sweetlyhell

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 14: THE EXILED PRINCE

Dawn or Twilight, the key always pointed there. Tommy was frustrated, as anyone would be in exile. He had his life stuck in a loop. A loop that was far from enjoyable. Sure, he had at least someone to keep him sane, even if it was someone as terrible as Dream. The land still felt lonely, empty, rather. He had nothing but this compass left with him. The only item Dream allowed him to keep.

He wanted to scream, and just yell at everything. He did that regularly regardless; into the void, in the water, in the air. He even took it out on Dream sometimes, too. All this bottling left him nowhere now. He was sitting against his tent, cradling himself. His arms were by his knees as he stared up at the stars. His chest hurt with every prominent memory he had of his best friend. He missed his so-called father. He missed his assumed brother. Hell, everyone was on his list of being missed.

Draco is someone who is on the top of that list with Tubbo. They were like a trio, inseparable even. He could recall them endless, where they acting stupidly, just being reckless like their usual selves. It wasn't long before he realised the water dripping down his face. For once, he thought it was his tears. Something that was the only thing leaving marks on him. Though he was wrong.

The pouring continued, from the sky instead. The downpour was gradually getting heavier and heavier by the passing minutes. "Well, this just makes things better." He muttered to no one. The sarcastic tone, something had left from it. It was no longer funny for him. It was more venomous than before. He can recall how many times Tubbo yelled at him to stop being so snarky at every comment he gave. Draco, on the other hand, had more fun than ever while listening to him getting lectured.

If anything, the three were a dynamic trio. A dynamic trio that faded into a duo and soon shattered into nothing but shards of its glowing past. Whatever lasted for days, seemed to leave things engraved in the mind for over decades.

Draco was a temporary guest. He was someone who only came along for less than three weeks yet, they had made such memories that not even Dream would be able to force out of Tommy's head. He may be the master of manipulation but Draco? He was something else entirely, someone you couldn't forget, even in your second life.

Tommy still sat in the rain, not even caring how drenched he was getting. He would have already been dragged inside by his adoptive father or one of his best friends if they were here. His hair was so wet, it was already stuck onto his forehead and the back of his head. His t-shirt was slowly also following behind, his shoulders clung to the fabric of his t-shirt along with the main torso of it sticking to his body. The bandages on his face and knees were peeling off from the water rubbing off the material on it an completely ruining the plaster altogether.

"You should get in your tent." A voice said from his left. He didn't look away from his hands and shook his head. He didn't want to. The rain was more comforting than anything he had felt yet. Exile was growing repetitive for him, it was: eat, drink water, mine, plant, farm, give your items, sleep and then repeat. He was growing fed up seeing the same white mask with him everyday.

Hell knows where he keeps coming from and going to. No like Tommy wanted to care about it anymore. He couldn't care less of anything related to the man now. "Fuck off, I'm fine." He muttered, clicking his tongue. He rubbed his hands to get rid of the water drops that had developed on them and went back to how he was sitting. He wasn't interested into listening to Dream right now. He wanted to just sit in the rain and contemplate all his life choices and memories.

A deep rooted sigh came after that. A gloved hand went to his arm, pulling him up. "You'll get sick, dumbass. Get in," He said, putting some force in his words and actions. His first comment was a suggestion but now it was more of an order, a demand. Tommy jerked his arm away from him, glaring at him. He hissed at how tight his grip was before pushing himself away to create distance between them.

He was fine with being alone, he was getting used to it slowly but Dream was just annoying him now. Why did he care if he got sick? He just wanted to be alone. Dream, as usual, always had other plans that always cancelled his in every aspect. "I want to be alone, you fuckward." Tommy spat at him, making Dream groan out of pure annoyance. He was ready to pull out his axe and just take his second life there and then without a second thought or hesitation.

The two blonds stood there in the soaking atmosphere for a few seconds with the words and order hanging between them like a grape vine. "Sit and sulk in the tent, child." Dream replied calmly, crossing his arms. His mask was dripping with rain, his hoodie dark from all the water it had absorbed. Mud was forming under their feet, to which Tommy pushed onto Dream's boots without minding a worry.

For the child, he wouldn't kill him. Little did he know, he was capable for so much. Dream, however, gave no passive aggressive emotion to the childish behaviour framed by the teen. He knew he would do that anytime he wanted. That included times where he just wanted to break down into someone's arms and have them hold him and tell him he was fine. Tommy remembered the last time someone did that.

"It'll all be better tomorrow, Toms." Her voice hushed him as he felt his hair stroking his head. Kristin had her way with words and Philza's comforting gestures lulled him to sleep in an instant. He was in her arms, with him sitting right next to her in case he wanted to change into his arms. A third standby would be there too, "Heroes don't break out that easily, but they do if they had been building it up." He would say, the monotone voice taking an oddly soothing tone. He wouldn't touch him in any way but his presence alone helped him in a way he didn't understand even now.

His trance was broken by Dream's boots stomping out of his view to another direction. He was once again left with no one around him, just the cold air blowing in his face and soaked body. His lips trembled, a weak sob escaped his mouth. He shook his head, laughing at how he was acting up.

"God... I really am pathetic, aren't I?" He said, wiping his face with his arm, his vision growing blurred with the tears dwelling up his sockets. He could still hear their voices somewhere in the distance. His heart was slowly falling to the ground every time he did and when it fell, it broke into a million shattered pieces.

The voices repeated tones but changed words every second he heard it again. The same two boys talking to him, every single time. It was just them, no one else. The touch of his family lingered on his body but the air still had their vocals and swore he saw them when he turned his face fast.

"Tommy, don't touch that!" He was bending down to tie his mudded shoes' laces but jerked up to see who it was. Hope was glimmering in his eyes at that. Just maybe... Tubbo had came back for him. But, he wasn't there. It was yet another of his delusions he had been seeing for a while now.

"You look stupid with a frown. Wipe it before I tickle you 'till you throw up." A smile almost cracked on his face when he heard that in his head. That was one of the most famous lines he had remembered Draco telling him and it always worked on him. Seemed like it still did to date. The dynamic trio was different than any other trio of the SMP... A loud blonde, a calm brunette and a reckless black-haired boy.

He hated how everything was still so easily memorized in his head but he loved remembering everything so he stuck in a curse of both remembering and hating every aspect of his life. Even if he was gone, the names of TommyInnit, Tubbo_ and DraconiteDragon still lurk along the paths, their marks evident in every place they've been with effortless ease too.

They never realized it but it was only a matter of time until one by one they were leaving their trio. He knew if they had been aware of that fact, they would've made everything else more worth it. Yet, every moment they had spent together was still the best of the last together.

Now, Tommy was left standing in the same rain he was used to seeing Tubbo yell at him for being in. The same rain he forced his best friends to dance in with him in ridiculous animal onesies just to be embarrassed of later on. Just one letter from Tubbo. That was all he wanted. Just once that he would admit he missed him right now, what he did was a mistake. His voice still rang in his ears... "Who am I without you?", "Yourself."

[sweetlyhell]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

(T.W. A lot of yapping)

greetings to every reader of my works and to those who are just scrolling :) my name is Karl, since my selfhood is Karl Jacobs! i also go by KJ, KJay, and Dia. dia is a shortened abbreviation of Diamond, which used to be my nickname back in my early Quotev days.

i've uh shifted here since the website is practically dead now and i'm on here a lot more now for some reason? well i'm of course a writer, or author if you must. i write a lot of stuff and i'm really open if you want to talk or debate anything :]

i have a lot of interests and my hyperfixations are always over the place so if you think we have a mutual interest, don't ever hesitate to ask me!

everyone says i'm a sunshine or sweetheart which i don't know is how true and to what extent it is true but do what you want with that. i also have fandoms but they are much few in number as compared to what i have in my interests.

uhh yeah so i write a lot of random stuff which includes non-fandom and fandom works. i usually only do fanfictions since im too uncreative to ever write my own fictive works. um i have a few moots here as well who i love a lot !! they are my writing and brainstorming buddies and they are so so talented as well and amazing <3

my interests can't be dotted down as i stated above but i guess i can give my fandoms or whtvr which i'm currently actively or semi-actively writing!

Krew / ItsFunneh (ACTIVE)

Dream SMP (ACTIVE)

Life of Luxury (w/ & w/o LaurenZside) [ACTIVE]

My Fandom / OC World (SEMI-ACTIVE)

Five Nights at Freddy's (ACTIVE)

Creepypastas (SEMI-ACTIVE)

[sweetlyhell]

thank you soo much for the tag !! here's what i got-

I GOT JAY?? i love aquarium dates omg, nd the dessert, git nd quote?? aaaaa idk if i would have the confidence to wear my clothes tho-

no pressure tags: @cherishedhope @rosellewaesnor

pinterest blind date tag game

rules: pinterest is setting you up on a blind date, search the following and post the results: fictional character, date, gift, outfit, dessert, love quote

thanks for the tag dia @yoonia <3

no pressure tag: @xomakara @hannieween @hobeemin @raplinesmoon @caelesjjk & anyone else that wants to (ignore if you already did this i can never remember lol)

SAY LESS I'M SO DOWNNNNNN

[sweetlyhell]

Bad's Muffin-y Birthday

Unlike any other day, the server was quiet. There was no fire alarm from Sapnap nor any fuss from Tommy and his friends. For once, Bad felt it was quiet around here. He didn't like the sound of that. The walls dripped with suspicion. What were they up to? It was too quiet for it to be any good. 

“You all can stop this. It wasn't funny,” Bad tried to diffuse the silence that grew by the moment, but no one seemed to hear him or reply. There wasn't anyone in blocks of his vision either. Weird. Usually, there would be one or two people walking or talking around the grasslands, but there was no one today for some reason.

The dread crawled up his spine, making him shiver as he tried to be frantic with what he wanted to do. If there were an issue, he would solve it. But no one had any fights or argued recently, so there was nothing else to do but search. The normally inhabited grasslands stretched on endlessly.

He took some food and a weapon from his chest before setting out to find exactly where his friends and neighbours had disappeared suddenly. He should have at least been informed by his best friend, Skeppy. Yet, there was no notice, letter, or even a sign to help him figure out where the rest had vanished.

All he could see was emptiness as he tried to understand if he had done something wrong and they were mad at him for it now. Even if he did, he wasn't told or given a chance to talk about it either. “Where are they?” He mumbled, feeling a weird sensation in his glowing white eyes. It burnt his eyes slightly as he sighed and tried to downplay it.

His hands trembled slightly as he took a cautious step forward, scanning the horizon for any sign of life. His chest felt a bit tight just thinking about what could have happened and what he might have done wrong.

“Skeppy?” His voice crackled slightly as he called out to the man. “Skeppy!” He tried again, no avail. He was getting frustrated and scared... What if something happened to his best friend? He couldn't afford that, he would never be able to live it down. The endless possibilities kept running through his mind as he continued his search as a wanderer.

“Skeppy, you're an idiot if that's how you spell it.” Tommy groaned, trying to rearrange the letters. Skeppy made a sound with his tongue to flip Tommy off, and put the letters back to how he originally arranged them. “It's called creativity; something you don't have.” Skeppy teased, dissing the child for his usual amusement.

Tommy started cursing him out, just as he expected it to. He had no self-control, but no one seemed to care after growing used to it. Antfrost ran around with banners and streamers, his tail whisking in the wind.  Niki was busy with the table, being helped by Ranboo, whose tail was always swinging happily.

In the background, Dream was trying to keep Sapnap away from the flint and steel while also making sure Quackity doesn't play around with the stage and make it a hazard. Amidst the chaos, there was Techno, who was dragging the presents in. Surprisingly, there was almost a mountain of them. He set up the furniture for Niki and brought along what was listed to him by Lydia. He was proclaimed as the moderator since he was quite calm with everything.

So any banners and fairy-lights hung around with Bad's theme colors by Antfrost with Sapnap's help. Dream was still trying to supervise Quackity to prevent anything from falling when the stage was fully set. George was half-asleep on the side. Niki was getting the food out as Ranboo helped with the signs and interrupted Skeppy and Tommy's ongoing banter with signs. 

