Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was lonely, to be a god.

To be a god long forgotten and hated by his own peers.

To be a deity locked away in deep caverns never to be found again. Not killed, not publicly beheaded then thrown in a volcano, just locked away from the eyes of those who only wished to be looked up to by their own believers.
Humans.

The other gods even took the time to disguise him as a lowlife human prisoner while he was chained in the heart of a mountain, so in the eventuality that someone came in here, no one would recognize him. No one in thousands of years could understand the importance that he once had.

He, left to rot there, unfed, alone, forgotten and with both wrists chained to the stone of the mountain, arms in pain from not moving for centuries. The chains burning from their own magic, marking the skin of his wrists.

DreamXD was hurt, hurting and angry. Angry at those who forced him in here. Angry at those who jokingly placed beautiful trees in front of him that he could never reach. He would curse every day those who once mocked him, who decided to create a beautiful paradise of eternal spring in front of him while he had to deal with the harshness of each weather by himself, wearing nothing but thin torn fabric.
He cried about the lack of life down there, nothing to manipulate, nothing to control, nothing to witness happening.

It was awfully silent. No wind, no birds. He knew the height of the sun in the sky while the only sunlight that penetrated the hollow of the mountain was only visible behind him, another sick joke.

He would count the days and weeks by scratching the stone that was his backrest, both his arms stuck above his head. He stopped trying to keep track, he just did. Shallow mark after shallow mark, so he would know how much time he spent there.

His mask was broken, lying beside him, out of reach.

As time passed by, his hunger grew. For human life. For blood. For divine blood.

He repeated the names of those he had to punish for tying him down like this, day after day, knowing that one day, he was going to be free. His chains will loosen and when that day comes, he will start an apocalypse. Something so quick and furious that all the other gods would witness all their followers die in less than a day.

Or he could make them all suffer. Kill them slowly with a plague.

Anything to soothe the growing rage building in his heart.

A day was near its end when something different happened.
A sound.

DreamXD, for the first time in years, moved. He moved his head, craning his neck towards the source of the sound. He couldn’t see it, whether it was because it was not in his line of sight or that his eyes finally decided to stop torturing him.

The god blinked several times. His surroundings had engraved themselves in his senses, he couldn’t really tell when they were open or closed.

What helped him see the difference was when something appeared in the corner of his vision. 
He stopped moving altogether, waiting for that thing to get closer.

And it did.

It was a human, it was easy to guess. No god was foolish enough to get here.

A young male, seemingly lost.

“Woah!” screamed the little creature.

DreamXD turned his head to look at him.

He was young, healthy, dressed in winter clothes. With brown hair and brown eyes, he was shivering.
His mind smelled of weakness, the god’s favorite.

“A-are you alright?”

The god gave him no answer, just looked at him. Remembering the words of the other gods while his chains were molded into the stone, he took in the fact that this mortal only saw him as some miserable human.

The god did not have enough strength to make this human his obedient puppet yet. All his energy was left with the starvation and the only reason he didn’t disappear was the focus of his wrath.

Wrath wasn’t convincing enough when you could barely stand up, your arms held back.

But the god didn’t have to convince the human of anything.
He willingly came closer and knelt in front of him.

“You look freezing! Why are you dressed like this out there in the cold?!”

The god meekly moved his wrist trapped in chains, making them jingle.

“Oh. Right.”

The human would make an amazing meal. Just that one could be enough for DreamXD to recover strength and gather energy from the place, then the whole mountain, and then gather energy straight from the core of the world, swallowing everything true.

The human got closer, and just now the god noticed he shed his larger coat to wrap it around DreamXD’s shoulders. He was close enough for the first bite. A neck that looked juicy and tender, appetizing blood flowing in his veins.

“Are you hungry?”

The god grunted, his eyes focused on his prey.

His wishes for human flesh were tamed when the human got food out of soft silky fabric.

“It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

The human was holding the food with both hands, presenting it to the prisoner of the mountain.

DreamXD remembered well the last time he was given a human offering. A priestess sacrificed several young women, asking for fortune and health for a whole country. A wish he fulfilled, until other gods started arguing with his ways.

That was very, very long ago. Especially in human cycles.

DreamXD nodded, accepting the gift, and George fed it to him.
It was sweet, some kind of candy, and something other than pure boredom and hatred inhabited the god’s mind for a few moments.

Something sweet from a sweet human.

The human looked around him.

“Where are we?”

He gasped at the sight of the piece of heaven in front of him.

“Fruits? In the middle of winter?”

The god observed the human, and especially the fact that he wasn’t looking like he wanted to leave at once. He felt… safe…

“We are in the core of the mountain.”

The human whipped his head around.

“In?”
“Yes. Inside the mountains.”
“How… How are there flowers and fruits here…?”

The god tried not to roll his eyes.

“Gods wanted to punish me, and created this oasis to lock me out of it…”
“That’s cruel of them…”

The human looked above the god’s head, towards the markings on the stone.

“What… what is that?”
“I have been imprisoned here for a very long time…”
“I’ll get the chains off, it can’t be comfortable.”

The human stood up and grabbed one of the chains, hissing in pain and stepping back. He burnt his hand.

“Gods are more mischievous than you think… they really don’t want me freed.”
“What could you have possibly done to be treated this way?”

DreamXD stayed quiet.

The human looked around, then placed some of his belongings next to the god.

“I’ll get you some food from those trees. You must be starving.”

And the human left without another word.

The god observed him from afar, climbing trees with easy-to-collect fruits. His first entertainment since his deprivation.

It would’ve been too sad to kill his only source of amusement and food at first sight.

The god didn’t blink once as the human went and gathered enough fruits for a feast. 
His movements weren’t as perfect and calculated as those of the goddess of beauty, and he lacked lightness on his feet, but it made it precious all the more.

DreamXD would define the human as one of the most fascinating specimens he was given to observe.
Those who used to give him offerings and pray to him were maniacs, easy to control, easy to tip over the edge of madness.

And the god didn’t notice how bored he was of all of it until he had a mortal caring for him as if he were a helpless infant.

The god rattled his chains, pulling on them, to test if the first bits of food gave him some strength back.
And it did. Some of the burning sensation in his wrist returned.
The feeling of weight in his chest returned too, right under the divine seal carved onto his chest.
Some messy work, since DreamXD wouldn’t sit still while other gods tried to bind him forever.

The human came back with loads of fruits in a makeshift bag of fabric.
He placed it down next to the god, got out a knife, and started cutting up some of the fruits.
The god didn't really like how quick he was to draw the knife out of its sheath, but he mentioned none of it.

Since he was close enough, DreamXD used the opportunity to trace a finger on his forehead.

The human leaned back, startled.

“You never told me your name,” the deity spoke softly.

The human chuckled. What an interesting sound.

“My name is George.”
“Where are you from, George? It’s not usual for travelers to come here.”
“I’m uh… from a village at the bottom of the mountain. I was… my mother is sick,  and she needs medicine. And I was told I could find those white flowers on the top of the mountain and… I think I got lost…”

The god chuckled.

“Those flowers are only seen in warmer temperatures. The cold kills them. But you are in luck, some of those flowers grow on the bark of the trees you just went to.” The god was probably mentioning other white flowers than those the human was told to get, but he knew those would work as well, if not better than the original plan.

The god watched as the human turned back, and went to collect those flowers too, leaving everything in place.
The spell he cast on the human was a specific one. One not all gods had the ability to cast.

A spell to make him go unnoticed by other gods. It was good to secure his only way out, or at least his only messenger on what goes on on the surface.

The human came back, sat back down in front of the god, and wrapped preciously the flowers in thin fabric. He packed them in his bags, then returned to his previous occupation, feeding the prisoner.

The god was silent while being fed sweet and rich fruits, observing silently the mortal caring for him. Was that blush coloring his cheeks? He had trouble meeting the god’s gaze.
DreamXD found it amusing all the more. Especially when he licked the juice off of the mortal’s fingers and poor George stuttered so much.

The god thanked him after deciding he had enough food, and George packed the rest into his bags, slipping them back onto his back.

“I have to go, I can’t stay here forever.”
“Will you come back?”
“Yes, tomorrow. I will try and find something to get those chains out, too.”
“Just food is enough,” DreamXD remembered well the sound of George burning himself on the chains. He will heal those wounds later, he promises himself.

DreamXD indicated the way out, somewhere closer to the village George described rather than the way he went in.

The god felt a sense of dread when he realized he leaned on trust for the human to come back, instead of cursing him to come back each time the god wished for it.

Was the god that weak? Or was he starting to become crazy with the time he spent there? Just spending his time here?
Maybe he was just a bit surprised because it was his first human interaction in a while.

It reminded him of his early days. When humans started living and thriving from food, more intelligent and evermore interesting than the usual animals that existed before them.

But even his first interactions with humans were simple schemes of manipulation to invite humans to kill each other.

It was never that… simple.

Kindness was a stranger to the god.
He thought he preferred blood, screams of pain, and chaos… While this was nice. He didn’t know yet if he wanted to get used to it, but he’d lay with the human’s game for as long as he needed to get his strength back.

Then, once he was back, he would raid the temple of the gods and slaughter everything that got in his way.

But he could save that one human, for the mercy he showed to a simple stranger chained to the inside of a mountain.

The god missed his wings dearly. The divine energy embedded in the chains prevented him from shapeshifting and that included his four magnificent wings that he used to flaunt in indication of his power.

Unlike some other gods, he didn’t need constant followers to have influence. He was a threat to anyone just by existing. And he enjoyed every second of it. 
The fear in their eyes.
The whispers that followed him anywhere he went.
The defensiveness even the mightiest gods took as soon as he talked to them.

He licked his lips, some remnants of the fruits he tasted melting on his tongue.

George. What a peculiar name.

A pliable mind, easy to convince. DreamXD could make him the emperor of the humans if he wanted to.
He could.
Anyone would bow in his presence.

But on the other side, it was unlikely that George embraced that role and became as cruel as DreamXD would need him to be.
He was too pure. Too kind. Too fragile.

