#and on the other hand being able to move the clock hand and see niki post-nlm and go yep. the signs were there

[faebriel]

sending an ask to say that I am also very excited for this au so *holds out microphone* anything from chapter 1 you wrote that you think is particularly interesting or revealing about their characters

HI SPOON :DDD i'm really really glad you're excited for it i am also excited. thx for the brainrot

this chapter was interesting to write bc my number One rule with writing rainduo is that they have to feel comfortable with each other. like they don't always talk about everything on their minds with each other (wilbur certainly doesn't) but conversation flows easily between them in a way that it often doesn't with others. so it was interesting to write that as they've Just Met. the slip between pleasantries and actual conversation kind of happens without either of them noticing, until niki comes back out later in the evening and they just decide to. keep talking

i don't know about interesting per se but niki's general dissatisfaction with her job, where she lives, etc is very propelled by how she lacks a feeling of community and camaraderie with people in this place, given that searching for and desperately needing community is very much her Thing in canon imo. while niki is probably not gonna get any awards for bartending anytime soon she's pretty stubborn and would probably be fine if she felt even 0.1% supported in that environment or had maybe two friends. taking a stack and dropping a glass would be a Non-Issue if she wasn't feeling struck by the I Am So Lonely No One Cares About Me No One Here Cares About Anyone Else type feeling, letting herself spiral over something that really doesn't matter, because she doesn't feel she has anything that does matter in her life to fill the space. it makes her bitter and quicker to judge people and tbh kind of makes her Worse. unfortunately she is currently sitting at zero friends. she's in that stage of just-moved-out young adult (adjusted for minecraft somewhat fantasy setting) where she's still trying to figure out how to build those kinds of connections properly. also maybe proper staffing at work would be nice too. so when she and wilbur kind of just click it's like Okay this is my new best friend

something about that Rainduo Are On The Same Wavelength thing is also there when she and wilbur are talking about where they're from - niki definitely knows there's kind of more to what wilbur's saying about smp earth than he's letting on, especially given that he obviously has a rich coat and a nice guitar, but she instinctively lets that slide when wilbur even slightly implies that he's not really willing to Go There in this conversation. that is a piece of knowledge she's not ever gonna voice but it is tucked away for later

also the bit on wilbur's music. he's very much a showboater even if he hasn't gotten into politics at this point so it's one thing for people to talk to him then, but niki chooses to go on over and talk to him about music instead (even when he has kind of been a bit of a dog this evening). that's what he's sensitive abouttt. they have the loud conversation in the bar and the quiet conversation outside. she asks for her stolen shit back thanks but sits and stays to listen. and so on

oh i don't know if it's blatantly obvious or not but wilbur 100% gave schlatt the shitty cocktail and took the wine for himself. best friend no 1 👆👆👆👆

finally there's kind of an early vibe of sweaterduo where the two of them work together obvi and are best friends but there's still a bit of a distance between them. they trust each other 100% in a practical sense but when one of them needs help they are far too proud to accept that help from the other. so instead wilbur sits around the corner and plucks out some notes on his guitar (not saying he's immune from this btw he 100% does the same thing). i'm sure this won't cause problems later. i'm sure niki won't cause problems with this later

i don't know how much of this is actually interesting versus what is just rambling but yeah. much fun to be had

[pan-ick]

OK HOMIE i have been having shera brain rot so WHAT IF TECHNOBLADE WITH A S/O THAT ACTS LIKE ENTRAPTA you know.... very smart,wants to know everything, and can create anything they can think of

  Ok so I accidentally made this less of Y/N being the character you asked for and more of an Inventor! Reader because I got an idea for how to make this request into a series sdkshsajdsa-Anyways I did my best and I hope you enjoy ^^

~Techoblade With An Inventor! Reader~

  Wiping the sweat off your forehead you look around cautiously. It didn’t look like there were any mobs nearby, but you could never be too sure in the nether, especially with the very open bridge you made to get to your creation station.

  You were working on something Wilbur asked you to make, an automatic TNT system. You originally thought it would be extremely easy and quick money, but it turned out a lot harder when he gave you the description of what he wanted. A large amount of TNT that can only be triggered by one button and nothing else, and it ALL has to be triggered at the same time. Then, install it under L’manburg. But most importantly, make sure no one else knows about it. You wanted to question him but he very quickly walked away.

  But you decided to do it anyways. His citizenship may have been revoked by Schlatt, but he was still your friend! He doesn’t have any bad intentions and you know that. Even if he somehow did, he couldn’t use it. That would be breaking the law.

  To install something like this you would usually need Jschlatt’s permission, but you already knew that he would refuse to allow you to legally do that but you really needed the money or else he’d kick you out anyways. Even with the Blade on your side, the “president” of L’manburg would still kill you or throw you out with nothing to survive with.

  The mention of the Blade snaps you back to reality. He’s probably waiting for you. How long have you even been here?

  You look down at your skin and clothes. You need to hurry home and clean up fast. You couldn’t go on your date looking like this, especially because you’ll already be late.

  You decide to leave the explosives and the other material in the nether so they won’t slow you down and run down your bridge to the nether portal. Scanning your hand on a scanner you made to make sure no one can get to your portal or into your house, you check the time.

  11:46. You had been caught up in your work for 5 and a half hours and are running 6 minutes late from the agreed time. And because he was always super early to your dates, he's been waiting for a very long time.

  I have to install an accurate clock in the nether sometime soon.

  No, that’s not what I should be thinking about. Get ready. Then you can make a clock after. Techno comes first.

  You clean off as efficiently and quickly as possible and change, grab your bag, and run out L’manburg to meet up with Technoblade.

  Eventually you see an annoyed Technoblade in the distance, sitting on a red and white striped blanket with two picnic baskets and his infamous Orphan Obliterater laying on his lap.

  “Techno!” You breathe out, tired from all the running.

  He looks up in your direction, his face slightly brightening when he sees you.

  Technoblade moves his sword to the side and runs over to you to make sure you don’t pass out on him. “So..... Sorry... I got caug...ht.... Up in something.....” You somehow wheeze out.

  "You don't need to explain, now come on, you'll pass out if you keep using this much of your energy." He says, audibly slightly upset about how late you were, but mostly concerned. Taking your hand, he carefully walks you to the blanket.

  After a bit of silence, Techno speaks up. "So, what were you working on?"

  His question sent you into an internal panic. Techno trusted Wilbur, they were brothers after all, but even he wouldn't trust Wilbur enough to make a TNT contraption without any questions like you did. What if he thinks you'll do anything for money? His trust issues would never allow that. You knew that you wouldn't do ANYTHING for money, you loved him! But he probably won't see it like that. Either way, you had to tell him............

        Or....

       You could lie.

  "You know how Jschlatt taxes Niki way more than he should? I wanted to make something to make Niki's bakery work easier to take at least a little bit of the stress off her back." It wasn't a complete lie, you did want to make something for her, but it wasn't what you were working on and wouldn't take this much time.

  "Oh, how kind of you." He smiles. Thank god he bought it.

  "Thank you Techno....." You huff, still trying to regain your composure.

  The two of you eat your food, just enjoying each other's company, and occasionally making comfortable small talk.

      After finishing the food, the two of you say your goodbyes."Oh and uh.... Sorry about being so late. I got lost in thinking of ideas on how to help Niki....." You mumble out. "It's fine, you were only 10 minutes late. It's my fault for getting here an hour before the scheduled time."

  After a bit of arguing over who's more sorry you two actually say goodbye and go your separate ways. You head back to the now horrid L'manburg.

  "Where's the money Niki." "I don't have i-" "You've had plenty of time to pay your taxes Niki. I'll give you one more day, but then you'll have to rely on Wilbur to keep you alive."

  You had grown used to hearing this conversation between the scared but kind voice of Niki and the harsh and violent voice of Mr. 'President'. It always made you want to give up on all the hard work you've done for L'manburg and burn it all down in flames, but you knew that would hurt everyone else and would only help your pride.

  However, those words were new. Niki was always able to pay her taxes on time. It was a huge stress on her, but she always did it.

  'It'll be fine. Maybe if I finish Wilbur's project earlier than I expected I can get the money and help Niki out if she's really struggling that much.' You smile at the thought...

