𝚂𝚞𝚐𝚊𝚛 | 𝚔. 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚊

- Dream -

The journey isn't long but I still nod off, slipping away to a world of muted greys and hazel.

- 

I dream of wires, hospital beds, endless days without sun. The world is a prison. The people lack faces, their faces muted and grey as their uniforms. I cry and I beg but they offer no condolences. I'm fed an endless supply of liquid, a soppy substance infused with what they claim as nutrients. It's poison.

The world grows sluggish. I barely manage to open my eyes, battling darkness and the fierce temptation to drown in sleep. The wires grow tighter, suffocating my wrists and ankles, slithering around and tangling the floor. I can barely breathe as my lungs grow fluttery.

I can't hold on. The world grows dark as I suffocate, unable to battle both wires and poison. I hear someone screaming, faintly, the noise falling somewhere far away from my consciousness. And I fall, swallowed by murky abyss.

My eyes flutter open as my senses slowly, but surely, adjust to the waking world. I'm on the couch, a thin blanket spread over me. It doesn't provide any warmth. I sit up, splaying my palms against the cushions. I hear footsteps treading down the hall to my right.

"Sugar?" I call, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Sugawara doesn't reply. The steps only draw nearer, louder, drawing toward me at a steadfast pace. I slide up from the cushions. My feet nestle uncomfortably in carpets below. The fabric feels aged, a rough and distasteful sensation. I glance down.

The carpet is strangely dirty, a muddled color, with traces of dirt and food residue. I frown, running my toes through the ancient carpet. This wasn't fabric I recognized from the place Sugawara and I lived in.

The footsteps stop as realization sets into my mind; a frigid feeling that jolts my senses awake. I can't bring myself to look up. The hallway floor, a region to my right, creaks. My eyes widen. Am I dreaming?

Two identical sounds click out to my side, akin to that of a gun. My eyes stutter up instinctively.

"Daichi?"

My world collapses into the carpet.

I wake up, panting, my fingers constricted against the bedsheets. My ribcage tightens, I can't seem to get enough air. The warm rush of my heartbeat patters in my ears. I'm alive.

A cold hand slides onto mine. I jolt, a gasp escaping my lips. My eyes snag on the man beside me, recognizing but not understanding. Warm, hazel eyes. Soft, silver hair. My gaze softens.

"It was just a bad dream," the man reassures, features softly masked in worry, "-it's okay. You're safe."

"R-Really?" I manage to stutter, heartbeat rattling in my eardrums. The chains on my lungs disintegrate. I suck in a low, shaky breath, fluttering my eyelashes against a wave of nausea.

"You have nothing to fear." The voice reassures, tone soaking into my consciousness like sweet honey. The confusion crowding my eyesight shatters.

"Sugar?" I intertwine my fingers in his.

Sugawara slides closer to me, his shoulder brushing against mine. "Yes, love?"

"It's really you?"

"Who else could it be?" A slow smile rises to his lips. "I'd never leave you."

"Not even for Daichi?" I shiver as the dream slithers into my mind.

The smile vanishes. "Not in a thousand years."

We drift into tense silence. I wring my hands together, eyes trained to the floor. The bed creaks to my right and I glance up. Sugawara stands up from the bedside, stretching. He turns and steps in front of me. Our eyes connect, twin hazel fires.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Suga inquires, bending to my level. He smiles at the notion. "It'll help you destress."

I nod in reply.