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It was all okay when it was just the Dream Team, after all, they knew him for most of his life.
It was still okay when Bad and Ant joined them. It was clumsy at first, but they were just as weird as his friends so they made it work. It was fine in their small worlds and manhunts and stupid challenges, they had fun and life was good.
It all started to spiral out of control when he made the SMP and more and more people joined.
He just wanted a home world, a place to rest. No challenges, only life.
And that's what he got, for the most part. They fooled around, they built houses and cities and stupid things and had fun while doing so, just like always.
Then Tommy happened and stole the attention of his friends away from him. He spent less time with them but that was okay, he could learn to live with that. Sure, he wasn't the nicest to Tommy but it took a while to learn to live with the new situation. It took almost longer to realise it was jealousy eating away at him slowly.
Then Wilbur happened. L'manburg happened. He had somehow managed to get his friends to flinch away from him more and more. They even wanted to build their own country.
But it was his server!
He made it so they could have fun!
It has been fun, they had fun!
Crowning Eret King has been more symbolic than anything, to appease them maybe.
L'manburg though? L'manburg showed they really wanted to get rid of him.
It hurt.
And so he started planning with Eret. They planned and planned and planned, both agreeing that L'manburg tore the server in half. They should live as one people! Not nations with stupid rules and stupid walls to keep each other out.
He wanted the hurt and jealousy to end and for that L'manburg needed to go.
Eret agreed and so did his friends.
Eret betrayed L'manburg that day.
Dream slipped into the role of a villain, the role they chose for him.
That's what they wanted after all. Maybe they'll like him again then.
You see, if you're like Dream, taking up roles others see fit for you comes easy. It doesn't mean he likes it or it won't hurt but it's still as easy as slipping into a pair of boots.
Manipulate someone here, break some spirit there.
Who cares as long as he still has his friends.
Right? Right.
Or so he thought.
Why were they so upset if this is exactly what they wanted?
Nations, war, dramatics, all they asked for he delivered.
So why did everyone flinch away from him?
He blew L'manburg up. Not once, but twice, for good measure, hoping it'd stay down. Of course it didn't. As long as Wilbur was there it would bounce back, no matter how many Schlatts or Dreams or Technoblades come along. It didn't matter.
To his surprise and delight, Wilbur blew up L'manburg himself for once. He lost his last life on this server, he'd be unable to join back as a living player.
Not that it mattered much to Dream, Wilbur would be fine on other servers. After all a permanent death in one server or world only means you fall into the void until you're ready to start anew.
Knowing that all too well, he didn't care that Wilbur had died.
The others, however, did.
'You've gone too far, Dream' is what they said.
They said 'Dream, you have to stop this.'
But this is what they wanted, isn't it?
Isn't this what they wanted?
Why were they upset?
Before he knew it they "overthrew" him. His friends, his 'enemies', people he hadn't spoken to much. They all wanted him inside the prison he helped design. He helped build. Imprisoned by his own construction.
If they wanted him gone this badly?
If they wanted to get rid of him this much? Fine. He'd leave. He has 'done enough' as his friends said. Maybe they'd miss him then, he thought bitterly, still playing his role.
Sam was the first one who noticed that something didn’t add up, if not the only one.
He noticed Dream never protested any harsh treatment he had to endure, not the torture, not the isolation, nor the bland food he kept baking at least a little in front of the lava. He never protested any of it.
He did however write a lot and the passage of time seems to bother him.
Sometimes, Sam could hear him yelling until his throat went raw.
Sometimes he noticed Dream didn’t even touch his food.
So he started talking to Dream.
He discovered that all Dream wanted is for them to have fun, for his friends to stay with him. Learned that Dream knew he went at it all wrong but he doesn't know how it went wrong this badly, he thinks the others wanted him like this, that he hates himself for what he's done, hates himself for every life taken and spirit broken.
Sam is no therapist. He doesn't think Puffy will help, considering how she too blames Dream for lots of things.
Instead of just letting him rot like he planned at first he…. He talked to him.
It surprised Dream at first, he forgot that not everyone might be scared of him. Of course for safety the only thing Sam could do is lower the lava. At least that gave Dream someone to look at when they talked.
Sometimes he got visitors. Sapnap came by one day, Dream was allowed to leave a note with him.
