Chapter Text
Tommy threw the ball to Tubbo, laughing as it soared straight over his head. “Hey Tubbo, I think you missed.” he said sarcastically.
His friend glared at him before going to pick up the ball from where it landed just a few feet away. “Gee thanks captain obvious.” Tubbo replied.
It had been a few months since the festival. The warm summer season had turned to a cool winter, and heat from the sun didn’t quite reach the ocean floor like it did during summertime. Tommy preferred the warmer seasons, but the change in temperature was nice.
Something about the cooler waters was relaxing. While the summer felt fast and exciting, winter felt slower and calmer. It was like a lazy day with dad. Sure, he loved playing with Tubbo all day, but sometimes he just wanted to sit back and relax.
Today was a little too chilly for his liking though. It wasn’t exactly cold, but he could still feel little shivers running down his spine every so often. Tommy just brushed them off in favor of playing catch with Tubbo. Dad and Mr. Sapnap were inside the cave, chatting like they always did while they watched the two boys.
Mr. Sapnap and Tubbo had decided to stop by for a surprise visit since they didn't have anything else to do today. It was a very pleasant surprise as Tommy had been trying to convince his dad to go to Tubbo’s house only a minute before the two showed up.
Tommy ducked as the ball was suddenly thrown at his head, narrowly avoiding being hit. “Hey Tommy, I think you missed.” Tubbo said smugly with a huge grin on his face.
Tommy lightly rolled his eyes at the smart-tailed payback for his sarcastic comment. “Nah, I think you just suck.”
Tubbo gasped dramatically. “Take that back!” Tommy laughed, throwing the ball to the other boy normally so they could resume their game.
“Not till the day I die.” He said teasingly. The rest of the day was filled with jokes and light-hearted insults like that, with the occasional yell from one of their dads to “be nice to each other.”
Tommy tried to ignore the shivers as they gradually became more frequent and more noticeable throughout the day, but that became difficult when one of them made his whole body jerk, causing him to miss the ball. “What was that?” Tubbo asked, clearly trying to hold back a laugh.
“Just a stupid chill. I’ve been getting them all day.”
Tubbo looked confused. “A chill? How are you cold right now? It feels pretty nice!” Tommy shrugged, turning to pick up the ball and throwing it back to his friend.
“I don’t know, I just am,” he responded plainly, not putting much thought into it.
Tubbo caught the ball easily, frowning slightly as he thought for a second. “Think you might be getting sick? I’m pretty sure random chills can be a symptom.” Tommy paused.
Could he be sick? He didn't feel bad, he was just a little cool (cool, not cold) and sleepy. “I don't think so.”
Neither of them said anything else about it, instead moving on to other topics and continuing to throw the ball back and forth. It wasn't going too well for Tommy. He kept missing the ball because of shivers. By the time it was getting dark, the occasional jerks had turned into constant shaking.
“Boys, it’s getting dark, time to come in!” Mr. Sapnap shouted. Tommy picked up the ball from where he had failed to catch it again and followed Tubbo inside. Dad and Mr. Sapnap were sitting in the seashell chairs, which had been turned to face the entrance so they could see outside. It looked like they were finishing up a conversation, so he went to put the ball up in his room before he forgot about it.
When he came back out dad turned to look at him, face shifting into slight concern when he noticed the shaking. “Why are you shivering? Are you cold?”
Tommy nodded his head. “A little, yeah.” He didn't even bother with trying to say he was just cool. He knew his dad would see straight through him.
Dad got up from his chair and swam towards him, lightly putting a hand on his forehead. After a few seconds, he frowned and pulled his hand away. “You feel warm.”
Tommy yawned, stretching and rubbing his eyes as he began to feel tired. “I don't feel sick though.”
Dad sighed and gently ruffled the mer-child’s hair. “I guess you should just go ahead and go to bed, get some rest, and hope you're feeling better tomorrow.” Normally he would protest, but sleep sounded pretty nice.
Tommy said goodbye to Tubbo and Mr. Sapnap, who both wished for him to get well soon, and went straight to his room. He flopped onto his bed, shifting around for a minute or two to get comfortable. Once he was in a cozy position, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
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Tommy groaned, feeling the pounding headache in his skull. Every part of his body ached, and his eyelids felt too heavy to open. He was exhausted, and to top it all off, he was still cold. Definitely sick. He lay there for a few minutes, not wanting to move. Everything felt like too much effort.
