Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been about a year and 6 months since Dream had killed Tommy since Tommy dared go near the prison. He wasn’t afraid, not anymore, he just knew what could happen if he went back in there, he did only have one canon life left after all.

The nightmares still happened occasionally, images of fists and dark obsidian filling his vision as he screamed for Sam, begged for Sam. But it was okay, he was okay. Even if he would wake up screaming and clutching at his chest, feeling the phantom fists beating down on him, even if each time he caught sight of the atrocious building he got the overwhelming urge to run as fast and far as possible, putting worlds of the distance between him and that damned prison.

But it was okay, he was okay.

Now he stood outside the entrance, quivering only slightly as he debated whether he would go through with his plan of visiting it. Ever since Techno became locked up as well, whispers of the torture and the maltreatment of the prisoners had floated around the server, saying Quackity and Sam had been working together, that the two were conspiring to obtain the book of necromancy.

So naturally, Tommy had to see for himself.

You don’t have to do this, mate. I can go check it out, it isn’t a good idea for you to be going in there, Phil had warned, scarred hand taking up a place on his shoulder as he spoke softly. Tommy had laughed it off and said the two would be no problem, that he was going to laugh at Dream’s newfound anguish, and then get out. He didn’t know if that was to comfort Phil or himself.

“Tommy, what are you doing here?” Quackity called, tearing the boy from his thoughts. The man looked sharp as ever, Gold tooth on full display as he wore a wide toothy smile. “I just got done visiting my pal Dream, I’m not so sure it’s wise to visit today as well” Quackity spoke, it read as both a warning and a pleasantry if that was even possible.

“I-…..” Tommy shook his head, lowering his head to the floor with furrowed brows “If I don’t do this now, I don’t think I ever will.”

“It’s probably better that way, you know,” Quackity said, voice going dark, “You shouldn’t be visiting him, Tommy,” he said, closing the distance between the two before and returning right back to his upbeat businessman facade. “I don’t want you getting hurt again, and this can’t be good for you mentally either” he shook his head, hand clasping the boy's shoulder.

“It’ll be alright, I’m going to have Sam keep the wall up this time, Dream won’t kill me I promise,” Tommy said, giving him a reassuring smile. “Besides, I also need to speak with Technoblade.”

——————-

To say Sam was shocked to see Tommy standing in front of him was an understatement, Tommy stood awkwardly as Sam was at a loss for words, starting and stopping each sentence he tried to summon abruptly.

“I need to visit them”

“That’s not happening,” Sam said, shaking his head as he eyed the boy. “I’m not allowing visitors any longer, not after what happened to you.”

“Quackity visits”

“That’s, that’s different-“

“Do you realize how shady you sound right now?” Tommy shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets to hide the slight quiver. “Look, I’m not asking for a lot. I just want to talk to them, you can keep the wall in the cell up, you can give me a time limit, but I'm speaking to them one way or another.”

Sam thought for a minute, unable to come up with another excuse as to why he wouldn’t let Tommy in. “You know this won’t do you any good, right?”

“Let me in, Sam,” Tommy said, crossing his arms over his chest, growing more impatient by the minute.

With a sigh Sam nodded, going through the typical procedure of having Tommy agree to the terms, and put all his items in the locker room, Sam still looking for a reason to tell the boy off. The walk through checkpoints was tense, neither daring to say a word as they passed each checkpoint. Sam only spoke to give Tommy instructions, instructions Tommy knew by heart by now.

“He won’t talk to you,” Sam said, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding

“He can’t be that mad at -.“

“He won’t talk to anyone, not even Technoblade,” Sam said, cutting Tommy off. “You’re not special. He just won’t speak anymore, I haven’t heard him say a word in a year now” Sam said, “So don’t expect much of a conversation between the two of you.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows at that, what could shut up Dream, egotistical, narcissistic, Dream? “Okay…. well, I guess he’ll be doing a lot of writing today,” He said with a sigh, not liking where this was going. What the hell was going on in there that Dream of all people stopped talking. He’d expect this from someone like Ranboo, or even Techno, but never Dream.

“I guess” Sam echoed, furrowing his brows a bit, struggling to find the right words for what he had to say next. “Another thing, he’s completely blind”

“What?” Tommy asked, voice hushed from shock. “Blind? What do you mean blind? Like blind to empathy and a moral compass?”

“He can’t see anything, hasn’t for a while now,” Sam said, cringing a bit. Things did not look good for the prison integrity-wise.

“Anything else you want to fucking spring on me? Christ Sam what the hell, did he get so bored he clawed his own eyes out?! how do you just let your prisoner go blind?” He demanded, unable to comprehend how something like that could have happened. He didn’t exactly feel bad, but he didn’t feel good about it either. Tommy despised Dream, it was him who had made his life a living hell, but he was also capable of compassion. Even if Dream tried to ruin him, to take all he loved from him, he was still a person, he still deserved some level of humane treatment.

“You can ask him yourself when you get in,” Sam said with a low sigh, pulling the lever that activated the drainage of lava. “But Tommy,” he said, face as cold and lifeless as ever “everything that’s happened to them, to Dream, they deserve.”

Tommy wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that nothing terrible happened in that cell and that the two just went crazy from boredom. But the lower the lava got the worse his gut feeling got, making him wary of even Sam.

It took a few long minutes, but eventually, he was getting a glimpse of pink hair and orange jumpsuits, one figure huddled around a smaller one, saying something that Tommy couldn’t quite hear. As the lava got lower he was able to make out more things, Techno's usual cape was hung up on the corner of a shelf, and blood had covered a good portion of the walls and floor, and the majority of Dream’s jumpsuit. Dream was on the floor, Tommy realized, seemingly small if that was even possible, and he looked to be unconscious or close to it. Techno was right there by his side, wrapping his leg up in a tight bandage, speaking softly, Tommy not being able to tell if he was reassuring Dream or himself.

“Techno?” Tommy called through cupped hands, Techno's head popping up when he heard the boy.

“You shouldn’t be here!” Techno called over the lava, standing up from his spot beside Dream and coming closer to the edge to be better heard “You’re not wanted here, kid!”

The wall that separated prisoners from visitors rose, Tommy’s platform beginning to move once the wall had completely risen. “I need to have a word with the two of you” he called, becoming more and more concerned and perplexed the closer he got to the cell. Dream didn’t even look like Dream anymore, his hair was long, and it seemed like Techno had been taking care of it, keeping it brushed and in a loose braid, he was borderline malnourished and covered head to toe in scars and burns and bandages, some dirty but for the most part well kept. Techno was as tall and big as ever, though he looked tired. His hair had grown significantly, all pulled back into a loose braid. He seemed to fare better out of the two.

“What could you possibly have to say to either of us right now?” Techno asked expression dark as he eyed the boy, daring him to come any closer.

“What-..” Tommy started at Techno and then Dream, he’d only seen a sight like this in horror movies. “What… happened here…?” He asked quietly, standing away from the wall.

“Quackity, he wants the revival book.” Techno said flatly, “But I'm sure you already know that.” He said as he stood between Dream and Tommy, seemingly shielding the man from Tommy’s prying eyes.

“It’s true…?” Tommy asked, “How long..? How long has all this been going on? What does he do to you? how have you not-“

“Killed him yet? Stopped him? If I do that Sam fills this cell with lava and the two of us die, Tommy” Techno said with a sigh, retreating to his spot by Dream to continue wrapping up his leg. “Quackity doesn’t touch me, he doesn’t need to, watching the torture is enough. Why are you here, Tommy?” Techno asked again, this time softer as if he had given up acting tough.

“He’s… Sam said he won’t talk,” Tommy said quietly “I wanted… I wanted closure”

“His throat barely lets him,” Techno sighed. “He’s screamed too much, it hurts him to talk, so he doesn’t.” He said as he finished up wrapping the bandage, “What do you mean closure? We don’t owe you anything, Tommy.”

“I just-… I wanted to apologize, Techno” Tommy said quietly, “I-… I fucked up a lot, too. I’m sorry for all the shit I fucked up” He said, speaking with sincerity as he stared at his feet. “I would have probably done the same or worse as you have if I was in your shoes” he continued “Techno, I betrayed you, Dream,” His stomach twisted just looking at him. “What’s going on now is fucked… but you still hurt me in ways that I can’t just forget about.”

“If anyone deserves an apology it’s your friends, not me,” Techno said with a huff, shaking his head, his patience running thin the longer the boy lingered.

“Oh, believe me, I know” Tommy nodded a bit, “I hurt a lot of people because I was hurting, as did the two of you… I just, I’ve been apologizing a lot lately and it’d be weird if I excluded you from that,” He said with a small laugh, though it fell on deaf ears.

“Is that all?” Techno asked, jumping a bit when he felt Dream’s hand on him, using him as an anchor to sit up. Techno looked over to the man, watching his lips close as he mouthed something, He’d grown accustomed to reading lips the less and less Dream spoke.

“It’s Tommy, Tommy is here,” Techno said, voice soft as he spoke to the man “You need to lay down, you’re still messed up from earlier,” He said and he tried to get Dream to lay back, Tommy standing awkwardly as he watched the two, he knew they had been allies, but he never took them for friends.

“He doesn’t want you here,” Techno said, addressing Tommy. Dream turned in Tommy’s direction, giving Tommy a good look as to what he actually looked like. Molted skin ran from his ear to his eye, weeping around the edges just like Tubbo’s had after the execution. It was eyes that caught Tommy the most, completely clouded over and a faint blue that glistened in the reflected heat of the lava. Quackity, it seemed, was covering Dream in wounds similar to ones he had caused with his manipulations. “Tommy, you need to go.”

“I’m not- I’m not going to-”

Tommy was cut off by wheezing and shaking breathing, Dream going into a panic the longer Tommy stuck around.

Tommy bit his lip. Oh. He’d been broken too.

“Tommy, neither of us want you here, out of all the people you’re the last one we would want to see,” Techno said, voice going dark. Tommy blinked at the change. When before Techno had been telling him to go for his own safety, it now was a warning. Get out.

“Fucking… leave…” Dream croaked out, almost too quiet to hear. His voice was hoarse and rough in all the wrong ways and he physically winced when he spoke, hiding his face in Techno’s shoulder. “Tommy… Tommy you fucking caused… all of this”

“Stop, you’re gonna make it worse,” Techno said, his calloused hand finding a spot on Dream's back, “You’re gonna make it so not even a healing potion can fix it”

“Don’t mistake my remorse for me wanting either of you out of here” Tommy said abruptly, “I feel bad for you two, but you belong in here. the moment you two get out is the moment wars begin, and chaos ensues.” Tommy was a wounded dog at his heart. If provoked he would bite. No amount of sympathy for Dream could stop the flare in his chest to defend himself.

“He’s fucking blind!” Techno exclaimed, shocking Tommy. Techno never cursed. “He can’t even walk! His legs are broken! He can’t fight ever again even if he wanted-.”

“But you could,” Tommy said. “And he can give you ideas. You two have a bond, a strange one, but a bond. You’d do as he says. He can’t fight but he can direct” Tommy said, glaring down at Techno. He was acting childish as he knew it but this dumb reflex was one he could never shake. He couldn’t sit and be treated like he had been the cause of all this. He was always just defending himself. “As long as you two are alive you are a threat to the server, and therefore belong here.”

“Do you think we want to be a part of your little world? After all, you’ve done to us? Do you think if we escaped we’d stay in your country? In any of your countries?” Techno laughed, making sure Dream was stable before standing up and walking over to Tommy, glaring just as deeply. “When we escape, none of you will see us again”

“If you escape.”

There was that laugh again, causing shivers to run down Tommy’s back. Had he always been afraid of Technoblade? “Tommy, you are the reason my friend is being tortured and I’m locked up in a damned prison, I would take kindly to not get in my way if I were you”

“What the fuck have you two been doing in here?! Why would you ever call someone like him a friend what the fuck is wrong with you?!” Tommy spat, anger rising by the minute. “Has he really fucked with your brain that badly?! Are we talking about the same person right now?!”

“Everyone else on this server at one point or another has used and betrayed me.” Techno said, “But Dream, he’s never once done that. He’s never used me for my power, never betrayed me, never left when it got hard, He’s the one person who throughout it all, stuck by my side. He and Phil are the only people on this server that treat me like a person, what do you expect from me?” Techno said, his voice softer as he spoke about Dream. “You'd do the same for Tubbo, how can you not understand where I come from?”

“Tommy… the server is…dead to me,” Dream said, going into a bad coughing fit, wheezing and gasping. All that remained of Dream was a hollowed-out shell of a man.

That sudden switch out of aggression sent Tommy spiraling. He felt everything he knew slip away from him. Dream was the villain, then why did he sound so much like the victim?

“What is with you two..” Tommy mumbled “What's next?! You run away and pretend as nothing happened?? Pretend like you didn’t destroy lives?” he exclaimed, “I don’t care what you two do as long as it stays in here. I’ll.. I'll talk to Quackity… try and make him stop, but I will never help you escape.” Tommy said, signaling for Sam to get the platform moving.

“Why would we ever seek help from you?” Techno asked, retreating back to Dream’s side, paranoid that if he left him alone for too long he would shrivel up into nothing, leaving him alone once again. “Hey, hey you’re alright, you need to stop talking okay? It making things worse. You need to stay quiet. I’ll pass messages for you, just don’t talk okay?” Techno said, wiping the blood away from Dream’s mouth and checking him over, scared he’d miss a wound and it’d be the end of the man. He couldn’t be alone, not here, not now.

“You won’t ever leave this cell, not as long as Sam guards this prison,” Tommy said, letting out a small sigh when the platform began to move, drawing him away from the pair. He tried to say it with the bravado he was known for but even he heard the doubt. He couldn’t even be sure of that anymore.

Techno shot the boy one last glare before going back to fussing over Dream, he had become a makeshift doctor with how much he looked after the man. He told himself it was because he cared because he felt a connection to the man, but really he was afraid. He was afraid of what isolation had done to Dream, and what it could do to him if he suffered the same fate. Being alone where you’re free to roam and being alone in a small cell were two very different things.

“Tommy…I hate him…” Dream said, to Techno's dismay.

“What did I say?” Techno huffed, shaking his head. “Here, lay your head here I need to check your old bandages,” Techno said, guiding his head to a spot on his thigh before unwrapping a bandage on his forearm, cursing when the wound had looked worse than the day before, more pus and blood forming.

“It’s too dirty in here.” He mumbled to himself, Dream didn’t have much left in him at this rate. But he needed Dream to at least have hope for both of them. “I’ll get you out of here soon, then this can all be dealt with.”

“Don’t lie Techno. I know I’m dying.”

Techno ran a hand through his hair, stress from the past months building up with every passing moment. “No Dream, you'll be fine” he shook his head, “Stop saying things like that, neither of us are gonna die in here we’ll get out soon enough-“

“I’m tired… Techno” He said, voice barely above a whisper “I don’t… wanna keep doing… this'' Dream said, shutting his eyes. I don’t wanna keep living. He mouthed, he was tired of all the pain, all the visits, he was tired and he didn’t have it in him to keep trying.

“You’re not going to die, not on my watch,” Techno said, voice as soft as ever. “Besides, between me and you, Phil is probably already planning something. We won’t be here much longer so just hang on alright?” He said with a sigh. “I don’t like it much here either, it’s dirty and gross and the only food we get is potatoes and the water is borderline not FDA approved” He ranted, attempting to lighten the mood, though it fell on deaf ears.

“Which reminds me, you need to eat,” He said, getting up to search through their chest, trying to find a semi-decent potato “It’ll make you better in the long run, even if it hurts now and is gross,” Techno said as he returned, potato in hand.

No, Dream mouthed, Not hungry. He hadn’t been eating much lately, Techno was almost positive he was sick with something after all the exposure to dirt and grime in his state, and it was affecting his eating habits. And when he did eat, it usually came right back up, as if in spite.

“You’ve got to” Techno grumbled, “Either you eat willingly or I’ll shove it in your mouth and make you chew, we’re not doing this today Dream,” he said, tone serious as ever. “You see me? I’m still fairly strong, it’s because I eat consistently. You’re not gonna heal if you keep this up”

Hurts, don’t want to, he mouthed back, hurts too much I’d rather starve.

“Okay, so we’re doing this the hard way-“ Techno said with a sigh, though before he could even move Dream was already panicking, breathing becoming fast and uneven as he tried to escape Techno's arms. He knew logically Techno wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, but the voices screamed. He’ll kill you, he’s just like Quackity he’ll do the same he’ll hurt you, he’ll hurt you, he’ll hurt you, he’ll hurt-.

“Dream,” Techno said, watching with wide eyes. “Hey, hey I was only bluffing,” He said, expression morphing into a mix of worry and fear as the building itself started to shake. “Is this you? Dream whatever it is you’re doing you need to stop, Dream calm down please-“

“Don’t touch me!” The man exclaimed, voice cracking into a million pieces in the process. The more he panicked the more the server panicked it seemed.

“Dream, Hey hey hey-“ Techno ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what to do, he’d never exactly been a weatherman. “Dream, you need to take deep breaths, I'm not-…. I’m not gonna touch you. But Dream I think whatever this shaking is, is because of you somehow, if you don’t stop this whole building could come down on us” He said, trying to remain as calm as ever. “I won’t make you do anything, okay?”

Dream grabbed at his head as if in pain, his eyes squeezed shut as his rising panic only grew, “They…Won’t-“

“Are they acting up again? Dream I taught you how to deal with them, remember? Breathe okay? Don't acknowledge them just breathe” Techno said, it had taken Techno years of his immortal life to be able to get them under control, he was a fool to think Dream would be able to do it in a few short months.

“They…Fuck Techno..” he gasped, eyes welling up with tears as the building shook worse, “Can’t…Shut…” He couldn’t hear anything but them, screaming and shouting for him to kill Techno or himself, as long as blood was shed they were happy. He’s going to hurt you, he’s going to hurt you you have to do it you have to kill him, kill him, kill him, kill him-.

And then it was dark. This had happened a couple of times to Dream, it’d go dark, and then he’d wake up somewhere foreign, people marching after the man because of things they claimed he did. He never knew what they meant.

———————

“Dream fucking Stop.” Techno breathed, staring in horror as the man whose body had been broken beyond repair had stood up, eyes glowing emerald green. Each step produced an awful crack and yet he continued, “Dream this isn’t you you need to fucking wake up!” Techno called, backing up against the wall “If you don’t wake up now I’ll make sure you never do!” He tried to threaten, though he had never fought a borderline God sans weapons and armor.

Dream continued on. And Techno had no tricks, no sarcastic comments to confuse or shut him up, no leverage to scare such a deity. So he gave in.

“Dream, I trust you,” he said, taking a deep breath as he held his arms up, he didn’t want to kill one of the people he held dearest, he just hoped now that Dream felt the same, this is about to be a really embarrassing death if this doesn’t work, Techno thought, squeezing his eyes shut.

The attack never came, and as a slam of something falling to the floor sounded throughout the cell, the shaking of the prison ceased. Putting Techno in a temporary state of ease. Thank god.

Oh, that’s right. Dream.

Dream had collapsed onto the floor in a puddle of his own blood, not a drop of consciousness left in the man. It was as if Dream used every bit of strength he had left to will away whatever that was. “Christ what did you do,” Techno said, sitting down beside the man and checking him over, cringing at the bones that had been rebroken and the wounds torn back open. If it wasn’t for whatever that was he would no doubt be dead, Techno decided.

“I can’t keep this up, Dream” Techno said, trying to lighten the mood even if it was just for himself. “You’re gonna tear yourself in half before you let even one of these heal” He grumbled, though the longer that he didn’t respond, the longer he was stuck in silence, the more he felt uneasy. He didn’t like the quiet.

“Hey, Dream. Hey come one stop messing around” Techno said, feeling panic rise the longer he was alone in the cell, “Come on wake up this isn’t funny” he said, shaking the man and slapping his face lightly, all to no avail. The quieter it got, the louder the voice screamed, and the harder it was to ignore them.

“Did you kill him?” Sam called over the intercom, watching the two from the safety of his security room. “Techno if you killed him that’s even more time added to your stay”

“No I didn't-, Sam it wasn’t me it was his weird other side” Techno said, trying to calm down. “He was walking and attacking- he wasn’t himself”

“Right” Sam said, though Techno could hear the sarcasm in his voice. “Do you need me to send more medical supplies? you two look like shit.”

“Please” Techno nodded, too worn out to add some sarcastic comment or jab at Sam, he just wanted this all to be over. “He’s… he’s not healing because of how dirty it is in here, and I think he’s sick” Techno said, really hoping the warden would have at least some compassion.

“I’m coming over there. Stand against the back wall, if either of you try anything I will not hesitate to kill you both.” Sam said, deciding that he couldn't have his prisoners dying of infection or sickness, it wasn’t a good look for him.

Techno huffed, getting up and moving to the back wall, eyeing Dreams still form, had he really killed him? It took several minutes, but soon the lava was lowering and Sam was pearling over to their side, trident in hand as he neared Dream's body.

