Chapter Text
It was rainy that day, the same day he was about to give up on his search for the prisoner. He sighed as he headed over to the L’manhole, his mood far more turbulent then the heavy rain currently sweeping the greater kingdom. He couldn’t be mad, they hadn’t gotten a drop of rain in almost two years, not since the prisoner had come to Pandora.
No, he knew that was a lie, it had stopped when Quackity had started to visit the prisoner, the clouds parting when nearing the kingdom and bringing their blessed rains elsewhere.
It had gotten bad- so bad Eret ended up having to order food for everyone from Hypixel and setting up trades with the Skyblock district.
The rain had returned however, which was a mystery. Nothing today had changed- the prisoner had broken out of jail almost three weeks ago.
Yet the rain had only returned today. Having not parted like it had been for the past two years. Part of him wondered if Techno really was the one who had broken it out. Sure he was protective of the prisoner, but he vowed to blow up the prison when he did so.
Pandora was still intact.
Quackity coincidentally had stopped his visits right when Dream had disappeared too.
The alarms had yet to go off, as if he had just phased through the walls. He’d think he server hopped If it wasn’t for the logs showing him as still logged in. Maybe he should check Las Nevadas next after he examined the hole. Something wasn’t quite adding up, and it was his job as the warden to see that it was corrected.
He was going to break that duck wannabe’s wings if he had done what he thinks he did.
The rain thankfully was working as camouflage for him, with his natural greeness, it made it easy to opt for his leather armor while searching for the prisoner, easier to cut into strips too for bandages if need be.
He just wished he didn’t have to search in the rain for them.
Grumbling, he continued his search, pausing when he saw someone near the crater, seemingly confused. Careful of how close they were to the hole, he called out. “Hey! You shouldn’t be in there, there might be unlit TNT still around.”
“Sam?”
Sam felt his blood freeze at the voice, familiar, long hair and long forgotten jade eyes were looking up at him. It was Dream, it was the prisoner, it was-
Something wrong, something was very very wrong. The person looking at him looked so much like Dream, before the wars, before the hate-
Before Quackity.
But it couldn’t be him, that was impossible… yet it would explain the clean face, and long hair- hair not butchered by shears and skin unmarked by fire enchantments. He was already walking over to him, talking about ‘how much he missed him’ when he remembered his job. “Dream, not another step!”
“Sam-“
“I said stay still! Not another move prisoner, you're coming back with me to your jail cell Pandora’s vault, and going back to your box for the rest of time where everyone can forget about you.”
Seeing Dream frown felt wrong- where was his mask?
Was that really Dream… or was it just its ghost…?
“Dream… step away from the crator, come over here now.” Sam could tell his warning signal was coming back, the smoke from his mask leaking out like a deadly miasma.
"Walk over here and up this side of the hole. I am going to follow behind. Don’t try anything funny."
Sam started to approach, his trident trained on the meat of his neck. He didn't care what Dream said, he didn't care what he thought their relationship was. Dream wasn't running, Sam finally had him cornered.
He needed answers, and if Dream was stupid enough to pretend to be innocent and not know anything, then he’d have to take the opportunity.
“Sam I’m starting to get some mixed signals here. You uh… never really explained the jail part. When the hell did we get a jail? When the hell did you even get here?” Dream stayed in place, visibly confused. The wind blowing his hood down, showing his face more.
He really didn’t have his mask near, and there was no way for his hair to of grown that fast- it went down past his waist. “The last thing I remember is being hit by a minecart, but…”
Sam felt he shoulders relax and his smoke slowly start to disappate. He could figure this out at the prison, he wasn’t about to fall for those innocent looking eyes.
Even if this was possibly all the remained of a now dead man. Even though everything in him screamed that Dream had always had a frankly terrible poker face and this was real. "What do you mean since I got here? You know full well what has happened. Especially since it's all your fucking fault ."
He flinched when he saw Dream flinch at his tone. Maybe it was because the last time he had seen Dream like that they were both kids, and he was bleeding from his horns being hit with an axe at from woman who assumed they stole her purse.
He didn’t like it, he didn’t like remembering the past. Making his voice softer, he sighed and motioned him forward. "Dream just… come with me. Now, or I will have to use brute force."
Dream backs up a bit more, unknowingly backing into a piece of unstable ground, the stone caving like paper machte. “Sam, I-“
Dream didn’t get a chance to say more, before the ground under him started to disappear, his body falling.
