#dream^2

[monsterritory]

Maybe 2025 is the year I spread the Dream X DreamXD propaganda

[mokios-poems-and-stars]

Ecstasy had never been one for sentiments. After all, his magic was more than enough to keep him satisfied. But Dream drew him in. He was always so close, so affectionate. The places where Dream touched him burned, magic sizzling between them.

But right now, his soul was positively buzzing. Dream had just come home from a long mission, his bones battered and wounds just barely healing. Ecstasy had been standing near the fan in his room, trying to cool down from the sudden heatwave outside.

He had basically collapsed into Ecstasy's arms, leaning heavily on his ribcage. Luckily, Ecstasy standing just a few feet from a wall saved him from an embarrassing fall. Dream mumbled something about the warmth it gave him. Ecstasy felt a hum within his ribcage, likely from Dream, as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"Hard day, hm?" Ecstasy laid his jaw upon the curve of Dream's skull, relishing in some of the positivity that flowed back into him.

Dream nodded, her crown rubbing against Ecstasy's button-down. She seemed so warm, so relaxed. He hadn't seen this behavior from anyone else around him before. It confused him, but mostly it intrigued him.

He raised his head, gripping Dream's clavicle and the top of her scapula without much force. The winged skeleton pushed her away gently, wanting to face her. He had swapped positions with her now, her back against the cold wall.

She protested gently, a near whine leaving her mouth.

"Sorry. Just wanted to see you for this."

Dream perked up, her golden eyelights staring deeply into his own mismatched ones. He could feel the anticipation winding through her mind, anxiety slyly accompanying it.

Ecstasy slid his hand up to Dream's jaw, cupping her now flushed face. His other hand rested on the wall behind her

The positivity buzzed between them as he leaned in, relishing in the suspense as it dragged on Dream's hope.

His teeth hit hers gently, positive magic sparking between them. He could feel her soul beat harder with passion. The positivity between them was a feedback loop, with each kiss was a new influx of the near-addicting energy.

It was Ecstasy who pulled back, feeling sufficiently recharged. Dream looked like he was too, a bright yellow brushed onto his face.

"Feel better?"

"Much." He was breathless. That must have really got to him. He should kiss him more, Ecstasy noted.

They both grinned at each other, their newly former magic was almost overwhelming the both of them. If this was just from a few kisses, what would more entail?

He shook that thought from his head, not wanting to get ahead of himself now.

"Perhaps we should do that more frequently. So you can recharge, of course!" Ecstasy patted Dream gently on the arm, his wings shuddering slightly at the sudden increase of magic that surged through them.

Dream nodded frantically in response, his excitement was incredibly evident. He always seemed more affectionate around Ecstasy than the other monsters. He always assumed it was the positivity. Perhaps it was something else. Something more. That was something to figure out another day, Ecstasy decided. For now, they can simply recharge each other infinitely.

[bubble-popping]

day 30!! woooo! one month of daily writing posts :) (continuing the dream^2 i wrote way too much for this silly au)

Towering over almost everyone else in the group, so familiar and yet so different. He looked softer, more relaxed, and absolutely no netherite armor in sight. But Dream knew instantly. (How could he not?) Months sharing the same space, he picked up on things that were just distinctly him. And Dream froze, unable to breathe. He should run, that would be smart. He couldn't go back in that prison, that tiny box, that utter Hell, he just couldn't-

"Alright, open 'em!"

Then, all eyes were on him, eyes that watched him suffer, eyes that looked on him with pity but didn't help, eyes that promised death if he ever escaped.

Human Dream had returned to his side, arms spread out like showing off a circus animal. He didn't have a mother to hide behind that would keep him safe like that calf. She'd abandoned him so, so long ago. Here, he had absolutely no one and nothing. He clutched the cloak tighter, tried to force his legs to stop shaking so damn much, pathetic, weak, coward.

"What. Is that?" A British accent asked. He didn't look. He couldn't take his gaze off the Warden.

"Isn't he cool!? He's an enderman, I think."

"You think?"

"Well, I dunno, I'm not the mob expert here. Sam, you're a smart guy. You recognize him?"

(Sam? Who was-)

"Uh, no, not really. He's tall like an enderman, but I've never seen a white one. Or, one that scared..." The Warden Sam rubbed the back of his neck, brow furrowed.

Human Dream looked up then to see the terrified expression on the albino enderman. He blinked, incredulous, and promptly shifted to concern. "Woah, hey, what's wrong? You okay?" He waved a hand in his face, but Dream remained unfazed.