It would be a miracle if he could go on like this and only die of time instead of a knife in the back.

As the night went by, DreamXD listened to the sounds of nature surrounding him, aware of anyone who came in.

If he was optimistic about his future relationship with the kind human soul, he still wasn’t stupid.

Some other god could notice something was off and seal the entrances to the mountain forever. Worse, they could kill the human and leave it there as a reminder of his eternal banishment from the mortal realm.
 

Under no circumstances he would let his little feeble creature get hurt.

He had a world to burn, after all.
And that was the only reason he cared about George.
Certainly not because that human was pleasant to listen to. Or to look at. Not at all.

Chapter Text

The human kept his promise.

He came back the day after. He didn’t take back the coat he left on the god's shoulders.

And he came back all the days after.

Each time he carried some food from his own home, and went back with fresh fruits.
Surprisingly he never came with someone else, always alone, rather silent, and sitting next to him, his back resting on the stone carved with the god’s pain.
The pain seemed to subside as he spent more time with the mortal, as he could finally listen for a few moments. He was trapped inside a mountain, banished by his own people, there was no rush to do anything. 
He could just listen to the human ramble about his struggles in his small village, how his neighbors would complain about anything, how he struggled to find his place somewhere where families were cramped up together, only tolerating each other for survival, nothing more.

The god tried to convince him to come train here, alone, away from the stares of his lousy neighbors, away from the danger of hurting someone. And George accepted the offer, at a price.

“What’s your name?”
“What?”
“Go on, stranger tied to the mountain. Tell me your name. I’m not going to show you my best techniques if we’re not even on a first-name basis.”

The deity sighed.
He thought about it, for a few seconds.

“Dream.”
“What?”
“My name is Dream.”
“Dream? That’s a… very poetic name. Your mother must be proud of it.”
“Maybe she is.”

“Dream…” the little creature repeated, rolling the sounds in his mouth. The god observed closely how his eyes were lost in wonder. Fascinating.
In any other circumstances, the god would easily lose his patience. He would bark sentences that sounded like orders and wouldn’t spend that much time being so close to something so beneath him.
Humans were just crowds one could guide in any direction.

Humans were tools, toys, and decorations at most. And the god knew his peers would mock him if they knew that he resorted to spending time with a human while he waited there. They never thought humans to be important except for having believers. Believers gave strength, strength gave power and influence.
Both could bring more followers.

And if DreamXD was a god that didn’t need any followers to be powerful, there was no point in being interested in humans, right?

Well, not all humans need attention, but some of them could surprise you. Some of them had qualities you might not look for in other deities, but they are enough to make one feel… Alive.

Especially after being deprived of anything for so long.

“Oh, and I don’t know if I told you already, but my mother is almost completely healed now! She is going to work again in a few days.”
“I know.”
“Oh, told you already, didn’t I?”
“No, but I know how effective the flowers you gave her are.”
“You know a lot of things, don’t you?”

The god didn’t answer that rhetorical question.
“I know you know so many things, because you never seem surprised, and you stay silent most of the time. The less you know, the more you want to prove that you do know, and thus you talk more. Oh dear, am I stupid?”
“You’re not stupid. You fill the silence that I cannot. You, in fact, know a lot of things to be able to talk that much.”
“Do I? I feel like I’m just bothering you sometimes.”
“Why would you?”
“I don’t know… Maybe you prefer silent peace instead of a talkative moron while you’re forced to stay here… How long are you supposed to be here, honestly?”

The god smirked and leaned towards the human, to talk in a low voice.

“If you want to know… I don’t plan on staying there forever. I’ll get myself free.”
“Free? But… How? The gods know everything, they’ll surely notice!”
“Will they? Maybe they already forgot that there was someone here to begin with…”
“... how?”
“I’ll find some way. I’ll think about it a little more.”

George sighed and leaned his head on the god’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

“It’s a shame that being here is not as comfortable as under the trees there.”
“You get used to it after a while…”

George snorted.

“As if you had a choice.”
“This world has its consolations. And I think leaning on the rock would be more comfortable than myself. Being chained doesn’t help for a nice position to be a pillow.”
“I think I’m good, thanks.”

The human didn’t provide any arguments, so the god let it go.

They rested together, alone, away from the rest, enjoying something so simple as pure silence.

“George?”
“Hm?”
“I… How would you react if I told you… I may not have the appearance of what you see of me?”
“I’d say it’s pretty weird. Why?”
“What if I told you it was the idea of the gods, to keep me here?”
“Well, you look and sound like a charming young man, I don’t know what could go wrong. Are you just a really old pervert under all those muscles?”
“What if I was monstrous?”
“You? With your words as sweet as honey?”

The god paused for a moment.

“You’re flirting with me.”
“I have been for a few weeks, yes.”
“Me?”
“Yeah?”
“Weeks?”
“You didn’t notice?”
“I…”

The god did notice a few times, but he never thought that it had been this long that they had been meeting like this.

“I thought I was almost spelling it out for you.”
“Don’t insult me.”
“I’m not. Why would I be doing that?”

The god squinted his eyes, staring at his decidedly favorite human.

“For how long have we been meeting like this?”
“Why do you ask this now?”
“I… I haven’t been good with keeping track of time, lately.”

George started silently counting on his fingers. An adorable gesture, really.

“I think…. Two months? Almost two months.”

The god hummed in wonder.
Time was relative for eternal beings, but he didn’t know he was that out of pace with the humans.

He looked away, making it look like he was thinking of something else while his thoughts and senses were filled with George.
The whole place had nothing new to show him after all.

He rattled his chains, the burning sensation was almost as strong as it first was, now. And even if he felt strong again, the seals of the chains prevented him from using his power and warping himself free.
He was as helpless as George would be in simple iron chains.

DreamXD doesn’t believe it to be a good look to be thinking about his favorite human being chained up.
That’s the specialty of other deities.

The god turned to look again at the human. Everything was so… alive about him.
The way he would breathe, how his blood flowed into his veins, each reaction of the skin when he was embarrassed or nervous. How his hair moved when he would explain something, his head looking left and right as he did so.
His hands, how they would move with grace and elegance while he was a man and most likely educated like one.

“So… your mother took quite long to recover?”
“Honestly, I thought nothing would work. She was so pale, it was almost as if she was not breathing… I thought… I thought I had to prepare to let her go… But I didn’t have to, thanks to you.”
“Can you describe the details of her condition?”
“Our priest said it was punishment for not gifting enough to the gods, that she was weak because the gods were sapping her energy.”
“Was there any scar?”
“Scar?”
“Did she hurt herself before she fell ill?”
“Well… She did fall down and scraped her knee a few weeks before…”
“No weird marks on her?”
“No? What are you asking for?”
“I don’t think your mother was being punished by gods, I think she was poisoned.”
“Poisoned? By whom?”
“I don’t know. But gods tend to choose specific humans to punish, and unless your mother is one of the most beautiful women existing or the leader of a powerful clan, no one would have an interest in her. And if she was cursed, there would be an apparent marking somewhere on her skin or eyes. Gods like to show that they were the cause, trust me.”
“You do seem to know an awful lot about gods. How’s that?”

The god blinked. Once. Twice.

“I… Have experience with some of them.”
“Woah, you met with gods? So what are you, a demi-god?”
“... not exactly, no.”
“On which question.”
“I’m not a demi-god.”
“So you met some of them! What are they like?! What do they look like?!”

The deity giggled. He would sometimes forget how humans get when they talk about the creators and rulers of their world.

“They’re… Hm. Cold. Distant. Calculated. Nothing goes by them. Especially if they have several sets of eyes.”
“They can have multiple eyes?!”

The god turned his head to look at the human who was getting very close, almost settling in his lap.

“Do you not know that? There are several stories about gods having eyes behind their heads and catching humans sneaking into their domain.”
“Is there…?”
“Finish your sentence, George.”
“I don’t know if I should.”
“It’s too late to change your mind now, I’m waiting.”

The human hesitated, sat back where he once was, and took his distance.

“What other stories do you know about gods?”
“That’s not what you were saying.”
“I know. I just… Hm. I was going to ask if there was… If there were legends about you…”
“There are.”

George jumped, turning to his friend with stars in his eyes.
“Really?! Which ones?!”

The god chuckled and moved his wrist, making the chains tinkle.

George’s smile faded.

“Oh.”
“I don’t think you want to listen to the whole story.”
“You didn’t tell me what made you end up chained, possibly to your death, last time I asked.”
“Do you really wish to know?”
“Yes. It’s the reason we met after all.”

The god sighed, rattled his chains, and sat more comfortably, to delay the inevitable.

“I… well, they weren’t really in the wrong, I’ll start with that. I made some… choices, in the past.”
“What did you do?”
“I’ll get there. You see, I was seeing the gods somewhat regularly and-”
“What did you do, Dream?”

A long pause from both of them, tension rising.

The god didn’t want to argue with the only human who could come visit him so often.

“I did horrible things, George. Things that would drive you away from me.”
“So you didn’t say anything just because you wanted me to stay?”

The god looked up to his chains.

“Can you blame me?”

George got up, frowning.

“If you tell me what you did, I’m leaving now.”
“You’re going to leave anyway.”
“Maybe not.”

The god rolled his eyes.

“I guess… You do deserve the truth.”

The human crossed his arms, still standing as if he wanted to tower over the god. The god let him do it, he was going to need the extra courage.

“I… I killed people. Some… some that the gods cared about. And we had some arguments about it. When they couldn’t just punish me by taking something I loved from me, they believed me to be too powerful and locked me where no one could find me, so I couldn’t hurt anyone else again.”
“And if… If you ever got free, would you do it again?”

The god shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know. I’m quite angry to have been put here in the first place. I’m not heroic enough to just let this go by and move on. I have a history of… being a threat to gods.”
“Would you kill again?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? If the conditions are met, I could.”

George took a step back, taking in a shaky breath.
DreamXD was quick to add some explanation.

