Quinton woke up with the first rays of the rising sun the following morning. His breath hitched when he caught sight of his guest, having briefly forgotten that the teenager was even there. The Nightmare's pewter hair splayed across the pillow, and his body was all wrapped up in the blanket like a little burrito. He let out a soft snicker and gently ruffled the top of Synan's head before heading to the shower.
The Nightmare sat up and stretched, heading for the bathroom himself. He stripped out of his clothes, setting them next to the sink so that he could wash them later. "Mornin'," Synan greeted as he scratched his tummy sleepily.
"Good morning? I would have given you a turn in the shower, you know..." Quin responded, a bit startled.
"I'm used to the public bath houses. I can't remember the last time I bathed alone."
"Do you...need me to stay, then?"
Synan blinked at the Unicorn, his brain finally waking up. He paused his lathering and stared at Quin.
"Shit," the Nightmare swore as he finally realized it. "You wanted to shower by yourself, didn't you? Damn, I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking." He groaned. "I should not be allowed around normal people," he muttered under his breath.
"Hey, no. Wait," Quin called out as he gently held one of Sy's elbows. "I'm all done." He placed a hand on the Nightmare's hip and carefully maneuvered him until he was back in the spray of the water. He then leaned down to whisper in his ear. "All yours." The blond gave Sy a kiss on the cheek and then gingerly stepped out of the shower to dry himself. "Stay there. I'm going to find you a clean towel." He said as he opened the drawers beneath the sink and retrieved the fluffiest towel he could find, placing it on top of the toilet seat for him.
The teenager wasn't long in the shower. His hair was short on the sides but longer on the top. He usually kept it in a faux hawk, but after washing, the longer hair hung in his eyes. The Nightmare turned off the water and peeked out past the curtain.
He was alone.
Synan found the fresh towel. It was so soft that he just nuzzled his face into it for a moment. The teen smiled and dried himself off. His clothes had disappeared from by the sink, so he wrapped the thick towel around his waist.
The Nightmare found Quinton in the other room, scooting the mattress so it wasn't so much in the way.
"Umm, hey." Synan pushed pewter-hued hair out of his eyes again, the towel slipping low on his hips. "My clothes? I don't have anything else. I was going to wash them in the sink and then use what little magic I have to dry them."
"Oh, I put them in the wash," Quin replied. He ended up doing a double take when he saw the state of young Nightmare. Averting his gaze, he handed Synan a set of the smallest clothes he had. "Try these on. If you don't like them, you can always wear your clothes when they've dried."
The Nightmare carelessly dropped the towel and pulled on the clean clothes. They were loose but comfortable. He just had to roll up the pants and sleeves a little.
"These were yours?" Sy asked as he ducked into the bathroom to hang up the towel. "You weren't always a big beefcake?"
Synan plopped on the edge of Quinton's bed to pull on the clean socks. The blond swallowed hard at the sight of the Nightmare getting dressed. Why was it almost as alluring as when the boy undressed?
"No..." The Unicorn responded. "I was always tall, but skinny."
"You really muscled up," Synan complimented before patting the bed next to him, inviting the blond to sit.
“Come on, let's get something to eat in the cafeteria and then I'm going to ask around about dream traveling." Quinton suggested as he stood back up and headed towards the door.
"Alright," Sy conceded as he pulled on his boots and stood, still surprised the Unicorn hadn't tried to jump him yet.
After their meal, Quin found a few of his Nightmare friends and asked them which books explained, in detail, everything about dream traveling. His friends were eager to let him borrow three different volumes.
"This is the beginner basics, this one is for manipulating the dreamscape, and this one is for more personal connections." One of the Nightmares said as he handed the books to Quin.
"No rush in returning them, we know them inside and out." Another one piped up.
"Yeah, dream traveling's the best!" The third one agreed.
Quinton thanked them all and walked back over to Synan, a broad grin on his face. "Ready to start?"
"Y-yeah," Synan answered.
The two of them sat with their legs crossed and facing each other on Sy's mattress as Quin opened up the book on the basics. "Alright...I'm remembering now." He said as he browsed through the chapters. "I'm going to pull you into my dream the first few times so that you can get used to the feeling. That's how our instructors taught us." He held both his hands out for Synan to take.
"Okay..." Sy took Quin's hands, trying not to think too hard about the comforting warmth of the larger hands arounds his.
