Offering Help In A Dark Place

Offering help in a dark place

TW: blood, prison, torture, broken bones, generally injuries, amputation (of hybrid traits), maiming,

I didn't prove read this, so I'm sorry if you find mistakes, it was just too long ;n;

Techno decided that he had waited long enough and it was time to break his rival out of prison. He discovered not only what had been going on in the prison but also some secrets of Dream himself.

The weight was heavy on Techno’s back. There was no strength left in Dream who was now resting on his back. It’s not like he was heavy. He would have probably been a little bit heavy a few months ago when he still had muscles and fat on his body, but now he looked like a skeleton covered in bruises, cuts, and wrongly healed broken bones. The cloak which was wrapped around his shoulders was the only thing which kept him warm.

So, Techno fought his way through the snow, waiting for the familiar sight of his home to appear on the horizon.

------

When Techno broke into the prison through the roof and landed quietly in a pool of blood, he didn’t recognize Dream at first. He even thought the cell was empty at first glance. Well, empty apart from the blood on the floor and walls, chains and half eaten, raw potatoes laying around. Did he miscalculate and enter a different cell? Techno quickly threw away that thought when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

He quickly pulled out his sword, slowly creepy closer to the mystery which was hidden behind a simple chest.

What he saw, almost made him drop his sword in shock. There he was, the person he had been looking for.

He looked horrendous.

There was Dream, curled up in a corner, hands gripping the chest tightly, blood covering nearly every single spot on his mangled body.

Techno had seen the half eaten potatoes, did that mean he only got raw potatoes to eat? Techno himself was a potato lover, everybody knew that but raw potatoes, not only were they bad for your health, toxic even, but they also didn’t have enough nutrients for a grown man.

The next thing Techno noticed was Dream’s hair. It was longer than he had ever seen before. It was extremely dirty and he could easily see the knots and clumps in the hair, so unkempt. It was almost the same length as his own, but it seemed lighter than before, almost white. Maybe it was the reflection of the lava in the grease of the hair or it had actually turned white. Or both. There were still a few flecks of dirt and blood in the hair, which tainted its whiteness.

Looking at Dream’s visible body, which wasn’t covered by the orange dark brown fabric of the prison uniform, Techno had to swallow harshly. He saw various cuts and bruises and both of Dream’s legs seemed broken, sticking out in weird angles, even though he had pulled them closely towards his chest. Techno knew a lot about injuries, both receiving them and giving them to others. He knew how injuries looked on a person who just had a friendly fight with someone, he knew how injuries looked on a person who had a life and death fight and barely got away with their life, and he knew how injuries looked on a person who had been in a fight in which they couldn’t defend themselves, had no chance of winning, and were basically just a punching bag.

And he knew what tortured looked like.

Techno didn’t know how to approach the trembling mess which was his rivals. Still was his rival. The first thing he did was putting his netherite sword back, because through the curtain of hair, he could see one of Dream’s green eyes, ripped open in plain and simple terror, staring at it.

“Dream?” He simply asked, trying to get the apparently unmasked man’s attention on him. What he didn’t expect was Dream flinching back violently at the sound of his own name and hiding his face in the crook of his elbow, pressing himself even more into the corner of the cell.

Techno himself flinched back seeing the reaction of his former ally. It was so very unlike Dream. He usually stood tall and strong, rather choosing fight than flight but also knowing when he couldn’t win.

Dream, the master of parkour, winding himself around obstacles no one else could, climbing the highest trees, and pulling the most unusual tricks out of his sleeves, was cowering in fear of Technoblade in the corner of a hot, humid, and extremely disgustingly smelling cell, which walls were covered in blood.

Techno had noticed the bandages which had been clumsily and badly wrapped around the skinny extremities, probably by Dream himself. That told Technoblade a lot, because that meant that no one bothered to look after Dream’s health, not even taking care of life threatening injuries. The molding potatoes in the corner weren’t any better.

Glancing slightly to his left, Techno noticed a cauldron with water in it. It was murky, slightly tainted in a pinkish tone. There was a slight movement on Techno’s right side, which told him that Dream had moved. He glanced over to the prisoner, who froze mid movement, eyes staring at him.

Both men stood still.

But Dream quickly pressed himself into his corner, face hidden in his arms again.

Techno sighed, and decided to sit down. He knew that his pants and cloak would probably get extremely dirty, covered in grime and blood from this. Still, his plan was to make himself seem approachable and not like this terrifying monster, Dream was probably seeing at that moment.

“Dream, it’s me. Techno.” He said once again, voice barely above a whisper. When Dream didn’t move, he continued. “I’m here to get you out. To break you out of prison.” A small smile spread on Techno’s face when he saw one of Dream’s eyes again, peeking through his hair, head slightly raised.

“Yeah, I’ll get you out of here, don’t worry.” He chuckled and reached out with his hand. Big mistake on his part. Dream immediately flinched back, staring at the hand now. Techno slowly pulled his hand back, slightly raising them in apology.

“I’m sorry if I scared you. Can you give me your hand? I just wanna see if you are fine.” Techno asked, slowly holding his hand out again. He could see Dream’s eyes switch from his hand to his eyes nervously. “I just want to help, I promise.”

