Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tommy looked around the empty room, sighing as he spent his birthday alone. Tears fell down his face slowly as he looked at his phone, once again trying to call anyone he was close to and see if they would celebrate with him. No one picked up the phone.

The blonde desperately wishes any of this came as a surprise to him but the events if the past year had pointed to this happening. His siblings would almost always come home late on this day and his dad's work schedule would cause him to come home even later. Tommy would normally just call his two friends, Ranboo and Tubbo, but the two had stopped responding to his messages due to being ''too busy'' with their new friends.

Once upon a time, this wouldn't matter to Tommy because his mom would just take him out to eat at their favorite restaurant but the universe just really seemed to hate him for whatever reason so she passed away about two years ago. All of these issues had lead Tommy to one conclusion, he would just have to spend this year alone. It didn't matter if it was unfair because he wasn't loved enough by anyone for it to matter. He was meant to spend this year sobbing while scrolling through Instagram.

It was a pitiful sight to see and Tommy wanted to cuss himself out for letting this bother him so much when he knew it was going to happen. He had told himself that he was prepared for a lonely birthday, he really thought he was, but this hurt way more then he anticipated. Tommy was a fragile person. Somedays he felt that his heart was nothing more then glass that could be broken by the lack of his loved ones presence. Whatever had been left of his already broken down heart had been shattered into a million pieces.

If Tommy was smart, he would've left it at this. He would have stayed home and just cried until he passed out from exhaustion, maybe his family would have walked in on him sobbing and at least tried to comfort him but Tommy didn't want to wait for that to happen. Instead, he picked up the phone and dialed the sibling that was most likely to answer, Wilbur. The phone rang for awhile before hanging up, that was expected, but Tommy wasn't giving up that easily. He called Wilbur five more times before hearing the sound of the call being accepted.

"What the fuck Tommy? I swear this better be important." The familiar cold tone gave Tommy a moment of happiness. Tommy had once been told he shouldn't be happy to be greeted with such a tone. "Well," Tommy started off nervously, "I was just wondering if you were coming home soon? It's my birthday and I didn't really wanna be alone for it." A sigh was heard from the speaker, of course Wilbur was annoyed by this. "Listen Tommy, I got you a gift so please just go ask someone else. I've been there for your birthday sixteen times, I think it's okay if I'm not present for one."

Tommy was stunned by these words, how could Wilbur say that? "Well yes, I supposed you don't need to be here, but no one else-" before Tommy could finish what he was going to say Wilbur cut him off, "Listen Tommy, I'm bust right now and I just can't make it alright? I'll see you tomorrow, love you." Tommy didn't respond back, hanging up the phone without returning the meaningless "love you" Wilbur would always give. It was a good thing he did too because he broke down crying again the second he ended the call.

Everything felt so unfair to Tommy. Why did his birthday have to be less important then everyone else's? On Wilbur's birthday, Techno, Phil, and Tommy would make a cake for him and then put on a concert with Wilbur in their living room. On Techno's they would all accompany him on a trip to a place of his choosing and then pick up a cake to eat at home while they watched some shitty comedy that the guy liked. Why didn't Tommy get that kind of special treatment? Why would his siblings and dad not take off work for him like they did for each other?

Tommy remembers how his mom use to cancel whatever she was doing that day to hang out with Tommy. She would pick him up from school early so they could grab his cake and bring it home before going to some trampoline park or really where ever he wanted. The day would end the same, them going to this awesome restaurant for dinner and splitting their favorite desert there. In complete honesty, those were probably the best days of Tommy's life.

He didn't care that Phil was never present for his birthday or told him happy birthday because he had his mom! Tommy did use to wonder why his parents would argue in that hushed voice right outside his door. He didn't realize it was about him until Techno accidently spilled that information to him about a year ago. His mom apparently didn't like that Phil was missing his sons own birthday, hearing this news was the first time Tommy realized there was something a bit odd about that.

Tommy had never gone a birthday without going to that restaurant, even when his mom had passed away he still had Wilbur take him there and split that desert with him. Now though, no one wanted to split a desert with him. "Well," Tommy said to himself, "I guess I don't have to share a desert with someone..." The thought seemed almost bizarre to him, could he really just go to that restaurant alone? No one was stopping him; Wilbur didn't want to go, Techno didn't like that place, and Phil didn't give a shit about what Tommy did or where he went.

The blonde stood up and began to grab his jacket, taking small and quite steps as if he was sneaking out of the house. He technically was since he didn't ask to leave and had no one taking him but that wasn't too important to Tommy. He opened the door with ease and began to walk out; flipping off the camera on his porch just in case Phil were to ever look at this footage of him. Tommy felt the tears stains on his cheeks dry, it sucked being alone but he really loved this place.

The walk wasn't as long as he expected it to be, only lasting about fifteen minutes before the iconic sign came into view, "XD Diner". Tommy sped up ever so slightly, making it to the doors a bit quicker. When he opened them he was greeted with the smell of fried chicken and a type of lighting that would make one believe they were about to be in a real life horror film. In other words, it was shabby. That didn't stop Tommy from loving it though.

He went over to the seat his mom and him use to always sit in; their initials were somehow still carved into the table. The teen waited there for a moment, he was the only person in the diner since it was such a late hour so he didn't expect the servers to come to him immediately. That was okay though, he wanted to have a minute to think of all the conversations he had with his mom on this day. His mom would normally not talk, opting to let Tommy ramble about his life, but when she did it always had Tommy giggling uncontrollably. Tommy likes to think he got his humor from her.

