Chapter Text
Tommy sat there in Logstedshire underneath his white tent, looking at the sunset. He smiled as the fireplace crackled in front of him and the slight ocean breeze blew in his face. He really didn’t mind exile anymore… The beach was nice and everything was going by pretty nicely. Dream had been less strict on who was able to visit, Ranboo and Ghostbur visiting most of the time to just simply hang out. Tommy let out a sigh as he pushed himself up from the floor of his tent. His arms stretched above his head as he let out a yawn, the feeling of his shoulder blades cracking making him flinch a bit. He rolled his shoulders and neck as he walked out of his tent, looking over at another tent that was set up not too far away. It was a simple green tent, mimicking the white one Tommy settled in. The blonde smiled, walking over to the tent and peered inside.
“Oh hey Tommy- Did you need something?” A voice asked as some rustling was heard within the tent. Tommy watched as Dream climbed out of the tent, his mask left on his bed. He had on a tight black long sleeved turtleneck and loose dark pants with his combat boots. Tommy got a good look at the older man’s face, the rare sight never getting old since Dream never took his mask off unless he was absolutely comfortable. The male had dirty blonde hair and somewhat tan skin. One eye was a bright emerald green, seeming to reflect any light that came in contact. His other eye was milky white, a scar going right through it. Dream didn’t like the scar much but Tommy through it looked absolutely badass. The older man’s face was filled with freckles and his smile was absolutely contagious.
“Heya Big D! Just coming in to check on you and to just see what you’re doing! The sun just set and I'm not that tired yet,” Tommy said with a smile, watching as Dream sat at the edge of his bed. The older teen patted the spot next to him and Tommy raised an eyebrow, but soon understood and walked over to sit next to Dream. Tommy and Dream just sat there for a few minutes… Just enjoying the company of one another. Tommy’s mind wondered, things coming into his mind only to leave a few seconds later… How did he get here? He knew how he got into exile and how his life hit a small road bump- But how did he get here specifically? Right now he was sitting next to Dream, the man who he seemed to have a never ending fight against. The man who seemed to take everything away from him… And for the first few weeks in exile that’s exactly what Dream did.
Dream did nothing but burn all of his stuff, making Tommy give Dream everything valuable he owned. Tommy was so annoyed and angry that he had to go and grab new armor or new tools every single time Dream came around to visit. He had to learn how to be sneaky and learn how to hide things in places that Dream may never look. But soon that wasn’t necessary... Dream stopped asking for his armor and other stuff, letting Tommy keep it all and even helped him upgrade his stuff. Dream even helped Tommy and Ghostbur build things around Logdestedshire. Soon Tommy got used to seeing Dream running around the area, sometimes only being there for a few minutes and sometimes staying with Tommy for days. They all agreed to build Dream a tent for the days he stayed with Tommy and it’s been a normal thing ever since. Dream kinda just moved in with Tommy, giving the boy company and helping him out wherever he could. He would even help Tommy with his nightmares and the bad thoughts that haunted him. It was so sudden even Ghostbur found it kinda weird. But they never asked Dream about it, Dream now having stayed with Tommy for a good two months now…
Tommy totally forgot about questioning why the older blonde was staying with him…
“Question for you Dream,” Tommy said, making the older jump a bit. Dream wasn’t really expecting Tommy to say anything- So he took a few seconds to ground himself before answering Tommy with a hum. Tommy took in a deep breath, looking up at the now starry night sky. “Why did you ever start staying here with me in Logstedshire-? I haven’t seen you go home once to L’manburg and the Dream SMP… Not that I don’t like your company or anything! I’m just wondering why you’re staying here when you’ve got a home back on the other side of that portal… George and Sapnap are probably looking for you ya know? You’ve been here for a few months now” Tommy said as his eyes wandered to the nether portal that they had built right at the edge of the treeline leading into the forest.
Right on the other side was a bridge that led home… The home that Tommy couldn’t go back to but he really wanted to. He wanted to see Tubbo and watch the sunset with him while music played in the background. He wanted to play pranks on everyone with Ranboo and joke around with Quackity and Fundy… Maybe he could even hang out with Philza and just have a family moment with his father… He just wanted to go back to L’manburg. Suddenly Tommy tore his gaze away from the portal, not wanting to feel sad. He sighed and looked back over at Dream. But soon the boy noticed a change in Dream’s posture, the older now gripping the bed sheets so tight that his knuckles turned ghostly white. Dream’s breathing picked up a bit and his eyes widened, his gaze trained onto the floor. Tommy stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes looking at the huge eye bags and if Tommy didn’t know any better they looked like clear bruises. The worry in Tommy’s chest seemed to blow up and he immediately put all of his attention onto the older man.
