Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When he started to rise from his sleep, Dream decided not to just straight-up open his eyes . Instead he enjoyed the warmth he felt under the comfortable blankets, he could feel the ship moving faster than last night, so someone was steering it. He had no clue what time it was, but there was light shining in that he could see under his eyel ids.

And then there was a hand, threading through his hair carefully, like the person wasn’t trying to wake Dream up. Eventually the hand slid down to his cheek, stroking under his eyes gently. The hand was big and rough, from someone who must have worked all their lives, maybe to survive the horrible world they were all born into.

Deep down Dream knew it was Techno, it was the logical conclusion, but he didn’t want to admit it. Because why was the man who kidnapped him so soft with him? And why did Dream want to lean into the touch? Why were they so nice to each other when the reason they ever met was a horrible one?

Why did Dream think he could trust Techno? Like he wasn’t going to give him away after all?

Dear Lord, someone come safe him, he is going crazy.

Eventually Dream started to stir, pretending he was just waking up from a deep slumber. Fast the hand moves away and the body next to him moved, the mattress giving in. When Dream opened his eyes Techno was sitting, chest bare and eyes trained forward to the desk. Dream rubbed his eyes and glanced into the direction, seeing the contract with Schlatt sitting there.

A deep sigh escaped Dream’s lips and he sat up, stroking through his curls and groaning lightly when his fingers got caught in some knots. He leaned against the headboard, looking at Techno was still staring at his desk, frown prominent on his face. Seeing as the man didn’t feel to talk, the prince decided not to break the silence between them.

Instead he used the time to look over Techno, admiring the scars on his back and the way his back was built. God, if Techno would have been one of his knights he would have made sure to end up in his-

“You hungry?” Techno cut Dream’s thoughts off and turned to look at him, pink hair hanging in all directions. And damn, it made him look even better.

Dream swallowed heavily to get rid of his dry mouth before he nodded. “Sure!” He said in a squeaky voice, immediately clearing his voice before giving it another try. “I mean, sure. Why not?” The blond shrugged and gained a deep chuckle from the other man, who finally pulled away the blanket from his lap to stand up.

Again, Dream decided to just watch the man as he scratched his belly, a yawn escaping him as he seemed to look for the clothes he wanted to wear. He decided on a slightly grey linen shirt with a wide neckline and to that black breeches with a wide red belt. The black boots and his hair in a braid rounded the outfit up.

When he finished with putting on his earrings he looked over his shoulder at Dream, one brow raised. “You gettin’ up or…?”

“Oh, yeah!” Dream spoke up, fast getting out of the bed and stretching his arms up like a cat. He noticed the shirt he was wearing riding up and exposing more of his thighs and he didn’t miss Techno glancing at the bare skin. A smirk fell over Dream’s lips and he coughed loudly, making Techno jump lightly. “Do you have a shirt for me?”

Techno looked at him for a few seconds before he pulled himself out of his thoughts. He was really cute for such a big guy who could probably push Dream to the ground whenever he wanted. Not that the prince would ever think of something like that, never ever. “Sure,” Techno said as he threw a white shirt on the bed.

Dream simply put on the same pants from the day before with his boots, the shirt Techno gave him was a lace-up shirt and he decided to not tie it together in the front. And yes, he noticed Techno watching him, it was kind of the plan. Then he clipped the corset around his waist again and simply ruffled through his hair before turning to the captain.

“Ready?” Techno asked and Dream nodded, following the man out of the cabin, into the hallway and then to the dining room. It was simply a room connected to the kitchen with a long table in the middle of it. Most people of the crew were already sitting on their usual seats, the one at the head of the table free and the one on it’s left.

It had been explained to him that usually Wilbur sat there, but ever since Dream arrived Techno told him to move one seat down. The simple reason was that he wanted to make sure Dream wasn’t trying to do anything.

The two sat down and Dream could feel Wilbur glaring at him, but he just ignored it. Wilbur was the only person of the crew who seemed to have a problem with Dream, the others treated him like he was part of them. Which was a bit weird, considering he got kidnapped by them, but at the same time he got treated so much worse in the palace. Those pirates treated him better than his own father ever did in all his life and that realisation made Dream’s guts twist and his heart clench.

“Morning Captain!” Tommy cheered loudly as he and Tubbo started to put plates filled with food in front of everyone. “And morning Dream!” The kind grinned widely, a tooth missing and hair a bit crazy, like he didn’t have the time to brush it.

“Oh, uhm,” Dream stuttered lightly, looking down at the plate that was placed in front of him. Scrambled eggs with some fried fish sticks were arranged on it, together with some cooked carrots. It looked delicious and saliva started gathering in his mouth. For just a second he forgot about Tommy, but when another plate was placed for the seat next to him, he looked back up. “Morning to you, too, Tommy.”

Tommy looked up and grinned widely at him, before retreating into the kitchen to get another plate. It didn’t take long for everyone to get their breakfast and sitting down, Wilbur sending Dream another stinky eye, but he just ignored it. “Well then, I hope y’all like it!” Puffy exclaimed loudly with a bright smile and once she started eating, everyone else does as well.

