Her Guardian || Demon! Dream Sans x Reader

vīgintī duo

"[I am glad to hear I have had such an impact on you, bellator.]" (Y/n)'s eyes widened as she heard Dream's thoughts clearly in response to her silent confession, and he smiled softly. "[I apologize for making you distrust me, but I vow to prove to you that I am worthy of that trust.]" He held his hand over his sternum before pulling his soul out of his chest to offer it once again over his palm. She conjured her (S/c) soul to mirror him, and this time she was the one to push it towards his. The souls brushed against each other, making Dream's cheekbones turn a light gold color, and they almost merged before he pulled his back. She felt her body tingle at the sensation across her soul, filling her with a kind of euphoria and pleasure that was hard to put into words. "[I do not think I am ready to soul bond yet,]" she heard him quietly think to himself.

"[But you want to?]" She rose a curious, almost playful eyebrow.

He met her gaze bashfully. "[I...]" The thought cut off, like he couldn't deny it, and he cleared his throat. "[You do not want an old demon such as me. A human partner would be much more suited to your lifespan.]" She recalled Dance was about 700 years old, so even if Dream only lived to be that old, her lifetime would still end before his.

"[Right, we're different species. It probably wouldn't work.]" She tried to offer an easy smile but it was more awkward than sincere.

He shifted in front of her restlessly. "[That is not how I would put it.]"

"[Then what's holding you back?]" He couldn't quite meet her gaze, and realization hit her like a truck. "[You don't like me.]" Her face flushed as she waved her hands around in the air, her lack of ability to pick up on social cues coming back to bite her. "[I'm so sorry, this is so embarrassing-]" She quieted her thoughts quickly as she tried to busy herself checking over Slash, but he was already as healed as he could be so she wasn't doing a very good job.

"[Summoner.]"

She kept her head ducked to avoid seeing his expression. "[Yeah?]"

"[You know why we can never be, do you not?]" It was hard to pick up on his emotions when they seemed purposely shrouded but she refused to look at his expression—this was humiliating enough. What was she thinking basically admitting she had a thing for him right after their tiresome spat? Might as well add her unrequited feelings to the list of reasons she wanted to put their issues behind them and move on.

"[Lay it on me gently.]" She didn't think she could handle the shame, even if he wasn't the type to tear into her.

"[A mate is a partner for life. For an age old demon such as I, that means hundreds of years with a singular partner at my side. The choice is an important one, but that makes the bond between them all the stronger for it. If I were to choose you, I would spend perhaps the best century of my life with you, but the remaining centuries alone, never to feel the kind of love and happiness I experienced with you.]" There was a deep-seated sadness in the way he thought, and (Y/n) slowly rose her gaze to his. His golden eyelights wavered as he stared at nothing, his mind all consumed with the thought of being abandoned yet again by someone he loved. She could feel his pain, and her soul ached for him as she forced a smile. It trembled on her lips, as real as a million dollar bill.

"[I understand.]" For a moment, silence descended on the room like a plague, and the air felt suffocating. "[I'm probably bad luck anyways, Dance.]" Her breath got caught in her throat as her eyes widened.

"[Did you call me Dance?]" Dream's sad eyes met hers and she quickly looked away.

"[Sorry, I'm just...drawing parallels between this situation and what happened with Dance. But it's probably a good thing you're turning me down! I mean, maybe I'm just bad luck. Dance found that out the hard way-]" Her bottom lip trembled as she bit back a sob, quickly cutting off the thought as she tried to force the memory from her mind. "[Maybe being with me means you'll die.]"

"[That is an illogical assumption, bellator.]" Dream frowned at her, spreading his arms wide. She couldn't stop herself from falling into his chest, and he hugged her close, rubbing circles onto her back as his other hand smoothed down her hair. His fingers played with the strands for a moment before tilting her chin up so she was forced to look at him. He could feel the tears in her eyes before he saw them, and a silent sigh escaped his teeth. "[I am simply preventing future heartbreak for both of us.]" She'd never want to leave him alone in her world, and even if she sent him back to the Underverse before her death, he would still lose his one and only mate.

"[Are you sure you couldn't find another mate?]"

He scoffed at the very idea. "[It is dishonorable to turn your back on your mate in such a way. I will be loyal until my very last breath.]" The thought made her heart warm and break at the same time. She didn't deserve to be his mate. His sockets widened and his grip on her chin tightened just enough to grab her attention. "[You are completely deserving to be my mate, (Y/n). I would love nothing more than to-]" He caught himself, a gold blush on his cheekbones as he glanced away. "[But, as I said before, you deserve a human partner. Your feelings for me will pass.]" The words tapered off towards the end, lacking confidence—like he wasn't actually sure if he was right since he himself could barely move on.

(Y/n) moved her hands to his cheekbones, trying to bring his flighty gaze back to her. Her (e/c) eyes were warm and he seemed to relax under their spell involuntarily. "[You say that like you're unsure if you'll ever move on from me.]" His thoughts remained quiet, his expression unable to hide his feelings despite his insistence at keeping them hidden, but for the life of her, she still couldn't decipher what he was trying to tell her with just a look. She'd never wanted so badly to understand him.

Slash let out a quiet groan, pulling both of their attention back to him. His teeth grit uncomfortably as the pair separated from their intimate embrace, (Y/n) checking him over once again as Dream made sure his positive aura was thick in the air. Slash opened his sockets to gaze up at the pair, a shaky smile struggling to take shape on his teeth. "Thanks for fixing me up." He tried to sit up and (Y/n) moved to help him. His bones were fixed, but the fight was still taxing on his body and magic, and without being able to sleep, it would take longer to recover.

"Are you feeling better?" Dream asked kindly, the benevolence back in his kingly posture. (Y/n) again took note of how seamlessly he switched how he acted around her vs. the other demons, but instead of making her feel warm, it tugged uncomfortably on her heart.

"Yeah." Slash rolled his shoulders, checking his ribs before frowning down at his lack of sleeve below the spot Killer cut his arm off.

"Ink will be able to fix your outfit," Dream assured him, and he nodded.

"Is everyone else ok?" He looked between the King and summoner.

"Outer's fixed up—he slept it off—and everyone else is alright," (Y/n) said. She'd checked on the others once she woke up, using some magic to make sure Outer healed correctly and examined Swap to find an injury he was hiding. She admired their grit, but they needed to be in top condition for whatever Error cooked up next. The glitchy demon was in the process of constructing a new plan with the information the fight provided them, so even if she felt it was a complete waste of time, something good came out of it.

"I don't know how we survived that," Slash muttered, resting back on the king mattress with his hands over his eyes. (Y/n) and Dream shared a look.

"I realize we need to be able to work together if we have any hope of succeeding, so if you are healed, you may join me and the others," Dream said. "We are going to practice fighting together to improve our chances."

Slash's eyelights lit up as he jumped from the bed, fresh life in his sockets. "Awesome!" Nothing could dampen his spirit, it seemed, and (Y/n) felt herself relax. If even their most injured member was able to get back on his feet after their almost defeat, maybe they stood a chance at turning this around.

The energy from the young demon practically buzzed in the air, and Dream chuckled before gesturing to the door. Slash led the way out, Dream following behind as (Y/n) looked around the master bedroom. She'd avoided the room for years, yet here she was, completely at ease in the bedroom of someone she lost. The thought felt melancholy but not as much as it used to—like its ability to drag her down into a painful memory didn't hold power over her like it used to. It was still too soon for her to see it as just another bedroom, but eventually she'd be able to look at it without the painful sting of loss. And that thought brought a small smile to her face as she followed after her Guardian.