Slowly, a trembling hand, which had been wrapped in bandages but still had blood seeping through, extended. When it rested in Techno’s hand, he rubbed over the back of the hand, trying to show peacefulness and comfort.

Techno noted that the first thing he will have to do, once both of them are safe in his house, was washing all the dirt and blood off Dream, cutting his hair, because a lot of it he won’t be able to save, cleaning his wounds and rewrapping them.

Techno was shocked by various things when looking at Dream’s hand. He could see that 4 out of 5 fingers were missing fingernails. On his palm between the bandages which were easily moved to the side, was a smiley cut in. At first he thought it had been Dream’s signature smiley, but it was different. The smile seemed more rectangular, which reminded him of a certain duck hybrid on the server. Trying to tune out the voices and not let rage take over by the implications of that, Techno turned the hand around again. gently covering it with his second hand, holding it gently.

“See, I’m not going to hurt you.” Techno quickly replaced the bandages and kept rubbing his thumb over the dry hand. Dream didn’t answer, he just kept staring at Techno.

“I’m going to remove my cloak now and give it to you, ok. It’s raining outside and where we are going will be extremely cold.”

A long time he got no answer from Dream, until he felt the boney hand gently press his own. He barely felt it but it was there nonetheless.

“I’m going to let go of your hand now, ok?” Techno asked and got another squeeze from the still shaking hand.

Gently he retracted his hand, and so did Dream. He unclasped the golden buttons of which kept the cloak around his shoulders and barely stopped it from falling into a puddle of blood.

“I need you to lean forward, so I can wrap it around you.” Techno advised but Dream kept still. He let a few seconds pass but nothing happened, so he slowly raised his hands with the cloak in them. He edged closer on his knees, trying not to scare Dream. Once he was in front of the man, he held his hands over the cowering man. He could see Dream hiding his face in his arms again, apparently expecting to be hurt even more. Techno quickly twisted and flicked his own arms, the cloak fluttered down behind Dream’s back. Leaning back a little bit he connected the golden string with the buttons again, so it won’t fall off Dream's narrow shoulders.

Satisfied, Technoblade leaned back and looked at his rival drowning in his royal cloak. He was rather closer to Dream’s head right now and the man in question peek through his hair up at him. Suddenly he noticed something sticking out of Dream’s head. At first he thought it was just a clump of blood, but upon further inspection he saw that it was solid.

Scared that it was something which was hurting Dream he gently touched it, only for Dream to flinch back and cover his head with his arms, head tucked between his legs. Being a hybrid himself, Techno didn’t need a long time to identify what he was touching, if only it was just for a second.

Those were horns from a hybrid.

“You are a hybrid, Dream?” He asked stepping back again, eyes still focussed on the horn sticking out of the apparent hybrid’s head. Techno raised an eyebrow in thought because he couldn’t think of an hybrid who only had one horn, which wasn’t even centered, unless it had been…

Oh.

It was very dark in the cell, except for the glowing lava and the mushroom light glooming in the corner but Techno’s piglin side had very good sight, so he could easily see the jacked ends of a clearly cut off, or rather cracked or ripped off horn. Closing his eyes, he could think about what happened to Dream’s other horn.

“okay…” Techno put his hands on his legs. “we have to go now, it’s time.” He gently put his hand on Dream’s shoulder, surprised when there was no flinch. He could still see the watchful eyes of the apparent hybrid on him.

“I’ll have to carry you. It doesn’t seem like you can walk on your own.” He slowly moved around, so his back was facing Dream’s chest. “I’ll give you a piggyback ride. I have to use my tools to get us out of here okay?” There was no sound coming from Dream and Techno slowly wondered if his rival could even speak anymore or if it was just the terror and panic Dream was probably feeling right now.

“I need you to move your arms over my shoulders, so I can pick you up. Can you do that?” Surprisingly his sensitive ears could hear shuffling behind him and suddenly he felt a weight flop against his back and two thin arms appear on each side of his head. Dream had just thrown himself against his back, too weak to even hold himself upright.

“Alright. I’ll just move my hands under your thighs and we’ll be off.” Techno didn’t expect an answer but he could hear a tired and quiet hum close to his ear, where Dream’s head was resting against his shoulder.

The piglin hybrid got hold of Dream’s thighs which were as thin as the rest of his body. Dream had always had lots of leg muscles coming from the manhunts, the running he did and the parkourin, but all these muscles seemed to be gone now.

Techno leaned forwards a little bit, so Dream didn’t have to hold on too tight while he got his trident out of inventory. Both men now stood under a hole in the prison roof, where Techno had mined into before with the help of Philza and lots and lots of buckets of milk.

“You hanging in there, buddy?” Techno asked while they stood in the rain for a second. “I need you to hold onto my neck tightly for like three seconds, so I can trident us out of here.” Techno could feel the arms around his neck slightly tightening. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough that Dream wouldn’t fall off mid flight.

Not waiting any longer, Techno threw one last look at the dirty and blood covered cell, closing his eyes for a second to feel the cold raindrops on his face. It was quite the change from the temperature of the cell, he couldn’t imagine how Dream was feeling.

The flight up to the roof was done in 2 seconds and Techno squatted down on the roof while landing, trying to make the impact as soft as possible for Dream.

He heard steps beside him and saw the familiar face of Phil staring down at him.

