Chapter Text
Dream sat in a flower field with his brother, the both of them smiling as they conversed about life. It had taken so long for the two of them to understand eachother again, but Dream was just so happy that the day had come at all! It had been such a shaky start, when Nightmare had come across Dream injured after a battle with the feral inhabitants of one of the crueler AUs, but it had sparked the understanding and trust that the two now shared. Dream had seen Nightmare vulnerable, and when their roles had been reversed some time later, Nightmare had seen Dream beaten up and helpless, too; neither of them had taken advantage of the opportunity given, which had made both of them realize that there was still care left between them. They had met for secret meetings occasionally, off the battlefield where both of them were compelled to hide their care - their associates wouldn't approve.
It was so..insane, really. Dream had always thought that Nightmare had gathered his gang together to form a military force, but it turned out that Nightmare had been so desperate for company that he hadn't noticed the red flags in said gang members; they had forced him to act colder and crueler then he used to in order to keep up to their standards, just so they would give him the affection he wanted so badly. He'd been abused as a child, and that seemed to seep through into his adulthood; he could never recognize the signs. Dream had gotten so many answers recently, such as the shocking fact that Nightmare spread negativity because he simply couldn't survive unless there was enough of it in the multiverse! If it dipped below a certain point, he would become ill, and he'd even done the stupid thing of letting it fall just to "prove" that he was telling the truth..his poor brother couldn't believe that his word would be taken at face value, since so many others had tricked him and mistreated him all his life. The betrayal that Dream had felt when Cross had left the Star Sanses had been nothing compared to Nightmare's shock, knowing that an enemy had hated him so much that he'd joined his "side" just to make his life worse.
Cross had seemed so kind when Dream had known him..he could hardly believe it, but the evidence was there! Nightmare had so many physical scars under his goopy exterior; Dream wondered how many emotional and mental scars he had alongside them. Nightmare had broken down in his arms too many times to count, and Dream couldn't help but feel responsible; he should have protected Nightmare instead of assuming he was evil, just because of the things he had to do to survive..Dream felt so dirty. Nightmare had so many trust issues and anxieties, and Dream couldn't help wondering if he could have stopped them from ever forming, if only he'd been there for his brother..as he should have been.
But today was a good day. Today, Nightmare was so happy; it was a joy, to see Nightmare's smile. It was so similar to how it had used to be, but also so different, in its unique way, but it was genuine! Nightmare laid all his emotions out for Dream to sense - the ultimate sign of trust, in Dream's opinion - and Dream did the same for Nightmare, hiding nothing. Nightmare was truly happy, and he felt great excitement and anticipation, too..was he planning something? Maybe Dream should have brought a gift; Nightmare seemed to be eager for something.
"I didn't have the cat for long, though she really made things better when I had her.." Nightmare smiled nostalgically, twirling a flower between his fingers.
"What happened to her?" Dream questioned, before flinching as his brother's mood plummeted. "I-"
"W-well..I told you about Killer.." Nightmare answered, giving Dream all he needed to know; Nightmare had already told Dream about how Killer loved to torture poor defenseless animals..it was despicable.
"I'm sorry." Dream hugged his brother despite the coldness it brought, feeling a small decrease in sadness. "I shouldn't have asked..I should have known."
"It's not your fault; it's mine for bringing it up.."
"No! No, it's never your fault for wanting to talk about something! I should have kept my mouth shut; it was entirely my fault, Nighty.."
"..All right." Nightmare nodded, and Dream smiled, glad he could smooth things over; his brother was so sensitive about so many things..Dream really needed to be more careful about what he said.
"Brother, I can sense that you're excited about something..what is it?" Dream wondered. "It's so..nice to feel from you."
"Well..I had a thought, but..it's probably stupid, on second thought. You wouldn't agree.."
"What is it? You're my brother; I'll never forget that again, Nighty."
