You have chosen: Choice B
Final Votes:
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200 votes for Choice B
(p.s. for the next reader insert book:
• pirate au
• spy au
• medieval/royal au
• other: list in comments
I've found myself in love with au's and headcanons, so feel free to leave requests in the one-shot book, or PM me your headcanons!
thank you for your input!)
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You studied the freckled face before you, searching his emerald eyes for any kind of deceit; anything that would send up red flags, prove that he was lying. But you found none.
You needed answers. Or, at least, some sort of confirmation that Dream wasn't as bad as you were making him out to be.
It would be nice to see the other boys too, you figured.
"Okay," You sighed, crossing your arms over your chest, "I'll come back with you."
Dream's tense posture relaxed in relief, and he smiled, "Great. We'll leave from here, then?" He asked, retying the mask back onto his face so that the only visible facial feature shown was his smile.
You shook your head, linking one of your arms with Jordan's, "No. I'm going to take Jordan back to L'Manburg. You can come with us, or I can meet you back at the base," You insisted.
Dream nodded, "I'll come with you, then."
You rolled your eyes internally, wishing he would have given you the ride alone. The quiet ride would have given you time to think, to plan on what you were going to do with Wilbur.
But of course he was wanting to escort you home.
You only nodded in response, helping Jordan guide your horses out of their hole.
You saddled Oakley, ignoring Dream's stares.
"You kept him," He murmured, running his gloved hand over Oakley's mane, earning a pleased whinny.
You nodded, smiling down at your loyal steed, "Of course I did. He gets me where I need to go. And he's a wonderful horse."
Dream smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Ready?" Jordan asked, swinging his leg over his own horse and taking the reigns.
You nodded, tugging the reigns to guide Oakley away from Pogtopia.
Dream rolled his eyes and shook his head. He wasn't even on his horse yet, but you weren't going to wait for him. He probably deserved that.
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The ride back was mostly silent. A few murmured words were exchanged between you and Jordan, but other than that, no one spoke.
Eventually, the three of you made it to L'Manburg, having only run into one or two harmless creepers.
Dream explained that he would wait for you there, deciding to not intrude on your goodbye's with your friend.
You left Oakley with Dream, following Jordan to the stables on foot. The two of you unsaddled his horse and left it to its hay and water, walking along the wooden pathway that led to Jordan's home.
"You don't have to go, you know," Jordan broke the silence, his hands stuffed into his front pockets, "You could stay here, with me."
You glanced at Jordan out of the side of your eye, a sad smile on your lips, "I know...but Dream's promising me answers; explanations. And...I think I need to give him a chance. I've been doing a lot of yelling and not a lot of listening, you know?" You admitted with a chuckle, rubbing the back of your neck.
Jordan hummed, gently nudging your shoulder, "Yeah, well, he can be a bit of a dick sometimes," He joked.
You grinned, nodding in agreement, "No doubt there, Jordan. No doubt there."
Jordan helped you pack for your trip. You weren't sure how long you were staying, and you didn't have too many pairs of clothing, so you just picked out four or five outfits to take with you. Jordan lent you a large drawstring bag to carry along your belongings so in went the clothes.
Along with a few potions, as a precaution.
Jordan slipped out of your room, expecting you to follow behind, but there were a few more things you needed to pack.
You folded up the scraps of paper that you had been writing your speech on and stuffed them into the bag as well, along with a feathered pen. Hopefully Dream stored some ink in his base, you would need to finish the speech while you were staying over.
You made your way towards the hallway, but hesitated at your door. The painting sitting beside your bed was calling to you, begging for you to bring it along.
So you did. You slipped it into the bag before drawing the strings, praying that it wouldn't get ruined on the journey.
Once you were finished packing, Jordan met you at the front door. Immediately, you were thrown back to a moment months ago, a moment where you feared for your friend's life.
Jordan met your eyes, his gaze full of sorrow. Dream took hold of your upper arm, gently tugging you away, but you stood your ground, "You're not going to let me say goodbye?" You asked softly, not taking your eyes away from your friend.