“Oh my god.” He just said, upon seeing the condition of the former ruler of the smp.

“I know, I know, let’s talk about this at home, okay?” Techno cut off Phil, before the older man could say anything else. What surprised the piglin hybrid was the arm on the left side of his head which suddenly started to move. It extended, palm up, and trembling fingers were hit with cold water droplets.

“Haven’t seen or felt rain in a while now, huh?” Techno grinned while he stood up, watching Dream’s hand getting wet. He heard a quiet hum next to his ears.

Techno could also see a small smile appear on Phil, who still had worry written on his forehead.

“We need to go now, you’ll get sick if you stay too long in the rain with these clothes.” Phil mentioned and they walked to the edge of the prison, ready to jump down. Before they did so, Phil opened the screen of his inventory and pulled out an invisibility potion.

“I’ll splash the two of you with invisibility, so you can walk through the mainland without anyone seeing you.” Phil explained and threw the bottle on the ground and Techno with Dream on his back disappeared.

“Be safe.” Phil said, before he spread his wings, ready to fly off. “Both of you.”

With those words, Phil was gone, only a small dot on the horizon, disappearing quickly.

“Ok, nerd. You have to hang on tight onto me one last time, while we jump off. I’ll also hold onto you, so don’t worry. I’ll trident us to the land, so we won’t hit the water.” He muttered softly and he could feel a nod on his shoulders.

While they were falling freely for a few seconds, the arms around his neck tightened again and Dream pressed his body tightly against his back. Techno made sure he landed as softly as he could with a trident in one hand and a prisoner on his back.

“You good?” He asked once he stood steadily on the ground. Another hum reached his ears in affirmation. “Alright then, let’s go.”

------

Techno gasped when he finally saw his house behind the mountain. The travelling through the nether had been bothersome for Dream due to the drastic temperature change and the apparent fear or nervousness around lava.

Both of them had been travelling for a few hours now, the invisibility potion long ran off.

“We are nearly there, Dream. Only a few more minutes.” The man on his back was shivering with his entire body and his fingers and toes had turned from red into a slightly blue hue. “Just a little longer.”

There was no response from Dream and Techno worried if he fell unconscious, if he was just sleeping, or he just couldn’t answer because of the cold and exhaustion. The familiar feeling of worry, which he normally only felt for Phil, was seeping through his body, forcing his legs to hurry up even more.

The closer he got, the clearer could he see the silhouette of Phil waiting for them on the wooden connection between their houses. When they were close enough, Phil quickly disappeared into his house, only to reappear after seconds, running towards them with something in his arms.

Philza greeted him with a nod and Techno could finally see what Phil had been carrying. A few blankets were resting in his hands which he all threw around the two of them, so Dream was encased in blankets on his back and his front was protected from the cold by the body heat of Techno.

“Get him into the house quickly. We’ll warm him up inside.” Phil grabbed Techno’s arm and dragged him towards the two houses. He quickly ran up the stairs, shooing away curious dogs and sleeping polar bears. Phil held the door open for them to pass through.

“Lay him on there.” He pointed on a bed which had been sat next to the wooden box, which had been Tommy’s hiding place a few months prior, and a few chests. There was a bowl of hot water, a few bandages and various colored cloths on the chests, waiting to be used.

Techno sat down on the bed, gently coaxing the freezing arms from around his neck, only to turn around and gently let Dream’s body fall onto the soft mattress. Looking at Dream in normal daylight made everything worse.

The hair was splayed around his head, clotted together in blood and in grease. Dream’s face was covered in fresh wounds, some with reopened crusts. Blood was everywhere. There were bruises in the forms of hands around his neck, fresh and old, clearly from being choked. Cuts and bruises littered the entire body in front of him and blood was everywhere. It was mostly dried old blood, but some wounds have reopened and were now leaking blood, already soaking up the mattress below.

The legs were the worst of all the injuries. Dream’s feet looked unregular, like they had been broken multiple times, which was probably the case. Dream’s right shin looked like it had suddenly sprouted a joint, bending in another way midway through. Clearly broken. Dream’s left leg didn’t look any better with bruises of what seemed to be a hammer head spread all over.

“I don’t even know where to start.” Phil ruffled his own hair in uncertainty and desperation. “There is so much.”

“You start with the legs, I start at the head?” Techno suggested and Phil nodded quickly. Both took a cloth in their hands and dipped it in the hot water. Techno scooted up, so he could sit next to Dream’s head. At first he removed the bandages which were still loosely hanging off his face. Some of them he had to pry off because they were stuck to Dream’s head, glued to the face with dried blood.

“Did you know Dream was a hybrid?” Techno asked while starting to clean the cuts on his rival's face. While Techno kept working, Phil stopped.

“A hybrid? What kind of?” He mused, while going back to work. “Normally hybrids have some visual traits which indicate they are one. I mean not every hybrid has them but I’d say 90% do.”

“He has horns.” Techno answered. “Well, had. Kind of.” He carefully parted the long, now clearly white hair, to inspect the horns closer. Now he could see that the second horn, which he didn’t see in the darkness of the prison had been cut off completely at its root. It was a clean cut, probably done with a sword or a saw. The edges were still a little rough, so probably a saw. Only a cut off stump remained. The other horn was still there, though not completely. Like he had thought before it had been ripped off, or cracked like a glowstick. The edges were sharp and unregular, probably ripped off with brute force. “Come see.” He nudged his head, waiting for his old friend to come closer.