“Guys... Why is there BaldBoyHalo instead of BadBoyHalo written on the signs?” The Enderman looked very confused as he stared at the sign. Tommy burst out laughing while Skeppy was on the floor, wheezing. Then, Lydia walked in with Karl, carrying all the food. They notice the two children and half adult by the joke banners.

She sighed as she said, “Change the signs, Tommy.” Her voice came out more than just a request, and whatever tone there was made Tommy's neck hairs stand up. He was about to give a snarky response but decided against and just nodded while she passed. He sighed, breaking the sign again to change the words “Bald” into “Bad” to avoid further problems with her.

Karl takes the food from her and starts setting it down neatly as Lydia goes to check the microphone by the stage. Quackity had finished working on the stage and was now laying dramatically like a starfish in the center. She tapped the microphone, ensuring it was on before adjusting the volumes. 

“Damn, Ly! We're still setting up,” Sapnap's voice rang from one side of the field where he was setting up the speakers with Dream. She smiled apologetically, “Sorry, Sap!”. She put the microphone down and went to see Quackity. He just dismissed her with his hand, as way of saying his work was done already. She chuckled, shaking her head as she crouched next to him. 

“You can't sleep here, dummy. Get up.” Quackity groaned, feeling strained to even move. She straightened herself upright and helped him up as well. The party was pulling along well. All that was left was to get dressed. Sapnap and Dream had finished, sitting by the side of the stage where George was. Karl soon enough joined them with Quackity.

Antfrost tried to convince Tommy and Skeppy to at least spell the frontmost bainner correctly with Ranboo's help. Niki was putting the cups down with Techno on the multiple tables while Sam brought in the chairs. It was... going better than expected. As the final touches started, Tubbo brought in the fireworks he and Jack were in charge of and put them in place for the wrap up of the party. 

“Well, should we change?” Dream asked, turning to the group. A loud scream came from the crowd. It was a mixture of everyone screaming yes. This startled the half-asleep George who almost fell face-front into the grass. Almost everyone erupted into laughter while some tried to control theirs.

After a minute of just laughing at George's awakening, they went to change and Techno flipped on the smoke machine to let it start its work.

After almost an hour of just walking around the empty plains... Bad finally sees the clouds of smoke. This caught his attention for good and made him extremely worried. He saw there was a shoveled pathway and followed it inside of the venue; just as the plan was to happen.

He was picking up his pace so he didn't even realise that he stepped on a pressure plate. Confetti flew out of the party poppers as the smoke began to steer clear. He didn't get a moment to even think about what happened before his body was covered in glitter and plastic confetti wraps.

The bright sky was coming back to eyeshot but Skeppy tackled Bad down as soon as it cleared and everyone yelled at once, “Happy Birthday, Bad!” He let out a loud gasp, followed by a laugh as he embraced Skeppy. The man didn't resist and also embraced him while the others watched the best friends in awe and amusement. 

“I was so scared, you muffin head!” Bad said, hitting Skeppy's head gently as a playful gesture as he sat up, letting Skeppy also get up. Skeppy, however, seemed truly unbothered and just shrugged. “We can't spoil surprises, Bad.” He said as he pulled Bad up and hugged him once more but everyone joined in this time. The lights were turned on by Antfrost while everyone pulled away slowly.

Techno, who didn't join the exchange, was leaning by one of the tables; waiting for everyone to sit down. He was just observing the entire thing but seemed to have softened his usual glare. Bad took a notice of this and personally went over to Techno and embraced him softly but not even make him uncomfortable for it. 

“Yeah, yeah. Happy birthday nerd.” He said, cracking a small grin at this, but not effectively hugging him back. Bad did end up drawing himself off and looked at the tables in amaze. They were balanced meals along with his favorites and a diamond cake. It couldn't be more obvious that it was chosen by Skeppy himself.

Then his eyes fell on the stage... “What's this for?” He asked, confused why they had built a huge stage randomly. Dream shrugged. Bad looked around to area once more before his eyes fell on Antfrost. “Wait- You all are dressed like me and Skeppy!” All of them start giggling, seeing him finally realise that they were separated into two groups: Bad's group & Skeppy's group. 

“Let's get the party started!” Skeppy said, screaming into the microphone, making everyone jump. Skeppy put a hand to his mouth to suppress the loud laughter that was trying to escape, making him cry softly. Bad let a soft chuckle of his own, a bit entertained by his friend. Like this, the party carried on with laughter, chaos and soft words.

Bad tried to avoid the swear words his friends were using but still called them out for it. There was cake-cutting and present opening done but it was like any usual party. Bad was specifically surprised by Techno's gift which was a potion that said 'DO NOT DRINK' and was a usual color of green. Bad just stared at Techno for a minute before asking, “Why?” Techno just shrugged at that, smirking at how Bad didn't know how to feel about the gift. “Thank me later.”

Another noteworthy gift was George's. He just handed Bad a bucket. Inside the bucket was water and there was a fish in it and it had the name tag of 'Sir Bubbles III'. This made him midly amused as he looked up at George. “Was this the community fish you forgot about?” He asked, trying not to laugh. George looked sheepish, looking away as he shook his head.

Then came the stage performance... It was a total disaster. Skeppy was on stage and mic in hand. His backup singers; Karl and Quackity got in place while Sapnap picked up a guitar. Bad buried his face in his hands, already regretting everything and expecting the worst to happen or the ground to just swallow him whole. Then the lights dimmed when AntFrost started tinkering with the lights and the off-beat played by Sapnap started.

“I wanna be your vaccum cleaner!” Skeppy was singing completely off turn and not even trying at this point. The crowd was clapping in encourgement while the minors of the crowd waved torches like an actual concert. This continues on for a while until the beats and singing start to get into a syncronization and Skeppy's joking tone is slowly falling out of line too. 

“Secrets I have held in my heart.. Are harder to hide than I thought,” His voice turned soft and he turned toward Bad, his hair dramatically catching the wind from a fan that Dream had turned on for extra theatrics. Bad was now turning red from blushing other than pure embarrassment. “Aw, you're flustered.” Sam pointed out, patting Bad's shoulder. “No- I'm not!” He stammered out, shaking his head but his face gave it all away.

The verses carried out and the bridge also passed. Now came the last verse. Skeppy jumped down from the stage and waled over to Bad directly; who was forced to sit in front. “I wanna be yours..” He smiled down at the demon-like man who was clearly on the verge of passing out. He was clinging onto AntFrost like how Red Velvet does. He chuckled as there was a chant going on in the crowd.

“Skeppy, are you proposing now?” Quackity's voice rang out from the stage, mocking yet absolutely delighted. He still held his mic, grinning like he’d just witnessed the scandal of the century. Bad immediately started yelling—not even forming real words anymore.

Skeppy rolled his eyes, flipping off Quackity but winked at Bad. “I don't know. Bad, what do you say?” He asked, just to annoy the man further. More gibberish came out of Bad's mouth as he hid his face into AntFrost's shoulder. “Skeppy, stop!” He whined, blushing even harder.

“As a fire child, I say...” Sapnap didn't finish his words, letting his actions speak. He pulled out his flint and steel and started lighting the entire stage on fire while helping Karl and Quackity leave the stage while Tommy started lighting the outer decor with Techno on fire. Bad started yelling at them with things like, “Those were beautiful, why?!” and “This is the WORST birthday, guys!”

Of course, none of them listened a word to him. Eventually, the fire grew and Dream started throwing water to calm the growing wildfire before it went out of control. Bad was frowning, Skeppy by his side. “That wasn't my idea,” He mumbled, putting a comforting hand on Bad's shoulder. Bad just sighed, looking at the chaotic scene which was burnt to a crisp and swimming in water.

Sam was trying to comfort AntFrost who was hissing at the water. Sapnap, Tommy and Techno were being lectured by Niki and Karl for the fire. Lydia was helping Dream water down the fire and pick up the excess water that was there. Ranboo and Tubbo were cleaning the tables up and George was dragging the furniture to the place they were kept before the party so they can be put to where they were from originally.

No one was really paying attention to Bad and Skeppy anymore, they were all busy. Bad slightly smiled, leaning his head on Skeppy's shoulder while Skeppy put an arm around Bad's arm to pull his friend closer in a side hug. Bad mumbled quietly, still observing his friends. He found it peaceful after what chaos erupted minutes ago before him.

“Maybe it wasn't so terrible after all...”

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 13: FAMILY-LIKE BONDS

They thought they wouldn't have to schedule another meeting for at least two months. Yet, here they were again. The uprising nations and disputes were getting out of hand now. Something had to be done, and fast. The Syndicate had once again assembled. Lunar leaned back in her chair, almost falling asleep while awaiting further discussions.

Ranboo was scribbling through his notebook. Niki was dangling her feet off one side of her chair while the other two plotted and schemed as a duo. Niki yawned as she turned to the rest. "What are we doing basically?" Ranboo asked, looking up from his sketching. Techno shrugged, so did Lunar.

"Beats me, kid," Philza mumbled as Niki shook her head. Lunar's face was scrutinized as she stared at Techno's face. "You called us here." She pointed it out to him, but he shrugged again. Niki sighed, knowing this was probably going nowhere. Philza, meanwhile, was trying not to laugh because Techno forgot that he was the one who called the group together.

"Uh, right. I did, didn't I?" He looked away from Philza and at the table. He tapped the table a bit before clearing his throat to speak. "That's the case then... Anyone having any problems with anything?" Lunar turned her chair to face them, it made a loud creak and followed by a crash. Lunar almost fell but she stood up before she did.

"If I fall into the void again, it's Philza's fault." Philza's chair moved as he stopped slouching against it. It screeched a bit as he shifted to face Lunar. He was a bit taken aback by her statement. "I saved you last time. Why would it be my fault?" He was further interrupted by Techno's finger tapping.

He looked at both of them, shutting them up instantly. Niki sighed, looking over to Ranboo, who seemed busy scribbling and unaware of the ongoing banter. "Yeah, this reminds me of when Quackity came over with cookies." This statement made all of the members freeze and turn slowly towards TechnoBlade. Whatever he was trying to point out dropped a bombshell on them.

Niki was the first to recover, but her voice was still hushed, "I feel the same about Dream being involved in Tommy's exile." Ranboo looked down, fiddling with the cover of his notebook as he also followed after Niki with his problems, "I feel like Tubbo's changing a lot and not for the better with the new administration being entirely his responsibility now."

Lunar sighed, her head pushed back against her chair. "My siblings are separated. Hell knows where they are, what they're doing right now." Her voice may have been monotone, but it was laced with concern and worry for her elder sisters. Philza nodded, looking around in the room as the tension built up. "Something just isn't right..." He pointed out that his anxiety was the last one on the table to be discussed.

This ended up being a three-hour-long meeting as all of them covered every last concern they currently had while comforting too. "The next days are going to be laced with chaos. So, beware of everything... and everyone."

"It is nice to have you here," Rainbow smiled, gesturing him to take a seat. An invitation from a new member of Kinoko Kingdom was surprising to say the least. Sam, still wary of her intentions, had brought his best friend, CaptainPuffy in case. The woman's hat blew slightly in the breeze, her eyes boring into Rainbow with suspicion laced in it.

Sam took a few minutes before he sat down and had Puffy sit opposite to Rainbow. The woman was dressed more comforting than formal. A fitting set for a member of Kinoko Kingdom, especially regarding who the current ruler was. "I didn't call you to just stare at me, who's this friend here?" She smiled menacingly at the pair who visibly shifted in their seats while being stared at.

Sam bit his lip as he mumbled quietly, but Puffy spoke up louder, "I'm Captain Puffy. Though, I usually go by Puffy," Rainbow's smile softened just a bit at that as she pushed two cups of hot tea towards them. Both Sam and Puffy looked to each other, communicating quietly whether they should accept her drink or not. The elder woman chuckled, pouring herself tea as well.

