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Dream had thoughtーwhile he was sitting alone in his cell, his weak and tortured body resting against the cold obsidianーthat he yearned for someone to be close to him, yearned for someone to hold him in all the ways he’s been lacking since he’s been put in this fucking place.
Now, however, with Technoblade, one of the only people who’s ever treated Dream as an actual person, as his new roommate, he’s discovered that all of his past assumptions were wrong.
When Technoblade had originally entered the cell, after he ignored every last one of Dream’s warnings, he had taken one look at Dream’s tattered body, and then insulted him. At the time, Dream hadn’t appreciated the teasing very much, taking the words directly to heart, only used to the harsh, yet true, words from Quackity. Techno had acted as if he wasn’t stuck in a maximum security prison, for who-knows-how-long, and Dream cursed his emotionless demeanor.
Now, however, as two weeks of this had gone by, Dream has started to appreciate the piglin hybrid’s presence.
In a world where Dream’s new normal is being tortured, for the fun of Quackity, it’s nicer than he thought it would be to have something, anything, to remind him of his life before being stuck in a small obsidian box. To remind him of a time when he would spend his days being terrorized by Tommy and being betrayed by his friends. Throughout it all, however, he was free. He could go anywhere and everywhere he wanted to, and now he was confined to a 6x11 box.
Techno had been almost the exact same as before, and Dream found the familiarity more comforting than anything else. Dream had discovered, on Techno’s second day there, that any sort of physical contact, even if it might’ve had good intentions, made Dream want to throw up. Techno had leaned close to him, continuing his gag about them being roommates, and Dream had shoved himself into the corner of the cell, panting and staring at Techno as if he had stuck a sword to his neck.
After that, Techno has stayed a respectable distance away from Dream, something for which Dream is eternally grateful for.
Techno has continued his regular teasing, even when Dream didn’t react, or when he only offered disbelieving expressions, until the blond had finally started giving in. Bantering with the pinkette has started to become Dream’s new favorite pastime, and although he had originally been very against the idea of anyone, especially Techno, who was realistically his only way out of here, joining him in his cell, he’s found himself cracking genuine smiles.
The best result, however, of having a new roommate is, by far, laughing.
Before Techno had joined him, Dream couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed. Was it right before he was put in here? Or was it long before that? Has he even laughed once since Sapnap and George betrayed him?
The action was so foreign to Dream that when it first happened, the sound had come out scratchy and it hurt his throat, but it sent euphoria through his body that he hadn’t experienced in too long. When it had happened, Techno had stopped his teasing, smirking at the sight of Dream hunched over in laughter, but there was something undeniably soft in his eyes. Dream didn’t want to stop, but when he did, he could feel a pleasant warmth lingering, and he found himself smiling genuinely.
After that, Dream found himself laughing more and more. Without Quackity coming in to torture him, he didn’t have to worry about his entire body aching while he laughed, which he became far too used to when he discovered something as small as breathing caused sparks of pain to flare from his core.
Techno, after he had lightly teased Dream about how scratchy his laugh was, had seemed to make it his personal mission to make Dream laugh as much as he possibly could; and it’s been working. Dream doesn’t know if Techno’s been upping his usual amount of jokes, or if Dream’s simply laughing more because he’s become addicted to the feeling, but honestly the reason doesn’t matter to the blond.
At the current moment, he’s sitting up against the hard obsidian, writing the events of the day in his journal. Techno lay next to him, not too close but not too far either, with his cape spread out under him to try and provide any comfort in the anguish-filled cell. Dream had been writing about a joke Techno told him earlier that day when he let out a pure, uncontained laugh. Dream had laughed louder than he had before when the joke was originally told, but thinking about it again was almost just as good.
Dream could see Techno open his eyes from where he was laying, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop laughing, or to feel ashamed for waking the pinkette. When Dream’s fit finally ended, and he closed the book in his hands, he finally looked over to Techno, who was already watching him. There was a small smile on Techno’s face, even though the obsidian he was laying on was without-a-doubt severely uncomfortable, and Dream couldn’t fight his own smile.
“What’re you laughin’ at, nerd?” Techno’s words were laced in something Dream couldn’t identify, but it was clearly different than Techno’s usual sarcasm, and paired with the hooded gaze Techno was directing at him, Dream couldn’t stop a flush from rising on his face.
“Just a joke you told earlier.”
“So you think I’m funny, good to know.”
Dream rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop a small chuckle from leaving his mouth at the over-exaggerated smirk on Techno’s face. “Don’t let it go to your ego.”
“No, I think I will.” Dream laughed again, leeching off the high it brought, and he rested his head against the obsidian behind him. He could see Techno moving out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t bother moving his gaze from where it was locked on the lava in front of them, a small smile lingering on his face. He wasn’t exactly content with his locationー who in their right mind would be? ーbut sitting here, with Techno next to him, wasn’t as bad as Dream thought it was going to be. “Come here.”
Dream furrowed his eyebrows, finally looking over at Techno, who was scooted to the edge of his cape, leaving the rest of it open. “Techno, I don’t think either of us want a repeat of that day-”
“No, Dream, just come lay here.”
“The cape’s not big enough for the both of us, just take the entire thing.”
“Dream, this thing is big enough to fit Quackity’s weird superiority complex, it can fit two grown men too.”
Dream huffed out a small laugh, but he didn’t fight Techno any longer, moving to a lying position before scooting onto the velvet cape. Although it didn’t provide much comfort, the cape was a physical barrier between Dream’s skin and the frigid obsidian, and he finds himself sinking into the feeling. From where he’s laying, on his side facing Techno, who’s also on his side, there’s at least half a foot of separation between the two prisoners.
Dream, not knowing fully why he’s doing what he’s doing, moves slightly closer to Techno. Techno watches him, his expression open and encouraging, and Dream settles as close as he can be without them physically touching. For some reason, Dream doesn’t feel repelled by being so close to another person, and a part of him wants to be even closer, but he knows that wouldn’t end well.
Instead, he reaches out a hand, gesturing with his eyes for Techno to follow suit. Both of their hands lay in the middle of them, resting on the velvet, yet still not touching. Dream takes a deep breath before looping his pinky with Techno’s own, laughing almost-hysterically when the action doesn’t send jolts of fear down his spine. Dream closes his eyes, curling his head down almost into his own chest, trying to savor the almost-overwhelming amount of comfort that came from the small gesture.
“Thank you, thank you so much, Techno.” Dream felt like he could cry, but for the first time in forever, it was out of happiness. In a world where there was nothing to be happy about, Dream found himself bathing in euphoria, the warmth from another’s skin on his own causing small tears to prick at the edge of his vision.
“Of course, Dream. We'll get out of here, one day.”