Two months later, Dream's POV

"So that's everything, huh?" Nightmare asks

I nod, telling him what the past week has been like. He sets his cup down with a soft clink and grins.

We've been meeting almost every week as he "requested" in his own words...that being a demand as soon as I recovered. We'd hang out or catch up in public but we switched to just doing home visits. He visits my home, also taking the chance to connect with Obscuro or Palette when he does while other weeks I visit him at his castle. I've seen how he fused the castle with the base Error made for the gang, making a very large space to walk through. Sometimes it feels odd to walk the halls past the gang that used to oppose me and I can tell that they sometimes feel the same with how Killer or Dust hide their weapons when they see me coming. Nightmare's tentacles always indicate how happy he is when they're wagging once he sees me. The funny thing is that he doesn't always notice them moving and gets annoyed at them when he does. We would go out for strolls in a park or something simple but we stopped that after noticing how others would act seeing us together. They always are so unsettled, especially when Nightmare expresses to me some frustrations he might've been having lately. They watch him like he's an animal they're scared is going to snap at any moment and I've grown tired of how they worriedly check on me with dozens of questions after we part ways, fearing that he'd hurt me and claiming to be ready to protect me. Given our history in the eyes of the multiverse, I can understand their concerns especially since things haven't been exactly stable enough for the truce to be recognized by outsiders. And anyone who believed or heard of the truce probably thought it got broken with how the multiverse had nearly fallen apart and put itself back together. Still, it annoys me since it's just more of the same routine from years ago. The same behavior that the villagers had as a routine whenever we were together, the same attitudes and words that excluded him and tried to separate us...isolate him...That perceived or claims of fear and valuing my life over his, all the name-calling and insults from a distance....The villagers acted the same until it pushed Nightmare away, piercing him with their words while being "worried" for me aka their "happiness battery" or "precious guardian" while he was the "dark shadow" they would prefer not to mention. Rarely I'd hear them be blunt and call him a freak. All those words that chipped away at him until I lost him...The same routine of strangers trying to choose one of us over another instead of considering both. It annoys me but I try to make it clear that things are different now by quickly excusing myself from these strangers when they start badmouthing my brother "out of concern" for me. Sometimes I even shouted for Nightmare to get the chance to catch up to him. He didn't say anything but I can tell that it means a lot to him. The message is clear: I choose him. I show what I wish I could've done and what I often wanted to do if not for the pressure placed on me at the time, that being to prioritize him and chase after my brother so that it could be fun with us, not strangers making demands or looking for favors.

I was the one who suggested the home visits so that we don't have gossipers or the opinions of others to bother us. I won't let the words or views of others get between us again. So here we are.

"How are things going with Error?"

"It's going good. We've mostly been going to OuterTale or watching UnderNovela together."

"Is he still mad that I intruded on your date?"

I chuckle at the question.

"I think he is past that but he is a lot more careful with the dates it seems. I think he is trying to make it so nobody interrupts it. I wouldn't be surprised if he is planning now since I busted him yesterday putting something together."

"Have you had any issues with these dates?"

"Just trying to get him to make himself comfortable. He tries to make things fit a perfect plan but sometimes he forgets to include himself in the equation if you get what I mean."

"I see...Anything you have planned later?"

"I'm going to meet with Lust later. I hear he got a good gig with some fashion that he wants me to see. It'd be a good way to catch up as well."

He hums, nodding.

"I have to talk with Killer later. I fear he may be becoming a bad influence for our brother."He says, flipping through some paperwork.

I grin, finding it sweet how he is getting protective of Obscuro. I laugh at the implications in his statement though.

"Are you sure it isn't the other way around? I get that Killer can be chaotic but I don't think he can outdo the being or guardian of chaos."

"Well, Killer is a different breed of chaos. The reckless kind. Obscuro is careful with his plans or any tricks he constructs. Killer is the kind of chaos where it gets so crazy that it even endangers himself and I don't want that to influence Obscuro or harm him. And despite him being nearly as old as us, he is still mentally younger. He's still a child at soul and I don't need Killer exposing him to inappropriate material of any sort. Bad enough that I've noticed how he's expanding Obscuro's vocabulary with profanities."He says with an eye roll.

Then he pauses, seeming to think of something. I see his tentacles freeze and two twitch, indicating another concern has crossed his mind.

"That disdainful woman hasn't shown her face again near him, has she? Making demands for a life she left?"He asks, glancing at me.

I knew who he was talking about and shake my head.

