Dream wasn't quite himself the next day. He was tired and sluggish, mind fogged even when Nightmare insisted he stay in the light, oddly concerned. So he stayed in the daycare at first simply because it was bright, splayed wearily on top of the jungle gym as Melissa inevitably gave up calling them. He messaged that he was feeling off, but couldn't bring himself to elaborate.

For lack of a better word, he felt sick. It was only through luck of not having a stomach that he wasn't nauseous. Nightmare ended up messaging the woman throughout most of Sunday morning, explaining vaguely that they had encountered something just before visiting the technicians that left Dream out of sorts.

But when the lights shut out and he faded in and out of consciousness, Nightmare forced him elsewhere that was illuminated, much to Dream's displeasure.
Still, he ended up sitting in a spotlight in the west arcade again, right on the DJ’s stage. The music man was unbothered, letting him lay there with the excuse of not wanting to talk much.
Given it was a Sunday, traffic on the dance floor was incredibly slow, and the spider animatronic often left to help with idle maintenance.

Still, the place was relatively positive, and gradually the lighter guardian started sensing it more, becoming vaguely aware of all the humans wandering around the pizzaplex. It was nearly an hour before closing- which was earlier on Sundays than the rest of the week- when he finally sat upright, thinking somewhat clearly.

He abruptly realized he could sense positivity again, blinking as he got excited. Dream only paused when he noticed he could dully sense them from the giant animatronic as well.
Clearly more alive than their creators could ever understand, if he could sense that.

Of course, despite still feeling unbalanced and foggy, Dream took off, almost skipping around the place with a wave to the DJ, taking in the sights he couldn't “see” before. It was exciting enough to even feel a teen’s frustration at failing again at an arcade game. There was still a thrill to it.

He wandered the mall, avoiding those that noticed him with greater ease now that he could actually feel their surprise and curiosity, checking in on other animatronics to see how much he felt from them. Of course, they all generally had a smaller aura than even monsters, to be expected when they didn't have actual Souls. They mimicked the real thing close enough to be alive in a way. They felt.

It was all very fascinating until he checked on Freddy from a distance.
Freddy was.. weird. His aura billowed, only slightly less than a human's, with emotions just as intense. The robotic bear was generally positive, but that was a strange quirk. Now that they were paying attention, Nightmare had to admit that Freddy had a faint sadness about him. Like he was lost and empty inside.
.. Huh. Weird.

Just to be sure, Dream quickly checked on the others again, and no, they were the same as before. Somehow only Freddy had that quirk.
Given their limited resources, the twins simply retreated to the daycare, not really up to talk with any animatronics.

However, upon reaching it, they could sense Melissa inside, working out plans of some kind at the desk.
Dream chose to sneak over, managing to creep behind her, looking at the notebook and the tabs she had open on her laptop. All of it plans for children activities being plotted.

All of a sudden she flinched at her screen with a jolt of fear, and he realized the glowing yellow eyes had reflected off the surface as she spun around.
“What are you two doing?” It sounded downright accusatory. She seemed oddly hurt, glaring at him.

“I'm sorry I avoided you so much.” Dream spilled out, cringing at her stony expression. “It wasn't even intentional on today's part, I've just been so out of it and Nightmare didn't seem ready to go into detail and honestly I wouldn't either knowing that thing under the racetrack and it's all just a mess-” He cut off nervously.

She finally stopped glaring, pointedly regarding the floor and allowing him to slump forward a little.
“I don't like magical thinking.” Melissa stated quietly.
“I prefer hard evidence and facts, not fantasy. You're.. not lying about these things, right?” There was a distrustful uncertainty in her gaze as she looked up at him again.
His Soul ached, knowing what she was thinking.

“..I knew you would immediately assume the human definition of magic.” Dream quietly noted.
“What does that mean?” She questioned, frowning suspiciously. As though she expected a lie.
He tried to reach out, maybe to touch her shoulder, maybe to cup her face- it didn't matter. She leaned back, guarded.

“I don't appreciate being lied to, Sun. You two won't even tell me your names, and now you tell me everything is a result of magic? Do I really seem that gullible to you?”
“I never thought you were gullible.” Dream defended, horrified. “I thought you were scientifically inclined, not-”
“Then what kind of bullshit excuse is magic?”
“It's not an excuse!” He argued weakly. “Magic is not a fantasy!”
“Are you delusional?”
“I'm not!” Was he shaking? He felt like he was shaking.