"Welcome to XD Diner, how may I help you?" Suddenly, Tommy was taken away from the cloudiness of his mind by a voice. He turned his head to see a slightly familiar face, Dream. Tommy was taken aback, he didn't know Dream too well but he had only heard negative things; most believed he would be a psychotic killer in adulthood if he never shot up the school. "Hey Dream," Tommy wasn't raised to be a bitch though, "nice to see ya."

The older seemed to be just as shocked to see Tommy, "Oh, hey Tommy..." an awkward silence fell upon the two of them as they tried to look at anything but in the eyes of the other. Of course they both had to be awkward. "Well," Tommy said after clearing his throat, "can I have the Prime Sundae?" It seemed like the older blonde remembered he was an employee when Tommy mentioned this. He quickly nodded his head before writing it down and walking back into the kitchen without another word.

Tommy turned his head to the window next to him once more but he was no longer thinking of his mom, he was now thinking of the same awkward blonde. He was about two years older then Tommy and seemed to make himself known by being labeled the 'weird kid'. It was hard to tell if he was actually all that strange though, he really only talked to his friends during lunch and at the end of the day. Now that Tommy thinks about it, he has no real idea how he ever got that label. He didn't know if he wanted to keep it that way.

Tommy couldn't say much though, he sure as hell wasn't viewed in the negative light that Dream was but he wasn't exactly doing much better. The only real difference in the way people would talk about them was Dream was referred to as this insane person who might shoot up the school and Tommy was that annoying kid with ADHD. Tommy had a suspicion that neither of them wanted to be referred to like this but he would rather not talk to Dream about his reputation the first time they see each other in public.

It took about ten minutes for the desert to come out and when it did Tommy's mind was taken away from his awkward classmate. He forgot to thank Dream for the desert and instead took it with a nod before staring at it. It felt wrong to eat. Tommy almost didn't want to eat this full thing, the thought made him sick. Maybe it was odd but splitting the desert had almost ritualistic at this point, he couldn't just break something like that could he?

He defiantly could and he was...he had made up his mind about this before he left the house. Tommy didn't want to do this without at least getting the happy birthday song. What? He was allowed to be childish. Tommy took a shallow breath after making sure the coast was clear, he really didn't want Dream to see this incredibly pathetic moment. Dream was not present though, the only thing really stopping him being his self-preservation.

"Happy birthday to me..." Oh well, "Happy birthday to me." Tears had already been falling down his face anyways. What was five more minutes of crying? "Happy-" apparently it was something he wouldn't be able to speak through. His throat felt too dry to sing and it was hard to speak anyways due to his stuffy nose. Tommy wanted to hold onto the memories of being sung that dumb little song for just one more year. It was okay though, Tommy didn't need the happy birthday song.

"Happy birthday dear Tommy, happy birthday to you."

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Dream did not want to see anyone from his school today. Friday had been a living hell due to some kids getting physical for no reason and then making it out to seem as if Dream had started the fight. Of course, Dream was the one to get into trouble and also have a handful of kids dislike him on a more personal note. Considering this, one could understand why he was not exactly thrilled to see Thomas Watson sitting at a booth.

He had nothing personal against the guy, Tommy had actually been lovely anytime they spoke, but Tommy's brothers didn't seem to like the idea of Dream talking to him. When Dream's rivalry with Techno started up a few years ago, Wilbur and him cornered him in the locker room and made a few threats towards him. He didn't know why, Tommy was so much younger then him he had barley heard of the kid. He just brushed it off as a protective sibling thing that he could easily avoid.

Now though, Tommy was sitting at a booth, Dream would be fired if he just ignored Tommy and no other places would offer him a job in this small ass town. He guesses he'll just hope their conversation won't come up as a topic while Tommy is with Techno. As Dream walked up to the young teen though, he couldn't help but notice the red looking eyes. Was Tommy high? No way, the kid seemed way to put together for that. Crying then?

When Dream had finally approached he stood there for a moment, Tommy seemed to be in his own world, should he say something? After a moment or two Dream said his normal greeting, "Welcome to the XD diner, how may I help you?" Tommy was quickly snapped out of his trance like state and looked up the other, giving his own kind greeting. The rest of the conversation was normal, Dream's only real concern came from how raspy the voice had sounded.

Tommy was a sweet person, much nicer then his brothers, but Dream almost felt scared to ask if anything was wrong. It really seemed like he had been crying and Dream felt he should at least try to help but what would Techno do when he found out? What would Wilbur do? A small shiver came to him at the thought, it sucked but for his own safety he decided to keep his mouth shut. Tommy was nice, no doubt about it, but Dream didn't fully think that hearing about one of Tommy's dumb teenager problems was worth getting his ass beat.

So, Dream never asked. He kept conversation short and sweet so Tommy would have no real memory of it and tried to get the others food out as soon as he possibly could. Although, Dream may have asked the chef to add a bit more chocolate then normal. As Dream handed Tommy the desert though, he couldn't help but have a feeling that told him to stay in this room. Maybe it was just a dumb and meaningless feeling but Dream thought there was no real harm in pretending to clean tables.

Dream stared in utter confusion as Tommy looked at the desert for almost ten minutes. He had not tried to touch the thing and it look as if it was starting to melt. What was he waiting for? After a little while longer Tommy had actually began to shift slightly and look around the room, Dream ducked behind a chair to not be seen. It took a few more minutes but he knew Tommy was no longer looking when he heard the other sing.

