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It was a calm day at the Antarctic Empire market, at least, calm in their term.
The large tent and sales yard was completely packed, the voices of merchants shouting and announcing their products, customers talking and bargaining and a few groups of people sitting at tables in food stalls, drinking beer in broad daylight. For Dream and all his friends, it was far from calm, but it's not like it was scary, they were familiar in the Empire, since they were friends from some important places and since they appreciate every two months to replenish their important supplies.
Many things that sold there didn't even give a signal in the SMP
Bad, as always, was in charge of planning and counting the coins. He divided them all into groups and gave two bags of gold coins to each of the groups along with part of the large shopping list. Bad and Ant stayed together, Sam and Punz headed in one direction, disappearing into the crowd and DTeam stayed together, exploring the tents.
The sky was dark gray, with heavy clouds blocking the sun, snow was present on the roofs and gutters of stone and wood houses, also on the tiles that decorated the Empire's floor, hot breaths turned into smoke when they came out of the mouth, as well as the smoke from the chimneys. The cold that ran through those lands was a frightening contrast to the SMP, where it was almost always sunny and with little rain during the year, it was so cold that it forced the group to wear heavier clothes in addition to normal clothes.
"Dream..." George grunted, dragging himself behind the greenish one "Can we stop? We have been walking with these bags for almost two hours"
"Yeah! Could we rest our legs and get some hot chocolate? That cold sucks" Sapnap said, chattering his teeth lightly
"I only hope Bad doesn't cut off our heads if we take too long to complete the list" Dream sighed, balancing her purchases to put on her mask "Where do you want to eat?"
"I thought you would never ask" Sapnap smiled and pointed back "It had a very good smelling tent and there were benches!"
"Back how much?" George asked
"That blue tent over there. I think it has hot chocolate"
"Okay, come on, I need to organize everything anyway" the greenish says and the three walk a few steps back
George threw himself on the bench, dropping his groceries on the floor near his feet and Dream sat beside him, taking out a passbook and a small pencil while Sapnap went to the counter to ask for something.
The tent was closed with a lining, protecting it from the cold and containing the heat from the small heater that was inside, there were no tables because it was a small space, but there were some lined benches and chairs.
Sapnap returned and handed a steaming mug to the masked man, who thanked him and sat down beside him, placing the legs of George, who had been lying down and was already sleeping, on his lap and drinking the sweet liquid, warming his own throat.
"What do we need to do more of?" Sapnap asked his childhood friend
"Hm... some more things, we need cement, more carrot seeds, nails, matches and more good things" Dream commented, lifting his face mask to show only his mouth, raising the mug to his lips "Not much, but we have to walk a little more"
"Ah... what the fuck. I just want to go home" the dark-haired one complained, grunting "It's too cold here"
"Considering you are almost a blaze, this is kind of obvious" Dream joked, getting a little punch on his arm "Hey! Let's wake up George, I don't want to be carrying him around, they'll think we killed him"
Sapnap doesn't even respond, throwing his legs on his lap to the floor, causing George to be pulled toward the floor, grunting when he hits his head. The two cursed for long minutes, even as they walked the cold streets once again, Dream ignored them, trying to identify where to find the remaining items on the list.
That was until he was hit by a small red missile that held a sword, the blade dangerously threatening to stab someone.
"Woah!"
"What the fuck?!"
"Get out of the way, bitches!" the child screamed, running between other people's legs
"Dream! George! Sapnap!" the three went back to where the voice was coming from and saw Punz running furiously with Sam following him, looking like a beacon because of his height
"That brat stole my sword!" Punz screamed
He didn't need any other words for the three to start running, following the trail of complaints that the boy provoked. They entered an alley sealed by a fence, the child holding the sword tightly in his hands.
