Archive of Our Own ^beta

Technoblade was near silent; he really didn’t want to ask this of his friends, some of the only people he hadn’t had left him. Philza probably knew the question was coming, and Niki even had a soft frown on her face. Their fourth member had recently gone to spy on other forming countries. Techno could feel the condescending voices in his head, mocking his decision. They uncomfortably glanced at where Ranboo was supposed to sit, their missing friend was in prison, and Technoblade didn’t know why. 

 

| we’re really goin’ to put philza and them in danger

for a homicidal maniac? |

 

| what has dream ever done for us |

 

| besides save our life? |

 

| techno never dies, we’d have made it out |

 

| we respond w kindness, TENFOLD |

 

| we’ll be just as bad as tommy says if we leave them there |

| we’re not like tommy says, he betrayed us |

 

Techno rubbed his head, “Shut yer trap,” he grumbled at the voices, while he loved Chat, they could get annoying at times, before he looked up, “Alright. Look, let’s address the elephants in the room.”

“Your favor,” Niki criticized, “I don’t think you should go through with it.”

Techno hummed, “I know, some of the voices agree.”

He doesn’t say anything more, yet, waiting for Philza’s agreeing gaze, Techno almost did want to leave Dream there, rotting in the prison, but the reminders of the blood and vomit that decorated the walls were enough to make Chat shut up and agree. They hated the sight of Dream looking like a broken, folded doll. It made a loud protest. 

 

| NIKI DIDN’T SEE DREAM’S CONDITIONS |

 

| she doesn’t know |

 

| dream saved us from death, dream cannot die, they’re the admin |

 

| blood for the blood god. |

 

| we’ll just help them escape! |

 

| plus boo is in there |

 

| we need to save dream! |

 

| not even dream deserves torture |

 

| maybe torture changed ‘im |

 

“Niki,” Technoblade said quietly, “I was there for three months. Dream has been in there for nearly a year. The conditions are horrible. Quackity, the stupid fuckin’ duck, is allowed in there with weapons and other torture devices. Dream’s blood and throw up decorate the walls. As much as I love blood, it was disgusting. I was chained to the wall while Dream’s humanity was ripped away from em’. Not even Dream deserves torture ,” Techno sighed. 

Niki froze, “Torture?”

Niki felt uneasy around the idea of torture, memories of Quackity as vice-president of Manberg filling her memory bank. She frowned, even if out of anyone on the server, Dream deserved torture the most, she didn’t think even they deserved it for that long, especially… especially not to that degree. She bit her life, swallowing down her hatred for Dream, maybe he’d changed. Maybe, Maybe, maybe… 

“Look,” Niki said, “I’ll help, but I don’t know if I can… see him. It’s just… he’s done so many fucked up things.”

Techno nodded, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I’ve done fucked up things too. I destroyed yer L’manberg.”

Niki flinched, she often tried to ignore that part of their past. But, she had long left L’manberg behind. That was Wilbur and Tommy’s symphony. And Techno had only betrayed Tommy because he was using him. Niki, while she thought what others did to Tommy was wrong, thought Tommy needed a lesson in… well, life. She hoped he learned it sooner rather than later. 

Techno shrugged and looked at Philza, “Look, dude-”

“Of course I’m helping you both, I’ll get the escape routes ready. I assume you have the necessary materials?”

Techno grimaced, “I was plannin’ on doin’ it with or without you two, and besides… Ranboo is in prison as well.”

Niki frowned, “Well, we can’t… leave Ranboo in prison, why the hell is he in there anyways?”

Philza sighed, putting his head in his hands, “Yeah, and besides, if we don’t do something, Wilbur will, and I have a feeling that won’t go well - at all.”

Techno nodded, an uncomfortable feeling residing in his stomach at the mention of Dream being around Wilbur, in any situation. He could feel the teasing thoughts coming sooner than he thought. 

 

| simpnoblade <3 |

 

| lmfao imagine bein’ jealous over yer brother L |

 

| L |

 

| L |

 

| L |

 

| L | 

 

| E |

 

| E |

 

| we’re getting off topic! technosimp!!!! |

 

Techno rolled his eyes, before bringing his attention back to his friends, he really, really didn’t want to drag them out into this battle, but it seemed it was happening.

