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Dream took a steady and deep breath, releasing an arrow. It soared through the sky and struck the target, dead center. He grinned in satisfaction as he turned to face his targets. He was pleased that his aim had been perfect. "Hey! Dream! We're going to Nightmare's castle for a friendly visit! Wanna come?!" Ink exclaimed from the porch of their base. "Sure!" he called back, putting away his bow before running toward the porch. It had been about 8 months since Dream and Nightmare implemented a truce. Now, it was common for both teams to visit one another at their bases, whether it was the Star Sanses house or Nightmare's castle.
Dream walked up the stairs of the porch and over to Ink. "Where's Swap?" he asked. "Did Blue not tell you? Stretch is sick so Swap is staying home to take care of him." Ink explained. "Oh, well, I hope Stretch feels better. Let's get going." Dream said. "On it," Ink replied before using his paintbrush to open a portal for them. The duo hoped into the portal and popped out of the other side into Nightmare's throne room. Nightmare was on his throne while talking to Error when they popped out. "Oh shit," Error mumbled. "ERROR!" Ink said excitedly. "Oh shit!" Error exclaimed before fleeing, Ink behind him. Dream and Nightmare both laughed as the two ran off. "Hi Nightmare," Dream greeted.
"Good morning Dream," Nightmare replied. "What brings you here today?" Nightmare inquired. "I wanted to see if you'd like to spend time together." Dream suggested. "Apologies, Dream. But I'm busy with paperwork today. Killer's at a cat convention, Dust and Cross are busy in the training room, and Error is well..." Nightmare gestured to the door, Error running past it while being chased by Ink. Dream chuckled. "That's a shame. Everyone's busy." Dream sighed, smiling. "Well, everyone but Horror. He's either in the kitchen or garden. Why not assist him? I'm sure he'd appreciate it." Nightmare suggested. "I would love to help Horror!" Dream chirped. Nightmare smiled slightly. "What are you waiting for then? An invitation?" he joked. Dream chuckled one more time before running off to find Horror. He checked the kitchen but saw no sign of him. “Weird, he’s not here.” Dream muttered. “Then he must be in the garden!”
Dream walked through the kitchen towards a backdoor that was supposed to lead to the garden. Dream had never actually gotten to look at the garden. The first couple of months, Nightmare said he didn’t want anyone in the garden because they were remodeling it. They finished to months ago, but Dream had forgotten about it entirely. As soon as he stepped, he was amazed.
Nightmare’s garden was massive! The paths formed a double crossroads. In each plot was a different type of flower. Red roses, white lilies, orange carnations, white daffodils,purple tulips, and yellow sunflowers. At the end of the path was a larger plot that was twice the length of the others. It had all sorts of veggies and fruits. From carrots and potatoes to strawberries and blueberries. And in the center of the garden was a large tree. It was like the tree of feelings in there original AU. It didn’t seem to bear any apples though, which disappointed and relaxed Dream.
“Horror! Are you out here?!” Dream called out. He suddenly heard a bucket or something knocked over, water splashing, and a soft raspy swear. Suddenly, Horror poked his head out of the sunflower plot, giving Dream a wave. Dream smiled before running over to where Horror was. “Good morning, Horror.” Dream said, smiling. “Morning… Dream…” Horror spoke softly. “How have things been?” Dream asked. “Good…” Horror replied. Dream nodded. Horror was a skeleton of few words, but Dream appreciated the effort Horror put into speaking. “Anyways, I was wondering if you’d like to hang out. Well, what I mean is, I wanted to see if you’d like any help.” Dream explained. Horror thought for a minute. It wouldn’t hurt to have extra hands. More hands mean less work. Plus, he liked having Dream around.
He nodded slowly and spoke softly. “Can help…” Dream’s smiled widened. “Great. Where should I start?” Horror looked around and picked up the watering can he had stubbed his foot on before handing it to Dream. “Fill… please…” Horror asked as he gestures to a hose near the door Dream had come out of. “Oh, I can do that,” Dream said as he picked up the can. He walked over to the faucet and turned it open. But he accidentally turned it on to high, making the hose go nuts. “Oh stars! I-I got it!” Dream exclaimed as he tried to get control of the hose.