"It's not posioned or drugged." She lifted her own cup and took her own sips while watching the two stare at her. This was being far more entertaining for her than it should. She loved how freaked out they were that she could pull off anything in a span of seconds and they would be left dazed. She kept herself composed, not letting a single emotion fall out of line as she raised a brow.

"It's getting cold, Sam. Puffy." She motioned to the tea which was still resting in front of Sam and Puffy. Puffy uncrossed her arms before lifting her cup and taking a small sip of it. Sam hesitated again before he took a sip himself. It tasted normal, testifying that Rainbow had no real intentions of harming or taking them. For now, that is. Rainbow smiled, for what seemed like the millionth time.

She had been just smiling the entire time and it was slowly getting to either one of them as Puffy started twirling her hair in her finger while Sam was readjusting his chair and avoiding her eyes. The pink-haired woman sighed, knowing they wouldn't be trusting her at all by the way they were acting around her then. "Come on, talk to me at least.." She mumbled, slowly losing her patience with how they were behaving.

She wanted to talk with them, not have them awkwardly stare at her. The sole purpose she hosted their three-person tea party was to get acquainted with them and make ties but it was kind of going south. It took a hot minute but they gradually opened up with her.

It warmed her heart and gave a small glimpse of Draco and Funneh in their forms because of they were like. Puffy swore she saw a small tear glistering in her left eye while she was laughing at a joke she made of Sam. "Not funny, Captain." He muttered under his breath. Puffy was talking about he had so many walls made, literally and metaphorically, but couldn't make small talk.

Even if he was pretending to be mad at her, his lips let a small smile crawl out either way. "This feels like family." Rainbow said to herself. Puffy reached out to put a hand on hers. "We'll be like an actual family, if you're loyal to us as well." Sam nodded, his eyes softening at last. "We're not asking you to leave Kinoko and join us. Just, don't betray us, alright?"

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 12: PLEDGE YOUR LOYALTY

"I, Tubbo, the new president of L'manberg, declare we do everything in our power and..." Tommy was smiling, letting Tubbo finish his speech but suddenly all eyes fell on him. Anxiety rushed through his blood, he whipped his head to his best friend. Why was everyone staring so weirdly at him? He went to speak up, but Tubbo interrupted him.

"Exile TommyInnit." There was no collective gasp nor surprise from the crowd. Only Tommy's eyes widened as he froze in his spot. "Huh... Tubbo?" Tommy stumbled back as Tubbo got down from the pedestal, but his back hit something. Turning his head, he sees Dream's figure behind him, holding his shoulders.

"You heard Tubbo," The younger man turned to Tubbo, his vision starting to blur slightly as he ran to grab him. He wanted to scream at him, his eyes boring into the other man's eyes. "No—no, you can’t. Tubbo, what are you—" The contrast was obvious in both their eyes and voices. Tommy's eyes were full of worry, pleading for him to say it was a prank.

Meanwhile, Tubbo's were a bit more empty, holding little drops of guilt floating somewhere in his brown eyes. "Who am I without you?" Tommy still tried, knowing there was a small part of him which would take the order back. A small part of him knew this was an injustice for his best friend.

Tubbo pushed his hands off gently, letting them dangle by his side. His voice was monotone, as if he didn't even care. "Yourself." Tommy's heart shattered then and there. His hands felt numb, as if they had detached from his body. His eyes fell from Tubbo to the ground, the words repeating in his head.

Tubbo nodded to Dream while he did that. Dream nodded back, gently taking a hold of Tommy's arm and taking him away from the rest. All he can do is scream, squirm, and stare at Tubbo, who regretfully turned away and slowly went back inside the nation itself. "TUBBO!" Was all Tubbo's ears could hear, it was all Tommy could scream then.

It came to a certain extent that Dream had to cover Tommy's mouth before L'manberg could even leave the eyeshot of the two. Betrayal swelled up in his throat. He couldn't believe his best friend—his ride or die—was willing to let him go. The thought of exile was terrible enough, but it was with Dream that made it even worse for the poor teenager to bear.

The thought of seeing him was a bit scary. She had only heard about how nice Bad was, she hadn't ever met him. She had also viewed a few photographs of the man. All she would hope is that he was just as nice as the conversations mentioned him to be.

Not long after, the sights of the obsidian walls and black-colored concrete blocks are more than visible to her now. She was about to walk in before the front guards stopped her before she could proceed. "Sorry, Ma'am. We can't let you through," Gold pushed herself back. But the guards seemed to be on high alert.

That was until a voice came from behind them, ordering them to step away and let her in. He was... demon-like to stay the least. Horns and a tail, with a black hoodie with red outlines. His face also had an extensive yet unsettling smile. His voice beamed, "Oh, Gold. Isn't it? I've heard so much about you! Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."

He lets her walk in and started guiding her to his house... made out of crafting tables. That was a bit weird to say the least but oddly inviting in its own way. He leads her inside the house to a place where both of them can sit and has her take a seat. She was a bit suspicious but he seemed nice, at the surface level of course. "As I must ask... What brings you to the Badlands?" He asked, putting his elbows on the table and resting his face on his palms.

The bright smile never left his face as his eyes maintained eye contact with her continuously. She bit her lower lip slightly, looking at her hands in her lap before looking up. "I... I'm looking to see if you're willing to form any alliance." Bad's smile falters for a good while, his eyes visibly widening.

His voice failed him for a few moments before he spoke up, "That's... a lot to take in, especially since you're without your siblings. I've heard you all are inseparable." His observation marked her point almost exactly. The five of them together were so balanced that one of their deaths spiraled them into such a state that they were ready to be at each other's throats and leave the other.

"It was a necessary and tough choice." She mumbled quietly, not meeting his eye level anymore. He understood her level of discomfort, his eyes softening as he readjusted himself, his smile dropping slightly. "I'm sorry," He apologized, wiping his mouth with his sleeve before looking up with the same gaze as before.

He sighed, tapping the table gently to make her look up at him once more so he can start speaking again. "We only do invites but... I'll allow you; just this once." He said, pushing his glasses back as he gave a sympathetic smile. It was just enough to have Gold crack a soft smile as well in return. He reached out to gently pat her head.

"A smile suits your face, don't frown." He said, pulling his hand back as he stared at her face for a while. She pushed back whatever hair that had came in front of her eyes as she looked up at him.

"So... What does that mean?" Bad raised a brow at her double-meaning question. Gold stumbled with her words, realizing that he might have not understood what she was trying to ask. "I- I meant like, what do we do, as of now?" Bad chuckled at her clarification, standing up. Confused, she also stood up and started to follow him outside.

"We make you ready, as a proper member of the Badlands."

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTETR 11: NEW ARCS BEGIN

The sound of clinking boots was one of the loudest sounds there. A yell came from the infamous blond teenager, "Where is the damn button?!" His voice sounded frantic as he was running around. Tubbo's sword clashed with Purpled's sword as he turned to Tommy, "You didn't put a button." His voice sounded flat, despite the situation being faced.

Tommy's eyes widen as he dodged a hit from Fundy. "...I didn't?" He sounded more confused and now scared as well. Tubbo shook his head, pushing Purpled off as he got back into position. Tommy was rethinking his options as he cut through Fundy's clothes in the shoulder. Tubbo was panting as he barely escaped a harsh clash from Purpled.

The two teenagers continued fighting until Tubbo had put Purpled low on health, and he ran off to heal. Then, he joined to help ward off Fundy. "What do we do now?" Tommy looked at Tubbo while Fundy retreated, following Purpled who was slowly coming back again but attacking Jack Manifold now. Tubbo shrugged until they heard a loud screech.

"Is Techno coming with backup?" The older man asked, Tommy immediately denied even asking Techno to bring backup. "I didn't..." Tommy mumbled, looking up at the sky which was almost raining with arrows. Those were falling like acid rain, harming anyone it saw.

They were hitting everyone on the field, not just Jschlatt and his members. Tubbo shrieked when an arrow pierced his leg. Unlike before, it was from Techno. Tommy immediately rushed to his best friend to help him while the others continued. Before they knew it, Jschlatt was dead. Once and for all.

"YEAH!" Tommy cheered as Tubbo somehow made a lever and pulled it to activate the bombs placed and blew up the entire land. The rule of tyranny under Jschlatt had finally ended forever. Tubbo was smiling, crying at the sight. His apparent father figure was fina,lly rid and L'manberg was free from his rule. 

"Alright, listen, I know governments have been... a bit of a problem before, BUT! We’ll do it right this time! No corruption, tyrants, just—just a fair system, y’know?" Tommy brightly suggested. His hands were on his hips as he screamed it out so everyone could hear. He had a wide smile on his face, seeing Tubbo having the same smile. While they were smiling, Techno had a fixed frown on his face.

As much as he wanted to support Tommy, governments were always corrupt for him. So, he did the next best thing... He started shooting the remaining survivors as well. Tommy helped Tubbo up, and they ran off. They couldn't fight off Techno even if they tried. Plus, Tubbo had an injury in his leg. Techno was left to his rampage. Tommy knew he wouldn't listen to him. It was useless to try and talk him out of it... Whatever he wanted to do.

Many days had passed since the events. Everything was slowly falling back into place again and L'manberg was restoring its glory or what was left of it again. The Krew were just walking down the prime path, lost in their minds. Each one had a different idea in their heads as they continued to just wander mindlessly along the road.

Funneh was the first to break the unwavering silence of the walk. "Where... to now?" Her voice was still shaky, the memories ran fresh in her visuals. She swore she saw Draco smiling, running behind Lunar and out of sight. Rainbow sighed, also looking up to scan the area in case someone was here.

"I think... Let's just see if Sapnap can-" Gold interrupted her, her face showing clear disinterest in what she was suggesting, "Why are you thinking to go to him? He's probably siding with Dream. Bad is a much safer option." Lunar raised a brow while Funneh shook her head. "How about we just go ask Quackity what he thinks of... this?" She brought up her own ideas to the table as well. Lunar groaned, putting her hands up at that.

"Let's decide normally!" She was getting annoyed at how each one of her sisters were having different ideas of who to visit for a temporarily stay. All three of their heads whip their heads in her direction. There was a heavy sense of distrust hanging between them as they stare at each other. Gold rolled her eyes, Funneh crossed her arms. Rainbow shook her head, not even trying to hide her frustration about her little sisters.

"I'm going to Sapnap," She declared, leaving no space for further arguments. Funneh gasped, not expecting that from her. Gold, however, ended up getting mad at that, "Fine! I'm going to Bad." She said, stomping her foot before storming out of their sight. Lunar called her name, trying to stop her as Rainbow went her own way. Funneh tried to call Rainbow back as well but neither of the two listened.

"I'm going to Quackity then... You coming?" Funneh mumbled, looking up at Lunar who shook her head. She looked over to both the directions where their sisters had ran off because of all the grief on their shoulder. "I.. need space, Funneh." Funneh softly hummed, understanding what Lunar needed so she went her own way, looking back at her once to make sure she wanted that. But, Lunar was already going her own way without looking back. Funneh sighed as she started going her own way.

She ended up stumbling across Quackity where she expected to find him. She sees him with a few others, with a piece of paper in hand. "Uh.." She called out. Her voice was gentle and quiet, just trying not to interrupt anything that was previously going on with her presence.

"What are you doing here... Funneh, was it?" Quackity turned around. He looked much different than he used to be. There was a prominent scar over his right eye. It was fresh, not something from a couple of months ago. She ended up telling him a short summary of what had happened and how she just randomly found him here; not bringing up her real reason.

She wanted to ask him but other words came out of her mouth, "What are you doing?" She walked over to him, watching him as he placed the drawn map of the surrounding areas of Badlands, L'manberg, the Greater SMP along with a newly drawn spot. He grinned at her question, pointing at the spot he probably had drawn with his pencil and said, "Making a better home. Interested?" Funneh was a bit confused, looking at the others. There were a few people with him, talking amongst themselves while he explained to her.

"Usually I'd say no.. But I am."

