Chapter Text
Dream 7:23 am
Wake up college student
Have fun during your first day of classes, kid
I’m still half asleep as I squint at the messages, small smile on my face. I had quite a few good luck messages to wake up too, most of them being spam from my family. I scroll through Wilburs essay of good luck, laughing at the contrast to Techno’s “you’ll be fine, call me about it later”.
I pulled myself out of bed as I opened another texting thread, this one from Sapnap.
Sapnap
7:02 am
Make sure it eat instant noodles or something for breakfast- if you're in college you gotta act like it
Nvm
Dream is telling me this is bad advice
He says make an egg or something nutritious
(between you and me, cup of noodles is plenty nutritious)
Well I know that’s a lie. I can already hear either Ranboo or Tubbo in the kitchen cooking something- that I hope is not cup of noodles- as I step into the bathroom and grab my toothbrush.
I didn’t have class until eleven, so there was no reason to be up at seven thirty on a monday, but I was naturally up from nerves.
After brushing my teeth, I make my way into our small corner kitchen. There’s no living room, but the dining table was pushed up to the same side of the room. Tubbo was eating at the dining table and I watched with a grin as Ranboo poured boiling water into a cup of noodles container.
“I dunno what he’s doing.” Tubbo comments as we catch glances. He’s eating a bagel like a normal person.
“I’m doing it for Sapnap.” Ranboo says without turning around.
“Don’t tell Dream.” I grin.
“What are you doing up so early?” Tubbo asks, watching me pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Couldn't sleep.” I shrug. “Nerves.”
Both Tubbo as Ranboo had Monday morning classes starting today, hence them being up.
Tubbo nodded as I sat across from him at the table, walking over with his shitty breakfast choice and sitting next to Tubbo.
I snap a picture of him and send it to a groupchat of the foster kids who had all been adopted or aged out. It was Ranboo, Sapnap, Dream, and I along with three others. “Quiet the fulfilling meal there, Ranboo.”
“Oh yeah, I know.”
I scoff leaning back in my chair as my roommates begin talking about their day. We all sat together for about a half hour before Tubbo pushed himself away from the table, dismissing himself first.
“I gotta go get ready for class.”
Ranboo and I followed in suit not long after. I did the dishes since I had nothing to get ready for. The morning was honestly peaceful.
After the dishes, I made my way back to my room, mindlessly picking up my red binder.
Reading the letters had quickly become a new favorite hobby. I felt nostalgic, obviously. It showed me how far I had come, how much I had learned.
But at the same time? Everything was so similar.
I already knew what the next letter was, just by skimming the first paragraph.
It was about the discord.
Something that we still use. Even though I’ve been adopted, I’m a legal adult, I haven’t even been in the home in at least two years. Yet the discord was still part of my daily life.
It was so weird to think I genuinely went so long without having the server.
"This website is confusing" I whine, flipping between what I think are different channels.
Tubbo there are so many little things about Discord. Like, you can’t just message people. There are roles and channels and pings and all these things that I just can’t keep up with.
Dream and Sapnap were trying so hard to make it perfect for everyone to use and they were so excited about it too, I felt bad that I couldn't handle it.
It was just- almost overwhelming.
“We should have a fourth voice chat for like- homework.” Dream suggests.
“ Another voice chat?” I ask, eyes wide. “How do we keep track?”
“They’re labeled, Tommy.” Sapnap grins
“I just don’t think we need a new channel for every possible conversation.”
“It’s for organization.” Dream counters.
“Yeah because you care about organization.”
We bicker for a bit more as I watch new channels and voice chats get added from my screen. Dream and Sapnap gave out the link for to sever under to promise that we did fuck with anything until it was all set up. The bar on the right showed everyone active, but nobody typed or anything.
Dream was setting up essentials while Sapnap did the non important stuff- like changing my name to red with the role: annoying child.
“I’m not a child!”
He just hums, continuing to type away on his computer.
The discord very quickly became a necessity, Tubbo.
I found myself memorizing places that had public wifi.
The library, the home, the diner, the McDonald’s at the edge of town- and school.
Most big public locations have wifi, that's my new rule of thumb. A family owned shop in the town may not have guest internet, but if it's a chain store it probably does.
“Thomas?”
“Tommy.” I correct Natalie without looking up from my bed. I’m still on my laptop, messaging Ranboo who left two days ago.
“You ready?” She asks.
I’m getting relocated. ‘Bout an hour away.
But it’s not scary this time. There’s a discord full of emotes, games, and my friends .
You gotta get discord, Tubbo.
“Yeah.” I close my laptop, slipping it into my bag. For the first time since become a foster, I’m not scared,
I won’t lose touch.
I can snag the family’s wifi password or even just stop at a fast food chain or something to keep in touch. I’m no longer sending letters knowing they’ll arrive too late if something happens, but hoping somebody will at least know my story.
I’m connected.
Dream is in the hangout area doing homework as Natalie and I walk through. “Bye, Dream.” I say softly as he pulls me into a hug.
“Stay safe, kid.”
“I’ll try.”