Dream ♠ o15

[defector]

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga, more HTML abuse. o/;;
Dream Effects: Generally loneliness, before it builds up to the overwhelming feeling like you're surrounded by people who care about you.
Filter: From boat_lights, sinnerofdreams, and namelessqueen.

 

 

		“You’re trying to impress someone, aren’t you? Road asks, and he’s ten, but it’s not so much impress   as it is that he wants—needs—to be useful or else he might get thrown away. Dewey wouldn’t want a useless person, after all. And without Dewey, Dominic is nothing.
He’s alone. It repeats itself over and over in his head alone alone alone but now he has Anemone and the world             so it’s okay.
		Fingers flying across the keyboard, his eyes glued to the screen, he’s twenty and he reads word after word: noise         Anemone               the colonel and he’s realized that the colonel can’t be trusted anymore.
And there, that woman’s told him—the truth about everything.   But did he really want to know?   He falls to his knees because because sometimes there are people you shouldn’t believe in.			Because you don’t hack into the records of people you trust.
“And that's why I'll be hoping that you will no longer trust anyone. It's for the best, I assure you,” Vincent tells him, and for a moment Dominic believes him.   —Then he promptly realizes why that’s the most idiotic thing he’s heard yet.
“And so, idiot or not, I’m backing you!” he shouts at Renton, while the other boy simply stares at him. But he hasn’t gone crazy—he’s just  opened his eyes. For real this time. So don’t let this become a mistake.				He’s in Somarium now, and he’s alone. He won’t ever see his world again. Anemone won’t be a part of his life.   alone alone alone Is it still okay?
“You're my friend and I'd like to do something nice for you and see you smile...” Estelle says.
				“So if there is anything that you would like to talk about, I'll listen anytime.” Minato.
“You want me to kick anyone else's ass instead?” “Wha—?” Ken laughs awkwardly. “Well. Omi's not the only person here I wanna see stay safe, you know.”
				By the way, is there anything you wanted for your birthday? — Atsuro.
And then Estelle’s running towards him, before she wraps her arms around his neck   and nobody touches him like that   but he smiles and hugs her back.
Minato holds out a can of soda to him even though Dominic wonders what others even see in him. he let Anemone die Still, he takes it.
And Ken’s less than stellar grammar aside— Youre not alone.   not alone anymore   Dominic smiles. Thank you. —To everyone.

 

---

[Well, that's probably the best dream Dominic, who's reverted back to his normal age by now, has had in a long while. However, he doesn't dwell on it long before picking up his Dreamberry and placing a filter on it. As much as he'd like to shove this dream in Vincent's face, he'd rather the man not know about every one of his friends—even if the filter won't take care of all of his acquaintances.

Still, once he's done, Dominic smiles softly, stroking Gulliver softly.]

Comments

ffff LJ why did you eat my tag I liked it orz||||

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I... [He hesitates.] Well, I'd seen her round before.

[Yuriko, Ken's thinking. I dreamed of Yuriko and she told me--

[Okay, Hidaka. Cards on the table time. Funny, he's been thinking of that stupid dream a fair game for everybody for so long and did Dominic even see it? Now that he thinks about it, Ken's not at all sure he did. Well, if he's not going to be open with Dominic then what the Hell kind of right does he have to expect Dominic to want to be open with him? Fair's fair.]

I had this dream. There's this girl I knew back home and we - well, she was in it. A while back now. Anyway I had this stupid dream and that Diva woman called up about it, her and a lotta people, but she was just... just this total creep. Said I should dream about killing people or somesuch crap and... anyway she kinda stuck in my mind and next time I see her she's done something to her face and she was calling you out and I--

[He breaks off, coloring slightly, and looks away.]

I just wanted her to back off you.

[I'm sorry.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[... So Diva knows that Ken's a friend of his—a piece of information that could easily get back to Vincent.

Damn it.]

... Thank you. [For defending me.] Though in hindsight, that probably wasn't the smartest move to make.

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Huh? You don't haveta...

[Thank me. I don't really think I deserve it, it was a dumb-ass move.

[Yeah. He knows it. Doesn't need Dominic to confirm that. Ken gives him a lopsided semi-smile - he isn't sure if he's feeling awkward or embarrassed or ashamed or what, he just knows he's causing trouble again and he doesn't know what the Hell he's supposed to do about it.]

I know... Ain't a lot I can do about it now, I guess. Sorry.

[OOC: Yeah. Super slow. I'm really sorry about this, it's taken way longer than I thought to shake this thing and RL happened hard the last few days.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

It's all right. Something like that was bound to happen sooner or later, anyway...

[He's talking more to himself than Ken by the end of that sentence, though. Because it's true, isn't it? Vincent has an uncanny knack for discovering everything Dominic tries to keep secret, from his insecurities to his actions to his friends—]

... And I'm a little glad, to be honest.

[Not because Diva knows about his friendship with Ken, mind you—but because someone cared enough about him to do something like that.]