“If you were in danger, I would. Without hesitation.”
“Was someone in danger when you killed all those people too?”

The human was smart. Smarter than a majority of gods. That was something DreamXD appreciated dearly during their long conversations, but it also implied that George couldn’t be lied to indefinitely. 
In a near future, that handsome and clever human was going to turn against the god he once considered a friend, and while doing so the god would be either forced to separate from the human or, if anything else fails, kill him.

That was the harsh reality DreamXD learned to face, but he hoped that the human would die of natural causes before getting to that extreme.

Then again, either way, the god would have to part with his small obsession.

He hoped to get free before it came to this.

The human lifted a brow, a reminder that he just asked a question.

“No, I guess not.”
“Why did you kill them?”
“I… They were collateral damage out of something that once had more importance to me.”
“What was it?”
“George-”
“Tell me. You do not get to keep this from me after we’ve spent so much time together.”
“I- I never said I was a good person. I never said that being trapped here made no sense. I just… I killed people, and I would again, and I know that if ever told you about this you would just leave because… Because there is no reason I can give you that would soothe your mind about it.”
“You could’ve said that you considered me your friend.”

The god chuckled darkly.

“Would you believe me, if I said so? Worse, would you believe that it would have any importance?”
“Your friendship is dear to me.”
“Dearer than your need to survive?”
“Would you kill me if you had the chance?”
“Should you trust me now that you know I hid you my habit of murder?”

George rubbed his face with his hands.

“I… I need to go. I want some time to think.”
“You’re not coming back, are you?”

A silence followed. A silence full of answers. Though George insisted on explaining himself.

“If I don’t… You won’t eat. And I can’t… I can’t just let you die like that.”
“You can.”
“No, no I- I just…”
“Leave if you have to, George. It’s not like I can hold you back.”
“I can’t just let someone die like that.”
“It’s what the gods want. They locked me here for a reason.”
“Why… Why did they make this prison just for you? Why didn’t they just… make an example out of you? You’re much stronger than you’re letting through, aren’t you? You scare them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t try to bury you underneath dirt and stone.”
“I do scare them. Quite a lot.”
“If… If I find a way to free you… You would have a debt in me, right?”
“If I do take interest in debts, yes.”
“You… Could you protect me and those who I love, if I asked you to?”
“You’re trying to offer a pact.”
“Does it interest you?”
“Keep talking.”
“I wouldn’t force anything on you, but… If a god wants to hurt me or my family, would you be able to protect us?”
“I’m afraid I could, yes. Rather easily, if I wasn’t chained up.”
“So, if I free you, I want you to protect us.”
“And what if I free myself first?”

George bit his lip.

“I… I think I would try to keep my distance then. There would be no reason for you to spare me.”
“Aren’t you my friend?”
“I… I am. For now.”
“Then I have a reason.”

George nodded, his eyes lost in the vague, while he lost himself to his thoughts.

The god smiled.

“You can go. I won’t hold you back any longer. But if you come back, I would like to try one of those wines you keep talking about.”

George smiled, placing a hand on the god’s head, and ruffled his hair. He wouldn’t dare if he knew exactly who he was treating this way. But for now, he doesn’t know.

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

George turned away and left, leaving the god in the cold loneliness of the cave. Has it always been so cold, or was DreamXD getting too used to the warmth of a human presence?

Once again, he relied on George’s kindness to choose to come back again. 

He would never admit it, but he was somewhat appreciative to be chained with no way out, as it was proof that he wouldn’t hurt George, and the human could come here whenever he wanted and even if they had disagreements somehow, DreamXD was unable to scare off his only break in the awful routine that was set up for so long.

But sometimes he wished he was free, not to roam the mortal realm and feed from flesh, but to hold his little human, to comfort him, to show him his gratefulness for all the trouble the brave soul went through each time just to carry some food to him.

But not because he desires to know what the feeling of running his hands through that specific human’s hair, how he would react if he gripped a little tighter and pulled… Not at all.

He simply wants to have more than words to explain his… thoughts…

Chapter Text

George came back, of course he did. Not that DreamXD ever doubted.

The very next day, when the sun had barely started to light up the inside of the cave.

He was barely dressed, covered in ash and grime, looking absolutely frightened and shocked.
The god was quick to ask.

“George? What happened?”

The poor human was shaking from head to toe.

“My- my family is here, I uh… I wanted to make sure they were away from any danger and-“
“Please, just… Come sit down.”

George slowly walked up to him, and sat down. Not beside him, but right in front of him, facing him.
George’s eyes were focused on the floor.
The god despised the lack of physical contact but he wouldn’t mention it, it wasn’t the right time to complain.

“What happened? Were you attacked?”
The human shook his head, tears filling his eyes.
“There was- there was fire everywhere, the whole forest on the mountain is on fire and- and I didn’t what to do and- and…!”
“It’s alright. They can stay for as long as you need. I don’t mind. But please, breathe. Calm down. You’re out of danger.”
“Ev- everything! Everything is gone! We barely got essentials, and…!”
“Go help your family settle camp somewhere under the trees. Come back when you’re done, and we’ll think together about what you can do next. Stay calm. It’s all going to work out in the end.”

The god watched his human go and lead his family through the trees, seemingly choosing to settle somewhere out of view from the god.
He understood, of course, since humans and gods alike enjoy having some kind of privacy.

Fires were rather uncommon, especially of this scale. If a fire drew residents away, it most likely came from either someone or something that had intentions.
DreamXD didn’t assume it was a god’s doing, yet. He knew that humans could hold grudges, others just liked to plant the seed of chaos, and there could be almost infinite possibilities of why someone would start a fire.

He pulled on his chains, checking if they were as tight as they used to be. They were. And perhaps they tightened as he would try and get out of them. No way to just fix the problem himself while tied like this.

The god sighed slowly, irritated to be stuck there rather than helping his human.

His worries were noble, but soon enough George emerged from the forest, walking towards the god, looking down at his feet.
He silently sat next to the god and placed his head on the god’s shoulder, drawing out a long sigh.
If the god was wearing proper clothes he would’ve maybe minded the amount of ash and dirt that was covering his human, but he was still in prisoner’s clothing, and it was George. A lot of things could be forgiven if done by his favorite human.

“I wanted to help more but my mother told me to rest, since I was the one bringing them here. She thinks I’m too tired to set a tent.”
“You can rest here all you want. I don’t mind.”
“Even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”
“Don’t underestimate me, boy.”

George chuckled softly.

“What, you’re telling me you could shove me off just like that?”
“I don’t have to shove you off if I want you gone, you do know that.”

The human installed himself more comfortably and settled his head in the god’s lap.

“It’s hard to convince me that I shouldn’t just sleep right here right now.”
“Indeed, since I allow you to.”
“... Really? You don’t mind?”
“Today is already a difficult day. Get some rest. And only after resting can you wonder about something else. You need to sleep. You can’t even walk in a straight line.”

The human moved his head to rest the back of it at the angle of the god’s hip, wrapped his arms around the god’s thigh, and let himself rest.

The god didn’t move, only observing the human in his lap, as his breathing slowed and his jaw relaxed.
He looked awfully vulnerable like this. And it was the first time the god had that much of an interest in a sleeping human.

It happened several times that some drunk gods asked him to accompany them while they did their thing with humans that were still asleep, and each time he preferred to be as away as possible from something so… primal, exempt from any reason else than useless lust.
And at the time, he didn’t have the heart to think about the victims who would wake up the next day feeling… strange.

It was different now that George was here. It was different since the god was attached to this human in particular, letting him be so close to him and spending time together like old friends. Were they considered old friends on a human scale? Or was it too early yet?

The god noticed someone in the forest, likely someone from the family coming to observe where George had gone to.
DreamXD waved his hand vaguely, and the human disappeared in between the branches almost immediately.
Small tricks like these made it obvious that the chains cannot prevent all magic from being done.
Perhaps he couldn’t free himself yet, but he could manipulate humans even at a large distance.

Maybe he could help his human, even incapacitated.

From the flick of a finger, he made the dust and ash vanish from George’s clothes and hair. That was a bit too obvious, and it would surely end up in a complicated situation, but the god couldn’t let his protegee sleep like this.
Caution be damned.

The cave was almost completely silent again, some murmurs still evident behind the mass of delicate plants. The burning sensation of the handcuffs was heightened, probably because of the magic, but DreamXD barely felt any difference. He was so used to the feeling that it was like he couldn’t feel the pressure of the iron on his skin. 

He looked back at his precious human, fast asleep, trusting a chained stranger more than his own friends to sleep.
DreamXD’s mind switched to George’s friends. He didn’t mention many of them, and each time George talked about friends, he had this sad distant glint in his eyes that usually came when he would talk about things that saddened him but he wouldn’t let himself talk about it.

The god believed that if he didn’t have his friends along with him when he looked for shelter, either his friends weren’t there with him, or his friends chose a different path. Maybe they didn’t wake up early enough to notice the arrival of the fire and were locked inside their homes until the flames would swallow them.

Perhaps it was for the best that the god didn’t mention anything about them and let George decide to speak about what he wanted to.

George slept the morning away, and he soon had to gather some food for himself and his family, so he left the god there, often appearing in the prisoner’s field of view just to show that he was still there, that he didn’t forget about him.

And just like that, the day passes, and DreamXD only gets a summary of what happened once the sun has set and most humans are asleep.

But not George. 

The god noticed his shadow slowly making his way up to him, his head low, one hand gripping his arm, his step almost reluctant.

The god flashed a smile when he human was close enough.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping by now.”
“And you? You’re not sleeping either.”
“You’re right. But I haven’t been exercising much lately and I don’t need that much energy.”

George sighed as he sat in front of DreamXD.

“My family doesn’t like you much.”
The god chuckled.
“Is it the chains?”
“Mostly that, yeah… And the fact that I “spend too much time with you”, and I “should be taking more responsibilities in the family”, as if I didn’t do enough today…”
“You did more than enough.”
“You’re not even there to check.”
“It shows. You strained your body today.”

