Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dream didn’t remember falling asleep outside. Which is why he was very confused as to why and more importantly how he woke up in a field surrounded by a forest instead of his bed.
“What the fuck” he thought “What the fuck..” he said. (not an original line i know but it was too good not too add)

Maybe he was still asleep and just needed to wake up because unless Sapnap or George somehow found a way to drag him to some random field in the middle of nowhere– which no they did not cause why would they even do that? So this must be some realistic lucid type dream…haha dream… So he did what any person would do in this situation and pinched himself and when that didn’t work he looked at his fingers because obviously they would not look normal since this had to be a lucid dream…right? Oh god is this actually real life, but how?! Everything was blocky and weird though so surely this has to be a set of some sorts. But the more he looked around the more he started to realise this was real and the more that realisation settled the more he started to worry. He finally stood up and properly looked around only to realise this spot seemed oddly familiar. When he turned around he could also see a weird looking tower as well as a road.

Also there are “real” torches on the ground…– well they seemed real even though they looked blocky.

WHY THE HELL ARE THERE TORCHES ON THE GROUND?!

WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?!

He very hesitantly decided to follow the road till he found a city where he could ask around as to where the hell he is.
So here are two things that have confused the man ever since he woke up.
Why the hell is everything blocky and
Why does this place seem so…familiar?
When he finally got to a pathway. And as he walked he ended up at the main portal where the realisation dawned on him. He froze. Holy shit thats a nether portal…holy shit thats the dsmp nether portal…on the dsmp…the minecraft server.
So he is in minecraft, on his server, where he is the villain. What could possibly go wrong?
That is when another realisation dawned on him. If this server followed the lore streams then that would mean that all the trauma they acted out… was real.
All the wars Tommy's exile him taking all of Tommy's lives and then reviving him all of it was real. Well the revival was really just dependent on the timeline he was currently in. He pushed away his best friends and basically made enemies with the whole server… So who the hell is going to help him? There's two people who would consider helping the real Dream and that's Technoblade and Punz. And he's pretty sure Punz wouldn't be loyal to him as he is to his Dream and with Techno he has no favors owed to cDream anymore let alone him. How is he supposed to survive here?!
“Okay calm down this is just minecraft… right?” He muttered to himself.

“Wait… what fucking timeline am I even in right now..” He looked around again, aiming to figure out what point in time he was.

Dream paced in circles, trying to make sense of it all. The nether portal hummed behind him, the sound vibrating in his chest. It wasn’t like hearing it through his headphones or his speakers. This was louder, deeper—real. His hands shook a little as he pressed his palms together.

“Timeline, timeline, timeline…” he muttered like it was some kind of mantra. If he could just figure that out, then maybe he’d know who hated him the most right now, or whether he was already locked up in Pandora’s freakin’ Vault.

“Oh god, Sam’s gonna kill me if this is post Pandora’s,” Dream whispered. “If I’m already supposed to be in the prison…shit, shit.”

The road behind him stretched out like a spine, torches glowing dimly against the dark green forest. He half expected to see Tommy come sprinting out of the trees yelling at him. But the woods stayed quiet. Too quiet.
He crouched down and touched the grass. It felt like grass, tickly and soft against his fingers, not pixels. Same with the dirt—cool, crumbly, getting stuck under his nails. His heart sank. This wasn’t a dream.

The thought hit harder than he expected. In real life, it was all just roleplay—arguments, drama, villains and heroes. But if this place really was the server, then every sword swung, every explosion, every betrayal—that was all real pain, real fear, real loss. And he was the cause of most of it.
Dream forced himself to stand up straighter and glanced back at the nether portal again.

He pressed his fists to his temples, trying to breathe. He needed information. If he ran into the wrong person first, he was screwed.

The crunch of gravel made him freeze. Someone else was on the road.
Dream’s stomach dropped. He quickly composed himself and hid behind the nearest tree. He knows it's really not the best hiding place but where the hell is he supposed to hide out in the open?!

The footsteps grew louder. Dream pressed himself tighter against the tree, his pulse pounding in his ears.
Through the leaves, he caught a glimpse of red.

A cape.

His heart stopped.

Of all the people to run into first, it had to be him. Dream’s mouth went dry. In canon, Techno would’ve been his only ally, maybe even a friend, but that was to c!Dream, not him. And right now, he had no idea if Techno would see him as a comrade… or as another problem to solve.

Techno’s footsteps crunched closer, Dream’s palms were sweating. He could step out, reveal himself, take the risk. Or he could stay hidden and pray Techno didn’t notice the sound of his breathing. But hiding from Techno was like hiding from a bloodhound…
pointless.