"..I wanted to invite you to my home. It..we'll have to hide you from the others, but..my home is still mine, you know? I have so many things I'd like to show you, and I can portal you right out if the others see you! I'll be the only one who faces repercussions; you'll be unharmed. I..I will understand if you don't want to entertain the idea, though.."
"Oh, Nighty.."
Dream had never thought Nightmare would have ever made an offer like this; no one knew where Nightmare's home was, and now he was offering the location to Dream. Dream would be able to visit whenever he wished, and he and Nightmare could spend more time together! He would have to return the favor sometime. Nightmare was showing Dream that he trusted him completely.
"Is something the matter?" Nightmare inquired, seeming a bit unsure of himself. "I..I didn't overstep, did I?"
"Of course not!" Dream hugged his brother closely. "I'm just wondering why I didn't make the offer first; my home is more welcoming, since I don't have any roommates. I should have offered you my home a long time ago..but I'm so glad that you've found it in you to trust me, even after all the horrible things I did to you..I'm so sorry, Nighty."
"..I'm getting over all those things, Dream." Nightmare smiled. "Soon, they'll just be a bad memory, and we'll be able to move on together."
"I'll help you every step of the way, brother."
"I know you will; you're the best brother I could ever ask for, Dream."
"No, I'd say that's you!" Dream chuckled. "I can't wait to see your home; I bet you kept that moon theme, huh?"
"Oh..maybe a little." Nightmare let out his own sheepish chuckle.
"I knew it! But don't feel weird about it - I kept the sun theme. It's everywhere in my house!"
"I don't doubt it. Shall we go, then?"
"Yeah..let's go."
The twins exchanged a soft smile, and Dream could feel Nightmare's anticipation rise as he opened a dark portal.
"It..might be a bit unpleasant." Nightmare warned. "I hope the negativity doesn't hurt you."
"I'll be fine; my own positivity will keep me afloat." Dream assured.
Nightmare nodded, and he held Dream's hand as the two walked through the portal.
And then Dream blacked out.
Dream awoke to the pungent smells of blood and dust, and it didn't take him long to notice the thick shackles around his wrists. He opened his eyesockets to see iron bars, chains, and rows of cells lining a dank and frigid hall. He..he was in a dungeon. But how?! He'd gone through the portal with Nightmare, and-
Nightmare?
"Well, good morning, Dream!" Nightmare stood outside the iron bars, with a smile that was so..warm; Dream could feel amusement, happiness, satisfaction, and anticipation from his twin..but why? "So glad you could make it!"
"What..what is this?!" Dream forced himself to his feet, getting as close to his brother as his chains would let him. "Nightmare, why am I here? What's going on..?"
"Oh, my dear brother.." Nightmare wore a dark smirk. "You were so easy to fool; Cross was harder, honestly. I admit, I had too much fun stringing you along, but enough is enough; the fantasy's over, brother, and soon enough, you'll fall into line like all the others."
"..What are you talking about?" Dream..didn't understand.
"Brother, do you realize what we could accomplish together? We could take over this pitiful multiverse and rule over it..and I want that. The care and affection you felt from me was not a trick; I do care..I'm just not the person I led you to believe I was. It was fun, for a time, but that time is over. Join me, Dream, or else I'll just have to make you..and neither of us wants that, I can assure you."
"..You tricked me.." Dream's gaze fell. "And I..I fell for it.."
"Yes, you did, and quite superbly - now, will you join me or not? I have an empire to run."
"Are you crazy?!" Dream couldn't help his glare. "You tell me that you've been leading me on for- for-"
"Two years." Nightmare chuckled.
"Two years..you led me on for two years, and you think I'll join you?!"
"Well, you will." Nightmare informed casually. "It's just the question of who you'll be when you do. Will you choose to remain yourself, or will I have to change you first? I look forward to your choice, whenever it will come; I just hope you don't go insane, or something - I have far too many insane people here already, and I don't care to have another. I'll be back in..say, an hour? That'll be enough time for you to decide, I think."
Nightmare turned to leave, and Dream clenched his fists.
"Nightmare!" He growled. "You can't just say all that and leave me here!"
