~𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬~

~𝐭𝐞𝐧~

~

The cool, damp cloth Muffet had kept pressed to his forehead was pulled away, leaving beads of water to mix with the sweat on his face. (Y/N) and Blue sat in chairs by the side of his bed, watching over him with varying levels of concern held in their eyes.

Dream and Sci stood at the foot of the bed, mumbling back and forth about all that had just happened. His younger brother was flipping through a book they had found in the library. It's cover was encased in a matted, dusty, yellow-orange velvet that he would describe as holding more of a resemblance to the rind of an old orange rather than gold.

"The Scientific Theory of Dreaming" was scrawled across the front in flakey white lettering.

Ink scoffed. It was an ugly little book. It was tacky-looking and poorly designed. Whoever had put it together clearly wanted it to appear to be an expensive project, when Ink could've made the same book cover with a shag rug and craft paint.

His rib cage crackled as he let out a deep sigh, earning an abrupt holler of pain from him.

(Y/N) flinched, holding her hands out to rush to his aid. Muffet bent over to him, waving her hands to get him to sit up.

He did as he was told, his ribs still flaming with pain. Two lavender hands reached behind his back, grabbing the sides of his pale pillow. She wrestled with it, fluffing it at the end and beating it back into a more comfortable state. Setting it behind him once again, she told him to keep upright in a sitting position this time with his back against the pillow.

"I'VE GOT THE STEAK YOU ASKED FOR, MISS MUFFET!" Papyrus rushed into the brothers' bedroom, a raw steak in his red gloves.

"Thank you, Papyrus." Taking it from him, she handed the steak to Ink. "Hold this to that eye of yours, it'll help with the pain."

Ink shivered, pressing the ice cold steak to his eye as instructed.

"Have you guys found out anything yet?" Ink asked.

Both Sci and Dream turned their heads, shaking them in shame.

"Science doesn't prove the ability for two people to share a dream. Theoretically, you may have been able to, but the two of you would need to be very close to each other at the time you both fell asleep," said Sci, arms crossed over his chest.

"Even so, the way you came out of your subconscious with the same pain Error inflicted on you is unheard of." Dream shut the book, sitting on the end of Ink's bed with his legs crossed over one another. "Sci and I believe some source of magic was the cause of the shared dream."

Ink raised an eyebrow at him.

"Like you?"

"Ink, you know I haven't used those abilities in years."

"I know that, but who else would have caused it? The last I checked, you're the only one who has that ability."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, gentlemen," Sci said, dropping his arms to his hips, "but what exactly are you talking about?"

Dream looked to his older brother with a frown, furrowing his brows in frustration.

Ink stared back at him in anticipation, waiting for his okay to speak.

"What? You're the one who brought it up, just tell them," Dream groaned, holding his hands over the sides of his head.

"Are you sure? I know you don't like it when-"

"They want to know, Ink, so just tell them."

"You don't want to talk about it yourself?"

"No."