Surprise Party (Dream and Nightmare birthday special)
***
This is based on an RP with Jay (I think you are all starting to become familiar with them). This takes place in a timeline where Dream grew a braincell and stopped chasing Nightmare.
***
Warnings: none
Ships: Meme Squad Poly, Drueswap
Synopsis: Dream sighed again, longing for the untouched cup of coffee that was waiting for him in his office as he pushed the door open. At first, he saw nothing but darkness.
As he was about to turn around and ask Ink what was going on before the lights suddenly turned on and loud pop sounds erupted from all around the room as several figures leaped from a made-up giant table on which lay an equally massive cake.
***
“Where are we going?” Dream asked, confused out of his mind as Ink pulled on his sleeve, dragging him down the corridor toward the cafeteria. The halls were strangely empty, the few staff members standing guard paying no attention to them besides a nod of a greeting.
Everyone had been acting odd ever since the first hour of the morning and Dream was starting to suspect that something was stirring up in the depths of the Justice Reigns’ headquarters and he had no idea if it was supposed to be a good thing or not.
Ink kept pulling him further into the halls. “Somewhere.”
“And the reason?”
“Boss, respectfully, shut the fuck up.” Dream sighed deeply at the sentence, shoving down the seed of irritation that threatened to blossom in his chest. Getting angry at Ink would do little good.
They were approaching the cafeteria’s imposing wooden doors now. He at least hoped that whatever was in there was worth his time, a terrifying amount of paperwork was still waiting for him in his office, and he would like to be done with it as soon as possible to rid himself of some work.
He could really use some sleep.
At last, Ink finally released his sleeve and stopped in front of the doors. Dream also froze to avoid bumping into him, dusting his jacket. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed his subordinate staring at him.
“What is it?” Ink gestured toward the door.
“Open it.” Dream crossed his arms around his chest, still perplexed as to what Ink was thinking.
“Can’t you do it yourself?” Ink rolled his eyes as he stepped away from the door.
“What, are you scared?” He lightly tapped his back to push him closer to the door handle. “It’s a door Boss, it’s not going to bite you in the ass.”
Dream sighed again, longing for the untouched cup of coffee that was waiting for him in his office as he pushed the door open. At first, he saw nothing but darkness.
As he was about to turn around and ask Ink what was going on before the lights suddenly turned on and loud pop sounds erupted from all around the room as several figures leaped from a made-up giant table on which lay an equally massive cake.
Confetti were released in the air as a chorus of “Happy Birthday!” came forth from most of the silhouettes’ mouths who Dream soon identified as Nightmare, Error, Cross (the only one who did not yell that), Blue and Kevin, sitting on Nightmare’s head.
A Happy Birthday banner also appeared in his field of vision, having descended from ceiling, and now hung there, right in front of the cake.
Ink walked past him and took a confetti shooter, triggering it at least three seconds after everyone else. He kept trying to reignite again but to no avail, the toy being thrown somewhere else in the room now that it was empty and useless.
Dream blinked awkwardly. “We are celebrating a birthday today? Why did no one tell me?”
“...” Blue facepalmed, looking beyond disappointed.
“I told you guys he was stupid!” Cross exclaimed, letting himself fall on the first chair he found.
“Can you really not remember whose birthday it is today?” Error asked incredulously, his eyes wide open.
Dream scratched his neck. “Well, I know it’s Nightmare’s birthday today, but it doesn’t make sense if he’s here, does it?”
Said man seemed surprised by the fact he had not forgotten about him, his heart a little warmer now however he quickly masked his real feeling with an exaggerated sigh. “Oh my god, Dream, who shares my birthday?”
He rested his chin on his hand in thought before realization suddenly hit him. “Oh...”
“Idiot.” Nightmare shook his head in disappointment.
“How can you even forget your own birthday, angel?” Blue raised an eyebrow, for once looking perplexed, but then again it was hard to tell if he was being genuine or not.
“Because he’s a dumb fuck, that’s why.” Cross rolled his eye as Error stepped on his foot, making the latter yelp.
“Agh, why?!” Dream ignored him altogether, preferring to shrug at Blue’s question.
“Maybe it’s because I haven’t celebrated it in a while, I can’t remember when the last time something like this happened.” Somehow, Dream only noticed Nightmare climbing on top of a table when the latter’s hand struck on top of his head.
Dream yelped, turning around with wide eyes.
He came face to face with an unimpressed Nightmare, whose hand quickly retracted back to his side. “That’s such a lame excuse!” For good measure, he hit Dream again. “I haven’t celebrated it either, but I didn’t forget it.”
Dream sighed as he moved away from the table to avoid giving Nightmare any funny idea. He did not want to be stuck being hit by an army of plastic ducks again. “I cannot give an explanation to this I am afraid, but even so, there was no need for you to call my explanation lame and even less hit me over that. When did you even get over there?”
