Characters: Dream, Tommy.
Warnings: mentions of exile and the prison, but nothing specific. Heavy guilt. Minor self-harm.
Summary: Dream and Tommy confront each other across the L'manberg crater. They've both got things weighing them down, and yet things still go surprisingly peacefully, all things considered.
I tried to show that both people had their faults and their good reasons, while still showing things from c!Dream's flawed perspective.
The wind howled, low notes bouncing through the deep wound in the ground and echoing off into a discordant melody.
Tired emerald eyes hidden by a chipped bone mask stared across the canyon just to the side of once-electric blue ones as the wind tossed their clothes around with wild abandon.
"C'mon, Tommy, let's end this once and for all. No one needs to die, no one needs to go to war. Let's let the server rest, we both know it'll be better off if the worst of its inhabitants aren't fighting each other."
"Fuck off, man! We-" he choked and tried again. "I know you're lying. You'll just get good and then come back and tear everything I love away from me all over again! I won't let you do that!"
He sighed. "I won't, Tommy." Dream turned away for a moment, gazing at the tattered flag hiding away in the depths of the crater. He could just barely make it out through all the rubble and the dust-filled air. "I'm tired, Tommy."
"Heh?! What the fuck does that have to do with anything, you bitch-"
He snapped his head back towards Tommy at that, wincing back a bit when he saw the flinch the kid failed to hide.
Nether, that all really had been for nothing, hadn't it? Just another kid fucked up, and the price paid wasn't even worth it in the end. It did so little to help the server, and so much to hurt Tommy. Wasn't even worth it in the end.
Dream tilted his head towards the ground, just missing the frown that deepened on the kid's face.
"I'm tired, alright Tommy? I'm tired of always trying so hard, and throwing so much away, always for so little." He looked back up, starting to move his hands up as well before they stuttered to a stop back at his sides, fists tightening. "I mean, look at you! I fucked up so much with you!"
Tommy flinched back. "I mean, yeah you did bitch, but why're you bringing it up now..?" The kid's fists clenched and unclenched nervously, grabbing at air as he shuffled in place at the opposite edge of the crater.
Dream tugged at his sleeves, bringing one up to bite at it before halting the motion and shoving it back down, his trembling fingers gripping the fabric harder afterward.
"I did so much to you, used you like a tool, because I thought it was the only way to get the server fixed. To get everyone to stop fighting each other. I still don't think there was anything else I could've done, but the price wasn't worth what happened. I did all that shit and it wasn't even worth it. It wasn't even enough. I traumatized an already traumatized kid to fix a broken server and it didn't even last a month."
Rain began to come down with the wind, stinging his ears and the tips of his fingers, trying to dig its way under his ragged cloak and hoodie to get at the skin under them. "Sure, there aren't any wars, but people are still fighting! No one trusts each other, and now everyone's scared of being thrown in the- the prison."
He paused, trying hard not to shudder at the memories that threatened to surface at the mention. He wasn't there anymore, he wasn't there anymore, he wouldn't go back, he couldn't-" His teeth broke the skin of his fingers, having subconsciously brought one hand up to bite on them. He jolted them away from under his mask, quickly fixing it when it jostled out of place a little from the sudden movement. Stars, he was such a mess-
His head jolted up. "What?"
"You heard me. Go away!" Tommy yelled at him.
"You go away and don't you ever come back! And if I even see your name in the chat, I'll hunt you down myself and take your last canon life, you hear me? So! go! Away!" The kid screamed those last few words, breaking him out of his stupor.
"R-right. Right, ok. Okay, I'll go." He muttered, backing away from the crater. One step, then two, then he was turning around and running, the rain pelting him from all sides as he sprinted through it.
'I'm free?' He wondered to himself in awe as he left the old L'manberg lands behind.