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 10: SORROW & DECEPTION

The impact of the festival wouldn't fade just yet. Everything happened so fast, but it left a hard impact on everyone. What was harder to process was all the lives taken by the execution. The Krew specifically had a strong toll taken on them. They had left the festival after a few minutes next to Draco.

Lunar was just there, unable to take in the sudden tragedy. Gold and Rainbow were more composed, but it was clear from their red eyes, they were just as troubled by it. Funneh, as usual, was more in between. She was crying, yes, but also trying to keep herself together as well and holding Lunar. This took all of them off guard, and they didn't even see him before he broke the lifeline.

Despite being insistent on taking him back and giving him a proper burial, Rainbow knew they couldn't just do that anywhere without any knowledge of the newer world around them. The wind seemed to be louder, and every sound of rustling leaves just rang in their ears.

Everyone had fled earlier, not even caring to come to the now destroyed land. They ended up leaving him there, where he was lying before. Gold sighed, Funneh shook her head. Lunar helped Rainbow get up, and they walked up to Lydia's cabin for what they believed would be the last time. It wasn't unexpected from them when they saw Lydia wasn't downstairs nor was Karl.

"Get your things... whatever you have of them," Rainbow mumbled, moving upstairs to her designated room with her sisters following suit behind her. Funneh decided to stop by her brother's room as well, taking a few of his favorite items as memories. Gold also stopped by, peaking into the half-decorated room with a green bedsheet. The color itself just radiated his memory. Rainbow chose not to even look there, to avoid another breakdown because of it. Lunar also stayed in the room for a minute, feeling everything one more time before going to leave finally.

By the time they were ready to leave, Lydia had entered from the front door. She was confused why all of them had their bags packed and seemed uneasy. "Well, what happened? Was it something at the festival?" She asked, shutting the door from behind. She approached them, with them taking a step back. She stopped herself, keeping the distance while taking a step back. She wanted to just bombard them with so many questions since this was so out of the blue, but she let them explain first.

"We're... leaving. We appreciate and acknowledge that you kept us here nicely. We hope we can repay you sometime." Lunar looked down at the floor as Rainbow stared at her sister. Lydia let out a small gasp, shocked at the revelation. She shook her head, standing together again.

"What's.. with the sudden decision?" She tried, hoping to get a straight answer. Of course, she didn't. They just looked at the walls, the floor, and then each other. The serenity was nice to be in, unless the atmosphere was as tense as it was at the given moment. Lydia chose to respect them and nodded, "I get it if you don't want to tell me. You barely know me anyway."

She looked at everyone's puffed red eyes and the way there were some red stains on their clothes. She wanted not to assume the worst, but it was a bit hard with what was in front of her. But, of course, there could be misconceptions made at any time. "Stay safe... Where's your brother, though? If you don't mind me asking." Their faces turned from monotone to one of complete sorrow.

That made Lydia realize she had hit a sore spot for them. She winced a lot and wanted to apologize, but Funneh spoke up before she could. "He's... He died at the festival." Lydia bit her tongue at that, looking away from sheer embarrassment for asking them such a personal question.

She cursed herself in her head as she apologized to them, escorting them outside. She swallowed, looking at them for might be the last time. "Again.. stay safe out there." She patted Rainbow's shoulder, letting him go out on their own. The remaining members of the Krew nodded. Gold shot one last smile at Lydia. It was a bit forced and weak but Lydia returned it with a sorrowful smile of her own at them as she watched them disappear into the land again. 

The blood had dried by now, dark stains seeping into the fabric of his gloves. Dream flexed his fingers, watching how the crimson cracked, flaking away like the remnants of something long forgotten. Another problem dealt with. Another obstacle removed. The body was no longer lying where it was, and the clouds of whatever smoke that lingered were also cleared.

This neither brought him an ounce of sorrow nor joy. Whatever took place was supposed to take place. Plus, he knows a big misunderstanding will come to the surface following this event. He hummed softly, pulling the chairs back to their original place before sitting on them.

He wanted to laugh at how none of them realized what was going on and just quietly left without saying a word to anyone. It was pathetic, truly. He was sitting pretty comfortably in front of the regarded crime scene. One leg over the other, he was leaning against the chair he sat on. He knew someone was approaching, slowly but gradually. His body remained just as calm as it was. For him, whoever was coming was no threat. They stopped at a certain point, almost next to him. He tilted his head backwards to look at her through his mask.

"I have to say, you're not as sneaky as you think." Lydia shook her head, taking a deep breath. The fresh aroma of blood has washed up her nostrils. It was dry but still prominent in the air. She looked down at him again, "You didn't... What did you do?" She didn't want to jump to conclusions. Not yet, at least. A small smile appeared under his mask as he finally fixed himself, turning to face her entirely.

"What do you think you saw, Lydia?" His voice aimed to confuse her. It wasn't hard to see that he was slowly succeeding. Lydia sighed, recalling what she had previously seen and writing. Countless realities existed simultaneously to theirs—ones where Draco survived, ones where he died... differently, and ones where he didn't exist altogether.

She was about to speak up again, but then saw his posture. The way he was sitting... He was expecting her upcoming words. That clicked a specific switch in her head. He saw it. She had no idea when or how, but there was no doubt he did. It was only a matter of thought when he did and how much he saw.

"You..." She gasped. He let out a small laugh, letting himself get up. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood before her. "You must think you know everything..." Lydia took a step back, her body slightly shivering from the slowly rising anxiety in her stomach. She wanted to grab him and interrogate him about how much he knew.

"But... You have no idea where this is going." His teasing tone made her want to sink into the ground. He knew her secrets, he knew what she saw. He was going to rewrite his fate according to how he wanted it. There was nothing she could do to stop him now... For now.

"You're not going to change the future." Her words came out more demanding than she wanted to. She didn't want him running but redoing it for his gain.

"Pray, tell me, what do you plan to do if I end up doing so, starling?"

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 9: THE BLOODSHED FESTIVAL

Lydia had returned from her voyage with no success from it. It made her increasingly upset as her fists shook from how tight she clenched them, with her knuckles white. Her breathing became labored as she opened the door and collapsed onto the couch. Karl, coming from the kitchen, felt bad seeing her like this.

He sat next to her, patting her back. He sighed, turning to his sister. “Come on... Not everything has to work out.” His voice was just as gentle as his touch. He gently pulled her against him, feeling the tension in her body before she finally relaxed into his embrace. 

She slowly put her hands on his forearms as she leaned closer. He hummed, running his hand up and down her back. Soon, their breathing was in sync, a quiet rhythm between them. None of them spoke for a good while, just holding each other like that. The Krew were upstairs and outside, busy with what they wanted to do. Lydia stayed there, breathing deeply, leaning into his warmth. 

It was the first time she felt like she could breathe again, but the knock shattered the stillness. Karl went up to see who was here so late. To his surprise, no one was there but a note addressed to Lydia. It left him somewhat confused, regardless he picked it up and brought it over to Lydia. 

“I found this.” He mumbled, handing the envelope to her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the envelope over, noting the absence of a sender’s name. Something didn’t sit right. Why would someone send her a letter without any name? Carefully, she opened it to find a beautifully hand-written letter and a small note. She tried to stop the creak from forming, but her jaw slowly hurt as she suppressed a smile. 

She could tell who it was from by how neat and miniature the words were. They were written in perfect angles and lines, with proper design and small doodles to impress her on the other side of the drawn margin. The words were both understandable and cryptic; owning to who it was from. Then she flipped to the note.

It was nothing but four words in block letters... Don't Go To Manberg. That was both unsettling but also sweet. She was slightly glad he still cared about her; especially after moving away, and everything. This made her smile after what happened and happy he hadn't forgotten about her. She put the letter back in its place and turned to Karl. 

“We're not going to the festival.” Her words left Karl's eyes wide, his hands going to her shoulders to shake her. “I told Quackity I'd be there.” He said, trying to get her to change her mind. He didn't want to break his promise. “It's for the better, Karl,” Lydia tried to explain to him but Karl wasn't paying attention.

 “Lydia, please! Listen to me once.” He pleaded, he needed her to agree. He couldn't just give up what he told Quackity. 

The day of the festival crept like a snake and was already here. Lydia, as she said, did not show up at all. All the invited people were slowly coming and sitting or standing. They were waiting while Jschlatt lounged on a chair far behind the stage. Quackity was beside him, a bit anxious about what would happen.

 Tubbo was in the guests' sitting space, adjusting his tie. Tommy waved to him, trying to call him outside so they could talk. Techno, Niki, and Philza had already come and were sitting and whispering. Techno, still having not answered what Jschlatt wanted to the Syndicate, was trying to go over what he had planned. 

He would use his Rocket Launcher and do what he needed to do but hadn't elaborated on why he would use it. He couldn't pull it out and start launching people... Right? Knowing Techno, he might do that with orphans, but turning on his supposed friends was harder to believe—at least for the Syndicate members. 

“Well... Looks like we're all here now.” Niki mumbled as she saw Lunar walking in as well with her siblings. All of them had a different feeling on their face. Rainbow and Draco were excited, checking out everything there was to offer. Funneh was a bit uncomfortable and just sat down with her phone.

Gold was more suspicious of the festival and how everyone was on edge; some were trying to hide it and some were openly showing it. Lunar settled down next to Niki meanwhile the rest sat behind them. The festival had begun. Jschlatt was on stage and started his drunkard speech.

No one was paying extra attention since they knew he wasn't in his mind and was saying anything he thought was right. Besides his long-winded speech, he called up Tubbo as his successor to speak and declare Tommy's exile an official event. Tubbo hastily ran a hand through his hair and pulled his tie to fix it. He adjusted his coat's blazer before walking on the stage.

His eyes were fixed on the floor from the shame of what he was doing, not even daring to look up at the crowd because of it. He started his speech quietly, following the end parts of Jschlatt and picking up from there. Before he could finish, Jschlatt took the mic and accused Tubbo of treason. 

This made everyone in the crowd gasp collectively. Tubbo himself takes a step back, his eyes wide as ever. He tried to stammer out something but Jschlatt was already taking his lead. 

“TechnoBlade. Come up and proceed with the execution as told.”

Niki, Philza, and Lunar stared at Techno who had begrudgingly gotten up and walked onto the stage with his rocket launcher. Now they realized what he had meant by his words earlier. It was so clear that Techno had a deal already established with Jschlatt under harsh conditions if he was willing to do this, even forcefully. 

“We're screwed,” Philza mumbled, dragging his chair a bit out of shot so he couldn't be hit. After all, he was on one heart. Niki quietly got up and just evacuated the scene. They knew that if they asked Lunar to come with them, she would probably make sure her siblings were leaving before she left herself. It was sweet of her but also a bit risky. 

Lunar turned around and tried to persuade her siblings to leave. But they weren't ready to abandon Tubbo, despite barely knowing him. Lunar cursed her fate under her breath, keeping a close eye on Techno and his aim. It took the man a minute before he put the weapon to Tubbo and mumbled an apology before pulling the trigger.

The explosive was enough not only to take out Tubbo but also a lot more people. That included Jschlatt, Quackity, and a few residents from the first rows. Of course, it didn't matter since it was mostly a first or second life taken.

Yet, a scream came from the middle row's first line... It was from Rainbow!

Lunar rushed to her feet with Gold and Funneh to see what had happened and it was nothing what they thought it was. In Rainbow's blood-covered hands was the body of their brother. Gold almost fainted at the sight of the blood, collapsing into Funneh's arms as Lunar stared down at Draco.

Then she heard Techno walking off as well. She wanted to yell at him, she sought to beat him until he was apologizing for everything he did wrong. But she didn't. He froze there, staring at Draco's corpse. “Is he not going to respawn?” Funneh asked, trying to keep hope.

Rainbow bit her lip, tears already treading down her cheeks as she shook her head. Gold was sitting on the ground, trying to wake him up by gently tapping his face. Funneh was too in shock to even start crying. She was just there, staring with wide eyes as she tried to comprehend her brother's death.