While Nightmare was distracting him, Blue and Error soon got into position as the former swiftly and quietly moved to the door Ink closed a few moments ago, turning the key in the lock. Meanwhile, Error was preparing an anti-magic barrier, doing his best not to be noticed, still without Dream’s knowledge.
“None of your business.” Nightmare rolled his eyes. “And let me give you the explanation, I’m just better.” Dream decided to ignore the comment altogether.
He lowered his head and suddenly took notice of a ridiculously bright cone hat in Nightmare’s hands, a yellow one, that spelled out “HAPPY BRITHDAY!” in an equally ridiculous font. How could a font be qualified as ridiculous? He did not know either, it simply gave him that impression.
Needless to say, he was not quite happy about what the presence of that hat implied.
Nightmare seemed to notice Dream’s sudden drop of mood and a wide grin stretched his lips as he held up the hat in his hands higher, almost teasingly. “Oh, you’ve finally noticed my little buddy, Ey?”
Dream rubbed his forehead with his hands, trying to assess how screwed he was if he failed to escape whatever embarrassing scheme Nightmare was trying to pull him into, not knowing he had already fallen into it.
“Please, do not tell me you are counting on me to wear this... garment.” He made a grimace as he spoke the last word, a grimace that Cross made sure to catch in the highest setting possible. Today was a good day for him, that much was obvious.
The expression on Nightmare’s face only seemed to confirm that he too was having a wonderful time. “Oh Dream, you’re speaking as if you had any choice in the matter.”
“That is not happening.” he stated, moving toward the door. His hand gripped the door handle but instead of twisting and tracing his way out, it stayed stubbornly still. He frowned and tried again, only to get the same result.
“...” He turned back to the rest and noticed Blue flapping his eyelids at him in a false innocent manner. He heaved in a heavy sigh, noticing on the way the barrier that has been placed in the room.
Nightmare waited patiently for the other to say something, the hat in his hands only seeming to grow more ridiculous the more Dream looked at it.
Finally, he braved himself into trying the impossible.
“... Can’t we talk about this?” Nightmare snickered in response.
“Talk about you agreeing easily before I make you? Of course!” He cheerfully skipped away toward him and raised his arms.
Meanwhile, the four others were having the time of their lives watching the scene unfold of the most prominent figure in the entire multiverse being bullied by his childhood friend who was 8 inches shorter than said figure. As all good audience members did, they commented on the action happening in front of them.
“They so missed spending time together like this.” Error said almost flatly as he sipped on some coffee, already eyeing the coffee machine in the corner and visualizing their next encounter.
“That much is obvious.” Blue shook his head with a small smile. “It’s a real shame angel boy had been in so much denial. This could have happened earlier if he had just accepted his feelings as they were.”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen Nightmare have this much fun in a long time.” Cross agreed, cheering on said man from the side.
“Even Boss is acting a bit playful.” Ink retorted, for some reason hanging on the ceiling. When had he gotten there? No one knows.
“By the way, what have you gotten them?” Blue suddenly brought up, a small smile on his face.
Cross and Error exchanged a look before turning back to the small group that was formed while Nightmare was in the process of forcing Dream on his knees to forcibly attach the birthday hat to his head while threatening to stick it with glue if the other tried to get it off.
Oh, it seems like he is trying to guilt trip him into it too... Anyway.
“Well, we-” Cross began before he was immediately cut off.
“Did you guys get a gift without stealing anything this time?” Ink asked, one finger in his ear seeming unbothered by the odd look Blue was giving him on the side. “Boss threw a fit last time, and I don’t fancy getting my ears ranted on again.”
“We got it by totally legitimate means.” Error crossed his arms around his chest. “Besides, most of our gift was made by our hands.”
“Even if that would have been pretty funny to see bird boy raging about that...” Cross yelped as Error suddenly elbowed him in the ribs, somehow forgetting about his fear of touch. Or he had gotten comfortable enough to be able to do that, who knows?
“Oh? How weird, even I am starting to become curious now.”
“Such a shame, seems like you’re going to have to find out what it is like everyone else.” Error replied smugly with a smile that was so uncharacteristically arrogant that Cross raised an eyebrow. However, that seemed to tick off Ink who turned toward Blue.
“Don’t make me beat the answer out of you.” Blue frowned.
“I did not even utter a word, why must I always be targeted when one needs intel on a subject?” Ink deadpanned at him.
“Because you suck and definitely know the answer.”
“I cannot deny that but still that seems to be quite the tyrannical way to be informed of things, especially for a Justice Reigns executive.” The discussion would have taken quite a tragic turn if not for Nightmare and Dream finally returning from their dilemma.
Dream looked seconds away from running his sword through his chest while Nightmare looked like the happiest man alive. Ah, the wonders of old age.
