Chapter Text
Comfort
"So," Techno mumbled before sitting down beside Dream. "This is how you've been living, hm?"
Dream sat from the opposite of him. As Techno sat beside his chest, he sat just below his beloved golden clock. Dream stared at his own dirty clothes and remained silent.
Techno sighed. "Dream, do you hear me?"
No response. Once more, the man sighed in defeat. He stayed silent and took a look on the prisoner.
Dream's hair was messier and greasier than before, along with his face. Scars roamed his exposed skin from all the torture and battle he went through. His stare was blank. His eyes barely resembled any sign of life. His hands trembled along with his body.
The man furrowed his eyebrows at his sight. He knew what kind of a man Dream was.
He was despicable. He was intelligent. Cleaver. Deadly. Dangerous.
But he'd never seen him like this.
Broken. Tormented. It's like staring at a living corpse, he thought.
Out of nowhere, Dream stood up and had a small smile on his face. "Here's some entertainment!" His coarse and shaky voice alerted Techno.
He stood up, grabbed his clock and rushed towards Techno side. He forcefully hit the wall as an attempt to stop and sat down. This made Techno worry.
"See this? It's a clock. You know how clocks work, I mean, you are Technoblade. Anyway, I just stare at this clock for AGES so that I keep myself busy. Or I could just throw it towards..." Dream slowed down as he turned towards the lava. "There."
His weak hand pointed towards the blocked entrance. Techno shifted his gaze towards the never-ending lava. "But then, you won't have a clock."
"Yeah, but Sam gives it back to me." He whispered, barely even making a sound. Luckily, Techno heard him.
But Dream's facial expression slowly turned into a terrified gaze. His trembled as he gripped the clock as hard as he possibly could and hissed weakly. "But he said that if I burn the clock, I would get more t-torture..."
Techno turned towards the trembling man in his mentions of 'torture'.
Did they really...?
"Who tortured you?" Techno asked while getting comfortable against the hard obsidian. "Was it Sam?"
The broken blob stayed silent once again while placing the clock down. He sat and hugged his own legs... and he blankly stared into the abyss again.
Beside him, Techno rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes as he thought.
Phil will read the will. I'll get out of here in no time. He thought. And I will accomplish my favor.
But he looked towards Dream, who was whispering unintelligible sounds as he rocked back and fourth. It seemed like he's lost his mind.
Techno thought more. Of how his exposed scars came to decorate his skin. How a few specks of blood on his face and on his uniform appeared. How he's shaking terribly. How his expressions fade away quickly. How he went from a powerful being, to this... afflicted prisoner.
Of what he did to turn into this.
Techno stood up and took a look in his chest. I'm sure he won't mind, He mumbled to himself while picking up a few books and sitting down on his spot once more.
"Yo, Dream," He nudged him gently as to not surprise him. "Can I read your books?"
Dream stayed silent, staring deeply towards the clock.
Techno thought of how to keep him from being tense. Lightly, he held Dream's shoulders and sat him down a little closer to him.
He removed his coat and wrapped it around the shivering mess. "There you go."
Dream's shaking hands carefully held the coat and tugged further-- just enough to fully wrap himself with the comfy material. His gaze softened, his tremor slowly ceased and finally, he was relaxed.
He felt a little bit of comfort. Yeah, he was sitting on cold obsidian and he couldn't calm himself immediately; but he found a little bit of peace. He felt calmness from his coat.
Slowly, tears started to form and fall from the his eyes. He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but they just fell. Without trying to dismay Techno from reading his books, he shifted his head closer to his knees and cried quietly.
This comfort was something Dream never anticipated. After months of hell and fire, he felt something that slightly lifted his spirit.
His cold, cruel spirit.
And before he knew it, he drifted into a silent sleep.
Techno seemed to notice his figure relax. As he look towards Dream, he found him asleep-- comfy in his velvet coat.
The only thing Techno could do is scoot closer to prevent him from falling towards the ground.
See? He said to himself, proudly. I can pacify Dream.
Amidst the hissing lava, the uncomfortable surroundings, the unsettling atmosphere he felt, Techno read quietly.
This is how he's been living.
Peacefully.
Hopefully, peace comes my way.
I want to be done from redemption.
From my own sins. My mistakes.
At this point, Techno realized something that made him believe on his plan. His plan of escape and his plan to break Dream out.
We both need peace. We desperately need peace.
He continued to read the pages silently.