pre chapter note: i listened to alphabet boy by melanie martinez while writing the second half of this chapter - i recommend you do too :D
pre chapter note #2: this is a continuation of chapter 43, in case you were confused!
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Recovering was slow.
For a month or two, your house seemed to have a perpetual flow of visitors. It took a hefty amount of convincing to be able to live on your own.
The most common were Tommy and Tubbo. They, after all, knew first-hand what Dream could do to a person. You appreciated Tommy's attempts to tone down his yelling, but it always came through every so often. Tubbo would typically be the one to apologetically hand you a handmade gift and a jar of honey.
Sometimes joining them was their friend named Ranboo, as he politely introduced himself. He tended to come over at night, both of you comforting the other in moments of shaking hands and teary eyes.
Niki - sporting a new peachy pink hair color - gave you a basket of baked goods every week, kindly refusing your offers to pay her back. "Having you back is payment enough," she had told you one day.
Fundy and Eret would visit you as well, updating you on whatever news came up in the SMP, occasionally bringing small laughs with their retelling of the story. The latest coming from them was Eret's unofficial adoption of the fox-eared man.
Karl, Alex, and Sapnap dropped by every so often. They had seemed to have reconciled with each other following the war. A rare smile grew on your face when they showed you the matching rings glittering on each of their fingers.
People coming over was good once in a while, but it soon became a bit bothersome. It was nice to finally have the motivation to exit your home.
Even so, leaving your house tended to be just for an errand or check-in with friends - well, "meet us here OR ELSE" as Tommy had phrased it. Never more than a town or two over.
The first long journey you'd taken was a... quite controversial one among your friends.
"You're visiting him?" Tubbo asked, concern lacing his voice. "I- you don't want to do that. You really don't want to do that."
"I'm sorry, but I guess-" you cut yourself off briefly. "I guess it's like closure. I just need closure."
"Tubbo's right." Tommy leaned against the wall of your room, arms crossed. "I died when I went."
"I know, but-"
Tommy interrupted you. "You're not going to get closure from him. He's not going to help you."
"No, I just-"
"It's a bad idea-"
"I think she should go."
The conversation ceased. All three of your heads turned towards the speaker.
"W-well, I mean, if- if she wants to-" Ranboo stuttered out- "As long as she's careful. As long as you're careful."
You gave him a grateful nod. "Yeah."
Tubbo twisted the ring on his hand, face twisted in dilemma. Tommy huffed and rolled his eyes.
"Sure," Tubbo said. "Like Ranboo said, as long as you're careful."
"I'm not okay with it, but I can't stop you, can I?" Tommy grumbled.
And so here you were, blackstone walls behind you and iron door opening in front of you.
Sam was good at redstone, you vaguely remembered, seeing his skill in the hallway's raising floor and the levers placed neatly around the area.
"Come on, Y/n," Sam spoke neutrally. "It's time to go."
"O-oh." You blinked. "Right. Sorry."
"Stand on the blue lights. I will perform a manual search on you in just a second."
The warden's tone was careful, poised as he lightly patted you down for any items. It took ten, maybe twenty seconds before he stood back up and nodded slightly.
"The manual search is complete. Please follow me to the main cell."
You ducked under the low doorway, following Sam's instructions with relative speed. He handed you a quill, nodding to two lecterns.
"There is just one more waiver that I need you to fill out before we can proceed."
Your eyes turned to the papers, reading them silently. In the event that a prisoner is to escape... because of my actions... okay. That's fine.
"Now, stand on the front honey block and don't move."
Your feet stick to the tacky substance, your arms free but still glued to your sides. Protected by fire resistance, all you felt from passing through lava was a light tingle.
Sam paused before speaking again.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, lowering his icy front for a brief moment. "Remember you can turn back at any point."
Your resolve flickered for just a moment. You nodded after a beat.
"I have to."
Sam let out a long sigh, handing you a small black communicator. "Alright. I will now open the main cell. If anything happens - if the prisoner attempts to attack you, just call for me."
He flicked a lever.
Down came the lava, and forward you moved.
Dream's face, bare of the mask he usually wore, slowly came into view. You wanted to shrink in on yourself.
No, you reminded yourself, don't be afraid. He can't do anything.
The blonde smiled, arms opening out for an embrace when you reached his platform. "Y/n. I was wondering when you'd be here, darling."
You shut your eyes. When you opened them, Dream's hands had retracted and his face was hurt.
"No greeting?" he asked sadly. "How cold of you."
"There's nothing colder than you." Your voice trembled when you spoke.
Dream - very clearly, you could see - held back a scornful response, instead raising his eyebrows slightly and speaking again. "What changed in you?"
You kept silent, letting your gaze wander around his cell. A chest. A lectern, book and quill atop it. A few other things. Nothing much at all.
You weren't sure whether you didn't know or didn't want to say. That seemed to be a common occurrence nowadays.
"You aren't remembering your place, Y/n."
Your head snapped back to him. Your eyes narrowed.
"I'd say I remember it more than ever."
"Do you really?" Dream's lips curled into a snarl, standing from his position against the wall and stepping forward. "Because from what I can see, you're just as pathetic as the day you left me. You're nothing without-"
"I know what you're doing."
His mouth opened, closed, opened, and closed once again.
"You play nice and act sweet, but when I don't listen, out comes the scary side." You stayed put, folding your arms. "But I'm not scared. Not anymore."
Dream was quiet. For a few seconds, at least.
"You think you've figured me out, don't you? What do you want from me?"
"I want you to apologize."
Dream appeared to be taken aback by the blunt response.
"Excuse me?" he said in response.
Your volume decreased when you repeated the sentence. "I want you to apologize. I don't think that's too undeserved."
"If anything, you should be apologizing to me." Dream narrowed his eyes. "I give you items. I give you appreciation. I give you love. And you go back to the same people who'd drop you the moment you weren't convenient."
You shook your head, tone wavering. "Whatever we had, Dream, it wasn't love."
"Y/n, you're being unreasonable."
"You're being manipulative. I want you to say sorry."
"Won't you just trust me?"
"No."
The prisoner frowned, reaching a hand out to hold your chin with two fingers. "You think that little of me? C'mon, sweetheart-"
"I said NO!"
Dream recoiled, the imprint of your hand stinging against his cheek.
Your voice cracked as you fumbled for the communicator. "Sam. I want out."
"Y/n, come back here. Y/n." Dream's hands slammed against the iron bars of his cell. "Y/n."
"I'm not going back to you." Venom filled the last word as you spoke more insistently. "Sam, now."
Sam's voice crackled through the communicator. "The lava will descend in a short amount of time. Excuse the inconvenience."
"Y/n, you are going to regret it if you don't walk back to me right now." Dream's voice was low, dangerous.
"I'm not regretting anything."
You watched the lava flow below ground level and a platform wait in front of you.
"On the contrary, this is the best decision I've ever made."
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1359 words (without a/n)
Header by me with Google Drawings, lyrics from "Time Moves Slow" by BADBADNOTGOOD and Sam Herring
hello, dear readers! hope you all are doing well and feeling good. currently writing this author's note at 2 am on a friday night with a glass of milk and mental breakdown music blasting in my headphones.
happy (early) halloween, by the way - what are you all dressed up as? i'm being starfire from teen titans :D
like usual - votes, comments, follows, i'd appreciate if you'd do any or all of the three. of course, only if you liked the chapter or my fic in general :)
see you guys soon!
-Partially Human