“What are you guys talking about over there?” Cross shrugged.
“The gifts we have chosen for you guys. Well, at least that was the original topic. Ink has been threatening to beat Blue up to know what we got you.” Dream, hearing this, gave Ink a pointed look to which the latter retorted that the lecture that would soon fall from his lips would have no effect on him due to his ridiculous attire.
Meanwhile, Nightmare’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, you idiots got me a gift?” Cross eyed him like he was crazy.
“Duh?? What kind of boyfriends would we be if we did not even get you a gift for your birthday?”
Dream raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you three are dating?”
“I thought it was obvious.” Nightmare simply replied. “But anyway, I’m curious now, what did you guys get?”
“Aren’t gifts supposed to be given after eating the cake?”
“Aren’t best friends supposed to go at each other’s throats for a whole ass century?”
Dream hummed. “Fair point.”
“Besides we aren’t even supposed to be alive so who cares about the traditions really?” Cross nodded in approval as he got up to get the gift.
{Done enough with Jay to continue this storyline for a year or two sooo I am afraid you will get to know the continuation of this shot next year (yes, I am evil). Toodles~}
- Error likes coffee and doesn't mind soda, though still prefers bean juice. Soda still works in a pinch though.
- Cross doesn't really like any of these - coffee is too bitter, soda makes him sneeze, and the only tea he likes is Arizona Tea. He likes gatorade/similar drinks though - energy drinks are something he enjoys too.
- Nightmare and Error tell Cross that the energy drinks, especially the zero sugar ones, taste like piss.
- More for him, amirite?
- Error doesn't tend to snack much. Nightmare and Cross often snack though, and isn't particularly picky.
- They all fight (petty/friendship-y) over chocolate though
"What I'm Fighting For." Dreamswap in which Cross and Error fight with their lives to protect an incapacitated Nightmare from Dream. All three narrowly escape with their lives.
Summary: In which the meme squad gets their asses handed to them.
“Surely you realize how foolish it is to stand between me and my quarry.” Lord Dream called out, looking every part the avenging angel, his claymore pointed directly at Cross, who was bodily blocking Nightmare from his sight. He was speaking to both him and Error - who had rushed over, his strings already extending from his hands and eye sockets, determination brimming in both of their auras.
“FUCK YOU! We won’t let you kill Nightmare!” Cross growled, summoning a half-dozen glowing red daggers and launching them at the golden dickhead.
Dream raised a browbone at the other, dodging the predictable attack and slashing at the other with his claymore in a heavy, two handed strike “I have no intention of killing Nightmare at the moment. I will capture him. Stand aside and I will spare your lives.”
Cross just barely managed to raise his large hack-knife style sword up in time to block the attack, though he grunted a little and swayed - if he dodged, the attack would have hit the unconscious and bleeding Nightmare.
“Bullshit! Nightmare’s told us all about your horrid experiments on him, when you’ve managed to get your claws on him in the past!” Error growled, his eye lights brightening with fury as he sent his strings after the other’s soul.
“I am trying to understand the nature of his being. He is a negative spirit, and I am attempting to find out how that is possible, in order to correct it. You do not wish him to be dead, yes? Neither do I. I do in fact, have a vested interest in Nightmare staying alive. So why do you fight against me?” Dream pressed, easily dodging Error’s strings - slicing them several feet shorter with an attack - and jumping upwards, soaring a little to avoid Cross’ bone attack.
“… What the actual fuck do you mean by that?” Cross and Error spluttered at the same time, glaring up at him as Error wrapped his strings around Nightmare and pulled as Dream landed where Nightmare had been seconds before.
“Oh? He hasn’t told you two about…? Hmm, how interesting. It seems that he doesn’t trust you as much as I thought he had. Well, at least that means he does have some prudence, buried beneath the stubborn pigheadedness of his.” The lord of light smirked, dodging one of Error’s Gaster blasts, shattering it and several of Cross’s gaster blasters as well. It was a pity that he couldn’t summon such weapons himself - but as neither he nor Nightmare were Sanses it made sense that they didn’t have access to a Sans’ magical attack.
“I don’t give a shit what weird, twisted history the two of you have!” Cross bristles, his eye lights burning brightly as he tried and failed to dodge another one of Dream’s attacks, stumbling a little as the other managed to leave a nasty six inch gash across one of his legs. He pushed himself up to standing, if he was going to die, he was going to die on his feet. “I fight to protect my boyfriends! I fight to make sure that we can be free of you and your high handed bullshit.”
Error nodded, a fiercely determined expression on his face as he held Nightmare closer to him. He called out loudly “Yes! We fight to protect one another from those who would use or hurt us because of their own twisted reasons!” They’d helped him regain his voice and his confidence… Kept him from slipping back into Blue’s twisted manipulations. For that he’d march into hell for either or both of them. He yelped a little and rolled, twisting so that Ink - who had come out of fucking nowhere couldn’t hit Nightmare with a splatter of Ink that would bind him in place.
