Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“He’s running away, get him!” Bad’s voice carried over as his feet pounded into the concrete. Dream smiled to himself, heart racing as he made a sharp turn down a narrow alley, a hand centimeters away from grabbing him. Momentum and speed powering him, he jumped at a wall, twisting his body and jumping on to the wall opposite of him before landing on top of a chain-locked fence that stood in his way a moment before.

He looked around, spotting a fire escape to an old building above him. Mentally calculating the distance, he crouched and leaped towards the platform in one fluid motion. He let out an oof as his ribs slammed into the platform, scrambling for purchase on the metal grating. Taking a moment to let the pain fade, he pulled himself up with a grunt, swiftly climbing the stairs until he was on the roof.

“What the fuck, dude!?” He looked down to spot Sapnap gaping up at him. Ah. So that’s who almost grabbed him before. Figures.

“Hey Sapnap.” He called out, smile growing fond. “It’s been a while since you were that close to catching me. Guess I got to up my game, huh?” Before the ravenette could answer, George and Bad raced towards their friend.

“So nice of you two to join our lovely little conversation.” He taunted, voice smug as he plopped down and swung both of his legs over the edge of the roof. “Where are Sam and Ant? They couldn’t make it tonight? Or are they just tired of losing?”

“They had other things to deal with, you arrogant ass.” Sapnap called back, both annoyance and amusement evident in his tone. Dream let out a wheeze.

“Come on Dream, come down. Or at least throw down what you stole.” Ah, George. Always the buzzkill.

“What, you mean this old thing?” He called out, pulling a very expensive looking diamond necklace from his pocket. “The lady I stole it from has no use for it. She’s rich as fuck.”

“Language!” Bad yelled. “And that doesn’t make it right to steal!” He rolled his eyes, uncaring that his mask hid the motion. He was starting to think Sapnap was the only fun one in their group.

“Come on, man, we can get you a deal.” Sapnap shouted. “You might not even have to spend any jail time if you return everything you stole.” Scratch that, they’re all killjoys.

“You and I both know that’s bullshit. Besides, I’m only stealing from the rich douchebags who walk around like they own the city. About time someone puts them in their place.”

“Dream—” Sapnap called.

“I’m doing this to survive.” He interrupted, voice turning into something more serious. “Not that you could ever understand that.” His mask—and his voice distorter, to some extent—left his emotions hidden, but that didn’t stop him from glaring to the side.

“Dream, please just hear us out.” George attempted to reason. Dream subtly let out a sigh, already choosing not to indulge the brunette. They could never understand. That didn’t stop him from wishing they’d try.

“Oh would you look at the time!” He said, feigning the same teasing attitude he had before. “Gotta go, idiots. Some advice before I leave. Sapnap, if you get anyone to fight a 1v1 against you it’s game over for them. Work on getting your opponent to that point. Use distractions, taunt them, block their exits, anything to get them to fight. George, work on your speed and timing. Any skills you have are useless unless you can catch up to or spot your opponent. It might be helpful to plot any shortcuts you can use around the city on a map. And Bad…you’ve got a real talent for strategy. Work on getting your partners to follow your plans more effectively.” He started walking away before pausing to look back over his shoulder. He internally argued with himself for a few seconds before letting out a deep sigh and speaking up.

“I’m not your enemy, and I don’t want to be. Prime, I agree with most of the shit you're doing. I just…this is something I have to do.” He looked down at the trio below him one last time, longing tearing at his heart, before whipping his head away.

“…I’m sorry we couldn’t be friends.” He whispered, the confession lost to the wind. Ignoring the distant shouts behind him, he raced off into the night. He was alone. And he needed to remind himself of that.

+ + + + +

He ended up at his hideout a couple of hours later. It was a shitty place, a beat-up, one room apartment that was practically falling apart from the inside, but it was his. And that fact had done wonders to soothe his anxiety many times over. He stashed the necklace in his nightstand drawer, deciding to leave the selling of the piece for tomorrow, and took off his lime green hoodie and mask. A knock at the door made his blood run cold.

“Hello? Anyone there? It’s your neighbor. Mailman gave me a few letters of yours.” He let out a breath, heartbeat starting to slow.

“Just a sec!” He called out, quickly stuffing his costume into his closet and racing to the front of his apartment. He cracked the front door open, revealing a brunette-haired woman.

“Thanks.” He said as she handed him the mail.

“Yeah, no problem.” He politely nodded goodbye, checking who the letters were from as he shut and locked the door. The first one was an ad, second one was a scam, third one—he had to do a double take. The third one was from his brother. He ran his fingers over the writing on the envelope before delicately opening it with the pocket knife he kept in his pocket.

Hey bro!

Sorry I haven’t written sooner, I’ve been insanely busy at my new job. Just wanted to check how college was going! Heard from mom you were taking a couple of computer science classes. She’s proud of you. We both are. Keep chasing your dreams, you deserve for all of them to come true.

Love, as always, Foolish

He stifled a sob, reading the letter over again. If they knew what he did—what he really did—but they didn’t, and they would never. It was necessary to keep this to himself, to prevent them from worrying. To make sure they stay safe.

Foolish was a shining light, a beacon of happiness and hope. Ever since he was young he tried to do right by him. If Foolish saw him now, what he did, he was afraid the only thing he would see in his brother’s eyes would be disappointment. And what if—what if he wasn’t wrong to feel that way? And his mom—if Puffy saw what he became, would she give up on him? She always helped him from falling apart, but if she saw him now—if she knew, would she realize he wasn’t worth her help? Would she give up on him?

The thoughts had him on the floor gasping for breath, hands practically tearing his skull off. It was by pure accident his gaze drifted over to the last letter he hadn’t read, lying a couple feet away from him on the floor. Another ad. One that caught his attention. Slowly, he reached out and picked it up.

Be a hero! Make a difference! Join the police force today!

A small smile involuntarily found its way onto his mouth as an idea popped into his head. He took a couple moments to calm down before getting up and carefully packing his brother’s letter in the bag he kept the rest of them in. Kneeling down, he opened a disguised compartment under the floor and pulled out one of his various fake IDs. He ran his eyes over the information, deciding it would be good enough before flopping down in bed. Tomorrow was going to be fun.

+ + + + +

“Hey, um, I’m the new guy. Just transferred.”

The receptionist looked up. “Name?”

“Daniel. Daniel Crane.” That was the name on his ID, anyway. The receptionist flipped through some papers before looking up at him again.

“Down the hall, second door to the left.” Dream nodded his head in thanks, heading into the hallway and knocking on the door the receptionist pointed out.

“Come in.” He did so, surprised to see Sam at the desk. The man looked up, a friendly smile on his face.

“You must be the new recruit! Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“I believe—” Sam started, typing on his computer. “—I already have all the information I need. Stellar performance, by the way, graduating top of your class.” Punz went a little overboard with his skill level while creating the information, but by the time it got to him, it was too late to change anything. Guess he’d just have to work that much harder on selling it.

“Just a few questions. Standard procedure, you know how it is. When did you move here?”

“A couple months ago. Still relatively new around L’manberg.” He’s lived here for years, along with visiting a lot as a kid. He knew the city like the back of his hand.

“Where’d you live before here?”

“Pogtopia, born and raised.” He’d never been in his life.

“And how long have you been on the force?”

“A couple years. Joined straight out of the academy.” That one was definitely laughable. Him a police officer? Yeah, right.

“Well, I believe that’s all. Welcome to the force, Daniel!” Sam said, getting up to shake his hand. “Or do you prefer being called Dan?”

“Dan’s fine, thanks.” Dream answered, shaking the man’s hand back. “Do you run this place?”

“Huh? Oh, well kind of. Ponk is usually the one in charge, but I’m second in command so I take over when he’s busy with other things.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Anyway, Sapnap can show you the ropes. He’s in the main room. Black hair, wears a white bandanna, you can’t miss him.” He thanked the man, beginning his trek to the main room.

He didn’t know why he didn't think of doing this sooner. Being a part of the police would allow him to gain inside information right under everybody’s noses, and all he had to do was not get caught.

“Uh, Snapmap?” And have a little fun along the way, of course. Dream internally smiled as Sapnap’s cheeks turned red from embarrassment or frustration. It was hard to tell.

“It’s Sapnap.”

“Oh! Sorry about that.” He replied, feigning ignorance. “Anyway, Sam said you could show me the ropes?” The ravennete’s eyes lit up in realization.

“You must be the new recruit! Welcome to the L’manberg police dude!”

“Ha, thanks.”

“Alright, well right now my partners and I are working on catching a big-time thief.”

“Really?” Dream asked, smiling to himself. Big-time thief means he’s on the leaderboards. Sure, it increases the danger, but the danger is part of what makes being a thief so fun. Besides, he’s always been smart. Careful. They won’t catch him. Hell, they don’t even know he’s standing in their precinct.

“Yeah, he goes by the alias Dream. He’s arrogant and cocky, and believes stealing is what he has to do to survive.”

Dream hummed. “Interesting character. How long has he been on the run?” He had the pleasure of watching Sapnap’s face twist into frustration.

“Four months. Four goddamn months. And that’s just how long we’ve known he’s existed. He probably stole a lot more shit before showing up on our radar.” Sapnap sighed, getting up from his desk and turning his voice into something more friendly. “Here, come with me. I’ll introduce you to my partners.” Sapnap led him to a table in the corner where Bad and George were going through some paperwork.

“Guys, this is uh…” Sapnap looked over at him. “Sorry dude, what’s your name?”

“Dan.”

“This is Dan.” Sapnap said. “Just transferred from Pogtopia. He’s going to be helping us with the Dream case. Dan, this is George and Bad.” Sapnap gestured to each one as he said their names.

“Nice to meet you!” Bad politely exclaimed, shooting a friendly smile his way.

“Yeah, you too.” Dream replied. “You guys make any progress?”

“We’re actually just finishing up our report from yesterday.” George said. “Our next move is to try and pinpoint where Dream will show up next.”

“I have a better idea.” Sapnap said, smiling and clapping George and Bad on the shoulder. “Let’s take our new friend Dan out for drinks!”

Bad hesitated. “I don’t know Sapnap, we have a lot to get done.”

“Oh come on! We’ve got to get to know Dan better if we’re going to be working with him, and what’s a better icebreaker than going out for a night in the town?”

“He does make a good point.” George said, quirking his lip up. “Surprisingly.”

“Bad?” Sapnap asked, looking like a little kid asking his parents for the latest toy.

“Oh alright.” Bad said, sighing. “But just this once.”

“Yes, alright!” Sapnap said, pumping his fist into the air. “Dan? You in?” All heads turned to look at him.

Dream smirked. “Long as I’m not buying.”

Chapter Text

“Never Meant to Be?” Dream questioned, reading the sign above the rustic bar the trio led him to. “What kind of cryptic message is that?”

“Okay, I know the name’s a little weird, but I swear you won’t find a better spot anywhere in town.” George confidently stated, looking at the bar with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes.

“Or maybe your standards are just low.” He replied, half-teasing. George scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Says the guy who hasn’t even given it a chance.” Sapnap deadpanned, pulling the door open with a smirk. “This is going to be one hell of an evening.” There was an evil glint in the ravenette’s eyes, and he had exactly three seconds to rethink his life choices before the man grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to a table near the back. Bad and George followed close behind.

The bar looked nice enough, with shiny hardwood floors and a crystal chandelier he would be tempted to steal had it not been so big. There were glossy, wooden tables every few feet apart, and live plants and vines crawling on the ceiling and the walls for decor, giving the place an ancient but snug cabin vibe. He had to give it to the trio, they definitely could’ve done worse.

“So Dan.” Sapnap said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Why’d you become a cop?”

“For the doughnuts.” was his quick-witted reply. The group chuckled.

“Better look out Bad.” Sapnap said, nudging the man’s shoulder. “You’ve got some competition.”

“Competition?” Dream asked, slipping curiosity into his voice and raising an eyebrow to play the part of the innocent new recruit.

“Bad is kind of famous for his dad-jokes.” George explained.

A couple of rounds later, they decided to play a few drinking games, and of course, Bad suggested to mix that in with an icebreaker game. After a bit of arguing, they settled on playing two truths and a lie. Sapnap and George already went, Sapnap revealing he burned his house down twice, which almost caused Dream to have a fucking heart attack, and George admitting he was colorblind, a fact he was planning on relentlessly teasing the brunette for. Bad was up next.

“Alright, let’s see. I have a dog named Rat, I crashed my parents’ car in high school or…I’ve never visited out of the country before.”

“Bad, these are supposed to be hard.” George complained. Dream had to agree with the brunette. Though he didn’t know Bad for long, it wasn’t hard to tell the man wasn’t much of a rule breaker, which made the answer obvious. The only question that came to his mind was what kind of person names their dog Rat?

“Just guess, you muffinhead.”

“You didn’t crash your parents’ car in high school.” George replied with no hesitation. “Easy.”

“I’m with him.” Dream said, gesturing towards George. Sapnap nodded in agreement.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll take a pity shot.” Sapnap said, flashing Bad a teasing grin. Bad smiled just as deviously back.

“I…have visited out of the country. I actually grew up in the Badlands.”

“Holy shit, you crashed your parents’ car!?” Sapnap asked, mouth agape, smugness instantly disappearing from his expression. Bad rolled his eyes. “Seriously you? You’ve got to tell me that story.”

“Never pegged you as the rebel type.” Dream commented.

“I’m not!” Bad refuted.