Lunar crouched down as well, looking at his innocent face which had blood splattered over it. It was all his blood after all. Her eyes just scanned over his face before she put a finger on his pulse point. Just as she thought... There was nothing. He was gone now... They no longer had a brother. 

“This is all my fault, I shouldn't have-” Rainbow began, accusing herself of being the reason before Gold shushed her. “It was... meant to be, apparently,” Funneh mumbled, leaning her head on Lunar's shoulder as her fingers grazed Draco's black hair one last time. 

Just one last time... She wanted to see him smile just once more before this tragedy happened... She probably had though.

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 8: ALLIANCE AND ENEMIES

“Lydia,” Quackity drawled as he stood, stepping forward. “We were expecting you.” 

His voice sounded cold yet deliberate. She winced at his tone, but didn't respond with expected hostility. She stood her ground and waited for him to stop. He paid no mind to her personal space as he was up close. He looked her in the eyes before talking again, “That little pest told you everything, didn't he?” Lydia stared back at him.

“That 'pest' has a name, Quackity.” She tilts her head slightly, her eyes boring into his figure. The sharp sound of his laughter echoed through the walls, soon followed by Jschlatt's voice as well. She sighed, her fists clenching and unclenching slowly as she met his gaze again. “You can at least have that much respect.” She mumbled, looking around the study.

It was sleek, yet simple. Plain walls, with paintings. There was a single bookshelf that had a countable amount of books and other things like a.. pickaxe apparently. The room felt unfinished, with only a few small details added to make it look professional. It was still attractive to stare at, something you could get lost in; hypontizing if summerized.

“He never gave the respect. After all, power is all that matters, Lydia.” His grin was wide enough to stretch across all of L'manberg; yet unsettling in its own way. Jschlatt finally spoke up, “Pumpkin's right. What else do you think matters?” The question hung quietly in the air, with no verbal response from the woman. She never really thought about it—She was always too busy trying to maintain peace amongst all the playful and recurring fights.

“Power might be,” Lydia hesitated, marking her words gradually with careful intentions. Quackity nodded, backing up to lean against the desk. “See? Ya get it now. You can soon—” Lydia interrupted him, raised a finger, and interrupted him mid sentence. “Sorry, but power comes with responsibility. You are taking none of it.” Her voice returned to its natural softness and quietness, turning her finger to Jschlatt. “You're the one corrupting him. I'm telling you right now. Stop.”

Despite the harsh words, her tone was understanding. She wanted to make him comprehend what was happening and what serious outcomes could take place, through gentle treatment. She tried to avoid lashing out, she believed if she talked to them angerily and mockingly in return; what would be the difference between them? Regret bubbled up her veins for talking to Tommy like that but she left it linger in her throat as she sighed.

“Aren't you a sweetheart?” She heard his voice growing more and more mocking. She looked down, biting her tongue before looking up again. Her hand was snaking over her netherite sword as she continued to stare but it slid off to her sides once more before she crossed her arms. “I want you to do it fairly. I have no other motive.” She wanted them to see her motive and comply with it. In her eyes, this was going nowhere.

“You're still stuck on the peace topic, Lydia. You haven't seen what your man did, huh?” Lydia flinched Quackity's mention. She knew exactly who he was trying to hint at. Her eyes scrunched at that, mirroring the immediate frown that fell upon her otherwise vigil face. “He is anything but my man,” She clarified, not wanting to meet his gaze. There was so many rumors, but none of them were confirmed. She didn't want them to be confirmed either. She knew what was for the better, and not being associated with him was at the top of the list.

“I think he would agree, actually.” Quackity bit back, a satisfied look plastered on his face when a clear uninterested look washed on her face. He had a knack for getting on people's nerves, especially those who are always sweet to everyone. He knew Lydia was trying not to make an exception and her forcing a composed persona was more than amusing to watch. “This brings out your features, Lyd.” He says with barely any humor in his voice.

This carried on for a few minutes until Lydia had retreated out of the office, study... whatever they called it for the time being. After being further questioned by Tubbo, there were still no clear answers from her side of what exactly had happened after that. One visible thing about the men was that they both had a scar. No bruises, no cuts. Just a single scar on the neck or hand. It hadn't been cleared of its origin either, leading some to believe it was something Lydia did while she was there with them, alone.

Lydia was standing in front of the nation, heart in hand, as she stared at the buildings in thought. She knew her words might not have any impact after seeing their reckless behaviour. Bringing about change was hard, especially with people who were too stubborn to look past their own greed or people who have been forced into believing what someone made them believe as a part of the manipulation.

“Lydia... They've invited you to the celebration.” A certain blonde woman's voice cracked the once flourishing silence around. A small smile appeared on her face for a single glance before fading again. She nodded, understanding that they would have done that anytime in the future either way regardless now. 

“I know. Still, thanks for the heads up, Niks.” The blonde woman smiled, nodded. “Anytime Ly. You sure you don't want to teach them what happens?” Lydia sighed, shaking her head as she pushed her sword and pickaxe completely in their sheaths. “You know I stopped doing that, Niki.” 

Niki didn't press further. She knew what boundaries were made and it would be wrong to overstep them. What was going to happen would carry immense chaos. Lydia patted her shoulder, giving a slight nod in assurance. Niki nodded back, understanding her gesture before walking back inside. With another long sigh, Lydia began her own walk home, kicking a rock aside as she made her way down the prime path. This place held so many memories, they were both bad and good.

Niki went to her space, searching for a man. She needed to take him before she could go there. “Hey, Tubbo!” She called out to the energetic boy, who rushed to her. “What can I help you with, Niki?” He asked sweetly, unaware of what her true intentions were. “Where's... er... Ranboo at?” She looked at him expectantly. Tubbo stood for a minute, trying to recall when he last saw his enderman friend. “He's probably at his house or walking around.” Niki nodded, taking off to find him.

After running around the space for quite some time, she finally found him. She was panting as she stopped in front of him, hands on her knees as she slightly bent to catch her breath. “Niki? Is there a meeting?” The albino man looked at her with pure curiosity as she agreed to his words. “We got to hurry, there's a new member waiting too.” Ranboo's face lit up, his green and red eyes glistering in the dark as a kind smile spread. “Can't wait, I'll teleport us!” 

Niki was caught off guard by his sudden burst of cheerfulness. Before she could even protest, he held her hand and teleported them to the main room of the Syndicate's bunker. Philza was already seated and the rest of the seats were empty and a new seat was pulled up next to Techno's usual spot. As usual, they were greeted by the elder male and took their seats while they waited for the newest addition and their anarchist member to arrive.

“Why's he so late today?” Niki asked, seeing how they had been waiting for almost twenty minutes now. Philza shrugged, unsure about the lateness of his friend as well. Ranboo, as usual, did not comment at all on his delay. But at the end of twenty-five minutes, Techno erupted from the door, followed by the familiar face of a teal hair woman. Both her and Niki's eyes widen when they saw each other. “Niki?”, “Lunar?” They asked in sync, sounding robotic.

They started laughing at how idiotic it sounded. Techno snickered quietly behind his mask as he took a seat and helped Lunar sit as well. “Ranboo, this is one of the members who came to visit.” Niki explained to the boy to help him understand since he was the last one who actually had no idea who Lunar was in the slightest.

A few more minutes passed by with that. Jokes and laughter followed the explanation and it kept the atmosphere light. But now, they had to talk why there was a meeting hosted now. “Now, coming to order.” Techno tapped the table with his fingers, turning the group members' attention to him.

“I know we're glad and excited to have Lunar join us, but we need to talk about this.” He commented, putting his elbows on the table. Niki also leaned foward in interest, Philza seemed relaxed for now while Lunar and Ranboo stayed in their positions. Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he addressed the real issue that had to be dealt by the Syndicate.

“We need to cause chaos over the upcoming L'manberg or Manberg festival.”

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 7: UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

“I need this. Now.” Dream’s voice was sharp, his patience wearing thin as he stared down Punz.

Unimpressed, Punz leaned back, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Gonna need more incentive than that.” Dream exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. “Seriously?” “Dead serious.” Punz folded his arms, unfazed.

Dream knew he wasn’t getting anywhere unless he played along. “…Fine. Five more?” Punz chuckled. “You think I’m just in it for the pay? We’ve got more chemistry than that.” Dream sighed, shaking his head. “You had me worried there.” Punz wiggled his eyebrows. “Although, the raise—”

“No.”

Dream groaned, crossing his arms. But despite himself, he couldn’t help the small smile forming beneath his mask. Punz was acting ridiculous over this, and it was almost funny.

“Maybe I’ll think about it,” Dream admitted at last. Punz grinned. “White-Blond duo for the win, man.”

Dream waved him off, chuckling. “That name sucks.” Punz gasped in exaggerated offense, stomping out of the base as if deeply wounded by the simple words alone.

Dream snorted, shaking his head before turning back to his work.

"Rainbow… There’s no way that’s her real name," Dream muttered, staring at the bunker wall.

His mind raced, calculations stacking upon each other. They were practically useless—but maybe, just maybe, they didn’t have to be. If any of them aligned with L’manberg, it could tip the scales in his favor. The right words, the right push… and they’d do the work for him. He tapped his mask idly as he stared into space.

Dream leaned against the wall, lost in thought. It couldn’t be that easy… unless they were gullible enough to act without thinking through the consequences. But not yet. Moving too soon would only raise suspicion, and he couldn’t afford that—not before everything was in place. He needed a solid foundation before making his next move.

“You wanted that part too?” Punz’s voice cut through the quiet, making Dream flinch. He hadn’t expected him to return so quickly.

Regaining his composure, he turned to face him. “I thought you were handling what I told you to do.” His tone was sharp, expectant. Punz shrugged, his white hood pushed back, hair slightly disheveled. “I could do it later. Taking a break for now.”

Dream muttered something under his breath—maybe a curse, maybe something else—but whatever it was, Punz didn’t catch it.

“You might wanna run that by me again, bossman.” Punz cocked his head, unimpressed. Dream’s patience snapped. His head whipped toward Punz, irritation flashing in his eyes. “Listen here, you little shit—” Before he could finish, Punz took off, sprinting deeper into the base.

“Fuck, sorry!” he called over his shoulder, hoping to de-escalate whatever storm he’d just stirred up.

The night had fully settled, casting deep shadows over the land. The four sat around the couch, waiting in uneasy silence for Rainbow’s return. “Should we go find her?” Funneh suggested, glancing toward the door. Before anyone could respond, it creaked open.

“Rainbow!” They all called in sync, relief evident in their voices.

She only managed a weak smile. “Hey,” she murmured, stepping inside. Her gaze flickered over each of them, her fingers briefly brushing their faces—just for a second, just enough for them to notice—before she pulled away. Gold frowned. “What happened?” She’d felt it in Rainbow’s touch—the hesitation, the tension.

Rainbow shook her head. “Nothing,” she said too quickly. “It’s late. Let’s just get to bed.” The others exchanged glances. They weren’t convinced, but they let it slide—for now.

The morning was followed by nothing but chaos.

A sharp, erratic scream jolted through the house. Lydia’s voice—angry, frantic—clashed with Karl’s, and another, harder-to-identify voice.

Draco, ever the deep sleeper, didn’t stir or budge a limb at the sounds. Gold shoved her headphones on and buried herself under the blankets. Funneh did the same, her thoughts already tangled with last night’s events. That left only Lunar and Rainbow to investigate.

Disheveled and half-awake, Lunar rubbed at her eye while Rainbow ran a hand through her tangled hair, stifling a yawn. Downstairs, Lydia and Karl stood rigid in the living room, locked in a tense standoff with two familiar figures—Tommy and Tubbo. It was far too early for a friendly visit. The shouting alone made that clear.

“What do you mean Jschlatt merged with Quackity for the election?!” Lydia’s voice cracked like a whip as she glared at the boys.

Tommy hesitated under her sharp stare. “I—”

“Do you even realize what this means, Thomas?” she snapped, though her tone softened at the end. Karl, sensing her rising anger, stepped forward. “Lydie, calm down…” His voice was quiet but firm. His attempt to smooth things over barely made a dent in the tension.