“Shit” Sam said, squatting down to check him out, cringing the closer and closer he looked “half of these are infected” He said, voice flat as ever. “I’ll… work out a way to get it clean in here. and send supplies your way…”

“His legs were rebroken” Techno said, watching Sam investigate the man, “He… he got possessed..? and started walking and stuff, it was horrible” He said, the cracking replaying in his head on loop.

“Possessed?” Sam asked, trying not to laugh. “I think the word you're thinking of is psychosis”

“His eyes were glowing and completely green, sclera and all” Techno said “And the shaking only stopped when he passed out, and his voice… it was weird”

“So he is still dangerous”

“It’s not him, that’s the problem,” Techno said, shaking his head. “He’s, he has voices same as me, but he doesn’t have the luxury of knowing how to control them” he said, frowning. “He, I think he’s tapping into some power source that he has no way of controlling when he gets stressed out” Techno said.

This warranted a laugh from Sam, the creeper hybrid shaking his head before standing “if he was a god he wouldn’t be on the floor unconscious right now. you must really be losing it if you’re calling Dream of all people a god right now,” he said, laughing a bit, “Don’t worry, you can stay in here a while longer and get that sorted out.”

“You’ll regret this” Techno said, a glare forming “You’ll regret what you’re doing to us”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning that should be headed.” He said, “We’ll get out one day, you know,” he said, moving to Dreams side “I can take care of him just fine, we don’t need you” he said, daring him to do something.

Sam didn’t protest, didn’t even really give him any sort of reaction, just pearled out of the cell, leaving the two to fend for themselves once again. And the medical supplies never came, the cleaning never came, they were left to rot.

—————-

Phil had read Technos will a thousand times now, hoping to god there was some kind of hidden message in it, some note that gave him a plan, a way to get the piglin hybrid out. but instead it just gave him orders on how to distribute his accumulated wealth. His other issue was Dream, was he really willing to break Techno out, knowing full well it meant Dream would also be freed?

He had all the wither skulls he could possibly need, all the tnt he could get his hands on, and yet it still didn’t feel like enough. Nothing seemed good enough to get through the obsidian prison. “What would you do in this situation?” Phil sighed, rubbing his face. He could visit, figure out what was going on and then tell the others and hope they joined his cause, but that would probably end in him getting locked up as well, never to see the light of day again.

He could gather the syndicate, and hope they were with him on this. Dream was an anarchist after all, they couldn’t possibly be that against him going free. They could attack Sam when he’s vulnerable, get the keys off him and bring an end to the wardens era, Phil thought, his confidence slowing returning, Techno wouldn’t have to-

“What are you writing?” Wilbur called from the doorway, an amused smirk plastered on his face as always, “Where's Techno? I came to bother him but he doesn’t seem to be around.”

“He’s… in the prison.” Phil sighed, rubbing his face “I don’t think you’ll be bothering him for a while, Wil”

“what like in the prison with Dream or in the prison visiting Dream??” Wilbur pressed, eyebrows furrowing.

“Locked up with Dream,” Phil responded, shaking his head as he spoke “Apparently he’s just as bad as dream, according to the warden at least”

“Neither of them deserve to be in there” Wilbur said flatly, his stare unrelenting.

“Wil I know you have a bond with the two of them, but you need to think logically-“

“Well, what’s your plan? withers? explosions? you must be planning something” Wilbur said, voice rising a bit as he spoke “We’re not leaving them there, we’re not.”

“we’re not doing anything, Wil I will not let you lose your last life trying to help them escape.” Phil said, voice terse and unwavering.

“He’s my brother! and Dream, Dreams helped me in so many ways I owe him-“

“You can help me plan” Phil said, letting out a soft sigh “But wil, I won’t let you risk your life for them, besides you aren’t exactly the best fighter” he said, trying to lighten the mood, receiving a glare from wilbur.

“Well what were you thinking?” Wilbur asked, having a seat next to the crow man, looking over the papers he had been writing on, words scribbled out and small sketches drawn out to represent the prison.

“Well,” Phil huffed, “we could sneak someone in behind another person, but then there’s always the chance of the warden filling the cell with lava” he said, pointing at his drawing, “but I was thinking, if we catch him off guard we can kill him and get his key cards.”

“and effectively give us access to the prison” Wilbur grinned, nodding along “We need to make sure he stays dead though, and figure out who his allies are. we could be blindsided if we’re not careful-“

“So we figure out his spawn point and have someone camp out there” Phil nodded, jotting down some notes “we also need to deal with Quackity, he could possibly have access to key cards, so we need someone to get rid of him as well” Phil hummed. Sam would be a bit of a headache to get rid of, but Quackity was on his last life. With a good, well executed plan they could take him out in an instant.

“So we'll need at least five people.” Wilbur says, “who would help us? who would truly want the two biggest anarchists out of prison?”

“We could sway Sapnap, but we’d need proof of what’s going on in the prison, not whispers and rumors.” Phil sighed, “Punz would probably be for it, so would eret I believe”

“I’ve heard there’s a new guy, Michael, was it?” Wilbur said, “he’s tried to break Dream out once already, he’d no doubt help us”

“so that’s four then”

“five, you mean?” Wilbur said, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re not coming, wil” Phil said with a shake of his head.

“Phil this won’t work if you go in a man down, you need me-“

“Wil.” Phil said, “You’re not going and that’s the end of it. Ranboo has a bond with Techno, even if he doesn’t particularly like Dream, he’d help just because Techno is in there.” Phil said, tone turning terse, this wasn’t something he was willing to discuss. He wasn’t willing to let Wilbur risk his life, not even for Techno. He lost his son once already, at his own hands nonetheless, he wasn’t willing to lose him again, he couldn’t bear even the idea of it.

“Even so, Phil I want to help, he's my brother, and Dream is-“

“Enough!” Phil exclaimed, wings flaring a bit as his mood worsened. “I will not lose my son again, I’ve lost you once and I'm not going to let that happen again.”

“you always do this!” Wilbur exclaimed, “I’m not some- some child that doesn’t understand the world anymore!” he said, standing up fast, his chair falling back with the swift motion. “ You can’t keep shielding me from the world! How can I call myself an ally if I’m not there for them when push comes to shove?!” He said with a raised voice, chest heaving with each word he spoke. “You’re going to lose me if you do this. If you do this I’ll walk out, I’ll leave for good phil” Wilbur said, venom coming off of his words in waves.

“Wilbur” Phil said, his voice quiet, broken. “Wil you- you wouldn’t” he said, facing falling. “Wil please, I don’t want you to get hurt, this could end really bad, you’re not immortal like me, like Kristin”

“that doesn’t mean I should live in fear!” Wilbur exclaimed, ”If we can get Dream free I can be immortal! We can all be immortal!” he said, waving his arms as he spoke “So let me go with you! Let me help them!”

Phil hadn’t considered the necromancy book, the book that could grant the dead new life. “The book…” Phil said, considering what Wilbur had said. “I guess… I guess you’re right” he said with a small nod, “ok, I’ll-“ he sighed, lowering his head. I'm gonna regret this, “I’ll let you help.”

Wilbur grinned, a giddy feeling pooling through his body over the small victory, the recognition from his father. “Plus, once we get Dream and Techno out, that’s two more on our side there’s no way they can stop us-“

“About that” Phil said with a sigh as he sat back down, “Dream.. he’s not in the best condition from what I’ve heard”

“What?”

“I’ve heard, whispers, rumors if you will, of Quackity’s visits” Phil said, speaking slowly “he, from what I’ve heard, tortures Dream each day, in an attempt to get the book of necromancy” He said with a sigh. “I don’t think he’ll be fighting for a while, if ever”

“Torturing?” Wilbur echoed, expression morphing into that of anger and sadness, “why… hasn’t Techno done anything..?”

“I assume if he did Sam would just kill them instantly with lava” Phil said, “I’m sure he’s fine, Wil. Dream, he’s,… he’s a lot tougher than you think.” He said, continuing to write down notes. Phil didn’t understand Wilburs admiration for the man, but then again he also hadn’t ever been revived by someone. He hoped Techno was right about Dream, he hoped he was doing the right thing.

“Wil, gather the troops” Phil said as he got up, putting on his classic striped hat as he spoke, “We debrief no later than dawn.”

Chapter Text

 He's gonna come anytime now, Dream mouthed, / you need to get away from me. He'll-, I don’t want him hurting you too/.

“Fuck him” Techno said, letting out a small sigh as he kept his arm draped over the man, trying to keep the cape over the both of them.

I’m okay, you don’t need to worry so much, Dream frowned, keeping his eyes shut as he mouthed silent words. please, he’ll hurt you too if you get in the way. 

“He can go to hell,” Techno said, his frown growing. He swore killing Quackity would be the first thing he did upon escaping.

“hes here” Dream said, though it was barely audible. Then came the familiar sound of lava draining followed by slow footsteps and tools clanking. Techno felt a pang in his gut as he relented, allowing Dream to slip away from the familiar safety. 

“How are my two favorite anarchists doing?” Quackity’s voice boomed as he walked, Dream could practically hear the grin on his face. “Still working on that potato farm?” 

“Go to hell, Quackity” Techno spat, though his expression stayed soft, eyes filled with worry as he watched Dream begin to tremble, his breathing growing hitched and erratic as he merely heard Quackity approaching. 

“And Dream,” Quackity clasped his hands behind his back, “Dream Dream Dream Dream Dream. Where's my necromancy book?” He asked, voice calm as he neared the man, gazing at him as if he were prey. 

Dream only shook his head, keeping his head low as he scooted closer and closer to the wall, trying to put distance between him and Quackity, though he knew it was futile.

“Well that’s just fine, gives me time to try something new out” he smiled, pulling out a new tool. It was what looked to be brass knuckles with long golden claws at the end of each knuckle. “I’m glad,” he started, making his way over to Dream as he spoke, “I made you blind. It makes you more fun, more easily surprised” He laughed, grabbing the man by the neck and holding him up against the wall in one swift motion. Dream may have had a couple inches on Quackity, but with all the weight he’d lost from his time rotting in the prison even Quackity could toss him around like a sack. “Your legs, they're worse than I left them” Quackity hummed “Was that your doing?” 

Dream didn’t respond, gasping and wheezing for air as he clawed at Quackity’s arm, “Well anyway, I think you’ll like this thing seeing as you constantly praise the feline species” he hummed before shoving the brass knuckles into the man's thigh, grinning as Dream let out a twisted scream. 

Techno cringed at the sound, wanting to hide away from the sight like a child who was witnessing his parents fight for the first time. Dream gasped and wheezed, desperately trying and failing to get free as Quackity plunged the brass knuckles into him over and over again, pouring just enough healing potion down the man's throat to keep him from dying, but not enough to get rid of the pain. After the sixth time Quackity sighed, Dropping him to the floor. “You look so/ embarrassing/,” He laughed, “sprawled out in a pool of your own blood. In your own server nonetheless” his laugh echoed through the cell, “Just give me the book and this can all be over, I’ll never visit again, never hurt you again” he said, speaking softly before his foot connected with Dreams side with bone shattering force. “I might even be able to get Sam to cut you a deal, how about it, Dreamy?  just give me the book.” He said with a toothy smile.

Please, Dream had mouthed, blood pouring out as his head spun, stop. 

“Give me the book and I’ll leave you two alone, forever” Quackity hummed, sending another kick at him, this time to his skull. This got a scream to escape from Dreams lips, all raw and worn vocals. 

Won’t, Can’t, never will, never will never will never-

Quackity grinned, “I knew you’d say that” he hummed before flipping Dream onto his stomach and straddling his torso “Dream, did you know that once you mess up your back, the damage is almost always permanent?” he said as he raised the brass knuckles over his head, unbeknownst to Dream. “In most cases, if you fuck up your back, you’ll have problems with it the rest of your life. so I was thinking, why not test that out?” he said before plunging the knuckles into dreams back, over and over and over, grin growing as the man screamed, pleading for the first time in a while for him to stop, to put him out of his misery and give him death. 

“stop!” Techno tried, fighting the urge to tackle Quackity and choke him until he saw red. “Stop, you’re going to kill him, stop!” he exclaimed, thinking maybe if Quackity thought dream could potentially die he’d stop. oh how wrong he was. 

“Shut up!” Quackity yelled “I can't hear him when you yell like that shut the fuck up!” he exclaimed with a glare, plunging the knuckles into his back once more and letting them stay there, “shut up or I swear to god I‘ll make sure next time you have to watch every minute of this!” he hissed, voice laced with venom as he spoke. 

“What is wrong with you..?” Techno said, “why… Why do you even want the damn book?! it’s in some fucking gibberish language you wouldn’t even be able to use it!” Techno exclaimed, looking over at Dream in confusion as the man's face morphed into that of horror. 

“What?” Quackity asked, voice even, calculating. 

“It’s… you didn’t, you didn’t know…?” 

“Dream..?” Quackity asked, feeling anger boil up in his chest, “Is it true? Is the book in an unreadable language?” 

“it’s…in..” Dream coughed, the world spinning as he tried his best to stay awake. “It’s in ender…”

Quackity’s laugh filled the cell, echoing off the walls in a horrible and twisted pitch. It was all for nothing. “You fucking  bitch” Quackity spoke, tone dark, if Dream had a chance at getting Quackity to stop visiting, that chance was long gone now. 

“no…no no…no Quackit-“ Dream pleaded, he hadn’t felt fear like this in a long time, though part of him hoped Quackity would just get it over with and put him out of his misery. He yelped as Quackity grabbed him by the hair and dragged, shoving half his face against the lava wall. Dream writhed and screamed louder than he ever had, it had only been a couple seconds but by the time Quackity pulled his face away the damage was already done. 

“I’m gonna visit everyday Dream” Quackity spoke, switching his grip from Dream's hair to his neck. “Every single day, not for the damn book, not even because you deserve it, but because if I can’t have that book, I’ll make you regret it each day. I’ll make sure if you ever do get out, the only thing you’ll think about is how I could be coming, every sound will make your skin crawl, wondering if it could be me, if I could be lurking around the corner waiting for you to be vulnerable.” he said with a grin, jamming his finger in the wound and laughing when Dream squirmed and tried to get his hands off of him. 

Quackity sighed, pouring some more potion down the man’s throat before throwing him against the wall. “Gentlemen” he said, giving a mock bow, “this visit has been informative. I’ll see the two of you tomorrow” he said as the lava began to drain. 

Once Quackity was on the platform and nearly out of sight Techno hurried over to dream, his wounds were bad this time, leaving a creeping feeling of dread in his chest. “Dream, hey hey hey it’s alright okay? he’s gone, he’s- oh fuck” he spoke softly, examining his wounds. His face was the worst off he decided, his skin a mangled mess that looked to have melted his eye permanently shut. 

“You.. why..” Dream mumbled, “You…you betrayed me..” he said, hurt evident in his voice. “He’ll never… stop.. now..!!”

“It’s okay.. it’s okay it’s ok we can figure it out!” Techno reasoned, already getting some hydrogen peroxide ready to clean his wounds before he wrapped them up, “We can… maybe you can offer to translate it..? Maybe then he’ll spare you? Or I can take the fall, Dream I’ll take the fall for you-“ 

No, Dream mouthed, looking completely out of it as he did so. No, don’t want you getting hurt too, if you really want to help me you’ll kill me. 

“Why can’t you just give him the book? This would all be over. Why can’t you just hand it over?” Techno said in frustration, “It’s not like you can use the book on yourself” 

If Quackity gets the book, He’ll revive Schlatt, Dream mouthed with a frown, his eye shutting as he grew more and more tired. Can't let that happen.

“Fuck” Techno sighed, Schlatt was the last thing the smp needed right now. “Okay.. this is gonna hurt” Techno warned before cleaning the wounds, though Dream didn’t flinch, or really acknowledge the peroxide at all, it was as if the constant torture had left his nerves shot, unable to process anything but the worst. 

“We need.. we need to get out of here” Techno said after a couple quiet minutes, he wasn’t stupid, he knew Dream wasn’t gonna last much longer if this continued. “We need to figure something out, because at this rate neither of us are gonna last much longer.”

“There’s nothing,” Dream paused, taking labored breaths before continuing, “Nothing we can do.. no way out”

“You think I don’t know that?” Techno sighed, rubbing his face. “Just… just rest for now I’ll think of something okay? If not an escape then at least a way to keep Quackity from.. you know” he said as he finished wrapping up Dreams wounds, frowning at the man. He remembered when Dreams' skin was still smooth and free of scars, free of the marks of war and chaos. Techno had been one of the few people Dream had taken his mask off around, though Dream would still argue to this day that they were never friends, simply allies, history would beg to differ. When days got especially hard, such as today, he would think back to quieter, peace filled times where the two would go riding together, or days when they’d spend the day dozing off under a tree. 

We’re friends, right? Techno had asked one day, to Dream's dismay. Dream had been afraid of connections, afraid that if he were to give up too much of himself he would get hurt in the end. Techno never wanted to hurt him. We’re allies, Dream had said, unable to meet Technos gaze as he spoke. 

“Dream, are we friends?” Techno tried, half convinced Dream wasn’t even conscious enough to understand what he was saying. 

“yeah” Dream said quietly, the strain in his voice evident. “You.. you matter a lot.. to me” he said quietly,techno not missing the way a small smile formed as he spoke, if only for the briefest of moments. 

“Here..” Techno said, clearing his throat. He guided dream into a sitting up position, letting him lean against him. “Let’s fix up this rat's nest of yours” he said with a hum, beginning to comb Dream's hair with his fingers. Dream dozed off as Techno sat untangling Dreams hair and putting in a loose braid, not being able to do much about how dirty it was, they didn’t exactly provide shampoo in prison. When we get out I’ll be sure to give you a good shampoo, he decided, smiling a bit. 

Techno nodded contently once he finished the braid, staring down at Dreams smaller frame for a bit before slowly leaning his chin on the others head, if we get out it could be like this all the time, Techno thought, smiling to himself as he pictured a peaceful life with the man hundreds, if not thousands, wanted dead. If we get out of this, I’ll take you riding again, I’ll help you learn to fight again, Wil could teach you brail, he’s always been good at that kind of stuff. Just live through this.

“Techno!” Dream had yelled after the other , all smiles and giggles as he rode past the piglin hybrid . The two had been racing to their favorite tree, all those years ago, when Techno had been bucked off his horse. Within seconds he had heard stomping feet and felt hands on his face, checking him over for wounds, bright emerald eyes staring down at him with worry, he missed those eyes, missed the way they glimmered when they looked at him, missed that way he gave him a stupid half smile as they spared together, missed the way he would wrap up Technos arms before their matches, claiming it’d protect his arms in the long run.

How foolish he was, how foolish to believe a mortal was worth befriending, that someone so young, not yet old enough to even grasp how the world worked, could keep up with him. Techno remembered a summer day, Dream had been braiding Technos long hair when he asked him, “Hey Techno?” Dream paused, trying to find the best way to phrase his question, “How… old are you? Like your body is obviously young, but like, how long has your immortal life spanned..?” He had asked, his voice full of curiosity. 

“You calling me old?” Techno had responded with a small laugh, smiling when Dream panicked and started backtracking. “It’s fine, I’ll entertain you, mortal” he said, grinning when Dream protested at the teasing. “I’m a couple thousand years old, at least” Techno hummed, “Phil is older though, I think he’s nearing ten thousand” 

“Thousands?” Dream asked, awe evident in his voice, “what.. what is it like?” 

“It hurts” Techno said, face falling a bit, “Everyone you love dies, and you keep living, eventually you stop loving people because it isn’t worth losing them” He had said, it had felt nice to be candid with someone for the first time in a while, even if he was just a mortal bound by death. 

“I wish I could live forever, too” Dream had mumbled,  “I could see the whole world several times over” he said, a fondness in his voice that didn’t go unnoticed by Techno. He wished he could hear that fondness again, wished he could take Dream to see the world.

——————

“I’m glad to see you’ve all arrived” Phil spoke from the head of the table, addressing the soon to be accomplices in their prison break. “You've already been made aware of the situation, I’ve gathered you here to debrief on the plan, ideally we need to move out by nightfall-“

“Nightfall?! Isn’t that a bit soon?” Sapnap said with a frown, not feeling good about the ragtag team and last minute plan. 

“If we wait any longer they could be dead by the time we reach them” Wilbur said, “Techno is immortal and will probably be alright, but Dream is mortal, and an easy target at the moment.” He said, trying to keep his voice calm and collected. 

“Even so, we have a day-“

“We’re all very capable men,” Phil said, cutting Sapnap off. “If we stick to the plan, everything should go off without a hitch.” Phil laid out a map across the table, their positions labeled. “Me, Sapnap, and Wil will be taking Sam out, Punz and Michael, you two are to take Quackity out. Remember, in order for this to work smoothly we need to get the jump on them, and for my team, one of us will be at Sam's spawn point waiting. He’ll have no items, so it shouldn’t be too hard to take him out.” 

“Why can’t we just knock them out and then lock them up?” Punz asked, “I don’t… I don’t know how I feel about murdering them, Phil” 

Phil paused, thinking over that option. It could work, but it could also be their plan's downfall. “If, if the opportunity presents itself, you can try and take them as prisoners, but don’t risk the whole operation in the name of morals” he said with a small nod.

“Okay, and what’s the plan for getting them out? Where are we going once we’ve got them?” 

