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A finger pointed. A wrong word spoken. Another betrayal. No one knows how it started or who started it. Everything went downhill. Beliefs were tested, and ideologies were twisted. Nothing was as abundant as hate and doubt. It hung in the air, clung to your body, and followed you like your shadow. An endless smoke cloud of lies, accusations, arguments, and breakups. Would anyone see a clear sky again and breathe in the fresh spring breeze?
One reason. One small spark. If one raised their sword, everything would fall into a chaotic war about nothing.
With you right in the center. You and Dream, the happy two. You didn't fit into this picture of darkness. Being the odd ones out was reason enough to blame you. Give you credit for something not even a god could have orchestrated. How could you.
How could you be unbothered?
How could you smile and laugh?
How could you be carefree?
How could you do what they couldn't?
It was jealousy that focused their torment on you, leaving them with no time to self-reflect, change, and make the world okay again. Why should they, when they could rage and throw a fit to feel better about themselves for a moment?
You were tired of it. Always keeping one eye open, hand hovering above your weapon while you slept. Taking turns to sleep and guard with Dream, holding each other's hand. You wouldn't lose yourself in the madness. You wished for impossible silence and peace. Dream didn't hesitate to give you an option, as if he knew you would bring that topic up and only waited for you to realize that you had to act.
To start anew. A question hung unanswered in the air when you planned how you would go about resetting everything to zero. Did you need anyone else? The problem would be solved when you took it out by the root. The brainstorming and resource gathering went well. But the unspoken question was a missing piece that you had to find. Dream's confidence in your unfinished plan spoke volumes. He already knew what the answer was.
You knew it, too. But while you knew, it didn't feel like the right answer.
You held yourself back and almost bashfully offered your idea into the room. As if you were only guilty when you said it out loud. Dream accepted it without questioning. You were on the same page.
You openly discussed an extermination.
You took down the strongest foes first, surprising and overwhelming them according to your plans, carefully crafted weeks ahead. You took your sweet time. One by one, they went down. It terrified the others, not knowing what was happening. But communication was slow and they had no time to prepare for what was coming to get them.
Dream was excited when he hunted everyone down, chasing them like animals. He laughed like a maniac when necks snapped and bones broke. You loved it. You followed him, even when you didn't need to, just to watch him and enjoy the show. Better times were coming. You were bringing better times, dragging them up from hell, back to the surface.
Your enemies were exhausted and alone, hiding from their fate. Until you found the last one, silenced their cries, and you were done. Everyone who wasn't you or Dream was dead. Ghost and alive have left the face of the earth. You burned everything. Houses, decorations, and farms. Then you destroyed all your resources by burning the chests. All you had left was what you had on your body. Armor, weapons, and some food.
You looked at the barren earth and remembered what it was like to breathe in cold air. To feel the warm sun on your skin. The fresh grass beneath your feet.
By the next sunrise, you sat down and relaxed. You didn't do anything but admire your hard work, your head in Dream's lap and your hand in his.
A sheep nearby mooed, and a chicken walked by. It looked in your direction, picked at seeds, and continued its way outside your vision.
It was peaceful. Could it always be like this?
The wind picked up, and you moved slightly. You were getting sleepy. You stayed in the same position and rolled on your back to look at Dream's mask.
Black smile on white. You knew it well. A steady source of comfort and safety.
You lay there, head in your lover's lap. Only few was better. For example, being in his arms. They were a lot more comfy. But you didn't want to move. You narrowed your eyes, contemplating what to do.
Dream chuckled, "What?"
The hand on yours was tracing your fingers. The other was on your cheek. You leaned your head into his palm.
"Just continue what you are doing"
You closed your eyes. Clouds had appeared, and it would rain soon. The sun was still visible and it shone proudly bright at the top of the sky, illuminating your face in the early noon. Now was not the best time to face the sky. Not when the sun was right there, blinding you. The clouds did nothing to shield your eyes.