Nightmare paused, turning back to Dream with a nod. "You're right - that's terribly ill-mannered of me; I simply must leave you with a gift."
Dream..didn't find himself liking the sound of that. He took a step back when Nightmare weaved a tentacle between the iron bars of his cell.
"Oh, what's the matter, brother?" Nightmare smiled, just as warmly and innocently as he had earlier when talking about his cat..who had probably never existed, now that Dream had the chance to consider it. "Don't you want my gift? It'll only hurt..a fair amount."
Dream found himself with his back against the wall as Nightmare's freezing tentacle wrapped around his lower legs, yanking him off balance and bringing him to the floor. Once Dream was down, the tentacles tightened, putting pressure on Dream's legs until the bones snapped. Dream didn't know what was louder: his scream..or Nightmare's cackles.
Half an hour after Nightmare had left him in his misery, someone familiar appeared: Cross? Cross..Dream had spent so long thinking that Cross had been meanspirited towards his brother, but..he had to doubt that, now. Cross opened the door to his cell and knelt down beside him, running a damp cloth over his fractures.
"Cross..?" Dream addressed. "You.."
"I'm sorry to see you here, Dream.." Cross sighed, pulling out some bandages once he'd cleaned Dream's wounds as best he could with what he had. "I'd..hoped I never would."
"Nightmare..tricked me." Dream could barely believe the words; yesterday, he wouldn't have!
"He tricked everyone you'll see here, from prisoners to workers..he tricks everyone, Dream. Don't feel bad; he used everyone else here as practice for you..you didn't have a chance."
"..If only I'd listened to Ink.." Dream lay back on the cold stone floor. "He warned me; he told me flat-out that Nightmare wasn't being truthful..and I didn't believe him."
"Ink's got a lot more eye for detail than others give him credit for." Cross shrugged. "At least Nightmare can't trick him; Ink wouldn't let him have the chance."
"..Is there any way out of this?"
"No." Cross shook his skull. "You're better off giving in; it'll happen eventually, and no one here wants you to suffer - in fact, not suffering is just about the only way to spite Nightmare, so.."
"He..asked me to join him.."
"Then join him."
"It's not that easy!"
"Of course it is; you just have to tell Nightmare that you want to join him, and he'll take your word for it."
"What about everything I stand for? What about loyalty and-"
"Dream." Cross locked eyelights with his former (and future) teammate. "No one is coming to save you. Nightmare controls all magic use in this realm - we can't summon one bone without him knowing about it, and if it's not strictly for training purposes, we get punished for it. Your magic probably won't work here anyway, due to the high negativity, so it's best not even to try. And to top it all off..Nightmare will torture you until you give in if you refuse; he'll tear your mind and body to shreds. He'll psychologically and physically torment you until you can't tell reality from your dreams, and it's all just one big hellscape.."
"How do you know..?"
"..I lived it." Cross admitted. "For a whole four hours, that was my life, and then I crumbled and swore my loyalty to him. He'll just do the same to you..or maybe he'll be less straightforward about it and play with you for a while. There's no silver lining in this situation, Dream; no one is going to save you here."
"But..I can't just-"
"You can. You should."
"..You've given up." Dream realized solemnly.
"I have; there's no point in trying to fight him. Just..do what's best for yourself in this situation - join him and skip the pain."
"I..I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Not in the least."
Dream laid his head back on the floor and stared at the ceiling while Cross finished bandaging his legs, letting out a long sigh as he recognized the futility of this situation. Nightmare had him; he wouldn't be escaping. The negative atmosphere of this universe weighed down upon him to the point that Cross was probably right; Dream didn't even have a magic suppressor on, and he had no chance of using even a fraction of his magic. When Cross had fully bandaged Dream's legs, he stood up and looked down at the positive guardian with a frown.
"At the very least, he'll let you out of this cell..this place is filled with disease." Cross glanced down the hall. "It's a wonder anyone down here is alive at all."
