#and one day Orchid just stop receiving any notes from Berlingot

[diofasolia]

I love the paragraph where Nightmare and Dream discussing about changing their names, watching Berlingot decorates the tree is absolutely fun too XD

Aaaaand I decided to continue the pink aftermare story >:3

Time to see Berlingot side! And apparition of the first pink character that doesn't belong to me~

Sleeping diary (a pink aftermare story)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Jello from the other side

It had been a bad day.

He had worse ones but it still didn't make that one a good one.

It had started so well, though...

He had woken up to the smell of fresh bread, not a bad way to wake up in his opinion. Some villagers had given his brother, Dream, some to thank him.

To thank him for what? He hadn't known and hadn't bothered to ask. He just had grabbed his twin's arm, forcing him to sit down on the soft cushions he often laid around the tree.

They had eaten there, bickering and laughing until late morning. Then he was left alone. Some sick children needed cheering up. He had wanted to go as well, he wanted to help. But the other guardian had looked at him with big sad eyes and a tight smile before claiming that he didn't want what happened last time to repeat. He also promised to bring back a gift in the afternoon.

The soft click of their foreheads together had been enough proof of the speech's sincerity but it hadn't stopped his inside from squirming as his brother's shape disappeared in the narrow street he could barely see from his seat in the tree.

Disappointed, he quickly decided to seek a suitable distraction. He rearranged his pillows' collection, putting the olds underneath to keep the comfy one on top. He fluffed out some stuff and set the covers in a way the folds were all smoothed out. He got a bit carried away after. Who could blame him? He felt too restless to read or nap the day away so he busied himself. He filled his head to the brim with daydreams of slumber parties. With numerous people. Friends. As if the peeps from town ever accepted to come here to spend time with him.

"Remember the last time you tried to help…"

He chased down the pestering thoughts to focus on decorating the few fruitless branches that were strong enough to be safe to climb with flowers. He put the ones he liked the most on his fingers like some colorful rings.

He grinned at it, not noticing his favorite shawl, the deep purple pink with golden stars and fringes, was slipping from his shoulders. It flopped down the cushioned ground. A strong gust of wind made the apparently poorly balanced apple spirit join it immediately after. His startled cry got muffled when his face landed first on a star shaped plush.

It was probably at this point that he had started to realize he really got carried away.

He stood up to inspect the mess. He almost landed in the fancy bowl full of fruits he put near a thin mattress. What would be a sumbler party without some good snacks after all? What he did land on were the various card games he laid out to choose later on which ones could be the most interesting with several players. He gathered back the wandering cards and threw them in a bag he kept behind the tree with a heavy sigh.

Once the task was done, he went to lie down on the makeshift bed hidden from the outside world by a cover tied to a branch. He gathered his knees in his hands and let static swallowed him. It had been a bad day. He'll just wait it out or at least wait for his brother to come back.

…

"...Night! Nightmare ! Wake up!"

Someone was shaking his shoulders. He didn't remember falling asleep. He opened his eyes to his frowning brother's face. A pastel blue and pink ocean staring at him.

"You look like you were having a bad sleep, Night'..."

His brother sat down beside him and slowly removed his thigh high boots lined with fur. He then threw his arm in one and got out of a candy cane he immediately shoved in his mouth. The shoes were discarded in a corner, leaving his brother in long stockings his twin particularly enjoyed to display when he was in no need of shoes.

The action gave him enough time to process what Dream said to him. His crown almost toppled when his head turned sharply, a scold visible on his features.

“Dream… You called me Nightmare again…”

The other guardian tipped his head, confused.

“Well... that’s your name, brother? What’s the matter with calling you that?”

The positive guardian scooted closer, waiting for an answer.

“I already told you I don’t like that name… It’s too…”nightmarish”!”

He pinched the pink fringes of his pants.

“...I think I indeed remember you talking about that a while ago? Although I didn’t really understand why you’d refuse to be called by your birth name? What was that nickname you wanted me to call you again? It was something sweet I think? Chocolate? Cream? Candy?”

He knew that his brother didn’t mean ill but it still hurted him he just wouldn’t understand. That he didn’t want to be “Nightmare” anymore.

