How much can be said about the end of the day? Where all energy has been wasted only hours past. The soft hushes of the trees as the wind leads itself to rest. A knight and a mechanic sit and talk beside the warm fire. Graciously taken by the hostility of a domestic witch and their friend, who seems to come and go in certain intervals. They talk, talk for what only seems like moments, memories that they wish not to forget.

"Tell me more about those faraway lands," Fundy requested. He stirred at the crumbs of his finished dinner plate. The fire in front of them radiated a heat. Dream pulled him down and put the ginger's head onto his lap, he stroked his hair, making him feel like a small animal again.

"I don't know if there's that much left to tell you about them," the blond whispered. They were in that comfortable silence again. The one where they would stare at eachother or Dream would just pet him, having nothing to say or do. But Fundy loved to hear the small rambles or little facts that spilled from his mouth. "There is of course just the plain birch forests and–"

"Swamps," Bad piped in. "Nobody likes swamps." The two looked over at Badboyhalo, he'd been sitting there the whole time, a book in his hand as he minded most of his business.

"Yeah," Dream nodded, looking back down at Fundy. "Those are slimy and there's always some eerie feeling around them." Dream had been lucky enough to take in the sight of the red head giggling, the way his eyes squinted as his grinning cheeks took over.

"Surely there's more about the nether?" Fundy questioned. He flicked Dream's creeping hand that started to poke his cheeks.

"Ah," he let out a startled noise, Fundy drowning it out with his own laughter. Dream shook his head and went back to not so subtly petting his hair. "No, it's pretty basic," he continued on, "fire and old abandoned fortresses."

"Ooh! There's the End," Bad added in excitement. Dream's hand paused, before going back to its repetitive motions.

Fundy noticed and engaged in the idea. "The End?"

"Now that place for sure isn't real," Dream said.

"Really? You convinced me that a biome full of cows that make mushroom stew is real, but something called the End isn't enough to believe in."

"It's a myth. Only crazy people spend their entire lives following the traces to that place and end up dying before they even get there."

"So you refer to Tubbo as crazy now?" Bad spoke.

Dream rolled his eyes, though no one could see it. "Ever since Bad mentioned the End to Tubbo, all the kid has wanted to do was find it," he said to Fundy.

"Is it like a treasure hunt or something?" Fundy asked, far more interested in watching Bad and Dream's banter. It was funny hearing a stern like parent voice whenever Bad was speaking to Dream individually or commenting on something he did in the past.

"A legend only passed down from the eldest of elders in the Capital. There's barely any books about this place and if there are, then they can only be obtained by scholars," He said. "If I cared enough, I probably could ask George to pick up a few pages from one, but, y'know."

"Why can only scholars entertain a place that's thought to be a tale?"

Dream shrugged. "I don't know. But Tubbo is dedicated, says he's actually going to attend school when he's of age which will be around next summer. It'll be funny to see if he manages to drag Tommy with him."

Fundy cracked a smile at that. He himself had never found much interest in attending school, especially when it was so far from his village. Tommy, however, didn't have a location holding him back. He's always been the adventurer, the one who just follows his own agenda. "I wish him luck."

The two nodded in agreement. "Bad, how soon till nightfall?" Dream asked.

"Not long." He bent down, collecting the plates from their seat on the floor. He looked at Fundy, "I got more if you're still hungry? Those potions can have quite the effect on your appetite."

"No thank you," Fundy said, "I'm plenty full and your food is amazing." Bad smiled softly, patting Fundy's shoulder as he collected more of the dishes.

The back door opened and all three turned to look at the newcomer, Skeppy. Fundy identified him as. Earlier in the day when Fundy was drifting to and from the escape of sleep and just grogginess, he could've sworn he saw that man walk in and out of the room for a few items.

"Ooh, the fox boy is awake!" they exclaimed, putting down a basket on the nearest countertop.

"Skeppy," Bad said in a stern tone.

"What, cats got your– Ow!" Bad smacked the side of his head. "Okay fine, I get it. No jokes." He nudged the blond whose smile had dropped almost completely.

"Y'know I was in a good mood, Skeppy," Dream said.

"Oh you're never cheery when you see me. It is nice to see you again," Skeppy said, looking over at Fundy. "And with a friend as well."

Fundy looked back down. The stranger looked over at Fundy and smiled. "Hi, I'm Skeppy," He greeted. Fundy shook his hands restating his name as well.

"So, Dream, how long are you staying this time?" The man started the conversation. The four chatted idly among the calm atmosphere. Less thoughts and more relaxation Fundy would feel under Dream's touch.