Instead it bound Error’s feet, causing the glitched skeleton to stumble and fall, but he sent a hail of bones after the soulless traitor as Cross cut him free. Error was just barely able to summon a gaster blaster directly in front of the both of them - to take Dream’s next sword-slash as neither of them had been prepared to dodge or move. Not while they were also trying to keep the unconscious Nightmare out of their grasp.
Cross muttered under his breath to Error “Get a portal open - I’ll do what I can to keep them off of us… Just - don’t think too badly of me, yeah? We… We all keep stuff from each other. Never forget that I love you both.” With that the monochromatic skeleton kissed him on the teeth - before pressing a light kiss to one of Nightmare’s cheeks and shoving the both of them as far away as he could with Blue magic, whipping around and growling, little red Xs glitching along his injury, flickering a little and seemingly starting to heal the damage. Cross summoned several dozen gaster blasters - along with half as many determination red knives, throwing the knives at Ink while he caused the blasters to attack both of their enemies in a seemingly random pattern in an attempt to keep them so focused on him that they didn’t try to go after the other two.
Error nodded, doing his best to start to open a portal to the omega timeline - they would need to hide there for a while with Core. It was taking longer than it should be, and, as he noted in distress, it was taking much longer than it should - and Cross was slowly but surely being pressed back towards them, despite doing all he could to keep both powerful enemies off of them. The glitched skeleton had just gotten the portal open when he heard a gasp and a loud
“FUCK ME!” From Cross, the other stumbling to his knees, clutching his chest, starting to bleed and shake, with Dream pulling back for another strike.
“NO!” Error yells, feeling himself start to glitch out a little. He shoves Nightmare through the portal, his strings managing to wrap around Cross and drag the other just far enough away that he doesn’t get hit by either Dream’s or Ink’s attack. A split second later, Error teleports over to Cross, throwing him through the portal as he launches wave after wave of bone attacks at both of the smug bastards, screaming and furiously protective, dodging and cursing as he keeps getting pushed closer and closer to the portal. He’s about to close it - as Cross is safely through it, when he feels something tug on his strings and he goes flying through the portal.
Error shuts the portal, even as Dream and Ink charge towards him, the latter hissing obscenities as they are unable to follow after him. “I… Wh-what?” Error splutters out, confused.
Cross is firmly holding onto several of his boyfriend’s strings, the navy threads wrapped firmly around his arms “What, you didn’t think that I was going to let you die, did you? I love you both. Let’s.. Let’s go to our back up place in this place and eat spider donuts and cider until we stop bleeding - after we get Night to the closest healer. I think I see a storyshift Toriel close by who’ll fix him up.”
Error nodded, and the both of them carefully carried the unconscious Nightmare over to the Toriel, who was more than willing to heal all three of them. Nightmare woke with a groan, summoning his spear and staring around blearily “I… I thought I got jumped on by Dream - fucking asshole… Ughh what truck hit me?”
“Dream. Dream did. Why didn’t you call for help as soon as he was on your ass? Or teleport out of there? We had all the stuff for our picnic ready and we saw him looming over you like the fuckin’ bird of prey he is and had to drag your unconscious ass here. Nearly ganked the three of us.” Cross hissed, protective and worried, kissing Nightmare silly.
“I tried. He was on me too fast for me to do anything - and I was trying to fight him too quickly to do anything but trying not to die.” Nightmare grumbled, kissing Cross back just as fiercely.
Error hesitated for a moment - but his desire to hug them eclipsed his haphephobia - so intensely grateful that they were alive that he lightly touched one of both of theirs’ shoulders - getting both of theirs’ attention, their eye lights widening simultaneously in surprise. “I… I’m just so glad that we’ve all managed to survive… Let’s just… Let’s just go to the couch, watch undernovella and cuddle, okay?” The other two nodded and the three of them exhaustedly made their way home, piling together on the couch with Nightmare in the middle, two blankets draped around the three of them as they watched the soap opera, slowly relaxing enough to fall asleep in a contented pile.
Cross will drag Error and Nightmare to bed and wrap them in blankets and giving them kisses. He then cuddles them and he snuggles in between them.
YES YES!! Cross is a big cuddler and he loves to do this. He gets plushies involved if one of them is having a sad day. If Nightmare is avoiding sleep, Cross does this too to make him sleep.
Sometimes, Error will decline being in the cuddle pile but sometimes he'll come by and knit in Cross' beanbag chair as Cross cuddles Nightmare. Other times, he gives the two smooches.
Nightmare almost never declines and Cross gets lots of cuddles.
