Archive of Our Own

Dream was quite skeptical when Schaltt asked him to meet up so they could speak. He walked towards L’manburg with caution, he wasn’t sure who was on what side anymore so walking by Bad, Fundy, Skeppy, and Punz was quite unnerving. It was even worse when he saw them glancing at him. He walked faster but kept his calm attitude. He was nearing the building. One of Eret’s towers since the white house had been torn down by Schlatt. Quackity had gone missing after that. Dream pushed the doors open and stepped inside. He sighed in relief when the door closed behind him. 

“Well, took you longer than I’d thought to get here,” said Schlatt from across the room. Dream nearly jumped at the voice. He huffed and turned towards the goat hybrid. 

“Not my fault, I was so worried about being jumped I thought I’d be cautious.” remarked Dream. Schlatt and his two new bodyguards walked towards the middle of the room. Dream eyed the large, heavily armed men warily. He may be good but if one of them got their hands on his lean form he’d be fucked. He’s not weak, not by far, he’s just slimmer because he prefers being fast over being able to take a serious beating. He swallows and joins Schlatt in the middle of the room. 

“What did you need to discuss Schlatt, I’m busy so make it quick,” said Dream. He honestly had nothing to do today. He never really did, he was more of an observer. He watched things go down from afar and intervened when necessary. After L’manburg, he never got really involved in big events or he just didn’t care. When the election came around he brushed it off as something simple and not problem inducing. The more time went on the more Dream got worried about the elections. He had unbanned Schlatt and then he went to go run. He knew about them combing votes before anyone else. He felt the urge to tell Tommy and WIlbur, to warn them but he also felt he didn’t have the right to. It would make the elections unfair and that alone would spark conflict. He immediately regretted not telling them. He watched Schlatt exile them. He watched as they fled from their home with nothing but themselves. He watched as Tubbo was forcefully made Schaltt’s right hand man. He watched it all with the feeling of guilt in his chest. He felt better about the situation when Technoblade joined the game. It gave the other two a rather large advantage honestly. He helped them a few times, gave Techno items and gave Tommy his armor and bow. He felt guilty for not warning them about it. Even still, he watched from the side lines, not wanting to get involved. He was on Pogtopia’s side, Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur and Techno knew it no matter how many times he denied it. Schlatt grunted.

“I bet you're busy watching us,”said Schaltt. Dream’s eyes widened under his mask. No one knew he watched everything, he was extremely stealthy. Except for the elections, he watched those on top of Eret’s tower, visible to all, showing himself as the watchful god of the server.

“You think I don’t notice when you go sneaking around? You may be stealthy but you can’t avoid my hearing and eyesight,” said Schaltt. Dream grimaced. The man was part goat, his eyesight and hearing was way more advanced than a humans, similar to Techno who also had good hearing. Dream remained silent knowing he couldn’t deny anything.

“Bet you’re going back to your Pogtopia buddies and relaying all the info right?” asked Schlatt. He took a step towards Dream.

“No, I’m not. I’m not on their side, I’m not on anyone's side.” responded Dream. Schlatt laughed loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. 

“That’s a funny joke. Dream, I know what you’ve done. You helped them. You gave Techno supplies, you gave Tommy your armor and best weapon, you’ve kept their location disclosed. You are on their side.” said Schlatt. Dream huffed.

“I'm not on a side, I said I wasn’t going to get involved.” said Dream. Dream felt his uneasiness grow when Schlatt smirked. 

“What do you need, I want to leave.” asked Dream, voice deep and demanding. He was getting annoyed. Schlatt clapped.

“I’m here to offer you a proposition! One you can’t refuse,” answered the goat hybrid. Dream growled.

“Any offer you make Im not excepting, now fuck off,” spat Dream as he turned to leave. He heard something behind him move and then large hands grabbed his arms. His eyes widened and he attempted to pull away. He was dragged back towards the center of the room and shoved to his knees. 

“L-let go!” he yelled. Schlatt smirked as he watched Dream struggle. He handed his new bodyguards some rope and they tied his arms together giving him no space to move. The bodyguards kept their hands on his shoulder keeping him down. Dream struggled against the rope but only ended up rubbing his skin raw. Schlatt walked in front of him and crouched. He gripped Dream’s jaw tightly.

“Did I say you could leave?” asked Jschlatt. Dream would’ve spit in his face if the mask wasn’t covering his mouth.

“I’m glad I got these new guards, the ones I have outside aren’t the best. These guys though, man they managed to get the mighty Dream restrained in a matter of seconds!” bragged Schlatt. Dream growled.

“What the fuck is this Schlatt?! Do you know what you're doing!?” spat Dream as he continued to struggle against his bindings. 

“You were going to leave before my offer, I couldn’t have that so I dealt with the problem.” answered Schlatt. 

“Schlatt, if you so much as touch me more than you already have, I will not hesitate to-” started Dream but Schlatt punched him in the face before he could finish.

“Oh shut up,” snarled Schlatt. Dream’s mask didn’t come off but it was really close to. 