And just like Dream had anticipated the food was delicious, but he really didn’t expect anything else. When he had talked to Puffy the day before he found out about her family and that everyone was a chef, she said it was in her blood. Puffy was happy that she could help an amazing crew with her skills while also doing what she loves most and even seeing the whole world while doing so.

He glanced at the woman who was laughing at something Sam – another crew mate and the mechanic of the crew – said. Looking at her reminded him that not all pirates were inherently bad or evil and it was always a matter of their past and perspective. He understood why she turned against the crown and chose the pirates life. Shit, if Dream had the choice he himself would be against the crown, considering he knew how horrible his father was.

“Techno,” Wilbur spoke up as he picked up his glass filled with water, he peeked at Dream before his brown eyes met red ones. Techno looked up from his plate, he had been quiet the whole time so Wilbur caught him a bit off guard. “I have some amazing news!”

The people around them looked up, the ones sitting further away kept eating and in their conversation. Philza cocked a brow at the brunette and Techno swallowed a mouthful of his food. “What are those news?” Tommy asked with a grin, probably expecting something big like their next target.

“I adjusted our course a bit and let the ship fly a bit faster this morning,” the man told, a smug smile on his face. He glanced at Dream before looking back at his friends, “and with all this we’ll be able to arrive tonight already instead of tomorrow morning. Around ten hours earlier.”

Silence fell over the corner of the table, Dream swallowed heavily at those words. He had hoped to have more time and convince Techno to not give him away to Schlatt. Now Wilbur had actively – knowingly – made sure that he wouldn’t be able to do it.

“You touched the wheel of my ship?” Techno spoke up, voice dark and in a warning tone. A shiver ran down Dream’s neck, the man sounded mad, almost like he was growling. For the first time in a while Dream didn’t just see Technoblade, instead he saw the captain of the most feared pirate crew in history. “You just adjusted stuff without my knowledge?”

Wilbur swallowed heavily at that but tried to keep his cheery persona up. He adjusted his sitting position and looked at Techno, smile now weaker but still there. “Well, it was for everyone’s best interest. I shouldn’t have done this though so I apologize, it won’t happen again.” Techno huffed and nodded at him. Before anyone could say anything else Wilbur jumped up, his chair squeaking over the ground and making everyone wince. “I’ll send out a message crow real fast!”

“Wilbur,” Techno called out and the man froze, the smile slowly fading and his head tilted. Techno swallowed the last bite of his food as he pointed to the now empty chair, commanding Wilbur silently to sit down again. “You do not send out some crow to Schlatt,” Techno said calm, not even looking at the brunet as he used a napkin to wipe off his mouth, placing it on his empty plate afterwards.

“...What?” Wilbur asked, glancing around the table to try and make eye contact with someone. Most were looking away though, only Philza and Techno dared to meet his eyes. “Why not?”

“Because we already have a meeting date and time and that is tomorrow morning,” Techno explained. “We will simply let the ship sail slower tonight to make up the time.”

“But why?” Wilbur asked once again, weakly glaring at Techno as he tensed up, sitting on the edge of his seat. “We could get rid of him faster,” he now pointed at Dream who flinched lightly, “and could get Ranboo back sooner!”

An eerie quietness fell over the group, Dream glanced around to see the other’s reactions. Tommy and Tubbo looked down at their laps, the blond had a deep frown on his face. Philza was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he glared at Wilbur. And then there was Niki who had stayed silent all this time, she looked the angriest out of all of them. “Do not use Ranboo for a reason when in reality you just want to get rid of Dream,” she spat out, eyes narrowed at the man sitting next to her.

“Wha- I am not!”

“Yes you are!” Niki raised her voice and Dream noticed how the rest of the table had gone silent. When they noticed that no one was talking anymore the people who originally weren’t involved started speaking up again. It were wrong laughter and awkward smalltalk questions and everyone knew those weren’t normal conversations. “I don’t know why you dislike Dream like that, but you start having a problem with me when you use Ranboo to disguise your hate for care.”

Wilbur was about to say something else, but Techno cleared his throat loudly and got everyone’s attention. “Alright, enough with that,” he stood up from his chair, gaining the attention of everyone else at the table. “We are meeting up with Schlatt as planned, not sooner and not later. There’s no reason to rush anything other then stressing ourselves out. So we won’.t” And with that Wilbur huffed loudly before leaving. The rest returned to their food.

Dream glanced at Techno but the man was already looking at him. Before he could say anything, like voice his concern about what had just happened, the pinket winked at him. He winked ! And all Dream was able to do was look away and feel his face heating up.

Fuck him, why was the captain so fucking hot?! Of all the people Dream could be attracted to he really chose the man who ordered to kidnap him in order to give him away. Any maybe that was the reason why Wilbur wanted to hurry up the whole process, because it looked like the captain was just as interested in Dream as Dream was in him.

And that was dangerous. That was dangerous for Dream and for the crew ‘cause, even if the possibility was small, was happened when Techno wouldn’t give the blond to Schlatt? What would Schlatt do? Could he even do something to a crew like the one of The Syndicate?