Sam couldnt help but gasp and flung his trident to the ground, lunging forward to grab dream before he could fully fall. He had been able to grab him by the back of his cloak like a kitten, pulling him up with a hiss.
"That's why I said people shouldn’t be down here, but no one listens to the creeper!" He hissed out, a bit surprised at how tightly Dream was holding onto him. He by no means was letting go of him, but he’s pretty sure Dream could hold himself up at this point.
"I guess I have to carry you there then..."
The prisoner was clinging to him with the force of someone trying to cling to the last bit of stability in their life, it unnerved him If it was honest. He knew Dream had a fear of heights as a kid, but he thought he outgrew that when he started his manhunts.
But… it had been over a year since he’d done one.
Dream was cold- he always ran cool but he was almost icy, as if he was left in the rain for days… it hadn’t rained at all until today though, and the prisoner was mostly dry despite the heavy rain around them. It took a moment for him to speak back to him. “Well when you tell someone to freeze and move you start to get some mixed signals.”
… Dream shouldn’t be clinging to him like this, at least, the Dream from Pandora wouldn’t be clinging to him. He would of tried to fight or bolt at this point, or would of started to strangle him.
The old Dream however…
Something wasn’t adding up, but he didn’t have time to think about that just yet.
Dream was in one set of his arms, the other set picking up the trident he so carelessly threw to grab him. He slung it over his shoulder, content to know Dream couldn’t grab it while in his hold.
Sam was confused by the ploy he was trying. Pretending he didn't do anything wrong, it honestly hurt a bit. Dream had been his friend... but now he was a just the monster in Pandora.
Even if that felt like a lie to say when he’d be bound to the wall and at the mercy of Quackity, even though the tapes showed he was behaving until Tommy killed the cat and he snapped, even though he was purposely starving him of the food he was supposed to be giving him and made the main cell a fraction of the height and the size Dream had designed, and not even a fraction of the items and activities they were supposed to have.
Even If his screams haunted him in his sleep, but his silence was more horrifying.
Even if he’s had to revive him with chest compressions and potions several times so Quackity could get that damned book.
Even if he knew Dream wasn’t the only factor to everything going to shit, just one of the main ones.
Tommy was just a boy after all.
Dream was… not that much older then him, but he was still older and alive-
… or now he was dead, and he was holding the spirit of his former friend, who couldn’t remember a thing, while his own sins against him were crawling around his skin like a parasite.
"I don't know what bullshit you are pulling, but stop it. That won’t work here… though I have to ask... how are you so fuckin' cold? It's summer?"
“I woke up like this. I thought my body hurt from the minecart but that’s rapidly becoming less of a possibility. I’d also like to know about whatever bullshit I’ve apparently been apart of. Sam, what’s todays date?”
Dream didn’t try to get away, if anything he seemed to cling to him for the warmth. Dream seemed more then content to stay in Sam’s arms now that he wasn’t yelling or shouting. Shivering as if the wind came from the Arctic. “It’s… I’m so tired Sam. I just wanna know what’s happening at this point.”
"Today's... dream what going on with you? It's been almost three whole weeks since Technoblade got you out of prison. It's like... the 25th? Almost the end of June?" Sam sighed, undoing his mask so it was easier to breath. His face was covered in burn marks.
He pretended to not feel something in his heart as Dream gently touched the burns, as if to ask what happened. "Look, it’s been a while since you seem to remember anything, let’s start with what you last remember. You mentioned a minecart?”
He didn't really believe him, but it's easier to just agree and go along with it, easier to let it believe that he believed it.
“Wait, what? June? No, that can’t be right, it was the end of August… Right? And what do you mean by Techno broke me out? He’s not even here, he’s in Hypixel…. right? How… what…?” Dream shivers a bit more, his body not able to hold much body heat.
Sam saw the man shivering more and he sighed, holding him closer and wrapping his own cloak more around him. "Maybe don't die before I can even get you back to your cell, okay? Techno moved out here soon after the disc war started Dream."
The prison came into view and it looked even more menacing now. It had been upgraded with more high security cells, so now it was larger, taller.
"It's 2022. Don't do this trope, please."
“Are you telling me it’s been two damn years?” Dream looked upset at the idea, as if two years really had passed. “Okay, haha, very funny Sam, but not really. What’s reall- Oh what the fuck is that. Did Bad build this? This is… different then his usual work.”
