707 Dreams (707 x Reader)

Twenty-Six

She just seemed so small... You couldn't help but stare as you felt her breathing relax beneath your arm. She had clung to you as she got comfortable, and her grip had only just begun to loosen. But... You didn't quite see any point in moving just yet. Yeah, you can hear Vanderwood banging at your door to be made aware of the new password change, and yeah your phone was going crazy in your pocket, but for once you were genuinely enjoying the peace and quiet of your room. The one place you rarely considered lived in anymore. You mostly just lived in your "office" or, more accurately, the living room that happens to have a workable desk full of monitors on it. Hell, if you even got any sleep, it was usually on the couch or right in your desk chair because you just passed out without thinking! So, it made you happy this bed could actually go to a good use, if only for a night.

And she's so warm in your arms. Were all people this warm? Vanderwood just seemed so cold to you! Then again, that was mostly in words and pushing around rather than snuggling up like you were with Mari.

Her breathing is steady and peaceful, even and slow. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, and you feel yourself yawning slightly as well. When was the last time you had slept? Thinking about it, days at the very least. Maybe close to two-weeks. Damn RFA hacker and regular work keeping you up more than usual. As you feel Mari shiver ever so slightly in your grasp, you shift just enough to take off your glasses and pull the thick covers up over the both of you and pull her even tighter. "That should keep you warm..." you murmured quietly, barely even loud enough to be heard if she was awake. The last thing you wanted to do was wake her... She's been through a lot, you know that. She deserves this one night of peaceful sleep....

Slowly, you allow your eyes to close, your grip on the frightened girl relaxing, and for the first time in weeks, you fall asleep.

Mari stands before you as your eyes fly open. You blink, but nothing changes. She looks scared. She looks small. She looks... dead. There are dark circles under her eyes, and they stand out against her pale, almost grey skin. Her mouth hangs open, the pinkness in her cheeks and lips now gone. Her eyes are empty, and yet staring through you at the same time. You start to move forward.

"Mari?" you call, picking up speed to reach the girl ahead of you, but nothing happens. Is she moving away? No, she's standing perfectly still. So why can't you reach her? "Mari! Talk to me..!"

"Lu...c...ciel...." she groans, voice scratchy and monotone. There's a flicker of light in her eyes, but just a flicker. "You left... me..." the dead girl hisses. "You left.... us.... Look what you did... to us..."

Suddenly, another figure enters your view, standing next to Mari. You stop moving, eyes wide. Standing just as still and doe-eyed is a boy who looks just like you, except for two things: he's smaller, and his eyes hold a hint of a mint green instead of your trademark gold.

"Bro.... ther...." the boy mumbles. "You did this... you killed me..."

Your hands go through your messy hair, grasping at the thick locks in an attempt at grasping any understanding. "No... No! I didn't- I didn't do this. I was trying to save you...!" you cry.

"But you left us..." the two growl in unison. "You left us to die... We rotted from the inside out... Why can't you see... What's right in front of you...?"

Your hands move now to hold the sides of your head, and then to cover your eyes. Shaking your head, you feel tears filling your eyes. "No, no no no! This isn't what I wanted. I left to save you... Both of you! I was told you were in good hands. How could I have known- I didn't want to leave you..."

"But you did..." the boy sighs. He begins walking, approaching you, and the girl isn't far behind him. However now she had shrunken to a childlike state. The image you best remembered her in... Your eyes go wide as together, the children's hands grasp at your throat, tightening and squeezing and... laughing. Laughing as they began to choke you. Laughing as it became harder and harder to breath. Laughing as the light faded from your eyes....

And then your eyes fly open, breathing heavy as you sit up in bed. No children in sight... Mari stirs next to you from your sudden movement but stays otherwise asleep. Your heart is racing, and you take a breath to try and calm it, holding your head in your hands. Reminder 92 why you don't sleep much anymore... Although, you had thought the nightmares about your brother had stopped years ago. You knew he was okay... V told you so! And Mari was right here with you, so of course, she was okay...

As you start to relax, you can feel your phone going off in your pocket. With a sigh, you toss your glasses onto your face and carefully slip out of the bed and over to your computer in the other room, leaving Mari to sleep as you answer the phone. "'Ello?" you greet sleepily.

"Seven? I thought you never slept..." the worried voice replies. "But you sound like you just woke up."

"What time is it?" you mutter, turning on your computer and letting out a small sigh. Eight am. Turns out you truly had slept. "Oh. Yeah, guess I did pass out. Though, it was probably my only nap for the month," you explain, trying to wake yourself up and shake yourself out of your nightmare still.

"Is this a bad time?" the caller asks after a moment.

"What? No.. no, of course not! What's up Jaehee?" you ask, forcing a smile to try and get across the usual lie that you're alright.

"Well," the girl starts. "I am getting rather worried about Mari. I had spoken to her yesterday, and she was in such a panic... I called back last night to see if she had calmed down any, but she never answered. And it was only dinner time! So if she was busy, she would have called me back. Or maybe responded to one of the texts I sent her..."

You chuckle slightly, leaning back in your chair. "I've never seen you so worried about anyone besides Zen is so long, Jaehee. It's funny. But a nice change... Mari is fine. I got my eye on her, as usual. I have no idea what happened last night," you lie with a brief glance to your closed bedroom door. "But she's still fast asleep for right now. I think her phone died yesterday since I couldn't get a hold of her either. Or maybe that stalker guy is just freaking her out too much to use her phone. I dunno, but I can pass on a message for you if you'd like!"

You can hear Jaehee's sigh through the phone before she gives in. "Alright. Yes, please do. Keep an eye on her for us, will you? And if you see her using her phone again, please get her to reach out to me! I am so very worried. She was so upset yesterday.."

"Yeah, she certainly was..." you mutter before shaking your head and sighing. "I'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop in the chat. Oh, and Jaehee? Can you say hi to Jumin for me? And get him to call me whenever he has a minute. I have to talk to him about something..."

Jaehee agrees to your request, before saying goodbye. You hear her wish you luck in getting more sleep before you hang up and relax your head back in your chair. Searan.... You hadn't thought of him in forever. So why now? Is it because of Mari...? 

"See what's right in front of you..." you grumble. What did that mean? It was just a nightmare messing with your head... wasn't it?