With that, Cross left Dream alone to think. Dream didn't want to join Nightmare, especially after that stinging betrayal, but..there really wasn't a choice, was there? Nightmare held all the cards now, and Dream couldn't even defend himself - he couldn't even walk! He desperately wanted to fight, to refuse Nightmare at every opportunity and hold out as long as he could, but..maybe it would be for the best if he took Cross's advice. He'd never truly be loyal to Nightmare as he was now, but if he let Nightmare torture him until he cracked? He wasn't so sure he'd be able to keep himself straight. Dream let out a sigh as he made his decision; he would have to play Nightmare's game for now. He doubted Nightmare would take his word at face value, but..Dream had a feeling that Nightmare didn't exactly care about sincerity; he was so amused by Dream's current situation, after all..it only made sense that he wanted to play a game. Well, Dream would play..
He'd play for his life, no matter how long it took to get it back.
Nightmare returned almost exactly an hour after he left, if Dream's guess was right; Nightmare was never late for anything..unless he was faking being injured in order to gain pity points, Dream supposed. He stood outside Dream's cell with a kind smile, the type that was really starting to get on Dream's nerves; he'd practiced that smile, hadn't he? If Dream weren't lying in a dungeon cell with broken legs, he probably would have thought it to be genuine.
"Well, Dream, it's been an hour; have you made your decision yet, or do you need more time?" Nightmare questioned. "I can wait longer, if I must."
Dream took a long deep breath, exhaling slowly to prepare himself for what he had no choice but to say. "..You win. I'll..I'll join you.."
"Really, now?" Nightmare grinned sharply - a type of smile that Dream found himself much preferring right now; if Nightmare was going to be an evil tyrant, he could have at least showed it. "I assume Cross warned you about the consequences of declining, hm? Scared you, did he?"
"..It's in my best interests to keep my sanity intact." Dream decided to say.
"Agreed." Nightmare opened the door to the cell, entering nonchalantly. "Get up, then."
"You.." Dream couldn't stifle a glare. "You broke my legs - how do you expect me to get up?!"
"Oh, Dream..in my empire, everyone finds a way." Nightmare chuckled, offering Dream a hand. "It's just..your way will almost always end up involving me."
"..What are you talking about?"
"We can talk on the way; I have a room set up for you already."
Nightmare kept his hand out, and Dream reluctantly took it, wincing as his broken bones tried to carry his weight and failed; Nightmare caught him before he could crumple back down to the floor, essentially forcing Dream to lean against him if he was going to get anywhere, and Dream felt..powerless. Nightmare must have felt just the opposite. Nightmare guided Dream along, beginning to explain his plans as the two went from the cold halls of his dungeon to the..still-cold halls of his castle.
"Dream, I've been waiting for this day for years." Nightmare informed. "Decades, really. But my plans did change, at some point; believe it or not, at first, I was going to kill you, or perhaps use you as a trophy, or even just something to take my rage out on every once in a while. But, in more recent years, I've realized something that I hadn't taken into account before: you're a person."
Dream..had no response to that.
"Astounding." Nightmare commented. "I thought you were a concept, at first, or an ideal, but no, you're a real live person; naturally, that made me interested. You have hobbies, and you can enjoy books and movies, and you aren't just a stupid do-gooder who tries to help people and save lives all day every day. That's when I had the thought, you know? You have the capacity..to be selfish. You can be angry - at people other than me, that is, since we both know you can be angry at me just fine."
"Get to the point." Dream requested; he didn't want to hear this.
"See? You can be short and make unfounded orders to people who are clearly superior to you, just because you feel like it! But, for your sake, I will 'get to the point.' Dream, when I found out about your personhood, I realized that, somewhere deep in my soul, I still held a modicum of care for you. Despite all my attempts to hate you fully, I cannot, and so I've decided to give you an opportunity: rule the multiverse with me, Dream."
"You know I won't be doing that." Dream scowled at the thought.
