Chapter Text
It was… well, his home didn’t really have a ‘dawn’ anymore, the sun having bled to a dull red orb after his corruption began to affect his chosen Au, but the soft wash of crimson light through his window still woke him all the same. Dream frowned, half asleep mind trying to find what felt so off about his waking. He sat up, jaw creaking loudly as he yawned, before squinting out at the room in suspicion.
The air was still and eerily silent the way most mornings were, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The despicable tentacles curled as swished uneasily as he sorted through his thoughts.
It wasn’t till he leaned to the side that it struck him. The side of his bed was not supposed to be empty.
You were gone.
Panic gripped Shattered for as long as it took to cast out his senses and feel your drowsy anticipation somewhere across the house. He frowned and tried to shake off the lingering anxiety before slipping through the shadows to find you.
~~~~~~~
You huffed and carefully shifted the bulky pot to the side, tilting your head and squinting at your surprise that had finally arrived after over a week of eagerly waiting. The smell of the coffee you had half heartedly brewed after waking up in the nonexistent hours of the morning filled the kitchen. You hoped this was a good gift, particularly since it had been such a pain to get.
You’d long since stopped jumping when arms encircled you out of nowhere. Shattered gave a sleepy hum as he burrowed his face in your shoulder. “You’re up early.”
You snatched your mug away from the wandering tentacles before it could be stolen. You’d lost too many coffees to them to not be wary. Your lover's pout pressed against your neck told you that your suspicions were right.
“Not by choice.” you huffed, amused. “The delivery service seemed to think I was sleeping in too late.”
The clingy god hummed curiously, finally seeming to notice the large pot of flowers you had been fussing with for the last few minutes. “...Impatiens?”
You nodded absentmindedly. “You said most of your garden’s died from the red sun. Apparently these ones have been fine, so I figured you’d like them.”
Despite his tendency to go silent at random times, the lack of reply set your nerves on edge. The air felt unsettlingly still as the light from his remaining eye lit the small, vibrant flowers.
Had you done something wrong? Was he upset? Anxiety filled your lungs, strengthening with every second you waited for a response.
Just as you were about to backtrack, the arms around you squeezed tighter. You let out a squeaky wheeze of surprise as the air was forced from your lungs. Against your back, Shattered’s ribcage rattled with the whistling purr he’d developed after corrupting.
“You’re too sweet to me.” he chuckled, voice tight. Which was unfair, because you were the one being used as a human stressball.
The stress fled from your shoulders with a speed you'd come to associate with your lover ‘consuming your negativity’ as he put it. You snorted, doing your best to reciprocate from your position, though that mostly just involved leaning back. “Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”