He could see Phil glancing over his shoulder and his breath stopped when seeing the maimed horns. “Fuck.” He said and sighed deeply. “What kind of hybrid do you think he is?” Phil asked while going back to try and relocate the bones without causing too much stir up or pain.

“Knowing Captain Puffy is… was his mother, probably something like sheep or goat.” Techno pointed at the limp but still fluffy tail which peaked out of Dream’s prison pants.

Phil chuckled.

“Never thought big bad Dream would be a sheep hybrid.”

Techno only hummed in response, turning his attention back on the man on the bed.

Both men worked in silence for a few minutes until Techno spoke up again.

“I think we should cut his hair while he is asleep.” Phil grabbed a few of the bandages. After he had relocated and taken care of the broken bones, he wanted to wrap them up again with fresh and new bandages.

“Don’t you think we should wake until he is up. Getting his opinion on it?” Phil suggested.

“Normally I’d agree. But I doubt Dream would trust up with scissors or shears near his body. You didn’t see what the inside of the cell looked like.” Techno sighed. “There was blood everywhere. Look at my pants! They are drenched in blood and I just sat there for a few minutes. I honestly don’t know what happened in there. My best guess is torture.”

Phil tied off a knot on a bandage of Dream’s left leg. The bandage started the knee and went down to his ankles. “Torture, are you sure?” He asked and grabbed another roll. He dipped the cloth back into the water, which slowly changed colors into pink.

“Check out his hand.” Techno took the now cleaned hand into his own, and turned it around, so his palm was visible. Phil scooted closer and gasped when he saw the lines resembling a smiley cut into the soft flesh.

“That’s… that’s Quackity, right?” Phil asked and Techno only nodded. “I don’t know what he wanted from Dream but this is definitely his work. He was never a fan of Dream.” Techno slowly started wrapping the hand back up.

“The question is was Sam in on this?” Phil asked, now finishing off Dream’s left leg, moving to his right.

“He must have, from what people have told me, you can only go into the prison with Sam’s permission. He has keycards which are needed to open doors.” Techno finished with the hands and now moved to cut open Dream’s torn prison uniform. He gasped when he saw how starved his rival looked, with every broken rib visible. “Niki even told me that you have to leave all your items in a locker, and you are being killed two times. So Sam makes sure that you can’t smuggle anything in. Sam must have been in on it, Quackity wouldn’t be able to bring all those weapons into the cell without him.”

Techno finished wrapping the torso, while Phil was nearly finished off with Dream’s legs. The entire time Dream had been quiet, the only sounds were an occasional whimper or a groan.

“Do you think you can do anything for his horns?” Techno asked while he stood up and stretched his body. He was exhausted from the long travel and the breakout.

“Let me see. But if they are already cut off, I can’t do much.” Phil squatted down at the head of Dream and gently parted the long hair. Phil hummed and Techno already knew the answer from looking at Phil’s face. Eyebrows scrunched up and lips pressed into a thin line. “No, sorry. The best thing we can do is clean them up and let the wounds heal.”

Technoblade didn’t know what he expected but he was disappointed nonetheless. Traits like horns were important for hybrids, they were a sign of their identity. Them being cut off or maimed like Dream’s were, wasn’t only extremely painful but also bad for the moral and psyche of the hybrid.

“Let’s clean them up and rest for the night.” Phil suggested after he stood up. Both men nodded and went to work.

------

Phil and Techno had decided that one of them should stay with Dream for the night. Techno had volunteered, after all, his face was familiar and safe to Dream, after he broke him out of prison.

His head was leaning against the armchair he was resting on, eyes closed. Suddenly he heard rustling and he immediately opened his eyes. He turned to look at Dream, who was staring straight at him. Technoblade didn’t want to admit it but he flinched a little bit, surprised by the nearly glowing green eyes staring at him in the darkness.

“I see you are awake, nerd.” Techno sat himself up straight, Dream’s eyes following his every move. “You remember what happened?”

Dream gave him a nod and blinked a few times.

“Good, good. Phil and I cleaned you up and rewrapped your wounds. We also cut your hair, it was getting in the way while we healed you up.” Technically that was a lie but they didn’t want to deal with a terrified awake Dream while they were handling sharp scissors. The hair was too clumped up, unsaveable, so they just cut it off.

Dream nodded again and kept staring at Techno, who fiddled awkwardly with his fingers.

Suddenly Dream let his arm fall out from under the covers and motioned for Techno to come closer to him. Techno obeyed and sat next to Dream’s head, waiting for what the other hybrid wanted. Dream fumbled to grab Techno’s hand. He had pity on Dream and gently placed his hand on the other’s. Dream patted rhythmically on the back of Techno’s hand.

Morse code.

- .... .- -. -.- / -.-- --- ..-

Techno’s moae code knowledge was rusty but he still understood what his rival meant.

“You are welcome, nerd.” He said and for the first time in months, Dream smiled.

