#MADduo

[sioster]

Carpenter's personal project

close ups below

Hei, @agladeofviolets !! I am your dreblr secret santa gifter :)

Sorry for posting this so closely to the deadline but I've ran into some problems during my drawing process. I hope that my gift is not dissapointing <3

Happy New Year!!

Clean version

(If it's not clear due to the sketchiness of this style, Wil is holding a chisel for wood)

[supernovaa-remnant]

We as a society (fandom) do not talk enough about wilbur's first introduction to dream because it's actually hilarious, and we do not talk about the Minecraft dream cult enough

For context, this is from, like, April of 2020 (a solid few months before the whole pizza hut date fiasco). You can watch the video here, and the time stamp for this particular realm is around 19:25

If you don't know, essentially, wilbur did a video where he stole from his subscriber's Minecraft realms, and one of said realms ended up being a """cult""" (in heavy quotations bc it wasn't actually... it's Minecraft) for dream. wilbur goes in, he's on edge, and he has no idea what's going on—he just wants to steal and move on to the next realm.

Anyway, watch the video if you want. What's really funny is that wilbur had no idea who dream was at the time, so it was just some eerie Minecraft realm to him.

A few months later, tommy & tubbo join the dsmp, and wilbur via tommy asks dream on a pizza hut date, and you know the rest. I wonder if wilbur ever connected the dots between dream and the realm.

If you think about it, the idea of wilbur interacting with a creepy cult then meeting the figure of said cult, only to have his first reaction be to ask said person out on a date, is kinda funny.

Some bonus screenshots from the video:

[hiding-in-the-vault]

HIIIII ITS ME SPARROW. i would <3 to see either revivedbur + dream interacting or pogtopia dreambur ?? maybe in the explosive room or sharing a moment in pogtopia out of the rain ?? or honestly ANYTHING i just love them

Hello I’ve decided to feed you people in quality instead of quantity

Closeups >>

[zorishy]

I think he didn't do it, because, it wasn't his place to do it, and ctommy would have been more upset at him, if he killed his abuser and tried to play hero for it, which was not something ctommy wanted. If anything ctommy is the type to want others to face justice through time, or take them down but with his brother, in hand, rather than have cwil, do it alone.

I’ve never thought about it like that before. Though it’s a nice idea to think that Wilbur was thinking about what Tommy would prefer he do, I don’t think that’s the case.

If Wilbur really thought about what would be in Tommy’s interest as you said, he would have taken Tommy to the prison to let him get revenge on Dream himself. Instead, what he did was: take Tommy to the prison (despite him being uncomfortable with it), threaten to kill himself in front of Tommy, and make Tommy believe that his discs had been destroyed. All this did was take away Tommy’s agency and traumatize him further. Then, Wil had the nerve to say that he freed Tommy from Dream even though he clearly didn’t.

Discduo’s conflict was never really about the discs; it was about Dream controlling and abusing Tommy by any means necessary. Wilbur didn’t help Tommy. He did something shitty and manipulative to keep Tommy by his side until he left for Utah. I think, in Wilbur’s mind, that if Dream was no longer an issue for Tommy, he wouldn’t need to be protected anymore and would leave Wil behind.

Had Wilbur gone ahead and killed Dream, that would have been a selfless decision that would benefit Tommy at the risk of his own happiness. The fact that Wilbur thought about doing that does show that he has grown, but the choice to ultimately do something selfish prevents me from seeing that stream as Wilbur’s redemption.

Thank you for voicing your thoughts though. Even if I don’t agree, I appreciate the different perspective.

[cdreambur]

space au where professional pilot dream is hired for a transport flight across half the galaxy.

his employer even supplies the ship, a new model made by reputable manufacturer soot corp. and "one of only six released prototypes", as the guy proudly tells him.

dream's not complaining, considering the sleek design, strong motors, and impressive technology on the control panel.

with the first half of the pay deposited in his account and his cargo stored, dream boards, sinking into the surprisingly plush seat of the captain's chair.

flipping the switch to activate the controls, he startles when a sudden light flickers to life on his right, bathing the cockpit in a bright silver blue glow.

when dream turns to it, a face is staring back, and it's only now that he realizes that he's looking at a hologram.