“How can I trust you if you legitimately use magic as a crutch for what, lost powers? Are you going to tell me you could fly like Superman in your past life? Or that you were a wizard casting spells in a fucking tower? Magic. And to think I thought you were good people in life. Have I even been talking to two people this entire time? Or is that a lie too?”
“None of it was a lie- Nightmare is real!” He begged, the lights above oddly flickering.

Melissa paused, eyes dark. “Nightmare? Really? Do you think I'm a child? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Several overhead lights abruptly shattered, light flaring in a surge around the desk before casting a shadow around it. Nightmare was suddenly gripping her face, enraged.
“You do not have the right to mock me.”

Then his arm spasmed, letting her slip away as Dream panicked. “Let her go! Fuck, you can't do that!” The sunrays were all the way out, spinning frantically as he backed into the wall. The woman was leaning on the desk, mortified by the incident.
“Did you just assault me over a name?”

“Melissa please, I didn't think he would do that-” Dream pleaded, shaking as the chill returned to his limbs, feeling heavy with a slime that was no part of him. The black was subtly oozing out between the gaps of the metal. She stared in horror even after he pulled back, hugging himself in an attempt to hide it.

“I gave you the respect of knowing the truth.” Nightmare spat through him, barely restrained.
The still functioning lights were shining brighter than they should have been able to, even as the shadows around the desk lengthened, lashing angrily.
“She's just human.” Dream whimpered, trying to scoot away in between surges of anger that wasn't his.

“Which is why we shouldn't have TRUSTED HER.” Nightmare shot back, wrathful.
“You were always the weak-minded idiot! You really thought a human could comprehend anything we share?”
“You trusted her too!” Dream snapped back, dizzyingly weak as four more lightbulbs exploded with every word.
“I simply entertained the questions, anything is better than dealing with children constantly. You always assume to know my motivations and yet fall so far to the wayside I have to ask how it was even possible we came from the same tree!”

“You can't- you don't think that.” It came out faint, barely even conscious.
“You can't hate me that much..”
“The only reason I have been at all civil with you is because we are trapped in the same fucking body!”
All at once, the remaining lights in the daycare burst, raining glass throughout it as it was all plunged into darkness.
And with it, came silence.

He suddenly felt.. so alone. There was an odd sense of detachment, like a familiar weight was suddenly absent as he leaned against the wall and reigned in his emotions. He'd grown accustomed to letting loose, as there weren't consequences anymore. Now he'd have to get used to consequences again, such as the broken lights.

It was odd. He couldn't feel Dream. He was used to automatically finding the distant echo of connection when the other was knocked out.
Actually it.. was a little unnerving. He wasn't fond of being alone in this body. Almost as though he felt defenseless without company- an absolutely ridiculous notion, but it forced him to sit up with a touch of anxiety.

“Fucking useless.” Nightmare hissed quietly, still peeved to have the argument simply end like that. As if Dream had the last word, leaving him in total darkness of his own making.
Except.. it wasn't entirely dark. There was a faint yellow glow in his lap, uncomfortably hot.
Glancing down, at first the weakly glowing shape didn't even register.

Then suddenly he was bolting upright, rigid with recognition.
“Dream?” It sounded like a whisper as he cradled the faintly luminous apple, the golden light casting shadows around him.
“Dream?” It came out high pitched when nothing happened. His hands weren't shaking. They weren't.

“You're not dying a second time, you bastard.” Nightmare swore, frantically recalling the button pattern just to open up the door on his front, desperately forcing the apple amidst the black slime and wires. Even though it burned.
There was a sizzling sound as it fell back out, dimming just a little bit more.
“Damnit, I need you.” He silently begged, grasping it again with unmistakably trembling fingers. Just curling up around the cupped fruit, forcing it back into place as the goop closed over it.
He shivered as it seared him.

A figure tentatively approached, and on impulse the goo diverted from inside, covering the chassis to form two familiar tentacles as the apple again fell out. Nightmare glared hatefully as she flinched in shock.
“Leave.”

“Wh-what. Is that?” Her voice cracked, eyes darting between the shifting fluid and the apple delicately clutched in his hands.
“You will leave.” Nightmare reiterated, hunched over.
“I just want to help.” Melissa whispered fearfully.
“You've done enough.” He spat, immediately flinching at a faint crack. There, sprouting from the stem and down the curved side, was a jagged gash that oozed yellow.

