A smirk and flash of something pink, black, and red.

A slash of a sword pointed at a whirl of something gray that let out a horrifying screech.

A cave.

Coughing and the cold.

Pain.

Mega's eyes shot open as he struggled to even his breathing. It was the same recurring nightmare he had been having since their arrival on 454-1C. Mega rubbed the bridge of his nose in worry, sliding his feet over the side of the bed.

Months of living and adapting to the seemingly secure conditions of the planet numbed everyone to any potential dangers that they might have to face. Safety precautions were no longer taken seriously (such as checking water from lakes and ponds that opened up for swimming each month). Only a few worried about others' carelessness and tried to follow the regulations they were supposed to, but eventually, they were pulled into the never-ending stream of bad habits that were pulling everyone else along.

One of these few people worrying about the negligence was Mega. After leaving his bedroom, Mega tripped downstairs to where he knew Zelk would be sitting and reading or thinking. He might not care or even understand what his nightmares had been about, but it was comforting just to know that he wasn't alone.

At the sound of a creaking floorboard, Zelk was snapped out of his deep reading (though it wasn't really reading, it was just his distraction from his argument with Skeppy), looking up to see Mega's anxious face. He quickly set down his book and ushered his friend to sit on the chair adjacent to his.

"Is everything alright?" Zelk asked, glancing at the clock. He hadn't noticed it was nearly 2 AM until just then. Pulling a notepad and pen out of his pocket (Mega was always prepared), Mega started writing down his dream. Zelk's eyes scanned the page, reading the words with an eyebrow raised.

"... It's just a bad dream. You don't have anything to worry about," Zelk assured him. Mega could tell Zelk was spooked, but he didn't continue. Taking the notepad back, Mega wrote Zelk a question.

Are you OK?

Mega could see Zelk's eyes go over the short sentence over and over, but he didn't reply. He didn't expect his advisor friend to open up (Zelk was a pretty closed-off person), but he knew that recognizing that someone cared about your feelings feels nice. Eventually, Zelk settled on the words "I'm doing well," and didn't elaborate- which, again, Mega didn't expect him to.

"I won't be sleeping now that it's two in the morning, so if you're tired and if you feel safer, you could sleep on the couch," Zelk offered, making eye contact with his friend, who nodded. Picking up his book, Zelk resumed his reading.

~~~~~

Techno had woken up early that morning to head to the mines, and he didn't expect Tommy to be up. The young blonde was leaning over a book on the kitchen table, immersed in thought. It didn't seem like he was reading it, though, since his eyes were still and not scanning the page. It was unsettling that the boy didn't even notice Techno was watching him, so Techno cleared his throat, walking over to Tommy and flicking the back of his head.

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed, snapped out of his thoughts. He glared playfully at Techno, who smirked at him.

"You were spaced out," Techno chuckled.

"Aren't we all?" Tommy snarkily replied, making the adviser laugh even harder.

"Yeah, I guess so," Techno realized, ruffling Tommy's feathery hair. "If you need me, I'll be in the mines, but I think you'll be alright." An elegant velvety-red cape was draped over Techno's arm, and the pink-haired man adjusted it over his shoulders.

"That looks awesome, Techno," Tommy complimented him, his eyes sparkling.

Techno turned back, a genuine smile on his face. "You can have it when I'm dead, then," he joked, waving goodbye.

-

Hours had gone by, and Wilbur and Phil had gone to do whatever advisers did, leaving Schlatt and Tommy together. Phil and Wilbur had bent Jschlatt into conforming to their rules of how to treat the young boy before they left. Jschlatt stayed hidden away in his room upstairs out of shame, and Tommy was desultory as he waited for Techno and the others to come back.

A knock on the door made him hopeful. Maybe it's Techno! He thought, running to the door.

Tommy swung the door open, expecting to see his friend. The grin on his face dropped as soon as he saw who it was in front of him.

"Hey, teacher's pet," Punz spat, pushing Tommy back and barging into the house. "It's a shame your friends aren't here to help you this time. We'll really have some fun now." Punz smiled devilishly, signaling two other guys to come and grab either of Tommy's arms, dragging him out of the house. Tommy squirmed in their grasp, trying to scream, but one covered his mouth. No, no, no! Tommy panicked, biting one's hand, causing them to drop his arm and uncover his mouth. Tommy's head hit the ground, and his arm twisted behind his back. While he had the chance, he tried to call for help.

"Hel-" Tommy managed to shout before Punz covered his mouth again. Tommy continued to struggle as they hauled him closer and closer to the porch. The young blonde squeezed his eyes shut in defeat, tears streaming down his face.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Jschlatt strutted towards the three boys attacking Tommy with a kitchen knife. As soon as they caught sight of him, they immediately dropped the boy, running for their lives. Tommy's head slammed against the floor, but he scrambled up, hiding behind Schlatt.

Jschlatt scowled at the boys as they slammed the door and sprinted off the porch. Turning around to face Tommy, he met the boy's fearful eyes. "It's okay. They left," Schlatt said, trying to comfort him. He put a soft hand on the boy's shoulder, making Tommy flinch. The fact that the three boys had scared the blonde that much made Schlatt furious, but he remained at Tommy's side. "Do you need anything?"

Tommy didn't move, and he hesitated to say anything.

"... I want Wilbur," he eventually spoke, desperately trying not to cry. Jschlatt's face relaxed, and he nodded. He sat the boy down in a chair by the kitchen table, then left to get Wil.

-

It took a while to find Wilbur, but Schlatt eventually found him in the newly built library, sorting books into shelves. As soon as Wil saw Schlatt, he paused, looking at his adviser friend, confused.

"Tommy needs you," Jchlatt told him urgently once he approached him.

Wilbur set a book on the shelf it was assigned to, becoming concerned. "Why? Did something happen?"

Schlatt stiffened. "Punz and two other kids came and messed with him. He wanted you," he quickly explained, spinning around and marching back to the advisers' home. Wilbur followed. As they got closer to the house, Wil sped up his pace, eventually passing Schlatt. When his eyes caught on Tommy, he immediately went over.

"Hey, Tommy. It's Wilbur-" he started gently.

Before he could even finish, Tommy had his arms around him like a chain, crying hysterically into his shoulder. Wilbur pet his head in an attempt to soothe the boy, which worked pretty well. Before too long, Tommy was fast asleep.

~~~~~

5:30 pm

Dream Team Territory

Once the others had left that morning, Bad got to work making the house more like home. He would have liked to help out with the more serious things, but it was nice to be able to stay home, too. Besides, he wasn't complaining. Mining stone wasn't much more thrilling than cleaning.

After arranging the couches three times, Bad decided it was too quiet. Since he had no one to chat with, he pranced up the stairs to his room. The red oak floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he opened his door, a gush of air from the opened window brushing against his face. He went over to his closet, sliding the door open slowly as a grin grew on his face.

Bad carefully picked up the bulky phonograph beneath his black and red cloaks and brought it downstairs. Carefully placing it on the table, he pulled out a record, setting the needle over it. The lovely sound of a piano filled the room, and Bad smiled, going into the kitchen to start dinner.