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“So, you lose weight? You feel lighter than I remember” Techno said
“Can’t say I wanted to. But thanks to Mr. Scarface and an all-potato diet here we are” Came Dream’s wheezy reply. Not the wheeze Techno was used to either, the one that came when Dream had laughed so much he couldn’t breathe. This just sounded... Sick.
Techno sighed out into the cold air, his breath materializing into frost. “Welp, don’t you worry about that weight for too much longer.”
Dream weakly laughed “Why? Because I’m going to be eating your crappy stew?”
“Nope, because you’ll be eating Philza’s. I busted you out at this exact time that he’s all melancholic about his boys being all grown up. And seeing as how you are in no condition to revive Ranboo right now, and seeing how you’re sick, And seeing as how Phil misses being a dad and taking care of people; I am killing three birds with one singular stone.”
All that Techno received in response was silence, before a sputtering bewildered “ What!? ” Burst forth from Dream’s mouth.
“I’m not repeating myself” was all Techno said as he continued stomping through the snow supporting Dream. The potions had given the poor guy a burst of energy, but that quickly faded, now he was stuck basically carrying the smaller man.
“So you’re telling me that I have to do what? Act like a little baby because your bird buddy is feeling sad?”
“You weren’t acting like a little baby already?” That remark got him punched in the jaw. He inhaled deeply, before exhaling slowly. “Right. Anyway yeah basically. Just sit there, let him give you some soup, tuck you into bed and change your bandages and you’ll be fine.”
Dream just peered up at him, confusion evident in the features Techno could make out from behind his broken mask.
"Speaking from experie-"
" Yes " Techno growled out. "And I ain't keen about experiencing it again". The scowl on his face started to reverse to a more cheerful expression.
"That's where you, my teletubby business partner, come into the picture. You're… taking my "shift" today". He emphasized the shift part with air quotes.
Dream just collapsed in his arms dramatically “ I should’ve just stayed in that damn prison”
Phil, now safely back at his own home, was feeling quite sad. Yes Ranboo had very tragically died but seeing as how they had Dream in their possession it wouldn’t be much of an issue bringing him back in short order. No, what was making Phil very sad right now was the fact that it was right around Wilbur’s birthday, and he was just reminded of how old his son was. He missed the days when Wilbur wasn’t a grown up man who couldn’t seem to be cheerful except when spiting his enemies. He missed when he was a young boy just laughing and playing. The one he could easily pick up and toss into the air. The one who would be cheerful and hum happily in the kitchen as he was waiting for the food to get ready. Plus there was the fact that his son actually listened to him instead of having his advice go in one ear and out the other.
Well, He supposed his son may have always been like that:
“Daddy, who is this lady?” A young Wilbur Soot asked, pointing at a picture on the fridge. His bright yellow sweater gleaming in the early morning sunlight.
Phil tiredly looked up from his coffee, but smiled at the young boy. “Oh, that sweet lady is your mum, Wilbur.”
Wilbur smiled wide excitedly “MY MUM!? WHERE IS SHE DAD?” He asked jumping at his dad.
Phil used his wings and remaining empty hand to catch his son, precariously balancing his coffee mug with the overexcited toddler in his arms.
“Well son, she is… well she isn’t here right now. She has a lot of work to do” Phil said
“Aww. Well, what does she do?” WIlbur asked
“Well, around this time of year she is Icing-”
“ Depositing ice” came the melodic voice of the samsung Smart fridge, spilling ice from the dispenser.
Wilbur turned around gasping “MUM?” And then began struggling to get out of Phil’s arms.
Phil tried to hold onto Wilbur “Wilbur your mum isn’t the fridge, okay. That was just”
But the overexcited toddler wasn’t listening and broke free, running to the fridge and hugging it. Right next to the picture.
And all Phil could do was blink confusedly at what just happened.
Yeah, maybe his son had always been that way.
In the meantime, he got cleaned up from his assistance on the raid. Techno had taken a long route to try and throw off the butchers, they’d already stopped by and looked in his house, knocking things over and making a mess. Just like the last time. He considered stabbing them right there and then but they didn’t push too hard so he didn’t bother. But as planned they ended up thinking the rivals duo had gone far away from the main area of the server and hiding away in the wilderness.
