You've Convinced Me

Chapter 5: Suitably Mad, Reasonably Angry

Dream grumbled as he felt the grogginess of sleep leave him.

"You're up."

"Ughh," was Dream's only response, covering his eyes, as if doing so would make Nightmare disappear. It didn't work.

"What the fuck have you been up to?" Nightmare demanded. "And don't play dumb with me either." Nightmare held up the crystal shard that had belonged to Dream.

"That's none of your business." Dream said, peeking through his fingers, seeing the shard. It was the one he tried to end himself with. Nightmare must have picked it up after the battle, how embarrassing...

Nightmare held the crystal loosely in his hand. "It very well is my business, Dream. Because I know where you've taken this from." His hand tightened around it and then crushed it. The crystal dust fell to pieces and onto the floor. "It's from a particular pacifist timeline, but has now long been barren, isn't it?"

Dream sat up in shock. "How-"

"I'll throw the question back to you, Dream. How do you think those crystals formed? Surely land filled with such soild negativity couldn't have formed naturally."

"You don't mean-"

"You know exactly what I mean." Nightmare cut in.

"But... why would you do that?"

"... who knows?" There was a pause. Nightmare looked on forlornly into the distance. But that expression was quickly replaced with annoyance. "It's been too long. Who would have thought you would find it, and be foolish enough to extract some samples..."

Dream's throat itched again, cough threatening to spill. But he held it back best he could, placing his palm over his mouth to prevent any accidents. He couldn't let Nightmare find out how weak he was feeling, but he feared Nightmare had already begun to suspect.

"Well? Fess up, what were you doing there?" Nightmare pushed, eyeing Dream's behaviour.

"You don't need to know." Dream said, fingers closing over his eyes again.

Nightmare grabbed Dream by the front of his cape, lifting him up by it. His arms fall off his face. "Tell me, or else-"

"Or else what? You'll kill me?" Dream laughed. Nightmare didn't. He heaved a sigh, resigned. "I really don't understand why you care so much about my business. Just leave me alone."

"Tch." Nightmare released his hold on Dream. "You-" Suddenly, Dream coughed violently, not being able to stop it. He reflexively covered his mouth with his hands, wiped off any remains on his mouth and then quickly hid them behind his back.

Dream didn't speak, looking at Nightmare like a deer caught in headlights, hoping Nightmare wouldn't point it out either. Unfortunately, he had to face reality.

"You're hiding it." Nightmare frowned. "But it's more serious than you thought... is that right?"

Dream nodded slowly. He didn't think he could hide it any longer, it was in plain sight. He let Nightmare see his gloves.

It wasn't like Dream was completely ignorant to the idea of him... getting corrupted. The suspicious black matter eerily similar to Nightmare's, and his general mood in recent times. It all added up. Perhaps he had known all along.

But he didn't understand why it was happening, and so chose to pretend it wasn't. He had hoped that if he turned the other way, it would stop. But of course it didn't, which was what had led to this. Now he was here clueless along with everyone else as to how and what was going to happen to him.

Nightmare grimaced as he saw the sludge. "... So it's true." Then he looked angry, possibly panicked. Nightmare was angry a lot, but this time it felt different. "What the hell did you do?!"

Dream waved his hands infront of him wildly in defense, "I really didn't do anything!" then spoke more timidly, "I just... found that ruined world, and took a crystal. That's it."

"Why the fuck do you touch weird things! And keep them, no less!" Nightmare accused. "How the hell did- what, why did this..." Nightmare must really be panicking now, and to Dream it was the most appalling sight ever.

So appalling, that Dream couldn't stop the sound that slipped his mouth. He started to giggle.

"This is funny to you? You infuriate me, you know that? You're literally dying, and here you are, laughing! Do you laugh at everything?!"

Dream only laughed harder.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" Nightmare screamed, lunging at Dream, trying to stop his laughter. He smacked onto Dream, causing them to both fall to the ground.

"Don't you hear yourself, Nightmare?" Dream spoke between his gasps. "You sound like you're worried about me."

Nightmare sputtered in indignation, spewing words of denial, but it only dug him deeper. "NO! I simply don't want to die with you! I die when you die, remember?! I have some sense of self-preservation, unlike you!"

"The balance... it's important isn't it?" Dream said softly as he wiped the tears from laughing too much. "Do you really think that if we died... all emotions would cease? It's hard for me to think about."

Nightmare didn't manage to get a word in before they heard three knocks on the door. It opened, revealing Dust, Horror and Killer. They must have satisfied their pyromaniac tendencies.

"We heard shouting."

In silence they stared at the brothers looking like they've been wrestling on the ground. And then Killer spoke. "You've finally decided to kill him?"

Nightmare propped himself up with his tentacles. "No. We have a problem," he stood solemnly, adding, "and I have a monster to kidnap."

The three henchmen looked with interest, brows raising. While Dream stared with shock. "Kidnap? What's this about kidnapping?"

Nightmare rolled his eyelight. "We have to find out what's wrong with you."

"But why kidnapping?!"

"How else would I get them to help me?"

"Oh, right." Dream conceded, a bit embarrassed. Nightmare wasn't very well liked, not at all. He asked timidly. "Who... are you going to kidnap?"

"Someone proficient in the workings of the world. A science Sans, was it? I heard one of them is familiar with the multiverses."

"Sci?!"

"Yes, I need to get going now. Everyone else can stay here. Get some rest, or whatever." He waved them off absent-mindedly. Killer looked visibly disappointed, while Dust was already walking away.

"Wait! Let me come!" Dream tugged at Nightmare's jacket cuffs.

"Why?"

"I know Sci so you don't have to kidnap him! I can just talk to him! And also I... might have given him a sample of the shard before all this." Dream spoke the last part very quickly.

Nightmare narrowed his eye at Dream. "Know that I'm not letting you out of my sight. Let's go."

Dream was ecstatic. He didn't know if he could stand another day of this dark world. What if he was only sick because of this extended stay? If so then he would much feel better when he finally leaves this universe...

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This one's a little short but I like it a lot ^^