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Reckless. Idiot.
Foolish you imbecile. You should've hid. You should've let him roam around your land. He wouldn't find anything.
But you just couldn't let him destroy all your work. The statue. All of your precious buildings. All that time.
But now, you're in an even worse place.
He ignores the pain when Dream slaps him across his face, only gritting harder his teeth and staring back into him. Or rather his mask. He thinks that there's a red bruise already forming on his cheek while the other gets more and more angry.
“C'mon Foolish. Just tell me where it is and I'll let you go. It's that easy.”
Once again, Foolish stays silent. He's been silent ever since he awakened in this metal cell underground, tied to a chair with chains preventing him from doing anything. He would've gotten out if not for the fact they were modified. Bounding him to them and the chair. He couldn't move. He could speak, flinch, groan, but not get out. Nor could he call for help.
Through his mind crossed the image of everyone he's met or gotten closer to at the SMP.
Sorry Eret. I won't be able to go to another banquet with you.
His eyes follow curiously his captor's movements, walking back and forth, weighing over something in his mind.
Foolish knew he wouldn't be tortured. No. He was aware of the rumours about what happened to Dream during his time in prison. It would only end up in a PTSD episode with Foolish just sitting there awkwardly, not able to do anything but watch.
“Really nothing? Not a word?”
Dream asks, poking at his face. Foolish has to restrain himself from biting down on the finger, aware that it wouldn't help his situation. The owner of the server groans in his hands and looks through his inventory, searching for something. He hesitates between two things.
“Alright. Let's start off nicely.”
He gets out an ender chest and places it directly in front of the demigod.
“You don't have the book on you. I searched you. I searched the whole damn place and didn't find it. That means that either someone else has it-”
Foolish shakes his head lightly and Dream laughs behind his mask.
“Well that certainly makes this easier. So, it means it's in here.”
He points at the ender chest and Foolish doesn't react in any way. He looks down, pretending to contemplate on the offer. He already knows the answer.
The shark-totem lowers his head towards the chest and he can feel the aura of smugness radiate off him. The chains let go of him and Foolish carefully kneels to search through the ender chest. He sees the book, shining darkly.
He puts everything he has left on him in it before Dream growls and jumps on him, slamming his head into the rough floor.
“You sly moterfu- Oh you're going to regret that Foolish.”
The demigod smiles at him, until a wave of sadness surges through him.
“We used to be friends. I can't give you it. Whatever you do to me. Whatever you do to others. You know it.”
He starts off hesitantly, testing the waters. Dream doesn't hit him and Foolish takes it as a sign to continue.
“You're crazy. You've gone mad. You tried to kill everyone. I don't know why you're so obsessed with taking full control over the server. I don't know what you have against Tommy or Tubbo, but I know what you did. I know that you won't hesitate to do almost anything to get what you want. The question is why? Why are you so insistent on this?”
The player gets off him and Foolish sits up, watching him turn away and stare into the wall.
“Just give me the book.”
“No.”
“Foolish-!”
“No. I want answers.”
Dream kicks the chair, his mask shifting and Foolish sees the pure fire sizzling in his eyes. He knows what that means.
“I tried protecting them all. But they started wars. They started fights. Hell, they killed me a few times even. I am done. If they can't appreciate what I gave them, then they'll have nothing.”
Foolish moves away, backing into the wall. He's exhausted. He's tired. And most importantly, scared. But not of Dream.
“Don't you fear death? Don't you know that I can kill you, hurt you, over and over, and then bring you back with the revival book? Do you want to listen to your own screams for hours? Do you want to plead for your friends, although we both know they won't find you? Aren't you afraid of me? What can I do?”
The demigod grins at him, the darkened green eyes of him narrowing.
“I don't know how you're not aware of this yet. But there's someone I fear more than torture. More than whatever you do to me. More than all of your possessive bullshit going on. And you.”
“Oh really? And who might that be?”
He asks, lowering himself to Foolish's eye level.
The cell is cold, water streaming somewhere behind its walls and the tense atmosphere suffocating Foolish. He ignores the bright red alarm in his head, ignores how his body aches, how much bruises and cuts and scars he's going to have if he makes it out alive.
“DreamXD.”
The name makes Dream freeze, makes him back away. Foolish knows he's in disbelief now.
“You- Nice try. I don't know how you got your hands on that name, but you don't know what he can do. Even if you did, he's on my side. Not yours. Not caring for some pathetic mortal's ass, unable to protect himself.”
Foolish cannot recover himself fast enough and Dream sees the hurt expression appear momentarily. He hit a nerve.
“Oh. You do know him. You must be his new pet. Right?”
“I am not anybody's pet.” The shark totem wants to spit into the man's face, heat rising and settling into his face. He's aware of the small hint of his cheeks getting warm.
“Sure. Let's pretend you aren't his pet. Do you think he considers you a friend?”
Foolish stays silent, gaze now on the dry drop of blood on the floor.
“No. He doesn't. He's a God. He doesn't care about you. Or your feelings.”
The demigod tries to ignore how something stings his heart, that secretly he's always been aware of this. But he wouldn't admit it.
“Poor Foolish. Caring about someone who probably even gives less of a fuck about you.”
