Work Text:
Axe of Peace.
Shulker.
Bedrock.
Bad has been through a lot of difficult times in his life, including at least four near death experiences. He’s emotional but he does not scare as easily as he might act.
Bad has stared into the abyss and not flinched before. He is strong when he needs to be- when others need him to be.
But walking down the short hallway paved with black stone and bedrock shakes him to his core in a way he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Dream made this. He’s still getting his head around that.
Bad’s still processing that he lost his friend a long time ago.
Mars.
Beckerson.
Enderchest.
Dogchamp.
Bad glances over each sign and grimaces. Frames and fences are set up for the sole purpose of holding people’s precious pets and items- it’s horrifying to say the least. Bad’s heart squeezes as he watches the reactions of everyone who sees something or someone they hold dear on a sign.
Sapnap’s silence upon seeing ‘Mars’ is worrying. It breaks when he sees a familiar name on the sign next to it. He takes George’s fish gingerly, with the same gentleness he uses to handle his own. His face twists and he holds the bucket close to his chest, determined to see the fish back to its rightful owner.
Ranboo shrinks ever so slightly upon seeing the name of his cat above a fence where they would’ve been tied up. Puffy puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, silently reassuring him that his cat is safe back at his base, far out of Dream’s clutches.
Punz stares at the empty frame titled ‘Shulker’ for a long while. He doesn’t seem surprised, but disappointed nonetheless.
Although he isn’t here, Bad can’t help but feel sympathy when he sees ‘Dogchamp’ on the list. He knows how much Purpled cares for his dog, frequently taking him out on walks and feeding him bits of his dried steak as they walk.
Squeaks.
Fran.
Henry.
Friend.
Carl.
Around him, everyone is stunned into either silence or hushed tones, quietly taking it all in and blinking like they’re trying to wake up from a bad dream. Bad stands among them, giving comfort with simple but true words and little touches that seemed to keep them steady.
And through it all, Bad stays strong. Even if no one asked him to be, he is because they need it. They need a steady foundation, they need a careful and comforting hand, they need this.
(Puffy understands this as well as he does. She’s doing the exact same thing.)
Bad sweeps his eyes over the animal pens, silently thinking of safe ways to transport Friend and Henry back to where they belong. His eye catches on something unusual- a barred but small hole in the wall- just barely big enough to fit someone inside.
His eyes flicker to the sign above it.
And his heart stops when he reads it.
“Skeppy?”
His voice quivers in his throat. He tries to clear it- tries to resteady himself- but the shock is like an unforgiving wave that knocks him off the firm foundation he stood on and he feels himself fall. Down, down, down, into the cold waters below where he sinks. Where he drowns.
One singular word is all it takes for everyone to swarm him, peeking at the cage for themselves in disbelief. Because everything else in the hallway was filled with pets or items but this- this is a person.
This is his best friend- one of the few people he would sooner die for than live without. This is Skeppy- who has bright smiles, a contagious laugh, and a firm grip on his hand, promising to never let go, no matter how rough it gets.
And the cell in front of him is small- just barely big enough for anyone to stand and sit down in. He wouldn’t be able to lay down, he wouldn’t be able to get comfortable- Skeppy was never fond of darkness, tight spaces, or being alone and this has all of these things.
Dream was going to put Skeppy in here.
Bad can’t breathe, he can’t breathe-
There’s a hand on his shoulder and Bad turns so quickly that he almost loses his footing. Sapnap’s gaze is firm but concerned. He speaks so softly that Bad is certain that nobody else hears it, murmuring, “You good?”
It’s simple but Bad knows the offer when he hears it. ‘Just say the word and we’ll get out of here. You don’t need to stay, you can go home.’
It helps- far more than Bad is willing to show but it’s the life preserver that keeps him afloat. Not out of the treacherous water but his lungs no longer ache and he sucks in a breath before nodding.
He can stay. He can handle this.
(He thinks.)
Sapnap nods back, short but unmistakable. When he takes his hand off of his shoulder, Bad subtly grabs for it, to which Sapnap takes his hand into his and squeezes it. Another silent promise, though one that Bad was used to giving, not receiving- ‘I got you and I’m not letting go.’