Dream listened a bit closer, realizing quickly it was the happy birthday song. As his mind was clouded with confusion, Dream stood up to look at Tommy. Tear began to fall down his face as he attempted to stutter out the tune. It was a heartbreaking sight and seeing Tommy not be able to finish the song due to crying too hard hit a nerve. Fuck it, Techno could just beat Dream up. The older walked over to Tommy and stood there for a moment, not fully knowing what to do.

"Happy birthday dear Tommy," He decided on finishing the song, "Happy birthday to you." The young blonde opened up his teary eyes ever so slightly, simply staring with shock for a moment. "Will you split this desert with me?" The voice was small and Dream suddenly felt like the smallest thing could break Tommy. He nodded to avoid any verbal miscommunication. Dream sat down slowly and picked up a spoon, waiting for Tommy to take the first bite.

He did but his shaky hands made it seem like he might drop the spoon at any moment. Dream watched as Tommy placed the ice cream into his mouth before grabbing his own spoon and doing the same. The two didn't talk for the remainder of theme eating, only looking at each other in a way Dream could only describe as trust. Trust that this moment would stay between them and them only, no one had to know that either of them had an emotional side.

At some point though, they had finished the ice cream and were looking at anywhere but each other. Dream knew he should at least try to start a conversation with the other, he felt it was almost inappropriate to try a normal conversation though. "so..." he asked, dragging out the o sound, "today's your birthday?" Tommy a small breathy chuckle before sadly nodding his head. "Where are your siblings?" Dream knew this was a personal question but he felt it was justified.

"Well," Tommy mumbled, "they decided that they were too busy to celebrate my birthday, I was kinda just sitting by myself and I got a bit bored of that." Dream felt shocked. Techno and Wilbur would push aside Tommy's birthday? They would threaten to hurt Dream if he spoke to the boy but would miss his birthday with no questions?! "oh...I'm so sorry." Dream really didn't know what to say in this moment.

"Oh it's fine, they've shown up to all my others so it doesn't really matter much." Tommy's voice told a different story, it told one of sadness and hurt. Dream looked away from the other, how could Tommy's family do something like that to him? Sure, the kid wasn't as popular as his siblings but he was much nicer then the two of them combined! Dream didn't really think with his next words, "I know it would be a bit late but would you like to hang out next week? I can pick you up on Saturday and we could celebrate."

Tommy seemed stunned, "no- no, you don't have to do tha-" Dream cut Tommy off before he could get any argument out, "I insist, really, it won't be any trouble anyways!" Tommy sat back and thought for a moment. Dream knew what the others internal dilemma was about, he would be a little cautious too if the rumored psycho offered to throw you a birthday party. Whatever part of Tommy had said not to however didn't seem strong enough since the younger gave a shy nod of his head.

Dream smiled slightly before grabbing a napkin on the table and writing his phone number down with a pen. He slid it over to the curious teen, "text me whenever you get a chance so we can discuss times and places." Dream stood up and looked at Tommy before walking away. He looked in awe at the number on the napkin; Dream couldn't help but to smile and ruffle the others hair. Tommy giggled slightly at the action, giving Dream his que to leave.

Chapter Text

As Tommy ran around the house, trying to get ready, he ignored his brothers confused gazes. Tommy knew that the two had not seen him leave the house in such a frantic hurry in almost two years so he wasn't exactly offended by the confusion but he sure as hell didn't want to explain to the two what he was doing. Maybe it was partially out of spite from their asshole behavior last week, really from the whole year, but Tommy had doubts the two would be happy if they knew who he was hanging out with.

Tommy didn't know much about Techno and the people he hung around but it was no secret that Dream and him had a serious rivalry. Something that Tommy could only assume started out as friendly and slightly competitive turned into a bitter relationship over the years. Techno often talked about how much he despised the guy during family dinners and Wilbur's input wasn't much kinder. So when Wilbur had finally asked Tommy why he was in such a rush, he was vague.

"But your birthday was last week, why didn't you guys celebrate then?" Wilbur asked, confusion evident on his face. Tommy scowled while the older couldn't see, "Well if you actually listened when I told you things then you would know that Tubbo and Ranboo don't hang out with me anymore so I spent my birthday by myself. I met a new friend though so we're going to celebrate it today." This was strange for Tommy; his attuite with his siblings had always been in a playful nature, much different from his current rude tone.

It was obvious Wilbur was taken aback by the way he spoke as well. The brunette most likely recalled they way Tommy spoke when he thought the world of Wilbur. The way he spoke when he didn't mind his families neglectful attuite. "Oh...I'm sorry Tommy but you know Techno and I were busy." Wilbur had repeated this sentence like a mantra, he said it when he got home that night, he said it when he gave Tommy his present, he said it anytime he didn't want to acknowledge that he took part in Tommy's solitude.

"Yeah, whatever." Now Tommy had Techno's attention, the boy wished he could go into their minds and see what they were thinking. "Who are you going to hang out with then?" Techno asked, voice as monotone as ever. Tommy shrugged and looked away, "None of your business." His brothers shared a confused look, he could only imagine how confused they were on what happened to their baby brother. "Toms, if we have to stay up and wait for you to get home then you should at least tell us who your seeing." Wilbur's voice sounded almost loving.