“Tell that to your parents’ car.” George responded, a mischievous smirk on his face as he took a shot. Dream and Sapnap followed suit.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but that only leaves the rookie.” George teased, looking directly at him, a gleam of competition in his eyes. Bad and Sapnap turned to stare at him, eager curiosity in their expressions.

“Not a rookie.” Dream corrected, feeling the need to defend his pride. Fake pride, but still. He felt offended on Dan’s behalf. “Just switched stations is all.”

“Doesn’t matter, just go already. I’m absolutely dying to know the secrets of the new mystery cop.” Sapnap teased, draping his body over Dream’s shoulder. He tensed involuntarily, but the ravenette seemed too distracted to notice. Sapnap adjusted himself a couple moments later anyway, done with his melodramatic bit.

“Alright, um…” Pausing, Dream debated telling them something true. He was shocked at the thought, but it’s not like they’d figure out any ‘fun facts’ about the well-known criminal Dream, the literal thief they were hunting down. Besides, they all played fair, why shouldn’t he? So, after taking a few minutes to think, he allowed himself to tell the truth. Well, two truths at least. “I’m an only child, I used to pickpocket, or my mother’s a therapist.”

“I bet your mum’s not a therapist.” George stated, immediate and confident.

“I bet you haven't pickpocketed.” Countered Sapnap, after studying him with an intense expression.

“I’ve got to go with Sapnap on this one.” Bad replied.

“I have an older brother. Not an only child.” Dream casually stated.

“So you used to be a thief?” George asked.

“Something like that.” He braced himself for the judgment, for the disgusted, pitiful, disappointed looks he always got.

“Is that why you became a cop?” Bad asked. The question was genuine, a friendly curiosity in his eyes. The rest of the group also looked interested…and not in a bad way. He was so used to being seen as a bad guy, a criminal, a thief. It was a nice change to be viewed as something different.

“Again,” Dream said, unable to help the warmth crawling in his chest or the smile sneaking onto his face. “Something like that.”

Hours later they were still having a good time, Dream strongly buzzed from all the drinks, but not yet drunk. He didn’t like losing that much control over himself. It wasn’t worth the potential consequences.

“Holy muffin, it’s already eight!” Bad exclaimed, looking at the time on his phone.

“Night’s just hetting syarted.” Sapnap said, words slurring as he took another shot. Luckily, the current drinks on the table were a lot weaker than what they started out with.

“Sapnap, we got here at four thirty.” George responded. “We’ve been here for three and a half hours.”

Sapnap’s eyes grew wide. “Oh shit.” The ravenette lifted his hand, waving the barkeep over. “Hang on, just on…hust one more roundz.”

“Oh my god.” Dream chuckled. “He’s fucking trashed.”

“M fine.” Sapnap said, before turning his head and promptly throwing up.

“Fucking hell, Sapnap.” George exclaimed, quickly grabbing and holding back the ravenette’s hair. “I thought I told you to take it easy on the drinks.” Sapnap retched out what he didn’t manage to the first time in response.

“Well, he did lose almost every game.” Dream reasoned. “If anything, it’s Bad’s fault.”

“What!?” Bad exclaimed loudly. “What did I do!?”

Dream smirked. “You agreed to go out with us.” Sapnap stumbled out of his chair, muttering something about getting another drink.

“Nope, you have had more than enough for one night.” George said, getting up from his chair and guiding the ravenette out of the bar. “Time to take you home.”

“Is he always like this?” Dream found himself asking Bad as they followed from behind.

“No, he just—gets carried away sometimes. It’s not just with drinking, either.” Bad said, eyes gleaming fondly as he reminisced. “You should see him fight. Most everyone at the precinct hates going up against him because they know they’ll lose.” Dream smiled to himself. He’s had first-hand experience with how much of a nuisance the ravenette could be, even had a couple of close calls because of him.

The group walked out of the bar in a comfortable silence, only interrupted by Sapnap’s drunken muttering. Despite it only being eight o’clock, it was significantly dark outside, the moon and stars peeking over the skyscrapers of the city.

He spotted a couple of familiar rooftops, used in one of his and the trio's many chases. He chuckled, recalling how he’d just swiped a watch when the trio and Sam appeared. He led them down a narrow alley, and they thought they had him trapped, only for Dream to throw one of Punz’s gadgets and drench them all head-to-toe in honey. He smiled fondly, silently reminiscing at the jabs and comments that were exchanged.

Maybe that’s how he missed the man sneaking up behind him.

“Give me everything valuable you have, or he dies.” The trio turned around, faces filling with shock and fear. Meanwhile, Dream analyzed his position. The man was experienced, and definitely wasn’t bluffing, that much he could tell. He’d given Dream limited space, one hand holding a knife near his neck, and the other held tightly around his chest, pinning his arms.

“Alright, we will, just…just let him go.” Sapnap said, sobering up immediately. Dream shot them a quick smirk, winking at the group, their faces turning from shock to confusion at the gesture. Then before the mugger could react, Dream kicked the man’s right shin with the heel of his foot as hard as he could, and while the man stumbled, ripped one of his arms free and elbowed him in the stomach. Before the mugger could recover, Dream twisted his wrist, grabbing the knife from his hands. He punched the man to the ground before kicking him in the head and knocking him out.

“That went well.” Dream commented, casually spinning his new knife and hooking it on his belt as the trio stood in shock.

“Dude, are you—are you okay?” Sapnap asked.

“Yeah?” He answered, confusion evident on his face. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You could’ve died!” George exclaimed in response. “How the hell are you so calm?”

“Yeah right.” Dream snorted, rolling his eyes. “Like that guy could’ve killed me.”

“He had a knife to your neck…” Bad explained quietly, still either worried or in shock, Dream didn’t know. “He definitely could’ve.” He sighed, annoyed, turning to face the trio.

“Listen. I was never in any danger.” He stated calmly. “I used to deal with lowlifes like him all the time and after a while, you learn a thing or two. And I’m not just talking about fighting. You learn how to spot real threats, and that guy was not one. Ninety percent of the time I’d see them coming from a mile away, but…I-I got distracted. Won’t happen again.”

Of course he also had a totem of undying, not that he was relying on it at all. Extremely rare and extremely valuable, but entirely worth it. He would’ve never gone out in the first place if he didn’t have a backup plan, and anyone who does is just asking for it. So what if he’s paranoid? Better than being dead.

George furrowed his brow. “Wait, are you…blaming yourself for not seeing him coming?” He stayed silent. He knew it was his fault, knew he should’ve been more aware. He learned the hard way the kind of blood mistakes can cost.

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned that you could've died, or at the very least gotten hurt?” Bad asked gently, a serious undertone apparent in his voice. “I mean seriously, Dan, it doesn’t seem—”

“I’m going to take Sapnap home, alright?” Dream coldly interrupted, turning away from the group. He wasn’t in the mood for a heart-to-heart. “We’ll give our statements later.” Before anyone could object, he hooked an arm under the ravenette’s shoulders and started walking.

He didn’t let his guard down after that.

+ + + + +

Dream flew across the rooftops with an effortless grace that spoke of years worth of experience. He listened to the rhythmic sound of his feet beating on the rooftops, the pounding of his heart, felt the wind and the rush of adrenaline he would get every time he leapt across a building.

It was his escape.

He let the feeling of freedom flow through him, breathing heavily as he thought about the events of the day. Didn’t the trio know he could take care of one criminal? Why would he worry about getting hurt? It didn’t seem logical. Maybe…maybe it was something else. Maybe they blamed him for not catching the crook before ending up at knife point. Prime, he knows he did. But if he thought like that, the trio likely didn’t. So what could it be? Was the trio…worried about him?

No. That’s not what this was. They were cops for Prime’s sake, of course they didn’t want him getting hurt. That’s what it was. And that’s all it was. Relief made its way into his mind from finding an answer to the trio’s behavior, but was quickly crushed by a harsh reality. He let himself be vulnerable. He needed to keep his guard up, both around the trio and in the city. It would’ve been a perfectly good waste of a totem had the danger been greater than just a petty mugger. Besides, totems were hard to come by. He didn’t want to go in search of another.

So, to ease his mind, he made a rule for himself. No getting attached. It was simple, really. If he didn’t get attached, he wouldn’t become distracted, and by extension wouldn’t have any more slip-ups. He’d be able to focus solely on himself.

A heavy weight of worry he didn’t even realize existed lifted from his shoulders as he drilled the rule into his head like a mantra. No getting attached. Should be easy enough.

He felt himself wishing he could keep running as he spotted his destination. Sighing reluctantly, he let himself feel the breeze for just another minute more before lowering his body off a roof he leapt to, and landing on a narrow ledge jutting out of the building. He carefully maneuvered himself to an open window, stealthily slipping inside once he reached it.

The lights flickered on as soon as he entered, though it hardly changed anything considering how dim they were. A teen with dirty blonde hair and hard, violet eyes sat in a chair aiming a crossbow at him. Enchanted, at that.

“I see you’ve stepped up your game.” Dream said calmly, gesturing to the crossbow. “One of Punz’s?” Purpled lowered the crossbow, a hint of a smile barely noticeable on his face.

“Nah, this one’s mine. Fire Aspect, Piercing and Unbreaking. Still need to put on Mending, but it’s pretty sick even without it. You like it?”

“You figured out how to put Fire Aspect on a crossbow?” Purpled nodded. Dream whistled, obviously impressed by the invention. “Damn. Security could use some work, though. Window was wide open.”

“Punz told me you’d be coming, so I figured I’d do you the favor. And if it wasn’t you that came crawling in…well, then I’d get to test out my latest and greatest.” Purpled shot him a sly look with a grin to match it. “Kinda hoping you were someone else, gonna be honest.” Snorting, Dream rolled his eyes at the teen’s antics.

“That mask looks awfully uncomfortable. Bet I could sup it up for you if you handed it over.” Dream let out a humorless laugh. It was a running theme with the teen to try and get him to reveal his face.

“Nice try.”

“You ever going to take it off?” Purpled asked nonchalantly, repeatedly throwing and catching a tennis ball that was on his desk a moment before.

“You have your secrets, I have mine.” Dream responded, heading to the door that led to yet another of Punz’s temporary offices. The two inventors were always moving around the city, never staying in one place too long. Smart move, considering they were some of the top sellers for L’manburg’s black market, right below potion sellers.

He let out a series of knocks before entering without waiting for a response.

“Dream.” Punz greeted, without looking up from his laptop. “What are you after this time?”

“Looking for a new target to hit. A big one. Got anything?”

“Didn’t know cops were thieves.” Punz joked, finally closing his computer to face him. “How’s the whole police thing going anyway? They make you?”

“If they did, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.” Dream replied, unimpressed.

“Fair point.” Punz conceded. “As for the target…payment first.” Rolling his eyes, Dream pulled out a wad of cash and threw it on the desk. Punz’s eyes shone with greed as he slid the cash in one of his drawers, looking back at him a moment later.

“Gala. Three days from now. Bunch of rich asswipes pretending to donate to charity and all that. I’lll send you the address and the floor plans.” Dream nodded his thanks, about to leave when Punz spoke up again.

“Don’t get caught. Going undercover can be trickier than you might think.”

Dream paused at the window, turning around to shoot Punz a smirk. “Didn’t know you cared.” He slipped through the window without waiting for a response.

“Yeah, well, there's a lot you don't know about me.”

Still in earshot thanks to the enchants on his mask, Dream was left to wonder what the hell that meant.

Chapter Text

“Potion sellers.” Sam stated, placing a couple of papers down on the table where he and the rest of the group were sitting. “There’s going to be a trade-off in a couple hours, and we know where. Details are in the papers. I want all of you there.”

“Course Sam.” Sapnap answered, Bad looking over the documents. Dream’s heard of potion sellers, even stole a few potions himself a couple of times, but he was smart enough not to get fully involved in the business.

Potions held serious magic and could be insanely useful, but as with anything, there were a couple of problems. If you took too much of any potion, it could have a negative effect, doing the opposite of whatever magic was inside. Healing became harming, strength became a painful weakness, and fire resistance was known to catch people on fire. You take too much of any potion intended to have negative effects, and the result could be much worse. Harming was known to crack bones, bending every cell in your body in a slow, agonizing process, only to heal the damage, but wrong, so your body ends up in a shape you can’t even move in. But that wasn’t the main reason they were illegal. No, the main reason was because of how addictive they were.

Potions were magic, the kind that drew you in until you couldn’t stop even if you wanted to. Even in the smallest doses, they were dangerous to take. It’s why most hospitals were banned from them, and why the ones that weren't were only allowed to have two healing potions at most, both located in different wings, in different safes, under different codes and only used for the most serious cases. It’s why Punz and Purpled don’t go near the stuff, and it’s why Dream, in all his years of being reckless and gathering injuries, has only ever had one.

“How’s that hangover treating you Sapnap?” George asked smugly. Dream snapped to attention at the quip, noticing the ravenette’s head buried in his arms. Sapnap flipped him off in response.

“Says here the dealer sells more than just potions.” Bad said, catching everyone’s attention. “He’s been known to sell all kinds of things. Books for weapons and armor, ender pearls, even netherite.”

“Who’s the buyer going to be?” Dream asked out of curiosity. Bad shrugged.

“Doesn’t say.”

“Guess we’ll find out when we get there.” George responded, standing up. “For now, we should get ready. Anything else we need to know before we armor up Bad?”

“Nothing Sam won’t tell us on the way.” Bad stated, standing up with George. Dream followed their lead. “Come on Sapnap, we need to go to the armory.”