Behind him, Puffy does damage control and herds everyone away so they break off. Bad lets out a long breath when he’s no longer crowded but fails to notice Quackity’s gaze on him when he does.
It isn’t hard to see the stress in Bad’s movements if you know what you’re looking for but Bad is lucky. Because Sapnap fiercely protects his side, Puffy quickly controls the environment and makes it easy for him to breathe, and Quackity opens the cell and stands inside, making a joke to cheer Bad up.
And it helps. Bit by bit, Bad wills himself not to fall apart here and now and he chuckles at Quackity’s bad impression of Skeppy, then laughs some more when Quackity accidentally locks himself inside and needs someone else’s help to get out.
But everything after that becomes muddled. Bad tries to listen but his grip on reality loosens and all he can think of is the idea that Skeppy would’ve been trapped in that cell, alone, and Bad would’ve done anything for Dream to keep him safe and get him back.
The fear in his veins is nauseating. How far he would’ve gone, what he would’ve done- how Dream could’ve asked Bad to blow up the community house for him and if he had Skeppy, Bad would’ve obeyed without question.
How easily he could be controlled. How easily Skeppy could’ve gotten hurt- or worse.
The only thing that grounds him is Sapnap’s firm grip on his hand. True to his silent word, Sapnap doesn’t let go for a second.
(If Sapnap’s hand starts shaking when he tries to look Dream in the eye, that’s nobody else’s business but theirs.)
It goes by in a flash. When Dream is pushed through the portal to be taken to Sam’s prison, Sapnap is hesitant to follow. Bad assures him that he’ll be fine- that he can handle it from here on out- and finally, Sapnap lets him go.
Bad ignores the instinct that tells him to ask Sapnap to stay with him and watches him disappear into purple swirls.
Puffy walks him home. They don’t say much, nor do they smile very much either, but Bad appreciates the company and thinks Puffy feels the same.
(They share a similar pain seeing Dream the way he is now.
Both saw a side to him that few others knew of. The glow he gives off when he’s excited, the way he grins when he’s acting a little goofier than usual, the look in his eyes when he’s vulnerable and lost- it sparked something in them before. An urgency to protect, to care for, to guide.
It’s all gone now, turned to ash but it still hurts. The bleeding heart remains bleeding.)
—
Skeppy was prepared for Bad to return home rougher than usual.
Skeppy would’ve come along but Bad begged him to stay behind with a look of urgency he couldn’t ignore. Skeppy had been forced to back down, hands up to surrender and promised Bad he wouldn’t step foot outside their property.
Skeppy had to admit that it had been hard to resist breaking the deal. Bad was joining half the SMP in confronting Dream, which always left Bad shaky in the past.
Dream was a touchy subject that Skeppy had come to avoid at all costs unless absolutely necessary. Bad had been close to him once. In fact, Bad seemed to not only have been both a mentor but also a bit of a dad to Dream, George, and Sapnap, though the latter of the bunch was the only one who openly considered him family. Even so, Skeppy saw how much Dream respected Bad when he first came onto the SMP and now seeing how cold he acted towards him… It hurt to see.
He couldn’t imagine how Bad felt.
So when Bad left to meet up with Punz like everyone else, Skeppy had to refrain from following. He watched as Bad became nothing but a dark figure in the horizon, sucked in a deep breath, and got to work.
Skeppy needed to be prepared for anything. He had sweets on standby if Bad needed to stress eat, donated his comfiest pillows to Bad’s bed in case he needed to sleep it off, and had about twenty different topics in mind in case he needed to distract him. If worst came to worse, Skeppy would reveal his secret project a little early: A large aquarium filled with a few colorful fish, all with the most ridiculous names he could think of in an effort to make Bad laugh.
Time passed slower than usual. Skeppy found himself finishing early with an hour to spare and spent it distracting himself, getting things done around the house he had been meaning to get done like fixing a few floorboards and cleaning the windows. He stayed anywhere where he could easily see if Bad was returning as he worked. Eventually, Skeppy had just finished wiping the upstairs windows clean when he saw two figures in the distance and his heart leapt into his throat.
One of them was Bad, Skeppy knew that for certain. The other took him a minute to recognize as Puffy but he got it in the end.