With one last bite Dream stood up fast, “I’m done!” He called out, getting everyone’s eyes on him. “May I… leave and…”

“And…?” Niki prompted him to continue.

“And… I don’t know to be honest. Clean the deck maybe?”

“Or,” Philza spoke up at the same time as he stood up, “you come with me and help me out instead?” When Dream didn’t answer and glanced at Techno in a ‘Help me out here’-way. But instead of helping him out, the pinket grinned and waved his hand at Dream, signing him to go with Philza.

“Great!” the older man chirped as he walked away, Dream running after him fast. “I need some help organising some scrolls I got. We got hit by some big wind wave last night and one of my shelves just, you know, fell over.”

“Fell over?” Dream repeated, eyes wide, “aren’t they like, bolted to the wall of the ship?”

“Usually yeah,” Philza agreed with a nod, leading the two down the ship to Philza’s cabin. It was right under Techno’s. “But this was a new one and we didn’t yet find the time. And honestly I forgot. It was already filled with scrolls and I just was in denial that it wasn’t attached to the wall yet.”

Dream chuckled under his breath at that, Philza joining in. When they finally arrived at the door he opened it and Dream’s eyes widened. The floor was covered in scrolls, some open and some still closed, some wrinkled even. The shelf still lay on the ground, probably more scrolls under it. It was a total mess.

“First things first,” Philza said as he stepped in, careful not to step on the scrolls and instead pushing them away gently. “Let’s get that shelf back up.” He turned and smiled at Dream, waiting for him to get to the shelf on the ground. Dream walked up and helped the older man with the task, only then noticing how high the shelf was. Together they secured it to the wall, making sure it wouldn’t fall over once again.

Then they began to clear through the scrolls. Philza explained his sorting system: he had them sorted by theme, like contracts, cards, general information about the world, other pirates, the kingdom, and so on. And as they worked they talked and opened up a bit to each other.

At some point Dream felt comfortable enough to ask a probably sensitive question. “So… who is Ranboo?”

Philza glanced up from the scroll he was reading; however, he looked back down as they talked. “Ranboo was a former crew member of ours. One of the youngest, good friends with Tommy and Tubbo.”

“What happened to him...?” But Philza just shook his head, indicating he didn’t want to talk about Ranboo right now. All Dream knew was that he had something to do with Schlatt and also the revive book—why else would Niki have mentioned him? So maybe Dream was the first who had to open up in order to get some more information.

“You know, I grew up in a palace, as the next prince,” he started, putting some scrolls away he had sorted out already. “My father, the current king, he loathes me.” Dream chuckled under his breath and glimpsed at Philza, the man had his gaze still at the scroll in his hands but he was listening. Because his eyes weren’t moving back and forth like he’d be reading, instead they seemed to move all over the paper.

“At first not, of course,” Dream explained further, deciding just to keep talking. “I heard that he was really happy when I was born. I am a boy after all, an heir he could raise as a little version of himself to later lead the country the way he intended. But once I was old enough to have my own interests and move around, his happiness started to slip.”

Remembering all this was hard, the way Dream grew up. Everyone expected a prince to grow up in a – funny enough – dream. That he just needed to clap his hands to get what he wanted and like he was allowed to do whatever. But in reality his daily life was filled with lessons about how it’s going to be when he was king.

“My mother, on the other hand, was a wonderful person who adored me from the second I was born,” Dream smiled as he thought back to her. “She was patient, calm, and a little goofy. She didn’t mind when I started being interested in non-political stuff. When I learned horseback riding she was with me. When I told her I wanted to see the world and not be kept in this castle she talked to my father alongside me. She said I could travel now, live my young live and return once it’s time to rule. But he was against it.”

Dream huffed, turning to look at Philza. “She’s dead, died when I was fifteen. Sudden cardiac arrest. My father was with her when it happened, while I was out riding my horse through a forest. When I returned he slapped me, told me that’s what happens when I try to dream and do anything other than learn how to rule. That I could have been there for her last breath. I never forgave myself.”

Philza looked at Dream, slowly putting the scroll down and walking up to the prince. His hands placed on Dream shoulder, looking in his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, Dream,” the man assured, squeezing his shoulders gently. “No one can predict a sudden cardiac arrest, it can happen to anyone anytime. What your father said was probably not even true. When something like that happens, death is fast and the chance of not dying is small, even when immediate help is there.

Green eyes stared into blue ones, Dream could feel the tears gathering. He hadn’t even known that, cause he almost didn’t know anything about health related stuff. Cause his father never let him study it, said a king didn’t need to know, that was his doctor’s job. All those years of self loathing and all because his father hated him, tried to guilt Dream into his princely duties.

“...Ever since then I mostly studied to become King,” Dream continued, Philza let go of him, listening and helping to p ut the last scrolls away. “I was there when he spoke to his advisers, to the council, to people who asked for help. He taught me about other kingdoms and introduced me to people who wanted to work with him. That’s how I met Schlatt.”

It was then that Philza glanced at him again, stopping his movement for just a second before continuing like nothing happened. “Jay Schlatt, a King of cruelty who is leading his kingdom with fear and blood. I always hated him.”