He hoped Ranboo would understand it.
(he didn't)
Once Sapnap left, he thought to himself how unlikely it was that this was his first visitor. Sapnap did tell Dream he’d kill him should he ever dare to leave the prison and he’s sure his friend will keep the promise.
Others visited too but the one that stuck with him the most is Tommy.
Who got locked in with him.
Everything Tommy yelled at him is true, he knows it. But he just wanted to make it better, have some smalltalk, tell Tommy about the things he’s been up to.
Tommy did not appreciate it.
Tommy hated it.
Then Tommy killed Hope, the one thing that kept him company, the one thing that kept him sane in this box.
Dream snapped.
He only realized what he’d done, how badly he fucked up again, when Tommy didn't wake up, didn’t stir, didn’t blink, didn’t breathe.
Sam was yelling at him.
He fucked up again, he didn’t mean to. He just got so angry and its been bubbling up for a while and oh prime what did he do.
He resurrected Tommy once he got a grip on himself. He didn’t bother apologising, it would’ve seemed empty to Tommy anyway.
He stopped speaking that day.
Then Quackity came by and Sam looked at him with sad eyes, as if apologising.
He quickly came to hate the time he had to spend with Quackity. It felt just like the beginning of his sentence. Sadly, he was too stubborn to give Quackity what he wanted.
‘Maybe I deserve it’, he thought.
So he kept up the act.
So Quackity kept coming by.
So the world kept spinning.
He hated who he became, he really did. But…
The manhunts kept going as usual. They felt a little stiff at first but he quickly realized his friends were only scared of him back at hom– no. Back at the server.
They played, they laughed, they had fun, just like before and Dream began to hope that maybe this was salvageable. Maybe he can fix this. Maybe…
And then he was back in his cell, quietly sobbing his throat raw. He missed them. Every one of them.
Dream didn’t know how to fix this, he didn’t know who to talk to about any of this.
When he got the chance and Ghostbur visited, he did what everyone has been trying to do unsuccessfully for a while.
‘Your gift from me’ he thought, ‘maybe this’ll fix things’
Ghostbur came into his cell, weeping, scared. Dream smiled kindly at him.
“I’m so sorry. I have to do this. They’ll never forget you. I won’t forget you. Don’t you want to rest?”
Dream was sincerely sorry. He hoped Ghostbur could forgive him, hoped he’d be happy where he was going.
He revived Wilbur.
“I’m sorry.”, Dream whispered, eyes closed.
Eyes wide open, Wilbur laughed: “I’m ready"
Somewhere on the SMP a blue sheep lost a friend.
No one visited him after that.
He was lonely before but it became even worse after he tried to fix it.
Not even Sam stopped by anymore.
So he talked to himself.
About what the weather must have been like, what his friends must have been doing.
Did they miss him?
Were they scared of him?
Were they glad he's gone?
He spiraled, plummeted even.
With no one there to pull him out of his own mind, he did what the others were convinced he did best.
His mind picked itself apart at the seams, unraveling his sanity slowly. He fought with himself loudly because no one was there to judge him anyway.
So he fought and tried to pick himself up again piece by piece.
Instead he slipped and fell and fell and fell until he had to dig.
The small, ugly voice in his head won.
So he stopped trying.
He stopped eating.
When Sam came by the lava wall and called to him to get a response all Dream did was turn around on his mattress.
Sam only came inside his cell personally when he noticed the telltale tic, tic, tic of someone taking damage slowly.
Dream’s hunger bar had been low for a while.
He didn't even notice, he just stared at the slow pulsing of the crying obsidian in his wall.
Sam entered the cell and Dream did not even seem to notice him.
"Dream, why are you taking damage?" a worried voice asked from somewhere.
So he slowly turned his head, sunken eyes stared at the man in front of him.
"Can you hear me Dream? Have you eaten anything at all lately?"
He just turned to stare at the ceiling again.
He didn’t even notice when gentle arms surrounded him, lifting him up. A small hiss of concern came from the worried creeper hybrid.
Dream had been set down on a cool mattress. The change in temperature shocked his system enough that he blinked around the room sluggishly.
He hadn’t even noticed that the damage he took had been healed, not that he noticed he took damage in the first place.