Skeppy raced to the front door then opened it casually, greeting Bad with a short wave. Bad noticeably perked at seeing him and waved Puffy goodbye before taking off towards him.
Skeppy wasn’t a stranger to one of Bad’s running hugs and shifted his stance to make sure they didn’t fall when they collided. However, he was not expecting the bone crushing hug he received and Bad breathing heavily in his ear.
Skeppy had a mental list of all the different kinds of hugs Bad gave and what they meant.
He had been expecting a relieved hug, an exhausted hug, or a ‘I need support, please don’t let me fall’ hug the most but he had others that were possible too.
This hug was not any of the ones he expected. It was tight and engulfed him- not just his arms but Bad’s tail curled around him too. His arms were trembling, it lasted far longer than the others, Bad was deadly silent, and when Skeppy coaxed him into letting go so they could go inside, there was a haunted look in his eyes.
All of these factors screamed it was a fear hug, but there was one thing that didn’t make sense: Bad didn’t have a scratch on him.
So what was he afraid of?
Bad wasn’t talking so Skeppy couldn’t ask questions in fear of making it worse. He offered him sweets but Bad had no appetite, but thankfully, his small talk seemed to be working so Skeppy clung to that. He kept talking, keeping his voice light and trying hard not to make a comment about how Bad kept glancing outside and watching their surroundings like a hawk.
Skeppy managed to last until Bad exhausted himself and he led him up to his bed. Bad flopped on the covers, eyes fluttering but not quite closing, like he was exhausted but was willing himself not to fall asleep yet. Skeppy waited until he was sure he was comfortable and would most likely pass out whether he wanted to or not and turned away, ready to let him rest for the night.
Bad’s hand caught his wrist, firm and desperate. Skeppy tried not to freeze and turned back, a question on his tongue that died when he saw how Bad couldn’t even look him in the eye.
It was the biggest red flag of all, Skeppy just wished he knew what had gotten to him.
Skeppy laid down next to Bad, settling in and glancing over from time to time to see how he was doing. Bad remained as silent as ever, finally letting go of him and trying to get comfortable when he was so clearly on edge.
“Get some rest, Bad.” Skeppy told him softly. “I got you, alright? Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise.”
Bad’s eyes flickered up to meet his but only for a moment. Though that moment was all Skeppy needed to figure out that Bad was afraid but not for himself.
What happened when they confronted Dream exactly?
—
There was a sword pressed up against his neck, a trickle of blood escaping from the edge. Skeppy’s breath hitched, eyes filled with equal parts shock and fear and he went still, no longer fighting against the strong grip that refused to let him go.
Dream had Skeppy and Bad could do nothing but watch.
“Bad,” Dream grinned all too toothily, not at all how he should’ve been acting when he was threatening an old friend. “Drop all of your weapons. Now.”
Skeppy didn’t speak up- he didn’t look like he could speak at all- but his eyes pleaded with Bad. He didn’t need words to decipher it, ‘I’m not worth it, get out of here before you get hurt.’
Bad broke away from Skeppy’s gaze, staring at the ground. Slowly, he dropped everything- his sword, shield, trident- anything that could’ve been a weapon until he was defenseless. He didn’t need to look up to know that Dream was more than pleased at his cooperation.
“Good.” Dream said. “Now listen to me very closely and this will go smoothly.”
“Don’t you dare.” Skeppy choked out, though Bad couldn’t tell if he was talking to Bad or Dream until he spoke again. “Leave him alone, you green bitch.”
Skeppy’s cry of pain immediately made Bad flinch violently. The cut on his neck was deeper now- not nearly enough to kill him but it looked like it would leave a mark. Bad squirmed but couldn’t move in fear of Skeppy getting hurt again.
“Careful.” Dream said dangerously. “You better watch your mouth or I’ll cut out your tongue.”
Skeppy bared his teeth until Dream added, “And make him watch.” The blood drained out of his face and he clamped his mouth shut.
A low chuckle followed, one that sounded all too much like victory, which couldn’t mean anything good. “Good boy. I always knew you were more bark than bite.”
Bad wanted to scream. He wanted to take Skeppy far, far away where Dream couldn’t touch them. He wanted to tell Dream that he couldn’t talk to Skeppy like that. He wanted to move- to be able to do anything at all.