Sure enough, Techno stopped. His head turned slightly, ears twitching.

“…Whoever’s there, I can hear you.”

Dream cursed under his breath. He stepped out slowly, hands raised, trying not to look like a threat.

“Techno– wait, wait, it’s me. Don– don’t attack.”

Techno’s eyes narrowed, scanning him like a weapon sighting a target. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. The only sound was the crackle of the portal behind them.

Finally, Techno spoke. “Huh. You look… different.”
Dream swallowed hard. “Different how?”
Techno tilted his head, gripping the handle of his axe. “Like you haven't been tortured in prison for the past half a year”

His eyes sharpened.Dream tried to keep his voice steady.

“I– healed fast?” he said in the most unconvincing tone anyone has ever heard that he even felt disappointed in himself.
So it really shouldn't have surprised him that Techno didn't buy it and grew a bit more hostile.

“Now I'll give you a chance to tell the truth once more before I just kill you.” Techno threatened him, pointing his axe at Dreams' throat.

Dream forced a weak smile, lowering his hands just a little. “I swear, Techno… I don’t know what’s going on. I just—I woke up here. Things are… off.”

Techno didn’t move, didn’t relax. The sunlight glinted off the edge of his axe as he shifted it on his shoulder. His eyes stayed locked on Dream like he was reading him, weighing every word, every twitch.

“You expect me to believe that?” Techno finally said, his voice flat.

“You, the guy who always has a plan, suddenly doesn’t know what’s going on? Sounds like a setup.”

Dream shook his head quickly. “No, no—this isn’t one of my plans. Look, I know how it sounds. But I don’t think I’m… him. Not exactly.”
That made Techno raise a brow. “Not him?”

“If you’re not my Dream, then I need to know who you are.”

Dream’s chest tightened. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Techno took a single step closer.

“So talk fast, before I decide you’re not worth the trouble.”
Dream bit the inside of his cheek. How the hell was he supposed to explain this? That he wasn’t the c!Dream that Techno knew, but just Clay who just so happened to play the teletubby and got thrown into this blocky nightmare version of reality? That he wasn’t the mastermind villain, just… a guy… a smart, cool, pog guy good at roleplaying and playing minecraft.

“Let’s just say,” Dream started carefully,

"I'm from another…world and I don’t know if I’m supposed to be in prison right now, or if the wars already happened, or–”
“Well basically I kno– uhm I think I know what's supposed to have happened in this world and I'm not sure how much of my knowledge is accurate! Like maybe I'm completely wrong about everything! But I know of a world that looks the same as this one–” He stopped himself, realizing he was rambling.

Techno’s grip on the axe didn’t falter. His expression stayed neutral, but his eyes were sharp, calculating, like he was running numbers in his head.
“…From another world.” Techno repeated flatly, tone almost mocking.

“You hear yourself right now? That’s not exactly convincing testimony, chief.”

Dream’s throat tightened. “I know it sounds insane—”

“Insane would be an understatement.” Techno cut in. His voice wasn’t raised, but it carried the kind of weight that made Dream’s knees want to buckle.

“You’re standing here, alive, healthy, no scars, no prison damage, no nothing. Either you’re lying through your teeth, or you’re something else entirely. And I don’t exactly take kindly to unknown variables.”
Dream’s mouth went dry. “…So what, you’re just gonna kill me?”

Techno tilted his head slightly, considering. “That depends. I don’t waste time killing people without reason. If you’re my Dream, then you’re a traitor and a manipulator. If you’re not my Dream, then you’re an imposter with his face. Either way, not exactly a good look.”

He raised the axe a little higher. Dream took a shaky step back.

“Wait! Just—just think about it. If I was the Dream you know, I’d already be trying to manipulate you, right? I’d have some grand plan, some scheme.” His voice cracked slightly. “I don’t. I woke up in a forest freaking out over torches on the ground, Techno. That’s not some master plan, that’s me losing my mind!”

Techno didn’t move, but something in his eyes shifted. Not trust, but interest. “Alright. Let’s entertain this little theory of yours for a moment.” He lowered the axe only slightly. “If you’re really from some… other world where you somehow know this world, then prove it. Tell me something only you would know about me.”

Dream froze. His brain short-circuited. What the hell was he supposed to say—“Hey, in my world you’re a YouTuber who makes potato jokes”? Yeah, that wouldn’t go well.
He swallowed hard.

“I know… about the voices.”