"Not yet, of course; I haven't given you any incentive! But..you will accept, at some point; I can wait for you to come to your senses. But first, I'll state the conditions, as there will be a few. The most glaring of them is that I'll definitely be in charge of you; I want you to rule with me, but a little bit under me - I'm not that good at sharing. Secondly..I want your loyalty. Not this flimsy joke of an 'I'll join you' that you've just given me, but something more..but, of course, that will only come once you find it in you to care about me again. And you will."
"I doubt it." Dream looked down at the floor, noticing that he'd started to bleed through the bandages on his legs; that..wasn't particularly good. A long trail of golden drops of blood had stained the carpet along this walk.
"Maybe not now, and maybe not for a few years..but after decades or centuries? You'll figure it out." Nightmare turned to smile at Dream, but his gaze was drawn to Dream's focus now. "Oh, don't pay that any mind; someone will clean it up."
"Do you always pawn your problems off onto others?" Dream sighed.
"Brother, everyone in this castle has their place; there are those who live here who have the job of cleaning. That makes this automatically their problem."
"A good ruler wouldn't make others clean up after his messes."
"You're right; that's what makes me so excited for you you to take up your role beside me! Once you become prince of this empire, you'll be permitted to do whatever you please, as long as I don't disapprove! You may clean your own messes, if you so wish! But, until then, you'll let the maids clean up after you. Now, this is the door to your room; you'll notice that it's right next to mine, by design. You did keep the sun motif, correct?"
Dream couldn't help but notice; the two doors right next to eachother had a moon and sun symbol respectively. Nightmare let out a chuckle and opened the door decorated with the sun, revealing..a room Dream wished he could hate. Nightmare must have paid close attention during their talks; this was..scary. The hues of yellow and light blue complimented eachother perfectly, and the sunshine from outside came in through the windows..there was a sun in this universe! There were no windows anywhere else, from what Dream had seen - just here. It was comfortable in here - it wasn't cold! The bed was covered in soft blankets and overloaded with pillows, and the floor was littered with cozy rugs-
No! Dream couldn't let this affect him! It was just a room - nothing else! If it happened to be the bedroom he'd always dreamed of, it was a coincidence! Nightmare..didn't really care. If he did, it was a twisted sense of the word.
"I can tell that you like it." Nightmare smiled in that irritatingly-comforting way. "Let's get you settled in, and I'll wrap your wounds again."
Nightmare helped Dream to the bed (it was so perfect..why did it have to be perfect?!), and when Dream relaxed against the soft matress, his brother began to work with the legs that he had broken!
"I failed to realize how much of an effect the atmosphere would have on you." Nightmare admitted. "Positive energy tends to help your wounds heal faster, and this environment will impact that greatly, to the point that I'm not sure you can heal on your own. But don't worry - I'm rather skilled in the art of healing magic, and I'll take care of anything you need."
"Why are you talking to me like I'm some sort of child?" Dream asked, clearly irritated.
"Well..I know we're twins, but I've always fancied myself the older brother; I'm more mature and collected, while you're..flighty, shall we say?"
"So what? I am who I am, and I happen to like being myself!"
"I don't doubt that. But..the thought of having you look up to and depend on me is fascinating; I want to make it a reality. That's why, when you have problems without obvious solutions, you'll be bringing them directly to me - no one else."
"Is that your plan, then? To condition me into being your 'perfect little brother'?"
"Part of it, yes. Is that a problem?"
"I'm not going to go along with it."
"You will, with time; I have plans for you, Dream, and I'm looking forward to breaking all of your barriers down to bring them to fruition."
"You're sick."
"And you're the only person in this multiverse whom I'll allow to say that."
"What?" Dream blinked; what did that mean?
"You're my brother, Dream; you get certain perks that others couldn't imagine. I look forward to your futile defiances on your journey to inevitably realize that my way is the only way you have, and I'm eager to see your choices along the way. Maybe you'll break faster than I predict, or maybe you'll hold out much, much longer - you're entertaining, either way."
"I don't-" Dream was cut off.
