where our memories lie

Once Forgotten

"Thanks for stopping and getting us sandwiches, Blue!" Ink shouted from the backseat, a mouthful of bread and meat muffling his words. Dream sat in the passenger seat with Blue at the wheel, his own sandwich held in his hands. It wasn't too long of a drive, but thanks to the toddler-man in the backseat who decided he didn't need to eat dinner at a decent time, their travel time was extended by at least fifteen minutes.

"Yeah, no problem." Blue called back, keeping his eyes on the road while the GPS attached to the windshield chirped out directions. He pressed lightly on the brakes, the car starting to slow down as the phone announced the final turn to their destination. Blue leaned forward and craned his neck to see where exactly the driveway was, the entire dirt road nearly covered in bushes and leaves from the trees overhead.

Dream took another bite out of his sandwich as he leaned to look at the house as it came into view, his eyes going wide. He coughed violently, covering his mouth with his fist. The baker could feel Ink leaning up against his seat and he smelled the mustard on him.

"What's the matter, Dreamy? Shocked?" The small artist had a grin in his tone, leaning back to properly sit in his seat. Blue gave the taller skeleton a concerned glance and reached a hand over to lightly pat on his back.

"I'm fine, it's just-" Dream paused, clearing his throat. "Big."

Still intact, after all these years.

Dread was pooling in his gut like a heavy rock, and he suddenly didn't feel like eating his sandwich anymore. He could hear Blue and Ink conversing with each other, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. The edges of his vision blurred as he felt his eyes glued to the home he hoped he'd never see again. Memories flashed-

"Nightmare, where are you?"

He opened his door-

The familiar purple of his brother's magic staining his favorite book…

Ink ran into him, grabbing his arm. Pulling him towards the doors-

He never got to finish it.

"Welcome, welcome- Error told me you guys were coming!" 

Dream blinked twice, looking down at the short skeleton that had opened the door for them. They were still taller than Ink, but he had to tilt his head a little to properly look at him. His mouth opened and shut as he glanced around frantically at the inside of the building. Everything looked almost exactly how it used to.

"Everyone's already active for the most part. It's been a busy day! Just don't touch the west hall and you'll be good." The current homeowner- Killer, if he heard correctly- was talking about something important, so Dream tried his best to shut down the screaming in the back of his mind so he could at least remember some of what he was saying. Ink sure wouldn't, and he didn't know Blue enough to test it in this situation.