Chapter Text
To say exile was difficult was an understatement, it’s been months since Tubbo had exiled him. Every week, Tommy would think that the president would walk through his Nether portal and bring him back home.
Every week, that day never came. But Tommy still remained optimistic. He couldn’t give up, not now. Not after all this work and effort.
Today, he decided to be productive. And dig open a hole underneath Logstedshire, a room full of chests. Something about this felt strangely familiar.
Tommy tossed a wool carpet over the hole, huffing. “That covers it,” Ranboo commented with a fidget, along with a nervous smile.
Tommy had only told Ranboo about this hole, so if word got out to Dream, he’d know who to blame. Not like anyone else would find out, because nobody visited him.
Not too long after creating the hole, Dream visited and was walking around Logshedshire. He had his mask attached to his utility belt. The map of L’manberg pinned to the wall, the barrels that used to have stickers labelling were shoved into a corner, sitting upright.
He was approaching the stove, but his foot fell through the carpet and it got caught on the ladder.
“What the-” Dream threw the carpet aside and slid down the ladder.
“Dream!” The blonde exclaimed excitedly, watching the cow spin nonsensically. “Come look at Henry! He’s-” Tommy shouted before he saw the carpet tossed aside. Panic filled his entire body as he held a small, wooden bowl.
“...Dream?” He called out, this time, more quietly. His fear made him latch onto the bowl even tighter.
The masked man had said nothing and was searching through the chests full of things he would have taken from him. He clenched his fist into a ball and pulled out handfuls of dynamite and planting them in the room. Planning on destroying every last thing here.
“Dream! No- no, no, no, no!” Tommy’s eyes widened as he quickly grabbed his pictures of Tubbo out of a chest and shielded his face. A loud, piercing explosion went off. His breath trembled as he slowly moved his arms out of his way. The TNT had singed his forearms, but that was the least of the his worries. A faint ringing in his ears, he heard Dream say something.
“Tommy, I said drop your stuff.” He heard him say with a dangerous edge to his voice. He knew this type of anger, the cold and silent fume. The night of a cold blizzard storming relentlessly throughout the night. The windows will rattle, threatening to burst open to let the frigid air inside.
The fury that his family used with him far too often.
“N-No, I’m not going to give you my stuff.” He said, puffing up his chest to show confidence. Dream took no time to draw his bow, pulling back his arm to shoot Tommy in the arm.
Tommy winced in pain, looking up at the smiling mask with unfocused, blue eyes. “Wh-Why? I have armor, and-”
“You hid chests!” He shouted, and he steeled on a neutral expression. “You hid chests under your base, so I couldn’t take it, so I wouldn’t find out about it.”
Taking off his iron armor into a deeper pit he dug, his hands trembled. “L-Look, I’ll throw in my sword.” He dropped the diamond blade as it fell with a thump. The sun hit the blade and it shone brightly.
“No, all your things.” Dream ran his fingers through his hair, “You were lying to me! Drop everything in the hole, now.”
Tommy hesitated and shook his hair, it was greasy and full of grime since he’s been in Logstedshire. “But, these are all my things...”
Crossing his arms, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “How ‘bout you get in the hole?” He pulled the blonde towards the tiny pit filled with items.
Tommy let out a small screech before dropping all his things, excluding the green bandana and picture of Tubbo. Dream crawled out the hole to the prime log, going to set off another stick before the blonde stopped him.
“Woah! Stop it, stop it!” He shouted as he kicked it far away, it landed next to the man’s boot. “Dream, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry! I won’t do it again, I swear.” The boy pleaded.
Dream did little to appease the boy and set off more dynamite. Tommy sword he could hardly hear it this time. But, somehow, he managed to save the prime log and bell.
“Tommy, come and watch. Come here,” The waved a hand to gesture the blonde over. Then, he blew up the tent named ‘Tnret,’ the explosion burned a portion of his skin off Tommy’s face.
Tommy barely flinched, unmoving. “What the fuck?” He said quietly as he could feel his eyes burning.
“Tommy, it’s time for you to start over.” Dream began, the blonde started to protest before he continued. “I thought that we were friends.” He frowned sadly.
“No! We are friends, you-you’re my best friend!” He shouted desperately as he watched Dream break the portal block by block.
“You were lying to me,” Dream said as he walked away. “Listen Tommy..” Mushroom Henry let out a loud moo, facing the taller blonde. He scratched his mane, and the cow butt his head into Dream’s leg.
Dream brandished his sword from his sheath and swiftly shoved the blade into Mushroom Henry’s side. Blood coated the blade as he pushed the animal down. It began to make a small puddle as his head lolled to the side.
“Henry!” Tommy shouted as he remembered the original Henry. The imagery of his beloved cow dying over and over and over again.
“You can’t go to the Nether, no one can come to visit you, until I think you’ve learned your lesson. Until you learn to listen,” Dream ushered him away as he exploded every single thing in Logstedshire. Until there was nothing left.
“You can keep this,” The man handed Tommy the jukebox, then he sighed. Pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, as if a parent scolding a child for doing wrong.
Tommy couldn’t say that he didn’t think of Dream in that manner.
“Tommy, don’t... do that.” He only stared back at him in paralyzed fear, his mouth ajar. Shaky breaths are only taken when Dream wasn’t looking.
“I exiled you for a reason, Tubbo exiled you for a reason. The rules were simple, alright? I just wanted your stuff and armor every day, there was a day where I even gave you armor!”
“I...” Tommy knew this behavior was unacceptable. What was he even thinking in the first place? Dream took his things for a reason! So he wouldn’t do this.
“You need to start over, but next time, don’t make the same mistake. And this won’t happen.”
“You’ll visit me?” He asked shakily, tugging at the collar of his shirt. It seemed to suffocate him.
“Well, maybe not every day, I’ll be here to watch you at least once a week.” Dream crossed his arms, favoring his left leg over the other. “What were you going to do that stuff? Try to attack me? Kill me?”
“I-I don’t know, I just.. I’m sorry.” Tommy apologized again, pushing back his tears.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it,” Dream said impatiently, before holding up a pair of shears.
“Wait, what are you-” Tommy didn’t get to finish as one of his wings was extended and Dream snipped away at his feathers. He whined when the blade hit flesh. This process going to the second wing, somehow, it hurt worse.
“We can’t let you fly away! Not after all this.” He then turned around and left. Tommy stared at what was left of Logstedshire.
This has happened before.
He couldn’t deny that he could hear Techno’s speech ringing in his ears, telling him to die like a hero.
Maybe he should’ve, he thinks solemnly as he builds an unstable tower. With no way coming back down safely. Not like his wings could save him now.
Tommy built high enough just so that his once golden locks grazed the clouds. He didn’t notice he was crying until a tear came into contact with his burnt skin.
He flinched away, almost falling off the narrow tower. It swayed with uncertainty.
Jump.
Everyone’s problems would be over.
“It’s never my time to die.” He said as he stared into the ocean of lava beneath his feet. They dangled above the edge. One slip up, and he’d be-
Maybe now it is, he thinks numbly as he takes a brave step and leaps.