Freedom? - Chapter 8

TW: panic attack, torture mention, derealisation

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8 <- You are here

Dream was frozen. Not just from the temperature outside, or the biting wind, or the falling snow. He was frozen in motion after hearing a very familiar voice.

“We know you broke him out, Technoblade.”

Sam.

And wherever Sam was, Quackity couldn’t be far.

Some of the dogs were still around him, others had scattered while he was laying unconsciously on the bench. Quickly he grabbed the iron bucket, so there was no possibility for the dogs to alert them about Dream’s existence. Some of the animals seemed to notice his distress and poked their wet noses into his thigh.

Dream stood in the middle of the open enclosure, feeling like his legs were frozen to the cold ground, heavy limbs unable to move. He felt tears prickle at the corner of his eyes but he quickly wiped them away, refusing to let invisible eyes see him like that.

In moments like this, he wished he still had his mask to cover his face with.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I didn’t even know he was gone.” Dream heard Technoblade’s monotone and tired voice and his heart stopped. He had been convinced that Technoblade was going to rat him out to Sam and Quackity.

He had told Dream a few times already that he won’t send him back and that he should trust the piglin hybrid but after the prison, Dream knew better than to trust anybody. No matter how nice or gentle someone was with Dream, he couldn’t let his guard down. Everybody was out to hunt him, to hurt him, and to send him back to the prison. Dream knew he just needed to make one mistake and Technoblade and Philza would be fed up with him. He would be gone. Back in his personal hell. Forgotten.

Suddenly he heard rustling next to him and something wet touched his palm. Quickly, Dream pulled his hand back, but slightly relaxed when he saw one of the dogs he had shared his room with. His tail was wagging gently and he kept pushing his snout into his hand, demanding pets. As much as Dream wanted to pet the dog, he couldn’t. He had to hide somewhere, somewhere no one could find him.

But looking around, all Dream could see was the open and flat tundra, nowhere to hide.

Dream knew something was approaching when he felt heavy steps coming into his direction. He was immediately thrown back. He was back in his cell again. The heavy steps of netherite boots came closer and closer. No matter how far Dream pressed himself into the wall, begging some god, any god who could hear him, to just make him disappear.

But no one listened.

Everyday was the same and no matter how hard he had tried, he couldn’t escape the netherite boots.

Dream was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard a silent whistle. He almost overheard it but suddenly all the dogs came over to him and surrounded him. On his left towered the giant creature named Steve. He had heard a lot about Steve and even saw him once just before Doomsday. He knew polar bears were aggressive and strong beings, so Dream was unsure upon seeing the animals so close to him.

The polar bear gently nudged him with his giant head, forcing Dream to stumble back.

“Steve!” Dream hissed, trying not to alert anyone. “Steve, stop it!” He kept whispering, pressing against the head of the bear, trying to push him back. But the polar bear was stronger than him. The strength quickly left Dream and he collapsed onto his knees. Steve now towered over Dream and the dogs were still surrounding him.

“You can check if you have the need to.”

He suddenly heard Techno suggest. Dream wanted to force himself to stand up, desperately trying to get his legs to support his weight but he had no chance, his knees were shaking and his arms were too weak to push himself up.

This was it. Sam and Quackity were going to find him in the with the dogs and Steve and he would be dragged back to Pandora’s Vault. Literally dragged because he had no way of standing up, his body still too weak. Maybe they would believe him if he told them that he didn’t want to break out! That he stood no chance! One day, Technoblade just appeared and took him with him to his cabin! He never wanted to leave, he just couldn’t defend himself!

Dream’s breathing was erratic. The animals seemed to notice his distress and Steve flobbed down in front of him, nearly squishing him with his entire weight. His body was still trembling. He felt like he was going to suffocate. Quickly, he pressed his palms against his mouth, trying to stifle the sounds which were threatening to escape. He couldn’t go back.

Not when he had grasped a little bit of freedom. He didn’t want to lose any of this, he couldn’t lose any of this. He would die if they were to put him back into the prison. Dream was sure that the torture would be worse than it had been before, as a punishment for running away! He knew the entire server hated him but he just wanted to be left alone! He didn’t want conflict! He didn’t want to meditate anymore! With the exception of Technoblade, and maybe Philza, Dream didn’t care about anyone on the server anymore. Not George. Not Sapnap. Not Bad. Not Tommy. Not Ranboo. Not Tubbo. Not Puffy.

No one.

Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? He promised he wouldn’t cause trouble! They wouldn’t see him again, in the eternity of their lives! He would stay away from the mainland and once Technoblade and Philza had enough of him, he would even be willing to leave the Arctic Commune! He would leave everyone alone, if it just meant that they would leave him in peace.

Suddenly he was pushed to the ground by a heavy and furry limb. His cheek hit the snow and a gasp left his lips. Dream’s eyes were ripped wide open like a prey trapped beneath a predator’s paws. It wasn’t too far from the truth, after all, Steve was a predator and Dream stood no chance against him, so he laid as still as he could, trying to breathe regularly and shallowly.

There was something comforting yet terrifying about being trapped in a polar bear’s grasp. Dream felt the warm, fluffy, white fur of Steve’s belly pressing against his face, gently tickling his nose. At the same time could feel the hot breath of the polar bear in his neck as Steve curled up around Dream. Claws were hanging a few centimeters away from his eyes and Dream stared at them with respect.

