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"You disappoint me, Corinthian ," Dream murmured as he approached the stand, closer to the nightmare. " You and the humans you've inspired and created… disappoint me."
The Corinthian shifted in his spot. The urge to run as far as he could, could not overpower the need to be as close to his creator as possible. "I've done my best to be what you made me," he retorted nervously.
The dream lords lips twisted into an amused smile and huffed. "No. You've done your worst, which was in so many ways what I'd hoped ." He maintained eye contact as he walked up the stage steps. " You were my masterpiece. A dark mirror to reflect everything humanity will not confront."
The blonde could feel his ocular mouths filling with unshed bloody tears. His jaws clenched, hoping he wouldn't reveal himself. "That's what I am. That's what I've done," he responded. He tried to flash his signature smile, but his lips refused to cooperate.
"No. Look at you, walking this Earth for over a century infecting everyone with your joy of death. But what have you given them? What have you wrought? Nothing. Just something else for them to be afraid of."
The nightmare pretended like those words weren't a punch in the gut. He had failed in every way, hadn't he? His actions in the Waking had disappointed his maker, disrespecting the time and effort his god put into crafting him. All that time and high expectations, and here he was. Faulty and broken in every way.
"So what now?" he asked. "Will you send me back to their dreams, or will you finally destroy me and move on? 'Cause I don't think you can fix me."
Dream tilted his head, questioningly. "Why would I want to destroy you? I've thought about it, but I realize that I was the one who failed you in some way. I want to be able to keep you, but I need you to tell me how I can help you, my nightmare. Please," he murmured. The king's eyes were watery, saddened by what was standing before him.
The Corinthian tried to stifle a sob that wrecked throughout his body. He slapped a hand over his mouth and took a step back, away from his king. Seeing Dream look so miserable made his heart ache.
The Endless frowned at the reaction. He reached out his hand, wanting to comfort his creation. It made the blonde flinch. He rescinded his hand as if he were burnt. A sole tear ran down his cheek, leaving his skin glassy.
The Corinthians' knees buckled underneath him, crashing down to kneel in front of his king. He ripped the glasses off of his face, revealing teeth stained with blood. Unable to resist longer, bloody tears were released. He made himself as small as possible, covering the back of his head with his hands. "I'm sorry, m'lord. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to hurt you so badly. End me. I don't want to feel this way anymore," came his muffled voice.
Dream was stunned. His usually confident and snarky nightmare was reduced to such agony. He didn't remember creating him with the ability to feel such despair. But just like Gault, his Corinthian was full of surprises. He kneeled down in front of the blonde, hesitant to touch the fragile thing.
"Tell me, little dream. Let me help you," he whispered, finally resting his hand on top of the nightmare's hands.
For a couple minutes, there was nothing, save for the sounds of sniffles coming from the blonde. To Dream, time passing didn't matter, but to the Corinthian, it felt like eternity. He was trying to fight the urge to touch his maker– to beg to touch and be held by him.
Eventually his tears slowed down, helping him to see slightly better. Slowly, he uncurled himself, gazing up at Dream. He managed to crawl forward to curl himself onto the other's lap, arms wrapping around his waist.
Morpheus smiled, faintly. As he sat there holding his nightmare, he felt Rose Walker's panic. He pulled a piece of himself away to meet her in the dreams. She and her brother were surrounded by the serial killer's dreams, effectively trapped.
"Rose," he called out. "You must not panic. I need you to listen to me. Concentrate. Picture barriers in place between you and them. Focus."
She glanced at him, nervously. She raised a shaky hand towards the woman and the operation room. Closing her eyes, she pictured a thick wall, unable to be pierced or smashed. Smiling and seeing Dream's nod of encouragement, she pressed on. One by one, she placed walls to protect her and Jed from murderers.
After she finished, she released a sigh of relief. Quickly, she remembered the god was with her.
He was watching her in silence.
"Why are you here?" she demanded.
He frowned. "You're able to control the dreams around you. But in turn, you've become a threat to humanity. You have a vortex within you, Rose Walker. For the sake of the Dreaming and the Waking, I must get rid of you before you destroy reality."