Well, now you had another reason to move. You clung onto your current position as if it could end at any time. But it wouldn't. Dream was here, he wasn't going anywhere, and you were all alone.
You sat up, crawled onto Dream's lap, and let your body fall into his. He caught you in a hug.
"Is this okay?" Your voice was muffled against his clothes.
He put his head on yours, and you felt the vibrations in his throat as he hummed, "Is what ok?"
"That I'm taking up your time like this."
"I hope you will always take up all my time"
Slowly, he rubbed your back. His hand wandered in a circle and he chuckled.
"And it's a bit late to change your mind. It is too much work to revive every single one."
"I would never."
You nuzzled against him, hugging him back. Almost perfect. You had just one request.
"Get your armor off."
Hugging a piece of netherite wasn't what you set the world on fire for.
"Hoodie too?", he joked, his armor vanishing inside his inventory.
"No. Stay huggable or you'll regret it."
"There is not much you could do."
You could hear his smirk from a mile away.
"I could get up and leave," you teased.
"Oh no", he gasped, "Don't you dare"
"Let us not play that chase again, it was a waste of our time."
"You were the one who always backed out at the last second."
"Don't remind me, I missed out on so much."
You contemplated whether you should open your mouth and address it. Better get it off your mind now than never.
"Speaking of the past."
You loosened your arms from Dream and sat up, looking directly at him.
"Serious question, Dream. Will we one day look back and regret what we did?"
"Me and you together? Happy side by side? Never. I will make sure to make it worth it."
"Is that a threat?"
"Yes it is."
"You better keep your threat."
"You know I do. Ask anyone you knew. You know they would agree."
"Are we allowed to joke about them?"
"Is anyone here bothered by it?"
"Are you bothered?"
"No"
"They would escape their limbo if they knew we killed them just to make fun of them behind their back."
"That's true. And we would drag them back to limbo where they belong."
"Their crime is disturbing us."
You repositioned your legs and lay your head on his shoulder, leaning into his neck. You fully sank back into his embrace and dozed off. His steady breathing and heartbeat were like a lullaby. Very close to you. A week ago, it would have been called vulnerable. Now you were invulnerable all the time. Invincible. Immortal. Gods?
Your mind was suddenly shaken awake by a cold raindrop on your neck, and it quickly became more. You yawn.
"If there is one thing to regret, then it's not building a house after deleting them."
"You dragged me to the ground and didn't let me stand up."
"Sure, blame it all on me. Everything that didn't work out perfectly is my fault. As if you wanted to stand up."
"You know it wouldn't be the same without you. I love you."
"I love you, too. And I make sure to hold a mistake you made against you until we part, if I remember one."
"Petty little demon. Though it won't be easy to find a mistake. I'm flawless."
"Only for my dearest and because I am soaked. Let's get out of the rain. A bonfire sounds nice."
"Then let's have that."
"And you will get the resources and build the house while I wait here and look good?"
"Anything for my lazy darling", he said sarcastically.
Before you could snap back, Dream was standing up and taking you up with him.
He threw you over his shoulder, like a sack of very much loved potatoes. You didn't mind. Less work for you.
But you know what would be better? A piggyback ride.
Without saying a word, you wiggled out of his hold like a fish, fell over his shoulder, and jumped on his back. You were a quick fish, and he had no time to protest. He understood the assignment and supported your legs.
"Off you go! To the woods!" You pointed forward.
Now that his hands were occupied holding you, you had to do the wood gathering. Of course, that was a part of your master plan. With the one who had the resources lay the power. The power the be a genius idiot.
Not at all, did you not think before acting and suffered the consequences because you were too lazy and comfortable to change it.
When you decided on a good spot for the first building to stand, Dream let you slide to the ground. Having two bodies work made the whole process much quicker.
For now, a basic house would suffice. There were two beds and three ovens, which were cooking steak. Anything else you would add over time. The building ended up being pretty big already, but you could expand it later on. It had three floors with an accessible rooftop.
When you were satisfied and wrote the following touches off into the future, the rain was long gone, and night had arrived.