Dream, at some point, had passed out and Techno was carrying the idiot in his arms. He could see Niki’s calculating look, the absolute look of terror on Ranboo’s face, a worried look from Connor, and honestly, Philza just looked bored, per usual. Techno was ignoring the look of ‘are you gae’ from Niki- BECAUSE HE WASN’T! He totally didn’t have red creeping up his neck and resting on his ears. He totally wasn’t relishing in the feeling of ( finally ) having Dream in his arms. 

“Techno,” Niki started, “If you… don’t want to get rid of Dream yet, I won’t be too bothered.”

Techno gave her a look, one of complete tiredness and contentedness, “Niki, I know he makes you uncomfortable. As soon as he wakes up, I’m kickin’ im’ out.”

Ranboo opened his mouth, but quickly closed it, Dream being knocked out probably saved their life, after all, Sam had threatened their life, only to realize Techno was holding Dream with one hand, and attacking Sam with the other- even Philza seemed to be impressed with this. 

Ranboo… wasn’t sure how they felt, unfortunately, because no one really knew what the max-security prison’s conditions were like except for Dream themselves and Technoblade, The Blood God himself. But, that was not the point, for now. Once they reached the cabins ( finally ), Technoblade gave a nod towards the other members, disappearing into his cabin, Dream in his arms. Ranboo frowned at the thought of Dream being so close, but maybe… maybe Dream could help Ranboo with their memory problem… and a few other things. 

--

“Techno, come on, I wanna talk to them,” Ranboo frowned, “Why are you so protective over them ?”

Techno rolled his eyes, “Well, dear Lethe, I know Dream’s done a lot of fucked up things to ya, so I wanna make sure yer not out to get revenge or somethin’.”

“Avoiding my question will get you nothing, Technoblade,” Ranboo sighed, “But alright, I want to ask him if they’re able to help me with my memory problems. I believe they’re the source of it, and I think they can help.”

Techno sighed, because of his Piglin instincts, he could tell when others were lying, and because he always had a soft spot for Ranboo, he was tempted to allow the visit, if Dream were not currently stuck in a coma , “Look, knowin’ ya, I’m sure yer tellin’ the truth and all, but Dream’s not awake yet, unfortunately,” the last word was whispered, as if he were trying to hide the truth. Ranboo’s mouth was turned into a straight line, uncomfort written all over his face. 

“Then why has Niki been coming over so much?” asked Ranboo, “And Philza?”

“First off, Phil’s always over, and second off, she’s been helpin’ me take care of em’ when I need to go out and gather resources. I’m not sure when ,” or if , “They’ll wake up. It’s really a coin toss, unfortunately, Quackity, the duck bastard, took a lot out of ‘em.”

Ranboo frowned, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was goin’ to?”

“Only because I trust you, Technoblade.”

Techno rolled his eyes, “How many times have I told you, Ranboo? Call me Techno . Technoblade makes me feel… eh, but just call me Techno.”

“Sorry, Techno… but, could I maybe, uh, see them?”

Techno sighed, “Only if you’re careful.”

The two of them went inside of Techno’s guest room, neither one of them mentioned it’s where Tommy used to stay, once the raccoon moved out of the basement for a while, and there he was. The supposed “villain” of the server, looking peaceful and kind and just. 

It made Ranboo sick. 

A monster shouldn’t look so kind. 

A monster shouldn’t have freckles, like someone normal . 

A monster should look like just that; a monster . 

But, Dream looks like they knew how to bake a cake, Dream looks like they read bedtime stories to their little siblings growing up, Dream looks like they’d protect their siblings from the dangers of the world - of their parents. Dream looks like they once could care for others. Ranboo wonders what changed. What changed the small, fragile looking person in front of them for them to be able to toy with people so easily?

Or, better yet, who changed them? 