Foolish struggles to appear unfazed, tears trying to get out. He struggles to control his breath and is painfully aware that Dream relishes in his helplessness. In his pain.
DreamXD has joined the game.
He shoves his head between his arms and curls himself up, knowing that Dream is still there. The silence rings inside his head, it hurts him, it hurts him how much his heart thunders, how painfully aware it is that he's crying. How well you can hear his breath stutter repeatedly, how he tries to hide his constant gasps for air, how weak he is.
“That's enough Dream.”
He knows that voice. The shark totem knows that voice but refuses to believe the owner of it is actually here. He stays curled up.
“XD! I didn't expect you to show up. How have you been? How's- how's th-”
“What did you do?”
“I- Oh you mean Foolish. He's just a bit messed up, he doesn't want to surrender a book of his, so-”
“You did this to him?”
“I guess. Why do you look so pissed off.. Oh.”
Dream realizes something and Foolish tries to cut off the sound of whatever is happening around him. He doesn't want to know what they're talking about. He doesn't want to know what stunned Dream. What made him recoil nervously.
“Wait you really- XD . XD. Come on. We're friends right? You wouldn't- You can't”
“Move Dream.”
“Look, look, I'll give him to you, just let me get my book back!”
“Your book? Yours?”
“Yes, mine, what are you going on about? Don't tell me- XD don't you dare. Don't touch me--”
Something shifts and Dream is the one backing away in fear.
“I've had enough of you.”
“Wait XD please! Stop, you don't have to-”
Dream was slain by DreamXD.
Foolish chokes as Dream's body slides down onto the floor in front of him, the netherite sword sticking out of his body. Blood slowly slithers out of it and Foolish stares frightened at the crimson pool creating itself near him.
“Let's get you back home.”
He looks up slowly to see XD levitating above the ground, a hand carding through his chocolate hair and the way his surroundings turn black. He sees XD and only XD for a split moment.
He's overwhelmed with the sense of protection, with the sense of safety now surrounding him. He feels calm.
They teleport to Foolish's room.
“Foolish. You're safe now. You're with me.”
XD sits down, still looking intimidating as ever. Foolish doesn't want to look at him, trying to recover from the sudden change of events. The crying has stopped, but his eyes are shining, ready to start a new river of tears.
“Okay. Silent much. We can just sit here until you calm down. I'll be here.”
The god changes into his human form, stretching his human body. He takes off the mask, letting Foolish stare dazed at his face. He hums quietly, his fingers drumming on the top of Foolish's knees. He waits, not saying a word too. They have time. They have the whole eternity, so long that XD wishes.
“I wish I could hate you.”
Foolish blurts out, immediately shoving a hand to cover his mouth. He tries to back away more into the wall, internally panicking.
“i didnthr- Fuck, shit, I'm sorry. Didn't meant to say that.”
“I'm not mad.”
“I really really- You're.. not?”
“No. . But if you want to make sure of it, do something I ask for.”
“What is it?"
“Tell me something that might help. What do you need? I'll bring you anything. So you stop sobbing in that corner of yours you seem to love so much.”
The demigod scoffs and wants to retort, before realizing that XD is concerned. He's concerned for him and doesn't know how to help.
“Can you... Mmh.”
“Spit it out.”
“C'mere.”
XD moves closer to him before being pulled on Foolish by his robes. He nearly teleports away from the sudden move but manages to calm himself down. The demigod hides his face in XD's chest, not noticing the awful position he got them in. XD shifts carefully, trying not to startle Foolish, as he makes himself more comfortable, moving them. Foolish is now in his lap, enjoying the given warmth.
“Thanks.”
He mumbles, his own hand wandering onto XD's cheek and the god purrs. He purrs and leans into it, making Foolish shiver pleasantly. It's quiet, but the demigod no longer can feel danger breathing down on his neck.
He lied to Dream. He wasn't afraid of XD. He was afraid of what would happen if XD got tired of him. If he decided that he'd gotten enough of this mortal relationship shit and just left.
So far, he hadn't.
“Feeling better yet darling?”
XD grins at him when Foolish starts to kiss his neck, going up to his chin, nose, forehead, but not touching his lips at all. He wants to enjoy this soft moment as long as he can.
“Prick. Stop moving.”
It's a half-hearted insult that XD, after weeks of working on his anger issues with Foolish, doesn't care about.
“You're cute when you're annoyed.”
“You drive me mad.”
“Right back at you.”
Foolish doesn't freak out when XD teleports them, recognizing the covers of his own bed. He's too comfortable right where he is.
“I'm sorry about the whole Dream situation that you had to get me out of.”
“Not your fault.”
“But he could take away your book-”
“He could've killed you. He already hurt you. He crossed the line when he dared to lay a single finger on you, not when trying to get that stupid thing.”
“Still.. You didn't need to kill him.”
“You underestimate how much you mean to me.”
“Sorry.”
“Even after more than two months.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“I know and it's alright. But we'll need to work on that.”
XD cradles Foolish's crimson face in his hands. He doesn't break eye contact even when the emerald eyes look at him back and he notices the adoration reserved for him. Only for him.
“I'll sacrifice everything if it means to protect you. You are mine and I am yours. For all the time we both have.”