“I have an offer. I want you to come to me, join my side.” said Schlatt. Dream nearly laughed in his face, he managed to hold back his wheeze but he still snorted at his words. There was another punch to his face and he shut up instantly, choosing to glare at the man instead.  

“I’m not doing that, again, I’m not on a fucking side,” grumbled Dream. Schlatt frowned at his answer. 

“See what you don’t know Dream is that I knew you’d say that so I have something that could help change your mind!” exclaimed Schlatt. He snapped his fingers twice and one of the large hands left Dream’s shoulder. Dream immediately tried to take advantage of it but a very strong punch to the gut brought him back to the ground. He coughed. 

“Doesn’t matter what you do, I’m not joining you,” said Dream sternly. 

“Oh but I think you will.” said Schlatt sinisterly. Dream heard the door behind him reopen and heavy footsteps.  He also heard a whimper. His eyes widened when someone was thrown to the floor in front of him. George laid in front of him, arms restrained, his face his bruises on it and he looked pale. He looked awful. Dream jerked forwards.

“GEORGE!” yelled Dream, worry evident in his voice. The strong hand held him back. Jschlatt smirked at him. 

“Does this help?” asked Schlatt. Dream snarled at him. 

“You bastard! He’s your fucking ally!” screamed Dream. George coughed and Dream’s attention went back towards his injured friend. Dream was getting ready to curse the guy out but Schlatt pulled out a sword and held it to George’s throat. Dream stopped moving and talking completely. 

“There we go, now stay quite and fucking listen or he’s going to have a pretty big cut in his neck,” snarled Schlatt. Dream reluctantly complied. 

“You will join my side, lure those pesky assholes out here and wait for further instruction after we arrive or as far as I’m concerned little Georgie here is gonna be dead pretty soon.” instructed Schlatt. Dream didn’t answer. Schlatt growled and pressed the blade harder into George’s neck. George let out a cry. Dream didn’t answer again.

“Answer. NOW.” demanded Schlatt as he pressed even harder, tiny droplets of blood escaping from the cut on George’s neck. He pressed harder and George cried out louder this time. Dream jerked forwards. 

“Stop! I’ll do it! Just fucking stop!” yelled Dream. Schlatt smiled.

“Why don’t you look me in the eyes when you answer, you’re quite the liar from what I’ve heard,” said Schlatt. 

“Fuck you,” spat Dream. Dream stared at Schlatt with pure hate in his eyes. Schlatt kicked his face and his mask flew off. Dream kept his head down now, attempting to keep his face somewhat hidden. 

“Dream, why don’t you lift your head and say you’ll do what I tell you?” said Schlatt.

Dream kept his head down until he felt a hand grab his dirty blonde hair and yank his head up. He cried out at the new pressure on his scalp that made it feel like it was on fire. Schlatt crouched down right in front of Dream’s face. 

“Say it.” demanded Schlatt. Dream stared into Schlatt’s black eyes. He closed his eyes in response to the pain. 

“I’ll do it, just please don’t hurt him,” said Dream, voice weak as he stared into his eyes. Schlatt grinned and motioned for the bodyguard to release his hair. Dream’s head fell forwards and he sighed in relief now that the pressure was gone. Schlatt walked over and picked up Dream’s now cracked mask and walked back over to him. 

“Why do you hide your face, Dream?” asked Schaltt. Dream ignored him.  

“Is it to hide your scars? You seem to have a lot of them. You can tell me about them while we plan.” said Schlatt. Dream scowled. Like hell he was. 

“Untie him. I’ve noticed how he always disappears around this time, wouldn’t want them to get suspicious now would we?” questioned Schlatt sarcastically. Dream shook his head weakly. 

“Good.” said Schlatt as he walked towards the exit. One of the two bodyguards began untying him, his arms now raw and bloody due to his struggling. Dream rushed towards George who was lying on the floor still. He pulled him into his arms.

“George…” he mumbled, feeling tears come to his eyes. George appeared to have passed out leaving Dream with a motionless body in his arms. George’s body was suddenly yanked away from him and he scrambled to his feet trying to get his friend back but one of the guards grabbed his arm tightly.
“GEORGE!” he screamed, desperately trying to reach him. The guard holding George disappeared behind a corner and the guard holding him made his way towards the exit. Dream struggled against his grip. It had started raining while he was inside and the guy stopped at the doors and threw him out. He hit the ground with a thud. Dream didn’t waste any time getting up, he ran to the now locked door and banged his fist against it. 

“George…” he mumbled. Warm tears flowed down his cheeks. He was so frustrated. He felt so weak, so scared, so fucking vulnerable. He punched the wooden doors one final time and sunk to the ground. 

“No…” he whispered to no one. He stood up and turned around, ignoring the way the rain drenched his clothing and stung his arms. He had blood on his face from the punches and kick Schlatt gave him. Dream walked through Manburg with his head low, fists clenched. Once again he saw the others there glance at him, only this time their faces were filled with worry as they caught sight of his bloody arms and bleeding face. He saw Bad step forward but before he could speak, Dream threw an endear pearl as far away as he could. He reappeared in the middle of the forest, no one was around. He removed his mask and wiped away his tears and decided he’d stay here for the night. He climbed a tree and laid himself on one of the branches. He didn’t have a home anywhere really. Ever since the L’manburg war he never put forth the effort to build a new base so he was left with staying in trees or camping on a mountain, borrowing a bed or staying with Sapnap or George. He’d been staying with Wilbur and Tommy more recently though. He sat there going over the events in his head while wrapping his arms with bandages. He closed his eyes. 