“Welp, here they ‘re,” Technoblade groaned, “Still asleep, the homeless teletubby. If the idiot didn’t have a house, they coulda just said so.”

The insult would have been mean to anyone else, but Ranboo could tell (they could always tell), that the jab was meant with love. They could tell from the softening of Techno’s tired, red eyes. They could tell from the way the Piglin pulled the blanket down a bit to re-fix the bandages. They could tell from the way Techno spent more time up here, trying to bring Dream back to the land of the wake than anything else. Ranboo could tell by the way they took care of Connor. Ranboo could see the resemblance between Dream and Connor. The similar face structure, the wild, crazed look whenever someone made a joke they didn’t like, and a lot more they were sure they’d come to realize. The difference is Connor is getting something like love, to overcome those genes. Dream, whether they like it or not, cares for Connor. Ranboo could tell from the way they kept the Sonic Kinnie- they mean, the blonde behind their own body. 

If only Sam had known that he’d threatened the wrong person. 

“Techno,” Ranboo whispered. 

“Yes, kid?”

“Do you think he can change?”

Techno shrugged, “Anyone can, with help.”

Niki knocked on the door, holding some baked potatoes she had made. She knew how busy Technoblade had been lately, with taking care of a coma-induced Dream, so she had taken it upon herself to take care of her friend. While she could not understand the affection he felt for Dream, she could understand where it came from. Three months in prison is a long time, it can either make you hate someone, or love someone. And for whatever reason, Techno’s affection for Dream only grew while they were together in prison. Finally, she thought after quite some time, Techno opened the door, a tired expression on his face, as if he were losing hope. Her heart softened for her friend. 

“Techno,” she huffed, “Have you even rested at all?”

He sighed, “The stubborn bastard still hasn’t woken up. But, they’re still alive. I don’t know how much longer I can do this though.”

Niki’s eyes softened, before handing him the baked potatoes, “Here. Eat and rest. I’ll look over him for a bit. I’m sure it’ll be good intensive therapy that will help when they wake.”

Techno huffed in amusement, “Yeah? Are ya sure ya won’t kill ‘em?”

She scoffed, “As if! We went through a lot of trouble in order to get them back, you know! Besides, I know you said you’d kick them out, but I do know you better than that, my friend. Show me to their room, I can help, I’m sure.”

He sighed, exhaustion taking over, “Alright, you stubborn lady. Follow me.”

The two pinkettes walked up the stairs, Niki did feel nervous, but she knew nothing would happen. After all, Techno would never put their trust in someone that was… completely untrustworthy. And even if she didn’t trust Dream, she trusted Techno. They were friends, siblings even, so she knew that whatever Techno thought was best, was best . 

Even if his sight was probably blinded by affection. 

When they got to Dream’s room, she felt herself stop for a moment, only to catch her breath. Techno looked back at her for a moment, concern written all over his face. 

“Niki, you don’t have to-”

“Yes, I do,” Niki replied, “They mean something to you. And you’re… you’re like a brother to me. So, I need to either get used to them or maybe even befriend them, if I can. So, I just… I can do this…”

Techno’s eyes softened, “Niki…”

She glared at him, “I ain’t weak.”

He nods, “I know. We’ve put too much trainin’ into ya for ya to be.”

Niki rolled her eyes at the jab, knowing it was full of love, and sighed, “Yeah, that’s for sure. Too many long days of someone kickin’ my ass.”

“T’was for the best,” he grinned, ruffling her hair, “But, there is a thing I found in some ruins. ‘S pretty easy to use. Just make sure it’s full of regen n’healin’ potions to keep ‘em livin’.”

She nods, “Alright, Techno. You go rest, I got this!”

He nods, thankfulness resting all over his face. Who was she to deny a God? She decided to face her fears, entering the room. There they were. The person who had caused her so much… pain . So much suffering . But, who had caused one of her closest friends so much happiness . He took away Wilbur . The reasonable part of her brain told her Wilbur was already gone. Wilbur had been leaving for a long time. Her heart ached for Fundy, but she had heard he was trying to get adopted by Eret, and she had never felt happier. But there was Dream. The cause of a lot of her problems. He’d destroyed L’manberg. So had Techno. He’d hurt Tommy . So had Techno. Dream had done a lot of things wrong, but maybe they wanted to do something right? Maybe Niki could help them. 