When the two of them closed their eyes, Quinton used his magic to gently tug Synan's subconscious mind into his dreamscape. The two of them were standing on the rocky waterfront of a crystal clear lake surrounded by undisturbed trees.
Synan's knees felt wobbly and his head spun. He refused to throw up in front of the Unicorn, though. He had at least a little dignity left. Besides, it seemed rude to puke in someone's mind. The Nightmare took a few careful steps, happy to find the ground solid beneath him. He kept his back straight as he walked carefully toward the water, feeling like a drunk trying to play sober. Sy found a little grassy patch next to the lake and tried to sit gracefully. Synan rolled his eyes at himself. He was supposed to be naturally adept at this. He sighed softly as he looked into the clear water.
Quinton carefully observed the Nightmare, remembering fully well how queasy it felt to dream travel for the first time. He tried to give Sy some space to recover, but in the end, he walked over and dipped his hands in the cold water and then pressed them to the Nightmare's forehead.
"How are you feeling, little one?" He asked softly.
"Better now." Synan closed his eyes, enjoying the cool hands on his brow. "Thanks." He blinked his color-changing eyes up at the Unicorn, not realizing how endearing he looked. "What now, boss?"
Unable to help himself, the Unicorn leaned down to press a gentle kiss on Synan's lips. "Now, we go back." He whispered against them. A shift was felt as they opened their eyes in their home world. Quin quickly reached out to tug Synan's body snuggly against his to stabilize him. "Are you ok?"
"Just a little...damn..." The Nightmare slumped in Quin's arms. He looked up at the Unicorn, a blush staining his cheeks. "My arms and legs apparently need a moment."
"Take all the time that you need. The first few times are always tough. That's why it's easier when you are guided into the dreamscape with help first."
"Alright, what's next? I'm ready."
"Here we go." Quin warned as they once again traveled into his dreamscape.
They were on a cloud near a castle in the sky. The ground was as soft as cotton balls.
"Damn, nice." Sy poked the poofy ground with a toe. "Have you ever done it on here? It looks like it would be amazing."
"No, though perhaps I might try to someday. How are you feeling? Can you stand?"
Synan held his arms out for balance as Quin gingerly let go of him. The Nightmare was a little wobbly, but not bad, and no nausea. Sy smiled up at his teacher.
"Got it!" the Nightmare said with a grin.
"Well done," The blond replied with a smile of his own. He tugged the Nightmare against him and gave him another kiss, a slightly deeper one, as they traveled back home. "How about now?" He asked as he waited for Sy to assess his limbs.
Synan looked up wonderingly at the Unicorn. He reached up and touched his lips. The blond had kissed Sy before, but the Nightmare had thought it was just a fluke. It was becoming a regular pattern, one that the teenager was enjoying much more than he ought to. Quin was supposed to be his competition, but it was becoming more and more difficult to remember that when the big blond held him.
"I'm, uh... What?" Synan blinked stupidly. "Legs, yes. Good."
"Ready for the last dream travel for today?"
"Bring it."
The Unicorn gave him a genuine smile. He once again aligned the both of them in a comfortable manner before sending them both through to the dreamscape. The two of them were then on a shaded beach with white sand and clean waves rolling to the edge.
Synan felt steadier on his feet as he wandered up the beach, curious to look around in Quin's head.
"The water should be lukewarm," The Unicorn added as he walked along behind him. "The beaches in our world and the human world rarely have extended shade like this. So, I dreamed an ideal beach up."
Synan smiled, peeking to the side to look at Quin. "You mean we can swim?"
"If you want, you should be stable enough to."
The Nightmare gave a little happy wiggle before stripping out of his clothes in seconds flat and stowing them on top of a dry rock. He streaked past the Unicorn to bound, splashing into the warm water.
Quinton should have expected the young Nightmare to rush into the water naked, but he still felt a bit of shock seeing it. Feeling a bit defeated, the Unicorn decided to strip, as well, walking until he was waist deep in the water.
Synan splashed happily in the water, looking more like a child than Quin had ever seen him. The Nightmare laughed in delight, a bright happy sound that pulled an answering smile from the Unicorn. Sy smirked mischievously before pushing his hands to splash a plume of seawater onto the bigger man.
"Oh, it's on now, little one!" Quinton called out as he splashed the Nightmare back playfully.
Sy whooped loudly then dove under the water. He kicked hard, circling behind Quin. He popped up a few feet behind him and began splashing him mercilessly as he crowed in victory.
