#inkphantom.drabble

The rain was still falling outside of his cottage. Steadily watering the plants and removing one of his daily tasks for him. It was a pleasant thing to wake up to. At least to some degree.

It watered the crops, removing that from his list of daily tasks. Which he was thankful for today. His left leg - or what was left of it - protested the prosthetic today more than usual. He couldn't even stand on it for a second before the pain felt unbearable. And the wheelchair wasn't really fit for field work, despite Sam and Phil's amazing work on it.

However, the rain also prevented the food he had put outside from properly drying so they could be added to the cave. And even though he didn't need to use his low energy for watering, he couldn't do much else with it besides fishing near the lake as the mines weren't accessible in a wheelchair (much like many areas of the island). (Though at least Punz was able to use the mines once Dream assured them he'd be fine.)

And now sleep evaded him. Despite the pain and mild energy, sleep did not come as he laid in bed.

He couldn't even at least use his time awake for planning for the next days. Plan what seeds he should buy, what tool he should upgrade next.

He cursed whatever plague had befallen the mainland. Whatever caused the fire and had him lose most of his left leg and nearly his right eye. Whatever took the life of that goat he'd been brought out of the capital with.

Dream turned onto his side, facing the arctic fox beside him. Punz seemed asleep. Emphasis on seemed as their face turned and eyes opened to look at him.

"Can't sleep?", their voice whispered. Anything louder would have been unnecessary in the quiet and tinyness of their home.

"Nope," he whispered back.

"Me neither."

They turned back to face the ceiling.

Dream opened his mouth before closing it and opening it again. "Do you think things will get better?"

Punz hummed, taking a few seconds before replying. "We will see. But at least I found you again."

"You did." Dream brought the top of his head closer to Punz's chest as he curled inwards. It had been a miracle after news of the current state of the Province's capital reached them. "You're alive."

As capable and strong as Dream viewed Punz, they weren't invincible. Especially not against whatever started wrecking havoc on the world.

"And so are you." Punz leaned their head closer to his, paw on his back and rubbing slow circles, an action Dream mirrored on their leg.

"Don't leave me," Dream pleaded.

----

The night was quiet as Cornelius gently weaved flowers together. Poppies and white heathers interlocking beautifully until a crown was formed. It was not one of his best flower crowns. His best was probably made while demonstrating how to make one to knights who had returned from the war. But he had made so many back then from so many types of flowers, he forgot half of them already. But he still remembered the ones he had made for his best friend and for his prince. One of bloody red poppies with a black spot in the middle for Mason. One of yellow snapdragons that looked nearly golden for prince Parker. Their attempts at making similar ones for him out of white heathers had been...attempts.

It was no surprise considering how their hands shook after the war. Especially Mason's. Bit by bit, it helped get them to be calmer. Both in body and soul even if it was never the same calm from before.

Mason's flower crown now looked better. Made from the same flowers as Cornelius'. It wasn't yet finished but pretty all the same.

Carefully, Cornelius put his finished one on the dark hair of his friend and smiled once it was set. Despite the darkness of the night, the full moon managed to make everything visible enough.

He looked up at it. At the silvery glow of it. As beautiful as the sun.

Their restlessness led at least to one good thing. Or rather two. Still it would be better to be in bed and able to sleep at this time, especially with the competitions starting tomorrow. He wondered if Mason's unrest was caused by the tournament. If not, he might have to ask their prince for another prank war and see if that helps. It had helped plenty of knights after the war against the East had ended. He'd just have to hope that it would help Mason again.

His friend's crown was finished and with a slight tip of his head, the interwoven flowers were placed on his blonde waves. Cornelius smiled at Mason and Mason smiled back, a tired look in his eyes as he leaned his forehead against Cornelius'.

"Thank you, Corny."

"Sleep Potion basically. With some luck it will finally let me rest a bit." Punz answers, their gaze not wavering from the bubbling pot as they add some more powder in it and continue stirring.

Sapnap considers asking at first what's stopping them from just sleeping but can already guess a plethora of answers. From anxieties to just the body not letting them sleep. So instead he asks the one with easier answers."What's in it?"

"Milk, some spores of a night shroom, a dried and cut up eyeblossom and some phantom scale powder," they answer. Their voice sounds tired, combined with the way Punz's body is looking as if weighed down by something, Sapnap can only hope as well that this potion would work. Although one thing confuses him.

"Wait. i thought eyeblossoms cause nausea when digested? You stopped me from putting some in our soup just last week." Sapnap comes up behind Punz, peering into the pot from over their shoulder and watching a soft purple swirl mix into the dark blue. He lays his head on them, unbothered by the slight jostling as they continue stirring.

"Normally, yeah. When dried out however, they can have a more tiring effect, especially when put into warm milk like this. Add in the rest and boom, sleep effect." The two colours have by now mixed well together, creating a hue that's still very much as dark blue as the night sky but with a slight shift towards purple. It looked nice. Pretty.

Sapnap closed his eyes, just hanging onto his roommate and tangling their tails together. His leathery draconic tail wrapped around Punz's furred snowleopard one. "If you say so."

"I found the recipe on a note in that one journal and those notes have never betrayed me."

"Even when you made that-"

"We agreed not to bring up the hair potion accident again."

