Chapter Text
There were many things Dream lost. Oh, so many goddamn things. But none would he miss more than the three children he raised as if his own; the boy with phantom wings, the fairy with long blonde hair, and the one with bright red upon their head with legs of a hyena. The kids who he planned to take away to find their own family until they had the idea to call him “Papa”.
That damned day three kids barely the age of five sunk their way into Dream’s heart. That damned day he made an oath to protect them, to be their father. That damned day he made a promise he couldn’t keep.
But it was not a loss. He did not care for the halflings. He could not have attachments, he could not feel emotions toward them. He did not lose anything dear to him, he could care less what happened to them.
He didn’t care. He didn’t care.
He couldn’t care.
Ten years ago…
Ash’s first memory was the day they learned to never wander towards strange voices especially when you don’t pay attention to the roots that keep tripping you. Although the halfling’s first memory was when they nearly drowned, it was still one of their favorites.
I mean, someone had to have saved them, right? And someone did.
As Ash flailed helplessly in the water, a man had noticed them. He had just taken his diamond armor off when he heard a distant squeal followed by a loud splash. His friends were too busy bickering to notice, so the man had gone himself. He found small hands reaching out of the water, splashing around them. He could see the faint face within the pond, and he noticed it was that of a child’s.
He arched himself over the railing and plunged his arm into the water, grabbin tightly to the poor child. He nearly missed them, luckily grabbing their fingers before they became out of reach. Pulling them out, the man noticed something peculiar about the child; they had bright red hair stuffed with dirt and leaves, two yellow ears atop their head, and below their waist was not human, but hyena.
The child gagged, water falling from their mouth. They looked up at their savior, their eyes puffy and red. They yelped, or more of quietly cackled fearfully and stumbled back from the man. They were shivering, poor thing. Their eyes danced around their hero, unsure if they could trust them. The man smiled softly. He reached his hand out, the way you did with a dog. I won’t hurt you is what the gesture said. The little one crawled hesitantly towards him, their nose sniffing it. It was strange, their nose was the only thing resembling their other hyena parts, being black and larger. They looked at the man, their ears perking up a bit.
He chuckled. “I’m Dream. Who are you, little one?” The halfling’s ears went up, then down again. They shuffled a bit, looking back at the water. Dream watched patiently.
“Uhm…” They let out. They looked back up at him. They pointed to themselves. “A-Ash. Ash.” They then pointed at Dream. “You…Dream. I Ash.”
Dream smiled. “Yup. Nice to meet you, Ash.”
“Nice…meet Ash.” They tried to repeat. Dream giggled. He offered his hand again as he stood up.
“How ‘bout we get you nice and warm. Looks like you took quite a tumble.” Ash looked at his hand, then nodded. They let out a hiss as they tried to walk, and Dream finally noticed the cut on their knee. “And get that fixed.”
“What the hell were you doin- what is that?” Sapnap pointed to the child hiding behind his friend. They tightened their grip on Dream’s sweatshirt.
“Their name is Ash. They almost drowned in the lagoon.” Sapnap’s eyes widened. “George, could you hand me a towel?”
The third one, George, tossed a large cloth over to him. Dream squat, wrapping the towel around the child. He rubbed it gently against their hair before guiding them next to a fireplace. Sapnap kept his eyes on them, curious. Ash hunched, scooting closer to the fire after Dream started it.
“Kiddo, where’re you from?” Sapnap sat next to them. Ash looked up at him, not a thought behind their eyes. He cocked an eyebrow.
Ash looked back at the fire. “Don’t know.” They shrugged. Sapnap leaned against his hand.
“How old are you?”
“Stop interrogating the poor thing,” George glared.
“I’m not interrogating them! I just wanna know what’s up with them!”
“Five.”
The three men looked at them. Ash didn’t take their eyes off the fire. “I five. I think.” Dream sat next to them, handing them a piece of steak. They took it happily. Dream smiled. Sapnap looked at him.
“You have parents?” Dream asked. George came to join them, wrapping a blanket around the kid.
