Chapter Two
As the Dream Eater gazed at the new portrait hanging on the wall, a familiar desire tugged at his skin.
"I want to paint again." Shouto breathed, itching to reflect another human scene on the canvas.
Turning instinctively to the stool and blank canvas sitting on the easel, Shouto paused, creasing a brow."I cannot sit there yet."
An obstacle stood between the Dream Eater and his next painting, looming like a towering hurdle, Shouto could never clear."I need to find a human that's capable of showing me a good dream."
Dreams were random and unpredictable things, simultaneously a blessing and curse for Dream Eaters whose livelihood depended on the constant flow of relevant dreams.
Heaving a sigh, Shouto accepted his reality and prepared to search for a random human but a radical idea popped into his mind next, widening his eyes.
What if I visit a human that I painted before? Shouto brought a hand to his lips.
Feeding off the dreams of the same human, was a practice Shouto avoided to keep his works diverse;however, he was willing to go against this, if it meant improving his odds of eating a good dream.
Shouto flitted his eyes towards the portrait featuring a farmer and he closed his eyes, navigating the vast sea of sleeping humans, with his Dream Stone, searching for the farmer in question."He's awake."
Pressing on, Shouto scanned the portrait propped up on the floor but found the subject, a detective, in a similar state."This isn't working."
Shouto slowly swung around, turning reluctant eyes to the mother and son painting. "Izuku is probably awake too."
On the contrary, Izuku was on the precipice of dreaming, making Shouto's crystal shine red.
"There's no guarantee he will show me an interesting dream."
Narrowing his eyes, Shouto threw caution to the wind, doing the the unthinkable.
In a brilliant flash of light, Shouto appeared in that bare bones bedroom again, chasing after Izuku's dream.
Said man lay beneath the sheets, chest rising and falling as he slept. "I hope I made the right decision." Shouto murmured from the man's bedside.
Before long the dream kickstarted, treating Shouto to a different Izuku.
Izuku stood inches taller and attractive, weaving his way through a group of young teens cluttering the street."Excuse me, coming through."
Chipping past them, Izuku barrelled across the road, beating the green light by seconds.
"He's in a hurry." Shouto could not read the names of all the curious shops that Izuku hoofed past,down town. Where is he off to?
Rounding a bend, taking a left and then a right, Izuku ground to a halt, facing a colourful storefront. "Oh good, I made it in time."
Izuku strode into a flower shop, walking up to the counter, passing clusters of vibrant flowers blooming from pots on the floor and shelves.
"Welcome to The Sparkling Rose!" The blonde male manning the counter, gave Izuku a dazzling smile.
"How can I help you, sir?"
"Ah, I'd like a bouquet of Gillyflowers," Izuku replied."The p-pink ones please."
"A most beautiful choice, I'll prepare it right away."The blonde man headed into the back, leaving Izuku to sneak peeks at his watch and mutter to himself.
"He seems nervous." Shouto strained his ears to decipher the man's words, failing to make them out.
Be that as it may, the attendant returned some time after, carrying an intricately designed bouquet, bearing delicate pink flowers."Thank you for waiting sir, one bouquet of Gillyflowers."
"Thank you!" Izuku's face lit up and he reached for his wallet, eagerly paying for the bouquet.
Leaning down to inhale the flowers, Izuku left the shop."Mmm fresh like I wanted."
"Emiko-san should be getting off her shift soon." Izuku mumbled, pressing the bouquet to his chest.
Emiko-san?" Shouto lifted a brow in inquiry. Was that Izuku's mother name? Maybe she was the special recipient of the bouquet?
Izuku brought Shouto a step to unraveling that mystery as Izuku rounded the corner, stopping to stare at the entrance of a grocery shop on the other side the street.
Families, children and seniors trickled out the swishing doors, all carrying bags but when a pretty curly-haired girl walked out empty handed, Izuku sucked in a breath, cheeks reddening."Y-You can do this, Izuku, it's now or n-never."
Shifting the bouquet to another hand, Izuku lifted his free hand up and opened his mouth as if to call out to her. The unexpected stole his words.
A man came up to the girl and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips.
Izuku's eyes grew wide and his hands dropped to his sides, bouquet tumbling to the ground, petals scattering.
"He liked that human girl — this is rejection."Everything clicked for Shouto in that moment, from Izuku's nervousness and the stunning splay of emotions now colouring Izuku's face.
Still Shouto could not fathom what Izuku was experiencing, since Shouto belonged to race that mated purely out of instinct.
Much like the previous night, Izuku's dream ended abruptly, leaving Shouto to glance down at Izuku's face."Thank you for the dream."
Shouto consumed Izuku's dream, reaping the sweet reward of a risk that was worth taking.
Becoming a painter of the night again, Shouto combed the canvas until dawn, telling the story of unrequited love in watercolour.
Collecting his brushes and palette after the satisfying job, Shouto cleaned his tools and work area before taking a much needed break.
"It's morning." Shouto approached the chaise lounge and settled upon it, peering out the glass panel.
Dream City was bathed in the golden light of the morning suns, crowning the towers and fliers gliding between them.
Stretching a leg out, Shouto fixed his gaze on his drying portrait.
A distraught Izuku stood frozen in pain, bouquet slipping out his hands."All the effort was for naught."
Shouto reflected on humanity's strange need for love and companionship that often resulted in situations like Izuku's. "You will repeat this cycle again and again if you are like the others."
"It's sad but beautiful." Shouto mused, staring at the heartbroken man.
TBC
A/N: Thank you for reading!