Her Guardian || Demon! Dream Sans x Reader

sēdecim

Dream lightly shook (Y/n) to wake her, and she mumbled out something unintelligible and cuddled closer into his side. He let out a soft chuckle. "[Summoner, you must wake up.]" Her thought in reply was pure gibberish as she was barely half awake, and he gently nudged her again. "[(Y/n), Swap informed me the food is ready.]" Her eyes opened and she grumbled sleepily before sitting up to stretch. She yawned then glanced down at him with surprise.

"Did I fall asleep against you?"

"You did, yes." His smile was kind as he sat up beside her.

"You're surprisingly comfy," she mumbled, unsure how to feel about that. He was the very definition of boney, so how she was able to sleep so soundly against him confused her.

"Perhaps it was due to feeling safe?" he suggested. He didn't have much history with sleeping but he did know that was an important factor for any demon to be able to fall asleep.

"Maybe. It's been a long time since-" She cut herself off, suddenly lost in a memory. He saw a brief flash of Dance in her mind's eye, and he tilted his head.

"Did something happen between you and Dance?" he asked, curiously leaning towards her. She flushed, unable to stop herself from imagining the two of them in an intimate embrace, and his sockets widened. "You were in a romantic relationship with him?"

"It wasn't like that!" she protested quickly. "At least, not really. We flirted for years, and we would've gotten together if..." Her words trailed off. He stayed silent, simply waiting for her to finish the thought. When she did, her words were soft and sad. "We were practically a couple for the longest time, and the last time I saw him, he told me he loved me. I...stupidly thought that if I didn't say it back, it meant he'd have no choice but to see me again, like he would try that much harder to come back to me, like fate wouldn't cruelly rip him away from me." Tears flooded her eyes, and he gently pulled her into his chest. She sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay. "And then I came back to see..." She vividly imagined her father's headless and limbless corpse in a pool of blood lying just outside the summoning circle with a pile of dust right next to it.

Dream felt his soul ache for her and he held her more securely in his arms. "I am so sorry."

"I'm such an idiot." A sob rose up in her throat and she tried desperately to hold it back. "Why didn't I just say 'I love you' back??" She never got the chance, and now she'd never get to make it right.

"They knew you loved them, bellator," Dream said softly, looking down at the girl with warm positivity radiating off of him. It calmed her heart, making it easier to push back the tears, and she sighed.

"But how can I be sure?"

His gaze was even on her face, voice calm and soothing. "Would Dance tell you he loves you without knowing you felt the same?"

"Probably not." The last kiss they'd shared was more than enough proof the feeling was mutual. "I know he doesn't do mates though—or at least that's what he told me—so what if he assumed I saw him as nothing more than a meaningless partner? I mean, he wanted to soul bond, but what if he had second thoughts because I didn't say I loved him back?"

Dream's sockets widened. "I have never heard of a younger demon wanting to soul bond with another." Soul bonding was a thing exclusively between mates—something the younger demons didn't care to have, so it was rarely ever done. "You must have meant a great deal to him." Instead of reassuring her, it made fresh tears spring to her eyes. She ducked her head down quickly, burying it in his chest, and he gently rested a hand on her head, running his fingers through her (h/c) hair. "You lost your father and lover in one night, summoner. I will not judge you if you cry."