“You’re so loud…” Sapnap whined, unmoving. While Bad and George tried to coax the ravenette out of his seat, Dream chuckled at how Sapnap seemed more like a groaning blob than a fighter. Then he came up with an idea.

“I’ll let you spar with me later if you cooperate.” Not even a second later, Sapnap shot out of his seat, rushing to what Dream could only guess was the armory. Bad and George watched him go, surprise in their eyes.

“Wow.” George said, impressed. “Nice going rookie.” The brunette bumped his shoulder. Dream suppressed a flinch, flipping him off with something of a smile on his face, ignoring Bad’s loud ‘Language!’ as they made their way to the armory.

The trio grabbed armor out of labeled chests, and Dream followed their lead, finding one with his counterfeit name on it and opening it to reveal a full set of iron armor. He struggled with putting it on, not used to wearing metal.

A couple of months after knowing Punz, he brought the problem to him, complaining how standard armor was loud, bulky and limited his movement too much for it to be effective. Punz had sold him a project he’d been working on. An effective, lightweight armor made of a strong leather, powerful enough to stop crossbow shots while still being quiet and comfortable to move around in. He had to say, it came in useful on multiple occasions. For now, however, he was stuck with a useless chunk of metal, wondering how the hell anybody managed to wear these things, let alone fight in them.

“Need some help?” Sapnap asked, making his way over.

“No, I think I got it.” Dream responded, currently twisting around, struggling with a shoulder clasp. “I just need to—” His sentence was cut off as he crashed into something. He whirled around with wild eyes, prepared to fight whatever was there, just to be faced with a wall. He relaxed, and turned back around to find Sapnap looking at him, trying hard to hold back laughter, and for a moment he forgot his rule.

“Shut up.” He said, face red, which just made Sapnap laugh harder. George and Bad turned towards them, curious about what had happened.

“Dude.” Sapnap said, catching his breath. “You almost fought a wall.”

“Wait, he what?” George asked, a smile creeping on his face.

“Nothing!” Dream yelled out, face still red as he jumped in front of Sapnap. “Nothing happened! Don’t worry about it!”

“Oh dude, it was great.” The ravenette said, an evil grin on his face. “So I came over to help Dan with his armor, because I noticed he was struggling, and—”

“And you still haven’t helped me yet!” Dream shouted, trying to interrupt the story.

“—and he was twisting around trying to get it on when he crashed into a wall—” Throwing out any sense of self-preservation, he tackled Sapnap to the ground, expecting the ravenette to stop talking. Letting out a squawk of surprise the ravenette spoke faster, trying to finish the story while Dream fought him on the floor.

“—and he turned around with the fucking funniest shocked expressi-mhm” Gaining the upper hand, he put a hand over Sapnap’s mouth and restrained his swinging arms, the ravenette still kicking like crazy. He felt something wet on his hand and quickly pulled away when he realized the ravenette licked him.

“—ready to throw hands with a fucking wall.” Sapnap finished quickly, laughing in victory on the floor. Dream groaned in embarrassment, rolling off of Sapnap to lie next to him and wiping his hands on his un-armored pants before using them to hide his face.

“Language.” Bad said habitually, but Dream caught the hint of a smile in the man’s voice, and heard both him and George chuckling a few seconds later. Soon enough he was laughing too.

“It’s not even that funny.” Dream said, letting out a wheeze, which just set all of them off again. He distantly knew this was wrong. He shouldn’t be laughing with the people set on hunting him down. He made a rule, after all. But for the first time in a long time he felt whole. Like he unlocked a part of himself he didn’t even know was missing. It just felt right, and so he pushed the feeling aside. He’d let himself join in. Just this once.

The next time he looked up, he saw Sam entering the room.

“I’m not even going to ask.” They just laughed harder.

+ + + + +

The drive was short, Sam quickly explaining the plan on the way. According to him, the trade was taking place in an abandoned warehouse, the dealer taking top priority. Because neither the dealer nor the buyer were expecting the cops to show up, all they had to do was sneak up to the front door, rush in with loaded crossbows and detain them both. Simple as far as plans go, but effective nonetheless.

Once they got as close as they could without drawing suspicion, Bad parked the car, everyone silently getting out. Sam took the lead, gesturing everyone to stay low and follow him. They reached the front door, Sam taking one side and Bad taking the other, him and the rest of the group ready to back them up from behind. On Sam’s count, him and Bad kicked the door in, Dream ready with his crossbow.

“L’manburg police! Hands in the air!” Sam called out. Dream locked eyes with the buyer as she turned around, and immediately froze upon seeing how young she was. A teenager. Then before he could snap himself out of his shock, the dealer, a burly middle-aged man, reached behind him and splashed a clear-colored potion on the ground. As quick as the glass shattered, they disappeared.

“Invisibility!” George shouted, rushing after him while yelling back at the group. “Follow the particles! We’ve got to go after him now!” Bad, Sapnap and Sam all followed, but his eyes were still locked on where the girl was. The particles moved, and without thinking, Dream chased. He hesitated as he reached the truck the dealer was selling his goods out of, spotting various different potions along with other rare items. Not taking his eyes off the particles for more than a couple of seconds, he pocketed a couple vials of health potions and continued the chase. Getting answers was more important.

Eventually the girl rushed into a side door, and Dream sped up, thinking the door led outside. Upon entering however, he found it led into a spacious bathroom, the floors and sinks filthy from years of being uninhabited. More than that, he soon realized he stood in the way of the only exit. Meaning the girl was trapped.

As if the girl realized the same thing, she hit him in the stomach, using her invisibility to her advantage. The first couple of punches threw him off-guard, but they shocked him more than hurt and he recovered fairly quickly. Even without being able to see his opponent, he managed to predict the following attacks, blocking them with ease.

“Let me out!” The girl cried, her attacks becoming sloppier as she grew increasingly more desperate. “I can’t afford to go to jail, please!”

“I just want to know what you’re doing here.” He calmly replied, not budging from his spot.

“Why would I tell you anything!?” She shouted, her attacks ceasing as she put all her energy into her voice. “You’re a fucking cop! You're just going to use whatever I say to get me arrested!” He paused for a moment, thinking her words over. Then without a word, he slowly moved away from the door.

“Go.” The particles stilled, her confusion evident even without Dream being able to see her.

“What?” He spoke in a steady, calm tone, positioning himself so he was leaning against the wall.

“I followed you because I wanted to know what someone so young was doing at a potion trade-off. But you’re right. Arresting you won’t help anyone.” The particles shifted.

“But why are you letting me go?” Dream frowned before quickly schooling his expression.

“I used to be a lot like you growing up. I can tell you’re not a bad kid. Just one who made some bad decisions. You don’t deserve to spend years of your life in jail for that.”

“You sound like you're talking from experience.” Dream didn’t answer. Particles shifted to the door, the doorknob turning before the movement paused.

“…I was here to get a healing potion for my mom.” The girl quietly said. “She’s sick, and we can’t afford a hospital.” He furrowed his brow.

“But you thought you could afford a potion?”

“No, I knew I couldn’t. But if I could pretend I had the money, slip a vial of healing in my pocket and act like I was no longer interested in making a deal…well, that was the plan anyway.” The girl opened the door.

“Wait.” The particles seemed to freeze as he pulled one of the vials he stole out of his pocket. “Take it.” No move was made, so he lightly tossed the vial. The particles fluttered around nervously before catching it. It took a couple of seconds before the particles shifted again.

“I—What kind of cop are you?” She breathed out, as she pocketed the vial, it turning invisible with the rest of her.

Dream shrugged. “I’m not a cop.” The particles went rigid. “I’m not some corrupt psychopath either.” He rolled his eyes before speaking quieter. “I’m just…trying to survive one day at a time.”

“…Thanks. For the potion. I won’t forget it.” She said, twisting the door handle. “…And for what it’s worth, I believe you.” She slipped out the door without waiting for a response. Dream smiled.

“Anytime kid.” He replied, his response quietly echoing across the now empty bathroom. He gave it a couple minutes before heading out. Shortly after, he ran into the group and the dealer, who, now visible, was walking in cuffs along with them.

“Dan!” Sam exclaimed, the rest of the group turning their heads at the mention of his name. “Did you catch the buyer?”

“No. She got away. Invisibility didn’t wear off in time. Any of you get a good look at her?”

“We were all focused on the dealer.” George responded.

“What about the dealer?” Dream asked. “Did he see her face?”

“I’m not telling you—”

“Bad already looked him up in the database.” Sapnap interrupted, the dealer scowling at him. “He’s farsighted, and blind in his left eye, a fact the buyer likely knew before making the deal. We’re not going to find her using her face.” Dream nodded, relief flooding his mind. She wouldn’t be found.

They headed to the car, Sam putting the dealer in the back, which was separated from the front by a barrier. After a quiet drive, Sam went to process the dealer and the trio and himself headed to the armory to change back into their normal clothes. As soon as the weight of the chestplate was removed, he felt better, stretching out and immediately noticing his movement become smoother and faster.

“You know, there’s not much to do besides the paperwork.” Bad brought up, taking off his boots. “Ant and a couple of the newer recruits went on patrol earlier, and it’s looking quiet.”

“Training day?” Sapnap asked, smiling, while George groaned in his hands.

“As long as we get the paperwork done tonight, then yes.” Bad confirmed. “Training day.”

“What’s training day?” Dream asked, already suspecting what the answer would be.

“The day where Sapnap gets to hurt us.” George grumbled under his breath.

“And you, my good friend, promised me a spar.” Sapnap excitedly said to him before taking a sword from a chest and rushing off.

He chose an ax out of the same chest, George took a bow hanging from the wall along with some arrows, and Bad chose a sword, same as Sapnap. He calmly followed after the ravenette with the others to an outside field that had all kinds of different equipment.

To the left, there was an archery range with targets and some arrows strewn around, including some moving redstone targets, as well as a few obstacle courses nearby. On the right side of the field there was a mix of wooden targets for ax-throwing, dispensers loaded with arrows for shield practice, and an area for fishing rod combat, a less commonly chosen technique because of how hard it was to master.

In the center of the field, there was a big circle used for weapon sparring and hand-to-hand combat. Sapnap was already warming up in the middle of the circle with some sword movements, a shield he didn't have before held at his side. Dream grabbed one of the lighter shields left on the ground, rolled his shoulders, and entered the circle with a smirk.

“Here are the ground rules.” George stated, stepping in the circle with him. “Don’t take shots to maim or kill. You win if you clearly get your weapon someplace that would be a fatal blow. You can also win by pushing your opponent out of the circle. You don’t have armor on, so don’t underestimate your speed, and for the love of Prime, be careful.”

Dream tightened his grip on the ax as George stepped away, a smile spreading across his face as he and Sapnap started to circle each other. Sapnap lunged first, sword swinging towards his chest. He stepped to the side, taking the opportunity to attack the ravenette from behind, and smiled as Sapnap turned and blocked the ax with his shield. They engaged in a dance, each reading the other’s moves as easily as breathing, one attacking as the other parried, then reversing the roles and beginning again.

Dream scowled as Sapnap started to attack relentlessly, being forced on defense. He dodged a few strikes before gritting his teeth and standing his ground. Sword met ax as Dream blocked the next attack, smirking. They both pushed away, taking a breather.

He glanced at the red circle and the people watching him, both causing his eyes to grow dark, hands shaking as he was brought to a time he’d rather forget. Unpleasant memories flooded his mind, and he barely snapped back to reality in time to block a sword attack, being pushed back over and over as his heart beat faster, anxiety thrumming through his veins. A particularly fast attack aiming at his heart grew too close for comfort, drawing blood from his arm. And suddenly the fight felt a lot more real.

He swung his ax in a horizontal arc at Sapnap’s chest. The ravenette backed up and he continued to advance, swinging his ax twice more before Sapnap blocked it with his shield. Sapnap whirled his sword back at him, unknowingly leaving Dream the opening he was waiting for. As quick as his next breath he sidestepped the weapon, swinging his ax at the ravenette’s neck, barely forcing himself to stop it in time, the weapon halting a hair’s breadth away from touching skin.

They stood there for a while, breathing deeply, before Dream came to his senses and dropped his ax and shield. He backed away, curling his hands into fists so the shaking was less noticeable. Sapnap looked at him, wearing the same expression he had the night Dream was held at knife point. He knew the ravenette had sensed something off with him in the last few minutes of the fight.

“Dan, are—”

“Holy muffin, Dan won!” Bad unknowingly interrupted, running up and raising Dream’s hand in the air in victory. He tensed up, resisting the urge to break Bad’s wrist from the simple touch.

“Wow Sapnap, I didn’t even know you could lose until today.” George teased. Dream inhaled, shoved his feelings down and plastered on a smile.

“Good fight Sapnap.” He stated, putting his hand out. Sapnap hesitantly grabbed it, expression still pinched.

“You know, your fighting style kind of reminds me of Dream’s, funnily enough.” George mentioned absentmindedly. “Did he train you?” The brunette joked, bumping his shoulder. It took everything in his power to ignore the movement and restrain himself from slamming George into the ground.

“Haha.” He sarcastically said, rolling his eyes while anxiety flooded his system for the second time that day.

“But seriously, where’d you learn to fight?” Bad asked, genuinely curious. “We weren't taught how to fight like that at the academy.”

“Yeah I’m wondering that too.” Sapnap said in a tone Dream couldn’t quite place.

“Oh muffin, you’re bleeding.” Bad said before he could answer. He glanced down at where Bad was looking, and sure enough there was a small amount of blood seeping through his left jacket sleeve near his shoulder. “Sapnap! Why didn’t you say anything?” Bad reprimanded, while George grabbed the first aid kit.

