Chapter Text
Dream bounced back like it was nothing; like he didn’t get stabbed in the chest and stayed bedridden for a whole week. The admin was smiling even on bedrest, only stopping to pout when Ranboo announced that he couldn’t have icecream for breakfast.
They were careful to avoid any mention of new L’Manburg and what had transpired. Dream didn’t ask, either the admin didn’t care, or he had known exactly what had happened. It was hard to tell.
“I am sending Dream away for a bit.” Techno declared, leaving no room for discussion. Ranboo tensed, gripping the hilt of his sword a bit tighter as his eyes narrowed on the anarchist.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” Techno sighed, beyond exhaustion as he stared after Ghostbur who was trailing along the snowy path and greeting Dream who nestled at the terrace with Phil. “I think it will be good for both of you… at least until things calm down a bit.”
“Where to?” Ranboo asked; a careful impassive mask on his face while Dream’s laughter filled the snow biome.
“To MCC.” Techno grunted. To where Ranboo couldn’t follow. “The admin there is asking for people to try out the new parkour course.”
“With Dream’s skills, it is likely that he will drive them mad.” It was an effort to lessen the tension in the air, but then again, Ranboo didn’t have a sense of humour. The hybrid was staring at nothing, with a glossed over look in his eyes that made Techno more concerned than he would like to admit.
“There is one thing that I would like you to remember, Ranboo.” Techno began, arranging the potions into their individual chests before opening the ender chest to examine the wither skulls. “Before anything, Dream is the admin. And the only time the admin should be involved is when there are troubles in the server.”
“People will come to an admin for help, but with how things are going on in this server, I have a valid reason to believe that that is not the case.” And you might be one of the reasons . Was what Techno neglected to say.
“And if they run the server to the ground when he is gone?” Ranboo whispered; an odd tingling sensation ran through him.
“Then, maybe it is a lost cause from the beginning.”
Dream wasn’t here. Ranboo had to remind himself of that. The admin had left two days ago, accompanied by Sapnap and George who seemed to be relieved to spend some time away from the server as well. The way their backs blended together as their laughters rang through the air even as the portal teleported them away, it made Ranboo wonder if it was how the server was meant to be from the beginning.
Not the politics, not the power play, not the violence and betrayal.
And definitely not the flaming community house.
To lure the ant out, you had to smoke the nest. Ranboo clenched his fists when the heat of the flame greeted him. The wind scattered the dust from the burning woods while the smell of smoke carried far. A paper tumbled out from the flame, barely managed to escape but not unscathed. Ranboo bent down, plucking it up from the ground, only to grimace at the childish drawing.
“A big family!” It said. The drawing of blob and two figures that looked eerily similar to Sapnap and George. A wish unheard. Ranboo glared, hard into the roaring fire. The air tasted of broken promises, lines that shouldn’t be crossed. The community house was Dream’s pride.
They would pay.
Ranboo felt a rare sense of calmness looming over him as he dragged his communicator up.
“Techno, you got any withers?”
In another world, Ranboo would probably have wanted to negotiate. In another universe, they would probably settle with an exile or a timeout or even community service to rebuild the community house, but any punishment seemed to be lacking at the moment. When the tormentors continued to sneer, it felt unjust.
Hence, he felt no remorse when L’Manburg turned into a clatter of emptiness. It was all Dream’s from the beginning, but he was robbed, tricked, misguided, in an excuse for peace. People were greedy. Peace was but a method to get what they wanted; an illusion of power that they thought they held over Dream.
He felt no sense of wrongness when he commissioned a prison for the big bad evil. Because if pain was the only way to learn, pain was all they would feel.
He didn’t think there was any other way. So he dangled the disks before Tommy, watching the child admit how something so materialistic was more important than a friend that had stayed by his side through thick and thin. He watched the horror of the implication dawn on them. People that had only begun to realise the gravity of their errors when they screamed at one another, paranoid at their own shadows.
It was saddening.
It was funny.
It was something that was meant to spiral out of control.
There was no option for peace if they were so hell bent to step over one another.
How tight was too tight? Ranboo wound the key around a broken toy. How far was too far?
Ranboo’s surprise came when the server united against him. Something that he didn’t think was possible. Something that didn’t feel right. It didn’t make sense when Techno stopped responding to his messages. It didn’t make sense when Punz who he had paid off came barging in, saying how he should have paid him more. As if a couple of kids could have offered more.