  OOPSIES I WENT REALLY OFF TOPIC BUT IDEAS ARE BLOSSOMING AND THEY'RE ALL NOT REALLY WHAT YOU REQUESTED, AND SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG :-: PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO WRITE WHAT YOU ACTUALLY REQUESTED

[aressss1]

Through Fire and Ice Chapter 10

(Technoblade x Reader)

Chapter 10

< Prev Chapter | Next Chapter >

~~~~~~

“You’re going to love it when you see it.” You could hear the giddiness in Dream’s voice. His hands were over your eyes as you, Sapnap and Dream walked to where they had been building your house.

 “Dream’s been working on this for days now.” Sapnap chuckled, “I helped a little bit.” You couldn’t help but smile at their excitement. You could feel Dream’s puffs of air hitting the back of your neck, his touch cool on your skin. When he led you to a full stop and he turned you, with his hands still over your eyes. He pressed his body against yours as he whispered in your ear. You could feel the heat rise up on your neck.

“I hope you like it,” His voice causing shivers to run down your spine. “A home fit for a princess.” With that he takes his hands off of your eyes and you open them. In front of you was a home planted inside the wall just like everyone else had, but this one had a tiny, enclosed porch, with little planter boxes for you to garden in. Big circular shaped windows on either side of the front door stared at you as if they were eyes. The dark oak door had a circular frame, and two blue lanterns hung from the overhang of the porch on each side.

 “I-I can’t accept this Dream,” You sputtered out turning to face him.

 “Sure you can! Dream’s done way better stuff than this for people.” Sapnap chimed in chuckling at the blush on your cheeks. “This is child’s play compared to what he’s even done for a lot of the people in our old village.” Sapnap scratched the back of his head. He didn’t go on when Dream cleared his throat, his eyes meeting Sapnap’s almost as if to tell him to shut up.

 “If you don’t want to accept it for free, I’ll make you a deal? How do you feel about that?” Biting your lip, you look back toward the beautiful house just waiting for you to walk inside. Hesitantly nodding, your eyes flit back to Dream. You could see his grin behind the mask, the sight making your heart flutter. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the festival going on tonight? To mark the one-month anniversary of us all moving down here?” He cocked his head at you. You shook your head. Dream was the first one to bring it up. Niki was too busy to think about anything else other than cooking and helping out at the hospital, and Techno didn’t know much about social gatherings in general nor did he care much at the thought, let alone when they were going to be, but you were the same way.

 “I don’t talk to a lot of people.” You shrugged and you heard him chuckle.

 “Alright…” He cupped your cheek, “How about you come to the festival with me? Then it’ll be even.” His voice almost took on a sultry tone. You could see the hope in his eyes from behind the mask. You gave him a deadpan stare.

 “That doesn’t really seem fair.” You were confused when Sapnap shook his head sighing at you. What did you do? This caused a laugh to come from Dream, his thumb stroking across your cheek.

 “Don’t pay attention to him,” he jerked his head toward Sapnap. “You wanna come to the festival with me?” His hand drops from your face. You ponder over his question. You remembered Techno wanted to build your house for you, he had actually asked you what you wanted for your house. Guilt twisted in your gut about Techno, well at least he didn’t have to worry about another thing to do. Looking up at Dream you nodded, it was the least you could do to repay his kindness. He lifted his mask, and you could see the excitement in his green eyes.  “Tonight is gonna be a good one princess.” He took your hand pulling you toward the house.

 The inside of the house was well built, and somewhat furnished. Still trying to get over the fact that Dream had called you princess, you followed them and listened to every word they had to say. Sapnap kept showing you everything that he had built. Overall, it was a nice home, what drew your eye was the fully stocked bookshelves and you found yourself gravitating toward that more than anything.

 “I know how you like your books, so I got what I could from around here.” Dream stood by your side as you allowed your fingers to trace over the spines of the books on the shelves. Sapnap muttered that he would be right back, and he left out the front door hastily.

 “Why are you doing any of this for me Dream?” Your eyes never left the books on the bookshelves, but you could feel his eyes boring into you.

 “I want you to know you have friends who have your back,” Dream explained after a few seconds of processing your questions. “Having a home is the first step to being comfortable.” He half shrugged. “This is where I want you to make your memories.” He let out a chuckle. “I think my first good memory of this place is when your face lit up when you saw it.” His shoulder nudged yours. You weren’t able to hide your blush from him and he led you to the small couch.

 “Who made the furniture?” You ask your hand grazing over a nearby end table.

 “George did,” Dream sat on the couch throwing his arm over the back of the couch. He kicked his feet out in front of him, one boot resting on the other. “He wanted to help at his pace.” You sat next to Dream, his face illuminated by a lantern hanging above your heads. He took his mask and haphazardly threw it on the coffee table in front of him. You felt honored that he took his mask off in front of you. He didn’t do that often it seemed.

 You didn’t know how much time had passed but a golden clock on the wall glared at you when your eyes met it. Oh no… You were late in helping Niki out.

 “Uhh… Dream, this has been amazing, but I have to go, please tell Sapnap I said thank you.” You pushed yourself up from the couch, and Dream stood with you. He towered over you, and his green eyes searched your face. “Where should I meet you for tonight?” His chuckle sent butterflies to your stomach as he cupped your cheek.

 “Meet me here princess.” His tone was smooth, and his thumb brushed over your cheek. “I’ll come by sometime after your route.” Your cheeks heated up under his hand and you pushed forward giving him a hug which he returned. The hug enveloped you, and you gave a content sigh.

 “Thank you for everything Dream.” You pulled away from him, tucking the hair in your face behind your ear. He fished around his pocket for a half second and he held out a set of keys to you.

“I’m glad you like your new home!” His smile was genuine, and you take the keys from his hands. It had been a very long time since you were able to call anywhere home. Returning his smile as you clutched the keys to your chest you moved past him and out the door. Booking it to Niki’s, you see a familiar red cloak standing next to your already loaded up cart.

 “Heh?” Techno cocked his head at you. “You’re late nerd.” He teased. His eyes worriedly ran over your figure, not that you noticed. You weren’t hurt, but you usually were never late. Techno was wondering if he should have been out looking for you. He had gotten the cart prepared in your absence to keep his mind busy.

 “Sorry,” you huffed out, your hands rested on your knees as you caught your breath. “Dream, Sapnap and George made me a house and Dream and Sapnap took me to see it.” You explained. This made Techno’s heart sink. When he wasn’t busy, he was planning out your house. His talks with you about your house were for nothing. You had even wanted to help him build it. Gritting his teeth, he turns to the cart, grabbing onto the handle to pull it.

 “I see…” He kept his voice as even as possible, but you heard the disappointment in his voice.

 “I know you wanted to do it, but this was kind of a surprise to me.” You shrugged nudging his shoulder with yours. “It’s not something that needs to be done anymore. We can spend our time doing other things, like mining.” He perked up at that as the two of you set off on your route. The two of you talking as you went.

 “So, Dream said there’s a festival going on tonight do you wanna come?” You asked as you handed out the food to the people on the street.

 “Is Dream taking you to the festival?” Techno peered down at you, as an old woman took the box of food from your hands. He had known about the festival. Phil had been planning it for a few days now. It wasn’t important to Techno, but the excitement he heard in your voice piqued his interest.

 “Yeah, I’m assuming with George and Sapnap too. I want you to come too.” You shrugged as Techno struggled to swallow down the lump in his throat. “You’ve been working too hard on the mine and helping me. A night of fun is exactly what you deserve.” You beamed up at him. Techno didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to say no to you, but he felt it would ruin your night if he was there. But… Like hell would he allow Dream to do as he pleases. If he didn’t show up, he would be giving Dream exactly what he wanted, and Techno was spiteful toward Dream.

 “Alright…” He grumbled; he wasn’t liking the fact that he was going to have to be social. The smile that spread on your face when he agreed, was worth it though. He kept quiet as you greeted the people who approached you for their rations. You happily handed the people their boxes of food, waving them off, missing the way they would side eye Techno. Sometimes they even had the gall to look between the both of you. Dirty assumptions playing across their minds.

 ‘They are nothing.’

 ‘Slaughter.’

 ‘Protect her.’