“Did you tell your father?”

Dream nodded, finally placing the last scroll on the shelf. “Yeah, but he didn’t listen to me. Said I was talking bullshit and didn’t have enough experience to be able to understand stuff like that. With every new meeting I had told him, and every time he found a new reason to dismiss me. And now here I am, kidnapped because of this man. Wouldn’t be surprised if my father also had his hands in this.”

“He didn’t,” Philza cl arified , turning to Dream completely, “it seems to be some personal interest of Schlatt to have you.”

“Great,” Dream joked with a dry chuckle. Silence overtook the room, dancing around them like a ballerina dancing to Swan Lake. “Is there anything else you need my help with?” Instead of answering Philza just shook his head and with that Dream left, walking back to the deck.

On his way he ran into Niki who smiled at him and asked him to help her and Puffy out in the kitchen. They were planning a little celebration they regularly did to keep the crew’s spirit up and always prepared quiet some food and drinks. Happily Dream agreed; Niki and Puffy were some of the nicest people on the ship, so spending time with them wouldn’t be so hard.

And as they worked in the kitchen – preparing every kind of food you could think of – Dream didn’t even notice how everyone else was preparing the deck of the ship. So when he stepped out you could only guess how surprised he was finding fairy lights strung across the deck. Be that along the railing or from mast to mast, it looked amazing. There were tables and seat options and candles. Some people had already started celebrating, playing music and dancing around.

Once all the food was out on the deck and placed on a large table, the party only started. Dream ate some of the delicious food he had prepared with Niki and Puffy, watching how others enjoyed it just as much. Then he danced with everyone, let Tommy and Tubbo teach him the lyrics of some of the songs. Puffy showed him some of the special dances to certain songs and at some point one of the crew members told him some pirate jokes, making everyone close to them laugh out.

It was amazing, it was an atmosphere he had never before felt, completely different than the stiff balls that were held in the castle. Those people here on the ship actually had fun, they actually enjoyed the crowd around them and didn’t feel the need to fake smiles. No, all this was real and raw and just beautiful. He couldn’t believe that this crew got feared by everyone on the planet.

He had the feeling that, for the first time in his life, Dream had found friends.

Through the whole night the blond felt eyes on him and a few times was able to catch them. Red meeting green, the captain always had an eye on the blond, never even looking away when Dream noticed it. Instead a smile grew on his lips, daring Dream to keep looking, but he was too weak. Each time his face turned warm and he couldn’t hold the intense eye contact, he just couldn’t. He was afraid, cause he knew what it was that he was feeling for the captain.

It was bad. Oh so bad. But it also felt so so good.

The later it got, the calmer everyone was. Until everyone was in their small group, talking and chuckling together. It was then that Dream excused himself, needing some alone time and walked up to the railing, away from the rest. He leaned against it and looked at the sky, sometimes chuckling when they flew right through a cloud.

It didn’t take long for Dream to hear footsteps approaching him, with a glance over his shoulder he wasn’t surprised to see Techno. The captain smiled and put a violin bag down before leaning against the railing as well, right next to Dream. The silence stayed for a bit, it wasn’t comfortable or anything, it was calm and welcomed.

After a while Techno started talking, not looking at Dream as he did so. “Philza told me that you asked about Ranboo,” said, making Dream glance at him before nodding. “Well, Ranboo was a former crew member, quiet young with a lot of potential. Always eager to find a peaceful way, to help everyone out and make the world a better place. And that was his downfall.”

Techno inhaled deeply before exhaling again, turning lightly to look at Dream. The blonde turned as well, making sure to show Techno that he had his full attention. “...you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Dream assured, not wanting to put any pressure on the captain.

But Techno shook his head and met Dream’s gaze. “No, it’s important for you to know this, it’s your right to know who you were kidnapped for.” Dream gulped at those words and gave a short nod. “Ranboo died a few months ago, we were working on a mission from some royal douchebag which ended at an animal filled island. It was horrible for the pets, but we weren’t there for them and didn’t have the time. Ranboo pleaded to help them but I told him we couldn’t. We fought and I told him if he wanted to he had to do it on his own.”

“...and he did,” Dream finished for Techno who nodded with a heavy sigh.

“He was supposed to stay at the ship but sneaked out to set the animals free. He wasn’t supposed to be there at that spot, he was supposed to be safe like the other kids. Instead he got caught in the crossfire, shot right in the heart, dead immediately.” Techno wetted his lips and cleared his throat.

There were tears in his eyes and in a show of comfort Dream placed his hand on top of Techno’s, squeezing it lightly. The pinket squeezed back, taking a bit to gather himself again, to return to his act of the strong captain. “If I just would have helped him or at least said that we would return for them-”

“Don’t,” Dream interrupted, stepping closer to Techno, still holding his hand tightly. “Don’t blame yourself, it won’t change the past and I am sure Ranboo wouldn’t want that.” Techno stared at him for a second, and for a moment Dream thought he may have gone too far with the last part. But then Techno smiled weakly before taking the blond’s other hand as well.