“I didn’t think I drew blood!” Sapnap defended. “Dan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Dream answered, grabbing the cloth George handed him and sticking it underneath his jacket to apply pressure to the wound. “Didn’t even notice it, to be honest. I’ll head inside and get it cleaned up.” He grabbed the first aid kit and quickly went into the station towards the nearest bathroom. As soon as the door was locked, he closed his eyes, leaning against the wall and processing everything that had happened.

He almost killed Sapnap over a fucking flashback. Fighting in a ring, being forced to kill as his skill was assessed by people who watched, it wasn’t…pleasant. And he’s got the scars to prove it. But it’s been a year, that part of his life is over. He left. So why can’t he move on?

He shoved his emotions to the side and took off his jacket, wincing as his wound stretched from the action. The bleeding had stopped, which gave him the opportunity to examine the cut closer. It wasn’t deep enough for stitches, but he could tell it would be annoying for a while. He quickly washed the cut, pulling ointment out of the first aid kit and applying it to the wound before bandaging it up.

He frowned as he picked up his jacket, an apparent bloodstain and hole now visible on the side. He got to work, placing the jacket under cold running water. He went through the motions he knew by heart, flushing out the blood, scrubbing with this and that chemical, and soon enough you couldn’t even tell there was a blood stain on the jacket in the first place. At least his past taught him a couple of useful things. Now all he had to worry about was the gash Sapnap’s sword left in his sleeve.

He pulled out the needle and thread from the first aid kit, sticking the thread through the eye of the needle, and methodically began stitching the hole up. The minutes flew by, and soon enough he stitched the last stitch and bit the thread, proudly examining his handiwork. Besides a few bigger stitches, you couldn’t even tell the jacket was damaged in the first place. Just like you, his mind unhelpfully supplied.

He absentmindedly traced the scars on his arms, zoning out of reality for a moment before sighing and pulling the jacket back on. He was fine. He exited the bathroom, surprised to see Sapnap, who looked about ready to knock on the door.

“Hey Dan.” Sapnap greeted awkwardly. “I, uh, came to make sure you were okay.”

“You didn’t nick me that badly, Sapnap.” He started to walk away. Sapnap put his arm out to block him.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” The ravenette said, looking him in the eye. “During the fight, something happened.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about.” Dream deadpanned, glaring defensively. Sapnap glared back.

“You don’t have to tell us shit Dan, but George, Bad and I, we’re your partners now. You trust us, we trust you. That’s how this works.”

“Where are you going with this?” Dream questioned, a dangerous undertone apparent in his voice as he clenched his fist, preparing to fight his way out if necessary. After a few tense moments, Sapnap sighed and lowered his arm.

“Just…know you can come to us, alright?” Dream’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m serious, man.” Sapnap said, catching the look before he was able to hide it. “We’ve got your back.”

“…Yeah, alright.” He replied, warmth blooming in his chest. He scowled internally, shoving the feeling back down.

“Come on, I promised George and Bad a two vs two.” Sapnap said smiling, rushing back to the field as Dream followed.

They spent the rest of the day training. Dream learned at the shooting range that George was a much better shot than he originally thought. He discovered Sapnap’s skill went far beyond just pvp. The ravenette apparently held the fastest time by fifteen seconds for the completion of the hardest obstacle course. He also found out, on top of being a strategist and leader, Bad was a jack of all trades when it came to weapons.

That night, lying in his bed after a midnight run across rooftops, he realized he broke his rule for the second time that day.

Chapter Text

Dream groaned, gently slamming his head down on the stack of papers in front of him. When Bad told them how much paperwork was left from the other day, he thought the man was being sarcastic. But no. Turns out paperwork was half the job, much to Dream’s chagrin. Seriously, who would willingly sign up for this?

The smell of caffeine made his head shoot up, thoughts temporarily forgotten as his eyes landed on George and the tray of four coffees he was carrying over.

Right. These idiots would.

“Coffee’s here.” George announced, setting down the tray and reading out the first label. “Let’s see, we’ve got…vanilla latte with two shots of espresso?”

“Mine.” Bad let out a quiet thanks as the drink was handed over, his focus immediately turning back to his stack.

Reading the next label, the brunette’s face scrunched up in disgust. “White chocolate mocha with caramel drizzle?” Sapnap reached across the table and grabbed the cup. George raised an eyebrow. “Really Sapnap? What are you, nine?”

Sapnap smirked, taking a sip of his drink. “Jealous of my impeccable taste in coffee, Gogy?”

“Not even close.” Dream snorted at their interaction, George turning back to the tray and reading off the next label. “Black.” The brunette stared at him as he grabbed his cup and took a sip. “Explain.”

Dream shrugged. “I’m a simple man with simple tastes.” He never actually thought of ordering a different type of coffee before. Black was the most effective, so why get anything else? Besides, it was such an insignificant thing compared to everything else around him, to what he used to do for a living, that really, why would he?

“That’s just criminal.” Sapnap said, staring at the drink almost sympathetically. He just shrugged again and began working on the next paper in his stack. Or, well, he tried to.

Old memories resurfaced, circling his head like vultures, refusing to leave. A dwindling spiral he was all too familiar with. He tried to distract himself, tried to ignore them, but before he knew it his eyes were glazed over, reliving a past memory.

“You’re nothing but a tool.”

Footsteps approaching. “A useful tool, I’ll give you that.”

A figure crouching down in front of him. “Question is…

Hand grabbing his chin, forcing him to look up. “Do you need to be replaced?”

Cold, hard eyes, staring past his mask, directly at him. A perfect reflection of his own.

Dream jumped at the sound of his phone ringing, startled back to reality. Ignoring the worried looks thrown his way, he walked away from the table and answered the call, thankful for the distraction.

“Hey.”

“Wha—Purpled?” He hissed, rushing quickly to the bathroom and shutting the door. The teen only called when he needed something, and rarely at that. He felt anxiety thrum through his veins as he blurted out the first question that came to mind. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Look, I’m calling cause…well, because I need a favor. A friend of mine got locked out of his house, and in it are some plans we’re working on together. You think you can snag them for me?”

He arched an eyebrow, sensing the bullshittery from a mile away. “Right…and what’s your friend’s name?” A pause.

“…John.” Dream stayed quiet, trusting the silence would be enough to make the teen crack. “Fine, they're not my plans. But the guy’s gone for the day, and I need them for a project.”

And there it was. “Purpled, I’m at work right now.” He cringed as soon as he spoke, realizing how disgustingly commonplace it sounded.

“Don’t you need an excuse to get out of work tomorrow anyway? You know, for your next job? Just say you're not feeling well.” He turned quiet, contemplating the idea. He’s only worked at the station for a short while, so it wouldn't look good to take a couple of days off. But the teen was right, he needed an excuse to attend the gala and he needed time to go over the layout of the building and make a plan.

“I’ll owe you one. I’ll even come along.”

The push was all he needed. “Alright, fine. Text me where.” He hung up, his phone pinging with the address as he exited the bathroom and made his way back towards the table.

“I know that, I just don’t want—” Whatever conversation was occuring ended as soon as Dream got within earshot, all three heads swiveling towards him, no one making a move to talk. He paused in his steps for a moment and shot them a questioning look, eyes narrowed and head tilted. Instantly, they wiped their expressions from their faces, trading them out for strained smiles.

What was that about? What were they hiding?

“Sorry, sorry!” Bad apologized quickly, putting his hands up and planting a nervous smile on his face as Dream finished walking over, his skepticism still apparent. “Just discussing some plans for the future, and it got a little heavy!”

He could sense there was more to the conversation than Bad was letting on, but he let it go. He could deal with whatever secret conversation they were having later but right now, he had more important things to deal with.

He plastered on a polite smile, slipping into the role he was getting more and more familiar with. “Listen, I really hate to do this, but I’m not feeling too well. I think I might be catching something, and I don’t want to get any of you sick, so…”

“No worries, man.” Sapnap responded, still on edge, but trying his best to play it off. “Happens to the best of us.”

“Bet it was the coffee.” George joked, earning a snort from Sapnap and a slight chuckle from Bad, any previous tension lifting from the atmosphere. “But seriously, get better soon. I don’t know how long I can deal with these two idiots by myself.” He pointed at each with his thumbs as he spoke, Bad and Sapnap both making noises of protest.

“I got here, like, two days ago.” Dream pointed out, a hint of a smile on his face. “And if anything, I feel like Bad’s the only one who has a brain cell out of you three.”

“Thank you!” Bad chirped, while Sapnap and George simply glared at him. He wheezed, clutching his stomach and muttering a quick goodbye before heading out.

He raced in the direction of his home on a not so busy street, letting his legs take the lead as the wind danced in his hair and around his clothes before rushing past. For a moment he let himself close his eyes and breathe, before opening them again and pumping his legs faster, pushing himself past his limit with a wide grin.

His smile quickly dropped as his mind involuntarily circled back to earlier. The trio was deliberately hiding something from him. It shouldn’t bug him. It shouldn’t, but it did. And after Sapnap said they would all have his back. Guess the ravenette lied when he said they would trust him to do the same.

No. He was overthinking things. Besides, it shouldn’t matter because it’s all fake anyway. He’s not a police officer, and Sapnap, George and Bad aren’t his friends. What they talk about in private is their own business. Who cares if they were talking about him? It shouldn’t matter.

So then why wasn’t the pit in his stomach going away?

Dream clenched his fists and pushed himself further, running into an alley and focusing on his next move. Taking only a moment to scan his surroundings, he hopped from the ground to a dumpster, then quickly to a windowsill and to a higher ledge on his right before leaping straight up to the roof, effortlessly pulling himself up. He wiped his hands together to rid himself of any grime and dust that clung on to him.

Parkour was always a good stress reliever. Or distraction, the voice in his head supplied.

He ignored it.

Sprinting the short length of the rest of the run to his apartment, he slipped into his room through a rather inconspicuous window he always used to get inside the building. He changed into his costume, pulling on his hoodie and mask, and headed out the same way he came in, jogging and occasionally vaulting over rooftops to the address Purpled sent.

He arrived thirty minutes later, spotting the teen in a well-hidden, almost completely blocked off backway leaning against a wall with a frown on his face. He was in his usual getup, a purple hood and black cargo pants, and was anxiously tapping his foot against the concrete.

“Someone’s impatient.” Dream called out teasingly, jumping down from the small building he was on and landing to the left of the teen.

“You’re late.” Purpled responded, unfazed by Dream’s sudden appearance.

“We never set a time!” Purpled just scoffed, muttering something unintelligible under his breath, clearly upset. First the trio, now this? What was going on today? The teen looked up, eyes widening the slightest bit.

“Sorry.” Purpled muttered, looking away. Dream was about to play it off with a joke, but his eyes took in the teen’s heavy eye bags and tensed shoulders and he stopped himself. Instead, he inched a bit closer and sat down criss-cross applesauce style on the concrete, back against the wall.

“Wanna talk about it?” He patted the spot next to him, an invitation to sit down. Purpled was quiet, unmoving. Dream waited.

“…Let’s just get this stupid job done.” The teen slipped on the leather mask clipped to his belt, clenched his hands into fists and walked off. He frowned, but followed anyway. Purpled led him through a series of back streets and alleyways, stopping a few minutes later and pointing up at a sixth-story balcony of a dilapidated, run down apartment building—if you could even call it a balcony. The edges of it were full of big cracks, the railing bent, and Dream was frankly surprised it hadn’t detached itself from the building and crashed into the street.

He glanced at Purpled, his head in a questioning tilt. Purpled only nodded. He smirked. This would be a piece of cake. He began looking for the easiest path up, trusting the teen to be on lookout. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the lowest balcony of the building, meaning he couldn’t use any other balconies as a platform to raise himself higher. He quickly spotted another path up and launched himself from an abandoned coffee table to a metal awning above a window on the opposite building.

He hopped from awning to awning as easily as breathing, building his momentum to jump quickly on a distant streetlight then onto a higher, thin ledge. He let himself catch his balance, his body facing flat to the wall, then inched along the edge before making a daring leap to the top of an air conditioner unit. From there, he easily climbed up to the roof using the bigger, reinforced window sills on the higher windows as both a platform to stand on and a better grip for his hands.

Once he was up, he took a breath, then with a running start vaulted off the edge of the roof to the highest balcony he could reach on the opposite building, landing on the eighth floor. He hopped down to the balcony on the seventh, then more carefully to the run-down balcony on the sixth. It was more stable than he expected, the cracks not as visible from the top. Explains why no one bothered to fix it. Still, he was careful when he walked to the sliding door that was separating the balcony from the inside of the apartment.

Despite Purpled telling him whoever lived there was gone for the day, he listened for any indication that anyone was inside, and once satisfied, tried the door. It slid open with ease and Dream grinned. He’s broken into rooms this way countless times, all because no one bothers to lock the balcony door. Kind of stupid of them, but hey, he’s not complaining.

He snuck inside, spotting the rolled-up blueprints almost immediately. Not bothering to check what they contained, he slipped outside and threw them down to Purpled before making his way back down to the teen.

“That was…decent.” Purpled said once he landed back in the alley.

“Just decent?” Dream asked with a smirk.

“Don’t push it, green boy.” Purpled deadpanned. “But…thanks.”

“So he can say thank you.” He teased.

Purpled glared. “I take it back.” He laughed, and he saw Purpled’s lip quirk up just the tiniest bit.

