on temporizing || Dream SMP Timeloop Fic

Chapter 14

66. remix, pt. 2 

"You look like shit."

"I didn't notice," Dream replied dryly. Tommy scowled.

"No, seriously. Why the hell are you so thin?"

"I've been skipping meals."

"Why?"

Dream shrugged. "Might as well get the full experience."

"I-- Dream, what the fuck." Tommy shook his head. "No. No, no, fuck that. There are mobs out here, Dream, and if you're not eating enough then you're gonna get hurt."

"So? I have three lives left." Dream didn't meet Tommy's gaze. "It's not quite what happened to you, but--"

"No, stop," Tommy snapped. "This isn't-- this isn't fucking right--"

"This has to look realistic, Tommy." Dream glanced up at the gathering clouds. "'Sides, it's not so bad. At least I can see the sky here."

Tommy's next protest died on his lips. ". . . Fine," he bit out after a long moment of silence. "But you better not die on me, okay? I don't care if you have three-- three canon lives, just-- fucking don't."

Dream's lips quirked into a small smile. "I'll try not to. Now c'mon, let's get inside before it starts raining."

~~~

Tubbo was worried.

Ever since Dream had been exiled, Tommy had been growing steadily more distant. He rarely showed up to cabinet meetings, instead disappearing for days at a time. When questioned as to his whereabouts, he'd claim that he was 'making sure the green bastard doesn't try anything'. He was adamant that nobody visited Dream, insisting that the man was dangerous, that he'd play mind games with anyone who talked to him.

Tubbo had experienced said mind games firsthand, so he was all too happy to stay away. The problem was, he knew Tommy wasn't immune to Dream's manipulation. Tommy spent so much time with Dream nowadays. Who knew what the man was doing to him?

These thoughts were what led to Tubbo standing in front of the nether portal, fidgeting nervously with his tie. He'd been here several times already, having followed Tommy on his third trip to visit Dream. Each time, he'd chickened out and gone back without entering the portal.

But Tommy hadn't been back in L'Manberg for two weeks now, the longest he'd ever been away since they retook it from Schlatt. That was. . . concerning.

Taking a deep breath, Tubbo squared his shoulders and stepped into the portal.

The first thing he noticed was the smell, the scent of rain and burnt wood choking the air. The next thing he noticed were the ruins.

The area he was standing in had once been a forest, if the charred tree stumps were any indication. The ground was carpeted with a thick mat of soggy ash, the occasional ember flickering in the soot like a dying star. Ten feet away, the burnt plants gave way to a mix of charred dirt and melted sand, which ended abruptly where the ocean began. An eerie silence hung heavy over the beach, not dissimilar to that of a graveyard.

Tubbo stepped out into the open. Through the hazy air, he could see the charred skeleton of a house. Its stone foundations were blackened and streaked with pale ash, scaffolding burnt nearly completely away.

A single, familiar figure stood in front of it. He was facing away from Tubbo, head upturned towards the remains of the house.

"Tommy?"