George groaned, slipping a hand to his back.

“Tell me about it. I never thought I could carry that much when I can barely handle a sword.”
“You can handle a sword just fine. You showed me.”
“Mh.”

The god observed closely his human’s expression.

“You should lay on me.”
“Huh?”
“You should rest on me. Get comfortable. You look like your back is killing you. It would help if I didn’t have both hands held to a rock, but I can still be a nice heated seat. Only if you’d like, though…”

George shrugged, then crawled on all fours onto DreamXD’s lap and nested nicely against him, his back flush against the god’s chest, his head resting on the other’s collarbone. George sighed.

“You do make a nice seat.”

The god, weak to his own desires, lowered his head into his human’s neck and caressed the tender skin with his lips. 
With a small smirk, he kissed the skin there and used the touch of skin to lower his human’s pain.

The human’s hands rose to the god’s hair, and he pulled down to keep the god’s mouth on his neck, silently demanding. The god obviously obliged, blessing the most precious creature’s skin with soft presses of lips.
George let out another sigh, this one sounding different than the other.

His legs curled up and his back arched, his lips parting.

“Dream…”

The god wrapped his finger around the chains and held on for dear life.
His human turned around, now straddling his lap. He ran his hands in the god’s hair, looking into his eyes, deep into his soul, and somehow the ethereal being forgot how to breathe.

George’s eyes were brown, the god knew that. But it was hard to guess what secrets they held. 
But soon enough, his little human got closer, closer and closer, until their lips touched…

For barely more than a second.

The human pulled away giggling.

The god pulled on the chains in need. The world seemed to stop as the human caressed his forearms, whispering close to his mouth, his breath dying on the god’s lips.

“Shh, we can’t make too much noise…”
The god let out a small whimper.
“George…” he begged.

The human chuckled, bringing his hands back to the god’s cheeks.

“Easy there. My heart’s beating out of my chest.”

The god reached for George, but his human pulled away just a little, keeping their lips an agonizing little inch apart.

“George. Please,” the god begged again.
“We shouldn’t do this…”
“I don’t care if we should, kiss me again, please.”

The human caressed the god’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“My family wants me to marry someone, soon.”
“And?”
“And I… Well, I’m not supposed to marry… you. So… I don’t think we should start anything if… If I won’t be able to go on soon enough.”
“You don’t… You don’t want me…?”
The god was out of breath, panting, still trying to reach for those lips.

A spark ignited in him since that kiss.

“Of course I want you. But that’s not for me to choose. And my family wants me to produce heirs.”
“And that prevents you from kissing me…?”

George shook his head, and his voice sounded really sad when he spoke again.

“Dream if I… If I keep kissing you, I won’t want to kiss anyone else ever again…”
“I already don’t want to kiss anyone else. George, it’s you or no one else. Please, please kiss me.”

George said nothing, only stroking the god’s neck with his delicate fingers.
Only then did the god really notice his own state. He never once felt so vulnerable to someone, and he never yearned that much for something as simple as a kiss.

The god was close to imagining himself burning the world simply because he was rejected, but he didn’t have to go that far.

Sweet and plump lips pressed against his own again, and he gasped under the relief of it.
This kiss lasted much longer, the human gripping the god’s hair.

He pulled away again, this time to place his forehead on the crook of the god’s neck.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
“If you kiss me again, I’ll make sure you regret it the least possible.”

The human chuckled at his neediness, and kissed him again, this time briefly darting his tongue to touch the god’s lips and the deity felt shivers run down his back.

George stayed only for a few minutes more, before having to go back to his tent since his family was keeping a close look on his doings.
It wouldn’t be a good look to let George sleep on the cold ground for the whole night, and it would be hard to explain why he was here in the first place.

Leaving DreamXD the loneliest god all alone, by himself.

Facing the silence of his prison.

While he knew he was not alone anymore, that some people were living inside the walls of his enclosure, he felt colder than usual.

Whereas his lips burned with the fire of his passion.

He needed George to be with him, at all times, forever. He couldn’t just lose to some other human to have in their hands the definition of delicacy. 
And there was no way he would let his favorite human be married to someone else.

They kissed.
There’s no way DreamXD would let him go now. 

So he thought for long moments, how he could convince his little human to choose him and only him.

He was still thinking about it as George fed him the next morning, until he came the very next night, complaining that he couldn’t sleep again.

“You can’t sleep because you’re nervous about your family or is it because I’m that good at being a headrest?”
“I tried to sleep but… but your damned lips are keeping me awake!”
“… care to explain?”

George blushed. It was evident even in the very dim lighting.

“I… I liked kissing you.”
“I enjoyed kissing you too.”
“And I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s everywhere I go, I- can’t stop thinking about you…”

Better now than never.

“I- George I can’t let you go with someone else…”

George’s sudden frown broke DreamXD’s heart.

“But… Dream… what if- what if you’re never going to be freed?”
“…what?”
“What if… what if staying with you means I have to spend the rest of my life in a cave, hand-feeding you?”

The god was speechless.

George placed a hand on his own mouth like he didn’t want to say what he just mentioned to his friend.

They both stayed still, looking each other in the eyes, waiting for the other to make the next move.

DreamXD was not a god of war or violence. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t very quick to anger.
A few months ago, the god would’ve killed hundreds of humans after being spoken to in this tone.
He would’ve slaughtered warriors, poisoned wives, and left the orphans to fend for themselves in the wilderness. He would’ve sterilized the soil, suffocated the plants, dried the rivers, and infected the creatures roaming there just because one human tried to tarnish his reputation.

But times had changed.

He was chained down like a forgotten pet in the back of an attic, and in front of him stood the only thing he still wanted out of this world.

And getting angry, even simply shouting would make his human sad.
He preferred to avoid that.

So, out of options, he stayed silent. He stared at George, his throat dry.

He knew he would get free, eventually. But it was going to be hard to explain the whole situation to his human, who believes DreamXD to be a human too.

The god looked down, his legs curling up, bringing them close to his chest. He considered his options, for a moment. What he could say, what he could do. There would have been a lot of things he would’ve done, in different conditions, but this time he didn’t have the heart for anything.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that…”
“You did. That’s fine. I understand.”
“No, Dream, look… I-”
“It’s fine. You can go.”
“What?”
“It’s not like I can stop you from leaving. Go. I’ll be fine.”
“... I don’t get it.”
“Live your life like you intend to. Don’t… Don’t come back here every day taking care of me while you complain to my face how miserable I’m making you. Leave. You have your whole family with you.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“But you’re scared to be stuck with me.”
“I’m not… I’m not scared…”
“It’s fine. Anyone would hate to be exempt from freedom while suffocating in responsibilities. Feel free to leave.”
“I’m not leaving you to die by yourself, all alone.”
“I won’t die if you leave.”
“Of course you will! You just- you can’t-”
“George. Calm down. You’re shouting.”

George sighed, ran his hands through his hair, and then walked over and sat beside DreamXD.

“It’s not in the options. I’m not leaving you. Not just because I would feel guilty. But because you're my friend. You’re my best friend, Dream, I’m not abandoning you here. I’m going to figure out something to free you.”
“And then? What happens?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to keep being my friend or will you put the most distance that you can between us?”
“I’m not- I don’t get it…”
“Aren’t you going to try to avoid me because you hate the idea of me stealing your heart so much?”
“Don’t… Don’t say it like that.”

The god leaned towards the human.

“You kissed me. Doesn’t it mean anything to you? Did you fool me? Did you fool my feelings?”
“I… I didn’t… But I can’t… I can’t love you. I have things to do. Expectations to meet.”
“What do these expectations mean to you? Are they really that important to you? Can’t you find a middle ground between your desires and what others want you to do?”
“It’s my duty, Dream.”
“And it’s your life, George. Your own fragile life. You could die tomorrow of food poisoning. You could die in a week, falling off a cliff. You could die in a year, murdered. You could die each second that passes yet you are here. Are those expectations that close to your heart?”
“But what is my family going to say?”
“They won’t understand at first, that’s for sure. But how about you? What are you going to teach your children when you have them? That forgetting everything about yourself is okay if your family is satisfied with what you’re accomplishing?”
“You’re just trying to make me choose you over them.”
“I’m trying to make you choose yourself over them. You chose to walk away from them and do something else. Something they do not approve of. They won’t understand these things about you. You have to understand them yourself and make your path based on that. And even if that path doesn't involve me, I'll make sure you'll get everything you need just to help you get where you want to go.”

George sniffled.
The god moved his arm closest to him, somewhat inviting him for a hug.

The human got closer, wrapping his arms around the god’s neck, shakily sighing in his neck, until he broke into sobs and cried holding him.
The god kept kissing his hair, whispering sweet nothings.

“I- I just- I don’t know what to do…”
“It’s okay. It can wait until tomorrow. You don’t have to choose right now.”

George nodded in his neck, pressing his nose into the god’s collarbone. His hands gripped at the already shredded fabric of the prisoner’s tunic, and DreamXD could feel the tears wet his skin.

The god comforted his human as much as he could, whispering that he was cared for, a lot, and that no matter what he chose to do he would still be here, wishing his best friend the best.

The light of the moon was hitting the leaves of the trees just right, making them sparkle with silver. The whole cave was silent, probably. The only thing DreamXD listened to was George. His breathing, his heartbeat, his sniffles, the ruffling of his clothes, the movement of his hair.

After a few moments, George installed himself more comfortably in the god’s lap, putting just a little bit of distance to look into his eyes.
DreamXD felt… strangely seen. Like he was more than just someone. That he was a friend. A good friend. Maybe more.

Something he never got with anyone else, even while doing the most intimate of acts.

George kissed his nose and it caught him off guard.
He looked curiously at his human, trying to catch clues he was missing.

George was smiling softly, still staring at him like he could ignite the poor god on a whim. His eyes were still wet with tears, and his lashes were… prettier. The god had never once marveled at the beauty of one’s lashes before, but George had something more that made anything look and sound more interesting.