Bad scrubbed at the dishes in their sink, looking over at Skeppy who moved– or more specifically, clung to his side. "I'm pretty sure he's leaving once we finish our final check up on Fundy, but departing in the morning is a lot safer."

"As long as we're done with all the bone breaking parts," Fundy murmured.

Bad nodded. "Yeah, don't worry, we just got to wait a little while longer before we can unwrap it." Fundy let out an unenthusiastic cheer. He felt a hand on his shoulder to find Dream facing him.

They waited a few hours and the sky was almost pitch black before Badboyhalo had begun unwrapping Fundy's leg. Fundy's brain did all the panicking for him as he sat on the same cot. It was the same from when he initially woke up. He stayed silent for the most part.Subtly reaching out to hold Dream's hand, the warrior didn't hesitate to give him a light squeeze.

Bad carefully took the cloth and unwrapped it slowly. The more that came undone, the more Fundy began to actually see his leg. Who would've thought it would look so... normal? Was that the word he was looking for?

"It should feel sore," Bad said, putting pressure on certain parts. "Tell me if anything feels worse or not right."

"No, everything feels fine. Great. No excruciating pain," Fundy commented as he reached to poke his knee. It didn't hurt.

"That's good, we have one of two of the problems out of the way."

Both Dream and Funny's heads shot up with wide eyes. "There's more?" they questioned nearly at the same time.

"Yes," Bad dismissed their shock. He pulled the cuff of Fundy's trousers back down and tossed the cloths used to wrap his leg to the side. "Now, Fundy, I'm sure Dream has maybe mentioned this to you before but, do you know or have you faced any of the symptoms from the transfiguration yet?" Badboyhalo asked.

Fundy cocked his head, confused, looking over at Dream whose hand had grown stif in his holdf. "Uh, no what symptoms?" he asked.

"Well, depending on how long someone has been in that state of an animal, they tend to pick up a few traits. Though since you were only a fox for a few weeks, I doubt you have any physical traits. Psychological maybe,' he explained. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Broken legs are obviously more common than a witches' curse, so I can't be sure on how common or any circumstances of these types of symptoms. Many victims of this curse aren't even found and brought back so you and Dream are some of the lucky ones."

"Lucky ones?" Fundy questioned. "Wait, me and Dream?"

Bad held back a comment when he felt the increasing glare he was likely from Dream, who slipped a hand under his mask as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Do we need to worry about anything else?" the blond sighed.

"That's it for now," He mumbled. "Fundy, if you don't mind stretching your legs for a bit, there's a well just down the street. Perhaps you two can grab some water, yeah?"

"Yeah." Dream pulled Fundy up from the cot and led him out.

They walked, quiet, unspoken. Fundy, still getting used to his unbroken leg, kicked the air and walked around at a bit faster pace than Dream. But of course, it was quite deafening the silence between him and the masked man. There were a few thoughts and topics bobbing around in Fundy's head, but given the subtle reactions Dream gave inside, he decided that those shall be left hushed until another day.

Fundy didn't visit the capital often, only when he needed something specific from the market, but he was familiar enough with the area to know that they weren't walking towards the well. "Dream—"

"I left something back at the stables," Dream said. His head was down and the ginger headed didn't feel right knowing that Dream wasn't smiling at that moment.. Fundy nodded and slowed down, walking along beside him.

The stables weren't too far, considering Dream basically knew every shortcut or turn around this large city.

"Hey, boy," Dream greeted the horse, the animal resting softly in its stall. He stroked his mane as he dug through the bag. "Get some rest buddy, we got a full day tomorrow." Dream stepped back, now holding an item— a sword. "It's yours,he said, extending it out to Fundy who merely just watched in confusion.

"It's mine?" He took it hesitantly.

"Yep," Dream packed everything back in before grabbing the bucket and opening the door for Fundy. The ginger brushed his thumb over the engraved 'F' on the hilt, "Remember when Tommy stopped by and gave it to me? Technoblade had it from the start, huh."

Fundy set the sword aside, looking at Dream with genuine concern. "Dream, are you okay?" Green cloaked and masked, everything about this man was hidden.

"I'm fine, I'm just kind of upset," he chuckled, heart picking up its pace. "There's a lot for me to be upset about but one of the main things is that you're going home tomorrow."

Fundy held out his arm, pulling dream close to him and trapping him in a hug. The two stared at each other, amber eyes to a blank drawn stare. "That's been the plan since the start, hasn't it?" Fundy questioned. And as much as Dream hated to admit it, he had to say goodbye soon.

***

"Oh my god."

