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He blinks three times, looking indifferently at the body lying on the dark stone. Tommy is stretched out on the floor of the cell, bruises covering his face and eyes that were once blue, completely faded.
His hands are completely bloody as he runs his hand through his dark blond matted hair.
"That was..." he declares for silence, it's not like someone is going to answer or hear "Anti-climax"
"I mean... I thought you were going to at least defend yourself, you know?" Dream bends down beside the corpse and checks the pulse, without beating "It just feels... empty"
His head throbbed, Sam took it easy on him when he said he killed- his protége? his new friend?- Tommy. It was probably the shock that prevented him from killing Dream.
"Hm... at least now" he smiles slightly "I can prove that I didn't lie about it"
Dream gets up slowly, his eyes move around the room and his hands shaking from the beating session, his hands go to the chest and he pulls on the old mask that accumulated dust.
The porcelain runs down his fingers and breaks into pieces against the crying obsidian.
"I mean, you won't even remember that you died, but it is gratifying to know that you are wrong" Dream hums, taking the biggest piece and coming back close to the body
He doesn't sit down, choosing to pull the sleeve of his gaudy orange jumpsuit and expose his arm, the sharper tip of the porcelain sinks into the pale skin and he runs, in a vertical line, the crimson blood dripping endlessly. Dream doesn't even seem to be shaken by the pain, just staring at his stained arm and he closes his eyes.
A weight falls on his hands and he opens his eyes. A book with a dark, shabby cover, the pages yellowed and some torn. He brushes his fingers across the cover, running his dirty nails over the patterned ram's emblem before opening the book. Dream stains his hand red and rubs the page, making coordinated movements, writing words in an old language and making symbols of unknown meaning.
When he slams the book shut, shiny dust begins to encircle the boy's body on the floor.
Dream silently watches the bruises disappear as well as the dust.
The book is discarded in the lava and Dream moves Tommy to lean against the cauldron, his weak breath shaking a few strands of hair from the older one seems to be proof enough that he pulls away and sits on the opposite wall.
"We will have so much fun until Sam decides to come here" he smiles eerily, the sharp porcelain in his hands
It's been a week since Tommy's death that Sam has crossed Pandora's empty corridors, the two guards on his tail as they head to Dream's cell.
It is today that Dream either dies or revives Tommy, for better or worse.
When they reach the lava wall, Sam almost passes out.
"Sam! Sam! Tell me you guys have solved the problem already!"
This... this can't be him...
This can't be Tommy, can it?
"Shut up, Green Bitch. Sam! Sam!"
"Tommy!" Sam yells in response, desperation deep in his voice, hoping this is just an illusion
"Sam! Thank god! It was getting unbearable"
He doesn't even notice Ant opening the lava curtain, his eyes fixed on the cell across the sea that surrounds the lonely one.
It's Tommy
Alive, half-pale after a week eating raw potatoes, eyes shining with relief.
No marks of bruises.
Bad and Ant scream but he swallows a fire resistance potion and swims to the other side.
It can't be... can it?
It has to be
Needs to be!
He can barely stand when Tommy attacks him with a hug.
"Tell me I can go home! This week was hell and I wanted to go back to the hotel"
Sam looks at him for a few seconds, feeling his eyes fill with tears of happiness because, damn it! He can feel Tommy's warmth, he can feel the strands on his hand and he can feel his chest beating.
When his eyes dart to the prisoner, Sam doesn't know what to think.
The mansion appeared to the entire server that Dream had killed Tommy, but Tommy is there, hugging him and Dream is sitting on top of the chest.
Strangely quiet
"Tommy" he says, his voice a little shaky as he hands over a bottle of orange liquid "Go to Bad and Ant, I'll meet you later"
The boy frowns, but drinks the potion and does as he is asked.
Now it's just him and Dream
"What the fuck did you do?!"
"Hm... nothing exactly? Tommy just kept being annoyed--"
Dream can't even finish the sentence when his head is thrown against the obsidian wall and his vision goes off for two seconds, a static noise in his ears.
He laughs, feeling Sam's fists grab him by the collar
"I won't ask again, Dream, what the fuck did you do to Tommy?"
"Me? I didn't do anything, he's fine, Sam" he smiles yellow "I would even do a pinky swear but..."
He raises his hands and Sam almost vomits.
Completely painted dry red
"But my hands are a little dirty, you know?"
The Warden grabs the prisoner's head and hits the stone again, drawing another broken laugh
A beep causes Sam to shift his attention to the cominicator, opening it up
[AntFrost: Sam, are you coming?]
"I wouldn't keep them waiting if I were you" Dream says, kind of groggy
"I swear if I see a bone out of place, a bruise or even a sign that you have touched Tommy, you will get out of here Dream, but on my terms" Sam declares, almost puffing out his mouth
He releases the prisoner, who runs down the wall, before drinking another potion and swimming to the security panel.
"Oh don't worry, Sam..."
Dream watches the lava rising and Sam's back toward the exit. He takes the book out from under the dirty orange coveralls and smiles at the bloody page.
"You will never see what I did"