Dream who is bleeding in a forest, leaning against a tree and far from civilization. He's barely lucid anymore but still manges to notice Sapnap. Still remembers the threat spoken years ago. He tries to walk, run away, survive.

"Dream?" There's no response as Dream holds his jaw so tighly shut it hurts.

Sapnap stares at him. Thousand questions racing through his mind and he settles on one. "Do you need help?" The answer is obvious. The answer Dream is going to give him just as clear.

The no he gets as response sounds so quiet, Sapnap doubts he would have heard it if anything else accompanied it. Even just the leaves rustling seems like too much.

Sapnap could leave. His team, his family is waiting in a nearby town. Nest already nearly ready when he and Farfa left to get some wood. He had split from the other to gather some plants.

He could just leave, pretend he didn't see Dream. It's been years since he last did. He wasn't even sure if he missed him anymore. If he does, its a feeling that's been washed over by the love for his current family. The missing is still in his ocean of emotions but dragged into depths till he can barely notice it anymore.

He looks at Dream's crumbled form. At the blood trail he left behind from the few blocks he walked.

He remember one of the times he wandered away from Bad. He remembers falling into water, a river. It was cold, unbearably freezing. A kid pulled him out and stayed by him till he was warmer.

They had kept each other safe and warm multiple times since then. Healed when the other was hurt.

He remembers being alone. Alone after his first family split apart. Alone and in pain and overwhelmed in some of the deepest depths of overworld's caves on another server. Alone until familiar faces appeared and quite literally saved him from the sudden onslought of monsters. Faces he first met in a contest while still with his old family.

He wasn't alone since.

Sapnap stares at Dream whose collapsed form seems to be barely moving and comes to a decision.

Sapnap: ey farfa

------

It's been a mostly sleepless night. After tossing and turning for two hours, Sap finally managed to catch some sleep. Fitful sleep but sleep nonetheless.

Still, it left him more tired than usual though. Luckily he didn't have that much to do. Only a bit of mining that he should be soon done with and then he could go home. Home to Serpias, Shadoune, Conter and everyone else. It has only been a bit over 24 hours since he last saw them but that was far too long.

He hasn't been apart from them all for more than ten hours max for months and sure it could be suffocating every now and then but after years alone he'd take being suffocated in love over being alone. Only a bit more ancient debris and they have enough to repair their armory fully.

It still took too long for him but when he got the last piece needed, he wasted no time in packing it securely in his inventory and ventoring outside of the nether and home to his pack again.

"Hungry." His boyfriend simply responded, eyes flickering between Fundy and the inside of the fridge.

"I could have gotten you something. You had surgery less than 48 hours ago. You aren't meant to move that much yet."

Dream gave a slight shrug, as much as the compression garment around his chest combined with the pain allowed him too. His stare returned to the fridge, hand reaching for something before aborting and returning to his side.

"Want me to make you something?"

Its why when he returned an hour later, he expected to see a cake on the stove as it cooled down. Or a cake still in the oven.

He didnt expect whats clearly the start of dough spread out on the floor, cabinets and table. Neither did he expect this still and quiet way Dream sat at the table, gaze far away.

------

It's too damn hot, Susie finds. Too damn hot and too damn early to sleep with the nap she took in the day. Unfortunately, she can't just go to bed at a later time. She promised to go with Kris to the meet with their brother. Noelle as well. And said meet was planned too damn early in the morning for her but she figured it won't do any harm to be up earlier than usual for once. Not if it's to provide emotional support for her partner.

It should be fine if only she could fall sleep.

Usually, it wouldn't even be an issue. She used to be fast at falling asleep. Like the first time she slept over at Kris' or whenever Ralsei sings his song. But there's no Ralsei to help her fall sleep now. No distracting tv noise in the background. Instead there's just her thoughts and concerns.

She tossed around again, laying down flat on her belly with her head turned to Kris. They were still in the same position as when they settled in for the night. On their back with their hands on their stomach. Too warm for cuddles that they took to in winters even with the fan still going.

For a second she debated shaking him awake to have someone to talk to when they turned their head to her. It was unexpected enough to give her a slight jumpscare. "Goddamnit Kris, i thought you were assleep," she whisper-shouted to them, aware of the third person laying to her other side.

They shook their head in response.

"Can't sleep either?" A nod. "Yeah me too. Though I'm unsurprised you can't sleep. Must be nervous as hell for tomororw." They look away, mouth opening just as another voice pipes up.

"Same here." Susie turned to Noelle, just as taken aback by Noelle's awake state. "I mean with the sleeplessness."

Movement to Susie's other side made her turn again to see Kris getting out of bed. "Where you heading?"

"Living room. I- There might be something that could help."

"If you think so." Susie follows sluggishly. Noelle as well.

In the living room, Kris settled at the piano they had standing in the corner. One Kris had discreetly looked at multiple times. Not hidden enough to avoid Susie and Noelle's observation though which resulted in a surprise for their partner with Susie reminding them of what she had told them way back when they were still saving the world. It had been played a couple times already. Hauntingly beautiful melodies that echoed through their house.

They held their hands ready, taking a moment before they started playing. It sounded calm, sad. With a hint of nostalgia. Susie thought to even hear bits of melodies in it that Ralsei used to sing.