Dreamwalking in Lavender Fields

Chapter 3. Shattered.

"Goodbye." Darryl disconnected. He did not remember half of the things he said. He was working on autopilot when he said that and he was still on autopilot now.

Zak's stream was still open and Darryl could not move as he watched Zak start to cry and quickly turn off the stream. He was crying... did he hurt Zak? He didn't mean to. What did he even say? He couldn't remember. Darryl took off his headset and stared into space.

He just felt empty and the only thing he could actually feel was pain. It was a troll. Just a troll. Zak did not love him back.

Darryl punched a wall and only realized what he had done when he saw blood on his knuckles. Maybe the smart thing to do right now would be just to go to sleep... no. The thought of going to sleep and seeing Zak made him physically sick. He could not handle that now.

He was surprised he was not crying right now. It was weird. There was an empty feeling in his stomach and mind, accompanied by the pain in his chest. He went on with his routine, only instead of going to bed, he grabbed his guitar and climbed on the window sill.

"Hah. Am I being dramatic?" He ran his fingers over the strings and frowned at the out of tune sound. Out of tune, like his life right now. "It was just a troll after all.. I should just go to sleep..." At that he suddenly sat up and threw the guitar on the floor running off to the bathroom.

He threw up. He really just threw up at the thought of going to sleep and seeing Zak. Wow. It was not just a troll after all, at least not to him. He didn't know about what Zak thought.

Well then, he needed to go to the store and get more coffee and energy drinks. Because he could not imagine going to sleep any time soon.

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Dream told Vincent that he wanted to wait for a few days before contacting Darryl. He knew that he did not want to be bothered when upset until he contacted anyone.

But it had been a week and Darryl was gone from all social media and was not answering calls from anyone. Dream, Vincent, Callahan, Sapnap and George included. And Zak, obviously.

So that's when Dream decided he had enough. He was currently driving to Bad's house, while on a call with George. He had let Vincent know that he was going beforehand.

"I should have just gone when Vincent asked me to..." Clay sighed focusing on the road. "My mistake."

"I think you did the right thing. Have him space to think it through and time to ask for help. And when he did not ask for help, you're doing it regardless. It's what friends do."

"George, I love you. You're the best, you know that, right?" He chuckled softly as he heard a flustered humph from the phone.

"I'm not saying it back, Dream."

"You don't have to, I know you do too." George didn't reply to that. Because it was true. "Either way, Georgie. I'm almost here. So I have to go now."

"Alright. Keep me updated, will you?"

"Of course. Later, lovely." He pressed the end call button just as George let out a flustered 'DREAM!' and let out a soft laugh. He loved getting George flustered, especially with facecam on but this was not the case now. Now it was time to make Bad his top priority, he thought as he parked by Bad's house.

He knocked but no one answered. So obviously, Clay reached for a pair of keys that he knew was hidden under a pot of lavender that Darryl had on his porch and opened the door.

It was dark and silent. Rat was sitting next to a full bowl of food seeming content. Okay, so he had been taking care of her. The dog ran over to him asking for attention and he picked it up, looking around confused.

"Darryl? Hey, bud, you here?" No answer. Again. Dream slowly crept to the direction of Darryl's bedroom and only then he heard some very quiet sounds. Guitar and a quiet, extremely tired voice humming along to it. Dream sat the Rat down and opened the door.

Darryl was sitting on the window sill with his guitar. The room around him was littered with pieces of paper with scribbles of unknown nature on them. He looked up and squinted, clearly not recognising him.

"...Zak?" Oh. Oh god. That one word, one name, just broke Dream's heart. It was obvious what was happening. Darryl was longing for his soulmate but also refusing to see him by staying awake.

"Oh, Darryl..." Dream quickly went over and pulled the older man into his embrace, cringing at the sound of the guitar dropping. "I'm not Zak. But I'm here for you."

"Oh... it's you." He could hear the faint disappointment and relief in his exhausted voice. "Hi, Dream."

"Hi, Bad." Clay was really holding back tears right now. He promised Vincent he would not be angry at Zak. But in this moment, he really wanted to punch him for doing this to him. "Hey, Darryl... when was the last time you slept?"

"I dunno... how much time has passed?"

Dream felt like he just received another bullet in his heart. Seeing this kind and selfless man so... lost, yeah this was a good way to describe it, was painful. "Listen, bud. I am gonna help you pack your things, take Lucy and you are coming with me to my house. Okay?"

He was expecting Bad to argue. To put up a fight. That would mean he still had some fire left in him. It would mean that he cared, but all he got was:

"Okay."

Dream sighed and let go of him. But then lifted him up instead. He was so loopy from lack of sleep, he almost fell when he stood up. "Change of plans. You are going to wait in the car, preferably nap, okay?"

At that, Darryl shook his head. Well, he was still fighting which was good, his refusal could not be a good thing. "Why not?"

"The thought of falling asleep... makes me sick."

"...I did not want to do this but, um. I will make you drink a sleeping pill, if you don't go to sleep." That phrase made Darryl gag. "Oh god, I am so so so sorry for this, Dar. I hope you can forgive me later." He had no other choice. It was for his friend's well being. He got out the pills that Vincent sent him by fast track delivery from France and a bottle of water.

"Wait... I'll take them by myself." The somber voice whispered as he held out his hand.

"Oh, thank goodness. Also it. Not them." Clay put one pill into Darryl's palm and gave him the water watching him take the pill.

"Please take Rat, my knives and gun and my guitar..."

"Don't make it sound like you are not going to wake up, Darryl."

A minute. That's all it took for Darryl to collapse into Clay's arms fast asleep. He had to have gone a week without sleep, with held back tears and an emptiness sucking the life out of him, and going back to the warm lavender fields by the sea was the best choice for him.

Dream lifted him up and took him to the car, packing his things and Rat after that.

He had a plan: how to help him. And later, possibly Zak. He sighed and called Vincent, waiting for him to pick up. Darryl really needed a break and a distraction. And Dream was going to give that to him.

Maybe Fate just needed a little push...