Chapter Text
Tommy walked along the prime path, a dazed look on his face. He thinks he passed someone but they didn’t acknowledge him so maybe not. He’s still thinking about what happened earlier. He’s not thinking about the offer, he’s not, Tommy clenches his jaw at the thought.
“So Tommy did you enjoy your dream?”
“Wha- What are you-”
“It was pretty right? Of course, it is! I’m so good at my job” He watched as Red gave herself a metaphorical pat in the back.
“You did that?” He narrows his eyes, no one ever does anything if it doesn’t benefit them. “What’s the catch?”
“Nothing! This is a free trial, a uh- a sample!”
Then Red’s eyes had a dangerous glint in it, “It’s the next part needs payment”
“...the next part?”
“You can stay here and keep dreaming! You get to keep your cozy cottage and your cow and live out out a dreamy life. Doesn’t that sound peaceful?”
It does sound peaceful… suspiciously peaceful. “What’s the catch?”
“Well to dream, you need to be asleep. And if you’re asleep for long enough… you’ll die!”
Tommy blinks, “What the fuck?! Are you insane?!”
She clicks her tongue. “You’re not thinking this through Tommy. Between the dreams I offer and the limbo you’ve seen, can you honestly say you rather go there than here?”
He can’t. Of course. Here and there was the difference between heaven and hell. But can he really do it? Leave everything and everyone behind and live the rest of his life and afterlife in a blissful sleep?
No. He can’t.
“Sorry”
Red just smiles at him, as if she already expected his answer. He can’t just leave, he has friends and families here. He hates being left behind, he’s not gonna do that to someone else.
“When you change your mind, the field will find you”
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And now Tommy is back on the Great SMP. Prime, it fucking sucks here. The area was desolated and reeks of gunpowder. No one lived here anymore.
No one but Tommy.
He frowns, this place feels too lonely. In that dream he was alone but that sense of loneliness never enveloped him unlike now. Tommy shakes himself out of his thoughts, maybe he just needs to visit Tubbo and Ranboo.
Tommy walked away, mindlessly wandering with no purpose. He stomps his feet in a fit of anger and frustration.
A week! A week of everyone brushing him off. Tubbo and Ranboo keeps saying they were busy. Jack will shoot him the moment he gets close to the hotel. He swallowed his pride and talk to Sam even, but he just got pushed away. Then Puffy cancels their therapy session because of these stupid egg fuckers.
And then when Tubbo and Ranboo had finally hung out with him, he still felt out of place. They had their own jokes, their small conversations with their eyes, and Tommy feels so, so lonely.
He stops his thoughts when pink enters his sight. Fucking Technoblade is here with Phil in tow, Prime this couldn’t get any worse. He should turn and move the opposite way, those two spell nothing but trouble. Ghostbur was with them though, and don’t tell anyone but he misses the naive ghost.
With false confidence, he walked over to his definitely-no-longer-his family. When he’s near them, he can see Ghostbur light up, the annoyance in Techno’s face and Phil rather pay attention to anything else instead of his so-called son.
“Tommy!”
The ghost happily floats towards him. “Hey Ghostbur, where’ve you been?”
Ghostbur cocks his head to the side, confused. “What do you mean Tommy?”
“I- you just left so suddenly” Twice did it happen already. First during exile then after the prison, he was just gone.
“Oh! I was just hanging out with Phil and Techno”
He was just with them? As if nothing ever happened? Or maybe Ghostbur just forgot all the hurt they caused. Sometimes he wonders if he made the ghost so sad that he just left and forgot about him. They’re all together but not him- No. He will always get left behind.
Tommy will always be alone.
The images of red flowers pop into his mind. He decided then; he rather be there alone yet not lonely, than here with people but be alone still.
He says his goodbye to the ghost, ignoring the other two. He’s got a poppy field to find.
Not even five minutes of walking he’s here again. Red appears in a matter of seconds, smiling at him.
Tommy blinks at her. “You knew I would come back” his tone accusatory.
“People like you always come back. Are you ready to go back to sleep?” She asks once more, a hand reaching out to him. This time he takes her hand.
Everything fades to black.