"There." Nightmare stepped to the side. "Your bones are healed."
"Wh-" Dream stared at his legs.
The bones..were healed. But there was no scarring, no trace that they had ever been broken at all! Not even the most powerful healers Dream knew could do such a seamless job; how could Nightmare do such a thing?
"How did you.." Dream looked up at his brother. "There's no trace.."
"It's an old forbidden healing spell." Nightmare waved him off. "But I don't abide by such laws. It was invented by abusers to hide the maltreatment of their victims, and it works wonders; you never noticed, did you?"
"..Noticed what?" Dream didn't like where this was going.
Nightmare smirked. "I'll let you figure that out on your own."
"..Are you planning on torturing me, or something, and using that to cover it up?"
"Of course not - I'd only hurt you if you did something to deserve it, but of course I'd keep your bones clean afterward. Everyone else in the castle..well, they're not so lucky."
"You're disgusting."
"Maybe. Well, brother, you have free rein of the castle; you may explore at your own pace, and you may open any door you wish. You may make friends, catch up with old ones, and be your happy-go-lucky self, but there are a few things you must know first, with the most important one being that no one except you is really allowed to be happy here, but you may override that rule if you're in close proximity with someone, for your own sake - I know you need positivity to survive."
"You don't allow people to be happy?" Dream glared.
"I like to have all the power I can get - what can I say? Moving on, right next to your door and every so often along the walls outside, there are bells; the gold ones are used to summon staff, and the black ones..summon me. I expect you to call me when you need me, or even if you just want some company. As for the gold ones, you will use them whenever you want food, cleaning, or some other service that the castle workers provide; you will not fend for yourself here, and if I catch you trying, I'll see that you're punished accordingly."
"You want me to live like some sort of pet?" Dream clenched his fists. "What kind of fantasy world are you living in, Nightmare? I'm capable of being independent, and I-"
"And you're asking me why, when I've already explained that I want you to become almost entirely dependent on me." Nightmare let out an amused chuckle. "We need to work on your retention, but I'll let it slide this time; I suppose I have been talking quite a lot. I'll leave you then, and if you have any more questions, you know how to contact me."
Nightmare disappeared into the shadows, leaving Dream alone in this stupidly-perfect bedroom. There were so many questions he still had, and Nightmare had given him so much information (did he love the sound of his own voice that much?)..maybe a nap would help him sort it out. Dream rolled over on the bed, coming face-to-face with..a fox plushie. Stars, Nightmare really had been listening during all those talks! Maybe sleep wasn't the answer; maybe Dream could find-
Cross!
Cross lived here; Cross had lived here for a while! Cross probably knew all about what the actual heck was happening, and maybe he could help! But how would Dream find him? This castle was huge! But..Dream didn't have anything better to do, and Nightmare had said he was allowed to wander; it looked as if a search was in order. After taking one more look around his room, Dream got up and left, entering the frigid hallway outside. Several of the castle's workers were now traversing the halls, despite the fact that Dream hadn't seen any of them when he had been with Nightmare; did all these people just hide whenever they felt Nightmare's aura getting close? None of them seemed to give much thought about his presence; maybe they knew he was here already, or they had been ordered to just ignore him? Dream couldn't be sure, but he definitely wanted to find out as soon as he could. He wondered how Blue and Ink were doing; they probably didn't even know he was gone, yet..he'd taken to disappearing for hours on end lately, all to live out an apparent fantasy in which he and his brother actually got along. Dream hoped Nightmare wouldn't make him fight his friends; he would never do it intentionally, but..he doubted Nightmare was above mind control.
The thought gave him shivers.
Dream wandered the halls of the castle for hours, eventually getting thoroughly lost; he wasn't sure how many staircases he'd climbed up or gone down, and all these hallways looked the same; how many floors did this place have, and why couldn't he have had the good fortune to end up going in circles? At least he would have been able to find his room if he'd gone in a circle. Eventually, he settled on going to the bottom floor (not the dungeon). He knew that Nightmare had taken him up some stairs along the way to his room, but he hadn't paid much attention to how many flights that had been; he had been too busy listening to Nightmare's ramblings. At least, if he was on the bottom floor, he'd at least get a vague idea of..no, he really didn't recognize any of this as unique. Well, he knew that was on the ground floor! A small victory! Dream found himself so glad that he lived in a small house.