"hi, i'm wil, your assistant navigator." the hologram says before smiling brightly at dream.

it takes the form of a young man, probably around dream's age, with wild brown curls, warm eyes, freckled cheeks, and a simple black sweater.

dream just blinks at it, righting himself in his chair as wil explains, "i've already received the coordinates to your destination. do you want me to tell you and let you figure out the route or should i guide you step by step?"

his head is spinning, surprised that the artificial intelligence already knows where to go when dream didn't get more than an "a small, relatively populous planet in the outer ring" from his employer. though this might explain why he didn't go into detail about it.

he clears his throat, finally smiling back at wil.

"i'd appreciate it if you tell me."

finally starting the motors, he listens as wil rattles off the coordinates, already mapping out the best way in his head. it isn't an area he's been in before, but he's visited planets close to it, and while it's a relatively long trip of around a week, it's also not a very complicated one.

when he voices the thought, wil agrees, right before rambling about all the reasons why the region is a lesser visited part of the galaxy and how that's good for them.

they're in hyperspace already when the talking eventually stops, wil blinking up at dream.

"wait. what the fuck is your name?"

the question is so blunt and out of the blue that dream can't stop himself from snorting, finally introducing himself. he tells wil a bit about his home planet, about his family, and how he came to be a pilot.

and it's nice.

the artificial intelligence is a surprisingly good listener, with a great sense of humor and a seemingly endless supply of little jokes and quips.

dream thinks he's going to enjoy the week of travel.

-

the days pass way too quickly. dream spends almost all of his time in the cockpit, talking to wil, who he's learned a lot about.

wil goes by he, and he likes to sing. he's sarcastic and enjoys telling stories. he knows a lot about the universe and loves nothing more than talking about it.

and dream's getting way too attached to an artificial intelligence bound to a ship that doesn't belong to him.

it doesn't get better when they reach the orbit of their destination.

because it definitely doesn't look like the planet dream's employer described to him.

sure, it's in the outer ring. but it's not small, and not populous either. in fact, it seems as if no one lives on the giant green planet.

"are you sure this is the right place?" he asks wil, doubtful as he looks down at the hilly surface.

"yes." wil answers softly, and there's something in his voice that dream can't quite place.

he pushes it to the back of his mind when the hologram starts directing him to the landing site.

it's... weird.

the place where they finally touch down is a flat area covered in green stems dream has never seen before, close to a majestic mansion that reminds dream of the strange, intricate glass structures you can find on diare.

something doesn't feel right, and dream voices as much to wil.

"i'm sorry." the hologram replies.

dream whips around to him, finding wil unable to meet his eyes and his expression hidden behind his disheveled curls.

"what do you mean?"

and when he doesn't get a response, "wil, what the fuck do you mean?"

wil swallows.

"if you want answers, go to room 16. and for the the small chance that someone asks why you're there, tell them you followed hullar's orders."

then, he flickers one last time before disappearing.

and dream is left staring at the console, torn between finding out what's going on and leaving to complete his job.

as always, his curiosity wins in the end.

he crosses the short distance between the ship and the house, surprised when he finds the door unlocked. no alarm bells start ringing when he steps into a grand foyer, and there aren't any people either. the whole building seems empty and unprotected, but there's a creepy air hanging over it that doesn't quite allow dream to relax.

two doors lead further into the mansion, and dream picks the left one at random, peeking inside to find a long corridor with numbered doors, all of them a strange off-white color.

the numbers start with two though, so he closes it again, walking over to the other door.

the hallway that lies behind it looks identical to the first one, but this time, the numbers start with zero and thus seem more promising to dream.

he closes the door behind him when he enters the deserted corridor, taking a slow, deep breath before he starts walking.

the even numbers are on the left side, and room number 16 is almost at the end of the hallway, looking just like the rest of it.

dream's hand shakes a little when he reaches for the handle, but he pushes it open without any hesitation.

on the other side stands wil.

he looks exactly like he did on the ship; messy curls, light brown eyes, smooth skin, a black sweater.

but this time, he's real. a person made of flesh and blood, just like dream.

dream doesn't know if he wants to punch or hug him.

"what the hell?" he chokes out as the door silently shuts behind him.

wil smiles sheepishly at him before ducking his head, curls falling into his face in the way dream has seen so often in the last week.