“This is why we need the revive book,” he finished, holding Dream’s gaze, “to bring him back and give him the life he deserved.”

It was hard to hear but it was obvious, of course Dream wasn’t as important as Ranboo was. He had only been here for a couple days and half of those he spent hating the people on the ship. Believing that he wouldn’t be given up for someone like Ranboo was ridiculous. But Dream was happy to know the story now, at least he knew that he wasn’t gonna be given away for something as meaningless as treasures.

As no one said anything any more Techno removed his hands to grab the violin he had placed next to him before. He placed the instrument under his chin and began playing, looking at his fingers and the strings of the violin. Dream watched him mesmerized. Green eyes and wondering how he could have lived that long without listening to this man play.

It wasn’t a go happy song you usually heard on a pirate ship, instead is sounded melancholic, like Techno had put all his feelings into that song. The other people a few feet away from them were quieter now, listening in on the playing but Dream didn’t waste time looking over at them. His eyes were glued on the man in front of him who seemed to slowly come to an end.

Once done the violin was carefully placed back on the ground and Dream couldn’t stop but smile when he met red eyes. “Was that my farewell gift?” He asked, speaking through the lump in his throat yet with a gentle smile.

Techno chuckled amused but shook his head. “No, I decided we will not send you away,” said the pinket. “Ranboo wouldn’t want me to do this to get him back, that would go against everything he stands for.”

Dream stared at Techno, mouth slightly open as he watched pink hair sway in the wind. He was safe. He was not going to be given away like some thing to trade with. Would that mean he'd be returned home? Was he gonna return to his kingdom and greet his father who had never even tried searching for him? And would that mean Techno had given up on Ranboo?

“What about Ranboo?” He asked, it seemed like it was the most important thing to ask, the most important part to Techno.

“We will find another way to get that book,” Techno said, eyes focused on the horizon in front of him. “We will get Ranboo back. We will meet with Schlatt and tell him you got rescued or killed, that we will give him something else instead.”

Dream nodded at that, following Techno's gaze as they flew through another cloud. “...What about me?” His voice was small, unsure. Fear was hidden beneath the tone, not wanting to show it to the captain. He had no right to be scared, he would be set free.

Techno took a deep breath and turned back to Dream, looking into green eyes that shone in the moonlight. “We can bring you back home,” he said with a soft voice before stepping closer to Dream once more, a big hand wrapping around Dream's waist, “or you could stay with us, on the ship. Sail over the world with my crew and I.”

That sounded amazing. It was exactly what Dream wanted, what he had wished to do. A smile spread over his face and he pressed himself closer to Techno, hands finding his chest. “That would be amazing, actually.”

A chuckle came from the pinket, a smile mirroring Dream's spreading on his face. He bit his lower lip before clearing his throat. “Dream,” he started, his hand squeezing the waist it lay one, “I know we haven't been with each other for that long and the way we met wasn't really the best either.”

At that Dream raised a brow, looking up at Techno in amusement. “You think so?”

Techno scoffed at and shook his head before continuing. “I don't know how to say this but for some reason I feel connected to you. There isn't really an explanation for this and I don't want to burden you with this. I don't even know how to properly describe it to you- it's just- I- You and I, we-”

Dream stopped his rambling with a finger to his mouth, smiling softly. “I get it, Techno. I feel the same,” he whispered, standing on his tiptoes to make sure he would be heard. Techno smiled, looking glad that he didn't have to explain it any more, finding those words were hard. Love was too intense for what it was, yet. But there was something there and Dream was glad he wasn't the only one feeling it.

With a sigh Techno leaned down, pulling Dream closer to his chest. They were so close, and Dream was ready. All he wanted was to feel Techno, to be embraced by him and to simply be with him. Time around them stopped, it was like the wind waited for them to finally kiss, to do what they had wanted all this time.

But just as their lips was about to touch a loud cough tore them out of their bubbles, bursting it and making their world crash. Techno sighed in annoyance and turned to the person who interrupted them, Dream took a step back, the hand on his waist didn't leave though.

In front of them stood Wilbur with a cup of tea in his hand. “Wilbur,” Techno grumbled. The man's gaze was flying between them, looking at them with a hint of disgust. Dream ignored it, it seems so did Techno. As long as Wilbur kept his opinion to himself there was no trouble.

“Your tea, Techno,” answered Wilbur, holding the cup out to his captain. “The others started cleaning up and since I want to go to sleep I had to make your tea now.” It was reasonable, Wilbur shouldn't have to wait just because Techno and Dream were lost in themselves.

Techno sighed, accepting that Wilbur had a good reason to interrupt him. The captain liked his tea hot, so waiting around wasn't an option. “Thank you, Wilbur,” he said as he took the cup, immediately taking a sip. “Did you add something to it? It tastes different.”

Wilbur smiled at him, like he was happy Techno noticed. “We bought some new spices last time we were at an harbour. This is the first time I used it, do you enjoy it?”

A hum came from he pinket. “Yeah, it tastes good.” Wilbur's smile grew and he glanced towards Dream for a second. Dream didn't like it. “Anyway, you are dismissed Wilbur, thank you.” Wilbur bowed towards Techno and sent yet another glance at Dream before walking off.

