A New Era

Chapter 19: We're Just Worried

    Dream sighed as he finished the last of the paper work. It wasn't much, but it was so tedious. And everyone wondered why he procrastinated.

    He got up with a stretch, hearing his back snap, crackle, and pop. He cracked his knuckles as he walked over to the door. Opening it, he saw Fell leaned back in his chair, feet on the desk while mindlessly scrolling through his phone.

Dream blinked at seeing him actually in his suit, even if it was messy. It was a dark red with gold trims and black slacks. It was wrinkled with multiple stains on it and the collar was hardly put together, but the attempt at the formality made Dream snicker.

Fell glanced over before doing a double take and falling backward with a crash. Dream couldn't help but cackle at the sight as Fell, flush with embarrassment, attempted to get up as quickly as possible with his legs somehow tangled in the chair.

    "Any particular reason you're dressed up today?" Dream asked, walking over to the desk and leaning on it.

    "Jus' thought I'd actually look like I'm goin' to my job," Fell said, grunting as he got one leg free.

    Dream blinked before snickering.

    "What?" Fell demanded, looking up at him from the floor with a glare.

    "Your brother made you, didn't he?"

    Fell opened his mouth to disagree before stopping, his glare becoming more murderous before he went back to untangling his other leg. Dream cackled again at the silent admittance.

While he did that, Dream thought a little harder, "Why are you actually at your station for once?"

"M' bro," he said, successfully freeing his leg.

    "Lie?" Dream questioned. "I thought it was common knowledge that you can't lie to basically anyone here."

    Fell rolled his eye lights as he finally stood up, brushing himself off, "Fine. It was your brother."

Dream rolled his eyes at that, "I'll have a talk with him later about this then."

"Dream, I don' mean ta offend ya, but I'm on his side," Fell said, meeting his eye lights. "You've been... absent lately."

    "Absent?" Dream asked, brow bone cocked and arms crossed.

"Well...," Fell trailed off, looking away while scratching at his skull. "Ya don' go out anymore an' I think everyone's noticed."

"And what's wrong with staying in the center and getting work done?" Dream demanded, eye lights narrowing.

"It's jus' not like ya," Fell said, looking back to him. "Didn' we always used ta get lunch in the Plaza? Ya said the Center food was the worst in the multiverse."

"It's not that bad," Dream said, but it hardly sounded convincing even to himself.

"Not ta mention the fact that ya always used ta take walks in the park with yer bro," Fell listed off. "When was the las' time ya did that?"

"I just haven't felt like walking through the same park for the 400th time," Dream argued.

Fell gave him a doubtful look, "Yer bro's real worried about ya. I'm gettin' a li'l worried too."

"Neither of you have anything to worry about," Dream said, glaring at Fell. "I'm not a child! So what if my habits change? If I'm fine, then there's nothing wrong!"

Fell winced at the tone. Dream hadn't really meant to yell, but he couldn't deny his annoyance. Nightmare could keep his nose out of his business and function just fine.

"Dream, we're friends, right?" Fell started, but Dream's eyes narrowed at the words.

-We're friends, right Dream?-

Dream's skull filled with static as he watched Fell's eye lights shrink. He was pretty sure Fell was trying to say something, but the static was overwhelming.

    Dream blinked and Fell was nearly nose-to-nose with him, eye lights shrunk with worry while he seemed to be yelling something. It was as though he were yelling through water; Dream could just barely hear his words, but they were faint and hard to understand.

    Dream felt the static spike in his head when Fell grabbed his arm in a firm grip. Finally he snapped.

    "STOP!" he screamed, Fell jumping back as Dream clutched at his skull. "JUST STOP!"

Fell's mouth opened and closed, but it was clear he wasn't speaking. Dream took deep breaths until the roaring buzz in his head died down to a low murmur. He finally looked back up at Fell, but he didn't quite see him.

    "Dream, I-,"

    "Leave," Dream said, sockets narrowing.

    "W-what?" Fell stuttered, sweat starting to head on his skull. "Sure, I can leave ya fer a few minutes-."

    "I mean you're fired."

    Fell blinked before laughing nervously, "Ya can't be serious. Funny joke, Dream."

    Dream simply stared as the skeleton nervously laughed in the silence. Eventually Fell stopped, his nervousness becoming more and more apparent.

"Yer serious?" Fell said quietly, tears slowly gathering in his sockets.

"Hand your badge in on your way out," Dream said, meeting Fell's gaze even as it fell. "It was nice working with you while it lasted."

Fell stood there, remaining dazed and in disbelief. The clear, red-tinted tears fell continuously as he stood there staring at Dream. He felt his anger surge again at the sight, a part of him silently trying to calm himself.

"Do I need to say it again?" he asked, his voice raising.

Fell blinked before his sockets locked onto Dream's. He glared back, making Fell take a step back. Fell stared a second longer before finally leaving the room.

Dream glared at the door before something dripped onto his hand. Lifting his fingers to his cheek, a steady stream of tears dribbled onto his finger. How odd. When had he started crying?

He looked back to the desk, some distant part of his soul hurting at the sight of the empty chair. He'd just pushed away a friend, and for what?

Friends ca- will lie, his mind supplied as it drifted to all the times with Ink.

Yeah, this was for something better. He could handle himself without Fell. Besides, the skeleton hardly ever came into work anyway. Surely nothing would really change...

    Right?

——

Thought we'd check in with our favorite apple twin! I don't think he's doing well 😅

    I hope you're all having wonderful days and I definitely hope you enjoyed!