"hey dream." he whispers, and dream almost flinches at the sound of his voice, so similar and yet so different from the slightly distorted version of it he's heard over the last few days.

"what the hell." dream repeats, softer and a little more composed. he straightens his shoulders, letting out a deep sigh as he crosses his arms.

"care to explain?"

it comes out a bit more demanding than he wanted to, but in his defence, this is probably the strangest situation he's ever been in and he doesn't quite know how to handle it.

wil doesn't seem to take offense, although he does shrink a little bit further into himself.

"i'm really sorry." he apologizes again, tone the same as when he said it on the ship. but this time, he doesn't disappear after, instead continuing, "my name is wilbur, wilbur soot."

dream's arms fall to his side at that, the name registering immediately. however, he doesn't get the chance to think about it as wil goes on with his explanation.

"my father is the founder and chief engineer of soot corp., and as you may know, they're the leading company on the market when it comes to spaceships. with that comes a lot of envy and a bunch of very ambitious rivals."

wil finally looks up at him, a soft, sad smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"i'm my father's only child. and people know that hurting me would hurt him. so he keeps me here, keeps me safe. but i don't want to live in a golden cage anymore."

his expression shifts, something so sweet and hopeful in his eyes that dream has to hold himself back from pulling wil into his arms.

"i wanna see the universe. i wanna see the planets and the stars and the galaxies i've only ever read about. i wanna be free."

and dream knows how this is going to end, knows what he's going to ask before he actually does.

"can you take me with you?"

and how, how is dream supposed to say no to someone with so much wonder twinkling in their eyes, someone with so much passion and curiosity for what the universe has to offer.

he nods.

the smile that takes over wil's face is blinding and steals dream's breath for a moment. he basks in it, just for a small second, before he reciprocates it, gesturing towards the door.

wil nods, and together, they leave the room, and then the hallway, and then the house.

there are still no people, still no alarm bells, but the creepy atmosphere seems to disappear in wil's presence, leaving nothing but a content warmth in dream's chest.

it doesn't take them long to reach the ship, and dream sinks into the captain's chair with a satisfied sigh, something that makes wil giggle from where he's tucked himself into the co-pilot seat.

starting the controls, he expects hologram wil to come back to life, but the spot where he usually appeared stays empty.

"huh?" dream mutters to himself before turning to wil.

"where's the artificial intelligence? even if i found you, it should still be here."

wil's sheepish grin returns.

"you weren't talking to an artificial intelligence. you were talking to me. to get away, i had to find a way to contact someone, and since my father developed these prototypes here, i had the chance to secretly build in a video messenger."

dream blinks, stunned.

"so... everything hologram wil said and did was... you? it was real?"

wil nods, and something in dream settles at that confirmation.

because it's strange. theoretically, they only met twenty minutes ago. but dream already knows how wil sounds when he's tired and how much he loves constellations and what his favorite food is. and in turn, wil already knows who dream's best friends are and which planets he likes visiting the most and which ships he would love to fly.

wil is real, and he's here, and he's going to stay.

dream grins to himself when he starts the motors and lifts off, leaving the planet behind and entering space in no time.

stabilizing them somewhere where they're not going to be in the way of other ships, he turns to wil, planning to talk about their next moves.

he's stopped by the sight of wil curled up in the chair, knees pulled up to his chest as he looks out the window, sparkles in his eyes and the softest smile imaginable on his face as he watches the stars.

dream chuckles, quietly making a promise to himself.

he's going to show wil the universe.

[wolfyaphroowo]

Gay furries..and it's Dreambur...sorry, this is one of my fav DreamSMP ships QwQ I just think they would be cute together :P

Anyways follow my account to see more gay fag shit lmao

[whydoilovesomanyvillains]

Just learned they're called MAD duo as in mutually assured destruction and it makes a ton of sense im just an idiot

[cringefailantagonist]

hello c!dreamburians i offer a thing

[sundewhasaudhd]

It’s late, I have school tomorrow, I was scrolling through the TGWDLM, and this popped into my head, so I made it and now will be presenting it to you

ESPECIALLY LovePoison!MAD duo

[sioster]

ma.. ma there is something in my puter..

