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Dream wasn't sure how he got out. It seems like a blessing from a god. Or possibly a curse. One moment he was still in his cell, still attempting to force his dehydrated self to cry over his mistakes, the next he’s in a field far from the greater SMP.
He was equal parts thankful and not. He was glad to be where he might be momentarily safe, and near some fresh water, but he didn't deserve it. He knew he didn't deserve it...
He goes over to the pond by where he's at and drinks from it. Cold, must be near a snowy area. He then looks it over to see his reflection.
His large horns were still pristine. Or, at least, as pristine as they could be when he hasn’t had a chance to clean up after… what he did. There were a lot of new scars on him, thanks to Quackity. He should be in that cell to let Quackity go at him again. His hair had definitely gotten longer, thick and blond. Just like his horns, there’s some blood dried in it.
He sighs as he backs away and looks around, trying to figure out where he is. His thin clothes and low weight is making it hard to enjoy the cold, but it’s not terrible for him. Once he recognizes where he is, he starts walking.
It had been a long time since he went to go visit this person for a neutral, if not positive, reason. The cold was now more obvious as there was snow falling. He hesitates for quite some time before knocking on the door of the cabin in the wintery area. The door opens and he smiles weakly.
"Hey, Techno... It's been a while, huh?"
The piglin looks Dream over, showing no emotions as he steps over to the side to let the ram in. "Why are you here? How are you here?"
"I... Don't know how I got out..." Dream says honestly as he carefully walks in. "Do you... Still have the extra room in the basement?"
"Never had that."
"Techno, I have obsession issues. I'm not stupid." He looks at the piglin directly before looking off, remembering he has blood in his hair and on his horns and seeing Techno's missing eye. "Or... Maybe I'm a bit stupid, b-but I know Tommy had to be staying somewhere here!"
There's more pause before Techno sighs. "Yeah, down the ladder, hidden behind some barrels." Dream nods and wordlessly goes to his new room.
He honestly still wanted to talk with Techno. Hang with him. Rebuild the bridge he burnt back when they were young teens...
But he can't. It's too late for him to fix his problems. It's to late to make ammends. It's too late to rekindle friendships. It's all too late.
He should be thankful Techno's even letting him into his house after everything he did to the piglin and his family.
And he spends a few days mostly avoiding Techno. Eating what he can find instead of asking for food. Which, unfortunately, meant he was still eating just potatoes. Trying to not cry regularly about everything he fucked up with and thinking about the damage he had done...
Thinking about how he did the damage had other thoughts hit his mind. Unsafe ones. If not done right he could die. But... Well who cares?
He makes his way back up the ladder. The only thing he did to improve his condition really was clean the blood off himself. "Hey, Techno? Do you have a stonecutter?"
He looks up from his book and adjusts the custom glasses he has on. "Uhh... No? I'm not really much of a builder, Dream."
He laughs weakly. "I guess that makes sense... Don't worry I'll get the materials to make one myself."
"Why do you need one?" Techno tilts his head slightly as he asks.
Dream just pauses there before huffing. "Why do you care?"
"Because the last interaction we had was you trying to find Tommy to force him back to exile?" He raises an eyebrow as Dream looks away.
"Don't worry... I-I'm done trying to..." He takes a deep breath as he keeps looking further away, knowing his face is the only thing that gives away his true emotions. “Trying to force him to be my brother… I won’t bug Tommy again…”
"Then why do you need it?"
Dream quickly turns to Techno with a glare. But he's once again looking away when his eyes land on the piglin's missing one. "It's just a personal project... Nothing long and nothing to worry about..."
"Dream, be honest with me…”
“I am.” And he was. It was for a personal project, and it wouldn’t take long. “Just tell me where the iron is and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Dream…”
“I’ll find it myself.”
“Who are you gonna hurt, Dream?”
That causes the ram to freeze. “No one you care about…” is what he eventually says, believing that to be the truth.
Techno hums as he gets up. “We’re friends, Dream. I’d rather you didn’t do something stupid.” He puts a hand on the other’s shoulder.
Dream starts shaking lightly with some silent sobs. “We were friends… and then I tried to kill you to get to… y-your brother…” it still hurt him greatly to realize how wrong he was on Tommy being part of his family. That the teen was meant to be Dream’s brother and not Techno’s and Wilbur’s. “It’s too late to fix that.”
There’s a moment of silence before Techno replies. “Nah.”
Dream glances over, enough to look at Techno but not enough to make the tears obvious. “Nah?”
“Come on, dude. It’s not too late to reunite with friends and mend bonds.” He kinda moves uncomfortably. “I know you did… some terrible things to me… and Wilbur… and Tommy…” Dream shrugs the piglin’s hand off his shoulder and continues his way to the chests. “But I can’t help but care for you, so what are you doing?”
Dream decided to test that comment. Did Techno care about Dream, or just want to know what the ram was doing?
“I’m gonna cut my horns off.”
Techno blinks before grabbing Dream's arm lightly. "Hold on, isn't that dangerous? Like, couldn't you die from bloodloss?"
"It could be..." He says as he wipes his tears from his face. He then pulls out some bottles. "But I figured… if I drink these before and then eat a golden apple after, I’d be fine.” Even if not, he’d still be fine. He’d be revived… he puts the potions away.
"And emotionally? Instinctively? Psychologically?” Techno was really pushing to know if he actually wanted to do this at all.
Dream starts shaking as he subconsciously brings a hand up to hold his horn on the same side. Big, solid, powerful. A source of pride and bravery to any ram. A sign of being strong and healthy. Meant to be for protection.
He never used them that way. He didn't deserve the pride. The bravery. The strength and health.
He didn't want to lose them. But he needed to. He didn't use them right.
He didn't deserve them.
"I've only ever used them to hurt, threaten, and kill others. Those who don't deserve it."
Techno hums a bit. "Dream, look at me."
"No."
"Dream."
"Looking at you confirms what I've said. These horns have just caused harm..."
Techno sighs a bit, knowing exactly what that meant. "Dream, I moved on from that years ago. Why haven't you?"
"Because I didn't realize the weight of it until like... A week ago..." He admits after an uncomfortably long amount of silence.
Techno had never been good at the feelsy stuff, but seeing Dream, his old friend, in this moment, malnourished with tears streaming down his newly scarred face, holding his horns both scared of losing them and scared of what he’ll do with them, he just knew what he had to do.
Dream found himself in a hug rather quickly. It took a bit for him to return it, his shakes seeming to increase. He sighs shakily as he buries his face in Techno's shoulder.
"I'm sorry..." Drean says amidst his sobs, that he was habitually making sound like giggles. “I’m so fuckin sorry…”
"We all make mistakes..." He says with a sigh as he pats Dream's back. "Probably a lot more here because everyone here's got problems."
Dream ends up laughing genuinely for a second from that, and seems to refuse to let go of the piglin.
"You know... Maybe I wasn't the one you wanted... But you can still get a brother. If you're down."
There's a hum before Dream moves to wipe away tears and pulls back to look at Techno, a weak smile on his face.
“It’s not too late, right?” He can’t help but laugh at the repeating of what Techno said earlier.
They would have a lot to work through. More than Techno can usually handle. But he saw Dream as family. And he’d do anything for family.