“If we take Sam and Quackity out we won’t need to worry about being caught for a while, and whoever doesn’t want to be at fault for this can stay hidden. We’ll be taking them back here, to the Arctic” Phil said, pointing to the map, “Punz, Sapnap, Michael, you don’t have to have your names attached to this, you can work from the shadows. After we’ve taken them out we should be good to go on our own, so once that’s done you three are good to go home” He explained, feeling partially bad for roping them into their affairs. The trio nodded, thinking over all they had been told. 

“Once we take them out, my team is going to head to the prison with the keycards and begin the process of getting to them. We don’t know the condition of Dream so we’ll need to bring healing potions, and milk to get rid of the mining fatigue from all of us” he said, making motions with his hands as he spoke. He had faith in Techno to be in relatively good health, Dream on the other hand was a concern. Phil has a feeling Dream wouldn’t be doing any walking or running, meaning they’d be a man down since someone would have to carry him, which posed a threat to the security of their plan. 

“What happens if we don’t have the key cards?” Michael asked, looking over the map in careful contemplation.

“That’s when our tnt and mining come in then.” Phil said, “it’ll take a lot longer, but if we don’t get the cards it’s the only way we can do it.” 

The men spent the rest of the day perfecting their plan and making sure each and everyone knew their role like the back of their hand, they couldn’t let a single thing go wrong, one screw up could cost them the whole plan and get the two prisoners killed. Phil was still worried about Wil, but he felt a little better knowing that he could just be revived if something were to happen, we’re coming, Techno. Just hold on.

———————-

“Hey Techno” Dream mumbled, listening to the man mess with the potatoes, he’d been trying to start a farm for weeks now. “What if… what if I gave you the… the book..” he said, voice cracking as he spoke.

“ What? ” Techno said, raising an eyebrow at Dream, “I thought you were fresh out of jokes, Dream”

It’d be better in your hands, you’re immortal, you wouldn’t have a limited time to use it, D ream mouthed, plus, you’re smarter than me, you’d be better at keeping it safe. 

“I could keep reviving you,” Techno said, a grin forming. “Dream you could live forever, you could do all the things you said you wanted to do—“

“I’d still age, Techno” Dream rasped, head leaning against the rough obsidian wall./ I’d still get old, I can’t be Immortal like you, Techno/. 

“ But the necromancy book-“ 

It’s a book of Necromancy, not immortality, Dream sighed, shaking his head, One day I’ll die Techno, for good. 

“Well then I’ll just have to find a book on immortality myself.” Techno said, shaking his head, “because I didn’t go through all of this just for you to die on me someday soon” he huffed, moving to sit next to Dream before pulling an arm around him, “Besides, you could be immortal in your own way if you were able to control whatever power you’ve got”

What power? Dream mouthed, eyebrows twisting in confusion. Techno looked stunned, had Dream really not known a thing about his other side? Surely he would have at least noticed something was going on. 

“When you, when you get really stressed out,” Techno sighed, trying not to freak the man out, “or are in imminent danger, it’s like a god or spirit takes over your body- your eyes begin to glow and your body moves on its own accord, strong enough to best even me in battle ten times over” he said, stroking the man's hair as he spoke.

Oh, was all Dream mouthed, not knowing what to say to that. So everyone was right, he had been half convinced they were wrong, that he wasn’t a threat, he wasn’t a danger to the smp. But the facts stood in front of him, refusing to be ignored any longer, he was a threat. / Techno, I belong in here then/, Dream mouthed with a frown, I’m a danger to them all, you, even, I can’t leave here without the chance of hurting people.  

“Phil is a threat” Techno said, “He could take the entire smp down in a day if he wished, but he chooses not to. You can be powerful without being a threat, Dream” he said, wrapping one arm around his shoulders. “You don’t want to hurt people, you don’t want to, I know you, you’re good, you’ve just had people backing up that side of you, encouraging it to do bad.” 

Dream leaned into him, letting out a small sigh as he considered what the piglin had said. “Techno” Dream whispered, giving him a small tight lipped smile, “I wish… everyone else believed… in me as you do” he said, his voice a mix of hurt and acceptance. 

“Well when we get out I’ll help teach you how to control it, I’ll help you okay?” Techno hummed, remembering the days when Dream had helped him when the voices got too loud, too powerful for Techno to deal with on his own accord. He would sit playing with his hair or rubbing his back, whispering words of comfort. When had he begun letting a mortal take care of him? When had he started caring so much for a mere human?

Okay, Dream sighed, past the point of resistance, in the past he would’ve argued, would’ve told Techno he could manage on his own. But he was so tired, and being strong was becoming more of a hassle than a perk. He had gotten hurt a lot in the past, hiding the severity from the piglin hybrid and retreating to his quarters to sew himself up, not having enough faith in others to allow himself aid from so-called allies. He remembered the day he scared Techno, up until that point he hadn’t realized how much Techno genuinely cared.

It had been after one of their battles with L’manburg, Dream had gotten a couple especially bad arrow and sword wounds on his shoulder and torso, opting for wrapping them up and dealing with them himself later rather than troubling Techno with it. They had been riding side by side on their horses back to their base when it happened, at first it was just a couple spots here and there, and then as if all at once everything went dark and he was toppling off his horse like a sack, he’d lost too much blood.

“Dream?!” Techno had circled his horse back before jumping off and checking over the man in a panic, ripping his chest plate off and cursing at the sight of blood soaking his clothes and rushed bandages, “you idiot..” Techno mumbled, getting out his healing potions in hopes of slowing the bleeding just long enough for them to get home “did you think of how long it takes to get home? Why didn’t you tell me?!” He exclaimed in frustration, laughing bitterly to himself when he got no response. “Jesus you’re pale- if it’s even possible for your pasty ass to get any paler” He grumbled as he got to work unwrapping the bandages over his clothes and pulling up his hoodie and undershirt to reveal the wounds, cursing at the sight. It’d only been an hour of traveling and they’d already began to get infected. 

I swear to the blood god if you die here I’m gonna bring you back to life and kill you myself, Techno had thought, going through and cleaning each one and pouring healing splash potion over it before getting everything bandaged up. Techno sat there waiting till Dream woke up, practicing how he’d lecture the man, but when he did wake up all Techno could get out was “You really worried me, you know.”

“Huh..?” Dream had groaned, looking around in confusion.

“You passed out, you should’ve told me you were hurt, this wouldn’t have happened” 

“I could deal with it-“ 

“Dream stop.” Techno sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I’m your ally. We may disagree at times but dream I am your ally, you can lean on me for help as I do for you. If I hadn’t fixed you up you’d be dead, Dream” Techno frowned, not missing how Dreams expression turned into a mix of grief and embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry” he had said quietly, surprising Techno. In all the time he’d known the man, Dream hadn’t been one for talking about feeling, or anything personal for that matter, but after that day it seemed like something opened up in him, deciding maybe it was okay to welcome the piglin hybrid in. Then Dream got locked up in prison while Techno hibernated. Techno still didn’t forgive himself for not being there. Dream had been there for Techno each time he needed him, even when it became inconvenient for him, and yet when Dream needed him most Techno was nowhere to be found. 

He swore if he got his chance he’d end Quackity, but not before giving him a taste of the same pain he’d made Dream feel, he’d make sure everyone got justice. “Hey, I’m gonna change your bandages ok? And clean your wounds.. It’s been a while and I don’t want them to get worse” techno said with a sigh, grabbing the first aid kit Sam had begrudgingly allowed them to have. Dream just nodded along, keeping his eye shut as he dozed off. 

Techno got to work unwrapping the bandages adorning his face, cringing at the burns. “Well hey.. at least your horn is growing back ok..” 

“It’s okay… to say I look like… a monster” Dream rasped, A small, bitter smile forming. 

“I’m just worried is all” Techno sighed, “It’s not infected so far, but it isn’t healing much. I’m gonna leave it in the open air for a while so it can breathe and hopefully heal faster, try not to mess with it okay?” Techno said before moving on to one of the many bandages on his arm, thankful that Dream was fairly good at cooperating when it came to this. “You Won't be doing any fighting for a while.”

“I won’t… need to fight… because people will be too… scared to wanna fight me… when they-“ Dream started to speak but got thrown into a coughing fit, feeling bile rise up as he wheezed and groaned. “See me”

“I think you’re sick” Techno said with a sigh, shaking his head “you’re not eating enough and your body is wearing itself out constantly trying to heal you and dealing with infections, honestly it’d be a miracle if you weren’t sick” he said, running a hand through his hair. 

“I’ll be fine” 

“You need to start eating more” he said as he continued cleaning his wounds and changing his bandages, “god if we get out of this I’m putting you under house arrest until you’re completely better” 

Not like I can go anywhere, both my legs are busted, Dream mouthed bitterly

“I’ll take you riding, just me and you, like the old days” 

I’d like that, Dream hummed, smiling a bit. Promise?

“I promise Dream. I’ll take you riding once we get out and you’re well enough to go, so start getting better so it can be sooner rather than later” he said with a smile. Techno frowned as he examined Dreams legs, not liking how the bruising and swelling was just getting worse “okay, new plan, once I put new bandages on these we’re keeping them elevated” he said, cleaning wounds before wrapping his legs. Each day his fear of losing him grew more and more, he didn’t wanna be alone, not here, not now. 

I’ll be alright Techno, you should sleep or something, Dream mouthed, I can’t actually see you but I assume you look like shit, he hummed, dozing off himself as techno folded his cape in a way that it would keep Dreams legs a bit elevated.

“I’m fine Dream don’t worry-“

“Hypocrite” Dream rasped, reaching in the general direction of the piglin in an attempt to pull him down to his level, Techno begrudgingly letting Dreams hands find his arm and pull him down to the floor with him. Dream gave him the faintest of smiles before trying to get some rest.

Dream just sighed contently before letting sleep steal him away from reality, wondering if this is why George always slept so often, was George sleeping right now? Sapnap was probably off training or hunting, and Punz was bound to be on his heel trying to outdo him. Did they miss me? Dream thought, not being able to picture them mourning their lost friend, life goes on , quackity had said, life goes on in the smp, as you rot in this cell. One day, you’ll be nothing but a fragment of a memory, a horror story parents tell their children before bed in hopes that they won’t end up like you. Dream couldn’t help but think it could be true, no one visited, not George, not even Sapnap after the first time. Techno hadn’t even visited until ‘Dream’ had sent that letter. Had they all really forgotten? 

                             ————————

“God Sam better be here, Phil I swear if we boated all this way-“

“Sapnap shut,” Phil cut him off, one finger over his mouth while the other hand pointed to the house in the distance, lights on and Sam moving about. “From this moment on, we need to be more careful,” he said, giving Sapnap a look. “We’re gonna beach at the dock, it’ll be quieter than pulling up all the way on shore” he said, motioning to the small island's dock, barely big enough to fit three boats. 

“So how are we doing this? Are we gonna wait till he's asleep?”

“I could go distract him” Wilbur said, “I could go knock on the door and talk to him, as a friend, meanwhile you two sneak in the back” 

“Wil that’s a bit-“

“Risky?” Wilbur asked, that maniacal grin creeping onto his face, just as it had on the day he destroyed L’manburg. “Oh Phil, this is the smallest gamble of my life” he laughed a bit, “okay, you two will sneak in the back, while he’s not looking throw a potion of harming on him and then attack. Once he turns his back to me I’ll attack as well” He grinned, Wilbur wasn’t the best at fighting, but what he lacked in combat skills he made up for in his strategic abilities. 

“God I hope you’re right” Phil sighed before leading the way around the back of the house, Sapnap on his tail. Wilbur took a deep breath before heading for the front door, putting on his usual cocky half smile and knocking. It only took a couple seconds and the creeper hybrid was opening the door, confusion evident on his face, his usual gas mask missing and his hair a mess.

“Wilbur?” The creep hybrid croaked, eyebrows pulled together as he tried to figure out what Wilbur could possibly want from him at a time like this. “What-, why did you come all the way out here, so late at night nonetheless??”

“Sam, my friend!” Wilbur exclaimed, smile growing, “I’ve had so many questions, it kept me up, I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stop pacing, so I decided I had  to come here” he said with a smile, motioning with his arms as he spoke.

“Questions…about what..?” The creeper asked, still utterly baffled by the man's presence. 

“About Las Nevadas of course!” He said, knowing that would keep him talking long enough. “I’ve heard such great things about it, and when I found out you were such a prominent citizen, well I just had to look into it!” He laughed a bit. “How do I join? Do I get a tour of the place before-“

“You want to… join  Las Nevadas?” Sam asked, baffled to all hell. “I thought, what with L’manburg and all-“

“It’s a new day, Sam,” Wilbur smiled, “how would we even begin to rebuild something like L’manburg? It’s time to move on, start anew” 

Sam nodded a bit, genuinely surprised that Wilbur himself wanted to join, and without demanding the spot of presidency, it was almost a dream. The sound of glass shattering filled the peace and Sam's eyes widened as Wilbur jumped back, out of reach of the harming potion. Oh. 

Phil was the first to attack, lodging his Netherite sword in Sam's torso, Wilbur pulling out an axe and raising it like a bat, ready to swing. “I’m sorry mate,” Wilbur smiled, “It was never meant to be.”

He swung. 

Sam's head was gone.

Phil and Sapnap were in shock, not knowing Wilbur was capable of such cruelty. 

“Hurry! Get to the bed before he respawns!” Wilbur exclaimed, tearing the two from their thoughts as he ran for the room, ignoring the vast amount of items he dropped. 

“I’ll go with him, you get the key cards” Phil said, nodding at Sapnap. 

Wilbur stood a ways away from the bed, waiting for the spawn, waiting to end the creeper hybrid where he stood. 

“Wil, be careful okay?” Phil said, joining his side, sword drawn. “He’s expecting us so be careful-“ 

“You bastard!” Wil said, tackling the newly respawned creeper hybrid, pinning his axe tightly against his throat, “why did you do it?! Why did you let Quackity torture him?!” Wilbur exclaimed.

“He… he deserves it!” Sam said through gritted teeth, “did you forget What he’s done?!”

“I’ve committed acts far worse than him! Non of us are innocent you bastard, does that mean we all deserve to be tortured?! To be tormented for eternity for a mistake?!”

“Wilbur- Wilbur! ” Sam exclaimed, panicking as the man put more weight on the axe, “You only feel this way because he revived you!”

“Sam you all are projecting all your demons onto him, you always have been, so don’t act surprised that he snapped and decided to be the villain you all were making him into!” Wilbur exclaimed, “and you have my brother in there, my blood ” Wilbur seethed, seeing red as he spoke. “Did you think you’d get away with that? With locking up my family?”

“The smp will hate you, you’ll be hunted as long as you live!” Sam exclaimed, “stop now and I will tell no one of this! Stop before this gets out of hand!”

“Let them hate me then.” Wilbur smiled “Say hi to Ghostbur for me, would you?” He said with a grin before plunging the axe into Sam’s throat, Phil watching in a mix of horror and baffling confusion. How had Wilbur changed so vastly? What happened to the boy who collected flowers and cried when others cried? The boy who wrote poetry and taught his brothers to play instruments so they could play together? 

“Dad, come on we need to go,” Wilbur called, shaking Phil’s shoulder a bit. Phil sighed and nodded, pulling his hat down before following the two men out, straight for the prison. Just hang on a little longer, he thought, praying to whatever god there was that the two would be alright, that they wouldn’t be too late. 

While rowing back to mainland a crow came swooping down, landing on Phil’s shoulder with a caw. “Do you have an update?” Phil asked the bird, Sapnap looking between the two in confusion.

“Quackity, dead, Team two, on the move” the bird squawked, flapping its wings as it relayed the message. Phil nodded with a smile, we’ll be there soon Techno. 

“Birds can talk?!” Sapnap exclaimed, making a laugh escape from Phil.

“Crows, yes” Phil said, “Same as parrots, they can relay messages” he hummed, petting the crows head with a smile. “Let them know we’re on our way, we’ll meet at the Rendezvous point” he said, nodding as the crow gave him one last squawk before flying off, disappearing into the night sky. 

“How long till we get there?” Wilbur spoke up, arms heavy from the constant rowing. 

“Should be another half hour- shit what is that” Phil cursed, feeling the water along with the land begin to quake. 

“These have been happening a lot lately!” Sapnap shouted, holding onto the sides of the boat as the waves picked up, “don’t know why though!”

“God this smp is cursed” Phil groaned, going back to rowing. A little earthquake wasn’t going to stop them. 

                           ———————

“Something…. Something is wrong,” Dream rasped, beginning to go into a panic, “I can… feel it..something wrong.. something is wrong!” He said, blood threatening to rise from the overuse of his throat. 

“Dream, dream dream dream” Techno tried to calm him, placing his hands on in his shoulders in an attempt to steady him, “you’re fine, it’s night time, Quackity doesn’t come at nights, it’s okay we’re fine” he said, though a sinking feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach as well. 

“Something, something is wrong Techno!” Dream said, shaking his head fast, pale blue eyes staring off into nothing. Then the shaking started. At first Techno thought it was Dream losing control again, he was sure that when he looked down Dream's eyes would be that glowing emerald from before, but they were the same as always. 

“Dream, hey you need to calm down-“

What is happening, what is happening, why is everything-, Dream mouthed, becoming overtaken by panic as the color of his eyes began to flicker between emerald and light blue. 

“Dream” Techno frowned, pulling him into a hug, remembering from wilburs panic attacks that pressure helped calm him down. “Dream, the shaking is you, this is what happens when the other side takes over, you’re just aware of it this time, it’s okay you just need to calm down” he said, rubbing his back “breathe okay? Breathe, it’s alright, Quackity isn’t coming, the shaking is you, not him. It’s you, nothing is going to hurt you.” 

“Me…?” Dream whispered, not being able to comprehend what was going on, not being able to understand why all this was happening. 

“Yes,” Techno said, speaking softly, “it’s you, and it’s good, you’re aware of it meaning you’re gaining control, it’s good, so don’t be afraid” he said, hoping to god that Dream would calm down, he wasn’t about to tell him that the prison could come down on him and freak him out more, but he really didn’t feel like getting crushed by a building. “It’s okay so calm down, it’ll stop if you just focus and calm down” he said, rubbing his back in circles in hopes that it’d help at least a little, he’d never talked down a god before. 

“Techno..” Dream mumbled, grip on Technos back impossibly tight, “I.. could see.. for a second..” he said, not believing it himself, he must have been dreaming or hallucinating. That wasn’t possible. The shaking began to slow to a stop, Techno letting out a relieved sigh. 

“You could see?” Techno asked, eyebrows raising. 

“In.. flashes.. and my throat, it doesn’t hurt as much…”

“It could be whatever power you have” Techno said, still clutching the man in his arms “it could be that the more you have control of it, the more it benefits you, meaning you could be immortal like me, if you got it under control” he said, not being able to stop a smile from forming. 

“Techno” Dream frowned, “Don't.. don’t do that to yourself” 

“Do what?” 

“Don’t give yourself hope” he sighed, pulling away from Techno, his arms searching aimlessly for a painfully long moment before finding the piglins face and cupping his cheeks, “don’t, I don’t want you getting hurt if it ends up not being true” he said, “We don’t know… my limits and abilities yet, don’t give yourself false hope”

“Your throat is healing itself” Techno said with a small grin, “that means, your body is healing a lot fast than a normal person, since it’s a relatively small wound compared to say the brass knuckles, it healed a lot faster” 

“It could just be healing though” Dream said, “not immortality, just a stronger healing factor” 

“But it could be” Techno said, “Either way though, it is the middle of the night, at least try and get some sleep” he said with a frown. 

“I’m sorry” Dream said, shoulders slumping as he spoke. 

“Why are you apologizing?” Techno asked, pulling Dream in and leaning against the wall, deciding they both needed rest. 

“I woke you up” Dream said, leaning into him as sleep began to take its hold on him. “You were sleeping, and I bothered you” he sighed

“Dream it’s okay” Techno shook his head, “how many times do I have to tell you that I care about you?” He said, playing with the man's hair as he spoke, “You'd do the same for me” he hummed.

“Okay pork chops” he said, a small grin forming, “okay, try and rest, you haven’t been sleeping much-“ Dream stopped mid-sentence, body going stiff as he heard the lava beginning to drain. “Techno” he said, beginning to tremble instinctively. 

“I know” he said, voice hushed, “it’s… probably just Sam doing a security check or something” he said, though it didn’t get rid of the unease that was building in his chest, what is happening, he thought, eyebrows furrowing. 

“Quackity… it’s him he’s back he’s-“ Dream said, beginning to panic once again. 

“Hey” Techno said, draping an arm around the man, “he’s not coming, and if he does, I’ll tell him to fuck off, okay?” He said, trying to keep his tone soft, “if it is him I’ll deal with him myself”

“But Sam will kill you” Dream said, shaking his head fast “You can’t-“ 

“Techno?!” Phil called over the lava, causing the men to freeze. “Dream??! Are you two there?!” He called through cupped hands, squinting to get a good look at them. 

“Is that..?” Dream started, long ears perking up at the familiar voice. 