A shift. Her eyes darted to the bed, they moved! Of course it had to be when she was in there, didn’t it? And she wanted to be in here, she told herself, but a part of her was shuddering at the thought of that monster Dream awaking to see her, not Technoblade. But, Techno needed his rest, even as a God. So, she decided to sit down in the chair next to Dream’s. She’d be the first face they’d seen since their escape. She wondered if his eyes were pitch black like she’d imagined. Their hair was not like she imagined, she’d thought it’d be like a poisonous vine, green and ugly, just like how they’d hurt so many. But, it wasn’t. It was like Gold; shiny and welcoming, and explained a lot about why Techno liked them so much (/hj). Or, perhaps, it had been. Now, their hair looked white, caused by Trauma. Her eyes landed on the sheared down horns and her heart sank- had Quackity even done that? Hurt a hybrid like that? When he had too had a part of him destroyed? She felt sick to her stomach. No matter what she thought it hadn’t been one eye milky white and the other so, so green it almost hurt to look at. It almost looked like an Eye Of Ender, majestic and terrifying, she wondered how and why it looked like that. Curiosity burned her skin, her mind. But, before she had more time to think, they spoke: 

They groaned, “What the fu-”

“I don’t think cursin’ will help you much,” she managed to whisper. Their head turned towards her so sharply, she thought they’d re-opened all his wounds. They were on edge, she realized. They tensed up at the sight of her, she thought she looked pretty inviting! Did they remember her, after all then? Did they remember how much they ruined her life? The thought made her sick, “Good morning Dream.”

Their muscles tensed even more, “Niki,” they said softly, nothing like the malicious voice she had heard in the past. That voice had held unkindness, a vengeance, this voice just held guilt and a need to apologize, “If I may ask, how long have I been out?”

Niki sighed, “I’m unsure, but Techno just took off some time to sleep. He’s been by your side since we got ya out of prison.”

She’d never point it out, but the flush on his cheeks made her grin. Their eyes were wide, and she realized now why they wore the mask - their face expressed so much . She wondered if they wore the mask to hide the human in them, as if he wanted the world to think that they were an emotionless, unkind being. She wondered if deep down they were a bad person. 

“Ah,” they whispered, the flush growing, “He did?”

“Mhm,” she hummed, “I decided to take over for the day.”

Dream’s eyes softened, “Ah…”

The silence was awkward, she realized, not uncomfortable. She wanted to learn more about Dream, what had happened in the prison? What had Techno and Dream gone through that changed their dynamic so much? 

“You want to ask something,” Dream stated. It was not a question, nor did they ask it like one. It was a statement. She tensed at how easily they could tell. 

“Well, just a few things,” she sighed, “I don’t want to re-awaken any memories-”

Dream shrugged his shoulders, “Facing your fears helps you the most doesn’t it?” they asked, like they knew . She tensed. 

“What happened in prison,” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

Dream flinched, but responded, “What didn’t?”

Technoblade awoke, yawning, taking a few moments to enjoy the silence before the voices awoke. They always allowed him rest when he truly needed it and for that he was grateful. He wondered how Niki was. How Ranboo and Philza were. 

How Dream was. 

| we should go check |

 

| what if niki needs us :(( | 

 

| she can take care of herself <3 |

 

| trama is a real thing bucko |

 

| we love dream, but… |

 

Techno groaned, standing up and throwing on his clothes, his regal outfits making him stand out, usually, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. He didn’t mind the attention, though, in fact, he basked in it. He basked in the attention and all the people he killed, they became his voices, some were gifted to him by Her . Some were just mindless voices. Some were, well, not even he knew. He suspected the voices knew, but chose not to share. But, rather than have an existential crisis, he walked over to Dream’s room, where he saw the most terrifying sight he’s seen in a while. Dream was sitting up, drinking tea, while Niki read a book of poems to them. Dream was humming along, thanking Niki, and seemed way too domestic for a reformed tyrant. “Tyrant” was even pushing it; while Dream often talked about being the King of the Server, everyone knew if Dream died, consequences would happen, and he suspects that’s the real reason Dream hadn’t been killed yet. But, even Technoblade knew of Dream’s best friend’s promise. 

