

Dream stayed only fifteen minutes longer, using the time mainly to catch Mari up on what had happened. Dream recounted the way Cal and he had saved Empireverse after Mari had "gone home," and also how the Flowey from before had helped a lot; he still wondered about that Flowey..but for now, he had other things to worry about..such as how in the world he was going to help Mari. At the moment, he only knew one thing..

It was going to be difficult.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dream bean and Cal bean eavesdrop!

Thanks for reading my listening writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

A few weeks had passed since the mission in Empireverse, and Mari was excited! He might have had to drop out of that mission, but at least he had helped! Next time, he would do a lot better! He would save everyone and make sure all the people in the whole multiverse were best friends! Or..that they had relationships, at least? Mari wasn't exactly sure how he would do that, but he would! He would also become better friends with Cal, too! But Cal was..a little more reserved than other people were, and Mari had learned from observing others that forcing himself upon someone else as a friend wasn't a good idea; he had to let Cal decide that he wanted to be friends with him first. And, while he waited, Mari would just spend more time with Merrick! Merrick was super fun to play with, and his family were all super nice! Right now, Merrick and his family were visiting a "cat cafe," which was something that had sounded absolutely delightful to Mari as soon as he had heard it. After a little bit of subtle hint dropping, Merrick had invited Mari along to join him and his family, and Mari had never been happier to accept an invitation!

"Dream!" The owner of the cafe knew Merrick? That was awesome! "It's good to see you; how have you been?" 

"Hi, Ccino!" Merrick greeted. "I'm good! This is my friend, Mari! He's from a different multiverse! And Mari, this is Ccino!"

"Really?" Ccino let out a hum. "It's nice to meet you, Mari."

"You, too, Ccino!" Mari grinned, putting his hands on his hips; Merrick had lots of friends that Mari could also make friends with!

"They're inseparable." Merrick's brother let out a fond chuckle, sitting down at the counter in front of Ccino. 

"It's good that he has a friend his age." Ccino smiled, before pausing. "He is, right?"

"He's about a year younger than Dream." Dee nodded. 

"Good to hear. Well, what can I get you?"

"Mari, this is Sunshine!" Merrick called Mari over to a different part of the cafe, where he was sitting with a- kitten! 

Mari gasped, running over. "A kitty!"

"Uh-huh!"

"At least this one doesn't try to eat me." Robin rolled his eyelights, petting the kitten's head.

"They don't all try to eat you." Horror snorted. 

"Maybe not all at the same time." Robin crossed his arms. "But all of them have tried at some point!"

"But they never succeed!" Cross reminded. "You're too difficult to catch, Robin."

"..Well, I can't deny that.." Robin chuckled. 

"Why do they try to eat you?" Mari wondered.

"He looks like a bird." Dust answered. 

"Cats eat birds." Killer expounded.

"Oh..why?" Mari tilted his skull. 

"Cats are carnivores." Merrick informed. "They eat meat, and birds are made of meat!"

"Am I made of meat, too?"

"Nah, you're all bones!" Killer commented. 

"Ooh..that makes sense." Mari couldn't help but agree. 

"Here, hold him!" Merrick encouraged, holding Sunshine out to Mari. 

"Ooh, he's so soft!" Mari let out a giggle, holding the kitten carefully. 

The gang, Robin, Merrick, and Mari played with the cats contently, the little ones giggling as the adults made jokes and chatted. The cats seemed to enjoy Mari's company, cuddling up next to him after they had watched Sunshine test the waters. With lots of giggles and greetings, Mari got to know the felines well, especially with Merrick telling him all about every single one of them; String liked to hide in high-up places, while Bullseye loved to pounce into people's laps and demand cuddles! They all had their own personalities, and Mari found them absolutely charming! As the children played with the majority of the cats, though, a few of them chose to stick with the trio on the other side of the cafe; Moondrop was no stranger to asserting his dominance by perching himself in the lap of whoever seemed the most menacing in the cafe at any given moment, and usually, that was Nightmare. And, as per usual, the dark-haired cat had taken his place in Nightmare's lap, paying no mind to the conversation shared by the monsters present.

