on temporizing || Dream SMP Timeloop Fic

Chapter 29

141. (credit to Smallest)

"Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious," Tommy sang under his breath. He scribbled another line in his notebook. "Don't be suspicious, don't be--"

"What are you doing?"

"AGH!" Tommy tried to jump to his feet and turn around at the same time. As a result, he tripped on the bush he was hiding in and tumbled into the snow. He hastily grabbed his notebook and tried to cram it into his back pocket, ignoring the fact that a) the pocket was too small for the book to fit, and b) he had a perfectly functional inventory. "Ahaha! Technoblade! Big man! Fancy seeing you here!"

"I live here," Technoblade deadpanned.

"Uh-huh. A true coincidence. It's almost like fate wanted me to be here, eh?" Tommy finished off his word vomit with a wink. Its charisma was diminished by the snow that slipped into his eye. "Ow ow ow fuck--"

Technoblade sighed. "Why are you here, Tommy?"

"I was, uh, bird watching! Yeah! You know, lots of birds in the bushes and whatnot--"

"First of all," Technoblade raised a clawed finger, "There are almost no birds in this area. Second of all--" he pointed at the 'bush' Tommy had been hiding in. "That's not a bush."

"Yeah it is!" Tommy held up the handful of sticks and soggy green paper. "See?! It even has leaves!"

Technoblade stared at him. "Tommy, there's a whole forest over there. If you wanted to spy on me, you could have just done it there instead of-- putting a fake bush in the middle of a stretch of open ground. You're not even dressed up to camouflage with the-- with the bush!"

"So you do admit it's a bush!" Tommy crowed. "And I wasn't spying on you, I was looking for birds."

Technoblade's flat look told him exactly how much he believed that. Which was to say, not at all. "Leave," he ordered.

"Okay, okay!" Tommy gathered up the remains of his 'bush' and scrambled to his feet. He scurried into the safety of the forest. It was only when he could no longer feel Technoblade's glare burning into his back that he slowed, tossed his fake bush aside, and pulled out a communicator.

Private Messaging: Dream

<TommyInnit>: phase one complete

<TommyInnit>: operation flip the bacon is a go

~~~

Technoblade narrowed his eyes at the figure skulking outside his house. Dream was pacing back and forth, leaving a rut in the snow. He'd stop in his tracks occasionally to pivot towards Technoblade's house, where he'd stand, motionless, for exactly thirty seconds (yes, Technoblade counted) before returning to his pacing.

There was absolutely no rhyme or reason for this behavior. Either Dream had severe social anxiety and was attempting to work up the courage to come talk to Technoblade (unlikely; Dream usually just barged into things with all the delicacy of a bull in a ceramics shop), or he'd finally lost his marbles (which was. . . less unlikely, but still unlikely). Either way, his behavior wouldn't be categorized as 'normal'.

Technoblade watched for another five minutes. Just as he was debating whether or not to approach, Dream broke from his routine when, instead of standing still during one of his half-minute house-staring sessions, he began walking towards it. Technoblade felt an irrational jolt of fear when his gaze met Dream's through the windows, but he shook it off.

He watched as Dream knelt by his dog pen, pulled out a notebook (hold on, this seemed familiar) and began scribbling furiously in it. Technoblade, fully fed up with the trespasser, donned his netherite armor and stepped out of his house.