He knew Sapnap was coming. 

“Ah! Technoblade,” Niki exclaimed happily, “Good morning. Dream awoke last night so we chatted. You didn’t tell me you and Dream-”

“Niki!” Dream squeaked, pink matching both of their hairs on their cheeks, “I told you that in confidence!”

Niki laughed, brightly, how had they bonded to such a degree? 

Technoblade raised an eyebrow, “Oh? What did you tell her we did, you homeless teletubby?”

Dream rolled their eyes, “You moron, I have a house! It’s just too far away for me to get to! And anyways, I just told her about, well, I don’t know.”

Techno sighed, happily so, but before he could get too comfortable, he blurted out, “Ranboo wants to talk to you.”

Niki tensed, glancing at Dream to gauge their reaction, who seemed bothered at most. 

“Oh, okay, do they want me to unwire their coding or something?”

Techno made a noise, “What in the admin talk does that mean? Like kill them?”

“God no!” Dream exclaimed with a laugh, “I just mean that I’d unprogram how I made their brain work in that negative way. They’d suffer some unintended consequences, like fuckin withdrawls if that makes sense, like the Enderwalkin’ would continue, but I couldn’t control it anymore. I could honestly do it with a snap of the fingers, sometimes XD likes to gimmie control.”

Techno sighed, “Well then, I didn’t think you’d change over that easily.”

Dream scoffed, “Neither did I, before I realized in my who-knows-how-long coma that what Quackity did to me - to us - sucked ass. And I’d been doin’ that stuff to people forever. So, well, I guess I had a change of heart bein’ stuck in a limbo.”

“You were dead?” asked Techno carefully. 

“I mean, not really,” Dream sighed, “Was just in, like, my own personal hell. And I was alone. I thought that if I was going to go to hell, it’d be with all the people I hate. But nah, it was a white space, misty if you will, and it was cold. Really cold. I’m glad I woke up.”

Techno heaved out a sigh, “You’re… you’re really an idiot. I can’t believe you… God. The one day I took off.”

Niki giggled, “Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny, too, you know, once I got over the fact the major supervillain of the server is really just touch-starved.”

Dream glared at Niki, but it was lighthearted, not like the glare they'd often seen directed at others, “ Niki . I have a lot of issues, but-”

“No buts, that’s why you moved in with Technoblade! He’s a Piglin Hybrid, those instincts of his demand physical touch. You’re not slick, Dream!”

Technoblade sat there in contentment. 

| what changed? |

 

| why is niki so chill w dream |

 

| not that we’re complainin’ | 

| e |

 

| e |

 

| maybe they gaslighted her |

 

| bruh now techno’s gonna b paranoid |

 

“Niki, what changed your mind?” Techno found himself asking, because he really could only take the voices being assholes for so long, to which they protested, but he chose to ignore them at this time. 

“Oh,” she huffed softly, “Well, I’m not really sure. It’s just, to me, Dream was always this like, inhuman thing ( Technically, I am inhuman, but continue ), and like, when we talked last night, and he genuinely apologized, it was just, humanizing I guess. And yes, Dream, we know your blob ass is inhuman.”

Dream scoffed, “Something like that,” he laughed afterwards, “But, yeah, I don’t wanna like, fight, anymore I guess. Even though I’ll probably have urges , I wanna be better.”

Techno raised an eyebrow, “So no more destroying nations with me, Dre?”

“If you asked,” Dream whispered, “I’d do anything.”

Philza was unsure how to feel about this development, while he wanted to support his oldest friend, he did, he really, really did, like Ranboo and Niki did, unsure of how they could help the inhuman admin. Like Dream, Philza was also an Admin, of another world, but he had decided to stay in this server because of Technoblade. Besides, his son had come to this server in order to lead some great revolution; but that had led in his death and revival, much to the fear of the avian. Kristin had frowned upon the arrival of her son, well her oldest. Tommy and Wilbur were Philza’s kids, Techno was an old friend, something like a son sometimes. 