“Nononononono-” He pleaded, pressing the edges together gently. “You will not die before me again. Not again. Don't leave me here. Dream, you pathetic idiot you can't do this.” He kept going, this time nestling it in some wires with the goop distinctly avoiding contact. Nothing changed, it simply sat inert. He could feel the heat from the inside as he regarded the complicated mess.
“Damnit, there has to be something I can attach you to.” He muttered, completely at a loss for what he was looking at.

Then the human tentatively stepped closer, in spite of the threatening tentacles as she crouched down in front of him. “There has to be something I can do.” She reasoned.
Nightmare shot her a cold glare.
“The only reason you are still alive is because he would be upset without you.”

Frustrated by her presence and unwilling to snap her neck just yet, Nightmare backed away, letting his extraneous limbs carry him to the tunnels where he could try to wake Dream back up again.
But nothing was working. He could distantly sense Melissa spiraling into guilt and confusion, but he couldn't care less.

On a whim, he worked out that maybe he needed to move somewhere with light, perhaps saturated with more positivity than this. He couldn't just hop into a more positive AU, he still couldn't use portals anymore.

…But there were more joyous and illuminated parts of the pizzaplex, and he could distinctly remember the main stage being one of them. Even at night it was rather bright, as most of the lights were for whatever reason left on. He quickly scrambled towards the ceiling, using the rafters to swing as quickly as possible throughout the mall, dropping to the floor only to go through entryways.

Eventually he found his way there, the tendrils automatically retreating due to being too weak to withstand the general energy of the place, thankfully empty now that it was closed. He cringed in the light as he sat on the stage, but otherwise ignored it in favor of holding the apple in the still open compartment, mindlessly murmuring weak encouragement.

It must've been an hour or so of nothing, tensely aware of anything and everything that came close in the fear of being discovered in this pitiful state.
At some point, staring intensely at the Soul, he could see wisps of light spreading from it, gradually making contact with the surrounding wires and seeping into them. He could still feel the warmth as it tentatively spread, uncomfortably hot even as he kept his goop well out of the way.

Nightmare was staring at it for so long, he started to notice a darker gold splotch on the side, covering an entire portion of the apple. It was.. painfully familiar. He knew that sort of mark. Usually he saw it in bones, healed over after numerous attacks.
A scar, oddly tinted ever so slightly blue- a color easily missed when not watching for as long as he was.

The progress was excruciatingly slow, each second dragging on to the next, silence only filled with the ambience of the pizzaplex after hours and the faint.. dripping. The tarry substance was gathering on strange parts of his frame, some of it oozing around the eyes of his mask-like face.
But they weren't tears. Robots couldn't cry.

Still, eventually enough wires felt hot to the touch that the slime shifted, delicately touching a few near the apple. It stung, and part of him was glad to feel the pain. This body wasn't designed to feel pain. He hadn't felt pain since he died.
That and just the relief of knowing Dream wasn't going to die a second time before him, he.. shivered at the concept.

Nightmare knew he had to remember to reign it in. He had regained enough of his power to function a little closer to what he had been before. But Dream wasn't. The lighter twin was still so very weak, likely overexerting himself with the lights earlier. Nightmare was aware that Dream had incidentally made them brighter, too bright until they burst.

In time, he began to sense a hint of thought that wasn't his own, disoriented and hazy. Nightmare almost started mentally shouting at him, but held back. He was.. worried. The argument didn't feel worth continuing. Not when it could leave him stranded alone in this robotic body. In this infuriating AU.

Are you alright? He asked instead, unusually gentle with his words. It didn't seem like the question even registered for a full minute or so. A hanging tendril twitched tensely when nothing happened.
Yet.. ever so slowly.. a heavy.. groggy voice murmured.
Night..mare?

Yes, Dream? Are you alright? He repeated a little too quickly, uncharacteristically eager for a response.
I don't… The lighter twin trailed uncertainly, finally a little aware of their surroundings.
What.. what happened? I don't… feels wrong.
I'm not entirely sure what happened. He admitted quietly, still on guard for anything that could walk into the atrium.
One moment we were arguing, the next all grew silent and your Soul was out in the open and cracking. He ignored the shudder that shot through his frame and rippled across the tentacles.

Dream slowly processed that statement, growing more confused as he understood it.
And.. you put me back?? He finally asked, baffled.
Nightmare flinched at that, still studying the spreading yellow glow throughout the wires and components he couldn't comprehend the purpose of.
I.. refuse to endure this existence alone. He settled on that excuse, closing off as Dream internally scrutinized him.

