I Coloured Something

Sixteenth Day Event Prompt:

Dream breaks Technoblade's trust in prison

A lesson on trust.

Characters: Dream, Technoblade

Words: 5.2k (one-shot)

Warnings: panic attacks, canon typical violence. nothing big.

During Technoblades stay in the prison, Dream gets a little desperate to prove that he is not to be trusted.

Being with Technoblade has lifted Dream’s spirits. It's lifted them a bit much for his taste, honestly. Considering everything the other has done has been quite simple: Exist, take up already sparse food, talk far too much bullshit and annoy the hell out of him. He's not a fan of how easily the piglin hybrid can read him.

Technoblade’s involvement itself is calculated: it's within the plan, it's accounted for. He hasn't accounted for the way he'd make him smile, and distract him from the hell that is the prison.

That shouldn't be a problem in and of itself, Dream measures. He can stay focused regardless.

He doesn't know if the company is within the plan. Of course, Technoblade would've been involved eventually: For the exchange of a favor. But he's been here for a few weeks now. At least, that's what Dream presumes from what little sense of time he's gotten left. He couldn't know for sure and the realization that he couldn't tell leaves his tail swaying nervously. It's somehow easier to sit with your thoughts on your own. Correction: it's easier to ignore them on your own. It's easier to dissociate when someone isn't constantly chatting or snoring your ear off.

Dream doesn't sleep. Technoblade does it far too much. He guesses it's how the other planned on passing the time, and it's not really a bad bet. It's not like there is much else to do. It gives Dream something to do: Study everything there is about Technoblade. Not really intentionally, of course. He's not intending to stare, but could you blame him, when he's the only positive interaction he's had in so long?

The piglin hybrid sleeps messily. Loudly . He eats a lot, and he knows just how to get on his nerves. Though, he guesses he was already well aware of the last two. They've shared a few meals and more arguments.

Dream's passed out only very few times in the time Technoblade has been here, to the point the latter is unsure he's seen it at all. He prefers it that way.

"What are you, anyways?" Rings the question and Dream knows the other didn't miss the way he flinches at the sudden sound. "W-what's that supposed to mean." He says it like a dismissive statement, much less like a question. It's clear he understood exactly what Technoblade means, but doesn't intend to respond unless further clarified. He knows he doesn't pry. "Y'know." Pink hair messily falls over his shoulder. He undid the braid a while ago, and redid it at least 20 times since then.

Dream does know. The pen slips out of his fingers and he curses under his breath as it draws a messy line across the paper, him desperately reaching for it not helping.

"I don't," he lies, "you're distracting me."

Technoblade raises an eyebrow, toys with a potato that he's sure is going to start growing mold within the next 24 hours. "Species-wise, of course." While Dream's gotten a very good look of the other, the piglin hybrid has been kept very.. in the dark, to say the least. Dream makes sure to hide his face, and Techno hasn't attempted to catch a glance whenever he was distracted enough. He'd feel like he's intruding, if he did. Surely there's a reason he always wore that mask, after all. It's rude, he's concluded. "You haven't really let me catch a glance."

"What's it matter to you?" He mumbles, retrieving the pen and annoyedly smudging at the ink that's now splotched all over the paper. Smudging it more isn't really helping, weirdly enough.

"It's something to talk about, Dream." 

"I don't feel like talking."

"I know. You never do. It's kinda your thing." He snorts.

"That's-- that's not true. You know that's not true. I just- You already made me ruin this whole page."

"Put that thing down for 5 minutes, Dream. I'm pretty sure we've got plenty of time for you to finish that."

It looks like he's right, but somehow, sometimes Dream fears, he might blink, and Technoblade might disappear into thin air. 

"Fine." Dream hisses through gritted teeth, closing the book to set it aside. He leaves the pen amidst the pages to keep note of where he was. "Your tail reminds me of Ranboo’s." Techno remarks, and as if on command, it whips against cold obsidian and then curls up to hide behind his back. "What- are you just going to- analyze things about me?"

"Well, you're not telling me."

"That's still, like, weird." Dream argues, shaking his head. Something about it makes him really uncomfortable. Something about it is something he didn't account for and it makes him nervous.

"Man, you've been eyeing me up and down the entire time and I can't even catch a quick glance." He snickers at the immediate physical rise he gets out of Dream. 

