Run Boy Run (can find it on ao3 in the first few chapters for free)

Chapter 6

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days..

Bad is a strange character, to say the least. Demonborns are high on the dangerous borns list since they can perform black magic. Demons are also known for praying on the innocent, and humans don't know if borns carry that trait as well.

Bad, on the other hand, doesn't look like he could hurt a fly. He loves to bake and garden and play with his cat that he swears is a Catborn that was cursed by a witch. Dream could believe it, Ant was the strangest cat he's ever met. The two make a bizarre pair.

Bad had admitted to using magic on him to heal his ankle, which confused Dream to no end, because wasn't black magic necromancy and things like that? It seemed to be the opposite of healing. When he asked, Bad just laughed and winked, and Dream found himself really liking the man.

Demonborns live hot as well.

Bad was a curious man, too. He had never seen an Enderborn before, and they spent a whole hour talking to each other in Ender and Demon. The two languages were close enough that Dream could understand every other word Bad said and then figure it out with context. It was fun, surprisingly.

He knew he couldn't stay long.

"Are you worried about the bounty?" Bad asked when he said he should leave soon. Ant hopped onto his shoulder, and his hand instinctively went up to pet him before remembering the dirty look the cat gave him last time he tried to. "We're pretty far away from any towns, you should be safe for a little while longer."

Bad sat next to him, and he leaned into him, enjoying the dull warmth he emitted. It wasn't nearly as much as a Blazeborn, but it would do for now. "The longer I stay, the more danger you'll be in."

Demonborns were on the Most Dangerous Borns list. When the Genocide Decree was signed, they, like the other top 9, were hit the hardest. While only Ender and Witherborns diminished to the point of near extinction, the rest were endangered as well. Demon horns and blood went for a lot on the black market. He didn't want to be the reason why Bad was hurt.

"I may have healed your ankle but I couldn't fully heal it." Bad responded, draping a blanket around his shoulders, and demons shouldn't be this caring, even a Demon Halfborn. "I saw that your shoulder was hurt to. Give yourself at least another day of rest, Dream."

And Dream, snuggled up in blankets, stomach full and basking in warmth he rarely feels, agreed. Ant stared at him, and for some strange reason he felt like he had made the wrong choice.

Time passed slowly. It always did whenever he took a break. He relished in that fact, doing everything he could to make that time worth it. He helped weed the garden, made some muffins for Bad, organized the bookshelves, and even helped give Ant a bath. The cat hissed at him, as if to say he could do it by himself. Dream had laughed.

And then Ant actually did it by himself. Like a human would.

He believed the 'witch's curse' a little bit more after that.

He was reading a book by the fire when Bad came back from collecting mushrooms. He wanted to make stew from a recipe, but he never had anyone to try it with him. The man's face was pinched about something, but it fell off when he saw Dream. "I got it from the stalk of a big mushroom."

Dream arched a brow, even though Bad couldn't see. He knew his bushes and mushrooms- he had to, since running out of supplies while days away from a safe town happened often. "A brown or red large mushroom?"

"Brown." Bad beamed, skipping over to start boiling the pot. "I picked the red ones off the ground."

"The stalks of large brown mushrooms are bitter, Bad." Dream laughed when the Halfborn froze. "Did you try it?"

"Yeah..." He said sheepishly. "But I've always been told that my taste buds work differently from humans and other borns."

Oh yeah, he had forgotten. Demonborns have a weird thing with their senses- when they practice dark magic, their senses get better, but the longer they refrain from it the worse their senses get. "Here." He put his book down and got up. "The core should be bland. It'll need more seasoning, but it should work."

They got to work, Bad getting the stew ready while Dream cut out the core of the brown mushrooms Bad had picked. It was repetitive, but for once he was okay with it. It felt domestic, in a way, and the boiling pot next to him was warming him up. He finished the last mushroom, dumping it into the pot. Bad shooed him out of the kitchen moments later.

He just laughed, going back to his book. It was a book written by a Turtleborn, one hundreds if not thousands of years old. It explained how borns came into being, and the history of borns. Dream didn't know how much was true, but it was fun reading a story written by a born in the first place, so he didn't care much.

Dinner was called right after he finished the last chapter, and he made his way to the dining room. Bad looked surprised, sprinkling in some kind of herb into his bowl before handing it over. "You came fast. You looked really invested in that book."

"I finished it." He explained. "It's a really cool concept."

"It is." Bad nodded. "Pretty accurate, too, besides the beginning part. I summoned a demon awhile back and she told me a different story."

"Really?" Dream took a sip of the stew. It was surprisingly good. "The author seemed to think that we evolved like this over time."

"Most people do." Bad said. "But the demon said that it was actually a ritual that demons and witches performed on those who wanted to look human. That's why full borns have rune-like markings. I know a noble who lives in the capitol. He did some digging for me and the capitol's archives actually agree with the demon."

Dream hummed, feeling sleepy. "How so?"

"Well-" Bad clapped his hands, leaning forward in an excited way. Dream didn't notice him stare. "-the capitol is actually very old. It's said to be one of the first civilizations. It has written records older than Endermen! The oldest records explain how suddenly, overnight, new, strange humans with markings flocked to the city. Some even had powers- Dream?"

Dream jerked his head up, lethargic. He was... he was really tired. "M'Fine, just... just tired-"

He slid out of the chair, out before his head even hit the floor.

When he wakes everything is moving and he's warm again. Someone's holding him, he thinks, but his brain is too mushy to figure out who. They were really warm, hot, even ( Blazeborn hot ), and that was nice. Did it matter? He was warm and sleepy and his eyes were closing again. He barely had enough brainpower to realize he had been drugged before he was out again.

(A/N)

Short chapter.
Hello, quick reminder, this isn't mine. This amazing writer created this: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolfCub/pseuds/WhiteWolfCub