"I'm not forcing you to stay awake, if it that big of a deal then just go to sleep." Tommy said before walking back into his room, Dream would be here soon anyways and he would rather not be in a bad mood for their first hang out together. He ignored the voice asking him to come back and the confused murmurs that came from the living room. Tommy so badly wished their relationship had never came to this. He wished he was able to say he knew his brothers loved him but he just couldn't

To Tommy, love was something a person felt when they had a had a deep connection with someone. How could his brothers love him when they never wanted to talk to him? How could they love him when they pushed him aside any chance they got? How could they love him when they only spoke to him about doing chores around the house? Frankly, Tommy viewed his brothers as an anomaly of sorts. They were strange people, only considered normal by the weird sheep mentality of their classmates. Tommy supposed that was just life though.

After a little while longer of waiting, Tommy got a text from Dream announcing his arrival. Tommy practically jumped out of bed and ran into the living room, once again ignoring the weird looks his brothers gave him. He quickly sat down and began to put his shoes on, nice black high-top converse to match his favorite sweatshirt. It was a simple look, and possibly comprised of hand-me-downs, but Tommy felt it would be good enough to hang out with Dream.

"Tommy, can you please wait one second." Wilbur said, walking over next to the blonde. Tommy sighed but looked up, "What?" attuite still prominent in his voice. "Listen, we know that you're probably upset about the whole birthday thing but if you'll let us then we'll make it up to you! We're concerned about you though, just tell us who you're going to hang out with." Tommy had heard this tone millions of times in his life. A demand hidden behind a promise and love; Tommy wouldn't fall for that shit.

"It's fine, I have a friend that isn't inconvenienced by my birthday." Tommy didn't look back at his siblings as he walked out of the door. He didn't want to see their faces, the shock and the hurt, It would only make him more frustrated at them. That wasn't important anymore though, what was important now was the car Tommy was getting into. What was important was the smiling face of his new best friend sitting on the driver side.

"Hey Tommy, you excited for your party?" Dream asked once Tommy had closed the door completely. The young blonde nodded his head with visible excitement, a small thing that caused Dream to laugh. "Well then," The older said, "let us get started on everything I have planned for us!" Upon Dream saying that, he sped off. Tommy didn't say much but it scared the absolute shit out of him, there was no way they were going the speed limit right now.

Before Tommy could really take in the danger he was possibly being put in though, the sound of his phone vibrating made itself apparent. Tommy lifted up his phone to see multiple notifications for both Wilbur and Techno, they were blowing up his phone. If Tommy would've taken the time to look over then he would have saw a frustrated scowl on Dream's face. "Who's texting you this much?" he asked, trying to hide the distain in his voice. "My brothers..." Tommy mumbled back, it was clear to Dream the other wasn't happy about their text.

Dream grabbed the phone out of Tommy's hands, causing a gasp to come from the others mouth. He looked at the messages for a split second before powering off the phone and putting in a holder on the drivers door. "Sorry," he said with no real remorse, "this is a phone free adventure!" Tommy smiled and nodded. He didn't like that Dream just took his phone from him but he understood the purpose. It was fine, Tommy wouldn't need his phone, he trusted Dream.

The rest of the car ride went smoothly, as Tommy expected, arriving to their destination after about thirty minutes. Tommy stepped out of the car and tried to take in the setting around him; they seemed to be at a park but the place was practically lifeless. Tommy looked for a few minutes but he saw no one there except a sweet old couple sitting on a bench, it was a strange but sweet sight. After a few moments, Tommy noticed that Dream was standing next to him, seemingly admiring the entrance.

"It's even more pretty on the inside," Dream mumbled mindlessly, "Only certain people are allowed into this park so it's extremally clean." With that, the older grabbed Tommy by the wrist and started to drag him to the entrance. Tommy couldn't help but giggle slightly, Dream almost seemed like a toddler with how excited this place made him. While Tommy was already just happy to have someone organize a birthday for him, he began to feel even more excitement on the events of today.

Before Tommy knew it, Dream was standing at some sort of ID checking booth. "ah, hi Dream!" The woman working the booth said, "Your parents mentioned you'd be bringing a friend today so you can go ahead." The older nodded before continuing to drag a slightly stunned Tommy inside. Was Dream's family rich or something? Of course that wasn't important to Tommy but he was slightly surprised. If Dream was rich then he held a certain type of humbleness that Tommy admired.

"Wait, Dream, slow down big man!" The older laughed slightly but still obliged to the others request. "What?" He asked in a mocking tone, "too fast for you?" Tommy glared back with no real venom, "Matter of a fact, I am not as athletically inclined as your dumbass." Dream wheezed slightly at Tommy's statement. Tommy enjoyed Dream's laugh, it made him want to smile a bit more. "Whatever man, just keep up, I'm leading you to your very amazing surprise."

Tommy laughed as he followed behind the other teen, trying to take in the beautiful environment around them. A natural path lead them deeper into the woods as trees shaded the young boys from the rays of the setting sun. Different hues of orange and pink painted up the sky, causing this moment to seem almost like a book scene to Tommy. Dream was illuminated in a way that reminded Tommy of things magical and exciting. Tommy started to think that was just Dream though.

As the two got closer and closer to their destination, the sound of a waterfall became more and more apparent. Was Dream taking him to look at a waterfall? He didn't really strike Tommy as the scenic type of fellow so maybe they would be swimming or fished. Tommy wasn't told to bring a bathing suit or a fishing pole however. He could live with that though, he didn't even know how to fish and it seemed boring.