Noticing Lunar and Rainbow at the stairs, he forced a strained smile. “Morning. Food’s in the kitchen—it’s hot.” Lydia exhaled sharply and sat down, pressing her fingers to her temples. “It’s… a minor inconvenience,” she muttered, though the weight in her voice betrayed the lie. Karl nodded, picking up on the act. “We’ll handle it,” he assured them, shooting Lunar and Rainbow a glance.

Lunar took the hint and disappeared into the kitchen. Rainbow, still uneasy, turned back upstairs to wake the others.

Lydia suddenly stood. “We’re going down there. Right now.”

Her voice left no room for argument. Without hesitation, she grabbed her unenchanted netherite sword and her enchanted diamond axe—Daydream—before heading toward the door. “Wait!” Tubbo called, hurrying after her, Tommy at his heels. They moved fast—too fast—toward L’manberg, toward the heart of the chaos.

And it wasn’t just their future at stake. This would affect everyone. Dream. The nation. The entire land itself.

Lydia’s mind was set. “I’m talking to Quackity, that's final.” she declared as they reached the walls. She barely spared Tommy and Tubbo a glance. “You kids go back and do what you need to.”

There was no time to waste. The room was easy to find. She stepped inside, boots echoing against the floor. Quackity sat at the table, Jschlatt lounging in the chair across from him.

Lydia cleared her throat. The sound sliced through the hushed air. Both men turned toward her, identical wicked grins stretching across their faces.

“Lydia,” Quackity drawled as he stood, stepping forward. “We were expecting you.”

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 6: IS THIS BETRAYAL?

"What do you want from me?" Rainbow asked as she sat down where he had taken her. He was sitting right in front of her, his expression hidden well behind his mask. Dream chuckled, staring at her from under the mask. It wasn't entirely on his face, just pulled up enough to reveal his mouth and the tip of his nose.

It was safe to say he hadn't kidnapped the woman, but had.. persuaded her to come with him and help him with a promise of her being helped as well by him whenever she needed it.

"Just a bit of your help, nothing drastic." He gave a smile that was too wide to be considered friendly. Rainbow looked at him, very suspicious of his words. She crossed her arms while glaring at him. She didn't believe him the slightest when he said it was nothing drastic.

She stayed quiet for a few minutes before saying, "Why would I need your help?" Dream sighed, pulling his mask down over his face and his hood off his head. It was sure to Rainbow that he was getting annoyed by the minute because of how difficult she was being. He shook his head, turning back to her.

"You have no idea what the world here is like." His words were short yet brief to hint at the dangers that awaited outside of the small bunker they were currently in. It was definitely a make-shift one by how broken down it looked.

"Are you like, homeless?" She asked, raising a brow. She had been observing her surroundings ever since they went down here and she couldn't help herself to finally ask him what was on her mind. He sharply inhaled, the sound echoing through the room. It was a sign of offense being taken by her words. "I-I am not homeless! Why would you say that?!" He almost was yelling, he was definitely triggered by the question.

Rainbow bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the explosive response she was getting by her simple inquiry if he had a house or not. He was probably used to being teased like that. "Don't be like Techno, goddamn it!" He groaned out of agony as he leaned against his chair. This caught Rainbow's attention at last. Techno? Who was this person now? Whoever it was, definitely used to taunt Dream just like how she was taunting him. "So he also knows you're homeless? You poor thing." She mumbled, looking upset for him.

He groaned, sitting up straight as he glared at her from under his mask. This was getting on his nerves now. He was trying to do something and this ended up as something entirely different from his actual goal. "Stop that, Rainbow." He warned, trying to compose himself as he shook his head. He really needed to get a grip back to what he wanted to do. Rainbow's voice still came out quietly with a small chuckle.

That made him lose it completely.

"I mean it, Rainbow. I'm capable of things you could never imagine," He said again with the same tone as she tried to hold back yet another chuckle. "Like... building or getting yourself a home?" She asked, feigning innocence with her tone. He clenched his fists, ready to punch her or pick up Nightmare and just slice her head off just then and there.

No, not yet. He mumbled to himself inwardly before taking a breath and staring blankly at her.

"To your siblings." He added to his previous warning and it was enough to get the grin off Rainbow's face. Well, it worked better than expected. He thought as he finally relaxed. "What? Patches got your tongue?" He laughed softly, loving the look of angry returning to her face.

"Don't even think of it." She was the one glaring now and it amused Dream to such an extent to seeing that how marvelously the tables had flipped yet again back to his favor. He got up and approached the weapon board he had set, turning the light so she could have a small idea of what he had. Her eyes widen slightly, seeing all the enchantments and netherite materials he had.

"Impressive, I know." He said, walking back to her. He stood in front of her, leaning down to put his hand on her neck. He looked down at her and spoke softly, "I can break the evergrowing peace between your siblings in a matter of seconds. It's either my way or the hard way. Make your choice, Rainbow."

She looked up at him, trying to pick between choosing her siblings' peace and the risk of sacrificing of their safety or choosing her siblings' protection with the risk of betraying them in the worst way possible for them to know. "I.. I'll tell you when I feel I have to." She sighed, knowing it was going to end in the worst case scenario regardless but it would be nice to at least think about the options she was given before making a choice. She really just wanted to live with her family and pets in peace...

Lunar entered the cabin again, statisfied with what happened with Techno and Philza back there. As she walked in, she felt the wight of Funneh, Gold and Draco pulling her down into a hug on the floor. From the background came a small laugh from an unrecognized person... Karl.

She smiled, trying to get up and push them off her. "Alright, get off guys." She huffed as she felt them untangle themselves from her. Not really... just Draco. Funneh and Gold still clung to her like two sloths.

"You ran off, dumbass." Funneh muttered, earning a hit from Gold on the head. "Don't call her that, idiot." Lunar couldn't help but laugh at it. They still argued like nothing had happened a while ago. It felt good to forget it either way; to not fight and just be the family they truly were.

"Yeah, we kind of got lost but we found our way back." She explained, looking over at the couch. There was Karl and Lydia... Maybe Sapnap had left while they were gone. Draco smiled softly, wiping his eyes with his sleeve as their other two siblings got up.

"Where's Rainbow?" She asked, darting her eyes around the house in search of the eldest sibling. Funneh and Gold shrugged. "No idea.. She was here before but now it's like she vanished." Gold stated, trying to mask her worry for the woman.

"Don't think of it too hard... She can handle herself, she probably needs space." Draco tried to comfort his sisters, shooting a small comforting look. Lunar and Funneh nodded in agreement before Gold also nodded in a silent 'yes'.

"It's great to see you all together again,"

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 5: Family or Trusteeship?

"GOLD!" Funneh yelled, for the tenth time. She was losing her breath while struggling to catch up with her sister. "Gold, wait!" She pleaded, falling behind as she tried to catch her breath. After another five-minute run, Gold stopped. Funneh immediately put all her strength into it and dashed it, falling right over her sister after trying to stop herself.

"Where's Draco and Lunar?" Gold asked, sitting up and looking behind Funneh. There was no sight of any distant figures or their voices. "They're probably lacking behind.." Funneh said, hoping whatever she said was true. If it weren't, that would be another problem they would have to deal with. Setting the two youngest siblings aside, Funneh embraced Gold tightly, "Why did you run?" She looked up at Gold who had the same dreary expression on her as well. The brown hair woman stared down at the grass, not saying anything.

"Don't stay quiet... You tell me everything." Her voice cracked slightly, the words came out in a much higher pitch than usual. More silence followed it, and Gold said nothing. Funneh didn't press further, just holding her elder sister to her to comfort her and herself as well. Everything was slowly fading away for them, leaving just them there in the field. 

"I panicked.." Finally, Gold's breathy and low-toned voice came out. Her usual frequency was also gone from her voice as she just sat there, in Funneh's arms. Another sob left Funneh's mouth as she hugged her tighter. They again went quiet with each other. Oddly enough, the tranquility of the surroundings was much more peaceful than what they just witnessed. They also preferred this.

Gold shook her head, falling back against the grass. It was much softer than the grass by the cabin. Funneh didn't let her say anything nor did she say anything. It was just them and the wind for a couple of moments, while they stayed in an embrace on the grass. After recollection of both of their emotions, they stood up. Funneh got up and helped up Gold as they looked back, having no trace of Lunar or Draco again.

"They were right behind me-!" Funneh pointed out, now no one being her. It was like the two might have strayed away from her and changed their path elsewhere. "What?!" Gold's eyes widen again, the tears once more threatening to fall. Both of them tried to look for the younger siblings to no avail. They went south and east, north, and west. But... they weren't anywhere to be found.

"Funneh, where are they?" Gold asks Funneh again, her voice breaking but still raising its volume at her. "I don't know!" She replied, mirroring the tone that she gave her. It wasn't hard to observe the concern etched on both of their faces when the realization of their missing siblings and older sister finally struck them.

"Great! We're away from Rainbow and can't find Lunar or Draco. This is perfect." Gold snarled, looking at the never-ending plains ahead and behind them. It would take days to search the entire place. What if they had already set out as well? It would just make their job impossible to find them at all. The two are very active and if they tried to track them, it was almost like breaking a rock with your bare hands.

Funneh was panting again, trying to regain her thoughts and compose herself to think straight and a bit more logically to at least be able to pinpoint where she saw them last and then continue the search from there. But as expected, no luck. She couldn't find the place where she last saw them. Everything was almost identical. There were so many daisies over the land, every tree was there as an unreasonable landmark every two blocks away too. This was just fantastic now.

"Well, what do we do, Gold?!" Funneh's panicking was slowly rising to the surface. Her voice was slowly becoming squeaky as she tried to form coherent words while looking desperately to find her younger sister and brother. They couldn't lose each other so quickly, not right here and now at least. Gold's eyes were darting all over the place, just hoping to accidentally spot them anywhere near them. Why would fate be so cruel?

"You think I know?" She asked, getting scared as well for the well-being of the two impulsive siblings of the family. Who knows what the land has in store, those two aren't even geared or protected. They just vanished into the plains like nothing and were not showing back up anymore to their siblings.

"Let's go back, maybe we'll find them there." Funneh tried to resonate, helping Gold stand as she started walking back in the direction that she came from to Lydia's cabin again in pursuit of finding Lunar and Draco soon enough before the sunset and the night arrived.

Lunar and Draco find themselves back in the dense forests. "Are you sure they're here?" The girl asked, looking around at her limited landmarked areas as she continued to be dragged by her brother. "I think so." She got in response as they continued to trek through the woodlands with no idea of where they were going.

"You have no idea where you're taking us." Lunar again commented after a few minutes of walking in a presumable circle of trees. Draco stopped then, rubbing his neck. "Yeah.. we might be lost." He admitted sheepishly as he looked around to see if anyone was around who could help them.

Surely enough was a man who looked a bit out of the ordinary. He had a white and green striped hat over his blond hair. He had a green overcoat and a black... coat. It was hard to figure out exactly what he was wearing but there was an emerald hanging from his hat and a crow perched on his shoulder. They went to approach him but stopped when they noticed another person coming forward to the man.

Another towering figure who had. Pink hair. It was similar to Rainbow's but shorter. He had a pig-like mask that had two fangs sticking out and the jaw hung open. There was a crown over his head and a large red cloak over his white shirt and black formal pants. A very unusual duo for sure. Draco didn't know whether they should approach them but Lunar made her mind up and went forward. Draco hesitated but followed her steps.

"Hey uh-" Draco spoke up first, despite being unwilling to come up to them. Both turned their heads to them, a bit shocked to see two people who they'd never seen in the forest. "Yeah um... We need help getting out." Draco finished his sentence. He was just mentally praying that they weren't hostile like how Dream acted when they met him firsthand. The men looked at each other which was a look before the blond male smiled while the pink-haired man looked... uncertain of them. 