Eventually the other relented, pulling back to think.
You know what this means at least, don't you? He asked instead. Nightmare perked up, regarding him mentally. What?
Our Souls are still here! We're alive, Nightmare. Dream pointed out eagerly, gathering strength.

Tendrils trembled at the understanding, finally retreating from their sentry, coiling and liquifying to fit inside the chassis, carefully avoiding contact with the wires. It should not be possible. Nightmare pointed out, pondering where his own Soul was in all this. How it might look.

With a pang, he had a bitter realization, something only Dream dared to voice in a jaded tone.
You always did want that last apple for yourself.
Not like this. He snapped weakly, halfheartedly gripping the door of their open chassis.
Tendrils crept up their robotic neck like roots, coiling behind their faceplate and automatically pooling inside the cap hanging over his right eye.

Nightmare dully glanced at the bell, watching some of the tar stain through the tip to flood it and silence it permanently. Virtually unnoticeable.
Could we stop fighting like that? Dream finally suggested. I don't want a similar incident happening. I.. I'm worried about Melissa. She was really upset.
Let her stew in tears. Nightmare snipped irritably. She was the reason it happened in the first place.
No, she wasn't. She's only human in a pre-Barrier AU. If monsters even can be freed here. Humans struggle with magic, Nightmare. They're weird about it. You have to understand that.

He growled softly at that, a strange sound from a speaker. He somewhat resented the human, but was aware that Dream was right, and he hated it. On some level, he wanted to snap her neck and be done with her, but another.. was somewhat guilty.

Quietly muttering curses at both his brother and the woman, Nightmare stood, fists clenching at what he was about to do. Dream perked up, recognizing his plan as well as he mentally flicked through cameras.
Melissa was nowhere to be seen, so he had to look personally.

Instead of leaping about in the catwalks above, Nightmare strode on the ground, ignoring the lights with a slight forward hunch as he walked, aiming for the daycare.
.. I'm glad you're trying. Dream finally spoke up, still a little faint.

You're lucky I am afraid of the repercussions of simply ending her. Nightmare grumbled, ignoring as he spotted Bonnie in the distance, waving. He wasn't in the mood- nor had time- for idle chitchat.
The rabbit was visibly disappointed as he kept going, still dreading his return to that daycare.

The lights inside were all dark, though he could see through the camera that there was not only glass littering the playmats, but a light gleaming between the grate of one of the tunnels. A familiar light, like that of a screen.

He entered through the main doors, which swung on largely silent hinges and revealed the mess inside, lit only by the faint cyan glow of his eyes. He could hear the distant sniffling, fixating on the point of negativity. In the play structure, hiding in the tunnels like he'd thought.

Nightmare crept to the closest entrance, pausing when he rested a hand on it. The ribbon hanging from his wrist had blackened, both ends coiling around his arm unconsciously. With a thought, they unwound, revealing a faint sheen as he studied it. Of course, it was covered in a thin layer of the tar, which extended well past the original length in ribbony tendrils. He glanced to see the other wrist had an identical situation.

Deciding to ignore it for now, he let them settle around his arms and continued on, eventually finding Melissa in the tunnel. She was curled up against a wall, frantically typing while wiping her eyes with elbows. He paused then, crouched in the low space as he regarded her, not sure how to proceed.

Nightmare raised a hand to say something, then hesitated. The ribbons, currently stained black, waved like kelp in an ocean current with indecision. He then jolted at the sudden spark of fear, realizing she'd stopped moving, just staring.

((Yes I drew this. No their faceplate doesn't currently look like that, I just refuse to draw biblically accurate Moon.))

He stared back, at a loss for words. He should apologize, but.. he.. couldn't. A stifling sense of indignant frustration and awkwardness rendered him mute as he watched her.
So, instead of addressing the issue, Nightmare opted to focus on something less aggravating.
“Did you step on glass to crawl in here?”

Melissa didn't reply, briefly glancing at her screen. Her eyes landed on him again, though still she said nothing. Dream silently suggested she was waiting for an apology. Nightmare twitched, telling him to shut up internally as he maintained eye contact.
“Are you hurt?” He asked instead.

That managed to get a mumble out of her, though it was too faint to be comprehensible. His head clicked sideways. “What was that?” He made to step closer, but she tensed, leaning away as she repeated.
“What are you?”