"Big man, what exactly are we doing?" Dream smiled slightly at the question before responding, "You'll see." was all Tommy had gotten as a response. In most cases, Tommy would be highly off put by all this. He liked having full control over his life and avoided surprises at all cost. "You know," he felt safe with Dream though, "it's a little suspicious that the rumored psychopath is taking me to a place that he will not disclose and seems very away from other people that could intervene if you did anything.

"Gonna miss your own birthday party, Thomas?" A challenging voice asked, causing a wolf like grin to appear on Tommy's face. "No way in hell am I missing whatever your psychotic ass put together for me." A barking laughter left Dream's mouth. "You are actually an idiot." Dream was right...slightly. Tommy was quite smart when it came to school but no one could deny this was a stupid thing to do. Tommy should have turned around awhile ago and explained this was a very creepy first hangout but he never did. He never wanted to.

It didn't take much longer for them to reach their destination. Dream had practically jumped with joy when a certain vine overhang came into view and when he pulled it back to reveal the place, Tommy understood why. A sunset illuminated waterfall greeted his eyes, the water seemed as clear as crystals and sparkled like such too. Other natural plantation seemed to be in the perfect place as well, it was amazing this was all nature. It took Tommy's breath away the more he thought about it.

Possibly the best part however was the picnic table with cake and a present on top of it. The present was comically stereotypical being a perfect box with pox dot wrapping paper and a red ribbon. The cake was basic as well, only interesting part being the food tent placed over it to keep away any flies. To most, this would be a lazy setup but Tommy could see the hard work. He could see the shitty decoration of the cake and the less then neat wrapping of his present. Tommy could see how Dream did everything himself.

It was almost tear jerking but Tommy held it in, he would rather that the first two hangouts Dream and him have not contain him crying. Tommy silently walked toward the picnic table, eyes in pure awe of the situation in front of him. He didn't notice that Dream had followed him until he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, "You like it?" Dream asked with a slight anxious tone, Tommy would have to make fun of him for that later. Now though, "I love it, dickhead!" Tommy was too happy to pretend to be a jerk.

Dream's mouth jerked into his normal wolf like grin, and Tommy couldn't help but burry himself slightly deeper into the others side. "I brought you both swimming trousers and a towel, I figured you'd wanna jump into the pond. Tommy looked up at the other and nodded frantically, watching slightly as Dream grabbed a bag he had not previously seen on the seats of the table. He reached inside and pulled out the promised items, "The swimsuit is adjustable is it too big or small." Dream mentioned while handing Tommy his things.

The young blonde accepted them with a smile, turning around after to hide behind a tree and change. It was a quick process that Dream copied, both finished about the same time and walked out from their spot with their clothes in hand and bathing suit on their body. The two boys gave each other a challenging smile, a silent agreement to see who could get into the water first. Without wasting a second, they both began to run towards the pond. Tommy won the race.

Tommy and Dream spent almost three hours in that water; they played Marco Polo, talked about anything they could possibly think of, claimed fish, wrestled, and even vented slightly about their lives. Apparently Dream's father had given him up for adoption, only to ask him to work at his diner when he was sixteen. DreamXD was the dad's name? Yeah, that sounded about right. It was strange to Tommy. He had remembered these emotional rollercoaster hangouts with Ranboo and Tubbo when they were younger.

He had remembered how they went from playing games to talking about the problems they were facing in life and then straight back to playing. Tommy had once believed that was something just for them, something he would never be able to do with any human that wasn't them. Dream was so easy to talk to though, he didn't judge Tommy, tell him to suck it up, or make it about him. It was defiantly too early to say (was it though?) but Tommy could see Dream and him being close. He could see them being best friends

Even as his mind was brought back to his brothers disappointed faces, he could only laugh at the once soul looks now. He supposed this came from a bitter place in his heart but the knowledge that his family hated Dream almost made the teen even more appealing. Techno and Wilbur had gone on rants for hours some days about their hate for Dream, about how terrible of a person he was, and how he only wanted to get into fights with people. Gods, they had never been more wrong.

As the two got out of the pond, grabbing towels to dry off, Dream had put his arm around tommy to give him more towel and asked if he was warm enough. Dream was kind. Dream had set up Tommy's entire birthday party and gave the other the widest smile he had ever seen when he realized that he liked it. Techno and Wilbur were complete idiots, and Tommy told Dream as much. Tommy told Dream everything his brothers had said about him and Dream told him every threat they made towards him.

"Wait wait, let me get this straight," Tommy said before shoving cake into his mouth, "Techno and Wilbur threatened to beat you if you tried to be friends with me?" Tommy became annoyed as he watched the older nod. "Said it a few times, I was a little nervous to come up to you at the diner because of it." Dream's voice sounded so neutral, sounded like he could not be less bothered by the practical bullying his brothers did to him.

"Doesn't that piss you off?! Why didn't you sucker punch their ugly asses?" Dream laughed at Tommy's demanding tone before giving a response. "As funny as that would've been, I really didn't wanna piss of your siblings and deal with all their friends." Tommy could understand Dream's explanation, it made sense to him, but he must say he sounded like a little bitch. Tommy would have started a fight the second he got a chance to.