Where did the Obsidian go?
Where was the lava?
Why was he shivering?
He decided he didn’t care.
What was the point if everyone wanted him dead anyway? He’d simply comply.
Sam sat him up gently and, like a pouty child Dream let himself fall forward on the mattress, boneless, spineless.
With a soft sigh, Sam sat behind him and pulled him back up, Dream, ready to slump back again, crashed into a firm chest.
So instead he stared blankly ahead.
Why wouldn’t Sam just let him die?
He almost didn't notice that the worried man brought a wooden bowl to Dream’s mouth, filled with a warm stew. The smell of it brought Dream back to better times and he allowed himself to drink, blinking back tears. A few moments after Sam took the stew away, Dream folded in on himself, shivering heavily.
It took Sam a few moments to react, then he placed his hand on Dream’s back, softly.
Dream tensed, then a wail ripped itself from his throat. He cried and cried until there were no tears left, so he screamed his throat raw with all the emotions he kept bottled up, nice and secure in a lava coated obsidian box in his chest. Sam hugged him close but Dream didn’t notice, and clutched at any fabric nearby, letting it all out.
No words were spoken by either of them since Sam broke protocol and carried Dream to the Warden's Room, where he slept when he had to.
No muttered insults.
No whispered threats.
No yelled accusations.
Just Dream sobbing and screaming until there was no air left, until his body gave out on him.
Even in his sleep Dream looked pained, Sam had noticed recently. And when he finally woke up again he just curled into a tight ball, staring at the wall with empty eyes.
Until Ranboo came to visit Sam unannounced that is.
You see, Ranboo may have tried to get himself locked up inside the prison before but it really just jump-started Sam's protective feelings for him.
In the beginning Ranboo came by every week to try and bribe Sam.
Over time it evolved into dropping by with freshly made food to have a chat.
Sam forgot that Ranboo was supposed to come by this week and, opposed to the rest of the prison which was heavily secured, the Warden's Room was really just a well placed button's press away from the portal.
Sam almost stabbed Ranboo, partly out of shock, partly out of reflex, when the lanky two toned boy appeared in the doorway and made a noise that sounded more like an enderman screech than that of a surprised human.
"Why is he not in his cell, Sam!" The sight must've really spooked Ranboo, Sam thought. He sounds like he half forgot how Common is supposed to sound like.
"Because he almost died in there."
"He's not supposed to just sit here Sam! Have you forgotten what he did? Since when have you grown forgetful?"
Angry vwoops left Ranboo whenever he wasn't speaking. Sam just sat back down on the bed next to Dream, putting the sword back into his inventory.
"I did not. What was I supposed to do? Let him die there? You know I can't do that Ranboo, I promised Tommy I'd keep him alive!"
"Why is he here Sam? Why is he here? He's— he's not supposed to be here! He's not supposed to be anywhere other than that floating obsidian box! He has helped hurt Tubbo! He hurt Tommy! And so many others!"
Ranboo hesitated, his eyes growing big and ears angling back when suddenly he took a step forward and jabbed Sam in the chest, the two toned tail lashing behind him angrily.
"He's manipulated you too, hasn't he. Oh prime we should've known this is going to happen, we should've—"
Suddenly, Dream was standing right in front of him, bright green eyes locking onto his mismatched face. Ranboo instinctively took a step back.
“You should shut up if you don't know what you're talking about. Just— just shut the fuck up!
“Do you think I liked hurting all my friends, driving everyone away from me for fun? Liked killing my friends, seeing them die and flinch away from me despite the knowledge that they'll be fine on other worlds? No Ranboo."
“I hated every single second of it. I hate how you flinched away just because I got up from the bed! I did everything for all of you, I saw how much happier my friends were when they had me to blame for fucked up shit. I just wanted a home, I just wanted all of us to have fun, stupid wars that ended with us laughing about everything and instead here we are!"
Dream’s voice broke as he choked back a sob.
"I just wanted everyone to be happy but somehow all I did was fuck up. I thought you'd be happier if I was here instead of outside. I thought you were happier. It killed me, you know? The thought that my friends hated me so much they locked me up in an Obsidian box and then forgot about me. I guess they are, huh? They don't even visit. Do they even care?"