"He's just staring at me. It's kinda creepy..." Sam complained, leaning back as if... as if he was scared. But. That couldn't be right. Sam wasn't scared of him. He was the goddamn Warden for fuck's sake, he controlled every aspect of Dream's life! The audacity to act innocent in this!

"Maybe he's got a grudge against creepers, dude. Might wanna start running," Sapnap teased, throwing an amused grin to the War-no, Sam, fuck.

"Guys, can you give us a minute? I gotta talk with him."

"What? He can talk?" George asked in disbelief.

"Well, no, but he can understand me. I think..."

"You think??"

"Just go back inside! He's clearly shy and you guys are overwhelming him!"

"You brought us out here!" Sapnap piped up.

"Bad, can you please?"

"You heard him, you guys. Let's give 'em some space." Bad corralled the two back into the house while Ant and Sam went willingly.

Dream didn't stop staring until the door closed. Once it did, he nearly collapsed from relief. He took a large gulp of air, suddenly painfully aware that he'd started crying, so fucking weak.

"Hey, I'm really sorry, man, I shouldn't have brought them all out at once. They can be loud and obnoxious, but I promise they're all good guys. They won't hurt you or anything like that."

His human counterpart stood before him now, expression so open and sincere, hands hovering around his arms, not touching but there, ready to catch him if he truly did fall. Dream tried to speak, he really did, but all that fucking came out were stupid enderman noises which only made him more distressed because everything here was wrong and he couldn't say or do a damn thing about it! His mind was already reeling from the knowledge that he should be dead right now. He died, he knew it, he felt it, but this wasn't his limbo and if it was then fate was even more cruel than he thought. The fake community house upset him enough, hearing the voices of his friends living blissfully without him--him who was trapped behind walls of lava blocking every path.

But this was too much. Seeing someone who looked and acted and spoke like him but was resolutely not him enjoying that life he once had, that happiness he once had...

[mokios-poems-and-stars]

The sunlight poked through the thick curtains, warming up the tile floor below. A low hum filled the corner of the room, the humidifier having just turned on. Large golden feathers clumped near it, some type of avian clearly having favored it.

That avian was currently having the worst day of his life. Swap!Dream had recently joined Dream's ragtag crew of monsters. Before, Swap!Dream never once thought of fighting for anyone but himself. Though, something about Dream lured him into this mess. Maybe it was the way his hopefulness felt genuine. He had just one Golden Apple but he, in a way, was more real than Swap!Dream could ever be. And that ruined him. It fixed him. It definitely did something to him.

The mission was relatively simple: Check out an influx of negative energy from some AU. Dream was much better at explaining the importance of it. Maybe that's how Swap!Dream ended up there. Either way, he was expecting something simple. Maybe one of Nightmare's henchmen causing trouble around town.

When they did arrive, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Sure, the monsters weren't anywhere to be seen but perhaps they were on guard recently.

"Well, this doesn't seem to be much of an issue," Swap!Dream stated simply, turning around to leave.

Ink grabbed his cape, tugging back to face where the rest of the Dream team or whatever they were called was facing.

Swap!Dream was about to curse him out before Blue pointed ahead. He squinted, then immediately mentally facepalmed. Nightmare was looming, quite menacingly at that. In the blink of an eye, he rushed towards Swap!Dream, apparently singling him out, Rude.

"You're new." His voice was wet, annoyance dripping from it. It surrounded him, as if every part of Nightmare and this AU was speaking directly to him.

Swap!Dream puffed out his chest and unfurled his wings. Nightmare was never much of a problem for him. Before he had a chance to retort, darkness swelled around him. A deep, uneasy feeling settled in Swap!Dream's sternum, something that hadn't occurred for years. A figure emerged from the dark, the face of his brother. A cigarette hung from his teeth, his face looking a little different than what Swap!Dream remembered. Something about his eyes, he thought.

Swap!Dream reached out a hand but, almost as if weighed down my concrete, he couldn't move. A deep ache, not unlike an old scar, infested his mind. Something was off about this. Why would his brother be here? And since when did he look so mad at him? Stuck in his own mind and unable to move, he left the others to fend for themselves outside of Nightmare's manipulation. He tried to call on his magic reserves but Swap!Nightmare reached out. A cold, slimy feeling weighed down on his clavicle.

He leaned in, cold breath sending chills down Swap!Dream's spine.

"You never could have saved me."