Rose backed away from the man, pulling her brother with her. "No, I just got my brother back! I won't let you separate us again. Get away from me!" she shouted. She held out her hand and forced a wall between them, allowing her to wake up.
The force of her ending the dream jostled Dream slightly. Noticing the movement, he felt the Corinthian shift as well. "I assume Rose doesn't approve of you wanting to kill her?"
Dream, noticing his hand had stopped petting, resumed the motion. "No, I suppose not. Now we wait until she falls asleep again."
"So, what do we do now?" the Corinthian asks.
Dream smiles down at him. "You still haven't told me what you need first. I doubt there's anything I cannot do. Except allowing you to stay in the Waking. So, what can I do to keep you in the Dreaming?"
The nightmare flips himself over, back against the king's thighs, facing up. "I just want you, m'lord."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to be near you. I want to touch you and hold you. I want your attention. I want to kiss you and know that I won't be forgotten again. As long as I have you, I'll do whatever you say, Dream," he admitted.
Morpheus blinks in surprise.
"I love you, Dream. I know I wasn't made to feel this way. But if you can pretend to love me back, then… I'll take what I can get," the blonde added.
His king, ever the contortionist, leaned down and pressed his lips to the Corinthians. He could hear the ocular teeth chattering in surprise. Feeling the nightmare's greedy tongue pressing against his lips, he gladly opened his mouth. One brush of their tongues, and the blonde jerked back as if shocked.
Dream opened his eyes in confusion, but backed his head away. "Is something wrong, little dream?"
The Corinthian sat up from his position on Dream's lap, opting to copy his king's sitting position. "Er- no, m'lord. I just didn't expect you to kiss me. You don't have to if you don't want to," he stammered in embarrassment.
"You want me to, do you not? I do not mind fulfilling your request."
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. The blonde flinched, teeth gritting. He jerked himself to his feet, backing away from him. "Nope. Forget I said anything."
The god was confused. He also rose to his feet. "Did I say something wrong? It wasn't my intention to offend," he asked.
He tried to approach his nightmare, but every step he took, the other took one step back. He could've held him in place and stopped the little dance, but he didn't think that was a good idea right now. Eventually, the stage ran out and the Corinthians foot was met with empty air. He didn't make a noise as he began to fall.
Without hesitation, Dream stopped his descent, leaving him floating in the air. Gently, he set the nightmare back on his feet beside the stage. If the Corinthian were a cat, his fur would be bristled.
"Speak, little dream," Morpheus demanded softly.
The blonde pinched his nose in irritation. "I thought I said to drop it, my lord," he griped. "Kissing is an intimacy that both parties are willing. You don't do it 'cause I want you to, you do it because you want to."
The Dream king scoffed in amusement. "I know how a kiss works, little nightmare. You should know by now that if I don't want to do something, I won't. Your stubborn traits are by far surpassed by my own ," he assured with a smile. " So, do you want to kiss me or not?"
The Corinthian's face released the tension in angst it once held. He rushed to the beginning of the stage, met by Dream kneeling to his level. This time, they could both taste the passion on each other's tongue. It was everything the blonde hoped it'd be.
After a couple minutes, they released. Despite not needing to breathe, the blonde was left breathless.
"Know that I do care for you greatly. You will always be my masterpiece and I'd never forget you. How could I? I do love you, my Corinthian. Now you must love me, and me alone."
The nightmare's heart swelled. He beamed up at his god, his lover. "You say it like it's a hard task. As long as you're mine and I'm yours, then I have everything I want."
"Are you ready to go home then, my nightmare?" Dream asked with a smile. He held out his hand to be grabbed. The Corinthian conjured his glasses into his hand and put them on. Satisfied, he smiled and grabbed his hand. Dream whisked them back to the Dreaming, leaving the serial killers to wake up gradually to an empty stage.
During the next couple of days, many of the murderers bodies began to show up due to mysterious suicides and confession letters left near their bodies.