"Keep me the fuck out of it." Punz grumbles as Dream badgers him about his plan. "Sam is coming over today to help me with a mock interview and I don't need you messing anything up. I thought I told you to just let things be."
"Yeah, yeah, but if Eret decides to do something, we have ammo." He's hot on Punz's heels as they jog down the stairs. When Punz stops still at the bottom, Dream nearly falls over his shoulders.
"Dream, I'm serious. Whatever Jack has said must've convinced Eret to leave us the fuck alone. I'm sick of living in fear of that bitch, and I'm tired of not being able to trust anyone. I'm finally in arms reach of some sort of happy ending... Dream, I don't care if all this gets ripped away from me, because I know that we tried and it's the closest we have ever gotten to normality."
"Why settle for trying?" Dream whispers. "C'mon, you're Punz. You used to steal for our happiness. You used to fight, literally, for us! You discovered our den! If you're going to settle down, at least go out with a bang."
There's a knock at the door and Punz turns to Dream quickly. "I'll think about it."
Dream smiles.
Sam greets the pair as he welcomes himself in, but Dream can't stay long as he wiggles by.
Convincing Purpled is the next step. Since Punz and Sam will be downstairs for Punz's mock interview, Puffy offered to get Foolish out of the house and to the local park. Purpled, surprisingly, offered to go with them.
It's a beautiful day, if a little chilly, especially as Dream walks through the open fields. He can already see the park in the far distance. It sits behind rows upon rows of red brick houses and tends to be pretty popular on nice days. Dream never went to this park in particular as a kid, but he does remember staying in one of those houses.
It didn't last long.
Before he knows it, he can see Purpled pushing Foolish on the swings. Puffy is sat on the bench recording them, and Dream can hear her laughter. He can't help but run up to the trio and his heart melts when Foolish sees him and cheers.
"Dream! Play on here with me!" He gestures wildly to the seat next to him.
"Didn't expect you to come down." Puffy says as she walks towards them.
"I didn't want to get in Punz's way." Dream lies and Purpled must catch it as he side-eyes him with disbelief.
"Very sweet of you." Puffy smiles and her phone begins to ring. "Oh it's Niki."
Puffy turns to sit back down the same time Foolish decides he doesn't want to play on the swings anymore, and jumps off to run to the slide. Purpled just stares at his older brother.
"What are you after." He asks, blunt.
"Punz said he'll think about it." Dream smiles.
"About what?" Purpled scoffs, the pair slowly walk over to the slide, not wanting Foolish to be alone.
"Our revenge," Dream stresses, "all that stuff that was found by Fundy, we are going to use it!"
"But how?" Purpled looks doubtful, but that doesn't deter Dream.
He can't stop smiling, damn it.
Puffy let's the three of them go to town, although Punz more reluctant than the younger two.
They stand a fair distance away from the shop they intend to go in, but the trio stare at it as though they've struck gold.
"We pay by cash yeah?" Dream confirms and the other two nod.
"Do you have gloves?" Punz asks, "and face mask?"
Dream nods.
"Then I guess we're ready."
Dream puts on the face masks and the gloves; woollen and patterned, way too warm for the weather despite the slight chill in the air and stolen from Puffy's drawer. He looks stupid, but unrecognisable.
The eldest and youngest stay outside and watch as Dream enters the shop.
"He looks suspicious doesn't he." Purpled states.
"Yeah, but at least we're paying."
It doesn't take long for Dream to leave the shop, a memory stick in each hand.
He jogs over to his brothers and rips off the face mask revealing a huge smile.
"She asked why I was wearing gloves and I told her I have a skin condition. She prayed to Prime for me."
"That was quick." Punz says, ignoring Dream with an eye roll.
"The place was empty. Now we just need to upload everything."
Purpled uploads the lot when they get back to the house. They're sat on Purpled's floor, surrounding the memory sticks like they're trying to summon a demon (when really, they're trying to get rid of one.) The first memory stick fills almost instantly and the second is just as quick. Dream punches the air when everything is transferred.
Punz very gently places them both in an envelope lined with bubble wrap for protection. In his best fake handwriting, he writes: "Officer Anthony Frost - Private and Confidential."
"It looks legit." Dream breathes, but the moment is quickly broken when they hear Puffy call them for dinner.
"We just need Sam to come in clutch." Purpled says, stuffing the envelope under his pillow.
They unconsciously feel giddy through the duration of dinner, and Puffy definitely notices, but she diesn't say anything. She's just glad her boys are happy.
With the morning, comes anxiety and anticipation. The sun has only just started to rise and the air is cool and fresh.
Punz has never felt more awake in his life. He leaves the house early, envelope in hand, hood over his head. He walks through the fields to get to Sam's, feet wet from the morning dew that soaks through his canvas shoes.
There's something magical about the way the clouds stretch high in the sky, teasing the blue and orange hues of daylight. Birds sing their loudest, and the vast lands are at their cleanest. Punz feels like the only person in the world and it makes his heart swell.
Days like this were once a dream, way back when all Punz knew were concrete walls and smoky carpets. When his eighteenth felt closer back then, than does now. When his whole body ached from being tense all the time, or covering his younger brothers from drunken disagreements, or ending up in the headteachers office one too many times because kids are idiots and they never understood anything ever and...
Punz posts the letter through the door and turns around.
It's a beautiful morning, and he can't wait to spend the rest of it with his family.
YOU ARE READING
Reputation
Fanfiction"Dream legs it down the alleyway, bag gripped tightly in his hand. His cheeks are already red and angry from the bitter cold wind and his feet numb inside his shoes. He can hear rasped shouts from behind him, and forces his legs to move faster." Or:...