“Phil?!” Techno called, standing up fast, adjusting his grip to pull Dream up with him. “Phil! God I’ve never been so happy to see you, you crow!” He yelled with joy, straining to see who else was with him, “Dream, Dream it’s Phil, and Sapnap and Punz and and- and Wilbur!” He spoke fast, “oh my god you guys came, just get the platform moving and we can come over! It’s that lever!” He pointed

“Dream?!” Sapnap called, face a mix of worry and joy, “Dream it took a while but we’re here! We killed them, Sam and Quackity!” He yelled with a wide grin “we’re getting you two out!” 

“We’re… getting out?” Dream asked, eyes widening “Sapnap..? Sapnaps here..?”

“Okay we’re sending it over, get on you two!” Phil called, “we need to hurry, we’re going back to the Arctic!” He said, “we have enough horses for all of us so we should get there fairly fast!”

“About that…” he said as he stepped on the platform, “Dreams legs are busted, he won’t be doing any riding by himself for a while! Oh, and he can’t exactly see” he said, cringing a bit at their reactions. 

“He’s what?!” Sapnap exclaimed, the group staring in horror the more and more they saw Dream, or what was left of him. Sapnap felt like screaming, screaming at Quackity and giving him the same treatment that he gave Dream, wishing they had taken Quackity alive. “Dream” he said quietly as they reached the other side, a hand ghosts over him, “you’re.. Christ”

“I’m not.. exactly a pretty princess, I know” Dream said, attempting to lighten the mood though it fell flat. “I… thank you, for coming” 

“We need to get you out of here before those get worse” Phil said, concern rising in his voice. His wounds were visibly infected and he looked sick . 

“I’ve been ok so far, I’ll be fine” Dream said, shaking his head in protest

“No, no you look worse” Techno said, frown appearing on his face as he inspected him, “yeah, yeah let’s go. I’ve got him let’s go” He said, nodding for them to start heading through the prison. 

“So what’s the situation with your legs?” Punz asked, voice soft as he spoke

“They got broken.. then rebroken” Dream sighed, eyes shut as his head leaned limply on Technos shoulder. “It’s okay though, they can heal” 

“And your face- its-“

“I’m sure that Dream could do without remembering what happened in there, I could do without remembering what happened in there.” Techno said, giving Punz a look as his grip on Dream tightened. “It doesn’t matter how he got them, it just matters that he’s okay now” 

“ Right.. okay so are we all heading to the Arctic?” Sapnap asked, “or do you want us to head off on our own? It might be better in order to keep people from finding out” He said, pulling his hood up as he walked, “also, we brought milk and healing potions, they won’t fix him completely but they should keep him from getting worse on the trip” 

“We need extra clothes for him” Techno said, “I can handle the cold fine, he can’t though” he said, “do we have another robe? Or a coat?” Techno asked, looking between the men with an eyebrow raised

“Uh, I can give my overcoat up” Phil said, so maybe their plan wasn’t as solid as he had hoped. As they reached the exit Techno lowered Dream to the ground so they could check over his wounds one last time and give him healing potion. Dream wouldn’t admit it but he had been feeling worse, he hadn’t thought it was bad enough to be significant though. 

“Okay, don’t freeze on me alright?” Techno said, getting the overcoat on him, “if you start to feel worse or like you’re too cold, tell me okay? I’ll give you my cape if that happens” 

“Okay.. I’m riding with you… right?” Dream asked, one hand gripping Technos sleeve tightly, his body shaking ever so slightly, Techno didn’t miss it.

“He can ride with me” Sapnap said with a grin, “we can have the whole trip to catch up-“

“I want to ride.. with Techno” Dream cut him off, shaking his head in a hurry as he spoke. He didn’t wanna be away from the piglin, this whole situation was overwhelming as it was, being away from the one constant he’d had for months only seemed to make him feel more overwhelmed. 

“Oh..” Sapnaps voice fell, eyebrows pulled together in a mix of confusion and hurt. “I… okay. We can catch up later” he sighed quietly and nodded. 

“We should go,” Phil said, gathering everything up, “the horses are right outside.” He said. Everyone nodded, Techno gathering Dream up in his arms and taking an axe from Phil and storing it in his waistband.  “Okay, it should be fine for right now but eventually it’s gonna get cold, let me know if it becomes too much” Techno said as they headed out, helping Dream up onto the horse before getting on behind him, one hand around his waist to keep him surdy, the other gripping the reigns. 

“So you guys killed Sam and Quackity, for good?” Techno asks, “like no comebacks?” 

“Yeah, they won’t be coming back as anything more than ghosts” Phil nodded, “you guys will be safe, no one is coming for you” 

“Well that’s good to hear, and here I was thinking-“ an arrow flew, Techno barely even saw it coming, watching in horror as it lodged into Dreams side, the force of the arrow sending him flying off the horse in a tumbling mess, Dream gasping and wheezing. “PHIL!” Techno roared, turning his horse, jumping off and running for Dream, screaming in anger when another arrow found its mark in Dreams' back, the boy letting out a loud yelp as it tore through him. 

“Who was it?! Where are they?!” Sapnap yelled, unsheathing his sword as he spun his horse in a circle looking for the culprit, glaring when his eyes landed on Sam. “You said he only had two lives left!” He exclaimed, “you were wrong!” He yelled in anger. Phil ignored him, all his attention trained on Sam as he stood up on his horse, wings outstretched to their full length. 

Techno was already by Dreams side, wrapping his body around him in an attempt to shield him from Sam’s line of fire, cursing as he saw how much he was bleeding, “Hey, hey hey hey hey it’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay you’re okay, you’re okay-“ he said, though his voice was shaking, why am I shaking? “Hey, hey Dream stay with me come on stay with me” 

“Techno..” Dream coughed, reaching up with a shaky hand for him “I’m not… feeling so hot.. right now” he said, a weak smile forming as he spoke. 

Techno let out a shaky laugh, shaking his head, “it’s okay, you’re ok, you’re gonna be okay you’re fine you’re fine” he said, cupping the man's face.

“You’re crying” Dream said, blue eyes staring up unfocused, his breathing a mix of rasping and wheezing as blood leaked down his chin. “Why?”

Techno touched his cheek, oh, I’m crying. “im just really sweaty is all,” he said, attempting to joke, though it didn’t stop his voice from cracking, his hands shaking more and more. “I-,, Dream please don’t leave me alone, please hang in a little longer” 

“I’m okay.. I barely… I barely even feel it” he said with a forced laugh. 

“Please, keep your eyes open” Techno begged, hurriedly grabbing at his cape and ripping it, tying the fabric around his wounds and giving him a healing potion, “live and I’ll do whatever you want” he said, voice shaking. “I’ll do whatever you want just keep your eyes open alright??”

“Let me… let me braid your hair, okay?” Dream said, voice growing smaller, “let me braid it… and put flowers in it.. let me ok..?” He smiled a bit, going into a coughing fit that left blood on his cheek. 

“Okay, deal” Techno said, though he couldn’t hide how broken his voice was anymore, couldn’t hide the cracks. “Okay, I promise” he said with a nod, tears falling down onto Dream as he bandaged him up, not missing how Dream grew paler by the minute, or how his blinks were getting longer and longer. 

Phil had gotten Sam pinned, axe at his throat as Wilber and Sapnap threw obscenities at the man, Punz standing a couple feet from Dream and Techno, watching the perimeter in case any other attackers came out of hiding. “Just get it done already!” He called, “if we wait any longer we might not get back with Dream alive!”

“You bastard” Sapnap growled at the man, eyes turning red and skin glowing similar to that of a fire. “What have you done?! He could die!” He screamed at him, not paying attention to a thing Punz said, his grip on his sword so tight his knuckles had turned a pasty white. 

“It’s what he deserves,” Sam spat, his eyebrows tightly knit together. “He deserves to rot in that prison, but if I can’t have that, I’ll take him dying as enough, those two… they are the reason this server is so full of shit!” He exclaimed.

“They’ve been locked up for a year and a half! And yet the atrocities still continue!” Sapnap yelled, chest heaving with every word. “None of us are innocent, none of us are any better than them!” He screamed, feeling the rage bubble up and fester in his chest, he wanted to give Sam all he deserved, but that was just it, that was just history once again repeating itself, dooming them to stay on the path of revenge and bloodshed for eternity.

“Don’t… don’t kill him” Sapnap sighed, shoulders slumping as he dropped his sword “we… this isn’t worth it” he seared down at Sam, wanting so badly to put him through all the same things he allowed Dream to endure, “we’re just repeating ourselves, this is why our server is so shit no one does any forgiving… we just kill each other and move on with our lives. None of us are innocent in this”

“But Techno and Dream have!-“

“I Blew up all of L’manburg” Wilbur said, “I blew it up. And I manipulated everyone including Dream!” He exclaimed, “so why are you not trying to kill me? Why am I not locked up?”

“That’s- that’s different-“ Sam stuttered, “Dream and Techno, they-“

“We’re all just as bad.” Wilbur said, “let’s… let’s let him go.” He sighed, shocking even himself. “Killing him won’t do any good, and locking him up.. we’ve seen what that does to people, it just makes them worse. We give him another chance, if he hurts us again, then we kill him” 

“But what if he-“

“Guys!” Techno exclaimed, not being able to keep his voice from cracking into a million pieces, “guys please you gotta help me, he’s not, he’s not responding!” He said, his whole body shaking as he kept trying to stop the bleeding, kept trying to keep the man alive. 

“Shit” Phil cursed, letting go of Sam and rushing over, deciding they had bigger things to worry about. “Shit that’s not good” Phil said, checking Dream over “his wounds are really infected” he said, eyeing Techno, “do we… do we have the Necromancy book..?” He asked slowly, gauging Technos reaction.

“He-… he said he wanted to give it to me, but he didn’t get to it, only he has it, and he’s- hes-“ Techno stumbled over his words, eyesight blurring from tears. “He said he was going to stick around, Phil, he said he was gonna hang on a while longer.”

“He still has a pulse, he’s still hanging in but Techno we need to get these treated, if we wait he’s gonna be dead before we even reach the Arctic” 

“I’ve been pouring health potion over them, it’s not doing anything it’s like his body is rejecting it-“

“What the fuck” Phil said, staring down at Dream in a mix of confusion and horror, “does he.. usually do that?” Phil asked, motioning to Dreams now open and glowing Emerald eyes. 

Techno had never been so happy to see those eyes, never been more happy to watch as the godlike being looked down at its body and shook its head, it’s wounds glowing green before they healed up enough to stop the bleeding, enough to keep him going. “Yeah, it’s kind of his thing,” he said, a smile plastered on his face. “He’ll, he’ll be okay” 

“We need to go” Wilbur said, “We need to get back before either he dies or we lose the cover of night” he said, frowning a bit at the sight of Techno, “hey, he’s gonna be ok, whatever that was… it seemed to have helped him..” he reassured, hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder. The emerald eyes faded, Dream going right back into unconsciousness as the deity finished what it came to do. 

Techno nodded, wiping away the tears and grime from his face before picking the man up, “his horn!” He exclaimed, grin wide again, “it grew back all the way, it healed his horn” 

“Then maybe everything else will get healed as well, '' Phil said, grabbing the reins of his horse. “Sam, if you follow us, or continue to try and kill us or Dream, we will end you on the spot” Phil said, his voice booming as he spoke. “Do not cross us, it will only end badly for you.”

“They’ll hate you for this!” Same exclaimed, “you’ll never find peace like this, they’ll hunt you to the end of the earth!”

“Let them hunt us then,” Phil said, lowering his hat. “They know not of what they truly want, one day they’ll understand” he said as he mounted his horse, nodding for the others to do the same.

“He’s dangerous, he’s the reason the smp is falling apart!”

“He’s only like this because you and the others turned him into this!” Techno exclaimed, a near bruising grip around Dream, afraid that if he let go he’d lose him once again. “You turned him into a villian to feel better about yourselves!” He spat, venom coating his words. He gave the creeper hybrid one last glare before riding off with the others, praying to whatever god there was that they’d get home in time. Just hang in there okay.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, Dream woke up when they were an hour out from the homes, making Techno give him his cape because Jesus it was cold. Dream wasn’t looking any better, if anything he was paler and kept going into coughing fits, but nothing could beat how Techno found him, nothing could scare him like that had. 

“Techno” Dream said, voice quiet, “when we get back.. I’ll give you the necromancy book” he said, leaning into the piglin more. 

“Why?” Techno asked, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow. “Why would you burden me with that..? Give it to Phil, or one of your friends not me-“

“You are one of my friends” Dream said, feeling a smile creep onto his face as he spoke “I want you to have it. I’m…let’s just say, there’s no one I’d need to revive, not anymore” he said, spacing out as they rode. 

“Whatever you want” Techno said, “As long as that heart of yours keeps beating I’ll let you have whatever you want” he said, arm wrapping around the man just a bit tighter, grinning when he saw their cabins in the distance, “we’re home,” he laughed, feeling relief wash over him, “it’s just over there, we’re home, we’re back we’re home!”  

“Home?” Dream asked, feeling as though he didn’t deserve a permanent spot in their little life, didn’t deserve all the trouble they were going through to help him. 

“Yeah, yeah we're home” Techno said, his horse slowing to a trot as they neared the homes. “Okay, I’m gonna take you inside and get you stitched up okay and we’re gonna clean all your wounds'' he said, carefully lifting the both of them off the horse, “And we can figure out what’s wrong with you, sickness wise” Techno hummed as he carried the man inside, ignoring the others as he did so. 

Techno carefully set the man down on the table, peeling away the makeshift bandages and the stained orange prison shirt, cursing at the sight of the wounds. “Okay, so these have started to get infected as well” he sighed, frowning a bit at how thin he was compared to before he was put in the prison. He’d deal with that later. “Okay, I’m gonna clean these and get some healing potions on them, and hopefully with some clean bandages they’ll sort themselves out,” he said, though Dream looked to be spacing out, not really all there at the moment. 

Techno sat with him, cleaning out each wound, stitching up the ones that needed it, and bandaging him up, giving the man breaks when he needed it. Dream was quiet for the most part, Techno deciding he was probably just overwhelmed, not yet able to process the fact that he was no longer a prisoner. It wasn’t until one of the dogs started barking that Dream really said anything. The noise had set off panic alarms in his head, his whole body going stiff as the dog continued to bark. Techno frowned, placing a hand on his back, “hey, it’s alright, they bark like that all the time it’s okay, nothing to worry about '' he tried to reassure, though it fell on dead ears. 

“I’ll be okay… just gotta adjust..” Dream said with a sigh, letting Techno continue. “Do you think my eyes will ever fix themselves..? Like my horn did…?”

“I think it just depends on how well you can control whatever powers you have” Techno hummed, “if you figure out control you can probably do things like that at will rather than as a subconscious reflex” he nodded “I’m sure you’ll be back to your old self.” Techno didn’t miss the way Dream smiled a bit, “do you want me to braid your hair after you take a bath?” Techno asked, “or I can cut your hair for you, I know you used to keep it pretty short.” 

“No, you can leave it long” Dream shook his head, “I like it like this I think” he said, a smile creeping onto his face as he spoke, “You can braid it though..oh, hey” he said, tone turning serious as he pulled away from the piglin. “I need to give you the book” 

“You really don’t need to do that-“ Techno tried to argue, though he got cut off before he could finish.

“Shush, I can’t do it if you keep talking like that” he said, shutting his eyes and focusing hard, eyebrows tightly knit together. It took a few moments but soon the book was materializing into his hands, “just.. a safety measure I came up with, here, this is the original book. I’ll teach you how to use it, but I’ve translated the majority of the book already if you look through it” he said, handing the book over to the piglin with a small sigh. 

“Dream seriously,” Techno said, frowning down at the book in his hands. “I don’t-, I’m not the one for this seriously”

“You don’t have to use it” Dream said with a shake of his head, “you can keep it locked away in an ender chest for all I care, just keep it safe. I’ll die one day, but you won’t. Please just keep it safe” Dream pleaded, planting his hands on Technos shoulders as he spoke. 

“And how do you know I am the right hands?” Techno asked.

“Because I know you, I’d trust you with the world, fuck Techno I’d trust you with my life ten times over, I trust you how can you not understand that?” He asked, voice shrinking, partly from disappointment and partly from exhaustion, had they not been as close as he thought? Was Techno only there for him out of pity?

“Okay…” Techno sighed and nodded a bit, “ok. But I’m just keeping it safe for you… this isn’t permanent”

He said, taking the book and storing it in his ender chest. 

“Think of it as a gift” Dream smiled, “plus, now you can show off, I know you like a good gloat” he hummed, letting go of Techno. 

“Yeah yeah whatever,” Techno shook his head as he finished up wrapping the bandages. “Okay, I’m gonna carry you to the bathroom so you can bathe, alright?” Techno asked, not wanting to startle the man. Dream gave a small nod of approval and held out his arms, laughing a bit as Techno picked him up with ease. 

“If we get you some good splints in a month you should be able to start walking a little” techno said as he carried him to the bathroom, “if you start eating and doing as I say you should be good as new soon”

“I’ll still look like a monster though” Dream said with a sigh, a frown tugging on his lips. 

“You don’t look like a monster,” Techno said, stopping in his tracks. “Be proud of your scars, they show that you survived, they show that you won, you came out on top”

“Stop being poetic I don’t wanna cry again” Dream said with a small laugh, though a smile lingered as Techno continued walking, carefully setting him on the edge of the bath before getting it filled up. 

“Ok, do you need help with anything else?” Techno asked, usually he’d be embarrassed at the implications, but he was more worried of the chance of Dream reopening a wound or hurting himself while trying to bathe on his own. 

Dreams' face turned red as he huffed and nodded slightly, knowing there was no way he could get it done on his own without something going wrong. 

Techno nodded a bit and smiled, happy that slowly but surely, Dream was accepting his help more and more. Once Dream finished bathing, Techno got him into some warm clothes and had him sit on the floor in front of his seat while he braided Dream's hair. He wouldn’t admit it but he was glad Dream had grown it out, he liked him with his long white hair much better. Techno couldn’t help the smile that was spreading across his face as he sat braiding the man's hair, everything was coming together, everything was starting to be okay.

Chapter Text

Techno remembered the first day he’d met Dream like it had only been days prior, remembered the way he welcomed him into his land with open arms, remembered how Dream had given him supplies as a welcoming gift. You must be the blood god! Oh the stories I’ve heard of you, Dream had said with a smile, I’m sorry but there’s no great battles for you to fight here, we strive for peace, he had said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Oh how he wished Dream had been right. 

He remembers the first war, remembers how his brother caused unwarranted destruction, he hated to side against his brother, hated to side against his family, but blood is only so deep.

The final breaking point was the government, L’manburg, manburg, they were all the same. The last string broke as his brother chose items and government over the people that cared the most. Of course he still loved his brother, but that didn’t mean he was his ally. 

“Techno!” Phil called from the other room, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Yeah?” He asked, moving out of the kitchen and towards the bedroom Phil was in. “I was cooking, this better be good.” He grumbled as he entered the room.

“He has a fever” Phil said, motioning to Dream who was asleep in the bed, face flushed and covered in sweat. “He’s sick, I’m gonna go over to the village and get some stuff that could help, can you just watch him and send a crow my way if he gets worse?” He asked, frowning down at the man. 

“Fuck.. yeah okay” Techno nodded, sitting next to the bed and feeling his forehead with a sigh, that was definitely a high fever. He frowned as he watched Dream, didn’t like how labored his breathing looked or how red his face was. He opted for taking the blanket off him and getting a cold wet rag on his forehead, attempting to remember what he’d done whenever Tommy or Wilbur got sick. 

“Damn mortals and your illnesses” Techno said with a huff, “I just got the book you better not make me use it” he grumbled, attempting to hide the worry in his voice. 

“Is he alright?” Wilbur asked, standing in the doorway, “I heard…dad say he was going to the village,” Wilbur said as he walked over to the bedside, inspecting Dream. 

“He has a fever, I think he’s pretty sick” Techno said, “It’s probably from all the infections his body is fighting, it wore him out.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll pull through” Wilbur said as he sat down, “I have…. I have some news, and you’re not gonna like it but you were gonna find out either way”

“What now?” Techno said with a groan, rubbing his face.

“I think.. Techno I never saw the message that Quackity died” Wilbur said, tone turning serious. “I saw it for Sam both the times he died, but I didn’t see it for Quackity, meaning he’s not… look I’m not saying we’re completely fucked, obviously we’re all capable enough to deal with them, I’m just worried about them getting everyone else on their side” Wilbur said with a sigh, “I don’t think we can stay here much longer Techno”

“He’s not dead?” Techno said, frown growing, “Wilbur we can’t just pack up and go right now, not with him in the state he’s in!” Techno exclaimed, frustration taking its hold on him. “If we were to leave now… or even at the end of the week I guarantee you he will die-“

“We can just revive him! And isn’t he basically a god like you? Techno why can’t we-“

“Do you think I want him to go through dying? Or any of you for that matter? You of all people should know how horrible an experience it is.” Techno said, “I’m not going to just let him suffer through dying over and over just because we can bring him back!” Techno exclaimed, “and what happens if it turns out none of us can figure out how to use the book, what then? Because Dream hasn’t shown me how so we might not even be able to get it to work! Look it’s fine if you gamble when it comes to your own life, but stay the fuck away from other peoples lives.” Techno said, eyes glowing red as he spoke, leaving Wilbur in a wide eyed state of shock.