And besides, Philza wasn’t too keen on what Dream did to Tommy, although he agreed some of what Tommy did to the server was frustrating, Dream took it upon himself to try and teach Tommy something, but they did it the wrong way. So, no, Philza did not want to ‘bond’ with Dream. 

But, it seemed whatever strangeness controlled this universe, chose to make it happen anyways. 

--

Philza walked into Technoblade’s house because the rest of the Syndicate had chosen to go on a Nether trip and needed someone to watch Dream. Philza, as previously stated, wasn’t the fondest of Dream. But, there was something softening about seeing the Admin cuddled up on the couch, wearing Techno’s cape- no wonder Techno didn’t have it. But, he had said he genuinely couldn’t find it. Part of Philza wanted to immediately send a message through his communicator to Techno, but decided against it. Dream’s eyes were closed, as if they trusted the house completely, Steve was cuddled up to Dream as well, wrapping the hurt Admin in a blanket of fluff. Philza saw a flash of blonde, his heart aching for his youngest child. 

But, even though Philza loves his sons, he had destroyed their country with Technoblade and Dream. Philza hated Countries, almost as much as he loved his sons. 

“Philza Minecraft, what do I owe the pleasure,” asked a tired voice from in front of the fireplace, and Philza’s wings sprang up and tensed, which caused the Admin to laugh, “I don’t bite, well, anymore .”

Philza flinched at the implication, but started to move to where Dream could see him without uncomfortably turning their head, “Dream.”

“Philza Minecraft,” the other replied simply. 

“I don’t like you very much,” he found himself saying before he could hide his disdain behind a polite smile. The other simply smiled in a sorry way, a guilt on their face. Philza tried not to scoff. 

“Most people don’t,” Dream finally replied, “I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“You’re not going to ask why I dislike you?”

“I have a feeling I know,” Dream responded, “But if you want me to ask, I will.”

Philza scoffed, “No, I don’t think I should repeat information you know. But, Techno asked me to take care of you. So I am. But, I do not like you.”

Dream nodded, “I figured. If someone had done what I did to my son, I’d react the same way.”

Philza’s head snapped up, “You have a son?”

“I try to keep it on the downlow,” Dream replied, “Not something I want to get out.”

Philza’s mouth was pressed into a thin line, “Ah. I see. Would take away from your whole, ‘no-attachments' thing, wouldn’t it, mate?”

Dream laughed, but it was a hard laugh, “More like I don’t want him getting killed by Sapnap or Quackity. Or used as ransom. I love my son, and I’d give myself up for him in a heartbeat. But, I’d rather not go back to prison; that place was hell.”

Philza’s heart softened, something they could relate over, having a son that they’d disappoint, “Ah, yes. I wish I could have done the same for Wilbur, but he's been gone a long time.”

Dream’s gaze softened, his one blind eye staring at him eerily, “Wilbur… was a lot of things. But, for all the things he was, I did prefer him pre-reviving. He’s a bit much now, unfortunately.”

Philza sighed, he wanted to disagree, desperately, “Yes, well, if you hadn't killed Ghostbur.”

“Tommy was breaking in to kill me, you know,” Dream replied, “Maybe he should have let me rot in prison instead of taking matters into his own hands. Just how I should have let Tommy learn to be better by someone else. Perhaps his father figure,” the slight was there, and Philza flinched back. Phil didn’t like to recognize his failures as a father; he wasn’t there for his kids, quite obviously. Techno, who had been blessed by Her , and had accustomed himself to the voices for a long time, but Wilbur, his… his human son. His human son because he and Techno were immortal. Tommy, human too, but had become the plaything (not in a sexual way before u come for my ass) of the Admin of the Server, well, and that man could revive you if they wanted to. 

“Dream,” Phil said, “Don’t accuse Tommy of that.”