His answer came when the portal flashed once more, almost unnoticeable in the light of everything that was happening. And the admin walked out of the mysterious tunnel; still the same, tentative as Sam grabbed hold onto Ranboo’s arm to haul him into the horror of his own making.
“First and foremost, Dream is an admin.” Ranboo whispered; his eyes searched the green that was unreadable while the others celebrated and rejoiced. It was only understandable that the admin would choose the path with less resistance, less repercussion.
“What’s that?” Sam perked from his side, still holding onto his forearm while Sapnap and Bad stood guard.
“I hope you installed the wifi I suggested.” Ranboo said instead through gritted teeth. The eyes still followed him, but always slightly off, enough to not aggravate him. It was as considerate as it was infuriating. Ranboo didn’t turn back until he was escorted into the cell; until the obsidian plastered against his skin and a dry chuckle echoed in the room.
“You came.” Ranboo raised his head when the lava finally gave way to reveal the admin. It made sense that the admin would be the one who visited first. Not Tommy who wanted to taunt him; not Techno who was his temporary ally. After all, they were close once. Ranboo flinched at the thought. Were they really?
“Of course.” Dream smiled, still holding onto the admin logbook that Ranboo was sure shouldn’t have been allowed past the body check.
“Sam has been slacking off as the warden if he let you through with your book.” Ranboo pressed the anger out of his voice, but he wasn’t fast enough to hold back the hiss at the warden’s name. Traitor. All of them.
“I have visiting privileges!” Just like that, Dream settled down before him, sitting cross legged as if they were out in the field, back in the days where they would frolic in the flowers.
“Why?” Ranboo asked, finally. The silence of the walls was too much to bear. For the longest time, there was only the ticking of the clock but now, there was Dream; Dream that didn’t make sense. Dream that he thought he had pieced together, until all the wrongness finally added up to a completely inaccurate representation.
“I dislike wars.”
“Yet you involved yourself in one.” If it weren’t for Dream’s interference, he would have won.
“I did.” Dream shrugged.
“Why?” Ranboo resisted the urge to crawl at the admin. The final, tiniest part of himself was reluctant to view the blonde as an enemy, hoping that perhaps there was a reason behind his action.
“Because it is you.”
As if he was something special for Dream to keep an eye on.
“Why didn’t Techno come?”
“I asked him not to.” Dream’s eyes softened, fidgeting the side of his logbook. “It’s a favour he has to repay.”
“It’s you who saved Techno?” Ranboo was wondering why the pink haired warrior was so tight-lipped about the execution. Of course, it was Dream. It was always Dream.
“It’s easy to locate Carl if you know where to look.”
“Did you pay Punz off too?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Ranboo’s voice broke, gaining a soft edge as he tried to take in Dream’s face. Nothing. There was nothing that betrayed any of his thoughts, his intentions. “I did everything for…”
“For?”
You . Ranboo’s throat felt dry as he swallowed back his word. He choked back a laugh, slamming his back against the obsidian wall as if he had lost all strength to pull himself together.
“I am a fool, ain’t I?” Ranboo laughed. Hysterical as he thought about everything. He was wrong, wasn’t he? Incorrect assumptions that Dream had an ounce of care towards anything. In the end, he was the fool that formed attachments, by proxy for Dream.
“You are a friend, Ranboo.” Dream’s voice was calm, gentle like a guide in the darkest night but Ranboo knew better. Dream wasn’t a lighttower, he was a God that was leering at the playhouse that was his world.
“Do you think you are a God, Dream?” It was just like what Schlatt had said. He remembered now, barely but the silver shine of memory peeked through his cloudy mind.
‘What do you think the kid is? He is an admin, that’s true and a fact, but he is probably the closest thing to God, in this world.’
“Of course not! Ranboo, don’t be silly!”
‘But the most dangerous thing about that is that he didn’t seem to realise it himself. He is becoming too detached, Ranboo and that, in itself is a scary process to see.’
“I am sorry, Ranboo!” Dream waved his hands apologetically. “You did so much on my behalf!”
As if that act itself was deserving of a reward, or perhaps it was a way to repay the guilt for throwing him into the prison, Dream laced his fingers together and flashed a beautiful, radiant smile that didn’t sit well with Ranboo.