“Look, I didn’t mean-“

“Techno… you’re so loud” Dream groaned out, pulling one of the pillows over his head and momentarily pulling the two men away from the argument. “I can show you how to use the book, just no more yelling” he said, voice strained. 

“You’re awake???” Techno said, “I’m sorry-, you can show me when you feel better- how long have you been awake?!” Techno sputtered, pulling the pillow off of Dream so he could check his temperature.

“Your yelling woke me- fuck my head” Dream groaned as he tried to sit up, gasping in pain from his back and laying right back down. “I can’t show you how if I’m stuck in bed like this” he grumbled, trying to push his arm away though it was to no avail. He tried to keep his voice even,  tried to hide the pain away. He didn’t want to look weak, didn’t want to worry anyone more than he already had.

“If I let you sit up and show me will you promise to stay in bed?” Techno asked, “I need you to recover idiot”

“Where am I gonna go? My legs are broken, idiot” Dream said, though his words were more playful than anything else. “I promise it’s all I’m gonna do.” He said with a small nod. Techno sighed and stood to fish the book out of his ender chest, though he was left in momentary shock as the book materialized in Dreams hands out of thin air.

“What else can you do that with?” He asked, looking between him and the ender chest a few times in shock.

“It’s a lot harder with other things” he said, a tired edge to his voice. “I’ve just moved the book around so much that it’s easy, other things are hard because I have to.,,, I have to focus on how heavy they are and how big they are and essentially how I’m gonna get it from one place to another,” he said, voice growing quieter the longer he spoke, less sure of himself. 

“Sorry, I’m getting off topic” he sighed with a shake of his head, handing the book off to techno, “This is gonna be hard because I can’t, I can’t see, but it should be page 10.. it has the instructions that I translated” 

“Page ten..” Techno mumbled to himself as he flipped through the pages, landing on page ten. There were several notes scribbled onto the page itself along with dozens of post-it notes attached to the page, seemingly every word translated. “When did you learn ender?” Techno asked, looking down at the page in a mix of awe and an edge of discomfort.

“It’s that… that other side of me” he said,voice slow as if even talking exhausted him, “It seems as though it knows every language, and therefore I do as well.. I guess I’ve always known it.”

“So you need something that ties the dead to the physical world” Techno hummed, reading the notes. “A body, or a ghost, or a significant item… and the one casting the prayer-,…. Prayer?” Techno said with a scoff.

“I didn’t know what else to translate it to” Dream said, "The word.. it means in essence asking the god to return their spirit.” 

“Aren’t you the god?”

“No.. in this case it’d be, it’d be the god of death” Dream said, letting out a tired huff. “I’m sure you’ve met her” 

“ Her?” Techno asked in shock, “you know her? You’ve met her?”

“I’ve died twice now, Techno” Dream said, letting out a bitter laugh, “and she was there.. I liked her.. she was so nice” he sighed, shutting his eyes as he spoke “truthfully.. I didn’t wanna respawn, it was so nice there.. and she told me I had to go back, that it wasn’t my time, and then I remembered how much respawning hurt-, I wanted to stay dead” he said, feeling tears pile up and threaten to fall.

Techno nodded a bit, “well, one day when it is your time you’ll go back there, but until then you gotta stick around here okay?” He said, trying to keep his tone soft. 

Dream nodded a bit, “and when you attempt a revival.. you need to have a clear image of the person's name and face in your head..and it’s really taxing” he said, pulling the blanket over himself despite his body's already high temperature. “You’ll be completely exhausted after doing it.. depending on how strong you are physically.” 

“Okay..” Techno said, reading through the page thoroughly, “it’s a shame I can’t practice on someone, we won’t know if it works until it’s the real thing.”

“Well, it worked for Schlatt, so if he can do it, anyone… anyone can'' Dream said with a raspy laugh, bandaged fingers on his neck as if bracing himself for the pain that always followed. 

“Okay..” Techno said, checking Dreams forehead once again and frowning when it felt hotter, “hey, I’m gonna get you another cool cloth ok? Phil should be back with medicine any time now.”

“Okay.” Dream said quietly, opting for curling in on himself under the covers as best he could. Then someone was banging on the door and Dreams' blue eyes were threatening to turn emerald as he felt a panic rise in his chest.

“Fuck..” Techno mumbled as he stood up, “Wilbur, stay with him up here, I’ll go check it out alright?”

“It’s them.. they’re back they’re back for me” Dream said, voice wobbly as he spoke “they’re here I’m dead I’m dead I’m dead-“ 

“Dream, I mean this in the nicest way possible,” Techno huffed, rubbing his face, “you need to snap out of it. We’re here we aren’t gonna let anyone take you, calm down before that, that other side takes over again alright? Wilbur will be up here with you, you’ll be fine” Techno said with a small nod before heading down the stairs, the voices cursing whoever decided to disturb them. 

Techno took a deep breath once he reached the door, axe in one hand as the other moved and swung the door open, “what the Hell are you- Tommy????” Techno said, looking surprised, though Tommy seemed to realize how taken off guard Techno was because he used this as an opportunity to shove him and run upstairs, cursing and banging ensuing before Techno could even get up the stairs. 

“You Bastard!!!” Tommy screamed, having climbed on top of Dream, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and shaking him with a dizzying force, “I told you what would happen if you did this!!! I told you I’d kill you where you stand!!!” He roared, though he physically cringed a bit when he heard Dreams Yelp in pain, watched as tears formed. “You.. you asshole I told you I’d- I’d-“ Tommy said though his voice shrank the more he really looked at Dream, watched the way he didn’t fight back, didn’t even defend himself. 

“I didn’t… I didn’t do it..” Dream mumbled through tears, “they broke me out.. they brought me here.. I didn’t.. please stop, please it hurts” he said, voice wobbly as shaking hands planted themselves ever so lightly on Tommy’s arms. “Please.. please just let me-.. just let me live I won’t- I’m sorry!! I won’t do anything please-“

“What the fuck.” Tommy said, his grip loosening. “Stop- stop you’re making this harder, harder than it needs to be!” He sputtered, “you- you did so much shit you don’t just get to cry and suddenly get your way you don’t get to-“

“ Tommy.” Techno said, looming over the boy, his eyes glowing a bright red. “It would be wise to let go, before I make you let go.” He said, gripping the boy's shoulder with a bruising force. 

“Are we talking about the same person here?!! He fucking killed me!” Tommy yelled, “three times! He exiled me, he, he-“

“He is fucking possessed, Tommy” Techno said, pulling him off of the goat hybrid, “he has another side, it takes over when he feels in danger or extremely upset, he can’t control it and it’s the reason for all the shit he’s done” he said, holding him by the hem of his shirt. 

“Even so-“ Tommy stumbled over his words, finding it harder and harder to justify himself, “he, he still did it he should have been able to control-“

“You guys pushed him over that edge, long before he was even the enemy, there you were making him out to be one.” He said, eyebrows tightly knit together, “you know how I know? Because you did the exact same thing to me, your brother, your blood goddamnit. All of you do the same shit! You make us out to be the enemies while you commit atrocities the same as us! You’re no better than us!!”

“He’s a… he’s.. fuck!!” Tommy yelled, frustration building, he had no one to blame, no one to condemn. 

“He’s blind, he can’t even sit up properly because of a back injury, and he has two broken legs. Do you really think he’s a threat? Him?” Techno said, “it’s okay to be mad Tommy, no matter his reasoning for what he did, it’s okay to be upset by his actions, it’s ok to be hurt, but you can’t keep up this cycle of vengeance, its tearing the server apart, he’s changed, Tommy. He’s not like that anymore, you need to let it go.” Techno spoke softly, trying desperately to reason with the boy.

“He hurt me so bad” Tommy sniffled, and suddenly there were tears, hot and angry, but still tears. “He..he manipulated me.. he killed me.. he killed me to prove a point” he said, rubbing at his nose.

“That wasn’t me” Dream rasped, “whatever… whatever power I have, it feeds off my negative emotions and takes over…it took, it took all my negativity and made it bigger and worse.. I don’t, I don’t remember hardly anything from the past years..” Dream said, voice growing small, “at least.. not the way I should.. I only know them as facts.. not.. not as if I was there for the events.. and then suddenly I was in prison, being tortured everyday for a book”

“It was for justice,” Tommy said, cutting him off.

“Quackity didn’t care about justice, he just wanted the book, he would've killed me the moment I handed it over” Dream tried to reason.

“It was justice though.. it was… you.. you deserved that,.”

“When the hell is torture of that magnitude ever justified?” Techno scoffed, shaking his head, “you're telling me that being tortured everyday for months on end, being refused food, not even getting a bed was somehow justified..?”

“But..” Tommy mumbled, staring down at his feet, feeling at a loss for words the longer the exchange went on.

“Tommy I didn’t get treated much better, do you think I deserved that? Do you think I deserved to be imprisoned?” Techno said, standing in between Tommy and Dream. 

“Fine.. fine you’re right..” Tommy said, rubbing his face, “I just… it’s gonna be hard.. I realize.. he suffered a lot too.. it’s just gonna be hard forgiving him, I know, I know he didn’t mean to do those things, it’s just gonna take a while to get over” Tommy sighed. 

“Tommy I’m sorry” Dream said, relaxing a bit, though his throat was already forming bruises from when Tommy choked him, “I’m… I didn’t intend on any of this happening.. I was mad, angry even at all the griefing that happened.. it wasn’t my intention to do all those things though” Dream sighed, “and you’re right, I should’ve been able to control it, I should’ve known it was a thing that needed controlling, and I’m sorry that it got this bad” Dream said quietly.

Tommy nodded a bit, taking a moment to think over what he had said. “I.. well I already apologized you know how I feel” he said, letting out a dry laugh, “I just.. it’s gonna take me a while to be okay with all this.”

“I understand..” Dream said, going into a coughing and wheezing fit and letting out a groan, “might not have to put up with me.. much longer though” he let out a strained laugh, causing him to cough more. “I don’t have much more.. left in me”

“Stop talking like that” Wilbur said, “we’ll just revive you if you-“

“Please don’t” Dream cut him off, shaking his head “if it’s my time, please.. please don’t make me come back, I don’t, fuck-“ Dream groaned, coughing more, blood coming up and dripping down his chin, as if to remind them that they were far from out of the woods, “I don’t wanna live like this, if I’m being honest” 

“You’ll heal. Stop talking like that before I.. fuck okay tommy you should go, I need to check his wounds because something isn’t right” Wilbur sighed, waving the boy off as he pulled the blanket off of Dream in order to get to his torso that was covered in bandages, cursing when a couple had already bled through. 

“I can-, I can help-“ Tommy sputtered, standing up as Wilbur unwrapped bandages and inspected the wounds, Dream cringing with tightly knit brows.

“It’s fine, Tommy,” Wilbur sighed, pushing his glasses up.

“Really, I can help just give me something to do!” Tommy exclaimed, he really was trying to fix things, he really wanted to make things right. 

“fuck It hurts wilbur..” Dream cursed, “stop.. stop please just leave it-“ Dream said, trying to push Wilburs arms away. 

“Tommy, can you hold his arms? I need to do this.” Wilbur said. He felt bad, he knew it hurt, but it was either Dream dealt with it or died, so naturally Wilbur opted for the first option.

“Ah” Tommy paused for a minute, not liking the ideas but he knew it needed to happen. “Dream.. I’m sorry.. I’m sorry but he needs to do this” he said, sitting beside him and holding his arms down, keeping him from stopping Wilbur. 

“Techno, get Phil” Wilbur said, not missing the panic creeping on Technos face. “Dreams gonna be fine, I just want Phil here because he knows more about potions than I do.” Techno nodded, awkwardly shuffling out of the room to get a crow.

“Dream, this is gonna hurt and I apologize, but it’s gotta happen” Wilbur said as he held peroxide. Dream just nodded meekly, giving up in any attempt at sass or complaints. He couldn’t see, but down in his gut he knew what was coming, he knew what to expect. It didn’t stop him from letting out a pained Yelp when Wilbur poured it on his wound though, his whole body jolting. 

Tommy sat awkwardly, holding the man's arms as Wilbur cleaned the wounds, cringing whenever he got a glimpse at the infection that filled the wounds. “Hey, it’s gonna be ok..Uhh..it’s.. it’s almost over” Tommy said, feeling odd, not knowing how to comfort what used to be his sworn enemy. This went on for a while, Wilbur cleaning the wounds and stitching opened ones back up while Tommy did his best to comfort him, once techno returned he swapped spots with him, opting for fetching tools for Wilbur when needed. 

“Phil is on his way” Techno said, holding onto Dream's arms with one hand and carding through his hair with the other, trying to keep him calm, he really didn’t feel like dealing with another earthquake. “He got more potions and medicine. And he’s better at this stuff..” Techno said, waiting for a response that never came. 

“Dream?” Techno felt panic rise as he looked down, slapping the man's cheek lightly, no response. “Dream, not cool, open your eyes you asshole” Techno said, his breathing growing fast and uneven as he pressed his head to the man's chest, cursing when he couldn’t find a heartbeat. 

“Wilbur- Wilbur I can’t- I can’t hear his heartbeat wilbur” Techno panicked, “do I-, what do I do wilbur he’s not-“ 

“Move,” Tommy shoved Techno away, beginning chest compressions. He learned after tubbo died the first time, practically begged Phil to show him in case it happened again. “Get Phil- or get the book, if this doesn’t work we need the book” Tommy tried his best to sound calm, but his hands were shaking. 

“But he told us-“ Wilbur started, remembering what Dream had said moments ago about reviving him. “This isn’t right he said he didn’t want-“

“Fuck what he said, get the book wilbur” Tommy cursed, not getting any response from the man. 

“I got it-, fuck okay I’ve got the book are you sure were doing this?” Techno said, flipping to page ten, scanning through the pages. 

Tommy stopped chest compressions to check his pulse, cringing when he got nothing, Dream's body growing colder and colder as the minutes passed by.

“Nothing.. fuck ok you need to do it, you need to do it now” Tommy said, hands still shaking as he let go of the man, or what was left of him. 

“I don’t, what if I mess up?” Techno said, holding the book with trembling hands. “What if he’s gone for good?”

“As long as you do it right it should work” Wilbur said, looking down at his hands, hands that were soaked in blood, Dreams blood. 

“Okay..” Techno sighed, he clasped his hand around Dreams bandages one, shutting his eyes as he held the book and said the spell written out, changing the wording to fit their situation. Once he was done his eyes opened, eyes scanning over Dream for any indication that it worked. 

“Did it.. did it work..?” Tommy asked, looking between the two unsure, none of them had actually ever seen a resurrection, so they didn’t know what to expect. 

“I don’t know… fuck if this-“ Wilbur started, though he was cut off by Dreams scream, the man practically shrieking as he sat bolt upright, falling right back down once the pain returned. Tommy remembered what it was like to be revived, it hurt in a way he’d never felt before, it was as if his body itself was screaming at him to stop whatever it was when it happened, Tommy remembers the days after he was revived, remembers how he couldn't sleep or eat, couldn’t hardly even think, it hurt so bad. 

“You-…fuck…techno…no..no no no…” Dream panted, eyes glowing that familiar green. His hands gripped into the sheets as he wheezed and rasped, not even the torture compared to this. 

“Dream.. You're alive..” Techno mumbled, a small smile formed, he was alive. He was alive!

“There’s….there’s a reason..” Dream said, taking sharp breaths between each word, “I said…not to…depending… on how.. how much you're…hated…the experience is…it’s worse…”

“Worse..?” Techno asked, an eyebrow raising. 

“It hurts him” Tommy said, “I remember being revived, it hurt a lot.. it must be horrible for him.” He sighed, rubbing his face. “It’s like, like the more your hated, the more no one wants you to return once you’ve died, and the book can sense this, it’s like it’s punishing the person in a way”

“Fuck.. I’m sorry” techno cursed, “could we.. Could we help? Is there something I could do?”

“We could put him to sleep,” Wilbur said, “there’s a potion for it.”

“Kill…kill me please…” Dream said between gasps, his whole body trembling as he spoke. He’d never felt pain like this, it was his whole body all at once, from his eyes to his lungs to his feet, it all burned and ached and screamed as if it were on fire. “I can’t, I can’t do this.. I can’t, please… techno please” Dream pleaded, begged, even. 

“How long would it last?” Techno asked, ignoring Dreams babbling. “That could work, we just need to make sure it lasts long enough” he said, one hand moving to the man's hair to card through it, trying to soothe him the best he could. 

“We need to do it soon, the shock of the pain could send him right back into the afterlife,” Wilbur said, heading for the brewing stand downstairs to get to work. 

“Don’t.. no no..” Dream shook his head, his face flushed and covered in sweat. “No…kill me…kill-.. please don’t make me.. please techno please” Dream pleaded through tears, Techno hadn’t even seen Dream beg like this when Quackity visited day after day. 

“Are you almost done?!” Techno called to Wilbur, pulling Dream into an embrace, trying his best to calm him down. He didn’t want him dying again.

“Yea, I’m coming” Wilbur called, jogging upstairs with the potion in hand. “Okay, okay drink this, it'll make it better!” He said, pressing the bottle to Dream's lips.

“How long..will I be out…?” Dream rasped

“About a week” Wilbur said, “However it'll feel like no time at all, now drink, I don’t want you dying again alright?” He said, keeping his voice soft. Dream nodded hesitantly, drinking the potion and cringing at the bitter taste it left in his mouth. It took a moment but soon he was calming down and losing consciousness, the trio letting out a collective sigh or relief. 

“Okay, I’m gonna keep fixing him up.. it’s getting late you guys should rest” Wilbur said, pushing his glasses up before he got back to work. Techno nodded, his hands tainted with the man's blood as well. 

“If you need anything, I’ll be in the other room” Techno said, patting wilburs head before going to wash up and see Tommy off. 

“He’s.. different than I remembered” Tommy said, following Techno to the door. 

“As I said before, the Dream you grew accustomed to isn’t the real one.” Techno hummed, “The real one is much kinder, I promise you he won’t cause any more issues regarding the server as long as me and Phil and Wilbur are watching him.” 

“Are you gonna tell Sapnap about what happened tonight..? Or George..?” Tommy asked, “him dying and all… I feel like it isn’t something you should hide from them.”

“What good would telling them do?” Techno asked, raising an eyebrow.

“If you don’t tell them and they find out from the chat they’ll use you keeping it from them as a reason to loathe you” Tommy said, “I don’t know.. I just, I feel like now more than ever we all need to keep everything out in the open.” 

“Hey…” Techno said, smiling a bit “when did you become mature?” He said, patting him on the shoulder. “You’re right. I’ll see you soon, yeah?” 

“Sooner than later, I hope” Tommy said, a small laugh escaping as he headed out the door, “I’ll keep a look out for big Q and Sam, I’ll make sure they don’t fuck you guys over!” He exclaimed, giving Techno one last wave. 

Big Q. That was right, he was still out there. Techno sighed, running a hand through his hair as he shut the door, maybe they would think Dream was dead for good after they saw in chat that he died. Still, it wasn’t comforting to hear that Quackity was out there still, he’d have to make sure they didn’t leave Dream alone for a while, especially when he was in a perpetual coma. 

“Wil, once you’re done I’ll sleep in here with him” Techno said as he reentered the room and made his way over to the window to shut the blinds. “Quackity and Sam are still out there, so until we know that they’re not a threat we need to keep someone with him at all times.” 

Wilbur nodded, finishing up the last bandage. “We really do need to move soon, you know..?”

“Wilbur, he just died and all he was doing was laying down. We can’t leave right now, that’s not an option” Techno said, eyes glowing that familiar red. 

“And we revived him! What if the whole server comes? What if they take him and lock him up again? Or lock you up?” Wilbur exclaimed, feeling hot anger rise up in his chest. “We can’t-, I can’t lose you like that again!”

“If we keep reviving him he’s going to be in a constant state of pain!!!” Techno said, motioning to Dream's sleeping form, “or he’ll be stuck in a coma for weeks! Months! I can fight, Phil, Tommy, Sapnap, you, we’re all capable! We can defend ourselves here long enough for him to recover enough to be travel ready. And once he’s doing better we’ll leave, just as you wish, but we have no choice but to stay right now.” 

“Techno-“ Wilbur sighed, rubbing his face. “Fine… alright fine whatever. I’m gonna.. I’m gonna go to bed. Night.” Wilbur said, giving Techno one last look before pushing past him. 

The week went by slowly, Wilbur doing his best to keep the infections in check and healing as Phil and Techno stayed guarding the property, paranoid of another attack.

Dream stayed asleep for a week and a half, his fever and infections unrelenting, it was as if every possible odd was against him. Tommy was there each day, either visiting Wilbur and the others or sitting by Dreams bedside mumbling awkwardly to the sleeping man.

“When you wake up I’m gonna give you a talking to, you know” Tommy mumbled, eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at his lap, “not cool, man.. worrying everyone like this…puffy is supposed to be here in two days, you better be awake by then” he huffed, trying his best to sound annoyed.

