Archive of Our Own ^beta

Wilbur's phone vibrates before they are engulfed in complete darkness. The flashlight on his phone was their only light source in this long, dark hallway. There were rooms that it branches off into but those rooms were either pitch black, or a very very dim flickering light that barely lit the room.

"Shit" Wilbur groaned as he repeatedly pressed the power button on his phone.

"Wot?" Tommy asked, he moved his hand around till he found Wilbur's shoulder. "Is it dead?"

"Yep. Now we have to wander in complete darkness." He sighed as he grabbed Tommy's hand and moved it down to his own. "We can't be wandering off."

"Well with what I know, if one of us does wander off, then there's a high chance we'll not see each other again for a long while," Tommy noted.

"Don't want one of us no-clipping through space." They both froze when they heard footsteps running towards them.

They looked at each other, and as they were about to run, something- or well, someone bumped into them. Sending all 3 of them crashing to the ground with a thud.

"Uh- Sorry?" The person said. Wilbur was quite surprised that it was someone with a New York accent.

"Oi! Get off of me!" Tommy yelled before quieting down when Wilbur hushed him, "Who the fuck are you?"

The person, if it even was a person (he couldn't see to tell if it was or not), paused for a moment. "Dream! You both are?"

"Just call me- uh-" Wilbur didn't want to give the person his real name. He didn't know if he could trust them yet. "Walter?"

"My name's T-" Wilbur elbowed what he thought was Tommy's side, and it was. "T-innit?"

"Walter and Tinnit… Alright then." Dream repeated. "Sorry about that"

"It's fine, isn't it Tinnit," Wilbur asked Tommy in a teasing tone due to his name choice.

"It is very much Walter," Tommy replied as he stood up, reaching his hand around till he found Wilbur's.

"I- Tinnit why did you grab my hand?" Dream asked.

"Eugh! Fuck that was your hand? No offense but it's slimy as hell-" Tommy spat. He frantically wiped his hands on his shirt as Wilbur put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just ask me where I am next time so you don't grab a stranger's hand." Wilbur chuckled as he took Tommy's hand.

"Sh- just- fucking prick." Tommy pouted.

"Are you both like brothers or something?" Dream asked.

"Yes"

"No"

They both glared at each other.

"No"

"Yes"

Wilbur sighed, "It's complicated."

"Okay... Where are you guys headed to?"

"Before that, how did you know it was To- Tinnit that grabbed your hand earlier? It's like pitch black in here." Wilbur pointed out.

Dream laughed nervously, "Lucky guess?"

"Mhm… Well, we're just looking for the end of this hallway."

"Yeah, Wil how much longer will we be stuck in this dark ass hall?" Tommy whined.

"Wil?"

"Uh- uhm- uh- it's a nickname?" Tommy stammered; hoping Wilbur wasn't mad that he slipped up.

"I've never heard someone use the nickname Wil on someone with the name Walter." Dream chuckled lightly. Although it came out as more of a breathy, distorted laugh.

All Tommy had received was a simple side eye from Wilbur. Dream began walking down the hallway. They only saw it right to follow their new travel buddy.

"Where exactly are we headed?" Tommy asked as the two caught up with Dream.

"Like you guys said, end of this hallway." Dream spoke quietly. It was quite smart, speaking quietly to not alert any of the so-called monsters Tommy told him that lurked in this place.

They walked for less than a minute before the light from a working bulb illuminated the area. They could now see clearly what their new friend Dream had been wearing. 

Dream wore a lime green hoodie, the hood pulled over his head, as well as black jeans and boots. A belt that had multiple different pouches attached was secured around his waist, a white mask with a hand drawn smile on it covered his face. Black fingerless gloves on each hand, they seemed to be stained with something similar to black paint.

Tommy's shirt also had been stained with the black paint from when he wiped his hands after grabbing Dream's hand by accident. "Where are we headed now?"

"We've just been wandering around and hoping we can find something of use to us." Wilbur turned to face Dream, taking note of how his black stained hands had become significantly less noticeable. "We've not settled down anywhere."

"Well I have a base around here, it's actually where I was headed before I ran into you guys." Dream turned left and began walking down a narrow hallway. Wilbur and Tommy followed in suit, the 3 of them walking in a single file line so they could all fit down the hallway.

"I assume you're taking us there?" Wilbur asked. His question was answered as they walked into a fairly big corner room. In one corner was a partially torn pillow, a blanket, and a basket of various food items. Right underneath an area where water leaked from the ceiling was a tipped over pot. A small fire slowly dying out and water soaking through the already soggy floor.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Dream walked over and sat down, his back against the pillow.