For the first time, Techno actually tensed. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

Dream immediately regretted opening his mouth, but there was no going back now. “The voices. The ones in your head. I know about them because I watched you talk about them. They’re… real, right? They tell you things, push you to kill.”

Techno’s face was unreadable, but his silence was worse than yelling. His axe gleamed in the light as he adjusted his grip.
Dream’s heart pounded. “I’m not trying to use it against you– I swear. I’m just saying I know things I shouldn’t know. Because where I come from, this– this world– it’s a story. A server. A game. And now I’m here. And I don’t know why.”

The silence dragged. Techno’s expression stayed stone-cold, but there was a tension in the air that made it hard to breathe. Finally, he spoke.
“…If you’re lying, this is the worst lie I’ve ever heard.” His voice was low, quiet, and dangerous. “And if you’re telling the truth, then you’re even more dangerous than the Dream I know. Because you’re unpredictable.”

Dream’s knees almost gave out. “Well I wouldn't really say dangerous…” he nervously tried to not make Techno view him as a threat because that would not bode well for him.

“So what happens now?” He asked in a calmer tone.
“I’ll bring you to my house because I don't want your inevitable death on my conscience”
Techno finally lowered the axe, resting it on his shoulder again. He didn’t relax, his posture was still tense, guarded but he wasn’t about to cleave Dream in half.
Yet…

“Now,” Techno said slowly, “we figure out how to get you back. But don’t think for a second that means I trust you.” His eyes narrowed. “One wrong move, and I’ll send you back to respawn myself.”

Dream forced out a shaky laugh that wasn’t funny at all. “Respawn. Right. Yeah. Totally comforting. Wait… CAN YOU DIE MULTIPLE TIMES??”
Techno just stared at him. Unblinking. “Uhhhhhh yeah? Is that not a thing in your world?”

“NO?!” Dream answered, absolutely baffled. When he finally accepted that he was in another universe he discovers that the world building is also lore accurate.
Wait… do laws of physics not apply in this world…?

“I can see that you've come to a realisation of some sort that I'm sure won't surprise me. But I would like to be at home when u tell me so lets get a move on yeah?”
Having said that, Techno turned towards the portal and walked through. Dream was now fully freaking out and hesitated to walk into it as well once the realisation that he has to go into the Nether to get to Technos cabin settled.

He walks into the portal…

Chapter Text

The second Dream stepped through the portal, every sense in his body screamed wrong.

The air was heavy, thick, and hot. Like standing in front of an open oven but the oven was also hell itself. His ears rang with the sound of crackling lava, like the world was constantly on fire– because it was. 

He stumbled forward, clutching his head as the dizziness hit him. The transition wasn’t like teleporting in-game. No instant load-in screen or satisfying whoosh. No, this was like being torn apart molecule by molecule and glued back together with molten glue.

“Holy shit,” Dream gasped, staring at the landscape in front of him. Everything was red and glowing. “Okay… okay this is fine. This is fine. Just a normal Tuesday walk through the fiery pits of blocky hell.”

They had to cross a narrow bridge made of cobblestone that stretched over an ocean of lava. Dream froze. 

“Shit. I forgot about the bridges” He thought to himself.

“Nope,” he said immediately. “Absolutely not. You expect me to walk across that?!”

Techno glanced over his shoulder, unimpressed. “You scared of falling?”

“I’m scared of melting alive, Techno! That’s not irrational fear, that’s common sense!”

Techno just shrugged and started walking. “Don’t fall, then.”

Dream groaned but followed anyway, muttering curses under his breath. Every step felt like a death wish. The bridge wobbled slightly — or maybe that was just him shaking. He didn’t know anymore.

Halfway across, a ghast screamed somewhere close and Dream nearly tripped.

Techno, of course, was already walking ahead like this was his morning commute. The guy didn’t even flinch at the ghastly wailing echoing somewhere in the distance. Dream jogged a few steps to catch up, trying not to look down at the flowing rivers of lava because that was definitely not helping.

“How do you just- ” he waved his arms at everything “function here?!”

Techno didn’t even look back. “You get used to it.”

“Used to- used to what?! The constant threat of being barbecued alive?!”

Techno hummed thoughtfully. “Mainly the screaming.”

Dream blinked at him. “…You’re joking.”

“Am I?”

Dream sighed, the more they talked the more he remembered how Techno's character really acted around people. He wondered how many bloopers or just normal mid-stream chatting actually happened here.

They walked for a while in silence, or at least as silent as the Nether allowed. The sounds were everywhere — the bubbling lava, the squeals of unseen creatures, the echo of ghasts like ghostly sirens. 

Dream frozen once he saw the one block path.