A lump formed in his metaphorical throat. He opened his mouth to speak but then the veil of midnight fell. A ruin of a town surrounded him, ink splattered over the ground.

Swap!Dream whipped his head around. The others were tattered and beaten. Even Dream had clear marks of a rough battle.

"Sorry," He choked out, feet still feeling like lead. He could have sworn he was only in that bubble for a minute.

Seeing the almost betrayed looks on Blue's face, he promptly did the mature thing. He flew away.

Swap!Dream focused hard on the future. The hope. Something to wake up tomorrow for. Bright yellow magic engulfed him, sending him back to his room in some abandoned universe. He collapsed onto his gigantic king bed, wings spreading out. His halo wavered, his magic was as well. That negativity, stars, he thought he was ready. But the way it nearly drowned him, bruising his very soul.

Not long after, he heard the sound of his door opening. The familiar sound of boots coming off filled the silent air. Swap!Dream felt a weight slowly sit on the extravagant bed.

"Swap?" Dream's voice. Stars, it was so gentle! How could he be so gentle after such a giant mistake?

Left without an answer, Dream took matters into his own hands. Swap!Dream only got into this mood one other time but Dream was always a caring one.

"Can I, uh, preen your wings? I know it made you feel a bit better last time and-"

"Yes."

Dream froze for a second, he could tell. But, without much hesitation thereafter, he straddled Swap!Dream's lumbar vertebrae. Dream fluffed up the golden feathers. Almost immediately, Swap!Dream sunk even deeper into the soft mattress. His bones rattled slightly, magic swirling through them. Though he was doing it sneakily, Swap!Dream could tell that Dream was urging him to relax. Were his nerves that obvious? How could he have gotten so exposed?

He obeyed, albeit with a barely suppressed giggle. Swap!Dream felt some of his pin feathers being twisted between Dream's fingers. The keratin sheath crumbs falling onto the sheets. He shuddered, laying his head onto his forearm bones. His warm hands made their way through Swap!Dream's mass of feathers, making sure to get every pin feather that was ready. He zipped some feathers with the coconut oil they kept for this very occasion. A low grumble-like purr came from his throat throughout this process.

He reminisces on the first time Dream asked. The way he whispered for permission before any movement, the way his hands shook with nerves as he twisted the first pin feather.

After an hour and a half, or maybe the rest of the day, Dream flopped down next to him, though with much grace. His hands found their way to Swap!Dream's face, cradling it. How strange. Someone so powerful being held so softly. Like a feather in the wind.

"Tomorrow is another day, Swap," Dream whispered, a smile on his face. He was always so full of hope. His eyes gleamed like the morning sun, a new start dawning no matter what. His hands, stars were they warm!

Swap!Dream found himself mumbling something incoherent before slipping into a deep slumber. It wasn't often he fell asleep first, or at all really, not needing it as a god. But something about Dream brought out the mortality in him. Even if tomorrow wasn't better, at least Dream stayed a constant. At least someone needed him.

[bubble-popping]

day 29 :0 almost a full month that's so crazy... still the dream^2 au

Oh, he'd say so much if only he could. They'll be confused? He's fucking confused! What the hell was this place? Why'd this guy have his name?? Why couldn't he speak like normal!? So many questions and no way to ask them, much less get an answer. Well, it wouldn't help to stay in this random forest and he had no idea how things worked here. All he could do was nod and play along with this over-enthusiastic version of himself. (At least, that was his current working theory.)

"Awesome! Follow me, then," the human Dream said before turning away. Pulling his cloak tighter around his body, unable to remember a time it looked this clean and whole, he did just as told.

Strangely, as they walked and human Dream rambled about nonsense (When did he stop doing that? Talking at length about the things he enjoyed. Probably around the time people stopped listening to him.), he noticed how they didn't use any specific path. This Dream was just moving, not even paying attention to what's in front of him as he gestured and spoke. (How could he be so relaxed? So carefree?)

None of this made any damn sense.

But, since the man had saved his life--and just his luck, owing a debt the minute he entered a new, foreign server--he must be at least somewhat capable. He had a fit physique, seemingly built more for speed and endurance than pure brute strength. He recalled having the same build, all that time ago when his server was young, when he was young.

He liked to think he still was. His exact birthday escaped him, as did how much time passed while stuck in that box, so he couldn't be sure how old he really was.

Soon enough, a building came into view as the forest transitioned to a vast plains biome. A simple house of oak, spruce, and cobblestone, glass windows, and standing two stories tall with a balcony on one side. Some farm animals grazed around the outside of the fence that protected the perimeter.

