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The first time Dream asks for Tommy's armor, he fights back until Dream presses a sword into his chest, and Tommy grits his teeth and does what he asks, glaring as he watches an explosion destroy all of his hard-earned possessions.
"You're a fucking bastard," he snarls at Dream, whose expression is unreadable behind his blank mask.
Dream tilts his head, and Tommy swears he can hear a smirk in his voice.
"You'll learn to love me."
All Dream wants is for people to listen to him.
It's all he's ever wanted. Because regardless of what everyone else thinks - regardless of the fact that everyone on this goddamn server thinks they know best, that they're best suited to rule - Dream knows what's best for everyone. And if everyone else would just swallow their pride and listen to him, then there wouldn't be so much war and conflict and goddamn noise all the time.
He has almost everyone under his thumb, by now. Eret follows his lead, Tubbo will do anything to avoid conflict, and regardless of what George and Sapnap think - they've always been one shout away from submission.
The only person he's never been able to control is Tommy.
So, yeah. He's pleased when he pulls the right strings and gets Tommy sent into exile. And he indulges himself in his victory - visiting every day to see what he's up to, destroying his stuff just to rub his powerlessness in even more. Technoblade aside, Tommy's one of the greatest challengers Dream's ever beaten. He's not above a bit of gloating.
It's not until Tommy stops arguing with him that Dream realizes just how far he could take this.
It's easy to play nice, easy to be friendly, easy to give Tommy little rewards when he doesn't fight back. The first day Tommy throws his armor to the ground without being prompted, Dream gets a little thrill of satisfaction down his spine. And when he hands the armor back to him at the end of that day and sees Tommy light up with actual gratitude, he knows he's on the right track.
The only thing left to do is make sure nobody else can get involved.
It's easy to destroy the invitations to Tommy's little party, and even easier to convince the shell-like ghost of Wilbur not to ask too many questions.
"Don't come to Tommy's party," he tells Wilbur. "Don't visit Tommy anymore, ever."
"But I want to," the ghost says meekly. "He's lonely --,"
"He's fine. He has me. Wilbur. Do I really have to remind you of what happened the last time you and Tommy were in exile together?"
And Wilbur shuts down, plants hands over his ears and says "no, no, I don't - I don't want to, don't want to think about it," and floats away, mumbling something quietly: "I didn't mean to, I didn't want to..."
Pathetic, Dream thinks. It's all too easy.
"You're the only one who showed up," Tommy mumbles. It looks like he tried to freshen himself up for the party, which is funny. He still looks like shit - bags under his eyes, rips in his clothes.
"Have a piece of cake," Dream says.
"Nobody cares about me anymore." So despondent. So tired.
Dream is glad for the mask so that Tommy can't see his pleased little grin.
"Come on, Tommy," he says, as Tommy's chin drops to his chest. "Here, we can do something fun. What do you want to do?"
Tommy shrugs.
"You ever used a trident before?"
This seems to perk him up. "No."
"You can use mine," Dream says encouragingly.
It gets a genuine smile on Tommy's face, which is good. Tommy's been compliant and trusting recently. He listens to Dream. When Dream asks him for things, he hands them over. When Dream says no, Tommy stops. When Dream tells him he can keep the trident, a grin splits across his face and he bounces up on his toes a little.
"Thanks, Dream," he says, and for a second, Dream sees the defiant, insolent boy who screamed at him only two weeks ago, ready to start another war rather than follow Dream's orders. The image melts into what Tommy has become: timid, exhausted, desperate for someone, anyone, to be on his side.
It's all going so very, very well.
Dream comes by the next day and he sees Tommy - and somebody else. It takes him by surprise.
It's Ranboo, he realizes as he gets closer, the strange looking child who's been leaving notes for Tommy. Dream destroyed most of them - though he's sure he's missed a few. He feels his eyes narrow as he walks up the beach, watching Ranboo wave goodbye to Tommy and climb into the Nether portal. They make eye contact for a single second. Ranboo looks startled, but holds his ground before he disappears.
Tommy seems more like his old self than he has in weeks.
"Was wondering when you were gonna show up," he says cheekily to Dream, who stands silently outside his base, his arms crossed. Tommy finishes throwing something into a chest before coming out to join Dream on the plains. "Got some diamonds, earlier - Ranboo lent me his fortune pick, he's a real lad... couldn't stay very long," his face falling in disappointment, "but still a good guy, y'know..."
Ranboo. Dream grits his teeth and steps forward, placing a hand out and stopping Tommy.
"Give me the diamonds," he says.
Tommy looks startled. "What?"
"Diamonds," Dream repeats shortly. He points at the ground.
And for the first time in weeks, Tommy hesitates.
"Oh, fuck off, you green bastard," he says half-heartedly, trying to wave Dream's hand away. "I don't have to listen to you."
And then he goes very, very still. And Dream just stares at him, very quietly.
Tommy swallows. "I didn't mean it," he says weakly. "I didn't mean it, alright, I was just -,"
Dream takes two fast steps towards him and grabs him by the front of his shirt with his left hand, yanking him close, and Tommy shrinks back, his eyes wide and terrified. "You still haven't learned your fucking lesson, have you?"
"It was a joke, Dream, I - calm down, I was only joki-,"
Dream's fist smashes into his face, snapping his head to the side, and Tommy lets out a shocked cry. Dream lets him go and Tommy falls backwards, hitting the ground, a bruise darkening fast on his cheek. His hand shoots up to his face and comes back bloody.
"You fucking listen to me when I tell you to do something, you hear me?" Dream snarls, towering over him. "I'm getting sick of this."
"Dream --"
"I come by every day, I look out for you, I'm the only person who cares about you at all, and what? You think you can throw me away because fucking Ranboo visited you for the first time in weeks? Are you that fucking stupid, Tommy?"
Tommy flinches, tears welling up in his eyes -
And he starts apologizing. He's cowering on the ground, dirty and half-starved and beaten up all because of Dream, and he's apologizing, saying "I'm sorry, Dream, I - I'm sorry, I'll get the diamonds, I wasn't thinking straight -,"
"Maybe I should just leave you alone," Dream says coldly. "Is that what you want? You want me to stop coming around?"
Tommy cries, "no," and he lurches to his feet and shoves himself at Dream.
At first Dream braces himself to take a hit, but a second later he realizes that Tommy is hugging him. His arms are wrapped around him and his face is shoved into Dream's chest, and he's shaking, clutching at him and saying "please don’t leave, you’re the only person I have left, I swear I’ll listen I swear I’m sorry I’m s-sorry, I'm so sorry...”
Dream slowly wraps an arm around his shoulders. He puts a hand in Tommy's hair and feels him trembling. He says, "It's okay, Tommy. I won't leave. I forgive you."
Tommy sniffles and whispers, "Thank you, Dream."
And that's when Dream knows he's won.