"Not as far as I've seen. I think he would've told us if she confronted him when we're not near him."I say

"Good. She should know by now that she belongs nowhere near him."He says

Then a crash sound is heard and someone shouting for Nightmare. He groans, shaking his head and trying to hide his smile.

"It's really back to normal now."

"I'll let you go handle that."

"Wait, I want you to wear something."He says, digging into a drawer.

I look at him as he lifts up a necklace with a large group of jewels fused together in a triquetra. He points to the center where yellow, purple, and green jewels are fused together.

"I know everything from the peaceful kingdom you made has faded away by now as part of the multiverse healing itself, but that realm and the meaning that you put into it was still important to you. It was your dream and you took a lot of care to make it...It's not the crowns you gave us, but I tried to make something for our family...To show that we three are equals and won't be separated anymore...Purple for me, yellow to represent you, and green for Obscuro. Each outgoing triangle or petal is made of jewels in the color that would appear if our colors overlapped faintly, which is really just a lighter or darker shade of green or purple...I know it may not be normal for brothers to share jewelry from what I've read but nothing about our bond has been normal."He says, pointing to each detail that he described.

He steps closer, clipping it around my neck when I don't show any resistance. I was too busy laughing at his comment about "normal brothers". I see him slip on a ring with the matching jewel at its center.

"No, I don't think anything about us is normal but it's definitely special. This is wonderful, Nightmare. Thank you."I say

He smiles at me, then chuckles.

"Somehow the three of us and our roles seem to fit us so perfectly to explain things as a trio or our influence on the multiverse. You have positivity, negativity, and all the chaos in between."He says

I chuckle, nodding.

"Now that you mention it, it does make sense."I say

Then there's the sound of something shattering and voices shouting for Nightmare. Nightmare groans at the spoiled moment. Then my phone dings with a message from Lust.

"I guess that's a time to go. I'll talk to you later, Brother!"I say

He nods and I wave as I teleport away, appearing near Lust. I smile, seeing that he is getting prepped by a team for a photoshoot. He glances over at me and smiles.

"Oh! So glad to see that you made it, darling!"He says as he skims through a rack of outfits on hangers.

I wave to him with a smile and once the team around him is finished, he walks over to me with a grin. He scans me from head to toe and his grin widens.

"A few more beauty marks on your bones and accessories since I last saw you. I assume it's been a mix of good and bad since I last saw you. Would I be correct?"

"Yeah, that's a good assumption to summarize it. How are you doing?"

"Great actually! This is the third time I've gotten to do this! It's a nice change from the routine."

We chat for a bit before he gets called up. I watch as he goes through the photoshoot and models different outfits, feeling happy for him. He's clearly enjoying himself and I stay in a dim corner, trying not to get noticed so that he can shine. I notice a few people from the pride festival I went to and grin, seeing them notice me and whisper to each other. Their eyes clearly focus on my earring and fail horribly at being subtle. My vision is back to normal but I can read them already, partially since they were the ones that talked to me while I was disguised. Yep, the ones that talked about how Error and I are a great pair. I still recognize them and smile as they giggle together in a huddled little group of four. I wave to them but focus more on Lust as he enjoys himself. Then I hear a gasp from my left and glance over curiously. I see Evelyn slithering over with some pencils, a clipboard, scissors, and some fabric.

"Hey Dream! It's been a while! You seem to be doing better!"

"Hey Evelyn! It's good to see that you're doing better as well!"I say

"Only because you freed me from Fate's grip and had me taken under Will's wing into his domain. Now I can choose a life for myself and I'm having fun doing it. I'm already trying different careers and finding that I'm good at designing."

I nod with a smile.

"I see you also have a few accessories on ya. Still with that destroyer?"

I nod.

"Great! I've been running a blog online about figures in the multiverse and anything related to you seems quite popular. I basically have the power through my blog to keep your fanbase in check since some so-called fans admit way too much online. You'll get a message from me if there's ever something worth your attention. Over there are a few editors or writers that help me."She says, pointing to the giggling group.

I grin, glad to have her help. It feels good to have any new or remaining creeps at a distance and get alerted to watch out....another person having my back.

"It's a good thing you grabbed him while you could. I've heard things and that destroyer has some...interesting admirers if you get what I'm saying."

I nod slowly, understanding what she was saying.

"But of course I easily get them to stop considering crossing the line when I show them videos of who they're messing with. They forget that a destroyer can destroy as dumb as that sounds and hardly recognize that he has a brother capable of that and more."She says

"I see..."