It looked quaint, cozy. It looked like a home.

Dream's heart ached.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the safest place on the server by far. I mean, of course it is, I live here," Human Dream said as he unlocked the fence gate. "You stay here while I get the guys together. I can't wait to see their faces!" He had a mischievous grin and giggled before entering the house, leaving the door wide open behind him.

(Had he been that reckless back then? That energetic and unaware?) It'd be so easy for Dream to walk in and-

Something bumped against his side, distracting him from his thoughts. He looked down to see a brown calf peering up at him with big hazel eyes, an innocent tilt to its head and ears flicking. It mooed quietly, like a question.

Cautiously, to avoid spooking the little thing, Dream slipped his hand out of the cloak to pet its head. The calf mooed again, this time louder as it jerked into his touch.

Memories began to resurface the longer he pet short brown fur, those simpler times when wild animals were seen aplenty on the SMP. Living alongside him and his friends. But as more buildings and people joined, so too did the animals retreat to far out lands, avoiding civilization.

"I mean it, you guys, no peeking! This is a surprise! You're gonna love it!"

"This better not be another Mooshroom or pink sheep, Dream. We've seen those before!"

"It's not! I swear this one's really special!"

The voices startled both of them, and caused the calf to retreat to the side of its mother. Several people followed human Dream out of the house, all of them with their eyes closed and all of them people Dream recognized.

He should've figured it really, that the friends human Dream talked about would also be his friends--well, ex-friends. Maybe a small part of him did realize, and the rest of him just hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Especially when he saw him. The Warden.

[bubble-popping]

day 28? four whole weeks! more of the au from the past two days :)

After what seemed like a hundred ventilations and a thousand chest compressions, Dream finally felt their body twitch. He pulled away immediately, watching as they seized and coughed before abruptly sitting up to expel the water in their lungs in sharp bursts. All the tension fell from Dream's shoulders in an instant. "Oh, thank God! Are you alright?" Dream asked, though he wasn't really expecting an answer. He waited until their fit of rough coughs and stuttering gasps passed to place a hand on their shoulder. He promptly regretted it.

They flinched away, hissing as they turned to glare at him. Yet, inexplicably, the look dropped as they seemed to stare in utter bewilderment.

"S-sorry!" Dream raised his hands in placation. "I didn't mean to scare you." They didn't respond. They simply stared, vivid green eyes wide and unblinking.

Actually, when Dream really focused, their eyes were identical to eyes of ender. He should know, he'd held, thrown, and followed the spheres hundreds of times.

"Woah..." he breathed, now extremely intrigued. "Who, or what, are you?"

Though visibly reluctant, they opened their mouth as if to speak, only for another set of coughing to start.

"Oh! Right, sorry. Um, do you have any other-" Before Dream could finish his sentence, in the middle of trying to see if they had any other injuries, he found they were, in fact, a he. "OH, wow, uh, here!" He spotted his cloak just a few feet away and snatched it up to wrap around the creature's form, effectively hiding his entire form in the dark green fabric. "There we go. I know it's not much, but it's something." Hesitantly, the being tore his eyes from Dream's face to look down at the article of clothing. Dream saw a flash of something in his gaze, as if he somehow recognized it. He didn't usually wear the cloak, especially not on manhunts where it'd just be in the way, so he wasn't sure how that was possible. But, seeing that it managed to calm the creature, judging from the way his shoulders lost some of their tension, he was glad he brought it along on this trip.

Dream suddenly jolted. Shit! He was supposed to be heading home!

"Well, since you seem okay now, I'm gonna go. My friends are probably worried about me," he explained, despite knowing the creature likely had no idea what he was saying, and gathered his stuff from the bank of the river.

Without a second thought, he once again started walking towards Home.

He heard shuffling behind him, assumed it was the strange creature leaving as well, until the unmistakable sound of an enderman reached his ears.

Dream froze then twisted back around to find the maybe-enderman standing, clutching the cloak around his shoulders and staring down at him.

"Woah, wait, is that what you are? An enderman? Can you say something else?" Now very intrigued because no enderman he'd ever seen before looked even remotely similar to the one in front of him, Dream walked back to him.

For whatever reason, he also seemed surprised by his own sounds when he vwooped.

