Pandemonium | Dream SMP

76. Will you hug me?

"Still no sign of him?"

Punz sighs and seats himself across from me, propping his feet on the coffee table. I can already tell from his posture what the answer is.

"None I'm afraid. It looks like he really has left Manburg. He wasn't joking."

"I see..."

I don't know if I should feel relieved or disappointed. Quackity is finally out of this hell hole, away from Schlatt and his drunken abuse and harsh words. He can finally start to feel happy again, something I know he hasn't truly been in a while.

But at the same time, the White House just doesn't feel the same without him. It's the same as when Tubbo left, though granted that wasn't very optional. He was presumed dead.

Everything that made this place once feel like home is slowly crumbling away. And soon there'll be nothing left but me and Schlatt.

Though...maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing...just me and Schlatt again...

"I bumped into Dream," Punz admits begrudgingly, rubbing at his arms.

My head shoots up and I groan, remembering too late that half my neck is still in tatters, like a shredded sheet of fabric, held together by a thick swath of cotton bandages.

"You did?" I croak, waiting for the pain to eb away.

Punz glances away from my expression, tugging his hood down over his eyes. "I... Told him about yesterday."

I blink. And then sigh. "Of course you did. That is what you're here for, after all."

"Sorry..."

"No, it's okay. Dream is your employer. You're just doing your job." I run my fingers over the bandage. I'm going to have quite the collection of scars at this rate of injury. First from Techno, and now Schlatt. Maybe I should get a choker? Chokers are sexy. I could get a matching one for Dream...

I clear my throat, simultaneously clearing my mind of thoughts about hooking my fingers beneath Dream's new choker and pulling along like a dog.

"How did he react?"

"Like he was going to kill something."

"Oh dear."

Punz fidgets, "he took a swing at me, too. Almost took my ear off..."

My pulse spikes as I stare at the blonde man, "what? Are you aright?! Show me!"

"He missed. He didn't hit me. Gave me a nice haircut though." He chuckles dryly.

I stand and lean forward over the table, slipping my hand under Punz's hood. He goes rigid but doesn't pull away as I move his hood down, seeing that the left side of his head has a much shorter cut than the right.

"His temper is as shitty as Schlatt's," I frown, sitting back down, "He's going to end up with no friends at this rate."

The man chuckles at my annoyed expression.

"What?"

"I don't think I've heard you swear before. You actually sound angry."

I breathe through my nose and fold my arms, "I am angry. It's one thing for him to lose his temper, but to take it out on others is quite another. He's like a dog that needs training."

"Are you going to be the one who trains him, then?" Punz muses, an uncharacteristically sly smile on his face. He wiggles his eyebrows and I snort.

"Watch yourself, Punz. Don't make me strip."