“HELL NO! I am not walking across that!”

Techno turned to look at him. “Bruhhhhh. We're so close! It's not even that bad” 

Dream looked at him with wide eyes “NOT THAT BAD? I COULD PLUMMET TO MY DEATH ITS SO THIN?! I would rather go all the way back and walk to your base!” 

“I would reallyyy prefer not to do that,” Techno said, rubbing his chin. Then his eyes lit up with an idea. “Okay, hear me out. Piggyback ride.”

“What?” Dream blinked.

Techno crouched down and patted his back like it was obvious. “I’ll carry you across. You just hold on, don’t scream in my ear, and we’ll be fine.”

“You’re insane.”

“You’re the one too scared to walk.” Techno smirked. “Now hop on, nerd.”

Dream groaned, but another glance at the abyss below made his stomach churn. With a muttered curse, he clambered onto Techno’s back.

“See? Not so bad,” Techno said, straightening up. “Now hang on tight, or I will shake you off for fun.”

“I hate this,” Dream muttered, clutching his shoulders like his life depended on it.

Techno snorted, stepping onto the one-block path without hesitation.

Techno glanced at him, unimpressed. “You good?”

“Oh yeah, no, I’m thriving. Love being surrounded by fire and death. Really makes me feel alive,” Dream said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Good,” Techno replied deadpan.

About thirty seconds of suffering later he got off Technos back when they were on a wide enough part of the bridge again, they soon finally stepped out into a familiar obsidian portal structure. Techno didn’t even break stride as he walked through. Dream hesitated again, glaring at the portal like it had personally offended him.

“Here we go again…” he muttered before stepping through.

This time, the nausea wasn't as bad. But when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by cool air, the faint sound of snow crunching beneath his shoes, and  thankfully no lava.

He looked around and realised where they were. The place he’d seen a hundred times before, a snowy tundra and not far from the portal Techno’s base. Well obviously he was expecting it since he knew  where they were going but still, seeing everything in real life was breathtaking.

They walked the final stretch to the cabin.

He exhaled shakily. “Okay. I made it. I didn’t die. I didn’t fall. I didn’t explode.”

“Don’t celebrate yet,” Techno said, opening the door. “The day’s still young.”

Dream followed him inside, still trying to wrap his head around everything. The warmth of the cabin hit him instantly. The flicker of a real fireplace. The soft creak of wood beneath his boots. Everything was so real and it scared him.

He stood there for a moment, staring into the fire, trying to convince himself this wasn’t some hyper-realistic VR hallucination gone wrong.

“Alright,” Techno said behind him, setting his axe against the wall. “Start talking.”

Dream turned around slowly. “…huh?”

“First off, chat keeps saying cc!Dream. Do you happen to know what they mean.”

“Wait how does that work?! They know who I am? I- do they know how I can go back home? How much do they know??” Dream suddenly had plenty of questions about what wall chats breaking to know him. What connection is there? Are chats separate things in the worlds? They have to be because no way Technos streaming me being stuck in the smp.

“I was supposed to be the one askin the questions so I feel like the positions have switched in a way where I'm doing all the answerin so I think u better answer my question.” Technos monotone voice snapping him out of his thoughts.

“R- right cc! And c! Is what people that watched us would call us to separate us from our…characters…” Dream explained.

“Heh? What people, what characters?” 

“It’s…” Dream ran a hand through his hair. “It’s complicated. But basically, uh, where I’m from, you’re… this whole place is-” he gestured vaguely at the cabin, the snowy tundra outside, “..a server... Like a game. People watch us. Millions of them. And to make it less confusing they started saying ‘c!’ for the character in the story and ‘cc!’ for the person behind the screen- the content creator. So, c!Techno is… you. Here. The character.And cc!Techno is the guy playing you. On my side.”

Techno stared at him blankly. The fire popped behind him, but his eyes didn’t blink. “So you’re telling me I’m not real.”

“No! No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Dream said quickly, his stomach twisting. “You’re real! I don’t even understand how that’s possible. I woke up here and it’s like…” He trailed off, lowering his voice. “It’s like the whole SMP became real. Like everything we did — the wars, the builds, the streams — they’re just… history here.”

Techno tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable. “And these people you’re talking about,” he said slowly. “The ones who… watch?”

Dream nodded. “Theyre chat. They’re usually just… text on a screen from people that watch the streams. They don’t exist here. Or-” He hesitated. “At least not in a normal way...”

Techno leaned back against the table, crossing his arms. 

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The fire hissed and cracked. Snow fell softly outside the window.

And someone walked in.