Ash paused. Then shook their head. All three of them looked at each other. Dream delicately moved their face to look at him. “We’ll find you parents. OK?” Ash nodded, but their face didn’t change.
“Alright, kiddo. When you’re all warm I’ll teach you how to swim.” Dream widened his eyes at Sapnap, who just shrugged. “Kid almost drowned, good idea to teach ‘em.” Dream smiled, Ash just nodding obliviously. He chuckled.
“George, could you get a fourth bed real quick?”
Dream adjusted his bags filled with only a few more Netherite scraps and plenty of gold. It wasn’t a very successful mission but the heat was killing him, both figuratively and literally. He had just pulled his portal compass out when something caught the corner of his eye.
He turned, expecting a piglin to come running after him for not wearing gold, but instead found a small little girl under a looming red tree. Dream felt his heart plummet as he ran to the child without thinking too hard about his decision.
The girl had long, blonde hair that covered two delicate fairy wings on her back followed by a pair of antennae on her head. Dream’s hand flew to his mouth as he found the bottom of her feet covered in blisters and a thick line of raw skin lightly charred on her lower back.
A ghast... Dream thought bitterly. He reached two fingers against her neck, sighing in relief as he found a pulse.
He brought out his water bottle and poured some of it over her head. Her sunburnt face seemed at least a little relieved, her eyes twitching.
Dream picked the girl up, pressing her face against his chest to make sure she didn’t inhale any more smoke than necessary. She let out a yelp as he pressed his arms against her burn, Dream nearly dropping her in surprise. Something snapped in the man after he heard the cry. Tears fell past his cheeks as he carried the fairy through the wastelands.
After he entered his portal he checked the girl’s pulse again, making sure she didn’t die in his arms. He let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding as he felt her heartbeat.
As he began walking toward the Community House he noticed the grass under his feet was pulling itself toward him–no, not him–her. Dream let himself place the fairy on the grass which seemed to almost move out of the way for her to settle.
A few flower buds came sprouting out from the ground, tracing the girl, and blooming into multiple different petals. Two cornflowers placed themselves against her feet and Dream watched in amazement as the blisters healed to barely seen scars. The flowers by her head pushed their pistils against her cheeks, washing the sunburnt red out of her cheeks and turning them a regular shade of pink. She seemed much more relaxed especially after the large first-degree burn on her back seemed to heal over as well.
Dream slowly reached his hand out before a long blade of grass slapped him.
The plants shrunk and returned to their non-sentient state. It was a short moment before the girl lurched forward, coughing and sputtering smoke. She coughed for a good minute before looking up at her savior, her blue eyes shimmering.
Dream found himself smiling.
She muttered something, surprised by her lack of voice. Dream chuckled. She glanced at something in Dream’s belt before diving towards it.
“Woah! Kiddo! What’re you doing-” He cut himself off as he realized she was grabbing his water. He lightly pushed her away and unlatched the bottle, handing it to her. She took it gratefully, chugging the whole bottle without removing it once until it was gone.
Dream waited patiently. When she was done she handed it back to the man, wiping her mouth from the leftover liquid.
He smiled as he stood up. “You gonna be alright, little one?” Kira’s wings fluttered a moment as her eyes widened. He turned away, but as he began walking, he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down, finding the fairy clutching onto him. He sighed softly, placing a hand against her head.
The two walked to the house where they found three people sitting on the floor playing Uno. A man with mushrooms growing out his hair–which Kira seemed to be extremely interested in–looked up in surprise.
“ Another one?” He exclaimed. The other two didn’t seem to be paying attention.
Dream rolled his eyes. “Listen, she grabbed onto my jeans on her own. She’s in the same boat as Ash; we’re finding them a family.”
Ash, the redhead, perked their ears and glanced up, making eye contact with Kira. They exaggerated a gasp as they slammed their cards on the floor and went running toward the fairy.
“How’d they get Go Fish cards-” the man with the bandana said quietly.
“HELLO!” Kira flinched at the sudden loud noise. Dream smiled. “I IS ASH! WHO YOU?”
And they became inseparable.
