Dream POV
This... was not what he was expecting.
Dream was currently standing in front of an abandoned home. Chunks were missing from the exterior, paint chipped and worn. The area itself was full of abandoned homes, most of them too destroyed to provide any shelter.
"You muffinhead!" A man in a black-and-red hoodie and brown hair was hugging Drista tightly. The sun glinted off the sheath of a large dagger strapped to his lower back. "I was so worried about you! Why would you run off?"
The man's name, or code name anyways, was BadBoyHalo. To say Dream was shocked to see him was an understatement. He'd completely forgotten about the people he saw at the top of the ravine that day he first traveled to the Sleepy Bois. He couldn't believe his sister was right there, and he just watched her pass. Considered killing her.
Not that he was going to share that last part with anyone. Bad was overly friendly, not seeming all that concerned with a group of strangers. He'd been a little off-put when Dream and the others arrived outside his hideout, but once he saw Drista he calmed down.
"I'm fine, Bad." Drista looked embarrassed as Bad released her and looked her up and down as though searching for injuries.
"Who are they?" Bad turned to a very confused Philza, Dream, and George.
"That one is my brother." Drista pointed at Dream.
"I was wondering why everyone was so calm about the Dream being present." Bad smiled but looked a little nervous.
Dream shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Thanks for taking care of my sister."
"Of course! We adore her." Bad perked up. He gave Drista an affectionate look. "She's our little muffin."
Drista seemed to pretend she couldn't hear him. "That's George, he's dating my brother and-"
"Awwwwwww," Bad squealed. "That is so cute. I knew it, I could tell the moment they walked up."
Philza quirked an eyebrow, giving Dream an interesting look. Almost like he was thinking the same thing Bad said. George was blushing again, and Dream felt warm pride building in his stomach. He pulled their interlocked hands closer to his side.
"This is Philza. He's the leader of the Sleepy Bois." Drista swept her arm in Philza's direction.
Philza stepped forward to shake hands with bad. "I hear your comrade is ill?"
Bad reciprocated the gesture, releasing Philza's hand before answering. "Bitten by a venomous monster."
Dream winced, feeling his old wound ache with ghost pain. The reminder made those heterochromatic eyes flicker through his mind, but he pushed the memory away.
"Can we see him?" Philza requested.
Bad hesitated, but Drista nodded. Walking to the entrance of the abandoned house, she pushed the door open and disappeared inside. Bad followed suit, leading for the others to join.
Upon entering, Dream nearly gagged at the rotting smell in the air. Surely his wound didn't stink this bad? He tilted his head curiously at George, the question on the tip of his tongue.
"No," George's eyes raised to look at Dream. "Yours didn't have this bad a stench."
Dream smiled. He loved the way the brunette seemed to guess what he was thinking.
The house was dark, the walls gutted and the ground littered with debris. Lying on a torn and stained sofa, unconscious, was the black-haired man Dream had seen that day in the ravine. The man was shirtless, bandages wrapped his hip. The area around the bandages was a nasty purple color, and his skin was slicked with sweat.
Philza's face was grave as he crouched for a closer look. Bad was tense, his eyes watching Philza's every movement.
Dream curled an arm around George, blocking his eyes with a hand protectively as Philza gently lifted Skeppy's bandages. Two nasty puncture wounds were deep enough to show bone. Purple and green veins formed a raised spiderweb over the man's skin. Pus leaked from the wounds in thick streaks.
Philza rewrapped the bandage and stood up. Dream released George, returning his hand to its original position- curled tightly around George's hand. George shot him a confused look but said nothing.
Philza turned to Bad. "Our healer can look at him when we get to camp. But I don't know much about his odds."
Bad's hazel eyes were full of pain. He nodded darkly. "Thank you."
"How long have you been staying here? No one has reported seeing you." Philza didn't look angry, but his gaze was stern.
"Only since yesterday. We move around a lot. Skeppy's condition worsened overnight." Bad looked away guiltily.
Dream noticed Drista had disappeared. Glancing around, he saw her emerge from another room with a large travel bag, struggling to drag it along the messy floor. Dream approached his sister, lifting the bag easily. Carefully strapping the bag over his battle ax's handle, he patted Drista's head teasingly.