Dream's jaw clenched in slight irritation, but he nodded once and said, "Five minutes," before releasing your arm and stepping away, motioning for his friends to give the two of you some space.
You moved towards Jordan, gingerly wrapping your arms around him in a hug, "I'm so sorry," You mumbled, pulling away after a moment.
Jordan shook his head, leaning up against the side of the house to keep himself from falling over, "You should have run, (Y/N). I can handle myself," He mumbled.
"Jordan, look at yourself. You can barely stand!"
"At least I'm alive! Who knows what these men could do to you?"
"Or to you?" You shot back, tears filling your eyes again. Why did both of your goodbyes have to be so tearful?
"I just want you safe, (Y/N)."
"And I want the same, Jordan. You've done so much for me. Please let me do this for you," You pleaded, wrapping your arms around your midsection in discomfort.
Jordan grit his teeth, obviously unhappy with your decision. He glanced over at the "Dream Team", then back to you, "Can you escape?" He asked lowly, only loud enough for you to hear.
Taking a deep breath, you nodded. You weren't one-hundred percent sure that you could, but you were going to tell Jordan whatever he wanted to hear.
Jordan nodded, silent for one moment more.
"Two minutes." Dream warned, calling to you over his shoulder.
"Alright," Jordan finally agreed, albeit hesitantly, "Fine. Take my place."
A sharp intake of breath pulled you back into reality. Jordan appraised you with concern, but said nothing.
You slung the bag over your shoulder, glancing at the clock above the doorway. The sun was beginning to set; you needed to be on your way.
Jordan pulled you into an embrace, holding on for a few moments longer than necessary, "Please be safe," He mumbled, "And if you feel uncomfortable...if you want to come home...the door will always be unlocked. All hours of the night. I promise."
You smiled, closing your eyes as you held one another. This moment wasn't as life-threatening as the last, but Jordan had a habit of hanging on a bit too long. Even in the safest of situations.
After a few more moments, you pulled away, sending your friend a bright smile, "I'll be back soon, I promise. I'll be home before the festival," Speaking of... "Keep the boys in line for me, would you?" You teased, opening the door.
"Oh, and if you see Schlatt, let him know that I'm still working on the speech. Just...remotely."
Jordan was staring at something over your shoulder, "I...I think you can tell him yourself."
You closed your eyes, bracing yourself for the migraine you were about to face.
Conjuring up the most genuine smile you could muster on your lips, you turned on your heel to face Schlatt.
Schlatt strode towards you with all the confidence in the world. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his dress pants, and a cigarette was dangling lazily from his lips. A smug grin was playing on his expression. He noted the bag hanging from your shoulders and raised a brow.
"Heading somewhere, princess?" He asked, tilting his head.
You worked your jaw, fighting every urge to punch him in the face, "Please don't call me that. But, yes, I'm visiting Dream and the boys for a week or so," You explained with a shrug, "I'll be back for the festival; I'm working on the speech over there," You promised.
Schlatt waved a hand dismissively, gesturing to the male behind you, "I was actually looking for you, Jordan," You turned to face your friend, confusion etched on both of your faces, "Would you be so kind to conjure up some potions for me? Nothing too fancy, just some healing remedies."
Jordan narrowed his eyes at the president, but nodded, slipping silently back into his home.
When you turned back to face Schlatt, you were startled by how close he had become. You reeled back unconsciously, his face only a few inches from yours.
You could smell no alcohol on his breath. He was completely sober.
Why was he acting this way?
"Now, now, (Y/N), no need to be scared," Schlatt chuckled, straightening and clasping his hands behind his back.
You narrowed your eyes up at the goat-man, regaining your courage, "I'm not scared of you."
Schlatt's eyebrows rose in obvious disbelief, but he just hummed in response, stepping forward, "Hmm. Alright. I just wanted to advise you not to do anything reckless while you're away. You do represent Manburg, after all," Schlatt grinned, his eyes boring into yours unsettlingly.
"Back off," You growled, your hands curling into fists at your side.
Schlatt tsked, "Don't try to act so brave, (Y/N). Everyone knows you're too weak to fend for yourself; you need your all-powerful boyfriend to do it for you," Was he trying to provoke you?
