Dreaming of Demons (Dream x oc)

[25] Unpredictable

I made sure Quackity was out of sight before I even entered the entry building beside me. He hadn't so much as cast a glance behind him as he left so I could only assume he was going to keep his side of the deal. Thanks to him, I had a long, few days of work ahead of me, and I hoped it was enough to keep Quackity away from the prison—even for a little while.

For now, though, I was going to visit Dream.

Sam seemed a bit wary of my visit, but he allowed me in. He was probably expecting to see Quackity in my place, and I imagined he would have had a different reaction there. But Sam would have to be disappointed because he wasn't seeing Quackity anytime soon. And in that time, I would have to find a way to make this deal long-term.

Sam grumbled words I couldn't quite make out when I asked him for a healing potion, but he handed one over nonetheless. Other than that, he stayed quiet, his severe expression enough to convey his displeasure with the whole ordeal.

Dream sat up when he noticed I was entering the cell, but his movement was unsteady and stiff, as if not entirely sure of my presence. His white mask smiled at me once more, and it struck me odd that I nearly dismissed it even though I had seen the expressive face underneath. As I came closer, he only sat and stared, making no move to take off the mask.

"Hey." I greeted, breaking through the sound of the lava wall behind me. I held up the potion of healing. "I brought another healing pot for you, if you needed it."

My hand drifted in his direction and he took the vial from me almost cautiously. He rolled the small glass potion between his fingers as he stared down at it.

"Taryn—" He said, his voice catching heavily.

I heard the negative note in the sound, and my grin faded. My mind started flying through all the possible bad news he could tell me. He seemed to be moving fine so I assumed his healing wasn't part of the concern. Was this about the demon then? Had it come back?

"I don't think you should come here anymore." he said finally.

I blinked. That wasn't what I was expecting.

"Oh..." Was all I could say. I nodded, biting my tongue and then opening my mouth to speak again.

"That—That's fine. Um...Can I ask why?"

He shifted on the cot, moving a bit further away from where I stood as he raked a hand through his hair, clenching his hand before he dropped it.

"Listen, Taryn, I can't let anyone else get hurt, okay?"

I thought about the last time I had visited, when I thought he was dead, laying on the floor, broken and bloodied. He hadn't hurt anyone that time, but the time before...That was when Tommy had been revived. Yet he couldn't remember what had happened because it was all the demon's doing. And Dream was the only one left to deal with that guilt.

"Did the demon come back?" I asked, watching him carefully.

"No." There was a strain in his voice. "It hasn't, but...Taryn, when it comes back, I won't be able to control it. I can't do what I did last time, I can't stop it like that."

If he couldn't stop it, I knew my attempted aid would be useless as well, yet I gestured to the vial he was clutching in his hand as a sort of last-ditch effort to be of use in finding the solution to the problem. "What about the healing pot? Would that help?"

"No, no it won't help. I've already tried that." He stood up and paced to the other side of the cell, his shoulders drawn in. His hands were curled into fists, and they stayed rigid at his side for a moment before he lifted a hand to draw it across his lip.