"Hey, Dream! The photo shoot is done but they have more clothes and time! Want to do some together?"Lust calls over

I didn't get much of a choice before he yanked my arm. I find myself agreeing and joining him for what felt like hours in various outfits. But Lust seemed happy, especially when we posed together. Once that was done, Evelyn slithers over to me as I was trying to see where my crown and necklace got put. Nobody tried touching my earring during any of the photos.

"So I just learned some things about who is working in the space next door...They're a group that thrives on misinformation through gossip and crafting trouble out of bullshit theories or claims. They thrive on lies with some shitty show they're filming just like some ssstupid podcast would be filmed for this. I've ssseen their crap and it's nothing but trouble. They spent three episodes ranting or listing insults about Nightmare or Obscuro and trying to list reasons why they're not your brothers. They claim the truce either never happened or fell apart and you're stuck in conflicts between them. They also try to deny any signs of you or Error being in a relationship even when it's super obvious. They're just fueling more trouble and tensions."She says

"Is that so...? What's the name of this show of theirs?"I ask, hiding my irritation hearing this.

Badmouthing my brothers and spewing insults? That won't do...

"The Daily Verse Show."

"Have they ever had guest speakers?"I ask

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just wondering if they've ever had to handle confrontation. Guess they haven't. I'll grab my things real quick."I say, marching over to grab my necklace.

I pick up my crown but then Lust meets my gaze and takes it from me.

"Don't want you to lose this. I can hold your things if you want me to."

"Thank you, Lust. That's a good point."

"Huuuh?"Evelyn says

"I know an impending smackdown when I see one."Lust says

"Oh no no no! Violence won't be the result of this! I'm just going to politely go over there and give them the confrontation they've never experienced! Although if badmouthing and lying about my brothers leads them to violence...I won't exactly stop them from trying."I say with a grin

"I've never seen you smile like that before..."

"Oh darlin', they're just going to get a good episode or two. They miiight have to go off the air if they cause his earring to come off. Once that's off, all bets are off."Lust says

I start to step away but Lust grabs me.

"If it comes to that, you're kicking those asses in style darling.~"

Once changed, I calmly march next door as they chat to the neighboring studio in the hallway. I knock and a eel-ish monster opens the door and visibly jolts at the sight of me.

"D-D-Dream! What are you doing here?"He asks

"I heard about a popular little show being produced here and wanted to just peek in or see what it's like! I hear that show production takes a lot of work but I hardly have seen the process. It must be so interesting!"I say, playing dumb and clueless.

"Oh well we'd be glad to show you! Would you like to join us for a recording?"

"Oh I'd love to!"

He lets me inside and I glance around the space, pretending to be in awe of the small studio. I find multiple notebooks or papers lying around, yet only had scribbles and doodles on them and including unflattering drawings of my brothers. If what Evelyn informed me didn't annoy me enough with this show, this did. Some notes list insulting claims and there's a note above horrible drawings of my brothers that says WORTHLESS FOOLS. I frown reading it. I get not everyone will like my brothers, Nightmare's reputation alone makes that impossible, but this is different. They can state their views and use facts to explain why, but they don't. There's at least four people doing this recording in this small studio and none of them are using facts. They're spreading misinformation or mocking my brothers while being too cowardly to say it directly and face consequences. And saying that the long-desired truce isn't real? They're twisting things into issues that aren't there, which should be stopped. I roll my eyes with my head down, then take my chance and pick up one of the notebooks.

"Is this your script?"I ask

"Huh?"

"Shows usually have a script and I hear that your show gives a lot of information. Any good show has a plan or some writing involved. How do you write your scripts and include your sources?"

"Oh we don't have scripts or sources. We just say whatever comes to mind and it becomes the truth. Come take a seat."

"I see...I didn't realize you knew more about my life than I did and it just magically pops into your head."I say as I sit down.

They noticeably tense up at my comment, seeming unsettled. It was funny seeing them squirm.

"How did you-?"

"Your show is quite well-known so it was only a matter of time until I learned about your group discussing my family and I. I'm eager to see your skills with the truth in action."I say just before the cameras come on.

The looks on their faces are hilarious as I sit across the table from them. They look stunned and lost on what to do, completely silent. I tilt my head, playing clueless as I look between them and the cameras to hint for them to go on. They have a show to do, don't they? They dug themselves into this hole so now they have to deal with the consequences.

And I can tell that it's going to be so much fun.

TBC