"So..how have things been?" Ccino asked, putting down a plate of cookies. "Still crazy?"

"..It's not ideal." Nightmare let out a sigh.

"It's stressful." Dee admitted. "He might have crazy stats and new friends, but..he's ten years old. I wish there was a way to keep this job out of his life.."

"From what he told us, the 'mission' he was on involved two evil kingdoms waging war and trying to conquer a village that considered itself neutral. If there were ever a situation I wouldn't want him in.."

"I get it." Ccino nodded. "How does he feel about it?"

"..I don't think it's set in yet. He's overjoyed about having a friend his age, and apparently, he's met another child guardian, and..he's too wrapped up in the moment to think about the consequences of the life he's been given."

"I just worry that he's going to eventually be so involved with these adventures that..well.." Dee sighed, shaking his skull. "I'll put it like this: the rate at which he's growing independently is worrying."

"Why would growing independence be worrying?" Ccino inquired. "Shouldn't he gain new skills to keep himself safe?"

"Not as young as he is." Nightmare glanced over at his brother; Dream was laughing, being playfully 'mauled' by one of the cats. "He should be able to take comfort in the fact that there are others whom he can rely on when he needs help..and he used to be good with that. He used to rely on us..and that is slowly starting to change.

"What do you mean?" 

"..I mean that the world is conditioning him to believe that the only person who can help him is..himself. That, if something bad happens, he should be able to fix it himself."

"..Dream is a capable child, though..he pretty much saved himself from 404."

"..And that worries me, Ccino."

"Why would that worry you? He's safe now."

"That incident may have been the thing that started this trend; since then, he's started to be more and more independent. Before that, he would ask for help with the littlest things, Ccino, even things as small as making sure his stitching was right in something he was making."

"..Are you two sure that you're seeing things clearly?" Ccino let out a sigh. "I see what you're saying, but..what if that's just him growing up? He's a preteen, guys, not a little kid anymore. Soon, he'll be a teenager. Around this time, from what I've seen, is when kids start testing their own limits instead of leaning on others."

"But he isn't a normal kid." Dee reminded. "He's an omniversal guardian who's been saddled with a job even adults would struggle with."

"And anyone would grow more independent in that situation." 

"..." Dee looked down, not sure what to say to that; it was true..

"Different kids mature at different times; I think he's just getting older..he's testing his limits. He's not going to lean on you two for his whole life, but..there will be times when he'll fall, and then you'll be there for him."

"..So you think we're just being overprotective?" Nightmare questioned. 

"I think so, yeah."

"..Ah." 

"I mean..I'd be protective, too, if I were in your shoes - Dream's a great kid, and I totally understand wanting to be there for him. But..he's also a person, and people grow. And..despite how he may feel about his job right now or in the future, I think it would be best for him to test his limits now, while he's relatively safe, instead of learning them the hard way."

"..The hard way being when he's grown up?" Dee guessed.

"The hard way being when he comes across a real challenge. Trust me: it's better to know how many coffees you can make in ten minutes before you start adding more seating in your cafe." Ccino looked between the two. "Is there..something you're worried about? Regarding him growing up?"

"Other than the fact that I don't want him to?" Nightmare let out a weak chuckle. 

"I'm afraid that's not really possible..he's gonna grow up, Night."

"And when he does, will he need us at all?" Dee wondered. "Will he just visit once a month and call it good?"

"Dee, Dream might be an omniversal guardian, but he still loves you guys; I doubt he'd be the type to leave for months at a time. In fact, you might have trouble getting rid of him for a while! His family's important to him; anyone can see that from a mile away."

"..So we're being worried over nothing?" Nightmare asked. 

"I think so." Ccino nodded. "There might come a time when he's gone more often, but I think that, if it comes to it, you should expect as many visits as physically possible."

"Do you get a lot of people who just vent their worries to you?" Dee inquired.