“Catch you later, I guess.” The teen said, ready to run off.

“Wait.” Dream called out. Purpled paused, looking back. “You said you owe me one, right?” Purpled nodded slowly, skepticism written all over his face. “Then let’s grab a bite.”

Purpled stared at him like he was crazy. “You want me…to hang out with you…to pay you back.” Dream just nodded. Purpled narrowed his eyes, regarding him with suspicion. “Why?”

Because I notice the way you tense when I get too close, and I see the exhaustion and anger you try to hide. Because I know how closed off and alone you are, even if you won’t admit it.

And because…I could use the company.

But he didn’t respond with any of that. Instead, he just shrugged. “For fun.”

“You can’t be serious.” Purpled deadpanned.

“Come on.” Dream said, rolling his eyes and gesturing for Purpled to follow. After looking back to make sure the teen was actually behind him, he jogged down a different alley and got on the roof of a small building with some parkour he knew wouldn’t be too hard for the teen to follow. Purpled hesitated, but followed his steps and clambered up the same way, his skin brandishing a couple new cuts and scrapes to prove it.

Dream plastered on a shit-eating grin as an idea came to mind, glancing at the teen. “Race you.” And before Purpled could respond, he sprinted off the edge of the building and effortlessly landed in a duck and roll on the next. He looked back to see the teen sputter and race after him.

He had to give credit where credit was due, Purpled was fast. He was surprised at how well the teen could keep up with him, but he was still in the lead thanks to nights spent traveling across rooftops and smoother movement ingrained from parkour practice. He looked back, quip on the tip of his tongue, and his heart dropped. Purpled was midair, hands reaching for the ledge of the roof he was on. Dream could tell he wasn’t going to make it.

And he was too far away to catch him.

“Purpled!” He screamed, body automatically turning around and sprinting the short distance back, glancing over the ledge. His eyes landed on the fire escape a moment before the teen vaulted past him, racing ahead with a wide grin on his face.

…What the fuck.

He snapped back to reality, racing after the teen. He focused only on catching up to Purpled, vaulting over rooftops at top speed, his lead long gone.

“You dick!” Dream called out when he was close enough to be heard. Purpled just cackled, stopping at the next building…which was right next to where the food court was.

Ah, damn it. Purpled was going to hold this over his head forever. His perfect reputation, ruined. And by a teenager, no less.

He caught up to the teen and took a moment to catch his breath. “I can’t believe you.” Purpled laughed.

“You know, If it makes you feel any better.” Dream looked at the teen inquisitively.

“What?” He asked when the teen didn’t continue.

“Yeah, I got nothing.” Purpled said, shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

He scoffed, a smile etched on his face. “I’m going to get you back for that.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from the city’s top thief.” Dream chuckled, getting a glimpse of the view when his head turned slightly to the right.

He walked over to the edge of the roof and plopped down, legs swinging freely as his eyes took in the lights of the city, and the stars above. Something he loved about L’manburg was there wasn’t quite enough pollution to snuff out the beauty of the night sky. He didn’t even realize it was dark out until he noticed the view. Guess that’s what he gets for spending half his day doing paperwork.

“Pretty night, huh?” He glanced over to see Purpled sitting next to him.

“As a kid I was obsessed with stars.” He smiled, looking out at them once more. “Memorized as many constellations as I could. Even dreamed of becoming a sailor, just so I could spend every night looking up at them.”

“Wow, dude. That’s so…lame.”

“Shut up.” He replied, punching the teen on the shoulder, a smile growing on his face. “Come on, you can’t seriously tell me you didn’t have any dreams when you were younger.”

“Course I did. They just weren’t lame.” Purpled smirked.

“Well?” He pushed.

“Well what?”

He rolled his eyes. “Well what were they?”

Purpled turned somber, frown on his face and eyes staring at nothing. “Something I wish I could take back.” Nope. Screw that. No way was he going to let this night go bad.

He shook his head. “No.”

“No?” The teen echoed, confused.

“No brooding.” He stated matter-of-factly, standing up and pulling the teen with him. “Come on, let’s get that food I promised you. Where do you want to go?”

Purpled scoffed. “I wasn’t brooding.”

“I’m a big fan of Chinese myself.” He went on, ignoring the teen and making his way down to the closest alley. “Or what about McDonalds? I know kids love McDonalds.”

“I’m not a kid, asshole.”

“Aww, come on! I want the toy that comes with the meal!” Purpled flipped him off, and he cackled. “Fine, then where do you want to go?” He asked, making the final jump to the ground.

After Purpled was quiet for a moment too long, he smirked, facing the teen. “You wanted McDonalds, didn’t you?”

“We’re going to Burger King.” Purpled stated. He doubled over wheezing, meanwhile the teen took off his mask, clipping it to his belt. Then he proceeded to hide the weapons he had on him so none were poking out.

“Come on green boy.” Purpled left the alley, not bothering to look behind him.

“Coming, coming.” Dream muttered, still laughing as he followed after the teen. Purpled looked back at him, and then did a double take.

“What about your mask!?” He hissed, eyes wildly looking around for any threats.

“Relax, I’ll just use my cosplaying excuse. I’m pretty well-known for a thief, you know.” The only parts of his costume that obviously made it, well, a costume, was his mask and the leather hidden under his hoodie. Well, and his utility belt, but that didn’t count since he left it at his apartment. Otherwise he looked like any other guy in a green hoodie. It’s probably one of the reasons some people cosplayed as him—his costume was easy to copy. That, and he was somewhat of a celebrity.

Seriously, he had a whole fanbase online! Gained thousands of followers in just a few months from posting selfies and being his usual charming self. It’s been a while since he posted anything, now that he thought about it.

Time to change that.

He threw up a peace sign and took a quick selfie, checking the background to make sure there was nothing that could lead people to his current location. Once satisfied, he captioned the post: Nothing quite like the nightlife in L’manburg. And by nightlife, I mean fast food :) #livingmybestlife.

Dream submitted the post and he quickly caught up to the teen, turning off his voice distorter as they entered the diner. Can’t have anyone thinking he’s the real deal, after all.

After he paid for their order, and got some weird looks—seriously, it was like these people had never seen a cosplayer in their lives—they went back to the roof they raced to earlier and sat down on the edge of the building once again, this time simply enjoying each other’s company in silence as they ate and enjoyed the view.

“What’s that one called?” Purpled asked, once he finished his food. Dream turned his voice distorter back on.

“What?” He asked, looking over at him.

“That constellation with the four stars that make a square and, like, three leg things? I remember learning about it once.”

“Ah.” Dream smiled, looking up at the stars where he knew the constellation was. “That’s Pegasus. It was named after the horse in Greek mythology, and the constellation actually only makes up the top part of the horse. If you look up there, yeah to your left, there’s a horizontal line made up of four stars, and two vertical lines. That one’s called Andromeda…”

He got back into the familiar motions of spotting the constellations, and pointed them out to Purpled, explaining the history behind them and what each one represented. They sat there for a while, the teen occasionally asking a question, and Dream answering it as best he could before pointing out the next one, describing to Purpled the secret picture each one held.

Then Purpled’s phone rang. The teen left for a few minutes to take the call, and Dream figured it was probably time to head back to his apartment anyway. He stood up right when Purpled came back.

“I gotta go.” The teen said. “But, uh..we should do this again sometime.”

He smiled. “Yeah, we should. I had fun tonight.” Purpled’s lip quirked up in a smile and he waved goodbye, climbing back down to the alley while Dream turned around and went the opposite way, vaulting across rooftops until he made it to his apartment, sneaking in through the usual window.

He took off his costume and logged into his computer, excitement coursing through him.

Time to plan.

Chapter Text

The distant sound of guests talking amongst themselves along with gentle classical music drifted softly through the wind, making its way up to Dream’s ears. He looked out and appreciated the grandiose lights shining like a beacon at the entrance of the Gala.

Above it all, Dream felt a sense of peace. Too bad the guests were as fake as they come, or the gala might have actually been a nice event. The only reason anyone came was so they could form connections and make business deals. At the end of the night, all of the money that got donated to ‘charities’ just made its way back into their own pockets.

Well, tonight some of that money was going to make it into his.

At parties like these, there are always one or two members who offer up some family heirloom to boast about their wealth, and said heirloom always gets shown off at the end of the night. More often than not, it turns out to be a piece of jewelry or some type of rare gem.

But before that big moment, it gets stored somewhere safe—-a vault, in this case, conveniently connected to the first floor by a hallway. According to the floor plans, that hallway had a vent directly above it. A vent that reached all the way up to the second level of the building, which was vacated due to the gala happening on the first floor.

As for his escape route, the only person guarding the vault was on the other side of the hallway door, making sure no guests accidentally made their way inside. A guard blocking people from coming in wouldn’t be watching for anyone coming out, making it a perfect exit.

Really, what could go wrong?

He enjoyed the view for a few seconds more before hopping off the roof and making his way to the second story window. He unlocked it with ease, quietly sneaking inside and shutting it closed a few moments later.

He heard footsteps, and his eyes instantly darted towards the sound. Thanks to the night vision on his mask he was able to clearly see the top of a spiral staircase, and a grand total of zero humans nearby.

Must’ve been a guest who got lost and made their way back downstairs. Still, he waited a few minutes later before approaching the vent…which was already unscrewed?

That was strange. Good thing he doesn’t get dissuaded easily. Only problem was, in order for his plan to work he had to enter the vent feet first, meaning he wouldn’t have eyes on anyone who might be in front of him.

It was a risk he had to be willing to take. He needed this score pretty bad, after all. And if he had the displeasure of running into someone…well, it’s a good thing he knew how to kick.

Gripping a knife with one hand, he cautiously removed the vent cover and listened for any noise ahead of him. Once satisfied, he squeezed inside the vent so his stomach was pressing against the gray tiles and his head was the last to go in. He inched backwards to the left until he felt his feet run into a drop.

He smiled. It was just like the blueprints said.

He lifted his mask and used his teeth to grip the handle of the knife. Slowly, he let himself drop down until he could grab the edge of the top surface with his hands. He planted his feet on the walls to either side of him, and did the same with his hands, alternating between lowering his legs and arms until his feet reached the solid surface below.

After switching the handle of the knife back to his hands and lowering his mask, he switched directions and crawled to the right until he spotted an opening…with the vent cover already unscrewed and on the floor beneath him.

He was right. Someone else was here.

“Bee Boy!” A voice below him whisper-shouted. “How do I use the thing?” He peeked through the gap to get a better sense of what was happening, spotting an, apparently British, blonde haired teen wearing a raccoon mask and talking through an earpiece.

Great. He was dealing with an amateur thief.

“Yes, the skeleton key.” The kid said, waving said object around in exasperation. Dream raised his eyebrows.

Skeleton keys were digitally encrypted with data that were able to open all kinds of high tech doors, depending on how it was encrypted. If the kid had a skeleton key, maybe he misjudged. Then again, the teen seemed hopelessly lost on how to use it to get the vault open. Maybe ‘Bee Boy’ was the smart one in their operation.

“‘Read the manual, meh meh meh I write rules for fun,’ that’s what you sound like.”

Guess it was time to introduce himself. He hopped down and landed behind the teen, grabbing the skeleton key and kicking the kid in the back of the knee with enough force to make him fall to the ground.

“Ow, what the fu—”

“You know, you’re really bad at this whole thieving thing.” He casually said, studying the kid to see how he’d react.

“I’ll scream.” The teen threatened almost immediately, sitting up on his elbows and staring him down. “Bitch.”

“And get both of us locked up?” Dream asked, smugly raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll tell ‘em, ‘Oh but he made me do it, cause he’s a bitch,’ and they’ll believe me and lock you up, and you’ll get stuck with a cellmate named Bill who tells you he misses his dog Patricia, and you’ll feel bad and try to break out together, but he leaves you behind because you’re a bitch and you cry and die from depression.”

His eyebrows kept climbing higher up his forehead the longer the kid talked. He didn’t know what was more impressive, the fact he didn’t even pause for a breath or the insult itself. He stared at the teen who was now breathing somewhat heavily, still propped up on his elbows with a stubborn, sharp glare that was obvious even through his roughly-made mask.

“Or,” Dream offered, prepared to make a counter argument that would benefit both of them. “We could just split whatever’s in the safe.”

The teen glared harder.

“More for me I guess.” Dream said, whistling and rotating the skeleton key back and forth over his fingers as he walked towards the safe.

He heard raccoon-kid get up and swiftly dodged the teen’s lame attempt to steal the key back, knocking him to the ground once again.

“Bitch.” The teen spat, with more vigor this time. Dream ignored the insult and inserted the skeleton key on the side of the keypad, getting the safe open much more quickly than if he had to hack into it himself. A lot more quickly, actually. He wondered who encrypted it.

His thoughts vanished as the vault opened, revealing two sets of jewelry on separate stands, one ruby and one emerald, both consisting of earrings, a necklace and a ring.

“What got you into thieving anyway?” Dream asked absentmindedly, tossing the skeleton key over to the kid, who was now standing near him at the entrance of the vault. Startled, the teen caught it and pocketed it.

“What, trying to get something out of me?” The teen asked. “Fuck off. I’ll have you know I’m smarter than that.”

“No.” Dream answered genuinely. “Just trying to make conversation.” He stepped towards the emerald set, getting started on carefully wrapping and storing each piece away in a pocket on his belt.

“Oh.” The teen answered dumbly, copying his actions with the ruby set.

“I’m Dream, by the way.” He said, temporarily pausing his wrapping and putting a hand out to introduce himself.