Bruce waited impatiently for the phantoms that circled him to go away. He was pouting under a fern tree as one of the biggest ones landed in front of him. She pulled her wings close to her, similar to a bat, and walked toward him.
“What are you doing down here?” She asked. Bruce scooted back a bit more against the tree. He bit the inside of his cheek as he shrugged.
“Can’t fly.” The female’s face looked as if the boy had just said he murdered her family. He looked away.
“Then how’ll you get home?! Away from the sun!” She seemed panicked, and Bruce almost rolled his eyes at this. He was exhausted by the number of times he had to explain this. “You can’t possibly wait under this tree forever-”
“I don’t burn.”
The phantom was silent, blinking many times. Bruce didn’t look at her. His ruff puffed up a bit as if trying to tell her to go away. It softened as he heard the female had flown away. The boy sighed and leaned against the trunk, closing his eyes.
The moment he opened them again the sun was peering through the leaves and lightly dusted his cheeks. Bruce stretched before slowly walking out into the light. He yawned before trudging through the mountain. A rabbit whipped past his ankles, his ears perking in surprise.
Bruce grinned as he chased it. His four-year-old legs struggled to catch up to the creature, Bruce slowing down to a stop and giving up on catching it. He laid down on the small patch of grass near him and reached for the water bottle he stole from some hiker. He drank a small portion before putting it down beside him.
He watched the birds fly overhead, envious of the ability they had. Why was he the only phantom that couldn’t fly? Why was he the only one that didn’t burn? Why did he look so different from the others? He looked more human than phantom, but more phantom than human. Bruce cupped his hands over each other as he watched the sky.
Shing.
The sound of someone unveiling their sword. It echoed in Bruce’s ears. It was a sound he could never forget, it was a sound he remembered from humans fighting back phantoms. But it was so much closer now, it wasn’t in the distance as Bruce watched. It was next to him.
The boy jumped to his feet, his wings spreading out in shock. Bruce felt a sharp pain in his pennon. Before he could even look at his attacker he doubled over in pain. To his horror, he found his left wing had a large scorch mark in the middle. He cried out in pain and fear as the smoke lifted toward the sky.
“You’re…just a boy.” He heard a voice say. He lifted his head hesitantly, making out a tall man with a green hoodie. His face was covered by a white smily mask.
The man shoved his sword back into its sheath, taking slow steps toward Bruce. The phantom shuffled backward, afraid.
“Don't hurt me!”
A hand reached out toward him, palm facing the sky. Bruce’s breathing was quick but began slowing down. The man’s mask was pulled to the side and Bruce found kind, green eyes. His face was slightly scarred and his freckles danced around his cheeks. He wore a soft smile.
“I won’t hurt you. I think we both scared each other,” he spoke slowly. “That looks like it hurts, may I take a look?”
Bruce hesitated, but slowly lifted his arm towards the man. He examined the pinion, lighting tracing the nerves and veins he found. When he lightly touched the burn, Bruce inhaled sharply through gritted teeth. The man took his hand away immediately.
“It doesn’t look too bad. It should be healed within a month or so.” Bruce nodded. The man brought out a roll of bandages. “May I?” Bruce nodded again.
Bruce winced the whole time, but his “doctor” held his hand. When he was done, he introduced himself. “I’m Dream.”
The boy thought a moment. “Uhm…Br-Bruce. Yeah. Bruce.” Dream smiled and stood up.
“Ya think you’ll be okay without me? Or would you like to come back to my home, little one?” Bruce’s eyes sparkled. He stood up quickly and nodded vigorously. Dream chuckled as he led the child back to the Community House.
“How old are you?”
Bruce looked up at him. “Four, I think.” Dream nodded.
When they made it through the door, Bruce hid behind Dream. There were three people inside, a man with black hair and a bandana, a girl with fairy wings and blond hair, and one with red hair and hyena legs.
“Where’s George?” Dream asked.
“He went out to look for flowers for Kira. He said they’re good nutrients.” The man looked up and looked shocked when he saw Bruce. “Bro. How many kids are you adopting.”