" WHAT?? " Oh, that blush is obvious. "I've- You're an idiot, I've literally-" Dream stumbles over his words, messy locks not disguising enough of his face to hide his expression. 

"You're- You're stupid. You're just- you're just saying things. That's not even true!" 

"I don't know bro, for an innocent man you're getting real defensive."

"I'm not-- That's not-- I literally have not been doing that." Defeatedly, Dream taps his foot against the obsidian, knees dragged to his chest.

"Uh-huh." Technoblade nods, beginning to redo his braid for the third time that day. 

"Fuck yourself, seriously, Techno. I don't even know where- where you got that from."

"Maybe from the guy who's been eyeing me up and down."

" I HAVE NOT??? " (Dream’s heart beats in his ears and it tastes bitter and it's uncalculated and it makes no sense and he has to remind himself to breathe.) And it beats. And it beats. And it beats.

"So, what are you?"

"You're not going to let me live that down, are you?" Dream responds, annoyed. "I'm curious and bored." Technoblade answers, too honestly. Too honestly for Dream’s taste. Dream hasn't planned for this. Dream doesn't like the way he sees through him. "The answer- the answer is going to disappoint you, then." He gnaws on his lip for a moment. "Because I don't- I don't actually know ."

Techno raises an eyebrow curiously. He snorts. "You seriously don't, huh?"

"Yeah- uh- why the hell- why would I lie about that?"

"Uh, I mean, you've got the same tail as Ranboo." Techno deduces. "And he's an Enderman. I think?" He shakes his head. "But you're also not really letting me see anything else."

"You're being weird." Dream pushes, hiding his face in his knees.

"Not any weirder than you."

"Can I see your face?" Techno asks, and is surprised by his own question.

"What???" Dream returns, almost instinctively letting more hair fall into his face. 

"Your face." He presses, shifting with his coat. "I wanna see your face. It's been so long since I last did."

"Why?"

"Curiosity." Technoblade shrugs, feigning disinterest. Maybe he's just curious. Maybe there's more to it. Dream hates the way he can't tell and he hates the way it makes his heart beat and he hates the way he squirms uncomfortably and he hates the way the proposed intimacy makes him feel and he hates it.

Dream catches his heart in his throat and chokes it with both of his hands.

"No." He responds, met by a dejected, "awwwh", from the piglin hybrid. "Just a quick glance."

"No." He repeats, with more tone in his voice.

"Just a quick one."

"I said no." Dream cringes, crossing his arms. "It's not like I've never seen it before." Techno shrugs.

"Be satisfied with that, then."

"What's the big deal?"

"We're not friends, Techno." His tone of voice seems insincere, but he wants it to be true. They aren't friends. This is purely transactional. Technoblade is here to rescue him on account of a favor. Something is going wrong with whatever he's got planned and now he's trapped here for the time being. It doesn't mean anything. 

"Ow." Technoblade shuffles, moves as if something stabbed him. It's dramatics, Dream reminds himself. He's being dramatic. "First off, that hurts." It doesn't, Dream reminds himself. It's theatrics. It's to pass the time, it's to make him feel secure, it's to fool him, it's to- he doesn't know. Make him forget the plan?

"Second off, it's rude. I thought we've been having a real bonding moment here." Technoblade doesn't mean that, Dream reminds himself. "Well- boohoo." He fiddles with his fingers, with the book in his hands. "We're not friends." He has to emphasize that. (lest he forgets. lest he forgets that that too, is part of the plan.)

"I thought we were." Techno reiterates. "I mean, you've been watching me sleep. Would be real weird if we weren't friends."

"Oh my God, Technoblade. I have not-" He cuts himself off, rolling his eyes. He gives up. It's obvious he's just trying to get a rise out of him. He doesn't understand the point. It's distracting. It's going off the plan. It defies everything Dream did this for. He feels dizzy.

"C'mon Dream, I know you're still grumpy I keep calling you homeless, but I'd say we're friends."

"I'm not- I'm not homeless." (you're the one who kept not believing me I've got a big house filled with Redstone.) The thought makes him laugh bitterly.

