No one has ever stated that it was odd to stare at the stars to learn their patterns and history. At least Dream could only pray that it wasn't odd that he had spent the past day studying the small indents and freckles that danced along the calm expression of Fundy's face. He rested his chin on the back end of a chair, watching the stranger— no, could he even call Fundy a stranger?

Dream has told far too many stories and secrets to the fox for Fundy not to be considered a friend. He stared at the unconscious man. His mind was unable to comprehend that the human was actually, well, human. The fact that he'd get to have a full conversation with the man that is more than just a head tilt of the head or a tap on a shoe, it blew his mind.

A groan resonated before him, he looked up from his weapon to the sight of Fundy with his head in his hands. Dream's gazed locked in with amber eyes. The ginger stared at him and he stared back. It was as if nothing had changed. Both conversing through looks until Dream had decided to speak up.

"Are you okay?" Dream asked. Not the first question Fundy was expecting, if he had to be honest.

"I— yes." Fundy opened his mouth, a wide smile spread across his lips. The man's eyes looking down at his hands and arms. "Thank you. Oh my gods, thank you so much," he laughed, breathless. "Can you understand me? Like am I speaking normally right now?" he asked, to which Dream nodded excitedly.

Silence took over them once again. Dream and Fundy once again stared at one another, now donned with two beaming grins. They broke into a sudden fit of laughter. Was it weird that Dream could only compare this feeling as to when you consume too many potions of healing? It's an addictive taste that makes your body feel one hundred-one percent and leaves that subtle splash of euphoria.

While Dream was caught up in his own thoughts, Fundy couldn't help but be thanking the gods above him for letting him wake up in clothes. He already questioned if he'd wake up naked after taking the potion and he really hadn't wanted his first interaction with Dream to be like that. But this was something else, he was in front of him, as a biped. He couldn't be more grateful.

Dream cleared his throat, "are you alright with standing up? My dad made breakfast a while ago and I can bring it in here if you can't stand yet," he said.

The questioned nodded and smiled. "I think I'm alright," Fundy spoke softly. He shuffled in the bed a bit, wincing as he moved his leg– a note that Dream will have to make later. Dream got up from his chair and rushed to help him up. Fundy took a step but had immediately fallen forward, only to be awkwardly caught in the arms of Dream himself. He froze, just as the other had, both clearly unaware of how to acknowledge the position they were in.

"I mean I still think I'm alright," Fundy murmured with his face pressed against Dream's shirt.

Dream snorted as he pulled Fundy back up and looked at him in full view, and what a view he was looking at. "So I'll assume that you're not ready to walk yet," he laughed.

Fundy huffed, "if I could walk fine as a fox, I think I can walk fine as a human." He took another step, nearly falling again, Dream catching him a second time. "With help of course."

"You're allowed to stay in bed, you know?" Dream humored.

Fundy shook his head, reaching out for the edge of the chair to hold him up. "Nah, it's fine. I can do it."

Dream walked over and picked up the ginger, commenting with humour lacing his tone. "You're out of breath from taking three steps."

"Yes and those were very hardworking steps," Fundy said, "you don't have to carry me. This makes me feel like a fox again."

Dream laughed, "I guess that even when you're human again, some things won't change." Already making his way into the kitchen.

Fundy seemed more nervous with each step Dream took for him. His arms instinctively wrapping themselves tighter around the blond's neck, and later loosening up when he thought that he was maybe just a bit too close to choking him. And of course, Dream wasn't oblivious to the subtle movements. He let the ginger down on one of the nearest seats at the kitchen table, now with his arms free, he made his way to grab a plate and fill it with food.

Fundy watched silently as Dream shuffled through the kitchen. Then was when he noticed how quiet the home was. "Where's your dad and Tubbo?" He asked.

Dream looked over, sliding the dish across the table, along with pushing aside the leftover remnants of the previous days potion fiasco. "Tubbo is likely out with Tommy and my dad is probably in town. Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to thank them before I headed out."

Dream blinked. "Fundy, you woke up five minutes ago and your leg hasn't been fixed properly. You're telling me you're already planning on leaving?"

"I've been missing for what? A month?" Fundy questioned. "Going home sounds like a reasonable thing to do."

"Well, yeah, but..." Dream shut up as soon as he spoke. Fundy looked up from the plate, questioningly. The masked man sighed, "I get it, okay. I'll take you home."

He leaned back in the chair, watching the blond rush to pack things up. An odd feeling set itself in the center of his gut, deciding quickly that he hated it. "Or I can stay for just a while longer," he suggested, despite his initial feelings. "Rather return me home all fixed instead of broken, right?"

"Right," Dream agreed. Pause. "Well, I actually don't have any resources to help your leg. The best I could do would be to take you to the capital and see a healer, but that's already a day's trip."

