~ 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 ~ [𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑥 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟]

Chapter 10: A Morsel of Truth

"—/N)?! (Y/N)? Wake up!"

You were jolted awake by two gloved hands, shaking your shoulders. Colors swirled in front of your eyes, sparking violet and red and orange...

Dream was holding your shoulders firmly, holding you back from falling down. His golden eyes were more like gold ores now, hard and solid. Concern prickled at the edges of his eyes, making them glow. It was comfortable to focus on them.

"...Dream?" You slurred, not yet fully awake. The colors were fading, but you were still disoriented. "What happened? Where did we..."

His eyes widened and his pupils shrank. "...You were there?" He asked, shaking your shoulders a little more. "How? How did you come there? That should have been... I didn't..."

The red-orange faded, but the violet lingered. It blossomed in your vision like buttercups, patterning your eyesight. It was actually very pretty. Your hands grabbed aimlessly at the air, at the invisible flowers. Dream stared at your hands, then tightened his grip. His forehead creased in concentration. Something warmed your SOUL.

He gasped.

"...Oh my... How.... H-How..?" He was at a loss for words, watching the violet flowers wander around your visions. The light, once bright and blinding, had reduced to a soft romantic light. The flowers seemed to blossom desperately; the petals exploded open sleepily then suddenly burst into life and immediately wilted. They landed in your hair and on Dream. He looked in your (E/C) eyes, watching as they flicked from blossom to blossom.

You gazed into his eyes, watching as they filled with translucent yellow tears. They glimmered beautifully, staring at the blossoms. You could sense a deeper meaning behind those eyes, like he knew something. The feeling was a strange one, sweet and longing and wistful.

Yes. He knew something about those violet buttercups. You could feel it.

Abruptly, the blooms began to fade. Dream inhaled sharply, murmuring, "No, no, no, come back... Wait..." His hands left your shoulders, grabbing for a blossom. It disintegrated in his fingers. The flowers were gone.

Dream stared at his hand for a second, as if waiting for the flower to bloom again. You stared too, now fully awake. For a few moments, all the two of you could hear was the rustling of leaves in the tree. The guardian sighed, resting his head in his empty hands.

Blinking, you tried to think of something to do. Biting your lip, you felt a sudden wave of deep disappointment and regret. That's going to take a little while to get used to. Ignoring the bitter taste, you settled on wrapping your arms awkwardly around him.

His form tensed, then relaxed. His didn't look at you, but you suddenly felt a knot in your stomach loosen. It was nice, just sitting there, hugging. You felt a wonderful feeling bubble up in your chest.

And you just sat there, until Dream sat up. Your arms slid off of him, but he caught your hands. Your breath caught.

"...Thank you, (Y/N)," he whispered just loud enough for you to hear. His voice still carried that awe and mild regret from before. "Thank you for being here..."

"Eh, it was nothing," you smiled, shrugging. And that was true. You really had only hugged him.

The two of you just stared at each other for a moment, then broke away. "You must be tired. Power transplants make both of the users tired, even though hey might not feel it," Dream sighed. "You should get some sleep."

Blinking slowly, you felt a sudden fatigue melt over you. Dream, you shouldn't have...

He knew you needed the sleep, so he was helping you get it. With a smile, you said, "Walk me back?"