Hidden Away [out of order]

Friend?

"Hey, you really shouldn't break into someone's house and read a dead man's journal." A voice said behind Ranboo. The half enderman turned around, and saw a man with a white mask and a black and red hoodie standing with his arms crossed in front of him.

Ranboo sat in shock at the man. He had heard about the person with Tubbo from Tommy, but seeing the man in person was different. Their posture was slightly angry, but in a way that made you think "that's just how he always looks" and not that he was really mad. In fact, the man didn't seem to be made at Ranboo at all despite his words and posture.

"I-I..." Ranboo tried to get out. His mind was racing heavily as multiple realizations hit him. The author of the journal had to be Dream, there was no one else it could be! Which meant that the man in front of him was Dream's twin brother, the one who had died.

"I can tell by the look on your face you figured everything out, didn't you? Well, I guess it doesn't matter if anyone knows now. It's already over and done with, nothing nobody can do about it now." The man said, sitting next to Ranboo on the couch. He looked... defeated and sad. Then again, he did recently lose his brother.

"I'm Nightmare by the way." The man said uncaringly. He reached for his mask and undid the straps, preparing to take it off. Ranboo's eyes widened, since he had never seen Dream's face before and if this man and Dream were twins they would look similar.

"I-it's... nice to meet you?" Ranboo said, not sure if that was the right thing to say. This man obviously wasn't going to hurt him, but Ranboo was still very much on edge. He watched Nightmare grab his mask off of his face and place it on the side away from Ranboo.

He had red eyes with a tint of green in them, along with freckles doting the top half of his cheeks. If he put his mask up enough for you to see his mouth, his freckles would still have been hidden. He had scars on his face, one going over his eye though it didn't seem to blind him. Ranboo saw small bags under his eyes, showing that he was definitely exhausted. By all accounts, Nightmare didn't look like a ghost.

"Not really, since I REALLY don't like you. But I won't hurt you. Dream's last words were him making me promise to watch over you guys. Can you imagine? He was in unimaginable pain as he was practically dying in one of the worst ways imaginable, and his last words were him begging someone to make sure his friends, the same friends that hated him, were safe." Nightmare said, tears beginning to fall from his eyes at the end of his words. Ranboo stayed quiet, knowing that no amount of kind words or actions would help the man beside him.

"You know, you're like her in a way. Listening to others while they go through some of their worst moments, even though you're not feeling any better. I'm sure learning all this stuff isn't easy." Nightmare said, looking over at Ranboo although his head didn't turn. Ranboo didn't know who "she" was, but he felt like being compared to her was a compliment.

"I can tell you more about the journal and the people in it if you want." Nightmare offered after the two sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Ranboo was curious about the people Dream was talking about, and about Dream's past. Maybe talking about the past would help Nightmare too...

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"Oh yeah, that day! I had forgotten about that. No idea how Spid managed to make giant roots, but it was weird. They were actually edible and tasted really good when cooked. We figured out how to make more, but never that big. We called them Lict Roots, and they are actually pretty healthy. I know how to make some if you want to try 'em." Nightmare told Ranboo after he read entry #12. Ranboo agreed to try the roots, and Nightmare said he would have some ready in 3-4 days.

Ranboo had actually visited Nightmare twice now, and he enjoyed their meetings. Learning about Dream's past and where he used to live was very fun, and Nightmare had a ton of stories that weren't written down. Learning about it all actually helped Ranboo a lot with everything going on, and Nightmare slept easier knowing his friends and family wouldn't be forgotten.

Nightmare liked having company, and Ranboo helped tell Nightmare what was going on with everyone. Neither of them could be everywhere at once, so telling each other about what they saw going on kept them both up to date. The two had become friends pretty quickly, though no one else knew.

Ranboo learned a lot about Dream's old life through it all. He learned about everyone Dream used to know, and he could see some of Dream's personality in them sometimes. Ranboo could even see himself and some of the people he knew in those people. Like Ender, the girl Nightmare had compared him too when they first met.

Ranboo could tell that Nightmare was leaving out a few details of his and Dream's shared past and the other people, but he didn't press for details. He figured there was a good reason Nightmare wasn't telling him everything. Also, Ranboo felt like Nightmare wouldn't be too happy if he asked.

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