You were about to bloody that perfect nose of his when: "Leave her alone, Schlatt," Dream's voice rung out through the air, causing Schlatt's evil smirk to curl into a scowl.
His eyes closed in annoyance and he nodded to himself a few times, mannerisms that you hadn't noticed before (reference: @orange.peel_cos on tiktok's schlatt cosplay :)).
Schlatt turned around to face Dream, a pleasant look suddenly plastered upon his face. His hands were still clasped behind his back, which was facing you, and you could see that they were clenched into fists.
"Ah, Dream! Welcome to Manburg, doesn't she look beautiful? In my opinion, those ugly black walls were just injustices to the beauty of the land. I mean—"
"Shut up, Schlatt," Dream growled, beckoning for you to come to him, "You ready?" He asked you.
You nodded, ignoring the irritated looks coming from Schlatt's direction. Without another word, Dream led you away from Schlatt and outside the borders of Manburg.
You let out a breath, one that you hadn't realized you'd been holding, after saddling your trusty steed.
Dream turned to look at you, a concerned expression hidden underneath the porcelain mask upon his face, "Did he hurt you? What did he say?" He asked immediately, tone laced with hatred for the man.
You shook your head, tying your bag to Oakley's saddle, "He just told me not to do anything stupid while I was away," You responded softly, not meeting the cold black dots in place of Dream's eyes.
"Anything else?" Dream prompted softly, not wanting to pry. But he knew that there was something else. It was just a matter if you were going to tell him or not.
You shook your head, meeting his eyes for a second or two before focusing on the journey ahead, "Let's get going. The sun will be setting in a little bit."
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Most of the journey was surprisingly easy, as was conversation. Dream asked what you were writing your speech about, and you responded with: "Some bullshit about peace and unity, and how much better Manburg is without Tommy and Wilbur."
Your tone was thick with disgust and sarcasm, making Dream laugh. You asked about the other boys, and Dream explained that poor Darryl was extremely busy. He wasn't sure how much time Darryl would be able to spend with you, but he would be excited to see you, nonetheless.
That reminded you that none of the boys knew that you were coming. You hoped you wouldn't be intruding on anything.
Eventually, silence fell over your unlikely pair as you traveled, the night growing darker with each second.
You were almost home when bushes rustled to your right, slightly spooking Oakley and yourself.
You stiffened, a hand going to the hilt of your sword immediately, prepared for something to jump out of the bushes.
But not from the branches above you.
"(Y/N)! Look out!" Dream shouted, but he was too late.
A male clad in all black dropped onto Oakley behind you, wrapping thick arms around your neck and waist and pulling the two of you from the horse.
You landed on the ground with a yelp, struggling in the hold of the man behind you. Three more bandits emerged from the brush around you: two of them were challenging Dream, while the third attempted to untie your things from your saddle.
Oakley had been truly spooked, then, making the bandit's job a bit more difficult. Oakley reared up, dashing out into the dense forest to your right. But not before your bag, the strings loosened, hit the ground.
Loose potions spilled out, along with a blouse, your pen and papers, and the painting.
Your eyes widened as the bandit picked it up, and you began to struggle against the male's hold once more.
"'To our princess,'" The bandit holding your gift read aloud. He glanced up at you, his eyes scanning you up and down, "Do we have a princess in our midst, then?"
His companion chuckled, you could feel the reverberations in his chest, "How lucky, ay mate?" He responded with a thick accent.
Suddenly, you kicked back with one of your legs as hard as you possibly could, landing a hit where the sun don't shine.
The bandit holding you cried out in pain, his arms releasing you from their vicelike hold. You drew your sword from its sheath, challenging the male before you.
He smirked, pulling a smaller dagger from his belt, and darted towards you.
He was skilled, but your training with Jordan was definitely paying off. Soon, the two of you were locked in a deadly dance, circling one another and attacking at random times.
Dream was faring a bit better than you, it seemed. He slid off his horse and lured the men away; it would be cruel to put an innocent animal in danger like that.
Then, he attacked. He'd spent hours upon hours training with Sapnap and George. He was the best fighter out of the three of them, and they all knew it.