One wrong move and he might lose his other eye.

Dream couldn’t see much apart from white fur and black claws. Maybe a little bit of the grey sky above him but this view quickly got blocked by a few dogs which decided to lay on top of him. It seemed like the dogs had surrounded him and Steve in a protective circle. Some of them were sleeping, others were watching the environment attentively.

Dream calmed down after a while, due to the regular breathing of Steve, the calming presence of the dogs, and the warmth which surrounded him. He had never expected laying in the cold snow to be so very relaxing.

Out of nowhere Steve raised his head and started growling. Dream was still trapped under a pile of dogs and hidden by the body and the paws of the polar bear, so he couldn’t see what Steve was growling at.

“This is my emotional support polar bear, Steve.” A monotone voice, the voice of Technoblade, suddenly boomed over him. “And my hound army.”

Dream felt the cold return immediately and cling to his bones, the second he remembered what was going on. Steve and the dogs had been so distracting and comforting, he had forgotten about Quackity and Sam. The two people who wanted to take him away from safety. Away from a warm bed at night. Yes, he was sharing it with three dogs but he was fine with that! Dream didn’t remember the last time he had spent the night in a bed, even before the prison. They wanted to take him away from the dogs, away from the wooden walls which protected him from wind and weather at night. They wanted to take clean clothes, the chance for Dream to wash himself,whenever he wanted to with clean water, away.

“I wouldn’t approach them if I were you, Sam.” Technoblade said with a slight chuckle in his voice when Steve growled again. Some of the dogs were joining in with Steve, standing up, slowly approaching Quackity and Sam.

“They are very protective animals, you know? And the two of you are threatening their peace and home right now.” Technoblade went over and petted Steve on the head, and Steve stopped making noises. After a few seconds he put his head back into the snow, black eyes still resting on the two intruders.

The animals around the commune were obeying Technoblade’s every word.

“Let’s just check the houses and then leave, Sam. Come on. See if we can find him inside.” Quackity sighed and led the way back to the houses, leaving Dream alone with the animals.

Dream wanted to cry out of relief. It seemed like they didn’t suspect him and would leave soon. He pressed his face into the soft fur of Steve’s side and gently took a few bundles of white hair into his hands. The tears never fell to the snow covered floor, but lost themselves in the labyrinth of Steve’s pelt.

He didn’t know how much time passed when Dream opened his eyes again after someone gently shook his shoulder. Quickly he flinched back, covering his head with his hands, looking to the ground. He could feel how he was soaked in freezing water. For a second he found himself back in the prison, when Quackity decided to put ice cubes into the cauldron and see how long Dream could hold his breath, but before his mind could dive deeper into a panic attack, rough tongues brought him back into the present time.

A few dogs sat in front of him and Dream recognized the injured dog from earlier again. The white dog with the grey snout. He reached out with his bandaged hand and let the dog sniff him. The friendly animal quickly head butted his hand and demanded pets, this time Dream could provide.

“They are gone now. They didn’t find you anywhere, I hope they are convinced that you are not here” The voice of Technoblade echoed over him, forcing Dream to look up. The piglin hybrid threw a big shadow over him, because he was standing between him and the sun, leaving him shivering in the cold wind. “I’m glad my plan worked and Steve and the dogs piled on you. For a few seconds I was afraid your body wouldn’t be able to take it and Sam and Quackity would discover you. But I’m glad everything worked out just fine.”

Dream just nodded, hands busy with petting various dogs, even Steve wanted some attention.

“Thanks” Dream mumbled. “For c-covering for me.” He didn’t look at Technoblade, trying to avoid his eyes. Maybe this was too stressful for them and Technoblade and Philza decided that Dream would only bring danger to their little cottages and they just couldn’t risk that. He would understand if Technoblade were to throw him out, he really did. He was a liability after all.

He can’t really work, they had to look after him, feed him, clothe him, bring home more materials because of him, Dream used up their resources when he needed food or new bandages, and he couldn’t do anything for them. He didn’t replace the materials, he just used them.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. Thank Steve and the dogs. They did all the work.” Technoblade laughed and held out his hand. “Let's get you inside. You need a bath, you look like you are about to freeze to death.”

Dream gladly accepted his hand, being pulled up quickly. The hand of the piglin stayed in Dream’s hand, unsure if he were to fall. His knees were still shaky but they had calmed down and he was able to make his way towards the cabins.

“I hope that you know that you will be responsible for feeding the dogs and Steve now. Let’s just make you feed all the animals. They seem to love you all.” Technoblade laughed and gently hit him on the back. Dream tried not to show how much that little shove upset his balance.

“W-what do you mean they l-love me?” Dream had started to shake terribly, once he left the warmth of the animals, already missing it. It was hard for Dream to imagine that the animals… that something living could actually love him.

“The dogs are usually pretty wary of anyone new coming and I was a tiny bit concerned when I made you feed them… they can be a lot sometimes. And they are war hounds after all, if they wanted to, they could have ripped you to shreds but they all seemed to like you very much. Same with Steve.” Technoblade opened the door for Dream and led him through. “Steve usually stays all by himself, sometimes he allows some dogs around him. But today he accepted the presence of all the dogs to protect you.” He suddenly started laughing. “I don’t even know if he would have done this for me.” He chuckled and went into the kitchen.