Drista glared at him. "I had that just fine."
"Sure you did." Dream wheezed.
Philza and Bad were carefully lifting Skeppy from the couch. Moving very slowly, they managed to place him on Philza's back. Skeppy groaned in pain, his head rolling to the side, falling limply on Philza's shoulder. The older man staggered slightly under the weight of a grown man, but he walked forward nonetheless.
"Do you have everything?" Philza glanced at the large backpack Dream had before switching his gaze to Drista.
Drista nodded.
Bad hurried to get the door for Philza, holding it open as the man carried Skeppy outside. Dream, George, and Drista followed close behind. Gravel crunched under Dream's boots as he glanced at the sun. The sky was a deep blue, peppered with whisps of soft clouds. A burning ball of orange was already moving west. They had to hurry before the sun began to set completely, but that wouldn't be easy with Philza carrying Skeppy.
Dream glanced at the said injured man. Skeppy's face was scrunched, beads of sweat trailing down to drip off his chin in shiny streaks. He was unnaturally pale, almost grey. Dream was impresssed Skeppy was still alive.
Then again, he himself had been unconscious for a few days before he felt death setting in. According to Bad, Skeppy had been bitten only a day ago. Though, Bad probably doesn't have the medical training Wilbur did.
Dream swung his and George's hands lightly, not noticing the curious stare of his little sister as he did so. She was walking next to Bad, who was anxiously hovering around Skeppy.
Dream stepped carefully over a large plank of wood. They were just passing a collapsed building when he felt his skin prickle. Someone was watching.
He swept his gaze around the area, but he couldn't see anything with all the debris. A snap made him turn his head. A skinny man with torn clothes and dirty skin dove at George, who was closest to the rubble he'd hidden in.
Nerves fired through Dream's body as he lunged, intercepting the man before he could touch the brunette. George gasped, startling backwards. Grasping the filthy stranger by the throat, he lifted the man into the air. The stranger's hair was long and unkempt, his eyes bloodshot.
Screeching broke out as another crazed person, a female, raced around the rubble in an attempt to tackle Philza and Skeppy. Bad knocked her away, stepping protectively between the woman and his friends. Lunatics. The end of the world did some fucked up things to survivors' minds. Dream suspected these two might even be cannibals, possibly attacking them for that very reason.
The man in his grip tried to scratch Dream's hand, failing when his nails scraped the dirty blond's glove. He was making a low hissing sound, body flailing like a fish out of water. His movements were weakening, however, as his face turned red from lack of oxygen. Seemingly realizing scratching Dream wasn't helping, the stranger made a futile attempt to swipe his cracked nails in George's direction.
George shifted further behind Dream, looking disgusted. Dream applied more pressure to the man's throat, making him choke. He raised his other hand and, in once swift movement, broke the stranger's neck. Dream tossed the body away, rubbing his hands on his black cargo army-style pants.
The woman let out an ear-splitting howl, trying to grab Bad in a fit of rage. Bad looked regretful as he unsheathed his dagger, spraying blood as the blade flashed out. The woman collapsed, scarlet pooling from her throat. With a gurgled cry, she fell still.
Philza shook his head at the corpses. "Savages. It is sad to see what humanity has become."
Dream had to agree, even if he felt guilty for what he became, too. George's hand brushed his arm, reminding him who loved him despite his mistakes. He glanced down at the brunette, gently brushing George's soft hair from his eyes before interlocking their hands to resume their travel.
. . . .
"What do you think?" Philza studied Niki's unusually serious face.
Dream stood with George and Drista as twilight set in. They returned a little over an hour ago, and had already eaten dinner. Niki and Wilbur had taken Skeppy into the medical cabin the moment they laid eyes on him.
Niki bit her lip. "It will be close. The odds aren't good, but for now he's alive. I will do my best."
"I know you will." Philza gave the healer a grateful smile. "Thank you, Niki."
"Of course," Niki replied. She turned to Dream's direction. "I have a bunk bed in my cabin. If Drista is comfortable she can stay with me."
Drista glanced up from where she was rolling a stone beneath her boot. "Ah... sure. Thanks."