Techno raises an eyebrow at the clear silent conversation Dream just had in his head. Some voices tell him something, but they sound drowned. The lack of food is beginning to mess with him bad, Techno eats a lot normally, so while he's not opposed to the potato diet itself, he's really been trying to cut down. If not only to not take away the little food Dream has.

Techno really doesn't like the way Sam clearly doesn't mind feeding him as much - considering he literally even gave him cooked potatoes when he asked for it. (it's all to starve Dream.)

"I know, I know. We're roommates right now, remember?" He snorts, which leads into an amused grunt, then translates into him holding out a baked potato in Dreams direction. "You want some?"

"... What."

"It's baked. Should be better than uh, y’know, the ones you've been chowing down." He gestures at Dream’s stack, which is honestly beginning to show mold.

"Why- how is it- where did you-" Dream stumbles and he looks so extremely bewildered Techno can't help but sneak a little fond smile. (Dream doesn't recognize it as such. His gasping heart categorizes it as him making fun of him.)

"I asked and Sam gave them to me. Under the condition I don't give you any."

Dream frowns. Deeply. He shakes his head. "Under the condition you don't give me any." He repeats, in a tone that makes Techno sick. Wipes the smile off his face and replaces it with a frown. "Hey man, it's not like Sam's gonna know."

"He'll know ." Dream reiterates, shaking his head. He feels sick. Sick. Sick. Resisting everything in himself to not knock it out of Techno’s hand.

"I mean, I'm not telling him. Are you?"

"If- if he asks , if I-if." He stutters over his words, he despises the frown on Techno’s lips. He's not disobeying Sam for some stupid- some potatoes. He could handle himself. The clear favoritism gets to his head, and he needs to turn away so he doesn't just grab the potato and throw it into the lava. Or better yet, he's throwing himself in it next.

Techno sighs. "Alright, man. Just thought I'd offer." He rolls his shoulders, then wordlessly eats it. He's honestly worried Dream might just starve to death one of these days. He certainly doesn't look good.

Dream’s heart beats in his ears. He wishes he could bang his head against the wall until he made a big enough hole for it to escape. Wishes he could reach through his own mouth and pull it up by its bits and pieces and squeeze it until there is finally no feeling left.

In the end he does none of that. In the end he frowns at Techno and doesn't say anything else. In the end he reaches his hands into his hair and tugs until he feels a few strands coming loose. 

"You're- driving me crazy." He hisses. And it's unreasonable. And it's a weird mood swing from the Dream who was just confused then horrified and is now- maybe jealous isn't the right word, but he doesn't find any better ones to describe what he is feeling. Speaking of feeling, he hates the way his heart jumps in his mouth when Techno looks at him with that stupid snort. That stupid big nose ring, and those stupid big ears, and those stupid big tusks that hang upwards out of his mouth and-

Breathe. Breathe. "Man, I'm just being friendly." Techno says and it snaps a cord. "You're not! Friendly. You're A- annoying , you're, you're taking up already sparse food, you're, you're clearly being favorited by- mi- by the wa- by Sam -" He tugs and he tugs and he tugs and maybe this way he can get rid of this stupid long hair. "All this has achieved is- you're just stuck here now, too . Why the hell didn't you realize it was a trap? I didn't want you to get involved! You have- you- aaaaah!" He groans, frustrated, tired, exhausted, hungry, and for the first time in the while he's been stuck here he seriously wishes he had died already.

It's stupid. It's such a stupid thing to want to give up over. (was any of it even worth it? was any of it even worth it? was any of it even worth it? was any of it even worth it.) He thinks he hears Techno say something but it's dampened by the dread that's surrounding him. Maybe he's having a panic attack. Maybe he's having two. Maybe three. four five six seven eight-- he's been doing so well holding himself together but now he's crashing he's falling apart he's grasping at the pieces of a knocked over 3D puzzle and it does little to put it back together.

He's been doing so well smiling and talking with Technoblade whenever Quackity wasn't here he's been doing so well and he's been doing too well and it's exactly why he's tripping all over himself and falling and falling and falling --

It's a harrowing realization. That scaling any mountain is going to involve so much tripping and falling in the future. And it's more harrowing to him that he's decided to do it all alone. It's better that way, he tells himself, but for a moment, Dream would rather be dead than alone.

