Strictly Professional

Chapter 10: Brain short circuit go brr

A/N : OKAY SO SORRY I KEEP DOOMSCROLLING ON INSTA AND NOT WRITING- don't worry yall im tryna get better the ADHD is fighting back

After a very laid back car trip, Outer and Dawn finally made it to the lakeside venue. Outer stepped out of the car and walked over to open Dawn's door like the gentleman he was. Dawn on the other hand, was gripping her seatbelt with so much force Outer wasn't sure it would ever not have bends in it. She was staring semi- vacantly into space, but anyone could tell she was absolutely terrified.

Outer sighed and he reached in and undid her seatbelt. She slowly let go as it retracted back to the ceiling. He smiled gently and approached slowly, as one would when approaching an injured animal. He placed his hand on his shoulder and squatted down so he could be closer to her eye level.

"Hey, Dawn. I understand why you're afraid, and it's okay. I think you'll really regret it if you call it off though. You've been looking forward to this chance for freedom for so long. I'll be by your side the whole time, remember? There's nothing to be afraid of as long as I'm by your side.

Dawn remained silent; presumably because she was too afraid to speak. She did however take his hand off her shoulder and hold on tight. She shakily stepped out of the car, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths of the crisp, natural air. She cracked open her eyes after a while and shot a small grin towards Outer.

Outer, who had spent enough time with Dawn to know exactly what she meant, nodded and began leading her inside. She almost stopped at one point, but Outer made sure to keep her going. If she stopped now, it might take forever to get her going again. They just needed to make it to the changing rooms and they'd be fine. Luckily, Outer had the foresight to study a map of the grounds beforehand. It was not only part of his job as a bodyguard, but as a good friend.

He had no intentions of stopping at all, but unfortunately things wouldn't work out in their favor. The second Dawn and Outer walked in, an excited gasp could be heard from their left. There stood Ccino and a skeleton in rather strange clothing. Nobody had really gotten ready for the wedding yet, so they just had to assume this was the style of clothing said person wore on a day to day basis.

The skeleton wore a pair of black slacks with customized sneakers. They were yellow and blue, with a sun logo painted on. He also wore a very baggy sweater that looked like literal clouds. His hands barely peeked out the edges. He wore a simple golden circlet, and his golden eyes sparkled with excitement.

Outer recognized him almost instantly from all the media. This was Dream; Nightmare's twin brother and the face of the company. He was very charismatic and excitable, the opposite of the dreary images painted of his workaholic twin. He was also the one to help coordinate the wedding and Dawn's future brother in law.

"Oh my goodness! Hello! I'm guessing you're Dawn and Outer! Nobody really knew what you were going to look like Dawn, but with your late arrival combined with this starry fellow next to you, it gives it away a bit! I'm Dream, and it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm usually a bit more low-key, but I'm just so excited to meet my new sister-in-law!"

He gave off a warm aura that helped relax some of Outer's worries. However, when he looked at Dawn, she appeared just as tense as when coming in. She had a soft smile, which probably meant that she at least appreciated her new family member's intentions. She just wasn't quite ready for all of this interaction. Outer cleared his throat and smiled at Dream.

"We're both very excited to meet you as well! However we really ought to get to the changing rooms. It takes a lot of preparation on a wedding day to get ready, I'm sure you understand. We'll catch up to you after the ceremony okay? See you around!"

Outer smiled and waved as he dragged Dawn away. As soon as they rounded the corner, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Dawn. She was shakily grinning up at him, silently expressing her gratitude. It's not that either of them disliked Dream; actually that had been a rather nice first impression. In any other situation, he and Dawn probably would have hit it off together almost instantly.