“Fuck,” he cursed.

Timeskip a few days

Dream woke up in panic. He heard someone yelling his name and he scrambled out of his makeshift bed. He quickly grabbed his hoodie, pulled it over his head and went down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, Schlatt was standing there, arms crossed looking pissed. What shocked him was Quackity was standing next to him as well. Schlatt had been forcing Dream to stay on Manburg grounds so he could keep an eye on the masked individual.

“What do you WANT?” asked Dream, voice deeper than usual from just waking up. Schlatt marched forward and grabbed the front of Dream’s hoodie. 

“Why the hell are Tommy and Wilbur standing in my grounds asking for you?” asked Schlatt with a threatening voice. Dream’s eyes widened.

“What? They are?” questioned Dream. He managed to hide the excitement in his voice as he hasn’t seen any of them in almost a week. Schlatt grimaced. The goat hybrid turned to Quackity.

“Took you long enough to crawl back here. Go get your shit, we need to deal with them. That applies to you to Dream. I think we’ll go through with our plan today.” said Schlatt with a smirk. Dream scowled and turned around walking back up the stairs. Quackity remained silent and followed Dream up the stairs. 

“Whta are you doing, Dream?” asked Quackity. Dream sighed. 

“Following orders.” answered Dream. 

“You know what I meant, why are you with him? ” said Quackity. Dream stopped and turned to him.

“Because I don’t have a choice.” he answered. He turned back around and continued to the armory.

“Why are you here? Where’d you go?” asked Dream. 

“I want to join Pogtopia.” Dream nearly tripped when he heard Quackity say that. 

“What!?” yelled Dream as he turned around to face him. Quackity raised his arms.

“Woah, calm down! Fucking hell!” yelled Quackity. 

“What do you mean you went to join them? They just let you in?” asked Dream.
“Me and Schlatt had an argument about a week ago and I ran away to the forest but Tommy found me. I asked if I could join and he let me.” answered Quackity. Dream stopped in front of the door and opened it.

“My turn, what did you mean when you said you didn’t have a choice?” asked Quackity. The two walked into the room and Dream picked up a cross bow and an axe. Dream remained silent.

“Come on dude! There has to be a reason you just switched sides!” said Quackity. Dream grit his teeth. 

“I was never on a side Quackity.” answered Dream. Quackity grabbed his arm. 

“Yes you were, staying with Tommy and Wilbur inside of Pogtopia, fighting alongside Tommy and Techno, offering to help them if they needed it. You were on their side and I’m pretty damn sure you saying ‘I was never on a side’ isn’t going to work for them once we get outside.” argued Quackity. 

“Wait… they know?” asked Dream. 

“Of course they do, it was obvious the first time you didn’t come back to see them when I joined. Wilbur immediately jumped to that conclusion and boy was he right because we followed you and saw you meet up with Schlatt the same goddamn day.” remarked Quackkty. Dream had stopped walking. He gripped his axe’s handle tightly. Schlatt said not to tell anyone. If he did George would get killed. But Schlatt doesn’t know Quackity isn’t on his side. He technically would be telling someone on Manburg’s side in Schlatt’s eyes. He sighed. 

“He took George.” said Dream. 

“What? What the hell does that mean?” asked Quackiy. 

“He took George hostage and said if I didn’t join them they'd kill him.” said Dream, voice cold and filled with rage. Quackity stared at him in shock. 

“He asked to meet one day and I complied. I thought it was about expanding land because we have had meetings like that before. When I got there he just made smart remarks about me being on Tommy’s side. I denied it and tried to leave. His two new pawns restrained me before I could leave and then he told me his deal. He wanted me to lure them to Manburg. I denied and laughed in his face but then he brought George out. He looked so hurt, bruises on his face, pale, arms tied behind his back.” Dream grit his teeth at the memory. 

“The fucker held a blade to his neck and pressed down until I agreed. Then he removed my mask and made me look him in the eyes and agree to do it again. He made me look into his eyes while I agreed to betray them.” finished Dream, his fist were clenched tightly, nails digging into the skin so hard Quackity swore he saw blood. Quackity stared at him in shock. He knew Schlatt was an asshole but that crossed so many lines. Hurting George, tying Dream up, removing his mask, threatening to kill George, it was all so wrong. He could tell Dream didn't like talking about it so he placed a comforting hand on Dream’s shoulder. 

“Shit dude, I’m sorry. That fucking sucks,” said Quackity. Dream nodded. He continued walking, Quackity follwing behind. The rest of the walk was silent. They reached the exit and looked outside a window.

“DREAM YOU BASTARD GET OUT HERE!!” yelled Tommy. Dream grunted. Tommy was in full nethrite along with WIlbur. They were both heavily armed. An idea came to his head.