He brought his sword down upon the bandit to his left, grinning with satisfaction upon seeing the immediate regret on the man's face.
The sound of metal upon metal cut through the air. Dream pulled his sword back and delivered a swift kick to the first male's gut before spinning around just in time to block the attack from his other opponent.
Over his shoulder, Dream could just barely see how you were faring against your attackers. One was on the ground, clutching at his groin. Dream couldn't help but feel proud of you.
For the time being, you seemed to be holding your own pretty well. You spun to the left to avoid a deadly blow, then sliced your iron sword through the air, aiming low this time. The bandit noted this, bringing his dagger down to block the attempt.
"You're gonna have to work harder than that to hurt me, princess," He chuckled, sweeping his right leg at your ankles with enough force to knock you to the ground.
You landed on your backside with a grunt. The man stepped on your wrist, making you drop your sword, then straddled your hips, holding the edge of his blade to your neck.
"Last words, princess? Or should I just go ahead and make this quick?" The man taunted, relishing in the moment he held over you.
You grimaced, wary of the sharp blade at your neck. You were nervous to move, but if you could just shift to the right...the hilt of your sword was just out of reach.
You glanced down at your hand to gauge how far you'd have to reach, but your eyes landed on a large rock instead.
You turned your attention back to your opponent, a plan forming in your mind. His eyebrow was cocked, waiting for your response.
"Fuck you," You spat, your hand gripping the stone and smashing it into his temple, making him yell out and drop the sword.
It clattered harmlessly to the ground beside you. Hurriedly, you pushed the bandit off of you and grabbed both swords, crossing one over the other to make a deadly X pressed against his neck.
"Last words?" You asked sarcastically, "Or should I just go ahead and make this quick?"
Dream was winning easily against his opponents. To any bystander, it would just look like the masked man was performing an intricate, yet deadly, dance with his offenders. He moved with such grace and effortlessness that it seemed like he'd performed the exact thing hundreds of times before.
Sidestep.
Punch.
Slash.
Block.
Repeat.
Dream pushed one of the men off of him, ducking as the blade of the other cut just above his head.
Finally, he was able to sink the enchanted blade of his sword into one's midsection. He collapsed, leaving his friend to fend for himself.
Dream turned on the other bandit, who was suddenly looking very pale as he stared down at the dead body of his friend.
"I'll give you ten seconds to run," Dream growled, his tone dangerously low.
The bandit nodded stiffly, dropping his sword and taking off without a second thought.
Dream scoffed, brushing off invisible particles of dirt from his armor, "Coward," He mumbled, going to lean against a tree to watch you.
You were the type of girl that liked her independence...so he'd let you fight your own battles. If you needed his help, then he'd step in.
Dream turned around just in time to see you smash a rock into one man's skull, and he grinned.
He chuckled at your sarcastic use of words, studying the fearful face of the male underneath you.
But his expression wasn't fearful. It was smug.
Why was that?
Dream's attention snapped to the bandit on the ground.
He wasn't on the ground anymore.
In one swift movement, you were swept into the arms of the strong man again, the intensity of his grip making the swords in your hands clatter to the ground.
The second male scooped them up, one in each hand. He thrust the tip of one towards your neck, stopping just short of cutting you, and the other in Dream's direction, who was already moving towards you.
He stopped short upon seeing the blade at your throat.
"Not another step, loverboy. I'll slit her throat," The bandit growled, adding a bit more pressure to the tip.
You winced, going completely still. You knew that, if you moved, you were likely to draw blood.
Dream wasn't sure what to do. Frantically, he tried to come up with different plans to save you, but couldn't come up with anything that resulted in your death.
"Now, we're going to take the damsel, that horse over there, and your armor," The bandit gestured towards Dream, "peacefully. Right?" He prompted, raising a brow at Dream.
Dream didn't answer at first. He didn't want to give in so easily...he didn't want to give up without a fight.
He was answering too slow for the bandit's taste. He pressed the tip of the sword into your flesh; not enough to kill you, but enough to draw blood, "Tick tock, kid. Time's running out."
Dream's lips downturned into a scowl, but he nodded. He hated himself for agreeing, but...maybe once this guy's back was turned...