“He should have been awake three days ago,” Wilbur said from the doorway, causing Tommy to nearly jump out of his own skin. “I’m getting a bit worried,” he sighed, taking a seat next to Tommy. 

“Huh” Tommy hummed, staring at the seemingly lifeless man with glazed over eyes. “He’s…maybe it’s because he’s not fighting… he doesn’t want this so he’s not fighting for it..”

“Well I’m not gonna let him give up, I’m not about to get my ass beat by puffy because I let her son die” Wilbur said, shaking his head. 

“He looks a lot like her, yknow, without the mask and everything” Tommy hummed, “he’s.. got the same hair as her and stuff..”

“That is how genetics work, yeah” Wilbur said, letting out a small laugh. “Have Techno and Phil found Sam or Quackity yet..?”

“No. Well sort of. Sam is still playing warden as if there’s anything to guard. Quackity though.. no ones seen him since that night” he sighed, rubbing his face. “He’s gotta be planning something though. I feel like it’ll be against Techno, seeing as they’ve had a long history”

“Yea well as long as they don’t come here I don’t care what they do. That guy is no match for techno he’ll be fine”

Tommy was about to respond, but stopped when he saw Dreams' eyes pop open as he began to stir, the man panicking a bit when everything was dark, he hadn’t yet gotten used to a lack of vision. 

“Wil…Wilbur…?” Dream rasped, arms reaching out to look for them in a rushed panic. 

“Dream?? Holy shit you’re awake-, yeah yeah it’s Wilbur, and Tommy” Wilbur nodded, “fuck, ok hold on I’m gonna get you some water, Tommy watch him please” Wilbur said, heading out the room and down the stairs in a rush.

“Wil no-“ Tommy started to protest before letting out a frustrated huff. “Dream… heyyy…..” he said, rubbing the back of his neck “how was the uh coma?”

“Tommy what the fuck” Dream said, hands gripping his head as his breathing grew faster and more labored “Tommy what…what was that what the fuck was that- that… he said it’d be fast he said it’d be ok he said-… Tommy that was.. that was limbo what the hell tommy Wilbur.. he-..he lied Tommy-“ Dream spoke fast, stumbling over his words as if he’d only just learned how to speak proper sentences. 

“Limbo..? Dream you had a nightmare, you weren’t dead you couldn’t be in limbo” Tommy assured, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “We had to do that or you would’ve just died again, it’s alright it was probably just a nightmare-“

“Please don’t do that to me again” Dream said, his voice cracking and breaking in all the wrong ways. “I didn’t.. I didn’t like that”

“It’s okay” Tommy said, a frown forming. “Look, it’s over now so you can relax, wil is getting you get some water, alright?” He sighed, placing a hand on Dream's shoulder awkwardly, cringing when the man flinched. “Puffy is visiting you know, in two days, so you gotta chill out”

“Puffy..? Why…?”

“Dream she’s your mom, why wouldn’t she?”

“Quackity said.. she hated me…?” Dream mumbled, eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and frustration. 

“Dream, she’s your mom.” Tommy sighed, rubbing his face “yea she was disappointed with you but you’re her kid, how could she hate you?? Not even my mom hates me and I suck pretty bad-“ Tommy ranted, pausing when he realized Dream was crying, when had he gotten so emotional? 

“Hey- dude what now ?” Tommy huffed, “why are you sad now??? You are so confusing man”

“Sorry,” Dream let out a shaky sigh, rubbing at his face vigorously. “Um…how long was I out…?” He asked

“Almost two weeks” Tommy hummed, “they were starting to get worried, y’know.”

“Im sorry” Dream huffed, “I…I’ve caused a lot of trouble.. huh..?” He said, letting out a bitter laugh. 

“Well most of it wasn’t you it was your other side” Tommy said, “if even I can forgive you, me of all people, I know everyone else can.” 

“I don’t know that I deserve it though” Dream said with a sigh, “I should’ve been able to stop something like that.. I should’ve been able to know that something like that was happening to begin with”

“But you didn’t and you need to get past that” Tommy sighed. “Quackity…is inevitably gonna go around telling everyone his version of what happened. We told puffy though, she should be here tomorrow or the next day” Tommy said with a hum.

“Dream?!” Techno exclaimed, causing the two to jump as he practically sprinted to the room, chest heaving. “Holy shit you’re awake-, god you had me worried sick why were you out for so long?? You know-“

“I’m sorry” Dream sighed, giving a small smile in Technos direction “I didn’t mean to worry you.. um..what did I miss…?”

“Well for one I found Quackity” Techno sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.  “He held an event, he stood on stage and told everyone that you escaped and tried to kill me, and that you’re already planning on wreaking havoc. He got a lot of them on his side.” 

“ What?”  Dream said, his blue eyes shot wide. “Surely.. when they see me they’ll realize he was lying…? I can’t even walk.. much less kill anyone..right..?” Dream said, eyes turning emerald. “They-… they can’t come here- fuck I’m causing you all problems again fuck this is all my fault—“

“Dream chill” Techno said, cringing as the familiar earthquake returned, Tommy staring at techno with wide eyes. 

“Sorry…sorry sorry I’m doing it again I’m sorry” Dream huffed, pulling the blanket over his head as he calmed down, the shaking coming to a stop.

“That was you?!” Tommy gaped, not knowing whether to be afraid or in awe. “What else can you do?! Can you fly?!”

“ Tommy” Techno warned, flicking the boy's forehead. “Dream I’m gonna make some soup. You should eat, I promise I’ll deal with them later, but for now can we just eat?”

“And what if they’re on their way right now? Or here already..? What’s your plan..? Do you even have a plan..?” Dream asked, “because I can’t..I can’t do hardly anything against them like this.. I’m.. I’m useless” he laughed, though tears were welling up as he did so. “I can’t defend myself, much less protect you guys.”

“We’ll work on your powers then, work on that healing factor of yours and maybe you won’t stay like that for long” Techno hummed, “if you wanna be helpful, get better so you can fight by my side again, okay?? And maybe you won’t look homeless if you get better” he said with a chuckle.

“I hate you” Dream groaned, though he did feel better. After they ate Dream spent the rest of the night working on controlling whatever powers he had, working on trying to heal his body. Some of it worked, his vision came back just the smallest bit, now rather than being plunged into darkness, he could see blurry shapes and colors. This was okay, he could work with this. 

“How many fingers am I holding up?!” Tommy exclaimed with a grin

“Tommy, your hand is behind your back,” Techno said, rolling his eyes.

“I’m fairly certain that’s considered cheating, Tommy” Dream said with a small smile, “and besides, you’re just a big blob to me how would I possibly know???” 

“Okay what about your other wounds? Do they feel better?” Tommy asked.

“Uhh..my back doesn’t ache too bad as long as I don’t move, everything else is kinda the same though. I got tired out before I could go any further,” Dream huffed, “I’m weak.” 

“Bro you healed your vision,” Tommy said, shaking his head, “most of us just get glasses and call it good!! No matter how much you were able to do right now, it’s still crazy nonetheless!!” 

“Yeah…hey..” Dream said, it took a lot of effort but he managed to sit up on his own,leaning on the bed's backboard for support. “Why.. haven’t I seen Sapnap or George..? Ever since that first night all I’ve seen is you techno Wilbur and Phil… where are they,,,,??” Dream asked, a slight ache in his chest as he thought back to his friends.

“Well.. Sapnap’s been hunting Sam and quackity.. and George… he’s probably asleep again” Tommy said with a small shrug, “he usually is now days.”

“Asleep??” 

“Oh..you don’t know.” Tommy said, staring down at his lap, “he uh, usually stays asleep for days, sometimes weeks, on end, usually in the dark oak forest. We don’t really know why, it was just like one day we started seeing him around less and less.” 

“He.. what..??? And none of you went to check on him?!! He could be hurt or there could be something wrong with him and you-, fuck my legs can’t fucking- Fuck! ” Dream said, rubbing his face “I’m so fucking useless I can’t even check up on my friend..”

“We tried to, believe me!” Tommy said, trying to get him to calm down. “We did, he didn’t want us around, I think he missed you, he’s okay he’s fine just chill out Dream, George is fine, not even Quackity knows where he is.”

“Are you certain..?” Dream asked, relaxing a bit.

“Yes. He’s alright. You need to worry about yourself right now” he sighed, “he’d make fun of you y'know, with your scrawny ass body.” 

Techno was about to yell at Tommy for his insensitivity, but there was that familiar laugh from Dream, the one that had his shoulders shaking and his head tilted back. “You’re not any better Tommy,” he said through a small grin, glancing in Technos direction. “Hey techno… can you try and find George..? Can you let me know if he’s safe..? I can’t go myself, not like this.” He sighed, eyes falling down to his lap. 

“Yeah…I can do that.”

Dream worked really hard on getting better, he wanted to see his friends again, he wanted to see George again. Though a lot of the server, upon finding out he was out, we’re not pleased to say the least. Quackity was a trusted source to many of them, so when he claimed dream had tried to kill techno and was going to wreak havoc, no one thought to question him. 

“Dream we gotta talk” Wilbur said, Phil and techno in tow. Dream had put on a little weight and was beginning to be able to walk short distances with the help of crutches, it wasn’t much but it was an honest improvement, his eyes were still no good but he was figuring out other ways to navigate.

“We do…?” He asked, the hesitation in his voice noticeable. “Did I do something wrong? Whatever it is, I didn't mean it, Honest-“ 

“No- no you didn’t do anything” Phil said, frowning a bit “it’s about the others. We… we’ve had a few instances of the property being checked out, not just for you, for techno too.” He sighed, sitting at the edge of the bed. “Quackity and Sam, they got a lot of people on their side.”

“How..? How would anyone believe a word they say…???” Dream asked, feeling his blood go cold. There really was no hope, he’d be hated and cursed forever. 

“A lot of people look up to those two, they’re very prominent people I’m afraid” Phil said, “we think it’s about time we consider moving on, getting farther away from the server.” He said, gauging Dream's reaction “you’ve improved a lot physically.. it’d be safe to travel with you.. and where things are headed, being this close to the server isn’t safe for any of us.”

“I don’t want to leave” Dream said quietly, a frown spreading over his face “I haven’t even-…I haven’t even gotten to see George yet.. I barely got to catch up with Sapnap… all of them..I wanted to apologize, I don’t wanna leave yet I can’t” he shook his head, eyes glossing over.

“Dream if we stay there’s no way we can guarantee your safety, especially not with the state you’re in” Wilbur frowned “if something happens god forbid- there’s only so much we can do.” He sighed, feeling frustrated. 

“I need to see them at least…at least once before I go..” he said, eyebrows furrowing, “and to do that I need to get better… so no, I’m not ok with moving yet.. if you wanna leave fine, but I won’t have any part of it.”

“Dream we can’t just leave you” techno said, scoffing a bit at the notion. “And you know that. If we left you you’d be-“ 

“Helpless??? Don’t act like I don’t already know that” Dream said with a frustrated sigh. “I can’t see anything more than obscure blobs, it’s so frustrating… I want to get better and see them, I really do.. I wanna tell them so many things, I want George to know I should have been better to him… but I can’t do any of that like this” he said, running a hand through his patchy white hair. 

“What if I take you to them? Then could we go?” Techno offered.

“Taking him deeper into the server right now would surely get him killed or put back in prison” Wilbur said, “they’d definitely be expecting it. Especially him going to find George. It’s not safe to do that.” 

“Well what is safe to do then????” Dream asked, feeling more and more frustrated as the conversation went on. 

“We need to get out of here, I’ve told you that.” Phil said, “can’t we go while you heal..? And then once you’re better you can return? It doesn’t have to be forever.” 

“I’m not leaving till I speak to George.” Dream said, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

“What if George doesn’t even wake up??? Dream you can’t be serious” 

“I will wait years for him if that’s what it takes, I’m not leaving till I get to speak to him again, he’s my priority” Dream said, letting out a shaky sigh, “please just let me have this one thing..?” 

Phil gave the two a look, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose. “You’re willing to risk going back to prison or death for him? Are you serious?” 

“I am,” Dream nodded.

“Dream seriously, think about this- it’s ridiculous you’re putting yourself in unnecessary danger-“ techno said, his frown growing. “We can come back when you’re better! This is crazy, you can’t do that!”

“I’ll stay whether you guys do or not, it makes no difference. my mind is made up.” Dream sighed, he would be lying if he said the idea of going back to prison didn’t scare the hell out of him, but he needed to see George, needed to find him again. He’d risk it all if it meant he got to talk to him again. 

“Fine. If this idea of yours goes to shit don’t blame us though.” Techno said, his voice a mix of frustration and anger, not understanding why Dream of all people would decide to do something so foolish. He gave them one last look before taking his leave, the other two giving excuses as to why they had to leave as well before following suit.

Dream let out a shaky sigh, searching around for the crutches before slowly making his way to the bathroom. He hadn’t talked about the prison in a while, doing his best to avoid the topic ever since the initial escape. He knew eventually he’d have to work through it but that was something for another day. 

He’d started being able to do more and more things on his own. He could only handle moving about for a few minutes at a time before he was out of breath and in pain, but it was progress. As soon as he was able he was bathing twice every day, not being able to sit in his own filth, not being able to handle filth of any magnitude for that matter. He couldn’t stand potatoes anymore either, the mere smell of them had him feeling ill. He wouldn’t admit it but even now, outside of the prison, it still has a hold on him, still affecting how he went about things day to day. 

He’d picked up a habit of apologizing for every little thing, something he never did before the prison. The others noticed all his newfound habits of course, though they never pressed the topic, figuring that that’d only make him worse off. They didn’t argue when Dream kept food stashed away, they didn’t question him when he scrubbed his skin nearly raw each day in an attempt to get clean, they didn’t stop him when he would hide himself away under piles of blankets or occasionally in the closet when things got overwhelming. Dream was at least starting to open up more, little by little he had begun communicating how he was feeling with the others, little things like how a particular noise made him feel uneasy or how he felt upset about his body not healing up faster. 

He’d gotten a couple visitors of course, puffy, sapnap, even Bad had come. His Allie’s may have been few and far between, but at least it was a start. He was just glad he had sapnap back, he swore he had lost him for good, lost his trust for good. And yet sapnap welcomed him right back with open arms, understanding that dream was not evil at heart, he’d made mistakes just like everyone else in the server. 

“Fucking…techno..” Dream sighed through gritted teeth as he lowered himself to the edge of the bathtub, arms feeling around before he found the faucets, he’d do the same for Phil so why can’t he understand why I won’t leave till I see him, Dream thought with a frown. It’s my choice, after all. 

My choice. 

“Dream?!” It wasn't long before Phil was calling Dream for dinner, peeking his head into the bedroom; “Dream dinner is made if you wanna come down. I can bring some up if you- where are you???” Phil asked as he looked around, a puzzled look spreading over his face. 

“Go away” Dream croaked out from his spot inside the closet. It had become his little fort of sorts that he filled blankets and pillows, he liked to go to sit in there when things got overwhelming. 

“Mate you gotta eat” Phil said, the faintest of fond smiles spreading across his face as he cracked open the closet door, “I’ll bring a plate to you if you don’t wanna come eat with us, but you gotta eat dream, you’re not gonna recover if you skip meals.”

“Is techno mad at me..?” Dream asked, ignoring Phil’s nagging. 

“Of course not,” Phil said with a shake of his head. “He's just worried about you. He went through a lot of effort to get you out of prison, I think he’s just worried that you’ll end up there or worse if we stay” he said, crouching down outside the closet “you’d worry about him too if you were in his shoes, I’m sure.”

“You understand me though…?” Dream asked, “I mean… if you hadn’t seen techno in over a year… if there were things you needed to say… you’d stay right…? No matter what the cost was…?” 

“I would” Phil nodded, “though it’d be unwise, I probably would.”

“Why won’t George come see me…?” Dream asked quietly. His voice was small, hurt, as he spoke.

“Maybe he’s asleep-“

“Sapnap said he’s awake” Dream said, skinny fingers picking at the hem of his shirt. “He knows…he knows I’m here”

“We’ll maybe he’s worried that if he comes it’ll put you in danger” Phil said, “or maybe he’s worried you don’t want to see him..? Dream he couldn’t possibly be avoiding you on purpose.” 

“What if he hates me?” Dream asked, “what if I messed up too bad.. What if there’s nothing I can do..? If he hates me..I don’t know what I’ll do with myself…” Dream sighed quietly, “I think I love him” 

“We’ll of course you do I mean it’s George- dream there’s no way he hates you that guy adores you-“ Phil started, though he was cut off by dream.

“Phil I mean it” Dream said, shaking palms pressing against his eyes. “I think I love him.. and I’m really scared ok…I’m really really scared that he hates me.. or that god forbid he sees me, and he’s disgusted.” Dream said as his breathing grew faster and faster. “I’m not-…I look like a monster Phil.. if he felt any type of way about me before.. he definitely wouldn’t after seeing me!” He said, tears threatening to fall.

“Dream…” Phil frowned, a hesitant hand finding its place on his shoulder, “do you really think George would do that..? Dream George has been with you since you were little. He quite literally got into a screaming match with Sam and the others when he woke up to find out they put you in prison. He hates them Dream, no matter what you did he was always on your side, just as you had been. Do you honestly think he’d turn his back on you now? Because of a few scars?” Phil questioned, trying to gauge the boy’s reactions. He’d forgotten how young he still was, how little he knew when it came to the world.

“I don’t wanna lose him” Dream said with a shaky sigh, tears falling as he vigorously wiped at his face. “I’m not the dream he knew all those years..I’m, I’m broken and ugly and I can’t even hardly see, I’m a fucking burden Phil” Dream sobbed, finally letting go of the walls he kept piled high between him and the hurt. “Phil..I just want him to come visit..I just wanna see him now..but he hasn’t come and I’m scared he’s never going to, for god's sake even Bad visited before George did…!!!”

Phil frowned, rubbing his back as the boy cried, not knowing how else to help. He knew how to kill someone in a thousand ways, but this? This was new, this was different. “Maybe, he’s just waiting for the right time. Maybe there’s people watching him, because they know if he comes here that basically confirms that you’re here, Dream. He could be looking out for you.” 

“I don’t care if people know where I am” Dream sniffled, “I wanna see George again- I wanna be with him” he said. Shoulders slumping. “I miss him, Phil.” 

“I’ll send a crow to him,” Phil said, relenting. “If it’s that important to you, as long as you’re aware of the risks, I’ll send a crow for you. But Dream you have to realize if everyone comes to hunt you down there’s only so much we can do to protect-“

Phil was cut off by Dream nearly tackling him, shaking arms grabbing onto Phil in desperation. “You’d do that?! You’d send one..? You promise..?” Dream asked, stumbling over his own words. 

“I would” Phil nodded, smiling a bit as Dream's mood lit up ever so slightly. It was good to see him slowly going back to his normal self, whatever that had been. “As long as you understand the risks I will” 

“I do I do- I understand” Dream said, nodding super fast. “It’s ok if they all come for me and I die as long as I can tell him everything” Dream said, “it’s all I want it’s all I ask I swear” Dream said, tears still falling but this time a small smile adorned his face. 

Phil kept his word, while Dream made his way downstairs to eat with the others, red puffy eyes and all, Phil wrote out a letter for George and sent a crow with it, praying to whatever god there was that this wouldn’t end how he thought it would. He’d never seen Dream so willing to accept the consequences, so motivated for something as innocent as a love confession. Maybe he had turned a new leaf. He just hoped the boy would live long enough to be able to show everyone else that. 

Dream pestered Phil about the letter every day of course, asking when George would come and if he’d sent anything back yet. It had been a full week of Dreams' antics until the crow returned, a sealed letter in tow. To say Dream was excited was an understatement. George had responded, it may not have been a visit, but it was something. Dream would take what he could get. 

To my beloved Dream,

They’ve been monitoring me, from afar of course but I know they’re doing it. They’re waiting for me to come see you. I don’t want you getting hurt.. but if you want me to come as bad as Phil says, I suppose I have no other option. Sapnap said he’d help try and keep me from being spotted if I left at night. I’ll do my best not to get followed, I miss you as well, idiot. 

I’ll be leaving tonight, hopefully I’ll see you soon.

George.

Phil read the letter to Dream, not being able to help the smile that spread across his face as he watched the boy get all giddy, asking a million questions about a one paragraph letter. 

“You’re joking” Wilbur scoffed, standing in the doorway, “you sent a letter? Phil what in god's name were you thinking? If they didn’t know before everyone is sure to know here’s here now-“

“Wilbur this was his choice” Phil frowned, “if he wants to sleep in the bed he makes that up to him, you know this.”

“And how do we know that was even George? How do we know someone didn’t intercept the letter and write it themselves? Huh? What if it’s all just a trap? Or it turns out George isn’t even on our side???”

“His handwriting-“

“Dream you can’t even see is handwriting how the fuck would you know.” Wilbur glared, “this could be a full blown ambush that you two walked headfirst into. What if they decide to imprison all of us????! This isn’t just about you! Your poor choices affect all of us!” Wilbur practically yelled, arms waving around as he spoke. 