Maybe, if he gave up, while Technoblade, while Quackity- while it's- while he's not- while- while there's someone there- while he's not alone- while- if he gave up now, at least someone would be by his side while he did-

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. In, and out, and Dream hears a voice, guiding him, and he's breathing.

Breathe. Breathe. He closes his eyes. It's dark, and it's orange from the light of the lava and he's just barely catching himself. 

When he opens his eyes again, he can breathe again. He sees pink strands and his first instinct is to--

He reaches out and tugs on Technoblade’s already messy enough braid. "Ow! Is that the thanks I get????? Ow- ow- Dream that hurts-" And he tugs and he tugs and he tugs and it's enough Technoblade has to stop awkwardly hovering his big hands around Dream's and instead grab onto them, halting the other’s out-of-nowhere violence. " Good ." Dream hisses, and it's venomous, it's almost- uncharacteristic. Techno pulls his eyebrows together and frowns. "You good? You had a little- panic attack there. And now you're attacking me! Scandalous."

Momentarily, Dream is taken aback by the piglin hybrid’s antics. Only momentarily, because as soon as he manages to wipe the way his expression cringes at his own actions off his face, he's back to pulling his hands out of Technoblade’s, taking one, two, three, too many steps towards the lava and almost falling backwards into it. He stumbles, and has to catch himself on the side of the wall. The lava is sizzling so closely behind him he's unsure if some of his hair, or his clothes might already be catching fire. He nudges just a little bit away from it, although he really wishes he could just let himself fall backwards. 

He could, he reckons. No better time than now. No better time than when he's not alone with Sam and Quackity with the warden and sir with the violence and torture and-

His head spins. Technoblade says something again but hovers awkwardly out of his reach. Good. Good. This is better. That's how it's supposed to be. Transactional. As soon as they're out of here Technoblade will abandon him. That's how this was intended. He'll make himself heavy enough of a burden that even Techno will hesitate to dare put that strain on his back. That hesitation will be enough, he hopes. He is sure it will be enough. He closes his eyes, breathing. He should breathe, Technoblade is right. He opens his eyes again and his eyes search for Technoblade, who's looking at him with such a stupid expression of pity (and concern and worry and so many things Dream isn't sure he's identifying right and so many things that Dream hopes he is wrong about.).

Dream prays he is wrong about these things. Because God strike him down if he is right. God if he has to face that possibility.

He isn't sure how much time passes. He isn't sure how long they're just staring at each other. 

--

"You better now?", Technoblade says after a long silence, attempting to approach him. Very slowly. As if he's afraid Dream might just stumble backwards into the lava if he startles him like a scared deer. Bitterly, Dream laughs. "Yeah", he catches himself, "Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. You have the strength of a toddler."

" WHAT??? " That gets to Dream’s head worse than Technoblade probably intends it to, when Dream stumbles over himself and almost catches fire on the lava. Techno snorts, lifting a hand to move it in a manner that's supposed to make him calm down but is only irritating him more. "You're- you're fucking insufferable, Technoblade ." Dream draws a breath through barely parted lips and for a moment he wants to cry. 

The piglin sighs. "You know, I've been really patient, but you're making me curious. What happened? Since when are you so-- dead set on pushing everyone away? I mean, I heard Punz betrayed you, which must've sucked- but, Dream, I clearly don't mean you any ha-"

"Fuck off, Technoblade."

"Eh?"

"Fuck off." He reiterates, and he is so, so close to ending it all he needs to remind himself that part of the plan is that he stays alive. Part of the plan is that his heart keeps beating. Maybe he can respawn at least though. It's bitter. He threw himself in that lava a lot when there was nothing to do and the pain of burning alive was, funnily enough, the only thing keeping him sane. "We're not friends. We're not roomies. We're not- You weren't supposed to be here. You're so fucking- stupid- walking into that obvious trap."

Technoblade's vision swims, before it refocuses on Dream and he raises an eyebrow. "Dream- You do know I knew that, right?"

"Right. Right. And that's why you haven't gotten out. That's why you're still stuck here with me annoying me and trying to get under my skin all the goddamn time-"

"Well, I mean, some things went wrong. I'll be out here in no time, though."

