Endless Dream

Gilded Cage

When Iris awoke, they expected to be alone again. They didn't expect to see Dream in the doorway, a steaming cup of tea in hand.

They groaned, stretching their arms above their head with a lazy grin, "You're still here?" They said with a strain; they stretched until their muscles ached and twinged.

Iris could have gotten drunk at the sight of him forever. It was like drinking ambrosia. The way his back pressed against the dark wood of the doorframe, the way the warm light painted his muscular body. Dream sipped from the cup, appreciating the drool gathering at the corner of Iris' open mouth.

"Shall I give you some alone time?" He asked. Iris narrowed their gaze and sat on the bed to see him better.

"Or you could join me?" Iris looked to the vacant space where he'd been lying and then back to him. Dream smiled, taking another sip. The steam rolled off the teacup and steamed the edge of his nose.

"If I get back into that bed, I don't think I'd ever leave," Dream admitted, staying out of Iris' reach.

"Are you sure you can't be tempted?" They said, their voice deepening.

Dream groaned, dipping his head back until it touched the wall. He bit his lip harshly, "Iris; you could tempt me into anything," Iris went to comment, but Dream stopped them with a finger to his lips, "But I have pressing matters to attend to; I've instructed others to take your charges whilst you rest,"

"What?" They said, bewildered.

"You need to rest; I didn't want you to worry about anything,"

"Morpheus, they're my charges. I've watched over them all their lives. You can't just hand them over to someone else," An uneasy sensation rolled in their belly. Iris wrapped the bed sheet around themselves, shuffling off the bed and walking towards Dream. He backed away from them, moving towards the door.

"You need to rest," he said again, his face twitched. Iris sent him a questioning look; he was acting strangely.

"Morpheus, what is going on?" They asked, creeping closer to him. Morpheus' face lost his pleasant smile, his expression growing more hesitant.

"Iris, go back to bed. Everything is taken care of," he said as the doors closed between them.

Iris ran for the door, trying to pull the handles out of the sockets. They wrenched the handle up and down, smacking a flat palm against the door, "Morpheus!" They shouted, banging on the door.

"Iris, I can't let you out. Until the Corinthian is gone, it's not safe,"

"What!?" They howled from the other side of the door. Dream took a step back, feeling the force they pounded the door with growing stronger.

"Everything will be taken care of; I'll have the palace open the doors when I return," the doors creaked, bowing from Iris' blows. Dream backed further and further away, his teacup dropping from his hands. It fractured into thousands of pieces, leaving a vast puddle of boiling tea on the floor. Iris roared his name, slapping the wood. The palace tried to hold them back, putting up barrier after barrier over the door.

"Morpheus, open the door, or I will break it down," they snarled at him.

Morpheus felt something stirring. His control over the palace and doors slipped away from him. His finger twitched as Iris pulled on the thread. It felt hot as it coiled around him, a tingling fire wrapping around his finger and hand.

"Iris, what are you doing?" He had worried what the repercussions of offering his power to Iris would be, but he hadn't anticipated for them to manifest so quickly.

"Morpheus, open the fucking door," they swore. The door bowed further, its hinges straining under Iris' power.

Dream was astounded by the sheer force they were able to exert. Iris had never had any upper body strength, so seeing them bend the door's wood to their will was something to behold. The palace fought against it like a rat in a cage; Dream just stood and watched in amazement.

"Morpheus!" They shouted, the door splintering at the crease. Dream watched slowly as the door was blown from its hinges, cracked wood scattering across the hallway. Iris' eyes burned into him, their chest heaving as thin spurts of steam spewed out their nostrils. A strange energy rippled through them and along the thread, searing him.

Dream took long steps backwards, his arms defensively in front of him. Iris marched toward him. The sheet was still held onto them by their vice-like grip.

"You told me it was safe last night," Iris was furious with him. He had told them it was safe; he had told them everything was fine.

"It was, it is. I wanted to be sure. The best way to ensure that is for you to stay here," Dream swore he saw their eyes flash as bright as a ruby, incensed at his pathetic excuse of a lie.

"You took my charges from me,"

"Iris, calm down," Dream could feel the torrent of power waiting to hurl him down the long corridor.

"You slept with me after lying about it," Iris' face contorted into a snarl.

Lucienne heard the commotion and opened the doors of the library. She listened to the rage in Iris' voice. She debated stepping in but decided better; whatever hole Dream had dug for himself, he would have to claw his way out on his own. Lucienne closed the doors again and straightened her sleeves before beginning to remove all fragile vases and decorations from the library.

"Iris, you need to calm down," Dream said, backing away from them. They were terrifying; their hair had been brushed back to reveal every inch of contempt they directed at him. Even the sheet they wore had joined in on the dramatic flair and billowed out behind them as they walked menacingly towards him.

"Don't tell me to calm down, you prick. Start talking, now," Iris snapped, teeth gnashing as they spoke.