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Dream moved. Chest heaving and heart lurching in his chest. Burning and pounding against his ribs and making him feel like he was running out of room in his own body. He felt the hand on his chest immediately. The pressure that was there and holding him gently and trying to ease him calmly.
“Take it easy, you’re alright, Dream.”
He could hear Sapnap’s voice filtering in through the muffle of his ears. Echoing and bouncing through his skull like it wasn’t really there but the touch was enough to ground him and let him know that it was in fact real.
“You fell, on a manhunt. You’re okay, just need rest.”
He was trying to remember. Trying to get his head on straight so that he could figure out where he was and what he was meant to be doing. The struggle that was the thoughts forming through his skull at the moment. He was trying but he didn’t think that he was really making it. He didn’t think it was working the way he needed it to be working.
“You hit your head pretty hard on the ground.”
The memories of running through the end were there. Filtering in light sunlight on a warm afternoon. Following after him and chasing him like he was nothing but a particle of dust floating in the air.
“Maybe try not to hurt yourself before we celebrate your win next time, yeah?”
Dream moved his hand. His fingers twitching like they had a will of their own and then he was taking a deep breath. Focusing himself in on the world again and trying to remember how he was supposed to breathe with everything else going on. With the world feeling like it was trembling around him.
“You hearing me?”
He had to accept. Nodding slowly and hearing the breath of relief before there was a hand in his hair and working through it softly. Combing it back and comforting him in a way he hadn’t realized he was longing for. He was content. Happy and pleased.
“You should sleep some more.”
If he slept more then the would miss on what was happening.
Dream could remember the end. The hunt was going well. Dramatic and long and all of them were getting tired. Pushing themselves to limits that they thought they would never be able to pass. They were determined and fighting off of each other and it was good fun.
Mineshafts and even an ancient city at one point. Dream was able to avoid the warden but his hunters hadn’t and it was one of the best situations they’d gotten themselves into. Dream was able to get loot from the chests. His hunters were off his back as long as he made sure the warden stayed focused on them and not him. As long as he made sure that he was safe and secure in his hidden area of the city.
They’d made it to the end eventually. All of them running over each other and spitting insults that were backed by laughter. Cheers and stress and adrenaline working together in their voices and all of them knew what it was like. They were hunters and prey by choice.
They loved this.
Dream had made his run for the dragon. All of the crystals finally gone and destroyed and he was more than proud of himself. Cheering and whooping and taunting out to his hunters to just get a little bit more of an edge. He was proud of himself. Happy with the hunt and the way that it had gone. It would make for a good recording for them later on. Pride and honor, all of that.
Dream fought his friends while he was fighting the dragon. Waiting for the catch and trying to bring her down so that he could end this and let his body rest.
He drove his sword into her at the same moment an enderman teleported behind him. The bright light of her death making it impossible for him to see the creature pushing him hard. Dream tripping over himself and scrambling to get his footing again before he was pushing himself back up. Before he was trying to catch and he had nearly made it too.
Nearly.
He’d gotten his body to stop moving and blinked the spots away from his sight when the enderman was in front to him again. Screaming into his face and throwing him and Dream had no time to react. His body making impact again with the end stone rather harshly and his head connecting just a moment later.
He could feel it now that he was thinking about it. The tension that was running through his body that told him it had been a good hunt. The irritation from his skin that informed him he’d been dragged or slid against the rough surface of sand or old stone for too long. His friends trying to get to him or just the gravity of his body making impact, Dream didn’t know, he didn’t particularly care either.
His shoulder was burning. His head hurt. He didn’t know what to do.
“Take it easy, just breathe, you’re alright.”
He worked on bringing his eyes open. Trying to look at the world around him and needing to squint around the blurriness in his eyes. The congested feeling that was sitting in his head and chest but then he realized it would be from the potion that he’d been given. He could taste it when he was moving his tongue. The overly sweet taste of a healing potion that had been poured down his throat. Efforts that were used to try to save him. To try to protect him when he was down and out.
He could feel the bandages that were coiled around him. The wrapping that was around his forehead where the fingers didn’t quite fully feel real. The way his shoulder was being braced against the rest of his body like it was trying to be protected. Dream knew. He knew it was bad.
“You’re banged up pretty bad but we think we’ve got you steady. Ant and bad are out right now getting some more supplies. Sam and George are sleeping. I’ve been sitting with you for the last hour or so.”
Leave it to Sapnap to be the one that would know what he needed immediately. To walk him through it and get him out of his head when he was feeling like it was too much. When the panic that had been trying to crawl through him telling him that something was wrong and that there was danger and pain and he had to run, were wrong.
The voices were wrong.
He was safe. He was with his friends. He was with his family. He was alright. He was fine. He could rest and he could let his body recover. He could ge fine.
“You’ve just gotta rest now, Dream.”
His eyes were sliding shut already.
His body was ready to take him away to his sleep so that he could rest and try to build it back up even though he was wondering where he would be going if he slipped. If he hit his head then wasn’t it supposed to be dangerous for him to sleep?
They were trusting the potions to have done their job. Faith in them that they would protect him and that they weren’t going to be losing him by letting him rest.
“Just take it easy.”
The hand in his hair was a comfort.
Soothing him and relaxing the part of him that still wanted to fight. That was trying to figure out a way to push forward even though he knew that he couldn’t That was trying to get him to stand and fight even though he knew the fighting was done and that he was safe and protected here.
He was fine here.
Dream forced his eyes open. Looking to Sapnap and seeing his brother smile at him.
“Hi there.”
Dream tried to say it back. His voice catching in his throat and making his lungs ache. His ribs had broken. He was broken.
“Like I said, you’re banged up pretty bad.”
He felt like he was hit by the dragon.
His eyes must have betrayed him too because the moment the thought was flitting through his head he saw Sapnap’s eyes roll. His expression showing him nothing but pure exasperation and amusement if a little disappointment.
“Really?”
He was laughing. Dream was trying to smile.
“Thats the only thing you want to confirm? All of this, and that’s the—”
Sapnap cut himself off for a laugh. Staring at him and seeing the confirmation already written all over Dream’s face. The pain in his body could be healed but a moment like this wasn’t something that was going to simply happen again and Dream wanted to cherish it. He wanted to know that he was going to be safe in his best friend’s arms. That his brother was going to be there.
“Yes.”
Sapnap looked so done with him. He was still smiling.
“You won the hunt, Dream. You happy? Was it worth giving us all a heart attack?”
It was. For the game they all played. It was worth it.
Dream let his eyes slip shut again. Sapnap telling him stories gently in his ear and keeping him around enough that he didn’t slip into something worse. The medical checks taking their time and allowing him the rest to know what he was doing.
And some day. Eventually.
With a prison in shambles behind him, Dream would feel blood running down his head. He would stare into the eyes of his brother and he would turn to run. He would start a hunt.
And he would pray to Gods he no longer worshiped that he would still manage to win.