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You were watching a movie in the living room,waiting for him to come back since he said the mission he had today was going to be quick.
That's when you hear the sound of a teleportion/portal being open and the faint sound of a familiar panting while the sound of his boots came closer to the living room.You hear the sound of him whispering under his breath a "i'm back" before quickly hearing and feeling him dropping himself on the couch,right beside you.
you were about to say 'how was his mission' when you hear a small sob coming from him.He hid his face in one of the pillows on the sofa, trying to shrink himself while along with the sob,soon came more sounds that he tried to camouflage with just pressing his face even more into the pillow.
You just watch for a few seconds or minutes,you were no longer sure how much time had passed, it seemed like everything had frozen, you had never seen him so vulnerable with you or with anyone..it was so... suddenly.
You realized that soon, his 'little' cries didn't hold back enough and suddenly you were in the situation.Dream had just broken...in front of you,you were sure you are just seeing him have a a panick attack or anything remotely relate to that description.You heard whispers of phrases and words as he drowned even more in that spiral, his arms tightening against himself as he himself said to stop crying. Your heart burned and tightened when you heard him crying so loudly and with so much pain, it seemed like he had accumulated all of that through years and years of suffering before that sudden outburst.
You were still for a moment, before coming out of the freeze when you saw his fingers tightening even more on his own bones. You were about to touch him when you thought better of it and then said "Dream..I'm here.",your voice was gentle,trying to give him at least a little of security with your tone,that was also a little more low,to not startle him even more.
Such a small sentence suddenly stopped him, not his cries, but at least he stopped to almost hurt himself (even if unintentionally).
He looks at you, his sockets filled with yellow tears as his eyelights moved frantically, shaking along with his body. You waited for him to process your existence as he soon moved closer to you, even if only a centimeter closer.With that,you then, with his subconscious permission, you hugged him,not too tight,but the the tightest you could too make him safe in your arms, placing his face on your chest while you satyed silence for him, hearing and feeling his cries as he hugged you back, his fingers clenching your clothes subconciously, wanting to make sure you existed while you heard his sobs and cries, the way he screamed silently and his frantic breaths.Your fingers slowly caressed his spine, waiting for him to calm down while soon, the only sound you made was a small, silent humming,trying to smooth him,at least, a little.
.
.
.
You listened to him for countless minutes, while it seemed like you two were in another world, there was no noise from the TV or anything other than his crying, which after some time, probably between 15 or 20 minutes, began to calm down,Dream's breathing starting to become less labored, along with his shaking that no longer occurred, his sockets stopping to release tears.
He looked at you with his eyelights right into yours, since he entered that room, this was the first time he looked at you that he was calm, he sighed, collecting words before saying in a gentle, soft and grateful way "thank you".Aside, his eyebrows furrowing as he seemed to start overthinking. At this point, you nipped it in the bud before it spawned anything again, with you gently stroking his cheekbones while smiling.
"Hey...you want to talk about That, sweetie?" you said,you hoped so, to which he just responded with the nod coming from him.
He took a long time to tell you everything, you knew he had never done that after Neil had...died.
He talked about how horrible it was that he was only remembered as a 'Guardian' and not as a living being, how he felt overwhelmed by having to help everyone but no one could save him or help him of himself. He missed everything before, he missed his brother,he talked of how alone he feels even with you or so many other people close to him, how he wished so much that he could have noticed and done something for his brother to save him.
He felt so guilty about everything and everyone, that this whole aspect of being okay broke him inside, he just wanted to cry like an ordinary person/monster/being, but he couldn't.He couldn't show the slightest bit of weakness.
He says that today was the last straw.
When he fought Nightmare again, but this time, he took the form of his brother, telling him how he hated Dream for never doing anything to help his own brother , for being stupid to the point of not being able to help his brother.His own brother.And how he would continue to be a pathetic and bitter being for the rest of his 'immortal' life until the end of his life, until he couldn't take it anymore and decided to take it into his own hands or the hands of Nightmare.
.
When he finished, sighing as he looked at you, you also sighed, words coming out of your mouth "I-I...I'm just sorry for what you suffered today and in all these years. I already knew you weren't well, but you I never said anything, I saw the way you left and started to think while your eyelights twitched, but..you never said anything to me...so, I never..commented." you whispers to last word, ashamed of yourself for never saying anything.
Dream on the other hand, smiles,as he makes you look at him with him placing his hand on your cheek and making your eyes look at him. As this happens, he smiles a little more, a smile that is both painful and loving/gentle like the being he is.
He puts his head against yours and says quietly "I know that, I felt your emotions, which made me try to hide them even more." You two remain silent for seconds before you sigh"Dream..I want to tell you that when you feel like this... please talk to me, I want to help you, I can't see you breaking down and continuing to accumulate your feelings to yourself, so please, anything, tell me!".Dream blinks, him thinking as you continue "I know I will never understand your pain, but I want to hear you! At least that's what I can do for you."
You finish that, Dream thinks for seconds, forgotten in his own world before he looks at your face and your eyes and nods, "I'll try that...I just don't promise as much as I'd like" he tries to smile, but you sigh and gives him a hug, while whispering quietly "you're trying and it's already great."
He stands still for a few seconds, before slowly hugging you back,telling you "thank you, for trying so hard to understand me, you were one of the only ones who tried to do that, and I'm very grateful for that"