“ Wil” Phil scowled as he stood up, “don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same thing he’s doing if it was Tommy, or techno or even me. You don’t get to act all high and mighty after all the shit you’ve pulled in the past couple years” he said, standing over the boy with a growing glare. “If it is an ambush we’ll fight it, you act as if me and techno haven’t been around more than a millennium, we’ve downed army’s, this is nothing.”

“He’s gonna get himself killed,” Wilbur said, scowling at the floor.

“If I get myself killed it’s no one’s fault but my own” Dream said, long ears drooping. “Wilbur, if I end up dead or worse because I got to see him again, even if it is for a short while, I’ll be happy. Can’t you be happy for me?” 

Wilbur let out a long sigh, trying to maintain his scowling disposition but seeing those sad eyes made his whole act crack, “fine” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “But only if you stop making the face at me you’re making me feel bad.”

“Deal” Dream said, a small grin forming. “I’m sorry for worrying you, but I’ll be ok, whatever happens I’ll get through it one way or another, always do” he said, not knowing if he was trying to convince Wilbur or himself.

“I know,” Wilbur said with a nod, “still, I did come off as a bit of an ass, huh?”

“Only a little” Dream hummed, “it’s alright though, I get where you’re coming from.” He said, nodding in Wilbur’s general direction. “I am nervous, I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not afraid of what could happen, I just know that if I let that control me I’m never gonna move forward with my life. Even if something goes south, at least I tried, you know?” He said, letting out a small sigh. He knew his odds weren’t the best. 

Wilbur hummed in agreement before hesitantly taking a seat at the edge of Dreams bed, “how’re the legs doing?” He asked, glancing over at the crutches haphazardly placed up against the bed. 

“Better… they still hurt too much after a half hour or so though.. and I get winded even sooner than that” Dream sighed, “it’s progress though.” 

“Keep that up and you’ll be running circles around me in no time” Wilbur laughed a bit, “the braces helping at all? Are they tight enough? Stiff enough? I can remake them if they aren’t-“ Wilbur asked; he’d volunteered to make Dream some braces for his legs, they weren’t perfect by any means but they had helped significantly. 

“Nah they’re fine” he shook his head, “I’d probably still be bedridden without them so thank you” he said with a smile, long scarred ears perking up a bit. 

“It’s getting kinda late, I’m gonna go on watch” Phil said, the other two forgetting he was even there. “I’ll let you guys know if I see anything.” He said, tipping his hat before heading out to go on watch, wary of what was to come with nightfall. 

“I should go too..” Wilbur said, standing, “I have to be up early in the morning. I’ll see you later, yeah?” He asked, patting the boy's shoulder before heading for the door. 

“Yea, okay” Dream nodded, waving him off. This was bound to be a long night, Dream sighed before deciding to try and get some sleep himself. 

Chapter Text

Phil went on patrols the whole night, watching for any sign of life in the dark woods. He had been finishing a trip around the property when he saw a peak of brown hair and a red cape approaching, heard the familiar sound of hooves stomping into the forest floor. He had a feeling he knew who it was, still, he went on guard when he noticed the approaching figure.

“Who goes there?!” Phil called, long sword outstretched as he strained to see through the thicket of trees.

“I came unarmed!” George yelled, “it’s me it’s George please chill out!” He called back, slowly guiding his white horse out of the tree line, arms slightly raised “I think you know why I’m here? Yea?”

“Why the hell did you come unarmed you idiot” Phil said with a small laugh, sheathing his sword. “It’s good to see you, George.”

“Well I thought you guys would have thrown a fit about me being a threat or something!” George argued as he dismounted, armor clanking as he led his horse over to the winged man.

“Mate when it comes to you we don’t have much to worry about” Phil said with a teasing grin, pulling the boy in for a side hug. “At least you thought to bring armor”

“Hey I’ll have you know I’ve grown since you last saw me, I got better at fighting too.” George groaned, though he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at the familiarity of it all.

“Is that so?” Phil chuckled, leading the boy into the property “Dreams probably asleep, but I don’t think he’d mind being woken” He hummed, petting George’s horse as they walked. “Do you wanna drop her off at the stables? It’s just over there.” He said, motioning off in the general direction of said stables.

“Sure” George nodded, feeling a heavy silence fall over the two as they walked. “How…bad is it..? Dream I mean…” he asked, his grip on the reins tightening as he spoke. “Sapnap kinda told me what happened…is he really blind..?”

Phil let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in before giving the boy a short nod, “his eyesight has improved a bit, but yeah. George I don’t want you to get upset when you see him, but he’s not the Dream you knew from before. Are you prepared for that?” Phil asked, giving the boy a sympathetic look. This was a lot for one person to process at once.

“I am” George nodded, “I don’t care how different he is, he’s still Dream. My Dream.” He said. He’d heard that Dream looked completely different, but that didn’t really matter to him. As long as he was alive and well, he could care less about some measly scars. “I’m just worried that he’ll feel differently about me I guess” George sighed.

Phil laughed a bit, shaking his head as George set his horse up in one of the stalls, “That boy has been talking about you non stop since we got him out of prison, I think you’re good.”

“Really..?”

“Yeah, come on, I’ll let you in but then I’ve got to go back on patrols okay?” Phil said, guiding the boy towards the house Dream was in.

“Yeah okay” George nodded, feeling a sudden wave of nerves as they got closer and closer to seeing Dream. What if Dream didn’t like him anymore? What if George changed too much in the time they were apart and Dream didn’t want anything to do with him? George had spent a lot of time sparring with Sapnap and bulking up, he realized he’d always relied on Dream and Sapnap when it came to fighting and defending himself. With Dream being locked up it made him painfully aware that he needed to figure himself out, he couldn’t always be relying on others and putting the burden on his friends to watch over him. He needed to start taking care of himself more.

He also wanted revenge on the people that locked his friend up. George saw the prison for what it was, he knew there was no rehabilitation going on in there, he may not have known the extent of that maltreatment, but he knew Dream was only going to end up worse the longer he was in there. The day he found out about it he went to Sam’s house, screaming and shouting at him to let Dream out, that the prison would only make things worse. All that did was get him banned from ever visiting his friend. He’d heard rumors of what quackity had been doing but didn’t think it was possible, not until the escape happened and Punz and Sapnap had told him everything.

“He’s right down the hall, I’m gonna go let him know you’re here ok?” Phil started, though he was cut off by Dream wobbling into the hallway on crutches, cup in hand.

“Phil..?? I thought you were on patrols? Did Techno take over for you?” Dream said with a yawn, “I know I’m not supposed to be up and walking too much but I wanted water and didn’t wanna bother guys I’m sorry-“

“Dream you idiot” George said abruptly, eyes welling up with tears as he rushed over to the boy, lifting him up and into a hug just as Dream had always done with him.

Phil cursed, reaching out to stop George, warn him that that was the worst way to approach the boy, warn him that it was gonna make him go into a panic. But the panic never came, To Phil’s surprise.

“George..?” Dream said, arms wrapping around the boy as the realization set in. If it had been anyone else he’d probably be yelping and squirming to get away, but it was George, it was okay. He liked this. “Fuck I missed you-…god” He said through a grin.

“Jesus you had me worried sick you know?” George said, one arm holding the boy up and the other wrapped around him in a hug as he buried his face in the crook of dreams neck, “I wasn’t allowed the visit the prison, all I knew of what was happening was rumors from others, I was so worried you were dead or something holy hell Dream I was so worried” he said, voice wobbling as he spoke.

“They didn’t let you visit?” Dream asked, “I thought-“

“What? That I avoided visiting you..?” George asked, “I would never do that dream” he said, shaking his head as he spoke. “Sam decided that I was a threat to the prison's security, so he banned me from visiting from day one.” George said, malice in his voice as he spoke. “It appears everyone thought so even beforehand because I didn’t even know they were planning that until it was over and done with. God dream if I had known- I’m sorry I’m so fucking sorry” he said, his grip tightening.

“It’s ok” Dream shook his head, “There’s no way you could have known- I’m just glad you’re here right now, I’m glad I get to see you again” he said through tears, fingers gripping at George’s brown fluffy hair. “It’s ok now, I’m ok now so don’t worry too much” he said, a small grin adorning his face.

“God you’re so small- have you been eating? What about sleeping? Have you been resting enough? If Phil or techno give you any trouble you could always come stay with me I’m sure Karl and Sapnap would be fine with it-“ George ranted on, talking a million miles an hour.

“You sound like my mom.” Dream said with a mocking groan, trusting George to hold onto him as he let go, hands moving to George’s face and cupping his cheeks. “I wish I could see you again,” he said, letting out a small, mournful sigh. “If there was one thing I’d pick to see again it’d be you.”

George’s face heated up a bit as Dream spoke, adjusting his grip on the boy as he cleared his throat, “I uh..Dream we gotta talk” He sighed, cringing a bit at himself. No matter how long it had been George was still as awkward as ever it seemed. “Is this, is this room yours?” George asked, walking the two of them into the room, making a mental note to retrieve the crutches that now laid haphazardly on the hallway floor.

“Yea” Dream nodded, “I have been meaning to tell you.. uh well y'know with the whole prison thing it all had me thinking” Dream spoke as George helped him sit on the bed, “well uh, you see-…”

“Dream I want you to come live with me in kinoko kingdom” George blurted out, eyes squeezed shut as he spoke, afraid of how the boy was gonna react. “I realized I really don’t wanna be away from you and I don’t know what that means but I do know that I want you there with me, whatever that looks like.”

“You…what..?” Dreams eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not sure he heard him correctly. “You want me..? There..? With you..?”

“Of course I do, Dream” George said, his voice softening ever so slightly. “What..what did you have to tell me…?” He asked, he knew the boy couldn’t see it but he gave him a small smile nonetheless.

“Well.. you see uh…” Dream rubbed at the back of his neck, all his prior confidence gone. “It’s nothing really..” he said, letting out a small sigh, “we’ll I’ve known you for a long time now and uh…I like you” Dream said, voice barely above a whisper as his face turned a shade of red.

“Of course you like me,” George laughed a bit. “we’re best friends, you weirdo.”

Dream groaned and gave him a frustrated pout as he tried to think of a better way of wording it that didn’t make him feel like running away screaming in embarrassment. “No you don’t get it” he said, letting out a huff. “I like, really like you..Like you know when a guy and a girl like each other…? Well take that and-“

George started laughing abruptly, pulling the boy into a hug and letting them both fall back onto the bed together, “I like you too Dream” he said, a fond smile forming as he spoke. “Your hair is so long.. and it’s white.. I like it” George said, reaching over to card a hand through his hair. “I thought it’d be obvious I liked you when I asked you to come live with me” he said, laughing a bit.

“So…now what..?” Dream asked, hesitant arms wrapping around George, they’d done this a million times before and yet this time it felt different. “I don’t know if I can go with you” Dream sighed, shutting his eyes. “Most of the smp wants me dead.. if I go deeper into it I'll probably be killed on sight.”

“I’ll protect you” George frowned, wrapping himself around the boy “I’ll be there for you while you get better, just like you were there for me. We could make it work, plus Sapnap is there, and Karl too-“

“George I can’t ask that of you guys” Dream said, shaking his head. “Even if I get back to how I was physically- I’m blind and that’s probably not gonna change, I’m gonna be a burden to you guys forever I can’t do that to you guys” he said, eyebrows furrowing as he spoke.

“Dream we care about you, you’ve always been there for us, you’ve always had our back and taken care of us when we needed it, you quite literally nursed Sapnap back to health after one of the wars, why can’t you let us do the same for you?” George asked, voice soft as he spoke to him. “Look if you wanna stay here with Phil and techno that’s ok…I won’t blame you..but do you really want to stay here with them instead of me and Sapnap? Your friends? Dream we’ll make it work, please, just come stay with us, we miss you” he said, practically pleading with him.

“I want to” Dream said quietly, “I just..I don’t know if it’s a good idea..right now..” he sighed, he could barely walk for more than a few minutes let alone defend himself, he didn’t wanna get them in any trouble by joining their country. “How.. How close is kinoko? Kinoko Kingdom to the others..? Is it deep in?”

“No,” George shook his head, “it’s on the outskirts, it’s not as far away as it is here, but it’s a ways away from everyone else. “We could ask techno or phil to make the trip with us, have one of them watch our backs when we go. But Dream I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, you’ll be ok there I promise” George said, one hand moving to card through his long hair.

“Im…im not afraid of what will happen to me” Dream sighed, “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me, I couldn’t live with myself if that happened George” he said, tears forming as he held onto him tighter. “I don’t want any of you getting hurt because of me, if I die that’s ok I’m ok with that, but if any of you get hurt? Or die? That’s not something I can risk” he said, shaking his head fast as he spoke.

“Dream we’ll be ok” George said, “I got better at fighting while you were away, and Sapnap.. he’s the same as always, he’s probably the best around besides techno and Phil” he tried to reassure Dream, “we can handle ourselves trust me, you gotta stop worrying about us it’s not like when we were kids anymore.”

Dream gave him a small nod, he really did want to go with George, wanted to stay with him till the day he died. “Can I think about it for a day or two..? See what techno and Phil think..?”

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine” George nodded, pulling the blanket over the two of them, “they’ll probably tell you it’s a stupid idea though, I’ll hang around till you decide though.”

“Okay” Dream nodded, smiling a bit as he gave into the drowsiness and began to doze off. “I missed you a lot”

“I know,” George nodded, free hand still playing with the boy's long white hair. “I missed you more” he said, a fond smile forming as he watched him drift off to sleep, it was nice to see him relaxed. Even before everything with the prison happened Dream hadn’t been doing the best, he would go days without sleeping and was constantly on edge and it seemed like he was fighting himself along with all the others. It was good to finally see him healing, resting.

The next morning the two boys tried to sleep in as long as possible, cuddled up together in a mess of blankets and pillows. Eventually Phil had to get them up himself so he could check over dreams wounds and give him his medicine, lecturing him about being consistent with the medicine as if Dream were a child.

“Will you two being coming down for breakfast?” Phil asked as he rewrapped dreams torso, “or do I need to bring it up to you two..?”

“We’ll come down” Dream said, rubbing the sleep out of one of his eyes, “we..had something we needed to talk to you guys about”

“Dream I’m not you dad you don’t have to ask me for my blessing” Phil said, a bit of a teasing grin spreading across his face as he tied a loose knot for the last bandage.

“No-“ Dream cringed, face flushing red, “no it’s not that..it’s.. Something else.. god Phil” Dream sighed, pulling his shirt on once Phil was done and wrapping a blanket around himself. He’d had a hard time keeping warm ever since he was out of the prison, Tommy said it had something to do with him being revived, said him and Wilbur had the same problem.

“Absolutely not.” Techno said as Dream and George explained what they wanted to do, practically slamming his cup down on the table.

“Techno that’s not for you to decide,” Dream said with a frown, “I can go with him if I want to.”

“Dream you’re gonna get yourself killed” Techno scoffed, “who’s gonna clean your wounds? Who’s gonna give you your medicine? George, are you really up for that? Do you really wanna spend most likely the rest of your life taking care of him to some degree? Live the rest of your life on edge that someone is going to come for your necks any moment? Because here it’s easy, here we can leave him to do his own thing. We’re far away enough, they see us as a real threat. But you? You’re right on the outskirts and George, don’t take this the wrong way but no one fears you. No one is worried about you.” Techno said, eyes narrowing at the boy as he spoke.

“Techno that’s too far-“ Phil said, flashing a glare in the piglin hybrids direction, “I get you don’t like their plan but you’re being too harsh-“

“Too harsh??? Too harsh??? I go out of my way to save this guy, and now he wants to turn around and get himself killed??? And I’m supposed to apologize for being harsh??? Phil they’re young and idiotic and you want me to coddle that???” Techno let out a bitter laugh, “George the only reason no one came for your neck when you were king was because you had Dream as your little knight. No one is afraid of you, they won’t hesitate to step on your throat if it means they get to put an end to him. If you take him from here he’s going to die, or worse. Do you want to take responsibility for that?”

“I’ve changed since then” George growled, eyebrows tightly knit together, “I can hold my own against the others, Dreams looked after me all these years. Is it really so hard to believe that I’d be willing to do the same???! Do you really think so little of me???” George practically shouted, balling his hands into tight fists.

“George I don’t think you’re even capable of beating tubbo in a fight” Techno glared, “I think you’re too proud, too confident for your own good, and the worst part is you won’t get yourself killed, he’ll have the take the fall for your mistakes like he always does!” Techno shouted back.

“You take that back right now.” George seethed, standing up.

“Make me” Techno said, eyes glowing bright red as he stood as well, reaching for his sword.

“STOP” Dream yelled, voice cracking in the process. He had his head down, arms pulled around himself trying to block out the yelling, “fucking stop-, you both are idiots just stop ok” Dream let out a shaky breath, he’d gotten better at keeping himself from going into a full panic when things set him off, but it wasn’t perfect. “Techno you don’t own me just because you helped me.. and you cant.. you cant talk to him like that just because you think he’s wrong” Dream said, pulling his shaking hands into fists.

“Dream, seriously this is ridiculous you’re really gonna side with him after everything we went through together???” Techno scoffed, though he did back down a bit.

“Quiet” Dream said, eyes glowing that familiar emerald green briefly, “George, I love you but you’re being an absolute dick to the only people that could help us” He said, eyebrows pulled together in a mix of hurt and confusion. “I really do wanna go with George, I know that it would be hard at first but I think eventually we’d be able to make it work… techno I really do appreciate all you’ve done for me..but I want to be with him, I wanna be with my friends I don’t wanna stay locked away the rest of my life” he sighed, his long ears drooping sadly.

“You can't,” Techno said, though this time his voice was filled with sadness, giving up fighting the two. “If you go you’ll… youll… Dream please don’t do this. I don't wanna see you die for something so foolish” he said, the red glow fading from his eyes as he spoke.

“Mate it’s up to him, we can’t make that choice for him” Phil sighed, placing a calloused hand on his shoulder, “we can help them get there, keep them safe on the journey, but if he wants to do that we don’t have a right in telling him no.”

“Not to mention you talking about me like some fucking charity case..” Dream said quietly, “do you think I don’t know how fucked the situation is..? You make it sound like I’m a chore to have around techno. Do you not understand how that hurts..? Jesus I never said anything like that when I helped you..let alone in front of you what is wrong with you?” Dream couldn’t help the way his voice shook and cracked as he spoke, not being able to hide the evident hurt in his tone. “Jesus if that’s how you feel I’ll leave tonight, I’ll be out of your hair for good.” He said, grabbing the crutches before pushing himself up from his chair and heading back to his room, George rushing over to his side to help him, feeling guilty all the same.

“Dream you know I didn’t mean it like that-“ Techno called after him, “come on this is ridiculous- Dream,” He started to stand to follow him but Phil shook his head, motioning for him to stay seated.

“Techno youre wrong this time” Phil said, letting out a sigh he had been holding in. “You went too far.”

“I know I did but it was the only way-“

“To scare George off?” Phil questioned, one of his eyebrows raised as he watched the man. “Techno, Dream and George have been together since they were children, I’m talking lifetime friends, you giving them a shakedown isn’t going to suddenly make Dream decide he’d rather be here than with his friends that he’s been with his entire life.”

“But if he goes now something could happen!” Techno said. He didn’t understand how Phil of all people could support ludicrous plan after ludicrous plan.

“Or something may never happen! Techno this is his life, he is an adult, if he wants to go off with George and be with him that’s on him. I get that you’re worried, but you doing this is only gonna make them grow to hate you” Phil said with a frown, “what you said about dream, that was fucked up even for you.”

“I was just explaining the situation” Techno groaned, “obviously I didn’t mean that he was a burden, I would never feel that way”

“Techno it doesn’t matter what you intended if it hurt him. I get that you’re worried and stressed out but that wasn’t okay.” Phil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose “and what is with you trying to scare George off? You’re just pushing them away by doing that. This is only gonna end with them being desperate to leave and going unprepared, rather than asking us for help. God this is fucked” he groaned, feeling a headache grow the longer this went on.

Technos shoulders slumped as he nodded, scarred fingers picking at the hem of his shirt. “I fucked up” he replied, “I’m just afraid something will happen to him..he’s like a brother to me Phil.”

“You need to go apologize, before they go and do something rash” Phil said, wrapping one arm around the piglins shoulders in an attempt to comfort him, “if they really wanna go let’s help them, they’ll go either way but at least this way we can keep anything bad from happening on the trip there.” He reassured, giving him a soft smile.

“What if they don’t want us too?” Techno asked, “what if I messed out too bad?”

“Mate I don’t think that’s possible.” Phil said, giving him a pat on the back, “it’ll be alright, no matter what happens, it’ll all be ok in the end.”

Techno nodded a bit, clearing his throat before getting up and heading up to the goat hybrids room, mumbling to himself what he was gonna say as he made his way to the room. He took a deep breath before hesitantly knocking on the door, cringing when the room went silent as soon as he knocked.

He heard a few whispers and shuffling around before a set of footsteps approached the door. Techno half hoped that they would just ignore him and he wouldn’t have to confront the situation. To his dismay though George cracked the door open, narrowing his eyes at the piglin.

