Her Guardian || Demon! Dream Sans x Reader

quadrāgintā septem

(Y/n)'s gaze slowly slid between the 8 small graves in her backyard, lingering on the two in the middle of the bunch. Some of them were empty with nothing to bury in the first place, but the others held urns containing the dust of those she'd lost. In the middle front row was Dad and Dance, finally laid to rest with their murderers treated to the same fate. Surrounding them were Outer and Error's graves, and in the second row were Nightmare and his minions. Maybe they were evil, but they still deserved a peaceful resting spot just like the others, and with the snow melting away with the coming of spring, she figured it was time to lay all of the fallen to rest.

(Y/n) bent down, kissing the tips of her fingers before pressing them to the ground over both Dad and Dance's graves, finally telling them she loved them too before saying goodbye for the last time. She would always miss them, but it was time she moved on with her life instead of staying stuck in the past. Moving on didn't mean forgetting they existed, but instead treasuring their memory in her mind and continuing on living, knowing that they'd made a great, positive impact on her life but their time in it was over. And that was alright. People come and go in your life, and just because they don't always stick around doesn't mean your time with them wasn't well spent. The prospect of losing a loved one should never stop you from loving again, as that feeling of loss shows you just how special what you had was. Getting stuck in the past prevents you from looking to the future and living in the now, and (Y/n) was done staying trapped in a past that could never be rewritten. Dad and Dance wouldn't want that, and Dream didn't want that either.

"We will miss them," Dream said solemnly as he appeared beside her.

(Y/n) nodded as she stood tall, lost in thought as she glanced around at the many graves. "[It's not fair...]"

"Life hardly ever is." Dream took her hand, pulling her into his side and his warm, positive aura.

"At least you got to say goodbye." Nightmare gave Dream the closure he needed, and while she was more than happy for him, she wished she'd gotten the same thing. She wanted to tell Dad and Dance that she loved them, that she was sorry, that they deserved better, but she'd never get that chance.

"Waiting for closure is a waste of time, and you are more than unlikely to receive it." His golden eyelights were warm on her as he squeezed her hip lovingly. He waited 500 years for closure, and the fact that he got it at all was a miracle. "You must make amends with yourself and move on, forgive and forget. Holding on to all that hurts you is liable only to make you bitter and resentful."

"That's rather easy in this world." (Y/n) smiled wryly and he mirrored her, though his smile was more genuine.

"Which is why it takes greater strength to rise above—a strength I see in you, bellator." He leaned down, lightly pressing his teeth against her hair. "I have always claimed you are the maker of your own destiny and your fate is in your hands, and you have proven this in droves. You are your mother's child, yet unlike her, you are capable of moving on in a way she could not. Just because you may have a predisposition to a certain path does not mean you are incapable of carving your own." He had a point—even if it was campy and corny as hell, but he deserved to be a little cheesy after all they'd been through. This felt like the final chapter of a show that had been going on for much too long, and she was more than ready for the curtain call.

(Y/n) glanced towards her house where the others were gathered waiting for her to send them back to the Underverse. "Are the others ready to go?"

"They await your return, but they respect human burial traditions so they will wait as long as you need." Dream didn't entirely comprehend the significance of burials either, but he understood their role in honoring the dead and he made that clear to the others. Waylon had made it his mission for the demons to go out on a high note so he'd purchased some expensive champagne to treat them to before (Y/n) sent them back, calling it his parting gift. They'd celebrated their entire last day in the human world, relaxing for what would be the last time in a long while, and Dream couldn't be more proud to see them so happy.