“Berlingot,” he muttered in his brother's direction.

Dream must have felt his uneasiness as he stopped talking and carefully wrapped his arm around his shoulders. The elegantly dressed skeleton gave him a thoughtful look before throwing him a bright smile, the bit of pale pink in his eyelights shaping hearts, as if he figured something out.

“I still don’t understand what’s the matter with your name but I’ll do it. I’ll call you Berlingot as long as you want me to since it seems it’s important for you. But be patient with me, it’ll take me some time to adapt to the change!”

He couldn’t ask for better. Being patient? He could do that.

"Oh I know! I'll get used to it more quickly if I change my name as well!"

Where was that discussion going…?

"It wouldn't be fair if you were the only one to have a brand new name. So call me Marianne from now on !"

"What? You don't have to change your name, Drea-"

"Call me Marianne, Berlingot."

"..."

"Fine"

"Marianne, got it."

Drea- Marianne looked absolutely thrilled by this development and the candy cane he didn’t finish almost went flying in his eyes with one too big arm movement. Berlingot chuckled at his brother’s antics. His twin seemed a little confused, but he got the spirit. And if that meant he didn’t have to explain once more the whole name problem, he was fine with never being totally understood.

Marianne cheerfully started to narrate his day, throwing in details about places he never and people he didn’t. Berlingot glanced at the pink ribbon-tied fabric around the other’s neck. Maybe it was for the better that he missed out on all those things after all.

The positive spirit stopped in the middle of a sentence and stared at the sky, the mouth agape, like a fish out of water. Did a sudden thought tripped him in his storytelling?

He observed him rummage through a small sachel he didn’t notice. It looked new, blue as the sky with white and gold birds sewed on. Pretty thing.

“Berlingot, close your eyes and no peeking!”

He automatically obeyed without thinking. Something was pushed in his arms. It felt like some kind of book.

Once he was sure he could open his eyes without provoking any ire, he studied the object between his hands. It was a book. The cover was mostly black and felt rugged under his fingers. A pattern of flowers climbed from a corner and invaded a part of the cover’s space. A small silver butterfly was half hidden by purplish lines coming out of the flowers. It had no title and was closed by a clasp. He carefully unlocked it and peeked at the pages. He was greeted by blank pages. Sure there were lines and small decorations in some corners but no written words.

A notebook?

“I know how much you like reading. So I thought, what if you wrote something yourself for once? It could be amusing! The seller told me it could make a pretty diary as well.”

That was a nice attention. He made sure to thank properly his twin for the thought, watching his toes bouncing at the praise, and soon they eased up again into a comfortable chitchat.

Berlingot only thought back to the present late at night. The moon was high and shiny, throwing a silver hue on the hill so he didn’t bother getting out a candle. He tiptoed around Marianne’s sleeping shape and went to retrieve it and a pen. He swiftly climbed on a low branch, after making sure he was nowhere near the fruits. The soft light they emitted comforted him in the idea that he would do just fine without lights.

He runned one finger along the side before opening it. He didn't have the time to think about what to write. There was already something written.

He was sure it wasn't there before. It didn't look like Dream's handwriting… Marianne's handwriting. He clapped the book shut before reopening it again, just to be sure. The words were still here. He brushed his phalanx against the bright pink ink, inspecting the stars and flowers doodled around a few sentences.

"Welcome to you! I'm sure we're going to get along nicely. I can't wait!"

Berlingot read along the words again, wondering if it was all a big joke.

He didn't know what he was thinking about when, armed with his purple glittery fountain pen, he inscribed a simple confused word:

"Hello?"

End of chapter 2 🎶

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Dreamtale belongs to @jokublog

Berlingot (pink!Nightmare) is mine

Marianne (pink!Dream) belongs to the lovely @yuriyuruandyuraart (go look at the design, it's just beautiful) 💙

/!\ do not take what I write about any pink characters that aren't mine as canon. I'm making a lot of things up to fit the story >wo

@dragon-tamer-1 @shinechermont @zu-is-here @diofasolia New chapter ✨