Dream sighed at the same time Techno yawned, he chuckled at him. “Ready to sleep?” Dream asked, already pulling Techno along towards the captain's room. The man chuckled tiredly, following without any complain.

Once they arrived in the cabin they changed into light clothes, wide shirts and pants before climbing into the bed. Dream felt strong arms wrap around him and lips pressed against the top of his head. Before he had a chance to turn and look at Techno the man was already knocked out. He must have been tired, the role as a captain was hard.

But now Dream was by his side to help him. He would make sure Techno took breaks when he needed them.

…

Dream was shaken awake, he wanted to sit up, to wonder who was touching him. Hands too small for Techno, to rough with him to be from the man who had held him so gently earlier that night. When his eyes opened and his senses came back to him, he felt something cold and sharp against his throat.

On top of him wasn't Technoblade, it was Wilbur with a dagger held against Dream's throat. His green eyes were wide open, confusion spread over his face and he was hoping that this was just a nightmare. It couldn't be true.

Wilbur placed his finger over his own lips, signaling Dream to stay quiet. The pressure against his throat just indicated it further. Dream nodded carefully and glanced towards Techno – his lover, or so he hoped so – and wished he could wake him. But any sudden move could kill him. And he didn't know what Wilbur was capable of.

He was surprised that Wilbur was able to break into the cabin without them waking up, without Techno waking up. Usually the captain woke up from any unusual noise, but not this time. That's when he realised that Wilbur must have put something into the tea, that this must have been the reason why he had fallen asleep so fast.

The tea had tasted different than usual.

They should have known.

With the dagger against his throat and hands behind his back held by Wilbur, the two left the cabin. They walked towards the escape boats, Dream had seen then before. They were to be used in emergencies, but Dream could guess what Wilbur was going to do.

They climbed in, Wilbur replaced the dagger with a gun, pressed against Dream’s throat, and forced him off the ship. It was floating off, away from the ship. Away from Dream's lover, from his future life, from his freedom.

God, he was scared.

“Put those on,” Wilbur demanded, throwing clothes towards Dream who caught them. It was a big white ruffled shirt, slightly transparent and tight black pants with heeled boots. As he put the short on it revealed a big slit at the front, showing off his chest. The implication of him wearing it disgusted him. It made fear spread through his body. “Schlatt gave those to us before we went looking for you. He has requested for you to wear it.”

Dream huffed as he tied up the boots along his knees, his hands trembling. “Why are you doing this, Wilbur?” He asked, looking up at the man, the barrel of the gun still aimed towards him. Not at his head, at his leg so he wouldn't die. So he could still be given over to Schlatt.

“I want that book, Dream,” Wilbur confessed, eyes cold.

“Ranboo wouldn't want to-”

“I don't care for Ranboo,” yelled Wilbur, his stared at Dream. He looked crazy, like a completely different person. “Sure getting Ranboo back was a plus, but I want it for myself. I would have stolen it from Techno sooner or later. Do you know how powerful I will be with this book? Once I get to decide who lives and who perish away like dogs? Kings will come to me, they will pay me.”

Wilbur stepped closer and leaned down towards Dream, too close to comfort with an insane smirk on his lips. “I will be a God.” He moved away again, laughing at the situation. “Technoblade got blinded by the feelings he developed for you, which is utterly ridiculous! You were supposed to just be a token to give away, instead he looks at you like you are the most precious treasure in the world. It's disgusting!”

Dream stayed quiet. He had known about the way Wilbur felt about him, he had seen how he had looked at Techno and him. Dream wasn't blind, he wasn't dumb, he just had hoped that the friendship to Techno and the rest of the crew had been stronger than those feelings. Now it seemed like everyone had just been a toy for Wilbur's end goal.

It was too late to do anything about this now. Wilbur had won, Dream had lost. He had lost so much.

Shortly after they arrived at the meeting point. The boat slowed down and Dream looked up, Schlatt and some of his men were already waiting at the shore of an island. A smug grin prominent on the man, his hands behind his back.

The boat stopped and they climbed out, Dream didn't say a word. All he wanted to do was cry. “Wilbur!” Schlatt called, stepping closer to the two with his hand reached out. “I am so glad you made it, at least one person of the Syndicate uses his brain.”

Wilbur huffed and shook Schlatt's hand before pushing Dream forward to him. Schlatt grinned and grabbed Dream by his waist, pulling him right against his own chest. His nose buried in Dream's neck and he inhaled deeply, hands roaming over Dream's waist and hip and chest and all Dream wanted was to get away. To get those hands off of him and return back to Technoblade, to the man he loved.

Shit. He loved Technoblade, didn't he? And now there would never be a chance of telling him.

Dream squeezed his eyes closed and tried to pull away, tried to somehow escape but Schlatt held onto him. “You stay right here, prince. You belong to me now.”

“You disgust me,” Dream bit out, glaring at the man who he always hated, who had always been weird. Who was going t destroy him.