 The voices had their demands, not that he would give in to some of them. Even so, he would move in a nonchalant way, to obscure their view of you when their thoughts played out across their faces as plain as day. You kept making your way to people, handing them piping hot boxes of food. When you continually greeted people and asked about their days, Techno had zoned out, the small talk grating on him. You made it look easy. He wasn’t one for talking to people in general.

 The two of you were deep in the residential area of the Burrow when you ran out of boxes. You thought that this was the perfect time to show Techno your new home. When the two of you were on your way back to Niki’s you pointed out the house to him, which caused him to huff in annoyance.

 “Don’t be so grumpy,” You nudged his shoulder. “I’ll let you build onto it how bout’ that? Anything you want to build on it.” Your eyes met his and he nodded contentedly. A smile spread on your face as you fished around your pocket. You held the keys to your house in the palm of your hand. Separating the two keys you held one out for him to take.

 “You’re letting me have a key to your house?” Techno cocked his head at you. His heart thumped in his chest, and he took the dangling key from your hand, tucking it into one of his own pockets. The voices in his mind sounded off, projecting his worries on how you were too trusting, giving him a key to your home.

 “Yeah, why not? You’re literally my best friend.” An embarrassed blush spread over your cheeks, and Techno felt his heart flutter. You could feel his golden eyes on you, and you acted like you didn’t notice.

 “Hm,” Techno grunted as he nodded in response, not knowing how to respond to that. His body gravitated closer to yours, the back of your hand just barely touching his. Resisting the urge to wrap your hand around his, you cleared your throat. There was a comfortable silence between the two of you until you got back to Niki’s bakery. You still had the second half of the route left to complete, but with Techno there you didn’t mind.

 --

 After finishing the route, both you and Techno, made your way back to your new home, to meet up with Dream. Looking around he wasn’t around your home so you shrugged and figured you could show Techno around the place. You opened the door and pulled him in. He looked around with almost uninterested eyes. While you looked up at him and deadpanned at the fact that his head almost hit the ceiling. You knew he was tall but…  He had to be over seven feet tall…

 While you were busy gawking at him over his height, he looked around his eyes scanning over your bookshelves. His eyebrows furrowed at things that he didn’t exactly like, little things, things that could be exploited. Small holes in the wood, that could be used to spy on you. He inspected the windows, to see how easily someone could get in. He already wanted to install a deadbolt on the front door the moment he walked in.

 “I’m making you a weapon’s rack, for when we start making your weapons.” Techno stated. You knew better than to argue with him. You threw your hands up, while a smile pulled at your lips.

 “I told you that you could add anything you like around here,” You leaned against the wall watching him. He entered the kitchen, staring at a blank wall at the end of the house. He had plans, but he was going to build a door to something similar to Phil’s ‘backyard’ for you.

 A sharp knock rang out in the air. Standing up from the wall you open the door as you see Dream standing there, a flower vase filled with lilies, in his hands. You could see the grin stretching across his face when the door opened.

 “Hey princess,” Dream chuckled as he held out the vase for you. “Are you ready to have the time of your life tonight?” You felt Techno’s presence approach behind you as you took the vase into your hands.

 “Well, I’m flattered you noticed the crown on my head Dream, but you don’t really have to call me princess.” Techno bent down so his eyes were level with Dreams. His joke caused you to giggle as you walked over to the end table next to the couch. You completely missed Dream and Techno’s stare down. “Wouldn’t miss this night for the world.” Techno narrowed his eyes as he said it.

 Dream’s hands clenched and unclenched, and his shoulders slightly shook in a silent anger at seeing the hybrid standing in front of him. The sight soothed Techno, and he chuckled and straightened up and cocked his head at Dream. He regained his composure when you turned back around to look at them.

 “Thank you again for everything Dream.” You walked over to the two of them. Unaware of what had gone down, just a second before. “Are we all ready to go?” Dream cleared his throat as he nodded, his eyes scanning Techno.

 “Yep.” Dream gave a small sigh as he turned around and walked down the steps of the porch, waiting for you and Techno to join him. You locked your door behind Techno, hearing a satisfying click. You were the first to descend down the steps to Dream. You planted yourself in between the two men as you started off toward the town square. “I didn’t think festivals were your thing Techno.” Dream spoke up, side eyeing Techno through his mask.

 “Well, you see,” Techno started, “I’m tryin’ to be more social.” Techno gave a half shrug. “I also don’t want to miss out on all the fun.” Techno jeered at him; he was having fun ruining his plans. Dream picked up on Techno’s double meaning, and he grit his teeth.

 “I see…” Dream nodded, “had I known I would have invited you myself.” You looked between the both of them, quietly listening to their conversation.

 “I’m sure,” Techno rolled his eyes. It was going to be a long night…

 --

 The night was filled with friends, games, and drinks. Niki had joined your group for the night, opting to drink with you. Dream had found Sapnap and George and was conversing with them throughout the night. Every once in a while, Dream’s gaze would wander to you and he would give a tiny wave, and you would wave back. As the night grew on and you had gone to dance with Niki, you felt yourself stumbling, the haze of the alcohol overtaking your mind.

 You spent most of the night with both Techno and Dream. Wilbur and Tommy kept Techno company when you weren’t with him. They noted the way he watched over you. Seeing his eyes scan the crowd for anyone who would do harm to you, as per the voices in his minds request. They were instantly scheming, on ways to get you two together.

 “Techno, come on, Fundy’s got this drinking game, I think your girl’s playing with Niki,” Wilbur pulled on Techno.

 “She’s not my girl, Wilbur.” Techno sighed. The large crowd around him, was almost too much. Between that and the voices, he felt a little bit overstimulated.

 “Yet!” Wilbur said as he pointed upwards to accentuate the word. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” Wilbur raised his eyebrows at the hybrid. Techno looked back and forth between you and him. You had been mid drink when he looked over at you. He sighed, and nodded grumbling to himself as he made his way over to you. That was when Will noticed Dream heading over to your table as well. “Tommy, you gotta distract Dream.” Will’s head snapped over to Tommy as he nodded his head in Dream’s direction.

 “What do you want me to do man?” Tommy asked his eyes landing on Dream’s approaching form. A look of panic almost reaching his eyes. Will just pushed him toward Dream in a hurry.

 “Anything, just be yourself, and don’t let him near them.” Will whispered to him. He watched as Tommy walked up to Dream in his boisterously confident way. His arms outstretched and he gave a big toothy grin to the man he needed to distract.

 “Dream! Mah friend!” Tommy practically shouted, slapping a hand down on Dream’s shoulder. “How ya been? Come on, I got something to show ya! We gotta find Tubbo!” Tommy pulled Dream away and Wilbur watched as Dream turned to look at both you and Techno. He held his breath when Dream tried to pull away, but Tommy had insisted. A sigh of relief escaped him as Dream gave into Tommy, following him to wherever Tommy was bringing him to.

 Will headed over to your table only to sit next to Niki. He watched for Dream so he could distract him next if need be. You were already slurring your words, but you cuddled up closer to Techno practically leaning on him, and that brought a smile to Will’s face. Techno needed someone in his life and those close to him knew it, even if Techno denied it. Dream seemed to get everything he wanted, well… Not this time. Wilbur would make sure of it. At least for tonight.

 ~~

 You pulled at Techno’s hands, trying to get him to come with you to the dancing area. Swaying a tiny bit, your eyes begged him, even when he looked over at the other dancers in discomfort. He could definitely hold his alcohol better than you. He didn’t want to deny you, but others could use this against you… He didn’t want to make you a target like he was.

 “Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaassssssseee??” Your whine knocked him out of his thoughts. “When are we ever going to do this again?” Techno let a sigh out and he stood from his seat, leaving his cloak on his chair. His hand was still in yours as you led him to the other dancers. You got into your positions, this wasn’t any ballroom dance by any means, the music was too fast paced for that, people locked arms and spun around to the tempo of the music and the two of you followed suit. He kept you steady, even as you were tripping on your own feet due to the alcohol.

 Techno reveled in your laugh as the two of you danced, the outside world was quickly shut out when he focused soley on you. Keeping you upright, keeping you happy. It made him feel things that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Your hands on his arms felt right and that’s when he knew, that he would do anything for you, for your happiness.

 All this time fighting, adventuring… None of it had the satisfaction of when you held him closer. When he caught you staring up at him, with a blush on your face. He had lived a life that many dreamed of, but he only dreamed of you, and he found you.