“Quackity.” he said. 

“Yeah?” said the other. Dream turned to him. 

“Do me a favor.” said Dream. 

Dream watched as Quackity ran off to go do what he asked. He sighed and opened the door. Tommy’s head snapped towards the sound of them opening. He growled at the sight of Dream. 

“You traitorous prick,” spat Tommy. Dream frowned behind his mask. He walked towards Schlatt and stopped next to him. 

“Nice to see you could join us, Dream.” said Schlatt with a smirk. Dream only nodded, too afraid to speak and accidentally curse him out. 

“These two seem to be angry about a choice you made.” remarked Schlatt. Dream flipped him off because his hands were in his hoodie pocket. Dream answered but kept his voice as calm as he could. 

“That’s their problem not mine,” said Dream. He saw Wilbur huff in annoyance. 

“It is your fucking problem Dream. You fucking betryed us!” yelled Tommy angrily. He rushed towards Dream but Dream easily moved out of the way. What Dream didn’t expect was one of Schlatt’s guards to grab Tommy the back of his neck and slam him to the ground. Tommy gasped at the lack of air in his lungs. 

“Hey-” started Dream but Schlatt glared at him. Dream slammed his mouth shut. 

“Let go of me you prick!” yelled Tommy. Wilbur stepped forward to help their friend. Schlatt stepped next to Dream and leaned right next to his ear.

“Hold your axe to Tommy’s neck.” whispered Schlatt. Dream’s eyes widened and he went to protest but he saw Schlatt holding George’s cracked glasses in his hand. Dream raised his axe to Tommy’s neck, shame settling into his gut. Tommy stopped struggling in and stared at Dream. 

“Move and I’ll do it.” said Dream, voice dark and threatening. Wilbur stopped and glared at him with a type of anger he hadn’t seen since Eret. 

“There you go. Dream!” exclaimed Schlatt. Schlatt stepped in front of Tommy and Dream.

“Now you, armor and weapons down or I’ll kindly ask Dream to slit his throat and you can stand there watching as he bleeds to death,” said Schlatt with a smile. 

“Fuck you,” spat WIlbur but he complied, removing their armor and laying it on the ground. As soon as they finished unarming themselves. 1 guard went in and shoved him to the ground doing the same thing they did to Dream a week ago. Schlatt smiled when he was restrained and Dream lowered his axe. 

“Did I say you could lower your axe Dream?” said Schlatt sharply. Dream growled but kept the weapon down. Instead he grabbed Tommy from the other guard and held him by the arm, significantly gentler than the guy and made him kneel on the ground next to Wilbur. The other guard restrained him and Dream turned to leave. Schlatt grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Dream jerked his arm away and glared at him through his mask.

“What Schlatt?” asked Dream. Schlatt smirked. 

“I made a few changes to our plan.” said Schlatt. He tapped the blade on Dream’s axe. Dream raised his eyebrows in confusion. 

“They’re already here so you luring them here isn’t really necessary anymore. So why not go onto stage two,” said Schlatt. He motioned for Dream to follow him and Dream did. Schlatt stopped in front of Tommy.

“Get away from him,” snarled Wilbur. Schlatt frowned at him. Dream watched as one of the guards punched Wilbur in the face. 

“Next one who speaks gets one of those,” said Schlatt. He turned to Dream. 

“Do you know what every great leader needs, Dream?” asked Schlatt as he walked away from Tommy leaving Dream standing there alone.

“What.” said Dream. Schlatt glanced at Tommy before looking at Dream and smirking. Schlatt walked back over and picked up the blade of Dream’s axe and guided it towards Tommy’s neck. Tommy tried to flinch away but the guard holding his shoulders had other plans. 

Schatt let go of the axe after he aligned the blade right next to Tommy’s neck. 

“An executioner.” said Schlatt and Dream’s eyes widened so did Tommy’s. Dream’s mouth went dry, he wanted to protest but everytime he looked at Schlatt he saw George’s glasses in his suit pocket and images of George, hurt and alone in a cell popped into his thoughts. 

“I really don’t want to, Schlatt.” said Dream quietly. Schlatt gripped his shoulder and leaned next to his ear. 

“Do it or he dies.” said Schlatt. Dream tensed at his words. He looked towards Tommy. 

“I have an even better idea. They’ve seen your face yeah?” asked Schlatt. Dream nodded, he already knew where this was going. Schlatt grinned and put a finger under the bottom of Dream’s mask and removed it quickly. Dream tried to grab it but the glare Schlatt gave him and the sight of George’s glasses made him stop. Dream stared at the ground now. He couldn’t hide behind the mask anymore and he hated it. He closed his eyes. Schlatt lifted his head up and Dream immediately pulled away from his hand and glared at him with eyes full of rage. 

“Why don’t you look Tommy in the eyes as you slice his neck open, hm?” said Schlatt. Dream knew what would happen if he didn’t. Dream took a deep breath.