“I think you should see this!” Dream shot up to his feet, giggling when he turned around. His back towards Ranboo until the world rang with a low hum. The guardians fell silent and the constant flow of lava ceased; even the ticking clock halted and the colour slowly drained out of the world. Ranboo didn’t have time to question when a portal appeared before the admin; too tongue tied to retaliate when the admin pulled him along.
“This,” Dream laughed; short and airy in the dim room. “Is the final control room!”
Screens. Codes. The construct of the world. A void within the void. A world outside of the world. There were visions of people, members of the server on the screens. There were lines of codes where the void was, constantly feeding into the world.
Ranboo’s arm fell to his side when Dream loosened his grip to approach the largest screen stationed in the middle of the room. Millions of thoughts ran through the hybrid’s mind as he tried to grasp upon the concept of their world. No wonder nothing seemed to matter to Dream. There were always codes to be replaced. Buildings, materials, living beings. It made Ranboo wonder if the momentary grief back then with the axolotl was fake, if everything was simply replaced with a line of command.
“Why would you show me this?” Ranboo gasped.
“I felt bad.” Dream answered. “Because you became a scapegoat in the name of peace.”
“Plus.” Ranboo suppressed the shiver at the low drop of Dream’s voice as his form wavered, like static. “You have a bad memory, don’t you?”
Ranboo was grateful for the quilt and books in the chest. He didn’t know if the urgency was translated into his messy handwritings as he scribbled down the details of his encounter as soon as the admin left. Dream. Admin. Control room. Remember. He had to remember.
The making of the world. The shifting tides and belief. He had to recall. He had to remember. He had to remember. He had to.
That night, the cell was filled with noises of pen scratching against the paper as the world moved on, none the wiser.
“You look like shit” Ranboo creaked open an eye to see Phil leaning over him. A frown on his face at his sorry state. The ender hybrid scoffed, pushing himself up from the cold ground.
“You didn’t strike me as someone who will mock a person that is down.”
“No, of course not. Just know that I sacrificed a lot coming to visit you.” Phil sighed, looking more like a tired dad in that instant than ever.
“...do you know?” Ranboo started, letting his voice fall to a barely audible whisper, be it to hide from the ears across the room or to conceal the purposeful tone from the all knowing god.
“For a while now.” Phil confirmed. A solemn look overtook his face.
“And what do you think about… that?”
“It is detrimental to be honest.” Phil stated, folding his arms before himself. His blue eyes scanned all corners of the cell until he moved, standing in between the respawn trap and Ranboo.
‘Act normal.’ Phil signed. His eyes flickered to the flash of white just above the obsidian.
“I see.” Ranboo pressed his lips into a thin line. Instead of speaking, he threw a book at Phil, feigning a look of annoyance at the elder.
“Hey!” Phil responded adequately; eyes scanning through the message on the book before his hands formed rapid words.
‘Save him. Techno and I are too close. He knows. He won’t listen to us.’
“I am beginning to think that Schlatt is a better company than you.” Ranboo rolled his eyes, hoping that the undertone was heard. Phil guffawed.
“You know what? I agreed.”
They would have to find a way around.
“Ranboo, look, it’s a shooting star!” The night was brilliant; a likeness that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. Dream was beside him, pointing at the rapidly vanishing light across the sky before another one followed.
“It’s a meteor shower.” Ranboo commented; eyes scanning the night sky dotted with stars; fallen stars.
“Are you going to make a wish?” It sounded silly, so Ranboo scoffed.
“What kind of childish belief is that?” Wishing and granting wishes, without asking for anything in return. “Why do the stars have to grant wishes anyways?”
“Because it is expected of them to do so.” Dream was still looking at the sky. Ranboo couldn’t see his expression yet his tone was still light as if trying to hide a smile. “Because without those expectations, they would just be falling rocks. Honestly, it will be kind of lonely, kind of sad, don’t you think so, Ranboo?”
“Don’t you think so?” Ranboo stared at the obsidian ceiling, matching it with the night sky at the back of his mind. He rested a hand on his forehead, taking in the webs of patterns and the slight glow of the material. He guessed Dream was right. It would be kind of lonely.
Their first breakthrough came unexpectedly. Ranboo was awakened rudely by Quackity who grasped onto his collar and shook him.
“Explain.” The black haired male shoved a book into his face and perhaps Sam was really lazing around if even Quackity could smuggle stuff in.
