~ 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 ~ [𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑥 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟]

Chapter 19: Sweetly Bitter

Trembling, you stood at the front of your own cell. The inside was surprisingly blank compared to the other cells you'd seen, although you hadn't been there half as long as the others. Maybe not even half.

Taking a deep breath, you felt a tremor of fear creep up your spine. Nightmare chuckled behind you. "I'm interested to see how long you can hold out," he said, blue eye piercing into your SOUL. "It normally doesn't take a long time for people to break, but you feel... different."

He winced, although it was clear he thought you didn't notice. In fact, you'd seen him massage his temples multiple times since you woke up. You could have sworn you even saw his eye change color a few times.

Almost instantaneously, just like all of the other times, you felt the aura around him shift. You could feel almost a double layer, as if he was feeling so many emotions his aura had to break in two. However, also like all of the other times, he felt you trying to push into that second aura and threw up his mental walls. Snarling at you, he threw you into the cell.

Your head hit the brick wall, sending thick pain through your skull. He laughed, although it sounded slightly strained. "Don't worry, (Y/N)," he sneered, turning from you. "You'll get used to it. They all do. Just notify me or one of the guards if you need a rope or a knife."

Your chest tightened.

Everything about the prison was twisted in a way that made you want to curl up on the floor and die right then and there. There was barely any light; the only light came through the bars that led to the outside. There was a tiny window in the back of the cell, although it looked out into an infinite abyss. In the cracks of the fine walls you could just barely make out little pink blobs shifting, observing you and your movements.

You pressed your back up against the cell, tears already brimming on the edge of your eyes.

The pinkish blobs took note of this and slowly shifted out of the wall. Unsettlement suddenly popped into your mind, and you tired to shift to something positive.

It was only natural that your mind went to Dream.

You could clearly imagine how he would have reacted in this situation. He would have found the best way to get you—and most likely all of the other prisoners—out of this hell as soon as possible. It made you smile just thinking about him and how Ink had called the two of you a 'thing.'

Your fingers drifted to your lips, trying to remember how it felt to have your first kiss with him. You could remember it clearly.

It was like a piece of the sun had fallen into your SOUL and illuminated your entire being. Those few moments were, quite simply put, a glimpse at heaven. It was in that one moment that you'd decided that this was what you wanted. This was who you wanted so badly.

You closed your (E/C) eyes, your lips twisted upwards into a smile. Every memory that you'd ever had of him was vivid and bright, just like him. He was always so selfless and sweet, always taking a bit of time for others. Out of all of the people in the multiverse that he'd chosen to love, it was you.

A little prison wouldn't get in his way.

You heard a warped hissing sound, and opened your eyes again to see that the pinkish blobs had retreated into the walls again. Tiredly, you grinned wider. "A little prison won't get in his way," you whispered quietly to yourself. Just saying it aloud made the words feel more true.

After a few more minutes of thinking of Dream in your cell, you heard a whoosh and the sound of fabric hitting the floor. You opened your eyes to something very unexpected.

A scarf. A golden scarf was lying on the floor at your feet. Looking up at the ceiling, you scrunched your eyebrows. There's no way Nightmare would have sent me that, and no one in this Castle would be able to break through its defenses. So how..? Unless...

Your fingers drifted to the fabric, and the touch was electric.

It was soft and smooth, and seemed to emit a kind of warmth that drove away your bad feelings. When you spread it out, you saw a sun embroidered on one of the ends. Your heart raced. How could he have made it in such a short span of time?

Your eyes caught sight of a small note that fell out of the portal alongside it. Picking it up, you read, '(Y/N), I'm sorry. I meant to give you this earlier before we were launched into battle, but Ink helped me to override the system for just a moment so we could slip this through. Please be safe. I love you.  ~Dream'

Wrapping the scarf around your neck, you smiled at how it fit so nicely. It was a bit long, so you let the sides hang over your back. It protected your neck and gave you comfort at the same time.

Slightly more comforted than before, you let out a sigh and rested your head on the bars again. The screaming in the prison only continued, seemingly getting louder every second. Pressing your eyes lids as close together as possible, you tried to sleep.

Terrible idea.

Almost instantly, you felt yourself become overwhelmed with feelings you didn't think you were even capable of feeling. Anger at the Star Sanses for leaving you here. Sadness that you might never see your family again, which then added onto that anger Fear that you'd die here alone, fear that you'd never be able to see Dream again—

You banged your head against the bars of the cell, regretting it instantly as more pain shot through your head.

The pink blobs, which had come out of hiding again, peered at you strangely. They almost looked hungry as if they'd eat you whole, but they were much too small to do that. But maybe they were there for a different effect. They only seemed to be interested when you were feeling down, bearing sharp teeth and even sharper eyes.

As if they were there to terrify you.

You sucked in a breath, closing your ears to the people's screams. If they were only there to make you scared, there was only one thing left to do.

Try and find a way to block them out.