 You stumbled on your own feet once more, and he was there to catch you when you fell, and you fell right into his chest. Both your movements stopped, as if time for the two of you was standing still, even as the others around you still spun in their dances. You laughed at your own clumsiness, letting out a little snort. That was enough to send Techno in a fit of laughter on his own. He watched as your cheeks reddened and you buried your face into his chest in embarrassment while you still laughed. This was a perfect moment that Techno would cherish forever.

 ~~

 Dream walked back to the festival, a bit peeved at Tommy who was still yammering in his ear about something. Tommy had led him to Tubbo’s bee farm. To show him bees of all things, while he looked for Tubbo. Why was this so important now? Any other time would have been fine but right now during a festival? Dream shook his head sighing. He was supposed to be with you, and you were off doing who knows what with Techno.

 “Tommy, I don’t actually give a fuck right now.” Dream interrupted Tommy’s ramblings as he turned to the boy to his right. This earned a scoff from Tommy, who put a hand on his chest trying to look affronted.

 “Oh, come on Dream, that’s rude.” Tommy started to say but he was interrupted again.

 “I had something to do when you pulled me away, isn’t that rude too?” Dream sighed rubbing at his eyes. “Listen, any other time would have been good, but this isn’t a good time.” He tried putting on a more comforting tone. “Just please let me go do what I need to do.” Tommy put his hands up and stepped away from him. He had done his job, maybe it was Wilbur’s time to shine. “Thank you.” Dream sighed and walked back to the main area where he had seen you last.

 You and Techno were absent from your table and there still sitting at the table was Will and Niki looking in the direction of the dancing area with interest on their faces. Following their gazes, he clenched his fist at the sight. Techno stood there with you in his arms, you pressed up against him flush. You seemed to be falling asleep on him.  Gritting his teeth, he just watches. Techno slid an arm underneath your legs holding you to his chest bridal style. That was enough for Dream.

 He left, the festival still raging around him. He went to go find Sapnap and George. When he finally found the two, he felt numb and angry. After everything that he did for you… Techno? No… He just needed to step up his game. Show you just how dangerous Techno was. The memory that itched across Dream’s face was enough evidence that Techno was dangerous, that all he did was destroy things. He didn’t want that piglin to destroy you, and he would do anything to keep you out of that monster’s reach.

 Sapnap and George greeted him, with Sapnap asking him if he had been with you. He shook his head. The disappointment that played across their faces was almost too much. George gave Dream a reassuring look.

 “I’m sure you’ll get her; you’re Dream after all.” George offered. “And the Dream I know always gets what he wants.” He laughed as his grip tightened on Dream’s shoulder. Dream sighed. His eyes landing on Sapnap.

 “Want to make some chaos?” Dream asked, he didn’t want to do what he was about to do. But he needed to pull out all the stops. Techno couldn’t control himself in certain moments and you would be in the middle of that if he didn’t stop it.

 “What’s up?” A smirk pulled at Sapnap’s lips the moment Dream mentioned chaos.

 “I think we should let everyone know we have a pig fucker in our midst.”

 ~~

 You were out like a light in his arms, it was only when he unlocked your door with his key and he stepped in your new bedroom, did you wake up.

 “Mm, Techno?” You still slurred a bit, but your eyes fluttered open as you focused in on his face.

 “I’m here,” His voice was barely above a whisper. He brought you over to your new bed, reluctantly setting your body down. His eyes met yours and you reached out for him.

 “Stay… Please…?” Your voice came out like a whimper, and he could do nothing but nod as he sat down on the bed, pulling the covers over you. It didn’t seem to be enough for you because you sat up, and tried to pull the covers on him, your head sinking to his shoulder as you tried but failed to do so. Techno let out a chuckle. This was something he was getting used to, but you were never so bold about it before. He laid down with you, after taking his mask off, your head still on his chest.

 You felt the room spinning around you and the only thing that kept you grounded was Techno’s hold on you. It was quite a while before you spoke again.

 “Thanks for tonight Tech,” You whispered into his neck, before planting a kiss to where his pulse could be felt. This made Techno freeze. Feeling your lips on his skin was something he had wanted for weeks now. But there was just one problem.

 “You’re drunk.” Techno’s monotone voice rang out in the room. He pulled away to look you in the eyes. This made you giggle.

 “So…?” Your eyes searched his, lips slightly grazing his. All you had to do, was push forward… And you did. Your lips crashed down on to his, and you saw the look of surprise in his eyes before you closed your own. Techno took a shaking hand trying to decide on deepening the kiss or pulling away from you. Unbeknownst to you, his eyes flooded black, his silver irises drinking the sight of you in, and his urges took over.

 ‘Ruin her’

 ‘Take her’

 ‘Make her yours.’

 Between everything he wanted, and the voices it should have been easy to fall into the kiss. But no… He pulled away from you. Gently setting you on the mattress, he got up from the bed. His hands clenching and unclenching. He couldn’t… Not while you were like this.

 “Techno?” The sound shattered his heart. You sounded hurt. If this went on everyone involved would regret it. He couldn’t do that to you.

 “I-” Techno stammered. “I’m sorry…” With that he grabbed his mask and walked to the door. “I’ll be right out here. I’m not leaving… I just can’t do this right now…” He hoped you understood, hoped you wouldn’t remember this in the morning, but yet he hoped you did…

 The rest of the night, was nothing but pain… He heard you cry yourself to sleep. He desperately wanted to go in there, kiss your tears away, tell you he wanted to be with you. But no, he listened to your crying on the other side of the door. He wasn’t sure if he could hold himself back if he went back in there. It was better if he kept an eye on you from outside your door. The voices shouting at him a million miles a minute.

 The night crept by and Techno did not sleep.

[shyrose57]

How many of you know what Dress Up Niki is? Because I’m making a Dress Up Niki AU.

Tubbo:

A simple boy from Lilith, as far as the group is concerned. 

Prefers Warm and Pure styles. Typically with some sort of nature or animal theme.

His default outfit is a pale yellow sweater with three thick brown stripes, and scrunched sleeves, over a soft green button-up shirt that's collar pokes out, brown shorts with green thread and a single bee embroidered onto each side, pale green socks, brown sneakers with green accents, a braided yellow/green bracelet with a bee charm, and a yellow and brown bee-themed backpack that he carries his stuff in.

There's a strange bee plushie that he only uses in emergencies, style wise. It's very soft, and smallish. It's wings are gossamer, and it's eyes are amber. Sometimes, it seems to move on it's own, though nobody's been able to prove it. Seems to have very potent Pure and Cute attributes.

Skills are Smile, Charming, Picky Immune, and Cinderella.

Tommy:

An orphan from Apple Federal who ran away and now is traveling the world.

Prefers Simple and Lively styles. Usually something sporty, and easy to move in.

Default outfit is a white long sleeve, a red short-sleeved hoodie, light brown cargo pants, red and white sneakers, white socks, brown fingerless gloves, and a brown satchel that holds his stuff.

One-third dark elf-one third forest elf, and otherwise human. Due to this, he can see easily in the dark, has more energy at night, overall has high magic stores, and is really good with animals. 

Feels a strange draw to Phil, though he can't pinpoint why.

Skills are Picky Immune, Gift, Clock, and Charming.

Wilbur:

Hails from the Republic of Wasteland, Windvale Tribe. Having always longed to study the styles of other nations, he finally left to do so after an argument with his brother, Fundy.

Prefers Simple and Gorgeous styles. Usually something with an 'old-fashioned' flair.

Default outfit is a pin-striped button up shirt, with rolled up sleeves, brown trouser, suspenders, white socks, a pair of laced boots, an brown, yellow, and blue arm-band peeking out from under his shirt, and a golden bangle bracelet on his wrist. Carries a briefcase bag to hold his stuff.

Very good with music, and has an easier time directing magic through it. 

Always has his guitar on hand. It has very potent Lively and Gorgeous attributes.

Skills are Smile, Charming, Critical Eye, and Picky Immune.

Phil:

Comes from Cloud originally, but moved to the North Kingdom as a teen. Nowadays, he travels the world with Techno.

Prefers Elegant and Simple styles. His clothes will be influenced by the area, as he is a survivalist at heart.

Default outfit is dark green kimono top, with a red heart stitched into the breast, over a simple black shirt, black pants, sandals, a striped white and green hat, and a leather pouch around his waist that holds his items.

Part forest elf, and as such, has a pair of large bird wings on his back, which he uses to fly quite often.

Skills are Smile, Charming, Picky Bounce, and Sleeping. 

Technoblade:

Former general from the north, he went rogue and became a mercenary at seventeen.