“Dream are you ok there ma-” Tommy started as he reached too put a hand on Dream’s shoulder as he leaned forwards to see what threw the older blonde off so much… But Dream acted fast, slapping Tommy’s hand away. You could hear the smack echo through the air around them as Tommy let out a small yelp in pain. Dream on the other hand jumped so far that he had fallen off the bed, now on the floor of the tent staring at the ground in fear. He refused to meet Tommy’s eyes, not wanting to see the look on the younger’s face. At first Tommy didn’t realize what happened, everything going too fast for his brain to process. Tommy cradled his hand to his chest as the hit made his hand sting with pain a bit. Tommy turned to yell at Dream, retaliating in the only way he knew how-
“Dream! What the fu-!”
“I’m sorry!” Dream immediately yelled before Tommy could even finish his sentence. Tommy immediately deflated and his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Dream curled in on himself, pushing himself against a chest inside of his tent. He just wanted to disappear… He could feel the boy’s blue eyes burning into his skin and he hated it. He hated it when people looked at him- He shouldn’t have taken off his mask… He wasn’t the best to hide his emotions when it came to his facial features. He wore the mask so people could see how he was feeling. But now Tommy looked at Dream without a mask and in one of his intimate moments… He looked so broken- It was like Dream wasn’t Dream anymore-
“Dream-” Tommy said at almost a whisper, the other on the floor flinching at the sound of his voice. Tommy slowly stood from where he was sitting and made his way towards Dream. It was like the scared blonde didn’t even process what Tommy was doing, frozen in fear and no longer reacting to what the younger was doing. Tommy sat next to Dream, looking at him while tilting his head to the side a bit. Dream felt the blonde’s presence next to him, but stayed staring at the floor and curled up into a call. “Dream…?” Tommy called again, hoping this time Dream would just look at him. But instead Dream just curled up on himself tighter making Tommy let out a sigh. So he just sat there next to Dream, leaning onto the chest behind him and looked up at the ceiling. It felt like hours passed when Dream started to talk out of nowhere…
“He wasn’t too bad you know? Even if he acted like a total prick...” He said out of nowhere, making Tommy jump a bit at his sudden words. He was about to speak but he sat up and looked over at Dream in question. He was now sitting up too but his knees were pressed up against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on one of his knees. His eyes seemed to be looking into space as he spoke, some tears flowing down his face as he shook. He sighed as he closed his eyes causing more tears rolling down his face. Tommy knew that Dream had to get whatever this was off his chest and Tommy was more than willing to listen. After everything Dream has done to help Tommy it was the least he could do.
“He had gotten better… He was improving and he was actually trying at something- Something that I wanted him to try at! Then he ended up dying… That fucking asshole. He could have at least stayed for a bit… Anytime with him would've been enough,” Dream mumbled, anger clear on his face but was mixed with sadness and confusion. His hands gripped at his pant’s legs and Tommy was surprised the fabric hadn’t ripped. His cheeks were a deep red and his eyes were bloodshot, the once bright emerald eyes dulled and worn. He made the face you make when you don’t know what to feel so you try to convince yourself that you’re angry at the world or that you’re just fine… When you try to convince yourself that you know what you're doing even though you’re scared and know in the back of your mind that you don’t. That you don’t know whatever the hell your doing and just barely hanging on.
Tommy knew the look a little too well…
It was the exact face that Tommy made when Wilbur had died…
“Who… Who are you talking about?” Tommy asked quietly and Dream started to glare at the ground. He took in a long stuttering breath as he calmed himself from crying and his small breakdown. “Dream…?” Tommy called out and Dream seemed to snap back into reality. He looked over at Tommy for a second before staring back at the ground. Tommy thought he had stepped out of place so he stuttered over his words, trying to get out an apology and trying to tell Dream that he didn’t have to tell the younger blonde if he didn’t want to. But Dream spoke before Tommy could even get out a full sentence.
“My dad… That asshole is who I’m talking about,” Dream mumbled and Tommy’s breath hitched. It was easy to forget that people as powerful as Dream had a family… Heck he forgot that Sapnap and Dream were adopted by BBH and people like Ranboo and Puffy had a family outside of the SMP that they had moved away from yet still contacted. It was easy to forget that people had lives out of the war that raged on every single day. “He wasn’t the father figure most would expect… Not like Philza… But he did try sometimes- In the past at least. He tried his best back then and tried to keep our family together. But he couldn’t due to no money and our mom left us when I was young. Our family falling apart was inevitable.”