The taller Unicorn couldn't help but laugh at the Nightmare's antics. He swam up to him and grabbed him around the waist to tug him flush against him.
"Are you quite done, Synan?" He prompted, a smile still on his face.
Sy shook his head slowly, a little smirk on his lips, before spraying a mouthful of water directly into the Unicorn's face.
"If it's like that," Quin responded after backing up a bit. He then dove for the Nightmare and effortlessly lifted him by the hips and tossed him into the water.
Sy squeaked as he was thrown backward, eyes wide. Water went up his nose, and he came up sputtering but laughing.
"Big bully!" Synan called as he paddled away from the Unicorn. "I was just helping you wash your face!"
Startled, Quinton swam after him. "Hey, I'm sorry. Did I throw you too hard? I didn't mean to toss you that far..."
The Nightmare let a wave pull him under and swam sneakily toward Quin. The Unicorn was treading water, looking around in distress. He became overcome with worry. Had Sy been too tired to fight the current? The teenager did say that it had been years since he'd last been swimming. Perhaps the little Nightmare just wasn't a strong swimmer. Quinton' eyes scanned the water, panic blooming in his gut.
Synan suddenly burst from the water behind the Unicorn in a spray of seawater. He leaped on Quin's back, dunking himself and the big man under the water. Sy came up with a laugh, wiping water from his eyes.
Quinton sputtered out water but was too relieved to care.
"I was worried, Sy!" He chastised as he walked them over to shore and sharply pinched the teenager's thigh. "Don't disappear like that again." He knelt onto the sand and looped Synan around until he straddled his lap.
"I'm sorry," the little Nightmare peeped. "I was just playing." He hunched his shoulders. "I shouldn't have. I messed up again." He threaded his fingers through his dark silvery hair and tugged hard. "Damn!"
"Hey, it's ok." Quin said in a calmer tone of voice, taking hold of the Nightmare's face in both his hands. "I just...I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Bad things happen," Synan said softly. "You can't stop that." The Nightmare shook his head sadly. "This thing with the maiden will be resolved one way or another. Probably won't convince him to choose me. You'll move on and I'll go back to where I was. I'll hold out until I can't anymore." Sy shrugged. His eyes seemed flat, the varied colors no longer shifting like sunshine on a peacock feather. "Then I'll go back to where I was and I'll stay there. I'll make the best I can of the whole thing until I die."
"If a maiden is what you want so badly, then I'll help you obtain one." He insisted. "You're already on your way, aren't you? You've never dream traveled before this and look at where you are." He tugged him into a tight hug, one of his hands cradling the back of Sy's head while the other wrapped around his back. "But, I'll be damned if I ever let you go back to wherever you were before this. I refuse to let you go. You can go anywhere else but there."
"Don't make such promises." Synan rested his head on Quin's shoulder, suddenly tired. "I'm not your responsibility. If I don't find a maiden to love me, that's on me, not you."
Quin still held the Nightmare close, though Synan was positioned between his legs and with his back pressed against the blond's chest when they traveled back. "I only hope that, in the absence of a suitable maiden, you'd chose me."
"Wh-what?" Sy turned to look at the Unicorn, confusion painting his face. "What are you talking about?"
"I've decided." Quinton told him sincerely. "Should Finian not choose either of us, I would like you to be my mate."
"You can't do that..." Synan stammered. "How could you possibly want to be my mate? I offer nothing to you. I bring nothing of value to the mating."
" I could teach you everything I've learned in my studies thus far, and you could teach me how to view everything through new eyes again." Quin insisted. "We could go to many different places in the future. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to see those places in my dreams."
"We should go." Synan stood, stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over his own boots paired next to the bed. "It will take a few minutes to walk to the crossing point."
The Nightmare kept his eyes averted from Quinton as he tugged on his boots. He felt like his heart was being crushed in his chest. Sy knew that Quinton was likely, given enough time, to find a chaste maiden for himself. The Unicorn was strong, tall, intelligent, and beautiful. Quin was educated and going places. Synan couldn't see how he could fit anywhere in that.
The Nightmare wrapped his arms around himself as he headed for the door.
The Unicorn felt the sting of rejection, so he allowed the Nightmare to walk on ahead of him. He had hoped that the teenager would feel the same, that he'd understand how they should both forget about the maiden and form a bond together.
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