Prefers Mature and Elegant styles. Regal, but not enough to hinder him in battle.

Default outfit is a white poet’s shirt, dark red sash around his waist, black pants, knee-high Cavalier boots, a dark red hooded cloak that reaches his knees, numerous golden accessories, a leather pouch attached to his thigh to hold his stuff, as well as a dagger beneath it, and a sword sheath at his hip.

Immune to the Curse of Blood, for reasons unknown-possible descendant of Nikki.

Skills are Charming, Critical Eye, Cinderella, and Gift Bounce.

Plot:

Prince Tobias is the third prince of Pigeon, after Prince Dream, and Prince Eret. As the eldest, Dream has taken the throne in wake of their mother's passing.

Shortly before her death, the Queen gave her children each a special gift to aid them in the times to come.

Dream was granted a special mask, made of porcelain, and baring a simple smiley-face on it's surface. The mask is enchanted, hiding the wearer's emotions and weaknesses from everyone around them. Perfect for diplomacy.

Eret was given a coat, of deep red and golden thread. It granted it's wearer confidence, drawing attention to them, and giving them the strength of leadership. Perfect for leading.

And Tobias was given a bee plushie, warm and soft, that gave it's holder hope, and reminded them of memories of joy and childhood. Perfect for a boy who'd have to be a hero.

When Dream took the throne, he started changing. Acting colder, and more power hungry. Uncaring for his people. His siblings soon realized that the mask had become corrupted, not merely hiding emotions and weaknesses, but making them vanish all together, turning their brother into an unfeeling tyrant.

After failing to get the mask off of him, Tobias fled the kingdom, desperate to find the mask's maker, or anything to tell him how to fix it and save his brother. Eret remained, determined to help the kingdom as much as they could, and do damage control. Though reluctant to allow her little brother out alone, he realized it would be safer out there than in the kingdom at the moment, and helped him flee.

Very few had seen Tobias’s face, due to the late queen's insistence upon not dragging her children into kingdom affairs until they were of age, so it wasn't too hard for him to vanish. Eret sent a family friend his way, Jordan Sparklez, who helped him into Lilith, and established a cover story.

Tubbo Sparklez, a Lilith student returning home after traveling abroad to learn more about himself, just as his father had.

He soon meets Tommy Innit, a runaway from Apple Federal.

Tommy had always been an easy target for the other kids. He was always a bit too loud for the caretakers, and annoying to the other children. Not to mention his strange habits. Needless to say, Tommy often found himself being blamed for things he didn't do, and punished for them. At fourteen, he was fed up with it.

So he ran. Packed his few things and bolted. Eventually found himself in Lilith, where he quite literally crashed into Tubbo, and despite the rough start, the two became quick friends.

Though Tommy still planned to travel, he decided to relax for a bit, and hang out with his new friend. Those plans were thrown astray when Pigeon attacked the town, and the two fled together.

The terrifying experience led to them agreeing to stick together and protect each other. Tubbo confesses he was searching for something, because his brother was in trouble, and Tommy decided to help him out. After some deliberation, they decided to head to Cloud, hoping to find some clues there.

From there, they meet Wilbur Soot, and eventually, Philza and Techno. The three end up sticking with them, all soon wrapped up in a complicated adventure as Tubbo searches for a way to save his brother, and the rest of the group find themselves facing things about themselves they never knew, and learning where they belong in this vast world.

[the-asmp-wt]

(QUICK OOC COMMENT ABOUT MY POST. This is a nightmare, so characters WILL be out of character. Everything italicized is the dream. Have fun!)

The ground was sand. This was something that was unusual, because a!WT knew in her heart that this was L’Apoloburg, but nothing remained past the sand. No walls, no homes.

“Hello?”, she called out, squinting to try and see if she could see anybody in the sand. The wind kept pushing the sand over her feet, and she kicked it away, deciding she may as well walk since there was no answering call.

a!WT walked for hours, or maybe only minutes before reaching what looked like the walls of L’Apoloburg, crumbled and fallen, and a figure standing in front of it. The closer she got, the easier she was able to tell that the figure had its back to her, and that it was the President.

“a’Wilbur! Where are we- what happened to our home? What’s going on?”, a!WT asked, reaching out a hand to grab onto a!Wilburs shoulder, but instead of the other turning around the scene changed.

They were now both standing in L’Apoloburg, brightly colored grass beneath their feet. a!Wilbur was facing a!WT, and they were by the walls. The look on a!Wilburs face was a look that a!WT had never seen before, it was unsettling.

“D-did you r-really think I w-wouldn’t know?”, it asked, and a!WT froze. No. No no no no this wasn’t right this wasn’t something that happened or was going to happen no.

a!Wilbur was advancing now, grinning, and a!WT backs up, until her back hits the wall, panic shooting through her stomach. That was wrong she shouldn’t ever be scared of a!Wilbur this wasn’t right why was this happening-

“D-did you re-really buy that I’m that stupid? Come on a!WT, really? Was that what made you think you could pull this shit off? Of course I know your working with the enemy. I knew since the day I made you my Vice President.”, a!Wilbur sneered, a sword appearing at its side, and they rested a hand on it.

a!WT couldn’t comprehend what was happening. a!Wilbur knew all along? This was just some stupid fucking game that she was a pawn in?

“Then why not say something earlier! Why wait until I’ve told a!Tommy things!”, a!WT responded, pretending like her voice wasn’t shaking as hard as her hands were, eyes wide.

a!Wilbur laughed coldly, a dark gleam in its eyes that was never there before. At least, never a look that was directed at her. Once the laugh faded, the words that came were just as cold,” You think I care? You think I told you the truth- do you really think I’d trust You? Of all people, why you? It was just a stupidly easy way to distract the poor whining opposition…”

It was then that a!WT felt the eyes on her, and her gaze drafted from the healed but entirely unrecognizable face of a!Wilbur to the area around the pair. They were surrounded by residents, both ones who had been exiled and those who stayed. Ghostburs, a!Niki, even the a!Techno and the Wilbur she had met on her journey. They were all watching with impassive expressions, meeting her gaze and the longer they looked the more disdainful they became, faces warping in expressions of pure disgust or betrayal.

But the worst was a!Tommy.

a!Tommy’s eyes were filled with disgust and hurt, but also grim resignation. He was up in a tree, their bracelet-less arms wrapped around a branch, making no move to help.

“Help me.”, a!WT mouthed, aware that a!Wilbur was speaking but she paid them no mind, pleading for her friend to somehow be able to save this. Surely she had a plan, or some sort of saving grace that would get a!WT out of this. They were a pair right? Best friends?

Though a!Tommy was far away, his words echoed around a!WT.

“Why would I help you? You didn’t even fucking give me useful information- you got yourself into this situation. I don’t need you, and never did. You weren’t careful enough, and now everyone knows. Everyone knows everything except me. You’ve given me nothing… you are nothing to me…”, a!Tommy’s voice echoed, a!WT wilting back against the wall, the wall now fully supporting her weight as the weight of the words crashed down around her, unable to help but whisper back a helpless,”You don’t mean that.”, but a!Tommy’s cold eyes and careless shrug confirmed the Vice Presidents worse thoughts.

Everyone knew everyone knew everyone knew-

“Who are you talking to? Praying to some god you’re hoping will answer- why would they help you? Everything was in your hands… you could have saved me.”, a!Wilburs tone suddenly changed, and a!WT straightened, instantly looking back at the President. It’s face was now covered with a mask a!WT knew they got from a!Dream.

“What?”, a!WT asked, feeling incredibly wrong footed with how this had changed, but not questioning when it had had the chance to put on the mask. She also didn’t question the way a!Tommy was now standing beside a!Wilbur, and the feeling of being watched became stronger.

“You could have fixed things, fixed us. You could have not betrayed everyone you ever met, but everyone knows, and always did. We are all damned to a cursed existence because of you. And you are not going to escape punishment for your crimes”, a!Tommy and a!Wilbur spoke in unison, voices eerily similar as they both drew weapons, a!Tommy hoisting a bow and a!Wilbur with a sword.

There was chanting now, and the clicks of a clock. “We all know”, was being repeated over and over, in perfect time with the ticks of a clock that were getting steadily louder, and quicker as the pair in front of her advanced.

“No, no- no nonononono- NO-please, I’m sorry Please-“,a!WT couldn’t back up any further, shrinking down and she finally realized that tears were streaming down her face. The clocks were getting louder, and a!Wilbur was drawing its sword back, preparing to swing.

The sounds reached a crescendo before all the voices merged into one, sounding like every single person she’d ever loved or cared about. She was surrounded, but completely alone, with no one on her side. Only the ticking of the clock was there now, echoing in the silence.