(I, I, I, I, I)

I, I, I, I, I

It echoes in Dream’s head. He stares. " We ?" He whispers, it's hopeful, it's meek, and it's such a sudden change from the way he was just yelling.

"Uh, yeah. We. You're getting out of here, Dream."

They exchange looks. Stares. He's too busy reading every pore on Technoblade’s face to be distracted by the fact that he's doing the same to him. He stares at Technoblade’s pink eyes as if they have the answer to every question he's ever had. He hears his heart beat again and has such a visceral reaction to it; he bites down on his lip, balling his fists.

"I don't believe that. I don't trust you for a second."

The piglin hybrid sighs, toying with his coat to his braid, undoing it, since Dream messed it up anyways. "Right. I'm really beginning to believe that." 

Dream thinks he hears sarcasm in that tone but he's not sure. He's not sure of any emotion he reads on Technoblade and it horrifies him. Quackity is so much easier to read: and Sam isn't too difficult to read too, he'd say. They're pretty similar, he'd concluded a while ago. 

Quackity wears his heart on his sleeve. Observing him is like you're reading a picture book. Whereas with Technoblade he isn't quite sure he's got a heart in the first place. He isn't sure what he thinks of that conclusion. He isn't sure it's logical. Maybe it makes no sense to interpret it that way, he can't justify dehumanizing Technoblade to himself, but neither can he the way he got addicted to burning in the lava.

"What exactly am I supposed to do to make you-- ' trust ' me?" The Blade speaks up and Dream continues watching him for another roughly 20 seconds, not breaking eye contact. He's finally noticed that he's also eyeing him over and it makes something akin to horror crawl down his back. It settles on his spine and whispers to him. He can't make out exactly what it's saying but he knows it's gripping at the edges of his heart. It's digging its nails in and the only reason it's yet to bleed is that they are still in. Like a stab wound, it'll bleed so much more once removed. But it's bleeding either way.

Either way leads to death.

"Want me to prove I trust you? Do a little trust-fall?"

Dream’s face cringes at the way Technoblade snorts. "I- what - no way- I don't trust you and even if you trusted me, there's no way I can- catch you- in my current state."

"I'm going to be honest, Dream, I don't think you would've been very capable of it previously, either."

"You're----- You're really trying to make me hate you." Dream mumbles, kicking the floor, in a similar fashion as to he would before, and Technoblade takes it as a positive sign. He smiles fondly and it irritates Dream to no end.

The piglin hybrid shrugs. "Eh, sure. I'm not sure I can convince you otherwise, anyways." 

Something stings but Dream can't identify it. Briefly, he wonders if the other feels something like that, too. Then he crosses that thought out, because he knows that the Blade doesn't own a heart that feels. 

His brain rationalizes the dehumanization in a desperate attempt to drown his own feelings. It's not rational and he knows this, but he's horrified that if he looks at Technoblade like he's a person for too long he might forget the plan.

He wants to choke himself out for going down this path alone. But it's the only way to keep them safe. (dehumanizing Technoblade isn't keeping him safe. it's the very thing that's ended him up in this position. the very reason he can't just sit in his cabin and rest. The very reason he's right here and associated with Dream is because they're the same, the same, the same .) 

Dream can't read Technoblade. But maybe he just doesn't want to. Maybe the other is written in a foreign language that Dream couldn't possibly have knowledge of in his young and naive years.

The admin sighs tiredly. 

"You can't. I don't trust you and it's not like you truly trust me either." Dream huffs a laugh. "You trust me to keep you alive. For my own gain." He gestures at the lava, then at Technoblade. "Since I'm not going anywhere without you. But maybe you will just leave without me."

Techno frowns. Even to Dream it's obvious this conversation is getting tiring. Maybe he's beginning to regret getting under his skin, maybe he's regretting constantly running his mouth, maybe he's considering just going to sleep for the rest of his stay here. Dream doesn't know because maybe after all this time, he's finally forgotten how to read. He isn't even sure he can read himself anymore. 

"I mean, yeah, maybe I will. You're not really making it enticing to take you along." Techno exhales heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I'd say you should know I wouldn't actually do any of that, but maybe I misread you."

None of that sounds like anything Technoblade would say. Good, Dream thinks, he's listening. He's not completely dense. He's not completely naive. Of course, the plan is still for the other to take him along. "W-well, you've got a favor to pay back. Technoblade pays back favors."