"It's really fucking plain in here." Was the first thing Tommy said as he took in the room. Wilbur on the other hand was already fixing the pot so water could boil inside. At the same time, he was surveying the entire room.

Looking for anything that could be of use in combat if their new friend turned out to be not so friendly. Dream however, seemed to notice how Wilbur was looking around the room.

"Something on your mind Walter?" Wilbur quickly turned his head to face Dream, giving a small smile.

"I'm good. Guess it's just a bit weird seeing someone else." Wilbur replied. He stood up from where he was seated and walked over to where Tommy sat not too far from Dream.

"That mask is creepy as fuck." Tommy started, "Where'd you get it?"

"I- what?"

"That mask is creepy, where did you get it?" Tommy repeated slower.

"No- I heard you. Just why?"

Tommy groaned, "You're being so complicated"

"Says you." Wilbur adds before he goes back to staring at a far wall. Said wall was in the next room, it branches off of the hallway that was to the left of where they entered. Something about it was off.

"I will have you know I am the most understandable man to ever walk this Earth! The biggest man alive!" 

"Most understandable you say?" Dream knew Tommy was right. But not in the sense that Tommy intended. 

Dream had already read both Tommy and Wilbur like a book. Reading between the lines of their silhouettes as though he was missing something. There was no doubt that he was. He may be Dream but he didn't have the smarts of Dream. There were things that wouldn't just come to him when reading as they did him.

Wilbur and Tommy were… Different to say the least. One of the harder books to read. 

Tommy was loud and energetic, bound to cause chaos if given the chance. Yet he was also careful, keeping himself and his friend safe all while having fun.

Wilbur on the hand. Wilbur was quiet and focused, looking after Tommy like they were brothers. The mature one. Yet, like Tommy, he also had that opposite side. The side where he'd laugh and cause chaos, running around like a small child after he'd stolen something from a sibling.

"When are we going to get moving?" Wilbur inquired, pacing by the door.

"I figured we'd be staying here?" That's what bases were for. "It's safe."

"No, no it's really not. No offense."

"Offense not taken." Dream simply tilted his head in question. "How is it not safe?"

Tommy was also curious. Unlike Wilbur, he'd not analyzed the entire room and the surrounding rooms. Most likely mapping out every little thing.

Wilbur didn't share everything, he didn't need to be 'rude' after he'd just met Dream. He may be on edge that they could be killed but he still wanted to be polite.

"Both doorways lead to a narrow hallway." Wilbur started, looking at the hallway that was to the left of the one they entered from. "It's a one way ticket to death both ways."

"Oh." Dream put that information into his brain. That could be useful if he were to need to kill escape someone or something.

"Walter, you're too smart." Tommy said, he gestured at Dream, "He probably doesn't understand."

"I can understand. It's not like I'm some otherworldly creature impersonating someone." Dream stated.

He stood up from where he sat, Tommy doing the same. "So where are we headed, Big D?"

"I- what did you just call me?"

"... Big D"

"Don't- do not call me that for the sake of my remaining sanity." Dream said as he walked towards the doorway Wilbur was stood by.

"Fine, fine." Tommy rolled his eyes, "Green bitch."

"I'm not even sure whether that's better or worse."

"Likely better." Wilbur added, "How do you seem to know your way around this place so well?" 

"I just do, I guess. I've been here a while." It wasn't a lie. But that didn't mean it was the truth either.

After what felt like hours of walking, tragedy struck.

"Tinnit, do you hear that?" Wilbur asked. It sounded like voices. But no one else was around.

"Tinnit?" Wilbur asked once again. They all kept walking yet no one seemed to acknowledge that he was talking.

"Dream?" Nothing.

"Tinnit, King, Tommy?" They kept walking forward. So Wilbur went to investigate for himself.

Walking away from the group, he entered a room that branches from the main hallway they were following. The voices got louder but no one was there. "Do you guys really not hear this?"

Dream turned his head to Wilbur. Staring directly into his eyes. He lifted his mask so Wilbur could see his mouth, and he smiled what would've been a big toothy grin.

Key word, would've. It would've been a toothy grin if it weren't for the fact that his mouth was empty. It was just black. Black and gooey just like the substance on his hands.

The world glitched out and now Wilbur stood alone. Dream and Tommy were gone, no longer where they once were.

Wilbur stood alone. In a room of yellow wallpaper and soggy, desaturated yellow carpet.

Wilbur stood alone. With just his thoughts. The thoughts that could only hope Tommy would be okay.

Because whatever that was.

It wasn't human.