“Innit.” The teen said in a terrible James Bond impression, shaking his hand. “Raccoon Innit.”

“Wow. I think that is the worst impression I’ve ever heard.”

The kid, who was now dubbed Innit in his mind, gasped, clutching his heart. “How dare you. I’ll have you know that impression has made me even more popular with the women, and I tell them, ‘Ladies, you know I already have many, many wives.’ and they say, ‘Oh, but you're the best! We can’t help it!’ and I say, ‘I know.’”

Dream chuckled, focusing on the task at hand but still listening to the teen. His dramaticism reminded him a little bit of Sapnap.

His smile disappeared as he trashed the thought. He couldn’t afford to get attached. He couldn’t. If not for himself, then for them. Maybe Punz was right. It’s only been a few days, but…maybe he was in too deep.

But that was stupid. Just because something Innit did reminded him of Sapnap doesn’t mean he was ‘attached,’ or ‘in too deep.’ He was overthinking things as always. Nothing bad was going to happen. Not to him or the trio.

“You good?”

“Yeah.” He said, shaking himself out of it, wrapping up the last piece of the set. “Just got lost in thought. Come on, let’s bolt.”

They headed to the end of the hallway together, Dream putting his ear up to the door and listening for any noise coming from the guard on the other side. There was…none.

“Anyone there?”

“No, but something feels…off.”

“Come on, we’re almost there! Let’s just go for it, yeah?” The teen didn’t wait for an answer, pushing the door open without another word. And in that moment, Dream realized what was wrong. There was no sound at all. No music, no guests chattering, no footsteps. It was a set up.

Before he could shout a warning the door was already wide open, revealing Sapnap holding a crossbow five feet from his face.

+ + + + +

“Hands on your head, Dream. And that goes for your new friend too.” They complied.

Dream felt his heartbeat pick up. Why didn’t he know about this? Dan was part of their team wasn’t he? Even if he was ‘sick,’ shouldn’t he have at least been told? …Didn’t they trust him?

And suddenly he was surprised that that’s what hurt the most. That they didn’t trust him. He knew it had only been a few days, but the trio and him were partners. He thought that would’ve counted for something, but apparently it hadn’t. And now everything was going to shit.

“Slowly walk towards the middle of the room. No tricks, or we shoot.” As they started walking, Dream spotted Bad and George waiting a fair distance away with their crossbows out, prepared to back up Sapnap if needed. How the hell was he going to get out of this one?

“Come on guys, we can talk about this!” Dream said, head swiveling to Bad and George, then back to Sapnap, heart pounding out of his chest. For the first time, he didn’t have a back up plan, another way out. And that terrified him.

“Not this time Dream.” Bad said. Now standing below the chandelier in the center of the room, he distantly heard Sapnap telling him to stay still, not that he could even make himself move at the moment.

His ears were ringing, the only sound he could hear being the pounding of his heart. Could he have done something to prevent this? Could he really do nothing to get out of it? Was it all over? …Would he have to go back? Would they finally find him and make him go back? He distantly felt his utility belt come off, then his hoodie. When hands came for his mask, he flinched back, suddenly once again aware of everything around him.

“You can’t.” He said, head shooting up, eyes wide.

“Dream…” Sapnap replied, creasing his eyebrows. “I have to.”

“No, I mean, you can’t.” He tried to clarify. “Modified thorns enchantment. You’ll hurt yourself if you try.”

“How do you get it off then?” George asked. He glanced at the brunette, a bit of tension leaking out once he noticed his expression was curious rather than skeptical.

“I did say modified, didn't I?” Dream replied, a hint of pride in his voice. He spent countless nights working on that particular enchantment. Despite the circumstances, and how anxiety was rushing through every vein in his body, he felt a small smile inch across his face.

“Woah, that's actually…pretty impressive.” George responded, a glint in his eye as he looked closer at the mask. Knowing George, he probably wanted to study the thing front to back.

“Have you ever known me not to be?” He meekly joked.

“George.” Bad said, quiet but firm. A reminder. They weren’t there to banter with him. He wasn’t their friend.

“Fine.” Sapnap said. “You can take it off at the station.” The room fell into a tense silence as Sapnap began repeating the motions with Innit. Well, for a moment at least.

“That’s assault! He’s assaulting me! I’ll call the cops, bitch!”

“We are the cops.” George replied, unbothered. Sapnap continued to take away the teen’s tools, not that he had much on him to begin with. Really, he only had the skeleton key, some throwing knives, and a couple of small explosives that were intended for distraction purposes rather than to harm anyone. But as Sapnap started reaching for the kid’s mask, Dream heard something. Perks of having an enchanted mask, but even then, the sound was faint.

“Do you hear that?” He asked, straining his ears to identify the noise.

Sapnap glared at him, unamused. “I thought I said no tric—.”

A loud explosion cut him off, and Dream looked up at where the noise had come from, only to see the chandelier falling right on top of him.

Dream immediately dove for Innit, knocking him out of the way of the falling fixture, Sapnap barely managing to dive out of the way himself. The crash came not a second later, the shatter of crystals echoing all around them. He screamed when the chandelier fell on top of him, barely hearing the noise over the searing pain that shot through his lower leg. Then he stopped, frantic breaths taking over as his leg continued to throb, still under the heavy weight of the metal.

He shouted for help, putting the top part of his mask where his forehead was to the floor and shutting his eyes, the panic and the pain quickly overwhelming him. He heard footsteps and quiet cursing, and knew it was Innit. Glad he made it out okay. As the kid tried to lift the chandelier, though, Dream called out to him and the teen turned to face him.

He focused on what he wanted to say, trying his best to block out the pain. “Listen. They’ll be here any second, and there’s no reason both of us should get arrested. You need to go.” Even through Innit’s raccoon mask, he saw defiance in the teen’s eyes, and spoke again before the kid could rebut. “The cops will get me out. Besides, you can’t lift the chandelier by yourself anyway. Go.”

After one last hesitant look, the kid ran. And not a moment too soon. Sapnap, Bad and George all came into view the moment he was gone, immediately rushing over to him. Together, all three of them lifted the part of the chandelier that was crushing his leg. As soon as the weight was lifted, Dream instantly felt relief and quickly crawled away from the chandelier.

Now out from under the weight, he inspected his body for injuries, starting with his leg. He could immediately tell his shinbone was broken, but at least no bone was jutting out. That was a good sign. Besides some very minor cuts on his arms from the shattered crystals, he concluded it was his only injury. His leg hurt like a bitch, but at least he knew he didn’t have to be worried about anything else.

“Are you okay Dream?” Sapnap asked. Oh, right. The trio was here. Funny he forgot about that.

“You going to arrest me now?” He asked somewhat sarcastically, carefully sitting up to face them. He didn’t know if he could deal with it if they did, but it wasn’t really up to him, was it?

They shared glances with each other, unsure of how to respond, when Bad spoke up. “How bad are you hurt?”

Well if they were going to ignore the elephant in the room, then so was he. If things were going to turn out bad anyway, then why shouldn’t he play pretend?

“My shinbone is broken. No other injuries to note.” Bad nodded and left the room. He came back a few minutes later with a splint. Besides a few painful hisses and a couple of yelps, the room was silent as they helped attach the brace to his leg. To his surprise it was Sapnap who crouched down and threw Dream’s arm around his shoulder, helping him stand up. He put most of his weight on Sapnap, George quickly coming over to help on his other side.

With Sapnap and George assisting him, he slowly limped to the door, a blast of pain shooting through his injured leg every time he took a step. But he was more worried about what would happen once they reached the door.

It was really over for him, wasn’t it? This was how the legendary, top-of-the-leaderboards thief Dream was going down. Arrested under a chandelier. What a joke.

“I saw you dive for the kid.” George said. “We all did.” Dream couldn’t think of anything to say in response, so he stayed quiet. What could he say? ‘I saved him, so don’t arrest me?’ That’s not how the world worked and they all knew it. They weren’t his friends, and as soon as they all arrived at the station and he was forced to take off his mask, the trio would hate him more than they undoubtedly already do.

“You’re not a bad guy, Dream.” Sapnap said, as if reading his mind. But he knew the ravenette meant it in a different way. Ignoring his other thoughts, he decided to focus on that.

“No need to sound so surprised.” He’s not a law-abiding citizen, sure, but he’s never been a bad guy. He’s just a human trying to survive in the only way he knows how. So what if that breaks a couple of rules?

“I just meant…maybe I was wrong about you, that’s all.”

He scoffed, a smile reaching across his face. “Maybe you were.”

That was the last thing he got to say before Bad opened the doors, revealing a police car parked out front. Next time he talked to any of them would probably be from the inside of a jail cell. At that terrifying thought, his heart started to pound. Again. He was getting pretty fed up with being an anxious mess. But before they took a step outside, Sapnap spoke up.

“We can’t.” Bad and George looked at him inquisitively. “Arrest him I mean. Not like this, not after he risked himself to save a kid’s life. It wouldn’t be…right.”

He stared at Sapnap, wide eyed, not knowing what to say. But it wouldn’t matter. Because Bad and George would just tell him he was crazy for even thinking it, and—

“I know what you mean.” George said, interrupting his whirling thoughts. The brunette turned to him, brown eyes staring through his mask and into his own. “You know, in all the time we spent chasing you, you’ve never given us a reason to want to catch you.”

“Maybe that’s why it took us this long to finally do it.” Bad added on, as Dream turned to face him. “I knew you weren’t a bad person even before today, but seeing you save that kid…I guess it made up my mind.”

They were all facing him now, waiting for him to respond. Dream didn’t know what to say. He was shocked. This—this couldn’t be real. It had to be some cruel joke or a sick prank, right? As a way to get payback or something?

“If you guys are messing with me…” He said slowly, voice low.

Sapnap reached his arm out to him. The one he was using to carry his hoodie and belt. He was giving them back, Dream realized. Slowly, still not convinced this was real, he unhooked his arm from George’s shoulder and took his possessions from the ravenette. Sapnap helped him to the ground, and there he was. A thief with his costume sitting in the middle of a doorway surrounded by three cops. It could be the start of a bad joke if it wasn’t so unbelievable.

“Can, um…will you be okay to make your way home?” Sapnap awkwardly asked. “Do you even have a home? Or do you have someone you could call maybe?”

“I’ll…be fine.” He replied, still reeling.

“Good.” George said. “Because the second you start running around town again, we’re coming after you. And this time there won’t be any chandeliers you can make crash down as a distraction to get away.”

So that’s how they're going to write this up. Another genius move by Dream the thief. But if they were really letting him go…what does that mean for Dan?

He could worry about that later. There’s only so much he can think with at a time, and right now his mind was pretty full up with…well, his whole situation.

“I um…I don’t know what to say.” He said, looking at all three of them. “Thank you. Genuinely.”

“Thank us for what?” Bad asked with a sly smile. “You slipped away again, remember?” And with that, the trio walked away. It wasn’t until the car started up and drove out of the range of his vision that he truly believed everything the trio said.

He paused for a moment, breathing deeply in and out, then looked down in his arms at his hoodie and utility belt. As soon as he put them on, a wave of comfort washed over him. Now all he had to do was make his way home. On a broken leg. Fantastic.

But before he began to move, he heard feet shuffling around the corner of the building. A figure walked toward him, and before they even got close, dread pooled in his stomach. Because he knew who it was.

“Dream.” The figure called out. “He wants you to know that tonight was just a warning, and the only one he’s going to give you. Come back. Before mistakes cost blood.” They walked away after that. Dream didn’t bother giving chase. Even if he didn’t have a broken leg, catching them wouldn’t mean anything.

After a moment, he half-limped, half-crawled to a car in the parking lot that was somehow still there. He wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If the person who came to the gala in the car didn’t want to use it, he would. He’d return it some other time.

He hotwired the car and drove home, being extra careful to make sure no one was following him. After parking a few blocks away, he slowly, painstakingly made his way to his apartment, using the elevator, unlocking his door, and finally, gently collapsing on his bed. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on breathing, hoping the pain in his leg would gradually subside now that his journey was over. It didn’t.

He reached for his nightstand drawer, and took out the vial of healing potion he had kept there ever since the warehouse encounter. He stared at the shimmering glow of the liquid, sloshing it around a bit.

He shouldn’t drink it. He knew he shouldn’t. But how else was Dan going to show up to work tomorrow? And more importantly, how else was he going to warn the trio about the trouble they were in?

This wasn’t a selfish decision. It wasn’t! Because he wasn’t doing it for him! He wasn’t addicted. He wasn’t being drawn in. It was simply the quickest and most effective way to heal. And staring at the vial, he knew it was the only way. The only option.

In an instant he popped the lid off and downed the liquid. He felt his leg snap back into place, but it didn’t hurt. Healing potions had a way of numbing the pain in a way that was actually quite satisfying. It gave him a sort of calm rush of peace and belonging. A sensation, like he was drifting in a sea of stars with a childlike glee in his eyes because he’d never seen anything that beautiful in his life. Like the whole world paused for a moment, just for him, and there was no need to worry about anything other than how to feel happy.

And then it was over.

But he wasn’t ready for it to be over. He wanted more. He wanted to feel that satisfaction, that sensation, again. How could he have given that feeling up the first time he had a healing potion? How did he ever move on, knowing that type of magic contained pure bliss?

He squeezed his already shut eyes tighter and forced himself to stop. Because this was what it was like to get sucked in. The effects are stronger the first few weeks after the potion is taken, he knows this. So he forced himself to imagine the worst scenarios he could conjure up.

