Dreamer cannot stand silence.
Throughout being stuck in the dream, there was always beeps of machinery, chatter of demons and technicians, there wasn't a moment of silence. They got used to it.
Ever since they were brought out of it, being in the real world, there were too many moments of silence.
Alone in their apartment.
Classes where talking wasn't permitted during tests and lessons.
So they started always having music playing.
Music, podcasts, their TV going... Anything to fill the void.
Meanwhile Lincoln thrives in silence.
The world is too loud for him, so he tunes it all out. Noise cancelling headphones are a necessity for him, he can't stand if there's too much sound.
Gives him unbelievable headaches, irritates him to no end.
He got so used to the noise that he didn't know how silence felt, it was refreshing to him.
It's a rare moment for him to listen to music, but when he does, it's blaring through his headphones to tune everyone else out.
When the two of them agreed to hang out at his place, he never really has anything going. Again, he prefers the quiet.
Until he sees just how uneasy they were. Their leg bouncing, their hands messing with their shirt or pulling at their own fingers, picking at their skin...
He didn't like how they jumped, and how anxious they sounded when they answered with a quick "I'm fine."
"No... You're not," he set down the notebook he was going through, his focus solely on them now. "Do you... Wanna talk about it?"
They shook their head, their body continuing to be tense. It felt like their ears were trying to ring, that constant pressure in their head that wouldn't go away.
He didn't want to push, he wasn't going to do anything to make it worse. Little did he know that them sitting in the silence was only making them worse.
"Can-" Dreamer's voice was meek, so unlike them, "can we... Listen to some music... Please...? I... I don't like the quiet... It reminds me of... some bad times..."
Lincoln could practically feel his heart break hearing it, "Yeah- yeah, of course," they had never seen him move that fast to hunt down his phone, "do you... have anything in mind?"
They shook their head, "I like the music you listen to, so... Anything would do..."
Lincoln scrolled through his playlists, "Loud or soft?"
There was a momentary pause, "... Would you mind loud...?"
He smiled softly, "No, I don't mind, pretty sure my neighbors are used to my bullshit by now."
His heart melted seeing a small smile on their lips for the first time in at least an hour, "...thanks."
He was so gone for them...
"You know I'd do anything for you."
