Tommyinnit Exile AU ||5 stages of Belonging

Denial

A/N: Hallo! Thank you for the support I've had so far! I really appreciate your votes and would love to see your opinions on my work! Anyway this chapter is a little longer so I hope you like it :]
TW: ABUSE/CUSSING/MATURE THEMES
Art Credit: @jazetallo on Twitter
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A sick feeling rose in the young boy's throat. His blonde hair was plastered to his hanging head as rain shattered down upon the ocean that separates earth from their homeland. He dragged his slender fingers through the spitting ocean, spray lashing back at him like some sort of sea monster. Salt water burned his eyes but he ignored it, he would not look as if he had been crying in front of Dream.

'Good things never happen to heroes.'; that's what his brother had said, but that couldn't be true... The stories he was told as a child were of brave warriors and noble knights, each happier than the last, and yet he remembered not a single ending to those stories. Maybe the telling was interrupted, or maybe he just couldn't bear to hear the ends of them.

Dream pushed through the battling blue with ease, his porcelain face smirked continuously, his arms moving elegantly along with the paddles. It was almost surprising how easy it was to get Tommy exiled, he had expected a little bit of a fight, some sort of stand off, but maybe the two childrens' friendship wasn't so strong after all. It was clear Tubbo was scared, that he was under pressure, but Dream really didn't think things would go that smoothly. Tommy had been too trusting once again, too eager for friendship and praise; he just didn't learn, but then again, that's what made him so fun to play with.

With the dinghy edging ever closer to shore, Tommy wondered if he could make a break for it. There were some berries he could grab quickly to the right, a few sticks laying around and what looked like a village on the horizon, if he ran fast enough, he might just get away...
"You won't make it" Dream whispered, talking sinisterly into Tommy's ear, "You'd die even if you got away, not that I'd let you slip out of my grip like that", the youth sighed as he looked away. He was right, where would Tommy even go if he did get away? There was nowhere, no one he could go to. Not even Phil and Techno, his own family would want him. He was a burden, a cause of problems, forever plagued with the wrath of Dream, with the wrath of chaos.

Tommy pushed the bitter thoughts out of his head as Dream's boat crunched against the dull sands of his new 'home'. His voice rose hoarse and frail from the billowing winds
"Can- Can I really not go back?" Dream turned to face the child, a smirk engraved into the sinister mask he always bore.
"Oh dear naive Tommy, you think they'd want you back anyway?"

The hooded man's words were left to sink in as Tommy took an unsteady step forwards with his throat dry, eyes stinging and knees trembling beneath him. A punch on the back left him sprawled on floor, wincing in pain
"What the fuc-"
"Put your stuff in the hole Tommy." There before the skeletal mess of a person was a small pit,
"What?" Panic rushed through the 16 year old as an axe was raised above his head "Ok- Ok! I'm doing it alright! I'm doing what you say." Slowly the contents of his bag was spilled into the pit; all but the coat on his back and one photo -him and Tubbo on the beach- he managed to sneak into his pocket were dumped in the pile.
"Good" Dream nodded at him reassuringly before lighting the scraps ablaze.
"What the hell? Wh- Why?!" Tommy looked up at the older man.
"Because I said so Tommy, and you listen to me now, got it?" Dream muttered calmly, running his finger along the tip of his weapon menacingly. The boy nodded, swallowing back a little blood in disgust from the fumes before leaving the flames to destroy any chances of escape in front of his eyes.

Dream smirked under his mask, it gave him satisfaction to see the thorn in his side cower before him, to finally understand what power he had. Dropping his lime-green hood down, he felt the wind ruffle his hair. He felt the child's eyes linger on him for a moment but gradually they moved on, the man snickered to himself at the simplicity of it all. The simplicity of having power, the simplicity of making people fear you, the simplicity of that same influence which lead Dream to always be in control.

The man soon left Tommy to collect resources, though he was hardly in a fit state to do anything after what he had faced that day. He shuddered as he took in shaky breaths, clinging to Wilbur's old jacket. He stood on the shore of this new found land, utterly alone, gazing upon the thrashing ocean that kept him on that isle. There on the coat was l'manburg's great flag, once a sign of hope, now an example of corruption- rushing memories left the boy reeling over, sobbing into the leathery fabric. He sat screaming through the night, water whipping through his hair as he sunk into the bloodied sand. His knees were grazed, his hands red, heart empty from neglect, betrayal and a longing for home; how so he wished he was in Phil's arms that night, silently crying in his father's warm, comforting grip. That could never happen though, not after he killed Wilbur, not after he left Tommy for years, not after not giving a fuck until it was too late, not after rushing off with Technoblade as if he could just blame government for everything, for Wilbur's death. Not after he helped Dream.

Dream was the cause of everyone's problems, that's what he had always believed. Dream was forever a dictator who couldn't let go, who wouldn't accept anyone having freedom, who couldn't let Tommy keep something. Dream wanted Tommy to suffer, that's what he had always believed, so although he wanted to give in, although he wished Technoblade would come and sweep him up in his arms, he stayed strong. Tommy was okay, Tommy was going to be just fine, Tommy told himself he would survive.

As the sun rose dreary and weak on the 16 year old's island, he wished on a new day. Tubbo would be there any minute, he was sure of it! In fact all of them would be there! They were sure to miss him, they just had to be careful. And yet, he couldn't help but doubt himself; did they care?