"Uh-huh."

"And that's all this is."

"Right."

Dream can't decode the bitter way Techno nods. He doesn't understand the way his throat slowly closes up and he feels like he's choking. He concludes it's been plugged by his heart again and he hates the very way the Blade puts even his organs in a disarray. It's irregular. Makes no sense.

"R-right." He repeats Technoblade’s word, glancing away. 

"Hey, you let me see your face."

"No I didn't."

"You did." 

"I didn't fucking allow you to." Dream crosses his arms, frowns. Techno shrugs, looking at Dream again. The other doesn't look away. "Yeah, but you're still letting me look."

It's not fair. It's not. It's not fair. He can't even rebuke that one. He's tired.

"You've got a lot of freckles." Techno muses, with such a stupid, stupid fond smile. (this isn't part of the plan. Isn't part of the plan.) "Your cheeks are- fuzzy." He snorts and Dream wants to deck him in the face. ( shut up. Shut up. Shut up .) "And your eyes rat you out."

Don't get him involved. Don't get him involved. Stick to the plan. Don't do that to him. Stick to the plan.

It's not worth it. If he changes the plan now- he can't. The plan has to be the way it is. Punz is bad enough. This is bad enough. Dream suddenly feels so powerless that it's crushing.

"And what stupid things do you think they're saying?"

"I don't know." Techno shrugs now, taking a step towards Dream. Cautiously, as if he fears he might startle him and send him into the lava. "Maybe they're desperate." He guesses, stops just out of Dream’s reach. Dream bites his lip bloody.

"Yeah. Desperate to get you to shut up. Get things under control and get us out of here." He grumbles, fists balling. (for a moment, he imagines himself reaching his hand into the lava, cupping it, and then throwing it at Technoblade. He wonders if his hand would last enough for that, or if the lava would burn through quicker. He wonders if that could kill him.)

He wonders how much of it would hit Techno, or if he'd dodge. If he'd call him insane, or if he'd be worried. If he'd be worried for his own safety, or Dream's, or both.

"I'm at it! I'm at it. Someone's really impatient." Techno lifts his hands defensively. "You're the one who designed this thing so- inescapable." Dream licks the blood off his lips, tail flicking behind him. "It'd kind of defeat the purpose if it wasn't." 

The piglin hybrid only nods. Dream only returns a nod. They're silent, observing each other as if they are reading a book.

Dream decides he needs to rip his pages out of Techno’s book. He takes a deep breath, looks directly at the other’s face. 

"Come over here." He croaks out, embarrassed, clears his throat after. "Come here." He repeats, clearer now.

For a moment, Dream hoped he'd see hesitation in Technos gaze. He sees something, Techno does need a second to listen, but he doesn't see hesitation. He doesn't know what he's seeing. (Worry? Care? Concern?) Concern, for his own or Dream’s or both of their safety.

Technoblade listens and everything in Dream’s body was hoping he wouldn't. He'd hoped he wouldn't. But now he's standing in front of him, left of him lava bubbles. It's hot and unbearable to him, but Dream knows it's like second nature to the piglin hybrid. 

"Do you trust me?" Dream asks, it's flat. The croak in his voice disappeared, it's just cold now. He can't read the expression on Technoblade’s face. He doesn't like the way he frowns. He doesn't like the way he has to break his neck to look him in the face when they are so close together. 

"What's this?"

"No, shut up, answer the question." Dream shakes his head when Techno tries to gain knowledge on his intent. That won't work. That won't work. He made a plan and he's sticking by it.

Techno sighs. Rolls his shoulders. Then nods. Smiles. "Yeah, well, I do."

(I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do. It repeats in Dream’s ears until it turns to venom until it takes over every part of his brain until he can't hear anything else until it tastes bitter and bile and he wishes he could throw up.)

Everything in Dream hoped he'd say no. Everything in Dream hoped he'd say no.

He doesn't breathe for a good minute. Then he holds out his hand. His hand, small, burned, injured. There's little cuts and scars everywhere. He still has all of his fingers, but he is afraid he won't soon enough. "Okay. If you take my hand and close your eyes, do you trust me to not hurt you?" He continues, and his heart deflates when Technoblade listens. He hoped he wouldn't.