"Every once in a while, yeah." Ccino chuckled. "I'm kind of an expert in giving probably-decent advice, at this point!"

"Well..thank you." Nightmare smiled. 

"Any time."

The visit to the cafe lasted for a couple hours, and by the time Merrick's family had to head home, Mari had decided that he loved cats. Maybe Ruru would let him get a cat..he definitely planned on asking when he got home! That wouldn't be for a little bit longer, though, because he had one last stop before he planned to go home: a multiverse where he and Cal had planned to meet up for a visit of their own! Cal wasn't quite ready to share his home's location with Mari, but he was willing to have visits in other multiverses, and Mari was all right with that; he just wanted to be Cal's friend, and if that meant taking things slowly, then he would! Ruru had taught him that everyone was different; some people would be friends almost instantly upon meeting eachother, while others took time for trust to build. Merrick was obviously the former, but Cal needed time, and Mari could give Cal time! So, after saying goodbye to Merrick and his family, Mari opened a portal to the coordinates Cal had given him for their meet-up, coming out to see-

"Ooh, pretty!" Mari's eyelights must have been stars; this place was so cool!

The coordinates had brought him to what seemed to be a forest, but all the trees were colorful vibrant mushrooms instead, and they were glowy! That was awesome! The glowy mushroom trees lit up the forest nicely, giving a magical feel to the place that Mari couldn't help but adore. 

"You like it?" Cal spoke up from behind Mari, making his presence known.

"Yeah!" Mari nodded, turning to face Cal. "Where are we?"

"It's just a random universe in a random multiverse." Cal shrugged. "Tons of multiverses have places like this; most people just don't travel enough to know about them."

"Why not?"

"Well..most people prefer sticking around civilization and not exploring much. I'm not too much of an explorer, but..places like these are nice. Multiverses have tons of them, and the omniverse..must have so many more."

"Merrick's dad would love this.." Mari hummed. "Would you mind if I gave him these cord-nates?"

"Uh, sure, I guess; there are so many places exactly like this that it doesn't really matter."

"Really? Is this a common AU?"

"It's not really an AU; it's just a place inside of one. There are a lot of magic-based AUs with places that seem extraordinary to those who don't frequent them, and..I've been to a lot of them."

"Well..thank you for sharing this with me." Mari smiled, taking another look around; there were glowy vines everywhere, too, running from mushroom tree to mushroom tree like ribbons. 

"Heh..it's really nothing. Once you start going on more missions, you'll probably find hundreds of places like this..or you can even just open random portals, not knowing where you'll end up; that's sometimes fun, even if the adults think it's crazy."

"Couldn't you end up somewhere bad by doing that?"

"I could." Cal shrugged. "But if I do, there's nothing stopping me from opening a new portal to get out fast."

"What if you end up in the void, or something? How do you get out of there?"

"That's easy; most people black out in the void, but we don't, for some reason. Just open a portal and teleport yourself into it, and you're fine."

"..You've done that before, haven't you?" Mari squinted.

"..Once or twice." Cal admitted.

"I thought the void was dangerous, though. Don't people get hurt there?"

"They can..if they're not us. I'm not really sure how it works, but I've come out unscathed; it's really not as scary as it seems. Just..don't take anyone who isn't a guardian in there; I don't think regular outcodes or incodes could handle it."

"Oh..okay. Then..do you want to walk around?"

"I think you want to walk around." Cal chuckled.

"This place is cool!" Mari crossed his arms. "I wanna see more!"

"All right, then let's see more." 

"Yay!"

Mari hopped and turned to pick a direction, and he and Cal started to explore the glowy mushroom forest. It was weird, how, if the mushrooms weren't glowy, Mari would have been absolutely terrified of this place, but since they were glowy, he believed he loved it! Glowy mushrooms were definitely the best type of mushroom. Mari wondered how many other cool places there were in the omniverse. Were there candy cane forests, too? Were there dragon lairs made of macaroni and cheese? Were there literal mountains made out of gumballs? Maybe Mari was just hungry..he should have gotten something to eat at that cafe. He wasn't used to being hungry, but now that he was out of the Anti-Void more often, he was definitely starting to feel it. Eh..he didn't want to leave this place so soon; he would just have seconds later! For now, he would enjoy this glowy mushroom forest. He wondered if anyone lived here; maybe there were fairies or dwarves! Maybe there were glowy mushroom people! Or maybe..