“Tommy? Are you awake?” He heard dad whisper quietly.
Tommy slowly opened his eyes to see dad beside the entrance to his room. “Yeah, M’ awake.” He mumbled sleepily.
Dad swam in and crouched down next to his bed. “You feeling any better?” he asked softly, tail anxiously flicking back and forth behind him.
Tommy let out a barely audible “no,” followed by a couple of coughs. It reminded him a bit of a mer-child pretending to be sick in order to get out of doing something. Tommy had done something similar once when he didn't want to go to the library.
Dad looked worried as he checked the mer-child’s temperature again. “Yeah, you're definitely sick. Looks like you're gonna be stuck in bed all day.” Tommy sighed. He was slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t get to see Tubbo today, but he also didn’t think he could get up if he tried.
“Sorry buddy. Do you want something to eat? I bet I could find a few shrimps if you want me to.” He paused to think for a moment.
Shrimp was his favorite food, but he didn’t really feel like eating. After a second, he shook his head in response. “I’m not that hungry right now.”
Dad frowned, a look of concern in his eyes. “Ok, just let me know when you do get hungry, ok?” Tommy gave him a small thumbs up as dad left, probably to straighten up the cave. That was fine with him. He really did not feel like answering a lot of questions about his symptoms.
Tommy rolled over, trying to get comfortable. He wanted to go back to bed and sleep this off, but unfortunately the universe had other plans for him. No matter what he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. His teeth wouldn't stop chattering because he was so cold, and the aches spread throughout his body refused to ease.
The discomfort left him laying on his back as he stared up at the ceiling, doing his best to block it out of his mind. To help distract himself, he started thinking about some of his favorite memories, like the day dad taught him to hunt.
Tommy chased after the little white fish, wildly swiping his claws at it. He kept missing as his attacks became more uncoordinated, eager to impress his father. The fish swam under some coral, just out of his reach.
“Aww, that was a good first try! But you've got to be more patient. Come here and watch me.” He followed dad to a hiding place behind a hill. Tommy watched as he got down low, practically laying on the hill, and copied his dad’s example.
They laid there silently for a few minutes. Tommy desperately wanted to ask what they were doing, but something told him it was better to be quiet and watch. He noticed an orange fish swimming towards them, and as soon as it was close enough, dad jumped up and quickly grabbed it.
The fish struggled in his grip for a few seconds, but no matter how it twisted and turned, it couldn't free itself. After making sure that Tommy was watching, dad dug his claws into its neck carefully to kill it. “See? Patience is key. The fish will never come near you if they see you chasing other fish around and know you're trying to kill them.”
Tommy nodded, ready to give it a try himself. He found a nice piece of coral to hide behind while dad went somewhere else. He remained as soundless as he possibly could, carefully watching as schools of fish swam by, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Soon enough, a medium-sized yellow fish came just a little too close to Tommy. He instantly shot up, lunging for the fish and grabbing it in his hands before the poor creature even knew what was happening. He grinned excitedly as he waved to his father. “Dad, dad! Look, I caught my first fish!”
Dad came out from his spot with a warm smile on his face. “Good job! That looks like a really nice fish, Tommy!” He beamed at the praise, looking back at the fish and digging his claws into its neck. Immediately he felt the fish go limp in his hold, and the two mers swam back to their cave to eat lunch and celebrate.
Tommy didn't even notice he had fallen asleep until he was waking up. He thankfully didn't feel any worse than he had earlier, but he didn't feel better either. His stomach growled, and it was then that he realized he was hungry.
Normally, he would get up and go bug dad until he took him out for a hunt. Now though, he felt like he'd puke if he even tried to leave his room. Instead, he cleared his throat before hoarsely yelling, “DAD!”
He came dashing into Tommy's room, eyes carefully scanning over his son for any signs of trouble. “Is something wrong? Are you ok?” Tommy nodded.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just hungry.”
Dad seemed to visibly relax at that. “Well then it's a good thing I told Mr. Sapnap to get some extra fish when he came by to check in on us.”