He hoped he'd make a snarky comment and refuse. But he doesn't even give him a snarky comment. The piglin hybrid's hand almost completely engulfs his own and Dream feels so small and helpless and weak, all of a sudden. It's like Technoblade is unknowingly pulling the carpet out from under his feet. It's like the obsidian beneath him disappeared. (The hand-holding is weirdly comforting and suddenly Dream wants to abandon everything he thought of, everything he planned. if he could just fall forward and-)

He grips Technoblade’s hand. Harsh. He's not sure where he draws the strength from, considering he hasn't even eaten one potato today. And he isn't even sure he ate one yesterday. He squeezes it, and for a moment, it may come across comforting, or comfortable, or-

Then he violently tugs on the other’s hand. Then he draws both of them towards the lava. Then, suddenly, both of their hands are touching lava. (Dream's barely is. Technoblade’s hand engulfs his almost completely, but he's probably more fire resistant than he is. He braces himself, grits his teeth, burn, burn, burn, burn, everything in himself is screaming to take it all back, to reverse time, to-)

"Let this be a lesson not to, in the future."

Rip peak dsmp era, you would’ve loved animating/editing dsmp to Epic songs

Okay so I've been insane about this for A While now, but I rly wanna talk about it now. Like, the parallels between cQ & cSam and cPhil & cTechno in regards to cDream. Like with how one in each pair is a mostly humanoid bird hybrid(the duck hybrid!Q hc) who's smaller than cDream and the other a giant mob hybrid. The way one of those pairs made cDream a wreck(okay he was a wreck before that but yk what I mean) and the other pair is helping him heal from being a wreck. But then it's like, you look at both pairs and how they are with cDream, or literally just in general. And they couldn't be anymore differant. Like the initial parallels between the pairs could make sth feel too familiar in a bad sense, but then realizing, that it's just cTechno and cPhil, he'll calm down. In itwall, you even mentioned the parallells between cQ and cPhil and like how cDream could mistake them for each other and stuff.

Hope this makes sense and that I got the point of my little ramble across lol

YES this is big-brained. i can't believe i've implied this so many times yet never said anything outright about it.

techno and sam, both giant mob hybrids, serve as guardians. these are the people dream is most physically comfortable with, and who he trusts most. techno moreso guards dream himself while sam guards "the prisoner," if that makes sense, and techno encourages freedom while sam denies it. in ttdtn, techno jokes a bit about their roles being reversed ("think of it as a visitation system"). i like the idea of techno being the tallest on the server and sam being the second tallest; the competition between them is palpable.

phil and quackity, both bird hybrids and both shorter than dream, are more active agents of change. quackity was more, uh, "hands on" with dream in the cell, and i wrote philza as being the more knowledgable and active healer in itwall. these are the ones who create either pain or comfort, and unfortunately for dream, they're easy to mistake for each other. dream struggles with things like that. i particularly like designs where phil has massive wings (that are broken) and q has small, useless wings.

What do you think that c!Dream would think or feel about c!Will using him as a way to externalize his daddy issues? That maybe 70% of c!Will’s animosity was based on the way that he subconsciously resented the shadow of his father, and twisted it into fitting a narrative that wasn’t happening.

His father is an anarchist, c!Dream was titled a tyrant over nothing other than being the one that others went to when things went out of wack, he was an incidental authority figure that c!Will and c!Tommy reflexively hated

i think you'd have to hit cdream upside the head with it for him to notice, for starters.

if he spent more time with cphilza, he'd probably notice the similarities between them. or, at the very least, he'd notice that cphilza has achieved a lot of his goals, and he might put cphilza under a microscope and try to study how he did it. an immortal who seems to understand more about the world than most, who lives a peaceful life with technoblade. sounds like a life cdream would enjoy, if he reflected enough to realize it.

(post-prison, he'd see a man also living with life-changing injuries.)

now, the idea that someone would think they're similar right now? he'd be taken off-guard, for sure. i think he'd take it as a compliment. i think he'd hold it over cwil's head and mock him for it. i think he'd hold some personal bitterness about it, and he'd pretend he doesn't care about it, like he handles the rest of his bitterness.

he values his allies and wouldn't want his anarchist allies to think he's a tyrant, but he seems to trust their intelligence enough that he doesn't try to defend himself to them. where's his kingdom, after all?

so my friend asked me to design dream as a unicorn and ngl i got kinda into it

Honestly, the situation with Tommy and Dream is ridiculous. There is so much wrong with everything going on.