Well..he didn't live there anymore, it seemed.
"Wow, you look lost!" A voice he knew dragged him from his thoughts, and he flinched, squeaking.
It was Killer, standing right next to him, and he couldn't defend himself because this universe was so drenched with negativity that it was a wonder he could even survive here!
..How was he surviving here, anyway?
"We've been expecting you!" Killer didn't comment on Dream's fright.
"You..have..?" Dream blinked.
"Yeah, ever since boss set his sights on you." Killer shrugged. "No one he targets ever escapes, so it was only a matter of time."
"..Really?"
That didn't bode well for Dream's chances..but it also reminded him of the one with whom he was speaking: Killer. Over the past few years, Nightmare had told Dream the most awful stories about all of his gang members, and Dream had believed him..he'd trusted him. Nightmare had told him that Cross was a violent abuser, that Horror was a bipolar psychopath, that Dust was a perfectionist who would kill to "make things look nice," and that Killer..was an animal abuser, as well as an emotionally-void murderer who hated everyone who could feel emotion..
But Nightmare couldn't be trusted..
"Yep." Killer nodded. "Cool to see you off a battlefield, though..although, I don't think I'll ever see you on one again. So, enjoying your first trip around the castle?"
"..I'm hopelessly and utterly lost." Dream decided to tell the truth; it wasn't as if things could get much worse for him right now.
"Yeah, that happens to everyone as a newbie." Killer chuckled. "How about you swing by our quarters, and we'll give you a housewarming party?"
"..Where would that be?"
"This way, sunny boy!"
"What did you just-"
"Hurry up!"
Dream sighed, but he followed Killer nevertheless; it was..actually kind of nice to see something familiar, even if it was just Killer being annoying. It turned out that the gang's quarters were all connected behind one door; there was no design on this door, however - just an old sign with the words "Secret Gang Hideout" carved into it. At least it was on the first floor; Dream wouldn't have to work hard to remember the location! Killer opened the door to reveal a small living area, and when the duo entered the room, it really felt like..an apartment. The gang were sharing an apartment in a giant castle that easily could have provided them with their own separate rooms.
Dream was really starting to doubt Nightmare's veracity regarding his former claims.
"Boss finally caught you, huh?" Horror spoke up first, standing in the doorway into the gang's kitchen. "Well..sorry to see you, but welcome, I guess."
"Who are you talking-" Dust came out of one of the adjoining rooms, pausing and closing the door behind him when he noticed Dream. "Oh..huh. Guess the world is doomed now."
"It was doomed way before boss set his sights on Sunshine." Killer stated his opinion. "But, yeah, this is pretty bad. But what can we do, eh?"
"..What are you talking about?" Dream wondered. "And would you use my real name, please?"
"Now that boss has you, he's gonna take out Ink and Blue." Horror shrugged. "That's his next plan, anyway."
"..I believe they can defeat him." Dream crossed his arms. "They will defeat him."
"Positive thinking - what a wonder." Killer remarked.
"So, all we know is that you're not gonna be joining our team; what's boss doing with you?" Dust inquired.
"..Other than telling me that the majority of my joy over the past two years have been a lie?" Dream sighed.
"Come on, take a seat." Killer waved Dream over to the couch, and Dream followed; there wasn't much left right now that could phase him.
"Where's Cross?"
"Working." Horror replied. "He won't be back until late.."
"You can tell time, here? When exactly is 'late'?" Dream hadn't found any other windows in his search; he was starting to doubt that there were any at all aside from the ones in his room.
"There's an outdoor area where you can tell; it's just hard to find. Most of us just run on an internal clock - you'll start to get it, after a while."
