Work Text:
Most nights, he would wake up from his nightmares on his own but they always left him frenzied. Obviously, it alerted everyone. He tried to explain that it was fine, that they should pay him no mind if he suddenly woke up while they were on watch duty. Eventually, they gave up trying to comfort him when he’d wake. Chilchuck knows his limit and even if he doesn't like admitting to needing help, he would if that's what he had to resort to. But for now, he can manage on his own and he has no regrets rejecting their help, convinced things will get better on their own.
And they did, now at best he would wake up groggy after a bad dream. Sure, the things he saw and felt in his nightmares made his stomach churn. But whenever he woke up now, he couldn't exactly remember what happened other than the fact that it was horrible, which left him troubled for most of his morning. If he tried to recall what happened, all that would flash in his mind was a white dog always being with him.
That same dog often crossed his mind during the day as they walked around, he tried to understand why he dreamt of it. He never had one as a pet or had even seen anything remotely similar to it. It had bright golden eyes, soft fur and features akin to a wolf. Chilchuck couldn't comprehend why that out of all things would show up so often in his dreams.
He was snapped out of his thoughts as he accidentally bumped into Marcille after she came to halt. The group explained to him that they’d decided to stop for the day, but too distracted he hardly paid any attention to the reasoning.
After thoroughly checking the area they settled down in a room and unpacking their sleeping bags. Laois carefully placed his close to Chilchuck’s,way too close for comfort. That was something he’d noticed him doing recently, probably because Senshi and Marcille avoided sleeping next to him at all costs. But he felt bad enough to not force him to sleep elsewhere. Laois had a habit of moving in his sleep, often resulting in someone, usually Chilchuck, getting an elbow or a foot to their vitals.
Chilchuck gave him a threatening glare, warning him to keep his limbs to himself. No matter how menacing he may have tried to come off as, they both knew the most Chilchuck would do if Laois did disturb his sleep was give him a mild slap.
After a good meal, like always, Chilchuck took a moment to stretch before going back to his bed. Marcille and Senshi hadn't gone to sleep yet and Laios, who'd just laid down, had somehow managed to bring himself closer to Chilchuck’s bedroll.
Once settled in his sleeping bag, he noticed the other man’s hand already invading his personal space. Gently, he nudged it away before going to sleep.
Chilchuck finds himself in what appears to be a completely different room, devoid of anything except a chest, a mimic. Behind him, the door won't budge no matter how hard he pulls on the handle or how hard he tries to kick it. Being stuck with a mimic already makes the room feel more cramped than it really is, but with every passing second, the walls quite literally seem to close on each other, inching the mimic closer to him. At this rate, he'll either get crushed by the walls or get stabbed by the monster before he even
Nervously, he bites at one of his knuckles in an attempt to concentrate. Surely there had to be a mechanism to stop the room from crushing him. Yet, nothing looked out of place and by now, the mimic was far too close for him to try to scoot around it to feel the walls without risking his life. It was far too overwhelming, to be on such a small time limit and be forced to face the thing he hated so much.
As he was about to accept his fate, Chilchuck felt a tug at his hand, it was the same dog he’d seen so many times. After it got his attention, it scratched at one of the stones on the wall. It didn’t look out of place at all, but he’d give it a shot. If he believed hard enough, perhaps it’d work.
The stone reclined into the wall before the floor under them collapsed, just like he’d hoped.
The fall was pretty high, sweeping the two of them off their feet. Once Chilchuck got back up, he noticed they’d been brought to another level. The only way to continue was through the tunnel ahead of them. He couldn’t see the end, he would never have dared to venture in it if not for the feeling of safety his companion brought him. As he thought of that, the tunnel lit up, making it lose its ominous air. He finally realised he had control over his dreams. Grateful for the help, he scratched the dog’s head. It leaned into the touch and even nudged at his leg, almost like it was demanding for more before they went forward.
The further they went in, the more dilapidated the place became. Walls taken over by vines, plants sprouting from in between the tiles and he could now see the now distinguishable landscape beyond the dungeon. It was a mostly empty grass field, apart from a small hill. If he squinted, he could see a tree on top. Chilchuck kept walking at a fast pace, so much so he wondered if he’d left his companion to trail behind. If anything he was usually the one following behind. But when he looked down, he saw the dog practically glued to his side in an attempt to nudge against him as they walked. It was somewhat reminiscent of Laois, the way he often walked very close to at least one of his party members, or how he struggled with knowing what was off limits when it came to Chilchuck’s personal space. Which meant Laios always either glued himself to him or stayed way farther than he needed to.
Chilchuck hummed, gaining the dog’s attention as it intently looked up at him. Maybe this resemblance between the two was what made him appreciate its presence this much. Although most of Chilchuck’s sarcasm flew right over his head, Laios understood and respected him. He always did his best to be considerate with Chilchuck’s complex boundaries, he’s a kind man.