“W-Who…? Who’s your dad? I thought you were adopted by Bad and Skeppy- Or that’s what I’ve been told. You call him dad all the time,” Tommy said carefully, knowing that if Dream didn’t want to answer the question he didn’t have to. But Dream just uncurled from his spot on the floor and reached for his hoodie. It was laid on the bed a few feet away from where he sat. He let out a small grunt as he reached over, grabbing the hoodie by it’s sleeve and pulling off the bed and onto his lap. He stuck his hand into the hoodie pocket, digging his hand through and soon pulling out a small piece of paper. It was ripped but it looked mostly intact. The picture showed a young Dream, a wide smile on his face and no scar in sight. There was one more person in the picture but their head was ripped out of the picture… But Tommy’s eyes widened when he saw who was standing next to Dream on the intact side of the paper.
“My dad was Jschlatt…” Dream said as he looked at the paper, one hand gripping the picture and the other reaching up to his dirty blonde hair. He ruffled his hair a bit, two small grey horns coming into view making Tommy gasp. The horns were small but they mimicked one of a mooshroom, the horns short but being pointed at the top. Dream ruffled his hair once again and the horns disappeared within the man’s dirty blonde hair. The silence between the two boys was crushing, Tommy trying to sort everything out in his mind- “I’m a mooshroom hybrid, my mom surprisingly being a mooshroom… You’re the only one who knows Tommy. I haven’t even shown Antfrost, Sapnap, or George my horns so you’re lucky... Since they're small they’re easy to hide in my hair and with my hood they're practically non-existent.”
“Who’s that? Is that a younger sibling or something?” Tommy asked and pointed to the person who was ripped out of the photo. Dream looked at the person and sighed. The person in the picture was wearing a small yellow sweater and brown baggy pants, one hand clutching onto a small flower. By his height the person in the picture couldn’t have been older than three.
“They’re my little brother… The brother I don’t even remember...” Dream simply answered as his eyes flashed with sadness right before Dream wiped his eyes and sniffled. He just glared at the photo, specifically at the younger Jschlatt in the photo. He looked pissed so Tommy held his tongue. “Jschlatt decided he couldn’t take care of us and gave us away. I was given to Bad and Skeppy in a box with nothing but my mask and a letter telling them my name. He just left me in a fucking box in the rain at their doorstep. I don’t know what happened to my little brother but- But I’m guessing the same thing happened to him when he was given to another family. I want to remember him but I was about seven and I barely got to hang out with him before Jschlatt dropped us off to our new families.”
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“Dad? Why are we outside while it’s raining this hard? Shouldn’t we be at home with @)!%@@%?” A young boy asked his father as he held his hand. They were both walking underneath a black umbrella, the sidewalk barely lit up by the dull street lights. Young Dream looked up at his father, the man’s eyes being shadowed over by his cap, but Dream could see the clear frown on his face. He had a folded cardboard box tucked underneath his arm, trying his best to keep the box as dry as possible even though the rain was pouring down around them. The confusion the small boy was feeling was filling his head. His father had grabbed him by the hand and had told him to put on a green hoodie and some black pants with some small boots. He had also asked the young boy to carry a white mask that had a smiley face on it, the mask being almost too big for the young blonde to carry.
“Dream just- How about this… You like games right? How about we play a game?” Jschlatt asked the boy and Dream’s eyes seemed to light up at the idea of a type of game. He nodded multiple times making Jschlatt let out a dry laugh, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Alright kid… How about we play hide and seek? I’ll give you a place to wait and you count to one-hundred. While you’re counting I’m going to go hide ok? And no peeking alright?” He asked and the small boy smiled and nodded once again in understanding. His face changed from a confused one to a determined one in seconds, wanting to win the game as fast as possible.
Soon the two stopped walking in front of a house, the lights seeming to be turned off and no car in the driveway. Dream looked at the house, knowing it definitely wasn’t the house he lived in. But when Jschlatt tugged the boy’s hand, leading him towards the new house slowly. Dream just shook it off and walked next to his father, soon being shielded by the rain when underneath the patio. Jschlatt let go of his son’s hand and unfolded the box, setting it down right in front of the door. He sighed and looked down at the box, then looked over at his son. Dream just smiled at him widely, still waiting for the game to start. Jschlatt picked up Dream, balancing the small seven year old in his arms. Dream looked his father in the eyes, seeing the tears flowing down his face… Dream put either of his small hands on his father’s cheeks, confused on why he was crying.