Ranboo frowned, pushing Quackity away to see the content of the book. Schlatt’s handwriting was easily recognised and it sent alarms through his mind, enough for him to straighten.
“It’s Schlatt’s. What the hell is going on?” Quackity growled. Because it didn’t make sense. The things about Dream and how the other was losing himself when the admin was still being his happy gifting self out there.
“Oh god, out of everyone why must it be you?” Ranboo pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing how the ghost of the ex-tyrant must be laughing at him. He would laugh back and tease Schlatt about how he was a softie at heart.
“What do you mean by that? I will have you know that I am wonderful!” Quackity spluttered; an absolute offended look that made Ranboo laugh. Maybe it wasn’t impossible, maybe they could do this after all.
When Dream visited next, Ranboo was able to play the part perfectly. They engaged in conversations; not once mentioning the room. He wasn’t sure if he was able to convince the admin but from how Dream seemed to relax enough by the end of their exchanges, he would like to think he did a decent job.
When Dream left, saying something about fixing a code that spawned a red egg in the Badlands, Ranboo waved before hardening his glance when the lava lifted once more.
“I should have known that you are disqualified as the warden.”
“Yeah, yeah, get up and get out.” Sam motioned.
“And Dream?”
“Preoccupied.”
The walk towards the exit was silent, save for the fumbling of Ranboo’s feet as he tried to get used to the feeling of walking through the long hall.
“You sure you can do this?”
“Oh, shut up.” Ranboo chuckled though he was curious nonetheless. “What makes you join in?”
“It’s Dream.” And it was enough.
“You know that we are essentially going to fight god, right?”
“And hopefully ungod the said god in the end?” Sam huffed. “Yeah, I am aware of how crazy it sounded.”
“But I can’t bear to see him like that.” Sam pulled the lever and the portal sparked to life. “Contrary to popular belief, I do think you are good for him.”
“Then perhaps you are crazier than you have thought.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“Phil, are you ready?” Techno readjusted the armour, tightening the straps while the wither skulls glowed in his chest.
“Yes. Let’s get the kid back.”
“You know that Dream is not going to be happy about this?” Techno pulled up the ender eyes, juggling them with his hands. “And my property value is so going down after this.”
“At this point, it is better than nothing.”
They shared a look before descending down the stairs to the stronghold. When you were close to god, you began to lose important aspects of yourself. If you kept on gifting, you would forget the joy of receiving. If you became detached, you would forget the feeling of holding something close to your heart.
It would be a shame if the sparks behind the emerald were snuffed out. They decided. And since Dream would be unlikely to make the decision himself, they would have to do it for him. One last time.
“They are here.” The door gave way to Ranboo and Sam, followed closely by Quackity and Callahan while the rest of the server could be seen through their name tags around the arctic.
“Heh, finally some excitement.” The eyes fitted perfectly into the frame. The eerie call of the void echoed throughout the server as the portal opened and for a moment, nothing happened. The tension, however, was enough to suffocate.
“Now what?” Quackity asked, slightly put off by the unimpressive display. It lasted for a mere second before he shrieked in surprise when Dream emerged from within the portal. Mask off to the side as always with an amiable smile on his face.
“What is the meaning of this, Techno?” An unmistakable authority over the world; his world. Wordlessly, they pulled out their weapons while Ranboo stepped forward.
“Familiar, isn’t it?” Ranboo gestured.
“Is this revenge?” As if they were mere children, Dream sighed, stepping onto the portal frame and pulling his arms out. “I will let you take one of my canon lives in exchange?”
“How about no?” Dream startled; his smile faltered for a moment but it was quickly replaced with another. A slip, perhaps they weren’t too late. “What do you want then?”
“What can you offer?”
“Anything.” Dream agreed easily, folding his arms to his back as he shuffled on the spot.
“Then come home.” Ranboo offered a hand out, watching as the green eyes observed him, scrutinising them.
“Just that?” Dream whispered as if in disbelief, or what Ranboo hoped was disbelief.
“You don’t need to keep on giving things, Dream. It is ok to accept help too. You don’t need the control room, Dream.”
As if a taboo that had been chanted over and over, the air tensed as Dream drew back, retreating into himself.
“No.” Dream turned back to the portal, letting the cold air ruffle his blonde hair. “Anything but that.”
“Drea-”
“You don’t understand.” Dream cut in, uncharacteristically of his normal courteous self. “I need it. They need it.”