George was beautiful, no matter what he was doing, no matter what he was wearing.
He looked beautiful, when laughing, when smiling, when training, but also when crying, when frustrated, and when complaining about little things.
His skin looked perfect even when covered in dust and dirt, his lips looked soft even when he would bite them or when they were chapped.

DreamXD was about to ask him what he was thinking about, when George leaned, pushed the god against the rock behind him, and pinned him there, his smile changing into an expression of satisfaction.
The god felt his own chest rise with each breath he took, focused simply and only on George.

He said nothing, letting the human decide what to do next.
He had to be free to make a choice.

And George gave in, once more, to temptation. A small kiss, tender, full of unspoken feelings.
DreamXD smiled wide, staring at his human.

George couldn’t do anything else but giggle and kiss him again, a little longer, a little harder.

“You’re so- You’re- ugh…” George rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.
“Yes, George?”
“Dream, you- mh.”

The god chuckled.

“You can say that again.”
“Dream I think- no, I know.”
“What do you know?”
“I lo- I like… I like you.”

The god stopped moving, staring at George.

“You… You do?”
“I think… pretty much, yeah.”
“Pretty much?”

George laughed softly, cupping the god’s cheeks with his hands and pulling him closer for a long kiss. 

“I… I think that’s what you say when you’re addicted to someone’s lips, yeah?”
“Please shut up and kiss me.”

They laughed again into another soft, caring kiss. Neither wanting to show fierceness, only enjoying the feeling of meaningful affection, giggling into the night.

“Fuck it, Dream. I’m in love with you. I love you, so much. You drive me crazy,” George spoke in between kisses.

DreamXD felt himself light up with a new fire inside his soul, as the spark exploded inside of him, as if he was completely reborn, and this time he kissed George like there was no tomorrow, that this was the only kiss left he’d have.
And just as George was going to back away in surprise, DreamXD’s hand cupped the back of his neck and pulled him closer.
The kiss was rough, much less controlled, and the god pulled away in a gasp, as George was left completely shocked.

“Mine,” the god stated.

George weakly nodded.
DreamXD pulled him into another kiss, a bit more careful, trying to tame the new fire inside of him that kept begging for more.

Chapter Text

The god and the human alike were sitting in silence, after the original sudden need calmed down.
DreamXD had his hand placed on George’s thigh, slightly tensed, as if the human would leave at the first sign of inattention.

One of the god’s hands was still chained to the rock, but he was halfway free. 
Much more autonomous now.

George was completely confused.

“How?”
“I… don’t really know.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. There was little to no explanation on how a human could multiply his power high enough to warp his hand through space and escape some cursed chains.

Now that he had one of his hands free, it was much easier to think of some way to escape.
And then he would follow anywhere George would take him.

“I don’t understand.”
“Your love may be stronger than you know.”
“Shut up,” the human giggled. “You’re so corny.”

Dream laughed.

“Want to kiss me again to see if you can free my other hand too?”
“I should- I really should get back to my tent.”
“One last kiss? From my savior?”

George rolled his eyes but leaned forward nonetheless.

They kissed softly, as if the other one was made from crystal, and the human sighed slowly against the god’s lips.

“What is it?” asked DreamXD.
“You should stop touching me like this with your hand…”
“Why?”
“Because you’ll make me want to make sure you don’t lack of anything ever again…”
“That doesn’t sound like a threat to me, George.”
“But it is for me…”

The god sighed, and kissed his human on the forehead.

His hand traveled George’s shoulder, to his neck and hair, so glad to know the feeling of touching him.

“I can feel your flesh under my fingers, it’s… it feels so alive…”
George snorted.
“Well I sure hope so, that would be weird.”

The god’s gaze hardened just a little.

“I’ve done bad things since I existed, George. I don’t even know what loving should look like. You’re a wonder to me, every day, because you’re the first to be so… so kind, and caring, and- and you’re the first that told me that you love me, and all of this is quite new…”
“Look at you, all shy!”
“Don’t make fun of my feelings…”
“I’m not. I love how you talk about your feelings. I love hearing you talk about how great you feel.”

The god looked away, embarrassed.

George laughed, a fine and elegant tune, before pulling Dream’s face towards him and kissing him again.

“I’m going back. Try to dream of me tonight, Dream.”

The god smiled, watching as his beautiful human stood up and blew him a kiss, before turning away and disappearing behind the trees.

The god slid his fingers along the line of his lips, remembering the feeling and taste of George.

As the night went on, the deity grew worried that this was the last time he would see George. Perhaps the human finally had enough of him, or maybe his family would keep him with them.

Worse, even. George could have been scared of seeing him free himself partly, close to freeing what he knew as a murderer.
Maybe George was running the furthest away from him right now, and DreamXD would have to search day and night the whole world, inside and out, to find him again.

And even if he found him then, George wouldn’t want to see him again.

The god pulled on his chain, again and again, trying to make the miracle happen again. There was no way he was paying enough attention when it first happened, he had no clue on how to reproduce it. 

DreamXD started clawing at his chained wrist, pulling on the chains, fighting the burn and the divine magic keeping him grounded, tied down, and forced into a hole that was both his personal hell and his little oasis.

How much of an oasis would it be once he was left alone?

The metal was scorching hot, burning his skin as smoke came from under the metal cuff, and the god couldn't help but let out a scream of frustration as the metal turned red from the heat, but wouldn’t move. 
He gritted his teeth under the pain, letting go of the chain and gripping his forearm tightly, falling to his knees as the metal wouldn’t cool down.

His skin continued to burn as tears brimmed his eyes. He would have cut his hand off if he had the tools in reach.
The mix of the pain and the fear made him freeze, waiting until the pain would be bearable again.
But it didn’t seem to stop. The skin of his wrist turned purple and black, the flesh almost melting off of his bones.  
It lasted for a long time. Too long. Much too long.

It seemingly was cooling down, agonizingly slowly, but still cooling down.

At the first rays of the sun into the depth of the cavern, the god could somewhat breathe again, squeezing his forearm tightly, a bit more aware of his surroundings, beyond the searing pain that seeped into his veins.

He was confused at first when he stared at what was in front of him, before understanding that he was turned towards the rock he had been facing away from for so long.

The rock where he would mark each day as a reminder of how low he was here. A painful process of marking with his nails alone. 

The stone wasn’t full of marks like he expected. Instead, it looked… like someone had dug into it. So many marks were made on each other, so many little dents making a shallow hole, in a shape so particular one could only guess that it was made by someone stuck in the same place for a long time, right between the chains. It could only mean...

He drew rapid shallow breaths, trying to keep himself sane as the metal finally looked like it stopped burning the deep layers of his skin.
He was sweating profusely, feeling weakened by the pain alone.

He barely noticed when George came back. He would’ve noticed better if George came back around the same time of day to feed him, but the sun was already high in the sky, its rays shining through the leaves.

And his little human looked miserable.

His eyes were red, and he looked like he had been crying, as he was clutching food close to his chest. His face was distorted in this expression of frustration and anger that the god had yet to see on a face so soft.

His expression changed as his eyes traveled Dream’s body, from irritation to worry.

“Your… you hand…”

The deity waved him away.

“It’s okay. Please sit.”

George obeyed, his eyes still focused on the severe burn on the god’s wrist.

“I- I need to…”
“Why are you looking so grim coming here? Has something happened?”
“N-no, well… uh…”

The god squinted his eyes in suspicion.

“Do not hide things from me.”
“I should- I just…”
“Speak.”
“I’m going to- I’ll get a few for your uh- I’ll be right back.”

And George left again, leaving what he had in his hands right in front of the god.

And DreamXD didn’t dare to use his newfound freedom to grab the thing and help himself. He believed it was rude, and he preferred to make sure that George was coming back and not just leaving him some food for him to take care of himself.

The god wouldn’t tolerate that. He wasn’t one to be left alone, not after he just began tasting what enjoying someone else’s presence was.

So he waited, somewhat patiently, as his eyes continuously scanned the trees for any movement, any hint of the fabric of George’s clothes.

Without thinking his nails dug the dirt underneath his palm, tearing the grass, barely able to contain his nervousness.

George came back just a few minutes later but each second was near to torture.

The human had his hands filled with plants.
He knelt next to the god, close to his chained hand, and started squeezing sap out of the stems.

“What are you doing?” asked the deity, more out of curiosity than anything.
“Making something for your bruise”
“I don’t need anything, George. It’s fine.”
“Dream. You’re purple and blue. I don’t call it ‘being fine’, and you shouldn’t either.”

George mixed somehow the plants together in the hollow of his hand, taking great care not to mess up and having the least amount fall out.

“What’s that recipe? I’m not familiar with it…”
“That’s because I probably messed up the dosings.”

When the human was finished and somewhat satisfied with his product, he reached out to the injured wrist.

His hand flinched back when he made contact with the metal.

“Careful!” warned the god, just a bit too late, “let me do it. I’m used to it. You don’t need to burn yourself.”
George slapped his free hand away, not providing any arguments.

Hissing and wincing, he pushed the chain up, closer to Dream’s hand, and applied the thick mixture to the skin.
If it had immediate results, the god wouldn’t have noticed as he was too distracted by his human’s evident pain.

“George…”
“It’s fine. It’s nothing. You needed some help and I provided it. It’s okay.”

Something in the air whistled.
It wasn’t a usual sound, since no wind could get in the cave.

Out of instinct and like muscle memory, DreamXD reached out and closed his hand. His hand grabbed an arrow in the midst of its path.
And it clearly was aimed at George.

George who, as the god was figuring it out, saw the arrow and panicked.

“D-dream!”

The god looked on the side, and craned his neck to look at the origin of the arrow.
Two more arrows flew in their direction, and the god grabbed George by the waist to pull him closer, letting them strike the ground.

“Dream! My family!”

George tried to pull away, but the god resisted.

“We can’t know for your family just yet, but George if you go now they’re going to shoot you down!”

His human displayed all variations of panic and worry.