Purpled, falling off the building, except when he glances over the edge this time, all he sees is a bloody corpse on the concrete below.

Stabbing Sapnap in a spar, and then doing it again and again, over and over, enjoying the feeling of being a killer.

George and Bad being the ones under the chandelier this time, except he was too slow to save them, and all that is left of them are their mangled bodies, cut up to pieces from the shattered crystals.

Puffy and Foolish tied up and beat half to death, all because of him.

Being brought back, with no possible chance of getting away this time.

And that’s how he stayed. For fifteen painstakingly slow minutes, that’s how he stayed.

Then he snapped his eyes open, taking a deep, frantic breath through his mouth. He hyperventilated for a while, heart pounding wildly, until he forced himself to take deep breaths and calm down.

He was alright.

He hoped he would be alright.

But he did it for the trio. To keep an eye on them as Dan. To keep them safe.

Because Quackity wouldn’t settle for just him.

Chapter Text

Dream walked into the police station, heart pounding for what felt like the millionth time in the last twenty-four hours. He didn’t know how the next few minutes were going to play out and that terrified him. He wished he had a potion on him. Just the knowledge of having something close by that could soothe his nerves, calm his racing mind—it would’ve helped immensely. Unfortunately he used the only one he had last night.

“Hey Dan.” George said, beckoning him over to the table he was sitting at with the rest of the trio.

“I have some news.” Dream said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He noticed how tense they all looked, all except for Sapnap. The ravenette didn’t seem on edge. His head was down, and he was being uncharacteristically stiff. It didn’t feel right. The ravenette was unapologetically loud and energetic with everything he did, always slapping George on the back or bumping his shoulder into Bad’s. Never just still. Dream wondered why, eyes creased with worry, until he caught a glimpse of the ravenette’s clenched fists by his sides.

Then he realized, Sapnap was pissed.

His eyes widened slightly, before he schooled his expression into something more neutral. Did they figure out his charade?

“Us first.” George replied. “We tried to catch Dream last night. Without you. And to say the least, it…didn’t go well.” Guess they didn’t.

“What happened?” He mumbled numbly, his voice unrecognizable to himself as he played the part. Why didn’t you tell me?

“He got away.” Bad explained. “We should’ve told you. Maybe things would’ve gone differently if you were with us.” There was an air of regret to his voice, the last sentence moderately quieter than the rest, like a locked secret had finally been released from its cage.

But if someone else was with them, they wouldn’t have let Dream go. Does that mean they regretted it? Or was he reading too much into Bad’s apology? Were they lying to Dan to protect the real him, or were they telling Dan the truth because they changed their minds? Did they not tell Dan about the Gala because they planned to let him go all along?

“Then why didn’t you?” He asked, frustrated and exhausted with trying to keep up with the confusion circling his mind. He held his breath, anxiously awaiting the answer to the one question that wouldn’t stop replaying in his head since the morning.

George shrugged. “We thought we could handle it by ourselves.”

Was the answer to the question he’d been dreading to ask really that simple? They just thought they’d be alright without him?

If that was the truth, then why did his chest still hurt?

“We almost had him, too.” Bad said, catching his eye.

Sapnap pounded his fist on the table. His head instantly snapped towards the ravenette, the noise catching his and the other’s attention. Sapnap looked up, glaring at Bad. “Almost doesn’t mean shit.” Despite the silence that overwhelmed the table, Dream had to strain his ears just to hear those four words. If he were just a couple of feet further from where he had been sitting, he wouldn’t have heard the ravenette speak at all.

“We didn’t ‘have’ him.” Sapnap continued on, a little louder. “He played us and got away. Just like always.”

It was unnerving how quiet the ravenette was compared to how explosive he could be, and what was scarier is Dream knew every word was genuine. But why did they—why did Sapnap regret letting him go?

As if Bad read his mind, the man spoke up, filling in the missing pieces. “While we were dealing with Dream last night, we found out over half of the guests were followed and robbed. All of the attackers were reported to be wearing a smiling mask. The current theory is that Dream was just a distraction while his team filled their pockets.”

Dream tried not to let his shock show. Of course Quackity would pull an underhanded move like that. And he had a feeling that the longer he stayed away, the worse things would get.

“According to a witness, two of the guests refused to give anything up.” Bad continued, tone shifting into something somber. “They were found dead late last night. If we weren’t so busy dealing with Dream…” Bad trailed off, but Dream got the picture.

Two people were dead, and it was his fault. Their blood was on his hands. A feeling he was all too familiar with. And yet, the guilt still hit him just as hard, and the regret just as brutal.

He should’ve gone back. If he had…

But if he returned to his old life, to being Quackity’s pawn, would it really all just…stop? Did he have any other options but to try?

He could run. That’s what he did the first time. He ran and ran until he thought there was no chance of him being found, and then he ran farther. But they did find him, and the consequences of his actions caught up right along with them. He knew if he ran again, the situation would only play out the same way.

So what should he do?

“What was your news?” George asked, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. He glanced up, eyes fluttering anxiously before landing on the brunette. Prime, he wished he had something that could help clear his mind, help think of a plan. If only he had a potion.

But he didn’t.

So for now, he would stick to his original plan and warn the trio. It was the only thing left in the amalgamation of chaos flooding his mind that still made sense. It didn’t solve everything, didn’t make his problems go away, but it was something he could do, something that would help.

He chose to ignore the fact that really, it was the only thing he could do.

“Dream left me a message.” He slowly started, forcing his muscles to relax as he pulled a folded notebook page from his pocket and slid it to the middle of the table. He took note of all three of their reactions as George smoothly grabbed and unfolded it, three sets of eyes carefully yet thoroughly scanning the paper. “He wants to meet up with the three of you, and only the three of you at midnight tonight. The note continues to say he has something important to tell you, along with a jotted down address.”

Bad had a pinched expression, scrunched eyebrows conveying his worry and anxiousness, but that wasn’t all he felt. Dream clocked Bad’s tense posture and stiff shoulders, and he knew this was a decision he would hesitate to make. He was being careful. Cautious. He knew why, but knowing didn’t stop a sharp pang of hurt from hitting him in his chest. He elected to ignore it

George had a calculative look on his face, like he was weighing the pros and cons of going. Looking closer at the brunette, Dream could see he was struggling not to let his emotions show. a slight frown, deeper breaths than normal and his eyes shutting a moment too long proved he was dealing with his own inner conflict. Another twinge of pain, which he quickly pushed away.

And Sapnap—the only thing that had changed with Sapnap were his eyes. They were practically glowing, ablaze with anger and hatred, as though he could make anything he glanced at set on fire. And Dream realized, with startling clarity, that it was him Sapnap wanted to burn to the ground. If Bad and George’s reactions were small daggers to his heart, Sapnap’s was a blazing iron sword, aimed to kill.

He flinched, causing his chair to roughly slide a couple of centimeters backwards. Sapnap hated him. Sapnap hated him. And George and Bad weren’t far behind. He mumbled an apology as two sets of eyes looked up at him, and he was thankful there wasn’t a third. He didn’t know how he would react if the ravenette looked at him directly right now.

He took a breath and shoved his feelings in a box, then buried them in the deepest dredges of his mind. His emotions didn’t matter right now, what mattered was following through on what he planned.

“So what’s the play?” He felt more than heard himself ask.

“We go.” Sapnap deadpanned, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Dream’s head shot to him in surprise, everyone else at the table staring at him with equally shocked expressions. Out of the three of them, why would Sapnap be the one to want to go?

Bad was the first to reply. “This isn’t a decision we can make right away, Sapnap. We have to think it over.”

“We know when and where Dream is going to be, and we know he’s badly injured.” Sapnap replied, with an icy glare. “This could be our best chance at catching him.”

Dream felt another twinge of pain, like someone twisted the knife in his chest just a little bit more. So that was why. Sapnap wanted to catch him. But that was okay! All that mattered was warning the three of them who the real threat was. Then they would be safe. And then maybe…maybe Sapnap wouldn’t hate him anymore. Maybe none of them would.

“That’s what we thought last time, and look at how that went.” George said. “Bad’s right, we have to be smart. Dream could have all sorts of traps lined up for us, not to mention he might not show up at all.”

“Dream’s never lied to us before has he? Besides, I know how badly you both want to see what this is about.”

Looking around the table, Dream knew Sapnap had convinced the two of them. Good thing too. He didn’t know how much longer he could sit there and listen to them talk.

“Then it’s settled.” Sapnap said after a long beat of silence. “We’re going.”

+ + + + +

After a tense day full of paperwork, the only sounds being the scribbling of pens and a muttered question here and there, Dream couldn’t begin to describe the amount of relief he felt when it was finally time for him to leave. He quickly headed towards the door, barely mumbling a quiet goodbye on his way out.

Today was… a lot. His hands itched as he walked, searching for something in his pockets, though he didn’t know exactly what. He frowned when they came back twitching, empty-handed, not finding whatever it was he was looking for.

“Dan, wait up!” He turned around, surprised to see Bad was the one calling for him.

“What’s up?” He asked brightly, trying his best to hide his exhaustion. What was it this time?

“Listen, we should’ve told you we were going after Dream.” Bad began, head tilted down while his hand rubbed the nape of his neck. “You should’ve been with us. We’re partners you know? I’m sorry we didn’t, but I swear to you it’ll never happen again.” Bad looked at him, eyes blazing with determination. He meant it, Dream knew.

But…did he really? After the past couple of days, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure of much of anything anymore.

“Do you really think Dream was behind the attack?” He asked, startling himself. He hadn’t even thought about the question until it left his mouth. Bad seemed startled too, eyes growing wide at the question before going back to their natural state.

“There’s a lot of incriminating evidence pointing in that direction.” Dream felt his heart drop at the statement, eyes turning away. Guess that was it. The trio wasn’t even going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“But honestly, I…don’t know.” His eyes widened as they turned back to the man, heartbeat picking up. “Innocent until proven guilty right? That applies to Dream, too. Maybe the reason he wants to meet up is to defend himself. Maybe he’s not as bad of a guy as other people make him out to be.”

“You…really think so?” Dream asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice.

“He’s human like the rest of us, isn’t he?” Bad asked, a small smile on his face. “We’re cops. We’re supposed to give people like him a second chance. I mean, that’s kind of our whole brand. But we can’t do that if we’ve already decided he’s the bad guy.”

Dream would’ve made a joke about how Bad should quit his job to be a motivational speaker if he hadn’t turned stock still at the man’s words. Because that means there's a chance he can still turn things around. A chance they’ll listen.

“You’re a really good person, Bad.” He said after composing himself. “I mean that.”

“I try.” The man responded, his cheeks tinged a light pink. “I do have to go back to the station. Plan out everything for tonight. But it was nice talking to you.”

“You too.” He responded. After Bad left he stood there for a while, replaying the man’s words in his head. His chest felt significantly lighter as he headed back to his apartment.

He arrived fairly quickly, and was now in a much better mood thanks to the conversation he had with Bad. He changed into his costume, including the brace the trio gave him for his leg—he didn’t want to give himself away, after all—before deciding to pocket a few extra items. Just in case. It was more dangerous out there now, unfortunately, with Quackity and his minions parading around.

After looking at what he had in his storage, he decided on bringing a couple extra throwing knives, some bandages, gauze and healing supplies, a bow and some arrows, an ender pearl, and obviously, a totem.

He had plenty of arrows for his bow, so he wasn’t too worried about restocking those, same with his knives, and half his storage was medical and healing supplies, so taking a few didn’t bother him. He made sure to always have those particular materials stocked. He didn’t want to think about the last time he got hurt and was woefully unprepared.

The only thing that he wished he had more of were pearls. He only had two of them at the moment, and while not as rare as totems, they were still hard to come by. Not that he hoped to use his totem, he just thought that fact was pretty heavily implied already.

After triple checking his utility belt and patting his pockets to make sure he had everything he needed, his eyes involuntarily drifted to his closet. He felt a tug at his chest beckoning him to come closer, almost like a silent promise. His eyebrows furrowed as he seemed to remember something. After the first time, didn’t he…?

He walked over and slid the closet door opening, moving his clothes out of his way to discover a box hidden in the very back, and he froze. Slowly, he reached towards it, opening the box to reveal the single, small vial of healing potion it held.

After the first time he managed to get a hold of another, but he never opened it. Just…held on to it. Once he moved in he thought it would be best if it was out of sight, in case he was ever tempted. He tried to make himself forget it was even there, blocking it out of his mind the best he could.

How ironic.

He pried his eyes away from the glow of the potion, closing the box. He walked away, doing his best to ignore the tug that had grown significantly more persistent.

It wouldn’t help.

He didn’t need it.

It would do more harm than good.

It wouldn’t help

He took the vial with him.

+ + + + +

He was bored and had time, so he decided to run on the rooftops around the city. He went on one of his usual routes, towards Punz’s, focused on beating his best time.

He tried his best to concentrate on that instead of the vial bumping around in his pocket.

After running for a while though, his focus shifted to something else interesting. Someone was tailing him. He couldn’t get a good look at who without giving away the fact he knew they were there. Not one of Quackity’s, he could tell, they wouldn't have been as sloppy. He pretended not to notice for a little longer, hopping down into an alleyway before quickly using a dumpster and some ledges to get on top of another roof. Then he waited.

Sure enough, his mystery stalker hopped down into the alley a few seconds later, looking around and swearing in confusion. Not bothering to get a good look at the person, he jumped down from behind, kicking them in the back of the knee with enough force to make them fall to the ground.