So, he got busy cleaning up both his and Techno’s house. Righting the brewing stands, reorganizing his own chests because Techno’s were a lost cause, and finally putting the kettle on the stove because he really needed a warm cup of tea after the mess that today was.
That was the scene that Techno and Dream busted the front door into. Techno quickly rushed to the couch, threw Dream onto it, then pointed at Phil, then pointed at Dream, and yelled “FIX!”
And then he was out the door.
Philza was baffled
Dream was bewildered. Again he couldn’t even process the pain his body was in after that toss because he was too confused.
Phil recovered first, moving to Dream and helping him sit upright.
“Anything you want to eat mate?”
Dream just sloooowly turned his head towards Phil. “we’re… not going to talk about that?”
Phil smiled “Nope! So, anything you want to eat? Steak, soup, mashed potato”
Dream shot up “NO! No potatoes. I’ve had enough of that evil vegetable.”
Phil held his hands up in mock surrender “Alright, okay. Whatever you say. No potatoes” He paused to let Dream calm down a bit “So what is it that you want then?”
Dream sat up, pulling in his legs and resting his arms on his knees, then laying his head against his arms. He muttered “I wan’ Chili”
Phil leaned in “what was that mate?”
“I said I WANT CHILI ALRIGHT? It’s too damn cold for anything else.”
And back Phil went to holding his hands up. “Okay, Chili it is. You sit tight right there. I’ll get it ready”
By the time he got back to the kitchen the kettle was starting to whistle. He poured some of the water out for himself to make some tea, then thought better of it. He shouted “Oi mate, you want any tea?”
“No!”
What kind of self respecting brit wouldn’t like- oh right Dream wasn’t British.
“So then what do you want?”
Dream, from his spot on the couch, felt his face turn red. He knew what he wanted, but it was a little embarrassing to say.
“Do you have any hot chocolate?” And Phil couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. Dream, the great warrior of the server, wanted some hot chocolate.
“Alright mate, I’ll get you your hot chocolate.”
He poured out the hot water, added in the mix, tossed in a few bits of chocolate for good measure, and then added some marshmallows on top to finish it off. He brought the frothy brew over, and sat down next to Dream. He saw him shivering a bit, so he took a blanket from behind the couch and put it over Dream’s shoulders, patting him on the back afterwards as if that would keep the blanket there.
“Just rest and drink up for a sec mate, I’ll get you that chili in no time”
Dream smiled “Thanks Phil”
“No problem mate” and off Phil went back into the kitchen.
Dream leaned back into the couch, and took a sip from the hot chocolate. After nothing but potatoes for months, it was like the sugar and chocolate were a kaleidoscope of flavors in his mouth. The rich brew filled his mouth and as he swallowed he felt his body warming up, his intense shivering starting to subside. He set the mug of hot chocolate down and let out a deep, satisfied sigh. He could certainly get used to this treatment.
He looked around the cabin as he picked his mug back up, taking sips of it. It certainly looked a whole lot more comfortable than a monument of Blackstone and obsidian. After a short time, his mug was empty and he was no longer shivering.
That’s when Phil came back with a steaming pot of chili and two bowls. He retreated back to the kitchen to grab two glasses of water and then sat them down. He grabbed a ladle and then spooned out some chili for Dream, and then himself.
“Now mate, I know it’s a bit of a flavor disaster going from sweet to savory, so drink that water beforehand otherwise your taste buds are going to die.” Phil reminded Dream as he was about to eat some of the Chili.
Dream paused where he was, hunched over his bowl, “uhhhhh, yeah. Sure. Thanks Phil” He said before drinking some of the water and oooh. Fresh glacial water tasted so much better than whatever he got at the prison.
Phil smiled gently “Now eat up lad” He said as he himself began to eat. Maybe a sign to show it wasn’t poisoned? Dream was too damn hungry to care all that much.
As he dug into the chili, he couldn’t stop himself from grunting at the taste. Savory, spicy, and most of all hearty. He could finally feel the strength returning to his bones with this tasty meal.