"I want to set up the fire!" You snatched it from Dream as he was about to put it down in the wrong spot and placed it in the middle of the room.
"Why were you about to put it in the corner? I didn't make a hole in the ceiling for fresh air!"
"I thought it was to look at the stars."
"We don't need a hole for that. Step onto the roof and you'll see why."
He sighed, you could hear him roll his eyes, and he sat down in front of the fire, crisscrossed. He patted the space next to him. Just because you could, you ignored that and sat down on the other side of him.
He shook his head and didn't comment on your act. He had known what he was getting into and got exactly that. You leaned closer to him and heaved your legs to your body.
It clicked silently when Dream unclipped the straps of his mask and let it fall into his lap.
He looked at you.
The flames of the fire in front of you moved over the wood delicately. They were beautiful, dancing with each other. Forming into existence and flicking out of existence. It crackled quietly as they consumed the wood.
You weren't nervous. No way were you nervous because of Dream, your lifelong companion.
You smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. His hands were reaching to grab you, but you jumped up and stepped away from him. You laughed as Dream chased you outside.
You weaseled your way out of his grasp multiple times as you ran downhill. You almost stumbled, and Dream kept you from falling. You didn't want him to catch you just yet, so you threw his hand off again.
When you reached the beach, you had nowhere left to run. He tackled you to the ground, and sand flew in all directions. He hovered above you. You put your hands on his cheeks, your eyes were on his eyes, and you pulled him a little closer.
This fool, he didn't even restrain any of your limbs. When Dream was distracted for a second, looking at your lips, you pushed him away and rolled to the side, escaping yet again.
"You can get more kisses at the house, let's go for a swim!"
You dived into the deeper waters. You missed this. The water was a dangerous place when all eyes were on you. These eyes were far away, and you could enjoy the cool liquid to your heart's content. When you came back to the surface, Dream wasn't on the beach. Hands landed on your shoulders, and an obviously known voice from behind asked, "Do you have a weapon on you?"
You had to paddle for two to not sink. Maybe you should headbutt him for this. But how could you ever risk hurting him for real? You had no other choice but to struggle to keep yourself above water.
"I have a sword with half endurance left. The ocean creatures won't be able to snatch me away."
"I wouldn't let them"
He took his weight off your shoulders and gave you room to turn around, just so he could greet you with a splash when you did. Of course, you returned the favor with a handful of water right into his face.
You were laughing and at the risk of drowning from the waves of water that were flying your way. All it took was a "Look- a Drowned". The water stayed out of the air, and the Drowned was gone before you could even get your sword out.
The fun in the water was cut short when a zombie joined you in the water, and two arrows flew through the air at the same time, reminding you that it is not the best idea to swim at night.
But the rest of the night was well spent, too. You sat on the rooftop. The stars shimmered like glitter on dark fabric. You had seen it a million times before, it was nothing special.
You only had eyes for the reflection of the stars in Dream's eyes. They were the most beautiful you had ever laid your eyes upon.
You pulled him in by his hoodie. This time for a sweet, long kiss. You felt him smile, and your stomach made a flip. Your hand wandered to his hair. When he grabbed your neck, you broke the kiss. You placed your hand on his chest and pressed until his back touched the floor. You straddled him and looked at him adoringly, inching closer to steal another kiss.
When your lips touched, you felt a sting and tasted iron. You backed up and licked your lip. He bit you.
"Was that because I made you chase me?"
"No, that was because you taste good. You know I love a good chase."
His eyes gleamed and pulled you in for another kiss. He gripped your neck tighter, but not so much that it would restrain your breath. He wouldn't let you go. You felt safe.
His other hand grabbed your shoulder and held you close, as you exchanged kisses, smiles, and loving glances.
You couldn't be happier.
You cuddle up to him, making yourself comfortable on his body. Dream hugged you tightly.
It was peaceful. Nothing would change. It would always be like this. You were looking forward to every single bit of it.