But Bad could do nothing but stand perfectly still like a toy soldier and wait until Dream was ready to play with him.
“As I was saying before your bitch interrupted me,” Skeppy flinched ever so slightly at the nickname and Bad’s chest hurt- “Just listen to me closely and he doesn’t have to get hurt. Again. I trust I don’t have to explain to you what happens if you don’t listen?”
Bad shook his head robotically. Skeppy’s eyes flashed with pain and Bad couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Very good.” Dream was still smiling, standing tall like he had won, which regrettably, he had. “This is the start of a- a beautiful partnership then.”
Skeppy was just barely five feet away from him and Bad still couldn’t reach out to him like he wanted to-
Every muscle in his body was clenched when Bad jolted up, a strangled cry in his throat but didn’t quite release. Not until he scrambled, searching in the dark and grabbing for cold, empty sheets and realized he was alone.
Dream has Skeppy.
The cry that ended up leaving Bad was down right demonic- a screeching from deep in his soul that would’ve wrecked his vocal chords had he not been built to take it. His hand clutched his heart, head pressed against the empty spot in the mattress and sobs racked his body.
The hallway light nearly blinded him as the door was thrown open, revealing a disheveled and distressed Skeppy. His eyes were wide and bewildered.
He wasn’t hurt.
Bad shuddered in relief but couldn’t stop the sobbing. Skeppy’s arms were around him, pulling him close an instant. Bad leaned into his chest, gripping onto his shirt and refused to let go. Skeppy pressed his forehead against his, murmuring softly.
"It’s okay, you’re okay.” He said, repeating it a few times but hearing his voice helped more than the actual words.
That is, until Skeppy paused for a second and hit the nail right on its head. “I’m okay. I’m right here and I’m okay. I’m not hurt.”
Bad squeezed his eyes shut and listened to those words until he exhausted himself, no tears left to shed. Even then, Skeppy didn’t let go. Even then, they stayed up, not saying a word and sitting huddled in the dark.
No one else but them. Safe from the outside world.
At some point, Bad passed out but he passed out listening to Skeppy’s steady heartbeat, knowing he was safe in his arms and not in a cell that was far too small for him.
—
Skeppy’s already up when Bad opens his eyes again, awaking from a dreamless sleep. Bad doesn’t know if he slept at all or just happened to get up before he did but he’s not sure he’s in a place to ask questions.
Bad sits up, catching his attention but it takes a while for either to speak up. Skeppy is the first, clearing his throat before he speaks but doing so softly.
“Bad… What happened? With Dream?”
Bad takes a breath before he answers, voice choppy but firm nonetheless. “There was a… A hallway. In his base.”
Skeppy nods, silently encouraging him to go on. “Dream- he was… Collecting things that could be used against people. Things that meant something to them- that he could take and use to control them. Like- like Fran, Sam’s dog.”
Bad shuts his eyes, not wanting to see the look on Skeppy’s face as he forces out the rest of it. “And there was a cell with your name on it.”
Skeppy went still. “Oh.” He said distantly.
“Yeah.” Bad swallowed, nodding. He didn’t know what else to say and from the looks of it, Skeppy didn’t either. He pushed himself to speak and once he got going, it came out in waves. “And- and the worst part is that it would’ve worked. If Dream got his hands on you, I- I don’t know what I’d do to get you back but it scares me. It- it scares me how far I would’ve gotten or how you would’ve been stuffed into this- this tiny cell-”
His words break when Skeppy’s arms are around him again. It almost feels like a repeat of last night except Skeppy is shaking as much as he is and his voice cracks when he tries to speak.
“Fuck,” Skeppy says, “I don’t- I don’t want to be used against you. I don’t want to be the reason you’re forced to play some- some sick game.”
“You won’t be.” Bad tells him, voice hardening as his grip on him strengthens. “You won’t be.”
“He won’t hurt us.” Skeppy says, and Bad believes every word. “Not now- not ever. He can’t hurt us- he won’t hurt us.”
“I got you.”
“I got you.”
They don’t let go- not for a long time. Their hold on each other is equally protective and rings with a silent promise. A promise they’ve had ever since they met each other.
‘I got your back if you got mine.’
Just as it’s always been. Just as it’ll always be.