“They’re going to get killed! Dream, please!”
“They won’t. Now calm-”

The god was surprised by the next arrows, just a few of them, but he wasn’t really paying that much attention.

It was impossible to catch them or pull George away from their path, and thus he raised his palm, fingers straight, in front of the arrows.

The air and space in front of his hand distorted, like reality itself was warping in on itself, making a shrill sound, and it spread like waves in water.
One could see through it, but everything was distorted, and by the sounds it made you could feel reality itself shrieking in pain.

The arrows slowed before touching the surface of this weird shield, before flying backward twice as fast.

Two figures fell from the hill they were hidden on, disappearing behind plants and terrain. It didn’t stop the sound of crushing bones and exploding flesh to reach the human’s ears.

The god slowly closed his hand into a fist, pointing towards the direction where the figures were last seen, and from the screams of agony he heard, he stood victorious.

“Prisoner!” a voice came from the trees. “Give us your name.”

DreamXD’s eyes scanned what he could see but there was no one there.

Suddenly, George stood up and ran towards the trees, since he wasn’t being held on to anymore.

“Mom!”
“George!”

The human disappeared into the trees.
Away from him.

“Prisoner. I will ask again.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Because if you don’t,” the figure came out of the shadows, holding the only human worth anything in this world with a knife on his neck. “I will cut his skin off until you decide to answer.”

DreamXD felt air leaving his lungs, as the coldness of fear ran down his back.

“What do you want?”
“Your name, first, but by the end of this conversation I want to have an answer to a very simple question.”

The man holding his human looked mature, but not yet old. He looked meticulous. And the scars on his face meant there was little chance he was bluffing about the skinning part. He had some armor on, and the knife was worthy of a very good assassin. Was he part of a league of assassins?

No matter.

He was threatening George.

The god extended a hand towards his enemy, his energy crawling and making its way to the man’s ankle.

Dream was startled by a scream.

His eyes moved up, and all he could see was blood running down George’s neck.

“Don’t try anything funny!” the man warned.

The blood ran down the soft lines of George’s neck, coloring his clothes in the particular dark red that DreamXD had seen many, many times.
He could almost smell George’s blood from where he was.

The old rage he was fuelled with returned, and he immediately turned to his chained hand, warping reality around his forearm and ripping it off.

Golden blood dripped from the cut, and his breathing was low and rough as he slowly stood up, free once more, and he grabbed his severed hand.

“You have made a grave mistake by coming here,” he stated. His voice echoed on all of the walls of the cave. It was barely recognizable as a human voice.

The man steeled his resolve and pulled tighter on George, who whined out in pain.

DreamXD stared at the main right into his eyes, putting his hand back where it was and the skin sewed itself together again, gold blood splattered everywhere.

The god extended his hand in front of him, and he warped reality again, the horrible shrieking noise coming back, as he focused the energy on his enemy and ripped his arms off from afar.

The man man fell down and screamed in pain, as DreamXD walked forwards.

“I will keep your arms, for these are the payment you must pay for defying me. You shall run free, but the lack of hands will remind you each passing day that never again, you will try to mess with things far beyond your comprehension.”
DreamXD’s voice was metallic, cold, and distorted.

He turned to his human, who was coughing while standing on all fours.
He knelt next to him, taking his lover’s face into his hands.

“It’s alright now, it’s all over. Breathe. It’s okay.”

DreamXD waved his hand in the air and George’s wound closed, and the burn marks on his hands disappeared.

“Calm down my love.”
“You just- you-”

George vaguely pointed in the direction of the man who held him before, not wanting to look in that direction.

“I had no choice, George. I needed to get him off of you…”

George’s breathing was messy and uncoordinated, and the god worried.

“Please, my love, breathe. It’s all okay now. It’s over.”

Dream slowly pulled his human close to him, letting him know that he was out of danger. George calmed down slowly, as the god observed the assassin lying on the ground, curled up in pain.

“How about we go check on your family? Make sure they’re okay?”

George nodded in Dream’s neck, and they both stood up, walking towards the camp, away from the corpses.
Away from the chains.

Dream took some time to fully adjust to his life now freed from shackles.

He could vanish and plot his revenge on the people who wronged him, but what for? What would there be after?

George was right here.

They walked in silence, George seemed to be sorting things out in his head, and the god let him.
By the time the camp was in sight, George stopped them.

“What are you?”
The god looked at his lover, hesitant.

“I… I was someone important.”
“Not my question.”
“I… George, I don’t know if…”
“Tell me. I have the right to know.”
“You’re… you’re right.”

Dream took a deep breath, running both his hands in his hair.

“I am a deity. A god.”
“What’s your name?
“I don’t-”
“Dream, stop hiding things from me. Tell me.”

The god gulped.

“I was once called DreamXD.”

George looked down at the ground.

“I don’t know what I expected.”

If those words were a knife in Dream’s back, he wouldn’t say anything about it.

The god waited for his human to decide. He hoped he could still stay, in some way.

George didn’t say anything and just walked forward, entering the camp, looking at his family, and checking if everyone was alright.

His mother was there too, and apparently, by the mark on her neck, she was once caught too. But George was ready to sacrifice himself for her.

The god felt small as he watched the family gather and George explained what happened. His place wasn’t here, with them. That he knew.

Somewhere along George’s explanations, all eyes focused on Dream. And he only stared back.

He was free.
But even though he didn’t like that much being here, there was no place to be other than by George’s side.

By nightfall, Dream had gone just a little further, sitting next to a nice lake, letting the humans go on and do whatever they had to do.

The lake, as still as it was, was a complete mirror. Dream had nothing else to do than wait for George to figure out what he wanted, and he’d adapt.

Just as he was sighing longingly for the fifth time, remembering all the good memories with his human, grass rustled behind him.

“Fancy a bath?”

Dream turned his head to look at his moonlight in the darkness, and all the rage that he once had during the day vanished.

George wasn’t looking at him, instead taking off his clothes and placing them on a nearby branch.

He slowly slipped into the water in all his naked glory, and Dream was thankful it was quite dark and his human wouldn’t notice how red his cheeks were.
The coldness of the lake didn’t seem to bother him, as he wet his hands and ran them through his hair.

Dream could only follow with his eyes every curve of the body in front of him, and he understood why the goddess of beauty never piqued his interest. He was made to love this human.

No other being, just this one.

He only existed for this moment, where a beautiful, graceful and fragile creature would let him be close, would let him breathe the same air and would let him stare for hours on end.

“Aren’t you coming?”

The god was pulled out of his observation.

“I don’t- I- I don’t know-”
“Come on. You have been in the same place for way too long. You need to clean yourself, and you need to relax those muscles.”

The god hesitantly took off the rags that covered his body, placing them on the edge of the lake, while he slipped into the water.
The water was cold, as expected, and it made the god tense up as his body was once used to soaking only in hot springs.

George let his fingers run up Dream’s arms, from his burnt wrists to his shoulder, ever so slowly traveling across his collarbones, arriving at his neck.

Dream didn’t dare move, standing in the water while the water reached to his hips, feeling his body getting both colder and hotter at the same time, his breathing getting shallower and his back tensing under the touch.

“You’re not… mad?”
“Mad?” questioned George.
“I thought you’d have… a few more questions…”
“I do.”
“Want to… ask them?”
“Not yet, no.”
“Why… why not?”

George sighed, getting closer and letting his arm wrap around Dream’s neck, his eyes focused on the god’s torso.

“Because I want to take my time. I want to know what’s going on. I want to understand why you didn’t tell me.”
“I…”
“Don’t answer. It’s fine. You don’t have to. If you want, now that you’re free you can just go wherever you want. You’re… You’re not just human, after all.”
“But…”

George was getting colder faster than Dream, and the god hesitantly wrapped his arms around the human’s waist.

“I don’t… I don’t think I want to go…”
“Why not?”
“I… I want to be with you…”

George sighed.

“I understand if you want to fuck first because you feel you have been led on. If you… If you do that, please do it fast.”
“What?! N-no! No!”
“Isn’t that what you were going to ask? We’re both naked, and we’re far enough so that no one hears and… and since you can do literally whatever you want you could just… Get what you want from me, and… and leave.”
“I don’t want to leave, George.”
“Why not? What is there to stay for?”
“You, George.”
“... you’re a god that once lived in chaos and violence. What would I have to offer you?”
“Your… your smile?”

George huffed.

“What do you mean?”
“I… I love you, George.”
“You don’t.”
“I do.”
“You were just saying that because you wanted me to get you out of the chains. I know. It’s fine. You’re free now, you don’t have to lie.”
“I’m not lying. I swear. I… There’s nothing in this world I want more than just… being with you.”
“Dream.”

The god was speechless. He didn’t know what to say.

“It’s… Look, it’s fine. You have spared my family. You have protected me from some very dangerous people and I’ll… I’ll make you an offering daily, and… and whatever you want.”
“Do you want me to leave, George?”
“...what?”

The god bit his lip, raising his hand to cup George’s cheeks.

“Do you want me to leave? I can, if you’d like.”

George’s eyes looked away as they filled with tears.

“I can’t- I can’t ask that from you.”
“You can ask anything. Anything you want. Do you want me to stay? Do you want me to stay forever by your side?”
“You’re- you’re…”
“Tell me. Say what you want. Admit it to me.”

George’s hands reached up to wipe his own eyes as a few sobs came out of his throat.

“I want you here. I don’t want you to leave. I’ll- I’ll do anything!”

Dream pulled his human close.

“You don’t have to do anything, my love. You don’t have to do anything at all. You don’t have to sacrifice anything. I just want to be with you.”

George melted in tears.

“Really?”

Dream rubbed his lover’s back.

“I’ll prove it to you, every day.”

Chapter Text

Dream didn’t expect this situation after offering to go back with George’s family to their home and try and rebuild after the fire.
They had made progress, cut down dead trees, planted new plants, built shelter…

But he certainly didn’t expect to be threatened with a pitchfork by an old lady.