His stomach turned uncomfortably at that. He felt like fish would make him sick. “Can I have grapesauce?” He asked. Grapesauce was a mix of crushed sea grapes and seaweed served in a coconut shell as a bowl. It was the best sick food in Tommy’s opinion. Something about it was so comforting. It had a sweet taste but was gentle and easy to digest.
Dad smiled softly. “Of course you can. Hang on, I’ll be right back.” Tommy watched as he swam back out of the room, going to make the food. He let his eyes slip closed while he waited in hopes that it would ease the headache. It didn't help, so he gave up and groaned as he slowly rolled onto his back, trying to get himself in a comfortable sitting position so he could eat.
Dad came back just five minutes later with a bowl of grapesauce in his hands. He reached out to take the bowl, full of that delicious mush he loved so much. “Thanks, dad.” He said with a smile before beginning to eat. Dad sat down beside him, gently combing his hair with his fingers.
“Anything for you, Sunshine.”
-------
Dream sat in his seashell chair, which he had moved to be closer to Tommy's room, waiting for his mom to arrive. Over the past few days Tommy had only gotten worse. He'd gone from a mild fever, body aches, and fatigue to an extremely high fever, complete exhaustion, and aches so bad that it hurt to move.
Needless to say, Dream was worried out of his mind. He’d even taken to sleeping on the floor by the mer-child’s bed, just in case something happened in the night. He was terrified to leave his son's side. Luckily Sapnap had been coming by everyday to make sure everything was alright.
He’d even brought a few get-well-soon cards from Tubbo, who would visit his grandparents while Sapnap was helping them. Yesterday after a particularly bad coughing fit, Dream had asked him to let his mom know Tommy was sick so she could check on him. She was a doctor after all, she'd know what to do.
He had woken up early to straighten up the cave a bit before she arrived and was now anxiously waiting. It didn't take long before he heard knocking at the entrance. He quickly got up, going to pull back the lichen covering the cave. His mother was on the other side, a warm but concerned smile on her face,
She had a bag full of almost every medicine imaginable with her. Dream relaxed a little when he saw it. He knew she'd have something with her that could help his son. “Hey Dream! It's good to see you again!” She said, holding her arms out for a hug.
“Good to see you too, Mom.” He replied, accepting the hug and wrapping his arms around her.
“Is everything ok? Sapnap told me Tommy's sick.” Dream moved aside to let her in the cave, following her further in until they were in the center of the main room.
“He got sick about five days ago and to be honest, I’m worried. He hasn't gotten any better. In fact, he's just getting worse each day.” Dream absentmindedly picked at his claws. It was a little habit of his that he did when he was extremely anxious about something.
Mom frowned at this. “That's not good. Got any idea what it might be?” He thought silently for a minute.
Mom had taught him about a few basic illnesses so he could handle them on his own, but whatever Tommy had wasn't familiar to him at all. “I have no clue. Maybe it's nothing and I’m just being paranoid, but I really just want to make sure he's alright.”
The mermaid nodded her head in understanding. “I’d probably be worried too. Give me a few minutes to check his symptoms and all that other fancy stuff and we'll go from there.” Dream nodded and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He led his mother to Tommy's room and gently knocked on the door frame.
When he got no response, he swam closer to the mer-child's bed. He was asleep. Dream crouched down and gently shook his shoulder. “Tommy, wake up.” The boy slowly opened his eyes, and Dream couldn't help but notice the dull look in them. The normal beautiful, bright blue color had faded to a sickly gray.
He tried to ignore the knot of anxiety tightening in his chest at the sight. “Dad? Wha’s goin on?” Tommy said with a croak, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Grandma Puffy is here to see you. Do you feel like talking to her?” He asked softly. When Tommy nodded his head, he moved back to the doorframe and let his mother take over.
Her face only grew more concerned as the minutes passed by. Dream watched as she took his temperature and asked a bunch of questions. Each answer Tommy gave was more worrying than the last. She asked things like “Do you have a headache?” (It feels like my skull is splitting open), “What hurts the most?” (I don't know. It all hurts.), “How bad does it hurt on a scale from one to ten?” (Eight.), “Do you feel tired?” (Sorry, what was that? I almost fell asleep.), and “How much have you been eating?” (I don't know. I haven't been that hungry.)