"Wonderful!" A sinister grin appeared on the bandit's lips, "I'm so glad we understand one another. Now, loverboy, if you could just stand over—"
Thwack! Thwack!
Two arrows lodged themselves into the bodies of the bandits simultaneously. The first buried itself into the lead bandit's neck, making him crumple to the ground.
The other found its target in your captor's forehead, missing the top of your head by a few inches. Suddenly, the pressure of his arms was gone from your body, and you stumbled away from the bleeding body as quickly as possible.
Dream intercepted you, pulling you into a safe embrace. He pulled back after a quick moment, his hands brushing back your hair to look at your face; make sure you weren't injured.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He asked, panicked.
You shook your head. Besides the cut on your neck and a few bleeding places on your arms from the battle, you were fine.
You were a bit touched by his concern.
"Are you two going to stop flirting long enough to thank us, or...?" A familiar voice called, two figures stepped out from the shadowed treeline.
Sapnap and George stood there, bows in hand. Sapnap was grinning triumphantly, impressed by his handiwork. George's smile wasn't as boastful, and he was waving meekly.
"Hey guys," George greeted you both nonchalantly.
Unable to help yourself, you launched yourself into Nick's arms, thanking him and George for saving the two of you.
Dream let the boys console you, beginning to pack up your spilled belongings. His hands paused briefly on the painting as he studied the gift.
A small smile played on your lips. He was glad you'd kept it.
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The five of you stayed up until the early hours of the morning.
The boys helped you get unpacked. You were staying in the same room as last time, which brought back some unwanted memories, but it was okay. They'd offered you a different room, but you had insisted on this one.
Darryl went to bed first, explaining that he had to be up early the next morning to finish up some work, leaving the four of you by yourselves.
You spent most of the night catching up with one another. Even though they'd seen you the prior day for your birthday celebration, there hadn't been much time to ask about their personal lives.
Eventually, yawns could be heard within the group of friends, and everyone headed off to bed. Dream volunteered to walk you back to your room.
To your surprise, you were kind of glad he had offered. Maybe it was just the lack of sleep talking.
"I'm sorry," Clay said suddenly, once you were in your room, "That I couldn't save you back there."
You paused, caught off guard by the apology, "Oh," You hesitated, unsure of what to say, "It's okay. I'm sure we would have gotten out of it somehow."
Clay frowned, but didn't push on the subject, "Well...I'm glad you decided to come back with me. We're all excited to have you back. We've missed you," He offered you a warm smile.
One you returned.
You said goodnight and were about to close the door when you remembered something.
"Oh, Clay?" You called after the boy.
He turned, still unused to hearing you use his name, "Yeah?"
"You'll still give me answers right?"
Clay smiled, "Of course. Tomorrow, I promise."
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The next morning, or afternoon, according to the clock above your door, you awoke to the delightful smell of bacon.
For a moment, you were disoriented, unsure of where you were. Why was Jordan making breakfast so late? "Jordan?" You called, sitting up and rubbing your eyes.
No response.
Once you had finally gathered your bearings, you remembered where you were.
You sighed and rubbed your face, your muscles slightly sore from the attack the evening before.
Quickly, you got dressed and brushed your fingers through your hair, smoothing it out as best as you could. There was a very low chance that any of these boys owned a hairbrush, so your fingers were as good as it was going to get.
The white piece of paper containing your speech beckoned to you from your bag, but you ignored its call. You'd get it done...eventually.
Yay, procrastination.
If you remembered correctly from your last visit, there were plenty of places to explore here.
And you weren't a prisoner here, so why couldn't you explore?
Where would you go?
You had a choice to make.
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Choice A: The office (Clay).
Choice B: The kitchen (Nick).
Choice C: The library (George).
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+4000 words in one day B)
btw anyone else scared for tm? :D
anyways, you know the drill:
don't be a ghost reader, make your choice wisely, blah blah blah :)
love you all so much
p.p.s. we're 10k reads away from 100k reads! what?!!?!?? I never thought this story would grow so big. thank you all so so much.
stay awesome, lovelies <3