“You motherfucker,” spat Tommy, Dream couldn’t tell if it was directed at Schlatt or him but he assumed him. Dream pulled his axe away from Tommy’s neck and got ready to swing. He took another deep breath, and opened his eyes. They immediately met Tommy’s eyes and he froze, nearly dropping his axe. He stared into them. Tommy’s blue eyes were full of rage but Dream couldn’t ignore the pain he saw in the boy’s eyes. 

“Dream don’t…” mumbled Wilbur, a pleading look in his eyes. Dream stared at Tommy with an emotionless expression yet on the inside he was dying. Every rational thought that crossed his mind was screaming at him to do it while the other thoughts screamed at him to not do it. It hurt, all the screaming in his head. His head was pounding. It was getting harder and harder to think. Tommy raised an eyebrow at Dream’s slightly pale complexion. Schlatt noticed as well. He put an arm around Dream’s back and squeezed Dream’s shoulder. 

“Go ahead Dream.” encouraged Schlatt. Schlatt got close to Dream, way too close and whispered into Dream’s ear.

“Do it or I’ll make you watch when I kill George.” Dream’s thoughts froze and he refocused on Tommy who was looking at him. 

“Dream don-” stared Wilbur but the guard silenced him so Wilbur opted to look at Dream with a pained expression. Dream had a hard time ignoring it. He raised his axe high and got ready to bring it down onto Tommy’s neck. Everyone watching noticed how Dream’s hand began to shake. Dream gulped. He gripped the handle with both hands instead of one. His throat was dry. Schlatt raised an eyebrow at him. Dream felt his eyes become wet. He couldn’t. He couldn’t do it. The longer he stared into Tommy’s eyes the harder it was. Wilbur and Tommy stared at Dream in shock when tears began to roll down his face. Dream dropped the axe, it landed on the ground with a thud and he wrapped his arms around himself.

“I can’t…” was all, he said. Schlatt’s face contorted into one of rage. He motioned for the guards to get him. Dream’s eyes shot open when he heard footsteps going towards the building. 

“No! Wait!” he called, voice cracking slightly. The guard holding Wilbur down rushed forwards and grabbed Dream. Dream kicked at the man and clawed at his hands. 

“STOP!!” he screamed. Tommy watched Dream with confusion and worry. Wasn’t he on Schlatt’s side? Schlatt walked in front of Dream.

“I asked you to do one simple thing. Kill Tommy. Would’ve let the other go but no. You couldn’t do it and now you’re crying about it. How pathetic.” spat Schlatt. Dream glared at him and spit in his face. Schlatt growled angrily and punched Dream in the face bringing him to the ground. The door to the building reopened and Dream watched in horror as they dragged a small figure out. It meant Quackity hadn’t managed to find George. More tears fell. 

“NO PLEASE!!” screamed Dream, voice raspy. Dream got picked up by his hood and thrown next to Tommy. He scrambled up but the guard holding Tommy down grabbed his arm.
“Dammit let go!” yelled Dream as he fought for his arm. George was thrown to the ground a few feet away. He was conscious but extremely weak. Dream clawed at the hand. Schlatt grabbed a sword and placed it on George’s neck. Dream’s eyes widened.

“Stop fighting Dream or I’ll slit it right now.” demanded Schlatt. Dream stopped immediately. 

“Wait…” said Tommy. He put all the pieces together. Dream is a rather loyal person which is why seeing him with Schlatt pissed them all off so much. He and Wilbur were especially mad. Tubbo said there was probably a reason. Techno was just disappointed. Wilbur and Tommy said they were gonna go have a chat with him, no matter how many times the other 2 said no they picked up their stuff and left. Quackity had gone back to Pogtopia the night before so they had someone on the inside and when Quackity had snuck out and told them Dream was with Schlatt they were even more mad. God how wrong they were.

“You bastard, you used George to get him to do what you wanted didn’t you,” said Tommy. Schlatt smirked. 

“How else would I have gotten the mighty Dream to follow me?” remarked Schlatt. Tommy glanced over at Dream. He was still standing but his knees were half bent and he was pulling away from the guard trying to get out of his grip. He had tear tracks down his cheeks. Dream was a strong guy, not much affected him but even Tommy understood how much seeing your best friend hurt could break even the strongest. 

“That’s fucked up even for you Schlatt.” said Wilbur. Schlatt shrugged.

“I really don’t care, Wilbur.” said Schlatt. Wilbur glared at him. 

“Schlatt please.” begged Dream. Schlatt looked at him with menacing eyes. 

“Sorry not sorry Dream. All you had to do was kill him and George would've been fine and so would Wilbur! Would’ve let him off with a warning about trespassing and this would’ve been over. But no. You had to not listen. Now you get to pay the price.” said Schlatt. He raised his sword and Dream jerked forward but couldn’t get his arm free. Suddenly a figure appeared from behind Schlatt and a blade was on the goat hybrid's throat. He froze.

“The fuck?” said Schlatt. 

“Wouldn’t fucking move if I were you,” said Quackity. Dream’s eyes widened. 

“Yes Big Q!” yelled Tommy. Wilbur cheered when Quackity appeared as well. Quackity smiled at his friends.

“You fucking traitor.” spat Schlatt. 