She asked more specific things too, but Dream didn't listen to those answers. He couldn't stand to hear any more when everything else he’d heard had already sent his parental instincts into a panic. Eventually mom had gathered all the information she needed, and the two left to let Tommy go back to sleep.
They sat down in the seashell chairs to talk, with Dream taking the one closest to his son's room. “So? Do you know what it is?” He asked, anxiously flicking his tail back and forth.
Mom sighed and looked down at the floor. “I do. But you're not going to like the answer.” His heart sank to his stomach at that.
“What is it? Please, just tell me.” Something in him felt so terribly wrong, almost like he knew what it was deep down. But that didn't make sense, because Dream didn't know what it was. At least, he thought he didn't.
His mother took a deep breath before answering. “It's Mellohitis Filu. It's known for being deadly, but there is a medicine we can use to treat it.” A sense of dread came over him. He'd heard of Mellohitis Filu before, and everything he had been told about the illness was horrible. He couldn't believe his 8-year-old son had somehow ended up with such a terrible disease.
He tried not to panic as he thought about what mom said. At least there was a way to take care of it. “Ok, so can we give him the medicine?” He asked as calmly as possible.
All composure he had quickly crumbled when she slowly shook her head. “I don't have any right now.”
Dream put his head in his hands as silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Everything felt hopeless now. Tommy was sick with something that could easily kill him and there was nothing he could do about it. “Please, mom, there has to be something we can do. Can't you go get some medicine? We can't just sit around and do nothing!”
The mermaid seemed to think for a moment. “I could, but it would take me three days to get it and bring it back. Do you think you can wait that long?” Do you think Tommy can survive that long is what she doesn't ask, but he knows that's what she really means.
“It's worth a shot. Three days isn't too bad, we should be fine.” If Tommy had made it for this long, then surely he could hang on for a few more days. He was a strong kid.
Mom immediately got up and grabbed her bag. “Alright, in that case I better get going,” she said, glancing around to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind.
Dream got up too and went to give her a goodbye hug. “Thank you. I’ll see you in three days.” She hugged her son tightly, gently patting his back. She didn't need to speak to convey everything she wanted to say to him. Just that comforting touch was enough for Dream to understand.
She left within five minutes, and he was left to wait and hope that everything would be alright.
He knew he was lucky to have a doctor for a mother, and he trusted her with his life, but that couldn't calm the never-ending fear he felt. He knew logically there was nothing to worry about, and she'd be able to get the medicine and cure Tommy, but that didn't stop his anxiety.
He just wanted his son to get through this.
-------
Dream jumped up from the chair as he heard Tommy go into another coughing fit. They had become more common over the past few days, and each one left the mer-child gasping for breath as he struggled to breathe. Mom had only been gone for two days, but Tommy had gotten so much worse in that time.
He was too weak to even sit up, and he was almost always sleeping, constantly plagued with fever induced nightmares. He wasn't able to hold a conversation either as he kept losing focus. To make matters worse, Dream couldn't get him to eat anything.
He didn't know what to do. Watching his son become so sick and not being able to do anything about it made him feel so useless. He should be able to take care of his own child. Instead he was stuck waiting on his mother to return with the medicine Tommy needed while he felt like he was barely helping. He hadn't gotten any rest the past two nights as he was either too anxious to go to sleep or trying to calm the boy down from a nightmare.
Dream immediately went to help Tommy sit up as his body shook with the force of the coughs. He let the child lean against his shoulder for support, gently patting his back. Dream didn't know if it actually helped with the coughing, but it was something his mother had done for him when he was younger.
It took a few minutes for the coughs to cease, and once they were done the two stayed like that for a bit to let Tommy catch his breath. “You alright?” He asked gently after a moment. He tried to ignore how pale his son was and how his eyes seemed to be devoid of any light. He tried to ignore how he so clearly wasn't ok, because he didn't want Tommy to know just how worried he really was.
He got a small hum in response, then a barely audible “M’ fine.” Dream internally cringed at how awful his voice sounded. It was almost too hoarse and scratchy to understand what the boy said.
“Ok, I’m gonna go make you some grapesauce. It’ll help you feel better.” He said, carefully guiding Tommy to lay back down.
As soon as he got to the door, he heard a whispered “Stay.” From behind him. He paused, a hand resting on the doorframe.