“Yes?”

“Can I talk to you guys?”

“What? Like before? Not interested.” George said, trying to shut the door, though techno caught it before it was slammed in his face.

“I was unfair, I was rude to both of you. I wanted to apologize and work this out” Techno said, unable to meet George’s glaring eyes. “Can we please talk?”

George glanced back at Dream for a few moments, Dream saying something unintelligible before George reluctantly let the piglin in, the glare never leaving his face. Dream tried to hide it but it was obvious he had been vigorously wiping away angry tears, his eyes all red and puffy as he kept his head down, eyebrows knit together in a small glare.

George sat on the bed next to Dream, one arm snaking around him, techno couldn’t tell if it was to comfort Dream or himself. “Go on then.” George said, his glare relented a bit, though he was still visibly upset.

Techno cleared his throat, avoiding their eyes as he thought of what to say. Techno was not the best with words, he could fight and hunt and even braid hair, but heart to hearts were not something he’d ever gotten good at. “I wanted to apologize..for what I said earlier. I was unfair and said some really hurtful things to the both of you. George, I'm sorry for disrespecting you, and trying to scare you off. Dream, I am deeply sorry for the way I talked about you, I didn’t mean for it to come off that way.. but nonetheless I am sorry” he said, “if you would let us, we’d like to help you guys.”

“Help us…?” Dream asked, voice small and scratchy.

“Me and Phil agreed that nothing we do can or should change your minds, but if you’re gonna go it’d be better to help you rather than turn our backs on you two. If that’s what you wanna do we should be supporting you, not leaving you to the wolves.” Techno said, shifting his weight awkwardly between the balls of his feet. “Would you let us help you?” He asked.

George glanced at Dream, gauging his reaction. He didn’t necessarily want their help after what techno had said, but if Dream wanted it George would shove down his pride and gladly accept it.

“Yeah..” Dream nodded, “I get why you reacted that way.. yea if you guys wanted to help we would really appreciate it..” He nodded, though his ears were still drooping and he seemed despondent, similar to the hours after Quackity would visit back when they were in the prison.

“Are you sure?” Techno asked, one eyebrow raised in concern, “are you alright? What are you thinking? If you’re uncomfortable you can tell me, you don’t have to say yes if you don’t want it.” He frowned, he knew Dream still had an issue with putting up boundaries and saying no to things after all that had happened, but it still saddened him to see him shut down even after all the progress they had made.

“It’s fine” Dream shook his head, “I’m ok with it, really I am..” he said, pulling the blanket around himself more. He did want the help from them, but he was still overwhelmed from all the yelling that he was having a hard time processing what was going on, all he knew was that the more he agreed the less angry everyone would be.

“We wanna leave in the next few days” George said, “as soon as possible, really.” He said, glancing between the two as he spoke.

Techno nodded, still not feeling good about how Dream was acting but if he said he was fine he didn’t wanna push the subject too much and upset him more. “Okay, how big is your horse? If you’re bringing him with you there’s quite a bit of stuff you’ll be carrying.”

“I brought extra saddle bags, and she can handle the load. She's one of the fastest and biggest horses out there” George said, a proud smile adorning his face briefly. “My saddle is big enough to fit him up with me as well so that wouldn’t be an issue. Is he ok to ride though..?”

“Yes and no” Techno said, cringing when he thought back to that initial trip from the prison. “He’s still recovering, so jostling him too much could cause some issues, but generally it shouldn’t be a problem. Dream, are you ok with that plan? You’re ok riding with George on his horse?” He asked, trying to keep the boy planted and present in the conversation.

“Yea, it’ll be ok” Dream replied, “when are we leaving?” He asked, leaning into George as he spoke.

“Can we leave tonight?” George asked, looking at techno hopefully. He knew it was sudden, but Dream had had a few weeks to get better and with techno and Phil they would have an even better shot. Kinoko may be a peaceful and welcoming country, but Sapnap had made sure they had some of the best security measures in all the land. There was no way George would lose Dream a second time.

“Isn’t that a bit sudden?” Techno frowned, glancing between the two, “I mean.. if it’s what you want I suppose we could make it work.. but are you sure? Does Sapnap know?” He questioned, already running possible plans through his head of how they would get the two to kinoko in one piece.

“I told him I was going to ask Dream and to be prepared for me to come back with him.” George nodded.

“Okay…I suppose if we waited till nightfall and brought dogs with us it could be doable. I have extra armor I could let you two borrow for the trip. I mean they probably wouldn’t be expecting you to be leaving so soon if they’re expecting you to take him with you. It could work.” Techno hummed, running a hand through his hair as he thought. “I’ll go make sure we have enough food and potions then.” He said as he stood, giving them a small nod.

“Thank you” Dream said, the two giving techno faint smiles as he left. Dream groaned once the piglin was gone, laying back onto the bed with a long sigh. “I hope it all goes well”

“I’m sure it will,” George replied, brushing some of the boy's white locks out of his face, “are you feeling alright? You seem distant.” He asked with a frown.

“What if he’s right?” Dream asked quietly, “I’m..im gonna be such a burden to you guys.. maybe I should just stay here..at least here I’m not a problem to anyone” he said, his voice barely audible.

George frowned, laying down beside him and pulling him into a side hug, “Dream nothing you do could make any of us think so lowly of you” he said, shaking his head. “I’d be more than happy to help you get better, so stop thinking like that.”

“Are you sure?” Dream asked, frowning a bit. He wanted to believe George, he really did. But how could anyone want anything to do with him when he wasn't of any use anymore? He had nothing to offer in return, why would he deserve such kindness?

“Of course I am” George replied, giving him a fond smile, “are you up to this? If you’re not, we can wait. I don’t want to force you to do something you’re not up to”

“No it’s ok” Dream shook his head, “I'm doing better lately..I’m not as sick and I’ve been walking better” he said.

“Yeah from how Sapnap described the way they found you, you seem a lot better. I’ll give you strength potion and healing pots as well when we go if you want, that should help for the time being.” George nodded a bit, giving him a soft smile as he spoke. Even with all the scars and changes, he was just as handsome as ever.

Dream hummed in agreement, pale eyes falling shut as he let out a small, tired sigh. “I have a really bad immune system from the prison.. if any of you guys catch something.. and it spreads to me it’ll end really badly” he said, cringing a bit at his own condition. “I will say though..my eyes stopped healing but my hearing has gotten a lot better..? Like I’m starting to figure out how to navigate using my ears instead of eyes..” he said, though the more he spoke the more unsure he sounded in himself.

George raised his eyebrows a bit, though he couldn’t say he was all that shocked, Dream had always been the type to adapt to what life threw at him, if anyone was going to get through something like this it was going to be him. “That’s amazing, really.” He replied, thinking over how they’d soon be in Kinoko Kingdom. “We’ll all do our best to help you get your bearings when you get to kinoko with me. How bad is the immune system issue? If it’s as serious as you’re saying we might need to consider keeping you away from anyone who has a sign of being sick, I don’t want you having any major issues while your body is still healing.” He said, concern evident in his voice.

“It’s…it’s not good” Dream sighed “But we can deal with it. Uhh I take the medicine every day which has been helping, I try to walk around for a few minutes every few hours at least which helps, I do stretches and little exercises to help build my muscles and stuff back up.. my back,.. it got really messed up and I wasn’t able to really sit up on my own in the beginning but now I can so I really have been improving… but no matter what I do my eyes..they stay the same” he frowned, letting out a frustrated huff.

“Dream it’s ok if they don’t ever get any better, it won’t change how any of us feel about you” George said, rubbing his back in circles. “As long as you’re happy and healthy I am happy” he said, pressing a kiss to his forehead, not missing the way his face turned a shade of pink.

“I’ll do my best to keep you happy then” Dream couldn’t help the small grin that formed, stammering as he spoke. “My goal is..to some capacity at least get back to how I was before..I know my eyes are probably no good but everything else..including my brain..I wanna heal I wanna get better I really do” he said, there was a that familiar glint in his eyes that George always saw whenever Dream was motivated or passionate about something, he didn’t think he’d be able to see that ever again.

George smiled a bit and nodded, one hand cupping his scarred face, “I believe in you” he said, he knew with time Dream would be good as new, and this time he had George there by his side to help him get better. He’d make sure nothing else happened to him.

“Are you sure you guys want to do this?” Techno asked as he helped the two boys pack up, making sure Dream had enough medicine to last a long while. Just because he was leaving didn’t mean he got to skip out on his regimen. He also got a set of armor for Dream to use, just the simple chest plate, shoulder plates and armor for his forearms but it was something at least. He didn’t want a repeat of the last time they tried traveling with Dream. “Seriously, if you guys want I’m sure phil would be ok with George staying a few days or even longer.. you guys don’t have to go just yet y’know”

“I want to, Techno. I want to go with him, you’re not going to change my mind on that.” Dream said, calloused fingers picking at the bandages lining his arms. He knew it probably wasn’t the best idea and that he was being rash, but he wanted to be with George, wanted to be with his friends. He didn’t know how much more time he had left in the smp and he wanted to spend it all with the people he held dearest.

“Okay…I understand” Techno nodded, handing a few potions over to George “they're strength and health pots… think of them as a gift” he said, giving the boy an awkward half smile.

“Thanks for understanding, techno” George said, a small smile forming as he glanced over the potions. “It’s only a few hour trip on horse, so realistically we should be alright. I’m gonna have Dream ride with me though because at least then I’ve got a better shot at protecting him if god forbid something does happen” he said as he put on his own armor.

Dream had taken to dozing off on the bed, he’d been a little worn out from all the activity going on the last few days, but he was excited to be going with George nonetheless. Though this didn’t help techno feel any better about sending him off. “Maybe I should leave the book with George, Dream. Y'know just in case something happens” Techno suggested.

“I am Not being revived again” Dream said, a shudder going down his back as he thought back to the experience. “No, If I die I die, don’t you dare revive me. That was worse than being in prison, don't you dare.” He said, his voice laced with venom. He didn’t care if he was being harsh, he’d do anything to get out of going through that pain ever again. That time at least they were able to put him to sleep, if it were to happen again there was no guarantee that he would get put to sleep.

“Okay okay I won’t dream I won’t” techno said, cringing a bit at his reaction. “It’s getting late anyways, we need to go in about an hour, so make sure you both are ready. Are you gonna be ok to wear the armor, Dream? I know it’s heavy.” Techno asked, glancing at the boy, he didn’t have a great feeling about this. Even if they did everything right, there was still a chance that the whole thing went south.

“It’ll be fine” Dream said from where he was laying on the bed, though he didn’t move an inch. No matter how much he rested that day he still felt off, he wasn’t about to tell them that though. “It’s not like we really have a choice, I’ll manage.”

“If it’s too heavy you can just lean on me” George teased as he finished packing up. “I think we’ll be good to go in a few minutes, did we get everything?” He asked, glancing between the two.

Techno nodded, gathering up the bags to load up with the horses. “Are you sure you wanna go so soon? I’m gonna miss having you around here” he said, giving the two a small smile.

“What, you’re not gonna visit?” Dream laughed a bit, though it was strained. “You got this far without me around, you can do it again” he said, sitting up with a groan.

“Yea, you’re right”

George and techno loaded up the horses and helped dream into the armor. Dream tried to insist on doing it himself and getting himself over to the horses, but ultimately it ended with George helping Dream into the armor, some warmer clothes and helping him get onto the horse. Phil and techno got their largest and meanest horses saddled up and four dogs to come along with them. They were going to take every measure to make sure everything went according to plan.

“Alright, Techno is going to lead the way, George you keep to the middle, two of the dogs will be on your sides and the other two will be at the front and the back, this way if something is out there, we’ll know before it has time to strike.” Phil said, his long dark wings outstretched defensively. Dream frowned a bit at the sound of the dogs, he still wasn’t the biggest fan of all the loud and unfamiliar noises, especially since he couldn’t see, but he was getting better at managing the rising anxiety he got at every little unfamiliar sound.

George nodded a bit, one arm wrapped around dream to keep him steady and the other tightly gripping the reins, letting his horse fall into a steady gallop, following techno closely. He knew he wasn’t followed when he came to visit, so he wasn’t too worried, but he couldn’t help the sinking feeling that grew when he considered what /could/ happen.

“Are we almost there?” Dream spoke up after it had been about two hours riding, he didn’t sound all that great. He didn’t know if it was from riding on a horse for the first time in ages and the strain it was putting on him or if he was coming down with something, but he wasn’t feeling all there.

“About another hour” George said, a frown forming, “why is something wrong?”

“No… just curious” Dream shook his head, leaning back on the boy a bit more, he didn’t wanna worry George but he really did hope this hour went by fast. It was probably just the fact that he was wearing heavy armor and riding on a horse and putting strain on himself that he hadn’t yet gotten used to, but he felt off. “It’s kinda…can I take the cloak off…? I’m kinda warm..” he asked, moving to unlatch the cloak as he spoke.

George raised an eyebrow at this, grabbing dreams wrist to stop him from removing it. “We’re still kinda in the tundra. What are you talking about??? You need to keep it on okay???”

“We are?” Dream asked, though he tried to downplay his reactions. “Must just be the armor and cloak… not used to it so it’s probably just that…” he said, cringing a bit at the weak excuse. He let out a small sigh in relief when George just gave him a short nod, deciding that whatever it was they could deal with it when they got to kinoko.

Techno was a bit shocked when they got kinoko in their sights and they hadn’t even seen any sign of them being tracked, maybe he had been a bit paranoid. That moment of hope was squandered when they heard Sapnap and Karl screaming at them to turn back, arrows flying as the creeper hybrid appeared in front of them with a pearl, large netherite axe raised high.

Techno cursed, whistling for the dogs in the front and back to move in for the attack. “George, stay in the middle if they get you out of that spot you’re fucked stay there no matter what!” He shouted, pulling his axe out, his eyes glowing a shade of ruby red. Phil had his wings outstretched defensively, his sword out as he gauged their surroundings.

Dream had caught wind of what was happening and started to panic a bit, but then he remembered what happened every time he panicked, if he could just control it. “George, how far away are they from us?!” Dream asked, speaking quickly, “how many are there? Are we surrounded?!”

“Dream stop it’s gonna be fine-“

“George, how far are they???!” Dream repeated, his voice strained as his eyes began to glow that familiar emerald green. “You need to tell me we don’t have a lot of time here!”

“What are you doing?!” George exclaimed, “they’re- jesus dream they’re about 70ft out?! 80?! Why, what are you planning????” He practically yelled as his horse fell into a steady gallop, seemingly catching onto what was going on.

“If I do this right…I might just unfuck this situation…” Dream said, eyebrows furrowing as he really tried to concentrate, focusing on how far away they were, ignoring the shouts from techno and the creeper hybrid. The ground began to shake like always, except it was only in the area around them that Sam and his group had been in.

At first techno panicked when the shaking happened, yelling at George to get Dream to calm down, until he realized that it was different this time. Calculated. He grinned as Sam’s horse toppled down, the very ground beneath him cracking and crumbling. “Dream whatever you’re doing, keep doing it! Make it calm on our 2 o’clock though no one is there we need to get through!” Techno shouted, taking advantage of Sam’s panicked state to reroute them in that direction. If Sam or the others had any hope of following them it was gone now, all other their horses toppling over in a heap one by one.

“I don’t know if I can!!!” Dream yelled back, cringing a bit at the headache that was forming the more he did this.

“You’re gonna have to try, we got no other choice!” Techno roared, whistling for the dogs to fall back to his side. “I know you can do it! You just gotta focus!”

Dream nodded a bit, one hand clutching his head as he shut his eyes and focused on stopping it in one spot. It was close but soon he heard techno laughing in relief as the shaking stopped just in time for them to pass through safely; though as soon as they were through his nose was bleeding and the spot started back up again. “I can’t hold it much longer. How close are we?!!!” Dream practically screamed at techno, his head a pounding mess now.

“Almost there hang in a bit longer!!” Phil called, pulling his bow out and shooting down anyone that got close to following them in.

George frowned, feeling the boy begin to shake in his arms, he knew this was the only way but he couldn’t help the rising guilt the longer this went on. “Dream you’re ok, you’ve got like 15 more seconds you’re fine it’s almost over, I promise” he said, arm tightening around him as Dream let out small groans and winces.

Once Dream heard the sound of Sapnap and Karl cheering and a gate shutting, the shaking came to a shot and he collapsed back onto George, panting as he clutched his head. “Did we do it???” He asked, not being able to help the small strained laugh that escaped his chest.

“It was close but yeah” George nodded, his horse slowing to a stop as he did his best to support the boy. “Your nose is bleeding, Dream are you alright???” He said, looking over him for anything else that was out of place.

“Yea I’m good” Dream nodded a bit, though he was fighting the waves of dizziness that threatened to plunge him into unconsciousness. “Haven’t really tried that before… that was cool” he said, grinning a bit.

“Dream!!!” Sapnap shouted, running over to the two boys with a wide grin, Karl following close behind. They’d made it through. He was back with his friends. He was home. “Was that you?!!! That was insane how'd you do that?!!!” He exclaimed, pulling him into a hug once George helped him off the horse.

“I have no clue, '' Dream said, shaking arms wrapping around a Sapnap. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as Sapnap and Karl pulled him in for a hug, everything was finally coming together. For the first time in a long time, Dream felt like things really were returning to normal. Things were gonna be okay. “I really missed you guys'' he said, tearing up a bit as he spoke.

George scoffed a bit at the three, though he pulled them into a hug as well, laughing through tears as he embraced them.

“I hope we aren’t interrupting.'' Techno cleared his throat, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh, I get this is a big moment for you guys but we should probably head out…we’ve got a farm to tend and all y'know…” he said, letting out a forced laugh.

“Oh, right” Dream said, stumbling a bit when the trio let go of him, opting to hold onto Sapnap for balance. “Uh…I guess this is goodbye then..” he said, giving him a sad smile.

“Don’t think you can get rid of us for good that easy mate” Phil said with a laugh, patting him on the shoulder, “we’ll come and visit.”

“Yea you’ll get sick of us no doubt” techno grinned, pulling him into a awkward hug, “try not to get yourself into trouble ok?? I can’t keep saving your ass” he teased, patting him on the back.

“I’ll try” Dream nodded, squeezing him before letting go and going back to holding onto Sapnap. “Are you guys gonna be alright? They’re still out there.” Dream asked

“I don’t think we’re the ones they’re after,” Techno said, shaking his head. “I think we’ll be fine. Dream, try and get that whole power thing under control, that was really impressive. If you can get it under control, who knows what you could do.”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll try.”

“Are you guys wanting to go right now..?” Karl spoke up, looking at the two uncertain, “they could be waiting to ambush, it might not be a good idea.”

“Me and Phil? Get ambushed?” Techno laughed, shaking his head, “we’ve killed gods before. This is nothing. We’ll be alright, we need to get going before daybreak.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about us.” Phil said, climbing onto his horse and whistling for the dogs to follow him as he headed for the gate. “George, look after him okay?”

George gave him a nod, pulling an arm around Dream with a soft smile. Techno followed after Phil, waiting for Karl to open the gate before giving them a wave as they headed off. The gate closed as fast as it had opened but George couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face, they’d be alright. “Dream, let’s go to my house, it’s late, we can give you the tour tomorrow” he said, grabbing the crutch they brought and giving it to Dream, knowing he still relied on it to get around.

“Alright…yeah I don’t feel so great” Dream sighed, free hand loosely grabbing onto George’s sleeve to follow him. “Sapnap..Karl..I expect a full tour tomorrow, Kay?” He said with a grin.

“You got it” Sapnap nodded, ruffling his white locks before sending him on his way. Dream had improved a lot since their initial prison break, he actually looked alive now. He still had a ways to go but they finally got their friend back alive and well.

George waited till they were at the house to fuss over Dream, having him get into more comfortable clothes and cleaning the blood off his face and checking his temperature, not finding anything wrong with him but being worried nonetheless. “Dream you said you weren’t feeling good? What’s wrong?” George asked, checking him over almost frantically.

“I'm just tired” Dream groaned, pushing George’s hands away, “using those powers or whatever gave me a headache…still, it was pretty cool huh?” He said, a smirk forming.

“Idiot” George shook his head, pushing some of dreams hair out of his face. “don’t overdo it, okay? I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“Don’t worry I’ll be fine” Dream gave him a thumbs up with a small laugh, “do you like my hair? It’s never been this long I thought you’d make fun of me for sure” he hummed.

“It’s nice” George nodded, “I like it, you should keep it long it suits you” he said as he took his armor off and climbed into bed with him, wrapping the boy up in his arms with a grin. They were home. Everything was finally as it should be.

Dream laughed a bit, pulling the blanket over them before snaking his arms around him. “I love you” He beamed, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I really do. I’ve been meaning to say that for a while.”

George gulped, cringing at the way his face heated up. “I love you too idiot” he said, pressing a kiss to his lips, grinning against him. He didn’t miss the way Dream sucked in a breath, or the way his grip tightened ever so slightly. He could get used to this. “Now please try and get some rest, I mean it, you had a long night.” He hummed, giving him one more kiss before shutting off the lights and attempting to drift off to sleep.