"Wait, this is so cool then! Oh, I gotta show you to my friends. They'll totally freak out!" Dream giggled mischievously to himself. "My name is Dream, by the way, I just remembered I never said that." He held out a hand, somehow again forgetting there was no way an enderman understood what a handshake was. The enderman stared at him--clearly not having a problem with eye contact like normal endermen--as if he was the weird one.

Yet, he shook his hand. But when Dream glanced down, something else far more important overrode his brain.

"OH MY GOD, you have toe beans like a cat! That's so cute!!" Unable to help himself, the runner took the larger hand into his two and started pressing at the smooth, lime green pads, causing his claws to repeatedly lengthen and retract.

Unfortunately, his fun was cut short by the buzzing of his communicator. "Okay, okay, already!" He directed his anger at the device before looking back to the albino enderman. "Um, do you think you could come with me so my friends can see you? They won't hurt you, I promise, I just wanna see the looks on their faces. They're gonna be so confused. So, what do ya say?"

[bubble-popping]

day 26! more of that au from yesterday and no, i don't understand what's happening either lol

Dream groaned as he stretched out his limbs, soft grass shifting and tickling the exposed parts of his skin. Tanned and littered with freckles, blessed by many, many hours under the bright sun. He breathed in deep through his nose, savoring the fresh air filling his lungs until it couldn't anymore, and exhaled out his mouth.

Shielding his face, Dream peeled his eyes open to see small groups of fluffy clouds slowly crossing the sky. A breeze barely touched him from where he lied on the earth, but it was strong enough to shake the nearby trees.

If he didn't know any better, he would've thought the server was set to Peaceful.

He heard his communicator buzz from inside his inventory bag and sighed heavily, knowing it meant his quiet time was over. He sat up to retrieve the device.

<Sapnap> DREAM HURRY UP WITH THE GUNPOWDER

Dream chuckled fondly. He could hear the annoyed tone of his hot-headed best friend clear as day in his head.

<Dream> alright quit yelling

<Dream> im headed back now

With that, Dream stood, slinging the bag over his shoulder and heading in the direction of Home.

A heavy splash! stopped him in his tracks. Dream whipped around, eyes landing on the ripples of water in the river behind him. A Drowned, perhaps?

Something in the back of his mind told him to check. His honed instincts pushed for him to just leave.

Summoning an iron axe, Dream listened to that tiny, nagging voice and approached the edge of the clean river. Bubbles distorted its surface, but if he squinted, he could make out the silhouette of a humanoid slowly descending to the bottom. He saw no glow of a waterlogged undead, nor the outline of their signature trident. He knew all his friends were at their base. Any mobs would be treading the water, not just sinking.

Unlikely as it was, the possibility of another Player somehow falling in crossed his thoughts. Just the idea of merely watching as another person sank to their death without even trying to help made Dream sick to his stomach, so, naturally, it didn't take him long to decide the next course of action.

Dream quickly rid himself of his bag, cloak, lime hoodie, boots, and mask. Then, he dove in.

The closer he got, the more details he could make out. The being was pure white, limbs elongated and tipped with sharp claws. They didn't look like anyone or anything Dream had ever seen before.

He kicked his feet harder, swimming faster, maneuvering himself to catch the strange creature from behind. With his arms wrapped securely around their torso, he began swimming back up, albeit slower than when he was going down. Thankfully, all his strongest muscles were in his legs.

Dream gasped for air when he finally broke the surface, one hand digging its fingers into the soft soil as he strained to drag them both ashore. The weight became more prominent out of the water, but Dream just gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the dirt until they were both free of the water's current. He hurriedly moved out from under them to lay them down, dread starting to squeeze his chest when he saw no movement and heard no breathing.

If it were any of his friends, he wouldn't give it another thought, wouldn't have even dipped a toe in the water. They'd die, sure, but in less than a minute they'd wake up in their bed good as new.

However, this being wasn't one of his friends. He wasn't sure what they were, but they looked innocent and helpless enough to tug at his heartstrings. So, he breathed as deep as he could, and tried to push it all into their airways. Next, he placed both hands, one atop the other, where he assumed the creature's heart was and started to rhythmically press down with all his strength.

Now, Dream was far from a trained professional. He had plenty of experience patching himself and his friends up, small stitch jobs and applying bandages, but this was so much more serious. He'd never performed CPR, much less brought anyone back from the dead. Despite that, despite how wrong he might be doing it and the potential of causing further damage, Dream was determined.

Seconds ticked by, turned to minutes, maybe hours. Dream kept at it. He breathed and he pressed and he hoped against hope that all his efforts weren't for naught.