“I’ll be back in a minute, but you’ve gotta eat.” Something felt off. An unusual anxiety began to stir in his chest, almost as if something bad was about to happen.
“No. I’ll eat later. Please, stay.”
Part of Dream wanted to tell Tommy to wait until he came back in with food, but the other part was screaming at him to stay. He hesitated, thinking about his options. On one hand Tommy really needed to eat something, but on the other hand, there was no harm in putting lunch off for a little longer.
Sighing, he turned around and swam back to the bed. Dream gently picked Tommy up and held him close to his chest. Then he laid down on his back, taking it slow so he wouldn't jostle the kid too much. “There. Is that what you want?” He felt his son nod against him, hands curling into little fists as if he were holding on to his dad.
They stayed like that for a while, with Dream lightly running his fingers through the mer-child's hair and doing his best to comfort him. If Tommy needed his dad, then he'd make damn sure he was there for him. They didn't talk, instead just enjoying the other's presence.
He listened as Tommy's ragged gasps for air turned into more even breaths, a slight wheeze still clear in them. He tried to ignore his anxiety and comfort himself with the fact that the boy’s breathing was almost normal, but no matter what that feeling of dread wouldn't leave him.
After a few more minutes of laying like that, he heard Tommy whisper “Sing.” It was then that Dream realized why he felt so anxious. It was then he realized why Tommy had wanted him to stay. It was then he realized what had been happening right in front of him.
His breathing hadn't been evening out, it had been growing weaker. Tommy was dying. Dream sucked in a breath, trying to keep himself from bursting into tears. Mom would be back tomorrow, he just had to keep the mer-child awake until then. “Ok, but if I do you have to stay awake, deal?”
Tommy whined at that. “But dad, I’m tired.”
Dream gently placed a kiss on his head. “I know, but just try.” He didn't hear any more complaints, so he took a second to calm himself before starting to sing.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.”
Deep down, part of him knew Tommy wouldn't stay awake. Part of him knew there was no way to prevent this. That didn't stop him from trying as he gently tapped on the boy’s shoulder to keep him from falling asleep.
That didn't do much as he watched Tommy struggle to keep his eyes open. Still, he didn't stop singing.
“You make me happy, when skies are gray”
Dream held him just a little tighter. His breathing grew fainter, and when his eyes slipped closed again, they didn't open. He told himself not to panic. Tommy could take a nap. That was fine. Nothing bad would happen to him while he was asleep.
He saw tears run down his son's cheeks and immediately brought a hand up to wipe them away. He held the boy’s face in his hand, gently rubbing his thumb over his cheek. He didn't need words to convey what he was trying to say. (Shh, it's going to be ok. You're alright, I’m here. Don't cry.)
“You’ll never know dear, how much I love you.”
His voice broke at that last part. He loved his son more than anything. What would he do without him? Tommy had brought so much joy into his life. He’d made him a proud father. Dream had never planned on having kids, but he was so glad he found Tommy in that wasteland.
He finally let his own tears fall when he didn't hear Tommy inhale again. Gently, he moved the hand on his cheek to his neck, searching for a pulse. He couldn't find one. Tommy's heart had stopped beating.
There was no reason to finish the song now. No one was there to hear it. Still, Dream sang the last line.
“Please don't take my sunshine away.”
As he finished the song he tried to shake Tommy’s shoulder again. “Hey, wake up. You said you wouldn't fall asleep. Wake up, please.” Of course, the mer-child didn't answer. He never would. He was dead and it was all Dream’s fault.
If he'd just recognized the symptoms of Mellohitis Filu sooner. If he'd only gotten his mom’s help sooner. If he’d just been a better dad, Tommy would still be here. He could be outside playing with Tubbo, but instead he was gone.
Dream began to sob as grief hit him. His son was dead. He’d lost the mer he loved most. What was he meant to do now? How was he supposed to move on and keep living his life? How was he supposed to heal from this?
He didn't let go of Tommy as he cried. He didn't want to let go. He couldn't just leave his son all alone. Maybe he’d wake up in a few minutes and wonder why Dream was screaming with grief. He knew that wouldn't happen, but part of him still wanted to hope.
As he sat there, crying for hours, he couldn't help but wonder why the universe had decided to take his sunshine away.