Dream raised his hands, “Sorry, Philza Minecraft-”

“Just fucking call me Phil, mate,” Phil sighed, “Look, you’ve got some shit to work out, some apologies to do, but… if Techno believes in you, I do too. Even if I need to work on likin’ you.”

Dream’s smile was so bright that Phil thought maybe the Admin could change. 

[ a few months later ] 

“Dream!” yelled Techno from the other room, “We need to get goin’, ya nerd!”

Dream sat up, wearing their tiredness like a crown, before getting up and throwing the first thing they grabbed- and if that was one of the many sweater’s Techno had made them over the course of the few months he’d been there. God, they’d never felt so loved than when they were the Syndicate, but more specifically Techno. 

“Comin’!” Dream yelled back, running down the stairs, to see their loving partner waiting. Dream’s eyes lit up in a way they’d forgotten they could do that. Their cheeks flushed in a way they thought they'd never feel again. Their eyes softened when Techno’s eyes did, before they quickly grabbed their mask and put it on, much to the annoyance of their lover. 

“You always look prettier without the mask,” Techno hummed, tucking a piece of white hair behind their ear. Dream had, without realizing it, grown their hair. They had gotten it long in their time in prison, and then decided they wanted to keep it long, if nothing else to match Techno. Techno would often braid it and Dream loved the feeling of his fingers in their hair, it made them feel like maybe there was a reason to be better. 

“Oh, you,” Dream replied, “We’re going to see the others, I don’t really… and if… people show up.”

Techno’s eyes narrowed, “If Sapnap or one of those idiots show up, I’ll take care of ‘em,” Techno reminded, ruffling their head. Dream laughed, leaning into it, but then dragged the Piglin out, because there was a server wide meeting, and Dream almost refused to go, but they had to go because of their admin status. The Syndicate told them Dream was under their protection, so if anyone had anything to say, well, Technoblade himself would deal with them. 

The journey was long and tiring, but eventually they made it to the community house in a pretty good time. Everyone was pretty relaxed, for the most part, but when the two Gods entered the house, the air was tense, sick with it, almost. Sapnap was the most tense, already reaching for his netherite sword, but Karl stopped him, holding the blaze hybrid’s hand, their purple eyes glancing between the two hybrids. Sapnap, reluctantly, stopped and held his fiance’s hand. Quackity looked over for a moment, hurt dancing in his eyes, before glancing back. Technoblade, to Quackity’s disappointment, looked fully healed. Although Dream’s eye seemed the most impacted, a milky white instead of the eye of ender like eyes, their horns were still short, but there was happiness dancing in their eyes, anger sparked when Quackity saw that. Dream did not deserve such happiness, not when Quackity’s life had been nothing but bad . George, who had managed to wake up for this meeting, watched in horror as Dream stood with a different sort of confidence; not the old confidence, not the one that shined like he was trying to gain power, but this confidence was new , it was real. George looked on in jealousy as Technoblade held Dream by the waist, it was a tiny gesture, but Dream was never touchy anymore, not after… not after he changed. But, they were back. 

Dream was back, but they weren’t his anymore. 

--

“Well,” Dream said, clapping their hands, “Let’s get started. Is everyone here?”

“Yeah,” whispered Reiviber, who looked at Dream with a sort of reverence Technoblade glared in murderous way, and Revivber flinched. Philza rolled his eyes before glancing around at the others. A flash of guilt when he made eye-contact with Tommy, who had never looked so betrayed. 

But, a lot of time had passed since Philza was there for the kid, and the kid had grown up, because Dream had been a shitty person. But, Dream had gone with Philza to visit Kristin when the others couldn’t. Dream had tea with Philza when Techno needed to go to the Nether. Point is, a lot has changed. And now, Dream was a friend. 

“Lovely,” Dream smiled, it was bright, and their mask was tilted up a tiny bit so they could see the smile; it was genuine. No one moved to try and capture the Admin, because, well, there was a God defending them, The Angel of Death, a kid in a sonic onesie, a tall enderman, and another pink haired nymph, “Now that I’m here, we have some things we need to discuss! Who would like to go first, since the last time we had a meeting like this, well, I was a little preoccupied.”