“I’m going to make us some tea.” Technoblade offered without waiting for Dream’s answer.

Suddenly there was a whine coming from outside. Both men made eye contact, then looked back at the door. It was one of the dogs who was scratching the door from outside.

“Sit down, I will check.” Technoblade said after putting the kettle on the stove.

Dream did as he was told and sat down on the couch, eyeing the blanket next to him.

“You can take the blanket if you want.” Technoblade seemed to have seen Dream’s inner struggle whether he was allowed to take the blanket or not.

The door was opened and before anyone could do anything, the dog with the grey stripe on his snout which was stretched back to the tip of his tail, came running towards Dream and jumped on the couch. There was a loud “heh?!” coming from the doorway when Technoblade had failed to stop the dog.

But the dog with the injured side and leg quickly curled up on the soft couch and rested his head on Dream’s lap.

“Guess you have a dog now.” Technoblade mumbled. “I could try to get him to leave you alone but from the look of it, you don’t mind.”

Dream couldn’t hear what the piglin hybrid had said because he was too focussed on the animal in his lap. He didn’t understand why the dog liked him even though he was a monster deep inside, the dog still seemed to… accept him. Maybe even like him.

It didn’t take long for Dream to start petting the dog and a few minutes later, both Dream and the dog were asleep.

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dulcamaraze

6 months ago

exposing my dsmp playlists.

1. YOU’RE THE VILLAIN AND YOU’RE STUCK. listen here.

dark, devastating, tipping into madness. scraping your nails against obsidian walls. not about a specific resident of pandora’s vault, but rather every character who’s been stuck there (mainly dream and sam).

no phone booths, lifelines, not today no one really offers help anyway no one’s there to save you from this place – (stay and decay, unlike pluto)

a clock is ticking, but it’s hidden far away (i could do most anything to you) safe and sound, safe and sound – (a clock is ticking, snow patrol)

2. THE VAULT - ANGRY EDITION. listen here.

vengeful, brutal, merciless. angry tears rolling down your face. also about pandora’s vault, but heavy metal this time. lots of quackity vs dream, but still not about any characters in particular. shorter playlist but each song goes hard.

alabaster walls surround me in a prison of my own design will i win my freedom if they kill me for wanting you – (sickened, disturbed)

and i can see the fear in your eyes i’ve seen it materialize growing stronger each day – (two weeks, all that remains)

3. OH FATHER TELL ME. listen here.

dramatic, thunderous, and ambitious. there’s smoke in your lungs, and you don’t know if it’s the explosion or your cigarette. general dsmp vibes, moreso about the plot as a whole than any specific arc. wilbur-heavy for some reason.

everybody knows that the dice are loaded everybody rolls with their fingers crossed everybody knows the war is over everybody knows the good guys lost – (everybody knows, wild fire)

heaven, if you sent us down so we can build a playground for the sinners to play as saints you’d be so proud of what we made – (crossfire, stephen)

4. IN THE WILD ALL LESSONS LAST. listen here.

melancholic, heavy-hearted, yet hopeful. sobbing into the fur of a big white dog. a collection of the songs i played on repeat while writing ‘in the wild all lessons last.’ not all of them make sense lyrically since i was mostly looking for the right vibe, but many of them do.

but you ain’t gonna make it if you don’t let someone in darlin’, darlin’, darlin’, why don’t you sleep at night? – (darlin, houndmouth)

there’s a degree of difficulty in dealing with me from my haunted past comes the daunting task of living through memories – (little hell, city and colour)

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dulcamaraze

5 months ago

c!Dream in the arctic

full pic under cut

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dulcamaraze

3 months ago

I just noticed I forgot to draw a horn so uh, it got cut off

By quackity, or maybe Tommy

Because like, everyone’s scared he can use magic, so why not cut of the very thing supplying(?) his strength

Anyways plot whole filled, head canon achieved.

@lookinghalfacorpse hoof trimming

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dulcamaraze

7 months ago

for the record, i genuinely believe that most of the inconsistencies in c!dream's motivation and the things he's said can be explained by the fact that at heart he's a silly guy who is deeply committed to the bit.

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dulcamaraze

4 months ago

I love anime boy techno as much as the next person but I’m not immune to gigantic piglin techno purely because it gives me the absolutely HILARIOUS mental image of Techno tossing Dream over one shoulder and Ranboo over the other and Walking Out Of Jail (Connor has to walk)

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dulcamaraze

5 months ago

cDream after pandora gaining weight slowly but surely. He loves touching cTechza’s chests and tummies, wrapping his arms around them from behind or nuzzling up to them to bury his face in their softness, running his hands down their soft bodies and adoring them so much it aches. They are so beautiful, softened from retirement but strong nonetheless and he wishes he could look like them both, hopes that one day he will

i'd be pretty surprised if dream managed to gain back significant weight.... gaining weight on purpose can be So uncomfortable and So hard, both mentally and physically. every body is different of course, i just think this would likely be an ongoing issue for him. we'd be looking at least a decade of very hard work.

i think cdream would be at a huge risk for body dysmorphia. anytime that the body changes quickly, the mind might not keep up, and he didn't have access to a mirror for a whole year while he was undergoing those changes. the shock of trying to return to normal would be so hard.

i think he'd benefit from being around techno & philza throughout his struggle with his body. seeing them be so relaxed and confident in their bodies, even with any changes that came with their retirement. and still willing to have nasty sex. and still loving dream's body, no matter what. even if the weight came back a bit softer and squishier than the lean muscle dream is used to, they'd be happy he's gaining weight at all. being so skinny can be dangerous, especially in the arctic.