“I’ve killed you once, I can do it again,” said Quackity. Schlatt grimaced at his words. 

“Now move the sword and tell those guys to release my friends.” demanded Quackity. Schlatt growled and lifted his sword from George’s neck and Dream visibly relaxed having sunk to the ground in response. The guard united Wilbur. They all stood up and backed away from the guards. The final guard released Dream’s arm and he ran towards his injured friend. 

“George,” called Dream. George’s eyes cracked open.

“Dream…” he mumbled. Dream pulled him into a hug. 

“I’m so fucking sorry,” said Dream. Tears fell onto George’s face. 

“Not your fault.” mumbled George. Wilbur stepped forward with caution and placed a hand on Dream’s shoulder. 

“We need to go Dream, can you pick him up?” asked Wilbur. Dream nodded and picked George up bridal style holding him close. Tommy noticed Dream’s discarded mask and picked it up. 

“Tell your guards to go into the building,” said Quackity. Schlatt growled but motioned for them, to go inside and they did. Only then did Quackity let Schlatt go. He stumbled forward and rubbed his neck. He glared at his former vice president as Quackity walked towards Dream and Tommy. 

“Let’s go,” said Wilbur. They all turned to leave. Dream walked behind everyone. They all glanced back at Dream every now and then. They reached the back of Eret’s castle and stopped.
“I’m going to go,” said Dream. No one missed how raspy his voice was. Wilbur stepped forward. 

“You don’t need to go Dream.” said Wilbur. Dream kept his eyes on the ground. 

“But I should,” responded Dream. He felt like shit. He’d nearly killed Tommy. He’d nearly got George killed too. 

“Dream it wasn’t your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong.” said WIlbur. Dream looked away. Tommy saw the brusie on his arm and what looked like rope burns probably from the stupid guards. His nose had blood coming out of it as well, and there were some older bruises too. Tommy also noticed the bags under his eyes and how he held George so tightly like he was going to disappear. 

“Sorry for calling you all that shit Big man, thought you had betrayed us like Eret,” said Tommy, he held out Dream’s cracked mask. Dream’s vibrant green eyes looked at the mask. Tommy noticed how he couldn’t really carry it and placed it on George’s chest. 

“That’s okay Tommy. Sorry for almost killing you,” said Dream. Dream turned to Quackity. 

“Thanks for that Quackity,” said Dream. Quackity smiled.

“It was no problem but I'm gonna be completely honest, I did not recognize you when I first saw what was happening.” said Quackity. Dream smiled at his statement. 

“Yeah haha, most people don’t. I scared the shit out of these two when they first saw my face,” said Dream, gesturing to Tommy and Wilbur. 

“Oh fuck off, you looked like a completely different person!” yelled Tommy defensively. Quackity laughed loudly at them and Dream giggled. George shifted in his arms and Dream looked at his friend worridly. Wilbur noticed.

“Bring him to Pogtopia, we can treat him there.” said Wilbur. Dream looked up with a shocked expression.

“You’re just going to let him in?” asked Dream. He knew Wilbur had been going through some mental problems recently. He’d actually helped him through some of them and Wilbur had gotten a little less crazy. Trust was one of the big things Dream didn’t know how to help him with so this was shocking.

“Yeah, I doubt he’d want to go back to Schlatt’s side and we can use all the help we can get.” said Wilbur. Dream smiled at him. 

“Thank you, really, thank you,” said Dream. Wilbur smiled at him fondly. 

“Let’s go!” yelled Tommy, the group made their way back to Pogtopia, joking and talking. They reached the entrance and Tommy closed the dirt behind them. They made their way down the stairs. 

“We have returned!” yelled Tommy. They reached the bottom of the staircase and heard shuffling. Tubbo came from around the corner. 

“Tomm-” the 16 year old cut himself off when he noticed Tommy and Wilbur’s appearances and a certain person behind them. 

“It’s okay Tubbo, he’s on our side.” reassured Tommy. Tubbo looked at Tommy then Dream. Dream smiled at him and Tubbo smiled back.

“You all look like shit,” said Techno as he appeared next to Tubbo making the younger jump and scream. The whole room broke out into laughs after that. 

“Sorry Tubbo.” said Techno. Wilbur rolled his eyes at his friends and walked forwards. 

“Dream, you can follow me to the infirmy,” said WIlbur. Dream nodded and walked behind him, the others following close behind. Dream could hear Tuboo asking questions and Tommy hushing him. They entered the room and Dream laid George down on the bed.  George groaned and Dream held his hand. He stared at his friend with pained eyes. 

“What happened?” asked Techno. Wilbur and Tommy looked at him with sad eyes. 

“Schlatt took George hostage to get Dream to join him. Tried to make Dream kill Tommy and if he didn’t he’d kill George.” answered Quackity. Techno grit his teeth at that. Tubbo frowned and walked over to Dream. He wrapped his arms around Dream.

“Schlatt is an asshole. I'm sorry that happened, Dream.” said Tubbo. Dream smiled at him

“It’s okay Tubbo,” responded Dream. 

“But it’s really not. It’s fucked up.” said Tommy. Techno hummed in agreement. 

