[Shattered Dream Angst] Daymares ★

Numb Feelings

   After Dream's "episode" with Cross, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen. Dream never became violent again so long as Nightmare staied away from the bars of the cell, and Dream seemed to have a lucid understanding of why he was being isolated.
   Of course he was still lonely. And the last thing Nightmare wanted was to make Dream depressed. Especially under his condition.

   Cross also couldn't get that fact out of his head.
   "I'm so lonely... Don't leave me..."
   Dream's sorrowful voice stuck in his head just as a quiet whisper. A small idea in his head more than anything.
   Nightmare eventually allowed Cross to visit Dream, so long as he kept his distance. And so, Cross began visiting Dream daily.

   The Bad Guys never got assignments from Nightmare anymore obviously, so all of the team found themselves with more free time than they knew what to do with.
   Cross hated having that much free time with nothing to do. So visiting Dream became a highlight of his and Dream's day.

   Dream always smiled when he heard Cross coming down the hall, and he was always happy when he spoke with Cross. Still, Cross could tell how sad Dream had grown due to his situation.
   He couldn't blame Dream. The whole thing was depressing, no matter how optimistic Dream was.

   "How are you doing in there?" Cross made sure to ask every day.
   "The usual, I've definitely had a lot of time to think in here... At least Horror's cooking isn't bad." Dream usually did his best to force a smile.
   Though Dream was always good at faking emotions. Cross learned that through his conversations with Dream. He learned more about how lonely Dream was, even as a 'hero of the Multiverse'.
   Dream told him about how he'd gotten good at lying to people he cared about. And once admitted that he sometimes exploited his good reputation to get what he wanted. Mostly to get free stuff, like reservations at popular restaurants or VIP seating.

    Dream was a celebrity among the people, so it was easy for him to get special treatment without even having to ask.
   "No 'positive aura' needed" for that. People loved him before even meeting him.

   "I would exploit the shit out of that kind of power. Getting people to like you just by showing up." Cross had to admit. He could get so much free chocolate that way.

   "Haha! No worries! A lot of people would! Even if it's just once~" Dream winked knowingly, "It's not all sunshine and rainbows unfortunately. This kind of magic is too strong to be controlled entirely. Even by me. Even Nightmare can't always control his magic." Dream figured that Cross would know about that.
   "Good point." Cross could definitely count a few times where Nightmare's negative magic seemed to get out of hand. Luckily Nightmare was always good at managing hisown anger, even before the "apple tree incident".
   It would sound crazy to some. Considering how furious Nightmare got at times. "You call that anger management?" But it would be a thousand times worse, if Nightmare couldn't control himself.

   "I hate this place..." it took weeks for Dream to start hitting his breaking point. He hadn't seen his friends ever since this started and he missed the sky. Hearing voices other than his own and Cross's, and Nightmare's voice occasionally.
   Dream told him about how distant Nightmare was with him.
   It was the first time Cross had ever heard Dream use the word "hate".

   "Hate is a strong word." Dream would usually say. So Cross knew that Dream wouldn't be using the word lightly.

   "I hate this place..."

   Dream's voice had a way with getting stuck in Cross's head. Sometimes louder than just a whisper, if he was actually thinking about it.
   Maybe Dream was right. What was so special about this place. Dream had been stuck down there for over a month at that point and Nightmare didn't seem any closer to curing him.

   What exactly was Nightmare's plan if there was no way to cure Dream?
   Keep him down there for forever? Until Dream went mad and actually become a threat to them for keeping him locked away for years?

   Cross hated this place, he hated it for Dream, he hated it for himself. Dust didn't give a shit about anyone or anything, Horror would probably eat him if he was hungry enough, Killer was always a souless ass, and Nightmare was never going to love him anyway.

   Why even bother with them?

   "I hate this place..." Dream almost whimpered to himself.
   It had been two months.
   "Me to..." Cross muttered back finally. Dream almost seemed surprised that he said it to.

   "But this is your home." Dream hugged his knees tightly to his chest as he sat on the bed.
   "I don't know... I'm not sure if this place ever really felt like home to me..." Cross couldn't remember. Everything felt numb in his memories.
   Dream smiled softly. Not feeling so alone at last.

   "Too bad we can't leave." Dream spoke passively. Watching Cross's expression.
   "Maybe we can." Cross muttered under his breath. Barely audible. As if he couldn't believe hisown words.
   "What?" Dream pressed.
   "What if we did leave? You're probably as strong as Nightmare now. So if we work together, then he wouldn't be able to stop us." Cross explained. He couldn't believe hisown words.

   "But the door. I can't open it." Dream's tentacles flicked, unable to hide hisown excitement.

   Cross couldn't hesitate with a goal so vivid in his mind, he stepped toward the cell, reaching for the lock on the door before remembering back to exactly how to open it.
   Nightmare taught him once, and he saw Nightmare do it before. His memories still felt numb. As if they were drugged to be that way.

   The door unlocked, Cross was relieved to open the cell for Dream.

   That was until the numbness in his mind faided, and Dream's tentacles pulled him inside the cell forcefully.
   Dream grinned happily.