"Well, aren't you odd? I'm Philza, this is Techno." He introduced himself and the man standing his ground beside him. The air was slowly tensing up before Lunar spoke, "Lunar, my brother Draco." She didn't coat much and just spoke the minimum she wanted to. They both looked at each other again before nodding.

"So, you are lost," Techno stated as a fact and both siblings nodded. Philza turned to Techno before back to them. They look at each other a lot, for some reason. "We'll try to help you," Philza finally said, turning to the direction behind them. "Come on, we'll bring you out. Anywhere you stay?" He asked in a friendly tone as he started leading them.

Techno wasn't far behind either, but stayed silent and tried to listen quietly to them. Draco tried to think of something logical to say but Lunar already went ahead, "Nowhere specific. We stayed at Lydia's cabin for the first night ever since we got on." Both men raised a brow at that, "Lydia? Lydia Jacobs?" Techno stopped and asked and Draco nodded along with Lunar at it. "How?" Was all Philza could ask them.

"What do you mean?" Lunar asked, confused by what he meant. Philza sighed, shaking his head. "Lydia, well. She's a peacemaker around here. Used to be. She distanced herself from us now that everything has happened and all. She doesn't talk about it anymore nor does she talk with Dream." He tried to explain to them in a way they could understand simply for now. "Dream? What do they have to do with each other?"

Techno discussed next, "There wasn't anything clear but I heard that Sapnap said that they used to be a thing. I can't picture it but it was a rumor that was there." Lunar raised a brow at that while Draco's eyes widened at that. "Is that why he sent Sapnap instead of coming himself?" Lunar muttered to Draco who shrugged, "Maybe." Philza could just tell they were mildly confused with their newfound knowledge of the two. "What does Sapnap have to her?" Lunar pressed further.

"Lydia treats Sapnap like a best friend or brother. He usually visits to see Karl." Now, this just became a whole lot more complex than it was before. "What? This is so weird. Is this like a movie or something?" Draco asked out of pure disbelief of what happened. Philza chuckled at that. "There's so much depth you haven't even seen yet." Lunar groaned, "Sounds like a government speech." Draco rolled his eyes at her complaint. 

"Not a fan, I assume?" Techno seemed intrigued now. Lunar nodded while Draco shrugged. "I'm neutral, not the biggest fan but it's toleratable for me." Philza huffed at Techno's tone. "You aren't going to, are you?" He asked while a deep laugh came from the other man. "You know I am going to." He said as he turned to Lunar. "How about we talk over this after we drop your... brother off?" He suggested, turning to the teal-haired woman. He hoped she got his drift.

"I'll look forward to it, Techno." She gave a small smile as they were escorted out of the forests and could see the cabin once more with a bright sun above them. At least something was happening in their favor for once now. It wasn't hard to tell a few hours had been spent, as the sun looked ready to set very soon. 

"Here you two are, back where you were." Philza pointed out with a slight smile; much less than the one he gave before but it could still be considered as a smile to them. Draco saw them once before going ahead and walking towards the cabin while Lunar stalled her walk. Philza was a bit taken aback by it but she turned to gaze over to Techno and was as straightforward as she could ever be, "What did you want to talk about? Is it important right now?" She asked as Techno stepped forward.

He took a few seconds before replying, "Not exactly understanding what you are terming as 'important' here but I thought I could make an offer. This would stay between us but advantageous for both ends. You don't have to trust anyone, just us. The best perk is... you don't get controlled by any governmental body." Lunar was skeptical of his words, mostly unsure of what he was trying to hint at by his vague words. "What is this that you're talking of?" She asked gently.

"The Syndicate, Lunar. We don't accept any tyranny there. Just us against those corrupt government-controlled and power-hungry officials. What do you say?" He gave his gloved hand to her. Lunar snickered at that, giving her gloved hand in his. "Arson?" She simply asked and he laughed at it. "Now you're speaking my language."

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 4: MIXED EMOTIONS

Rainbow saw Lydia walk into her bedroom with an unusual look of sorrow. The door slammed shut before she could even react to it. She sighed, deciding to let it go and talk to her later. She made her way downstairs. Groaning and annoyed voices came from behind her, but she ignored them.

As Rainbow descended the staircase, a flicker of curiosity tugged at her. She glanced towards the living room and spotted two men lounging on the couch. They weren't laughing or talking, just sitting in pure silence. One of them had a sparkling purple book, while the other man, who resembled Sapnap, was lounging with his legs on the coffee table and his arm around the other man, focused on his phone. They seemed comfortable in Lydia's house, even in her presence, perhaps without even asking for permission. Since Sapnap was there, Rainbow felt no need to interrupt the interaction.

So, she didn't provoke either of them and just minded her business while going into the kitchen to help herself with some tea and breakfast. Lydia had left a small note on the fridge, pinned by a sticker. It read out 'If any of you are hungry, there's a lot of food in here. Just heat it <3 -Ly'. It was a small yet sweet note. As written, Rainbow decided to take out a few things for her and her siblings.

She walked out with everyone's meal, knowing they would be cooped up in Draco's or Funneh's room. While leaving the kitchen, she heard Sapnap's voice calling her. "Hey, uh, Funneh!" When he realized he called the wrong name, Rainbow glared at him. He took a second before correcting himself, "I meant Rainbow, yeah." She sighed, rolling her eyes before turning to him fully. 

"What do you need, Saps?" She responded, putting the food down temporarily. "Have you seen Lyds anywhere?" The question was as ordinary as it could seem but unusual in the setting. Nonetheless, Rainbow shook her. She went to pick up the food again, "Haven't seen her since last night." Now, the other man sighed, turning to Sapnap and offering her a better view of how he looked with a complete side profile instead of looking like a purple blob because of his hoodie.

He had short brown hair, just below his ears and soft-looking brown eyes that sincerely matched Lydia's. Maybe this was her brother, which she mentioned before. His hoodie was a dark purple with a compact shine and the initials KJ engraved on the back. She raised a brow after inspecting the man who smiled at her nicely and waved, "Hi! I'm Lydia's brother, Karl." She smiled back at him, approaching the stairs behind the couch. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rainbow. My siblings are upstairs."

He nodded, letting her go up. She walked up and noticed the crack in the room chosen by Funneh. It was clear that everyone was inside. She opened the door and placed the food on the table at the end of the bed before closing the door. "Rainbow!" Gold called out. Lunar and Draco smiled at her while Funneh waved. "Finally, I was so hungry," Draco mumbled, gesturing Rainbow to sit down faster.

"So, Rainbow," Lunar started while she took her food along with her siblings who also took whatever food they wanted to have or eat. "You met Karlos yet?" She asked, taking a bite of her toast as Rainbow looked shocked. "You already met him?" Funneh snickered with Draco at that as Gold nodded. "He's a nice guy, like his sister." Draco tried to speak as well but had a full cookie in his mouth. Lunar laughed at that, Rainbow shaking her head. "Stop that." He let out a hum at her, tried to bite down on it and chew.

The morning was calm, the siblings didn't do much the entire time until midday when Gold was getting impatient. She was huffing and groaning every few minutes and kept pacing around. It was kind of like she might jump out of the window if she had enough. "What's wrong Gold? What are you doing?" Funneh asked, confused. The entire room was slowly becoming concerned since she was acting so weird.

"I can't anymore! We haven't done a single thing but sit around. Get your lazy butts off the bed and do something!" Gold complained, stomping her foot gently against the wooden floor. She crossed her arms as she turned to a wall. Rainbow sighed, leaning against the bedframe as she went back to her phone. Lunar rolled her eyes before focusing on the book she found downstairs from a bookshelf. Draco went back to his food while Funneh shook her head.

"Seriously? None of you care?" Gold was astonished by how they easily ignored her. That was when she had enough and took her phone before just stomping out of the room. None of them did anything, expecting her to come back. But when she didn't, all four of them rushed to their feet and also ran out the door and followed her through the front door. By now, Lydia had also went downstairs and was sitting on the singular seat while Karl and Sapnap were still on the couch. They watched in amusement as they watched the siblings' exchange.

"Gold! Stop, woman!" Funneh called out as Draco rushed ahead to grab her by the shoulders. They were a few blocks ahead of the cabin by now. The house was diminished into a small blur now from where they were. Finally, there were able to stop her from advancing. "Are you crazy? You can't just run off like that!" Rainbow yelled at her, forcefully grabbing Gold by her wrists. "You're being incredibly stupid and annoying, why are you doing this?" Rainbow's light eyes glared right into her brown eyes with hatred and annoyance in them.

"Rainbow-" Lunar tried to consolodate but was interrupted, "Stay the fuck out of this, Lunar." Rainbow snapped at her before slapping Gold against the cheek. "You're putting not just your life in danger but all of theirs because they want to make sure you're safe. But you keep pulling off dumb shit like this and I've had enough." Funneh and Draco stared in disbelief at their older sister. "Rainbow.." Gold mumbled under her breath. That was when she realized what she had done. "Gold... Look-"

Rainbow reached out to comfort her but Gold just ran off in the direction she was running before. "GOLD!" Funneh called out to her, running after her. Draco held Lunar's hand as he also dragged her behind Funneh. Rainbow tried to go after them but Lunar gave her a look that just screamed to stay away. "I.." She tried to gather any words to at least yell but not even an apology came to her mouth as she saw her sisters and brother run away in front of her.

She didn't know what she did, but whatever it was - it was wrong in every way. Behind her, a figure crept closer. "They all know you as a villain now, Rainbow..." A sharp chuckle came from behind her. She didn't turn to see who it was, she didn't even care about it.

Fallen to her knees, she was crying uncontrollably as she no longer saw the figure of her siblings in the vast plains that stretched. The grass and throns felt scars all over her exposed thighs but she didn't get up. She just... sat there. Tears streamed down by themselves, feeling like acid as they roll down her cheek and down on her hands and knuckles.

He knelt down beside her, running his gloved hand through her pink hair. "Such a shame, Rainbow..." He mumbles, now grabbing her chin to make her face him. His emerald eyes stared back at her tear-filled ones. She could barely make out whose face it was from how her vision was blurry. Her throat felt tight, even the sobs that came out hurt her voice box. She shook her head, hands tangled in her hair.

"What have I done..." She whimpered to herself, her mind going blank as everything looked shrinking and then sizing again. The flow hadn't stopped either.

He sighed, wiping some tears from one side with his glove. He hushed her, not holding her close but was wiping her tears with his finger. He looked around, making sure no one was walking around before pulling his hoodie down to reveal his dirty blond hair.

"Calm down, it'll get better." He tried his best to assure her, although his voice remained monotone. He was trying to get her on his side but he had no idea what he was going with this. He was even more baffled when she just throw herself onto him. Her arms around him as she cried into his shoulder. He held his hands up in defense before slowly putting them on her back.

"It's all my fault." She muttered. He raised a brow, smirking slightly. "Is it?" He asked, feigining innocence as if he wasn't standing around and watching everything unfold. Just as he wanted it to. She nodded against his shoulder and he ran a hand up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her. "It probably wasn't, don't cry." He really needed to sound more emotional sometime doing this.

"I'll help you but... you need to help me."

[sweetlyhell]

MASTERLIST

[ to be updated per post ]

[ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ]

Bricks & Betrayal Series:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Non-Fandom Works:

Make Believe Lies [ old ]

A Clown and the Audience [ old ]

Replaced Once More [ old ]

Fandom Works:

The First, Second, and Third [ Life of Luxury ]

Bad's Muffin-y Birthday [ BadBoyHalo Birthday Special ]

Extra Works:

FNAF Lore

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS & BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 3: PAINFUL MEMORIES

"Who really are you?"

Lydia expected Rainbow's question but didn't say anything; she just chuckled at it. She glanced up. "You're quite curious I take it?" Lydia didn't let Rainbow talk, smiling before she could say anything further to even ask her supposed question.

She looked at the windows, and then at the door. "My name is Lydia Jacobs. I met Dream through my brother." She left vague spots for Rainbow to overthink. Questions like who was her brother? What was she doing here alone? She may be banned or restricted from common areas. Is that why she lives so far away?