Nightmare blinked, finally glancing away to think. His face ticked back into an upright position as he regarded her once more.
“There is no simple answer to that question.” He admitted. “None that would truly satisfy you. I could go on and on with words. I could be eloquent as the Greek poets or as simplistic as a man of science, but in the end I only have words and nothing physical to prove my truth to you. Are you sure you want to ask that question, knowing that I cannot provide proof to my claims? I have no power. Not.. not anymore.” It pained him to admit that, yet he was still unusually honest with her.

She stared at him distrustfully, still tense and ready to bolt as she quietly spoke.
“.. Thought you wanted to kill me.”
Nightmare found himself cringing, well aware of her fear as he leaned back into a squat to give her space. “I nearly lost my brother a second time over a minor argument. I was.. emotional.” He explained, picking at a crevice in the floor. “And there is much we have been trying to keep unspoken that is not often secret. Dream is unaccustomed to such things, and the truths are not easy for you to hear.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Melissa questioned, uneasy. “What, that magic really is real? Where has it been if that's the case?” She recoiled almost as soon as that left her mouth, looking away.
Nightmare could only sigh at the grievances, a mechanical whirr from within.

“Magic is not so fantastical as you humans believe. Once, there was a time that you could all use it, different forms depending on what sort of Soul trait you had. However, much of it faded upon banishing monsterkind Underground at the end of the war, and it seemed to be forgotten entirely over time.” He explained gently, settling down, legs crossed.

Melissa squinted at him in the dark, the only light being his cyan optics now that her tablet had shut off. “Monsters?” She echoed dubiously.
He studied the features of her face solemnly, knowing his own was a blank mask.
“They are not like that of the many stories your kind tells one another. They are more dependent on kindness and empathy to survive. They are people, just as much as humans. Like animatronics.” He tacked on, glancing thoughtfully to the side.
“Those Glamrocks.. they are more than mere AI. There is life in them. It's uncanny..”

He shook his head, aware he'd gone off track. “It is with monsters and the forgotten recesses of human Souls that magic remains. When monsters finally do break the Barrier and reemerge on the Surface, then magic will properly return. Only then, not before.”
Nightmare fell silent then, clasping his hands together to press against the bottom edge of his faceplate as he awaited her reaction.

“You mean to tell me monsters are real, but they're.. like, the opposite of what we know? Like.. fairies and goblins and.. and dragons??” She gestured wildly. He tilted his head in lieu of no eyebrows to raise.
“I was not aware you would put those things under the same label as monster.”

“Then enlighten me as to what you would call a monster.” She ground out in frustration. He blinked at her, then slowly started listing.
“Whimsums, migosps, moldsmals, vulkins, wolfkins, felines, fishfolk, skeletons, lizards, froggits, woshuas, ghosts.. need I go on?” He pressed, mildly annoyed at her attitude. Melissa just stared with wide eyes, still processing the names.
“I-I… ghosts are monsters?”

“They are not what you are thinking.” He swiftly corrected. “They are a naturally intangible race, but not dead in the least. They are born just like any other, though they are unique in the fact that they cannot die unless they merge with a suitable vessel to become something new. Spirits, however, are indeed a name for echoes of the dead, though only humans are capable of persisting after death. A monster's Soul shatters when they die. Few exceptions.”

She frowned, turning to her device and squinting as it lit up the space, studying the time as she mulled over her thoughts.
“You uh.. either had a lot of time to come up with this..” She trailed off, the unspoken ending unmistakable.
Switching gears, she straightened. “What did you mean about shattering souls?”

Nightmare hesitated at the question, considering if he could just leave the conversation. Dream silently expressed his dissent over the idea, and he found himself slumping wearily.
“The embodiment of your being, the core of who you are and focal point of your mana is your Soul. It is often intangible, and in both humans and most monsters invisible in its usual state as well. However, it can be summoned at will by monsters. It is a common practice, though understandably given the nature of humans it would seem appalling to you.”

She nodded in agreement, though uncertain. “I.. have to admit I'm curious about what they look like.”
He paused, then carefully held out his hand. Melissa lifted hers automatically in confusion as he spoke.
“If you are sure, I.. believe I can show you yours.”
The woman froze, mouth slightly agape as she processed that statement.

