Chapter Text
“They tell me you’re dead.” He touches the grass next to him, his knees bruised and green from the fresh, moist grass. He breathes in, out, in, out. Illogically and dumbly. “But you wouldn’t do that, would you?” A shaky breath leaves his lips, his eyes are glazed over, he’s shivering. “Surely not..” It’s cold outside, but he stays there, on the grass, where a small flower blooms, where a cold stone lays with only a single name. Clay. No year of death engraved.
A small tear fell down his cheek. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
He hoped for an answer, yet none came. He still hoped. But no one heard his cries, his pleads, or anything. He stood up and left with no answer. No one heard him.
Dear, Nikita Rosen
It is our pleasure to extend a formal invitation to you on behalf of the royal family. You are cordially invited to attend the King's Ball, which will be held this upcoming Sunday, commencing at 3 hours before sundown. You are welcome to bring one guest to accompany you as your date. The dress code for the occasion is formal attire, and we kindly request that you adhere to the castle's rules during your visit.
With warm regards,
King Phil of Polaris
Niki's heart raced as she read the invitation, her eyes widening with excitement. "Dream!" Her voice carried through the quaint interior of their home, filled with a mixture of joy and disbelief.
"Dream! Are you free next Saturday?" Niki's radiant smile caught Dream's attention, causing him to pause from his chores. His own heart quickened with anticipation, curious.
"Why?" Dream asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and eagerness, his eyes fixed on Niki's animated expression.
"I got invited to the ball! I-I mean—can you believe it?" Niki's voice trembled slightly with excitement, her hands trembling as she held the invitation.
"Wait—You mean the king's ball? Th-The one held in the castle? Niki, I'm so proud of you!" Dream's voice was filled with genuine pride and admiration, his eyes shining with happiness for his sister's achievement.
"I know—They said I was a respectful citizen a-and I stood out—" Niki's voice was slightly muffled as she spoke into Dream's coat, her words filled with a mix of excitement and gratitude.
Their eyes sparkled with happiness and excitement. "I'm super proud of you, but what's this got to do with me?" Dream returned to his spot near the sink, his heart still racing with excitement.
"They said I get to bring a plus one—and since I don't want to bring a stranger to the castle, you were the first person I thought of." Niki's voice was filled with sincerity and warmth, her eyes shining with affection as she looked at her brother.
"I'd be happy to accompany you to the ball, Miss Nikita Rosen." Dream's voice was filled with genuine enthusiasm and excitement, his heart swelling with pride at the thought of accompanying his sister to such a prestigious event. He felt as if there was a permanent smile on his face.
"Oh, shush." With that, she left the bakery, a spring in her step as she made her way down the street, her heart filled with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming ball.
A fight. God, he hates fights. The loud voices reach his ears again. “We’re not friends, Dream! Whatever we are- whatever we were - it isn’t friends!” Nick yells, he almost screeches it. Dream winces, but he doesn’t show his hurt. He tries not to, but it’s hard.
He argues, he will fight for this friendship. “We’ve known each other since we were almost 16! How can you say that-” Nick just laughs at his face, a hysterical, a hurtful low chuckle.
“Because you really don’t care!” Nick pushes down the tears that are forming in his eyes. He can’t cry, not now. “You don’t tell me anything!” His partner is next to him, tugging at Nick’s sleeves, pulling him away. “Maybe we should go.” Karl looks apologetic, but he still drags him away.
Maybe they aren’t friends. What does Dream know?
" Tubbo celebrated his 16th birthday today," George murmured, seated beside his old friend's grave. Only a name engraved. "I made him my personal guard, hoping it would shield him from some of Schlatt's... ways." He tries not to think about how Schlatt is his father, he ignores that fact. On his best days, he manages to actually forget it.
"I long for the days when my mother was alive and my father had some clarity in him." But he knows those days will never be back. He has to admit it.
"Those days are gone, just as our days together are."
"There's a Clay-shaped hole in my heart—" George chuckled, struggling to suppress the awkwardness of his words. "I-I'm sorry—I didn't realize how strange that sounded—" He managed between laughs.
The laughter masked a deeper pain; he was left to suffer in his kingdom with the haunting thought that his best friend was likely dead in a ditch.
"Who even names their child Clay, anyway—"
The jokes served as a facade to conceal the anguish he felt in that moment. The laughter hid the tears.
"Hey kid, what's your name?"
Silence filled the air.
"Okay..." The lady let out a brief chuckle, running her hand through her hair. She tries to ignore the awkward silence, tries to ignore the fact that she didn’t really know what to do in this situation.
"I'm Nikita. Would you like to buy anything?"
The child shook his head and continued to admire the offerings of the little bakery. "Uh, here, take this." She pressed a small pastry into his hands and smiled kindly. The boy attempted to return it, but she insisted, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. "No, eat it. You look a little thin there." A smile spread across the boy's face as he accepted the treat and left the bakery.
Niki began to notice the boy more often, catching glimpses of his soft blonde hair near the window or spotting his worn, pickle-colored coat as he stood in front of her, simply smiling.
She observed how he flinched whenever she stood too close or moved her hand too near him. Always quick to apologize, she would take a few steps back, mindful of his boundaries. Weeks passed, and the boy remained silent, leading Niki to believe he might be mute.
About a month after his first visit to the bakery, Niki presented him with a freshly made olive-colored coat. Similar to his old one but noticeably nicer and free of any holes. As he examined it, the boy noticed a small detail Niki had carefully hand-stitched into the fabric—a tiny white smiley-face adorning the edge of his sleeve.
"Thank you."
"Karl! Give it ba—" A raven-haired boy collided with Clay, immediately launching into a flurry of apologies. Clay smiled warmly and reassured him that it was fine.
"I'm Nick," the boy introduced himself, extending his hand towards the blonde. "And you?"
Silence greeted him.
"Okay..." Nick withdrew his hand, offering an awkward laugh.
Another boy, shorter in stature, joined them, standing beside the ravenette. "I'm Karl! Who's this, Pandas?" Clay co*cked his head in curiosity at the nickname. "Pandas?" Both boys shared a brief chuckle. "Yeah, his favorite animal is a panda, a little weird, right? So, I started calling him Pandas because of that!"
"I'm Dream." The two exchanged glances before turning back to Dream.
"I know it's a weird name, b-but—" Dream began to stutter, each word accompanied by a hint of insecurity, fearing judgment from the others. "No, we like it!" Karl interjected, seizing Dream's hand and leading him towards the bustling town square. "C'mon, I gotta show you around here!" Nick followed along, a bright smile adorning his face.