Horror fully walked out of the sunflower patch and chuckled as he watched Dream try to get control over the hose. It was adorable how Dream attempted to grab the hose but it just kept flailing and squirming away from him. It was nice having Dream around, and not just because of his positive aura. Everything about Dream made Horror feel good. His smile, his laugh, his eyelights, his skill with and bow, but mostly his patience. He struggled to speak proper sentences but Dream still gave Horror all the time in the world. It warmed his heart. Horror was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Dream yell, “Horror! Help me!” He looked over at Dream and realized what had happened.
Dream managed to grab the hose but accidentally aimed it at his face, blasting himself with water. Dream coughed and struggled to do anything to stop the hose. Horror walked over and turned down the faucet, lowering the water pressure. Dream coughed and sighed. “Thank you, Horror," Dream sighed, coughing. “You… okay…?” Horror asked. “Ya! I’m good!” Dream replied. Horror nodded and set the faucet to an appropriate water pressure. Dream placed the hose over the watering can, allowing the water to flow in. “Talk about exciting, right?” Dream laughed. God, Horror loved that laugh… he nodded in response. Horror soon turned off the faucet and Dream lifted up the watering can. “Where to?” he asked.
Horror gestured for Dream to follow him and Dream did. The walked over to the veggie and fruit garden, specifically the fruit section. Horror then took the watering can from Dream and handed him a basket. “I’ll water… blackberries… You pick… mangoes…” Horror instructed. Dream nodded once again and walked over to a mango tree, beginning to pick them while Horror watered the blackberries.
They did their own tasks before Horror broke the silence. “Is… there… fruit… you like… most?” he asked. Dream thought for a minute. “I love all fruits!” he exclaimed before going back to plucking mangoes. “Yes… but any… specific..?” Horror asked again. “Nope!” Dream replied as he continued. Horror silently nodded as he continued watering plants. He wanted to do something for Dream. To show his gratitude for his help. Might as well do what he does best, cooking and baking. But what? What did Dream like most? Questioning him didn’t seem to work and it didn’t seem like he would be getting a straight answer. Horror was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a soft moan.
He turned his head and saw Dream eating a mango. He seemed to like it a lot. Horror could work with that. There was a new mango pie recipe he found in a recipe book. He could use the mangoes Dream picked. The perfect plan. Soon, Horror finished watering the other berry bushes and Dream finished plucking mangoes. “Hey, Horror. I’m done.” Dream declared as he went to step off the ladder he was on. He didn’t account for how heavy the mangoes would be and ended up falling backwards. Horror instinctively rushed over and caught Dream, only a few mangoes falling out of the bin. Horror sighed. “You okay…?” he asked. Dream, a bit shaken but perfectly fine, nodded. “Y-Yeah… I’m okay…” he breathed. Horror hesitated but set Dream down. The two began picking the spilled mangoes when they both reached for the last mango, causing Horror’s hand to overlap Dream’s.
That sent a shiver up Horror’s spine. Why, though? He didn’t normally react that way to pure touch. Sure, he’d flinch at loud sounds such as fireworks since the sudden loudness normally startled him, but this was entirely different. It made him feel warm inside. Not in an “anxiety” way, but more so in a comforting way. It made him feel happy and like he wanted to protect Dream from the world around them and within the multiverse. He suddenly remembered something. This was the same reaction that the protagonist in a book had when he touched a beautiful girl’s hand in a book Nightmare had read him. Horror was having midnight cravings and Nightmare helped him back to sleep with his comforting magic and a fantasy novel. It was about a young knight falling head over heels for the princess he was meant to protect. They had touched hands and instantly felt a connection. Could that be what this feeling is? Could it be.. Love?