“Leave my son alone!” George’s mother screamed.

DreamXD was quite embarrassed, not knowing how to respond.

George tried to appease her.

“Mom, he’s helping us, why are you doing this?”
“He lies! He’s a criminal! He’s trying to get inside your head and corrupt it from the inside! Don’t let his illusions deceive you!”
“Mom you can’t just-“

The woman spun around and slapped George across the face, hard.

George looked up at her, holding his burning cheek with both hands, at a loss for words.

DreamXD took a deep breath.

Couldn’t kill the mother, couldn’t hurt her, couldn’t just take George and warp him away, couldn’t scare them all off…

The god was gritting his teeth, watching as George stormed off, pained by the whole exchange.
He watched as he went in the direction of the river. There were plants there to lower the pain. Or he could just take George’s pain away if the mother would let him through.

“You’re going to get out of at once! You’re not welcome here! Get away from us! Get away from my baby.”

DreamXD only nodded and nonchalantly walked away.

He wasn’t really going far, waiting to be out of sight to warp away in George’s direction, following his trace.
The weather was still pretty cold, the wind almost painful, like tiny needles scratching any exposed skin.

He loomed like a shadow behind George as the human sniffled and continued walking, not even noticing the other presence.
DreamXD didn’t like seeing his human so upset. His life was so short, there was little time to cry.

George sat down by the lake where they would bathe, the place eerily calm. Just the sound of the wind in the leaves, no insects, no birds…
The human burst into tears, putting his head in his hands.

Gently, the god sat down beside him and hovered his hand over his human to take away his pain from the blow.

“Leave me alone for a moment, I need… I need some time alone. I have to… to think.”

DreamXD didn’t utter a word, making a warm coat appear from thin air and placing it on top of George’s shoulders. George was surprised to get a coat from the one still wearing his prisoner’s clothes, but instead of seeing Dream, his eyes lay on a cat with bright green eyes.

George froze in confusion.

Slowly, as if letting George take it in, the cat walked closer, then onto George’s lap, then settled there, pulling its legs beneath its body and purring.

George hesitated, then petted the cat, carefully, scared of hurting it, worried it might flee if frightened. But the bright eyes gave it away. This wasn’t an ordinary cat.

The cat closed his eyes and continued purring, keeping George warm.

George couldn’t contain his tears anymore and burst into tears again, trying to muffle his cries, wiping his tears away before he could wet the cat’s fur with them.

The cat remained calm, purring constantly, because he was there for George. They didn’t have to talk. They didn’t have to do anything. George was allowed his time to recover.

George was almost falling asleep when the cat got up and slipped off George’s lap, and in a blur of reality, the cat transformed back into Dream.

“You’re tired,” said the god.
“I know. We should get back. But I don’t want… They won’t accept you, Dream. They worry.”
“I tend to have that effect on people. How about we try something?”
“What?”
“How about I take you away from here, just for a few days maybe? Starting our own little home somewhere else, taking the time to breathe. We could talk a bit more about what’s going on between us there. And you could take the time to decide whether you want me in your future or not.”
“You’re just trying to take me away to keep me forever, aren’t you?”
“It’s a little fantasy of mine. But not without your consent. This is about you, George.”
“Why? Why would you do that for me?”

DreamXD sighed.

“There is no answer I could give you that would satisfy your curiosity, I’m afraid.”
“Are you going to force yourself onto me?”
“I’m begging you to stop saying that.”

George rolled his eyes.

“You’re a god! Why… Why are you taking your time with me? Why are you so interested in me?”
“You’re kind.”

George’s eyes widened. DreamXD went on.

“You’re beautiful. You’re fascinating. I just want to enjoy your presence for a while.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Do you enjoy my presence? Or am I a burden to you?”
“I don’t- I don’t…”
“Please, George. Give me your honesty.”

George rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

“I… It would be so much easier if you were human, I think…”
“Why?”
“Am I… Am I allowed to do anything around you? Or should I just… wait for you to choose for me?”
“I want you to live, George. I want you to thrive, to love, to spend your time doing whatever you want. I don’t care. I don’t mind. I’m a god, I’m not as restrained by time as you. Lead the way. Tell me what you want to do.”
“I don’t get it…”
“Maybe not. It’s a lot, I know.”

George sighs.

“If you took us somewhere else, where would it be?”
“Somewhere West from here, probably. I have a few places I could take you.”
“But you promise I could come back here anytime?”
“I promise.”

DreamXD’s eyes glowed when he pronounced the words.

George sighed, hiding his face in his hands.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

The god wrapped his arms around George protectively, and wrapped reality around them both, teleporting them.

The only trace they left was the prints in the long grass.

And on the other side, thousands of miles away, they appeared in a field of tall grass reaching George’s knees. The weather is slightly warmer though it’s still a little cold.

DreamXD, without a word, guided George to a small house in that empty field that had everything they would need to get started.

Going back to the inside of the mountain would’ve made sure no one disturbed them, but DreamXD preferred not to stay there too long.
There were other places to enjoy.

The god opened the door for the human to get in first, and closed it behind them.

The human stared at the furniture inside, which was covered by thin cloth.

“Is it yours?”
“It has been for a while, yes.”

George looked around, getting curious at the books on the bookshelf.

“Why take me here?”
“So you can have all the time in the world to think, George. So you can take a break. And I don’t even have to be here if you don’t want me to. It’s yours now.”
“A gift? Why would you offer me a house?”
“I don’t need a house.”

George turned back to look at the god.

“It’s… It’s hard to believe all that you’re saying when you still look like a human, you know…”
“Would you like to see my godly form?”

George shrugged with a shy smile.

And so, with a sharp cut through the fabric of reality, DreamXD shows his true form for the first time in decades.

His mask manifested out of thin air on his face, his limbs were now long and thin, six wings sprouted from his back, and of course, his whole body was covered with green robes embroidered with gold.

He was taller than George in his human form, but now he towered over him, almost reaching the ceiling of the house.

“Has your curiosity been sated, George?”

The human looked at the deity with attention now, showing little amount of fear when facing a true god. His hands reached up without him thinking about it, hovering over the god’s arms, reaching for the wings but not quite touching them.

DreamXD took a step closer, inviting George to get as curious as he desired.

Thus the human let his hands wander over rough skin, strong feathers, and sculpted muscles, even taking an interest in the god’s clothes, both his hands exploring what he was allowed.
The god’s breathing became more and more shallow as George became more and more adventurous, burning with a desire to understand what his eyes were seeing.

George’s hands were cold. His dark eyes piercing, so soft but capable of tearing down Dream’s walls and staring right into his being, what made him a god.

“You’re so inexpressive in this form,” said the human. “It’s so… unnerving. It’s like I’m not with the same person anymore.”
DreamXD smiled and grabbed one of George’s hands to put it on his chest, holding it there.
“I am the same. For I am yours only, for as long as you’ll have me.”
“I think… I prefer your human form. For now. I just… I can’t… I’m not ready to be all flirty with a god… With the god of chaos, out of all of them…”
“So you’ve heard about me?”
“Oh, a lot. You’re… Your name is used to scare children, you know. Being told at a young age that if we were to venture too far out of the known lands, you would be there to steal us away from our families never to be seen again, eaten, or enslaved. You warp reality as you seem fit, and you’re one of the strongest gods of all.”

DreamXD smirked.

“Oh, I do love when you praise my life’s work, George…”
“Everyone is terrified of you. I’ve read all the stories of death, starvation, and corruption. You’re… You’re not once depicted as a neutral god. You always create… chaos. You hurt people. You hurt everyone.”
“I sense that you’re rather not impressed.”
“I’m… I’m not, Dream.”
“Then what would?”
“I’m… I don’t want to live with someone that would just hurt anyone so openly. You’re… You’ve been cruel. Multiple times. Even to innocent people who didn’t ask for it. I can’t… I can’t feel safe around you if I just know you’re going to turn on me whenever you feel like it. I’d rather die right now than bury myself in this fantasy that makes no sense.”
“You’re scared of me?”

George seemed to sense the god’s distress.

“You’re… You’re powerful. Even if you never showed an ounce of malice towards me, I just… You could crush me in your hands in a blink and I couldn’t do anything about it. You…I…”

DreamXD leaned down to get his face at George’s level, making the human back away a little and turn his head away.

“Isn’t it part of the charm, George? Don’t you like it?” the god observed his little human get flustered. “You’re worried that being attracted to it makes you lewd. You think appreciating a god’s power this way shouldn’t be admitted out loud.”

George’s eyes kept landing back on DreamXD, no matter how much he tried to keep them away.

“I fell in love with you when you were a human…”
“You enjoyed taking care of me. You wanted to have a proper outlet for your kindness… Let me take care of you now. I’ll show you everything you want to see. I’ll give you anything you want to have. I’m yours now because you were so kind to me. Let me repay the favor, make you my little protegee. You won’t have anything to fear anymore. I’m here for you. I belong to you.”

DreamXD wrapped his long arms around George as the human felt himself falter.

“Oh, Dream…”
“Tell me what you desire, George.”

The human bit his lip, the gesture making a shiver run down the god’s spine.

Chapter Text

DreamXD gave his all to give everything his human wanted. Clothes, jewels, luring animals, and manipulating crops to create the perfect oasis for his protegé. 

George wanted a nice cozy farm, something easy to live in that could make his dream of being so close to nature come true.

He could’ve asked DreamXD for more but he kept saying to the god that he felt in debt and preferred not to stack unnecessary debts on top of the more needed ones. 

They loved each other freely there. Away from George’s family, away from the gods. Away from everything.

They did nothing wrong, they just wanted to be happy there.

Sharing moments amidst the chaos of life. 

No one knew what they were doing really, since they didn’t need to reach out to anyone.

DreamXD could simply provide anything, warping it into existence.

They did nothing wrong.

One morning during fall, DreamXD woke up as usual in their bed, the sun peeking through the windows.

But he was alone.

His body was cold, missing his nightly companion.