MORE UNDER

Digital enitity! Wilbur design :)

I suspect that when he was trying to fit in he went looking at the not sane part of the internet for information on humans.. his code got poisoned by sexymen

Bonus Dreamie & whole page

[supernovaa-remnant]

I have a teddy bear that a friend gave me who I named Wimblr. If you were to see a picture of him, I'd think you'd understand why I decided to name him this way. I also have the dream blob plush. I think we all know where this is going.

omg no way dreambur meetup real???

well, meetup between dre and wimblr, but close enough, right?

wait what’s this??

shhhh they’re in deep political discussion… dre still won’t give them independence, but he is interested in getting pizza

Oh no!! sappy thought dre was kidnapped by wimblr!! 😨 he’s here to… save dre?

dre needs to clear up this misunderstanding at once!! it’s very important that he doesn’t mess this up otherwise his friends might fight :(

all he has to do is not make a fool of himself.. he’s got this!!

dre tripped and fell :(

sappy thinks it’s hilarious, and wimblr is endeared, so at least it’s not the worst case scenario?

hooray!! sappy has agreed to not fight wimblr! he just wanted to make sure dre was okay.. how sweet <3

happy ever after!! now dre gets to have fun with his new friend :3

[hiding-in-the-vault]

:0 maybe c!Dream and Revived c!Wilbur?

I haven't drawn Wilbur in a hot minute

[sioster]

goofy aah

I don't know the @ of you guys who drew hedghehogbur as a borzoi but i love you. JEŻOBUR DŁUGI PIES!!!

Thank you Sif for hosting this and keeping me awake and functional enough to draw madduo B) everything for them <33333

Hello everyone, since we're all looking for a distraction rn, come hang out and draw things

[cdreambur]

au where dream and wilbur are both actors, set to star in a movie together.

it's the story of the fictional city of l'manberg and its fight for independence, the two of them playing the generals of the opposing sides.

dream is nervous, because contrary to wilbur, who's been starring in big productions since his early teens, the movie is dream's first big role.

but the crew is absolutely wonderful, and the worry about meeting wilbur, whose fan he's been for a long time, is completely unnecessary, because the first words wilbur says to him are, "we're making them gay."

dream can only stare at him, a confused, "what?" all that comes out of his mouth. he's kinda glad that they're alone in the meeting room, sure that he looks like a complete idiot right now.

wilbur just grins.

"come on, the part where i straddle you, the scene where you pin me against a wall, telling me to surrender? people are gonna ship these guys anyway, the least we can do is give them some good material."

he accompanies his words with a little wink, light brown eyes twinkling with mischief.

it makes dream laugh, the last bit of tension melting from his shoulders.

he smirks back at wilbur.

"why the fuck not."

later, he thinks that might've been the moment where his tiny celebrity crush turned into something more.

-

filming is amazing. the crew is one of the nicest dream has ever worked with, and he makes fast friends with a lot of them.

there's sapnap, tommy, tubbo, and george, their co-stars, niki and karl, two of the writers, and the director, phil, and the producer, sam.

but the person he spends the most time with is wilbur.

he has no idea if it's because they're the leads, they actually get on that well, or a mixture of both.

all he knows is that ever since their first encounter in that meeting room, they've discovered that they not only share a love for stupid jokes and geography, but also that the chemistry they're able to show on screen easily translates into real life.

dream is honest enough with himself to admit that none of it helps with the adoration he has for wilbur, making the butterflies in his stomach and the warmth in his chest stronger with every smile, every compliment, every hug he gets from the brunet.

he never realized how serious it got though.

the day he finally does is the one where they film one of the scenes wilbur mentioned at that fateful first meeting.

they've been doing what they were talking about then for weeks at this point, every scene between their characters charged with unbelievable amounts of tension.

it's fun, and no one has told them to stop yet, so dream doesn't expect anyone to do it now.

which is exactly why he's not holding back at the moment, hands wrapped around wilbur's wrists, pinning him against a brick wall that one of their set designers, foolish, built in the studio two weeks ago.

his breaths are deep and deliberately controlled, face just the tiniest bit closer to wilbur's than it has to be as his lips quirk into a malicious smirk.