He looked at Ranboo for a few seconds more before going back to the bed and curling up.
If Sam and Ranboo left, Dream never noticed.
It took Sam a whole year to convince the others Dream isn't dangerous. Just like Ranboo did at first they all thought he was being manipulated by his prisoner.
They would not even listen to anything he had to say until Ranboo told them the same things.
The Enderman hybrid would never want to have Dream running around free if he'd still think that he'd be a danger to anyone, let alone his little beat up family.
Eret also spoke out for him, although she committed the first betrayal people started to look up to her a little in all the time that passed.
Technoblade and Philza just assured everyone they'd kill Dream should he want to blow up anything again.
Dream secretly turned in his favour for this.
"Technoblade, listen" he had said. "If I ever hurt anyone again, stop me. If it doesn't work just kill me. This is the favour I ask of you."
"Are you sure this is what you want from me? I'm not the best moral compass there is" he had responded. "Are you sure Dream?"
They considered letting Dream out and just let him go where he pleases. Safety concerns were raised and debated on and in the end they decided it'll be best if he lives with someone.
They allowed him to choose between making himself a home in Snowchester and moving in with Technoblade and Philza.
He considered Snowchester for a while but decided to move to the Arctic. He saw how Tommy glared at him. How Tubbo tensed.
He learned Ranboo and Tubbo had a son and they still don't trust him, let alone near his son.
As time passed, he built himself a ransacked house. Techno kept complaining about his property value and how much it suffered so Dream burned it down and watched the flames dance in the Arctic night sky.
There's just something about watching flames dance in the dark.
He didn't even notice Ranboo stood beside him until the half-enderman spoke up.
"So, you're homeless again I assume?"
Ranboos sass came back. Dream considered this a good thing.
"What makes you think that?", he asked instead of commenting on the character development of his once most beloved victim.
"Ah, I don't know? Maybe the fact that you're standing in the Arctic night in front of a big bonfire…. I thought I'd offer you a place to crash."
Dream turned to look at Ranboo, eyes wide in shock although there was no way anyone would be able to see through the bone mask he wore.
"In Snowchester I assume?"
Ranboo nodded.
Dream started to walk.
It took all of the Snowchester citizens a while to get used to it. Ranboo made sure to hover around Tubbo and Tommy, half to make sure they wouldn't destroy what little Dream had build, half to make sure they were okay. The first part was a lot harder to execute than the last.
Tubbo was the first to accept Dream, right after Ranboo that is.
He enjoyed the casual chaos he and Dream could cause, the destruction that could happen if his green friend hadn't asked Techno to kill him if he ever blew something up.
They amassed riches quickly.
(Most of them were stolen. Most of all from Foolish and Eret.)
Tommy took a lot longer, but Dream was happy to wait. He did hurt the loud brit a lot.
No amount of talking and making himself known and moving slowly seemed to be able to make Tommy trust him again.
One afternoon he saw Tommy with a zombie Piglin, talking loudly. Both of them laughed and giggled and squealed in delight and Dream was content watching from a distance.
Until said piglin came running up to him with a bright yellow flower crown.
The child managed to evade Tommy who chased after him, not wanting him to go near Dream. But the tiny creature was surprisingly fast and nimble.
"Hi little one, can I help?"
Dream forgot his name but knew this was Ranboos' son. My beloved Ranboo had called him.
The child held the flower crown up, Dream slid down from his seat onto the floor and leaned forward. A flower crown was set on his head delicately.
"Michael! Do you want a cookie! I got tons!" Tommy yelled from a distance, clearly still reluctant to go near Dream.
The zombie piglin child, Michael, Dream reminded himself, looked up to him with wide, happy eyes before running back to Tommy, waving his goodbyes.
Tommy still flinched but sometimes flower crowns made from dandelion and allium showed up on Dreams doorstep. He'd wear them proudly until they wilted and pretended to not see how Tommy smiled to himself whenever he spotted Dream wearing them.
The Dream SMP was peaceful.
It was all okay now that it was just the lot of them, after all, they've seen the worst parts of him and decided to stay anyway.
Life was still okay when others came and left.
It was clumsy at first but they made it work.
It was fine for their stupid pranks and games and challenges, they had fun and life was good.