It was the next day. Barely awake and god dammit, it was cold. They were walking, instead of going horseback, they'd rather keep themselves moving. Picking up trial games amongst the two of them just to distract the icy air from biting their asses.

Dream held a hand up to his masked mouth, not making any difference in suppressing his awe. "Funds, look— Look straight ahead. It's white!" He pointed as he jumped up and down, bouncing at the sight of a small brown rabbit looking for its breakfast.

Fundy, however, had nearly the opposite reaction. Glancing behind him, surveying the area. "Really? You do have a soft spot for small animals, don't you? And yeah, it's winter. A lot of animals change their coats to something of a lighter color to blend in with the snow."

"Between you and me," Dream whispered, "I only get giddy about the cute ones."

"A fox could chase that rabbit down and snap its neck in seconds," Fundy deadpanned.

Dream laughed. "I have no doubt, but you did seem to miss the point that I was calling you cute."

Fundy stopped, looking at him. His cheeks were only red from the cold, right? "Thank you," He muttered, continuing on, checking back behind him once again.

Dream following his glance, confused to what he was looking at. "Please stop looking behind your shoulder, you're freaking me out."

Fundy snorted. "How? You're a knight! I thought you weren't supposed to be scared of anything."

"It's just a title," Dream hushed. "And besides, everybody has a fear, even knights."

"That's cute," Fundy hung his arm over Dream's shoulder as they walked side by side. The air around them was so quiet but each other's presence was the perfect volume. He hummed a tiny tune, grinning ear to ear. "When I first moved to Pogtopia," he started, "I was the loneliest motherfucker you could ever meet."

Dream chuckled, raising his hand to hold Fundy's over his shoulder.

"Wilbur sang me these weird lullabies, he thought that since he wasn't a part of my actual childhood, he'd might as well improvise." Fundy spoke softly remembering some of the more fonder moments with his adoptive dad. "We spent the whole day going through what a normal family would do and as we explored the village—" he suppressed a laugh. "We saw at least ten rabbits run across the path. I was so confused until he had a crook in his neck and—"

"Oh yeah, you guys have quite a few superstitions," Dream commented, remember a few things Techno had explained to him once upon a time. Odd thought; he couldn't quite remember the last time he sparred with Technoblade.

"Check your shoulder three times to rid any negative energy that follows you," Fundy recited as he heard the saying through the years. Even the most unbelieving followed through with those silly phrases.

"See, that doesn't even make sense," Dream commented, swaying a bit as Fundy missed a step and put a little more weight on his side.

"Weird village. Weird people–"

"I'm not weird!" Fundy protested.

"You never saw a mesa biome before me!" Dream exclaimed. "That's weird!"

Fundy smacked him. The blond grinning as he lightly hit him back. "Careful, don't trip on that root," he said, pointing down the path that drew narrower. And as Fundy took a step forward, his heel did happen to kick the side of the tree root sticking out of the ground.

The back of a house grew in sight. A small cabin. Home of one and just Fundy. His grip in Dream's hadn't tightened as he looked at it. Dream just looked at the ground.

"I'm always just a walk away, know?" Fundy awed at the lower half of the green cloaked warriors face to see he was pouting.

"Yeah, you are."

Fundy pulled Dream along to the front porch of the home. He took off his boot, confusing Dream for a moment. When Fundy asked for his glove he took it off breaking out into sad smile.

"Sit down with me," Fundy huffed. "Sometime soon, Or whenever you're not sick of me. I'd like to make you dinner, you can of course bring your dad and Tubbo as well. I'd like to thank your family for helping me, but you've also been a really good friend to me. And I don't want to see you get too distant from my life."

"That's very sweet of you, Fundy—"

"So dinner?"

Dream huffed a grin and smacked the boot. "Get settled back into your life again and then we'll talk about dinner plans alright?"

"Great," Fundy answered.

"Great," Dream repeated. He held out his hand and helped Fundy up.

"Oh and one last thing... I don't want you to get too distanced from my life either." He tipped his mask up and leaned down. Fundy watched everything in slow motion. Impatient as he is, he leaned up and pressed his lips up to dream's.

For a split second, everything was nice. For a split second he didn't see Tommy standing there, wide eyed. For a split second he realized that he just kissed Dream.

It was short. Dream pulled Fundy into a hug after it. And god a swarm of thoughts pummeled him. Thoughts that maybe he wasn't ready to address at quite that moment. Thoughts that would later be stalled by the tall blond kid dropping his sword in shock.

"What the fuck?" The one and only Tommy exclaimed.

And as Fundy watched Dream lead his horse back into the forest, dragging his warmth along with him, he sighed. "What the fuck, indeed."

everyone please have a wonderful day <3