“I should’ve known something was wrong. I hadn’t seen George in a while but I figured he was away or just didn’t really care,” said Dream. He clenched his fist. 

“Should’ve fucking known,” mumbled Dream. Tommy frowned. He knew exactly how it felt seeing your friend get hurt and by Schlatt. 

“Dream…” said Tubbo. Dream blinked his eyes rapidly, as tears began welling in his eyes. 

“Fuck…” cursed Dream when a tear escaped. Tommy huffed and turned to Wilbur and the others in the room. 

“Why don’t you guys go make food or something. I wanna speak to Dream.” said Tommy. When no one moved he grunted. 

“ALONE.” empathized Tommy. 

“So get OUT.” said Tommy as he motioned for them to leave. Techno nodded to him wishing him good luck and left. Quackity was next shooting Dream a worried glance and leaving. Wilbur stood in the doorway and looked back to Tommy. He smiled at him. Tommy missed this Wilbur and he would forever be eternally grateful to Dream for helping him even if Wilbur still had his mental breaks, Dream really did help a lot. He said he probably would be able to because he was the villain once, so he understood what Wilbur was going through. Tommy turned to Tubbo who stood in the room. He didn’t look like he wanted to leave. 

“Tubbo,” said Tommy. Tubbo looked at him.

“I don’t want to leave Tommy. I know what that’s like.” said Tubbo gesturing to Dream who was currently sitting down next to George, head resting on George’s chest, fingers intertwined. They could both hear his quiet whimpers. Tommy sighed. Tubbo wasn’t wrong but he related more to what happened to George, not Dream. 

“Tubbo, please?” said Tommy. Tubbo’s eyes widened at the please. Tubbo sighed. 

“Okay, but call me when you're done, he looks like he could use a hug,” said Tubbo. Tommy nodded and watched Tubbo leave and close the door behind him. Tommy turned to the crying man and walked towards him. He pulled up a chair next to him. 

“Dream?” asked Tommy. He didn’t get a response but he watched as tears dripped off Dream’s cheeks and onto the sheets. He wasn’t the best at this. He would willingly admit it. Comforting wasn’t usually his thing. Tommy wasn’t good at the normal comfort methods so he decided to go with his own or more precisely, Techno’s method.

“Me and Wilbur were on the roof during the festival. Tubbo had just finished his speech and he looked really happy. It made me happy until I saw Schlatt and Quackity put him in that fucking box.” started Tommy. He looked at Dream, he still had his head down and Tommy could still see the tears, so he continued. 

“I didn’t know what they had planned at first but I figured it out. Schlatt revealed knowing he was a spy. That’s when it kinda went to shit. Techno was called up and I'm sure you know the rest since you were probably watching from somewhere like you usually do. But that’s not really the point. Schlatt hurt my friend too, I should’ve known that he had figured it out. Looking back now I can see all the little hints Schlatt dropped but I didn’t notice them. My friend got killed because I was so caught up with Wilbur trying to blow up L’manburg I completely lost sight of keeping an eye on Tubbo.” said Tommy. Tommy noticed how Dream had gone silent only releasing shaky breaths.

“Point is, Schlatt hurt someone I care about too. I wanna get him back for it. I want to make him pay for it. I’ve never seen Tubbo look so scared and if I’m being honest, I hated it. My chest felt so tight like I couldn’t breathe all these stupid emotions came and ugh.” said Tommy. He hesitantly placed a hand on Dream’s shoulder.

“You're not alone here Dream. You-” started Tommy again but suddenly Dream let out a sob and wrapped his arms around Tommy.

“WOAH-!” siad Tommy. Dream buried his head into Tommy’s shoulder and cried. 

“I s-saw him a few days ago, they just kicked the shit outta him for no d-damn reason and I couldn’t do anything.” said Dream. Tommy frowned

‘They kept hurting him! I watched it! I fucking-” Dream cut himslef off with a choked sob. Tommy wrapped his arms around the blonde’s back and hugged him. He wasn’t too good at physical contact so he just did what he did for Tubbo when he had a nightmare or something. He rubbed circles into Dream’s back. They stayed like that, Tommy stayed quiet while Dream cried. After a while Dream’s cries ceased and he released his grip on Tommy. Tommy shivered at the lack of warmth. Dream sat back in his chair and wiped his face with his hoodie sleeves. His eyes were red and his cheeks were flushed, the bags under his eyes more prominent than before. Dream looked up towards George and reached for his hand. Tommy watched him grip it gently. 

“Thank you Tommy,” said Dream.

“Your welcome,” responded Tommy. Dream gave him a small smile. The room stayed silent after that. Tommy looked towards Dream.

“Dream, question for you,” said Tommy. Dream looked towards him. 

“Yeah?” responded Dream, voice raspy. 

“I said I wanted to get Schlatt back for what he did right?” said Tommy. Dream nodded.

Tommy stood up and looked at Dream. He held his hand out in front of him. 

“I know you want to get back at him too,” said Tommy as he held his hand out in front of him. 