“Aw, Dreamie,” he hushed, his lips close to Dream's, hand now in blond curls and forcing him to look at him. “Acting so tough, don't you? But it's fine, I love breaking down strong willed people.” He cackled out, licking over Dream's cheek who tried thrashing around.

“Schlatt,” Wilbur called out, glaring at the man. “What about the book?”

Schlatt looked up and cocked his head at Wilbur. “Right, the book.” He turned to one of his men and nodded towards him. Said man stepped forward, pulling out a book from his bag. It looked so normal, like it was just a normal book. An old book, like it was going to lose pages. Yet when the moon shone right at it you could see a violet hue.

No doubt, this was the revive book.

Wilbur's eyes widened in glee and he eagerly spread out his arm, ready to finally take what he always wanted. But before he could reach it a shot was fired, right between Wilbur's eyes. Schlatt had pulled out a gun and shot Wilbur with no hesitation, laughing after he did it. “This idiot really thought I would give him the book, was a fucking joke!”

Dream's eyes were wide as he stared at Wilbur on the ground, blood pooling under his head. Schlatt had no mercy, the second Wilbur was useless he had gotten rid of him. He had no honor, he was a monster.

Again hands pulled at him, lips were placed against his neck and Dream knew he had to get away from him. It was better to fight and be killed than just enduring this mess. This was no life waiting for him, it was hell. And he'd rather be dead and go to the real hell than to endure it in a living state.

So he fought, he tried pushing Schlatt off, tried kicking him and biting him. Schlatt got angry, he yelled and ordered his men to stop Dream and within a few minutes three men were holding him down while his hands were tied together behind his back. Dream really had enough of being tied up like this. “You're so stubborn Dream, but that is what I like about you,” Schlatt said, squeezing Dream's cheeks between his hand. “I will have so much fun with you, but first I have to get you home, there we can be in private.”

Dream glared at him, breathing heavily and blaring his teeth before he felt a sudden sharp pain in his neck. From the corner of his eyes he saw a man pulling away a syringe from him. They had injected him with something, he felt his blood burning and his eyes getting heavy.

Before the man was able to pick Dream up he fell on the ground, a shot ringing through the air. A clean shot to the back of his head, dead within a second. Just like Wilbur.

Schlatt cursed under his breath before looking up, Dream doing the same. There, over them, floated The Syndicate. He was barely able to make out Niki with a sniper rifle, aiming down at them as smaller boats were descending down towards the ground.

Dream tried staying away, whatever they had put into his body was trying to force him to sleep. But he saw Techno, he saw sword clashing, he called out for him. Red eyes fell on him immediately and he could see the determination of getting to Dream in those eyes. He would be safed, Techno would get him. It didn't even matter that Schlatt was picking him up, Techno would get to him, he trusted in that.

...

When Dream woke up he had expected to be saved already, to be back on The Syndicate with Techno by his side. Instead what he saw when he escaped the darkness was Schlatt, leaning over him with a stare only a maniac could carry. There was a gun pressed against his throat, just like Wilbur had done. You'd think he was going to get used to the feeling by now.

“Hey Dreamie,” Schlatt whispered, the knife sliding along the skin of his throat and cheek. “You think you'd escape from me? That fucking Technoblade would come and get you? God, you are dumber than your father.”

His breath stank and spit flew out of his mouth with every new word. Schlatt sat on him, pressing down on him every time Dream tried to move to stop him. “You look so much like your father,” he said, his free hand stroking over Dream's cheek, thumb over his lips. “From the first time I saw you I wanted you as mine, but you tried to stay away from me, no? You knew I wanted you and tried to stop me from having you?” He sounded crazy, like some obsessive stalker he got warned about from his father some time.

“Schlatt, stop this,” Dream bit out, still trying to get the man off of him.

“Shh,” hushed Schlatt, getting his face closer to Dream's. “I wanted your Dad so bad, Dream. He was supposed to be mine, to kneel for me and let me do whatever I wanted. But you are even better, aren't you?” He forced Dream to look at him, to stare at those eyes that yelled 'danger'. “A younger version of him, one that I can finally claim as mine.”

He was about to press his lips against Dream, to force him to do something he really didn't want to do. Another call out for Techno, filled with fear and disgust, pleading not to be used like that.

“Get off of him!” Came the answer, Dream cried out in relief as he recognized the voice. Techno was here, he had come to him, he had found him. Before he could react Schlatt climbed off and pulled Dream up, gun pressed to the side of his neck. “Schlatt, let go of him.” Demanded Techno, covered in blood and eyes filled with rage.

“Get lost, Techno!” Schlatt screamed, breathing heavy. “He is mine now, he belongs to me! You can't have him. He is a prince and shouldn't be around pirates, he belongs in a nice room where I can look after him, where I alone can take good care of him.”

“Dream doesn't belong to anyone,” yelled Techno, sword in hand. His disgust towards the spoken words were obvious, his rage getting more prominent with every new word. “He's a person with a soul and a will, not an object you can keep locked up!”

Silence fell over them and for a moment Dream thought that maybe Schlatt agreed, but then he started laughing. With every second his laughter grew louder, crazier, like had never heard anything funnier. Like Dream was just a joke to him.

