Child Soldier

Chapter 15; The Calm

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"Stop moving so much." Dream chuckled, leaning over Tommy who sat atop two chests stacked on top of one another, in Techno's home, his feet dangling down as he continued to flinch away from Dream's touch.

"Fuckin hurts, man..." Tommy complained, Dream rolling his eyes in response as he slowly brought the needle down again, pushing it through Tommy's skin while he sewed the huge gash in the boy's face closed.

"F-fuck." Tommy whined as the sharp point pierced through his skin. His nails dug into his pant legs as he tried not to scrunch his face or pull back in reaction to the pain.

"It's pretty nasty." Dream told him, keeping his movements precise as he did the best he could with the supplies he had, and amateur experience. It's not like Ponk was anywhere near with a proper first aid kit or his medical expertise.

Techno was pacing his cabin anxiously behind the two, one hand on his chin as he glared down at his floorboards, hooves tapping back and forth.

"Can you please." Dream sighed looking over his shoulder at the man. "You're distracting me, what's up?"

"Phil." Techno said, covering his mouth with his hand even further, his brows were furrowed in worry. "I have'ta get him, Dream."

Dream focused back on his work with Tommy, trying to get him fixed up as quickly as possible. They still needed to disinfect and wrap it so his wound wasn't exposed to the elements, the last thing Tommy needed was an infection.

Healing potions had helped of course, but they weren't a miracle cure, and while they clotted the blood enough to keep it from dripping down Tommy's face like a damn near waterfall, the gash was too deep for the skin to close. On top of that, Tommy could only consume so many before he'd become ill from them.

"We're gonna have to stay back." Dream told Techno. Not about to explain why, it was pretty evident, and a rescue mission for Phil wasn't exactly a high priority on Dream's list at the moment, nor did it require three people.

"That's fine." Techno said, looking between the two. "I gotta go, not much time before they do somethin' to him, especially since Tommy here killed their president."

Tommy flinched at that and Dream gave the boy a disapproving sound at his sudden movement.

Tommy hadn't had a single moment since having escaped L'manberg to even contemplate on his actions, and Techno's words caused a lump to form in his throat as he recalled stabbing Tubbo in the chest in enough detail to make him sick to his stomach. A tremble ran through him as he thought back on it.

"Kill him! Now!" Tommy could still hear the order ring through his ears and he took in a slow and shaky breath. Sure, Tommy had been pissed at Tubbo, he'd probably been the angriest he'd ever been in his life. Even angrier than he'd been when Eret had betrayed them.

He felt so wronged, so backstabbed, so abandoned. The worst betrayal he'd ever faced yet.

But to kill Tubbo...

Tommy's breath hitched.

He was lost in his thoughts for so long he hadn't noticed the cold gust of wind that rushed in when Techno had left.

"Tommy." Dream's voice brought him back and he blinked, eyes flicking up at Dream's emerald ones, piercing through him. As if Dream could tell exactly what he was thinking, the man offered him a calming praise. "I'm proud of you."

Those words felt like a tall glass of water after having wandered the desert for weeks, something Tommy had forgotten he needed, but once he received it, he desperately wanted more.