Then she stammered. “I mean. Are you sure? Is it dangerous? Painful? Actually no, does it take long? We don't have much time left.”
He was surprisingly patient with his response.
“No to all of those. The only danger would be if I decided to attack it.. which I will not.” He assured.
Melissa stared at the offered hand, internally debating for a brief while before offering a shaky smile and taking it.

Nightmare smoothly pulled his hand out of hers to gesture softly, willing his still weak magic out to draw her core into the open. Her cringe immediately switched to shock as she went stiff at the sensation, the space between them now illuminated in a deep indigo heart, swirling with hints of blue and red.

He admired it for a minute or so. “You are a person of great integrity.” He noted curiously. “Though with an impressive level of Determination as well..” He glanced at her face briefly to study the look of wonder upon it. Melissa gently reached forward, cupping her hands beneath it before looking up at him.

When Nightmare didn't say anything, Melissa ghosted her fingertips across the surface, an odd look on her face as she did so.
“I.. I didn't know I could feel that..”
“It is you.” Nightmare shrugged, then fell silent as he heard distant voices calling into the daycare with concern.

The human blinked, drawn out of her reverie from the noise as they both turned in the direction of the calls.
“I.. shit.” Melissa mumbled.
“They seem concerned about the glass.” Nightmare noted, watching the five humans through the cameras.
“It's a daycare, of course they're concerned.” She shot back, awkwardly cupping her Soul without knowing what to do with it.

Rising back to a crouch, Nightmare waved it away, indifferent to her gasp of surprise as it collapsed into her chest, instead focused on the exit to the tunnel.
“It seems we are already out of time.” He stated, finally looking back at her- only to pause at the look she was giving him.

“..What is it, Melissa?”
She hesitated, also shifting to a crouch. “I.. I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I just thought it was all a lie or something.”
Hesitating, Nightmare leaned backwards, partly hanging from the grate as he regarded her.
“It.. doesn't matter.” He managed to work out. He meant to apologize as well, but it just wouldn't come out. “Tensions were high for all of us.” He excused instead.

“Can I at least know your real names? Not nicknames or titles?” Melissa blurted out as he turned away.
He flinched a little at that, staring as flashlight beams slowly approached. Finally, he turned his head a little to the side, far enough to look at her- though he didn't quite do that.
“Nightmare.” Came the answer. “...Do not ask me why that is my name.” He added distantly.

Nightmare left her behind in the tunnel, standing outside the entrance until she was done gaping and awkwardly followed. Instead of addressing his name when she stood up between shards of glass, she stared. “..Your ruffles are purple.”

He blinked at her- at first in pure confusion before following her gaze. Indeed, the unusually red ruffles of the infuriating outfit had shifted into a reddish purple innocuously. Odd. Though it was certainly an improvement over red. Even the stars were not as bright yellow as before, strangely enough.

They decided not to question it as Nightmare pinched her sleeve and helped her to the others.
“Are you okay?” Someone shouted as soon as they came into view.
“I'm fine, we took cover in the jungle gym!” Melissa called back, easily ignoring the fact that Nightmare only recently joined her there.
“Was there a power surge or something? Scared the crap out of me.” She lowered her voice while hobbling between larger shards of glass, every step crunching.

“We're not sure, some of us just clocked in.” One explained while aiming a flashlight up at the ceiling. Nightmare swiftly came up with a story.
“It was likely a power surge, all of the lights brightened just before shattering. She barely ducked under her desk in time when the shards landed.” He let go of her sleeve, pausing when she grabbed his arm to balance while stepping between two piles of dangerous shards.
“I don't think my shoes are thick enough to walk through this.” She explained nervously while shooting him a grateful smile.

The man's boots crunched through that same patch as he approached in concern. Nightmare automatically plucked a curved shard out of her hair, ignoring her gasp as Melissa noticed. He squinted as he recognized a slight red smear on an edge.
“This one cut you.”

“Are you sure? I don't feel anything?” She started touching her scalp in concern. Nightmare held it up into the flashlight beam, tapping the bloodied edge. “That red certainly couldn't have come from me.” He snarked lightly.

He then regarded her, Dream internally grateful for the random medical facts he now knew- while simultaneously annoyed at them.
“Luckily scalp wounds simply bleed a lot, there is a good chance it is more minor than it appears.” He watched as she winced, finding what was likely the spot that was sliced.
“I don't know how I never noticed.”

His head tilted slightly. “Adrenaline?” He suggested. “It's easy to miss a minor cut while in a panic. You should be fine. If you're only now noticing, it's likely it bled only a little. Be careful washing your hair tonight.” Nightmare stated, glancing at the ceiling himself to switch topics.