[ooc: It's perfectly fine! <3 RL > RP, after all. o/]

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

I guess. Ain't like anything stays secret here very long.

[He shrugs. Between the dreams and the moon messing them about and everyone in everyone else's business all the time... yeah, it probably was only a matter of time before whatever it was was bugging Dominic ended up out in the open.

[He's a little surprised by what Dominic says next, though. He blinks.]

Huh? You're glad?

[But I screwed up, didn't I?]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Like I said—thank you.

... I'm lucky to have you as a friend.

[Because even though Ken's reckless (not that he has any right to criticize that) and it'll probably get him killed one day, he gave a damn—more than that—and that's good enough for Dominic.

Honestly, it's moments like these that make him glad he didn't stop trusting in others—didn't listen to Vincent.]

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Heh. I think I'm the lucky one.

[Ken isn't totally sure himself what he means by that. He's just... well, he knows damn well that there's plenty of stuff that Dominic's really not happy with and probably no end of very good reasons why he's always been so carefully distant, and he's glad that for all that, Dominic still feels he can count him as a friend. So he smiles, and hopes that for all he's - well, let's just say he's got issues of his own. He hopes he's been a decent friend, in spite of them.

[As for Diva - well, bring it on! He'd take on her and twenty like her, if it'd keep Dominic safe. But that said...]

I'll try and stay outta trouble, okay?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

I'll hold you to that.

[And, not for the first time, Dominic wonders what he did to deserve the friends he has now—and he means that in the best way possible.

So, just as how Ken would call Diva simply to defend him, Dominic'll fight against Vincent—put up with all his taunts and threats—for as long as he has to, if it'll guarantee his friends' safety in the end.

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Well, I can't promise nothing'll happen. But I'll try.

[It's the best Ken can say - or hope for.

[He means it, or at least he wants to. The last thing Ken wants is to cause Dominic more upset than he's already dealing with - still less to do something like that in the misguided belief that he was somehow doing the guy a favor. Sure he wants to get to the bottom of this, and sure he wants Dominic to stay safe - but he doesn't deserve that. It wouldn't be fair on him.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

Then I guess I'll just have to settle for that.

[He knows he can't ask for more, especially not from Ken. To try and stay safe... that's all he can ever really ask from someone, isn't it?

And if he knew for certain that Ken was refraining from asking—that it hadn't just slipped his mind—he'd be grateful. To be honest, he's usually fine with talking about these kind of things, but again, with Ken? Not quite.]

My poor boy, he's so reckless. ;.;

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Well, if you can manage not to let it bug you, I probably better learn to as well.

[He smiles again. He really does want to help.]

It's a miracle he isn't dead yet xD;

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[The problem is that Ken's idea of 'help' might get him killed needlessly.]

Right. And... I'm sorry.

Honestly, I'm as surprised as you are.

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

What're you apologizing for?

[Ken blinks again, then frowns. He's honestly confused.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

For making you worry.

[For not being honest.]

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Well, that ain't anything you can control, right? Ain't like it's your fault that Diva woman's a psycho.

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[A small laugh]

Well, you're right about that. Still, I'd rather not have people worry about me if I can help it.

[... As touching as it is.]

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

Heh, I hear ya on that one. Still, it's not such a bad thing if people do. It'd suck much more if nobody did, right?

[That's what Ken tells himself, anyway. He'd take a little embarrassment over loneliness any day.]

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

... Yeah. You're right about that as well.

[His smile's a touch sadder now, though. He's still sincere, but... this is really starting to remind him of years' worth of loneliness—and Anemone, Anemone.

—Because he didn't want her to worry about him either but when she did, for the first time he could remember, he was... happy. Except—he knows that that kind of happiness with her can't be permanent. Not here. And he's accepted it, but that doesn't stop it from hurting sometimes.]

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

[... and here he goes again.

[There's definitely something the matter. Ken can't quite put his finger on what the problem is here: he just knows there is one, that yet again he's managed to say the wrong thing and he wishes he knew what to say to make it better, or at least make Dominic talk to him...

[He doesn't, and he doesn't understand why Dominic won't. Ken is not a smooth talker, he's not very good at verbal games or coaxing information out of people who might not want to give it. All he can do is ask and, if he's turned down, what is there for him to do but let it go or ask again? Nothing that he can think of, and neither option seems to be the right one now. So he just smiles again, and this time his smile is nothing but helpless.]

I'm not much help sometimes, am I?

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[He shakes his head, but not for the reason Ken might think he is.]

You're more help than you know. I wouldn't be thanking you if you weren't.

[insorrow.livejournal.com]

[... yeah, that did throw him for a bit, though Ken wouldn't have been surprised to hear it. He blinks, though, when Dominic next speaks - now he's thrown again, and far more so than he had been when he thought that his friend was agreeing with him.]

That's good.

[More than good. Now he only looks relieved. The last thing Ken wants is to become a burden to a guy who seems to have quite enough to trouble him already...]

Thanks, Dominic. For telling me, I mean.

[unfearful.livejournal.com]

[He smiles.]

What are friends for?