“They all know. Traitors like you deserve to die alone, and your time is up.”, a!Wilbur said, mask disappearing to reveal their grinning face swinging it’s sword swiftly at a!WT’s face, as a!Tommy let the arrow fly in the same direction.

~*~

Right before the weapons hit, a!WT woke up, gasping for air, pushing herself away from the desk she had been sitting working at until she’d fallen asleep. The force of her startled push pushed her backwards in the chair, hitting her head on the ground once she fell.

“What the fuck-“, she mumbled, sitting there for a moment with a hand over her face and her other under her head, staring up at the ceiling. A!WT’s chest heaved with frantic breaths as though her body was making sure that she was still alive.

For a moment the girl simply laid there, staring up at her ceiling, unaware of the tears streaming down her face as she tried to convince herself it was all a dream. But was it? Maybe everyone did know…

“I’m so fucking stupid.”, she mumbled to herself, sniffling slightly as she crawled out of the chair and stood up shakily, glancing out the window, glad to find it was only barely sunrise. That would give her some time to try and make herself perfectly presentable before any of the remaining citizens saw her. She couldn’t let them see her like this, she was all they had left right now. The president hadn’t sent a letter, and a!Tommy hadn’t replied. Maybe they didn’t need her….

Deciding to busy herself in her work, a!WT stumbled back over to her desk, setting her chair the correct way around before flopping down onto it, and pulling the papers towards her. Might as well try and finish figuring out the details for the weaponry they had.

As she tried to distract herself, and the sun rose, the girl couldn’t quite shake the feeling that everyone around her knew, and were just waiting for the right time to expose her as a traitor. The morning sun and the tedious work may have burned away her clearest memories of the dream, but a!Tommy’s words were burned in her memory. They didn’t need her, and her time was running out.

[dramaticsnakes]

The Revived: Chapter 21: Observations

This is chapter 21 of the Dream SMP multichapter fic @rainbowbutterfrosting​ and I wrote together! I hope you’ll enjoy!

AO3

Read in order (on Tumblr)

Characters in this chapter: Wilbur, Ghostbur, Ranboo

Word count: 3551

Cw: intrusive thoughts about hurting others, overworking, isolation, food, mentions of burning, tension between characters, arguments

Fic summary: Wilbur was alive, and it was such a magnificent feeling, that made his mind spark with anticipation. It didn’t take long, however, for Wilbur to realize that this new breath of life, was not just his own. An echo-y voice hides in the back of his mind, and before he knows it, the transparent version of him he saw at the endless train station, is a lot more ingrained than he’d expected him to be.

And Wilbur really shouldn’t care. Because he’d be damned, if he spent the life he’d awaited for so long, babysitting a lost cause of a ghost, stuck in the very same limbo Wilbur spent so long in. It was an even exchange, and one Wilbur wasn’t going to mess with. Why exactly he ends up setting out to get the ghost out of his mind, in order to save the both of them, however, is beyond him. And perhaps Wilbur’s past isn’t as easy to leave behind, as he’d hoped it would be.

The ticking of the clock became a constant to Wilbur, in the days that followed. It filled the silence when there was no dialogue between the two. The stacks of books next to him grew, as he tried to sort through them. The information wasn’t very useful for the most part, but there were always more books. More incomplete notes and recounts to look through.

Occasionally he would venture downstairs, to harvest some crops and settle his growling stomach. Once he took some of the remaining blaze rods and made some strength potions that joined their place next to the remaining instant health ones. He placed a finger on the glass bottles of potions, just to make sure they were still there, and then he would return to his seat.

He read whatever he found out loud, perhaps to remind Ghostbur of his presence. To fill the train station with something other than emptiness. He let out a quick breath, whenever the silence was broken by the ticking of the clock, that reminded him to get back to work, instead of letting his mind drift off into prime knows where. Into the void, and to the walls, that he could claw at all he wanted to no avail. 

The ghost spoke less and less as he read, and Wilbur’s hands shook, as he tried to pay attention to the way the arms of the clock moved. The words seemed to flow off the page as he read each one, incomprehensible to him aside from their sound. Information. Work. He needed to do something. Anything.

“Ghostbur, you said you liked writing books?” Wilbur had asked, once his mind had nearly succumbed to the silence.

“Oh, yeah?” Ghostbur had said quietly, a bit of curiosity creeping in. “It helped me remember and understand things better.”

Wilbur had smiled to the best of his ability. “How about we write one! We should keep track of what we know about everything somehow.” he said, finding that the words made more sense than he had originally anticipated, “We could write down what we know about our connection, and eventually figure out how to… Separate us.”

The ghost had gasped, “That’s a great idea!” he said, sounding a little more excited, even if  he still seemed tired.

And so, that was exactly what they’d done. In a chest downstairs, Wilbur had managed to find a dusty old empty book and quill, and had set it down on the nearest table. It dawned upon him that it had been quite a while since he’d written anything at all. Memories of declarations, and lighthearted words of victory, flooded his mind momentarily, until he managed to make sense of the quill’s movements. 

Ghostbur can communicate verbally with me, and I with him. The words seem to be clearer once they are directed at Ghostbur, though it is possible that the connection has simply become clearer over time. In addition to this, Ghostbur can hear the words and sounds of anyone and anything nearby, including muffled versions of them while I am unconscious.

As they wrote down more observations, the ghost seemed a lot more excited by his inclusion in something. By having a project to work on.

Wilbur thought, the self-centered bastard that he was, that perhaps this partially came from himself. That perhaps the ghost’s interest in keeping track of information in a library, or having a plan or something to complete, were some of the remains of Wilbur’s presence. Whichever part of Wilbur’s soul, however faint, that had stayed behind, upon his exit from this world. 

“You should mention that I see you sometimes too!” Ghostbur had chimed in.

Wilbur’s grip tightened around the pen, as he tried his best to remember some of his past interactions with Ghostbur regarding that. “Right…” he said quietly, “When have you seen me, again?”

“First time was right before Phil gave you that gapple, when you were really cold,” Ghostbur began, “Then after Phil left the mansion and you were on the ground shaking a little bit, then that one time with Niki,” Wilbur found his limbs turning heavier at each instance the ghost listed, and Ghostbur’s voice seemed to gain a tint of uncomfortable realization as he spoke as well, “During that conversation with Tommy where he… Got upset, shortly after you were shot, and uh… Under the table in the bunker a few month- days ago.”

Wilbur swallowed something in his throat, pressing the quill harder against the paper than he intended. “Got it.”

Ghostbur is apparently able to see me when I am experiencing intense emotions or experiences. We are uncertain if this works both ways.

Wasn’t that pathetic? That all those times, Wilbur hadn’t even looked up, or paid attention to his surroundings enough, to catch a certain glimpse of the one he had been speaking to ever since he returned? Did it work when Ghostbur was feeling intense feelings as well? Had he been so dense, as to not even pay attention to that?

Wilbur shook the thoughts off, and added a side note at Ghostbur’s request, detailing how it felt to pet Friend. It made Wilbur smile, ever so slightly, that that was something that was considered of utmost importance. 

Ghostbur feels what I feel physically to a certain degree. It seems to be related to the feeling’s intensity, however the longer I’ve stayed alive, the connection to touch seems to have grown stronger. Once again, we are uncertain if this works two ways.

With shaking hands, he added:

If it does work two ways, water appears to be an exception, as it burns Ghostbur regardless of which world it touches us in, without burning me.

He hardly punctuated the last sentence, before he shut the book, memories of pleas and apologies filling his mind. The addictive feeling of control, that was so incredibly unearned, yet appealing nonetheless. Submerging himself in water, until silence was all he would ever hear, and he would be alone. Alone in his mind, alone with his thoughts, and the ghost would never stop feeling the pain.

He kept his hand on the cover of the book, and his other tightly wrapped around the quill, until it felt too much as if both were burning him.

Instead, Wilbur sought out the bookcases, and the information that wouldn’t make Wilbur’s mind overflow with thoughts of the control he had. Because if Wilbur was always mere moments away from grasping at said control, the least he could do was postpone it, until such would only affect himself. Not that he cared particularly, but he could weave a few fragile threads of something that resembled it. Just for the time being.