Maybe there were goopy people who looked vaguely similar to him?

"Is that someone who lives here?" Mari questioned, looking at the stranger in the distance. 

"I don't think-" Cal paused, seeing the one Mari had asked about. "..I.."

"Ooh, they're coming over! Maybe they're super nice! I hope they are!"

Cal had nothing to say; he seemed to be thinking about something. Meanwhile, the goopy person came a little closer, seeming curious about the duo. When the other got close enough for Mari to see them, he felt a little curious, himself; this person didn't have a connection with this world..they were from somewhere else. That..probably made sense, considering their appearance. The stranger looked like..a strange mix between a Nightmare and an Ink. Their one eyelight was a shapeshifting, color-changing eyelight, while the other was covered in typical Nightmare fashion. But..the stranger also had a giant paintbrush, just like Mari! Mari wondered where the stranger (and all the other Inks, actually) had gotten their paintbrush; his had been a gift from Ruru when he had started being a guardian! The stranger also had the same weird sash of vials that other Inks used; Mari didn't need one, since he had a soul! Apparently, he had used to use one, but he didn't remember that; getting a soul had almost entirely erased his memories, after all! But this goopy stranger seemed nice enough, anyway; Mari would just..use his magic to make sure this encounter went well. There was no harm in making another friend, after all!

"Hi!" Mari grinned, making the other blink. "I'm Mari, and this is Cal! Who are you?"

The stranger stared for a few more moments, before the pressure to answer became a little bit too much for them. 

"W- I'm...Quinn.."

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Mari bean has a new friend???

Thanks for reading my worrying writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

"Nice to meet you, Quinn!" Mari grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "Do you live here?"

"..." The other stared for a moment, before responding. "No."

"..You're a Vantablack, aren't you?" Cal spoke up, making the stranger flinch slightly.

"..Yes." Quinn's gaze shifted down for a moment, before returning to the two. "Why do you ask?"

"Never met one..only heard stories."

"..Oh." Quinn's eyelight darted around, the other apparently feeling a bit nervous, if Mari's guess was right.

"Well..you're tall!" Mari decided to lighten the mood. "How old are you?"

"You're just short, Mari." Cal informed, to which Mari huffed and crossed his arms.

"W- I- uh..." Quinn looked down for a moment, before the eyelight darted back up. "Eleven.."

"I'm nine!" Mari hopped right back into his bouncy personality. "And Cal's twelve!"

"You're a kid?" Cal tilted his skull. "I thought all Vantablacks were supposed to be adults.."

"..I'm a kid." Quinn informed, nodding slowly. 

"..You seem on edge." Cal narrowed his gaze. "Your emotions feel.."

"Feel what?" Mari wondered.

"Complicated." 

"Ah..um.." Quinn stared at Cal for a moment. "Aura."

Mari let out a soft hum, smiling; that made sense! The other was something like a Nightmare, right? Their having an aura made sense! Mari nodded to himself, before chancing a glance at Cal.

"..Stop it." Cal glared at the other.

"What?" Quinn blinked, taking a step back. "S-stop what?"

"You're a guardian!" Cal asserted. "Stop using your magic on us!"

"A what?" Mari tilted his skull, feeling..something dissipating - Quinn's magic? But Mari hadn't felt it before.. "How do you know that?"

"You can tell?!" Quinn's silent anxiousness had turned to fear; this was..not the best way to make a new friend. 

"Yeah, I can tell." Cal let out a sigh. "Calm down; I'm not gonna do anything. I just don't like people using their magic on me."

"Oh..sorry." Quinn took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"How'd you feel that?" Mari wondered, looking at Cal. "I didn't feel anything."