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dulcamaraze

6 months ago

I don't wanna crowd your asks even more I am so sorry, but consider: c!Dream never able to properly do physical activities again after prison and what c!Quackity and c!Sam did to him, because no amount of respawns can heal that much nerve damage. His legs don't work the same anymore, he can't jump and run the way he used to. The tools in his hands are hard to hold and even harder to use because his hands are shaky and unreliable. Dream has never been good at staying still... -trainstation anon

don’t apologise for crowding my asks - i promise you’re not !! i had to give this one a happy ending,, as someone who suffers from immense knee pain sometimes i Felt This One, so here, have some post-prison dream hurt/comfort!

warnings: trauma, chronic pain, nerve damage, injuries, self destructive behaviour, unhealthy coping mechanisms, self harm (in that c!dream keeps pushing himself despite being hurt)

Everything hurts now.

He doesn’t like thinking about his time in prison - hates thinking about what the consequences have been for him even more - but when he’s constantly surrounded by reminders, it’s hard to do anything but. His whole body is a flashback to Quackity and Sam and the prison and the hell he’d been through: it’s frustrating, more than anything, frustrating and exhausting.

Dream has always been restless, flitting from place to place without being able to stand still, drawn to running and climbing by instinct. His body feels like a cage now: he can run, sure, but not far, and he’s wrecked for hours after even the shortest of sprints, his legs uncooperative and painful. He can’t run, can’t fight properly (even if he could force himself to pick up a weapon without panicking at the sight of it, his hands were too trembly to do much damage), he can’t do shit, and it’s miserable.

Find other things to do, people urge him - those that speak to him without pity, anyway - find other activities. You’ll ruin yourself if you’re not careful.

Dream has never been one for stepping back when he’s frustrated. He’s hot headed, he’s stubborn, and he’s not about to give up the few things he enjoys, because what is he if he can’t do manhunts? What tenuous position does that leave him in, if he can’t defend or attack?

So he struggles through his days, forcing himself to run and walk and climb and train as usual, grits his teeth and forces down tears at the agony he ends up in. His leg gets worse. His hands get worse. Everything gets worse, and when someone finds him collapsed at the edge of what had once been L’Manburg, sobbing with pain, they carry him home, tell him to be more careful - find something new to do, they advise, pity mingling with their voice - and leave him to self-destruct again.

You’re not strong enough is what Dream hears, and it’s what pushes him to keep going. Until one day it’s Techno that finds him staggering back from training, half-delirious with agony and unable to keep up his façade of pain-free indifference, and Dream wakes up in his own home, with Techno talking quietly to Chat under his breath. It’s a familiar quiet enough scene that Dream feels like he can breathe for the first time in weeks, despite the pain shooting through what feels like every nerve in his body.

“You need to be kinder to yourself,” Techno tells him with a shrug that morning, and Dream stares at him like he’s grown eight heads, “compromise with your body. How do you think Philza got back the strength to move around after his wings were blown to bits?”

Dream swallows. “I don’t want to give up anything from before. I’m- I know I can keep doing it.”

“I’m not telling you to.” Techno offers him a hand to sit up; bewildered, Dream takes it. “I’m telling you to compromise, idiot, or you’re going to run yourself into the ground.” And then he glances away. “I can help you. Consider it repaying that favour.”

And despite himself, Dream smiles faintly, and accepts, because Techno is the only one who hasn’t pitied him.

Compromise is perhaps tougher. There are days Dream can’t forgive his body for struggling, days where he’s riddled flat on his back in pain from his leg and arm and thoughts and can’t do anything but survive. There are days where it’s the opposite: his body seems better and he pushes himself too far. Those are both getting few and far between - instead, Dream is slowly beginning to find somewhat of a happy medium.

It’s not perfect. His body aches and no matter how much he and Techno work, he knows he’ll never be able to regain full strength or power like he had before. But he goes to therapy and when Puffy asks him how his week has been, he doesn’t have to lie - he smiles faintly behind his cracked mask and says he managed to build a treehouse for himself without getting hurt, and it feels like recovery.

“Not bad,” Techno tells him approvingly, caught off guard after two years of adapted fighting, “not bad at all.”

Dream grins. His right arm is too weak still to deliver a precise blow with a sword, but, he’s discovered with training, not so weak that he can’t use it as a feint to distract his opponent. “Not bad?” He laughs. “I beat you. If this was a real fight, you’d be toast.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Techno grumbles, but both of them are grinning, and it’s then Dream realises he laughed for the first time since he got out of prison, properly laughed, like how he used to. It’s a startling discovery, and it almost floors him.

Not quite, though. Instead, he offers a hand to Techno to help him sit up; begrudgingly, Techno takes it. And together, with Dream chattering excitedly to his friend, they begin to head home.

(He limps, but Techno is there to help if needed.)

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