“Why are you following me?” He demanded. His eyes grew wide as the person turned their body around to face him.

“The fuck?!” Innit exclaimed. “Is that your go-to move? Falling out of the sky and kicking people’s kneecaps?! You’ve really got to get a new hobby, man. Fucking hell.”

“Innit?!” Dream exclaimed, backing off immediately, a smile stretching across his face. Innit stood up, grumbling, taking a moment to brush off the scuff marks on his dark-red cargo pants. He was worried he wouldn’t see the teen again after how the night at the gala played out. “What are you doing here?”

It was almost hilarious how quickly the brit’s demeanor changed in response to his question, his cheeks tinged a noticeable red near the sides of his mask. “You were, uh, kind of in a shitty spot last time we saw each other. And it was cause you helped me get away, which you didn’t need to do, cause I would've Spiderman'd my way out like the pogchamp BigMan I am—but you did. Then I saw you running around with a broken leg..” The teen gestured to the brace on his leg. “..so I followed you. How the fuck do you run so fast on that thing anyway?”

“It…looks a lot worse than it is.” He replied, before the rest of what Innit said caught up with him. “Wait, are you trying to thank me?”

The teen glared at him with no real heat. “You ruined my pants. We’re even now.” Dream laughed.

“How’d you get away from the cops anyway?” Before he had a chance to come up with another lie, he sensed someone sneaking up behind him. The figure walked quietly up to his side, lurking in the shadows of the alley, the only thing giving them away being the faint shimmer of their enchanted sword. He didn’t have to look to know who it was. Very few people had the same set of stealth skills he did, fewer still in the part of town he was in. Innit still hadn’t noticed the figure, despite them being less than ten feet away.

“Need me to kill this guy for you?” Purpled asked casually, shooting Innit an icy glare. Dream did his best to stifle his laughter when Innit let out a yelp, eyes wildly darting to the other teen.

“Relax. He’s a friend.”

“What the fuck!?” Innit screeched.

Purpled sheathed his sword. “Shame.”

“I’ll have you know I could take you in a fight any day!” Innit said, puffing out his chest, most likely trying to salvage his pride.

Purpled’s eyes twinkled with anticipation, an ominous smile reaching across his face. His hand twitched to the handle of his sword. “Is that a challenge?” The teen asked, glee all too apparent at the prospect of fighting.

“DREAM!!” Innit screeched, grabbing his sleeve and pulling his body so the brit could crouch down behind him, leaving him as the one facing Purpled.

“Okay Purpled, stop freaking him out.” Dream lightly reprimanded, holding back a smile.

The teen in question rolled his eyes, shoulders slumping somewhat, his hands going to his hoodie pocket. “Don’t bluff if you know you won’t get away with it, moron.” Innit flipped him off, still hiding behind him.

He decided to introduce the two before Innit inevitably pestered Purpled enough to make the teen pull out his sword again. “Purpled this is Innit, we ran into each other at my last job. Innit, Purpled. A friend of mine.”

Purpled scoffed, but didn’t deny the claim.

Innit stood up straighter, coming to Dream’s side. “..‘Ow do?”

“Fine.” Purpled replied, blunt as ever, before facing Dream. “What happened to your leg?”

“Long story.”

“It got crushed by a chandelier.” Dream and Innit both said at the same time. Dream side-eyed the teen, mask be fucked, and Innit had the decency to look sheepish.

“How the hell did you let that happen?”

“Innit and I had a close call with the cops, so I wasn’t exactly in the right headspace to avoid a large hunk of metal falling from the sky.” Dream deadpanned, used to the teen’s curt tone.

“Mhm. Best thief my ass.” Purpled teased, his lip quirking up.

“Says the guy who can’t win a race without cheating.” He shot back.

“Bet I could beat you both in a race.” Innit joined in.

“That another bluff, scaredy-cat?” Purpled quipped at the brit.

“You fucking wish, dickhead!” Tommy responded. “And my middle name is Danger, bitch! I’m not scared of anything!”

Purpled rolled his eyes. “How mature.”

“Alright then,” He interrupted, “where are we racing to?”

“Are you good to run on that leg?” Purpled asked, raising a brow.

“It looks worse than it is.” He said, waving off the kid’s concern.

The teen smirked. “Good, cause I don’t want you to use it as an excuse when I win this thing.”

“You mean when I win.” Innit said, a competitive gleam in his eye.

“Oh you’re both going down.”

+ + + + +

Dream won by a landslide. It was funny why, really. Innit and Purpled were so busy slowing each other down that by the time they realized how big of a lead Dream had gotten, he had already won.

“This is your fault, you know.” Purpled accused Innit, limbs sprawled across the rooftop they were currently occupying, chest heaving.

“You fucking started it, dickhead!”

“Can’t get one sentence out without swearing, huh?” Innit lifted his mask just enough for his mouth to be visible and, like the mature teenage criminal he was, stuck out his tongue. Dream snorted at their antics, simply relishing in the glory of his win.

Purpled side-eyed him, pushing himself off the cold concrete slabs that lined the roof. “Whatever. It was a fluke at best anyway.”

“Aw come on, you had fun! Admit it.”

The teen shot him a pointed glare. “No.”

“Quit being a prick, grape boy.” Innit piped up. “The world won’t end just because you dared to have feelings.”

“You don’t know that.” Purpled easily shot back with a perfectly flat expression.

“Oh for fuck’s—”

Dream tuned out there bickering, instead looking up at the sky. There was a full moon tonight. It would slowly climb higher and higher until it reached its peak, a luminescent glow extending a gentle hand across the city. To Dream, the moon’s ascent was like the ticking of a clock. A reminder that there was less than an hour before he would have to face the trio. Sure, he’s bickered with them as Dream plenty of times in the past, but this was different. This time he would be asking them to trust him, to take a leap of faith. And there would be no reason for them to not walk away.

“Dream!” He startled, head whipping towards Purpled. “I called your name three times already, what gives?”

“I…haven’t been completely honest with you two.” He admitted, eyes darting back and forth between the two teens. “I can’t get into details, but there are some people after me. It’s best if we stay away from each other for the time being.”

“Is it those cops from the gala?” Innit asked.

God, he wished. “No. It’s not them.”

Innit reached into his front pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper., handing it to him. Dream reached out and took it, raising an eyebrow quizzically. “My contact.” The brit explained. “You know, if you ever need help or anything.”

“Ah. Thanks, Innit.”

“Who am I to turn down a sad, sad, green prick with no sense of fashion?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with my hoodie?” Dream pouted, looking down at his signature costume.

“It’s ugly Dream. Like your face is behind the mask.” Innit said solemnly. “It’s why you get no bitches, and by bitches, I mean strong, independent women. You get no women, Dream.”

“Says the child.” He shot back.

“OI! I’M NOT A CHILD!”

“Well, wish I could say this was fun, but that would be a lie.” Purpled said. “I got to go. Let me know when you’re no longer in deep water, or whatever.”

“Aww you do care.” Dream teased.

“Just don’t want one of my top customers to die on me, is all. Bad for business.”

He rolled his eyes. “See you, Purpled.”

Before the teen disappeared off the roof he turned back to give one final message. “Don’t be an idiot. I mean it. And thanks for tonight.”

He smiled fondly. “Anytime.”

“Who knew grape boy could be nice?” Innit muttered after the other teen was gone.

“I need to head off too.” Dream said. “Got somewhere I need to be.”

“Right, well, good luck and all.” Dream waved goodbye, taking a running start and leaping to a neighboring roof.

Hopefully, this wouldn’t go to shit.

+ + + + +

He paced back and forth across the outer ledge of the roof, picking at the bandages on his hands as he anxiously waited for the trio. He didn’t always wear them but Prime, was he thankful he did today.

He took a couple of controlled breaths, hoping it would help calm his nerves.

It didn’t.

He startled to attention as he heard the clanging of metal from the fire escape. He held his breath as Sapnap reached the top landing of the stairs, George and Bad appearing behind the ravenette soon after. All three were looking at him expectantly, crossbows at their sides.

He stared wide-eyed. “…Hi.”

“Hi.” George awkwardly uttered back.

Sapnap stepped forward, cutting through the tension with a fire burning in his eyes. “Talk.”

“Well, the whole robbery thing wasn’t me, for starters.” Sapnap huffed. He chose to ignore it. “There’s some people after me.” He started again, speaking slowly, quietly and intensely, like his life was on the line. Because he wasn’t going to kid himself, when it came to Quackity, it was. “Bad people. And they will do anything, sacrifice anything to make me come back. They don’t care about casualties. Anyone who gets in their way is just collateral damage. And that includes you three. They will hunt you down to get to me. They will target your friends, your families and anyone you might care about. I called you up here tonight to warn you, so you can at least have a chance against the monsters that are coming.”

He chanced a glance up, expecting to see forgiveness, understanding or even relief flash across the trio’s faces. Instead he found himself at the receiving end of an arrow.

“What’s stopping me from arresting you right now?” Sapnap asked, standing calm and dangerously confident behind his crossbow, a cold, icy tone replacing his fiery, explosive personality.

“W-what?” Dream asked, suddenly unable to breathe, frozen in place.

“Sapnap, maybe we should—”

“No Bad. He’s not getting away this time.” Dream’s eyes didn’t leave the ravenette’s. And as if in response, Sapnap’s glare didn’t lose its stone-cold fire for even a second.

“I’m trying to warn you.” He whispered, unbelieving, snapping out of his frozen stupor for a tenth of a moment.

“Warn us!?” Sapnap scoffed, raising his voice. “People died because of you and your selfishness!”

Dream balled his fists. How dare he. Sapnap doesn’t get to judge him, to call him selfish. Not when the ravenette has no idea what he’s had to do, what he’s had to suffer through to get out of that place. Not after all he sacrificed just to do the right thing.

“Fuck you Sapnap.” He responded, rage simmering underneath his barely held-together composure. “You don’t get to put that on me. Not you.”

“You’re not a fucking martyr, Dream!” Sapnap shouted. “You’re not going to be remembered as the good guy, not ever! Have you ever stopped to think that there are people out in the real world that have to deal with the consequences of your actions?! That when you decide you can do whatever the fuck you want, innocent people suffer because of it?! Did you ever stop to think for one fucking second that just maybe the world doesn't revolve around you?!”

“So I’m just the bad guy, is that it?” Dream asked, uncaring at this point that there was a weapon pointed at him. The logic and patience that normally won out in a battle with his emotions shattered, the rage boiling under his skin crashing out of him in waves. “The evil villain, out ruining people’s lives once again! Oh, look out, look out, there he comes! The big bad wolf! Because let me tell you, if that’s what you really think you don’t know me at all. I’m doing this to help you, you fucking sorry excuse for a cop, and you can’t let go of your ego for one goddamn second to see that.”

“Enough!” Bad said, putting himself in between the two of them. “Both of you!”

“Back off Bad.” Sapnap snarled. “I’m taking him in. No more excuses. He’s a criminal.”

Dream glared, ready to start another screaming match, when Bad beat him to it.

“He’s our friend.”

He paused, confusion and other swirling emotions momentarily taking over his anger. Surprisingly, so did the ravenette. Bad saw him—not Dan, him—as a friend? He was their friend?

“No he’s not.” Sapnap shot back, voice quieter than before.

And as suddenly as the thought entered his mind, it left. They weren’t friends. They were never friends. Not Sapnap, not George, not even Bad. He was their target, and that’s all he’d ever been to them. Believing anything else was just deluding himself.

“I think we should arrest him too.” George unexpectedly spoke up. “If you really are being hunted down, what’s a safer place than a cell surrounded by cops day in and day out?”

“What about the Gala?” Bad desperately argued. “We helped him because we saw with our own eyes that he was good. Don’t we at least owe him the benefit of the doubt?”

“The Gala was a mistake that cost lives. One I’m never making again.”

His eyes shot to Sapnap’s, the ravenette’s words leaving his mind ringing and his body frozen. He didn’t notice Sapnap adjust his grip on the crossbow in his hands. He didn’t witness the tip of the arrow subtly moving away from Bad’s form, stopping only when it was trained at the center of his chest. He didn’t catch the twitch of Sapnap’s finger that released the projectile into the air.

He didn’t see any of it, because the only thing he was looking at was the very thing he hoped he would never have to see again after tonight—-the burning hatred in Sapnap’s gaze that somehow torched his soul and froze his veins at the same time.

Maybe his armor would’ve saved him from an arrow to the chest less than ten feet away if he had stayed still. Maybe he would’ve been injured, but alive. Maybe he would’ve gone on to be prosecuted, his family disappointed but ultimately just happy he was alright, because they were pure, good people. Maybe Quackity would’ve thought it was enough of a punishment to leave him alone to live out the rest of his days in a jail cell as a fucked up ‘I told you so,’ and everyone around him would’ve been safe from harm.

Maybe, but that’s not what happened.

Instead, his eyes stayed glued on Sapnap’s up until he heard the whoosh of an arrow, and before he had time to think, muscle memory took over and he instinctively leaped to the side. His left foot hit the ground a moment after the arrow landed in his shoulder, the momentum from the shot forcing him to twist around and try to catch his balance by planting his other foot down behind him.

He stumbled backwards, his right foot catching on the ledge behind him a moment before his left foot met air. His arms shot out on reflex, his fingertips mere inches from the ledge, but he was too late. He drew a sharp inhale as his stomach dropped, the black eyes on his porcelain mask meeting Sapnap’s one last time before he was falling down the side of a twenty-story building.