“Dad…? Why are you crying? Are you oki?” Dream asked but the man just shook his head, kissing the blonde on the forehead. Dream smiled and took his hands away from his dad's face and wrapped his arms around Jschlatt’s neck. The older man hugged Dream tightly, wrapping his arms around the small boy like he would disappear in seconds. He didn’t want to pull away but he knew he would have to. So he gently pushed Dream off of him, already feeling cold from the lack of touch. He slowly set Dream into the box, looking his son right in the eyes. Those bright emerald eyes… They reminded him of his wife’s eyes. Bright emeralds that were rare and something that Jschlatt never wanted to lose…
But he knew he would have to give them away.
“A-Alright buddy… Close your eyes o-ok? I need you to close your eyes and count to one hundred. And count slowly ok? You need to give me time to hide,” Jschlatt said and Dream happily closed his eyes and placed his hands over his eyes. He slowly started to count, a wide smile on his face and his body shaking with excitement. The man slowly pulled out a letter from his hoodie pocket and carefully paced it into the box with Dream, the blonde too busy counting to notice. Jschlatt stood there for a few seconds, Dream making it to the number twenty before he started to walk away. But then he heard people talking, his eyes widening when he realized that the family that lived in the house was home.
Jschlatt was quick to jump into some bushes, the patio and the new people walking towards the house. He flinched when some of the branches poked at his sides but he kept quiet, carefully peeking out from the thick leaves. His eyes soon landed onto two figures walking towards the house, barely being able to hear Dream counting over the pouring rain. One was wearing a black hoodie, red lining on the hoodie. He had on black jeans and was wearing dark brown boots that reached his knees. But when Jschlatt got a good look at his face his eyes widened. His face was the face of a demon, his eyes completely white and fangs flashing whenever he talked or smiled. There were long black horns sticking out from the top of his head, but surprisingly there was also a halo floating between his horns and above his head. The other was also in a hoodie, a beanie on his head. His hair was a deep shade of brown as it fluffed out in multiple directions. He had on a light blue hoodie, a weird derp face on the front. He also wore pretty simple light jeans and black converse. At first Jschlatt thought they were the only ones walking towards the house but then his eyes landed on a small figure walking between them.
“Dad! Papa! Thank you for taking me out for ice cream! It was a lot of fun!” The small boy said happily as he swung between the two males. He had black hair that was held back with a white headband. He had on a white shirt, a huge flame on the front, on top of a long sleeved black turtleneck. He even had on black tight like pants and black converse. The boy had a bright smile on his face, but what caught his eye was the boy’s bright lava like eyes.
“Anything for you Sapanap. Now come on. Me and Skeppy are tired so how about we watch a movie and then we go to be-” The demon started but then paused when he looked at the house. He was quick to pull his hand away from his son’s and ran towards the house. The demon’s husband, Skeppy, was in shock as he still held the umbrella and his son’s hand. Skeppy brought his son towards the front door of their house but was surprised to see his husband leaning over a small box on their patio.
“Bad? What’s that? What’s in the box?” Skeppy asked as he closed the umbrella and tried to peek over Bad’s shoulder to see what was inside of the box. Bad stayed silent but turned around, the note that Jschlatt had written in his hand. Skeppy’s eyes widened when he saw Dream looking at the two adults confused as he sat there in the box. Skeppy left Sapnap to stand to the side, the boy trying to see what his dads were looking at but was too short to see. Skeppy frowned as he kneeled in front of the box next to Bad, reaching for Dream only for the blonde to flinch away in fear. “Kid…? How- Why- How did you get here?”
“M-My dad left me here and told me that we were playing hide and seek- He told me that he was going to hide and told me to count to one-hundred… I-I don’t understand. Are you going to help me look for him?” He asked and Skeppy looked over at Bad. The two adults looked at each other then down at the blonde. Bad handed Skeppy the letter before turning to the young blonde sitting in the box. Dream was about to start sobbing, not knowing who these people were and his father nowhere to be found. “A-Are you going to help me find him? T-That’s what you’re here to do r-right?”