"It's something you learn to feel." Cal explained. "I'll teach you..someday."

"Cool!" 

"So-"

"I think we should wait a second." Mari interrupted; Quinn..did not seem to be ready to continue a conversation yet

"..All right."

Mari looked around for a moment, before shrugging and grabbing his giant paintbrush. Quinn flinched as Mari took it out, but calmed down when the small skeleton just lay the paintbrush on the ground, using it as a seat. He patted the handle next to him, and Cal begrudgingly joined him, not keen on sitting down during this, but also not wanting to provoke the other; this was a new guardian, after all..a stranger. After the stranger had taken a few moments to calm down, they looked at their own paintbrush, before setting it down on the ground in much the same way Mari had and sitting on it; Mari was truly a trendsetter!

"I'm..ready now." Quinn spoke up, looking at the duo. "Sorry.."

"That's okay!" Mari assured. "Sometimes, you have to take a few moments to calm down before doing things! I do that sometimes, too!"

"You do..?"

"Yep!"

"..So you're a guardian." Cal restated. 

"..How could you tell?" Quinn's hands folded together..rather unconventionally.

"We're both guardians, too." Cal decided not to create suspense. "I've been around the magic long enough to recognize it; it isn't like other magic."

"..I'm sorry."

"It's fine; I just wasn't expecting it." Cal crossed his arms. "You don't meet a new guardian every day..and you're the first Vantablack I've ever met, too."

"W- I am?" Quinn let out a hum. "I've met..a few.."

"They're not the most common, as I understand it." 

"What exactly is a 'Vantablack'?" Mari couldn't help but ask.

"A fusion between a Nightmare and an Ink." Cal explained. "Basically, the two kinda die, and a new consciousness is born, or something."

"..What?" Quinn tilted their skull. 

"Yeah, it's weird."

"Where do the Ink and Nightmare go?" Mari frowned.

"They just..don't exist anymore; they're replaced by the new person." Cal cast a confused glance over at Quinn, before shaking his skull. "I'm probably not the best at explaining it."

"..So what are you the guardian of?" Mari changed the subject. 

"..You two first." Quinn requested.

"Okay! I'm the Guardian of Connections, which means I'm in charge of relationships, like friends and family and stuff!"

"And I'm the Guardian of Balance." Cal decided to say. "I..protect balances. It's not hard to figure out."

"Now what's yours?" Mari wanted to know! "I bet it's something cool!"

"..Trust."

"Trust?" Cal repeated. "You're the Guardian of Trust?"

Quinn nodded.

"Cool!" Mari complimented, receiving a small smile from Quinn. "I knew it was something cool!"

"Heh..thank you.." Quinn semeed a lot more relaxed now; Mari couldn't wait to become official friends!

"So, how long have you been a guardian?" Mari wondered.

"Um, almost a year..you?"

"Uhh.." Mari paused, counting on his fingers. "Eight months!"

"I've been one for a couple years." Cal shrugged. "Have you met any of the others?"

"There are more?" Quinn blinked.

"Yeah, there are, uh.." Mari realized that he did not know exactly how many there were.

"Me, you, Merrick, then the adults..six." Cal nodded to himself. "There are six. Well..now seven, including you."

"Fascinating.." Quinn stared for a moment, before shaking their skull and deciding not to stare any longer.

"Yeah, it's really cool! It's-" 

Dinnertime.

Ooh..Ruru.

"Something wrong?" Cal inquired.

"No, just Ruru calling me home for dinner!" Mari shook his skull. "I gotta go; I'm super hungry!"

"Ruru?" Quinn tilted their skull. 

"He's my dad! Anyway, bye! Maybe we can meet again sometime!"

"That sounds nice.." Quinn nodded, giving Mari a smile. 

"Okay, then, bye!"