Dream seemed to almost read his thoughts, "I would win though." Tommy looked back up at Dream, "The fight, I mean. Neither of your siblings would stand a chance in that." Tommy couldn't help but giggle slightly at that. Both of them knew that Dream wasn't telling the full truth, it was possible that Dream would beat them in a fight but it was just as possible that he wouldn't. Tommy took this as Dream's unspoken agreement to fight for Tommy, for Tommy to tell his siblings that they were friends.

"Do you wanna have a sleepover next week?" Tommy blurted out without a second thought. Dream smirked at the childish request, "Obviously, I wanna give your brothers a heart attack." Tommy laughed at the comment while watching Dream stand up. They both agreed it would be best for him to take Tommy home before it got too dark and Phil got home. They packed up their things, changed into their dry clothing, and made their way to Dream's car.

When they finally made it back to the car, Dream handed Tommy back his phone (which had exactly 124 missed messages) and began to drive to the youngers house. Tommy still ignored his phone, opting to talk to Dream about how they would go about this sleepover thing. It was eventually agreed that Tommy would not tell Wilbur or Techno who he was with, not that he planned to, and just be vague when asking Phil to have a friend spend the night.

As Dream pulled up to Tommy's house, they agreed. Dream would be making a fucking entrance next Saturday at 4:30 pm.

Chapter Text

Tommy was surprised when Phil had agreed to him having a friend over. He had practically given no detail on who the person coming over would be! Phil did not pry though, instead he said yes and shooed Tommy away so he could continue doing work. The perks of having a work obsessed parent Tommy supposed. Even Techno and Wilbur didn't care too much. After their whole tantrum about Tommy not telling him who he was hanging out with, he assumed they would make the week of waiting hell. They seemed to think his response of it being none of their business was an acceptable response now.

Tommy ignored the contradicting attuited, ignored how they only cared that Tommy was suddenly being annoying and not that he could possibly be doing something dangerous. It didn't matter now anyways, their lack of care would only make the reveal even more hilarious. For now though, things would just go by as normal. Tommy would wake up in the mornings to an empty house, get ready, walk to school, and pretend like he did not have a damn clue who Dream was.

The two had come to an agreement to speak in school as to not arouse suspicion in Techno and Wilbur. It was a surprisingly easy task due to Tommy being a sophomore and Dream being a senior, even in the classes they did have together they would simply just not sit near each other. Dream did however get more bold during lunch, giving Tommy random winks or waving. These actions would normally be met with Tommy flipping off a laughing Dream.

To make up for their lack of communication at school though, they often would call throughout the night. It was amazing to the both of them how they could talk about almost everything and nothing at the same time. Time flew by during these calls, they stayed up until Tommy would inevitably fall asleep and give Dream his cue to do the same. Sleeping on call together had become a new normal for these two. Tommy found himself looking forward to that bit of the call, he slept easier when Dream was present.

So when it was only a few hours until Dream would be arriving, one could imagine how excited Tommy was. It was abnormal for the blonde, so much so that his family even began to take notice. They were use to the normal loud and talkative persona that Tommy had but he had never seemed excited exactly. Now though, Tommy was basically bouncing off the walls, trying to make sure everything was perfect for this sleepover. Tommy hated to admit it but he knew deep down that this sleepover wasn't just about getting back at his brothers, he really wanted to spend time with Dream.

Tommy could only assume that's why he was bouncing his leg up and down as he waited for the final minutes to go down. Dream would be here in about five minutes. Tommy felt the anxiousness rise in him; he had spent literal hours on call with Dream, why was he anxious now? Maybe it was the uncertainty of how his family would react. Spontaneous folk they were. Tommy shoved the more violent possibilities to the back of his brain however, he had a hard time believing his siblings would actually do that.

"Tommy, can you stop shaking your leg? It's distracting." Techno said, glancing up from his book for only a second. Tommy felt this was a funny sentence to come from the guy that gave him this habit. Nonetheless, he still stopped his leg. The was already only a minute until Dream got here anyways. How had the time gone by this fast? A few hours ago, when he was only feeling pure excitement, the time felt as if it could not go any slower but now that anxieties had plagued his mind it seemed to come quicker.

It was funny how emotions changed your perception of time. There was no time to contemplate on this however, Dream was knocking at the door. Tommy had shot up, not giving the chance for his brothers to get up before him. Running to the door, Tommy made sure to open it in such a way that Dream could walk in immediately. They had a very mature and respectful entrance planned. As the door slowly opened, and Tommy's two brothers turned around, the sight of an infamous dark green hoodie came into view.

Dream did the best model walk into the house that he possibly could, and after giving a condescending smirk to the two teens on the couch, he pulled Tommy in to slightly prolonged hug. Tommy wanted to burst out laughing, he wanted to wheeze at the looks he was able to catch a glance of on his brothers faces but he knew better. He knew that if they wanted to keep this act up then they would need to act serious, they would just have to act like this wasn't slightly a plan of revenge.

Tommy was the first to pull away from their hug, dawning an overzealous smile that he would rather not admit to be true. Dream returned to sentiment with what he was better with, words. "Hey Tommy! It's good to see you bud!" Simple words, as simple of a greeting as one could get, but no could make it sound like Dream did. No one could put the same amount of raw tone that he could manage. Whether it was faked or his true feelings, no one did it like Dream. He made up for with what he lacked in expressions through words.