He was brought out of his thoughts a third time by Dream clearing his throat. “Hm?” Horror hummed, his eyes meeting Dream’s. Dream cleared his throat again, the faintest hint of yellow blush on his face. “Um… Horror? My hand?” Dream inquired, moving his hand that was trapped under Horror’s. Horror looked down, instantly realizing what was happening and quickly removed his hand. “Sorry…” he muttered, flushed red from embarrassment. “I-It’s okay.” Dream said, picking up the mango and placing it in the basket. “Well, ready to go back inside?” Horror nodded and the two walked back inside, entering the kitchen. Dream set down the basket on the island table and turned to face Horror. “What should we do now?” he asked.
Horror needed at least two hours to make the pie and give it time to cool off. Horror then got an idea.He quickly made two cups of milk tea, sprinkling one with lavender powder and sugar and the other with honey and little something… extra , before he placed them on a tray. He then turned to Dream. “Me… wash mangoes… You… tea… with boss… Honey, yours… lavender, boss…” Horror explained before handing Dream the tray.
This confused Dream. Why did Horror want him to go spend time with Nightmare? Did Horror not want him around? Drea shook away the idea. Horror wouldn’t do that. He probably just wanted to have some space for a while. “Sounds like a great idea, Horror. I’m sure Nightmare will love a drink while he does paper work.” Dream responded. Horror nodded and began washing the mangoes. Meanwhile, Dream walked towards Nightmare’s office. Dream knocked on the door and heard Nightmare’s voice say, “Come in.” Dream walked inside and was met with Nightmare hunched over his desk, wearing a monocle, and doing paperwork. “Hi Nightmare,” Dream said, announcing it was him who was there. Nightmare looked up and smiled. “Hello Dream. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked.
Dream walked over and sat down in the chair in front of Nightmare’s desk. “I brought tea. Thought you might like a drink. Horror did too, since it was his idea.” Dream explained. He sniffed the cups, handing Nightmare the lavender-scented one. “I see. Well, thank you, Dream.” Nightmare said, taking the cup. Both brothers drank their tea before setting their cups down and sighing in satisfaction. “Horror makes good tea,” Dream pointed out. “This is store bought, but mainly because it’s quick and easy. He normally prefers making them from scratch.” Nightmare explained. “Oh, that makes sense…” Dream said before his voice trailed off. Why did he suddenly feel tired? He tried to shake it off but fatigue quickly overpowered him and sleep engulfed his mind.
Nightmare noticed this but didn’t react much to it. This wasn’t the first time Horror would drug someone with sleep powder so he could surprise them with a dessert or treat of sorts. Nightmare finished his tea and teleported Dream to a spare bedroom before he continued with his paperworks. Meanwhile, Horror began to make the mango pie he was going to surprise Dream with. He got all the ingredients he’d need and began making the pie. He hoped Dream would like it.
Timeskip brought to you by “The Author’s 2 pet guinea pigs”
Dream yawned as he woke up. What happened? He remembered being in Nightmare’s office, having tea with him, then passing out from sleepiness. There was suddenly a knock on the door. “Who is it?” Dream called out. “It’s Horror…,” a voice responded. “Oh… how’d you know which room I’m in?” Dream asked. “Asked… Nightmare…,” Horror responded. “That… makes sense,” Dream said with a shrug before slowly getting up. He then opened the door. “Did you need something, Horror?” Dream asked. Horror nodded and covered Dream’s eyes. “It’s… surprise…” Horror explained quickly. “I see… Well, I can't see. But you know what I mean,” Dream chuckled. Horror chuckled and shook his head before guiding Dream through the castle and downstairs. They entered the kitchen and Dream instantly smelled something sweet. “Is that… mango, I smell?” Horror hummed and uncovered Dream’s eyes.
Dream’s eyes landed on the mango pie on the island table, with some cut sunflowers in a vase, a slice of pie already cut.”Horror… did you… make this… for me?” Dream asked, surprised. Horror nodded. “Well… it does smell delicious…” Dream stated. He grabbed a fork and took a small bite of the pie. Suddenly, his eye lights lit up. “Horror, this tastes amazing!” Dream exclaimed, continuing to eat the pie. Horror smiled. Dream liked it. It made him happy. And if Dream was happy, he was happy. Maybe… he really was in love.