"just give up. you know you can't win against me. you're not good enough."

he meets wilbur's eyes, the brunet's gaze the perfect mixture of defiance and fear, and not for the first time, dream is hit with the thought of how amazing of an actor wilbur is.

he tries to free himself from dream's grip in a way that probably looks much stronger on camera than it actually is, allowing dream to follow the script and continue to hold him in place.

when he falls still again, dream lets his expression shift into a triumphant grin.

"we have no mercy for you. we will burn down your houses, we will kill everything inside your walls, and we will take back the land that is rightfully ours, if you do not surrender."

with a sneer, he brings his face even closer to wilbur's before delivering his last line of the scene with a vicious tone.

"i wanna see white flags outside your base by tomorrow at dawn or you are dead."

spitting out the last word, he watches as wilbur flinches, eyes fluttering shut for a second before they open again.

when they do, dream is suddenly overcome by the urge to kiss him.

it comes out of nowhere, slamming into him like a freight train, and he's just barely able to stop his eyes from flitting down to wilbur's lips.

"cut!"

phil's yell pulls him back into the present, and he lets go, stepping away from wilbur.

"guys, that was a perfect one-take! you were fucking incredible!"

dream barely registers phil's compliment, mind stuck on the way wilbur's breath was fanning over his lips, how the only thing he wanted to do was surge forward and kiss wilbur.

it's horrible. he can't fall in love with a co-star. especially not wilbur soot, beloved sweetheart of hollywood and the public.

he glances over at the brunet who's straightening out his clothes before meeting dream's eyes, smiling brightly at him.

dream's heart flips and he sighs inwardly.

looks like it's already too late.

-

the rest of filming goes wonderfully. dream's pretty sure that some of his scenes with wilbur were some of his best ones ever, even phil and sam mentioning that their energy together is stellar.

it makes both of them grin shyly.

when the movie goes into post-production, dream allows himself a few weeks of rest before he's out again, meeting with his manager and visiting castings.

he stays in contact with wilbur and the rest of the crew, even encountering tubbo and sapnap at one of the auditions.

the ten months until promotions start fly by like nothing, and soon, dream finds himself in interviews about the biggest movie he ever worked on.

it's exciting, and fun too, especially since most of them include their whole cast, always talking and joking and laughing.

dream missed them, and it's nice to be in the middle of the chaos again, bickering with sapnap and goofing off with tommy and tubbo.

but he also enjoys the quieter moments, talks with phil or george and especially the bunch of interviews where it's just dream and wilbur.

his feelings for the other haven't disappeared in their time apart, something that only gets more obvious now that he's around wilbur pretty much 24/7 again.

still, he gets through promo completely fine and without blurting out every emotion he experiences in wilbur's presence.

he guesses the acting career was the right choice.

when it's over, six weeks of games, interviews, and two press conferences done, they get a few days off.

then, the premiere rolls around.

it's happening in new york, and their team rents out the whole floor of a hotel close to the cinema for all of them to get ready.

things are hectic, but the tension in the air isn't a negative one, filled with excitement, joy, and pride.

dream, who's been one of the first ones to be done, is wandering the crowded corridors in his search for wilbur, a grin on his face.

the last person to see his fellow lead was eret, telling him that wilbur's in the suite at the end of the hall, waiting for the rest of them just like dream.

when dream wanders in, the room is empty, but he only needs a moment to catch sight of the open balcony door, leading out onto the private terrace.

stepping outside, he's met with wilbur watching the city skyline, turning and smiling at him when he sees dream.

tina, one of their stylists, has put him in a dark blue suit reminiscent of the uniform he wears in the movie, pairing it with a crisp black shirt and perfectly polished black dress shoes.

thin silver rings adorn his fingers, matching the delicate silver necklace around his neck, a small pendant in the form of a star resting against the hollow of his throat.

hair messy and the tiniest bit of color on his lips, he looks absolutely breathtaking, and dream almost feels a little boring in the simple green suit hannah gave him.

"hey."

wilbur's voice pulls him out of his thoughts, eyes finally flitting up to meet wilbur's.

reciprocating the greeting, he steps up to the railing to stand next to wilbur as the brunet asks, "nervous?"

dream nods.

"a bit, yeah. biggest premiere i've ever been to, since, you know, biggest movie i've ever worked on."

he chuckles, a little anxious and mostly happy.

wilbur grins and gently nudges his shoulder.