Maybe it was the obvious fondness the two had for each other that turned his siblings looks into something sour. With the purest innocence that Tommy could muster, he asked, "Why are you ugly bastards lookin at us like that?" In almost an instant, the looks softened. If Tommy didn't know any better he would say they were doing that for his sake, for the sake of not ruining the rare fun he gets with friends. Tommy did know better though, they just didn't want to cause a scene. How polite.

"Nothing..." Techno mumbled unhappily, "nothing at all." Tommy put on a look of slight confusion before turning back to Dream, "I think dinner should be ready in a few minutes, spaghetti I believe, do you just wanna sit on the couch until then?" Dream nodded his head in response to the others question. The two calmly walked over, plopping themselves down on the couch across from Techno and Wilbur. Dream snaked his arm around Tommy's shoulder, just to send a non-verbal "fuck you" their way.

"So..." Wilbur said uncertainly, "Is Dream the guy you celebrated your birthday with last week?" Tommy only nodded at the question, not wanting to give any further details unless they were asked for. "A very fun time, sucks you guys couldn't do that with him." Dream said before shrugging his shoulders, "Hey though, you always have next year." The older blonde hid his condescending words behind a layer of politeness, the twins still knew what he meant though.

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to do a birthday party even better then yours next year. It'll be his eighteenth birthday anyways so we might as well go all out." Wilbur said, trying his best to hide the pissed off tone. Dream smiled and nodded at him, he knew no one could ever top what he did. It became an unspoken promise between the two when they realized just how well they clicked together. Dream had done something for Tommy that no one had ever really cared to do before! Wilbur and Techno's performance would be lack luster compared to him.

An awkward silence broke out between the group, causing Tommy and Dream to pull out their phones and be pulled into their own private conversation. Still though, Techno and Wilbur stared at them with puzzled gaze. The two friends would glance up every now and again to meet the twins gaze, it seemed they were so shocked they forgot their manners. "How did you two become friends again? Just since Dream has his whole reputation, I would assume he is someone that would scare you, Tommy. No offense to Dream of course." That was a lie, Wilbur defiantly was trying to be offensive.

"We actually became friends on Tommy's birthday! He was just so sad that his family wouldn't be participating so I decided to just be his older brother for the day since I probably would do a better job anyways!" Good thing Dream could be even more offensive, "In the kindest way of course." Wilbur looked furious. The brunette stood up and walked over to Dream, was he about to start a fight? "Boys!" Phil called from the kitchen, "Dinner is ready!"

Wilbur was snapped out of his rage, only giving Dream a cold look before walking out of the living room with Techno trailing behind him. The moment the two had stopped being visible, Tommy collapsed on Dream laughing. He had expected to get his two brothers riled up but not this quickly! Dream's face held a bright smile on it as well, from both the dramatic interaction and Tommy's reaction. It took them both a minute to fully calm down but when they did, they walked into the kitchen to greet Tommy's infamous father.

To their surprise though, Phil did not say much. He dawned the same confused look that Techno and Wilbur first had but only gave a quick hello before returning to the food. Had he heard the argument in the living room? Tommy had doubts about that. "Dad, this is my friend Dream." Phil looked back over at the two and gave his normal kind smile before turning back around. "Oh..." Tommy thought, "He's pissed." The young blonde gave a glance over at his siblings, they sat in the dinging room with smug smiles.

If Phil wasn't right there and they didn't have to worry about giving up a small plan then Tommy would have yelled at them for snitching. Tommy use to get beat up if he did that, fucking assholes. Tommy didn't turn any attention to it however, he knew it would only cause unnecessary issues anyways. That's why he ignored everything, choosing to get a plate of food and sit down in the dining room with his best friend next to him. Both silently agreed to tone down the condescending comments during the dinner.

Once Phil had sat down, the group had began to eat and have conversation like any other night. Unlike those other nights though, Tommy was no longer ignored or had to sit silently until he was dismissed from the table. While the others in Tommy's family talked about his siblings endless achievements, Tommy and Dream held their own conversation about the same thing. The two told each other of all the things they had accomplished throughout these years and at some point, the others conversation had stopped so they could listen in on Tommy and Dreams.

"Listen, I know I don't look it but I am surprisingly athletic! I was rarely beat in hide and seek as a kid." Tommy snickered at the others words before speaking proudly, "You have absolutely nothing on me!" Techno cocked up his eyebrow and gave Tommy a condescending smirk, "Oh really? So, what exactly are you good at Thomas?" Tommy looked up at his brother with slight shock, why did that have to be his first response? "I'm actually quite good at playing the piano." Tommy said, trying to hide the hurt in his voice.

In that moment the room went quiet, no one in Watson daring to speak. "Wait, did you guys not know that?" Dream asked, sounding awfully annoyed. To Tommy's dismay, all three of their heads began to shake. "Oh..." Tommy said sullenly, "Well, if you were curious, I'm pretty good at it." The room stayed silent, only having the awkward faces of his family. Dream on the other hand seemed ready to murder a man. He tried to hide it but Tommy knew him well enough to see the pure anger in his eyes. At least he cared.

Dinner was silent for the rest of the time and ended early for "work reasons". Tommy and Dream quickly walked up to the younger blondes room, Dream shutting the door the second they fully stepped in. Tommy sat down with his back against a wall, fighting to hold the tears in. He lost that battle. Dream rushed over to Tommy, sitting down so he could pull the other closer to him. Tommy accepted the touch almost immediately, letting himself be put on Dream's lap like a small child.