Phil looked at him and chuckled. Dream looked up saying “what’s the matter”. Phil brought out a napkin and reached over, swiping some of the spilled soup from his chin “you’re going to need to relearn table manners while you’re here mate. I’m letting you off this time though.”
Dream blushed, embarrassed. Quietly he muttered “Thanks Phil”.
For the remainder of dinner neither would speak, focusing on their food. Once both were finished Phil picked up Dream’s bowl, telling him that there was a bath downstairs and he’d meet him there shortly.
It was a nice bathroom. Polished diorite tiling making up the floor, with a large bath and shower in the center. He looked in the nearby drawers under the sink for soap and shampoo, finding them easily. That’s when Phil came down the stairs, carrying a large first aid kit.
“Alright mate, let’s get those bandages off” He said as he brought a pair of small scissors from the bag. Too small to do any real damage. Not like the shears Quackity had. Dream sat on a nearby stool, facing his back to Phil, but he couldn’t help looking over his shoulder in paranoia. While he was busy doing that Phil started filling the bath with warm water.
“Techno has this really cool system of heating the water with lava, pretty cool stuff. Now let’s get those off so you can actually get cleaned” Phil said as he got behind Dream, scissors in hand. Slowly, he got to work, cutting the bandages and slowly peeling them off to cause as little damage as possible. In a strange way, it felt almost refreshing to Dream. After a couple minutes, Phil was done.
“Alright Mate, just ring that bell over there when you’re done so I can get you some new bandages.”
One of Dream’s eyebrows shot up “And you have a bell why?”
Phil just chuckled as he started leaving the room “You’re not the only one I’ve had to patch up mate.”
He left, and Dream entered the bath. He sank into the warm water, feeling the months long buildup of dirt and sweat come off his body. He dunked his head in and scrubbed at his hair, finally feeling it no longer be quite so coarse. He spent a solid half an hour just getting clean(And if he wanted to enjoy the warm water that was no one’s business but his own).
By the time he got out it was like he felt like he had been purified, and he rang the bell.
Sure enough, Phil came through the door, using his one good wing to push it open. Carrying with him a bundle of clothes and some potions. “You know instant health potions won’t really work right? They’re basically just drugs.”
Phil’s smile became just a bit more thin “Mate, I’ve been helping people longer than you’ve been alive. These are regeneration potions, you soak the bandages in them and then bind them and the healing process speeds up a lot more. Unless you’d prefer a unnecessarily longer recovery I suggest you let me do my job”
Dream’s jaw closed with an audible pop as he sat back down quickly, and phil began dressing his wounds. He could feel the regen potion starting to work its slow magic, his pain relieving. Phil handed him the clothes once he was done. They looked like… pyjamas? Yellow pyjamas?
“Some of Wil’s old pyjamas, I thought they’d fit just fine, albeit…” He looked Dream up and down “They might be a bit large on you”
Dream wasted little time putting them on, and yeah, they were kinda large. But the comfort they provided more than made up for it. Phil wrapped an arm around him “Alright mate, let’s get you to bed.”
Dream agreed, nodding his head. His eyelids were starting to close already in the bath, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could support his own weight. But Phil was there to support him with his arm and his one remaining wing. The warm feathers only making him sleepier.
Finally, they made it up the stairs, and Dream was basically dragging his feet up the final few steps. Opening the door to a warm room with a crackling fireplace. A large bed with furs on top dominating the center of the room.
Dream blearily glanced over at Phil “why do ya ‘ave a guest room thi’ big?” He tiredly slurred aloud.
Phil just rubbed the back of his head “well Niki sometimes comes over and to be honest” his voice lowered to a whisper as though he was telling some big secret. “I was so fooking bored of having no big projects to do I needed to go all out”
Dream, understandably to the point of barely keeping awake, just nodded his head as though that made complete sense. They made it to the bed and Phil managed to just move the sheets out of the way as Dream collapsed onto it. Out cold and snoring peacefully. Phil just chuckled to himself and tucked Dream into the bed. Pressing a kiss to his mask’s forehead.
“Sweet Dreams lad”