He got out of bed to look for him, among the animals, looking into every corner of the farm, and yet he didn’t find his human.

Growing more alarmed, he returned to the living room to find it trashed, their decorations carefully destroyed in a regular pattern.

A single note laid on the table that now bore scratching marks.

“We have your precious human. Come get him and answer for your crimes.”

On the paper stood a godly seal, glowing under the light.

DreamXD felt the rage engulf him before he could even feel it, four wings flapping and flying him to the realm of the gods.

The realm of the gods could be identified as a giant villa made of several temples in different styles and made from different materials.

All was bathed in light no matter the time of day, made from the energy of the gods themselves. 

It was the place that all the gods preferred to spend most of their time in because they shaped it as they wanted, not having to care whether that meant the humans that worshipped them could survive the sudden change.

And DreamXD had made himself the promise to never come back to this place unless it was to burn it all down.

He would, once he had George back.

Quietly, reality screeching around him from the strength of his seething, he walked up the stairs to the coliseum, where the most light could be seen. Obviously, they used George as bait to bring him back in front of the whole realm to have him locked up once again.

With a flicker of his wrist, he changed his clothes to his ceremonial robes, the ones he always wore during a war that he started.

There was not a soul in the villa. But from the sound only, he knew everyone was at the coliseum already. They must have planned this a few days ago, to gather everyone first.

The Coliseum was roaring from everyone trying to yell over each other’s voices. It was a real party, DreamXD could smell the food, the alcohol, and the perfumes from the human offerings.

Spreading his wings, revealing his godly appearance, he made his way into the coliseum from the opened door that led to the arena, walking on the sand that had remained the same since he last was here.

He didn’t mind the change of sudden tone as the audience took in that he was in fact here. He didn’t care that the coliseum went quiet upon his arrival. He didn’t look at the Council of gods getting antsy as they realized he did show up.

He looked for George.

He scanned the whole place, and there was no sign of him, yet. Most likely because they knew he would just take him away and go if that was the case.

So he let himself play their game a little.

As the crowd gained some more courage and booed him, he spread his arms with a large grin, taunting the Council that was standing on a balcony above the bleachers.

One member of the Council wearing red robes that clearly didn’t fit him well lifted his hand, silently commanding the other gods to quiet down.

As silence fell upon the coliseum, he spoke.

“DreamXD. You’ve escaped your prison.”

The god crossed his arms in a lack of patience and rolled his numerous eyes.

“Skip it. What do you want?”

A wave of whispers erupted in the bleachers.

The god looked obviously pissed but went on.

“You’ve broken out of your eternal prison, and went back to your ways of toying with and torturing humans, our main resource for power.”

DreamXD’s hands twitched at the words, not liking the phrasing. He changed, he knew. Yet there was no point in arguing, the results weren’t going to change. He just needed George back.

Another member of the Council walked forward, his clothes being the distinct definition of ugly, and spoke to the audience.

“In other circumstances, we would have simply locked this problem away again until it made its way back, but today is different. We have the means.”

Below the Council, a curtain fell to the ground, revealing several gods and guards surrounding a table DreamXD knew well.

George was in front of the table, kneeling, dressed in ceremonial robes meant for human sacrifices.

He had makeup applied to his face to DreamXD’s disgust, and it was running down his cheeks from his tears. He seemed to get even more agitated at DreamXD’s sight.

“Leave!” he immediately yelled, his voice breaking.

Laughter erupted in the audience.

DreamXD waved his hand, warping George away back to the farm.

A second later, he appeared again, crying out in pain.

Reality twitched around DreamXD. Another god was keeping his eyes on George, forcing DreamXD and his human to stay there until it was done.

He looked at George, at the robes he would’ve appreciated seeing on George on a different occasion, at the skin that was revealed at his chest and arms, at the bruises that formed there. He looked at his knees red and cut from kneeling on the uncomfortable floor, at his eyes red and puffy from crying.

He was going to apologize for not waking up sooner once this was over. He would take him somewhere nice, tend to his wounds, his pains, his aches…

But right now, he was in a coliseum.

“What do you want from me?” he called to the Council.

“We have a new system, here. And we had this sudden great idea, of giving the whole realm the possibility to choose. Everyone will vote, and their votes will decide your fate.”

Another member of the Council placed two hourglasses on the wall in front of them, One with white sand, the other with red sand. Both were frozen in time, the sand sticking at the top.

“The choice is simple, here. If the white hourglass is filled more, you will be tortured for eternity for your crimes. On the other side, the red hourglass would determine your fate as the Council’s champion, working for the good of the realm.”

DreamXD chuckled. As if that were to happen. Even if they threatened to kill George, he could only maintain him alive for a certain amount of time. Once George would die of old age, there would be nothing left for him.

He would have nothing but hatred to keep him company.

DreamXD didn’t listen as the Council kept explaining things to the audience, focusing back his gaze on George.

His human was stricken with fear. 

He wanted to comfort him, to hold him, kiss his tears away… But that had to wait.

“BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!”

DreamXD was taken from his thoughts with a familiar chant. But that meant nothing good coming from an audience made only of gods, where he was the one standing in the middle of the arena.

He barely managed to get what they were implying before some gods tied his arms and wings down with chains, the familiar feeling settling in his stomach as he recognized the painful burn.

Gritting his teeth, he looked up, watching as George was forced onto the sacrificial table, tied down with the same chains like some lamb to the slaughter.

George cried in pain as some ritualistic god lifted a sacrificial blade to the sky, whispering some words of gratitude.

The world stopped moving for DreamXD. 

There was no sound, no pain, no one… 

There was only George, and this blade.

The blade was meant to kill gods, not humans. 

The last time DreamXD was aware, the gods had moved on from sacrificing humans. They shouldn’t do this.

It wasn’t fair. George had done nothing wrong but care for him.

George didn’t deserve to be treated this way.

He was meant to be loved, cherished…

And there he was.

Because DreamXD had made the mistake of caring about him.

There was no point in blaming himself for everything. There was no point in crying because he put the one he loved above everything else in danger.

The only thing that mattered, was George. George’s safety, George’s happiness.

“DREAM!”

DreamXD grabbed the chains holding his wrist and they shattered under his finger. With one hand, he warped the knife into shards he sent at the gods surrounding George.

He freed his wings from the chains, leaping into the air, warping limbs off of the threats, draining energy from the audience, and bathing the whole coliseum in golden blood.

One of the Council members jumped into action and concentrated his energy to stop DreamXD, constricting his movements and restraining him in mid-air.

DreamXD warped the goddess he recognized as the god’s daughter next to that member into his own hands, clawing her face off with cruel fingers, letting her scream in agony.

The god’s face changed from determination to horror, his will to fight vanishing as quickly as his daughter’s beauty. 

DreamXD smirked, warping the goddess’ body in some other place in the human realm, tossing the daughter’s head into her father’s arms.

A god doesn’t die, but it was going to take a long time before she found that body again.

“Can I depart from here with my human unscathed, or am I to continue?”

The Council member in red robes scowled at the taunt.

“We’ll find you, no matter how long it takes, and we’ll put you on a leash! You’ll never taste a thought ever again!”

DreamXD’s eyes darkened.

“I have been locked under a mountain for centuries. By your care. Believe me, I desire nothing but to spend all the time you made me waste scattering all of your pieces in different realms. But my human needs me. You should be grateful for him, instead of resolving to useless butchery.”

DreamXD flew to the altar, shattering George’s chains with ease. His human curled up, leaning into him shivering.

With a simple caress to his neck, he made the pain and the bruises vanish.

“You’re okay, now. I got you. You’re safe.”

“Dream…”

“Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s done.”

“Dream, you’re hurt…”

The god briefly looked at his wrist where burn marks had appeared. He felt them on his wings too.

“It’s fine. It’s not painful. Let’s go home, yeah?”

George only nodded.

Dream pulled off the top layer of his robes, wrapping it around George to keep him warm and help him feel safe.

He then lifted him up into his arms, turning around and walking out of the coliseum, not sparing a glance at the gods who tried to restrain him that all had at least a leg missing.

He walked down the divine stairs with the most precious being in existence in his arms, not forgetting to warp a few fires on his way down, keeping his own promise. 

Soon he let himself fall down from the skies, his wings spread out, descending slowly as he went to the farm.

He landed on his feet, arrived at their house, entered, and placed George on the bed.

George grabbed Dream’s arm before he could pull away. The god had changed into his human form again.

“Don’t go.”

“I’m not going.”

“Stay.”

“I’m here, George.”

George sighed.

“That was scary.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“In some way it is. But I guess in some other way it’s yours too. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Are you okay?”

“I… I think. I really thought you… You were going to…”

“What?”

George bit his lip and Dream didn’t have the courage to tell him how that made him feel.

“You had that look in your eyes… I thought you were going to agree to serve them just to save me…”

“If that was the only choice there was, then yes I would.”

“You’ll live for so much longer than me, you can’t-”

“But there’s never one choice. As you saw today, right?”

George looked up into Dream’s eyes, igniting a fire in the poor god’s chest he had no idea about and following with words that would definitely make it harder for him to calm his ego.

“Are you… Does that mean… You’re stronger than all the other gods?”

Dream chuckled.

“When you’re in danger? Yes, maybe.”

“You face them all… and alone.”

“Not alone. I had you.”

“I’m not a god, Dream.”

“I don’t care.”

George chuckled and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

“You’re my savior.”

“Anything for you.”

“What are you going to do when I die? I’m not immortal like you…”

“I’ll stand right next to your tomb and tell you stories. Or I’ll go to hell and find you, to keep you company and protect you.”

“I don’t know…”

“We’ll see. You’re alive now, for a few more years. And you have a god at your service. What do you want to do? Travel? Learn new skills, meet new people?”

George giggled as he pushed Dream onto the bed.

“I think I have something in mind…”

“What is it, mmh? Geo-” he shivered, “George!”

He was a god. A being of creation of destruction.

But he never felt more alive than in the arms of one of the most fragile of miracles. He felt completely and truly free.