"Why are you detached from everyone?" Rainbow knew she had to start from the bottom to get what she wanted from this woman. Lydia took a bit but responded without a complaint in her voice. "The commotion of the areas overwhelms me and just isn't for me," Commotion? What kind of commotion? Shaking her head, the elder woman (Rainbow) avoided asking for more information on the commotion and took a different turn. "Who are you for Dream?"

Unlike her first questions, this one puts her off guard. She took a moment to breathe and tried to work it out. "It's... complicated really, but let's just say we're close friends." It was clear that the brunette was becoming increasingly nervous about her answer and was unsure how to respond, leading her to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"You aren't lying, are you?" The pink-haired woman was unsure but still asked. Lydia sighed at that, her expression changing deliberately at the question. It was a sign of her coming off clean to Rainbow completely now

"What you want is to know... both personal and hard to explain." She expanded her answer, hoping Rainbow would get what she was trying to hint at and understand if she was unwilling to answer further about her relationship with Dream.

Sure, they had a connection but it was nothing big nor anything either of them brought up; leaving her feeling uncertain about the man altogether. Overall, he never came to pay friendly visits. He always had a favor or requirement to visit to her, never casually as friends or even accquiantances.

"I hope I didn't bring anything painful while asking," Rainbow softened her tone, feeling a bit bad about how direct she was being with her and not taking any care of what she was asking. Lydia's fell back into its original facial expressions with her signature smile.

"Oh, say that! It was nothing, it didn't mean anything at all." She dismissed Rainbow's worried tone and turned the air much more lighter. She glancd at the clock before turning to Rainbow.

"It's really late. You should rest, you'll need the energy beause who knows what tomorrow holds?" Her words reamined vague as she waitd for Rainbow to retreat. It was past midnight and she was sure Dream had something up his sleeve for the family to see tomorrow regardless of it being harmless or harmful.

As her expectations, Rainbow had gotten up from her seat and began to advance towards the sstairs. She stopped at the first step, turning to Lydia with a blank look. The girl nodded, "Good night." She said before she saw her figure going up and disappear upstairs. After that, she slopped down against the couch; feeling uncomfortable as she remembered Rainbow's quetion about Dream.

"Who am I to him? Ha... I'm no one to him, not anymore." She mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes at the thought of the man himself.

"He thinks he's so powerful... Powerful my ass."

She put the book on the coffee table, her mood turned annoyed now. She had gotten up and walked out the door, locking it behind her. The spare keys were inside of any of the members wanted to unlock it and get out. The night sky was still dimly lit but enough to cast soft shadows over the plains. A branch crunching behind her lets her pull out a potion of weakness along with her free hand being on her sword as she turned around. 

"When did you get so weary, darling?" Lydia could recognise that voice anywhere she would go. She pocketed her potion; not wanting to come off as hostile but she couldn't trust him anymore. Not after what he did with her. "After you abandoned me like I was nothing, baby." She returned the words, her voice turning venomous at the nickname. A low laugh followed her words - but it was carried more emotions than just humor or lack of it.

The ominous figure of the man appeared closer, now right in front of her. He looked down at her for a while before gripping her chin to make her match his gaze. "Don't look away." He muttered, not trying to attract attention from any unwanted wanderers or any passerbys even though there shouldn't be any around at the time. Lydia looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting the gaze of no eyes, just two dots of a mask. "What am I even looking at, idiot?"

He scoffed at her dismissing tone. He used his left hand to lift up the mask onto his head so at least his eyes were on display for her; just as she wanted to see. He stared down back at her, trying to form coherent words while his intense gaze was being matched by her with ease.

"Look, I'm sorry." His voice came out as the softest whisper Lydia had ever heard. Nonetheless, she could still try to understand some part of what he was trying to say. "A little late for that... isn't it?" She said; much louder than him but her tone was still like a feather.

"I know... After Pandora's Vault, everything just - happened." He tried to explain but she wasn't in the mood to listen to it. She wasn't about to listen to more of his crap, not with this sourness haunting her. "Spare me the story." She replied gently. Her voice was never reaised at anyone, no matter how angry she would get at the person. This circumstance was no different for her at all.

"Just forgive me, it's all I want." He let go of her, taking steps backs. Lydia stood where she was, remaining unmoving. She hated pulling away sometimes, but it had to be done sometime either way.

She let out a small sigh, looking at him disappearing in the darkest parts of the forests - back to his home now. Outside of her vision, he had turned around to pull his mask down and had a slight smile on his face before taking off without looking back.

Trying to get the interaction out of her mind, Lydia went back into her house. She tried to focus on her potions when she entered her laboratory but was unable to. At the break of dawn, she was frustrated. So, she stormed up to her second floor and into her bedroom to sleep on it. As she walked there, she saw the Krew waking up but didn't talk to anyone; she just ran off into her room and shut the door before just laying on the bed with her pillow.

[sweetlyhell]

BRICKS AND BETRAYAL (fanfiction)

CHAPTER 2: ONE FOR HISTORY BOOKS

"The first leg of our journey, L'manberg." 

The words came out of Dream's mouth with a sour touch. Whoever resided there was not liked by the man - not by a long shot. But of course, the Krew kept their mouths shut as they followed the man with George next to him and Sapnap behind them; for protection against any surprise attacks from mobs. They easily navigate through the greenery and onto a paved path.

Trimmed shrubs and grass grew on either side with occasional flowers dancing in the wind as they walked ahead. They continue this trek for a good while until they reach a wall. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just four big enclosing cobblestone with watchtowers on each corner of it.

Sapnap sighed as he led the group and knocked on the small iron doors. It was surprising they didn't have larger doors for such a big space.

Sapnap took his steps back; staying at leas eight blocks away from the gate, they hadn't realized it but he had handed his weapon arsenal over to Dream who was still in the entrance of the woods. Sapnap held his distance as the gates opened to reveal a young teenager; Disheveled blonde hair and incredibly light blue eyes.

"What do you want?" He asked, the venom leaking from his voice as Sapnap snickered, raising his hands. "We got new people. Thought you'd be interested in showin' em around your home? They aren't with us, kid." He clarified as he kept his distance, an arm against a tree; gesturing for the kid to take the siblings inside.

The boy rolled his eyes as he moved aside, allowing them in and slamming the door shut on his face. Dream sighed, shaking his head. His face was constant or maybe he had a smile? He had a mask, it was hard to tell how he was feeling about the child's reluctance to let the Krew into the newly risen nation theirs.

Meanwhile, inside, the Krew were taken aback by the flourishing land inside the walls. A cafe, some people walking up and down, governmental buildings, stalls... It was almost like an actual country that was captured inside four giant walls of cobble. Rainbow turned to the blonde boy again, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Uh, what's your name kid?" She smiling softly at him. His scowl returns as he pushes her hand off,. I'm not a kid. I'm 16, and it's Tommy." Gold wanted to laugh at how cranky he was getting when someone called him a kid.

"Right, you're not a kid," Rainbow responded, nodding as if she was accepting her mistake as a pure teasing gesture but he soon brought them to the center and sounded a bell. Suddenly, a whole group of people were summoned in front of them. Everyone in the Krew was taken aback by the sudden crowd staring as they formed a formation and looked quite skeptical at them. Funneh hesitates but takes the lead.

"I'm Funneh, and these are my siblings; Rainbow, Gold, Lunar, and Draco." She said, pointing at each member of her family. The crowd looked at them, wary of their intentions as Tommy once again approached them, with a man who was a bit smaller than him and had brown hair. "I'm Tubbo, we welcome you to L'manberg!" The smaller man - Tubbo - seemed a lot more optimistic than his friend. He walked over to the Krew and greeted them personally and helped them as a guide around the surrounded area.

Even for just a portion of land being enclosed in a certain spot, it was like home. People were socializing, there were shops, everything you could have possibly imagined in the real world. There was like there wasn't anything outside of these walls for them at all now. Lunar stopped in her tracks at that thought. Was there nothing outside of these walls for them anymore? Why did they build it like that in the first place?

"Hey Tubbo," Lunar called out, stopping her family from moving ahead. As the young boy turned with the questioning look, Lunar didn't wait to ask what was going on inside her mind. "Why are there walls surrounding the area? What's happened between you and Dream?" This question hung in the air. It put the once quiet and serene part of the atmosphere into a more tensed and worrisome one.

Tubbo hesitated, gulping down whatever emotions he was feeling. His gaze fell to the fall, but he still spoke up, "Dream and Tommy had a few disagreements. It came down the conclusion that we'll have to thrive within these walls." His reply was meaningful yet confusing. Of course, Dream did seem like a person who was hard to convince and have agreements with. It wasn't so hard to see how the question threw the boy off. "I'm sorry for asking if it was a bit touchy.." Lunar quickly apologized, hoping it wasn't a soft spot for him.

Tubbo smiled, shaking his head. "It's fine, really! I'm sure anyone would be curious if they saw this, no need to be sorry." Rainbow beamed softly back. She liked this boy, he was easy-going and didn't take much to offense; unlike his best friend Tommy. As they finished the tour around the base, it was obvious to see the orange and red shades of the sun beginning to radiate the sky as the birds made small hassles and were returning to their nests. "We should get going," Draco prompted, looking at his elder sisters who nodded in response.

"Thank you for visiting, we really hope to see you again sometime soon." Tubbo said as a goodbye as he escorted them outside the gate where Dream was waiting. Sapnap had left for home with George a while ago and left the man alone to bring the Krew home safely. He sighed, looking up from his hoodie and walking to them.

"Great. I thought you were about to settle there," His voice was full of sarcasm that if you measured it, it would leak. Gold rolled her eyes at that, not appreciating the tone. "You could have said that we're late nicer." She bit back, not even debating of her choice of words.

"Careful." Was all he said to end the conversation. It wasn't an order, but more of a warning to her. Rainbow shot Gold a look to suppress her for now as they followed Dream in a new direction. It was away from the dense trees planted and the new nation they had met. It was on the plains. Nothing new... just a trail of flowers and a evened out path. It was followed to see a large cabin. It looked as if it had no residents but the maintenance was well.

"This is Lydia's cabin... it's usually unoccupied since she stays in her office most of the time and wanders along at night." He mentioned a new girl, and handed Rainbow the keys before shoving his hands in his hoodie and turning the opposite way. He didn't trust them enough to let them stay with him and his friends so he left them at someone else's home? How rude. As Rainbow unlocked the door, there was a girl on the couch; flipping through her book.

Light brown hair that was only till her shoulders and soft brown eyes that stared back at the five. "Oh, you're the ones Dream told me about. Make yourself at home." She gave a bright smile, as if she didn't even mind that they were in her house - let alone have the keys. "And, the bedrooms are on the second floor, mine has a name plate so you can avoid it." She added on, her voice much more shrill than it should be as she focused on her book again.

"Are you Lydia then..?" Funneh asked, confused by how unaffected she was being. Lydia nodded, looking up at her. "He told me when you guys were... there." She said, vaguely mentioning L'manberg and doesn't press on the topic at all; ignoring the presence of the nation altogether.

"Uh.. alright then," Draco mumbled, instantly going up to hog a bedroom and just sleep. Gold, Funneh and Lunar went up in suit after him, not really having enough energy to converse and deal with anything.

However, Rainbow stayed. "Yes?" The girl asked, looking up at the standing figure of the eldest Krew member. Rainbow didn't say anything and sat beside Lydia. "I know you can answer my questions." She stated blankly. Lydia closed her book, sighing as she fully faced Rainbow. "Pray tell, what do you want to know?"

The pink-haired woman took a breath, composing herself before straight up asking it out loud, "What is Dream trying to hide from us?" Lydia raised a brow, seemingly not expecting that. "I'm a loyal friend to him, I can't say much.." She mumbled as she looked out the window, "But we can discuss this tomorrow. It's a long story." Rainbow nodded, "But can I ask a shorter question first?" Lydia smiled again and nodded, "Of course, what is it?"

"Who really are you?"