dad having a bad pain day....
i start the morning with my usual bullshit over breakfast. "when do i get to leave?" "will you let me the fuck go?" "you're a prick. this sucks."
no response to any complaints, taunts, not even to his threats.
"dream?"
he finally looks up from his meal. he's slow moving. i get frustrated that i can't see his expression.
"what?" dream simply responded.
my brows furrow. something wasn't right here, and i was going to figure out what it was. did something happen back home? is someone hurt? dead? did something happen to dream? is he hurt? DYING? my heart rate picks up and i don't know why.
"tell me what's wrong with you."
"no, no, tommy it's.. alright. it's nothing." he sounds exhausted.
"tell me!!! you're not being mean or weird like you always do, you're not even touching your food, you're not lookin normal buddy, tell me what's going on!"
"fuck, tom. relax." he huffs. and tries to get up, noticeably inhaling sharply as he does.
"i won't shut up til you tell me what your fuckin problem is." i cross my arms, trying to.. prove my point or something. put my foot down.
dream motions for me to come with him, i notice he's taking me to where he usually lays and relaxes. i follow along, though he's walking slower than usual. he stops in his spot, prepares it, and sits down, every little step of it looking more tiring. he finally gets somewhat comfortable, then starts to speak as i sit with him,
"i'm just having... some pain, is all."
"pain?"
"yes, tommy. pain. i'm an older man, who has fought a lot of battles. it's been.. a long time. i have some.. chronic pain." he mumbles the last part, like it's a swear word. my tail flicks, and i look away, realizing what that entails. i frown.
"oh..."
"yes. so, you get to be left alone today, happy? go.. play, or something." he half groans the last part as he adjusts his position, appearing to try to improve some soreness in his arm or shoulder by stretching it out. i wait for a moment, watching him.
"okay. wait here."
"what?" he stares at me in a confusion.
"i'll be right back!" i shrug off any of dream's questions and toddle off, ready to start preparing the things i needed. he just stays where he's laying, and closes his eyes, hoping he could sleep through the misery for a while.
when dream wakes up, he grabs me by the throat on instinct seeing someone so close to him, messing with him. i move a hand up and grab at him, gentler than normal, and try to squeak out,
"it's me!"
his grip loosens. he seems to process it then immediately stops, almost too quickly. like he felt bad.
"what.. are you..." dream starts to wake up more and look around, but he's confused. he's still in pain, but he's more comfortable now. with a blanket over him and everything. soft things all around him, like a nest. i have something in my hands, and i motion for him to take it.
"what is this?"
"it's made from some herbs and like, stuff. tubbo was into stuff like that, he taught me how to make it. it should ease your pain. i think you should actually take real drugs though. like medication. not heroin. and smoke some weed or something. i don't know." i rambled, losing my train of thought, getting a little embarrassed.
dream eyes the jar with suspicion, but takes it anyways. he asks every question about the ingredients and how it was made, trying to figure out if i'm lying. i explain myself with no problem. there was nothing to lie about. i made it to ease his pain, and i meant it.
it takes a while, but eventually dream takes the homemade medication. as we wait for it to work, i make sure dream stays hydrated. he's in too much pain to eat, so the snacks i brought need to wait a while. eventually though, dream seems to slip into a calmer state, his body language less tense.
"tom." he spoke, catching my attention.
"yeah?"
"it doesn't hurt much anymore. not right now." dream spoke gently, somewhat slurred. he still seemed quite tired. "... thank you, tommy."
"it's nothing." i look away. my face gets hot.
dream grabs me by my shirt and pulls me into the little 'nest', forcing me to curl up with him. i grabbed at him and hid my face into his chest without complaints. feeling his arms wrap around me, the warmth blooms in my body. he pets my head,
"you're a good boy, tommy. a good son.... my good boy.." he goes off into murmurs, snuggling me sweetly. i had never seen him like this before. my heart races in my chest as i breathe in his scent and close my eyes, relaxing into him fully.