The crying went on for awhile, maybe about thirty minutes, before Tommy stopped sobbing and Dream's soothing words became audible to the younger. His head felt dizzy, his eyes stung, and Dream's ever tightening grip started to become one of slight pain. "Dream, that's a bit too tight..." Tommy mumbled quietly, it was a wonder how Dream could make out what he said. "I'm sorry Toms." The grip loosened ever so slightly, but it still held a firm grasp, "I just don't understand how they couldn't know how amazing you are at something like that, I mean, I've only known you about two weeks and I have actually heard you play the damn thing!"

Dream was right, it was truly a pitiful thing that Tommy's family didn't know he played the piano. In fact, Tommy had played since he was five. The saint known as his mother had shown him how to play and it took up his entire life. He supposes he couldn't blame them for not noticing then since that was the peek of their busy work schedules but now? Tommy had been played for years and he still does, he's probably played while they've been in this house! Things like this makes a kid wonder how important he is to his family.

"I know, I guess they've just never been home while I was playing." A blatant lie, one Tommy assumed Dream caught onto by his unconvinced face. A small sigh came from the older teen, "Tommy I need you to be completely honest with me." The teen in question only nodded, "how often is your family home?" Tommy looked away from his friend, "I don't know...It changes a lot." Dream nodded his head, stroking Tommy's hair to keep him calm.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Dream asked with a leveled voice. "Well, some times they'll be home all day and others I won't see them for about a week." Dream nodded his head, showing the other that he was listening. "I swear I'm not like neglected or anything though!" Tommy said defensively, "They've always made sure that I've had food to cook while their gone." Dream hummed at the response, gathering as much information as he could. "How young were you when this first started happening?" Tommy shrugged to the others question, "I guess after my mom died. I think I would've been fourteen, maybe fifteen, the first time it happened."

Tommy couldn't read Dream's mind but he could only assume that he was thinking about doing the most horrific things to his brothers and father. Tommy figured that he should be freaked out by this but it was almost endearing. Tommy assumed this said bad things about where his loyalties lied but, hey, his families seemed a bit fuzzy on theirs. Maybe that was why Tommy didn't feel much remorse thinking about how strangely satisfying to see Dream and Techno in a fight.

If only...

The sleepover went fairly normal after Tommy's break down. The two played Minecraft into the early hours of the morning and when they finally got bored of that, they played a bunch of cheap old boardgames. They didn't fall asleep until about five o'clock in the morning. Dream kept and arm wrapped securely around Tommy the entire night, whether it was a conscious decision or not was something Dream kept to himself.

==================

Tommy woke up to the sound of shuffling around him. He ignored it at first, opting to go back to sleep, but the cease of the noise caused him to turn over and look. "Oh, good morning Tommy." Dream said upon noticing the other was awake. "Mornin..." Tommy grumbled back tiredly. He was so fucking tired from staying up that late, he hadn't done that with a friend in ages. "Well don't you just look lovely, sunshine." Tommy glared at he other for a moment before flipping him off.

"I'm afraid I have to leave, I have work." Tommy grumbled an inaudible response while trying to stand up. He wasn't going back to sleep anyways so he might as well get ready for the rest of the day. The two stayed in silence for the majority of this time, only speaking to tell the other to close their eyes or open them again. Once they both were done getting ready, Tommy walked with Dream back down into the living room. He opened the front door, giving Dream a hug before he left. "Remember Tommy, if anything ever happens then just call me. I will drive over here in a heartbeat." Before the younger knew it, Dream pulled away from the hug and was walking out the door.

"Thomas." Tommy looked over at his family, he had never noticed that they were sitting there. "Yeah?" He asked, tone uncertain as ever. Phil pointed at the couch directly across from himself, the only couch with no one on it. Tommy slowly walked over to the couch, sitting down while his eyes kept switching between his siblings and father. Their expressions said it all, he was in trouble. "So, do you know what this is about?" Tommy shook his head at Phil's question.

"You are currently hanging out with someone you know is a very bad influence and you invited him over just to piss off your brothers!" Tommy gave his father a look of confusion, sure he was right but that certainly was a bold claim! "Why do you say that?" Tommy asked, voice as neutral as ever. Phil glared at him for a moment, "Are you serious mate? Are you really asking that kinda question when Dream was blatantly disrespectful towards your brothers and you did absolutely nothing to stop him."

Tommy shrugged, " Dream's my friend and I didn't want to make it awkward. Plus, Wilbur and Techno weren't exactly being the kindest to Dream." Tommy's words caused his older siblings to scoff, pretentious fuckers. "Tommy, Wilbur and Techno are your brothers! You should treat them like how you would treat your other friends and something tells me you wouldn't let Dream talk to Tubbo or Ranboo that way." No, he defiantly would. If Dream talked to someone in a rude way it was because they deserved it

"Wilbur and Techno are my siblings, not my friends, so excuse me if there's a difference in the way I treat them compared to Dream." Phil looked livid once Tommy was done speaking. How had this once kind and nurturing man become so irritable? "Thomas, you are grounded. You can not leave this house unless you are going to school and I want to see your phone on my desk in the next five minutes. I also better not catch you hanging out with Dream again cause you are officially forbiddin from seeing him again."

Tommy sat still for a moment, taking in Phil's words as best as he could. He couldn't see Dream again? He couldn't see his best friend? Why? Because his brothers didn't like the guy!? Tommy stood up, flipped off his father, and went upstairs to grab his phone. Life was just unfair.