Mending Mistakes and Patching Broken Hearts

Chapter 4

Fundy trudged through the oak forest, kicking at leaves beneath his feet. It had been over a week since his journey began, and the ring was still pulling him northwest. There was no evidence of someone having passed through, making Fundy question if he was even going the right way. What if the rings were broken, or Dream had gotten rid of his?

The furry froze at that thought. If Dream had thrown away his ring, Fundy could be going on a wild goose chase. Not only that, but he would be heartbroken as well. He still had hope that he and Dream could work things out, throwing away the ring would be a dick move.

He wasn't giving up, though. Far from it. Fundy had always loved a challenge, so this was a good opportunity to practice his problem solving skills. 

Unfortunately, he never did get the chance. Following the pull of the ring led him out of the woods and into a grassy valley, surrounded by trees and hills. The valley's beauty took his breath away, but it was something else that drew his full attention. 

A small, cozy-looking cottage sat near the middle of the field. It was built from mainly oak wood, with touches of cobblestone and birch here and there. Drawing closer, Fundy could see a garden spread on one side of the house, still too far away to be able to tell what was growing. 

Fundy's breath quickened as the ring guided him directly to the cottage, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Dream was here. No doubt about it, this place was exactly to the masked man's taste. Despite the claims of him being homeless, Dream had rather good architectural design skills. This cottage matched many of the attributes of the other build Fundy had seen.

He had to force his feet to continue stepping towards the house. He was terrified. Dozens of thoughts chased each other through Fundy's mind, all about Dream. The most prevalent thought was this: How is he going to react to his fiancé who he hasn't really seen in months just showing up out of the blue? 

Fundy adjusted his hat on top of his ears, steeling his resolve. He was going to do this, fuck the possible consequences. So with renewed vigor, the fox man marched up to the door of the cottage and knocked. Loudly. 

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The harsh funding on his front door made Dream jump. I must be going soft, he thought. Never would something like that have startled me before.

The noise had also startled Connor, who immediately began to cry. 

"Shh, shh. Its alright." Dream hushed the child, rocking him in his arms. With a scowl, he stomped down the stairs still holding Connor. Whoever had scared his child was going to pay. 

But when he opened the door just enough to peek outside, the urge for revenge sputtered out. 

Whatever Dream had been expecting, it certainly was not the man who had been constantly hovering in the back of his mind. Dream had shut out thoughts of Fundy for the past two weeks, afraid, that if he thought about him for too long he might break down and cry.

Now the man haunting his dreams was standing on his porch clad in armor, holding a small backpack over his shoulder, and looking quite nervous. 

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Whatever Fundy had been expecting, it was not for the door to open only wide enough for a pair of bright green eyes to peek out. Those beautiful, very recognizable eyes widened with surprise  at the sight of Fundy, and the door swung all the way open.

And there he was, in all his glory. The man who Fundy spent all his free time thinking about, who he missed desperately enough he had walked for a week on the off chance Dream still had his ring. But something had changed.

There was a certain tired dullness to those green eyes. His hair, once groomed so meticulously, was long and tied up in a messy bun. The smily face mask was gone, replaced by a real face. A face that seemed honest and open about showing emotions. 

One much more noticeable difference caught Fundy's eye by burbling softly and reaching out with it's tiny hands.

Dream was holding a child. 

A child. (No-)

Huh? Was Fundy's only comprehensible thought.

All he could do was stare. Stare at the man that broke his heart. Stare at the child cradled in Dream's arms. Stare at the shocked and slightly panicked expression he wore.

Dream slammed the door in Fundy's face.

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Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit 

Dream slid down the smooth wood of the now closed door. He wasn't really thinking, just acting. Tears pooled in his eyes and trickled their way down his face, tracing the scars under his eyes and across his lips. 

Connor looked up, confused, at his dad, whose hand was now covering his mouth as he sobbed.

The dad in question didn't know what to do. Emotions raged like wildfires through his chest, battling with the hurricane that was his thoughts.

Fundy is RIGHT THERE oh my gods

What do I do what do I do what do I do

I should open the door, slamming it in his face was rude

No! What if it's a trap? What if the other members of the Smp are out there waiting for me?

Fat chance! Fundy wouldn't do that, he still cares about me. Right...?

He could hurt Connor! I can't risk it.

Connor is technically his son too, though. He should at least get to meet him

I still can't take that risk! What if-

Another knock on the door, this one much gentler, snapped Dream out of his funk.

"Hey, uh, sorry if I startled you. I just want to talk. Please? I know it's been a while but..." Simply the sound of his voice was enough to make Dream melt into a pile of happy mush.

"I'll stay out here if you want? I don't want to hurt or scare you. Well, at least not any more than I already-"

"Fundy." Dream hadn't been planning on speaking. It just slipped out.

The voice on the other side of the door went quiet. There was a thud like an object, perhaps the backpack, had been set down. Then a light scraping noise, starting from the middle top of the door and sliding down to the bottom. When Fundy spoke again, this time seemingly from directly behind Dream, he realized that the fox must have placed his back to the door and slid down until he was sitting against it. Their heads were now on the same level.

"Look, I know you might not want to talk to me. Especially with, uh, whoever you were holding being here. But I have to try. I can't live knowing I didn't at least try to talk and work things out with you."

Dream's breath hitched. Fundy wanted to...talk things out? Maybe it wasn't a trap after all? He sighed. I'll still be cautious. Can't risk Connor's safety.

"Alright," he said, "We can talk."

"Really?" Dream head the telltale thump of Fundy's tail wagging. He could practically see the shining grin on the other man's face.

"Yes. But until I know I can trust you, we're going to talk from either side of this door. You tell me exactly what you want, I'll let you in."

"Deal!" Fundy said happily. Dream chuckled, wiping the tears from his face. Maybe it would be okay. 

Oh my gods my computer would not stop autocorrecting 'Fundy' to 'Funny' or 'Fund' or 'Lundy' whatever the hell that is.