Sleepy Buddies

Chapter 19- An Easy Choice

"Hand Dream over and come quietly.  This doesn't need to end in bloodshed or conflict," Sam said forcefully.  Wilbur snorted in disagreement, shaking his head.  Dream was shaking, his heart racing.  Had he finally been caught?  Did they know who Nightmare was?

"Cut the bullshit Sam.  I heard exactly what happened to Ponk, you're not fooling either of us."

Sam's eyes widened and he flinched back.  The others gave him confused looks, but Sapnap was still staring at Dream.  It made him uncomfortable and he cringed behind Wilbur, trying to avoid the shocked gaze.  His mind was racing with hundreds of scenarios as his eyes darted from person to person. He had never been so nervous or scared in his life.

"If you do not hand the hostage over, we will be forced to take him with force," Bad's familiar voice yelled over.  

"He's not a hostage," Wilbur yelled back, sounding annoyed.  Dream nodded quickly.

"Well then why hasn't he left," Sapnap snarled.  "Why would he stay with you?"

"Are you blind," Wilbur said incredulously, "or just flat out stupid?  Did you not see what you interrupted not even five minutes ago?"

"Yeah, I saw you slamming him up against a wall," Sam cut in.  Wilbur snorted.

"Talk to me when Ponk feels safe around you again," he snapped.  Sam had tears in his eyes as he backed away, allowing Sapnap to step forward.

"Dream, please come back.  George and I have missed you."

That sentence really snapped him out of it.  Missed him.  Missed him?  His blood boiled and stepped forward, his temper simmering.  Sapnap saw it in his eyes and stepped back,

"Missed me huh?  So is that your excuse for sleeping together?  Oh wait, it had been going on for months, even before I had even left.  Nightmare and Wilbur told me everything."

Sapnap winced at the venom and hurt in Dream's voice.  George's betrayal, Eret, every event that had ever caused him pain welled up inside of him and spilled out in a messy speech.

"Do you know how many times I have cried because of you?  The amount of moments where I've wanted everything to end?  I spent every day of my damn life in this city, watching it crumble to ruins around me.  And now I'm finally with the people who can lift this place up.  Good bye Sapnap.  Fuck all of you."

There was a deadly silence.  Dream had crossed quite the line and there was no going back.  Not now, not ever.  And he didn't want to go back either, he wanted to be free.  Free from corruption, from deceit, and most of all from the ex-friend standing across from him.

"This is your choice," Bad asked quietly, stepping up beside Sapnap.  "Think carefully Dream, you're being manipulated.  And if you don't come with us we'll have to take you by force."

"No, you're the ones being manipulated.  Every second that you spend being dictated by Schlatt is manipulation at its finest.  Can't you see why I left?

"Also, good luck trying to take me in to the station.  I've been training with Techno for quite some time now."

"Dream, please come back home," Sapnap begged.  Dream shook his head.

"Sapnap.  I am home."

Betrayal flashed in his eyes and it made Dream feel good!  He felt powerful, in control, a puppeteer above the scene.  He felt like a god.

"You're just as bad as they are," Sam snapped.  Dream burst into laughter.

"Oh am I?  At least I'm working for the better of the city, instead of running it into the ground.  You know what Sam?  I am as bad as them.  And you know why?  Because I'm willing to make sacrifices you couldn't even DREAM OF. "