And when even that became too much, he would lie down on a mattress, or lay his head down at the table, tossing and turning as he tried to drift into oblivion. The comforting darkness, that seemed more and more inaccessible to him each moment, and all the more tempting each day. He would eventually succeed, and would wake up to read a new time on the clock. Sometimes minutes later, sometimes hours, but always enough for him to hesitantly get up and keep going.

Totems weren’t any good for revivals. Apparently they’d tried using them to get Wilbur back. Nearly finding it in himself to ignore the strange improbable fact that there had been attempts to bring him back at all. Was his revival Dream’s own doing? Or the doing of wishes from others? If it was the latter, why had the reaction he’d gotten been so tense?

It was funny that, despite the attempts to revive him, everyone looked to him as if he brought himself back into the world. As if they didn’t spend hours if not days trying to bring him back. How their plans had changed and shifted constantly, and how the universe didn’t care.

There was also a bit of irony placed in Dream and how he hadn’t given a direct account on any historical events, since before L’Manberg. He found a few from George, but none of them were about Dream himself.

So that was what it had taken to take that perspective away from history, Wilbur had thought, ignoring that anything he might’ve said on the matters himself, had likely been blown up along with the nation in question.

Absent-mindedly, Wilbur had reread the parts of the book on Pandora’s box, about how he could gain access.

Not that anyone would let him. Not that the gist of memories didn’t fill him with dread that wasn’t his own. Not that it wasn’t a last resort. Though he latched onto the information nonetheless.

He was about to flip the page when the familiar echoing whisper filled his mind, “Wilbur?”

His voice was hoarse when he first tried to speak. He cleared his throat before responding once again, “Yeah?”

A hesitance lingered in the back of his mind. It oddly didn’t feel like his though. It was a soft blue contrary to his warm browns and occasional reds. 

“So…” Ghostbur took a deep breath, “Y’know how we aren’t going outside and stuff like that?”

Wilbur nodded, though confusion was portrayed on his face, “Mhm, why do you bring it up?”

“Oh! I- well, I was thinking about us going outside again?” Although it was a suggestion, the tilt at the end made it sound like a confirmation of thought. 

“Why would we do that? There’s enough food in here to last a while.” His eyes flickered across the page, “I would read to you again, but this book is about Dream.”

Ghostbur’s breath hitched as he stayed silent for a moment. “That’s fine. I was just wondering about seeing someone again.” Ghostbur quietly added near the end, “It’s been a while.”

“Don’t you want to get out of limbo?” Wilbur felt his words come off as disinterested with a hint of annoyance, but he frankly didn’t mind.

“I mean- yeah, but that doesn’t have to be our main priority right now. You can still enjoy your life.”

The life that no one wanted to be in. The life without a purpose. Well- he wouldn’t necessarily say that. His goal was to get the ghost out of his mind. Preferably, out of limbo as well.

“My life can be put on hold temporarily.”

Ghostbur hummed in a slight agreement, but it oddly lingered in distaste, “What if I want you to live your life?”

Wilbur rolled his eyes, “Living my life won’t give me information.”

“Interacting with people gives you information.”

“I can’t interact with people when there’s a ghost in my head constantly asking what I’m doing.” 

The moment he said the words, he was about to apologize when Ghostbur sharply spoke, “Maybe you could interact with people if you stopped running away and talked it out.”

A scowl melted onto Wilbur’s face with ease, “You haven’t even spent a day in my shoes so don’t act like you know everything.”

“Well- maybe I would know things if you talked to me more!”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Wow, Ghostbur, feeling upset right now. Wow, Ghostbur, feeling pain again.” He mocked Ghostbur’s voice as if he was imitating a small child, “Oh no, what’s that feeling? I have to react to absolutely everything because I’ve got nothing better to do!”

“I-” Ghostbur sharply cut himself off before taking a sharp inhale, “Maybe I don’t have anything better to do! Especially when you keep on throwing yourself directly into danger without even trying to give me a warning.”

Images flashed through Wilbur’s mind to dunk his hand in the cauldron that was only a few long strides away. Screams that echoed through his mind. The pain would be longer for Ghostbur as well since time passes differently in limbo. Just a few quick moments. Just a few seconds of his time and Ghostbur would finally shut up. 

His legs stood up automatically before he forced himself to sit down again. “Maybe it’s hard to give you a warning. Surprise, surprise, I don’t know when someone is going to shoot me!”

“It’s not about knowing when the moment comes! It’s about you putting yourself in dangerous situations that hurts us.”

“Oh. My. Fucking. Prime. Have you ever thought of why I stay in this bunker? I’ve found a place that’s safe and you just keep on complaining about it. We’ve only been here- what a few days?” Wilbur exhaled out of his nose in astonishment, “I’m trying to do something to help the both of us and you’re just whining like a toddler would.” All he had to do was walk to the cauldron. Just a few seconds of his time. It would be so easy. 

Ghostbur’s astonished voice cut through his thoughts, “Whining?” Ghostbur bitterly laughed once, “I’m just offering a suggestion to you, and you’re not even bothering to listen. If anything you’re- you’re the one acting childish!”

“I’m not!” His eyes focused on the cauldron, no longer looking at the air as he usually would when talking to Ghostbur.

“If you really aren’t childish, then go to someone and genuinely apologize!” Wilbur couldn’t even get a word in as Ghostbur continued, “You’ve constantly been running place to place without even thinking how others feel. That includes me! It includes the fact that you don’t tell me what you’re doing and you keep on hurting me with your recklessness!” 

Silence. 

But the silence was oddly different this time. It lingered on Wilbur’s end more than it did Ghostbur’s. He blinked a few times, attempting to pull his thoughts together before they wrapped around the cauldron. It would be so easy to pull a few screams out of Ghostbur. His breath hitched when he imagined pretending to injure himself, just to wash it off with water. The ghost would believe him too. He would believe Wilbur was hurt and willingly let the water be put on him.

Yet, it gave a much different feeling to not warn him. He wanted to hold an ice cube in his hand, explaining it to Ghostbur as he did it. The naive ghost wouldn’t even know what would happen. There would only be the faint burning as the ice cube melted. Even more so if he squeezed it. Sure, Wilbur would feel a bit of pain from the action, but he could always switch hands. He’d hear some new pleas if he did that. More crying if he continued doing it. The ghost would become so incoherent near the end, just begging for it to-

“Wilbur?” A voice made him jump as he looked over to see the source of it. The one and only Ranboo was staring near him, his hands were wrapped around a book he held to his chest. It looked similar to the other books Wilbur had been flipping through, but the cover seemed newer than the other ones. Slightly thinner as well.

“Ah- yes, I suppose that is me,” Wilbur stated.

“I… thought Tubbo didn’t really want anyone down here?” 

Wilbur slowly nodded, “Oh. Yeah, I guess he did say that.”

Ranboo awkwardly bounced on the balls of his feet, “Do you need help leaving?”

Wilbur glanced at the books remaining on the bookshelf, “I’m good.”

Ranboo laughed for a few moments. The sound filling the air rather than joining a joke, “Are you though? This place is a bit funny.” Ranboo quickly added, “I mean, not funny as in a joke kind of funny. But I guess I mean funky in a way, like it’s just sort of weird if you get what I’m saying. When I said funny, I just meant that it was funny the way it messes with your head, not that it’s actually-” Ranboo cut his own rambles off as he appeared uncomfortable, hunching slightly over his book.

“Don’t worry, I’ve gotcha.”

“Yeah, cool.” Ranboo met Wilbur’s eyes for a quick moment, the green one almost mesmerizing Wilbur. “So, is Tubbo asking you to help out?”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow before his eyes flickered to the book Ranboo was holding. A look of realization came across Wilbur’s face as he pieced together that Ranboo was probably helping Tubbo with the library. The boy seemed rather reserved, so he supposed that made sense. “Not exactly.” Wilbur continued after a few seconds of the clock next to him ticking, “I just figured I’d stay here a few days.”

Ranboo tilted his head slightly, “You don’t have a house? I thought you ran a nation and all of that stuff.”

Wilbur shrugged, “I don’t know, man. Houses aren’t really my thing.”

Ranboo exhaled sharply in a way that could have been interpreted as a laugh, “So you’ve been sleeping here for how long?”

“I’d say a few days now? Not sure, I haven’t really been keeping track.”

Ranboo nodded, “What do you do for food though? I don’t really see a pantry anywhere around here.” Ranboo inspected his surroundings once more as if a magical kitchen was going to appear right behind him.

“There’s some carrots and melons downstairs. I did see some wheat seeds in one of the chests though. I might start making bread.”

A confused expression came across Ranboo’s face, “Do you know how many rooms our mansion has? You can just go into one of the hundreds and we wouldn't know for weeks.”

Wilbur’s astonishment bounced off of Ranboo’s, “I didn't know I was supposed to break into your home and sleep in a random room?”

