I've Got You

It Hurts...!

Warning: sickness, Nightmare being a bit of a tsundere

He wasn't awake for very long, but the two managed a small conversation:

"Wh... Where-" Dream winced at his own voice. "Where... are w-we...?"

Nightmare made sure to speak in a quiet voice when he noticed Dream's face screw up in pain. "In Labtale. How're you feeling?"

"Hurts... dizzy... n-nauseous..."

Noticing how difficult it was for Dream to talk, he answered, "Don't speak for now. Go back to sleep, okay?"

He shook his skull again and tried to sit up. However, that seemed to send a jolt of pain through his body, and he winced and laid back down. "M'leg and ribs..."

"Close your eyes. I can get someone to help."

He didn't have the strength to fight and was soon asleep again.

Nightmare sighed. The little skeleton had a long way to go.

The next time Dream woke up, he was much more aware of his surroundings. Even in a hospital bed, he grew defensive.

"Easy, Dream, you're going to hurt yourself."

"How do I know you're not going to hurt me?!"

"If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it long before now. Now lie down before Sci comes in and yells at both of us, okay?"

The Guardian of Positivity glared, but sank back under the blanket. Minutes passed in silence. Then...

"Do you remember anything?"

Dream blinked and thought for a moment. "Pain. Voices. Really bright lights. Something... in my throat. I think I threw up at some point...?" He brought a hand to his throat. "It... really hurts. And why's my stomach... why's my stomach feel so horrible all of a sudden-?" His shaky phalanges moved from his throat to cradle his stomach. "Make it stop," he hoarsely cried as a sickly green flush covered his face. "It's all spinning; make it stop!"

The morphine still has him acting off. He's not one to complain. The uninjured prince joined his twin's bedside in an attempt to soothe him. "Dream, it's alright. Can you tell me how you feel? Does your stomach hurt, does it feel sick, or both? How's your skull?"

"B...Boatsick..." It came out as a mumble, and Nightmare didn't catch it.

"What? You feel what?"

When he didn't receive a response, he hit the call button and put the green plastic bag into Dream's grasp. He was physically spiraling, and he'd seen it before with his boys. And the little skeleton before him was quickly growing more nauseated. Likely, his injured skull was the cause for the sickness, and judging by his shaking and pasty complexion, he was going to be sick, and soon.

Turns out, 'soon' meant 'in five seconds'; Dream pitched towards Nightmare's side of the bed and threw up. Clearly, he hadn't registered that he had a bag in his hands. Nightmare swore and jumped backwards to avoid being splashed.

"Ohh, 'boatsick'-!" he groaned, grimacing. "Why couldn't you have just said 'sick' or 'queasy' or... something other than 'boatsick'?!" He looked up to see Dream slumped over the side of his bed. He'd stopped vomiting already, and there wasn't much of a mess on the floor. It wasn't a comfortable position in the slightest.

With a sigh, Nightmare walked to the other side and re-positioned Dream back onto his back. He didn't protest, and only whimpered as a few tears welled in his sockets. His body felt oddly warm to Nightmare. Just as Nightmare pulled the blanket up to Dream's shoulders, the door swung open.