"See you, idiots!" he smiled and jumped to the other side
"Shit, I think we can go around the square and go after him" George says
"I have a better idea," Dream said, dropping his groceries on the floor and running to the fence, pressing his feet on the old wood and using it as an impulse to grab the fence and jump "See you on the other side"
"Get him, Dream Speedrun!" Sapnap said, on the other side and Dream could hear George humming the melody of the Manhunts' music before chasing the child, seeing a red spot not far ahead
The boy looked back and opened his eyes wide, trying to run even faster. Dream followed with more speed, approaching little by little.
He had to admit, the boy was quick and smart. Dream saw the boy approaching a pile of boxes and dropped it on purpose, but that did not stop the greenish one, who threw himself on the floor, rolled and stood up, running without stopping.
"How the fuck did you do that?!" the blonde child screamed but the eldest did not answer
He reached out and pulled on the red shirt, making the boy scream and try to get away from him. A mess of feathers coming out of the boy's back and going straight into his face almost made him let go, but the grip remained firm.
"Let me go, you son of a bitch!" the boy screamed again at the top of his lungs, snarling and looking like he was going to kill Dream if he got out of his grip
"Holy shit, you're too fast" he heard Sam say, him and the rest of the group approaching. Punz, looking pissed off, held out his palm
"Give me the sword"
"Find isn't stolen!"
"You literally pulled it out of my bag, dove" he gritted his teeth
"I'm not a dove, you shit. I’m an eagle!" the younger blond said, kicking the air, but Dream just moved him further, still holding him by the collar of the back of his coat
"Ok, ok, let's stop it" he sighed, tired and still catching his breath, surprised that the boy was not doing the same "What's your name?"
"Why do you need to know?" he raised his eyebrow
"Do you prefer me to call you a child?"
"It's Tommy" the boy replied
"Just Tommy?" Sapnap asked
"What do you mean?"
"Is that your full name? Like, your nickname is Tommy, but is your name Thomathy or something?" Dream question
"My name is not Tomathy. My name is Tommy, TommyInnit"
"Tommy, huh?" Dream tested the name before sighing "Okay, my name is Dream and these are my friends, George, Sapnap, Sam and Punz, the guy you stole the sword from. Speaking of which, why did you steal it?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to sell it" he scowled "I need the money"
"For what exactly?" George asked and Tommy scowled again
"Are you an idiot by any chance?"
George grunted, offended and Sapnap smirked, almost laughing.
"Let's do this" Dream said and dropped Tommy on the floor, but none of them walked away
Tommy wasn't that stupid, if he tried to run, he knew he was going to get caught.
Dream pulled a heavy bag from his belt, but Sam stopped him.
"Wait, Dream. Bad counted that, he'll kill you"
"I'll see him later" Dream replied and held out the bag, coins flickering inside "Do you think that's enough?"
He heard Punz say 'my sword is worth more than that' and the sound of a slap and a 'ow!', followed by Sam's voice saying 'don't make it worse'.
Tommy, thank goodness, ignored the comment and looked at the bag, frowning, before shooting an irritated look at the masked man.
"I don't need your pity"
"It's not a pity, Tommy" Dream replied, a feeling of familiarity in his chest "It's a bargain. This bag is yours if you return my friend's sword
Tommy was silent. He stared at the sword in his hands, his eyes moving quickly over the blade, as if he were deciding the fate of his own life. He could feel Punz losing patience ready to grab the sword and get out of there as soon as possible.
He didn't even notice when the bag escaped from his hands and the sword was almost thrown at his chest, Tommy ran out, his wings flapping wildly, dropping countless feathers in the air.
"See you never again, green bitch!"
Sapnap snorted softly, trying to hide his laughter and Dream sighed, handing the sword to Punz.
"We better get back before Bad and Ant go crazy," Sam said.
"I don't know about Ant, but Bad is going to go crazy anyway, since Dream gave all that money to a child" George commented, amused, but Dream just rolled his eyes
"I have a plan, don't worry"
They were silent before Sapnap smiled, shaking his head.
"Dadboyhalo will kill you"
"You lost 200 gold coins?! You muffinhead! I counted everything right" Bad complained, his eyes narrowing in irritation as he stared at the smiling porcelain mask
Dream swallowed
The other members were trying very hard to contain their own laughter
"I... I tripped and lost my bag in the crowd..." Dream lied, scratching the back of his neck "I'm sorry, Bad"
Bad stared at him for a few minutes before turning to the others, arching an eyebrow.