It was enough, Dream had enough of being treated like that. Years with his father acting like he was a disgrace. Then getting kidnapped to be traded in like some object and now Schlatt who thought he could do with him whatever he wanted.

Dream was strong, he was his own person who studied and took lessons to protect himself. He wasn’t a weak prince like people tried to picture him who didn’t know what work was. All his life he had tried proofing himself, had wanted to show people who he was and now he had finally people who cared for him for himself, not for his title.

Schlatt was not going to take this away from him.

W ith a shout Dream threw himself backwards at the man, making him stumble. Dream used his head to slam the gun out of Schlatt’s hand, making it fly a few feet away from them. Techno took the chance to run at them, aiming his sword right at Schlatt.

However, the man was quick enough to pull his own sword and protected himself with it. Dream took the distraction to try and free himself from the rope around his wrists. Thanks to his struggling – and the fact that The Syndicate showed up – the rope was rather lose. He had a chance, he had learned to free himself from situations like this.

He kept wiggling his wrists around, pulling at the rope over and over again. Then he noticed a rather sharp stone in the ground. Just the tool he needed. While Techno and Schlatt fought, Dream pressed the rope against the stone, moving his wrists up and down to cut through it. Schlatt’s gun lay a few feet away. He had to get it, once he had it they would have an advantage. Dream could shoot him, he could end this.

A fter a few more tries he was able to make it, his hands were free and he threw the rope away. Dream looked around and his face lit up when he saw the gun laying on the ground just a few feet away. The problem was that Schlatt had noticed Dream being free and also the gun. Just like the asshole Schlatt was he threw dirt right into Techno’s face, making the man stumble back with his sword up for protection while rubbing his eyes.

Dream ran. Schlatt ran. And once Techno’s eye were fine again he ran as well. The injection from before was still running through Dream’s blood, it made him weaker, slower. It let Schlatt get to close to him.

But he reached the gun first and turned around. One shot. Aimed right at Schlatt. And it hit, the men fell, eyes wide, blood escaping his body and fell on the ground as a limp body fell against Dream. He heard Techno stop running at the same time he felt a sharp pain through his stomach.

It didn’t hurt long, just for a second before it got replaced by pressure in his stomach. His strength left him the next second. All he could do was push Schlatt off of him before he fell backwards on the ground, the sword that had impaled his stomach fell out of his body from that.

He heard a scream. Loud, terrified, like someone just saw the most horrified thing in existence. Suddenly Techno was above him, kneeling on the ground and hands hovering over his body. Dream looked at him, he was beautiful. His pink hair shone in the rising sun with blood splotted over his face, he looked ethereal, like a God.

Hands were on Dream’s face and finally the ringing in his ear s stopped as Techno’s voice broke through. “Dream, you need to stay awake, shit!” Cursed the pinket, looking around and calling for Philza. Dream just watched him, he felt cold and dark spots gathered at the corner of his vision. He could feel himself tremble, he wanted to reach out for the man he loved.

“’echno,” he coughed out, feeling blood run down the corner of his mouth. Dream knew what was happening, he knew what he had to do now. “Yer… s’ b’tiful...”

“Shut up,” Techno told him as he pressed down on the wound, tears streaming down his face. “Don’t do this to me, Dream. I can’t lose you now,” he told him, constantly looking at him. Dream wished he could hold him, wished he could tell him it would be okay. But he didn’t have the time for lies, he had to say what needed to be said.

He was running out of time.

Dream smiled at him, he knew it looked pained and gruesome, he knew about the blood on his face. But he powered through it, he wanted to leave Techno with a smile on his lips, he wanted to be remembered with it. “T’chno...” he said as he could feel himself drift away, as the darkness pulled him under more and more. “My Cap’n... m-my love--- ‘s gon’ be o-okay.. I’ll… I’ll be th’re... always. F-feel me... in th’ wind... kn-know ‘m fin’lly free...”

He leaned up as far as he could, using all the strength he had left. It was only a few centimetres from the ground, but Techno met him, pressing his forehead against Dream’s. “T’chn…. I l-love you...” was all Dream could get out before everything turned dark. As his eyes closed and his head fell back on the ground he could swear he saw Techno’s lips moving, echoing his own.

One second Dream was there on the ground, a prisoner of fate. The next he was free.

…

And the universe said I love you

And the universe said you have played the game well

And the universe said everything you need is within you

And the universe said you are stronger than you know

And the universe said you are the daylight

And the universe said you are the night

And the universe said the darkness you fight is within you

And the universe said the light you seek is within you

And the universe said you are not alone

And the universe said you are not separate from every other thing

And the universe said you are the universe tasting itself, talking to itself, reading its own code

And the universe said I love you because you are love.

There was light. There was a book. There was chanting in a dark voice that sounded like love itself.

And the game was over and the player woke up from the dream. And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better. And the player was the universe. And the player was love.

A name was called. It sounded like someone was pleading with the Gods themselves.

You are the player.

Eyes flickered. Fingers twitched. A chest started to move. A heart started to beat.

Wake up.

Green eyes opened and they shone with freedom.