Ranboo was speechless for a moment as he starting talking and then cutting himself off before he simply stated, “Or you could have asked?”

Wilbur’s mind went back to Tubbo. The failed comfort as he went downstairs. He shaky arms around Ranboo’s torso as he left. The uncomfortableness that radiated whenever Ranboo was alone with Wilbur. 

Yeah, he’d rather pass on their fake smiles.

“I’m alright.”

Ranboo stayed in silence with him for a moment. It took a few seconds before Ranboo changed the topic, “So you know Michael right?” Wilbur nodded. “Well, we were just inviting some people to our house since we’re throwing a little party for him. Would you like to come?”

Wilbur seemed surprised that he would even get an invitation as Ghostbur quickly chimed in, “Okay, I don’t want to stay quiet anymore. Can we please go? Please, please, please, we’ll get to see everyone again!” Ghostbur’s pleas hit differently this time as they were colored with bright yellow excitement that he hadn’t heard from the ghost in awhile. 

Almost automatically he responded, “Sounds fun, we’ll go.”

“We?”

Embarrassment shot through Wilbur. “I meant I’ll go, my apologies.” He could hardly hear his own words as the back of his neck felt warm and Ghostbur cheered in excitement. 

Ranboo seemed slightly lost in his mind as well, as he quietly mumbled, “Right, yeah…” His face perked up when he added on, “It’s at our house- y’know the whole mansion thingy that you’ve been to a few times- at about noon.”

Wilbur looked to the clock subconsciously as if it was about to turn noon at that moment. He strangely found it was four o’clock in the morning. “Wait, what are you doing here so early in the morning?”

Panic glazed Ranboo’s eyes before he quickly mentioned, “I could ask you the same thing.”

Confusion filled Wilbur’s mind. He felt like the living embodiment of a question mark as he asked, “I already told you I don’t have a house. You have one though. That’s why I’m asking why you’re here since we established I’m technically homeless.”

Ranboo nodded, the movements seeming jerky. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Wilbur was about to press more about the topic until he saw Ranboo’s shifting movements along with the raw fear evident on his face. Perhaps that was a side-effect of being a centrist- never explaining yourself or your views properly. Wilbur awkwardly supplemented, “It’s whatever. Thanks for inviting me to the party.”

Ranboo seemed to immediately relax, “No problem.”

“Is it noon as in six hours from now, or noon as in tomorrow?”

Ranboo looked at the clock. “I didn’t even realize it was four in the morning- wow- but yeah, six hours from now. Wait- four plus six is ten and that’s not noon.”

Wilbur felt like an idiot, but in the kind that made him laugh gently at his mistake, “Oh, fuck, you’re right.”

Ranboo let out a short laugh, “Mood.”

Wilbur nodded, “But, yeah that time works for me.” After a short sigh, he realized how exhausted both of them were. The eye bags were present on Ranboo’s face after he looked for a moment. The boy seemed to constantly shift as Wilbur looked away with a yawn.

Ranboo yawned as well, but an enderman vwoop came out instead of the typical human noise. Wilbur wanted to ask why the strange sounds came out of him, but he felt his eyes droop slightly. 

Ranboo noted the energy in the room as he started walking towards downstairs, “Alright, I’m gonna head out.”

“Good night- or rather good morning.”

Ranboo chuckled, “Good morning to you as well, Wilbur.” Ghostbur chuckled along in the back of his mind, seeming much happier than before.

[florencwrites]

ECHOES, PAGE TWELVE 〚dreamwastaken〛

He is cross with her, cross with her for caring about him. Then, sirens are blaring and she cannot think straight. The alarms making her sick with their deafening threats of what might've occurred within the walls of the prison she had grown to hate so much. series homepage

"When are you going?" Her words were whispered in both fright and anticipation. She truly didn't know how she felt about the entirety of it all. On one hand, it'd be good for Dream to have some visitors; there only had been a handful that went to meet him and none of them had returned for a second time, besides from Quackity.

When he came to visit he always came for a little chat beforehand, and while she'd always had a certain liking towards Big Q, these times he'd been acting weird, odd, eerie.

He'd have this almost mocking attitude as he asked her how she was holding up, if she'd spoken to Dream yet. One time he'd even gone as far as to say, "You know he deserves whatever it is they're giving to him, right?" His voice had been deep, hard, and cold. "You know that right?"

He'd scared her. She gulped nervously and nodded while staring blankly at the horizon. She had asked him to leave. He did.

On the other hand, she wasn't sure whether Tommy was in the right state of mind to be seeing Dream at all. She didn't want him to do anything he'd regret, she didn't want him to act as erratically as he often found himself to be.

"Tonight." He muttered in response, his eyes still fixated on the darkening clouds above. "I came to tell you that."

"I appreciate that." She squeezed his hand. "I'll be waiting for you right here."

He sat up, turning his torso to face her, "I also came to tell you that I don't want that."

She sat up, too, urging him to keep on speaking. So, he did, "I want you to go see Techno again. He missed you and you missed him and he will keep you safe, he promised."

"You didn't tell me you spoke to Techno."

"I am now." His face stood unrelenting, he was insisting on it. "I've taken care of everything."

"Tommy, I'm not going anywhere until you return from that prison unscathed." He opened his mouth to retort, but her maternal instinct had caught his words before he had even thought of them. "And that will be the end of it."

"Fine, whatever." He pushed himself from the ground, quickly wiping the dirt and grime from his clothes and hands. "Stay here, see if I care."

And with that, she was left alone.

It felt odd to have another falling out with Tommy, but for the first time, it had nothing to do with her desire to see Dream. If anything, it had to do with the slight tremble of fear she carried with her, fear of what the man she loved truly was capable of. Tommy thought he was entirely invincible, that no harm would ever truly catch his scent; he was incredibly and utterly wrong.

The grass she had picked at flailed up into the air, swirling down into her lap. "I know, Wilbur, but nobody's looking out for him anymore."

"We're the only ones that care."

A cold print rested on her upper back. She jumped at the contact, he had never gone as far as to touch her before. She didn't even know he could. "Was that you?"

A phantomed thumb rubbed circles in its place, comforting her entirely. She smiled as she leaned into the touch. "I'll wait for him however long it takes."

"For both of them."

The hours passed ever so slowly, they had always seemed to crawl along the clock when it came to her. Perhaps her lack of agenda was what kept them from ticking at a normal pace, perhaps the lack of a rush was what did it. There was no looming threat of delay running after the minutes threatening to beat it with a stick. They crawled past ever so slowly, knowing damn well nobody would be chasing the spare seconds they left behind.

She'd watched Tommy walk past her in the reflection of the murky water. She reckoned the tide had changed once again, bringing the mud up to the surface in whifts. The water had been clear for as long as she had sat there, but today it was practically visually impenetrable. He hadn't said a word, only his pattering steps and the spectral, almost melodious grunt of the portal being utilized.

She could hear the creaking of the vault faintly in the distance, it was a spookily silent night. The moon stood high in the night, especially for the time of the evening. It was early, she was hungry.

She didn't dare to stick her feet into the cloudy waves, whereas normally she'd have no trouble getting them dirty; today she felt uneasy doing so. She pulled grass from the soil beside her, she had decided to permanently move to the fresh spot Tommy had assigned her to.

She loved him with all her heart, nobody would ever be able to take that from her, even him. He could commit the most heinous of crimes, die a horrible death and take thousands with him; she would mourn the death of his wickedness the same way she would of a saint. She'd apologize to him the second he came out of there, she'd tell him she was sorry for treating him like an imbecile that couldn't hold his own, even if it was a little true. She was gonna tell him that she'd leave for Techno's first thing in the morning, that she'd already notified Niki that she'd be taking Bastard back into her own care. She had taken care of everything.

But then sirens started blaring, alarms started screaming at her for being so goddamn naive. The prison shook in its core, the small waves it emitted into the water felt like fucking tidal waves as they splashed onto her feet. Her hair was being pulled at mercilessly and her skin felt like it was rotting, sliding from her skin.

The sirens were blaring loud enough for everyone in the realm to hear, and still, they succumbed to Sam's menacing screams of despair. She could hear him screech at the two men locked inside, she could hear the absolute desperation lacing his tone as he shouted, "Get away from him, Dream! Leave him alone!"

And then, it was quiet. It was quiet in the way it had been the first night she'd sat there. Quiet in a way the whole world had been smothered, the whole world had muffled and muted itself to listen to her agonizing sobs. When they took Dream, she had been inconsolable.

Now, he had taken Tommy and she was beyond repair.