Louder Than Words, 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌.

O32. IN THE MIDST OF SHADOWS

Dream took the spoon and fed Daniela, making sure it wasn't too hot. If it was, he would make Daniela blow on the spoon filled with soup and fed her, an intimate moment between the two.

"My mom used to make this for me," Daniela spoke, breaking the silence. "Especially since I was such a picky eater. This was my go-to food for majority of the time."

"It surprises me." Dream commented, not staring at her. "You way anything now."

"Yeah, and now look at me," Daniela gestured to the bed. "I poisoned... literally."

Dream lightly scoffed with a smirk trailing on his lips. "Sadly it didn't kill you so you won't be my problem." Daniela shook her head and chuckled, clearly understanding his humor. Yes, it was humor the way crinkles formed at the end of his eyes, his eye smile showing. He clearly didn't know he had an eye smile. "Don't take it as a hint to stop eating, though. You're safe now. No worries."

"I'm taking your word for it."

They sat in silence again and Dream continued to feed her. What he did, though, shocked her even more when he lifted a thumb up to the corner of her lips and swiped it to remove any remaining soup left.

"You know," Dream mumbled, fixing his mask, "it's really crazy how everything started." Daniela watched him as he continued to speak, feeding her. "Your dad really put you in danger and you're still in danger. Are you ever afraid of what might happen?"

"I'll be honest," Daniela started, sighing as she unclenched her hands, "I'm always fucking afraid. It's okay for me to admit that because I'm not ashamed of speaking out about the fear I feel every time there's a gun near or when I hear screams at night in the White Room from one of the few that are tortured there. Anyone in my shoes would be scared."

Dream listened to her and she continued after gulping down the soup he fed her. "Like, you killed people and I'm sure you regret it, but it's still scary to know you killed those people once and didn't regret it in the moment."

"I did regret it," the man muttered as he fiddled with the spoon. "In this job, not killing anyone is seen as weak. I know that still doesn't justify me killing people, sometimes innocent, but, I am now here able to give those who work for me money so they can help their families. When they retire, I buy them a home with enough security. That's why I took you in. I feel like if I do good things maybe it will make my life a big easier to handle."

"Why don't you have women and children get brought into the type of thing?"

"I lead a mafia," Dream answered, "I have enemies. Women and children are our future, children especially. Women give everything to us, the least I can do is make them feel as if they are safe and sound without them, and the children, seeing the horrors of what this job brings, and have them traumatized."

"You're a good person, Dream."

Daniela looked at Dream and he looked at her, eyes meeting one another's. She saw the way his eyes glistened and his hand reached up, fingertips grazing the material of the top of his face mask. Slowly bringing it down, Dream took it off, leaving his face exposed.

"I know you see me as a good person, Daniela," he slowly leaned in and she saw the way his scar started by his jaw and ended near the bridge of his nose. It was a pink color, almost peach-ish. She almost felt tempted to run her finger by it but knew that would seem rude if she didn't ask him for permission. "But my actions in the past are still my actions. I did those mistakes. Just like yesterday's mistakes are still the mistakes of me right now."

"Your actions in the past don't truly define you unless you keep repeating them now," Daniela furrowed her eyebrows. "Unless you yourself understand what you did wrong and are trying to change for the better. No one is a good person, everyone has made mistakes even though they claim they haven't. We all have. But you are willing to change for the better and you need to have a better mindset that you will be a good person. Mistakes change you, but how you follow your heart is what defines you."

Dream didn't know where the sudden urge of showing such vulnerability came from. But he truly admire the way Daniela saw things. When she asked him for permission to run her hands over the smallest scars to the big scars littered on his face with her eyes, he slowly nodded and she did so.

"I heard the story of this one," she said, running her thumb over the big scar he didn't like. "Techno did it."

"He did," Dream mused as he remembered. "Hit me with the tip of his knife. All for fun, though. I just don't like it when people see it and know who I am. You know the story."

"How did you get this one?" Daniela mumbled as if she and him were sharing secrets. She ran her hands over his lips, staring at them as he moved in front of her so she wouldn't hurt herself. He eyed her messy hair and the dark eye bags caused by the lack of sleep, he also noticed the beauty marks residing on the bridge of her nose and by her hairline. She actually had a lot.

Remembering that she had asked something about his face scar. Dream hummed and brought his thumb up to the scar by his lip.

"Right here?" Daniela nodded.

"Tommy," Dream recounted. "He doesn't like me that much. Did a lot of bad things to him. Do I regret them? Maybe. Would I willingly piss him off again? Of course. Where's the fun in not doing anything?"

"I'll grab him and you can beat him up," Daniela brought her fists up and Dream chuckled, bringing her hands down with his own.

"No violence."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

...I totally didn't disappear...
im sorry 😭😭 graduation is
soon and I've been focusing on
school (and my relationship and
friendships) a lot.

But, here, an 1,500+ word chapter.

Forgive me 😔 and I'll add more
intimate scenes between them more
to see the build up (and yes more
sexual tension scenes)

:)