“Join Pogtopia, officially. We could really use you and well, it seems like you could use some help too.” offered Tommy. Dream stared at Tommy then looked at the boy's hand. Dream thought about it. Tommy was right about wanting to get back at him but he didn’t want to get involved. He doesn’t want to fight against his friend’s again. He didn’t want a repeat of the L’manburg  war. All of L’maburg avoided him because they were scared of him and he HATED it. At the same time though, he felt like he should. He had George, he could convince Spanap to help him and that could bring Bad and Skeppy with him. Karl too. Punz was a good friend of his who would help him if he asked. He could easily have the upper hand without fighting. He also just wanted to help Tommy and Wilbur. They both have been through so much and he could’ve stopped it but he didn’t. He wanted to help them. No, he needed to help him. Dream stood up and gripped Tommy’s hand. Tommy stared at him in shock.

“Guess I’m not your side now,” said Dream with a smile. Tommy grinned. 

“Hell yeah! We’re unstoppable now! We have Dream and The Blade!” cheered Tommy. Dream laughed at his antics. He felt his stomach growl and he rubbed the back of his neck out of embarrassment when Tommy raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I haven’t really eaten much over the past wek,” admitted Dream. Tommy rolled his eyes.

“Or slept for that matter,” added Dream. Tommy started at him with an annoyed expression and grabbed his wrist. 

“Let’s go eat then, we can announce you officalialy joining too!” exclaimed Tommy.

“Wait.” said Dream. He pulled out of Tommy’s grip and went over to a shelf and grabbed some paper and a pen. He scribbled something on it quickly and laid it on the table next to George’s bed. He walked back over to Tommy. 

“Let’s go,” said Dream with a smile. 

“You not gonna put your mask on?” asked as they made their way to the main living space. They had been down there for a while so they renovated it. They all had rooms, an infirmary, a library, living space and mini armory for enchantments and stuff. Food was also cooked there. They had made a nice home of the ravine they found ages ago. Tommy and Dream walked down the stairs and opened the doors to the living space. 

“Ello!” called Tommy. 

“Hi,” said Dream. Everyone in the room turned to them. Tubbo smiled at them. And Wilbur yelled a hi back. Techno waved. Quackity said hi as well.

“Guys, guys, guess what?!” yelled Tommy.
“Tommy we are in an underground room everything echoes here,” said Wilbur with an annoyed face and he covered his ears. 

“Sorry sorry,” said Tommy quickly. 

“What is it?” asked Tubbo. Tommy grinned and pulled Dream next to him. 

“Here’s our newest member of Pogtopia!” exclaimed Tommy. Tubbo gasped.

“Really!?” asked Tubbo. Tommy nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m on your side,” said Dream with a smile. Wilbur walked over and hugged him. 

“I’m glad to have you with us Dream.” said Wilbur. Dream smiled. Techno stood up and walked over to Dream. He held out a hand.

“Glad to finally have a rational person here,” said Techno. Dream laughed and shook his hand.

“Guess we’re working together with the child again aren’t we?” remarked Dream. Techno chuckled. 

“I suppose we are.” answered Techno. Quackity swung his arm around Dream’s shoulder. 

“Jeez am I happy that we have the admin on our side. Fucking hell its gonna takes ages to get used to seeing your face.” said Quackity. Dream chuckled.

“I know I just joined but imma be honest. Im really fucking hungry.” said Dream. Wilbur walked into the mini armory and enchantment room and came back with cooked steak for all of them with baked potatoes on the side. 

“Good thing we have a good food supply since our little group keeps growing.” commented Wilbur. 

“Two valuable players on our side now and in a week basically,” said Tommy in disbelief. Dream chuckled. 

“Glad to be here! This place is way better than Manburg.” said Quackity as he took a bite of his potato. 

“Anywhere is better than that hellhole,” responded Dream. The room laughed. All of them sat in the room together. They ate their food and then just talked. Random things were talked about or they focused on a specific topic. It was fun. Dream found it relaxing after the past week of constantly worrying about George and planning with Schlatt. He looked around the room of smiling faces. He was grateful for them. During and after the L’manburg war everything was tense, you would’ve never expected Tomminnit and Dream to team up. He smiled at the thought. He probably would’ve laughed back then. He wouldn't have given a shit about the election back then but these people had a way of getting under your skin but in a good way. Tubbo was sweet, caring and chaotic. Loved bees and ran around with Tommy like a brother. Techno cared deeply for his friends despite his sarcastic and monotone personality. He and Dream had been getting along quite well lately as well. Quackity was another chaotic presence on the SMP but he never failed to make someone smile or laugh. Wilbur was a fearless leader, while he had been struggling, after being convinced that L’manburg was still something they could save he put forth the effort to fight for it. And then there’s Tommy. The chaotic, reckless, swearing teenager that caused the most amount of chaos on the server. Despite being annoying as hell sometimes, he was a good kid. He fought for what he believed in and didn’t let people bring him down. He cared for his friends. Dream smiled. He was happy to be here and nothing would change that. Schlatt would pay. Dream and Tommy would make sure he did. But for now, he’s going to enjoy this. These moments of calm were always the moments you hold onto before war.