"understandable. but i think you don't have to worry so much. it's gonna be amazing. and if it really isn't, just come find me and the two of us can go to subway or something."

brown curls fall into dark eyes that shimmer with sincerity, and dream, overwhelmed by the genuine offer and the soft curve of wilbur's smile and all the things they did together in the last two years, lets so much more honesty slip into his next words than he originally wanted.

"nah. i think i'd rather take you to a nice restaurant for our first date."

wilbur's lips part, and before dream can even properly register what he just admitted, he breathes out, "are you serious?"

he sounds so hopeful, completely different from anything dream expected.

it's everything he ever wished for.

so, he simply replies, "i am."

it seems to be enough, because not even a second later, they're both moving, their lips meeting in a chaste, sweet kiss.

dream's heart races as they pull each other closer, bodies pressed together when they part with matching smiles on their faces.

their fingers interlace.

(in the end, they don't ditch the premiere, but they do get dinner at wilbur's favorite sushi place a week later.)

[dreamsclock]

dream smp au where c!dream gets a companion in the prison, but it’s not c!techno. it’s c!wilbur.

[dingbatnix]

Tank

I had an idea like last minute before bed and stayed up way, wayyyy to late to get it all down. Anyway, enjoy!

Dream had been kicked out of his colony

He knew he could be a bit of a prick sometimes, and sometimes he got too lost in the moment and went overboard, but he couldn't help it!

His higher thought would go on the back burner, and he'd just be in the moment.

He knew he deserved to be kicked out, though. It was his fault the kid was dead, after all.

He'd just been teasing the teenager a little bit, and maybe he went to far, kept at it for too many weeks

But one day the kid had just ran off

Next he knew, they were getting news that the teen had been snatched up by one of the humans living in the apartment complex, and that the colony had to move.

Not Dream, though. He was forced to stay, because it was his fault the kid had run off, and his death was on Dream's hands.

The colony didn't want a murderer in their midst, even if it was an unintentional one

Dream could survive just fine on his own, of course, but the loneliness was drowning him in a cesspit of regret and loathing and the longing for any sort of company.

He just wished that he had somebody to talk to.

°°°°°°

So when Tommy hears his human, Wilbur, shout out, 'gotcha,' and a small, terrified scream, you know he's running in the bean's direction

He's not afraid of Wilbur hurting the other borrower

But he doesn't want the new guy to have a heart attack

When he gets to the kitchen, he tells Wilbur to let him say hello

But when he sees who the human's holding, his body shuts down

It's Dream, the man who tormented him for months

The bastard had made Tommy want to die, and eventually the teen had run off and been caught by Wilbur, who was pretty good, for a human

Tommy freaks, and Dream is both terrified of the bean and amazed that Tommy's still alive

But Tommy tells Wilbur that, 'that's the guy that–that messed with my head, I don't, keep him away! Lock him up or something"

So Wilbur puts Dream in a terrarium

Where Tommy convinces Wilbur that Dream's an absolute bastard and would kill them both if he had the chance

So Wilbur grows contemptful of Dream and hates him for what Tommy told him he did

So he kinda sorta neglects the other borrower

So Dream is a little more than starved, and definitely stuck in the tank

And he grows much weaker than he was

It doesn't take long for a borrower to grow weak from starvation

Less than the human standard of three weeks, but more than the mouse standard of two days

About a week, probably

Wilbur still puts food in the tank for him, of course

But sometimes he's away for trips

One such trip he can't bring Tommy with him (he usually does, cause he doesn’t want to leave the teen alone with Dream)

So he leaves him at his apartment

He forgets to leave enough food in the tank for Dream though, in the rush to leave

And his trip will take about two weeks

Sometimes Tommy will come by to gloat and just talk to Dream during this span of time

And he does notice that Dream seems to be getting thinner and weaker

But he doesn't think much of it until the day that he finds Dream slumped on the ground of the tank, against the glass wall, breathing weakly

He asks what's wrong, because despite his hate for the man, he isn't cruel, doesn't want to actually hurt him

So Dream avoids the question by telling the teen that he's sorry for what he did to him

That he didn't mean to go so far, but sometimes he just lost himself in the actions and forgot basic decency, that it was entirely Dream's fault and he doesn't want the teen to think any of it was his own fault

And Tommy asks him why now, why apologize now, you could've done that weeks ago

And Dream tells Tommy that he's going to die, that he only has two, maybe one day left.