“Buddy…- Dream I think your name is if I read it correctly in the letter. I don’t think your father is going to let himself get found- Why… Why don’t you come with us inside and we’ll figure things out? Ok?” Bad suggested and Dream clutched the smiley mask in both hands, looking at the ground nodding. Tears were flowing down his face as his body shook as he cried. Bad reached his hands out towards the boy, Dream flinching again before letting Bad pick him up in his arms. Dream just went limp into Bad’s arms, letting Bad hold all of his weight. Skeppy walked over to Sapnap as Bad brought the blonde into the house. You could hear Dream’s sobbing from inside of the house, the cries overpowering the beating sound of the rain. Sapnap had a lot of questions about the stranger that his parents just brought into their home.
“Papa? Who’s that? The boy that dad took into the house- Who is he? He looks weird with his crazy blonde hair,” Sapnap told Skeppy, looking up at his father in curiosity. Skeppy just sighed and looked down at his adopted son. His eyes weren’t fire anymore but instead charcoal black. He was just standing there, looking into the house at Bad taking care of Dream. Skeppy took his son’s attention from whatever was happening inside of the house. He held Sapnap’s hand and kneeled down in front of Sapnap, letting out another sigh. He didn’t think after a day of fun activities he would be dealing with an orphaned boy on our doorstep. He looked at Sapnap, planning to just tell the boy the truth…
He had been an orphan before Bad and Skeppy found him after all…
“You know how Bad found you in the nether buddy? In that basket and you had nothing but a blanket that had your name sewed into it?” Skeppy asked and Sapnap nodded. Bad had found the young boy crying in a basket in the middle of the hell-like place. A few more hours in that place and maybe Sapnap would’ve been killed by the mobs or the heat. “Well… This boy- He’s just like you! But instead of being found in the nether he was put right here on our doorstep. He doesn’t have a family or any home to go to- So we’re going to take him in and take care of him just like you.”
“So it’s like I’ve got a brother now?”
“In a way? Yeah buddy… A new brother.”
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“I never stopped playing this twisted game of hide and seek… For years- I tried to find Jschlatt but he was determined to not be found. It was so fucking stupid- Then when I was getting over him and starting to except Bad and Skeppy as my fathers- He just shows back up! That asshole comes back into my life- Wasted off of alcohol and expects me to put his life back together for him!!” Dream yelled in anger, hitting his fist against the floor. He let out an angry yell before letting out a sigh. Tommy flinched at his actions, fearing that Dream might accidentally hurt him. But then he watched Dream deflate, sobs starting to make him shake again. New rivers of tears flowing down his face as he started to cry…
“And the worst part is-”
“I did,” Dream finished as he threw his back against the chest he was laying on. Tommy watched as Dream broke down in front of him, the boy sobbing his eyes out. The young blonde didn’t know what to do… So he did what Wilbur would do whenever he felt bad. So he scooted closer to Dream and slowly wrapped his arms around the older man, pulling him close. Dream flinched at first but soon was leaning into Tommy’s touch, feeling safe in his arms. Tommy sighed as he ran his hand through Dream’s messy hair. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to find words to say to Dream.
“You know Dream…? I felt the same way with Wilbur. Before he died and everything and became a ghost,” Tommy rambled, knowing that maybe talking about something else but not totally changing the subject would help Dream. “When we were exiled all those months back by- By him... Neither of us could handle it. But I found a way to cope with it and Tubbo hung out with me almost every single day. I found ways to cope. I thought Wilbur did too… Until he came to me and talked to me about destroying L’manburg- When he forced YOU to hand him that TNT. I was so mad… But he’s my brother. I didn’t know if I should’ve been mad or… Let it go. Then he got better with everyone’s help and when we won the war everyone thought it was over… Then that button- That damn fucking button ruined everyones life… And on top of that he saw killed. He forced Philza- OUR DAD! To kill him and- And I was so angry- But also at the same time I was broken… He was my older brother and now he’s a ghost that knows nothing about what he did. So I get it… I get it, Dream.”
Afterwhile the two sat there holding each other, laying with each other to gain comfort. Soon falling asleep with each other on that floor. It may have been uncomfortable but at that moment neither of them cared. Ghostbur came back to Logstedshire to find the two blonde’s cuddled up together on the floor of Drem’s tent. He was confused at first but when he saw the tear stains on Dream’s face and the slight shaking of his body… He didn’t question it and instead he grabbed the blacket from Dream’s bed and draped it over the two. But before leaving the two to head to his own tent he paused. He knew that Tommy hadn’t forgiven him yet even if the younger blonde tried to convince him that he did… He knew Tommy is still mad at him. So he looked back at Dream and his little brother one last time before leaving the green tent.
“Thanks Dream… I hope you can be a better brother figure than I was…”