Dream felt tense; they were here. They were watching the meeting and probably there to look over George, their newest plaything. Dream heard rumors, after all. But, they could also be here for Foolish, who looked at Dream with an intense amount of pity, probably due to the white hair and one blind eye; Dream didn’t even make eye contact with Puffy. 

“Well, why did you escape, for one,” Sapnap snapped, “I made a promise. I intend on keeping it.”

The threat hadn’t been said openly, but it was there. Karl tensed from beside their lover, giving the Blaze Hybrid a look, but he ignored the concerned look. Dream raised an eyebrow, unable to keep themselves from shaking, just a bit. Technoblade, from behind Dream, gave Sapnap such an intense look that Sapnap felt like he was going to faint on the spot. 

“I’m unsure if you know the conditions in the prison,” Dream huffed softly, surprisingly not trying to make their way out of the situation, “The walls were often painted with something other than the obsidian’s tears.”

Quackity flinched, but made no other hint that he knew what Dream was talking about. Sapnap, in fact, did not know what the conditions were like in the prison. Any time someone wanted to visit, the conditions seemed pretty good, but Technoblade’s hand was resting on Dream’s shoulder, a simple way of comfort. Sapnap remembers when he was a form of comfort for his ex-best friend. 

“However, I do know you made a promise, Sapnap. I also know you’ve never broken a promise,” Dream smiles, bright and forgiving, “I apologize for hurting you. I was not in a good place for… for a very long time. That does not excuse my actions, but I feel like I’ve begun to repent through this server’s methods. That prison is hell on Earth. No one, I mean no one , deserves to be there. If anyone did, it would be me. But… selfishly, I want to be better. If that means not being around anyone anymore, that’s alright. If that means staying in the North with Techno, alright. But, I would rather fucking die than go back there.”

Dream, as a matter of fact, hated being vulnerable. But, this is something they felt they needed to share. It was the only way. But, before they had a chance to breathe, Sapnap was up, lunging at them with his netherite sword, and nearly stuck it clean into their stomach, but Techno lunged in front of them, hitting the sword off, and clashing against the Blaze. Sapnap’s anger flared, if the flames coming off of the hybrid had to do with anything. Techno’s own wrath began to writhe as if it were being held under reigns. His voices were going wild . 

| kill |

 

|KILL KILL KILL |

 

| BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD !!! |

 

| we want sapnap’s blood |

 

| how DARE he try and touch dre |

 

| blood |

 

| blood |

 

|bloOD|

 

Philza was suddenly standing, putting the Admin behind his wings, keeping his friend’s lover safe from harm. Dream frowned, holding their hands together, shaking. While they were getting stronger, they were still pretty weak in comparison. They still struggled seeing trigger items knives, sheares, lava, blindness and weakness potions but they were getting better. They thought they were. 

“We’re leaving,” Techno stated, “All you want is blood and violence, which usually I would never be against, but Dream did not fucking come here for this shit . We’ve all done fucked up things, grow up.”

Techno slashed Sapnap down, leaving the blaze with a nasty slash on his chest, Karl immediately rushed to his side, healing it up to their best ability.

Dream frowned, “Tech…”

“We’re leaving.”

It had been a few weeks, and things were suddenly settling down. Tommy had come by recently to talk to Philza about everything, and Tommy decided they really just didn’t wanna see Dream ever again; Dream said they could do that, and so then Tubbo came, argued with Ranboo for a few hours over Dream, but in the end they made up. Unfortunately, Sapnap never came. And so Karl never came. Dream was really, truly healing. They started to heal. They spent their days drinking tea with Philza, baking cakes with Niki, helping Ranboo regain memories, and well, a lot of other things with Techno. They think their favorite thing is when Techno holds Dream in his lap and reads them ‘The Art of War’ and Dream will fall asleep, Steve resting at their feet. Dream will stare unabashedly at Techno’s jaw, eyes, or anything really, when given the chance. 

They’re so glad they were given the chance.