Finally making his way out of the dungeon, Chilchuck spread out his arms and closed his eyes. He took a moment to enjoy the breeze, a luxury often only reserved after a successful expedition. As the wind picked up he could feel his hair getting disheveled. His canine friend was compliant enough to let him enjoy this moment for a bit, but by now he could hear its tail wag. It started barking at him, now aware that Chilchuck noticed its impatience, in an attempt to rush him forward. Opening his eyes, he saw it jump before running towards the small hill. He might actually start thinking this was Laios with how it couldn’t hide its excitement.
Chilchuck shook his head and followed behind at his own pace. It waited for him sitting at the trunk of the tree, he let himself fall next to it. In a swift motion, he grabbed a hold of the dog’s head, scratching its chin with one hand and the top of its head with the other. It had saved him so many times and he had no idea how to communicate his gratitude. Chilchuck chanted some words of praise and could see one of its hind legs trembling. It had closed its eyes and raised its head higher to incite him to continue the petting. He couldn't help but laugh at that.
The dog’s tongue lapped over his face and that shut him up fast. He frowned and pointed his index in its face, an obvious harmless reprimand, a bark with no bite. Yet the dog still lowered its ears in an apology, before rolling on its back. Sure it had obviously been affectionate with him, but for a dog to expose itself like this, show so much vulnerability as an attempt to show its regret. How pliable it became to be liked and forgiven. He huffed a small laugh, it truly had to be him. Alright, he’d play along too.
Chilchuck wondered why he hadn't just shown himself from the beginning? Laios nudged him with his muzzle to pet his stomach and he complied, grazing it with the tip of his nails. Surely it wasn't just because of his dream to become a monster or his liking for dogs.
Then he realised, he didn't do this for himself, it was for Chilchuck. He remembered his wish to not talk about his personal life – to open up. A dog is a silent and loyal companion, and whilst the latter applies to Laios, his choice of words aren’t always time-appropriate. Chilchuck's also not very fond of the idea of opening up to others. Laios knew he would have been unable to help Chilchuck as Laios, someone who could see his flaws, he knew how he’d get rejected by Chilchuck out of fear of showing vulnerability.
He couldn't help but chuckle at the realization. He leaned his head back against the tree, looking up, he felt delirious. He couldn’t believe he would really do this, but he wasn’t surprised. Above his head, he noticed treasure bugs growing on the branches like they were some kind of fruit.
Pleased with the discovery, he jumped to his feet. The tree shifted around, practically bending down to allow him to harvest its ‘fruit’. He took as many as he could fit in his two hands before sitting back down. This was a well deserved treat for all the extreme emotions and discoveries he went through in this dream.
He closed his eyes to focus on the taste as he ate one, but was interrupted by whimpering. Chilchuck opened his eyes and was met with that stupid pout and those puppy eyes Laios always had.
“Alright, alright, I’ll give you some but,” he spoke, “you should stop being a dog, you know, Laios.” He didn't realise he put some emphasis on his name, it felt weird to know the dog who always appeared in his dreams to save him was actually a person, and said person being Laios at that.
Laios then emerged from the dog, almost shedding it with the way it fell off him like a second skin. Chilchuck could see the embarrassment in his face as he tried turning away scratching the back of his head.
“You don't have to do—” He tried to explain Laios’ odd transformation with hand gestures but ultimately failed. “..All of that.” he sighed, putting down all the treasure bugs he’d been holding.
Laios nodded, uncertain whether he’d get berated. But he didn't expect to be pulled into a hug, and neither did Chilchuck, even if he was the one to initiate it. It was something done in the spur of the moment, when all words had seemingly lost their meanings and nothing could explain his feelings better than this.
Laois shifted around, trying to find a better sitting position to hold the other back, ultimately settling on gently placing his palms on his back.
“You’re truly an odd man” Chilchuck almost choked, it felt so new to finally open up to someone again. He felt exposed, in an attempt to cover up the fact that Laios finally cracked his tough shell, he ruffled his hair. The other man hummed at the sensation, enjoying the feeling of nails on his scalp. Chilchuck could almost feel his vocal cords resonating against the arm he used to brace himself around his neck.
“You really are a dog, huh?” He laughed while Laios whined, placing his forehead on Chilchuck’s shoulder and nuzzling against it.
“I’m only joking but—” He gulped and took a deep breath. “I am really grateful for what you’ve been doing. I guess— I can't really keep refusing to open up, huh? Look at the lengths you went through to try and help me because of that.” Chilchuck leaned to press a light kiss over the top of Laios’ head.
Neither of them moved until Chilchuck’s back started to ache and he had to pull away. He then went to sit against the tree.
“Come sit with me.” Chilchuck patted his thigh. He laughed at how Laios practically crawled over, he’d gotten so used to walking on all fours. He then laid his head in Chilchuck’s lap, who went back to stroking his hair while his other hand rested atop Laios’ own. He could feel the man fidgeting with his fingers, moving and bending them before he ultimately decided to hold his hand.
Chilchuck leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes before letting out an exhale. It was nice to be like this, to know he could be this close to Laios.
“Do you think if I fall asleep in my own dream we’ll wake up?”
“No idea, guess we’ll have to find out” Laios hummed, nuzzling against his legs.