Dream wasn’t handling this information well at all it seemed, if his words getting faster was any sign. “… why am I in jail anyway? I thought things were settling down finally with L’Manburg but… considering that’s a crater now…”
Dream genuinely looked confused. He’s never been the best actor, part of the reason he needed the mask- so people would take him seriously and not see his heart on his sleeve. He didn’t want to think about how genuinely he seemed. “It looks… cold, not warm like Bads usual builds.”
"Yeah, it’s been about two years... I'm not joking, Dream." Sam laughed a bit, humming at Dream's act. He was being rather... interesting.
He shook his head, continuing to get closer.
"Come on, Dream. We built this thing together, remember?”
“… I don’t even wanna think how many hours went into this. I think I might be sick if I do.” Dream was looking… paler then he should, the tan the constant Lava exposure gave him was gone.
"Yeah... you really don't.”
Dream didn’t seem convinced at all. "We are gonna go in to talk, but I need to go in first. If you really want me to believe you... I am going to leave you here and come back." Sam set dream down on a bench, sticking his trident in his inventory.
"If you want me to truly believe this story... stay here. Don't leave, I will be back." Sam was taking a risk. He stood in the portal and kept his eyes on the man until he disappeared.
Sam quickly flipped levers and made sure Bad and Ant were nowhere to be seen before moving back out. When he came through though, he didn't see Dream.
"Mother- FUCKER!" The creeper centaur equipped his trident and hurried out and looked around. Ready to impail the prisoner. "Why did I even- even try?! I am such a fucking idiot! Dream!"
He spotted a familiar black cloak and stopped, confused. Dream was by the river, shaking. A pinkish liquid lazily making it’s way down the river, the man’s hands stained with red.
"Dream...?"
Dream wasn’t right where he was supposed to be, instead he was right outside, away from possibly destroying the portal and by the water, emptying his stomach it seemed. The shaking was worrying, the red in the puke moreso.
Dream didn’t seem to hear Sam, trying to not have that happen again. “Why am I so weak, why couldn’t I hold it more-“ was all he got out before getting sick again.
Sam dropped the trident again. It was getting abused today it seemed and would need a proper cleaning later, but that was a problem for future Sam. He kneeled down beside him and gently rubbed his back.
"Are you okay?"
Dream didn't reply right away, only trying to calm down some before mumbling something about disappointment.
"Dream, why didn't you say you were sick? We can move into the vault and you can lay down if you need to... why would anyone be disappointed about this?"
Sam stood and picked Dream back up, three arms cradling him, while the fourth was set on his head. He’d grab his trident later, it’s not like it would go anywhere.
Few were stupid to try and rob him.
He couldn’t help but frown however when his hand touched Dream’s head. His body was ice cold but his head was burning up.
His immune system was likely shot from the cell. Quickly going through the portal, he looked around.
No one had followed them, and everything seemed to be in check, If Bad or Ant found him now he could easily lie about needing Ponk or Callahan for help, and why that was why it was being moved.
Dream didn’t say much, too busy hiding his face from the now too bright light that was Pandora’s interior. “You said to not move, but I would of shattered the portal off and…”
Dream went quiet for a second, before speaking again, shaking. “I shouldn’t of eaten those apples in the forest. I didn’t start to feel sick until a few moments ago… and you seemed mad, and there’s a lot of new things and-“
Oh
Dream was overwhelmed. He was going through sensory overload. Too much new, upsetting information at once, on top of likely making himself sick by eating too much from… him not usually eating as often as he should have.
He had seen this before, in MCC’s. Buildmart was the one game where Dream was cast as a builder and not a gatherer unless he was the only one who could do it.
It’s something he knows no one could fake, and guilt filled his stomach, remembering the first time it had happened.
The first time he played buildmart, they had to call a timeout afterwards- despite break also being after buildmart- Dream and a few others needed it. The man spent almost all of the timeout being sick and having Sapnap try to feed him some crackers and gatorade, and taking a short nap at the actual break.
He had to hold George back from trying to maim someone who had laughed and jeered at Dream’s situation.
It had been rough, but buildmart stayed, and Even if things had only gotten a bit better, they hadn’t gotten worse.
Pulling the man closer to him, so he could more easily hide his face, he quietly shushed him, and made his way over to the medical wing.
He only hoped that Dream wouldn’t get sick all over him as he tended to him.