"I see..has Nightmare told you what he plans to do with me?"
"Figured he'd have told you." Dust mentioned. "I haven't heard anything."
"Well, he did..sort of." Dream paused to try to figure out how to explain it. "He was just..a bit confusing about a lot of it? He likes to hear himself talk; I can tell that much from one conversation..one long conversation."
"That's boss!" Killer snorted. "Calls himself 'prolific'!"
"Well, what could you gather?" Horror questioned. Anything important?"
Dream looked down. "There was a lot that he said that's..concerning, but what worries me the most is the fact that he wants to strip me of my independence..he said he wants me to 'depend' on him - to go to him for every little thing I want or need."
"Sounds like he wants a puppy." Killer commented, bringing something to Dream's attention.
"..I'd like to clear something up."
"We're all ears." Dust assured.
"..When Nightmare was..tricking me, he..he told me a lot of horrible things, specifically about you four - those..were lies, right?"
"Depends on what he told you." Killer twirled a blade (where had he gotten that?) in his hand.
"Well, he told me that you were an animal abuser-"
"He what?!" Killer practically screeched, causing Dream to flinch. "That-"
Horror covered Killer's mouth, taking the other out of the room as muffled shouts of indignation tried to escape the makeshift gag. Dream..wasn't sure what to make of that.
"..Killer's an animal lover." Dust cleared up the situation. "Boss is decidedly not; he's murdered at least eight strays that Killer's picked up over the years.."
"...Oh." Dream suddenly felt quite uncomfortable.
"Well, what'd he say about me?" Dust inquired, sitting next to Dream. "I'm interested, and I won't freak out - promise."
"..He told me you were a perfectionist." Dream stiffened - before relaxing, as Dust merely let out an amused huff.
"I keep my room clean; that's about the extent of it."
"..It's so weird, knowing that he told me all those lies, and I could envision him talking about a real person..it felt so real! I could sense his fear and anxiety when he spoke about stuff like that!"
"He's good at being convincing; he targeted empaths for a while before going after you so he'd know exactly how to trick you. He even wrote books' worth of stuff about the little world he'd invented to sell you on."
"..He didn't even break character until I was on the other side of the portal."
"He never does. Don't feel bad about it - you never had a chance."
"I've been hearing that a lot, lately..it's crazy, knowing that he put so much time into..capturing me? He told me it was easy, as if I were some gullible fool who'd trust any passing stranger with my life! To know that he planned everything I went through for the past two years, probably down to whole storyboards.."
"Looks like we found the perfectionist." Dust smirked, evoking a shred of laughter from Dream.
"I guess so!" Dream threw his arms up into the air, leaning his head back into the couch as they came back down. "He..he told me that he wants me to 'rule with him,' and I just..how did he get that nerve? I would never..but he seems so confident that I'll abandon everything I stand for and care about..for him.."
"He asked you to rule with him?"
"Yep..apparently. I don't know what he wants, or what he thinks he'll get, but I won't give in..I won't trust him this time."
"..Good luck."
"Thanks.." Dream sighed. "Do you, uh..know where my room is? I think I'm going to try to sleep the confusion off - I'm still half in-shock that any of this is happening at all."
"You're on the fifth floor, third hallway from the left."
"..How many floors are there?"
"Six."
"..I'm never going to learn this place."
"You will, in time; don't sweat it. And feel free to pop in for a visit whenever - we're pretty starved for company."
"..Thank you." Dream smiled, standing up. "Um..tell Killer I didn't mean to..trigger him?"
"He knows - it's not you he's mad at."
"All right..thanks. I'll see you around, then.."
"See ya." Dust offered a brief wave, and Dream returned it before leaving the room.
On the fifth floor, in the third hallway from the left, Dream breathed out a sigh of relief, finding the sun-decorated door and closing it behind him as he entered the room.
He needed a nap.
~~~chapter end woot~~~
Dream bean gets captured!
Thanks for reading my capturing writing!
Bye!