“How long should it take to clean up this mess? This is a lot of glass.” He pointed out, pausing as the technician cringed.
“I take it still too early for an estimate?”
“Yyyeah..” The man swung his light around at the scene. “I think it depends on how soon we can get in replacement lights. Fuck, we were supposed to start installing a track up there today. Did you file an incident report?” He turned to Melissa, who paused in checking her hair for any more glass with wide eyes.

“I.. was in the process of it when we heard you guys come in.” She answered, teasing apart a sudden tangle. “What I don't know if the whole daycare is like this or just the playroom?” She added, squinting into the darkness beyond the glass.

“Looks like some burst up there too, but most of the lights outside the playroom seem intact.” Another tech announced, walking over with crunching footsteps. He eyed Nightmare strangely, but otherwise didn't say anything.

“Mind if I step outside? I need to clock out and the glass is driving me nuts.” Melissa stated, looking at the doors almost longingly. Nightmare glanced at the glass on the floor across that distance and her shoes.
I mean.. we're made of metal. Dream pointed out.

Nightmare sighed heavily, deeply annoyed that he was actually agreeing to do this. Everything would have been so much easier if he still had tentacles, but instead he had literal shadows of them. Stepping forward, he held out his hand.
“I will.. help you to the door.”

“What do you mean? I'll be fine heading there myself- oh!” Melissa jolted when he just picked her up, pointedly looking away. “Glass cannot puncture metal like it can your shoes.” Nightmare explained dully, already moving for the door.

As soon as they were out of immediate earshot of the men assessing the damage, he whispered harshly. “Blame Dream for this, he wouldn't shut up about potential injuries.”
Hey! I hardly said anything at all!

“I guess I..” She gripped an arm as he tilted to the side to walk around a patch of glass.
“I had no idea you could pick up adults. I mean, yeah, animatronic body, just.. you always looked a little..”
“Spindly?” He finished the sentence for her. “Top heavy? We noticed. It's quite obvious whenever our AI is shut off as well, everything feels unbalanced.” He shuddered automatically while nudging open the door, unceremoniously setting her on her feet again.

Melissa stumbled a little, leaning on the open door to gape at him once again.
“So.. your real names are Nightmare and Dream?” She pointed out. Nightmare stared at her unblinkingly. “If it is any consolation, they are hardly the strangest names where we are from. Dream's closest friends are Ink and Blue.” He wasn't going to mention his gang, though she was still giving him a strange look.
“Is it like.. a cultural thing?”

“No, it's something else. I'm not in the mood to explain it.” He told her, looking back in the daycare.
“...Out of curiosity, what were your friends’ names?” She asked.
Nightmare automatically scoffed, an odd mechanical noise. “They were not friends.” He stated, scrutinizing her face with a slightly tilted head.
“... One of them was Cross.” He eventually admitted. It.. hurt to think about them.

“I'm sure they'd all be happy to know you're not dead.” Melissa offered softly.
That made him outright recoil, practically glaring.
“No. No. Not like this. Reduced to a spirit attached to my brother while possessing such a hideous form. No, I refuse to subject my boys to the sight of this.” He grimaced internally at the mere thought of it, turning to walk away.

“I'm sorry- wait.” Melissa raced to catch up with him, tucking her tablet under one arm.
“I didn't mean it like that.” She explained. “I was sort of thinking about it from the point of view of someone who's lost a friend?” It was phrased like a question.
“I guess I wouldn't care about the circumstances or form if I had someone back.”

She smiled weakly at him as he slowed, thinking. Melissa watched, oddly hopeful as they considered.
It was Dream who spoke up, voice still a little faint.
“It's.. a little more complicated than that. I haven't been the best brother, so to speak.”

Nightmare was more blunt with his explanation. “We have been enemies for the longest time, Melissa. Longer than you can imagine. Our.. friends are on opposing sides of this conflict. You asked us once how we died.” He squinted at her, only a little guilty for what he was about to say.
“We finally killed each other in a derelict abandoned restaurant. We died fighting. Our respective allies would be horrified to know we are in the same body now. I will not inflict that knowledge on my men if I can help it, and Dream is of a similar opinion.”

Melissa stared in now abject horror as he turned and strode away, hoping to go anywhere- so long as he was alone.
Well.. mostly alone.
..Today had been a long day.