Like it all started over a meme. Let that sink in. this is over a meme.

And yes, Dream shouldn't have said that word but, not only is he on the spectrum, he has been called that word along with countless other slurs and offensive things over the years and never had a tantrum. And neither have we as Dream fans! I've been told to unalive myself so many times for being a Dream fan to the point I'm numb over it. Yet Tommy's fans can't handle a meme. I feel like that says alot.

But I think its crazy people never expected him to snap. Like back anyone into a corner and they're gonna fight back eventually. And the poor guy had enough. So yeah, him "crashing out" was completely valid in my opinion. He's finally letting out the years of suppressed frustration.

Not to mention how Dream is the only person who showed any evidence and yet he's always called a liar. Yet Tommy NEVER shows any proof of his claims. Yet people believe him. Which honestly blows my mind. And for Tommy to say Quackity is fine and Dream isn't is insane. Like Q has just as many allegations that are not proven wrong and everyone just ignored it.

And Tubbo and Ranboo obviously siding with Tommy is expected but with how much Tubbo keeps contradicting himself is ridiculous.

I think that they both need to cut contact and move on. It's not worth all the fighting and chaos between fanbases.

quick little fanart for the "Face Me and Scream" fic by franticdesert on ao3

Dreamzablade head canons?

(IVE SEEN YOUR ASS ON ETHEKS BLOG)

cPhil likes to call cTechno special, because in cPhil's eyes, he is.

cTechza has a pair of emerald jewelry pieces that cTechno made in a fit of his piglin instincts. He spent literally days mining for the purest emeralds, then painstakingly cutting them into perfect diamond shapes to match piglin customs about the meaning of shapes. He also went to the Nether to find gold and dig it up with his bare hands, so he could feel the satisfaction of finding it. Then he smelted a gold mold to make an earring, and since he saw that cPhilza didn't wear long earrings, he decided to start with studs. (He would later make a pendant for cDream.)

He made his jewelry from the leftover gold, enough for a frame and a small chain. And maybe he overdid it a bit with the gold, but then he saw the amount of emeralds and decided that he would soon go to the village to trade.

cTechno likes touching, but he is a little hesitant about it in prison, because cDream is wary of it like fire. It hurts cTechno to watch, he does not want to know how a person can be brought to such a state. He tries to give him as much good as he can, because cDream needs it, and cTechno can only give him this small mercy.

cDream likes sweets. cTechno promises him the most delicious muffins with sweet berries in prison. cDream cries.

cPhilza bakes him a pie with sweet berries when he is feeling better. Dream cries again.

cTechza likes to sit cDream on their laps, they like to keep him safe in their sight. They hug him and change cDream's position with ease, especially when he falls asleep in their laps. cPhilza covers him with her wings, leaving him in a cocoon. cTechno hugs him with her big arms, giving cDream complete peace.

Kissing with cTechno is difficult, he has a different anatomy, but they have their own analogy to kissing.

cTechza kiss each other like an old married couple, they kiss in the kitchen while they cook, in the bath while they wash cDream, in the forge while cDream sleeps or does other housework. Sometimes they are wild, fighting and dominating each other.

cDreamza kisses deeply, sensually, cPhil gently holds cDream's chin, completely leading in the kiss. cDream is a puddle in his hands.

cTechno kisses cDream softly and anywhere at any time to make him as embarrassed as possible, making him giggle and smile. cTechno is a gentle giant.

cPhilza likes to tease cTechno about his choice of boyfriends, because he brought a mini version of cPhil home. cTechza teases cDream about liking older men. cDream and cTechno tease cPhil about his memory.

cDreamzables like to do mini concerts, where cTechno uses the violin, cPhilza picks up the tambourine, and cDream either sings or plays the flute.

cDream is their little bard, who loves to hum something and experiment with different instruments.

cDream likes to sleep between cTechza, because it is so paradoxically nice there that despite the hateful heat and feeling of constraint, cDream feels completely safe and loved.

bed cuddles

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.