Mari opened a portal and left before Cal could remind him to take his paintbrush. Well..he would probably realize it was gone at some point; Cal could just hang onto it until then. Mari didn't seem quite so attached to his drawing tool as most Inks were..but that was to be expected, if Cal and Merrick's suspicions were true. That wasn't important right now, though; what was important was focusing on Quinn. Cal shifted his eyelights back to Quinn, who had decided to summon a couple tentacles - a suitable precaution, considering the circumstances - that merely whirled around in the air idly..for now. Cal might have stared at Quinn for a couple moments too long, but he couldn't help it; there was something off about their emotions..he couldn't quite put a finger on it. Right now, there was a touch of sadness, a dash of fear, and a rather unhealthy dose of anxiousness. That wasn't the weird part, however; the weird part was that Quinn had had the last two of those emotions the entire time Cal had known him (not long, admittedly), but there had been others to join them..there had been wonder, curiosity, and joy. Typically, even if only for a moment, new emotions would dampen old ones..but the emotions had stayed strong in Quinn. Strong and vibrant, and Cal couldn't help this strange feeling..

"..Are you going to talk or just stare at me?" Quinn asked, clearly on-edge. A bit of irritation was added to the mix, and the fear grew.

"Sorry." Cal lowered his gaze, nodding. "I just can't help but sense your emotions; I'm sure you get it."

"Oh..right." Quinn nodded. "I understand that; they overwhelm me sometimes, too."

..An eleven year old empath being overwhelmed by emotions? Odd, but not out of the realm of possibility; most naturally-born empaths learned to cope with confusing emotions early on in life, though. There were many ways of doing that, from focusing only one a specific emotion or set of emotions to simply..ignoring them. There were some empaths that couldn't "turn off" their emotion-sensing capabilities, but most could. But this wasn't enough evidence to prove anything. The only thing that Cal couldn't reason out of right now was..the fact that it felt as if he were near..more people than just Quinn. Were they being watched? His eyelights moved around their surroundings. It..certainly felt as if there were more than just two people here. Was the fear from someone else? Why couldn't Cal tell for sure?

"So..have you been on missions yet?" Cal decided to ask, sticking with the subject.

"Uh, I think so." Quinn nodded. "Is that when we're sent to a place to help people?" 

Dread? Why would anyone here feel dread?

"Yeah." Cal confirmed. "I assume you help people with trusting others?"

"Yes.." Quinn nodded, and Cal noticed that the dread was replaced with relief..but he had no idea why.

"That's pretty straightforward; I get why you haven't met any of us before now."

"Yeah..so, there are six of you?"

"Mhm. You'll probably meet Merrick soon, since he and Mari are pretty much best friends, but the others are adults, and..they're not the nicest. I'd..recommend avoiding the Guardian of Hope."

"Why?"

"He doesn't have a good past with Vantablacks.."

"Oh..I get that." Sadness and guilt - both understandable.

"Sorry."

"No, it's..it's fine. It's..not uncommon. People like..me..aren't always the nicest."

"You seem nice." 

"Really?" Quinn smiled a little, and Cal sensed more relief, as well as gratitude and a touch of joy. 

"Really." Cal nodded; this was..confusing. "So.."

"So..?"

"Where do you live? Your multiverse?"

"..No." Guilt, fear, sorrow. 

"I get it. I don't live in my multiverse, either." Cal offered a smile, and the negative emotions dulled a little. "Do you have a home?"

"..Not really." Quinn admitted. "I usually just find somewhere to camp out for the nights.."

"Oh..do you have a food source, or..?"

"I scavenge!" Quinn seemed..happy - happy that they knew how to scavenge, and happy that they could tell someone about it. 

"Really? That's interesting..how do you keep things straight, though? Some things that are edile in one universe are poisonous in another, aren't they?"

"There are always signs." Quinn held up a finger, grinning. "And I know them all! It's something I was just born knowing! It's a big help, especially in new places!"

"That's cool." Cal couldn't deny that.