Dream glared. “I’m not adopting them, I’ll find them a home. This is all just momentary.” Bruce’s ruff on his ears faltered slightly. “But, he burnt his wing, and it was kinda my fault so I’m helping him.”
Sapnap rolled his eyes. “Fine. Ash! Kira! Come meet your new brother!” Bruce perked up at this. The other two kids looked at him and immediately lit up. They bounded over to him with the widest grins.
“Hi! I Ash! This Kira!” The one with red hair said. Bruce smiled. Dream did too.
The three bonded straight away, and Dream felt as if he couldn’t let them go.
Sapnap sat next to his friend on the grass who was watching the three kids playing with their sheep. Dream had a soft smile on his face.
“Have you found anyone to take them in?” Sapnap broke the silence. Dream jumped slightly at the new voice. He turned to his friend then sighed.
“No…and to admit, I haven’t been looking very much.”
Sapnap turned back toward the kids. “You’re getting attached.”
“Is that a bad thing??” Dream said. Sapnap scoffed and shook his head.
“No, just never thought of you as the father-type.” Dream blinked at his friend.
“I’m not a father,” He replied. “I just don’t know what to do with them.” Sapnap cocked an eyebrow at his friend, unconvinced. If he was being honest, he was getting attached to them too. They were funny kids, following the Team almost everywhere. But the blazeborn knew they followed Dream the most. Seemed like they were also growing an attachment.
“Have you and George had any luck?” Dream asked.
Sapnap shook his head. “We were thinking we could send them with Wilbur to give to his own father, but to be honest we didn’t trust him enough with the three of them on such a long journey.”
Dream nodded, keeping his eyes on the children.
Bruce jumped on one of the wooled animals, grinning widely at his siblings. Dream smiled to himself. The bandage on the boy’s arm seemed to help heal his wing and it had only been two weeks.
Something caught his eye: a Wandering Trader. He scrunched his nose and stood up, ready to get the trader off his land. Until he saw the three kiddos running toward him, asking for some emeralds to buy something. Dream blinked and Sapnap cackled.
“His trades are trash, I promise you don’t want anything he has.” Ash walked in the middle of Kira and Bruce.
“Just one? Please??” The three put on their best puppy eyes. Dream sighed before reaching into his pocket.
“You’re actually letting them buy something??” Sapnap said from the ground, still sitting down. Dream shrugged.
“Couldn’t hurt. There’s not a lot they can buy. Kira’ll probably want a rose he’s selling.”
Until they came running back with a living pufferfish in a bucket. Dream squealed as he quickly grabbed the fish away from them. The three’s ears faltered slightly as they looked at him confused. “You bought a PUFFERFISH? These things are dangerous!”
Sapnap stood up, gazing into the bucket. Ash reached up for the fish, standing on their toes. “But he’s so cute!”
Sapnap and Dream shared a look, scrunching their noses. “Yeah…cute,” Sapnap said.
Dream inhaled and slowly gave the bucket back to the kids. “Just…be careful. Pufferfish spikes hurt real bad and leave a bad stinging after effect.” The three grinned happily and nodded.
They ran toward the house, giggling loudly. Dream smiled softly. Sapnap looked at his friend, unimpressed. “You really gave a five-year-old a poisonous fish.” Dream rolled his eyes before following the children back to the house.
When he got inside he found George shielding himself as he was corned by the kids holding the fish. “Dream! They’re trying to get me to pet it!”
Sapnap laughed and Dream beckoned the others to him. He sat down with them as they watched the fish swim around the bucket.
“So, what’re you gonna name him?” Dream asked. The three thought a moment, looking at each other a few times. After a minute they all grinned and nodded as if they just spoke telepathically. They looked back at the man.
“Pete!” Ash said. George and Sapnap lead out a shared snort. Dream glared at his friends.
“That’s a great name,” He said, while the three kids beamed.
“Thanks, Papa!” There it was. The final drop in the bucket. The final thread pulled. The single pin that pierced Dream’s heart.
The moment he realized, he had already found them a home.