"Aw, don't sound too excited." Niki grinned. "I, personally, have always wanted a girl roomie. We can gossip together."
Drista's mouth twitched. "Thanks."
Dream was relieved his sister was staying with Niki. The pretty blond would take care of her and make her comfortable, that he was sure of.
"Actually..." Drista looked embarrassed, her cheeks flushing. "Can you show me your cabin now? I'm really wanting to sleep."
"Of course!" Niki waved Drista to follow her. "Come with me."
Dream felt a wave of sympathy. He was only just realizing how exhausted Drista appeared, her body drooping, green eyes lined with dark circles. He stroked his sister's hair, still unable to believe she was here. "Get some rest, we can talk tomorrow."
Drista gave him a grateful smile. With a quick hug, she trudged after Niki.
"Goodnight!" George called after her. Drista glanced back, waving in reply.
Dream nudged George, signaling they should go to their room as well. His stomach was bunched with nerves for their upcoming conversation.
Dream removed his mask, secretly enjoying the freedom of being behind closed doors. He'd admit, it felt good to have his face out in the open, but he didn't want to see himself in a mirror just yet.
George was sitting on the bed, patting the space next to him. "You said you would explain, remember?"
"Yes." Dream swallowed nervously, sitting next to George. The brunette waited patiently, staring at Dream's face with unwavering brown eyes. With a sick stomach, Dream quietly retold everything about their past relationship. Even the way he'd run away from his growing feelings like a heartless coward. To his surprise, George didn't seem very surprised, or upset.
"So... that is it." Dream gazed anxiously at George's face. "I'm sorry I left you like that back then. I swear I would never do that again. I couldn't."
"That explains why you were so flirty from the moment we met." George rubbed his forehead. "But... you should know..."
Dream leaned forward, his heart pounding against his ribcage almost painfully.
"I don't remember you as Clay. Not the details, anyways." George frowned. "I think it has something to do with when I got hit on the head when my family died. I don't remember a lot of details from the time before the apocalypse. I remember I had an online friend named Clay, but that is really all."
Dream's heart was pierced knowing George didn't remember their late night conversations, whispering so their parents wouldn't catch them. Laughing over stupid jokes, teasing each other relentlessly. He didn't remember all the times he called Dream "dreamy boy".
Despite the agony, Dream was relieved George wasn't angry with him. He wrapped his arms around the brunette. "I'm sorry. I loved you then, and I wish you could remember all the fun we had. But I love you even more now and I won't make another mistake like I did."
George melted into the hug. "So you're saying you've always been an idiot?"
"I'm your idiot now." Dream grinned, burying his nose in George's hair.
"Ugh, don't remind me." George teased.
Dream gasped in mock-shock. "Georgie! Just tell me you love me."
"No."
"Geeeeoooorrrggggeeee. Oh c'mon now."
George reached up to pinch Dream's cheek. "You're impossible."
"Georgie, princess." Dream whined.
George pulled back slightly to meet Dream's eyes. "I love you."
Dream felt his face drip with adoration as he leaned forward. George met him halfway, connecting their lips lovingly. Dream smiled into the kiss, pressing his mouth into George's with a deep warmth.
"I love you so much." Pulling away, Dream cupped George's cheeks, kissing his flushed face all over. Pulling George back into his arms, he fell onto the bed, dragging the brunette with him. Hugging George tight to his chest, he curled a leg around him, snugging as close as possible.
George mumbled something that sounded a lot like "clingy", but held Dream just as tightly. They fell asleep like that, each of them holding their world in their arms.
Somewhere on Earth. Unknown POV
A heavy weight rested over his aching muscles. Pushing against the barrier, two massive wings burst out of a thick, deep green shell. A protective encasing that surrounded his body when he slipped into a coma to heal and regain strength now shattered under his force.
Pain from an invisible injury wracked his body as memories flooded back. Gold-tinted tears streaked from emerald eyes.
Pulling himself from his shell, the tall man spread his wings, which were speckled with blackened, dried blood. He felt an unusual pull in a certain direction, as though a string were attached to him, tugging him to follow.
He ruffled the dust from his dirty blond hair, fixing his gaze on the distance. It was time to finish what he started.