And Tommy freaks out, really looking at the man closely

The other borrower is stick thin, and his clothes are so baggy on him they look like they might fall off at any moment

Tommy demands to know what's going on, so Dream wearily tells the teen that he was starving to death. That the human (Wilbur) hadn't left him anything to eat like he usually would before he left on his long trip

With a horrifying realization, Tommy understood

That was five days ago. Dream hadn't eaten in five days. That was practically a death sentence for a borrower, because once you went past that half week mark, you would probably be too weak to scavenge for food.

That's why they lived in colonies, as double insurance to stay alive and could provide help if someone needed it.

He tries to get the older borrower to say anything else, but he had evidently passed out

Panicking, Tommy scaled down the table, across the living room into the kitchen, and up the counter to a spread of non-perishables like crackers that Wilbur left out for him

Grabs one, and makes his way all the way back to the tank. It doesn't take him long to climb into the tank, the lid is open and his hook line makes it easy

He drops down inside, pulling in his hook with him and runs his way over to Dream

He can't let the other borrower die

He just can't, especially when the man’s supposed last words wore an apology to Tommy

Tommy tries to get Dream to eat the cracker chunks he brought, but the man is practically unresponsive

It takes a thin cracker-water mash (he'd had the water in a tiny flask he carried in his bag, some tinfoil mad a bowl) to bring motion to Dream, who's eyes flicker open to land on Tommy, then the cracker-water

He turns his head away, telling Tommy not to bother

But the teen convinces Dream to eat more of it until Dream turns away again, this time telling Tommy that he'll get really sick if he eats anything more

Tommy doesn't like it, cause Dream hardly ate anything, but acquiesces nonetheless

For the rest of the week, until Wilbur comes back, Tommy brings Dream food several times a day

Dream gets better, during this time, but he's still way too thin under his clothes and still can't walk very far

When Wilbur gets back Tommy tells him to let Dream go

He has realized that what he had been doing to Dream (by proxy of Wilbur) was wrong, and that he can't do that to the man anymore

Wilbur, meanwhile, feels awful about forgetting to leave Dream any food before he left and nearly killing him

He does as Tommy says, and lets Dream down next to a wall exit

Dream stumbles through it, and while both borrower and bean are worried about the state of the other borrower when he left, the obvious desire to get away from both of them was plain in Dream’s voice and posture

It's not even four days later that Tommy finds Dream collapsed in one of the many walkways inside of the walls, looking worse than he did when he was let go

He tries to wake the older borrower up, but nothing he does works

Dream looks thin again, too which scares Tommy

Taglist that I forgor:

He drags to taller man out to Wilbur, who immediately tries to wake Dream up as well, no dice

They make a thin broth for the comatose borrower, and Tommy carefully pours a little bit into Dream's mouth (presently aware of what Dream had told him was 'refeeding syndrome,' during the week that Tommy had been bringing him food (a human term) hoping to rejuvenate the man a little

It doesn't, but Wilbur tells him to give Dream a little more in about fifteen minutes, and, "how fast are your metabolism, Tommy?"

Tommy doesn't know, but after about an hour Dream rouses a little bit

He freaks, at first, seeing Tommy and, more importantly, Wilbur again

But they both explain what happened.

Tommy tells Dream that he can't leave until he's back to one hundred percent again, so he won't die, and Wilbur agrees

"You're not—" Dream winces uncertainly, baring his teeth in a fearful grimace. "You're not going to stick me back in the tank, a—are you?"

They don't, and they let Dream recover all of his strength after several months

They bond over that time, and Tommy forgives Dream

Dream loses the majority of his fear of Wilbur, too, along the way, and they grow to be good acquaintances

If Dream ever starts to go to far with anything he says or does, a heavy word or a parting hand from a human—Wilbur—will easily snap Dream back into reality

While the older borrower is a bit reclusive, he hangs out quite a lot with Tommy and, to a lesser extent, Wilbur (even though the human still scares him sometimes).

He was very social, after all, before he got kicked out of his colony

@i-am-beckyu @brick-a-doodle-do @kayla-crazy-stuffs