None of them looked suspicious, all but Sam
"Something to share?" Bad question with a frighteningly sweet tone
Dream shakes his head frantically
"I... uh..."
"Dream gave all the coins to a child who called him a bitch" Sapnap interrupted
"SAPNAP!"
"Language! And, Dream, what a muffin?!" Bad asked
"I didn't" give "the coins, exactly. I did it because Tommy stole Punz's sword, so I made a bargain"
"Ah, you muffinhead..." Bad sighed, tiredly "And who is Tommy?"
"He--"
"DREAM!!"
The group shot their heads in the direction of the shout, seeing a little blond boy running at full speed, his wings flapping wildly and his eyes shining in panic.
"Tommy-- oof!" Dream almost fell when the boy hit him, his hands shaking slightly "What's up?"
"You need to hide me!"
"What?! What happened?"
"Fuck, just hide me!"
"Uh... ah, go after Sam" Dream pointed at his friend
"Don't push me into this!" Sam complained, but guided Tommy to stay behind him anyway
It didn't take long for a man, wearing winter clothes, to come running and with an angry look on his face, a deep scowl and, if he could, he would be blowing smoke out of his ears.
Whoever it is, Tommy fucked a lot, Dream thought
"Where is he?!"
"Uh... who are you looking for?" Bad asked, trying to look friendly
"I saw him coming over here. A cheeky little blond boy"
"What exactly happened to you being so... uh... angry?" Dream asked, cautious
"This kid bought an amulet from my tent and I made it very clear that he didn't accept a refund. He started asking for the money back and I said no, that I didn't accept expenses and you know what he did? He stole from me! In my face!" the man screamed
"You never said you wouldn't accept a refund, you son of a bitch!" Tommy shouted, but when all eyes were on him, he panicked "Shit..."
"You brat. I was going to let you go when you gave me the money back, but now I'm going to hand you over to the guards!" the man said, ready to move on, friends prepared to step in front
The man went to the ground before he even took a step.
The sharp blade of an axe hovering under his neck.
"Sorry, sir. But the child is with me" Dream replies in a cold voice, a frightening shadow on the smiling mask "I suggest you go and we will all win. We will go out without a fight and you will leave with your body intact"
The man swallowed and stood up, running in shaky steps and cursing Dream for all possible bad names.
"Language..." Bad murmured and sighed "Let's go home before we have any more problems"
The others dispersed quickly, packing up and talking as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, green bitch" Tommy called him and Dream raised an eyebrow
"Why do you call me that?"
"Uh, it doesn't matter. I just... thanks, for defending me and all that shit" the boy replied, slightly nervous and the older blond just messed up his hair, he received a slap on his hand right after that
"Don't worry about it, Tomathy"
"Fuck it" he huffed "I'm going now, good luck to you, I guess"
It made Dream hesitate. He watched Tommy walking calmly towards an alley, ready to disappear and return to the life of a street thief. It was a sadly familiar scene for him, and if he and Tommy were so similar, one thing was certain.
Tommy was alone
...
Screw this
"Tommy!"
The blue-eyed boy turned around, attentive and with a slightly irritated frown.
"Do you have anyone to go back to?"
It was his turn to hesitate, looking away and biting his lip. Tommy shrugs, as if it's nothing, but his hands hiding behind his back say a lot.
"Do you want to come with us? It's a warmer place than here and... you won't have to run away from deceitful merchants"
They are silent and Dream asks if he has abused the boy's privacy too much.
"Okay. I'm going" Tommy replied, retracing his path, his hands tucked in the pockets of his baggy trousers and his little eagle wings retracted on his back. "What's the name of this place, anyway?"
"Dream SMP, nothing too complicated"
"Kind of self-centered, green boy"
Dream wheezed "Maybe... but I think you'll like it"