Cal and Quinn continued to talk, and the longer they did, the more Cal felt as if there was someone else here..he knew he felt more than one other set of emotions, but he couldn't figure out how or why..was this universe messing with his empathy? That..was a possibility; he had been in universes that had messed him up before, and it was always confusing when he came across one of them, but he could typically tell when he was in one, even when there was no one else around..partly because he felt emotions when no one else was around. Maybe this one was different, though..maybe this universe only messed with his empathy when there were others around. But then..why hadn't he felt anything when it had been just him and Mari? It just wasn't making sense! If it was the universe, why wasn't it constant? If someone else was watching him and Quinn, why weren't they making themselves known? Did Quinn have anyone who might have been stalking them?

"Do you have any family?" Cal hated the question..but he needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Oh, um..no." Quinn shook their skull. "I don't."

"Friends?"

"..Not really. Well, actually..sometimes the people I help want to be our friends, but.." Dread again. But why? 

"But what?" Cal tilted his skull.

"..." Relief again. "But I can't really stick around for long, because..people don't really like me."

"Oh..I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I get what it's like..to be hated." Cal shrugged. "But you won't have to worry about that with Mari or Merrick, and not me, either; they're way too nice to really hate anyone, and I..don't really get many friends, myself."

"..You'd be surprised how many people change their minds about me."

"Guess I'll be surprised, because I won't be one of those people. I don't judge people because of stupid stuff; I don't like giving up on them, either..and, besides, now that you'll probably be inducted into the 'happy guardian friend group,' it isn't like I'll have much of a choice. It's been all I can do to warn Merrick and Mari about the others, and they still want to meet them.."

"The others?"

"The adult guardians..they're just..I don't like them." Cal sighed, looking down. "They're overbearing and think they always know best; I can't stand people like that."

"..We're not like that."

"We?" Cal looked back up at Quinn, and..the fear.. "Hey..you okay?"

"W- I..I am okay." Quinn asserted, although.. "I'm fine. I'm okay."

And, suddenly..Cal felt like an idiot. More than one set of emotions? Odd changes in character? Still being overwhelmed by emotions at the age of eleven? It just made too much sense to ignore, and Cal couldn't believe he hadn't pieced it together sooner.

"..You're two people, aren't you?" Cal let out a chuckle. 

"..." Quinn looked down, and Cal could sense the annoyance and the guilt.

"Well..don't worry about it; Merrick and Mari will probably think it's the coolest thing ever."

"..They will?" Quinn blinked, looking up at Cal.

"Sure they will. And I think it's pretty cool, too."

"..You aren't the least bit surprised or shocked or offended or-"

"Quinn, I've been wondering if we were being watched because I was sensing both of you." Cal admitted. "I'm honestly relieved  we weren't."

"..You don't think it's weird?"

"Quinn, one of the other guardians is a lot like you, except there's three people, and two of them are ghosts. They're also a pain to deal with, and the only good thing is that I can't sense the ghosts' emotions. I like you a lot better."

"Oh.." Quinn smiled. "So..you really aren't mad?"

"Nah, you're good; I think it's awesome, honestly." Cal looked around, breathing out a small sigh of relief. "So, wanna explore this place with me? It's pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah..it is."

Quinn would fit right in; Cal just knew it.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Cal and Mari talk to Quinn and Quinn!

Thanks for reading my double writing!

Bye!

Chapter Text

Well, I'm not gonna drag this out. 

Every time I sit down to try to write this, I feel literal dread and just can't. I don't want to continue this right now, and if I force myself to, it'll just come out horrible. So this is going on hiatus until I get the motivation to continue it again. I'm sorry; I know that a lot of you were interested to see how things would go, and I said I'd be back this month, but..it's just not going to happen. I guess I burned myself out on this story pretty badly.

On the bright side, I am very motivated for a different story I'm working on: The Price of Power. It's also Dream-centric, but it's not a kid fic - it's a good deal darker than this is. But despite its darker nature, I'm really liking how it's going; I'm excited for it, which is more than I can say for this right now. Hopefully, I'll come back to this, but not right now. I'm sorry for doing this, but just not saying anything makes me feel as if I'm leading you all on, and I'd hate to do such a thing. 

Have a great day, guys, despite this. You deserve it.