“No, we don’t.” Tommy, when had Tommy made his way in? The teen was too brash for his own good but the guilt underneath his fierce blue eyes spoke volume. People were filtering in, one by one, each mumbling in agreement.
“I am sorry, Dream.” Tommy began, bowing deep and for once sincere. “We took and took from you.”
“What? No, Tommy, I am willing to give.” Dream shook his head, as if he was finding the whole conversation ridiculous.
“I am sorry.” Quackity followed next, banishing his hold on the axe as he looked at Dream in the eyes. “For attacking you.”
“You were mad and lost control. It’s okay.”
“We are sorry, Dream.” Sapnap and George echoed. “We let the need for power get into our head, and left you when you needed us the most.”
“You didn’t mean to.”
Excuses after excuses. Tiny steps until Ranboo was standing right in front of the admin.
“I am sorry, Dream.”
“Ranboo?”
“For not noticing what you needed the most.” Ranboo grasped onto Dream’s wrist, pulling him away from the portal. “Come home, Dream.”
“I-I-” Distortion. Snapping chains of the world. If he lost control, what would he amount to? “No, no, no, no, no…”
With a burst of strength, Dream pushed Ranboo away, stepping into the portal but Techno was faster, shoving his arms around Dream’s waist to push the blonde back, away from the gateway. Dream choked, coughing when he landed onto the floor before snarling at Techno; one of the most genuine moments he ever had.
“No, get away from the portal!” Dream warned, stomping his feet to summon a wave of energy that scattered the crowd. He strolled forward only to be deferred by Sam’s blade that had cut too close. A shield appeared in his hand, blocking the strike while he tried to push back. They were surrounding him. Caged, no, no, he was the admin. He couldn’t lose.
Sapnap and George synced, like back then, when it was just them. The arrow dug into his shoulder while Sapnap’s sword pushed him back further.
“Get away from me!” They fell, caught off guard by the explosions from creepers that suddenly spawned by their sides. Yet, their spots were quickly taken over by Tommy who worked a fishing line around the admin while Techno moved in to dislodge the shield. Phil soared the sky that was now exposed from the explosion, occasionally swooping down to relocate those who had gotten too close to the heart of the damage.
“This is my world!” Dream hollered, pulling up the command. His hands shook in the effort to ban them all and the moment of hesitation was enough for Callahan to wrestle the last bit of control from Dream.
“Callahan, now!” Ranboo called. The mute nodded in response, approaching the end portal while pulling up the code, deleting lines of it to be replaced with new commands.
“No, Callahan!” Dream hissed, like a cat that had been dumped into freezing water. He crawled against Ranboo’s arms that wrapped tightly around him, not allowing an inch of movements with his height advantages.
Quackity couched low, deflecting the projectiles from the skeletons while Callahan worked meticulously, picking apart codes after codes until the control room shifted under the careful ministry.
“Don’t! Please, I will do anything.” Dream pleaded when it seemed like all hope had been lost. It was his world. If there was a lack of control, if there was no way of ensuring things would go the right way, what would his world become? “Please, Ranboo, let go.”
“Isn’t it awfully lonely, Dream?” Ranboo sighed. He could feel the figure within his arms freeze. Perhaps, he was too tired to fight back, or perhaps he had seen the futility in his actions.
“Why, Ranboo?” An echo of the past. Familiar conversations, different scenarios, but important all the same. “Why won’t you leave me be?”
“Hey, blame you.” Ranboo chuckled, watching as the last line of codes faded into thin air and the portal lighted up one last time before scattering completely. “You didn’t leave me be the first few times, you ain’t getting rid of me that easily.”
He sank down onto the floor, bringing Dream with him. The action was reminiscent of the old days when they were unaware of the spiral Dream had brought himself closer to. And mayhaps, nothing would have changed if Ranboo never noticed, but the hybrid was glad he did. Ranboo sneaked a peek around the area, noting the tired but relieved looks. For Dream was tangible. Dream was real.
“Let me go, Ranboo.” Dream sobbed, trying to pull away, only to have his wrists grasped by gentle bicoloured hands.
“I am not letting go.” Not in this eternity. Not in this reality.
“What would I be, without everything?”
And the answer came easy for them. From everyone.
“You will still be Dream, our silly reckless admin.”
It would be slow, but it would be a start.
