Fresh New Antivirus

Ch 8 - A Dream Meeting

Star Council Base ...

Dream was admiring his hard work. The Base was spotless.

When Blue wasn't here, most of the cleaning fell to Dream as Ink would often forget or get side tracked.

Being Creator was a busy job after all. Supposedly.

Though as the Guardian of Positivity, it wasn't as if he didn't have his own responsibilities. But they weren't nearly as time consuming.

He could do his job with his eyes closed - and being as he needs to be asleep to send good dreams most effectively, he meant that literally.

Though sometimes his job required him to fight off his brother in the waking world every month or so. Dream missed the shy, kind and gentle skeleton he used to be. Eating the negative apples had changed him into something cruel and power hungry.

It hurt him to see what he had become.

His soul twinged at the intense negative feeling.

He lightly slapped his cheek bones. Nope! He has to stay positive or Nightmare will gain an edge. He can't mope for long about his brother - the multiverse was counting on him.

The positive apple in his rib cage did its thing and he was his positive self in no time. He began humming a tune as he threw a rag into the washer and returned to the living room.

Now what?

He had already cleaned and gone shopping ... maybe he could ask Blue to come over after all?

He got out his phone and sent out a text.

Just as his boney finger hit send, Ink came in from a portal and he wasn't alone.

He was crying ... and covered in paint??

Dream rushed forward to give him a hug, not worried about the mess. Ink only cries when an AU he has memories in is destroyed. And with Inks memory ... there aren't many.

"It's gonna be okay!" Dream said, leading him to the couch and throwing a blanket (that he had just laundered and folded) around his friends shoulders. "I'll go grab some tea! Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

A small nod.

"There are fresh cookies on the coffee table." Dream said, smiling kindly. "Help yourself."

Ink already had one in his hand before Dream made his way to the kitchen.

He had already forgotten the guest in his haste. It was like there was no emotional presence, so Dream didn't really notice the colorful skeleton as he worried about his friend.

Dream would normally use a tiny bit of his aura to help, but Ink was unaffected by it. Starting the kettle, his golden eye lights lingered on the jasmine tea before he settled on the camomile.

Back with Fresh, his emotions were a little ... off. They were almost gone, it felt like. Was it a bug? Could his code not handle loss ... or was it just not accounted for ... ?

Or was something else at play entirely?

Fresh realized he'd been standing there blankly for a few more seconds than was probably comfortable, if the worried look Ink gave was an indicator. He had stopped crying, but that didn't mean he was good.

Fresh decides to force himself to act semi-normal.

So with a small lazy (fake) smile, Fresh plops himself beside Ink and grabs a cookie. His shades were no longer blank.

"Sorry bout goin' all blank Ink bro ... kinda not processing well."

Ink nodded and grabbed another cookie. "... was this the first time you've lost somebody? What about your brother?"