so i have this character, junus, one of my first ever ocs. he's a sword for hire, hunts monsters from town to turn but is outcast and looked down upon wherever he goes, pretty witcher-esque in the way he's set up. also was unfortunately a victim of my internalized homophobia as a kid, until i decided he was mlm.
but i had a dream from his POV last night and it was just. idk, nice in a way? had some nightmare elements but ended up good.
junus was in a town, it's after he's split ways with cios so he's older, knows he's mlm but is new to this knowledge and doesn't think being in a relationship with cios would've worked. anyway, some kind of vampiric thing is preying on the townspeople and junus is having a rough time ferreting it out.
but there's another outsider in town. and he's tall and dark and so full of life and laughter--and basically is everything junus isn't. he's some kind of ex-mercenary, but now he's a merchant trader. he's never done the monster hunting business, but starts working with junus--whether he likes it or not.
but trader man goes missing, nothing left behind besides a note that's neither in common or junus' mother tongue, and even though junus has taken care of the vampire thing the villagers are accusing him of witchcraft and of killing his trader friend.
it got a bit nightmarish while junus was trying to buy enough time to decode the message while avoiding people who are trying to tear him to pieces (literally, to appease some god or another). he finally translates it and it's basically just a location, doesn't prove anything.
and junus is panicking, unsure what to do or where to go, when suddenly it dawns on him that his trader friend wanted junus to follow him. he was hoping junus would. and as junus looks back on their interactions, he realizes his friend wasn't just being bawdy and overly friendly--he was flirting with junus, trying to make first moves and hoping junus would reciprocate.
and junus just has this like light bulb epiphany revelation that he doesn't have to stay here with these awful people. he didn't have to prove his innocence to them. he can just leave (which original junus' only goal in life was having Justice Served so that was a wild jump for him)--more than that, he can pursue these newly realized mlm interests and not be ashamed of them.
i woke up not long after that, but there was such a feeling of hope and love and anticipation in the end. it was so warm and really fun to imagine that warmth with junus. hope that dude gets his nice bf in my dreams.