Fundy nodded, "so, what would we do in the meantime?"

"In the meantime? I can show you something cool," he said with a gleeful tone in his voice.

***

A river.

A river was what cool thing Dream had wanted to show him. It was nice. The stream slowly moving down further into the woods. The fish swam upstream against the current, feeding on the organisms that were swept away. Dream set Fundy down, still keeping a hold on him so the ginger had support to lean on as he figured out the most comfortable way to stand.

"It empties out into the lake that surrounds the castle," Dream said as Fundy looked far into the woods, as beyond as the river would stretch, twist, and turn, until it was out of sight.

They stood at the edge of the water, staring down at the fish that swam past them. Dream held up a fishing rod, one that Fundy had questioned the appearance of, since he had no recollection of Dream carrying it while also carrying him to this location.

"See? An activity that you don't need to stand for!" Dream exclaimed, already hooking the rod with bait. "Just cast the line and sit in the shade, sitting still and looking pretty."

Fundy dismissed the comment, amused. "Seems easy enough," he hummed, noticing Dream's hovering and laughed slightly, "I've gone fishing before, you don't need to assist me."

"Sorry!" Dream held his hands up in defense. "I assumed that the man who's barely traveled out of his own village has never been fishing!"

"Dream, I've traveled out of Pogtopia plenty of times," Fundy said. He slowly stepped to the side to clear his way of the trees over him. He's gone fishing enough times to know that getting string untangled with tree branches is an unnecessary hell.

Dream stepped back as well, to give him space. "You've never traveled to any biomes except the forest you live in. Who knows how long it would've been for you to see a mesa biome if you hadn't met me."

Fundy looked back at him with a grin plastered on his face. "I realized that I haven't thanked you for that yet or the many other incredible things you've done for me, but that place was truly beautiful."

"I was hoping you'd like it," Dream smiled back. He watched Fundy throw back the rod and see it land softly in the water with a, 'plop'. The bobber slowly drifted down the water, waiting to be caught by one of the salmon swimming upstream. "Though, I'd love to show you more."

Fundy sat down on an old tree root that came above the ground. He looked at Dream and back at the bobber, sighing. "I don't know about that."

"What?" Dream questioned.

"The places you've taken me to: The Mesa and the Nether, those are places that were told to me when I was little in bedtime stories. The Nether was referred to as a place that bad children would go to if they misbehaved. I've heard Phil tease Tommy about sending him there enough times. And that was the place where I saw my uncle, the actual Technoblade, frightened for the first time. But..." Fundy trailed off, thinking.

"But?"

Dream sat down next to Fundy, he inched to the side to provide more room. Looking over at the blond, conflicted. "The Mesa was also really beautiful."

"It was," Dream nodded.

The two looked at one another, calculatingly. Both trying to understand what was going on in the others head. Fundy stared at the black eyes that painted itself along the pale clay mask. The blond's soft smile felt so familiar to him after this past month, he sighed, not thinking twice about it, and rested his head on the green dressed shoulder. And Dream rested his head on Fundy's. They sat gazed ahead at the river, watching the fish swim by in the warm afternoon light.

Suddenly, Dream rested his hand on Fundy's, the fishing rod twitched in their hold and the bobber fell under the water. Fundy pulled hard on the rod, reeling the line in carefully, Dream still keeping his hand on Fundy's. As the line came closer to the edge, Dream left the seat of the tree root and pulled him along. He carefully lifted the fish out of the water, holding it up to Fundy who smiled down at it, looking back up at Dream.

"And you thought I didn't know what I was doing," Fundy scoffed.

Dream shook his head in denial. "I never said that," he chuckled, "good catch." He carefully removed the hook and released the fish back into the water. The sun by this time was finally setting and the two had a ways away back to the house. "Do you want me to still carry you? Or I can help you walk."

"I think I'd like for you to help me first," Fundy said reluctantly. "But if that doesn't work out..."

"Then I'll carry you," Dream waved off. He bumped the ginger's shoulder. "C'mon, let's get going." He stuck out his shoulder for Fundy to lean on, the two making slow steps through the woods.

"Didn't think I'd wish to be a fox as much as I do right now," Fundy laughed.

***

The night was quiet. Schlatt had returned home and greeted Fundy with a soft smile. Tubbo had ran in with a smile across his dirty cheeks, a likely result from spending time with Tommy, and cornered Fundy with questions about the witch and the potion– to which both Dream and Schlatt reeled him away in a more respectful manner.

They ate chicken with a side of bread, a promotion from a bowl of berries he'd eaten as meals for the past few weeks. Talk was light and warm, Fundy found much comfort in actually being able to participate in their conversations.

But there seemed to always be that itching thought in the back of both Fundy and Dream's heads. That feeling that their main quest isn't quite as concluded as its portraying itself out to be. The calm before the storm.